Quotes May 23 - June 21

June 21

Me: "Spencer, would you like some more casserole?"
Spencer: "Yes."
Then, with eyes shining proudly he added: "Yes, please! That's how you say it in French!"

June 19

Spencer and Collin were in the middle of an argument when Collin finally squared his shoulders and said, "Oh, yeah? Well, if you say that one more time, you're gonna clean the poop from my hamster's cage!"

Collin doesn't have a hamster.

June 10

We were at the reenacted pilgrim settlement in Plymouth, Mass. Alongside the pilgrim town was the native village. In that village was a native man who had his head shaved in a mohawk, was wearing furs, a loincloth, carved necklaces, multiple earrings, mocassins - full "Indian" garb, the real deal! He looked like he'd just stepped out of the 17th century! Spencer walked up to him, looked at him for a moment and said, "Um, excuse me, Where is the Indian Village?"

May 23

Me: C'mon, boys, it's time for lunch.
Spencer: Aw, I wish we could have dinner! Tyson gets to eat dinner right now.
Me: Right now it's time for lunch. Dinner is at nighttime.
Spencer: Dinner is at nighttime? Well how come Tyson has supper when we have dinner?

Oh, the joys of dialect!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to ...



"Not Me! Monday" was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have "not" been doing this week.

Last Monday I did NOT take my kids to the children's museum in the city for an afternoon of fun, did NOT take loads of pictures of my kids running around a big jungle treehouse, and then did NOT get secretly annoyed with another father who had some cross words for Collin after his foot touched the little girl in front of him because he didn't wait long enough to take his turn on the slide. I did NOT silently console myself that the other little girl will probably grow up malajusted because her parents protect her from playing with other children in an environment that isn't bubble-wrapped. No, not me! After we left the museum my jaw did NOT drop open when another father walked up and asked me if we were Vlad's family because he recognized his professor (Vlad) in Spencer. I did NOT right then and there decide that my public attitude had better improve because THEY are watching!!

On Friday I did NOT go to my doctor's appointment only to find out that I'm dilated not a single speck - after all that poking and pounding and grinding and contracting. And they did NOT tell me that my little baby is probably front-facing, which will make labor more difficult. I did NOT leave my appointment frustrated to the point of tears. I did NOT still describe my doctor to Vlad as a "happy Jesus." I really love my doctor! That night I did NOT feel too vulnerable to be comfortable returning to the country, and so we stayed in the condo. We did NOT forget about the dogs who were locked in the kennel at home.

Claire did NOT get sick on Friday and did NOT end up puking all over herself, me, her breakfast toast, and some clean laundry on Saturday morning, including my cushy white sweatpants that still fit my belly and are NOT currently still in the dryer in the condo - *sob* an hour's drive away!

Our previous tenant did NOT leave a trash bag full of what we assumed for two months was personal belongings but turned out to indeed be trash that apparently included meat of some sort. It did NOT stink up the entire garage to a putrid smell in the summer heat. We also did NOT have many trash bags full of our own personal belongings in the garage, adding to what must look to any potential buyer as a nasty-smelling garage full of trash. I did NOT decide to pack up all of our garbage bags into proper boxes and did NOT almost puke when I moved the bag and found worms underneath! I did NOT have to bleach the floor three times to bring the garage to a decent simply-garage smell.

Vlad did NOT take the boys to a PG movie on Friday night, still not convinced that PG in Canada is not the same as PG in the US. The boys did NOT come home white, jittery, and wide-eyed, and immediately begin telling me how they were scared to death about the movie they'd just watched, which apparently included apocalyptic accidents and "angel" beings that came and took all the children away to a different solar system without parents! We did NOT play Tom and Jerry for them to help smooth out the bumps in their little psyches before bedtime, and they did NOT both have nightmares and difficulty sleeping that night. No more equating Canadian ratings to US ratings!

We did NOT pick out a boy's name just in case our little girl turns out to be a little boy.

Collin did NOT have such a good time at his birthday party that he is already planning his next birthday. He is NOT planning on getting a pterodactyl for his fifth birthday.

I am NOT getting very excited about receiving the keys to our new house tomorrow. And I'm definitely NOT thrilled about the couch-burning party we have planned for the much-worn couch that shall never leave our little town.

I have NOT given up on ever going into labor, and I know I'm NOT stuck like this forever.

