Further highlights from our trip

These two drinking buddies.

The Hat's Off Day parade!

There were police on motorcycles playing chicken! It was terrifying and loud! 

We rejuvenated with snax.

Eleanor got popcorn, to her great good delight.

The girls got their faces painted.

These munchkins.

Gigi pulled out all my old Littlest Pet Shop for when Eleanor needed some big girl alone time.

Backyard pool time.

This fairyface.

Bookholder foots.

Eleanor in all my grandmother's jewels.

This swing is still a thing.

Buncha nerds.

Pizza parties.

Cousin parade.

Monkeychildren.

How much Geneva loves this heinous Miss Piggy puppet.

This old Kayleigh! And these bear-shaped macarons!

This petting zoo.

'Do joo wanna eat dis grasses?'

'Where are yoo goin, water?'

This complicated thingummy.

This old Robyn! And a Grumpyneeva!

Geneva having a love affair with this broccoli salad.

These two having the TIME OF THEIR LIVES in the bath together. Geneva would gather up all the bubbles and rub them on Rosey's tummy, going 'wotion wotion wotion.'

Cupcake-making time with an audience.

Eleanor being the Big Cousin.

(Rosey loved her so. much.)

Cucumber party in the sun.

Donut party in the rain.

Every swamp, everywhere.

Mall train.

Coming home again at last. For the last time.

Eleanor

Let's talk about Eleanor for a minute, because I threw her a birthday party like five months ago and never mentioned it! It was her first birthday party, and I was weirdly stressed out about it even though I literally just texted Josie and my second cousin and was like, Do you guys want to come to a party and since you are the whole guest list, what day is good for you and is CJ's Playhouse too far of a drive.

And everyone came to our house first for cupcakes, and having people sing Happy Birthday to her is Eleanor's favorite thing about birthdays.

We'd had this cookbook out at the time, that had a full-page spread of Things Dipped In Chocolate And Then Like Nuts Or Sprinkles Or Whatever, so I told Eleanor she could pick ONE THING to dip in chocolate for her birthday, and she picked marshmallows, and they were heinous sugar bombs but whatever, making them was a fun activity and the kids were totally into them.

Then we went to CJ's and this is where things took a turn. Eleanor was at a stage where she was just figuring out social interactions, and who she could boss around and how much, and how she could make people do the things she wanted to do, so she wasn't really good at it and there were TEARS and FRUSTRATION and sad-talkings all the way home. Now she speaks very fondly of that birthday, but at the time it was hard on both of us.

Today we were at a park and she had made a friend, she makes friends at every park these days, and she was like, What do you want to do? And the girl was like *shrug* and Eleanor was like, Do you want to do what I'm doing? And it was such a generous gesture and so unlike herself around Christmastime and this, even more than the fact that none of her pants fit anymore, brings it home that she is GROWING she is growing so much.

Anyway. As is my custom, I interviewed Eleanor on her birthday.


Her favorite color is pink.

Her favorite food is treats, specifically tater tots.

Her friends are Josie, Tyler, Logan, Evelyn, Mitch, she can't say all her park friends because she doesn't remember their names, Amy, and Eva.

Her favorite toy is Snuggles.

Her favorite book is Bear's Birthday.

Her favorite movie is Cinderella.

Things that make her happy are cuddles.

When she grows up, she wants to be a ballerina, an artist, a mountain climber, and a librarian with stamps.

Her favorite thing to do with dad is read books.

Her favorite thing to do with mom is read books.

Her favorite thing to do with Geneva is play in the sand.

Her favorite thing to do with herself is to have a birthday.

Her favorite song is Jingle Bells.

Her favorite item of clothing is her cherry dress.

Her favorite animals are woods animals.

She is good at balloons and partying and digging and crying and blowing candles.

Her favorite seasons are summer and spring and Christmas.

Her favorite game is playing.

Her favorite body part is her organs.

She is also turning out pretty great.

Geneva

Let's talk about Geneva for a minute, who has just turned two. How old are you, Geneva? 'Daneeva.' No, that's your name. How old are you.

She figured out the, like, present participle while we were in Cuba. Geneva, do you want to be carried? NO! Walkin. Ha ha haha, laffin'. But she overextrapolated for ages and it was amazing. The guy was refreshing my coffee and Geneva was like, Copfee! Hottin! And I'm like, Yes. He is hotting my coffee.

Now she's just a flawless conversationalist. I feel like she took her time talking, but then skipped a bunch of steps and makes almost no pronoun errors and says these long, rattling sentences. 'Didjou see de powkins, mummy?' Did I see the what? 'Didjou see de powkins, inna river?' Ah yes, I saw the pelicans.

But she still says 'whybaby' for library and pronounces horse like 'hearse,' pony like 'poony,' unicorn like 'unikern.'

Geneva wants to do everything Eleanor does. She is so agile I don't know what to do with her, except let her do whatever it is she wants to do. 'It's ok I can climb dis.' Ok, you climb it.

I caught her on video the literal last time she referred to herself as 'Yaya.' She has also only just stopped calling the wicked witch the 'naked witch.' She's obsessed with levels of nakedness. If I come out in capri pants she's like, 'Oohhhhhhh, wegs awwwwl naked!' And I'm like, Nope, my legs are just a little bit naked. 'Widdle bit nakedddd wegs!'

She will look into an empty bucket or cup or mouth and go Oh! Nobahddy heyah!

She thinks 'all fall down' means 'fell down.' OH NO! SPOON ALL FALL DOWN! Droppit spoon! I droppit my spoon.

She's such a buddy. Two is such a good age.