Well, this changes everything.

This shouldn't surprise me. Noah was pulling himself up a week ago, or at least trying. What's a bit odd is that up until now he has barely sat for any length of time. It's not that he can't, he just doesn't ever stay in one place that long. I honestly thought there would be a short span where he'd sit, then work upwards from there.

But, no. He has moved directly from commando crawling (granted, he's cross-crawling, but with his tummy on the ground) to standing. As you can imagine, that makes it tough to get up. He often, but not always, pulls himself up with his hands. He's incredibly pleased once he's up.

So pleased, in fact, that he's not willing to stop there. Oh, no. Noah wants to climb. Yes, climb. And he can. He has made it to the couch (the one in the photo) several times, without my help. I've sat there and watched him do it. And even then, he's looking to move onwards. I've seen the way he's eyeing the end tables and top of the couch, and I don't like it one bit.

He has yet to understand that he can't walk away from whatever he's pulled himself up on. His balance isn't nearly good enough to try that without falling. I try to stay on him, but he's still managed a few good falls. We have a pad under our area carpet, but it still makes for a hard fall, and most of our floor is hardwood. Before, I could leave the room for a moment or two, but not now. He's also realized that the bathtub is the perfect height to pull up on, and he can probably climb into that, too. Needless to say the bathroom door is now shut all the time (which he hates). I'm not sure whether to start calling him "Fearless" or "Stupid."

It all thrills me, of course. I just have the feeling I've got a dare devil on my hands. Wish me luck.

One Cool Week

Olivia and her parents have come and gone, and I only wish they could have stayed longer. Considering we doubled the population of the house, we did very, very well.

I was a bit nervous as to how much Olivia might have changed, or what she may or may not remember about our time in Denmark. I shouldn't have worried. The moment she got off the train, it was like we'd never been separated. It was awesome. We only managed one art project together, but it was still a great week.

Olivia just finished a two-week intensive ballet class, so I was treated to several very serious recitals in the living room. She has the same knack for dance as she has for singing. Her ability to sing with such wonderful phrasing carries over to her dance, so it was honestly a treat. I'm thrilled her parents don't push her; she really enjoys music, and they let her enjoy it. She still remembers singing to the Mamas and Papas back in our Nobel Parken apartment, and remembered the John Denver tunes as well. (My favorite is still "Take Me Home, Country Roads"; she really belts out the chorus, which at the same time is kinda funny, coming from a little Finnish/Swiss girl.) Noah loved being sung to, in whatever language Olivia chose.

Given the choice, she still always wears pink.

We started with Niagara Falls, then spent one day shopping and another day at the Albright Knox art gallery. Then we went to Chautauqua, where we managed to squeeze in one winery, a boat ride, a beach trip, and a few walks. It was a crazy week weather wise, with temperatures ranging from the 60s to almost 90.

Of course, it was nice to see Olivia's parents as well. It all brought back memories of Denmark, just as I was starting to let go. Oh, well. I have a feeling we'll be visiting Denmark sometime in the next few years, anyways. A lot will depend on when we're brave enough to fly that distance with Noah. When we do, I have a feeling that at least one of us will be taking a few days in Helsinki, just to see a certain girl in pink. I somehow managed not to cry when they're train left. At least, not much.

The good news is that since we all seemed to weather the week well, it might take place again some day. I'm already looking forward to the next visit.

Three days and counting!

Olivia and her parents arrive on Saturday afternoon. I'm very excited, and a bit nervous. They'll be here a week, which is a long time for people to survive together. There will be lots of changes to take into account, too; Noah's arrival, Olivia's added age (she'll be 6 in December). It should be interesting. I'm afraid this might be an all-or-nothing situation: all great or a total disaster.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

"I'm Still Alive"

