Papa's Birthday

Before the big trip North to Midcoast Maine for Papa's birthday get-away, Isla spent a little time playing on the floor with her giraffion (it's a giraffe because it has big feet, spots, and skinny little legs, but it's a lion because of its head which has a lion's face and mane). Because it's festive, El Guapo played with fireworks in the dining room. We feel it's important to set a good example for our impressionable youngsters.
There were some very sweet gifts;
this little one was the best gift of all.

Our trip to Vermont...

We spent some time with family in Vermont this weekend. First we went to visit Babka and Poppie. We relaxed on the porch with lemonade, had a lovely meal, played frisbee, and went for a walk. We even managed to forage a few mushrooms in the woods... imagine!

Here is Isla with Babka on the porch:

And Poppie...
It's hard to tell whose hands are whose.
Cailey was also home, which was a treat because she and Isla had never met before. They got along famously right from the start.Then we headed to the farm to see Mom and John Dear. We spent time making and eating delicious food, of course...
and went to Nana's house for a big family picnic. It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day.

And it was such a treat to spend more time with Nana and the family!
On the way home we all stopped for ice cream...
and Isla had a chance to do some more research on local wild edible plants...
She is such a peach, full of smiles and giggles and coos these days.
She has been babbling a lot too, and is sitting up by herself without any problems. She's 6 months old now. It's hard to believe!
She is still a big fan of being upside-down...

and she loves exploring new things.

Mom found this picture of Merry when she was little, and our first thought was "How did she get a picture of Isla from the 1970's?" Their resemblance is remarkable. Such beautiful babies! It will be fun to see how she changes as she grows.

A new saturday morning activity

4th of July

The 4th of July was HOT here in Maine. So we went out to Alfred for a summer party complete with amazing food, drink, and friends. On the way there Merry demonstrated their new discovery: after Isla starts getting cranky in the car seat, if we turn on loud latino music she will zone out and fall asleep in about 10 minutes, chewing on her blanket. It worked like a charm. Which was good, because there was a whole lot of excitement when we arrived.

Samantha, Don, and their dog Raleigh hosted a lovely party for all of us at their beautiful home in the country. Raleigh even chased one of the hens to entertain us.

Like I said, it was hot! And for these New England girls that's no good. So, Papa (you may know him as El Guapo) took Isla for a run through the sprinklers.

They made her a little nervous, but it was nothing that a quick toss up in the air couldn't fix.

Her hair gets so curly when it's wet!

There was also another baby at the party named Violet. Isla chatted with her for a while.

There were delicious snacks all afternoon...
And a bonfire in the evening!

You could see her fascination; and it made her a little nervous. Those flames were hot!

summer comes and we get distracted

And when I say we, I mean me, the neglectful Auntie. I have been storing up a mass of photos. A montage of sorts. Here are some of the more recent images from the past two weeks.

Walking down Munjoy Hill with Hope.
Checking out what is happening at the North Star...
Looking at the latest East End Yoga schedule with me...

Isla has become a big fan of sucking on her own toes...Her hair gets so curly in the humidity!
And nudie time is among her favorites.
Afternoon second (or third) lunch:

Walking outside...Playing on the couch...
Sitting up by herself for long stretches of time...This picture I took for our friends Iris and Sylvan, who LOVE chubby baby legs more than anyone else I know. Isla's are quite spectacular.
A happy day outside in a sun dress...

Granny came to visit us! Here we are on a hot day after a walk on the Promenade cooling off with some gustatory treats: Dell's lemon ice, and giraffe foot respectively

And that new favorite toy. Isla has been LOVING bouncing! She is like a Tigger in that way.