The first time I met Macklen was at a camping trip in the Teanaway with a bunch of friends. It was the first time I get to see the new Algers baby and fell in love with his sleepy grin immediately. I spent most of the weekend trying to make him laugh which elicited a goofy smile and a slow clap in response tomy ridiculous attempts. That grin and clap were amazing!

Such sweet memories with Macklen at the beach in Indianola. Eden was so enthralled with Macklen I think she held him the whole trip:) I think of him there with the sounds of gentle waves and birds and the good feeling of friends gathered together.

Such sweet memories with Macklen at the beach in Indianola. Eden was so enthralled with Macklen I think she held him the whole trip:) I think of him there with the sounds of gentle waves and birds and the good feeling of friends gathered together. 

One of the first times we really got a chance to hang out with Macklen was at his first mountain peeps adventure in 2016. It was a bit of a crazy weekend with a small but rowdy group - there was a huge bonfire, lots of treats, a hike in the rain, and lots of hang time at camp. Little Macklen was welcomed into the group by all the kids and was so very patient while he was passed around from kid to kid. I love this photo of the boys hanging together. I have many sweet memories of this particular weekend and all the love we got to share with Macklen. 

I smile every time I think of Macklen. Lots of small moments with simple joys. I loved our many neighborhood walks over the years, with M all cozy and tucked into the stroller. His face would light up along the way as he'd hear certain sounds or pass by a tree that let the light filter through just right. Made me truly appreciate all the simple joys of life.

I had the privilege of watching Macklen on Hayes and Ryan's 10th wedding anniversary.  They were visiting the Tetons and wanted to take a hike together to celebrate.  Macklen came to my house for a few hours and I had him all to myself (my kids were at a day camp).  He sat a bouncy chair, we sang and laughed together.  He had recently gotten glasses and he wore them for part of our visit - adorable!  I read him some books.  Then I tucked him into my bed for his nap.  He slept peacefully.  When he woke I didn't move him right away and decided to tell him a story.  It was the story my mother always told me when I was a little girl and I call it "Gloria the Pigeon."  I started to tell the tale and Macklen started to giggle.  Then he started to roll with laughter.  I told Hayes and Ryan later that he was belly laughing as I talked.  It was such a sweet and dear moment that we shared together.

I visited Hayes, Ryan, Findley and Macklen in January 2017 for a long weekend.  Macklen was a week from his first birthday.  When I would sing him the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" I was guaranteed a smile. Macklen loved fingers, watching them and reaching for them. This was right in line with his love of looking at the light coming through leaves!  He would even belly laugh when I read him books. I read him "On the Day You Were Born" and he laughed so hard! You could tell he loved to be talked or sung to, a light would come on in his eyes and a joy would spread between both of us when I tuned into him. He loved playing with a popcorn bag I ripped up for him. The crinkle sound and shine of the bag captured his attention. He clearly loved Findley, his Dad and his Mom. They could always light him up with a smile like no one else could. His squeals and attempts at talking were so fun to witness. Macklen really wanted to communicate. He would get spurts of energy where he wanted to move. He'd put weight on one leg and then the other and try to push up to standing when he was straddling my belly as I lay on the floor. I also put him in his doorway jumper and he jumped around so much it looked like he was dancing a jig.  He enjoyed watching us play in the snow and Hayes and I built him a little mini snowman!  A rare 4 inches fell in Seattle while I was in town and we made sure to get Macklen and Findley outside to play in it. 

I got to help Hayes do physical therapy with Macklen on this trip. We would help him get into a push up position to strengthen his arms. Then we would tip Macklen's body in different directions to strengthen his neck. While lying on his back we would pull up on his arms so he had to lift his own head up to a sitting position. Macklen's joints would lock up for short periods of time. We helped loosen them through songs and movement. I taught Hayes the "walking, hopping, running, now we stop" song.  Macklen loved this song!  He also loved the bumble bees in the hive fist/finger puppet song.  (This is the bee hive, but where are the bees?  Hiding away, where nobody sees.  Watch as they come out of the hive!  One, two, three four five!)  Macklen coughed when I fed him water but he loved the water and loved to eat his baby food pouches. I mashed him sweet potato and avocado and he did really well and ate it all. He liked to bite the spoon and hold it between his teeth. Sometimes Macklen grabbed the spoon or cup which was very cute. Ryan, Hayes and Findley called it a "Shark Attack" when he really went for a bite of food. I let him taste my bacon one morning and he smiled although made no attempt to bite or eat it.  I loved this trip and my precious time with Macklen, Findley, Hayes and Ryan!

A memory I will always treasure is the neighborhood camping trip of 2018. The first time six families came together for a weekend in the woods. We were all impressed with the deluxe camping gear that allowed Macklen and his family to join the trip. It was very special to share a fun weekend adventure with our neighborhood friends. I will always remember how Macklen was very happy just swinging and listening to all the activity around him.