Blue eyes

We went to an outdoor wedding yesterday.

There was a fountain, classic fall weather, trees and some neat cool steps.

Here we are before the ceremony started.

The reception was at an art gallery, and it was cool.

Did the stroller and the baby fit in? Ah, not really. But I only felt a little out of place. We had a good time.

A Sunday in September

Somehow, it's September already. Nearly mid-September.

Rye picked apples straight from the tree in Nebraska City on Friday. And we're doing a story about just that family activity at work.

I can't believe it's time to pick apples already.

Before I know it, we'll be able to go to pumpkin patches - my favorite fall activity. And it'll be my birthday. And that will mean I'm 30 years old.

And you can imagine how I feel about that.

Today, anyway, we went to a water festival, which really wasn't that spectacular. They billed it as having lots of children's activities, but really they didn't. Instead, it was booth after booth of people with literature to read about their group or pencils or rulers to give away. They did have canoe rides, but I couldn't really take a 4-month-old on a canoe.

It was nice to be out in nature anyway, though. And see the lake shining in the sun through the trees and walk with my kids through grass that scratched our ankles.

And smell the scent of sun-drenched skin when we finally got home.

Here's to the start of fall, my favorite season.

And here's us at the festival:

Girl power

I have a Wonder Woman T-shirt that says "Girl Power" on it.

And this weekend, that's totally how I feel.



It's just me and Paige, doing whatever we want, whenever we want. Without any boy telling us what to do.

We've been shopping. More than once.

We went running.

And we've listened to loud music. Of course.

We've gone on a few walks. We've taken a few naps.

And it's been peaceful and nice. Just the two of us.



I am looking forward to seeing my first baby tomorrow night, though. Boy and all.

Little rocker girl

My baby girl loves music.

Perhaps she will grow up to be a rock and roll star. Or maybe she'll grow up to be a groupie. Maybe she'll be Maria coming from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand. Maybe she'll want to meet a boy who looks like Elvis.

Probably she'll be none of those things.

But her love for music right now is pretty darn sweet.

Sunday afternoon, for example, I knew she was tired. Yet, she wouldn't let herself fall asleep. I put her in the swing, which usually always does the trick. She fussed and squawked for 10 minutes or so in there. I was finally about to take her out when I thought I'd try music.

One minute of Wilco and she was out like a cat in the sunny spot on the carpet.

Most evenings, she and I retreat to the kitchen where I plug my iPod into speakers and turn it up loud. We listen to Wilco and Death Cab and Pink and that one Tilly and the Wall song that's really great. Last night, we put it on shuffle and heard Tracy Chapman and Carly Simon and New Kids (ahem) and Clay Aiken (AHEM) and a few others. It puts her to sleep within minutes. Every single time.

It's great for me. I get a baby that not only stops crying but lays so at peace in my arms that I sort of want to never let her go. And I get to listen to music, loud.

Rock on, baby girl.