My Mother

Well Layden seems to be feeling better, he is all snotty and gross still but he had lots of fun mowing the lawn with the neighbors today. He is also really enjoying the neighbor's little 3 foot slide. Up down, up down, up, sit for a bit, down.
I have been working on another quilte for project Linus but it hasn't been going well, it is all wrinkly. I am just not terribly crafty, no matter how I try. I know, practice makes perfect, but the practice is so discouraging.
I may have a job. One of Oli's coworkers has some friends in Colfax with a 9 month old little girl. They need someone to watch her 4-5 days a week for a couple of hours (he works days, she works evenings). After we get back from Husum I will probably giver them a call and she, Cody, will come over to meet us. As a write this I realize something. I am turning into my mother. Well, a far less crafty version of my mother. If nothing else this will give me a good indication of whether I am ready to have another kid.

The writing is on the wall

Well I am sick yet again, have been for the past few days. I guess this must be a particularily bad flu season or my immune system isn't as good as it usually is. And now Layden is sick too, runny nose, watering eyes, yawning and a bit of a fever. All that didn't stop him from digging up a permanent marker and writing on the wall. Yesterday he accomplished the same thing in the kitchen but with a pink colored pencil. He is quite the artist.
Oli got some rhubarb from a coworker and today I used a bit of it to make Rhubarb Cream Delight. Shortbread sort of crust, then a layer of rhubarb, then a layer of cheesecake type stuff and finally a sourcream/sugar topping. I thought it sounded decadent, I haven't tried it yet but I hope it will taste decadent too.
Now we are watching The Rescuers Down Under because that is all either of us is up to. It was one of my favorites as a kid. It seems so different now. Layden seems to be enjoying it OK, inspite of the snuffling and fever and tiredness.

Slides

Today Layden and I stopped by the park. A lady gave us a couple of slices of bread to feed the fish. Layden was impressed by the fish, so impressed that he seemed to be very interested in climbing into the pond. Then we went to the playground and Layden enjoyed the slides. He liked climbing up the slides so he could slide back down on his stomach. He also kept climbing on the ladder to a 10' slide so I finally climbed up with him and we both slid down, it was joyous.
When we got home Layden went straight to the swamp that is the neighbors yard because they let the boys do whatever with the hose. Sometimes this results in water entering our garage through the faulty foundation. Layden promptly stuck his feet in the puddle and then later fell in and ended up quite wet and muddy. So then he got a bath, which was torture and needed to nurse. Unfortunately he fell asleep at around 5:00 and slept til 8:00 so who know when we will get to sleep.

Swamp thing

Well we had a good trip to the west side. Unfortunately my parents were there for only one evening but the kittens were quite cute.
Since we got home we have been mostly just taking it easy. We picked up some groceries and stopped by the international food store yesterday. I got Yan Yan. It is a snacky thing. Cracker sticks that you dip in chocolate, with animals and messages. For example, Goat: It's your lucky day, Elephant: Jumbo, Octopus: Lucky number 8.
Today we finally got the rest of our curtains up. Now we have privacy in the living room, I can walk around naked, or keep the sun out in the afternoon.
The neighbor boys were having fun with the hose in their yard, filling up a hole with water, then adding dirt to make it extra muddy. Layden had fun with that. He seems to really enjoy playing in the water outside. He liked the hose, the mud puddle, didn't even mind it on his head. He needed a bath before his nap, he needed a bath after his nap, he ate dirt. He didn't like his baths though, nice warm water with bubbles.
Layden woke up from his nap today with a growl. He literally growled loudly when he woke up, startling Oli and I. He is such a funny little thing. He keeps us smiling, when we aren't groaning, or sighing, or calling "not it". He was playing with Tristan in the neighbors back yard and then he started hugging him, enthusiastically. A bear hug with a little leg thrown in. Both of them were smiling and laughing it was quite cute. If only my camera was handy. Oli got some pruning done and now we have a large pile of brush to haul off.

Kittens

Not Mommy and the babies

One of my parents cats, Tucci, just had kittens a few days ago and they are incredibly cute. Eight of them. Two calico, two gray, one black and white, two black, and one gray and white, I think. I would be more sure but there are often two full grown cats and 8 babies all piled up so it is hard to tell. One of my parents other cats, whose name we can't remember, is sort of a co-mom. She is the one in the picture with the kittens, actually she is a better mom than the actual mom. When Tucci feels threatened she runs off, the other stays with the kittens and growls. Mom says that the other cat, Windex may be pregnant too so that could explain her behaviour. Yay more kittens. Any one want a kitten?
Yesterday we hung out around the house, Oli and I moved some of mom's strawberries down to the lower garden. Then we went to a very early dinner at Puerto Vallarta and dessert at A&W.
Today me and Layden and I and maybe Oli will go pick up my parents at the airport and visit Katie for a bit.

