kara

Andy and my dad fixed a wonderful Mother’s Day brunch.

Then we visited both my Grandmothers. Sophie got to hang out with her Great Aunt Ellen, as well as her Great Uncle Mark and Great Uncle Roger, and at my Grandma Mangan’s house, her Great Aunt Ann, Great Uncle Corey and Cousins Ben and Kelsey.

Playing peek-a-boo with Great Grandma under the coffee table.

four generations

right before bed

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” —Tenneva Jordan

This weekend we hung out with our good friend Amy, who was in town from Vail, Colo. We spent Friday evening at Arnold’s, downtown.

Saturday we had a chilly potluck cookout.

Amy and Connor

Rebecca and Evan

Cornhole, of course.

“Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.” —Virginia Woolf

“A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions—so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.” —Adabella Radici

More than two years ago now Tari and I, colleagues at work and good friends, took a yoga class every Saturday morning hoping for this day. I was so happy to be able to celebrate it with her.

“My sister and I, you will recollect, were twins, and you know how subtle are the links which bind two souls which are so closely allied.” —Arthur Conan Doyle

Sophie loves playing with the toy she bought for Zoey before Zoey was born.

Angel in her derby hat.

Sophie has specific games she plays with specific people. She butts heads (literally) with Grandpa Gebhart. She zaps fingertips with Grandpa Uhl. And with Greg, it’s the don’t-let-him-eat-my-feet game.

Evan says, “Please, Sophie, let me have some Cheerios. Just don’t tell Mom because I’m not old enough to eat them yet …”

Evan and Jenna

Mandy and Zoey

Christine, Connor and Mark

Angel, Zoey and Marty

It was so strange—and fun—to spend a Saturday evening with friends I’ve spent so many Saturday evenings with before with babies. Often when we’d get together with friends this past year we’d be the only ones with a child—the only ones cradling, shushing, tickling, chasing, feeding, burping, changing, carrying. I love that it’s a shared experience now.

“The spirited horse, which will try to win the race of its own accord, will run even faster if encouraged.” —Ovid

Last week Dad’s softball game was at 6:30pm, so I got to go! I wore my Greensboro Grasshoppers T-shirt from Aunt Katy and Uncle Tom, and my Boston Red Sox hat from Grandma and Grandpa. Dad says I need some Cincinnati Reds gear.

Grandpa and Nini came.

Zoey cheered on her dad with her mom, too!

Dad plays first base.

I kept taking off my ball cap so Mom switched to a bonnet with a Sophie-proof strap. Grandpa has the best lap for softball-watching.

“When we played softball, I’d steal second base, feel guilty and go back.” —Woody Allen

For my birthday Ella and Anna got me markers and paint! Last week, on a rainy afternoon, Mom finally opened the package. And she got out paper! (I love paper.) She wrote my name and drew a flower. I, on the other hand, held the marker and then …

… threw the paper and then …

… took out all the plastic bags out of their box while Mom cleaned up marker hand prints from the kitchen floor. She says maybe this activity will go better in a month or two.

ps: Mom hopes this is the last box of plastic sandwich bags we’ll own because she found two awesome cloth bags—called snack sleeves—here. (You can see them on the floor. I pulled them out, too.)

“It is very necessary to have markers of beauty left in a world seemingly bent on making the most evil ugliness.” —Thornton Wilder

Forget toys. At Nini and Grandpa’s house I get to butt heads with Grandpa …

… talk on the phone with Nini and …

… play with pretty pails, coasters and wooden spoons.

“What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars’ worth of pleasure.” —Gene Perret

Sophie loves to talk to us during meals—I hope this continues through the teenage years. And the growling! I laugh every time. This video is a long one but near the end you can listen to her attempt a new word—”ear”.

“The dinner table is the center for the teaching and practicing not just of table manners but of conversation, consideration, tolerance, family feeling, and just about all the other accomplishments of polite society except the minuet.” —Judith Martin

“Ball!”

“Whoah.”

Best trip to the drugstore EVER.

“Happiness is a ball after which we run wherever it rolls, and we push it with our feet when it stops.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe