Tiny dachshund

While Mark was on a business trip I helped Nora sew this little dachshund. It's from the book Wee Wonderfuls by Hilary Lang. The pattern is for a necklace but we just made this dog. The project was a little beyond Nora's current skills, but we finished it and she enjoyed making Stripes.

Running with friends

Another fun run, the last in our 8-day long "season." This time we met up with Grace and Ian to run. They are the ones that inspired this activity. This run doesn't attract a very large crowd. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. Ian led our pack and Henry came in second (about 12:30), Nora and Grace finished in about 15 minutes. Helena chose to walk just some of the course.

Penny still loves

holding the baby. It just does not get old.

More running

An evening fun run this time. We met Mark at the park with a picnic dinner. The kids played while we waited for the run to start. It was windy but not cold.

Penny picked up seed pods while we waited for registration to open.

Henry was our fastest finisher. Nora came in just after 16 minutes and Helena was about 18 minutes again.

Kitchen help

We needed some pizza dough today and Penny was available to help add ingredients and knead.

Each of the three big kids has two days a week when they can help me in the kitchen. Sunday is my day to work alone. They don't always want to exercise the option, and I haven't solicited as much help lately as we adjust to a new normal, but it is there. However, I think we are going to need to find a way to schedule four helpers.

Running

The kids enjoy a 1 mile fun run and found one to participate in this weekend. The weather was warm and it was a nice morning to be out. Mark and I each had a stroller with one of the little girls.

Henry and Nora finished in about 15 minutes and Helena came in at 18. Afterward we went and picked up doughnuts.

Camilla is six weeks old

This always feels like a major milestone to me. At six weeks I start to transition out of survival mode.
Camilla slept one six hour stretch (yay!) but two, three, or four hours at night are more usual. She is a sweet, mellow baby, only fussy when tired or hungry. She likes to watch the commotion that surrounds her. We love to see her smile and hear her little coos.

New (sort of) couches!

After a decade of use, our couches were looking faded and worn. New slipcovers and they look great.

Henry's birthday

One more day of celebration for our boy. Mark was home from work so Henry got to open a present after lunch. "A 'mote control" car! And a toolbox for his tool from Grandma and Grandpa in Idaho. Liisa and Mimmu and Iso came over for a dinner of tacos followed by a crust-less cheesecake that we topped with strawberries. And more gifts. Now he can settle in to being six.

Helena's first haircut

On Easter Helena got bangs. One quick cut of a curl in front and the hair was out of her face. It suits her.

Easter Sunday

It was a very full day. The kids woke up a little before 6 AM. They had to wait a little while for Mark to wake up before I let them get their Easter baskets. We had bacon, eggs, and blueberry scones for breakfast. We had a treats at church before the service (muffins, fruit, and juice). After church we went to Mimmu and Iso's house for lunch with the aunts and some friends. The kids hunted for eggs before lunch. Penny was a quick study on finding eggs. The eggs are color-coded and each child hunts for one color.We ate salmon and ham, potato salad, bread, asparagus, and two yummy desserts. And candy. Penny likes to stick close to Mimmu at dessert time.

Happy Easter!

Even with all five of them, this year's picture turned out better than last year.

10 lbs!

Camilla likes to eat and is gaining weight well.

More celebrating for Henry

On Saturday Ian came over for lunch and some playing. The kids topped their own pizzas. They played inside for a little while after lunch and then we ate the train cake. The weather was nice so they spent the rest of the afternoon running around outside. The mail brought a package from Grandpa and Grandma. A Mars rover shirt for Henry and one for Dad!

Celebrating Henry

Anja came to visit for the weekend and we started by having a party for Henry. His chosen menu was chicken ravioli with pesto, glazed carrots, garlic bread, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and butterscotch pudding for dessert. He peeled the carrots himself. After dinner we opened some presents. New legos!

Train cake 3.0

I made another train this year. This one will be a surprise because he was playing with a friend this afternoon while I frosted it.

In case you were wondering

Labeling the child "sleepy" has no effect.

The little girls

Easter eggs

We colored our eggs this morning. I boiled 18 this year. We used crayons to draw designs on some of them. Penny really wanted a crayon, but this resulted in our only egg casualty. She was more successful at dying eggs. Henry specialized in blues and greens. Helena tried every color. Everyone had a good time and it felt easy to do this year.

Someone brought the baby a sword

It could come in handy, but I think a shield might be even better.