Today was full of up and downs, especially for Ayla. We've had a couple of great days recently. Oscar was home today and for whatever reason that seemed to throw Ayla off. She's happy to see him but then cries frequently and wants me a lot. We went for a family hike this morning. We talked with Sebastian about possible ideas for the science fair. He talked about making concrete. this then lead to him telling us how people used to boil snails in order to make a dye. He learned this from his "Story of the World" cd's. I always enjoy listening to him tell me things that he has learned from these tapes, especially as he can usually repeat things verbatim! Oscar and Sebastian then headed off for some tubing at Chicopee. Ayla took advantage of the time to have plenty of "ahh". We also managed to fit many different games and puzzles in as well! This evening was a sad time for Ayla. She seems to be nervous about her doctor's appointment tommorrow. It is just her yearly checkup for her LM. Seeing her worry about it makes me very glad that we chose to do her surgery when she was younger! Lots of cuddles and she eventually drifted off to sleep.

A good day

Today was a great day. We were coming off of the high of yesterday (trip to the zoo and a flat tire - doesn't get much more exciting than that). Sebastian joined Ayla and I in bed this morning for a cuddle (poor Oscar was off to work much earlier). We had a relaxed morning. A friend came over and Sebastian got to talk in much detail about Star Wars and I didn't have to be the one talking with him! A walk in the woods and lunch with our friend and then off to skating.

Ayla ran around the room with the other toddlers. Once, after another mother had corrected her behaviour, Ayla came to me almost crying. She then told me, "After her go and her no come back, THEN me push chair". I had a good laugh after that one! (but no, I didn't let her push the chair!)

After skating we did some groceries and then stopped in at a friend's house for a visit. The kids stayed there for a few minutes while I ran home and got dinner ready. We had a great dinner, chatting and joking. Ayla went to bed early and Sebastian and I got some much needed alone time to read and cuddle. There were no angry words exchanged today, no rushing the kids around. I had a great sense of community with our friends and one of closeness with the kids. Ahh...if only I could figure out how to make this happen every day :)

lazy saturday

We've had a busy week - lots of classes and visiting with friends. We were going to make a family trip to the market this morning but Sebastian expressed (loudly) that he wanted to stay home. So, Oscar and Ayla are off to the market and Sebastian has holed up in his room with the dog, listening to a story on tape. The house is quiet and I have lots to do, but thought I'd take a few moments to myself.