Updating Pictures While Snowed In with a Sleeping Baby

I realize how far behind I am. Frankly, I hate being pregnant and it's doubly hard with crazy toddler Hazel Porkpie, so I spend all my free time sleeping. Or staring at the wall. I really need to update some pictures. We had a lot of adventures this summer, and no I'm not going to post any pictures of my belly.

Goggles and splashing in the dog bowl.

In the woods one afternoon.

A rare sighting of mama.

Exploring.

Roasted corn at the Tunbridge, Vermont Country Fair

Always so happy...

Splashing around in the shallows at the Lake House in Maine.

Picking blueberries.

A summer afternoon walking around at Appleton Farms Grass Rides with friends.

Hazel and Gage exploring.

A reggae concert in town to benefit our local wolf sanctuary, Wolf Hollow.

Hazel's favorite summer past time.

Very serious about mowing the lawn.

A minke whale.

Hazel's first whale watch was a disaster- too long, too loud, too much. This was right after she puked in her dads shoes.

Beautiful Thatcher Island off the coast of Rockport.

The Cox Reservation in Essex has an art show to benefit the Trustees of the Reservations every year.

Making friends with some bug sculptures.

"Oh, hi!"

With dada, one of many days this summer at the wading pool in Bradley Palmer State Park.

Playing with cousin Owen.

Armenian eyes.

The lawn can't be mowed enough.

Leaving the wading pool after a long afternoon, and stopping to look at a snake on the path with her friends Liam and Beatrice.

With her friend Henry on July 4th.

Calling for back-up with cousin Owen.

A luncheon with cousins Owen and Lorna.

Stuffing cake at cousin Lorna's first birthday party.

Happy Birthday Beatrice!

Hazel's friend Beatrice turned one, and we got to party with her!

Bea Balloon

Bea Boo Hoo

Bea's Knees


Hazel wearing her Party Pants

Enjoying Bea's birthday swing

Hazel enjoying some food she stole from another baby. She likes to push kids, screech at them, then steal their snacks.

Double-fisting Lil' Crunchies

Mas

Clearly having this toddler has taken up more of my time than I expected it to. I love every moment of it. She is such a crazy kid- so opinionated! So funny! She loves to make us laugh. She had a crazy growth spurt, ate me out of house and home over about three days then one day was twice as long. She is 15 and a half months old now, and she is a totally different kid than the one at her first birthday party. She still sleeps a lot (thankfully) but when she is awake she just goes goes goes. We have been seeing a lot of friends and visiting people all over New England this month and we feel so blessed to do so! Here are a couple of the highlights.

Favorite snack- raspberries and tofu. Conveniently, this was right before she got a bath.

This is Hazel with her friend Maia! We went down to Connecticut so that the girls could have a sleepover party while the mamas and dada's went to see Spinal Tap! Maia's grandma was sweet enough to watch the girls while we stayed out too late and drank too much.

Dining together. They were such funny monkeys. I have video, of course.

This Is Spinal Tap: Stonehenge (cell phone camera- note the model of Stonehenge lowered on a wire via the screen in back, with gnome dolls "dancing".)

Cute stuff.

Helping dada assemble her new wagon, which she LOVES.

The only decent picture from the bluegrass concert that Jamie and Hazel went to in Salem. She was dancing and spinning so much, and this person was from the local newspaper trying to get her picture. You know, since she is the most adorable and funniest kid in the world.

Food porn! Fiddlehead season! It's one week a year here in New England, and I have grown to so love these tender little beauties so much.

Play day at the Boston Children's Museum Playspace!

"Driving in my car car."

Hazel met her friend James at the Children's Museum because it's in the middle of their homes. James lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his mom and dad, Rob, who happens to be an old college friend of mine. How convenient!

After a long afternoon at the Museum, we had to stop by dada's office in Cambridge.

And the tired little porkpie heads home with her blanket.

We had another visit from our friends Corleigh and Cameron, and Cam's new puppy, Mavis.

Hazel squeezing into the walker with Cam. Now there's no one to push.

Corleigh and Cameron were so incredibly kind to bring Hazel a big huge box of super fun toddler toys that Cameron don't need anymore, since he is 3. Hazel has never been so happy in her life. She climbed right into the box and plopped down in the middle of it all and just laughed. Cameron is our new hero.

Hooray for toys! Mama always refuses to get Hazel any plastic, light-up, noise making toys because she is cruel and heartless. Cameron just saved her with these. She is enthralled with them, which prompted mama to create a separate playroom in the house so they wont be in the living room any longer. Pictures to come.