Winter is starting to feel a bit long. Not that it's been bad (after four years of unrelenting heat, definitely not!), but just a little, well, ho hum. A sure sign of that is our February photo album: eight photos taken the entire month. Our days all look pretty much the same, with the exception of Sunday (which look like all the other Sundays). Ramont's been helping an uncle lay a hardwood floor in his house, and I've been doing some farm accounting about two mornings a week. Ramont's also been attending some type of farm meeting (lunch included!) pretty much every week, and I volunteer at the MCC thrift store once in awhile. We see my folks a few times a week either at our place or theirs. Now and then we have folks over for a meal, which helps inject some new ideas into the system. Here we are waiting for some lunch guests (Jonathan is driving truck, obviously).
Ramont built wood frames for two twin beds for our guestroom. We had the mattresses anyway, and thought it would be great to either push them together for one enormous bed or separate them for two single guests. Jonathan naturally was a big helper in all of this.
We'd been looking for a love seat for our living room, and through the local radio station's "swap line" found this cajun red one. It's quite nice, except for the lingering smoke smell. Ramont's beautiful cherry coffee table has become not only a launching pad for jumps onto the cajun red love seat, but also as a conducting platform. The kids turn on a choral CD, then stand there and direct away. I caught a great video of Jonathan directing away fiercely on an energetic song, then slowing down on the next (slow, reflective) song, until he sighed "I'm too sad," and got down and slinked away.
We're very schedule-oriented people, so our day always looks more or less like this:
6am: Begin morning yerba-mate session
7am: Breakfast
8am: Ramont (or I) leaves for work; we play, wash and/or fold diapers, etc
9am: Kids have "quiet" time for an hour, during which they read books and/or play in their room (Anna often growls loudly, so "quiet" is rather euphemistic); I make phone calls, do paperwork and other stuff that requires good attention (but also includes internet surfing and drinking coffee)
10am: Morning snack, followed by good play time, lunch prep, etc
12am: Lunch
1pm: Naps - Jonathan now plays in his room for 1-1.5 hours until falling asleep until 4pm; Anna sleeps an hour max; after that she eats 1/2 gallon of plain yogurt and plays with solo mama for hours
4pm: Snack time with both kids, followed by good play time
6pm: Supper of bread & cheese, followed by
nuaksheeta running around
6:30: Bath, reading, and singing
7:15-7:30: All is blissfully quiet.
Three generations of Harder/Schrock boys had been waiting for this day all winter: when would they finally get to drive home the big, shiny, new(ish) tractor? Friday was finally the big day, Ramont the lucky driver. Jonathan came over for a full inspection Saturday (I think it passed - at least all the photos we have of him grinning ear to ear seem to suggest so).
Jonathan turned three on Saturday (9 March)! This is a big age for him: he got to have and eat a combine cake, got to start Sunday School the next day, and (re)began wearing briefs full-time. He learned that when you put the nooky (as in, sucking finger) together with the thumb, you can show people how old you are.
some food (and combine cake), visiting, reading, and general happiness. I'm grateful that our kids are growing up so close to their grandparents and great grandparents (if, sadly, only on one side).
The day after Jonathan's birthday, his great grandmother, Esther Schrock, turned NINETY-three. Happy birthday, Grandma Schrock!
Ramont built wood frames for two twin beds for our guestroom. We had the mattresses anyway, and thought it would be great to either push them together for one enormous bed or separate them for two single guests. Jonathan naturally was a big helper in all of this.
We'd been looking for a love seat for our living room, and through the local radio station's "swap line" found this cajun red one. It's quite nice, except for the lingering smoke smell. Ramont's beautiful cherry coffee table has become not only a launching pad for jumps onto the cajun red love seat, but also as a conducting platform. The kids turn on a choral CD, then stand there and direct away. I caught a great video of Jonathan directing away fiercely on an energetic song, then slowing down on the next (slow, reflective) song, until he sighed "I'm too sad," and got down and slinked away.