What have you NOT been doing this week?

Posting Comments

Hello, Everyone! I was telling my mom this morning that since May I've had 1600 visits to my blog, but only about 10 comments. I would love to hear more from our readers! It's been brought to my attention that when you try to post a comment on my blog, a word verification comes up. If you type a comment and verify the word, inevitably it will show in red letters that the attempt was unsuccessful, BUT if you verify the word again, inevitably it will post the comment. I have no idea why this is, but it's a consistent pattern. So if you want to leave a comment, you can try twice and hopefully the second time will be a charm. :) I have also changed a few of the settings for comments, so hopefully it will be easier to leave comments without so much hassle.
I look so forward to hearing from more of you, our friends around the globe!

Photo of the Week

These are two of my favorite photos from this week.

This young couple decided to pay a visit to my neighbor's yard, where they laid down for a long rest.

My little girl.

Thursdays with Carmen

These days I seem to be trudging along. Part of it may actually have to do with the fact that I am physically trudging, or walking in circles, meaning that I have to circle my hip around the baby with nearly each step to avoid hip misplacement because she's pushing down so low on that particular region... But it also has to do with the load of work we are carrying at the moment, and the less-than-average capacity that I have for doing it. I admit to feeling overwhelmed. Piles of unpacked things....piles of packed things....piles of laundry, both clean and dirty...piles of dishes (is there no end to this evil?!). I look at these piles of packing and moving messes and will them away. And I slowly plan to address the situaiton. So far, planning is all I've gotten done. I'm not sure how it's going to get done without me getting in gear, but I know that eventually by the end of the summer we WILL be moved out of this house, out of the condo, and into the new house. I have visions of all FOUR of our children snuggled warm in their beds and me sitting on the couch with a mug of tea and visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. When I'm overwhelmed, I skip to this cozy picture and know that we WILL get there....eventually.

One day at a time!

Today.....

I am Thankful for....a very logical and caring husband who has an overloaded work schedule and still manages to spend time with the kids and to lift my load when he can, my baby girl's smile, barking collars, and bug spray.

I'm listening to...my boys discussing why their Backyardigans cartoon stopped prematurely. All we have for tv watching right now is prerecorded shows since our dish was blown off course and we have yet to call the dish company.

Looking forward to...a fresh, new start in our new house. We got the insurance all worked out today, so that means we're just waiting for keys!!!! hooray!

Praying about...safety for various family members in difficult situtations.

What's for Dinner Tonight... Probably potatoes broiled in olive oil, chili, and salad.

Missing....a pink tie-dyed croc shoe of Claire's, both of Collin's croc shoes, the packaging tape, my motivation to rise to the occasion and do the things that need doing, and my super-duper battery charger.

Happy Thursday!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival that I'm joining was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have "not" been doing this week. And you can take a moment to say a prayer for her baby boy, Stellan, who is battling a serious heart condition.

Not Me! Monday is a way to celebrate with humor the craziness, the odd moments, the bumps and lurches that life throws us during the past week. I just decided to jump on the train this weekend, so I haven't been taking mental notes all week, but I'm sure I can find something to write about.

Let's see....Since Thursday marked four weeks until the baby is due, I have NOT entered the final month countdown and taken to sitting on the couch for too many hours of my day in hopes that me waving the white flag of surrender will bring baby early. I have NOT been timing Braxton Hicks contractions, even though I know better than to do this, as all my other babies have not come a single second early. I am NOT keeping Vlad notified of every one of baby's movements, and every symptom of labor, real or imagined. I am NOT secretly hoping that baby busts a kung fu move and breaks the water "accidentally." I did NOT actually have this imagined future conversation in my mind:

Baby's martial-artist friend: I can break a brick with my bare hand!

Baby: Oh yeah? Well, I broke WATER with my bare hand! Top that!

When I hear conversations like that in my mind, I do NOT wonder at my own sanity and it does NOT strengthen my resolve to have this pregnancy be the last!

Our boys have NOT been enjoying the yard and the weather this week, and that has NOT resulted in about 20-30 mosquito bites on each of them. I have NOT considered adding calamine lotion to the bathwater to see if that would take care of the itch, rather than applying it to each individual itchy spot.

