it is now or not

Lake near sis/bro-in-law's  Virginia home, December 2012

The time has come 

To stop allowing the clutter 

To clutter my mind 

Like dirty snow, 

Shove it off and find 
Clear time, clear water. 

Chihuly Exhibit, Seattle, May 2012

Time for a change, 

Let silence in like a cat 

Who has sat at my door 

Neither wild nor strange 

Hoping for food from my store 

And shivering on the mat. 

en route to Texas, June 2012

Let silence in. 

She will rarely speak or mew, 

She will sleep on my bed 

And all I have ever been 

Either false or true 

Will live again in my head. 

birthday candle, New Orleans, November 2012

For it is now or not 

As old age silts the stream, 

To shove away the clutter, 

To untie every knot, 

To take the time to dream, 

To come back to still water. 

 "New Year Resolve" by May Sarton, from Collected Poems 1930-1993. © W.W. Norton & Co., 1993. 

Lady Bird Wildflower Center, July 2012

What an incredible year. Intense, chaotic, stumbling/tumbling into a rather healthy and glorious chapter. I would never have dreamed a year ago in the damp and miserable wilds that I would be living in a lovely sunny place with all manner of adventures achieved & new friends met. And yes, it's true that I still maintain September is the true start to the year, January break is an excellent moment to pause and take inner inventory. 

Or not. Maybe it's enough to simply roast some squash and craft a spicy soup and sit in quietness. 

Welcome, 2013.

final dose of cute

Do you see what I see?

Using the candy cane.

'Ba-dum-dum....walk like a maaaaan, talk like a maaan'  apologies to Frankie Valli

Think this is one of the photos/glances where one can see what the adult man will look like.

Quiet joy of homemade cocoa with a peppermint stirrer.

 He LOVES his bath time--all kicks and giggles and shrieks.

And no, I took no nekkid bathing photos by which to embarrass him later--I'll leave that to his parents.  I think I can accomplish familial mortification by yelling: "There's my Joshie-Woshie" across any campus he's attending.

Hangin' out with another new toy.

It seems to be the latest thing to have crackly baby toys; have poked around on Google to see why this is, but haven't found out what it is.  Am sure there's some paper or research saying that the crackling does something miraculous for brain development.  I find it more tolerable than those awful shrill musical toys--from which I remove any/all batteries when I babysit.

 And here's the last batch of baby photos.  For now.

tourista

We finally pried ourselves away from the chocolates and leftovers and forced ourselves into real clothing and went to explore a bit of downtown Leesburg.  (Cannot BELIEVE that I didn't document my first trip to Trader's in six months, but alas, not a single photo was taken of that blessed store.)

Gorgeous little moving carousel in the shop window.  Our real quest was a cupcake shop, but it was closed, so we consoled ourselves with delicious slices of pie from another quaint shoppery.

My kind of historical plaque.

Hi-lar-ious.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a few years will remember a pose of my sister kissing Rachel, the Pike's Market Pig.   I sense a sequence of animal statue poses coming on over the years....

on the Second Day of Christmas

It snowed again!

It's truly enchanting when one doesn't have to go out/about in it.

Have always enjoyed the east coast flavor in architecture and it really shines during wintry weather.

If I hadn't actually been there, I would not believe how delighted I was to sit for hours and simply watch this widdle man (oh yes, I'd like to see anyone NOT give into gibberish cooing around this little face) play and explore this strange and fascinating world.  

This game is called 'Monkey Toes' should you be looking for a new exercise routine or fun way to entertain the living room.

Giggling over one of Auntie's humorous sounds/faces/antics.

Serious pose showing off one of his new outfits from G'ma & G'pa.

He's SO happy to sit in the high chair and he's riveted by watching the adults eat and he likes his plasticware....

but the actual food?   Not so much.

And of course, the monkey toes needed an actual monkey to show up and Santa provided one!

Christmastide

We began our day with stockings and the perfect mix of Louisiana and Texan cultures for brekkers with beignet mix that I toted around from my Nawlins November trip.

Sleepy little elf; am sure it's the last Christmas morning when he'll be this slow to wake!

Check out my chocolate haul from my stocking!  

Happy dance for the tummy.

I had already purchased Mr. J's gifts, but when I saw and felt this cosy sleeper, I just had to add it to his pile o' presents.

You'll have to indulge the bias, but it's hard to believe that he's a mere 4 months old with his motor skills and his chatter and vivacity.

 Action shot!

It was a quiet and lovely day for such a momentous epoch (as Anne with an e would say):  first Christmas dinner on the new table, in the first purchased home, in a new state with a new baby.

Josh approved of all his toys and clothes and books.  

(For more photos of the day, go to The Bailey Bump blog on the right side.)

Reading one of his new books--he's already turning pages, oh so helpfully.