August Fun and the things I Missed

I went away for one week.  Literally for the first time ever, I was away over night from my kids, and of course it would be during that time that Liam figures out how to ride a bike with pedals, Eowyn starts saying a new word, and I am generally dismissed and forgotten about.  Well maybe not that last bit, but gosh, things happen quickly when you step away from things for a second!  In truth, I think Liam was old enough to get that I had gone away and would be back.  I spoke with them daily on skype, and so it seemed less traumatic.  Eowyn just couldn't quite understand what was happening, where I'd gone, and if I was going to come back!

I know it's been happening all summer, but being away and coming back made me really pay attention to how much Eowyn is saying these days, and it increases all the time.  We graduated from More and Happy, to "Why?", which comes out all the time, ever since I left.  "Mummy go bye-bye, WHY?!" was the way she first used it, while I was away! Cat (Nat) has become Neeeow, and cows are mooo, cars are beep beep and dogs are still just Woof.  And then she says things like "wing" meaning Swing, and mou (mouth).  She has teeth, eyes and ears down too.  And now we have han (hand).  Shoes has been happening awhile along with OU-side (outside).  I want dis, I want dat.  Along with other similar short phrases, are also in the daily mix.  I love finding Liam "reading" to her and pointing out things, saying the name and then asking her to say it too.  She basically will try her hand at repeating any word he says.

I love that they are interacting so much more now, though often it ends up with screeching and tears.  There are plenty of loving moments too.  Eowyn is learning to apologize.  She is a bit of a pusher sometimes, and I would be lying if I said she's never knocked over another kid (poor Jamison!).  She also sometimes pushes Liam, but as soon as you tell her to say sorry she runs over and gives him this most adorable full on hug.  It's super cheeky and sweet at the same time.  Liam will take her hand sometimes to bring her places, and I've seen him physically push her up onto the couch when she wasn't able to make it up on her own!  Also an amusing sight!

Since we've been back it seems like the ages of the kids has evened out a bit more.  Suddenly Cassidy is one of the big kids, Eowyn and Jamison are the same size and Eowyn is getting in the mix with the big kids (though she has no idea what that means!)  Liam also has a full grasp of Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light, and of course he's done so well with the bike riding.  He often still rides without the pedals, but he's so capable of coasting and maneuvering his weight - it's kind of crazy how agile he is!

Liam has continued his trend of amusing conversations and comments.  Here are a few recent ones:
July 5th :What do you want to be when you grow up?
Liam's answer: A mommy
On July 29th - "We are going to a birth party because we have babies in our belly" he says dressed up in my clothes
Aug 14th - "You got a haircut - good style!" he says to James after he shaved his head.

In a follow-up conversation, he was most distressed to find out he can't have a baby in his belly.  I mean very upset.  We had a long conversation where I did inform him that maybe when he's an adult he might choose to get married and start his own family, and he can help make a baby.  I said one day he might meet someone he loves so much that he wants to spend the rest of his life with them. He told me he was going to marry Stirling.

He recently said that he wanted to go to Denmark. I asked why and he said he wanted to meet the queen.  Apparently in a conversation involving what exists and what doesn't he found out from Sarah that Denmark has a real life queen.  He's thrilled.  Generally, he is most curious to know what really exists and what doesn't.  Many questions come up with things like: do witches exist? Do dragons exist? How come dinosaurs did exist? Are wolves real?

We have other conversations.  About our colons, about what he'll do as an adult (drink coffee, watch TV and talk to friends), and even death.  It's straight up, some of the most amazing stuff I've ever heard.

A fine example of "finger food"

Hugs (tackle) time 

Josh is the pied piper at the playground - a bunch of littles!

Happy days!

Babes in a bag - Liam took it apon himself to get into this bag - ha ha!

Eowyn wanted "in" too, and James decided to pick them up!

 The past weekend we went to Stirling and Sam's joint birthday party.  It was at Leigh and Gavin's and unfortunately the rain put a damper on using the outdoors.  Regardless, it was beautifully organized and the kids had a fantastic time.  It was a great idea to hire 3 Franklin babysitters to help out, because they took the kids downstairs and played games for a while, and the adults and smaller kids hung out upstairs.  It's fun to see the kids altogether these days.  A bunch of them will be in school together starting in just a week or so, which is also just fabulous.

The beautiful backyard that we couldn't use

Eowyn sassing around 

Eating dinner on the top balcony - Christina almost at her due date, and many of the kids

Kids eating - Eowyn standing on her chair

Liam is so fond of Stirling he insisted on saving her a place next to him 

Brilliant idea - watermelon pops!

The book exchange - the kids may not all have gotten the concept of what they were supposed to do, but it was a great idea and everyone got to go home with a new book!

