Summer Fun

We are having another excellent summer here in Massachusetts.  We have been doing lots of swimming at the beaches and pools, nature walks, going to the parks, and simply running and playing outside (oh, and eating more ice cream than I would like to admit).  We unfortunately missed strawberry picking season so we hope to pick blueberries/blackberries soon!  One of the downsides to living in our apartment is that I can't let you guys play outside while I work inside.  We could easily be out and about from sunrise to sunset here, taking advantage of the light while we have it, but since I actually have to get things done at home and cook meals here, we have to be home some of the time!  Here are a few pictures of some of our indoor summer activities:

LOTS of ball

more ball....love your serious ball player face here Bastian 

getting LOTS of use out of our pattern blocks once mom finally broke down and printed out the puzzle/activity sheets :)  Luthien, I was trying to avoid these thinking you should be creating things freely but you are really a girl who loves structure, rules, and objectives kind of like your mom

summer reading!

dressing up and creating

playing lots of doctor/vet

more creating

playing with dear friends!  Bastian, you and Lucy could be mistaken for twins I think!

Love,

Mom


P.S.  Bastian, the last picture is older so you are wearing a diaper.  We said goodbye to diapers last week, YAY!  After about 3 very hard days you have been a dream to potty train!  

The Lovely Lu-Lee

I have plenty of other things to catch up on here, but first I wanted to make sure I told you, Luthien what a very happy mama you make me.  I can't believe you are 4 today.  You have become a girl who is a thinker, observer, and dreamer. You are cautious, and new adventures give you LOTS of anxiety, although you have the desire to pursue them.  Your laugh is and has always been totally infectious; you laugh freely but cry that way too.  You love creatures of all kinds and have no fear with them.  You love your family and any babies you see; you love to exercise control over your brother or anyone younger than you using your incredibly mature sounding motherese.

I can't begin to sum you up!

Here are a few things you have discovered you like lately: 

"chili with chips"

chocolate 

flavors of ice cream other than vanilla, plus CONES!

the color pink 

playing pretend anything (instead of reading, sadly) 

setting the table

smelling soaps

saying sounds and words with precise pronunciation

Things you don't like (most of these are not new discoveries):

cleaning up

sleeping

pressure to do or try something

not having enough time to speak your mind

singing at the same time as somebody else

The latter list was pretty hard to think of; you are generally a very agreeable girl I have to say.  

More soon, for now I will leave you with some pictures from your birthday and the days leading up to it:

Love you lots,
Mama

Noteworthy

We have- hopefully temporarily- misplaced our camera :( So no pictures for awhile....

Here are a few funny things I have heard recently (probably only funny to us):

Luthien: "Dad, you're doing it all wrong, let me try it."
              "Mom, I'm so into Rhonda." (your music teacher)

Bastian: "Lu, I can't... I'm reading my book right now, sorry."
(we have some issues with you, Luthien trying to tell Bastian everything to play, think, and do all day long, I hope you will appreciate his standing up to you by the time you can read this)

Love,
Mama

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday my sweet Bastian boy.  Although you are showing more attitude, resistance and stubbornness lately, you still are a very sweet boy.  You continue to say please and thank you unprompted, and love animals and babies almost as much as balls.  You seem to be having a growth spurt lately, requesting mass amounts of fruit and protein.  Yesterday for breakfast you ate 5 eggs with kale, yes 5, as well as half a banana and a huge bowl of pineapple.  I'll be sure to tell that to the pediatrician when/if she bugs me about your weight like she did last time :)

We had a little party for you a few days before your actual birthday.  It was windier than it has been lately, but still a fun day at the park.  Today for your birthday we had fun playing only things you wanted to play for a change (vs. Luthien), like ball, lots of outside time, and reading all your favorite books (Clifford and Henry and Mudge are some that come to mind right now).

Pink and purple (strawberry and blackberry) ice cream was served per your request

The best gift ever from Nana/Grandad

I can't believe you are 2!  

