August?
All right now, seriously, how did it suddenly get to be the middle of August? Why didn't anyone warn me that this was happening? Last time I checked, it was mid-June and we were in the middle of a move.
It's amazing to me how much can change in a week...while I'm in the thick of the week, nothing much seems to be happening, but when I look back over it from the distance of a few days, I'm surprised at how life subtly changed in that week.
Take Josiah, for example. He has grown exponentially this summer and especially over the last few weeks. He eats supper and afterwards asks for a bowl of crackers or a peanut butter sandwich. Or two sandwiches. He's not so spindly as he used to be. He's become broader across the shoulders and more...solid. Hans is gone for the week, Josiah fell asleep in our bed last night and I couldn't move him. I physically could not pick him up and carry him, he's too heavy.
That's a strange bridge to cross and one that I didn't realize I'd crossed as the clock ticked away. Now it's gone and I sort of wish I'd appreciated it the last time I put him on my hip and carried him, if even for a short distance.
Annika has grown too. With her, I notice the maturity more than the physical growth. How she is more able to control her emotions, how very kind and giving she can be, how very tough and matter-of-fact she is. She stuns me with her fearlessness...climbing trees, grubbing around in the shrubs where the man-eating spiders reside. She is strong and brown and grubby and will touch the left behind skins of cicada. She is back in gymnastics and can almost do that cartwheel.
William...sigh. I feel like I follow him from sunup to sundown and he still manages to get himself into predicaments. He gets into the fridge and splits a block of cheese between himself and Elsa. He smears and entire jar of Vaseline all over the upstairs. He somehow gets hold of the gas can in the shed and upends it down his front, getting it into his eye in the process. He constantly turns the computer off at the power switch and pulls cables out of the back of the TV. And then he smiles and wants to hug and kiss and hug and kiss again. Such a smoothie, that one.
Hans and I have booked our official 10th Anniversary Trip 2012. I know I told most of you that we were going to Garmisch, Germany and that was our intent until we got to talking about active vs. down time. Turns out that my desire was to run like crazy in Garmisch, hike, paraglide, tour castles, and Hans' desire was to also do those things, but to do less of them and sleep in. So...we went back to the drawing board, he suggested a cruise, but nowhere warm. We have had enough of hot, sweaty weather this year. Chilly weather can't come soon enough (wait for it--I'll be bitching about the cold in approximately 9 weeks).
Anyway--we didn't want Bermuda, Bahamas or any of those other places the Beach Boys sing about in "Kokomo", so we booked an eight-night trip on Royal Carribbean to the Northeast. We're going to see Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. I am excited, first because I've never cruised before, and second because we are going at the start of October and the fall color should be fantastic. Also, we haven't been to any of these places before, so we get to put some nice checkmarks on our "places we have been" list! We both get to sightsee AND spend some downtime on the ship.
That's the news for now. We're in the prep stage for school. Josiah still lets me buy all of his clothes, so he's been "done" for awhile, since I always pre-shop for him. Maybe some new socks and undies, stuff like that and definitely a pair of shoes. Annika has been a little tougher, since she's undergone the transformation from Gymboree girl to finding her own style. Backpacks and lunchboxes are ready and most of their school supplies have been purchased, all $628 worth. I swear, the list gets longer and longer every year, and weirdly specific. Next year, I fully expect to have to go on an Adventure Time-ish type quest with Elsa to distant fictional lands to find the required plastic folders with grommets AND pockets.
Au Revoir, mon ami! (practicing French for the Quebecois)
It's amazing to me how much can change in a week...while I'm in the thick of the week, nothing much seems to be happening, but when I look back over it from the distance of a few days, I'm surprised at how life subtly changed in that week.
Take Josiah, for example. He has grown exponentially this summer and especially over the last few weeks. He eats supper and afterwards asks for a bowl of crackers or a peanut butter sandwich. Or two sandwiches. He's not so spindly as he used to be. He's become broader across the shoulders and more...solid. Hans is gone for the week, Josiah fell asleep in our bed last night and I couldn't move him. I physically could not pick him up and carry him, he's too heavy.
That's a strange bridge to cross and one that I didn't realize I'd crossed as the clock ticked away. Now it's gone and I sort of wish I'd appreciated it the last time I put him on my hip and carried him, if even for a short distance.
Annika has grown too. With her, I notice the maturity more than the physical growth. How she is more able to control her emotions, how very kind and giving she can be, how very tough and matter-of-fact she is. She stuns me with her fearlessness...climbing trees, grubbing around in the shrubs where the man-eating spiders reside. She is strong and brown and grubby and will touch the left behind skins of cicada. She is back in gymnastics and can almost do that cartwheel.
William...sigh. I feel like I follow him from sunup to sundown and he still manages to get himself into predicaments. He gets into the fridge and splits a block of cheese between himself and Elsa. He smears and entire jar of Vaseline all over the upstairs. He somehow gets hold of the gas can in the shed and upends it down his front, getting it into his eye in the process. He constantly turns the computer off at the power switch and pulls cables out of the back of the TV. And then he smiles and wants to hug and kiss and hug and kiss again. Such a smoothie, that one.
Hans and I have booked our official 10th Anniversary Trip 2012. I know I told most of you that we were going to Garmisch, Germany and that was our intent until we got to talking about active vs. down time. Turns out that my desire was to run like crazy in Garmisch, hike, paraglide, tour castles, and Hans' desire was to also do those things, but to do less of them and sleep in. So...we went back to the drawing board, he suggested a cruise, but nowhere warm. We have had enough of hot, sweaty weather this year. Chilly weather can't come soon enough (wait for it--I'll be bitching about the cold in approximately 9 weeks).
Anyway--we didn't want Bermuda, Bahamas or any of those other places the Beach Boys sing about in "Kokomo", so we booked an eight-night trip on Royal Carribbean to the Northeast. We're going to see Maine, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. I am excited, first because I've never cruised before, and second because we are going at the start of October and the fall color should be fantastic. Also, we haven't been to any of these places before, so we get to put some nice checkmarks on our "places we have been" list! We both get to sightsee AND spend some downtime on the ship.
That's the news for now. We're in the prep stage for school. Josiah still lets me buy all of his clothes, so he's been "done" for awhile, since I always pre-shop for him. Maybe some new socks and undies, stuff like that and definitely a pair of shoes. Annika has been a little tougher, since she's undergone the transformation from Gymboree girl to finding her own style. Backpacks and lunchboxes are ready and most of their school supplies have been purchased, all $628 worth. I swear, the list gets longer and longer every year, and weirdly specific. Next year, I fully expect to have to go on an Adventure Time-ish type quest with Elsa to distant fictional lands to find the required plastic folders with grommets AND pockets.
Au Revoir, mon ami! (practicing French for the Quebecois)
Comments
Your cruise sounds wonderful - a perfect way to celebrate 10 years of marriage! I know you're going to love it. Some of the places you will see are places that were on the cruise I didn't get to take. I wonder how Hans will feel being on the ship and not having to work.
I hope Josiah and Annika really like their new school.
The one neat thing about a cruise is that it's up to you if you choose to relax or do lots of events.
It's so great to hear how the kids are all growing up.