Rainwalk

After a very short night due to a scare from my Dad, Mama woke up WAY over on the wrong side of the bed.  So did Quinn due to teething, let's just say.  After about the fourth hour of baby fussing (which really is a nice way to say whining, isn't it?) and Mama at her wit's end, I decided to head out the door, even if it was raining.  This soft rain reminds me of Washington after all, and I've been a bit homesick for the Northwest lately.

So, off we stomped, Skye in partial jammies still, but get out, we did. The rain walk ended up being a mud walk, but we did discover that our peas are starting to poke through in the garden. Yay! Still, even the walk, the mud, the peas, and the stomping did not manage to stop the crying crankiness.



So, home we came to peal off muddy layers, and soak wet feet in the tub.


   

I guess it is just one of those days that we will get through somehow, but I know it will involve a lot of chocolate and coffee on my part. Surely I can find some more patience somewhere. . .

Riders in the Rain

If there's one thing we learned by living in the Northwest, it's not to let a little rain slow us down.  Inspired by the bluegrass song, "Rider in the Rain," Miss Bug wanted to go for a rainy bike ride today.  She is a Washington girl, eh?

Quinney River at 18 months: "Joy, Joy, Joy"

This kid is curious about everything, into everything, and talking up a storm.  He makes just about anything into a stool, so that he can climb up and see what is just out of reach.  He pulls out and stands on the large mixing bowls, salad spinner, drums, large measuring cups, you name it.  He is now able to get up into chairs and is quite proud of standing on top of them while jumping.  While I try to practice positive parenting, I find myself saying "no" to this one more often than I can believe, because he is so often endangering himself.  There's simply no time to think of a creative alternative - just get down from there.  He is a whiz at climbing up the playset ladder, and squealing with joy as he sails down the slide, over and over and over again.  We have to watch him fairly closely still though, as he has a habit of just letting go sometimes.  I know it is only a matter of time before he is surfing the countertops. And whoa is me when he figures out how to open doors.  I finally understand how it happens that you hear about kids running into the street without mothers anywhere to be seen: they must all be boys!

Quinney is very verbal these days, and his voice is the sweetest thing I've ever heard.  From the first day that he was born and I heard his first coos, I have adored his voice.  Our favorite thing that he says is "joy, joy, joy" or at least that's what I pretend he's saying.  I always start singing the song "Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart To Stay" just to encourage this phrase.  He's fond of the animal sounds, and I am proud to say that he can even give a proper wolf howl as distinguished from his coyote howl.  He'll honk your nose when he sees a goose, so watch out for that one.  Quinn likes to name things as he sees them "train, car, truck, ball, bird, kid, tree, face, etc."  His favorite song is "Twinkle Little Star" and he requests it by twinkling his little fingers like Skye and I do when we sing it to him.

He adores his sister, and wants to do and have whatever she is doing or having.  If she goes for some Quinn-free time in the other dining room, he squawks at the gate and says, "gate, gate." 

He is still very much at the, "I will eat anything that I come into contact with" stage and is especially fond of crayons and playdough, and of course anything completely disgusting on the floor.

He loves to do the down-dog yoga position, especially in yucky public bathroom stalls after Mama asks him to keep his hands on his belly.    

He is lightning fast at everything.  I literally cannot clean up his messes faster than he makes them, cannot keep up with one choking/eye-poking hazard before he has another in his grasp. 

Are you exhausted yet?  I am.

And . . . he is the sweetest little spirit that ever there was.  Cuddley-wuddley when the time is just right, giving the sloppiest wet kisses and tight hugs you could imagine from such a little being. 

Nesting

There are few things better than eating crackers with your fellow dinosaur while sitting on your Taranadon eggs.  I certainly can't think of any.

Wide Open Spaces

One of the things that feeds my soul is wide open spaces.  I am so thankful that we took our time finding a house with access to that very stuff right out the back door.  Especially now that the weather is heating up, we're visiting the garden daily and able to go for more evening family walks.  We are so appreciative of this breathing room out here.  I love to see children run as fast as they can, running out of breath before they run out of room.  I think it frees their mind and makes room for new possibilities.  At least it does for me.

May you find some wide open space this week, whether in the world, or in your mind.  

