It is nap time and there is no room left in the bed for mama. I thought it might be time to start blogging again?
Not only as an creative outlet, but to keep noticing the very precious moments (like this one above, my lovies napping together) in every day life. There is SO much to be thankful for.
All has been good here..... I look forward to read more inspiring blogs again and share more of life here.
I woke up again and am ready for creativity. It is fall after all!
We have a lovely princess dancing around our house these days.
She is mama's big help and her favorite words are "Love you baby Gabe, love you".
I could not be more happy...sweet daughter
He is still in there...
Our day away.
One of Ayanna's birthday gifts (Thanks tia and tio!) was tickets to a fun park.
So we took her an afternoon and evening out and she was overwhelmed,
but then got brave and loved every minute...
It was so exciting and yet sad to see my little baby standing in line with all the other children. Like a big girl.
She is becoming a big girl!
After this adventure I needed a day at home...
... to listen to piano play,
finish birth announcement cards together with Josiah,
watch a modern ballet performance AND...
REST!
When Josiah and I went on a date Ayanna was with her friends. Last night their parents went on a date and the girls stayed with us.
It was a rainy night, so we spend it inside.
We giggled our way through dinner... girls...
Then we did some fun art and I loved seeing their character shine through in that. One was done in 5 minutes, the other fully concentrated for an hour or more. I wish I had made a photo of each of their mobiles, as they were both so artistic and unique.
and Ayanna? Well, she just decorated one heart and then needed papa's help for another heart, while she ran off to play.
I soon found two jumping on the bed.
Bathtime; more water outside the bath than in, but fun.
I loved seeing all the happy faces and observing their play, communication and imagination. Isn't it just wonderful to be a child?!
As I mentioned before I have been spending much time in the house...
NESTING:-)
Getting the kid's room ready for two children.
Washing, folding and sorting those teeny tiny baby clothes!
Tackling all other little projects one at a time.
I would like to see every little drawer and corner de-cluttered.
I would like to see everything practical and organized.
I would like to see all things done.
I keep on moving things around.
Pregnancy hormones are not that bad, I sure will be grateful afterwards.
At the same time I have many moments that I realize this is not the most important.
Baby and us will be very okay in a less organized home.
So we work and meet up with many friends, see many playgrounds with swings and try to just enjoy summer.
On my fun wishlist is;
-fruit picking with family
-Lake beach day
-another date with Josiah
-visiting some flea markets (to find things to clutter my home again;-)
-some more art days for me
Still somehow I can't help it...
Crossing out things on my list to do seems most awarding and freeing.
Only about 5 weeks until due date! CRAZY.....
It was just another beautiful day!
Starting off good with our weekly trip to the public market.
Buying lots of fresh peaches, plumps, apricots, tomatoes, vegetables, meat, bread and more!
LOVE it!
followed by lunch,
a very active baby in the belly,
a nap
and
lady playtime...
Ayanna was serving me tea and cookies wearing a very english hat.
She is such a girly girl!
Some playtime with her cousin,
a swing in the park.
Some singing and dancing,
cleaning and sorting,
Just another simple, yet beautiful day.
~Hide And Seek~
Her favorite game before bed.
I must say she hides really well, too well sometimes. She will keep "mouse" quiet (in dutch we say this "muis stil". Is there any english expression?)
As a child I can't remember liking hide and seek, but with her I love playing this game full of laughter!
We are in love... little Ole is born. My brother and his wife had their first born on father's day. there is no better gift, I would say...
I wish I could be with them to celebrate. I have been homesick since his birth, but the pictures we receive make us SMILE.
Congratulations Dirk-Jan and Wendy, he is precious, what a beautiful gift!
Still working around the home...
Ayanna makes sure we keep hydrated, very nescessary as temperatures have been tropical!
I have not been around here in....forever, it seems. I miss it!
