Intimidating...

It's so intimidating - what does one post when one hasn't blogged anything for a month? It's kind of like calling an old friend - the longer you wait, the harder it is to call...

So here's two good shots from our time away - just to start the blogging. We don't normally do both families at Christmas time, so it was a busy holiday, but quite special to get to spend it with both.

Sypkes Clan

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8 Simmons Cousins (#9 is on the way from my older sis!)

Oh yeah, those days away...

So to those of you who are interested in what I did with those days away a few weeks ago, here's a bit of an email I wrote to a friend - basically a few long run-on sentences about the gift of having 5 unstructured days to myself.
The house was lovely, although it didn't matter that it was at the beach - it rained for 3 out of 4 days I was there, and I LOVED being indoors listening to it. One night the power even went out from 8pm till 2 or 3am, which made for a great excuse to read under the covers with a flashlight!! What else... I organized a lot of photos, read a parenting book, watched movies, drank coffee, prayed a lot, ate very little, but a high proportion of chocolate. (I was hardly hungry given that I was doing so little, and it was a huge luxury not to have mealtimes rule the day). I did a lot of Christmas shopping and took my time getting from place to place.

It was really just a lovely mishmash of things that didn't require me to think of anyone else for few days. Kind of 'nothingness' and kind of purposeful towards getting refreshed for life and motherhood. I guess it's the bonus side of having a student for a husband, who can give me the time away without taking off work.

Thank you Andrew, you're a wonderful dad and a truly supportive husband. I love you.

Birth from the other side

In the early hours of Tuesday morning I got to witness childbirth without going through it myself!

My sister Jill gave birth to her 3rd boy.

It was beautiful. Welcome baby Isaac. We love you boy!

What to do...?

I leave on Saturday for a driving trip to Oregon by myself - ALL by myself. And I am busy-in-my-head trying to decide how to spend my time. It's like this panic (not really, of course) of wanting to spend it exactly the right way and not waste it. Like thinking it's so good (and so rare!) that it might just slip away if I'm not careful (4 days goes by fast in normal life, right?). So what would you do?

Bring on Thanksgiving!

I do love the American
Thanksgiving tradition
- so much so that I did
my best to reproduce
it a few times Down
Under, right down to
the very same dishes
that my family makes.

Today, while Laura
and I got out the
winter gear for fun,
Daniel was busy
making pumpkin pie
at preschool.

Each kid brought
their own pie home -
how impressive!

They each made a
pie crust on Tuesday,
then filled and
baked them today.
He was pretty proud.

I think cooking at
preschool must be
much more fun than
cooking with me...

Daniel

...the bike and the scooter are having a rest.

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...my calendar gets some decoration!

1st picture: I've written so much about Laura lately. Maybe she's learning so much, so quickly, that it's just fun to share. And besides, Daniel is just busy riding around outside this week, giving his scooter and bike a real workout. I think preschool has made him more independent and happier with his own company

(and more bossy to other kids too, but we are working on that!).

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2nd picture: When he's not outside he wants to read, draw, do activity books... He found my calendar the other morning before I came downstairs. At a glance it looks like scribbles, but no... look carefully - he connected the numbers like many other 'dot-to-dot' activities in books (he added decorations on other months too). And although the look in his eye told me he knew he shouldn't have done it, I did leave it on the ground, so I couldn't be too annoyed with him. . :)

Music class

I have been taking the kids to a toddler music class for nearly a year, and I was debating whether to sign up for the next session, but we go with 2 other friends, and I can see how much the kids love it - how could I say no?

Halloween

In true American fashion, we did Halloween this year. Last year I think I was in a mild state of culture shock, not quite being able to handle the idea of putting Laura, then 4 months old, in a costume, nor the idea of knocking on doors asking for candy. But this year was fun, and my two Tiggers loved their costumes (thanks Anna!).

First the pumpkin patch tradition... They both loved the bunnies. Laura looks so serious, but I think maybe she was eyeing off someone who wanted a turn... :)

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And then the costumes -
Two Happy Tiggers! ...but don't mess with this Tigger!

For a long time to come

I think Andrew and I are still not quite used to the fact that Laura will be making us laugh [in an exasperated fashion] for a long time to come. Here's another example of how different these two kid creatures are: Daniel is 3, and he still could care less who is up when he has to go to bed. Laura is not quite 1 1/2, and she very much cares who is allowed to stay up when she has to go to bed.

For my mom

One of the classic stories of my childhood (which has been terribly embellished, I'm sure) is of me trying to negotiate my way into having 2 or 3 books before bed. Mom says 1 book, I say 3, then 2, then she says, "Sarah, 1 book or no books." I stubbornly choose no books and go to bed.

Well, repeat that conversation between me and Daniel truly word for word, until I tell him 1 book or no books. He says "no books". I say "okay", at which point he frantically scrambles to undo his decision and says, "yeah, yeah, 1 book, 1 book!" So he pretends to be stubborn, and he really does try, but the follow-through is just not in him.

But not to worry Mom, child #2 will play the whole scenario back to me, and I'm sure she will walk straight to bed without a book. You can quote me.