Ahh, Nirvana's song still rings true up here in Rochester. I haven't popped in in a while so I thought I'd say hi.
The Ireland/Scotland/Wales/England trip was amazing! With close to 1000 pictures, I haven't had time to go through them yet but I'm hoping to post and print them in the next couple of weeks. The weather was cool and wet but what else would you expect in Ireland? The scenery was incredible and after a couple days Matt and I actually remembered who each other was and really enjoyed the quality time together. The kids had a blast at Camp DoWhatchaWanna (aka Mimi & PopPop's house) and my mom cried when they finally left. I guess that's a good sign. After we do the Disney thing in a couple years, we'll begin planning our next overseas trip. I think we've decided on Italy and Greece.
The kindergarten reality has hit here as well. Lucas doesn't start until after Labor Day which is soon enough for me. The teacher assignments came out over the weekend so there was a buzz within the moms as to who had who. There are 5 K classes in the school. Lucas knows at least 2 friends who will be in his class which I am happy about. One is a boy from his playgroup and the other is the girl next door! He is excited and is ready to start back-to-school shopping today! In our district they transition the kindergarteners to full day school pretty well. The first day there is a K-only bus that picks up the kids and their moms/dads for their first bus ride to school. We go together and stay only 2 hours and ride the bus home together. The second day they ride the bus themselves but stay only 3 hours. The third day they stay and eat lunch at school and come home after. The next Monday, its full day. I'm doing before and after care for 2 kids (K & 1st grade) who live in our cul-de-sac and the older one is protective so I know Lucas will be fine on the bus. Now I just need someone for me!!
Connor is equally excited for school as he starts preK this year. He will have Lucas' teacher from last year who we adore. I think Aidan will be lost for those few hours. He plays right along with his brothers. It will be interesting to see how Connor does without Lucas as well; they are constant playmates.
The only other newsworthy items here are that I've become a runner. I ran my first 5K race (Corporate Challenge) in May and am running my second one this weekend in Penfield. I try to run 2-2.5 miles 2-3 times each week. Its not a lot but the exercise is good and I get results. I mostly run in the evenings, when the kids go to bed and the weather isn't so bad. I never thought I'd say it but I kinda enjoy it. Who would have thought!?

Seven more days.

Well yes, Caleb's class is having a "meet the teacher day this Friday. Then afterwards they will have an ice cream social in the gym. That will be fun. Caleb's K-garten teacher came over last thursday to meet our dysfunctional family and show Caleb some of the things he'll be doing in school. As soon as she came to our house Caleb said, "I'm tired I want to go to bed." To which I looked at him with evil eyes and said, "sit down and listen to your teacher." She is a very nice lady. She gave me instructions on things he is to work on before the first day of school next Monday and instructions on what I should and shouldn't do on the first day of school.

We received an email from his teacher to us and the rest of the class about a week ago. To which I did a reply all to see if some of the other parents would want to meet for a play date so the kids could meet before the first day of school. One parent was supposed to meet us last Tues. at a local park and they were a no show. Caleb was bummed and I was a little miffed. I had basically forced him to come because he didn't want to meet some one he didn't know and then when they didn't show that didn't help my situation any with him. I never did hear from her as to why they didn't show. Then this past Sat. we were able to meet with a family, caleb and their son got a long really well. It was nice. So at least he will know have one friend when I drop him off Monday morning. Speaking of dropping off, I'm only allowed to go in his school room on the first day and from then on I'm to drop him off in the "drop off room" turn around and leave immediately. Ugh.

It's really the small things I'm worried about, he will have to wear a belt with his uniform. I"m worried he won't get it off in time when he has to go to the bathroom and then he'll end up in an embarrassing situation. We did a trial run last night with him and he put up the biggest fuss that he didn't want to wear a belt. But I insisted and it was done. We're going to put it on again in a little bit, so I'm not looking forward to that. But he must practice, buckling and unbuckling it. That's just life.

How can five years go by so fast? I can't believe he is headed for school already!

Karen how was the movie? Hey, maybe after emily is in preschool in two weeks I'll go see that movie!

Becoming Jane

As you may know, the movie Becoming Jane is coming out this weekend! Nate and I are actually going on a date to see it! I hope it will not disappoint. I've had a bit of the Jane bug lately in anticipation. I'm working on a small quilt for a wedding gift for Anna's aid at school so I've had Austen films on in the background. I recently watched the new Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. Here is my final judgment on that work: Despite gross misrepresentation of some of the characters, primarily Lizzy's parents, it is still one of the greatest love stories ever written. It is hard to completely destroy Jane Austen's masterpiece. Matthew Macfadyen did a good job as Darcy. The whole dialog is dumbed down for modern audiences and they rely on a lot of over emotion to tell the story. Anyway, I still recommend seeing it. Just watch it twice- the first time any Austen fan will be indignant with the liberties taken. The second viewing should be more enjoyable with all that out of the way. Darcy is still rewarded with Lizzy and all is right in the world.

Visitor from the North

We had a good time last night taking John out to dinner at El Arroyo, one of our favorite Tex-mex places in Austin. I don't think the salsa and queso was too hot for him. After dinner, we came back to the house and had some yummy homemade brownies and ice cream.

On Thursday, I'll take John to have some good old Texas BBQ, and then maybe sight-seeing for a bit.

So....who's coming down next? We've got a guest room and lots of good food.