I did NOT forget that Father's Day was fast approaching, and did NOT have to be reminded on Saturday that Father's Day was the very next day. On Sunday, I did NOT have to call my own father three times before I realized that he was indeed a father too - a fact that had so far NOT slipped my mind! I did NOT realize I had nothing planned to celebrate with my own hubby and father to our four children. I did NOT hope that baby would bail me out and come on Sunday so I could give Vlad a baby for Father's Day. The kids and I did NOT pull "Happy Birthday" cards out of my card box and cross out the "birth" part and write "Father's" instead. We did NOT get dressed and drive 20 miles drooling over the anticipated fried food and brownie with ice cream only to pull into the parking lot of the one restaurant within reasonable driving distance only to realize they were closed on Father's Day Sunday, no matter what their marquee said. Vlad did NOT take it all in a very calm stride, offer to take me to a restaurant across the Canadian border. Instead of that hassel, we did NOT then drive back home in the rain and go to the gas station to scrounge for snacks and food and then head home to have a living room picinic instead of a sit-down dinner. Collin had NOT finished his hot dog before we reached home. We did NOT watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" while eating. Vlad did NOT choose to eat leftovers from the fridge rather than the gourmet food we could find at the gas station. Vlad did NOT gather his tired self and still help me bathe the kids and put them in bed. And I did NOT promise myself to do a heckuvalot better next year.

Happy Father's Day, Honey! You're the best!

Camping in Massachusetts

This is a set of photos I thought I'd put up from our camping time in Massachusetts.

Vlad and the boys enjoying the campfire.

Sing to tune of Christmas Carol:

"Squash is roasting on an open fire..."

Spencer and his much beloved marshmallows.

Collin up to his usual monkeying around.

After Vlad's conference in Boston we were ready to take off for the last leg of our trip to Illinois for my brother Morgan's wedding. Despite some van trouble and a replaced fuel pump along the way, we made it in time for the wedding. Morgan and Kyra were married on June 14 and are now happily honeymooning in Cancun. Unfortunately, I didn't pull out my own camera, and instead relied on the fact that our talented cousins were photographing the wedding and reception, and so I hope to get some of their photos coming my way before too long. Until then....congratulations, Morgan and Kyra! We wish you many happy years.

Our own family is now nestled happily back in Minnesota, awaiting the seller of our new house to give us keys. At the very latest, we will be able to move into the new house in 9 days. We are eagerly anticipating the change. We are also eagerly anticipating the arrival of Baby Katya, who is due to arrive on July 17....if she holds off that long.
Thanks for joining us on our quick tour of the eastern US! Stay tuned!

Native Village, Plymouth, MA

The native village was just next to the pilgrim settlement. The people who "lived" here were not in character, but only in costume. The construction of the main house was the most fascinating building. They also showed us how they were roasting trout and making "strawberry bread" over an open fire in the traditional ways. So this village was also very interesting. The boys found a friend there too - a cute little native american girl in full costume. They kept asking her "Are you an Indian?" And she got so frustrated and finally said, "Well, this... isn't... India!"

The main meeting house made from poles and overlapping slabs of tree bark.

Inside the main meeting house. The woman at the end is a native woman, sitting in the traditional spot of authority with the visitors to the village sitting around on fur-covered benches to carry on conversation and ask questions.

"Um, excuse me, Where is the Indian Village?"

The boys and their new friend.

A burned out canoe.

Plymouth Plantation

Plymouth Plantation is a reenactment of the first Pilgrim settlement, alongside a native village from around the same time. We visited this place the day after we'd explored Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. The people who "live" in Plymouth Plantation are in character and things are pretty realistic. For instance, I entered one house and was looking around when I realized that the open fireplace (no actual hearth or pit - just a corner of the room with a chimney above) had a real fire with burning embers! Not exactly kid-safe, wouldn't you say?! They also had livestock that we could feed, and several different buildings in various stages of development so we could see construction practices.

Main Street, Plymouth Plantation.

Yes, that's the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

Inside a small wooden one-room home that was typical of that settlement.

The boys feeding a goat. The biggest attraction for kids!

A pilgrim guy making wooden siding for their half-finished construction.

A Pilgrim woman talking to some school children about her plot of land and her garden.

I actually don't know what this is, except for very funny!

Random Photos

Okay, I know I'm biased, but I thought this photo was about the cutest thing! My little girl is so ornery! And I also have to say that this is very near the look that she has when I say I can see my Grandma in her. My precious little Claire Bear!

