Art

Being creative is something that I just do sometimes. I am not all together talented at it. All Im saying is that sometimes I just feel like I need to so something artistic. My abilities dont matter. Actually, usually my abilities are what get me to stop because I feel like I just never do a good enough job.

Anyways, recently I have been thinking about the importance of art and creativity and wondering how I can encourage Matty to do more of it. I have watch so many people I know encourage their little ones to create beautiful art work and I have nothing to show for my son.

I decided it was time I started getting Matty interested in it... at least introduce the idea to him. I went and bought him some sidewalk chalk. Matty is an outside boy. We go outside for the whole morning some days (most days actually) and he plays with his balls and marbles the whole time. Now he can even be artistic.
Isnt that so cute? He took some chalk, drew some lines and then threw the chalk. It broke in two and he was all done.

Initially I was discouraged. "Oh no, he isnt interested. Did I start too late?" Then I smartened up and realized he is only 20 months.
Can you see the little scribbles near the bottom of the flower part of my oh so beautiful tulip? More of Matty's art.

I also bought him some more crayons. Big and chunky ones. He struggles to push them down hard enough but he still manages little scribbles. I have also printed out a few colouring sheets frm online and he scribbled on one of those too.

Matty is an active boy. He never stops. I am glad that I started encouraging him to do art because it is another thing we can do in the day. I must admit though, he might stick to it for 5 minutes and then is DONE! If he ends up enjoying it, the time will lengthen.

I love seeing his creativity and imagination. I only see it in his playing now but one day it will become beautiful art work that will be displayed all over the house. I am so excited! I remember seeing both Caelah and Elijah coming home with some beautidul art work they had done and rushing to show it to me. They were so proud of it, and I think they had every right to be. Their little minds created something beautiful and they want everyone to see their masterpieces. I look forward to Matty feeling the same way.

A Visit

Eleanor, Brenna, matty and Henryall sitting down after their snacks. Where one goes the others tend to follow.

Melissa, myself and Vanessa

Matty, Brenna and Eleanor on the step at the top of the "hill". We were bouncing a golf ball and doing peek a boo to get all of their attention and some smiles.

Matty and Brenna sitting on the steps at the top of the "hill"

It isnt often that we get the chance to see Chris, Melissa, Eleanor and Brenna. What was especially nice this time around is how well the kids all played with one another. Eleanor was the mom. She loves hugging and kissing her little cousins and brenna and Matty enjoyed following each other and playing on "the hill".

Big thank you to Tante Katrina for the pictures.

Best Buds

In a month our family will experience a very big change. No, nothing of our own doing but of our neighbours.

Our apartment is in a house. We live in the downstairs (one bedroom) and my brother in law and my best friend live upstairs. Since we have had children we have been living in the same house. Almost every day we see them at some point or another and we always hear them which to me has become a sound of comfort. Just knowing someone else is home.

In the morning Matthew will ask very excitedly:"Henny! Henny?" This is his request to go and see Henry. His cousin and best friend. Often, we visit outside or at one anothers apartment. The boys play happily most of the time and love to copy cat. Even if they dont end up enjoying it so much.

This coming month, they are leaving us to Carleton place. What a loss. At first I thought I would be able to handle it without any problem. Sure, it will be sad but they will only be 30 minutes away. Now it is starting to sink in. I have MAYBE 30 days left to take advantage of having my best friend in my house with me. And before that I had my other best friend and sister (my real sister) upstairs. Matthew will call for Henny and I wont be able to say "let me call and see". No longer will I look up at the window when Vanessa is asking me if I want to come up while we were playing outside. No longer will I simply be able to go upstairs in my pjs when Matty is having a cranky morning and get relief... I want to cry just now thinking about the loss we are about to have.
Its not often in our culture that we get to live communally like I have been so blessed to do with two sisters. Many people would actually dread the idea. I am mourning the loss already and I still have about a month to enjoy them. I guess we make the best of the situations we are given. I just know that for some strange reason I am not good at getting in my car and driving a long way to visit... I suppose I am too much a city girl and am accustomed to everything being so close.

Cory, Vanessa, Henry and Samuel: This little family down here will really miss you when you leave. And here we were thinking it would be us leaving first. Congrats on the new house.

