so this is just going to be a LOT of pictures, fair warning! I've been really trying to get serious about my photography lately, and as a result have been taking my camera everywhere, trying out new things with it, trying to get new angles, trying to not be as boring as I have been most of this summer. The end result is I end up with 1700 images from three days of shooting! Argh!
Anyway, we did have an unusually wonderful weekend (with embarrassingly little packing getting done considering I am leaving in a week!). We went to the zoo! It was actually Kieran's first trip! Remarkably we managed to totally forget to check out the monkeys, but it was a ton of fun, and Kieran had a blast!
[People with spider phobias, watch out, there is a picture of a spider in this post (and a picture of a baby posing in a "spider web")]
When we finally got in, we started off the trip with a look at the penguins-- a pretty good kick off, if you ask me.
Here are Javaria and Kieran looking at the penguins! There was one swimming RIGHT next to us, it was so cool & the kids loved it, of course!
And Kieran got to pet a goat :) You can see in the picture below, while we were there, two of the goats started cuddling, how sweet it that?
Which is the spider and which is Kieran?? It's impossible to tell!
I'm one of those people who always grew up with a strong, close, tight knit extended family. It's something that I'm unspeakably grateful for, and that I see the influence of every day. We're all the type of people who prioritize family above all else, and even though as I get older it becomes more difficult to see everyone regularly, I am all the more grateful for the time that Kieran and I do get to spend with them. Giving Kieran that sense of community is one of the most important things I strive to do as a parent.
And how beautiful are my cousins??
This is what happens when I say "smile Javaria."
And this is what happens when she looks at me randomly. She is unbelievably beautiful!
Look, a mama lion and her cub!! How sweet is this?
I love that I got my cousin's reflection in that middle left picture, with the otter! Too funny. I couldn't not use it!
So I've realized that this whole storyboard has been my beautiful family interspersed with creepy shots of animals-- a little incongruous, but what can you do? It was definitely a really fun day with really wonderful people.
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One of my friends had a birthday recently, so Kieran and I made the drive to go hang out with her and her beautiful family! She has three kids, 3 and under, so between the two of us we were chasing after three extremely mobile toddlers while trying to keep a newborn happy! A little hectic to say the least!
It was so sweet, though, to see baby Rowan-- who really is more of a baby now than he is a newborn. Kieran was absolutely IN LOVE with him this visit! He kept giving Rowan kisses and touching his nose and face and holding his foot and trying to rock him, it was unbelievably sweet! If I didn't have baby fever already, I tell you...
How sweet is this??? Kieran is going to be an awesome older brother!
And this is the actual big brother, a three year old! He is such a sweetheart, lots of energy and curiosity, and he LOVES playing with Kieran. He also loves playing with my camera, so I helped him use it to take a few pictures. This is what we got:
Pretty good for a three year old, eh? I guess I should get my watermark off of this and give credit where credit is due!
After hanging out at my friend's apartment for a while, we decided to brave the park. It's fenced off except for two exits, and we thought it would be a good idea for all of the boys to run off some energy (well, except Rowan, of course).
Ahhhhh, look!!! Grabbing the little foot, how sweet is that?
I have a major thing for baby feet (can you tell????) and so far it seems to be hereditary. But who can resist those little toes? Poor Rowan though, at this point he just wanted to be left alone to sleep and Kieran wouldn't stop trying to touch his nose. After Rowan started fussing, I went to rock his car seat, and Kieran decided to "help," it was so adorable!
How sweet is baby Rowan? I just love how little babies do this, all curled up like they're in the womb! And my friend's older boys are handsome little charmers, too!
Everybody left the park pretty flushed and happy, and possibly also more than a little dehydrated! That is what I call a successful visit to the park.
After that, Kieran and I took my friend out for dinner to celebrate her birthday without three extra little ones under foot! I have three words for you: Orange. Dreamsicle. Martini. (I was driving, so I was jealous!)
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And now for the randoms over the past few days:
We've been doing a TON of art this summer! I'm so excited for Kieran to be old enough to really start getting into crafts (soon!!!).
And, of course we went to the spray park again (so much!!! we're only here for another WEEK though (gulp) so, better take advantage of it while we can!).
He amazes me! He's getting so big lately, on the verge of actually being able to communicate with me! I'm so guilty of still calling him my baby ALL the time! And while he will always be my baby, I think he's going to seem so much more a toddler when he's really talking. I actually started crying today thinking about it! I've never cried over milestones!
And gratuitous shots of Kieran's belly because a.) it's CUTE, but also b.) I think he's going to have a hybrid outie/innie bellybutton! There's definitely a little sticky-outy thing in there that I think will be more prominent when he loses the baby chunk!
And, finally, pictures from today at Boulevard. It is so beautiful here, that is one thing I am seriously going to miss about the Pacific Northwest!
Forever trying to get good pictures of Kieran's eyes. Just look at those eyelashes! He gets them from his Daddy, and I am SO jealous! I have no clue where he got the blue eyes from, but he seems to be keeping them (and I am GLAD!!!)
He tries to climb the wrong way up the slide every single time we go to the park. Before he even knew how to go DOWN the slide on his own, he was trying to climb up it. As much as possible, I try to give Kieran the freedom to do what he does, as long as he's not hurting himself or other people, but I always worry that some kid is going to come down the slide without looking and clobber him!
We weren't planning on going swimming today, but when Kieran sees water he's drawn like a magnet!
And I'll leave you with this poem by my favorite, Emily Dickinson:
The last of Summer is Delight --
Deterred by Retrospect.
'Tis Ecstasy's revealed Review --
Enchantment's Syndicate.
Without celestial Mail --
Audacious as without a Knock
To walk within the Veil.
To meet it -- nameless as it is --
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