Anna LOOPT! En dan echt lopen, niet alleen maar van meubel naar meubel. Ze liep vanavond de tuin zomaar in, alsof ze de koningin van Breda is (en dat is ze ook een beetje :-) 

Grass (or sand) is always greener..... 

Lachuh! Anna voor het eerst met krijtjes bezig... 

Anna SITS on her art, Mirthe WEARS it.

Flower Girl 

At the end of the day, kid and clothes all go in the wash... 

Eric painted the back fence, we have a new bench, the apple tree is in bloom. 

The kids' sandbox is an old washing tub filled with sand and an ever mutiplying tribe of "sandbox stuff" -- this weekend we cleaned it up and filled it with new sand, and moved it closer to the kitchen door, so I can keep an eye on those two (and intercept any attempts at eating sand by Anna.)

For Dave, who always wants to know what I am reading :-)

I've been reading a blog I found after a long day linking (from blog to blog) It's written by an amazing woman named Tara, and it's about her four kids and her life -- not sure what she does, photographer I think, and she's pretty crafty -- tons of wonderful links there, go take a look (if you've got a chunk of time to explore the whole blog.) Here's the link:

http://tarawhitney.typepad.com/me

Anyway, I got this poem off her blog.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Hier is de originele foto... 

Een jaar geleden (25-04-04) Een van mijn favoriete foto's van Mirthe -- met de digitale camera genomen, en ze zit natuurlijk nooit stil dus het wordt altijd een beetje wazig -- maar het laat haar wel zien zoals ze is, continu in beweging.... 

Alle bloemen bij elkaar! 

I've been making these little felt flowers lately -- you cut two "three leaf clovers" out, needle felt them together with a little bit of colored wool, and then sew a sequin or a few seed beads in the middle. They look nice just scattered around, but I'm trying to think of a more permanent use for them -- like on a hat, or the edge of a dress. Anyone have another idea? 

Van ver weg kan je het niet zo goed zien, het was toch ietsje gezelliger toen het op het veilingkistje stond.... 

Seizoentafel april 2005 

Mirthe kreeg een vergrootglas van Opa Pake. "Dan kan ik lekker beestjes bekijken in het gras." Helaas regende het en was het niet echt lekker buiten, dus morgen misschien. Ze heeft het in ieder geval meegenomen naar bed, voor het geval dat er beestjes in haar bed zijn. Nou ik hoop van niet! 

Vandaag op bezoek bij Opa Pake in Harlingen. Anna smult hier van haar allereerste Friese Duimpje. Lekker vond ze het!  

Mirthe and Anna in the garden, last weekend. We hung Anna's swing up for the first time -- man did she have fun! Laughed the whole time and kicked and screamed when it was time to get out. The only downside is that they can't swing at the same time -- but then again, this way they learn about taking turns, and get to push each other around (with mama and papa's approval!)

Anna and her cute-as-a-button cherry shoes from Robeez. (I hope they have another sale this summer!) Anna loves to "cook" while I'm working in the kitchen. She pours herself coffee or tea or whatever it is that toddlers drink, and then stirs it furiously until I think her arm is about to fall off (she does it with both arms, not just her "good" arm but also her erbse parese arm) Then she takes a sip and looks at me as if it's the most normal thing in the world, a 14-month-old drinking tea. 

She can put the shoestrings in the high tops, she just can't tie them yet herself. Still, I think that's pretty amazing for a three year old. (Notice the inside-out tights? Her idea. That's my girl!)

Mirthe dresses herself these days. (And picks out Anna's clothes too, if I let her.) Here she has on an interesting combination of Laura Ashley and HEMA, in the favored color scheme of purple/pink/red. She hauled it all out of the Needs To Be Ironed basket (where all the good clothes are, you know?) so I'm glad the picture is a little fuzzy and y'all can't see how I let my children run the streets of Breda in unironed clothing.

Hanging out on the Feeding Ducks Bridge.... 

Yesterday Anna had her last shots -- the BMR and the Men-C (I'm not even going to pretend I know how to spell meningitis in either Dutch or English) She didn't seem to mind the shots at all, after the first agonizing minutes -- but when we got home and I started getting dinner ready while the girls were playing in the living room, she took a nasty fall from her trike and that just threw her for a loop. She cried off and on until she went to bed. She'd missed 2/3 of her nap because of the shots, so she was already really tired -- and she must have had one heck of a headache after that fall. Anyway, she ate two pieces of cucumber and a Danoontje (yoghurt-like dessert for kids here) and went to bed at 6.30 (together with Mirthe who was also looking a little peaked) -- an hour and a half before her usual bedtime. My evening felt so long, by the time I went to bed at 11.30 it was like I was pulling an allnighter again.... Today, the Day After The Fall, you can see her big blue bump, above her left eye.

After lunch today Mirthe wasn't feeling well, so she hauled all the "sick bed" necessities -- her own pillow, my baby blanket, her Spooky -- downstairs and asked if I would set it up on the couch. Okay then... Anna was busy doing her own thing and after about 15 minutes of stillness she noticed that something was up with Mirthe. She bun-shuffled over to the couch and patted Mirthe really sweetly on the head. And then stuck a finger in Mirthe's eye. To cap it all off, she gave her one of her patented Anna-kisses: really wet, with a little snot thrown in for good measure. She means well! 

Sisters... 

This is a typical Anna moment -- her expression, her pose, the way the sun always seems to fall on her, no matter where she is in the room....