April/May Picture Dump

April and May (especially May) were so full of special events and holidays and birthdays, so this is a dump of photos from the other days. These days were special, too, but they can be explained briefly. 

This first one explains itself. She loves bubbles. And she gets really brave and lays on her back in the tub. If you don't think that sounds exciting, then you haven't seen her face when she does it.

Alexandra and I went to the aquarium on May 11th. I don't usually remember dates, but it was Mia's birthday. It happened to be the day before my aquarium pass expired. I am probably renewing the pass even if we only go a few more times, just to support it. We got to stand INSIDE the otter habitat, sort of! See the otters lounging on top of each other in front of us? Alexandra was really impressed that their little habitat has a slide. 

The next picture is of Alexandra looking at the pufferfish. Ever since she watched a Little Einsteins episode which has a pufferfish scene, she's been interested in them. Matthieu's Kindle has a digital aquarium with a pufferfish named Einstein, that puffs when you tap it. The pufferfish in real life doesn't puff, since it doesn't feel threatened in its aquarium tank. I briefly contemplated tapping the glass to try to freak it out so it would puff for Alex, but decided to not be a terrible person. I really like to see the penguins, and sometimes pet the stingrays, and Alexandra likes to see the sharks and the jellyfish.

 

My mom's friend from Finland came to Utah for visit, so Alexandra and I met up with them and another family friend in Salt Lake City for some staycation touristing on Temple Square.

 

Random pictures from a late April visit to my parents', on a neighborhood walk, in which she is wearing a sweater which my mom knit in the 80s, and being forced to wear sunglasses even though she is tired and doesn't want to:

My parents have come down to Provo three (?) times for Benjamin's track meets. We had dinner together at La Jolla, a restaurant with faux lemon trees inside Who needs a hat rack when you've got two trees right by your table?

The following three pictures are from one of many recent visits to the duck pond 2 blocks from our apartment:

 

I just spent the last 2 hours uploading and organizing pictures from April and May. Just April and May.

Easter: Sunday Best

Spring is such a rejuvenating time. I'm enchanted by the rich fragrance of the tree blossoms. I swear, the sight and smell of trees in bloom inject happiness into my veins.

The phase that we're in now, though, is a little stressful for a planner like me. We don't know where we'll be in the fall, or after that. We can't buy plane tickets, find housing, fully plan storage, or prepare ourselves emotionally for changes ahead, because we don't know the whens and wheres and how-much-moneys and for-how-longs. It doesn't sound that bad written down, and I am aware that I'm incredibly blessed, but while I'm packing up my little family's first real home and get ready to move to a summer sub-lease, while my husband pulls long hours in the week before finals with a full-time job, I can practically feel the hair falling out of my head.

Enter Easter. It didn't really make me feel less stressed, but it did remind me to balance the worries of today against the eternal scheme. Jesus Christ overcame the world for me; He swallowed up my sorrows and sins; He wants me to be happy. And you, too. And every person, ever. I hope I'll sharpen my vision on that Gift a little more each day.

And on a more shallow note, look how cute! Alex's Easter dress was my sister's and mine when we were her size. Her hat was in the Target $1 aisle (yes!).

 All the cousin-friends who came to my parents' (except one, who was napping :( ) sat on the porch, per this tradition:

(Amanda and me, ages almost-4)

Here's the cousin missing from the group photo, trying to blow bubbles with Alex:

After a delicious dinner, Alex got to finger paint for the first time, on some eggs, and I used the video on my camera for the first time (thanks, Rob!):

 
Alexandra's Easter morning egg hunt (per Matthieu's family's tradition):
She was a good little hunter, albeit not very greedy. She'd play with her eggs for a while before we prodded her to find more. She brought all her found eggs to Tori's boyfriend, and they practiced naming the colors. Then she arranged them on the couch in a row.  Once she knew there were fruit snacks/Oreos in the eggs, she inhaled the contents of all nine. She moved the empty shells to the bookshelf.

It's fun to be at a bustling house for Easter, but there's always someone missing. Thank goodness for Skype, eh?

Easter: Baby Animal Days

 

Alex loved the little girl's room in the loft of the pioneer house.

