Good thing we went out of our way to rent an 8-seater Toyota Sienna minivan, 'cause today we all went...
...NOWHERE!!!!
I even bailed on Katrina's swim lesson.
Let's see. I had a headache (it's Monday, after all). Julian had a temperature. Katrina had a late nap. Gabriel had a big timeout in his room for being too bossy and obnoxious and not letting anyone else play in the tent and tunnel. Everyone else was having fun. I thought about getting us all to Happy Hollow, but it just didn't work. But the day worked well anyway.
My brother-in-law with pruners is a lot like my niece with scissors: be prepared for a lot of clippings. Wow! He spent all day trimming our out-of-control trees and single-handedly increased property values on our block by 10%.
Gabriel declared that he and Remi were friends now. They spent some time playing together in the borrowed tent and tunnel, and apparently a permanent bond has been formed.
Julian was out of it much of the day, napping in the afternoon and fighting a fever the rest of the day, though he seemed fine this evening.
Aidan spent the day outdoors, much of it with his dad watching the arboreal surgery, and much of it hunting bugs.
Bonne Maman made a wonderful blueberry pie with LOTS of help from grandchildren!
Uncle Andreas roughhoused and ran around with all four kids tonight, with baby Katrina watching in fascination. She adoresUncle Andreas, beaming at him all throughout dinner. Julian yesterday said his tummy hurt, and he wanted a hug from Uncle Andreas. Gabriel follows Uncle Andreas around like a puppy dog, peppering him with question after question. I guess they must have been talking about planets, because I failed a quiz from Gabriel: "Which planet has no helium?"
Remi continues to test Aunt Noemi. "Aunt Noemi, where's my mommy?" she asks ever so sweetly as I'm frantically cleaning and preparing dinner. "She's in the backyard with Katrina, sweetie," I answer. Not satisfied, Remi asks again, "can you help me find her?" "She's right in the backyard," I reply, pointing to the door that she's been through 1000 times. "Can you show me where she is?" I'd have gladly played along had I not been up to my elbows in soap suds, but at the moment was unable to play the game. Aunt Noemi fails the test, again.
Katrina's mommy hasn't had much time to make full-on baby food, so Katrina's been getting more and more chopped-up "whatever's around." Tonight it was quinoa and broccoli, for instance. Everyone who feeds her declares that Katrina is a really good eater.
Indeed, the question keeps coming up: is there anything wrong with this baby? She hardly ever cries, sleeps well, eats well, smiles at people all the time, is content for long periods of time....but, she does retain one baby-flaw: she doesn't put her head on your shoulder and cuddle. I love how gentle and interested her cousin Aidan is in her.
Stephanie and I went to the Y together tonight. A rare treat for the sisters to have some time alone together. It's funny, the first years of our lives were dominated by time together, and now, thanks to our own children, we almost never can anymore. It's remarkable that we've come full circle and can share this child-raising experience together.
7/2/07
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