What Abby does all day long

What Charlie does all day long

The Seattle Aquarium

My parents bought us family passes to the Seattle Aquarium because they figured any two-year-old child who knows the difference between an anemone and a sea urchin should be able to see them in person whenever she wants. She was utterly fascinated by the seahorses, and sat in front of the octopus's tank and watched him for as long as we let her. She recognized Nemo, but then told everyone within earshot that he was a clownfish and lived in the anemone. So she'll be a famous marine biologist someday. That's a big improvement from last month, when all she wanted was to wear fancy shoes and dance around in her diaper. We were concerned where that was going, but the fish fascination seems to have won out! Abby, on the other hand, was content to let Uncle Josh wear her around in the Snugli, and I even got them both to grin for me!

Harborside Fountain Park

In Bremerton, next to the Navy shipyards, there is a tiny, yet beautifully maintained park. It is designed to look like a group of submarines returning to base, but it is actually made up of huge copper fountains that erupt every few minutes into 12-inch-deep pools. Wading in the pools is allowed, and when I took Charlie for the first time, although she was scared of the fountains erupting, she loved playing in the water. She looked so cute in her little bathing suit, too. Can I get that in my size? It would cover up the stretch marks and deflated, wrinkly belly skin well, I think!

Baby Abby Photo Shoot

I have always wanted to get one of those portrait studies done of my babies, but they are expensive, so I decided to do my own. A fuzzy white blanket, some natural light, and an hour with Abby, and these are the results. Some of them are now on my living room wall in black and white, and I'm pretty pleased!

Mole and the Baby Bird

Charlie loves this book, especially the line, "'It's not a pet bird; it's a wild bird,' said Dad." Plot line: Mole finds a baby bird and wants to keep it as a pet, in a cage, but after going on a walk with Grandpa, he realizes that if he really loves his bird, he has to let it be free. My favorite lines, from the end: "The baby bird was flying, soaring, free. And Mole was glad."

Abby smiles