At last...

It snowed.

Just when we were beginning to yearn for green.

We got white.

Lots of it.

It was fun to watch it come down.

But it won't be so fun to shovel the driveway.

That's what you get for living in Manitoba.

Just Another Fabulous Wednesday

 : hanging Out in the 'hood

 :Spring?! afternoon sun through colored glass

 : Wanna play?

 : Wondering how they got such a big engine under such a tiny hood.

: Happy baby, watching big brother fly a kite.

Luke says:

Big dogs are skilled to carry little guys like me around on their backs, so we should get a big dog because I would like to go for a ride.

What are we doing today?  Is it something fun?  I have two choices: I would watch a movie or play soccer.  I choose to watch a movie.

Derek:  You are going to need to grow up a little before you can use knives.
Luke:  Well, that's what I was waiting for but it was taking too long!

Splash, Dash, Rabadash

Around here there's a little bit of this going on, and a little bit of that, and also we're reading The Horse and His Boy (hence Rabadash).  Oh, and I made Hollandaise sauce for the first time ever and it turned out pretty good.  Also, the weather is really warm (around zero Celsius) and Luke has been playing in the sandbox and stomping in the melting icey gutters...icey is a word.  Icey.  I must be spelling it wrong, it looks wrong!  The baby is getting around, and when I see him in funny places I sing to myself (and sometimes to the entire room - appreciative audience or no) "I get a-ROUND!"  There's also a little bit of insecurity and flailing happening in my parenting...why's my kid out of control sometimes? why do I feel like I need him to be "in control"?  back and forth with myself - is this normal?!  I could use a mentor.  Or book suggestions, friends?  Or, sigh, a vacation.  HA!  That's a good one.

There's also a lot of fun things happening, like paper airplanes and a tea party and ice skating and playing with Grandma and Papa and playing outside in the gorgeous weather and reading chapter books and watching long sunsets get later and later each day and taking photos and journaling and writing funny words on the fridge and shower walls; so it's not all bad.  Just sometimes confusing.  Like when my kid falls in a heap on the grocery store floor screaming, "I want the green wrapper candy for Grandma!!!"  W-H-A-T-?  Oh well.  I suppose it's a phase.  But I see that the way I handle this phase will also be the way I handle the later phases. . . like puberty.  What am I gonna do then, huh?  I gotta get a grip!  Parenting is so darn hard.  They don't tell you that in the manual they give you at the hospital.  But the googly oogly sweet wet kisses that you kind of think are gross before you have kids. . .those are way better than you ever imagined.  So, in the end, (I know I am being totally cliche) it's worth it.

 

 

Looking out my back door

In case you're wondering why this photo is remarkable, I'll remind you:  It's February....in Manitoba.

Tea/Chocolate/Dance Party, aka: the best way to spend a Monday

The preparation included learning how to fold napkins.  They turned out beautifully, I think!

Preparations also included eating LOTS of frosting that "didn't quite make it onto the cookie, Mom", and LOTS of cookies that mysteriously "just broke, so we hafta taste-test them".  He comes by it honestly, doesn't he?

 

Arranging.  The menu was: strawberry cream cheese wraps, snowflake cookies, cinnamon apple sauce jello, hot chocolate and tea....eclectic I know.  But I swear we started out with a theme...it just got lost along the way.

We did a dry run so that Luke could practice his manners and he did wonderfully.  He answered the door with, "Welcome to our tea party, may I take your coat?"  "No, it's mine!" shouted Madelyn.  "Can I show you to your seat?" asked Luke as he pulled out her chair.  "Certainly" said Madelyn.  These charming children of ours!  I am still grinning.

A vest and a bow tie. Sweetie pie.

BBFs

Madelyn asked, "May I have this dance?" 

