and my friends are shocked that I've become a coffee drinker

from the hallway, 3 a.m. these words awaken me:

Mama!? Maybe in the morning we can wake up together!? When my clock is green, we can wake up together?! Maybe we can? Maybeeeeeeeeeeee? (there's an alarm on her clock and the color changes when she can get up......you'll see how well THAT is working)

me: Come on in, B.

(nonstop chatterbox while she "settles in"...talking about her blanket, about the biscotti that she wants to see in the morning, asking what we're going to do tomorrow, on and on I ignore it all from a more-than-half asleep state.)

from our bed, 3:15 a.m.:

Mama!? Why you have bare feet? You need socks on your feet just like me! Keep your feet nice and cozy! My feet got cold and I got my socks from my closet all by myself. Hello Kitty socks. Red ones. I not a baby ANYmore! You need some? You want me get you some?

me: I am not cold, now shhhhhh.....Lie down and go to sleep!

(more chattering....asking me why I'm not wearing "jammie pants," asking where Sula is, tossing and turning all over every part of my body and that of her dad, who doesn't budge a millimeter during this entire "event."

from the bottom of the bed, where SHE has positioned herself, 3:25 a.m.:(I'm fully back asleep by now)

Mama? May I sleep with you so I can wake up with you? That way we can be closer!

me: you ARE sleeping with me. Go to sleep!

B? No, no, mama, we not CLOSE!

me: If you're having trouble sleeping in this bed, you need to go back to your bed.

(silence for the rest of the night)

and, while I'm chronicling funny things B. says, the first initial-s word ever spoken from my daughter the other day withOUT prompting: SNORE!!!!!!! Said perfectly with the smoothest "s-n" blend sound possible. (credit 2 years of co-sleeping with her dad for that!)

Why are the final days of vacation like water in my hands?

What a whirlwind these 8 1/2 weeks have been. My vacation is swiftly ending, as in two more days, and I need to tie up loose ends, doing things like posting recent pictures to this blog! Adding some Quikcrete to our steps, and cleaning the house are on the "to do" list too, but I'm starting with the stuff I enjoy...

Here are some pics from my aunt Alice's 80th birthday party, where it was party time for B. with cousins again, and a couple videos of her dancing with her Dad at a recent concert in the park in town. They are dark and I need to figure out a way to lighten them up, and one of them needs to be rotated, but I knew if I waited until I did those things, they may never get posted at all. Apologies for the quality, but if you hit the "full screen" icon you might get a gist of why they just make me smile. And I had to include one of her day at the pool last weekend where everything was heavenly until she jumped in with no flotation devices. I wasn't there to see it, thankfully, and she is 100% fine, but still I've had nightmares this week about it.

End note: While I'm typing this, Beatrice is "going to sleep." I always tell her before I leave the room what I'm going to do while she falls asleep, and tonight it was "put some things on the blog, empty the garbage, and make biscottis for the party we're going to tomorrow." She just ran out and in a panicked voice said "May I lick the spoon?? Don't lick the spoon! Maybe tomorrow morning when I wake up I can lick the spoon?" (I respond that I'll save it for her) "Mom, DON'T lick it because it's my favorite spoon!!!" I thought she loved baking, but I guess it's just the final part of the process that truly matters to her.

In the pool with Daddy and Uncle Dan...minutes before the drama

Big hugs on Sunday for cousin Angela!

Enjoying her inaugural game of Duck, Duck, Goose!

Beatrice is just in love, deep love, with her cousin Kristin Michelle

Mischievous grin

Playing with uber-patient cousin Erik, who she referred to as "the doggie" all week

"Cuttin' the rug" with Daddy

"X" marks the spot.....(this picture might help explain how Beatrice became aware of skin color this summer!)

Finally, this is how I found her in her bed at 9:25 p.m. as I'm finishing this post:

that's her prized-possession, her blanket, rolled up in a ball and stuffed into her nightgown. Sometimes she pretends it is clothing, a hat, a ball to throw, a picnic blanket and, gulp, a "baby in her belly." (Hopefully that blanket and her imagination will satisfy that need for at least another 25 years!)

p.s. when I showed this picture to Beatrice the next morning, I asked her what that was and she was unsure. I asked if it was a baby in her body and she said "no, umm, I think I baked a batch of beans." Oh how I will miss spending my days with this imaginative, talkative, sensitive, truly funny girl...for another ten months anyway....

Visit to Maine, aka "I miss my cudinz"

First Family Camping Trip

Dad's 86th birthday

Here's my dad, or "Pepere," as he is called by his 5 grandchildren. Only Shawn, 18, couldn't attend the dinner at Wright's Farm.

Here's B. with my oldest brother, "Uncle Moe"

The three little ones...B. and cousins Truman and Hank...together these 3 are "triple trouble!"

Dad's oldest grandchild, Nathan, and youngest, Beatrice, are 22 years apart.

Hula Hooper

Biker Bea: First Lesson

Lolo is in town and decided that since Beatrice has now (almost) mastered steering (like as of today), she must be ready for the "big bike!" I only watched long enough to snap these photos and couldn't bear it the rest of the time.....