A Minnesota Baby... in DC: June and July

We have had a busy few weeks. So busy we are exhausted after each weekend. This weekend was so full we all woke up yesterday morning wishing for another holiday.

Louisa's best friend, Tilley, and my favorite new friends, Jessica and Dan, decided to leave us and move to Chicago last weekend. I understand, Chicago is an awesome city. I'd move their too. So we attended one last bbq at their house where, predictably, LJ and Tilley clashed for 40 minutes then played the rest of the evening. J and D's good friends, Ian and Margaret and their kids, were also there and, of course, we hit it off. These two couples are the kind of adult friends you want: they're funny and kind, they drink, they are interested in politics and their views are similar to yours, and they have fun kids.

Friday, LJ and I went with Cristina to music at the Navy yard. This, along with the next evening at the soccer game, was a challenge. Having Cristina around makes it easier because LJ loves her, but Louisa is very defiant right now and will run from me without a glance. When it's 90 and humid, it is not fun to chase after a toddler who falls to the ground crying the second you ask her to stop doing what she's doing.

Making friends and eating their food

At the game with Celina

Sunday, we had Amos's staff over for a bbq. By then I was exhausted and, although I LOVE hosting people and would be happy to feed multiple families every night, I was not looking forward to small talk or frantically finishing meals or finding toys to entertain children. But, as you know when your expectations are low, it ended up being successful. Everyone was easygoing, fun and generous. People ate and drank and swam with the kids. I was struck with how proudly family-oriented this group of people are. In Portland, the wives were 100% in charge of the children as the husbands would look on, busily talking about some sort of important something something. Here, the dads gathered the kids to swim while the wives sat in the backyard and ate. While it sounds a bit archaic to praise fathers for, you know, spending time with their kids, the world I married into is much more Betty Draper than Murphy Brown where women's goals should revolve around their husbands' success and comfort and acting counter to this means the wife is manipulative or conniving or selfish (believe me, the way I have heard women being described and the way I have been talked to and scolded for wanting my own life and a husband who is present in his child's life, it's something I never would have expected studying feminist performance at Queen Mary), so seeing this was refreshing.

July 3rd, we threw a going away party for our neighbors. The day began in the mid-90s, humid and sunny but by 3pm, cool wind was blowing and storm rumbled in. This is why I love not being on the West Coast. Because you get to see Mother Nature at work. No more monotony. Louisa and I sat outside and watched the storm come in. People trickled into our house and Amos grilled in the rain. By the end of the evening, the adults were gathered on the steps of our neighbor's while the children ran from house to house gathering toys. It was such a neat night and such a comfort. Exactly the kind of place you want to raise your kids, where everyone parents everyone's kids, kids running barefoot from one house to another, late nights. I loved it. While Amos and I miss Portland for so many reasons, we find ourselves lucky to by in this place, at this time, with these people.

Some of the neighbors (the other half were taking photos)

For the Fourth we had two families over. We swam, we ate, we watched some soccer. The evening actually ended before 10 so we proudly put our daughter to bed at only an indecent hour, not a offensively indecent hour. Wait, this is what's great about my neighborhood. They have a 4th of July parade every year, but all it is is everyone just walking in it. The parade ends at the community center where they have hot dogs, ice cream, temporary tattoos, music. It was so great! Apparently Halloween is really great here. It's almost like I live at a summer camp. You don't have to plan anything!

Our home, the pool

LJ with Nate and his daddy Rob

Saturday we went to the zoo with Humpage and went out to eat. By now we were all exhausted and I think even Louisa just wanted to go home and lie on the couch. But with kids, it's so hard to have a relaxing weekend. I am always afraid she is bored or disappointed and want to make sure she has good memories.

Finally, Sunday, oh my gosh. Our neighbors, Julia and Marcelino, are from Spain and have a little boy a year older than Louisa, and a 14 year old. We love this family. We went to their house at 2pm and didn't leave until 8pm, sitting in their back yard eating (and drinking) the entire time. The food was spectacular. Even Louisa couldn't get enough of the paella. And the company was even better. As we sat and ate and talked, Louisa and Alvaro (LJ calls him Edovedo) played in the house and the basement. But they played hard. Every time we'd check on them they would be out of breath or too busy to acknowledge we were there. At one point I ran over to our house to throw some laundry in and LJ and Alvaro followed me. I herded them back to the other house and locked the front door to prevent an escape. But they managed to unlock the door and return to our house without any adults. Amos and Rubin, the 14 year old, finally found them playing in LJ's room upstairs. These are the two bravest kids I know. They probably shouldn't be allowed to plot escapes together.

So that was the past two weeks. I'm so tired. We have plans this weekend but I hope it is low key. Then we are off to Minnesota for weddings and New Ulm and a conference. I'm excited to have my mom there to help me with LJ so I can take a nap.

The girls are tired!

P.S. We have a new cat. Well, it's not our cat. It's Crysten's. But we love him and he has become an important part of our family, so I'm hoping she forgets he is here and we can keep him.