I've seen better days....

I'm excited that Quinn is 6 weeks. It's a marker that tells me normalcy can begin. I've already cleaned our carpets, baked bread, and done many other mundane projects like vacuuming and grocery shopping without Hans. I've noticed that it's been almost thrilling to accomplish these daily tasks because it helps me to feel like I'm getting back into my groove. (Ah, the daily adventures of an at home mother.)
I've been thinking of ways to get back into shape and I've set a goal to run another 5k in September.
I found a partner and started jogging a couple of weeks ago to prepare myself for the grueling 3.1 miles. As I was going up a hill the other day I couldn't help quoting Joseph Conrad's, Heart of Darkness, "The horror! The horror!"


On a less painful note here are pictures of Hans & Quinn. I really love seeing my family dressed up on Sundays.

Hans looks especially handsome in a white shirt

Oh Quinn.

Quote of the Day

Indian Summer 2009 You never know if or when it may happen. So in a way it's a gift. Only better.

Bugs are gone. Autumn with its still in-between air sits in the wings while you savor the warmth of summer as it comes back for another bow.

I like it because of its unpredictability. With the straining effort aided by new technology of society to capture and predict, I appreciate the freedom and the surprise. -Robert Redford

Bees, butterflies & birds

Summer has been lovely this year. I've seen Cardinals, Blue Jays and Golden finches. When I first saw a gold finch, I thought someone's pet bird had escaped from it's cage, but then I noticed they were all over the place and that these oh-so-stunning birds were God's gift for us Minnesotans to enjoy.



Conrad loves nature a lot more than me and he has become quite excited about the butterflies that visit our community. So far he has caught a 2 Mourning Cloaks and 2 Monarchs. He begged and pleaded to pin and frame them and so we framed one of each. He's hoping to catch a Swallowtail next. Apparently they are gorgeous.


Amelia is such a sweet little lady. Whenever she sees flowers she wants to pick them for me. (She learned from her brothers.) Sometimes its a dandelion, but her most recent pick was this puff of hydrangea.
Funny thing happened yesterday, while she was handing me an extremely large freshly picked dandelion, I looked and noticed their was a fat and fuzzy bumble bee still pollinating the flower. Amelia dropped the flower and alas I did not get anymore flowers that day.

What the....?

How did it happen? Somehow Quinn is over a month now. My sweet little honey is weighing in at nearly 12 lbs and has traded his spindly arms and legs for chubby rolls, has filled out his cheeks to make them more kissable and now has a double chin with a little neck fat to pooch it out. It's all adorable, naturally. His eyes still cross at times and he spits up on all my clean shirts, but he's sweet and has started smiling now and again when I talk to him. Conrad says I "baby him, but that's okay." an interesting choice of words, don't you think? Some things I've noticed about him are that he has Conrad's cowlick and Riley's dimple on his chin and his right cheek. And I'm afraid my baby is part werewolf because he has this extra long hair on the tips of his ears. I'm trying to capture it on film, but this werewolf trait has been most illusive due to the blondness of his ear hair and can only be seen by the naked eye.

I know I have quite the obsession with his hands, it goes back to day 1.

I have decided not to buy Quinn shoes or sock until it gets cold because I think his little feet are so just delicious.

Life keeps moving on...

In my life, when something major happens, like having a baby, it seems that time stands still waiting for me to recuperate. But it doesn't, and my friends and family continue to live and change. So as I have been trying to hold on to the last glimpses of Quinn's birth, my children have said and done some very funny things.

Our community is all a blur with boys (including my two) between the ages of 5 - 11 zipping around on their bikes. They generally ride in a group, (I won't call it a bike gang) with my lovely Amelia trailing behind them. These are good boys and they are not trying to get away from her, rather she just can't keep up. But Amelia is a smart little girl and not easily daunted, so she finds short cuts and back ways so as to be with them as much as possible.



Amelia: I want you to take the training wheels off my bike.

Me: Oh really, do you want to go faster like the boys?

Amelia: No.

Me: Hmmm. (slightly perplexed) Then why?

Amelia: Because then Kinzie won't be able to ride it anymore.



Let me explain. Kinzie and her family just came from Egypt to live in our community and they are all very nice, but Kinzie only speaks Arabic. Ergo it is impossible to explain to her that Amelia has had a new brother come into her life and, although she doesn't know it, she is feeling displaced and needs normalcy in her life until she adjusts. AND she doesn't want to share her bike because it's her new toy AND she loves it AND if you keep taking it away from her, she's already made plans to push you off of it etc., etc.

Conrad's dream is to live on a deserted island and live off the land (definitely not my dream). And for a while he was not a big fan of Cub Scouts, but as more adventures are happening and outdoors skills are being learned he is discovering that Scouting will be his ticket to surviving on the island in LOST. This is his 2nd year of Cub Scouts and this past activity they went fishing. Well Conrad was happy to report that he was the first one to catch a fish and that it only took him 1 minute and it was a "Delicious Bass." (Actually it was about 6 inches long and he didn't eat it. I just wanted to quote Napoleon Dynamite.)

Hans & I have been busying Riley and Conrad with summer school, soccer and archery. Wednesdays are pretty long for everyone because of school, soccer and cub scouts, but Riley being the peacemaker and a cup half full sort of guy takes it all in stride.

Me: Sorry this has been such a long day.
Riley: That's okay. I like long days.
Me: Really, why's that?
Riley: Because that means I'm doing lots of fun things.

Isn't he sweet?

Happy Birthday Hans, Mason & Riley!

Where did the month of June go? I know I had a baby, but I wasn't asleep for the last 3 weeks.

While I was baby-mooning, (get it? instead of honeymooning.) Hans had his 33 birthday and Father's day on the same day. It was so sad, Hans wanted some new running shoes and while we were out on a random shopping trip, he picked out the ones he wanted and I said "Happy Birthday/Father's Day." No spontaneity, excitement or pizazz, just running shoes. :(

I did sort of make it up to him the next week, while my brother was in town. Mason's birthday is on the 26th, so on his birthday we had Hans' favorite meal: steak and potatoes and homemade mint ice cream cake (Mason's favorite.)

Mason came up to visit and help out a couple of weeks ago, just before he left for his mission to San Antonio, Texas. (Spanish speaking.) My kids were in heaven. He took them all swimming almost everyday, played chess with Riley, held Quinn, entertained Amelia and talked about scouting & out door adventure stuff with Conrad.

Mason was determined to get the 1st extended family picture with Quinn.
I think to make our mom jealous.)

Quinn is such an angel. Mason wrapped him up and I snapped a photo of my little sweetheart.

Riley's birthday landed on a Sunday and he wanted to do the friend thing on Monday, so his birthday was fairly low key. But the kids did go out and play with sparklers and I got to play with my camera's shutter speed. (These pictures are all taken with a 10 second shutter speed.) Below are pictures of them all writing their names, err, backwards. ( I need learn how to invert pictures.)

Conrad

Riley
(his is actually the most legible.)

Amelia (with the help of Hans)

I think Hans might legally change his name to this symbol, just like Prince.
(You know Prince is from Minnesota.)