Yoga in my living room - Cassidy joins Liam and Eowyn in some down dog

The Best of Vermont and Boston - Summer 2013

Somewhere wedged in the middle of NYC we had a week long trip up to Vermont and then Boston.  It was certainly a relief to be in Vermont where the weather was slightly cooler and where we had a little more space and quiet with no other kids.  It has been 2 years since we last saw Gigi and Sonny, and it was so good (as it always is) to spend some time with them.  Being on the farm and spending time with them is always so restful for both James and me.  The kids loved being in the midst of all the animals and having space to run around.  Eowyn was in awe of every creature she saw - and not just the first time she came across it!  It was so sweet to see her exclaim loudly - WOOF WOOF! each time she saw the giant St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees dogs that Gigi now has.  Those things are small horses but were super patient with the kids.  Liam was decidedly more cautious about them as he tends to be with all things.  But Eowyn was ready to go right up to them and check them out.  But more than the dogs, the cats (which she calls NATS or NAK) were definitely her favorite.  I think she had a special love for dear old Fluffy who is still going strong.  She managed to be relatively gentle with them, and only got scratched once when she was a bit too meddlesome!

Liam loved the idea of things coming from animals.  It was definitely right up his alley to be able to go down to the barn and collect a few eggs which he happily ate for lunch many times.  He has been talking a lot about where things come from.  So he has asked for example, what comes from a pig.  It's really interesting to catch of glimpse of his thinking in this way and his putting things together.

Our crazy moment in Vermont was when we drove up to Arlington to see a camp site and Eowyn got her hands on a moth ball and ate it - or some of it.  James managed to get a lot of it out of her mouth, but she definitely swallowed some.  We didn't do anything immediately except try and make her vomit, but a few hours later realized it could be really serious, so after calling poison control we did take her into the ER.  Basically they did nothing and charged us a whole lot of money, which was aggravating for sure, but at least she seems ok.

Gigi and Liam looking at the calves 

Liam was always cautious but curious about the calves

Eowyn took a great interest in all the animals and even let this calf lick her

Eowyn and the bigger calves

Liam and me with his lunch - just taken from the chicken coop! (3 eggs)

Walking around down by the barn - Jay, Liam and Eowyn

After four and half great days with Gigi and Sonny we drove over to Boston to visit Shirin and Nana.  We got stuck in a fair amount of traffic getting into the city and over to Nana's, but we managed ok and had a lovely evening with her.  We had dinner together and then went back to the club house where we met people she knows and the kids ran around a little.  The kids were very wound up because of the long drive and no real naps to speak of, but managed to behave themselves ok.  We left around 7pm to make our way to Shirin's and thankfully didn't have any real traffic issues that time.

On Saturday James went and picked Nana up so we could spend the day altogether.  We hung out for a little bit at the house and chatted, and then went out to lunch.  During the kids nap time we hung out and looked through some old pictures from Nana's and our past.  We found some amusing ones for sure!  We took the kids out into the yard after naps and they got to pick and eat raspberries to their hearts content.  We harvested basil and made a delicious pesto sauce for dinner.  It was lovely to just be able to hang out easily and casually with Nana and not have a stressful situation.  Shirin and I drove her back after dinner while James put the kids down, and then we even took a quick trip to the stores before heading home.

Liam on top of the world - outside the club house at Nana's

Out for lunch - Shirin, Nana and me

Trying to get everyone in the picture! 

Raspberry fest - picking and eating fresh fruit = yum!

Eowyn just took handfuls straight from the bowl! This was one of the only occasions she didn't complain about being held by someone else! 

Hanging out in the backyard they even had a baby swing and tricycle!

 One of the tricky things on this trip was that Eowyn suddenly decided that she would absolutely NOT be fed by us anymore.  So you might think that's great news, but unfortunately she also refused to use a utensil so we were left with the messiest eater ever.  Picture her feeding herself yogurt, smoothie, rice etc, with her hands.  Not a pretty sight, that's for sure.  We're just finally getting her to move towards using the spoon, but honestly, if you try and feed her she is likely throw the food right off the spoon while screaming at you!

Our last day in Boston was a scorcher, but thankfully we got up and drove to Crane beach.  We had a really nice time in the water and even fished out a few clams (which we brought home and cooked later!)  Eowyn and Liam both had a pretty good time being in the water, which was really fun to see.  After a nice little picnic lunch on the beach we headed home, stopping on the way at a farm that makes apple cider donuts, their own ice cream and other delectable treats.  The kids got some ice cream and were running around the place being goof balls and doing down dog!
That afternoon I got to go to a yoga class with Shirin, which was really fun, and then we came home and had dinner.  After the kids went to bed we had some really nice chats with Shiri.

We left early Monday morning so we could get back down to NY in time for the family reunion.  All in all it was an uneventful drive down!

Breakfast disaster face!

Beach time! 

Lovely morning on the beach - Crane Beach

My goofy down dog babies! (post ice cream)

Showing off the clams we found!

