The Beach

The beaches of northern Washington aren't exactly warm, but they're beautiful nonetheless. And Stella was completely enchanted last weekend when we visited Birch Bay State Park for some beach combing and a picnic. While we know Stella doesn't necessarily remember the fine details of our Costa Rican adventures, we can tell she already feels an affinity for the ocean. When we mentioned we were heading to the beach, she flipped her little lid and starting jabbering away about sand and castles and water and crabs. Happy girl.

(Have I mentioned lately that I love watching these two?)

A Girl and Her Crayons

Like most kids, Stella loves to draw. Kites and circles are her favorite subject. And while her kites are a imaginative at best, her circles are downright impressive.

Of course, I fully acknowledge that every parent believes their child to be totally advanced and special. And, of course, we're no different. Whether Stella evolves into the next Picasso or she simply learns to enjoy the joys of creativity, we love watching her explore.

And goodness, it's amazing how much language development and fine motor skills emerge with broken crayons and an easel. We talk and laugh and grow quiet as we draw together, admiring each other's pictures and checking in to make sure the purple crayon is, in fact, still purple.

I love this slightly blurry photo. I revel in seeing Stella get lost, even just for a few seconds, in her vision. She's consumed by her focus and is already super detail oriented. So I suppose a "Lord help us" is in order and I'll start stocking up on the origami paper now.

Little Foodie

Stella loves to bake. And here she is, accompanied by her esteemed culinary companions Zebra, Turtle and Cow, watching muffins rise in the oven. We often spend our mornings or afternoons tinkering around in the kitchen together. She's learning a whole lot about her senses by helping us cook and bake, and we love watching her make such basic but powerful connections.

Oh, and her sense of pride once she realizes that she helped make yummy muffins or whip up some ridiculously simple arugula pesto is beyond fabulous.

Maybe it's because we've entered our delicious fruit season here in Washington State or maybe it's because we're thrilled to check the progress of our veggie garden everyday, but we're just loving all things culinary lately and our little one is becoming quite the foodie.

As for the veggie garden, Stella came in the other day after watering the beds with Papa and exclaimed, "Mama! Broccoli growin' strong!" And then, quite seriously, she patted her chest and said, "La La growin' strong." Yes, indeed.