Grandmothering

I just found this post on my moms blog Sweet Yellow Bird. What a sweet Grammy.

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011

Grandmothering

I am going to be a grandmother for the 6th time...did I say that I love to be a grandma? I love the way these little ones smell, express themselves, and happily chat your ear off. I love the freckles across their noses, their toothless smiles, their worries, and concerns, their happy stories, and their dreams. I even love their drool, diapers, whining and crying. I love the way they spell, their poems, their animals, their tears, their sweaty cheeks, and their hugs. I love their pure faith, and their unconditional love. I love everything about them. Everything.

“I dreamed that I floated at will in the great Ether, and I saw this world floating also not far off, but diminished to the size of an apple. Then an angel took it in his hand and brought it to me and said,  “This must thou eat.” And I ate the world.”

~Emerson

What is happening to me?

Do not be fooled by the hour of this post. It's my usual late night entry but I just woke up from falling asleep at 8 pm. Never in my life. It was humiliation. I know something is really really wrong when I go to bed early and I don't feel like reading. My life is falling apart.

Just Kill Me

I know I'm going to be an even more annoying blogger because instead of rambling on about all my lamo arts and crafts,  now I feel the need to whine about being pregnant. So I think this is my second whine post so I will start with a number two.

2. Cooking a human and running on the treadmill at the same time is strikingly arduous.
3. I would love to barf, rather than feel like barfing 24 hours a day.
4. Thank you Kraft Foods for making Stoned Wheat Thins
 (aka "Magic Crackers") They taste like cardboard which is perfect for right now.
5. Is it o.k. that Timmy left a mouse trap on the counter and I called him at work to threaten him...
6. I want to record for my own future reference my peculiar food evolutions. What I've been able to choke down this last week:

It started with cereal (which we NEVER buy) after a few bowls of that I never wanted to look at cereal again. I moved on to english muffins with peanut butter and honey. Then eggs.
Then spring rolls (I NEVER eat these either). Then gummy candies. Then a burger (NEVER EVER have ordered a burger at a restaurant in my life). Then I had an angel food cake for lunch all to myself (egg whites?), hate salsa, pasta sauce, and all vegetables.

Thank you for letting me do this. That was like therapy for me.

WOMB

I've been reading these books for obvious reasons and I can't believe I haven't done this before. Holy fascination!! I have lots of quotes to share coming.

Bargain Barn is GENIUS

Did I seriously just find the entire box set of Pride and Prejudice in perfect condition at the BB for $2.
 It's too good to be true.

RANDOM

cutest mini garden ever.

We braided all of these fabric strips to make wrap bracelets, necklaces, and Charlie uses his for a belt. This activity taught Charlie how to braid and now he's a pro.

banana bread bonding

Timmy is getting really good at picking out clothes for me. He found this skirt on 

Etsy and got it for my birthday. 

She's showing us her eyeshadow.

Jane left us this masterpiece. I love all the buttons she drew at the bottom and how she taped one on.

Jane is cute about thanking us for things. This one was a thank you for a fun Easter. 

Best peeps drawer ever.

I looked out the kitchen window and caught this strange meeting. An indian and a dinosaur and Charlie, talking about life. I continued to watch them playing and snapped these next few shots.

Don't ask me why Jacob woke up this morning and thought, I'm going to get in my dinosaur costume and run around the yard...

( I want to note some things about Jacob here. I'm not sure if I ever recorded that he learned to ride his bike on Sept. 4th 2010. He was only 3 years old. Another thing is his recent sleep talking. I overheard him mumbling this in his sleep:

"I want my summer... I want my summer."

Speaking of sleep talking, I heard Tim say this in his sleep the other night:

"Willow, that's what he named her isn't it?" 

Weird!)

same goes for this little indian princess.

Chickadee the Cello

This is Jane's first day of Cello lessons. She's been taking cello for a few months now. Her first assignment was to name her cello. She made a brainstorm list with these names:

Chocolate 

Cherry

Charlie

Chickadee

Cordelia

In the end she picked Chickadee. 

On her first day, Jane was looking forward to going to her lesson just with me- sort of a mom and daughter date. But little Charlie was in agony. He couldn't bare to miss out on Jane's big day. He didn't stop expressing his sorrow the whole day. I wanted Jane to decide that he could come on her own so I waited even though I could see it was hard on Charlie to be in limbo. In the end she let him come but it was quite the last minute fiasco. Of course they ended up having a fun time together and everyone was happy. So many delicate feelings to keep safe around here.

Jane brought Chickadee cello on our family vacation to fairmont and even tucked it into bed.

Scarlet calls it a "Chewoh"

 This is the night Tim took Charlie and Jane to the symphony. We got tickets for his birthday.

