Treats

Jens told me very earnestly that he was going to draw a special picture just for me. He decided to draw me some treats. He told me what each one was:

A popcorn ball, an egg, an egg, and Fluoride.

Yum.

Done at Last

I have had these letters for months. I finally painted them last night. Today I will hang them up!

Laundry Strike (Vacation?) Ends

I have given in and done laundry. Mike came downstairs and announced he only had church socks to jog in. I would like to say that this laundry break revived my laundry spirits and I am happy to be back at it, but that would be untrue.

In honor of the Fall Equinox

It is hard to believe that fall is here, but Jens is back in school, and, even though it was 99 degrees today, the leaves on the trees seem to be a little yellower, so I guess it must be true. Summer is over. In honor of its passing, a top ten list, although the order is indiscriminate.

10. Camping. It seems like that was a long time ago, but we managed a couple of really good camping trips this summer that were very fun for our whole family. I think next year will be even better, although hiking will probably be much harder with a one and a half year old.

9. Swimming. Jens really enjoyed the water this year, even though he didn't get into it as much as I would like. He is still loving swimming lessons and I think next year will be better for that, too.

8. Berrying. I am so glad Jens and I got to pick blueberries and raspberries this year. We had a really good time together, and Jens was the best blueberry picker I have ever seen. We will definitely do that again next year!

7. My Blue Jay family. I know that is sort of funny, but it has been so interesting and entertaining to watch our little bird family (Mother, Father, Sister, and Brother) grow up. They are all still here, swooping around the back yard, chasing each other and playing together. They seem to be very smart birds and I have seen them do all sorts of things from my treadmill, which looks out into the back yard. I was especially astounded to see how long those parents kept feeding those "babies"--even when they looked full grown and could fly they would still rustle their wings and try to look pathetic and it worked!

6. Jens's birthday and birthday party. It was just really fun.

5. Bonding Leave. It was so nice to have Mike around and to get to take such a big trip this summer. Granted, there were things that were very tricky, but mostly I am full of gratitude that we had such an opportunity and that Mike got to spend lots of time with us.

4. Time in Utah. We always love seeing family and friends each summer. We are already looking forward to next year.

3. The beach and quiet time in Ohio.

2. Watching Jens grow in so many ways. He is so full of exhuberance and vim--life will never be dull when he is around. This was a summer of writing and coloring and blossoming creativity. His imagination has grown and is, frankly, very exciting. He is also a sweet little person and says so many interesting things ("Thankly" in his payer the other night). He certainly keeps us on our toes.

1. And last, this has certainly been the summer of our Sylvie Girl. She has been the sweetest summer treat of all, growing and changing in front of our eyes. She has learned so much! She has grown so much! Her hair has gotten so long! I marvel over her and the miracle of babies in general on a daily basis, and I am thankful for her easy going attitude and laid back disposition that made the summer so much more pleasant than it could have been.

So. Happy fall, everyone. It was certainly preceded by a happy summer.

September 21st

Last week was all about swimming lessons! Jens loved it. I was worried about the cold weather for nothing. His teacher's name was Camilla and she did a great job easing the kids into the water.

By the end of the week Jens was going under water and blowing bubbles and kicking his legs like a champ. Today was his first day with a new teacher. It is fun to watch the lessons and see him progress. When he goes under water there is usually a lot of sputtering and coughing, but today he managed to stay under for a full 6 count (it was a kind of fast count, but he got to 6 none the less!)

School continues to go well except that I keep forgetting that I really do need an extra five minutes to get there and get inside to pick him up. It seems like it is right next to his old school, but it does take more time. I went to the parent orientation this week and was favorably impressed. The two owners have been running the school for 30 years and the third main teacher, Jens's teacher, has been there for 20. It definitely shows--they know what they are doing! We are so grateful he is having this opportunity.

A fun highlight this week was seeing our friends the Hyers. They moved to Washington at the beginning of the summer and Jens misses his little buddy Harrison. They were in town last week and we squeezed in a play date and a visit for me with Chelan. It is always nice to see friends.

We also went out on a date last week--a real date with a paid babysitter and everything! It was the first time I've left Sylvie with someone who isn't an adult. It went smoothly, though, and Mike and I enjoyed dinner out with the Nielsens.

I also had a lovely ladies' evening out for a baby shower. It was a very beautiful and enjoyable evening!

In case you are noticing that I've had a few nights out, yes, Sylvie has dropped the last feeding of the night. She is doing so well with solids that Mike daringly suggested that maybe she didn't need it anymore. I admit I am very sad to give it up--she is so snuggly at night, but it is nice that Mike can get some snuggly Sylvie time, too, and it does make my evenings a little more free. It is nice to not HAVE to be here at 7.

