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Last night I had the wonderful and rare pleasure of going out all by myself. I wanted to pick up a few things for our trip, things mostly for Daisy. My theory is that if she has some new toys and books, perhaps our plane ride together will be enjoyable!
First I hit Borders, which apparently now closes at 8:00. So I had 5 minutes to grab a few books. Probably got more than I should, but we all love books around here.
Next up was the library to pick up a book for Darin and a magazine for me. Since I was all alone I even sat down for a few minutes to glance through the new issue of People. Ahhh...that's the life.
Lastly, a swing through Target rounded out the goodies. Airplane essentials of gum and chocolate bars were also purchased for us parents.
Now to get it all in our carry-ons!
(The pink backpack was given to us awhile ago by Aunt Charisse, and the little ducky bag will hold all those farm animals. Oh, and that video player was given to us by one of Darin's co-workers and is great on long trips!)
So my Mom left a bunch of paperback books here a while ago, and I need to pick one to take on vacation. I've narrowed my choices down, but now I need your help. If you've read any of these, let me know your recommendations. If not, which one would you pick?
Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
From the jacket:
Broken for You is a debut novel of infinite charm and tremendous heart that explores the risks and rewards of human connection, and the hidden strength behind things that only seem fragile. With a riotous energy that recalls the works of John Irving and Anne Tyler, Kallos brings to life a delightful set of characters—among them an old woman who converses regularly with her porcelain collection; a young woman who can fix a leaky sink but can’t stop her own tears from falling; a Yeats-loving bowling enthusiast; and a woman who survived a world war with her sense of humor (and her affinity for Hawaiian shirts) intact.
When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. But as the two begin their tentative dance of friendship, the armor begins to fall away and Margaret opens her house to the younger woman. This launches a series of remarkable and unanticipated events, leading Margaret to discover a way to redeem her cursed past, and Wanda to learn the true purpose of her cross-country journey. Along the way, a famous mosaic artist is born, a Holocaust survivor is reunited with her long-lost tea set, and a sad-eyed drifter finds his long-lost daughter.
Funny, heartbreaking, and alive with a potpourri of eccentric and irresistible characters, Broken for You is a testament to the saving graces of surrogate families, and shows how far the tiniest repair jobs can go in righting the world’s wrongs.
The Widow's War by Sally Gunning
From Barnes & Noble:
Married for twenty years to Edward Berry, Lyddie is used to the trials of being a whaler's wife in the Cape Cod village of Satucket, Massachusetts—running their house herself during her husband's long absences at sea, living with the daily uncertainty that Edward will simply not return. And when her worst fear is realized, she finds herself doubly cursed. She is overwhelmed by grief, and her property and rights are now legally in the hands of her nearest male relative: her daughter's overbearing husband, whom Lyddie cannot abide. Lyddie decides to challenge both law and custom for control of her destiny, but she soon discovers the price of her bold "war" for personal freedom to be heartbreakingly dear.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
From the jacket:
Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.
The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional--but is it more true?
Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
From the jacket:
All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist.
The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.
As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.
Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.
The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.
Darin had Tuesday off last week too. And as we went to bed on Monday night we were trying to come up with ideas for something fun to do the next day, but with rain in the forecast weren't coming up with much.
Sometime in the early morning hours I had the thought about the Children's Museum in Seattle. So when I got up I checked out the hours and pricing online and pitched the idea to Darin. He was in right away.
I forget how much stuff you gotta pack for a toddler and a baby, even for a day trip so we decided to make it easier on ourselves and not pack a lunch. After all: it was a holiday (St. Patty's) and we could splurge on lunch out too!
Seattle is just under an hour from our house so the trip was totally do-able. And so totally worth it. We all had a blast! Daisy, of course, since the museum was for her. MJ always enjoys time hanging in the Bjorn. And us grown-ups were pretty impressed by the quality and variety of displays. We arrived around 11:00, broke for lunch at 12:30 (Yummy, but expensive burgers at the Center house) where we were also treated to seeing some cool Irish dancers, and were back in the museum until about 2:30. That was when it was abundantly clear that putting off nap-time was no longer a good idea! Even with all that time there were at least 4 exhibits we didn't get to.
