Apprentice

It is impossible these days, to open a cabinet, pantry or the fridge without hearing Fieldin come up behind pushing his baking stool. With a determined face he says" I will help mix". If no cookings to be done, he shrugs at the false alarm and is back to flying his airplanes. If it is cooking time, well, game on.... and we cannot shy away from help by our little apprentice.

He stirs, pours ingredients, uses the kitchen aid mixer on his own, he scoops, pours batter into baking pans and he can form the perfect cookie. If he is filling a bit artistic he will make you a cookie with a face of chocolate chips.

 He is a tidy cook. He likes things done correctly. He is a bit of a perfectionist.

Of course to make sure his creations are of highest quality, he must taste test.....often.

If Jeff or I try his cookie dough he says" Don't eat it, It will make you sick" and " I need that for my cookies!!!!" I've learned to follow his rules and not to mess with him. He knows his stuff.

Cookie making is serious business for this little fellow... yes indeed.



Teacher

Many days, after she gets home from school and is finished with her homework, she teaches him. She reads him books, practices flashcards with him and they play in imaginary worlds of dress up and dancing. It makes me so happy to see them do these things together and I appreciate that she teaches him. She will never know how much it means to him... being taught by his #1 hero. Thank you Greta. 

When It is Rainy And Cold, We...

We... play until we get tired of it... then play some more

We find any way we can to entertain ourselves without going stir crazy.

We look forward to practices, errands and time at the indoor sports park

We learn

We play lots and lots of hide and seek. We like it when Chompers hides... the rest of the time he gives our hiding spots away.

We love being with friends and seeing cool new stuff

And if we get too terribly bored.. I give Fieldin the camera and let him take lots of pictures.


The sun is finally out but it is very cold. I am still in Spring cleaning mode, finally mending Gret's clothes that get ripped up and caught in jump ropes, catching up on Season One of Downton Abbey, reading and suduko, reinacting Imaginext movies with Fieldin(over and over again), trying new recipes, helping Gret with homework, Doin the daily routine, eating warm oatmeal and drinking(lots) of hot coffee and tea, adding more to my "to do" list than marking off.
Spring is right around the corner.. My plants have blooms and I hear lots of frogs outside at night. We have to be getting closer:)

A Post By Greta Age 6

this     is    greta. b. i  am  going  to  tell   you  about  chompers  my cat and  swimming.  my  cat  is  furry  and  gray  and   black.  i   am  great   at  swimming.   i  am  a  level  3   and   all  most  a  level   4  .  and   have   a   nice   day.

Etc.

Feeling a little under the weather today. Been sleeping it off and now catching up on things. Today was a day when I volunteer in Greta's class. I really enjoy it. I love seeing her smiling face, watching her focused on her work, I love hearing her answer questions. I love hugs at lunch and giggles at recess. I am glad I can be there the little amount I am. So nice to see her.

Here are some snow pics Jeff took for me while I was away of the kids in the snow. He sent me text pics of the kids making mini sowmen and their snowbib smiles. A bit sad I missed the excitement. The sweeties saved me a little paper cup of snow in the freezer. Fieldin was talking to grandpa who had 8 inches of snow and Fieldin said"we have some snow in the refrigerater"

 The little man is all about school lately. After we drop Greta off at school he comes home to do his"homework" or "flightwork" as he likes to call it. He likes to do school for about a hour. Sometimes at night he brings over one of his books for us to do a page with him. His favorite work right now is cutting and pasting, activities, counting and matching. We are slowly getting into letters...they aren't fun:) He likes to tell Greta about his work when she gets home. He is very proud. Chompers sits at the table next to his work to micromanage our progress. Fieldin thinks this is funny. He tries to teach the cat what he is learning.

 Here is Miss Greta before school. She doesn't see Chompers much these days and is so happy to be around him when she is home. Her interests are growing as she becomes older and more independent. I sing her old Madonna songs before bed, especially "lucky Star" which is her favorite. Jeff and I like listening to classic madonna better than some of the Disney singers. Classic madonna still has inncocent lyrics so it's safe.. her cd came with a poster of madonna from the 80's of her face and it looks like a Warhol. She hung it in her room. It makes me crack up whenever I walk in.

She is starting to get interested in clothes, music, loves technology and games, her time is split between playing with her old fashioned toys, playing nintendo ds and games, reading, doing homework, swimming... and Phineas and Ferb. I am starting to make her start doing chores... her down time is wearing thin but she is managing well so far. She is really changing.... 