I think I am already getting into the nesting stage of pregnancy, my things-to-do-list seems endless and I try to enjoy the little moments in life with family that make my heart so filled with joy. Those are most important to me at this moment.
I miss posting here,
I miss reading and getting inspired on other blogs, finding that time for myself.
So a quick hello for now until I have found the right balance back in this new season.
I hope your start of summer will be bright and sunny...
and filled with inspiration, laughther and peace.
My parents left back home over a week ago now!
It has been quiet, it has been different and we miss them.
It always takes time to re-adjust to "normal".
For me at least. Ayanna seems fine with her opa and oma living in the "puter" (webcam through skype) again. They left with the "zoeeeeffff" (plane) and she said "bye bye sooooon".
...
Colors and shapes have been an inspiration all over outside and cheer me up!
We are having a beautiful late spring, early summer.
We hardly spend time inside anymore.
There is always more projects in and around the house.
We are weather proofing the fence and painting doors for now, besides gardening.
And outdoor dinners with family and friends on our patio.
I never knew I could love summer this much.
I always enjoyed the coziness that fall and winter bring...
...not this year, this year this warm season is on it's way to becoming my very favorite!!
I found lots of nice outdoor living inspiration on Southern accents - outdoor living.
Too bad winters upstate NY are so long. One day when living in Africa, we can make more permanent outdoor living spaces.
Ooooooohhhh!!!! It was a week of summer in our garden. Another garden post. All we did this week was gardening,
building a fence (!!!)
and enjoying lots and lots of family time...
and a beautiful place outside...
more in bloom daily...
more alive daily...
I am in love with our outside now! Impressed with all the hard work and results!
And Ayanna...
all day outside...
lots of fun...
and attention!
Snuggles one moment and silly the next...
Even Ayanna...
It is still in work in progress. We are fencing some, seeding, weeding and planting, but...
it is becoming a rustic peaceful place to rest...
On internet we see so many inspiring outside places. From rustic, patio gardens (GROW plants GROW!!), beloved african style (working on our outside here made us dream and think of one day working on an outside in Africa), safari at night to spanish gardens.
We are SO excited about our outside living extension, let the summer begin!!
~Is that really opa and oma?! 11pm at night in her pyamas at the airport~
She was SO surprised, but right away was happy to have her opa and oma around again. Besides dutch chocolat, candy and cheese...
oma brought shoes and "pretties" (necklaces for play)...
A real little lady!
And they play with Ayanna all day, so yesterday included a lot of relaxing and peaceful time for me.
They decorated our home with window stickers as well.
And draw "De maan is rond, de maan is rond" (The moon is round , the moon is round and two eyes a nose and a mouth) on the blackboard.
Days full of play play play while opa and oma are here!
It is so good to see them again.
A while ago I posted about a change in rooms. Well it happened, we changed our room into kid's room. Some painting, cleaning, decluttering and moving around.
Her previously green room became our white bedroom. And with all our things back in place we actually find this smaller room very very comfortable.
Everyone sleeps better, some simple changes made one HAPPY family!
My parents are arriving in less than a week for a two week stay (!!!) , Josiah has finals, the garden is overgrowing itself :-( ...
so needless to say...
it is a little busy!
But we drink tea on our front porch at night (and that feels SO american to me), our fruit smoothies during the day and laugh a lot about Ayanna's new adventures outside; we are enjoying the spring.
We have a "spring fever" going around in our home! Ayanna was ill for a few days and now it seems to be Josiah's turn.
One morning she asked for her blanket and baby and next time I took a look she has fallen asleep on the couch. This has never happened before, she really needed her rest.
It was cozy! I worked on a new blanket, a gift for another baby, while listening to a classical music station. Ayanna sleeping next to me. It reminded me somehow of times when I was young and staying at my grandparent's house. They would take an afternoon nap, the classical music was always playing and my grandmother had just taught me how to crochet, I made a blanket for a doll. The same peaceful feeling was there this afternoon.