 

  

For a few minutes, we watched the blacksmith making pliers that could last a lifetime.

 

Alexandra was so gentle with the baby duck she held all by herself, and with the bunny we held. I really wanted to take this Mini Rex home with me.

 

During the super-long wait in line for the ten-second pony ride, Alexandra entertained herself by placing pebbles, one by one, into a pocket of my mom's purse. My mom kept the rocks in the pocket for the duration of our visit, which Alexandra appreciated.

 Pony ride! She giggled when Matthieu put her up on the pony. This is one of her favorite activities, right up there with singing and collecting gravel. 

I don't have a picture, but Alex spent a good five minutes checking out the chickens, and tried to feed them grass by scooping it up and throwing it through their fence.We also ran into our friend Q, saw how pioneers dyed eggs with plants, and admired a goat, a few bison, a tractor, and a Model T car. (We=Alex, me, Matthieu, my parents, and bro Benjamin.)

Baby Animal Days is an annual event at the Jensen Historical Farm in Cache Valley, Utah.

Party Time: February & March

GROUNDHOG DAY family craft

SUPER BOWL deluxe spread, thanks to my mama

watching the game (Super Bowl) with parents, Mia, and Benjamin, and cousins M, S, and kids, and Benjamin's friend

gloating cake: Matthieu vs. my dad  (Super Bowl)

LASKIAISTIISTAI (FAT TUESDAY) laskiaispulla

VALENTINE'S DAY decorating cupcakes at Sheena's with friends

Valentine whipped cream-frosted cupcakes

ST. PATRICK'S DAY hunting for gold coins with B and T

hunting for gold coins, made much more exciting once they were discovered to be chocolate  (St. Patty's)

coloring (St. Patty's)

Tasi's leprechaun cookies (St. Patty's)

What should we do? Riverwoods?

We go to the Riverwoods in Provo just about every Friday, and sometimes more often.

Live music, lights, walking areas, fire/water/flower decor, and heat lamps draw crowds of pleasant people to the outdoor area. We eat at a variety of restaurants, and I stare longingly at everything in the store Soel.





We love to test out the toys at Blickenstaff's. They've always got a fun display, and classic toys mixed with contemporary toys. The staff is friendly and patient, and there are mini shopping carts and little vehicles I call trike-alternatives for children to play with. I like to check Blickenstaff's first for all of my toy purchases. Once, we bought Alex chocolate-covered gummy bears from their candy bin wall. She devoured them one-by-one, until she realized she only had one left. She carried her last piece of candy around for a full thirty minutes before Matthieu convinced her to just eat it already.

At Provo Beach Resort, we can let Alex run, climb and slide the toddler playground, have a skee ball competition, shoot baskets, try to teach Alex to bowl at the toddler lane, ride the carousel, and get ice cream--all for under $10. Matthieu and I are fairly equally matched in our skee ball skills, so it makes for good friendly competition and not-as-friendly trash talking. Once, we braved the ropes course (thrilling!), and once, we played mini croquet on a double date (expensive, but fun). We've also dueled in the laser course (overpriced 30 seconds), and had "dinner" at the grill--I recommend the kids mac 'n cheese and the curly fries, if you're in the mood for heavy, non-healthy food. If you get ice cream, I recommend the "Saratoga". We have yet to surf, play golf in the simulator, or relax at the spa...but I want to try everything.

*Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with Riverwoods nor Provo Beach Resort. Blickenstaff's will give me free candy for blogging about them, but all opinions are all mine. I wrote this for journaling's sake.

Spring Has Sprung

We had a mild winter. Alexandra didn't even get to build a snowman. Other than that, I enjoyed the not-too-frigid temperatures. It feels like we've had an early spring, despite the groundhog's prediction last month. We ventured out to the yard on a few cold days, but mostly went out when it was 50 or warmer, and then stayed out for hours. Mostly, we played in the complex yard, Scera park, and other playground parks, but we also visited BYU's unofficial duck pond, Riverwoods (shopping center), and Farm Country (petting zoo). Indoors, we played at our home or Haylie's home, Provo Beach Resort (at least once a week), and the Treehouse playground in the mall.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Alexandra is articulate. She talks a lot, and her memory is stretching further and further all the time. These are her current favorite phrases:

All Day Every Day:
"Kattoo [Watch] //Muumit/Pew [Pooh]/Einsteins/Little People/World Music/Apina [Monkey: Curious George]/basketball//?" If one show is declined, she goes through each one to see if she can watch anything.

