and we just discovered the close-up function.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Minny and Mountains
I am enjoying being at home this last week, and we have spent it mainly here, inside our little house. It's quiet and small, but it's our little life and it's nice to be back in it with all our little routines and quirks that I missed in the frenzy of the last couple of months. The Professor is in town, the Lamb is back at preschool and the Lion naps every afternoon - alhamdulillah these (relative) constants provide me with a surprising amount of pleasure.
The children appear slightly disconcerted by (a) the lack of baked goods, juice and sweets, and (b) the Professor's resuming of duties outside of their own personal needs and wants. The former is probably good (I gained 5 pounds over the holidays!!), but the latter is harder to deal with. The fact that he has students and colleagues - a job! - to concern himself with had managed to drop off the map of both the children's minds - and perhaps mine a little also. Should the Professor leave the room for any reason the Lion Cub turns to me, positively bereft. "Baba's a wok?" No darling, he hasn't gone to work. But when he has, his return is the subject of most conversations, with the Lamb even refusing to eat her dinner until he is back. The Professor's chair now occupies the prime space next to hers at the dinner table. In fact, at her insistence, we don't sit evenly spaced around our round dining room table, each with our own comfortable quarter. We sit all four of us elbow-to-elbow, taking up perhaps a third of its circumference.
During the day we have been rediscovering our old toys and playing with the new ones, and spending some quality time with our arts and crafts closet. This started out as the arts and crafts "cabinet" years ago but has since taken over the main floor coat closet. From the waist down it's drawers and boxes of paper and glue and ribbon, playdough and paint and colouring books. From the waist up, there are coats on hangers. Short coats only.
The Lamb's latest project was a creation of love and devotion for her father - she said she would build him a MOUNTAIN. While the Professor skipped off to work (well, maybe he didn't skip) I was faced with an expectant 4 year old expecting, well, a mountain. Somehow we managed it, and though its construction is rather crude, it does manage to incorporate of all the Lamb's favourite artistic mediums - her adoration expressed in paint, collage, glitter glue, yarn and markers. Man, you know she loves you if she breaks out the glitter glue, that stuff is like 4 year old liquid gold. Unfortunately the Lion Cub woke up halfway through our undertaking, but we managed to keep her influence at bay (though you can't really tell...) So here it is, possibly the most interesting art project we've ever created, but possibly the one made with most love...
Clearly I have to learn how to paper mache or something. ANYHOO.
Hopefully the grandparents out there will forgive me when I say I haven't taken any pictures of the kids since our return to Minnesota. Terrible! I know! How can I not document their every move for you?! Awful. Here is a peace offering of a few great shots from our holiday up north...
The Lamb cashed in her prize tickets for some fake teeth at FunZone.
And she got some for the Lion Cub while she was there.
This reminds me that I really need to make dentist appointments for them.
Toodles!
The children appear slightly disconcerted by (a) the lack of baked goods, juice and sweets, and (b) the Professor's resuming of duties outside of their own personal needs and wants. The former is probably good (I gained 5 pounds over the holidays!!), but the latter is harder to deal with. The fact that he has students and colleagues - a job! - to concern himself with had managed to drop off the map of both the children's minds - and perhaps mine a little also. Should the Professor leave the room for any reason the Lion Cub turns to me, positively bereft. "Baba's a wok?" No darling, he hasn't gone to work. But when he has, his return is the subject of most conversations, with the Lamb even refusing to eat her dinner until he is back. The Professor's chair now occupies the prime space next to hers at the dinner table. In fact, at her insistence, we don't sit evenly spaced around our round dining room table, each with our own comfortable quarter. We sit all four of us elbow-to-elbow, taking up perhaps a third of its circumference.
During the day we have been rediscovering our old toys and playing with the new ones, and spending some quality time with our arts and crafts closet. This started out as the arts and crafts "cabinet" years ago but has since taken over the main floor coat closet. From the waist down it's drawers and boxes of paper and glue and ribbon, playdough and paint and colouring books. From the waist up, there are coats on hangers. Short coats only.
The Lamb's latest project was a creation of love and devotion for her father - she said she would build him a MOUNTAIN. While the Professor skipped off to work (well, maybe he didn't skip) I was faced with an expectant 4 year old expecting, well, a mountain. Somehow we managed it, and though its construction is rather crude, it does manage to incorporate of all the Lamb's favourite artistic mediums - her adoration expressed in paint, collage, glitter glue, yarn and markers. Man, you know she loves you if she breaks out the glitter glue, that stuff is like 4 year old liquid gold. Unfortunately the Lion Cub woke up halfway through our undertaking, but we managed to keep her influence at bay (though you can't really tell...) So here it is, possibly the most interesting art project we've ever created, but possibly the one made with most love...
Clearly I have to learn how to paper mache or something. ANYHOO.
Hopefully the grandparents out there will forgive me when I say I haven't taken any pictures of the kids since our return to Minnesota. Terrible! I know! How can I not document their every move for you?! Awful. Here is a peace offering of a few great shots from our holiday up north...
The Lamb cashed in her prize tickets for some fake teeth at FunZone.
And she got some for the Lion Cub while she was there.
This reminds me that I really need to make dentist appointments for them.
Toodles!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
home from home
It was a difficult autumn for us - or maybe just for me. Even after recovering from back-to-back business trips (for the Professor) and a nasty sinus infection, I realized that I did not really feel any better. Still drained and tired, we slugged through the rest of November and early December with little motivation other than the rest we hoped awaited us in Ottawa come December 18th.
But it was not be a restful, lounging holiday. We hit the ground running, starting with Eid-ul-Adha and it never stopped from there. Our trip was to include the death of a dear friend's brother, 2 major religious holidays, 1 long awaited engagement, 1 long anticipated birth, visitors from overseas and near constant socializing and the cavorting of young children hyped up on sugary baked goods. There were ups and downs of the extreme kind, and in between some mellow moments too, over cups of tea and bridal magazines. I feel lucky that I could be there for my friends and family in both times of distress and great joy. We couldn't have squeezed in another thing. This is why I am surprised.
Because somewhere, in all of this - I was replenished.
On the go, on the run, falling exhausted into bed every night, I relished it all. Thank you to everyone back home, I am slightly more fortified against the cold of this Minnesota winter, warmed by knowing that the distance between us is really nothing but a physical space.
Jen
xoxo
But it was not be a restful, lounging holiday. We hit the ground running, starting with Eid-ul-Adha and it never stopped from there. Our trip was to include the death of a dear friend's brother, 2 major religious holidays, 1 long awaited engagement, 1 long anticipated birth, visitors from overseas and near constant socializing and the cavorting of young children hyped up on sugary baked goods. There were ups and downs of the extreme kind, and in between some mellow moments too, over cups of tea and bridal magazines. I feel lucky that I could be there for my friends and family in both times of distress and great joy. We couldn't have squeezed in another thing. This is why I am surprised.
Because somewhere, in all of this - I was replenished.
On the go, on the run, falling exhausted into bed every night, I relished it all. Thank you to everyone back home, I am slightly more fortified against the cold of this Minnesota winter, warmed by knowing that the distance between us is really nothing but a physical space.
Jen
xoxo
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