The Life And Times Of Our Heroine, Wylet

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.

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. "

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

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?

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Having a picnic after a hike.

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.