Summer Recap

We have been really spoiled this past summer, since J has been able to be home with us for over seven weeks! J had four weeks of paternity leave, and then was able to tack on his three and a half weeks of accrued vacation time after that point. This is the first week that he has had to go back to work.

So much has happened over the past few weeks, that I feel like it's too daunting (and time consuming) to put everything down in a long post right now. Instead, I want to write down some short memories and thoughts from what I will remember about this summer:

Lucy the Angel Baby: She is a good nurser, a good sleeper, and a happy baby. She smiles and coos often when she is a awake, or just happily chills in a swing or bouncey seat. She often is even cheerful when we make her do "tummy time" on the floor. We love to hold her and snuggle with her. 

 

Sam the Angel Big Brother: Sam adores his little sister. He is really sweet and gentle with her. He loves to be around her and try and get her to smile. I feel like he's adjusted to this major change in our family really well. He also has been really helpful with grabbing diapers, giving Lucy her pacifier, etc. He also spontaneously makes little drawings and notes that say "I love Lusee" or "I love Lusy" (we're still working on spelling her name, but I love his phonetic attempt).

 The B family brothers came to visit with their families. Sam loved playing with his cousins at RB. Lucy was only two weeks old, so I spent quite a bit of time at home, but I did get to go out to RB and enjoy some lovely summer meals outside.

  My sisters' visit to Seattle: V,  C, and L came to help with baby Lucy. It was miserably hot that week, but it was still fun to be together. It was especially fun for Sam to have L with us, since they could play together all day long. They got to go a couple of places together, including the beach and the Family Fun Center. My "Ant Bee" and her son joined us for a two days too, and it was really fun to have them all here. It was especially helpful for my aunt to take Sam to the aquarium and market one day.

Sam played on his first t-ball team. He loved going to practice with his friend Grey, who was also on the team. It was fun to go to his t-ball games, especially since all of the outfielders would run in a herd (from wherever they were located in the field) to try and catch the ball. Lucy rooted for Sam from the sidelines for a few games, although most of her cheering took place with her sleepy eyes closed fast.

 Lucy and Soren cheered their siblings from the sidelines

We took Lucy on her first hike, to the Swamp Monster trail on Tiger Mountain.

 The Enchanted Forest! We took a quick trip to my favorite theme park one day. I was glad to show J this place, since he had never been before. I was glad that J found it as charming as I do. It was fun to see J and Sam go on all of the rides that I enjoyed as a kid, especially the log ride and the bobsled ride. Lucy was great on this trip. She slept the whole way to the park (3.5 hours!) and then slept while I carried her around in a Moby Wrap.

 

 We feel pretty lucky to live in a place where you can watch the Blue Angels practice cool stunts.

 We took a road trip to Utah last week, so we could go to the Weber and visit with family members. I hope to do a post or two exclusively dedicated to that trip, which I felt was a big success. Lucy even slept in a tent for four nights! When leaving for the trip and coming home, I was reminded of another way in which I am like my mom. Whenever we went on vacation, my mom tried to have the house completely clean before we left. Then, when we came home, there wasn't as much housework to do. As I vacuumed and scrubbed before our trip, and when I enjoyed the clean house as we walked in the door, I felt a fun connection with my mom.

Other thoughts:

• I read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for the first time. I loved the unexpected twists in the plot. I doubt this book would be as fun to read for a over and over, though, since there wouldn't be the same element of surprise. Plus, the protagonist leaves much wanting, especially through a feminist lens. She is a weak and uncertain creature, and her first name isn't even revealed to the reader! We only know her as Mrs. de Winter, which is fitting, since she seems to assume her identity and confidence through her husband. Nonetheless, I really liked the book, and I was especially interested to learn about how the novel was sparked by the author's own jealousy of her husband's first fiancée.
• J and I watched Hitchcock's Rebecca after I finished the novel. The movie was alright, but neither of us really liked Joan Fontaine or Lawrence Olivier in their roles. I thought that Joan Fontaine was too pretty to be Mrs. de Winter. And I also wished that the actress who played Mrs. Danvers would have looked a little bit more skeleton-like, to fit with the descriptions in the book.
• Rebecca was the first book that I read exclusively on my phone. It was really convenient to read while nursing, since I could hold the device in one hand. It also was convenient to read in the middle of the night, since I could keep the lights dim but have my phone illuminated.
• J and I watched the first season of Mr. Selfridge together. It was compelling enough, but both of us were a little unimpressed. I didn't feel like the characters were developed enough for me to genuinely care about them and their triumphs or problems. I would think that there are too many characters for the show to sufficiently focus on, but then again, I feel like Downton Abbey does a great job at developing many characters in depth. Anyhow, I think that I will stick with one more season before I write off the show altogether. Perhaps Harry Selfridge will be a little less annoying and a bit more redeeming in the second season?
• J watched several soccer games of the World Cup. We've never been big into watching sports, but it was fun to see a few games. Soccer is much more interesting to watch than other sports, I think.