Here she is, totally exhausted and snuggly just in time for church. Church is a huge struggle right now. She is so tired since it is right during her nap time. It seems like I spend all of my time walking around with her. (She is very heavy, by the way) I don't ever get to listen to anything or participate and she is cranky and tired to the point of being very frantically busy. The church is supposed to be all about families, but it sure isn't family friendly. This particular Sunday she fell asleep in the car on the way there, so I sat out in the parking lot. It was the best Sunday I have had in a long time.

This week Sylvie has been balancing more and more while standing up. She is getting daring! Still no interest in the actual walking part, though. She stays busy doing plenty of other things instead, like helping me with laundry.

Mike is continuing work and exercise. This week he threw in some yard work for a pleasant change of pace and I cleaned the gutters on the high part of the house for a change of perspective.

I have been rereading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver for book club. It is a very thought provoking book and I have really enjoyed it again.

I am tired now, so that is the end.

Ferrari Funny

You all know that Jens thinks Ferraris are the coolest race cars. I think he might have heard that from his Uncle Peter, but I'm not sure.

Yesterday we were shopping and I parked next to a blue car with a spoiler.
Jens got very excited: "Look Mom! A race car! Is it a Ferrari?"
"No, honey." I went and looked. It was a Dodge Neon.

Jens's Art Work, Part II

I have to do this again. If you could SEE the number of pictures this boy draws, you would admire my restraint. I love seeing his creativity and confidence grow. It used to be that he wouldn't even try to draw something unless you showed him "how" and then when he tried to copy it he would get frustrated. Now he comes up with all sorts of ideas, for example:

These are assorted hauler trucks. They have ramps so their race cars can drive inside.

This is Tiny Tim, the turtle. He is in the bath tub to see if he can swim, but instead he drinks up all the water, eats up all the soap, and now he is sick in bed with bubbles in his throat . . .

Another truck and race car. Notice the use of markers, making multi-colored stripes.

Bob and the gang, including Wendie, Muck, Scoop, Lofty, Rolly, and Dizzy.

September 14th

Okay, so as a weekly poster I admit that I have become completely erratic. You never know what day I am going to do an update. I am just trying to add excitement to everyone's lives. I am sure you all appreciate that.

Last weekend was enjoyable. It was really nice to have Mike home for several days in a row. We got to do some fun things and get some jobs done. Monday we went with friends to a barbecue, which was really fun. Jens loved it because the hosts have a really fun backyard with a playhouse and a Jeep to drive. He could have stayed there forever. Mike did admit to me on Monday night that he was looking forward to going back to work. I don't blame him--staying home is hard.

Scenes from this week:

A few weeks ago we were driving and Jens said to Sylvie "That's a grouchy smile!" Mike and I laughed and told him there was no such thing. But there is. He showed us:

And here is his happy frown:

And his regular happy smile:

Jens and I worked on a project together this week--painting a dresser from the neighbors to match his room. It turned out pretty cute and is navy blue, like his bed and bookshelf. The drawers slide very easily and are just the right height for Jens. I moved Sylvie's dresser downstairs and took the mirror off because it had cracked all the way across and now we keep our shoes in it, and my old dresser went into Sylvie's room. It was a good excuse to go through everyone's clothes and clean things out a little.

In more funny face news, Mike has been teaching Sylvie to make this face while she is eating:

She thinks it is pretty funny to do, and so do we.

In unheard of record breaking news, we have had a few times where Jens has played REALLY nicely with his sister.

And here is Sylvie with her typical cute stick-up hair:

She is such a happy little person. She keeps us all smiling with her cheesy grins and easy going attitude. She has had a stuffy nose and drool galore this week, so I keep expecting new teeth, but nothing so far.

She is growing fast, though. It is going by more quickly than I would like!

Why is it that non-toys are always the best? She played with this pile of clothesline for 20 minutes this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, it was a really great one. The Johnsons came to town and spent it with us! We were so happy to see them for a nice chunk of time. Mati and Jens played really well together aside from a few quarrels. This morning Jens woke up and said "You know what? I am going to play and play with Mati ALL day." I felt bad that I had to remind him that they were gone, on their way home. We squeezed a lot in while they were here: a 70 mile bike ride for the boys, movie and dinner out for the girls, the park, and Apple Hill (including apple picking, animal feeding, pony riding, lunch, and treats). We are lucky to have such nice friends! I will put up pictures when I get them from Mike's computer.

Lastly, today started off with a real bang as Jens started at his new school. He had a great time and his teachers said he did really well. While he was at school I managed to get allergy shots, go to the bank, the post office, and Target. School is productive for both of us!

