Eight Dollars Well Spent

It seems that all I do lately is post pictures of Orelia and her friends in backyard baby pools.

All in all, it's an accurate reflection of how we spend our time.

This little pool cost me eight dollars on Amazon, and it's safe to say we've gotten our money's worth.

I promise they had more fun than it looks.  It's hard to get a picture of three babies looking in the same direction, much less where they look happy.

The Easter eggs from a few months back have been pulling double duty as pool toys lately.

Our ball pit balls have also taken a dip.

But of course, a leaf is a much more interesting toy than any of the above.

We are lucky to have so many friends with which to share our pool (and eggs and balls and leaves).

In-House Counsel

For the past ten months I've been working in house.  The hours can be grueling and the pay is awful, but the benefits are pretty good.

I recently submitted a bill to the client, and I thought I might share a recent day's timesheet.

99999.00001 - Orelia Marie/First Year

0.5 hr - Feed client.

0.5 hr - Breakfast meeting.

0.25 hr - Research ducklings and ball pit regulations.

0.5 hr - Review and analyze Music Together CD.

1.0 hr - Nap time.

0.5 hr - Examine apricots, yogurt, and crackers.

0.5 hr - Meet with Harper to analyze neighborhood foliage.

0.5 hr - Feed client.

1.0 hr - Attend bilingual story time and play with wooden train set.

1.0 hr - Nap time.

3.0 hr - Meet with associates to discuss maritime law issue.

1.0 hr. - Nap time.
0.5 hr. - Feed client.

0.5 hr - Review Barnyard Dance and snuggle with Mr. Monkey.

0.5 hr - Research local sprinkler systems.

0.25 hr - Dinner meeting.

0.35 hr - Bathe client and prepare for bed.

0.5 hr - Feed client.

(Yikes - remind me never to take pictures with my terrible phone camera again.)(Also, John was out of town for this particular work day, thus increasing my bill to the client in the morning and evening.)

Backyard Beach

When the beach is too far and too much work, one must make their own beachy fun in the backyard.

Orelia dunks herself nowadays, so she has no one to blame but herself for the wet eyelashes.

Toys are even more tasty when dunked in a pool.  At least it's tub water instead of salt water.

Some toys are so tasty that they must be fought over.  Orelia is pretty good at these tug-of-war battles.

Fun can be had on land too - even without sand.

And loved can be shared between friends.

Orelia spent an hour straight splashing her way through two pools and accompanied by a few different friends.

When Mommy said it was time to dry off, she nibbled on some crackers and chowed through a bowl of yogurt.  

Luckily, we had plenty of crackers to share with our hungry guests.

And when crackers won't satisfy, the toys always find a way back in.

And the end the day, the swimsuits and clothes get tossed aside, and all that's left are the diapers.

Don't be too sad, sweetie, I promise we'll have another backyard beach party again soon!

Loving Lawyers

Only the most loving lawyer parents

Let their little ones

Lick and lollygag and

Play with legal binder clips.  (This is one of her favorite toys of all time.)