Quiet Summer Nights at the Park

Every night this summer at about 6 pm Josh would be on the subway heading home from work and I would be at the park with Bryn and Mya. Josh was having a lot of fun in NYC, but I think I might have had the better end of the deal because he missed out on some pretty cute moments with these two sweet girls! It's my very favorite thing to watch these two play and laugh together. Sometimes just watching them play makes my heart want to burst! Cheesy, but true! Bryn loves to push Mya on the swing and she takes her job quite seriously, but Mya just laughs and laughs the whole time. 

 Bryn doing an "Under-doggy" push to Mya.

Also, is anything better that those chubby leg rolls? I'm going to be sad when shorts season is over :)

Little Miss Cautious also worked up the courage to attempt the big slide. Going head first wasn't the smartest approach, but the fact that she went down it at all was a pretty big deal.

Peach Picking

One of the best parts of summer in New England is picking fruit from the beautiful orchards and farms nearby. We had a fun afternoon picking peaches with some friends at Wellwood Orchards in Springfield, Vermont. The peaches were plentiful and oh so sweet. We made lots of peach smoothies and filled our freezer with some seriously delicious peach jam. Yum.

Bryn Lately

Bryn at age four and a half is pretty amusing. She is so theatrical and creative that everyday is like one big dramatic performance from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed. She's still really into dressing up as characters and she totally goes all out. The picture above is from "the BEST day of [her] LIFE!!!" when she earned some fancy new jewelry from the dollar store.

 It's not unusual for Bryn to come into our bedroom first thing in the morning with some kind of written proclamation. This time she woke me up by handing me a note that said "Today is my wedding day. I'm so excited." It was a big day, indeed!

 I gave her grapes as a snack one day, but of course she had to change into a grape outfit before she could eat them.

 One day she was a black ant. The queen ant, actually. She spent the morning scurrying around the house, trying to look for crumbs on the ground. Kind of odd, but at least I didn't have to vacuum.

 This day she had the brilliant idea of making a skirt out of a diaper box. Very resourceful, and stylish. 

 Let's get a little close-up of that lovely diaper box skirt and foil shoes.

These pictures pretty much sum up Bryn at age four. How long this funny theatrical stage will last- we don't know! But we're sure getting a kick out of it :)

Mya's Favorite Hang-Out

Hanging out in the fridge is where Mya would spend all her days if I let her. As soon as she hears the fridge door open she drops what she's doing and races over to climb right in. It was harmless at first, until she got a little more adventurous and learned she could climb up the shelves and empty the crisper drawers. It totally reminds me of Bryn at this age- so curious and busy!

Toddler Credit Cards

I just gotta share this cute idea from my sister Marie....

She made the cutest little wallet full of cards for Mya and of course Mya loves it! Like every other toddler, Mya loves going through her mom's wallet, so now she has her own to sort through. Marie is really talented with graphic design and Illustrator, so she designed these cute cards and then laminated them with the thick, sturdy kind of lamination. And she found the little pink wallet at H&M.

She even included a Dartmouth sports pass and a pass to our local science museum. So creative!

Mya's One Year Photos

I had Mya's one year photos taken in Utah and I just got them back yesterday! They were taken by Christine Olson, a friend of a friend, and she was fantastic. Here are way too many of the pics....

 These pictures make me so happy. I love these two sweet girls and being their mom is the best job in the world. 

(The only thing that would make these better is if Josh were in them! Mya's "one year photos" kind of turned into family photos minus Josh, so we need to get family pics taken soon!)

Paintings

I've had lots of painting time these last few months, especially while Josh has been away. Here are a few commissioned paintings I've done lately...

The Bay Bridge

 The Alpine Loop in Utah

 Bountiful, Utah LDS Temple

 Boston, Massachusetts LDS Temple

 Oakland, California LDS Temple

I also had this little painting on display at the AVA Gallery this summer and while I was in Utah it sold for $200, so that was cool! I just have one more commissioned painting to do and then I'm going to take a little break and work on a few paintings for myself :)