Friends

Margaux and I just got back from a week in Fort Worth.  It was so much fun.  Margaux went to zoo school every morning, and while she was there I met friends at a nearby coffee shop.  Then, almost every afternoon we had a play date.  The best part?  The play dates were with the children of my lifelong friends.  Most days, I so enjoyed the moment that I forgot to take pictures. So, while there are no pictures of Harry, Lily, Gary, or Cody, there are pictures of Annie.  Here are Margaux and Annie swimming together.  I am truly happy visiting with my dear friends while watching our children play together.

New Mexico

We recently returned from Ruidoso, New Mexico where Margaux got to go on her first trail ride. Here are Margaux and our friends, Harry and Lily, before the ride.  Then, there's one more of Mike.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the actual ride because I was holding on for dear life. Not that the horse was wild or anything, but the trail was rocky and steep.  I hadn't ridden a horse since my summer camp days, so horseback photographer is not currently in my skill set. Maybe next time.

Family Portrait

Nantucket 2013

We just returned from our yearly pilgrimage to Nantucket.  As always, we had a fantastic time.  Here are a few highlights.

At Children's Beach

A rainbow cloud at Jetties Beach

Sigmund the Sea Monster

Riding tandem to the beach with Dad

On a rainy day we went to town instead of the beach

At the library

Sometimes you can live in a place for a good long while and make a new discovery.  It turns out that on the OSU campus there is a library completely dedicated to children's books. Margaux calls this the "secret library" because when we went, there was no one was in it but the librarian and us.  She thinks we are the only people who know about it.  The best part is that the shelves are filled with the very best in children's books.  Every single one we checked out was fantastic.  I have such fond memories of checking out books with my mom, and I am so happy to share this experience with my own daughter. We are about to sign up for the summer reading program at the public library, and I can tell this is going to be a great summer for reading.  If you have a favorite children's book we should read, leave us a message in the comments.  We'd love some suggestions.  -Cindy

Happy Fifth Birthday!

Dear Margaux, 

I cannot believe it has been a year since I wrote your last birthday letter.  Time has really flown.  This year has been full of changes for you.  The biggest change is that you have turned into a little girl and have very little “baby” left in you.  You got a big girl bed and started sleeping through the night. You started Pre-K at a new school, you’ve started to write, you’ve started to spell, and you’ve lost two teeth.  You’ve surprised your dad and I with your love of boys.  You don’t find most girls very interesting, but boys you are crazy about.  There is one boy you are particularly fond of.  About a month after school started, we heard you singing his name all over the house.  Further inquiry led to the discovery that you had a case of puppy love.  With awe in your voice, you told us that he taught you the word phalanges.  I love that you love the smart boys.  Please don’t ever let that change.  You have also divided the boys in your class into the good guys and the bad guys.  You say the good guys are kind and nice to everyone, but the bad guys use potty language and are only nice to each other.  You don’t realize it now, but this isn’t just true on the playground, so stick with the good guys.  But, Margaux, befriend girls, too.  Girl friends will support you and bring a richness to your life that cannot be measured. 

You still love pink, purple, and dirt. Your favorite show is a wildlife documentary called Growing Up Wild.  You will watch this for hours and never tire of it.  It has also inspired some questions about reproduction that have caught me quite off guard.  I am trying to answer your questions directly without providing more information than you are asking for.  We explained that you should keep this information to yourself.  You said, “It’s just chicken eggs and babies, doesn’t sound like much of a secret.”  Your favorite book is the Complete Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.  I read this chapter book aloud to you every night for almost a month.  We now can spot an Eeyore or a Tigger from a mile away.  Turns out Mr. Milne had a keen eye for personality and pretty much every one you meet is represented by someone in the Hundred Acre Wood.  Your favorite thing to do is play with your stuffed animals. I’ve heard moms complain that their house is overrun with stuffed animals and they never actually get played with.  We are up to our eyeballs in stuffed animals, but every single one gets attention from you.  Sometimes they are sick and you treat them with your doctor kit, sometimes they are fierce and you are hiding from them, but nine times out of ten, one of them is having babies. 

