Conversations with Olive

Recently this is what can be heard if you were one of the many flies on our farmhouse wall.

O: Mom can I play with this (fruity chapstick her older cousin Hannah left over)?
Me: No, that's too messy and sticky.
O: Mom why I can't play with it mom?
Me: Because its sticky and gooey and will get your hands dirty.
O: Mom why it's gooey, I won't get dirty.
Me: Yes you will please put it down.
O: Otay mom.

Lately everything is all about why? Back and forth over and over again. Chas and I just look at each other after the 4th and 5th why and totally understand where, because I said so, came from.

Also, we hear a lot of, watch mom, watch dad, watch....watch. You're not watching.

and
O: Come on mom!Me: Okay, I'm coming.O: You're not coming mom.Me: I am coming.O: Mom! Mom! You are coming mom?

Virginia Beach

Olive and I got go with Gina (my sister in-law who lives across the street, thank heaven) to VA beach a week or so ago. We just stayed the night and played at the beach one day but it was a great intro to Spring and Summer. Virginia beach is a strange town, it's stuck in the 70's with some new hotels and lots of funny motels and diners. Olive and I were glued to the beach and dug around for hours. Making sand cakes in our yellow bucket and eventually taking a much needed nap right on our towel.

She is looking at the kids running into the water. Yelling, it's not warm, because I kept telling her was too cold to go in. Cold oceans are for dads not pregnant moms.

While I was there I got to indulge in a new favorite book. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. My brother Sean recommended it and I always trust his judgement. Just don't look for a plot and enjoy the simplicity. I am not one for reading books over but this might just become an annual summer read.

Saturdays

Chas has been hard at work for the last month. Almost every Saturday is dedicated greenhouse day. This little project is his brain child and he practically deserves another masters degree for all the research and time he has put into this. Months ago we found some free sliding doors on craigslist (of course I thought it was silly) and the journey began.A little framing and 20 sliding doors later we now have the skeleton of what I have come to know as a passive greenhouse. It will hopefully feed a lot of people year round, if we ever get to planting. Here are some progress pics. I think it is pretty amazing.

Last Saturday was painting.

Notice Chas on the roof, Gary (Chas' Dad) bottom right and good old Fred, the awesome handyman that puts up with all the farm projects that these 9-5ers have no time for.

While Chas slaves away in the sun and heat Olive and I try to entertain ourselves around the farm. Last Saturday Chas took a break and joined us down the road to pick some strawberries at Miller Farms. If you live in Northers VA this is super fun for kids.

Chas' brothers fam (Zac, Gina and kids) is top left. To say Olive loves her cousins would be an understatement. We like them too.

first hair cut

It's not really the "first"; I have taken my chances with the scissors and trimmed a little here and there. But, this is the first time I have paid someone who knows what she is doing. A girl in our ward with little girls of her own cuts hair in her house and she did a great job. Olive was so good, she stood still the whole time and even let her blow it dry. Before the haircut I had been constantly trying to figure out what do do with Olives sparse un-even head of hair. It got long enough to barely get in pig tails (with lots of clips and hairspray) and they were so cute. Now it looks so much better and much fuller.

green spagetti

It's not always easy to find something Olive will chow down on besides cereal. Pesto pasta is one exception. I made it for dinner the other night and away she went. It is strange but I can't describe the feeling when you watch your child devouring and enjoying something delicious you made.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it on your little one:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
a little less than one cup olive oil
1 cup grated parm
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. (heaping) pine nuts
2 cloves of fresh garlic

Blend it in a food processor or good blender and pour over any pasta while the pasta is still hot. My favorite is angel hair. You can also grill chicken with it and serve with parm on the top.

decisions

This is whats on the docket as of late. We have three possible roads to take.

1.) Find a job overseas = move after the baby comes, have an adventure and give us another year to prepare for the process of buying a house and decide better where we want to set down some roots
2.) Buy a house = awful commute for 2 more months. Chas doesn't see Olive until Thursdays... then go overseas in about a year and rent our house.
3.) Rent a house = move sooner and pay someone else's mortgage... 1 more move to our leap frogging life. Be closer to work


Right now Chas' commute is 2 hours each way. It makes me sad just thinking about it and I don't know how he does it. His days are even longer because he works 10/4's so he can take Fridays off. This is the only thing that saves us but it also makes it harder Mon-Thurs.

