So, the weeks just fly by and it's already March! When did that happen?! There is still a lot of ice on the side-walks and grass, but the 4-inch layer of snow that we've nearly constantly had since November is finally gone! (A couple weeks ago, as we were driving, Sofia excitedly shouted out and started giggling , "GRASS!!! I see grass!!! That means it's almost summer!!!" That right there was a sure sign to me that it has been winter here way too long!). We are all looking forward to the warmer months ahead. And although it's still about 0C (32F), it actually feels a bit "warm" outside compared to what's it's been.
We have been busy bees these past two months. Our newly renovated bathroom had been giving us some problems. They're all fixed now, but we can assuredly say that we won't be contracting with the same company again. Chris has been working diligently evenings and Saturdays to finish our entry way. Tonight, we will be laying the floor...heated tiles. It's exciting to see things transform in this wonderful little house we live in. (We will send pictures after it's all done).
Emmy is growing and learning so much. She's always coming out with phrases and words that we had no idea she knew! Yesterday Chris was playing with the kids and she turned and looked at me and said, "Silly daddy!" She has such a determined personality. Her and Sofia both love to sing and dance, but they don't like singing and dancing together. So, they take turns and when it's Emmy's turn, Sofia is not allowed to sing at all, or Emmy'll will tell her a big fat "NO Fia!!!". So, she sings her little song and when she's done, she gladly says, "Fia's turn". She's also very keen on her Sunday coat and shoes. She never wants her snow coat and boots on, which makes every morning getting dressed a real struggle (every morning except for Sundays). It always surprises me how such a little person can have so many opinions about things! (watch out teenage years!)
This is our new way of getting around the grocery store. Plop her in a cart, give her a banana, and we're good to go!
Sofia is also growing! She is now 4 years old and that's only one year away from an entire hand! In her little mind, 4 is pretty big and she acts like she's the queen of the world! Yesterday we were going to take the bus home from the mall and as we walked outside, we saw all the buses pulling away. We started running so we could catch ours, and just as it was starting to pull away, we flagged it down and the bus driver, seeing this crazy mom running with a baby in the stroller and a four year old in hand, kindly let us on. I was quite proud (and surprised) that Sofia had run all that way and complimented her on her speed. "Sofia, I can't believe we caught the bus. We made it because you had run so fast!!! You're like the fastest 4 year old I know!" She proudly replied: "I know!!!" That girl has got confidence! Sometimes a little too much. Last week, we were eating sandwiches. I had made a nutella (chocolate cream, kind of like peanut butter) for the girls and a ham and cheese sandwich for me. Sofia looked at my sandwich and asked, "don't you want a nutella sandwich also?" "No, I like ham and cheese better." "Oh, but I don't. I like nutella better." I explained that sometimes two people can think two different things and both be right. After thinking about it for awhile, she said, "But, Samuel says sometimes that I have to think what he thinks or else I'm wrong." "Hm...I wonder why he says that?" I asked. "Ya, I really don't know." "Maybe when he comes home from school today, we can ask him and then we'll know why." Sofia initially accepted that answer, but quickly changed her mind. "No, that's not a very good idea. I have a very smartidea. How about I ask him when you're not there, then I can come to you and tell you what he said." "Oh, ya, that sounds like a much better idea. You know, you're really smart Sofia." And again, the over-confident little reply, "I know."
The other day Sofia asked if I could be her grandma instead of her mom, and I said that I couldn't. I could only be a grandma to hers, Samuel's and Emmy's kids and that it didn't matter anyway because they already had two great grandmas. She was still a bit disappointed, but quickly added that she was definitely going to have kids (Samuel's definitely NOT going to have kids) because then she could decide everything and that she would decide that her kids could have candy EVERY saturday, not just on Easter, Christmas and Birthdays like we have it now
This is Sofia at her dance class. Emmy and Samuel sometimes gets to come along too. Samuel sits quietly next to me, playing with some toy he brought, but Emmy can't sit still. Every now and then, she just can't fight the urge and has to simply run out on the floor and start dancing with her older sister. It's adorable.
Samuel is, believe it or not, also growing! Not, only in age, but in size! He's actually quite tall. Most people mistake him for 7 or 8. Samuel is also very inquisitive. The other day, after reading scriptures, Samuel asked, "So, wait...is God the King or is Jesus the King?" I tried explaining that they were both kings and that hopefully someday we too can become kings and queens. He really liked that idea!
Samuel is extremely creative. His fantasy takes over all the time and when he plays, he really plays! He not only plays Star Wars, he becomes Star Wars and is pretty good at entertaining himself for hours on end. Last week our friend Jenny came over and helped with some crafts for the kids. She talked about a couple different animals and showed different pictures, then the kids got to create their own homes for the animals. This is Samuel working on his creation. He took it seriously and was very detailed oriented.
On Saturday we got to go to this huge Sci-Fi convention. Samuel was ecstatic! Sofia, not so much, but Samuel convinced her to come along by letting her choose the movie we'd watch that night. She reluctantly came. Samuel was in heaven and had a hard time concentrating with everything totally awesome going on around him. They had tons of stands full of Star Wars, Legos, SuperHeros, movies and books everywhere. And not only that, but PEOPLE everywhere as well. Why I thought it was a good idea to bring 3 kids to this place alone was a good idea, is beyond me. So, before we even got there, I made sure Samuel understood that we weren't there to buy anything, just to look at all the cool stuff. Samuel has a hard time being satisfied with what he has and is always wanting new toys. Although it was hard, and it took a couple reminders, he accepted the fact that we were just there to look pretty well. Finally, towards the end, there was this stand full of random star wars figures just laying there. Samuel so desperately wanted one, but was trying to be good. Finally, he said, "can't we just ask the guy how much they are?!" So, I flagged down the guy behind the stand and asked him. When he said 50SEK (about 7USD), Samuel sadly knew that was too much. He wanted me to ask if there was anything for 10 SEK (1.5USD). I knew there wasn't and I tried to tell him and move on, but he wanted to hear it from the worker, so I finally said, (mostly out of frustration) that he needed to ask himself. With all the noise and shuffle of people there, it was hard to get the mans attention and Samuel being the somewhat shy guy had an even harder time. He turned to me frustrated and asked if I could just ask. I told him I wouldn't. So, finally after awhile, he timidly asked if there was anything for 10SEK. The man looked at him and then at me and smiled and said, "sure, if you look through that box, and find a guy you like, you can have it for 10SEK." Samuel couldn't believe it! He was almost too excited to look through the box. I'm not sure if he was more excited that he actually got to buy something or if he surprised himself that he had dared to ask himself! Needless to say, it took another 10 minutes to look through the box and find just the right one. He did find the perfect one. (Sofia a bit jealous, quickly asked the guy if she too could have one. She could, and within 30 sec found the perfect one.)
Samuel standing proud. (Emmy was terrified and clung to me crying saying "scary" over and over. Hence, the somewhat fussy picture).
Anyway, that is probably more than anyone ever wanted to read at one go. But, there it is anyway. We will be better at posting...i promise!
long months of winter, you wake up to this:
