June so far

Yesterday, my mom reprimanded me for neglecting the blog.  Believe me, I'm trying.  The thing is, I think I sleep more than Osa did.  (Does that mean our new baby will be a good sleeper?  Wink, wink.)

Juniper soaking up the morning sun, talking on her "phone."  

::We've had a good June so far.  We miss our old girl, especially the spit-shine job she did on our kitchen floor, but everything around us has been so blooming with life....  As they say, Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

My sincerest thank you to everyone who sent us your thoughts over our loss of Osa.    

This week has been off-and-on oozing and drizzly.  Bright green leaves dripping, birds the hot colors of fire flitting around our house--orange, black, red, neon yellow.  Some days I feel like we live in a tropical rain forest.  But other days we have hot sun and give ourselves chores outside so we can stay out well past naptime.

Scrounging up "mulch" for our last-minute potato patch.  

Sunning diapers.  

Helping in the garden. 


:: The other weekend, we had an awesome time in the hot sun with old friends.  Celebrated a 4th birthday at a good friend's house that is like a built-in carnival complete with 3 kids, 2 cousins, jungle gym, sand box and trampoline, topped off with some pig-chasing and horse rides.  

Juniper was all smiles her first time atop an ungulate.

The birthday girl (and her little brother).

:: We spend drizzly days trying to decide on paint colors.  Check out the future home of our new kitchen and dining area:

The contractor's almost done--then it's our turn, yikes!  


:: In the bag of maternity hand-me-downs was a package of disposable premie diapers.  We pulled out a couple just for fun and, turns out, put-the-diaper-on-the-Kenya-doll is Juniper's favorite indoor activity.  She can do the sticky tabs herself, but if left entirely to her own devices, the diaper often ends up on the wrong body part.  She loves diapering her dolls and animals and begs for us to help pleading, Open? Open? More? More?  She also loves cleaning them and blowing their noses.  And--just lately--her bear and dog have been going poo-poo and pee-pee on the potty.  (This could be our big break-through as Juniper has been on a potty boycott.)  

:: We've colored before, but she wasn't really into it.  Now, she asks, Crans?

That said, we're still working on the ONLY ON THE PAPER bit.    
  
:: Juniper now chooses at least one piece of her own clothing for the day and nearly always checks herself out in the mirror.  She is always pleased with her own reflection.  Can't say we disagree.

:: It's nice having a garden for an outdoor chore even if our harvest is a moot point because we'll (hopefully) be moved.  

Besides, sometimes you run into cool things like your first salamader:

This is Juniper trying to say "salamander."


Verbally, Juniper is basically a parrot.  She has several hundred words and will try almost anything on for size, occasionally stringing two together.  Our personal favorites are her own name, Ju-per and, WOW!!  Today, she was climbing into a canoe (on the ground, not in the water) and told herself, Careful.  

:: Yesterday it rained nearly all day, and then this:

Our hillsides are bursting with balsamroot, but down here on the cottonwood floor it's mostly grass--with one exception.  There is one large, lone clump of balsamroot squarely at the base of a cottonwood.  I've noticed it from the highway.  It's so perfect, it almost looks as though it were planted.  So bugs and I headed out to find it.

Juniper: Flowers!  Wow!  Pretty.  

  
'Night everyone.

Also, I haven't forgotten the long-lost turkey camp post : )