despite my best efforts

Despite my best efforts, Birdy grew a little bigger over the summer. 

This afternoon we gave her a few of her favorite things --

the outdoors.

a blanket.

her sisters.

her belly.

her toys.

and the animal kingdom.

It's her favorite place to be and she's so content...so content in fact that I could wander around a bit with my film camera, while she sat happily on the blanket watching chickens, grabbing fist-fulls of hair from a passing cat, getting a quick snuggle from one of her sisters. 

Though this time, while I was wandering, she managed to inch off the blanket and "weed" the clover. And taste it, and drool over it, and tuck it away in neck rolls, and trails of drool down chins, down onesies and clenched in tight little chubby fists.

I know I say it with each passing stage, but this is so my favorite age. 

And you'll probably hear me say it again in a few weeks....