Carmen in a pretty red dress!

What’s the Scoop, Davey?

Monday afternoon Carmen and David found a surprise in the mailbox–a present from Cec in New Hampshire! We were all excited to find two adorable red outfits in the package! We washed them right away, and today on the way to the grocery we got all dressed up. Carmen’s dress has flowers and a dragonfly in front, and David’s romper has a dog driving a frontloader, and it says, “What’s the Scoop?” Matt & I thought that was really funny. Both outfits are perfect for our hot, hot, (did I say hot?) summer weather.

Cec is a special friend, and we are so grateful for the gift!

. . . since the grandmas are printing them to show to others. (Guess they’re kinda proud of their grandbabies? Yeah, just a little!) The click-through image is also larger.

Carmen with Maxine

David with Ann

Maxine Johnston and Ann Roberts came over to visit our dynamic duo today. There were in town from Batson to run some errands. We so enjoyed seeing them!

Maxine took a lot of pictures on her new digital camera. Hers are not blurry because we used the flash with those. I’ll post some of them here when she sends them to me.

This is a story about blessings.

A year ago I sat in the passenger side of a rented Chevy Trailblazer. Scott sat in the back seat, and Matt drove. We had ridden together over the rolling scrub of Southern California, through the hot, mystical Mojave Desert, and entered a desolate country full of scrub and rock, mountain and sky. We rode on a wave of joy and adventure. Four days before the drive I found out I was carrying a little seed of a baby. Two days before we had celebrated a wedding.

We stopped and sat under a gazebo in Tonopah, NV to review our topo maps. We planned on hiking for several days, taking advantage of the cooler air at several thousand feet of elevation. As I looked at the maps I began to worry for my little seed. What was I doing here? I pushed away my doubts and gathered my nerve. I would feel better on the trail.

We left the main highway and entered a lonelier, emptier place. The land rose and the road cut through a small town–barely a settlement, really–called Belmont. As we kept driving the pavement turned to gravel.

We had grown tired and stopped talking by then. I gazed at the mountains to my right, looking for signs of green, of coolness, of familiarity. I suddenly felt the heavy, sluggish rear of the vehicle slide to the right and then to the left. I grabbed the handle above the door as Matt struggled with the steering wheel.

My eyes wide open, I screamed as I watched the horizon tilt. The loud crash of plastic and metal dominated my senses as we tipped onto the driver’s side. The windshield shattered and airborne sand filled my view. The truck bounced and rolled onto its roof before settling on the passenger side and coming to a stop. The air began to clear. My hand was still on the handle, and I felt a grateful awareness of my intact body.

Matt climbed out of the truck and I took a breath. He called for Scott–we had heard nothing from the back seat. Scott answered back and told Matt to get me out. By this time I was standing on the center console, trying to figure out how to climb out through the Matt’s window. Scott hopped out with his usual athletic facility, and together we stared at the wreckage.

Devil’s Bluff, Nye County, NV

We walked back to the town on the hill. Above us storm clouds rolled in, cooling our backs with the shade. Mountains rose on the horizon in every direction.

Matt took a small cut to his nose. I hit my head and it spun for weeks afterward. We’ll never really understand why. Scott maybe cracked a rib. Maybe. Really, we were just fine.

Fast forward to a year later. The little seed was just fine, too. In fact, there were two of them in there. As babies they hate riding in the car, and some people suspect they know the reason why. We’ll have no backpacking trips this summer. Instead my days are filled with coos and raspberries and giggles and silly, milky smiles. My mountains and my sky–Carmen Sierra and David Celestino–remind me of what I am and where I have been.

A Bumbo Morning

The babies love the Bumbo seats! Now we can play pat-a-cake and other games on the floor. And see how naturally nice and straight their backs are! It feels good to see them in it, and they really do enjoy the perspective.

Note Davey’s new favorite thing, the Terra Taro Chip bag. Mmm, crinkly!

Click here to watch Barbara Walters BUSTed by Jimmy Kimmel.

Carmen and David have discovered many things to get excited about, these days. Sneezes and hiccups are suddenly funny, standing is now a preferred pastime, and even ordinary objects are extraordinarily tasty. Some pictures from the past week:

Carmen standing with Belinda (Carmen’s wearing ‘sposies because the washing machine(s) were broken).

Matt talks on the phone while Carmen practices balancing.

David in ecstasy after discovering the delicate taste of the baby gym.

Over the weekend David found the crinkly crunchiness of an empty bag of Terra Spiced Taro Chips beyond compare. I’m sure a picture of him with his new toy will be coming along soon.

And if we already can’t hardly sleep from the excitement of a normal day, just wait until our dynamic duo try out their new Bumbo Seats tomorrow! They actually arrived today, but after 7pm. We are plenty sleep deprived as it is, no need to find one more reason to stay up all excited and giggly.

Babies are sleeping, so the mama will, too. Tomorrow will be another busy day.