“A single photo. No words. Capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
– joining soulemama.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Weekly Ritual
Every week we stick to a routine. A series of outings that help us stick to the rhythm of our days. Outings that coincide with all the things we do inside, like laundry and dishes and painting and reading and playing. Every week, we head out to the local swap meet. We check out all the “junk” and if we don’t find any treasures, we head to the beach across the way to enjoy the sand and surf. But, before we head to the swap meet. We always watch the train go by. See, the swap meet is right across from the train stop and for over a year now, it’s been something Ellie has loved to do. Something that never gets old for her. So off we go to sit and watch that train go by and wonder where the people are headed. Even if that train is 30 minutes late… we’re there waiting for it.
and off to the beach…
Weekending!
This weekend we went to visit with friends, visited the farmers market and picked up some fall-ish foods. We did some painting and spent sunday morning zooming around the house in capes while Dada played hockey. Grandma and Grandpa came over for a walk downtown. And we ended the weekend with some local grass-fed burgers on the grill.
How was your weekend?
Autumn Good Morning
“Yellow the bracken. Golden the sheaves. Rosey red apples. Crimson the leaves. Mist on the hillside. Clouds grey and White. Autumn good morning. Summer Goodnight. “
Okay, so it doesn’t exactly feel like Autumn around these parts, but that’s not going to stop me from wearing socks in the early mornings and decorating with browns and oranges and deep purples, and painting pumpkins and reading books about falling leaves.
(To help explain the strange animals on the Autumn play mat; her Autumn play mat, because of her sudden intense interest in Winnie the Pooh, has now become the Hundred Acre Wood play mat).
Portrait Project: 37 and 38
37/52
eloise: Some days you wake up from your nap, happy and playful and adorable. Today we cuddled in bed for an hour, being silly, telling stories, talking about our upcoming trip to Boston, took cute photos. Then we headed downstairs to finish what was left of the day.
(and because I was offline this past week, I’m finally getting around to posting last week’s portrait, taking on my iPhone and this week’s portrait, from our time in New Hampshire and Boston).
38/52
eloise: This was minutes after we had gotten settled at the campground in New Hampshire. We headed to the beach, you were still in pj’s from the night before and when you saw the lake and the little beach, you dove right in. Literally, dove right into the water, clothes and all. Your Dada had to scoop you out. You spent the rest of the day happily jumping in and out of the water, playing on the beach with Nana and catching frogs with your Auntie Lindsey. You are certainly one with wilderness my child.
– joining Jodi for this year’s 52 Project!
A Trip and A Mouse
We’re headed to Boston and New Hampshire this weekend for a week long, little late summer, early fall vacation and visit with Nana and Papa and the rest of the east coast Langille’s. It’s been quite some time since we’ve flown with Ellie. We made this trip multiple times when she was a tiny baby, but haven’t flown this far in quite some time. I’m a little anxious about flying with a toddler, but we’re hopefully as prepared as we’re going to be and fingers crossed it’s a smooth flight. To prep this girl of mine, we picked up a whole bunch of airplane and flying books at the library this week. Ellie took to one of the books right away (Miss Mouse Takes Off– About a little girl who takes her stuffed mouse with her on a trip to see her Nana!) and because she has been enjoying the book so much, I thought I’d make her, her very own Miss Mouse to bring on the trip.
(I thought it might also make the flight go a little smoother with a special friend going along for the ride).
I’m going to have Miss Mouse all set up on the morning we leave with a little note for Ellie, asking if she can go along too (fingers crossed she likes her enough to say yes)!
Wish us luck on the flight please. And I will most likely not be in this space at all next week, except maybe to link up with my portrait.
xoxo!
Summer (and Miss Mouse)
“MilkaMilk” with a Toddler
I never got to write a breastfeeding post for National Breastfeeding Month back in August, due to birthdays and out-of-town visitors, but really want to do my part to normalize breastfeeding (something I feel very passionately about). So I thought, I’d tell you about my adventures nursing a two-year old today.(In case, you were interested, here is my nursing post from last year. Nursing a toddler is a whole other ball park. Our nursing relationship is quite different from those sleepy beginning days. The quiet, relaxed morning, noon and nights with her little baby body curled up against mine, taking in all the nourishment she needed from her Mama’s breast. Nowadays, it’s not quite as relaxing but it has become a sort of cool down zone for Ellie. A place to reconnect. A place to get that kick-start needed to continue on with that important learning through play. Sometimes it’s nice and relaxed and I am able to kiss her head and talk about our day. Other times she kicks and squirms and hops all over me and I wonder why she bothers for Mama’s milk at all. Some people have asked me how long I plan to continue. Some, flat-out ask me why on earth would I want to still be nursing at this age anyway?
There are certainly days and nights that I wouldn’t mind throwing in the towel. Long nights where I struggle with, if nursing this long is even the right thing to do. But, then I realize that there really is no “right” thing. Women all over the world nurse their one year olds, two-year olds, four-year olds and even seven-year olds. And for Ellie and I, it’s something very special we share. I love the closeness breastfeeding brings. I’ve seen the almost magical powers it has to calm an upset child, to recharge a tired toddler, or to help a tired toddler fall asleep. It makes me feel better on those days where she barely eats anything because molars are breaking though; I know she’s getting nutrients from my milk if nothing else. For those reasons and so many more, I want to continue on. And my hope is, that ever so gently and ever so slowly, she will need Mama’s milk less and less and it will become just another thing that’s helped form her identity and her attachment. Something to help her understand the connection we will always have.
(A silly photo of our daily nap times).
Finished projects and Works In Progress
I feel like I have so many projects in the works right now. So many ideas and so little time. This last month though, I sent off an Autumn inspired quilt to a friend in Seattle…
Check out the wild pumpkin magically growing from the stump!
I sent off a Where The Wild Things Are Inspired Mat to Alaska.
And I finished a hockey playmat, complete with Kings hockey players for my best friend’s little boy.
I’m working on another farm mat for a friend and then on to some bigger projects, like Jeff’s new quilt (he picked all the fabrics out this weekend).
I also did a little mini swap with a local Mama friend of mine. Ellie is very much into the Boo Hoo Bird and Grumpy Bird books lately. My Mama friend made a set of Grumpy Bird felt characters for her son that turned out so adorable and amazing. I knew I wouldn’t be able to replicate what she did. So we bartered for goods. She made Ellie some incredible felt characters and I made her son a family of peg dolls.
It just so happened to be his birthday too so I made him a little satchel of story stones as well. Which I can’t help but share, because I’m so excited how well they came out. He had a camping birthday party and so I thought making him a set of camping story stones would be perfect. I will be making Ellie a set of story stones to be sure!
Here they are with drawstring bag and with a sealant on top of the watercolor.
We love our Boo Hoo bird and Grumpy bird felt characters!! I hope her son liked his stones and peg family!
Weekending!
Our Labor Day weekend was made up of long car rides to barbeques with cousins, in pools I used to swim in as a child. Steak dinners with the folks. Hot, hot weather for our little beachy town (hence the half-naked child running around with popsicles). Welcoming September with a major tending to the garden. Tomato picking (and eating). Pulling homegrown pumpkins from their vines already. Granola making and lots and lots of play.
-joining Karen over at Pumpkin Sunrise.
{this moment}
“A single photo. No words. Capturing a moment during the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
– joining Soulemama!
summerplayshouse 