Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter Pics

 A bit late but great non the less :)

"Artist in the making"
Monkey see monkey do

Concentrating so hard


Dipping

Ta Da!

Beautiful - the eggs not bad either :)

Bryan dipping

Still coloring

in it goes

waiting


some fancy eggs!


One cute kid...


Easter egg hunt at the park.

Grace crafting 1st. 

Mommy and baby <3

sisters (makes my heart happy)
hunting

hunting

hunting

Just being cute

All 6 of us!


We had a great Easter weekend. A family dinner with my side, coloring eggs, and an egg hunt at the park. Perfect and complete, with all 6 of us :)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Beginning - Garden 1

I love Tuesdays. They are great days. My dad comes. Everyone is excited. Me, the kids, and extra kids if they are here. Some times he stays for lunch, or sometimes just a coffee.  Last Tuesday was even better then the normal. Dad was coming to till up a piece for the garden!
  
The garden before....

Ready to go!

  
The rototiller. Its from the late 1940's I think....



It gave him a bit of a hard time, but with a little babying, it started up!



Bryan luved it! And he followed behind his Paka, just like I followed him when I was a little girl!




 There we go. My very own garden! 

I am waiting again, for the soil to dry out bit. We've had rain almost every day for a week. But the sun shone today, we went out, enjoyed, and played, and the kids squatted at the edge of the garden talking and looking at worms. I am hoping the weekend bring nice weather, and the sun dries things up, and I can plant some bean and onion, and peas. I can almost taste those snow peas now...

Thanx Dad for all your help! I couldn't have done it without you!!

Afterthought I had to add - my sister Julie made a comment at Easter dinner about me being a country girl. I disagreed, saying "Do you see any country around here? Nope, all city girl here!" 

"A city girl that just made a country size garden in her backyard." 
At which point we all laughed. I felt a little swell of pride. Yes, I'm going back to my roots. They are part of me. I guess, once a country girl......

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Clothes Line Is Up

So I'm waiting, like so many others, for the nice weather. I want to hang my clothes in the sunshine, dig in the soon to be garden, and watch the children play on the swing set.


Well we just put the clothes line up, and its a learning curve. Hey, I grew up with one, but this seems different some how. So yesterday I lug my huge heavy basket of wet clothes up 2 flights of stairs and to the clothes line. It was damp out, and the sun was lost behind this thick vale of clouds. I start. Sort, shake, hang, clothes pin, clip. Sort, shake, hang, clothes pin, clip. I noticed something really quick. It was cold. My fingers were cold. Fast. Bryan was wining about going in. I only had 3 things up. It didn't help to try to go faster. I just fumbled. I was about 3/4 the way done, (1/2 hour later, deserted by my son) when the clothes line made a creak and snap, jumped and shook. Huh? I looked at it. It's lower? Whats going on here? I looked, and couldn't see anything. I reached for another piece of clothing, reached up to string it and then I notice and realize what made the noise. The board it's screwed into is coming away from the post it is in. :( It creaked as I continue to string the clothes up and slide the line along. I envision the board coming loose and flying free, scattering my flesh clean clothes on the ground.



I ran out of pins and had to throw the rest in the dryer. Despite the creaking and groaning, I got up most of it and decided to watch it but leave it. It was still pretty wet by 12:00pm. The creaking boards were holding, so I left it. It was a busy day out of the house all afternoon. As I drove up at 4:00pm I slowed just before I drove into the drive, to peek along the side of the house. It was still holding. The colorful clothes were fluttering in the breeze. It was warm and sunny.


We all rushed into the house for different reasons. The kids took off, and I hurried to put the baby to bed, and go see my clothes. They were mostly dry. I began taking them off. Snap, pull, drop. Snap, pull, drop.

Then it happened. A whiff of fresh laundry off the line. I love that smell

Later in the evening, I got to folding the clothes. As I folded I could smell it. As I slipped my line dried sweeter over my head this morning I could smell it. I was reminded of my hard work yesterday, fresh air, and beautiful sunshine.



So last night Hunny fixed the cloths line, attaching it straight to the bean. So, this morning,  I struggled up 2 flights of stairs again with the basket of wet clothes, with the same whinny boy. He stayed out the whole time with me though this morning. Watching and chattering away while I sorted, shook, hung, pinned, and clipped. Over and over until the load was up. My fingers were cold but it seemed so worth it.



It represents so much to me. My moms labor of love, over and over again. I understand now as a mom. It never ends. Just as I tuck the last piece of clean clothing away in a drawer, the full basket of dirty clothes await. It was the same for her.

I remember carefree days as a child. Playing outside, that clothesline full of clothes fluttering in the wind. Crawling into bed as a small child, the clean of fresh line dried sheets, wafting in the air, all around me.

I have wanted a clothes line since Goran and I got married. But the yards were small and there was little room for a clothes line. Honestly, we fought about this thing. He wanted me to be happy, and I wanted a clothes line so bad. So he did it. And I'm so happy. I can do the same for my kids. Snuggle them to bed in my labors of love.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

More

I've been working on it since she was likely 6 months old. Signing, more, milk and all done. 6 or 8 weeks ago she saw me coming out of the shower, and signed milk at me!! Yeah, all my hard work had paid off. She hasn't done it again :( She sits at supper and has this screech if I'm not fast enough.

I sign 'more' and remind her, "No screaming, tell Mommy 'more'."

Goran teases me, "She knows how to get more, she screams at you!"

But it was him who did it. Last night I was eating, feeding her, trying to tell her to sign more, scooping out food for 3 other kids...just general supper craziness.

"Goran can you...?" I let the sentence go and handed him her bowl at the same time.

Screech, screech!

"Klara, do this," he signed 'more' at her. I laughed now. If it was that easy, she'd be doing it by now, right?

The kids joined in.

"Klara like this!" They called to her, all signing in turn. She watched, and Goran continued to feed her, and I was taking her hands and showing her how it was done. Supper continued in this manner for a few minutes. Eating, calling to her, showing her, and feeding her.

I think I saw it 1st. Someone was calling her and showing her. She was gaping at the empty bowl, her little mouth opening and closing for more.

"Do you want 'more' Klara?" Goran asked, signing at the same time.

Its like slow motion in my head. The little fingers all pressed together....hands coming together, her little face turning upward for approval.

"She did it!" I screeched this time. "Did you see her?" I frantically turned my eyes to Goran and the kids in turn, wanting someone else to have seen it.

"Yes." "Yes!" "Yes!" Everyone cried out back to me. Goran was quietly smiling and nodding.

I thought she might forget over night. She hasn't. Breakfast and lunch she has done it for me again.

Concentrating so hard


Yes, Baby, you're doing it!


Persistent to do better.


Do you see it in her eyes? She's signing, but she asking 'more' with her eyes too!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Week of April 1st

So here we are, a week in pictures :)

A play on Thursday with friends....girls talking, and having lunch together.


I luv how they have a comfort with each other.

Playing. On the floor, all the toys out.


Grace ready for swimming, unicorn backpack packed.


Blow drying her hair after swimming.


Playing playmobil, with Daddy.


Really playing. He was making the people talk and everything. I luv how he does that!


Snow Thursday morning. Lovely, yes, but I'm tired of waking up to it.


And cleaning off the van.


Wet baby hair after a bath. I luv the way it curls :)


French braids and butterfly clips


Bryan in the window sill. Smiling for the camera.
As soon as he here's the click, he says,
"Let me see."


Klara with mommy, in the ergo.


Goodness, closeness, sleepy, at the end of the day.


Cuddle with Daddy.


Cool Grace, for a ride.

Just like her Dad!


Grapes......


...being devoured!
She luvs food like me :)


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I Went

I went to my meeting, was inspired, and came home.

I feel a bit like I have let myself down, but am moving forward.

I will do this.