Drifting Into Sleep:
"Hauska hevonen [Fun horse]," while remembering how much she enjoyed her pony ride last week.
"Hassu kalkkuna [Silly turkey]," while remembering how the turkey in Sandra Boynton's Red Hat, Blue Hat puts his (or her?) shoe on his head and his coat on backward, among other dressing foibles.

Mealtimes and Bedtime:
"Rukous [Prayer]," because once we teach her something, she doesn't forget...unless that something has to do with her mortal safety, like running away, darting into the parking lot, or coming when she is called.

Playing:
"//Vauva [Baby]/Gifa (Girahvi) [Giraffe]/any toy on its back// nukkuu [is sleeping]."
"Leluäpäki [Slide]?," by far her most requested activity, though while at a playground she may only actually go down the slide once or twice.
Observations such as "Poika menee alas liukumäki [The boy is going down the slide]," or "Koira juoksee [Dog runs]," or "Siinä on [There is a] //vauva [baby]/lentokone [airplane]/koira [dog]/pyörä [bike]//."
In the swing, "Ke-ke-shi (Rocketship)?" so that I'll sing the rocketship song (from last summer's swim lessons, but give her a super-push in the swing instead of lifting her high out of the pool).

Breakfast:
"Puuro/Oatmeal" or "Vohveli [Waffle]", sometimes "Cereal".

When I Am Paying Attention to My Google Reader Instead of Her:
"Tietokone pois [Computer away]!"

When Matthieu comes home, re-enters a room, or she wishes he would come home:
"Dad tuli [Dad came]!" or "Dad tulee [Dad is coming]!"
"Watch basketball?"
"Feed fish?" because Matthieu's Kindle has a digital aquarium that he (supposedly) set up for her.
"Hi, Dad!" is one of the first sentences she spoke. She also says "Bye, Dad" "See ya, Dad" "Dad kouluun [Dad to school]" and she says,  "Dad kotiin [Dad home]" when she doesn't want him to leave or misses him (which breaks my heart).
She also sometimes just shouts a random word out of excitement to see him when he first walks through the door, like "Shoe!"

Outside at Night:
"Tuossa on kuu [There is the moon]!" She is an expert moon-finder. Matthieu and I picked up the habit of looking for it whenever we're outside at night from her.

Reading:
She says, "A. K. O," while pointing to words or letters, and "Two. Free. Four. Five" while pointing to numbers. She can consistently count to quantities of five, and Matthieu has heard her count to six.
She has a few of her favorite books memorized, I think, because she will randomly blurt out the word as it is being read, such as "happily" when Clifford wags his tail happily in Clifford's Apple-Picking Day.

Singing:
She knows all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and most of the alphabet song (in English). She also sings along with a few words to "You Are My Sunshine" and her bedtime lullaby "Nukkumatti". She loves music and has lots of favorite songs, including "Shake Your Sillies Out", "Korro Korro Kirkko", "Old McDonald" and "Oravan Pesä". When she was sick yesterday, she lay on the couch and looked at me and started singing, "Voi, minun, voi minun, pikkuinen tyttö...[Oh, my, pity, my little girl...]" from a song about a sleepy girl that I sing sometimes.

I could do this all day. She has lots of words, but I wanted to remember a few that mark the special phase of life she is in now. This is the phase where she likes her oatmeal unsweetened but would willingly subsist off of fruit snacks, is thrilled by the moon and any dog (real, drawn, cartoon, toy), takes showers (not baths) like she is twelve and curls up with her Pooh blanket and pacifier like she is tiny, runs away as fast as she can without looking back, reads books in someone's lap as long as possible, and thinks her parents are the coolest people to chill on the couch with any night of the week.
We think she is the coolest person to chill on the couch with any night of the week.