They got home sooooooo late. They were tired but so excited by the whole experience.

(She lost her front tooth in March)

I made them each a little symphony packet to work on in case it got difficult for them to sit for the whole 2 hours. It had all kinds of music worksheets and coloring pages etc.

I'm a cool aunty

So I made these onesies for the new nieces and nephews. The M is for baby Maxwell and the G is for baby George. I made the hearts for baby Lydia and baby Aria. It was fun to see all the sweet new babies in the family. It got me even more excited for our new little biscuit.

Morning Sick Death

"When your alarm clock goes off and you're not excited to get out of bed, your breakfast isn't delicious enough."

~Rachel Cole

I used to think this were true but not anymore. There's not a food on this earth that sounds appetizing to me in the morning. I'd rather starve to death. Why are babies so miraculous but then so not nice.

Love in the Mail

So look what I found in the mail this morning, with the loveliest packaging (it was tricky getting a picture with my not-so-good camera because it's so sparkly). 

 The most beautiful masterpiece of a bracelet from Jacobsheart.

Its even more amazing in real life than I realized it would be. 

I keep looking at it while its on and loving it more and more. 

Thank you Terry for the gift and for surprising me on a morning sick day. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.

Claude Mermet

Friends are like melons; shall I tell you why? To find one good you must one hundred try.

Charlotte, “Charlotte’s Web”

You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.

Big Sleepy Babies

Some things about Scarlet, our wildest baby.

She learned to crawl out of her packn'play way back in November, right about the same time she started opening doors on her own and refusing to sit in her highchair (I guess she noticed everyone else gets a chair).

In April, a month after she turned two she graduated to a bed.

She loves black olives, feta cheese and pistachios, fishy crackers, applesauce, pancakes, rice, cucumber and yogurt salad, and pita bread.

She cally Jacob "Cubby" and Jane used to be "Nye" but it turned into "Nunny" and Charlie is "Guy"

She love love loves lotions. One time she got into the Vaseline while I was getting ready and I just let her play with it. The whole jug was smeared all over the floor without a tile missed, then the walls, then my lets, then her whole body... She had the time of her life.

She also loves when Jane put makeup on her. Its about the only time I've seen her hold still for anything.

So we found these little feet sticking out and so we turned the corner to find this...

Scarlet asleep outside her room. But this wasn't half as cool as her friend Kash...

Sometimes a kitchen counter is irresistibly tempting. 

(Tracie, I hope you don't mind I yanked this picture from your blog but its so cooooooool!)

Quotalicious

Jane, "Mom, I miss Lindsay."
Charlie, "I miss her too. Mom is she Grammy's sister?"
Me, "Why do you think she's Grammy's sister?"
Charlie, "Because you hug her a lot and because you love her."

Next Quote:

Me referring to my first trimester emotional-ness: "Are you doing that because I'm unstable?"
Tim, "Well, I like how you follow me around."

I don't know why but I wanted to follow Tim around all weekend, like from room to room. I have no explanation and take no responsibility for these pregnant occurrences.

I love going to weddings.

"She Was a Phantom of Delight"

By William Wordsworth

She was a Phantom of delight

When first she gleamed upon my sight;

A lovely Apparition, sent

To be a moment's ornament;

Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair;

Like Twilight's, too, her dusky hair;

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful Dawn;

A dancing Shape, an Image gay,

To haunt, to startle, and waylay.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A Spirit, yet a Woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin-liberty;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A Creature not too bright or good

For human nature's daily food,

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

And now I see with eye serene

The very pulse of the machine;

A Being breathing thoughtful breath,

A Traveller between life and death;

The reason firm, the temperate will,

Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;

A perfect Woman, nobly planned,

To warn, to comfort, and command;

And yet a Spirit still, and bright

With something of angelic light.

Fashion Friday the 13th

 

Maxi dress and lace. (with a cardigan. i just have to say that every time.)

Wedges and ruffles.

Teal and Chandelier.

 Big buttons, funky collar, and raw edges on a gathered skirt. 

I'm going to buy it when its not $800...

                                           

My friend Terry makes this jewelry. Its unbelievable how much detail- if you click on the picture, then you can see all the teeny tiny beads. She uses only the best quality silver. So beautiful.

Jacobsheart

See my moms post for more pics

      

My kids thought this was the coolest thing ever.

Bunny Eater?

Look what we found lurking in our neighbors' tree. 

A great horned owl. 

It played with a magpie, deep in the tree, all morning.

What a thrill for the kids. They were describing his every movement to me,

 in detail, with such exuberance. 

"Listen, everyone has a chance. 


Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,


and does your own soul need comforting?


Quick, then - open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song


may already be drifting away."

by Mary Oliver

Beaver and Genius