Today, Simeon got something out to play with. That’s not unusual. But when we had to go on an errand, I walked into the living room, expecting to have to help him put it away. It wasn’t there. So I looked around a bit, and then checked where it belongs…which is where it was: shocking! He had put all the pieces back into the container in their places and put the container away…WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED!
It doesn’t happen often, so we have to celebrate when it does.
Everyone seems to be fine today. In fact, everyone was okay yesterday, and we had a very nice day.
Sim is better today. No idea what was ailing him yesterday.
Hannah, however, at bedtime announced she needed to throw up, headed for the bathroom, and vomited all.down.the.stairs. (Sorry. Really gross.)
Michael cleaned it up while I finished up bedtime. Have I mentioned that he’s my hero?
Not that we like food poisoning, but we hope it was something that didn’t agree with Hannah and not a stomach virus…
Today was Hannah and Naomi’s concert with their choir. They’re in different age choirs, and the two choirs above their ages also took part in this concert. It was great – both girls did really well, and the music was well done and beautiful. I’m really constantly amazed at how much the directors can do with the girls, some as young as 4. Naomi’s group did several rounds, Hannah’s choir was singing in two parts and doing harmonies, and order was maintained. Since one of the choirs was made up of mostly 4- and 5-year-olds and the other was made up of mostly 6- and 7-year olds, this is not a mean feat.
It’s hilarious to watch the choirs – there are always interesting things going on. For example, one of the youngest girls (of course one in the front row) decided to hike up her skirt and adjust her tights as soon as she was on stage. That didn’t happen to be one of ours, but it could easily have been! Some of the girls can’t keep from dancing along to their music, some are looking in completely the opposite direction from the choir director, and there’s almost always someone waving to her parents.
Of course, our favorite ones to watch are ours.
For some reason, many of the pictures Michael took of Hannah didn’t come out. But this one did. Isn’t she cute?
Naomi, right in the middle of this shot, looking pleased as punch.
For some reason, she held her skirt during the whole first song.
We were sitting front and center, so both she and Hannah found us and spent the intervals smiling at us. Very endearing.
Naomi, singing Michael, Row the Boat Ashore. Note the rounded mouth for the “hallelujah” part.
Hannah, trying to catch a glimpse of Naomi while she sings. When did Hannah get so big? The dress she’s wearing is the one I made her for Christmas. It reached the floor back then. Today, it was a good inch and a half or two inches off the floor.
We loved seeing them sing. For some reason, I always get choked up by it. And then I always forget that I do, and then I’m always surprised by it at the next concert. Then I remember that it always happens. (I seem to have memory issues.) I think I get choked up because it’s amazing to see our daughters making such lovely music and enjoying it so much. The pregnancy hormones didn’t help much this concert, either, but I can’t blame it all on pregnancy, because I’ve been to many concerts not pregnant.
We got fantastic seats because Michael took the girls to their call time before the concert and then stayed on and claimed seats for us. This was a good setup, because Sim was still napping. It was also a good setup, although we didn’t realize it as we made the plan, because Naomi completely forgot, as she put on her footwear, that she was going to wear her church shoes. So I got a call from Michael, asking that I bring them. “What’s she wearing right now?” I asked. His answer? “Pink rubber boots.” Yes, those don’t really go that well with her elegant dress, do they? Oh, and she’s in the front row, of course. Happily, I got her shoes to her in good time, and when she spent the whole first song holding up her dress and showing her shoes, it wasn’t pink rubber boots that showed.
Today wasn’t the most productive day for me, what with Sim being sick. I HAD planned to make cupcakes for dessert. I HAD planned to do all the laundry. I HAD…okay, you get the idea.
So dessert time rolled around, and since it’s a feast day, we were going to have dessert – the kids keep careful track of these things. “What’s for dessert, Mama?” Umm…NOT the cupcakes that I didn’t make.
I was thinking and thinking and thinking, when I suddenly remembered something Michael’s sister said when she was here last: she’s read that one can make banana ice cream by putting frozen bananas in the food processor and processing until smooth. Nothing else needed.
