Sunny morning at Duke Gardens

Last Saturday morning was beautifully sunny - chilly when we woke up but warm in the afternoon - and we couldn't resist the opportunity to check out what is currently blooming at Duke Gardens. Tulips, tulips, tulips! Absolutely beautiful! Fifty-five acres of trails, trees, gardens, ponds and grassy areas (and about 2 miles from our house). Unfortunately we didn't have the chance to photograph any flowers this time. 

The Gardens were quite busy since it was also the Plant Sale day; plus, just as we were parking, Gemma looked out the window and said, "There's Asher and Adah Joy!" Sure enough, there were Rachel and the kids heading into the park in their double stroller, obviously thinking the same things as us that morning! (Craig has to work Saturdays.) I wish we could have lingered for longer, seeing the flowers and walking around on the paths. But...after a quick lunch picnic it was naptime (and meltdown time for Timo), so we will have to save that for our next visit.

Going down to see the ducks and swans

curly-haired, anyone?

oh good, Asher and Gemma did some racing up and down this field!

swinging Timo - and getting some good laughs out of him

Easter weekend

Over Easter Weekend we enjoyed full days of activities, time spent with John & Karen Friesen (in town from Winnipeg) and even some March Madness b-ball games. Saturday was beautifully warm and sunny, and even though Sunday was cold and rainy we still celebrated He Is Risen! 

Here are some pics from Saturday. Unfortunately we didn't take any photos on Easter Sunday.

Gemma experienced her first egg hunt (although "hunt" is a bit strong), held at Oval Park in Mom and Dad's neighborhood. A church down the road sponsored the event, and dedicated different areas of the park for different age groups. The 1-2 yr olds and 2-3 yr olds had sections of the baseball field roped off and the eggs were just lying all over the grass, so the kids just ran around and picked up the eggs. Of course, most kids Gemma's age just meandered slowly, collecting eggs, at the encouragement of their parents. Gemma picked up one egg and wasn't quite sure what to do next, until she discovered there was candy inside, so then she opened it and wanted to eat the candy right there. Even better, it was pink. And she was content with that! (I had to resist the urge to yell out, "Come on, Gemma, keep going, hurry hurry get as many as you can!" After all, she'll learn that eventually on her own.) But she did end up with about a dozen eggs, which were played with and "organized" (as she called it) all weekend.

On Saturday afternoon we hung out in Miss Betty's yard (she is our kind, elderly neighbor who loves to see kids playing in her grass), with Gemma running down the hill and doing ballet moves.

Gemma loves it when Timo "tackles" her.

After the kids were in bed, John and Karen came over to hang out. It has been 6 years since they were married and 10+ since Karen moved from Durham - so what a joy to re-connect and spend time together!! We loved getting some wisdom and encouragement from these older friends.

Indoor exercise

"Mommy, I'm going for a little run, 'kay?" 

Here's Gemma in her selected outfit: running pants, running shirt, running shoes, and assorted necklaces, including one wrapped around her head which she calls her "ear muffs" (i.e. ear phones). She then takes off running from one end of the house to the other - from her bedroom, down the hall, through our bedroom, through the living room, through the kitchen to Timo's closet, turn around and go back.

Action shot!

Meanwhile Timo plays with his cool new toy (from Auntie Rachel), grinning away and look quite chubby (hand-me-down from Hayden Felske) and very focused on the task at hand.

Pizza and ice cream

Recently, I (Jim) had the urge to make homemade pizza. It had been too long - and homemade pizza is so good! The pizza turned out well: an aromatic sauce topped with chicken sausage, peppadews (that's the official name of this small, red, sweet pepper, and in fact a South African "invention." It is usually known in the States as piquante peppers), feta, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and a few shavings of romano. Yum!

Later, we took Gemma out for a big treat: an ice cream cone at McDonald's. She earned it by doing a really good job of potty training so far (stays dry all day although still wakes up with a wet bed...) and filling up her potty chart with stickers.

"How does it taste, Gemma?"

"It's cold and sweet!"

She was a very careful, patient ice cream cone eater.

"Baby Play" in action

Now that Timo is getting more interactive - making eye contact and 'talking' in response - one of his favorite things to do is watch & listen to his older sister. And of course that is a very exciting development for Gemma, who loves to dance and sing and entertain AND who has been waiting and waiting for her brother to start participating in the activities of Baby Play. This book (a gift from Nonna when Gemma was a baby) is filled with game ideas for infants 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and 9-12 months. Gemma has spent many happy hours engrossed in this book (even before Timo was born), staring at the babies and the games they are playing.

On a recent rainy morning I asked Gemma, "Well, should we get out Baby Play and look for a game that Timo would enjoy doing with you?" She slowly paged through the book until she found a picture of a baby building a tower, and then she got out her blocks to show Timo how it is done. 

He was totally attentive and loved it, too.

"Like this!"

note: yes, Gemma is wearing her tutu under her dress...