I Am Home And It Is Raining

I just got back from my annual "me" trip or what I like to call my "California sun,carry only ONE backpack through the airport, lemon smuggling trip"

I moved up my flight because I was worried about the snow in the Pacific Northwest. I came home to lots and lots of rain. I have been hiding inside, worried if I go out I will have to canoe my way back. I missed some snow while I was gone and the kids LOVED it. Jeff took some pictures so I hope to post them soon.

Where ever you all are,  I hope you are dry, safe and warm :) 

Early Spring Fever

It is so wrong... We have this bright beautiful sun shining outside, it warms our windows and puts a beautiful spring glow through the house. It makes me restless and I go outside, only to freeze. It tricks me every time..but do I learn? No. Even though I see a frozen birdbath I still attempt to go out.

 Normal rhythm's and routines happening here. I don't see Greta much these days. She is busy at school, then has homework and then has swimming twice a week. The week flies by and I miss her.

I have been trying to play and enjoy them as much as possible. Which means not writing in the blog as much, forgetting to grab the camera, letting the house go.. but I've been in the moment with the kids and enjoying it very much.

 Cookie monster. Boy does this kid have a sweet tooth and a sense of humor. He woke up very early this morning and even though he is done with naps, he needed one by 9. After dropping Gret off at school I said it was rest time. He said"mommy, look at my face. See I'm not tired.I'm good" he's been playing ever since. I have been trying to teach him his numbers and counting as of late. He always finds a way to outsmart me.

me: "how many fingers am I holding up?"(3)

F: "one, two and the other one"

me: "what number is that "one"?"

F: "the other one...."

Me: "Is it three?"

F: "yeah, yeah, mommy you got it right, it's three."

 Lots of post-holiday laziness.

 outsmarted again.. I wrote up some chores on the black board for the kids. Grets was to practice swim kicks and change the cats water dish 2x a day. Fieldys job is to play with cat. Greta got home from school and made a few changes.. adding things like "eat cookies and read"& "play". She later added the words above" love, Read, play with cat, care & feed cat.

Fieldy scissor hands. This kids been cutting up paper since I can remember..way before he should have been able to. He is my little shredder. He likes to draw and then cut up his pics which leaves me few to keep. Today he was giving the cat a lesson on cutting paper. Chomps already shreds paper like a pro.

I am in DIY mode, ready to organize and spring clean... a bit too restless, indeed.

On Your 37th Year.... Happy Birthday!

A VERY Happy Birthday to you!

 Today was Jeff's day, so he chose to go to the beach. It was a nice day out there. Pretty warm and no wind. After a long game of "tag your it" and frisbee we had sweatshirts and hats off and wishing for

t-shirts.

 Their favorite things. Jeff and Greta have a bag of collected shells...Fieldy is holding a bag with a chocolate donut.

I think the one with the chocolate donut had the biggest smile all day. We are all tired tonight. We will make Jeff a chocolate mug cake and then we will all go to sleep.

We love you Jeff! I am glad you enjoyed your day :)

On The 36th Year Of My Life.....

On the 36th year of my life..... I am happy..very very very happy.

Thank you all for the Happy Birthday Wishes. I am so glad you are all in my life. I am a lucky girl, no doubt about it.

 Turning 35 was tough... 36 was a breeze

 Me and chunk

 Me and Miss Greta

Me and my guy. My birthday is the only day of the year we are the same age.... and as the story goes, I pass off my birthday to my best friend at midnight tonight and then he is older than me once again, and the old man jokes commence...

A very mellow birthday at home this year...just like I like it.

Hey Jeff... only 5 1/2 hours til birthday pass off...



Routine Times

 Not much new around here. We are back into our daily routines. Chompers has decided the top of the refrigerater is a nice place to nap and above the kitchen cabinets is a great place to watch us cook and bake. It makes me nervous... that is probably why he likes it so much.

 Fieldin wanted me to take a picture of his "handsome smile". He poses and says "mommy, is this handsome?" he is growing lanky these days. He is so smart, imaginative and fun. He likes to play basketball outside and likes to block my shots.

Miss Greta has been busy swimming twice a week and happy to be back at school. She said she "missed her friends, library day and mileage club" She jumped in 13 feet deep water this week and was so proud. She conquered a big fear of being in very deep water. Way to go Gret!

I hope the New Year is off to a great start for you all!