An Excuse for Baby Pictures....

Check out how tricky I am!

Mom! A little privacy?!?

We all know that the reason folks read this has less to do with my writing style or even the events....y'all just want to see some cute pictures. Knowing my audience I've jammed a whole bunch of them into this post. You're welcome.

This week will be Charlie's first full week of classes, (the first three all were shortened weeks due to one reason or another), and we are starting to really get into a routine. Elska has finally resumed napping (most days, but of course no second nap today....) allowing me time to make lunch and pack a supper for Charlie to take with him to class. I've had a whole week of successfully maintaining a clean kitchen (every day even) and picking up after Hurricane Elska as she plays. We have no Mount Washmore down in the laundry area or piles of clothes to be folded, chairs are usable to sit in, and the dining room table is actually available for meals. How on earth did my mother make this all look so easy? I'm exhausted just thinking about the list of things yet to do this afternoon to keep all of the juggling balls in the air! I've just been trying to convince myself that it will be less work to keep it clean than to try to find stuff in the mess or race around hiding things when folks stop over. That's a real thing, right? Lie to me if it isn't. I need to believe it.

So these are potatoes?

Lemme get you a towel, or six.

Elska has begun her apprenticeship as my little sous chef these last couple of weeks. Mostly, she has decided that she prefers to be in the same room as I am, and I'm not going to complain because her increased mobility has also increased her ability to get into trouble. It has made for some interesting moments and extra cleanup time, but it's totally worth it. I'm trying to remind myself that everyone has to start somewhere, and if she's interested, I should include her. I seem to remember "eggshells" being the family name for an honest mistake that could still be fixed (like when a small child is helping to crack eggs and gets some eggshells into the cookie dough). 

Last week we had a few pretty big events and milestones as well as general goings on.

Nana snuggles!

• Tuesday, Elska finally rolled from her back to her tummy. Given her feelings about time on her tummy and the fact that it resulted in a total meltdown, this was likely an accident.
• Thursday was Elska's 10 month birthday. Seriously? That can't be right. Let me check the calendar....
• Friday, Elska and I went on an adventure! After we dropped Charlie off for class, we picked up a friend and drove to a local farm to buy some beef. (Forage/grass fed with minimal hormones and chemicals for you hippie types....and cheaper than most beef in the store for those who are just looking to get a good bargain.) The farm was a bit, um, outside of town.....and way further than the directions that we had suggested. It's a good thing that we weren't in any kind of a hurry since it took us about two hours between travel and time there. For an added bonus, there were a couple of calves who were only a day old, and Elska got to meet them. She was both excited and terrified. Hopefully she'll be more ready next time.
• Saturday we had a family brunch, and Elska got to visit with her cousin. She didn't quite understand that 6 week old babies don't want to eat hashbrowns or pancakes, but it was so sweet to see her trying to share.



Still smaller than the dog...




• Sunday afternoon and last night we got to spend time relaxing at friends' homes. (Charlie missed out on the fun last night due to class though.) It is such a welcome change of pace to get out of the house for something other than errands - especially when it's to spend time with amazing people. Also....it's nice to have additional grownups for conversation. The ones with Elska are much more of a monologue.....



Mom, are you sure about these things?

Whew! No wonder we're all a little tired right now. It's been a busy week for us.

Now that we've been able to get settled into a routine and all, the plan is for me to actually get to work on some of the projects that need completing.....like a couple of overdue afghans, a closet of stuff that needs a new home, and some bookshelves that will be going up as soon as I find all the pieces - probably in the aforementioned closet.