Well, spring has taken a back seat today. I'm looking out the window and see SNOW! It's May 18th! We were walking in short sleeves yesterday and today it's only 43 degrees out. Brrrr!!!
Yesterday, we first exercised (Ayesha is happy I'm here, as she's wanted to get back into exercising and my insistence on an hour a day is making her do it too). Then we got baby Stefan ready and went to the mall. We had lunch at Bugaboo Creek, a very nice restaurant with a talking buffalo head.
Then we spent several hours shopping at Express, where Ayesha bought some new clothes and I could proudly walk around with my little nephew in my arms and get all the compliments about him :). He's simply adorable!!!
Last night we had a nice steak dinner and a friend came over, so we chatted and watched some weird dating shows.
Now, we're gathering courage to go out now, as the snow does not look inviting. But it is pretty neat to see it fall this late in the year!
Thursday, May 16, 2002
Ok, here it is Thursday already!!! Wow, I can't believe how fast this week went! Yesterday, Saskia had her last "Appletree" show. The kids put on a singing show for the parents at a local high school. It was so cute! The ages range from 3 to 9 and especially the younger kids are adorable. The music teacher does a great job putting the show together every year. I sometimes almost have to cry, it's so sweet, those little ones! Saskia sang with fervor, her mouth wide open, she clearly got into it. She also loved her new dress and shoes and wore them to school today, hopefully she didn't make too many stains on it!
This morning, my mom came to get me at 9am and drove me to the airport, where I took the US Airways shuttle to Boston. I'll be here in the Boston area until Tuesday. My sister and new nephew (he'll be 2 months on the 22nd) were there to pick me up.
It was a very nice flight, I love the shuttles, as they go just a little further than usual in customer service. I had a whole row of seats to myself, I wish I had that on overseas flights!
We went to eat lunch in Topsfield at a quaint little cafe and then walked around in some shops, also very quaint.
After we came home, got the baby changed and fed, we took a walk in the neighborhood. The weather was gorgeous! 80 plus degrees! Unfortunately, it's not going to last, it's a weird spring so far, hot, cold, hot, cold.
I unfortunately ended up missing Katja and Kai's last concert at school. Katja's very last, as she's going to middle school next year, where she will continue Band and continue to play the oboe. Apparently they did quite well.
When Rick called to tell about it, he also said Saskia was very sad about my not being there and I got a sobbing little girl on the phone :(. It made me feel awful! She was fine when we said goodbye this morning, but now that it's evening, she missed me so much and was inconsolable. Thankfully Rick is just as loving a parent as I am and although Saskia didn't agree when I told her to cuddle with her Daddy, she apparently did later on and is now asleep. But it makes me feel sad, that she's so distraught about my absence. It's not like it's the first time I've been gone either, I left twice to visit relatives last year and she did fine. I think it's because she's more aware of time now and realizes that Tuesday is a few days away.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better for her! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying holding a little baby again and enjoying seeing my sister as a very loving parent!
This morning, my mom came to get me at 9am and drove me to the airport, where I took the US Airways shuttle to Boston. I'll be here in the Boston area until Tuesday. My sister and new nephew (he'll be 2 months on the 22nd) were there to pick me up.
It was a very nice flight, I love the shuttles, as they go just a little further than usual in customer service. I had a whole row of seats to myself, I wish I had that on overseas flights!
We went to eat lunch in Topsfield at a quaint little cafe and then walked around in some shops, also very quaint.
After we came home, got the baby changed and fed, we took a walk in the neighborhood. The weather was gorgeous! 80 plus degrees! Unfortunately, it's not going to last, it's a weird spring so far, hot, cold, hot, cold.
I unfortunately ended up missing Katja and Kai's last concert at school. Katja's very last, as she's going to middle school next year, where she will continue Band and continue to play the oboe. Apparently they did quite well.
When Rick called to tell about it, he also said Saskia was very sad about my not being there and I got a sobbing little girl on the phone :(. It made me feel awful! She was fine when we said goodbye this morning, but now that it's evening, she missed me so much and was inconsolable. Thankfully Rick is just as loving a parent as I am and although Saskia didn't agree when I told her to cuddle with her Daddy, she apparently did later on and is now asleep. But it makes me feel sad, that she's so distraught about my absence. It's not like it's the first time I've been gone either, I left twice to visit relatives last year and she did fine. I think it's because she's more aware of time now and realizes that Tuesday is a few days away.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better for her! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying holding a little baby again and enjoying seeing my sister as a very loving parent!
