The California coast always makes my heart soar.
There’s something so special about
those cliffs and
that icy water and
the way the sky changes color every minute.
Liz, who blogs beautifully at Yellow Finch, was kind enough to post more of my words about the way Bodega Bay makes me feel.
We spent Saturday at the beach, and yes, I went a little picture crazy. But do you blame me? I mean, we’re talking about a day at the beach. Delicious picnic food, sunshine, Hannah — who is suspiciously absent from these photos, although she is the camera-girl behind the pictures of Josiah and I together — deliciously salty air, the water’s steady rhythm, and Aveline’s first time splashing in the waves.
Baby’s inaugural trip to the ocean was this spring, but as she wasn’t even three months old yet, she mostly slept. So, last Saturday was her first time really experiencing it. How great is it that Auntie Lauren was there this spring, and Auntie Hannah was here for this moment? Hannah even captured video of the moment Aveline walked into the water. I just wish you could have heard Aveline’s tiny giggles when the water touched her feet!
I was really surprised that she didn’t eat handfuls of sand. I mean, she’s the girl who puts everything in her mouth, so I just fully expected her to try to chow down on sand. (I’m so glad she didn’t.)
We walked alongside her, and let her crawl along in the wet sand next to the water’s edge. She was delighted, and kept making happy little sounds.
Our own little beach baby, our own darling girl. It’s such an unspeakable and overwhelming feeling to share these joyful moments with her. Thank you, Lord!
[Note: For those of you who’ve asked, Aveline is wearing a Raw Amber Teething Necklace c/o Hip Green Baby. It is designed especially for babies; the plastic clasp is designed to break, and there is a knot between each bead to keep them secured.]
P.S. Yes, yes, Josiah is getting a haircut this weekend. You can stop tsk tsk-ing now. ;-)
i love the wind — the summer wind — blowing through the leaves and the tall grass.
forgive me, midwestern family. i don’t believe you yet have properly fluttering leaves. that’s just wrong. so while you’re waiting for old man winter to finally get his grubby hands off the world, check out these latest high summer (doesn’t that sound exhilarating?) images from toast.
meanwhile, i’m off to shower and generally get ready for the day, as my tiny person has finally succumbed to mid-morning sleepiness. after a rough couple of days, this week is already unfolding with promise. i look forward to seeing (and blogging!) what it holds.
visit my other Toast UK catalogue round-ups for more visual inspiration:
i’ve taken to drinking an iced coffee every afternoon. i’m relying on the placebo effect, since it’s all decaf these days. but caffeine or not, there is just something so satisfying about coffee.
last week was a bit on the rough side. the wee one suddenly decided she preferred the newborn schedule of waking up every three hours at night. she also decided there was no need to nap during the day. by the time the weekend rolled around, i was ready to flop myself down on the floor and sleep for days. and glory be, on sunday afternoon i actually fell asleep on the sunlit bed, with josiah next to me surfing the interwebs, and aveline snoozing peacefully in her crib. when i woke up two hours later, i was utterly confused at the foreign feeling of restfulness, but deliriously happy.
it’s amazing what a little sleep can do.
and now, it’s tuesday afternoon and she’s napping. napping, people!! (in this new world of parenthood, a baby napping is an epic joy — something to be celebrated. i’ve celebrated by showering and eating a proper lunch.)
and you know? this new life is beautiful. even the chaos is beautiful, because it’s not a chaos of strife or contention. no, it’s a beautiful chaos. like the lapping waves of the ocean, it’s constant motion; changing always yet the sound is a steady rhythm. the scattered blankets and washcloths and teething toys on the floor of the living room are like the stones and shells scattered across a sandy beach. there is no precision, but it’s all beauty. there is high tide and there is low tide, there is the scorching high noon sun and there is the charcoal darkness of the new moon. but it’s life, it’s all life, pulsating with love and punctuated laughter.
and we are sitting here, joy-filled, holding our precious baby and reveling in the spray of the ocean air. our hair is wild with the wind and the salt, our eyes looking onward, looking forward, our hearts firmly planted in joy and hope and peace.
what you at my gentle spoken friend
i lack a frame to put you in
when you’re an ocean and a rock away
i feel you in the pocket of my overcoat
my fingers wrap around your words
they take the shape of games we play
i feed your words through my buttonholes
pin them to my fingerless gloves
green and prone to fraying
Continue reading “[listen] ‘ocean & a rock’ [lisa hannigan]”
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