This is kind of a big deal

I think this is the beginning of something big...

A Trip to Maryland and a Little Catching Up

The last month or so has been busy-ness as usual. Get it? We just got back from Maryland, where Rye met her cousin and got to see two uncles and an aunt. We met Uncle and Ali for a quick three day trip to visit Aunt Amina, Uncle Darius, and little baby Finn.

The flight out was trying. Rye is so energetic and inquisitive, it's hard to ask her to sit still for three and a half hours. Luckily, we had an empty seat next to us and she spent alot of time playing and looking out the window (and reading).

I used to be a seriously unapologetic eye-roller in the presence of a traveling infant or toddler. I now stand in solidarity with my fellow droopy-eyed brothers and sisters. We are millions strong and we don't care how heavily you sigh when our kids scream at the top of their lungs. Have another cocktail and remember that we'll soon be landing. You can repay the favor by staying out past 10:30 and slamming the hotel room door when you turn in for the night.

Here are some more highlights from the trip:

Rye goes swimming with Uncle Ali...

Rye hangs out with baby Finn...

Rye swings with dad...

Dad shows off the ridiculous car-seat carrier (seriously, this happened).

Before all of that, Rhoda and I looked on over the last few weeks as our Little Girl:

Charmed the Hafiz family at brunch...

Pointed out dogs at the dog park...

Got in a box...

Checked out a giraffe and some camels...

Wrestled with some packing paper (this photo does not even begin to show the amount of entertainment squeezed out of this piece of brown paper)...

Helped arrange the tupperware drawer...

Learned to stand up without any help...

and generally maintained maximum cuteness.

my girls

Rye Loves Fat Albert

This cat spends most of his time trying to avoid people...and dogs. Rye and Ellie are making him look like a genius.

PIZZA!

This is a picture of Rye taken seconds after she ate at least three quarters of a piece of pizza at our local pizza and beer joint. I would've taken a picture of her eating it (meticulously cut into 9 month old sized pieces by the best mom in the world), but it would've been blurry...on account of the speed with which she maneuvered it into her mouth.

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Crested Butte

We made our semi-traditional four hour trek to Crested Butte over the weekend with our good friends Robert and Mary.  We'd been looking forward to the trip for months and were anxious to introduce Rye to some of the greatest of the great outdoors.

The trip was terrific, but not without its hurdles. Rye had what we have decided was her first very noticeable illness the whole time and even into this week.  Once we got her to the doctor, we learned that it was a common virus and it just had to run its course. She was pretty miserable at times but really tried hard to have a good time. It was hard to watch her alternate between laughing and crying.

We got through it and we're glad we went, but we're hoping that next years trip to CB will be redemptive.

Here are some shots of Rhoda and Rye followed by the view from our house:

A Salute to the Grandmas

I wrote about my grandmother several months ago. The "Opal" in Rye Opal comes from her, and she will always have a place in our hearts. I know that goes without saying, but it's worth saying out loud every now and then. Grandmas have and always will be inextricably linked to the children of their children. And for good reason. They have a knack for being there at just the right time with just the right amount of grandmotherly love.

Rye loves her grandmas.