Love,

Mama

Easter, plus other happenings

Dear children,
You say the funniest things every day and I wish I was better organized to record them.  Here are a few recent fave remarks:

Bastian:
"Dad, I can run really fast with my poopy pants!" (we have never used the phrase poopy pants in our household)
"I love you and you love me mom." (a commonly used phrase these days)

Luthien:
"I'm going to town on this bread."
"I'm growing moles and hair on my arms so I must be growing up!"
"Dad, my arms don't reach all the way around your tummy..."

And now for a few pictures......

we finally got one of these, crucial for our new method of learning art; these are your first drawings with it

we love talking about fairies, goblins, and nature adventures (sooo Waldorf, as Dad would say), which somehow transpired into reading these ultra cheesy fairy books with our great friend Sebastian

playing with the "nest" material with preschool playgroup friends, more fun than dying the Easter eggs

showing off a new haircut- one for you, Luthien and one for mom, by none other than stylist Rome Rapier

showing off a homemade hot chocolate face

more creations: note the marker on the chalkboard by Bastian, and Luthien exploring the many ways of using/holding chalk as well as patterning

inspired by dad, Luthien, you decided to take up the art/business of grooming and styling too!

a new friend's doggie, Red, and awesome backyard!

 Easter was a nice, relaxed day with quite a few fun things to wake up to, in addition to gifts and treats from relatives.  New books, a few "natural" treats, and soft dolls were the highlights.  Bastian, this is the first time I realized how much you love candy- or perhaps you only now have developed the demanding method of requesting it, and stubborn attitude when you are told "no."

"Carbon-offset Chet" for you, Bastian!

Mom was a little obsessed with these....got them at her new "job!"

Bastian you have just transitioned to sleeping in Luthien's room!  It lasts until usually about 2 a.m.!

Love,

Mama

Reflection

Dear Luthien,

Too often I become frustrated or worry about the things you aren't doing or don't seem to show interest in, or the fact that you are so shy.  I am sorry.

Today during lunch we had another discussion about organic food and why we found a caterpillar on our kale and why that is a good thing.

Then, you sat for a LONG time staring and talking about that caterpillar and teaching your brother how to be gentle with it; and I was grateful.

Grateful for a little girl who may not be interested in picking up a paintbrush at the moment, but for a sweet girl who has forever been a lover and respecter of living things.  A girl who thinks, asks questions, and observes a lot for her age.

Miss Luthien, almost 2

Luthien, 3 1/2 

If you ever did such a thing as drift off to sleep, tonight I would have sung you a song I have sung since you were born, with the lyrics, "....you are you, and there's never going to be anyone like you."  Even Mamas need to be reminded sometimes.

Love,
Mama

More things we do

Forgot to include this classic shot from the Children's Museum awhile ago!

We build high towers with cool new blocks...

Read stories to eachother....

Allow Mom to make a few splurge purchases when she feels her children have been too cold/wet for too long....

Take swim lessons (note: until the experience proves to be not so traumatic for you Luthien, I will refrain from taking any pictures of you)....

Look really cute...

Make a batch of homemade playdough and decide to make pillows for our animals....

Build really cool castles with more new blocks....

Play LOTS of basketball and football together...

And build "cities" all by ourselves that include beds for our pinecone people!

We are oh so busy, can't you tell?!  Actually we have felt rather busy around here, and are continually trying to figure out ways to be home more.  Luthien, note in the last picture, you have been holding your jaw in an underbite position for weeks now, ever since reading about "Zeke" the bulldog from the Mr. Putter and Tabby series!!  It is driving me crazy!  I am trying not to bring too much attention to it and am hoping it will pass.  As we read that book from the library over and over one week, I watched the wheels turn as you stared at the pages and started pushing your lower jaw out.  And you haven't ceased since you figured out you could look like Zeke.  Really funny.

I love you two!

Mama