Our in-home dairy

I saw this:

And I heard this:  "Soy una vaca, MamA.  Quieres leche?" 

Kombucha Baby

So, I finally decided to try kombucha.  I read about it months ago and then a friend recently recommended it.  I bought a bottle.  It did NOT look appetizing.  It did, however, look like a healthy drink.  The cashier at the store was so excited to see that I was buying it and went on and on about it.  She did say though that either you love it or hate it. 

Upon arrival home, I excitedly opened the bottle.  I took a sip...  Yuck!!!!  Ugh.  I clearly hate it. 

Then I offered it to the boys.  I mean, it's good for you, so if I can train their taste buds to like it, I should.  G drank it and asked for more; however, BubU was confused.  He kept asking for more, but with each drink, he did this:

I guess that he hasn't decided on which side of the kombucha fence he'll pitch his tent.

The King of Africa is still rocking

My children still request Bayeti, several times a day.  Here they all are, rocking out.  G decided to play the guitar and djembe.  (Those are his new earphones draped across his head, which is really a magnetic net for a puzzle.)  And Mita decided to drop her instrument and just dance.

From and to the garden

Super-fragrant hyacinths!

And then this came in the mail!  I asked G what he thought it was and the child was convinced that it was a clarinet.  I asked, "Why?"  "Because I want to play like Benny Goodman," said GRITS.  Alrighty then. 



Thankfully, he wasn't disappointed by the sight of four pear trees from St. Lawrence Nurseries. 



Cousins... twins, twins and absent twins!

At least they all stayed on the couch?

School time

What a difference a bit of time -and all that it entails- makes!  Wow.  Mita is so much better at all of our school activities, after having taken a bit of a break.  It may be time to try the clothespin activity again!  Mmm... maybe not.  I shouldn't push it.  And with G... We did our first lesson with the moveable cursive alphabet.  So much fun!

sorting buttons for size

attaching and separating carabiners

matching... He did all 24 of them!

pipe cleaners into a strainer  (This was impossible for her two months ago!)

My idea is not to make a big deal out of the cursive and just hope that he makes the switch with no problem.  So far it is working.

A re-do!

Now, everyone knows that I had such a great time dancing at Rob's and my wedding reception, as can be seen here:

But, I think that I want a do-over, a la Wolaitta, as seen here.

Pree-vyet!

Nu scho, Ukraina?

Sara's succulents

Great Flowering Jenks!

This flower is so tiny that I couldn't get the camera to focus on it, but I needed to record the bloom as it has been years in the making.  Happy not-a-baby-anymore Elenita!

And the Christmas cactus just doesn't want to stop celebrating Jesus' birth. 

And to make MamA smile...

As if those cute faces weren't enough...

Two anti-oxidant fruit bearing aronia bushes to replace the non-edible burning bushes out front,

from One Green World

Russian Banana fingerling potatoes, from High Mowing Seed Company,

sprouting and almost ready to be planted

Some smiles

Thankfully she is still smiling: We had a longer-than-planned hair session today.

Rainbow twists and braid!  I did this hairstyle, just adding yarn for fun.

"Take my photo too!"

A mohawky down-dog

My nods to Mexico and the Netherlands

Years ago, on a trip to Mexico, we saw...

... pansies lined up, in order to lead the spirits.  Although I disagree that any spirit worth having around needs to be led, I found it beautiful.  So...

Here you can also see the line of growing tulips.  Even more years ago than Mexico, I once flew over the Netherlands in late April.  From the plane, I saw miles and miles of rows of bright tulips.  It is one of the most beautiful scenes that I have ever seen.  I look forward to showing you the mini-version of what I saw in our yarden... whenever it warms up! 

To the Bride!

Pretty things

Friends

Family

Sisters

MadLibs... What is an adverb?  Oy!

I am trying to use the gift certificate that Sara wrote for me in 1990, good for one house cleaning.  Her face tells her answer.  I had to try!

A pleased bride-to-be

A splint for my broken-winged bird

Dreams of tomatoes, ground cherries, eggplants, peppers...

Luscious, verdant, anti-oxidant glory in a box!

I believe that Chinita's baby shower plant for Elena is going to bloom for the first time under my care!

Night-time nappies drying in the very chilly, albeit sunny, breeze.

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

-Langston Hughes

Goings on

Today, BubU asked me, "Shave, please?"  I didn't understand right away because it sounded more like, "Shabe, pwease?"  But with some hand motions, I understood.  So, I humored him.  I took him into the bathroom, dry brushed his face and then "shaved" off his beard and moustache.  As soon as I finished, he walked towards the back door and said, "Bye!  Work!  See you next time!" 

A bit later I heard, "MamA, come and find us!  We're hiding!"  And this is what I found:

Finally, G has decided to add the trombone to his muscial talents, thanks to an 80s-riffic video-recording of Mario BauzA's orchestra.

The Farmer in the Dell

BubU came out of his room yesterday, dressed like this.  Yikes!  I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm the farmer in the dell," with a look like, "Duh?!  Can't you tell?"  Alrighty then!

Writing

G wrote his entire name for the first time the other day, copying it from his magnetic letters.  (Yes, I know that the vowel and consonant colors are switched.  Ugh!)  I asked him to do it and he didn't balk at all.  He wrote it out with no problem and looked at me like, "What's next?"  My baby!

G's 4th birthday!

My baby!  My baby!  Where is my baby?!

He has grown and is helping to take care of the other babies!

For G's birthday, we celebrated with Monkey Bread...

Yes, Tita is actually restraining him!

"Thank you, Tito Jare!"

... and a clock.  The child wanted a clock for his birthday, so that he can tell the little ones when they may start talking in the morning.  My dear!

At four years, GRITS likes to drum: PapA personalized his old Larry Mullin Jr. sticks for G and now he is practicing all day long on the sofa's cushions; he likes to help PapA outside; he likes to cook with me; he likes to regulate his brother and sister; and he likes to quote Heathcliff Huxtable.  G loves going to church, as well as to Beans and Barley, Rocket Baby Bakery and Alterra.  Oh!  Did I mention that he likes to eat? 

Nothing slips by G.  He is so attentive.  He is very loving towards all of us.  He prays a lot everyday. 

We are beyond blessed to call GRITS our son.  God, thank you for him!  God, make him yours!