As we were leaving we decided to put our admission fee towards a family membership, and pay the extra $10 for the opportunity to bring up to 4 people with us (for free!!!) each time. We're already planning more trips to Seattle and I can't wait to bring Jen & Amy and their herds when they visit in September.
But next time we'll pack a lunch!
Warning: lots of pictures ahead. A bunch of my favorites from the day.
I don't so much love it when Darin has to work weekends. But I do love it when he gets to spend two days home with us mid-week to make up for it. And now that I've got a little buddy hanging around too, having Darin home is even better.
Wednesday was our big ultrasound appointment and then out to lunch to celebrate. Luckily, our new favorite pizza spot is just across the street from the doctor's!
While waiting for lunch, Darin entertained Daisy with a great rendition of "5 little monkeys". She had a blast playing along doing the motions. And I figured since he was making a fool of himself in public, I'd make a fool of myself too, busting out the big camera and documenting the occcasion.
After naptime we decided to head outside for a walk and ended up on the paintball field. There we found lots of dropped paintballs that had expanded a bit in the recent wet weather. Let me tell you how much fun we had stomping on those balls and watching them squirt everywhere. Daisy was on the hunt. having a blast with every one!
I wish we had our video camera with us so you could hear the little evil laugh she did as she went from ball to ball. It was totally cracking us up.
We kept warning her not to pick them up, to just use her feet. But Darin wasn't quick enough this time and I think the squirt in her face was enough to teach that lesson for us!
And our little buddy? She was content hanging out with Darin.
Anyone need a subscription to "Parents" magazine? I've got a free gift subscription coming with my renewal and I'd hate to see it go to waste or to someone who already gets the magazine. This article made me smile yesterday. A favorite pic of my little buddy from last week. I love where I live, but just behind my house is the storage area for the horse manure they scoop every day. When the pile gets too big the tractors and the trailer truck go to work hauling it out to pasture. Today is that day and while the guys are hard at work I can't help but noticing the steam rising from the pile and being totally grossed out by it. That manure is OLD people, and it still steams? Who can explain this to me? I'm getting ready to host 20 folks here this weekend for our 4-H State Ambassador meeting. Luckily, we've got access to beds around here. I'm just worried about cooking for everyone in my small kitchen! That's all I got for today. Tomorrow...more fun pictures!
a baby!
Couldn't be more thrilled that she is healthy and growing well.
Can you see a baby in this profile?
Here he is sucking away on his thumb, just like his big sister.
What? You didn't think I'd give it away that easily, did you?
We'll be doing our best to keep our secret for the next 18 weeks. Here's our new fridge display:
We are big fans of the pigtails around here. They keep the mass of hair out of her face and they are just so darn adorable. And as long as Daisy has a show on in front of her, she happily sits long enough for us to put them in.
They usually last all morning.
But you just never know what's gonna happen to them during nap time.
My favorite are the days when Daisy wakes up with a tail pointed in a totally different direction. Guess we know which side of her head she slept on!
Look at it! Totally verticle. So cute I could just scream.
And it just doesn't help that she's still all post-nap-sleepy-sweet too.
Summer Day
"Darin had the morning off to help his boss out with Vacation Bible Camp and I was still on maternity leave. That July afternoon was just too hot to go back to work, so we joined a whole bunch of church friends at Bloedel Donovan park on Lake Whatcom for boat rides and swimming. Darin had to bring along his giant super soakers, and even Daisy found a good spot to take a nap. A perfectly lovey summer afternoon. 7/11/07"
Her new toy?
I made this page over a year ago but one of the pictures got scratched and it took me this long to finally order a replacement.
"I was so excited to buy this gift for Daisy. But what did she want to play with? The mint box and pail of nuts from Gramps' stocking. No more fancy toys for her!"
Christmas 2008
I decided to make this collage of Christmas memories to go in my album. Some of these images are scrapped separately for Daisy's album. I used a free photo collage template and printed them out on my own printer.
Nice Try
My goal was to make this page look all "lovey" until you read the journaling!
"Every so often Darin gets the urge to let his facial hair grow and it just never really works out. I can tolerate the scruffy only so long and it just never fills out well. Eventually he'll get tired of not kissing me and shave it off. Good thing I love him either way."
Winter Wonderland
I made this page with a kit I won last month. Turns out the woman who makes the kits is from Idaho Falls, a place where someone I know and love also lives!