9 months

Seamus is nine months old!  He has now officially been out as long as he was in.  The first nine months he grew almost eight pounds.  The second nine he nearly tripled his weight! Here are his stats:
26 pounds
stepping while holding onto your fingers
rolling around to get where he wants to go, not crawling
devouring any adult food he can get his hands on
he puts toys in his mouth...even dog toys (yuck - this is not condoned by Mom)
he laughs and smiles LOTS
but he saves his special smiles for Luke and Derek
Seamus is still nursing four times a day, but gets easily distracted by big brother
Seamus sits very well on his own but would rather be held in a standing up position
he loves loves loves Linus
knows how to wave good-bye
and sometimes seems to understand sign language
Seamus is content and happy most of the time, but will make his desires known (especially if his desire is for ice cream or apple pie)
no teeth! (neither did Luke at this age)
still in the infant car seat, but mostly because I'm too lazy to switch the seats around in the car
Seamus is much more snuggly than Luke was at this age.  You are happy to sit in my lap and watch the action.  I love that.

Seamus, I would love to write more about your firsts and your Self (the little I know), but your brother is begging me to help him put his socks on and then I've got to go make BLTs for dinner, so just so you don't think I'm neglecting you because you're second you should know we had a lovely hour together this afternoon while your brother was sleeping.  While I seem to have less time for you in the blog, it is NOT so in daily life.  Your cheeks are probably pink because we kiss you all the time.  Your cheeks are irresistible!  You are so important to me, and this family.  We love you.  (Luke even shared his chocolate chip cookie with you at lunch time - he must really love you).

In the frosty air

Last Friday we had some beautiful hoar frost, and since we were headed out to the Elias farm for the morning I brought my camera along and took a walk on their trail for some really great shots!  I should note that it looks like there's a decent amount of snow, but that's just in among the trees.  Out in the yard, and on the fields, there's hardly any snow; and probably on a normal year you wouldn't even be able to get out onto the Elias's trail without snowshoes.  My father-in-law says it may be the warmest winter he's ever seen in his entire life!  Not long after I took these photos the sun warmed up and the frost started flying off the trees in big soppy flakes.  Isn't the Winter sky gorgeous?  Blue blue blue.

Luke Says:

Doughnuts are just what I like. So these three doughnuts are for me, and you and Dad and Seamus can share that one doughnut.  You just don't like doughnuts like I do.

Asha has curly hair like Auntie Sarah and her Mom.

(on a time-out; in a fit of despair)  It's no use!

Stop taking everything so serioush-, sherious-, seriouth-, se-ri-ous-ly, Dad.

Outside telled me that I could live outside and drink its water from the clouds.

I outgrew this hockey stick, so now I can use it as my weapon.

I had the best dream of my life!  I was with Diego in his movie, and his sister was a princess and we ran all over the place and then we took his sister.  We took her to her mom because she needed her mom, so we bringed her there.  And that was okay; her mom was being very nice to us of course because we were sitting with Diego's mom.

Paper Airplane Day

A plane made out of a church bulletin.  We're re-users.

Planes being eaten by the baby.

Try not to fly them near Seamus because they will end up like this one!

The best paper airplane by far.  I'm sure it has a name, but I can't remember it; we learned to make it on youtube.  It flies and flies and flies and only stops when it hits something!  It actually holds the world record for distance.  It's wings even sort of flap, which is fun to watch.

In an effort to be more intentional about playing with Luke, I dubbed today Paper Airplane Day.  It was a good idea, and I would recommend it to anyone getting a little cabin fever.  I did most of the folding...okay, all of the folding.  And Luke did most of the flying.  He hasn't tired of it yet!  Maybe tomorrow we will have paper airplane day again.

Thursday Chores

Cutleaf birch on a frosty morning.

Our fence was steaming yesterday when the sun came out.  Everything was nice and frosty and when it got heated up by the gorgeous sun, it was something to see!

It's Thursday and since we don't have any other plans, we're trying to do some chores around the house.  It's hard to get to my Spring cleaning list when there's the ever-present dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc.  It's sort of frustrating.  So, to encourage me, and so that he'll learn a good work ethic, I allowed Luke to help me.  I would vacuum while he started taking everything out of the hall closet.  Then we would work together to put it all back in.  Half an hour later, the contents of the closet are spread hither and yon and Luke is nowhere to be found.  I tracked him down eventually...when I heard his little voice asking, "Has the sun set?  Why's it so dark all of a sudden?"  He was curled up on the bottom shelf of the closet with a pillow.