Please vote for Maeve's Christmas dress!

Maeve has three lovely choices for her Christmas dress, and she's looking for your help in selecting just the right one. Here they are:

We took some time this morning to try them all on. So stylish, classic, and cute, how to decide? Then, we thought: of course! Put it to a vote! Majority wins. Grandma votes count extra, of course. :-)

To cast your vote, complete the one-question poll on the left side of the screen.

The Milwaukee Moments

A bunch of us rendezvoused in Milwaukee a couple weekends ago, so that Aunt Bernie could meet Maeve and Noelle. It was a great time - Beth and Noelle flew in from Colorado for the weekend, and the rest of us drove from Michigan.

We got some great shots of the girls... and Mike and Uncle Jerry too. :-) Maeve and Noelle had their first ever sharing of a toy!

Check out our newest slide show... with pictures from late summer through our Milwaukee trip. (Double click on the play arrow to see it). Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Up and at 'em!

Maeve is on the move these days... we can't believe it!

The motivating prize she had her eye on: a Maever-sized pumpkin from Grandma Marilyn.

And, here's a photo we finally uploaded. It's from this summer at Grandma Marilyn's house (most of you probably guessed that from the tennis ball...!). Isn't it the cutest!?! It's the picture I keep on my phone right now.

Two little bulls...

with birthdays one day apart!

Miscellaneous October Bits

October hats!

And Maeve's terradactyl impesonation:
(Warning: May offend sensitive ears)

Mike's heading off to Amsterdam for work. Maeve and I are sure going to miss him! We've been trying to pack and get him all set to go. Today's the day for goodbyes. See you Friday night, Mike! We love you.

Best Buds

So, Maeve and Sable have been getting cozy lately. Exhibit A:

They seem to enjoy each other's company, and apparently have several inside jokes...

Mike and I find it more than coincidental that Sable's kindness to Maever also happens to be during the past two weeks, during which time she's been trying out some real food on a spoon. Here's a shot of her in her "I want to be a chef when I grow up" hat. Stay tuned for more "future foodie" pictures.

Such a daddy's girl

Stormy nights, lovin' right

The heat of summer has finally arrived and we're energized by the warmth and wind. Maeve is in full giggle mode and offers an eager smile whenever we pull her from a slumber.

Last Saturday morning Mike introduced Maeve to our special place.

Here's my favorite picture in the whole wide world...

And if Maeve looks a little different, it's likely because she's been Baptized.... Godmother Liz & Godfater Danny & wife Monica...

And the big moment....

You can't hear her screams as the Holy Spirit washed over her! It was a great moment and a beautiful celebration. Thanks to all the family and special St. Mary's friends who made her first sacrament an amazing experience!

August Eve

If you've been to our house, you know that we're using cloth diapers, and that they show up everywhere. They come in handy for lots of things...

as Sable can vouch.

Not sure what he was thinking. I just came upstairs and rounded the corner by the fireplace to see him like this on the couch. I think one of the diapers-turned-burp-cloth must have fallen on his head when he jumped on the couch to curl up for a nap.

The big news, however, is that in an impulsive moment, we called to discontinue the diaper service so that we could have the experience of washing our own. Why we asked the lovely people who drop off fresh-smelling diapers to our doorstep every Wednesday morning to stop doing so is something we are now, frantically, trying to figure out. But, after much research, we purchased our very own diapers. Encouraging comments only, please. We're still kinda standing on the proverbial ledge.

Maeve will be baptized this weekend, and we can only pray that she'll be the happy little angel we documented below when 2pm on Saturday rolls around.

Check back next week for the verdict.

I am finding myself singing little kid songs to Maeve during our summer days together. I've somehow tracked down "I've Been Working on the Railroad" in my memory, and also "I'm a Little Teapot" in which I substitute "maever" for "teapot." She really likes that one. The other day, I heard "Rockabye Baby" come out of my mouth, and I became somewhat horrified by the words I was singing. Think for a minute, to yourself, how the words go. I thought maybe Mike had worn off on me, and that I was making up random rhyming words to the melody, as he so charmingly does all the time. But that's just not like me, that kind of spontaneous creativity, so I googled the lyrics, and sure enough, there they were. A little disturbing, in my opinion.

What is the purpose of this lullabye? To warn small children of the dangers of wind? Hmmmm.

For the groupies, some pictures of Maeve's two most common activities:

stretching and hand-wringing.

Finally, around Belmont, the moths are trying to blend in to things. I've found a few in our closet... no good news there. This one I spotted on the front porch. I can see what he was thinking... same colors, and similar pattern... but unfortunately, not close enough.

He was visible from several feet away. Better luck next time. :-)

Where to?

Here's a cool photo from our time in Charlotte. I keep pulling this up, wondering what the house looked like that used to be here. Either side of the empty lot has a nice, lived in home complete with kids' toys or galoshes just kicked off on the front porch. There's something about these steps that seem magical, like if you walk up them, they'll transport you to somewhere else. I'm sure they must lead to more than the green space we captured in the photo. I'm also sure they'll be the start of many poems.

Next, and speaking of travels, Maeve's new trick is trying to sit up... that is, she's attempting the beginning of a sit-up. We're excited. Excited enough to whip out the cell phone and try to get the first rough recording of it. If you watch this, you must love her as much as we do... ! Where to Maeve?

The June Highlights

Time flies in June, so here are some moments around Belmont since Summer fully descended.

Grandma time!

Our first apple on the tree, and other garden spottings.

Maeve went to Paris for the first time. (Ok, it was Paris, Michigan to see her great grandparents.) She seemed to have no problem kicking back and enjoying herself...

especially on other people's big beds.

Maeve met the cousins from Colorado.

She's looking forward to meeting her new furry cousin, Okra, from the Pacific Northwest, too. As of early July, they weigh the same.

Suzie the cat possessed magical powers (especially over cousin David). In this photo, we were finally able to capture how she reels kids in with her laser beam eyes.

Not to be outdone, Sable and cousin Noelle bonded over apricots, or maybe squash.

So thanks to all the family who had us as houseguests, and to all the family who traveled to Michigan to spend some June time. Here's to July.

Dancing Shoe-Socks

Maeve's favorite socks-that-look-like-shoes. They instantly dress up any onesie. Great to take an outfit from day to evening. They make Mike and me think of the SNL skit
"Gilly at the Science Fair."

We wonder if we'll have our own version starring a mischievious Maeve someday.

She usually looks sweet:

But sometimes we can't tell what she's thinking of doing:

And sometimes we can't tell what she's already done: