Brooklyn bridges the gap...

There has been a gap between Sequoia and Brooklyn since we moved to Maryland last summer, but last weekend Brooklyn and her mom came up for a 3 day visit.

The two girls had so very much fun together, it really was a joy to watch them laugh and play. Obviously sequoia enjoyed showing off her new playhouse. 

And then there was the funny slumber party. Don't be fooled, there was no slumbering going on.

But there was a ton of giggling, laughing, playing and general mayhem raising.

The girls went to the National Zoo where Sequoia found a special bond with the residents of the monkey house. Evidently she was a very upset and indignant little girl when it was time to leave.

On Sunday the girls got some more fun time out in our yard and it looks like they really had a good time. I think it is safe to say that they genuinely enjoyed each others company.

These two are BFFs. There is no doubt about it.

I love this shot as they were headed back from taking the stools on a walk. It simply cracks me up. I don't really know why, either. It just sort of seems to represent what a pair of two year olds do when you turn them loose.

Playtime playhouse...

Sequoia has really been enjoying her new playhouse. She is quite funny with it.

She and Colleen enjoy serving each other drinks through the lunch window and in general just hanging out at the new place.

Sequoia really likes her new stools that can go inside or outside and are just her size.

And she really loves that she has a nice front door to greet you at when you come to visit.

She is looking forward to seeing you all at her place soon.

Home sweet home...

So this is Sequoia's new playhouse. I had hoped to attach a video of her playing in it, but have not been able to figure that one out just yet.

Suffice to say that she loves it and worked very hard helping me build it. Her good friend Brooklyn will be coming up to Maryland to visit next weekend and I am certain that the two of them will have a ball with the house.

Life with Granddad....

On September 23rd, 2009, Sequoia's Granddad passed away. I am very grateful that they were able to spend some wonderful moments together, as I doubt anyone could ever love Sequoia more than her granddad did.

This is the first shot of both Grandmom and Granddad with Sequoia.

Granddad had been fighting a tough battle with leukemia for about 6 years, and unfortunately his treatments and health prevented him from either visiting or having company very often, so our visits were spaced out further apart than anyone would have liked.

But even so, the two of them had a good bond. I know that Granddad took great pride in all of Sequoia's milestone achievements and was an avid follower of her adventures on this blog.

I hope that Sequoia is fortunate enough to have inherited a few of the good qualities that her Granddad possessed.

I definitely can see early signs of Granddad's work ethic in the way that Sequoia gravitates towards helping and working whenever she can. She has also already displayed a fascination and understanding of tools, always lending a hand with my screwdrivers and hammers.

And there is her love of boats. Of course that comes from me, and that came directly from Granddad, so it is fair to say that legacy carries on.

Sequoia always loved to show off for Grandmom and Granddad - practicing her crawling and standing and belly laughs on their living room rug.

And Granddad always had a genuine smile whenever she was around and was as patient and loving as anyone could ever be to my little girl, and it was obvious that Sequoia appreciated it.

I often thought that she looked at Granddad and his bald head as if he were simply the coolest and biggest baby around. Whatever it was, she definitely loved being around him.

In case you are wondering, this posting contains the precious few pictures that I have of them together. 

I just wanted to make sure that there was a good record of the days they shared. It is unfortunate that I did not take more pictures, but time was precious and the visits were more important than the photographs.

I will admit that having Sequoia around certainly helped me have a better understanding of who Granddad was and I feel lucky to have experienced that insight while I could still talk with him about it.

It is strange how things work out sometimes, but life has a way of revealing beauty when it is needed most.

I think that Sequoia brought a special sort of happiness and peace to Granddad as he shouldered the load of those last months.

I know that seeing them together always took my mind off of the serious aspects of what was going on and allowed our time together to be happy and full of the promise of life.

Part of that was Granddad's natural character - never complain - always looking for the good - always positive he would get through. And part of it was the basic circle of life where it is impossible not to appreciate the enormous potential that a young life holds and the inherent optimism that imparts.

This is Granddad pretending to eat one of Sequoia's cupcakes at her first birthday party. He was never too big to do the small things that made Sequoia laugh. 

That, I think, was the secret to his love for her.

A place of my own...

Easter Sunday was a big day in many ways. We finally got to start building Sequoia's playhouse. We bought this for her at Christmas, but then immediately got hit with a blizzard, and then another blizzard, and then rain ...and before you knew it, we were able to call it her birthday present too. And then for good measure we thought it could also act as her Easter present. 

Sequoia is a really hard worker and a great helper as you can see in these photos. I am not kidding. she watches what you are doing and makes the connection about what should happen next. I have worked with many adults who were not nearly as productive or helpful....

So between playing with all the fun stuff the Easter Bunny brought her, and leaving for Easter dinner with Grandmom, Gena and her boys, we started assembling the 6,347 small bits that make up a little girls first house.

We did not quite finish, but the house had windows,a roof and a chimney by the time we had to pack up and head out to dinner. Sequoia is ecstatic about her new place. It will eventually have a front door, a lunch counter, two little Adirondack chairs and a bench to round it all out. I love watching her play in it and can't wait to build a larger version that we can all stay in.

Hoppy Easter....

So Hooray for Sequoia becoming old enough to start actively participating and enjoying things like Easter!!

Each stage of her development brings with it unique and marvelous new layers to her personality and the general experience of sharing my time with her is a very fluid dynamic that is constantly evolving. 

Two years ago we were impatiently wondering if Sequoia would ever actually decide to be born. Last year she learned to stand ... not quite walk, but stand ... just in time for Easter. 

This year though, she is walking, running, talking, joking, dancing, laughing and generally finding joy and adding life to every experience. We were simply able to set her Easter basket on the table in the sun-room and let her discover it on her own. 

 

That took about 15 seconds. The neat part about this age is that she is fully engaged in the experience, but does not yet have any preconceived ideas about what "should" happen. Example - not at all disappointed by the complete lack of chocolate in her basket, and 100% thrilled with the bubbles and sidewalk chalk.

She is definitely growing up. She looks like a big girl when she gets dressed up. She has a tremendously developed sense of humor.

I am continually impressed by how much she absorbs and retains and then how she is able to translate that information and make fairly abstract connections with ideas and concepts. They are obviously teaching her well at the daycare we send her to.

I personally believe that this is just about the prettiest shot ever of my little girl.