Summer Fun at the Pool

We have had a hot week here in DC, and that has meant only one thing: pool, pool, pool. Miri has been enjoying a chance to cool off and has become a great swimmer lately. Okay, so she still sinks like a rock if Mommy lets go of her, but she is great at kicking her way across the water. She also loves to jump in, usually to go after the plastic fish that she tosses in there. Summer fun has included hanging with cousin Pearce and eating yummy peaches fresh from the farmer's market. Summer is here.

Happy BIrthday, America!

We had a great time celebrating the 4th here in (or very, very close to) our nation's capital. Miri and Daddy went to the 1st Annual Top of the Park 4th of July Kids' Parade -- basically, a bunch of us parents decided to get a boom box and walk around the neighborhood playing patriotic songs. This was followed by a neighborhood potluck. Daddy brought the sweet potatoes and Miri chowed on the blueberries. She has become quite a fruit eater lately! We spent the afternoon at the pool. Margery came over for dinner along with our Cincinnati neighbors, Yann and Ezgi. We didn't get to see the fireworks in person, but they looked pretty good on TV. Happy 4th everyone!

Yeah!

Really, there's nothing more to say...

Reader, Rule Breaker, and Picture Taker

Miriam has been up to a lot lately. She has taken quite and interest in following the news although she is still having a hard time figuring out which end is up. (Of course, a lot of us have a hard time with that here in DC.)

She's also become quite a rule breaker. The family recently visited Brookside Gardens, a beautiful local park with flowers all over the place. Since Miri can't read yet, she didn't pay too much attention to the signs. (If you can't read it, the sign says "Please do not walk or climb on the walls).

Finally, Miri loves the camera (taking pictures, not getting them taken of her). If she got her finger out of the frame it would be a great shot of her foot!

New month

May is behind us, thank goodness. From Lightning (lost) to Daddy's car (drowned in a flash flood) to the Caps (defeated in the playoffs) to the Nats (0 for the month, it seemed), to blog posts (2 for the month), May was hard on the Asch family. Miriam, at least, seems to have emerged into summer unscathed. Baseball's been a big part of her life of late. She went down to Nationals Stadium twice, first to see the Nats lose (again) to the Phillies, then to watch Daddy's alma mater, Wilson High, win its 17th straight baseball title. She was particularly happy to see that the backup second baseman was a girl!

In NY with the Aunts

Miriam and family took a quick Memorial Day trip up the Eastern seaboard to visit her two aunts in New York. First came Aunt Laura in the Big Apple, with the added bonus of her cousins Susan and Peggy who happened to be visiting from Tennessee. The crew went to the Central Park Zoo to see seals and penguins and polar bears (oh my!). Miri loved climbing in the turtle eggs. Then it was on to Rye, where Aunt Michelle and Uncle Dave finally got to meet the little redhead. Michelle toured us around town, pointing out all the places Miri's Grandpa Bob used to get in trouble. Her favorite place was the beach!

Wherefore art thou, Lightning?

It's been a sad week at the Asch household. Our beloved cat, Lightning, disappeared during one of the many rainy days here this week, and we miss her terribly. She's a pretty savvy little thing who grew up in the Delta countryside, so we can't imagine that she got "lost" but we don't really want to think what else might have happened to her. Miriam misses her crib-mate -- for the first time in more than a year, Daddy had to go into her room to console her in the middle of the night. With messages on the neighborhood listserv and signs all over the place, we can only hope that someone will recognize her and bring her back...