Now, this is admittedly a very strange pic to post right after an adorable pic of my baby girl. But I was rather appalled to find Collin trying to drown this ant with the hose in our yard, to no avail. It was the "to no avail" part I was appalled about. It wouldn't die! And there were many of them out there! Is it just me, or is the the goliath of all ant species?! Anyone ever seen an ant this big? Are they dangerous?

And last but not least, this is a shirt I couldn't resist buying for our little Katya. Hey - every baby has to have a snazzy wardrobe!

Plymouth, Massachusetts

We left off with our road trip in Washington, DC. After DC we headed up north toward Boston. Vlad's conference was in Boston, but our camping spot was just about a one-hour drive south of there, near Plymouth, Massachusetts. It turned out to be a fantastic spot for camping! We were only a 15 minute drive from Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower II, and Plymouth Plantation. Although I had really intended to go into Boston for at least 2 out of the four days we were there, the week quickly became all about the pilgrims and early American history for me and the kids.
Plymouth, Mass, was a beautiful Kincaid-like town, very inviting, and very family friendly for visiting the tourist attractions.

Plymouth Rock has a mini parthenon built around it and is caged off on its age-old place on the beach in Plymouth. From what I understand, it's not verified that the pilgrims actually anchored to this rock, but it makes for a nice story and a stimulated economy in Plymouth. :)

The rock is about 3 1/2 feet across.

The Mayflower II is an exact replica of the ship that the Pilgrims came over on. There were 150 passengers, the crew, 1 ton of cargo, and steerage that all fit on this little boat! It sits anchored in the harbor at Plymouth, only a stone's throw from Plymouth Rock.

The harbor at Plymouth.

The town of Plymouth, Mass.

Since we all know pirates were a huge part of early American history (LOL), the boys purchased pirate swords at the gift shop and tested their skills outside - a good distance away from passersby.

The deck of the Mayflower.

My kids climbing around in the hull of the Mayflower.

Washington, DC

After our quick visit to Fredricksburg, we stopped in Washington, DC, for the afternoon. I'd never been there, and I was amazed by the beauty of the city, the cleanliness, the miles upon miles of beautiful buildings.....Everything was immaculate and picture worthy. We hopped on a double-decker bus to tour the city in record time. So although this isn't a standard set of photos in Washington, DC, this is our afternoon in a nutshell.... :)

This is the guy in front of us on the bus, trying to keep his head from being sunburned. Evidently, he's receded farther than he realizes.

My boys being angels on the top deck of the bus. Gone are the days when they tried to climb over the rails!

My favorite part of DC - Georgetown. Beautiful shopping area.
Yes, this is the Department of the Treasury. And yes, those are my children lurking around the barred windows.

My boys finding a way to make a playground out of a monument - this became a slide!

I don't remember what this building is, but I love the photo! :)

Claire and Collin on the front seat, upper deck of the bus. Lots of fun!!

We passed this sculpture, and Collin said, "Hey! I think I just saw a giant hand back there!" Again, don't know what it was for!

I highly recommend the bus tours of DC. It was a great experience, and I'm SO GLAD we decided to make that unplanned detour.

Fredricksburg, Virginia

After Charleston, SC, we were off to Boston via Fredricksburg, VA, and DC. At Fredricksburg we took a little bit of time to visit the battle site of the town of Fredricksburg with the infamous Sunken Road and stone wall where a massacre of Union soldiers occurred during the Civil War.

Here is Collin between the old stone wall and the sunken road.

A civil war photo of the same stone wall and the sunken road.

Modern day photo of the same place.


Spencer standing in front of a door badly scarred from the Battle of Fredricksburg.

The little fire that wouldn't.

At our campsite in Fredricksburg, we tried for an hour and a half to get this pile of wood to burn. We even burned half of the Scooby Doo coloring book as a fire starter, but to no avail. In the end, we had an evening without a campfire.

For all those of you who have been curious about KOA cabin camping, here are some photos of our cabin in Fredricksburg, VA. We were nestled back in the woods - the same woods where so many soldiers have camped and fought during the wars in our country's history. It was a very beautiful place, and the cabins were cozy. So far we've only rented one-room cabins, so the boys have a bunk bed, Vlad and I have a double bed, and we set up the playpen for Claire. When the kids are a little older, we'll rent two-room cabins which come with two bunk beds.