Tragedy Narrowly Averted

We got lucky yesterday.  Quinn seems to have an affinity for endangering his eyes, and I've been afraid he's going to blind himself by age 3.  Yesterday he came the closest yet by falling eyefirst onto a metal doorstop at the store.  After a long nursing session he fell asleep by the time we got to the urgent care.  Since his sleeping eyes would be shut to let it dry, the doctor was able to seal the wound with a special skin glue instead of a stitch or two.  I have almost calmed down, but am still heartbroken every time I look into that bright red eye and think about him not being able to see.  So, we'll be more careful and hover a little more over our Captain Crazypants, and hopefully he'll live to SEE four.        

 

Chicken Food

 

In the imagination of a 4 year-old, this is chicken food, with red-carnelian on top, just for decoration.  The only thing I can think of to explain this is that her good buddy has chickens.  Oh, to see inside those brains . . .

Dandelion Wishes

 

Most of these are for Granny, with a wish to be a fairy thrown in there once in a while.

Okay, so this is actually not yesterday, but I forgot my camera.

Carless and Carefree

Yesterday was one for the books.  I mistakenly sent Gary to work with the car, thinking our playgroup was coming to our house.  When we realized they were meeting somewhere else, we decided to make a picnic trip to Blackacre, just the three of us.  Skye led the way, skipping and dancing.  

There were phlox to sing about,



and Virginia Bluebells to ring.

A short hike in the woods found another treasure . . .



Mayapple flowers hiding under their fairy umbrellas.



But, this "Little House on the Prairie" moment was my favorite moment of the day.





Quinn fell asleep in the stroller on the way home. So I stopped at our garden plot, parked Quinn in the shade, and gave Skye a wheelbarrow ride to coax her into helping me in the garden.

The kids topped off the day with an evening naked rain dance on the deck (Quinn's first). What a day!

Once again, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to stay home raising our kids and giving them days like this.  I hope these are the days they'll remember; I know I will.

Sunshine, Outside, and Play

In honor of Earth Day this month, I'm going to take The Great Outdoors Challenge.  I'm going to try to include one picture of us outside every day the rest of this month, as inspired by  www.5orangepotatoes.com and the NY Times article, Playtime is Over, by David Elkind.

Now that we're well (except for a case of Thrush and a hand that's not cooperating), we are reveling in the sunshine and friendships we've missed all winter.  My mama friends and I have been kidswapping a bit - babysitting for each other's kids while the other either has a few hours to themselves, works, or runs errands. It has been wonderful for everyone involved.  The kids get playtime with friends, and the mamas get something done without having to pay a sitter.

P.S.  I later found that bottle of sunblock smeared all over Skye's body and the deck, as Skye and her buddy pretended they were in a VERY hot place.   

Spring Poem

by Skye Olivia

It's spring.  It's spring.  It's spring.  It's spring.
The orange and red roses so sweet.
We pick and pick and put them in water.
It is spring.

Bees with honey
Put the pollen on their legs.
They know that spring is here.

The birds sing so sweet.
It's spring.  It's spring.  It's spring.

(Transcribed as best as possible by Mama, who could not write fast enough to get it all.  But you get the picture.  And no, we do not have roses yet.)

Starting them young

Papa gets out his banjo to play when he gets home from work. Quinn runs to the spot in front of the big chair, plops himself down, and looks at Papa expectantly. Papa smiles as he realizes what Quinn wants, the 2-minute toddler plucking jam begins, and a new nightly ritual is evolving before my happy eyes.

Easter Fun

After an anxious and rather sleepless Easter Eve, there were 3 egg hunts, a huge Easter feast, corsages for all the ladies, and family fun.

Easter night, Skye talked in her sleep, saying "Mama, I want my egg. Maaama, I want my egg."

Easter Preparations

 

Eggs, butterflies, and flowers.  I think we're ready!

Fancy Nancy

So just what have we been doing during all these days of sick confinement? Well, one day while it was Quinn's turn to be sick, Miss Bug was inspired after reading a Fancy Nancy book from Granny. And so began the dressing up and the space decorating, until Voila! (As Nancy would say, "That's a fancy way of saying "Check it out.") Dressing up and dancing seem to be THE favorite activities for girls age 3-4. I have one friend who has even hidden all the toys except for the dress-ups, since that's all that regularly gets played with.

And let me tell you that I LOVE that my old Samba Olywa costumes are being worn daily! Might as well have a little sass to the fancy, eh?

What are you favorite sick day activities?  We still need ideas.