european rail travel: My Wylet Girl

maxviolet 300x225 The Life And Times Of Our Heroine, Wylet

"And I'll wear a penis! Just like Max!"

The other day Violet and I were walking along talking about things.

That?s her latest thing; Mom, let?s talk about cats. Mom, let?s talk about potatoes. Mom, let?s talk about costumes.

Costumes. Her other latest thing.

At least five times a day we ?talk about costumes?. This involves her bringing up what she could be for Halloween. Note the word ?could?. This isn?t really a conversation about what she wants to be for Halloween, just what she could be. And she could be anything. The conversations go thusly:

Violet: (Looking around the room and spotting the TV) I could be a TV, Mom!

Me: That?s a great idea. It could be really cool.

Violet: I could be a? FROG!

Me: Ooh, that might be fun! We could paint your face green!

Violet: And I could hop everywhere!

Me: Yeah!

Violet: I could be a cat! With ears! And a tail!

Me: Good one! You could meow and I could draw whiskers on your face!

Violet: Good idea, Mom!

It was in this vein that we were talking about costumes last week when Violet saw a dog in the neighbor?s yard and said she could be a dog.

Me: Good one! We could get you ears and I could paint your nose black. Just like Max!

Violet: And I could get a tail, just like Max!

Me: Yeah! And you could wiggle your bum and wag your tail, just like Max!

Violet: And I could wear a collar!

Me: Good idea!

Violet: And I could wear a penis! Just like Max.

Me: Um, yeah. Just like Max.

Violet: Yeah!

Do you think the neighbors will be offended?

God, I love this kid. Here she is throughout the summer, just doing her Wylet thang.

Who Is This Girl?

This expression slays me. Wise, sophisticated, keeper of secrets. Who is this kid and what has she done with my baby? Angularity is beginning to take shape amongst once chubby cheeks and her eyes constantly sparkle with the excitement that comes with discovery.

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Night Stalker
In the wee hours Violet has taken to creeping into one of our rooms. (Yes, we have different rooms and we're okay with it and you should be too!) I think she prefers dad's room, so far, mostly because he's too tired to return her to her room, like I do. But this time I let her spend the entire night in my bed and caught this mouth breathing sleep shot a few seconds before she woke up. It reminds me of this funny tweet I saw the other day: "Until you wake up to a young child's silhouette blankly staring at you in the darkness, you know nothing of fear. "
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Finding Fishley
Serge somehow got it into his head that we must have a fish. And so now we do. Violet adores him and named him Fishley. Here is his tail. I mean tale.
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Double Rainbow

Except you can't see the double part. However, a few days after this appearance we were passing a window and Violet said "Look Mom, another rainbow in our backyard!" I'll be damned if there wasn't another one looking like it ended just beyond our back fence. Apparently we live near a pot of gold.

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Hard Core Pooling

This little pool got a lot of heavy action this summer. These photos are some of my favorite I've ever taken.

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Thrillseeker

We managed to get to a nearby amusement park with some friends this year. I'm surprised to learn my daughter is a thrillseeker of the highest order and doesn't balk at going on any rides. Henry, on the other hand, the maniac I thought would dig the rides wasn't as thrilled.

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Ray Of Light

Oh my God, but I love this photo somethin' fierce. I hope she experiences this kind of happiness for the rest of her life.

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Tubbin' With Bro
Look at these two yahoos in the tub! She is thrilled while Henry is - unfazed, is the only word that comes to mind. And yes, finger-pointers of the internets, my 18-month old still uses his binky and I'M TOTALLY COOL WITH THAT.
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Lazy Days

We spent some good times this year with our friends from Pittsburgh. This is Violet and Kate spending some time on the river behind their house. Yes, she isn't wearing her life jacket but dad is standing just out of frame so cool your mom jets!

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Porch Time

Most of our outdoor time is spent in the backyard or hanging around on our porch, like so. This photo made my heart crawl up into my throat a bit. There is a glimmer here of the little girl she is to become. Toddlerhood will soon be something I see only in photographs and that thought kills me.

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The Great Outdoors

We also spent a fair amount of time hiking the woods around our home. We look for snails, wild mushrooms and what Violet calls "yentipedes" which are really just centipedes.

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Rosebud

The little pursed lippies kill me. This kind of reminds me of one of Botticelli's paintings of girls.

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Tub Time
Tub time is a favorite 'round these parts. Recently we discovered you can purchase little fizzy tablets (like Easter egg coloring) that turn the tub water different colors. Tub time has never been the same, y'all. It's tough to get them out of the tub after that!
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More Porch Time

I took a bunch of great photos on this day. Good natural lighting. It's so rare that she just stares directly into the camera like this.

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Growing Up

Something about this photograph suggests the woman she is going to become.

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Curls

Serge keeps telling me we should cut her hair but I think I'll wait until she asks for a hair cut herself. What do you think?

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Park Play

We've logged quite a few hours at our local park as well. The beauty of having two parents who work from home. My sweet family.

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Baby Bird

When she gets really excited Violet makes this crazed expression and frantically flaps her arms around like an injured bird. It's a riot.

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Boat Races

She was fascinated by the local boat races that took place near our house.

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Big Love

Nothin' better than this right here. I hope she always feels comfortable with displays of affection. She is, unfortunately, the only female in my life with whom I am comfortable expressing physical affection.

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Pure Joy

I've gotta admit, most of our pool play is done in the buff. Easier that way. Hell, if I could I would. I guess I could... But that wouldn't be fair to the neighbors.

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Rascal

Another one of the porch shots. I couldn't stop snapping, the lighting was so good.

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Two Little Monkeys Jumpin On The Bed

One recent development involves Violet actually interested in playing with Henry. She has realized he can be coerced into all kinds of shenanigans and doesn't hesitate to involve him in the horseplay.

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Best Girls

Having a picnic after a hike.

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Holding Hands

I can't wait to watch what develops between these two. Witnessing sibling interaction of the positive kind is one of my favorite parts of parenting thus far.

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