Salutations

Mary recently sat down to write thank-you notes for her birthday gifts. When she was finished, she handed them to me to address and mail. I was surprised to notice that there was no salutation (Dear Grandma...) on any of the notes. Each one just jumped straight into the body of the letter. 

I asked Mary why she didn't include the customary greeting. Her response: "Oh, Mom, that is so old-fashioned! Nobody does that anymore."

Sigh. Me: "Mary, it's important. We still use greetings." 

"But Mom, I've watched you write lots of texts and emails without it." 

Ouch. We really are role models, even when we don't think they're paying attention. 

Note to self: 9-year-olds are ALWAYS paying attention. And also: maybe I ought to edit this post to add, "Dear Gentle Readers," at the top.  

The Baby & A Badminton Battle (a cautionary tale)

The cousins came to visit last weekend! (I would give that five exclamation points if I could.)

First, there's this deliciousness. Oh, darling new Pascal. 

 And then, of course, a bit of cousin hula fun. (Anyone surprised to see Lucy leading the way?) 

 (Again, anyone surprised?) 

 A little "twin-cousin" fun followed on the porch. 

 And here's a glimpse at sweet Mary (before our cautionary tale begins).  

 Remember the smiling twin-cousin pair? Well, then the badminton set came out. Ryan had the racket. Liesl had the birdie. Not a good scenario.

 Ryan decided to pursue his birdie. 

 And Liesl tightened her grip. Iron grip, that girl's got.

Ryan continued to follow Liesl around the yard for several moments, seemingly confused by her behavior as he kept saying, "Peeez, peeeez." Liesl wouldn't acknowledge him, focused instead of moving steadily in the opposite direction. Let's just say, it did not end well. Liesl was furious. Ryan was puzzled. 

But it did provide great entertainment to the rest of us. Toddler politics at their finest. 

Clearly, if Liesl has any say in the matter, Ryan and Liesl won't be playing badminton on our next cousin visit. 

Summer's Preview

The past few weeks have felt more like mid-July than mid-spring- which means Ryan got a preview of summer's pastimes. Splish Splash.

To the Nines!

Mary entered her last year in single digits in style. She began the celebration a week early with a special pilgrimage to Seattle's American Girl store with her best pal Emma for a day of adventure. A road trip to remember, and a doll as a treasured souvenir.

On her birthday itself, she opened amazing gifts. GR-Aunt Suzy sent a box of goodies that weighed as much as Mary, spoiling her like crazy with beautiful clothing and shoes. She received a fun telescope, beads, and more from Grandma and Papa Loeb. And, Grandma Buck sewed beautiful 19th century dresses for Mary's dolls, accompanied by a history book with information about the time period. 

 The day ended with ice cream sundaes and friends around the fire pit, and a showing of an American Girl movie, Molly, about a young girl growing up in the midst of WWII. A touching story and fitting ending to our girl's big day.

The City of Brotherly Love

I am still in awe of how much Mary and Lucy adore their little brother. It's an incredible relationship to witness, especially because the two of them often clash. But Ryan, with his distance in age providing a buffer to the bickering, is nothing but love and light for them both.

One night a few weeks ago, we were eating dinner and Lucy piped up, "I just can't imagine our family without Ryan."

Without skipping a beat, my ever-pragmatic Mary said, "Well, I can. But I really wouldn't want to!"

And they both turned their gaze to the little brother, perched at the end of the table grinning broadly back at them. Their little hearts brim with love for that silly brother. Forget Philly. It's got nothing on us.

Portlandia Tour

Last week I had the joy of seeing an old colleague from the Bay Area. Nhu Anh and her pal were visiting for a Portlandia adventure-- fueled more by our foodie culture than our fixie bikes, I suspect.

Nhu Anh worked as a summer intern for our department back in 2006. Just before her internship began, my cubicle whiteboard was serving as a baby pool for my impending second baby. In bright Expo marker, people speculated the gender, arrival date, and weight of my new arrival. When I left for maternity leave, my vacant cubicle was prepped to be Nhu Anh's summer work space. The baby pool was erased, and instead, the whiteboard read, "Welcome Nhu Anh!"

I chuckled upon hearing that on her first day, several people walked by my cubicle, glanced at the new message on the whiteboard with puzzled looks on their faces, and then said, "That's an unusual name choice for Megan's new baby."

Of course, the new baby was Lucy Claire, and the fabulous new intern was this lovely young woman who is now a polished professional. We had fun reminiscing. I was delighted to be a stop on her Portlandia tour.

Signs of Aging

Today I got a promotional email from Target about an exclusive JT album release.

Imagine my disappointment to learn that "JT" no longer means James Taylor to the masses of Target subscribers. Seriously? Exactly when did Justin Timberlake earn the rights to those initials?

Yep, I'm getting old.