Easter Card
Free Day
Journaling taken directly from the blog post about our day at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.
a BUSY Easter
"This year I led a children's choir that sang during both the celebration and regular service. We celebrated with Darin's step-brother Kenny as he was baptized. And I also sang on the worship team during the main service that morning. Whew...it was a busy one. Darin? He took pictures! 2003"
cupboards
"Little Miss One-Year-Old, you are so curious! We have locked most of our cupboards in order to keep you out, but have kept a few open for you to explore. And explore you do--by climing right inside! You're always keeping us on our toes. (Summer 2008)"
my big win!
"I never do the carnival games. They are too expensive and I'm sure I wouldn't be very good at it. But at the fair in Lynden this year I decided to give it a go. Rolling balls up a little incline to race a boat. Crazy as it was, I won! That's me standing up and cheering, I was so excited. And there's my new little friend I won. Not the giant toy, but perfect for me. Thanks Darin for letting me play! 8/11/05"
And thanks, readers, for letting me share!
We've got a new buddy around the Gemmer household.
Isn't she cute?
This little sweetheart is spending her days with us for the next few months while her Mama goes back to work as a teacher. Her name is Maezie, but we call her MJ. A little easier than a name that rhymes with Daisy, don't you think?
Speaking of Daisy, I think she's in love. Full of kisses.
And cuddles.
And showing her just how the toy works.
We'll be getting lots of big sister practice in!
Look! More belly. My belly button is currently working its way to an obnoxious outy position and for this, I am not too happy.
What? You can't see the belly. Okay, I'll take off my sweater.
What? You want more? Man, you guys are demanding!
That's Mr/Ms Spud at 20 weeks. Halfway there! Of course, we haven't been following the progress like we did with our first pregnancy, so this morning I spent a few minutes looking it up. Spud is now 7-9 inches long and about 1 pound. Here's some more if you're interested.
I felt some flutters at 18 weeks and the unmistakable tiny kick last week. Darin even got in on the action and felt some movements too. My OB nurse was very surprised at this, until she had to track the busy kid on the dopplar last week and had a hard time getting a reading. "Enjoy it now," she told Spud. "You're apartments about to get a lot smaller."
March 18th. Hopefully the day of the big "reveal". I scheduled our appointment so Darin can take us out to lunch afterwords. Smart on my part, huh? And we're going to bring Daisy too. I'm curious to see her reactions if she gets it at all.
Still planning to keep the gender to ourselves. I'm still planning to switch pronouns on this here blog, but in conversation we decided yesterday that Darin will use the male pronouns and I'll get the female. It's already been decided, so one of us is gonna have the tougher job in a couple weeks.
I'm pretty sure we're having a boy since we've got a girls name all set and are still working on the boy one. I think we need to come up with it before reveal day, otherwise if we find a girl Spud our motivation for a boy name greatly lessons, and you all may become suspicious! So far our leading boy candidates are Dustin and Devan and I'm really liking Allen for a middle name. Any suggestions for us?
I think that's it for today! Anything else you're dying to know?
Daisy caught me with the camera on her yesterday as she was playing, and this is what she gave me.
I thought I had a little longer before I had to deal with the cheesy smile.
Saturday afternoon was a time for chores. After taking the recycling to the transfer station and getting his hair cut, Darin decided he wanted to get rid of the rotten planters in our yard and use the dirt to fill in some holes in the lawn (from the previous tenants dog). When Daisy woke up from her nap, I sent her outside to play under Papa's watchful eye, while I continued to wash my floors.
When Darin broke out the grass seed, his trusty assistant was by his side.
I'm really proud of how much Miss Daisy enjoys helping. She's getting good at putting away her toys, hanging up her coat, and putting her milk in the fridge after dinner. Last night I even had her help me set the table by taking the spoons and forks from the kitchen to the dining room. It was the sweetest thing ever to see her standing on her tiptoes reaching up high in order to get the silverware actually on the table.
On Saturday she was a happy girl sticking her arm down in the bag and "sprinkling" her seed. You just had to laugh at the clumps you knew Daisy had done.
But I guess that's the key to toddler help: you've got to be okay with what that help looks like. For now, I'll take it, because I want to cultivate that giving spirit in her.
Now if only I could teach her how to unload the dishwasher and scrub the toilet!