As of right now I am in the go overseas camp and Chas is more for buying and staying with his company for longer. Who knows what we'll end up doing and I know I'll be excited for any of the above. I just want to know now.

Virginian Safari

Last weekend we went to Safari Park. It really lived up to its name and was surprisingly what I imagine a safari would be like, minus the jeeps and extreme heat. There were Giraffes and ostriches, crazy monkey's and kangaroos. It was so fun for Olive and we got to feed and feed and feed all the animals. On the "safari" part of the park they come right up to the window of your door expecting food. It is pretty amazing but I was wishing we had a truck and not a tiny Prius. I felt a little vulnerable so low compared to the huge animals.

Unfortunately we left our camera card at home so iphone pics will have to do.

All set with our safari hats!

Camels posing for a pic!

Mama kangaroo and my joey.

life after death

I recently read this book and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. Being a believer in the afterlife this was an amazing secular view at the evidence of the possibilities of our spirits continuing a journey beyond this world. I highly recommend it and if you do have a chance to read it I would love to hear any and all reactions.

D'Souza is also the author of Whats So Great About Christianity, also an interesting lens to analyze a typically personal and spiritual thought process.

28 weeks

BAM!

a thing or two about olive

Can you really be two years old? I've been resisting this post knowing that I need to document the amazing child that I have, but part of me has not wanted to let it sink in how big she's getting. I've contemplated the idea of deferring this 2 year update to Chas but even though he is her favorite and he knows her as well as I do, he doesn't get the incredible chance to be with her EVERY day. Some days I wish we could trade with him, other days I just want to sleep, but most days I wake up refreshed and lay in bed waiting for her to stir awake and call for me. Knowing that I have limited days to giver her my undivided attention has made me gain an appreciation for all of our moments together. Here is what Olive has been up to as a 2 year old.

Talking: the girl can talk, question, concern, deliberate and practically debate with us. It was a shock the day she learned out to ask "Why?". She is expressive beyond belief and it is baffling to be able to hear what is going on in her head. She is concerned with our well being and always asking, "you happy dad?". She is great at following a negative with a positive."I don't like nana's, I like grapes". Something I'm working on.

O: "That's dad's phone".
Me: "Oh yah, give it to mom so we don't drop it."
O: "It's not your phone, it's daddy's. I give to him not you."
Me: "Oh really..."
She has always been very aware of whose stuff is whose and now she can verbalize this.

"I want cereal". This is something I hear everyday, at least its not pancakes.

Here is a car conversation on the way to the farm:
O: "We're going Mema and Papi farm?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "It's far away?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "There doggies at Mema's?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "No! No! Reggie, No! No! Polly. Don't lick my hand." (giggle)

As you can tell she didn't get her conversation skills from me. But she has learned how to scold the doggies from me.

Running: When she is well, her pitter-patter can be heard all through the house. She never walks; she runs and it has now evolved into a lovely stride.

Helping: she loves to unload the dishwasher and wipe things off. She can clean her room and always asks, "I'm helping you mom?".

Here is Olive in a flower field down the street from the farm.

Not nice sisters

Olive has been into this book lately. Her exaggerated expressions kill me. She's 2 yrs. old and a couple mo's.

Happy Birthday Dad!

"Baby in mama's belly"

This is a phrase we use a lot lately with Olive. Trying to ease her into the idea of a new little person being added to our family. She doesn't get it at all, but she will when there is a whole person taking me away from her throughout our days together. I have a Dr. appointment next Monday and I will have a better idea then of my due date. For now it is sometime the end of July. I am about 12 weeks along and starting to feel better, hence the new found effort to blog.

It is strange to think about sharing my love, time and patience with a whole new being on top of Olive. There are so many new emotions that you experience with the second pregnancy. It's definitely a good thing we have 9+ months to prepare.