Hannah despises bananas, but it’s a texture issue. Naomi and Simeon both LOVE bananas, but rarely get them because bananas are, to put it delicately, binding. However, I got a great muffin recipe that calls for bananas, so I got a whole bunch of bananas recently, and when they started to think about turning brown, I put them in the freezer. I had frozen bananas. I had a food processor. I had an idea for dessert.
So I announced, to great acclaim, that banana ice cream was for dessert. There was all KINDS of interest in how it’s made. I don’t think I’d had quite that much attention in the kitchen for a long, long time.
Here’s a helpful hint: if you’re freezing bananas for banana ice cream, peel them before you put them in the freezer. Otherwise, you will find yourself peeling some really cold bananas with a paring knife. Not too difficult, really, but definitely easier to peel before they’re frozen.
The method Michael’s sister outlined (thanks, Kerri!) was totally simple, and the kids LOVED it, even Hannah, who doesn’t mind bananas when they’re frozen and then pulverized – the texture is completely different. And really, it doesn’t get much simpler than bananas for dessert.
I have a feeling this one is going to get broken out a bunch in the summer.
This is basically what we use to mow our grass:
It’s not the exact model, but it’s pretty close. Even when we had a huge lawn at our last house, it’s what we used. When we got married and needed to buy a mower, I told Michael that I could be counted on to mow if we got one of these. I’m not willing to use the gas mowers. They’re loud and smelly and a pain, as far as I’m concerned. I have kept to my promise, too: I have mowed the grass many times, including when we had a huge lawn at our last house. The more pregnant I become, the less feasible it is to mow, but we don’t have as much grass here, anyway, and I wouldn’t be mowing at all if we had a gas mower.
Various people over the years have laughed at us or told us we’re crazy to have a reel mower. “It’s harder to push,” they’ll argue. It’s not THAT hard to push, and what’s wrong with a bit of a workout, anyway? “It’s not very effective if you let the grass get too long.” True. That means we have more motivation to mow regularly. Not a bad thing. Besides that, we can mow in fairly quiet circumstances, and I don’t mind having the kids out with me while I mow. Or out with Michael while he mows. And kids like to be outside while their parents are outside, particularly if it’s not necessary to wear earplugs to be out there.
I am entirely confirmed in our choice after this afternoon. It’s been a lovely day here, and I took the kids outside to play and garden. We were out for 2 1/2 hours or so. It was great…except that the service that mows our neighbors’ lawn arrived JUST as we went outside. And they also mow the neighbors’ lawn on the other side. It was SO LOUD the whole time. First it was a mower and a weed eater. Then it was two mowers. Then it was a mower and a leaf blower. Then it was two leaf blowers. IT WAS LOUD.
When they finally finished, just as I needed to go in to make dinner, I realized that the birds were singing and that it’s really quite pleasant to be able to talk to the kids as I garden out there with them, not having to yell to be heard.
I realize that most people don’t have their mowers going for 2 1/2 straight hours. And I’m certainly glad about that.
Sim was uncharacteristically whiny yesterday, and last night woke up a whole bunch of times even before we went to bed…when we figured out that he was running a fever. So today’s activities – which were supposed to be fairly extensive – are canceled, and we’re sticking close to home and hoping whatever he has will go away quickly and not spread to anyone else.
Also, I made blueberry muffins last night for breakfast today, thinking: Annunciation! Blue! Color of Our Lady! Everyone will love them! Breakfast will be simple and quick!
Unfortunately, the recipe was a new one, and not very good. Hannah, in fact, complained of a terrible taste in her mouth after eating one. Simeon attempted several bites, many of which got spit back out. Naomi was not impressed. I didn’t really like them, either. Not an especially celebratory breakfast, after all.
But the sun is shining and we have the inoculant for the peas, so maybe we’ll get them planted today instead of having delicious muffins and doing tons of other fun things.
