go fly a kite

We spontaneously decided to go to the beach on Father's Day. We packed a lunch and headed off for Ocean Shores. Neither of us had been to the Washington Coast yet, so we were curious to see what it was like. The drive was pretty, and when we got there we were greeted by zillions of kites in the sky--apparently there was a kite festival going on! We were surprised to see that everyone drives their cars right on the beach here--which is kind of neat but not the greatest if you want your toddler to be able to run around on the beach without the added risk of being run over...(as if drowning wasn't a big enough hazard--) It was a little chilly, but we had a great time eating our lunch and walking in the sand. Daddy even helped Bailey make and fly her own kite! Darin is such an incredible daddy. He and his girl have a special bond. Happy Father's Day!






And in honor of all the involved dads out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A2Ap3DyvLg

long weekend

Ahh, what's better than a long weekend? Gotta love the extra day off! Here's a recap of our Memorial Day weekend:

Saturday was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. In the morning Olly and I went his doggie obedience class while Darin and Bailey did some grocery shopping. We reconvened at home, and Mom and Tony came over. Darin spent all afternoon weed-eating in the backyard (a very satisfying job for him, as he HATES--I mean, really hates!!--ivy, and it grows like crazy here)....meanwhile, Tony and I painted Mom's old dining room table and chairs which I am inheriting, woohoo! Bailey and Grammy set up a new wading pool in the yard and played with the hose. Bailey LOVES the water--mostly sticking her face in it. I suppose most kids do. She was so cute in her little swimsuit I had to take frequent breaks from painting to go play in the water with her! I swear one of the best things about being a parent is getting to do all the fun kid stuff you wouldn't normally be doing. We had a blast with a hose and a tiny plastic pool.

Sunday after church we ran a few errands. It's always SO wonderful when Darin is off, because he will (very good-naturedly) wait in the car and read a book while I run into various stores, meaning that I can get stuff done while Bailey takes a nap in the car. I had to work Sunday night. It was slow, and I talked to a suicidal caller and felt like I was able to help her make some good decisions (like going to the ER), so that was rewarding. After I finished work we watched a movie and both stayed awake (an incredible feat). Fell into bed at about 2 am...

...then up this morning at 7 am for a strawberry and waffle breakfast with Bailey. We went to Ikea and purchased some new chair pads for my freshly-painted chairs--very exciting for me. Then we drove down to Mom and Tony's new 'hood and hung out on the beach all afternoon. We layed on a blanket in the sun, hunted for sea glass, ate ice cream sandwiches, found a geocache hidden in a hollow tree, watched some people play volleyball, and taught Bailey how to roll down a grassy hill...It was a divine day. Now it's almost over--4 minutes left, to be exact--I'm working for another 30 minutes and then it's off to bed and back to a normal schedule tomorrow...whew! I'm happily exhausted. Hope everyone else had a spectacular holiday weekend!

happy mother's day!

Wow, time sure does go by quickly and before I know it I haven't posted here in months! I will try to be better about that... Tonight I'm happy to have my laptop back after a day of no electricity due to some work being done on the power lines on our street. When I got notice that we'd be powerless today, I thought, hey, that's kind of cool, no TV or radio...I will spend the whole day just playing with Bailey in a quiet house. Reality brutally set in when the jackhammering and chain-sawing started up first thing in the morning and went on all. day. long. Needless to say, naptime was very short today! Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I had a great day. We went to church, then rushed off to meet my parents for brunch. After a nice but exhausting hour and a half of trying to eat and chat while entertaining a one-year-old who did not want to be in a high chair and suddenly no longer liked grilled cheese, we came home and took a nap (heaven!). D gave me a sweet card, a Sigg water bottle and the Dyson vacuum that was part bday present and part mother's day present. I had taken the night off, so it was a special time that evening of just being together and playing as a family. We gave B a bath together, and put her to bed. Then D and I played an epic game of Monopoly, and I actually won, which never happens with me and board games. I almost took a photo of the board at the end, but decided that would be too gloaty. It was so nice to spend some time together, just relaxing, not trying to accomplish anything other than just being together. That almost never happens these days! Speaking of time--I've been realizing more and more what an precious (and scarce!) commodity that is. I'm so busy all day doing mom and wife things--never ending laundry and dish washing, grocery shopping, cooking, keeping the dog from devouring B's toys, making sure B gets loved, fed, cleaned, played with, read to, and exercised...fitting in 10 minutes of conversation with D...not to mention driving to and from D's work twice a day since we're down to one car.....then it's off to my desk where I stay until 12:30 am, then fall into bed and sleep for 5 hours, which is never enough. Sometimes I have to think--wait--did I shower yesterday or today? When was the last time I changed my socks? I know, it is pathetic--but geez, it is hard to fit everything in. Still, I wouldn't trade it; being a mom is the most fulfilling, wonderful, exciting thing I have ever done. And thinking back about my mom and grandma--how loving they are/were, how fun and special they made family activities, all the sacrifices they made for us, all the time they spent and sleep they lost...well, it makes me proud to be in the same boat, even if it isn't always easy. Know what I mean? Well enough reflection for now. Happy Mother's Day!

ducks

Bailey has developed a fascination and great love for ducks. She quacks (very realistically, I might add--), kisses pictures of ducks in books, and sleeps with a fuzzy yellow duck every night. Here are some photos of a recent trip to the park to see the ducks, pick flowers, and play with Daddy and Olly in the grass!

catching up

wow, time has really gotten away from me--it's been too long since I posted an update (although I wonder if anyone reads this anyway??) I'll try to summarize what's new in the past few months. The holidays came and went...it was a bittersweet celebration without my brother Jeff and sister in law Beth, who are living in Vienna--but we did see Darin's parents over Thanksgiving, and my other brother Jeremy, sister in law Joy, and our sweet nephews Ian and Luke at Christmas. Darin had some time off as his counseling job ended and he prepared to make a career change back to IT support. We were blessed with a fantastic job for him that is closer to home, has a much better work environment, more satisfying work, and pays more--praise God! Around that same time, Bailey started walking and has pretty well mastered the art of biped mobility. She's now starting to run, usually when she has an unidentified object in her mouth and she sees me coming toward her with a determined look in my eye. She's talking more, too--some words she says are "dada, mama, kitty, Jesus, cheese, no, more, woof-woof (for dog), all done, bye-bye, trees, and stinky!" In January, Bailey turned one and we celebrated with a ladybug party. Darin's brother Nate, our sister in law Kati, and nephew Cooper came to help us celebrate, along with Grandma and Grandpa McIlroy, G&G Halsey, and our friends the Nelsons and the VanderVeens. Bailey loved her first taste of cake! Whew! That's it in a nutshell!

sick days

Cabin fever is running rampant at the McIlroy household. We put Bailey in the church nursery for the first time, and wouldn't you know it, a week later she was sick. The nasty virus has been making its way though each member of our family, so we've been spending a lot of time at home, taking it easy. Here you can see how we've been entertaining ourselves on these rainy afternoons: