leaving on a jet plane

We had a fun weekend at a music festival and we fly out tomorrow across the country to visit friends and family. I'll try to pop in here if I can. See you all soon!

good eats

I remember this stage with A. A few rice crisps can keep a baby entertained for a good while. I love watching those chubby little hands move with such careful intent. One by one they make it to that sweet mouth.

bunny

Meet Benny Bunny, Baby D.'s new friend. He's made of organic cotton sherpa, and is ever so snugly. I looked all over for a just the right pattern to make a special softy for D. and found one I loved. Only it was in Hebrew, which I do not read or speak. Minor detail. I bought the pattern anyway. There were diagrams, so guesswork was minimized, though there was still plenty of it. But the process was kind of fun- figuring things out as I went along. I skipped the fancy girly clothes and went with a simple shirt made from an old velour shirt of mine (it seems I wore a lot of velour in the day, I have made a few projects from old shirts...) with a sweet bluebird patch.And D. is pretty fond of his new friend. Especially when Benny gives him kisses, which he likes to do a lot.

new sand

This is our newest completed project. A sandpit for the kiddos from wood rounds. These pictures are from last week- Papa P. had shovelled in some sand after the boys were in bed, so it had to be played in straight away, before getting out of PJ's or eating a proper breakfast. Since then we've added more sand and had a bunch of kids over to break it in. The kids love it a lot.

Mmm. Nothing like a mouthful of sand before breakfast. He's not quite ready for the sand pit yet, clearly. If it wasn't for the sand eating though, it would make a great playpen. And, while we are looking at this photo, I'll do a quick craft catch up and say that his hat is the pilot cap from the little turtle knits pattern. Knit in a really soft alpaca I got locally, but way too small. He is clearly more toddler-sized than infant. I have some brown alpaca that I plan to take with me on our upcoming trip to knit up a larger size with the same pattern because I love the shape and he can't pull it off his head which is a big plus. Alright. Back to the sandbox.

We planned to have the sand covering up the landscape fabric, but realized we didn't want it nearly as full as we thought once we got the sand in there. So it sticks up and is ugly. Maybe we'll do something about it. More likely we'll not get around to it and it will just get dirty and start blending in with the sand more. None of the kids complained about the aesthetic.
I also went to the Sally Ann and got a bunch of metal kitchen tools- ladle, spoons, a pie plate, a bowl, for a dollar and this has meant there has been a lot of culinary masterpieces being created around here. The pies get made in the sandpit, and then carted over to the straw bale play house (which I have been meaning to post about since we sort of won it last fall... I will soon...) to be cooked and then brought back to be served up to all the customers. And D. could tell you just how tasty they are.

my baby-o

Dear baby.
You are just growing up so fast. Couldn't you just slow down a wee bit? Look at you standing so nonchalant. You want ever so badly to be able to catch up with your big brother, whom you adore, and you are working so hard to get there. You are fully crawling now- and you can sit yourself up from a crawl to say, dig in the houseplants, or chew on a bit of thread you've found on the floor. And that diaper-less stair climbing trick? Pretty impressive (and you can thank me later for not posting those shots.)

You are a radiant, lovely, joyful little fellow, an absolute joy to be around. You wake up smiling that big sunny smile, and keep on smiling and chatting cheerfully nearly all the day long. And you have settled on a first word- one that makes me ever so wonderfully happy. "Mama." yup. you say it. And I love it. And I love you, dear baby, as big as the sky and then some,
love Mama.

just like Papa

Helping Papa with the mowing. Wearing matching hat and ear protection. This is serious work.

snapshots

Having a hard time getting here- life feels full right now, in a good way. Taking lots of photos. Maybe a photo-a-day sort of time?

all in a day

We headed outside early this morning, and A. led us straight to this fort in the woods. "Come to my ice cream stand." He called. He had mango and strawberry to choose from. I asked if they had any mint, but no, someone ate that one up.I ordered a strawberry cone, and a small mango one for baby D. "Three hundred dollars, please." I give him my money, he gives me back money and change. "But don't eat the change," he reminds me helpfully.

We head over to the raspberry patch. Everyone has planted new canes this year (a row for each family on the property,) and ours need a good soak after all this sun. We spend a long time with the hose playing with the "waterfalls," but I am worried about how little of the water is sinking into the soil. We load up straw in the wheelbarrow and work together to mulch the canes. I try to take a picture of myself pushing the loaded wheelbarrow with D. in the sling, but I don't quite pull it off.

We work together for a good long time with A. busy with his own wheelbarrow, until it is clear from the fussing that D. needs his nap. After a nurse in the sling I pop him in the chariot and A. grabs his bike and we head down the driveway.And to the "property creek" a little seasonal stream that we visit almost daily. A. collects things in his bucket for throwing in the water. The bucket is full of rocks and leaves and bark and sticks by the time we arrive. I park the stroller in the shade and A busies himself with creek play- throwing and splashing and playing in the mud and making up songs about throwing and splashing and playing in the mud.

Sitting on the bank I try to remember the story I made up for A last year when the creek dried up. He was so disappointed and confused by its disappearance. I remember being please with the story, that it explained things to him without being too heady, and described the natural phenomenon in the way Enki nature stories are meant to. I can't remember all the details, but I think I could manage a passable facsimile, and I'll need to soon, as this creek is drying up fast.

I make lunch when we get home. D. wakes up and is cheery. I start some supper prep and A. helps for awhile. I am making french bread for supper from refrigerated dough that I mixed up yesterday. A. rolls his dough into a sticky blob on the counter while I shape the bread beside him. He gets tired of "cooking" and wants to go back outside and agrees to stay in the yard or garden where I can see him. Baby D is happy playing on the floor beside me.

After awhile I meet A. outside with popsicles. We talk about the dance concert he is going to attend with his Dedo this weekend. He wants to know about the theatre, where it is, if it has curtains that open and close, if the dancers will be wearing costumes.

We head inside for quiet time when the popsicles are done. These days A. will take some time by himself at this time of the day without a fight, which is a relief. I put on his quiet time CD and he brings in some toys and books and lays on his bed while I put D. down for a nap. There is quiet in the house for a short time and I relish every moment of it.

There is more outside time in the afternoon. A. comes in with a tiny asparagus -one of only three we've seen this year- and I swallow my frustration at it being picked too early and direct him towards the chives. After bringing in a basket full he asks if I can set up the CD player on the deck for him to listen to music while he eats a snack. He does this and I get the rest of supper ready. He is there when Papa P. gets home with our organic grocery box. We assemble a salad and sit down to eat the yummiest roasted veggie sandwiches of all time. A. is too tired too eat much, but we'll try this supper again because it was so good.

And then there is bath and bedtime and some time to chat with my husband in the evening. And staying up too late on the computer. And grumbling that the house gets so out of control on these days of being outside so much. And looking through the photos from the day, feeling thankful for this life we are living, wanting to record a bit here to remember later on.

summer pj's

My kids are in need of lightweight pants. A is fighting sunscreen with a vengence, and so can only leave the house fully covered. And baby D is just so fair I am scared he will burn with the slightest bit of sun.

I've been wanting to whip up a bunch of long pants from shirts and fabric I have around, but was getting frustrated with the tracing-an-existing-pair method I usually use. The fit is pretty hit and miss I find, at least with my rudimentary sewing skills. I liked the wide leg look of the Oliver + S pajama pattern I bought awhile back so I thought I'd try that instead. I decided to start by making some summer pajama bottoms for the boys to see if the fit would be good for regular pants too, and I am really pleased. Imagine, making something that actually fits!

Okay. So they don't really fit baby D. I made both pairs the same size (because, between you and me, they are wearing a lot of the same clothes and only have a few pounds between them... shhh. don't tell.) but really D's could have been a lot smaller. Though I suspect he will be fitting them just right in no time.

So for my own personal records, but to no interest to anyone else, these are size 2 with slightly shorter legs and no leg cuffs. A's are in a retro rocket ship pattern (which he adores, and gave me kisses for,) and are finished with red bias tape. D's are in a little puppy print and have rolled hems. The waistbands are just in the same fabric as the pants but I want to play with contrasting fabrics next time. So I will try size 2 with full length leg for A (these are a wee bit short,) and 18 month for D and see how that goes. And I can't wait to try the kimono-style top too. I'm already planning in my head the Christmas pajama's I will make with this pattern. You know, me and my super organized, plan ahead and get things done ahead of time sort of style. Ha. But just popping over to the Oliver +S site to grab the link makes me want to make all my kids clothes. I mean, wouldn't my boys look so sweet in this outfit?

Oh my. I'd better start knocking things off my crafting to-do list and figure out how to fit more sewing into my life. Clearly my children need me to make them more clothing.

at the beach

The hours fly by. We play, eat, sleep (baby D,) knit (me,) make new friends and chat with old ones. There is butterfly chasing and minnow watching and sand eating (baby D,) and treasure hunting, and uncountable buckets of water pored over ever evolving sand creations (A. boy). We drag our things back up to the car feeling happy and tired. The boys fall asleep. I stop to take a picture of this osprey nest on the way home.We may just bring a tent and live here all summer. At least until school is out and Papa P is home.

tree wishes

Planting a tree for Dorian. Ari has an apple tree, and Perry and I have our wedding apple. Now Dorian has a cherry tree for his very own. His placenta has been in the freezer all winter, making me smile when I'd come across the bucket from the hospital labelled "Dorian's placenta." Now it is in the ground to nourish this pretty little tree.

Welcome to the earth sweet baby. We feel so blessed to share this journey with you.

backyard

It's the end of a long tough week- a very sad memorial to attend, both boys taking turns at the flu- and we are just getting back on our feet. This is where you'll find us, in the back yard under the willow, feeling grateful for the sun.