You are brave, my girl.  Today, your fifth birthday, was your first (and I pray last) time to get stitches.  You had an accident on the playground.  It may or may not have involved one of the bad guys.  Dad and I took you to the doctor and you got three stitches in your forehead.  The anesthetic didn’t kick in until the last one, and yet you stayed still. Yes, you cried, but you never tried to get off the table.  I am often impressed with how tough you are.  I don’t where you get that from, but it will serve you well. You can be impatient, especially when someone doesn’t understand what you mean. We remind you to “put the love in your voice,” and you do for a day or two. You are famous for your hugs.  If you love someone, they will know it by your hug.  You say “I love you” to daddy and me thirty times a day.  You still climb into our laps and want to give kisses.  You wake up happy every day.  My mom used to say that my philosophy was “nothing is going to rain on my parade.”  I see that in you.  I told you that once, and you said your philosophy was hakuna matata.  Same thing.  I hope you always have that spirit. 

As I reflect back on the joy you have brought me in your 5 years, I am incredibly grateful.  You are a delight to your dad and me. I look forward to what this next year will bring, but I love this moment in time with you.

Photo Shoot

I remember trying to take a single picture of Margaux when she was 2, and it was so hard to get her to stand still and look at the camera normally.  I can now report that at nearly 5 years old, nothing has changed!  It's all about the journey, though.  And, for those of you who know my brother Tim, check out the 3rd picture.  If that is not a mischievous Tim Reese look, I don't know what is.

Happy Valentine's Day

Got dat baby!

My wonderful sister Tammy sent us a yummy king cake from Ambrosia in Baton Rouge. We've been enjoying it but hadn't found the baby until the very last piece! Then Margaux found it. (We didn't stage that either, it really was in the last piece.)

Unlike last year, Fergus didn't get any of the cake. He was disappointed, but our floors were grateful.

Bedtime craziness strikes again

Spontaneous Zoo Trip

A couple of weekends ago we were headed to Edmond to run some errands (living in a town without a Costco, Target, Sam's, or World Market sometimes requires road trips).  It was really nice out so we decided to make a detour and go to the OKC zoo.  It was a great experience! We were only there about 2 hours, but we were there pretty close to closing time so they were feeding a lot of the animals.  We got to see a lot of animals that normally hide (we saw way more big cats than we've ever seen before). We didn't take that many pictures for some reason, but here are a few.  If you are in the area, I highly recommend the OKC zoo.  It is really nice.  And, that's from someone with pretty high zoo standards!

 The petting zoo.

 The lorikeets.

The tram ride.

Our other child

While this blog is almost entirely dedicated to the happenings in Margaux's life, it should also be known that we have an older child named Fergus.  Fergus is 9 1/2 and a lot furrier than Margaux. He's the family dog.  For the first time in his life, Fergus ran away over the weekend.  Mike's dad had the misfortune of being on duty when Fergus decided to make a break for it.  And, wouldn't you know it, Fergus decided to go walkabout on the coldest nights of the year.  He was missing for 3 nights.  We cried, called the animal shelter, posted signs, visited all the vets in town, and cried some more.  Where was this lovely guy who usually laid on the couch all day in our warm living room?  Finally, after much agony and worry, the phone rang!  A man was driving to his office downtown and saw one of our signs.  A few miles down the road he saw a black schnauzer like the one described in the sign drinking from a broken water main near the library.  He got Fergus in his car and went back to the sign so he could get our number.  When I answered, he said he had a black schnauzer in his car and asked if I was missing one.  Yes! Yes, I was! He was about a block away when he called so he drove Fergus straight to our house.  I was crying so hard, I am not sure I even remembered to thank the man.  I did get his name, so I plan to write him a note. The good deed he did that day made our family complete again.  A few interesting details from this saga.  First, the man who found him said he knew no dog with a Nantucket collar should be drinking from the water main.  That cracked me up.  The second thing, which is really weird, is that someone obviously had Fergus for at least part of the time because his beard, eyebrows, and eyelashes had been cut.  The person clearly wasn’t in the dog grooming business because he looked pretty crazy when we got him back.  Last, the library where he was found is over 4 miles away. I am super impressed that Fergus survived.  It was 20 degrees out on those nights!  I would have taken Fergus for more “Lady” and less “Tramp,” but I guess I was wrong.  As I write this, he’s back on the couch where he should be.  Oh, and he went to the groomer today, she was able to make him look like he does in this picture.