The Best of Vancouver Island - Summer 2013

What an awesome time we had in Nanaimo!  When we arrived it was actually really cool and even a few days of rain here and there, but there was so much to see and do, particularly in terms of nature.  It was so nice to have space for the kids, and Nassim and co. have a beautiful home and lots of garden space that allowed for the kids to really play and have such a good time.    In our first few days before Shirin and Sonja arrived, we managed a trip to see the beautiful Cathedral Grove cedar forest with its ancient trees, we went to a very cute dairy farm with animals for the kids to check out, and delicious cheeses to try, we went to an indoor pool for a swim during a rainy morning (and it was so well equiped for the kids including a little floating fish for Eowyn and Ava to sit in, and life vests for the others and such a fantastic kid area), we went for a little walk at Westwood lake, and we managed to find me a pair of closed shoes!  We also had a girls movie night where Nass and I went out with Taban and Elham and her sister-in-law.  I hadn't been to the movies in 3 years!

Liam and Ava on the fire place

Kids' play - Eowyn, Lua, Liam, Leo, Solace and Ava

But aside from all the excursions (and there were more once Sonja and Shirin arrived), we had such a nice time at the house too.  The kids were quite a crew and they loved being out back and riding bikes together.  Liam hadn't tried to use a pedal bike before, but he picked up riding with training wheels in a matter of hours.  Soon his was zipping around like a pro!  They also spent time reading and had crazy baths altogether.

Eoywn sporting her California T-shirt from Sonja

All 5 in a bath - good thing it's a big one!

Lua and Liam riding his trunki around together

Our first day exploring their neighborhood

lunch with the big kids!

Bike riding on the back patio

A walk at Westwood lake

Westwood lake walk

Westwood Lake

Nassim's giant car that could amazingly transport all of us!

Our chilly but beautiful outing to Cathedral Grove

Balancing on one of the fallen cedar trees

Roots of a fallen cedar - Leo, me and Eowyn

Skipping stones and playing by the stream

Drum playing and kids dancing - a visit to Elham and Agazzi's 

The 5 kiddos reading together in Liam and Eowyn's room (aka the study!)

More reading together

And some reading alone

cheeky chimps on the fire place

Even with two more people in the house it still felt like we had enough space not to go too crazy.  It was especially lovely for the 4 of us to be together again after 2 years, and in those few days we had the chance to really catch up with each other and enjoy ourselves together.  We picked one of the cooler days to drive down to Victoria and see the city, and on the way back have an early dinner at Aunt Jane's.  The four of us got to drive together in Erfan's car, and the guys took the kids in the van - It was a lovely treat for us to have that uninterrupted space to talk to each other.  The drive itself was lovely as we got to see a bit more of the island, and we all were totally charmed by Victoria's waterfront area.  We had a lovely lunch at a farm to table restaurant, and some ridiculously thick milkshakes before our drive up to Duncan to visit with the Richmonds.  It was fun to also get to see Laika after so many years.  

4 reunited in a golf!

Lunch in Victoria at a really sweet spot

The lot of us - it's hard to even count how many we are!

Exploring a bit in Victoria (note the milkshake in my hand!)

The last 4 days together were just gorgeous weather-wise.  We had full on sunshine and heat, and it was perfect weather to go to the beach and do some other outdoors stuff.  We had a lovely morning exploring Rathtrevor beach where the kids checked out mini crabs and splashed in the low tide.  We had a beach picnic and then some of us headed back for nap time.  

Digging for crabs!

Tide slowly coming in

Four sisters and a baby (Ava)

Picnic in the background, crab finding in the fore

The lifestyle on the island, at least among the few people we spent time with, seems so healthy and a lot like here.  We were happy to just be outside a lot and the kids loved hanging out with all sorts of other kids and playing.  Taban and Michael had a slip and slide that they brought over to Nass's as well as a funny sprinkler thing, so the kids had a blast playing in the water as we got food ready and had a lovely BBQ.  Laika and her husband and kids also joined us so we had a very merry crew.  

Sprinkler fun with the kids

Slip and slide madness!

Gorgeous sky and sonja's silhouette!

Laika, 4 sisters, and Taban (oh and of course Ava!)

Laika and co, Sisters and many many kids!

Somewhere in the last few days we managed to take a trip to Newcastle Island with Taban and Michael and their kids.  They have kayaks so we all had a chance to kayak around a bit, which was lovely, and also to have a picnic and hang out.  It was a another perfect weather day, just too bad Lua got too much sun and was not well later that evening.

It felt like we did so much in just a few days.  On one of the last afternoons we had all together, we took another little walk this time closer to Nass and co's house.  We picked many salmon berries and enjoyed them along the way!

Walk in the woods and berry picking

Heading back to get dinner going

Leo reading to Eowyn while she mucks around and dances on the couch

Loving the time together

Cherry eating cousins

This is what bath into bedtime looked like each night!

And this was breakfast!

Nass and me with the tinies

Our last evening together was spend mucking around outside promoting Son and Sham's gym - CrossFit Brit.  There were many more poses, but this one takes the cake!