Car cleaning

Well I think we are just about ready to leave tomorrow. The house is mostly tidy, the diapers are washed so the house won't get stinky, Layden is asleep, I made muffins for breakfast and in the car, I got the car washed, vacuumed and tidied. I also made a shelf for storing shoes in my closet. Lynda and I went for a walk this evening and I took some pictures of her for her website. Then we had salad with pot roast for dinner and got the photos loaded on the internet. I planted a mixture of all the ground cover type seeds that we had along the top of the wall today. In a week or two we will see if any of the seeds are any good. Once they are growing that side of the lawn will be pretty much done.

Layden had fun helping me wash the car. Mostly he ran around with a sponge getting wet and occasionally eating some bubbles, gross. Then I shampooed the carpets from the car, though I don't know if shampooed is the right word since I couldn't find the soap and just used hot water. Then I vacuumed the car while Layden got the seats dirty climbing around and found the gum, unwrapped two pieces and stuck them in his mouth. Then he kinda gagged and threw them up, in the car, lovely. Then I "shampooed"the seats. Layden had fun playing in the car. He figured out how to put the key in the ignition, wipe the windshield, play the cd, change the volume, eject the cd and get into everything. Then Evan came over and they played peek-a-boo and just had fun yelling at each other.

Peek-a-boo rediscovered

Today it is beautiful and a balmy 76 degrees with a forecast of 80. Layden is taking his nap already so life is good. Layden is really getting into peek-a-boo again. He covers up his eyes, usually with one peeking through so he can see what you are doing, then he uncovers them, you say peek-a-boo and he grins like crazy. He does this with daddy the morning, he does this with me when he is nursing. Every once in a while he even says peek-boo himself. Layden has also discovered MnMs and milkshakes, both are very tasty. He can't resist those colorful little morsels.
The lilacs are blooming here and everything smells wonderful. I brought a little boquet inside and our house is smelling lovely.

Keys?

Layden has got the timer on the oven all figured out. When it goes off we run into the kitchen and then we open the oven, which is "hot". Layden really likes hanging out in the basement now. I think it is because we never spent much time down here before so it is a very interesting place. We had a "fun" little trip in town today. We went to the post office for stamps, then to the used book store where he got to play with a dog, even fed him treats. Then we both walked to the library, he had to stop and check out each change in the brick work. At the library he about drove me nuts pulling books off the shelves. I would reshelve and he would run of and deshelve elsewhere. Finally I just stuck him on my shoulders, he responded by chewing on my hair. (Did I mention I got about 3" chopped off?) Then we stopped by Arby's for a shake, orange cream, Layden thought it was delicious. We headed back to the car where I discovered that I did not have my keys. So we walked back to the library and retrieved them. Then back to the truck and home. I managed to get Layden to take a nap a little earlier today so he only slept til 5:00 not 7:30. Hopefully we will be going to bed soon.

Figuring stuff out.

Today we had a busy day. First thing this morning Layden and I went on a 7 mile walk with Lynda. Layden fell asleep for about the last half hour, thereby delaying his nap until around 4ish. We came home and Layden played outside while I worked on finishing off the gravel in the front yard. Then we came in and I mixed up dough for bread, cinamon rolls and plain rolls. I put half as much yeast as I should have in one batch but it turned out just fine. Probably because I locked the dough in the bathroom with the space heater, close to 80 in there I would guess.
Eventually I got Layden to take a nap. While he was napping I finished baking, washed dishes, made the final cold frame, started some laundry and generally tidied. I finally woke him up at about 6:40 and he was not impressed, he did not want to be awake. We went down to Lynda's at about 7:30 and watched "Night at the Museum". Then Layden was all wound up and we played for a bit. He is really starting to figure things out. When we got there I took him out of the truck he followed me straight to the door and waited for Lynda to come open it. Then when it was time to leave I put on his coat, Lynda said good by and he waved. He held my hand to get down the stairs and then held it all the way straight to the truck. When I opened the door he tried to climb in on his own.
We got back home around 10:00 and he really wasn't ready for bed so we went downstairs to clean. I got the main room tidied up and swept. It looks immeasurably better now. The floor is clean, the junk is put away, and there is even a rug on the floor. I started working on the workshop but that is a much bigger project. I got the downstairs bed made up with clean sheets and everything. The Olsons will be staying at our house next weekend since they are coming down for Dieter's graduation. If you don't book hotels about 4 years early around here they become difficult to find around this time. We won't be here to visit unfortunately. We will be visiting my family, fortunately. It is good because we will have extra motivation to tidy the house before leaving and it is ever so much nicer to come home to a tidy house.

Slacking off.

We took a break yesterday to go grocery shopping and today it rained so we haven't made much progress. I did get some of the garden planted today. Carrots, onions, radishes and lettuce, all the stuff that won't mind if we get another frost. Tomorrow we should get the greenhouse tunnels up and then we can plant most everything else. Sadly we are a bit behind on somethings but hopefully they will have enough time to ripen.
Layden definitely nows how electricity works. Today he dragged the crock pot over to an outlet, the only outlet that happed to not have the child protector in, and was trying very hard to plucg it in. He was quite disappointed when he couldn't get it to work. Now he is cuddled up under a blanket next to his daddy on the couch. I have such a cute baby.