Socializing

My friend Tracy was in town so she stopped by the house for a bit and then we headed to Bennigan's for dinner. The girls were pretty good and we had a terrific meal.  Our server was really nice and these two old ladies behind us kept turning and watching Chloe. She was being pretty hilarious but I have to say that the elderly are big fans of Chloe.  There's a grocery store called Hiller's right near our house and whenever I would go there with Chloe first thing in the morning it was basically us and the old people. They stop to talk to Chloe. Wave to her. Tell me how cute she is. It's non-stop. So it was no surprise that these ladies kept talking to Chloe and asking her questions. Pretty funny to watch Chloe respond in her own Chloe-language. (Those are the ladies in the upper corner of the first photo.)

So here are a few photos from our dinner...and if you're asking yourself, "What is Chloe drinking?" the answer is "Ranch dressing." Yep. She's her mommy's girl!

So not to chase rabbits but these two old ladies got me thinking that night about moms. Mother's Day was two days before and I'd been thinking about my mom a lot. With these two ladies it was obvious that one was younger (60's) and the other was the older mother (80's). I heard the daughter interact so sweetly with her mom who was obviously suffering from some age-related dementia. When they were eating their salads the mom commented on how good her dinner was and the daughter told her that this was just the salad and her pot roast would be coming soon.  There were several interactions like this during the time we were there and it made part of me a little sad. Sad for the daughter to watch her mom age and lose some of her mental capacity. I have to admit when I see scenes like this I'm often jealous that someone got to have their mom so long. Why do some people get to live so much of their lives with their moms and some of us lose them so soon?  I get a little sad for myself that I lost my mom so young but I rarely think how blessed I am that I never had to watch her decline in this way.  Funny how these unexpected moments give us a new perspective on an old way of thinking.

Mother's Day

We had brunch at our house for Mother's Day. Nathan made Boursin scrambled eggs and stuffed french toast (the stuffing being cream cheese and strawberries). I made hashbrown casserole and a blackberry sauce for the french toast. So yummy! We also took a few family photos afterward and well as a few shots of me, the girls, and Nathan's mom.

Megan - 10 weeks

I took a couple of snapshot of Megan up in our bedroom. She was ready for a nap so she was a bit fussy at the beginning. Nathan promises to teach me Photoshop so I can edit them easier (ugh, right now it takes me forever and I just don't have the time!) but for now here they are straight out of the camera.  She is going to be a smiley girl (once she's up from her nap anyway). 

Kitty, Kitty

Chloe was 7 weeks old right around Halloween 2010 so we have a photo of her in the kitty outfit she wore to help us hand out candy.  When I was sorting through Chloe's clothes to pull items out for Megan I was bummed that there were several seasonal pieces I wouldn't be able to use because the seasons would be off. I found the kitty outfit and decided to go ahead and put Megan in it just so I had a photo of both of them.  Here they are below, both at 7 weeks old.

Megan -- 2 months

Megan is getting so big. She's really filling out and becoming very smiley. Chloe continues to shower Megan with kisses and hugs all day. She likes to try to "feed" her by taking her bottle and letting milk drip on her head. She also tries to pick her up out of her bouncy seat so we have to keep a close eye on her.  They do seem to love each other. When Chloe comes over to her, Megan loves to watch her and always gives her big smiles. Last week I caught them holding hands in the car while we were driving home from Lansing. Megan was upset and Chloe reached over and grabbed her hand. I'm sure I'll have to remind them someday how much they love(d) each other.

Chloe -- 19 and 20 months old

The Fountain family is definitely full of homebodies so this spring it's been really nice to just be home. To take walks when it's nice out. To sit on the porch and color with chalk. Get ice cream. Visit family.

Chloe is now 20 months old and such a big girl. She loves being outside so whenever we get a chance to go outside for a few minutes we take advantage of it. I've tried to keep our little camera handy so we can capture her silly little moments. Here are a few shots of Chloe from April and early May.

At Home with Megan

Megan is already 4 weeks old! Since I've been sick a lot we've spent most of these weeks at home. Here are some photos of Megan during her first month of life.