It’s cold outside. Windy. Cold. Windy. Cold.
But it’s NOT raining.
In fact, it’s not even cloudy.
It’s GORGEOUS.
Which is good, because the rain cover for our new stroller isn’t coming in for another couple of days…
Posted by sarah | 1 commentsThis weekend we headed to the summer cottage for a bit of rest and relaxation and to celebrate Midsummer (Juhannus) with the family.
Well, Juhannus was duly celebrated:
But R&R, it seems, is reserved for those who don’t have small children. After being woken up for the zillionth time Friday night (I don’t remember by whom- Benjy and Henry were equally as culpable), I announced “So, we’re leaving today, then,” before trying to go back to sleep.
And we did.
We packed our bags, said fare-thee-well to the mosquitoes, and were on our way.
Until next year…
Posted by sarah | 0 commentsThe most disgusting, profane, obscene curse word in the English language isn’t four letters long- it’s six. It’s spelled “W-I-N-T-E-R”.
And winter, whether we like it or not, is fast approaching.
For today, my friends, is the longest day of the year. That means that from hereon out, the days will only get SHORTER. Shorter and shorter, bit by bit until we wake up one day and realize the sun has barely peeked up above the horizon, which is rather insignificant anyway, considering we haven’t SEEN the sun for WEEKS due to the thick and ever present cloud cover that only seems to bring snow, snow, and more SNOW when it’s not dumping down a bit more SNOW.
Deep breath. It’s still June. I can still smell the flowers.
But winter is coming. It’s coming…
Posted by sarah | 4 commentsSo. Benjy’s two.
You all knew that.
But, really, Benjy is TWO. And recently, that’s meant that he’s TERRIBLE.
Tantrums, not sleeping, not eating (there’s nothing really new, but for a while he was doing well), doing things I’ve explicitly said not to 100 times in a row, seeking trouble wherever he can find it.
OH MY GOODNESS there are some days where I want to throw him out the window.
But then- then when I’m getting ready to dangle him by his little ankles, he’ll do something so incredibly sweet.
The other day I was lying on the floor of the nursery while the kids were playing. Benjy, without any instruction on my part, went to his bedroom and brought me his blanket and pillow.
He picks flowers for me on the way home.
When Henry’s crying, Benjy- in his own special language- says, “Hey, Henry. It’s okay. Mama’s right there.” Or he’ll find a pacifier to insert. Or he’ll stroke his head.
And then I’ll stop, close the window, and set his little ankles back down on the ground. Until the next time…
Posted by sarah | 1 comments
This morning was a very special morning- filled with fresh, farm-style doughnuts and fresh, farm-style quiche (the crust was basically a biscuit- YUMMY), and fresh, farm-style instant hot chocolate- wait, that part wasn’t fresh or farm-style, but still pretty tasty.
It was, of course, because we were at a farm!
A 7 minute drive from our house brings us to a farm with cows, sheep, pigs, goats, and turkeys. And a cafe. And a playground. And it’s FREE.
It’s pretty much heaven for the under 7 crowd (and their parents- did I mention it’s FREE?)- why we’ve only been there twice is beyond me.
Today’s big excitement centred around the cows. Or, more specifically one particularly rather adorable cow.
I’m sure this is not actually a “cow” and has a proper name not involving the word “cow” at all, but I can’t be bothered to check (five days past my due date and all…)
There were some other girls there who LOVED this cow. And they fed it dandelion leaves over and over and over again.
And Benjy was super excited about it.
Can’t you just feel the joy and wonder radiating from him?
No, but seriously. This is Benjy totally enthralled. He becomes very somber, very watchful, very intense.
What, don’t believe me? Don’t believe that he is IN LOVE WITH these animals?
Just look what happened when we took him back to the car…
We’ll be back, Benj. We’ll be back.
Posted by sarah | 5 commentsIt’s not just me- Olli’s over it, too. Totally over winter.
Olli has recently revealed, however, that he has a coping mechanism. To keep from going crazy with the insanity that can only be caused by 14 metres of snow, Olli mentally retreats to his happy place- the balcony from our Mexican vacation.
Three and a half short months ago, Olli, Benjy and I were joined by my mom, dad, and grandma for a few days of proper beach holiday.
In a proper beach condo.
With the most proper of beach balconies.
It was a glorious balcony, which was enjoyed by Olli and Benjy…
and me and Benjy…
and my mom and Benjy.
And views of this…
and this…
(ps. Notice how the pool is empty? And the beach is empty? It was AWESOME. The holiday season was officially over, so we basically had the whole resort to ourselves. We felt like celebrities who had rented out the whole place to ensure our privacy.)
and finally views of this…
Oh, it was a magical few days.
Let’s all take a minute to retreat to Olli’s happy place and gain the strength required to get us through the winter.
Posted by sarah | 3 comments
