Ashworth Alcove

One day earlier this week my stress level was through the roof and somewhere up in the stratosphere. I was on the phone with strangers all day trying to sort out a variety of moving related issues. Unfortunately, Violet was tense because I was tense. And her tension added to my tension. It was a vicious cycle. That evening the sun came out (remember, Washington - it's rare) so we went out. I had seen a playground near our home, so we went there to get some fresh air. Violet is independent and a natural leader. She doesn't need my help at the playground anymore. She will climb up and slide down whether I'm there waiting at the bottom or not. There was another little girl there who was about two and a half. She took notice of Violet and began following her around doing everything Violet was doing. Violet seemed unphased, she was just doing her thing, no matter what. The playground was right by the Nisqually River, so we ventured down to it. Violet did what she does best -...

We recently took Violet to Chuck E Cheese. She loved it. Except for the part where we had to leave, she didn't love that. Or the part where she sat and pretended to eat, but instead watched the other kids play. She says the word "more" often just in general and she wore it out that day in regards to coins. She would hold her hand out and say, "More? more?" or "Hand!" which she says when she wants you to give her something. She only liked one of the ride on games which was a mini carousel. I have a sneaking suspicion it was because it was very conducive for people watching (see below image). Aside from the carousel, her most favorite game there was skee ball. We spent many a coin on that one. Note Ben dodging her as she's throwing the balls. And when she couldn't make it into any of the holes she decided to improve her chances by getting a wee bit closer. At the end of the day she came home with a rubber snake and some candy. ...

JANUARY Ben, Violet, and I moved to Washington , along with all of our household goods. We tried to settle in quickly and strived for some normalcy . FEBRUARY Violet experienced her first snow . We celebrated Valentines Day with a family dinner date and Violet's first trip to the zoo and aquarium. MARCH We went on a mini-vacation to Seattle . We prepared for Ben's deployment and parted ways at the end of the month. APRIL Violet and I settled into life in Tennessee for a while. She enjoyed her new play buddy . We explored the springtime world outside and learned a little about living . MAY Violet turned one . We celebrated Mother's Day and prepared for the coming of summer . JUNE We maintained contact with Ben through Skype and Violet truly discovered her love for the outdoors. JULY We celebrated the Fourth of July and learned Violet is terrified of fi...