Laowai

Reminding myself to enjoy these ordinary days. Trying to let the little domestic frustrations of life slide off my back. Trying to quiet the voice in my head that reminds me how fast my little ones are growing and how fleeting childhood is. 

These quotes and poems are ringing true today.

 

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.
— Mary Jean Iron

 

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
— Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

 

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” 
— Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

“God must have loved ordinary events, because he made so many of them” 
— Abraham Lincoln

 

“Do not hurry. Do not rest." 
— Goethe

Staying under our awning because we finally have hot and sunshine:

 

working on maximizing her chubbiness:

 

A painting by my careful, neat, little artist:* 

 

As for me – I’m lamenting the fact that chocolate has become a staple on my grocery list. It’s so good and so cheap here that I’m like “Oh we need milk, eggs, butter and of course chocolate” every dang time I go to the store. Also the laundry is constantly nipping at my heels. I think it’s because my washing machine is tiny compared to a US washer and both the washer and dryer cycles take forever. Or maybe it’s just because I spend my free time sitting in front of my computer instead of folding laundry. Hmmm.

Also, trying to capture the elusive smiles:

* My artist who regularly sleeps with on books – I just went into her room to peek at her and I had to pull the books out from under her. 

For about a week I kept telling Brian that I swore Claire was smiling during the day. She’d flash me some grins and wide mouth smiles just one or two fleeting moments each day. But I wasn’t sure – I thought maybe they were still just practice smiles. Then tonight at dinner I was holding Claire while talking to Brian and I looked down to see that she was trying to get my attention with some unmistakable smiles. Brian even got to see them from across the table. And she even did some quick giggling with her mouth wide open and her eyes squinting. Oh my – I’ve been waiting for this and now I’m hungry for more. 

 

 

One other thing that makes me grin lately – Bea sometimes refers to Claire as our baby. So cute.

Finally we had a very summery weekend and we’re soaking it up as much as we can. 

The summer sports are in full swing. I loved watched lots of Wimbledon this week. We had friends over to watch a World Cup game on Saturday. And the Tour de France is about to start – can’t wait for that.  

Brian took Bea to explore Lucerne on Sunday. It’s about an hour and a half from our train station. Looks like they had a good time. I got to have some much needed quiet time at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also went to our local strand bad – it’s like a beach without the sand. They have a big grassy area where everyone lays out there towels – and there are steps down into the lake. There are plenty of shade trees which is nice when you have an infant. There’s a little cafe, a playground, barges to swim out to, water slides, a sandbox and a great kiddy pool. It’s all set up very nicely as most things around her are. And blow me over with a feather – the admission fee is cheaper than what I paid to go to the beach in Evanston. I think we’ll be spending more time there now that the weather is actually feeling summery.

 

When Mom was here she was remembering and singing a song that Grandma Dice used to sing when Mom was little. It was a catchy tune but I couldn't figure it out – it sounded like some heavy accent or foreign language. Well Mom asked Grandma about it and now I have the key to this nonsense song that is perfect for singing to a baby. It's about mares, does, lambs and kids. I can't stop singing it and it makes me think of my Mom and my Grandma.

Brian had some pinch me moments this past Sunday. We went to The Tour of Switzerland bike race and all the big name international bikers were there. It was a time trial so we were able to get a good view of each biker. We saw the best bikers from the US like David Zabriskie, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and even Lance Armstrong. It started out terribly rainy but then the rain stopped and we really enjoyed the excitement of it all. Bea was happy because she got some free loot from the vendors and Claire stayed cozy in the stroller. I practiced my action shot photography and got a picture of almost all the riders. Now I have new respect for sports photographers. Lance took second and Frank Schleck, from Luxembourg, won the overall race. Next maybe we’ll hit The Tour de France. 

The time trial was the last stage in the nine day race. It was held in Liestal, an hour or so from our place by train. 

 

 

 

 

Mmmm – time for a snack.

 

We held Bea a lot – mostly Brian did – because she couldn’t see over the barriers. Brian’s back paid the price.

 

 

 

Here comes Lance.

 

Everyone got their cameras out and there was the biggest noise when he came by.

 

Here’s Brian checking the roster on his Blackberry.

 

 

 

See the smile on Brian’s face – it was a good time!

Duh – that was stupid of me wasn’t it – getting the weekend of Father’s Day totally wrong. I’m thankful I mistook the weekend before instead of the weekend after at least. Here’s Bea making a potato stamp card for Daddy and then there’s a photo of Bea celebrating with her Daddy. We made rice crispy treats with hearts. Bea added the sprinkles with enthusiasm. And we had a mug made with a picture of Bea and Claire – it’s becoming a tradition – a mug every year. The mug came in the mail the day before and Bea could not keep the secret. As soon as Brian got home from work she blurted out, “we have a secret, it’s a mug for you”.

Happy Father’s Day Brian – again.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying dressing Claire in whatever I darn well please. The knee highs crack me up.

 

Oh gosh – this house is full of stubborn. I’m currently in the middle of a battle over trying the potty for two minutes. I won’t go into that. But I will point out the fact that Bea and I are two of a kind – we both have this dangerous combination of introverted stubbornness. My mom was recently remembering the time that I refused to go to school. After some coaxing and battling she just shoved me out onto the porch. She expected that I would give up and walk to the bus stop. I remember it was a chilly morning and I was practicing my art of stubborn-shy-drama. My mom recalled how she was dismayed when she realized that I wasn’t heading off to the bus stop but defiantly staying on the porch. I don’t remember how it ended, but I remember the feeling that I had that day and many others. I didn’t enjoy it but something inside me made me resist giving in. The more I dug in my heals the more I could not seem to give up the fight. Bea is doing that now and it kills me. I don’t want her to have this ridiculous trait that I have for being stubborn. I just wish I knew how to help her get past it and be at peace.

 

 

Here are some shorts that I made recently and as expected they have not been worn. I stubbornly refused to make them out of pink fabric and Bea stubbornly refused to even try them on. I used another Oliver + S pattern. I love the little pockets and I love that they are made from some of Brian’s old pants. And incidentally don’t you think they would look charming with a pink top.