An Afternoon at the Beach with Baxter

Girl Ready to Walk the Dog

Everybody Digging

Baxter

We have been staying with our friend Baxter. His house is walking distance from the beach, so we have been having many beach walks together. He is a great friend to Penelope, she loves bossing him around, playing hide and seek, and feeding him. And she loves the fact that he has curly hair just like she does.

Violet also loves Baxter. She crawls after him at warp speed, and he is a little nervous when she does, shrieking as she goes, but when she sits in her highchair she is his best friend. He starts his day with a breakfast of fallen cereal O's and he has enjoyed bits of sweet potato, carrot, tofu, lentils, and teething biscuits. He will miss her when we are gone, I am sure.

We are all enjoying having a dog for a little while, and I'm even more loving the walks on the beach daily. And I'm being reminded too, that I am happy to wait until the girls are a bit older before we get another dog of our own, because they are so like little children themselves, and need so much care and attention. We are glad to borrow Baxter for this month though, especially Penelope. She is loving this wild, curly haired guy every day, and that makes me so happy.

May Day

Around the Maypole

Watching the Ladies of the Rolling Pin

The Ladies of the Rolling Pin

Face Paint

Making a fairy cake.

Rolling down the hill.

Cute Baby

Fairy under a tree.

Worn out baby.

Building a fairy house.

Creating a cradle for fairy babies.

She worked peacefully for 40 minutes on her own.

Dandelions were used for cushions.

This was my favorite house. (made by someone else)



I liked this one too, with feathers and moss.



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This crazy thing I loved.

Cleaning out our garden.

Our fire.

We had such a lovely May Day. We went to Blithewold for Fairy day again this year. We missed the beginning because I forgot, but we did make it there in time for almost everything. Penelope had her face painted, made a fairy cake, fairy wand, fairy dolls, and chose a fairy name (Rosetta). She danced around the maypole a whole lot, rolled down the hill so many times, and built a fairy house. The cuteness of tons of little children dressed in their own versions of fairy dress was unbelievable. We were entertained by The Ladies of the Rolling Pin's strange but wonderful dances and music too.

When we got home Penelope and I cleaned out our garden and had a dinner picnic in the yard while baby slept. Then we got in our pajamas and headed back outside for a fire. It was a beautiful day, and I was so happy to spend it with my little fairies. I can't wait until next year when Violet can be more a part of it all. Though she enjoyed watching her sister dance the Maypole so much, squealing and cheering with joy.

What's Hanging on the Clothesline

Penelope's dresses ready for Violet.

Ella drying out after a night left out in the rain.

Violet's diapers drying in the sun.

I'm so glad to be using the clothesline again. I can't stand how much I love the smell of laundry hung out to dry. It is the best smell in the world. And it makes me so happy to see little dresses, and brightly colored diapers blowing in the breeze.