It's been a lovely month. A relaxing month filled with lots of veggies and wheat. Filled with childcare. Filled with pool days and time in the garden. Not filled with dishes or cooking. Not filled with anxiety or stress. Days as peaceful and warm as the humid soft Carolina air.
My kids have flourished. They are really happy. Except for the insane amount of mosquito bites (that swell up to quarter and nickel size) on Hannah's legs and arms, they are as happy as clams.
Felicity has completely started walking. Two weeks ago she went from taking about 10 steps in a row to standing up in church and walking until she plopped down and then would stand up and start walking. Now she is more balanced and stable and thumps around all over doing her baby business. Which often includes screeching very loudly. She can say "hi" "bye" and "da-dee" or very babyish versions of those words. Pretty much only intelligible to me and only by my request, but still.
Hannah likes to play with grandma's dolls and doll house. And she spends lots of time fishing with grandpa at the pond. The other day they were at the pond when hannah found a small yellow plastic stick about five inches long with a bobber on it. She declared it, "my fishing pole!" and asked grandpa to put a string and hook on it. My dad said she would put on her own bread and fished with such tenacity (even giving little toddler expletives when the fish would eat her bait off again "Dangit!") that he marveled at her. Finally, she caught her own fish and pulled it in from the pond "since dere is no winder!" She told the story several times.
Liesel is in heaven picking garden produce, blueberries, climbing trees, catching turtles, making her own bug collection, playing with dolls, legos and learning to swim. My mom is an excellent swim teacher (and teacher in general--never missing a step in instructions and keeping it clear for the children). This is not one of my talents. She taught Liesel how to jump in and go right to a float, then take a breath and float again. This lead to arm movements and now Liesel can get herself (with considerable effort) to the other side of the 9ft deep end with no help. She has jumped off the diving board and swam to the side all by herself as well as retrieve objects from the bottom of the 4ft.
It is so nice being at my parents house. I still feel an emptiness and feel sort of like a wanderer (directionless maybe?) without Brian around somedays, but I try not to think about it.
His going to Nachez Trace was a real blow, but FLETC will all be over by October and will be nothing but a memory.
We had an amazing weekend together but that deserves it's own post, as does our visit to Charleston to see Emily & Co.