Monday, May 13, 2002
I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Around 8am, Rick and Saskia came upstairs with a very nice little breakfast in bed: OJ, coffee, a croissant, poached egg and fruit salad. Yummy!
Then I got to read the cards (Saskia had made one with her handprints and a cute poem) and open gifts: a vase painted by Katja, a box of Godiva truffles and a very pretty ring with pink sapphires from Rick.
My mom called in the middle of that all, because she was concerned about my dad, who had had a lot of pain in his back overnight. He had fallen the week before while in Bosnia and then couldn't sleep from the pain that night. He went to an emergency clinic and after several hours there, it was determined he has a broken rib :(. Very painful!
After a quick workout and shower, we made our way over to my parents and then went to brunch with them. A *delicious* brunch! I ate way too much!!! And we had a great time, it was just very relaxed and fun!
After brunch, we quickly went to the Sharper Image, where my mom wanted to get a portable fan. Kai got his birthday gift from my parents there: a toy Mercedes.
Then we split up and the 5 of us went to the other mall, where they took me to the Build a Bear workshop. I created my own polar bear, Icy, and dressed him in workout gear, very cute!
Then we did some clothes shopping, and Katja and I each found a nice outfit at Express.
Once home, we were still full from brunch and decided to order some appetizers from TGIFriday's for dinner. All in all a great Mother's Day!
Today, I had a hard time with the Monday syndrome. The house was (and is!) a mess, the weekend over, everyone back to work/school. I quickly made off for the gym, as that usually greatly lifts my spirits. And it did. I socialized more than I worked out, but that's just what I needed.
Christine and I had a smoothie for lunch there, so I just made it home in time for the kids to get home. I chatted with several of the neighbors and then it was time to take Katja and Saskia to ice skating.
Saskia did her "exam" and was promoted to the next level class. Yippee!! :) Katja and her friend wanted to go to the gym so I dropped them off and then went with Saskia to get her a dress for her school show on Wednesday. I found a really cute blue and white striped one, with which she is very happy. She has entered the 6 year old "puberty" phase, like Katja had at that age. I'm going to have to pull out some parenting books again to find ways to communicate better.
Right now, we're under a tornado watch. We had some tornado's touch down earlier today just north of here, hopefully no more are in store. I'm looking out the window at a very dark sky, but the sun is shining directly onto the trees, making them look very vibrantly green. Beautiful!
Then I got to read the cards (Saskia had made one with her handprints and a cute poem) and open gifts: a vase painted by Katja, a box of Godiva truffles and a very pretty ring with pink sapphires from Rick.
My mom called in the middle of that all, because she was concerned about my dad, who had had a lot of pain in his back overnight. He had fallen the week before while in Bosnia and then couldn't sleep from the pain that night. He went to an emergency clinic and after several hours there, it was determined he has a broken rib :(. Very painful!
After a quick workout and shower, we made our way over to my parents and then went to brunch with them. A *delicious* brunch! I ate way too much!!! And we had a great time, it was just very relaxed and fun!
After brunch, we quickly went to the Sharper Image, where my mom wanted to get a portable fan. Kai got his birthday gift from my parents there: a toy Mercedes.
Then we split up and the 5 of us went to the other mall, where they took me to the Build a Bear workshop. I created my own polar bear, Icy, and dressed him in workout gear, very cute!
Then we did some clothes shopping, and Katja and I each found a nice outfit at Express.
Once home, we were still full from brunch and decided to order some appetizers from TGIFriday's for dinner. All in all a great Mother's Day!
Today, I had a hard time with the Monday syndrome. The house was (and is!) a mess, the weekend over, everyone back to work/school. I quickly made off for the gym, as that usually greatly lifts my spirits. And it did. I socialized more than I worked out, but that's just what I needed.
Christine and I had a smoothie for lunch there, so I just made it home in time for the kids to get home. I chatted with several of the neighbors and then it was time to take Katja and Saskia to ice skating.
Saskia did her "exam" and was promoted to the next level class. Yippee!! :) Katja and her friend wanted to go to the gym so I dropped them off and then went with Saskia to get her a dress for her school show on Wednesday. I found a really cute blue and white striped one, with which she is very happy. She has entered the 6 year old "puberty" phase, like Katja had at that age. I'm going to have to pull out some parenting books again to find ways to communicate better.
Right now, we're under a tornado watch. We had some tornado's touch down earlier today just north of here, hopefully no more are in store. I'm looking out the window at a very dark sky, but the sun is shining directly onto the trees, making them look very vibrantly green. Beautiful!
