Less than Twelve Parsecs

Last night, Greg took the night shift.  Mara had been waking up more often lately, especially after our trip to Florida. I was so happy to get a full night of sleep and recover after travelling. The morning brought even more happiness. This is Greg's account to me, on what had happened in the night. Around midnight, Mara thoroughly worked on a poopy diaper for Daddy, then called out for assistance. He went to her room to simply tell her to go back to sleep as on every other night, but soon after that he grasped what was going on. He picked the sleepy child off the bed and placed her on the diaper changing mat, which just happens to sport a very appropriate night-owl decoration. There was a gorgeous full moon that shone through Mara's window, and it cast a pretty pattern of light on the floor. Greg moved the mat with the bottom half in the light, and the top with Mara's head in the darkness. What happened next is probably worth skipping the details, but it involved t...

During the Holiday break, we made a bunch of fun new things for Mara to do at the house. Little Chef Mara gains more independence as she is now able to cook with Mommy and Daddy at the counter. This stair-step  works pretty well by the kitchen sink not to mention that it has become her favorite way of climbing to the couch on her own - she used to ask for a butt-boost in the past few weeks. The meal Mara is preparing here involves a small metal colander, a plastic ring, a pine cone and a large wooden spoon to stir it all together. Yum! More balancing In the backyard, after setting up the planter we had freed the logs for an even better use: "water-logs-on-land". They slowly shift as you step on them, so it's a fun way to work on your balance. Mara was loving it. Earthworms Mara has been manifesting a lot of interest in the Earthworms in our composting  Worm Factory 360  in the past month. She loves going to the garage with Daddy to inspect the bins and...

We crossed the border of the years in the comforts of our own home, exhausted and recovering from one sickness just to start another with worse symptoms. All these are soon forgotten, but here are the unforgettable parts of the last few days of 2014, and the start of our New Year. For the grand finale of the year we gratefully joined friends at the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve . These next photos are in the very last sunset of 2014. Mara loved watching the Sea Anemones (one of her newest passions!) and said the word in the cutest possible way. She watched the little hermit crabs moving their shells about, and stared in the little water pockets for the tiny fish that would suddenly swim from one place to the next. It was a very short experience due to a crazy-cold ocean breeze that froze all three of us, but definitely worth it! In the walks in the neighborhood near the Marine Prezerve, Mara got to see huge cactus plants... ...and walked on a path overlooking...

Two Christmases ago Mommy and Daddy were finding out, right on the 25th, that they were going to have a baby! This year, Mara marked the 25th as the first time she ever showed an interest in using the bathroom like a grown-up. We were roaming around the kitchen, when she grabbed her diaper and said "Pee!". I asked her if she would like to do it in the bathroom. With a wide nod of the head, Mara grabbed my hand and walked with me to the large bathroom upstairs. We had gotten a potty a long time ago, just to make sure we would have it at the right time. This was it - we got it out of the closet. Mara tried all sorts of ways of using it, none of which involving a "pants down" approach. We figured that will come in time. For now, enjoy the Safe-For-Work snapshots: It kinda looks like a rocking horse. Maybe with my feet inside? Ok, this must be it! What do you mean we should take the pants off next time? So you guys just sit here fo...

Christmas time is filled with a bunch things in our family: seeing your loved ones, decorating a tree, making fun crafts and baking goodies, and hunting pretty holiday lights. This year we were lucky to do all of the above, having Mara's grandparents visiting us for several days. Read on to see how our holiday went, learn a great cookie recipe and a simple home-made holiday wreath, catch a glimpse at some seriously merry lighted houses and how to find them. Christmas tree! Mara had a great time decorating, and she quickly understood which ornaments were frail and should be left alone, and which ones are safe for her to take on and off - which she definitely took on as a task for the following week. Mara and Willow played fun hide-and-seek around the tree. Willow got lucky that Mara didn't fit underneath, so she would often go in that safe spot and look like a fluffy present. Christmas baking: Recipe for Sands, Romanian braided breads On the baking side, we had t...