It is spring, the tulips are amazing...
my little herb seeds are growing just fine...but then one morning this week...
...We wake up to SNOW! YES...SNOW!! I thought Josiah was joking, but he was not. Wet snow, the end of april. I rushed in my pots of planted seeds, that had just found there way outside (for sunlight!)
Then it was blue skies and sun again later that day. Still very cold, so we stayed inside
Ayanna spotted the moon, while laying on the couch. She was so excited! "Moon, mama, moon, moon, mama look!"
I spotted this beautiful red bird (can anyone tell me what it is?) from our kitchen window and got really excited as well; "Look Ayanna, red bird, look!!"
So we had some sick days, but they were sweet and made it possible for me to get some things done around the house. My parents are arriving in less than two weeks...
We look SO forward to the weeks they will be here!
It was one of those upstate NY spring days where the sun is hiding behind the clouds and the temperature dropped to nearly freezing again. Crazy! A week ago it was like summer.
Yesterday the skies were grey and white and we saw some lost snow (YES) flakes!
So we stayed mostly inside and Ayanna painted for the first time with a brush and watercolors. She did amazing (proud mama speaking!)
These will be framed, for a while at least.
Anyone have a good system to share for children's art work? Before I know it my home will be totally covered in it.
It was fun, even the cleaning up...
Today the blue skies are back, yet it is still awfully cold.
Winter coats can definately not be packed away yet here. Last week was just a "teaser" or "a sign of hope."
Pregnancy usually brings the urge for cleaning, organizing, "nesting". But this early on in pregnancy? (I am now 14 weeks)... It must be the first signs of spring that make me want to reduce clutter and clean thoroughly.
After a nice restful and inspiring time at Cape Cod, where I reduced indeed some clutter in my head, I am now sorting and throwing out.
It all started with the fact that evenings are getting longer, the darkness doesn't set in fully until eight now. Which means our neighborhood kids are all playing basketball right by Ayanna's bedroom window until eight, which means Ayanna can't sleep until then. So her nice green room...
... will now be our room and visa versa. Mint green was not the color that we prefered for our bedroom, so we are making some changes.
I feel a little sad seeing the green room go, it was so "baby" and besides that my father had painted it for his grandchild and I was always reminded of this when looking around. But it will be for the better. Besides the basketball play, the room was also underneith my artroom, next to the bathroom and kitchen, all not ideal!
So Josiah is painting. Ayanna is too.
I love the art she makes,how free it is and how it brightens up our rooms. Here is one she made for Josiah's birthday.
... I am reducing clutter, so that I will be able to paint again myself. I did receive an email last week that my last finished portrait arrived at it's destination and is loved!
This one...
What a relief it always is to hear that people are satisfied with the work I make for them.
Pregnancy or spring? I am cleaning up, making room, getting ready for a new season.
"All that is gold does not glitter,not all those who wander are lost;the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renenwed shall be blade that was broken,the crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
We made sushi...
It was delicious!
Josiah played some piano...
Ayanna joined in, loving it!...
and I loved watching them together...
Josiah had a snowday yesterday and he was home all day! So I was able to have a whole day without the care for Ayanna. A whole day to focus on my art...
Very nice, yet I felt rather sick most of the day (most likely due to this or I just spend too much of my morning time behind the computer to work on my blog.)
I did take enough time to get inspired...
big falling snowflakes...
white all around...
While Ayanna was reading some books and playing "pakaba" (her very own way of saying "peekaboo")
And Josiah made homemade pizza! Which, despite feeling sick all day, I ate for two. So good!
And the leftover dough he turned into delicious cinnamon rolls.
After cleaning up the kicthen...
a warm bath with Kneipp bath oil, eucalyptus. Ever tried their oils? ...
accompanied by a dutch magazine (that my darling mama sends me often!)...
one of the best times off I can have right now...
And then we watched a movie; Love Happens . Very cute!
Not much art was done today, but it was a good rest.