I fear that it is going to end with drama. Today is also Jens's first day of swimming lessons. It is currently 68 degrees outside, and his lessons are in an outdoor pool. They aren't until 4:30, so hopefully it will warm up--otherwise I am not sure how he will ever be convinced to get in the water!

J: "I have a bigger baby then yours. She is 40 months old!"
M: "Mine is 7 years old!"

* * *

Matisyn: "Sylvie is cute!"
Jens: "You can rub her if you want."

* * *

Mike: "Why don't you go out into the yard and play Bob?"
Jens: "I already Bobbed today."

Flop #2

In all the 9 years we have been married, Mike kindly says that there has only been one really bad dinner flop. I have tried a lot of new recipes and not all of them have been favorites, but everything has been edible except for that one time I experimented with not boiling the pasta in a baked pasta dish (that was a definite throw-it-all-away pizza night).

Tonight, I am sad to announce, was flop #2.
Baked Dover Sole
Home canned pears

Thankfully there was also a black bean salad, which was really good (thanks Sophia) because the sole was decidedly soggy and very squishy (I couldn't eat more than a bite) and the pears were fermented. The seal must have failed somehow.

Mike and Jens went to get Jamba juice. I am finishing off the evening with a rhubarb crumble, which will hopefully turn out better than the fish and pears.

Sad update: I BURNED THE CRUMBLE!!! but it still tastes pretty good under the char.

Quiz

Test your skills at decoding Jens's drawings and writing! He is getting pretty good, so some of these should be pretty easy. I'll post the answers at the bottom, but no cheating! Have I mentioned that we go through stacks and stacks of paper?

1.What are the two words he has written here? (The long scribbley ones say "The prophet speaks the word of the Lord" or something like that.


2. What is this a picture of?


3. Find and decode three words in this drawing. Part 2: What is in the sky?

4. What is this a picture of? (Be specific--list as many things as you can!)




Answers:
1. Cooperate (Thanks to the Do Unto Otters book) and animal
2. The sacrament trays from church
3. Mom, Jens, and Dad (Dad is written backwards and looks like beD)
Part 2: An airplane
4. A garden with sunshine and water to help the plants grow. In the garden there are peppers, green beans and a heart.

Meet me at the fair!

We actually went, even though Mike and I were feeling unenthusiastic about it. We thought we would go and stick it out for an hour and ended up staying for 4. We got there pretty early before it got too hot or too crowded. Since it was a weekday we really had no trouble getting around or seeing what we wanted to see and there were no lines for anything.

We managed to do quite a lot! There were tons of animal displays including a baby animal section where they had brand new babies who were born at the fair. There was even a calf that was born this morning!

Jens and Mike made some lovely "fish egg" bracelets where they learned that the eye of a salmon is the first thing to form in the egg.

Happily the bracelet kept Sylvie very happy for a long time. We were really sad for her when she dropped it by the animal pens and we just couldn't give it back to her because it was too gross.

Jens was on the short side, so thankfully most of the rides were out, but he and Mike did go on the ferris wheel, which they enjoyed a great deal.

We also rode the monorail which circuited the whole fair. It was a lovely activity to do with kids because it involved sitting down in the shade.

We went to the food section next, which really is pretty nauseating. The smell of grease hangs heavily in the air, along with advertisements for turkey legs and fried Twinkies. Mike actually bought a fried Twinky which, frankly, looked revolting. I did NOT try a bite! Jens and I got a funnel cake with strawberries and whipped cream instead. Mike was very jealous, especially when the fried Twinky turned out to be just as gross as it sounded, so we shared with him, too. Probably a funnel cake divided between three people is just about right and keeps it from being TOO bad for you.

Then we chanced upon a very large Smokey the Bear section with 5 stations and a puppet show. You were supposed to collect 6 stamps and then you got a bandanna. They were teaching all sorts of fire safety, which was great, but each station took a really long time. We managed to move Jens along after two stations and a puppet show.

Our last stop was at one of the rides from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

The first 5000 people through the gates got free passes for one Neverland ride, so Jens rode the jeeps, which he was tall enough to do on his own. Mike and I were cracking up because mostly he looked like he was being punished.

He was fine at the beginning, but once the ride started he did not steer or smile until almost the end of the ride. He mostly looked very serious. This helped us decide that he isn't ready to go to Disneyland yet. He also refused to go close to Smokey the Bear and was not interested in high fiving him or looking at him, really.

We were all tired at the end, but decided to make the day longer by driving to Davis to return a bike seat Mike had been trying out and stopping at Ikea for "lunch" (it was almost 4 o'clock!)

Now we are happy to be home and we are all very tired from a big day!