Down on the Farm

Last weekend we headed to Carleton Farm in Snohomish with Brian, Darcy and some of their friends to do the corn maze and pick out some perfect pumpkins. We ended up going a little later in the day than expected and for a while I was concerned that we’d have to be in the corn maze while it transitioned to Haunted Corn Maze!!!! Scary!

Even before we had Maggie, I always longingly talked about corn mazes and farms and we didn’t always pull the trigger on hunting one down. We’ve had Halloween parties in the past and even pumpkin carving contests, but there is something special about picking your own pumpkin or getting lost with friends in a maze of corn.

As we were given our maps to the maze, it became crystal clear that the advice of the sales lady wasn’t too far fetched when she mentioned that the map didn’t ‘exactly’ match with the real twists and turns in the maze. Luckily Brian was with us and he is a MASTER map reader. Not really, but he sure does laugh a lot, which makes Barry laugh a lot too.  Any time you’ve got two Miller brothers laughing, is a good time. At one point Bri mentioned the time he saw my pregnant butt and I had to put a halt on that story, which only made him laugh more.

As much as I’ve been singing praises for this blustery weather, which I love, I’ve been mourning the loss of nice natural light for my photos. All summer long I fought the glare of the sun and now the cloud cover is here to stay and I’m having to pull out a few tricks to make sure I still get the pictures I desire. I suppose you could say I enjoy a challenge because I still refuse to use my flash. Perhaps I’m stubborn? Nah.

So, the corn maze. It was really fun and Maggie loved it. She also loved all the attention from Darcy and her friends. Lauren, Darcy’s best friend, had black boots that Maggie absolutely fell in love with and they were boot buds, with Maggie pointing endlessly at both their boots, as if wanting to confirm that they both had boots on. Mags also enjoyed being leader of the pack, sometimes deciding for everyone if we were going to take a right or a left. The power of her index finger is still in full throttle.

As we roamed from one end of the maze to another trying to solve the mystery of the secret code, I kept whispering to myself “If you build it, he will come” and waiting for Shoeless Joe to pop out of the corn. Of course, he never did. As it was getting darker and we’d solved the puzzle, it was time to exit the maze. Barry and Maggie somehow got detached from the rest of the group and we were headed to the exit. I was a bit worried (but not REALLY worried) and Brian went back in to find Barry and Maggie. Of course not a minute after Brian turned around did Barry and Maggie appear pleased as little kittens that they’d found the exit. So, there we all were at the exit of the corn maze without Brian, the one who is really good at reading maps, remember?  I don’t think anybody really wanted to go back in to find him, for fear of getting lost, but thankfully he ambled out laughing. So we all laughed too.

A New Favorite Place

I love pictures of people. I love flipping through other people’s photos and studying faces, backgrounds and anything to do with people living life. Since I’ve started taking more photos, I’ve found myself placing more and more value on the moments I capture and of the people that I love. I fight the battle of what to do with my images afterwards….that first year photo book is slowly coming along.

I recently created an area in Maggie’s room of a collage of pictures for The Little Miss to enjoy. As time rolls on and I snap more pictures, we’ll add them or trade them out because it is apparent that she loves having them to look at, making her room all the more homey and totally hers. In all honesty, it makes her room feel more connected to the rest of the house, where we’ve got family photos sprinkled about. Her favorite shots, by far, are the ones that include Barry. She shouts “PAPA” every time we walk into her room and points frantically as if he is going to come alive in the images!

They aren’t framed in matchy-matchy frames and they aren’t even symmetrical (although I did get a level out to put them up!), but they are photos that Maggie can look at and do as she pleases. The faces and places are familiar and I’m hoping that they’re a reminder that she is so loved by so many.

Speaking of looooove, Maggie has been loving her baby dollies more and more these days and it is simply the sweetest thing. We loaded her baby (Valarie) into a little backpack and Maggie wore her around and rocked her for a while. I’d like to think that she was able to make the connection to me wearing her in the Ergo. She is a pretty serious little mama to her babies, but if something better comes along….poor babies have to take a second seat. It is amazing to me how innate taking care of something is for her; however, for all the sweetness that she shows for her baby, we’ve got a ways to go with loving Sydney gently. Girlfriend just loves to tug on Syd’s rolls and bop her on the head, not cool at all.

And because I know you were wondering what those two were up to roughly a year ago, I’ll leave you with this little gem.

You know, because I love photos of people….and my dog.