Stop to Smell the Tulips

Unprepared

We had a really big heat wave in April. I wasn't expecting it. Matthew was dressed in long sleeves, pants and a jacket until we stepped outside. Into to house we go so we can change.

Shorts tee-shirt and hat. Hat? Oh no, its with seasonal clothes. Where are the season clothes? I havent got a clue.

Matty had to settle for one of Daddy's hats. It almost didnt work. Knowing Daddy wears it helped a lot.

My Boys

I went to Giant Tiger (a cheap store) while visiting my mom the other day and I found the sweetest little sweater/hat combos and felt like my boys had to have them. Here they are. Please ignore my fat face in between the two beautiful boys. And my hair... I hope it didnt look that bad. I think because you only see that bit it looks terrible... lets hope thats all it is.
I realized the sweaters had hippos on them but it wasnt until they were wearing them that I thought of my really absurd dream. At least it makes me smile, if not giggle every time they wear them.

The Little Prince

This story is an allegory of the human condition. It addresses issues like possessiveness, drunkness, conseit, selfishness, laziness, aimlessness, discontentedness. It was a really easy read and yet made you want to stop and think about what it was REALLY saying. I enjoyed it and have a couple of quotes that I like here for you.

"'Then you shall judge yourself,' answered the king. 'That is the most difficult thing of all. It is far more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then indeed you are very wise.'"
(so true!)

"It is only with one's heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
( the author focuse so much on all the people who focused on what they could see and yet never felt happy. Genuine happiness is not in our things but where we put our hearts.)

Life Of Pi

I started this book because I have been trying to make it through Middlemarch and am really struggling to enjoy it. So I thought it would be nice to take a brake from the older classics and read a more recent book.
At first I struggled to understand why this book was award winning. It was kind of boring and I was confused as to why any of the information given had any point. Then the second part of the book commenced and I couldnt put the book down. What a tale of adventure!
I would recommend this book to anyone. The beginning is a bit hard to read because it is all about religion and has some ideas in it that I dont agree with or enjoy, but they are real and still a bit interesting to hear about.

An indian boy, a tiger, hyena zebra and oran-utan... can you get more currious? Read it. Its good.

Cows???

Here's another dream.

Not nearly as funny as my last one but odd just the same.

I was in Africa (although all the people I had around me were Indian) and I was bringing supplies to a village (apparently I was an aid worker). As I am walking, along comes a few villagers to help me carry my "heavy water jug" (it ended up being this rediculously tiny water bottle) and some bag of food. A tall teenage boy took the water bottle from me and suddenly there is a hole in the bottom of the bottle. So he turns it over to try and stop the water from falling out and there is a hole in the other end. So, he puts his hands over both holes and continues walking, hoping that he is still helpful. Suddenly, a group of bad people come flying into the village. Everyone begins running around frantically. I look up and there is this cow face, smiling at me. This is not just any smile, it was a weird, plastic like smile. So large that it went from ear to ear but still shower some teeth. It reminded me of the guy from The Mask. Creepy!

Take these two photos and mix them but stretch the smile even bigger.

I run past the cow face and I see the oddest thing. All the people are running and "hiding behind poles. These poles each have letters on them and do not hide the people at all. Each time the turned one around they would spell messages to the bad people. One said g-0 a-w-a-y. (that meant it was 6 people, one behind each letter). Another said 'no' and still another said 'leave'. Me and some other white person didnt think to 'hide' and the bad people just kept casing us. We thought we could escape into some daycare we knew of so we ran in, and it was empty. Nice walls with nice colours but no one was there to protect us and there was no furniture.

Sundenly the person next to me became Ellen Digenerous and she was frantically trying to climb a wall thinking it would free her from the day care. I glanced at her knowing she would not get anywhere but didnt tell her it wouldnt work, I just kind of watched. And then I was caught. They didnt seem to care about Ellen. SHe just continued to try climbing the wall and pretended no one was there. I knew the dream was heading toward some kind of torture but then I woke up.

So strange! This is coming from the girl who NEVER used to dream. I had another dream about forts a few days ago too but I cant remember it now. I had a poast planned out for it but its all gone now.