today it is spring

today i think it is spring. the sun shines & the snow glistens with melting. mateo & i go outside, he in his baby pouch, tied to me. we swing, & look at birds. & watch the big yellow bus return the school children to their homes. m claps at the sky. we sing together, about the bear and his dog and the three fish he caught; they live on m's shirt. we walk to the mailbox, hoping for interesting letters & packages... receiving only coupons from pizza places where we never eat, as well as (ironically) a brochure for a weightloss clinic where you can "lose all your weight" (really? will i disappear?) & a wholly uninteresting but anxiously awaited t4. now it is time for a snack. we eat air soup out of plastic bowls, fresh & delicious. also we laugh a bit. & grumble. & examine our fingers very carefully. hm... what interesting appendages they are.

we like olympics, and other stuff too

here are the sports we like at the olympic games:

1. hockey (mateo stands at the tv and tries to pincer grip the hockey players as they fly by)

2. speed skating (mateo moves his head following the skaters round and round and round...)

3. curling (red rocks, yellow rocks, pretty coloured circles on the ice. also lots of yelling. mateo likes to clap. also, the norwegian pants are unbelievable.)

here are the things mateo likes right now:

1. his blue elephant shoes (they are good for walking and for eating)

2. his rattling bear (hand-me-down from the liebscher kids)

3. his oma blanket (it's good for hiding under)

4. animal crackers (they are hilarious)

5. our new housemate (christina schwering)

6. SKYPE (his favourite people live in our computer- omi & opa kampen!)

here are some things we don't like:

1. heavy wet snow, especially when we have to take the stroller through snow banks

2. molars (only baby tylenol fixes them)

3. toben's seeming inability to clean his rear

kisses for auntie anna

mateo's first movie

Wil's great video of his visit to our place.

we love visitors...

Marlon + Andrea = love

breakfast of champions @ Symposium in Uptown

Mateo shares his mashed potatoes with Dino

Mateo shares his mashed potatoes with Marlon

Sisters + coffee = happy day

Suuuuuuuuuuper Baby!

During this last week, Andrea & Marlon came to Waterloo to visit us. Our days were filled with coffee, movies, Steam Whistle beer, field trips to Uptown Waterloo, the New Hamburg Thrift Centre, and visits from other Winnipeg relatives (Paul, Lauren & Graeme).

Our supply of Manitoba Rooibos tea is now replenished. :)

Uncle Wil comes to call...

From Monday to Wednesday this past week, Dave's best friend Wil came to visit us in Waterloo. It didn't take long to show him "the sights" around here, so we spent a lot of time eating delicious food (I had ribs for the first time- thanks Wil), watching movies, & losing against Wil at Dutch Blitz.

Wil explains something incredibly important to Mateo.

Mateo loves Wil. So do we. But we missed Vinna.

Olympic spirit

a snap shot of our lives right now... in words

here are our lives:

wake up... coffee... apple sauce.

teaching... german... don't you love the accusative case? overheads... chalk dust... nils nilpferd und gisela giraffe unterrichten deutsch. marking quizzes with a red gel pen.

french... driving on the back roads to london... 1.5 hours one way... learning, learning... home again. betsy's killing me today.

smiles... giggles... backe backe kuchen... asian dreamland... animal crackers in my soup. rattle rattle bear... hop hop hop... dancing to the glee soundtrack... adventures on my sled in the snow... this baby can fly.

dishes... laundry... thesis. skype.

diapers... bathtime... clean new shirt.

manitoba rooibos tea... a little bit of home.

read... canadian mennonite... canadian family... a.s. byatt.

good night.

start over again tomorrow.

one of these days these feet are gonna walk all over... everywhere!

cutie pants

Christmas 2009

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

one of Mateo's very favourite Germans... Karin

Wo ist Mateo? Ou est Mateo?

Peek-a-boo!

Mateo's new nativity set introduces him to Silent Night, which he listens to raptly every time it plays.

the best thing about presents is the wrapping paper

Little peanut

Oma & Opa Albrecht come to town

Mateo opens his first Christmas present... (best part: the wrapping paper)

Toben helps with the unwrapping

Mateo is eating Baby Jesus, part of his Christmas present from Oma & Opa Albrecht

Proud grandparents :)

Haircut #2 or oops, i did it again

BEFORE

AFTER

Mikael

This week, a high school friend of mine committed suicide. He had been struggling with severe mental illness for a while. Although Mikael & I were not close friends lately, he was always somebody whom I appreciated greatly in high school. His obituary, written by his mother, can be read here.

Here is what I will remember about Mikael:

he was such a gentle person

he was a total weirdo - seriously, who else would eat almost a whole pound of sugar just because the boys only used about a tablespoon for pancakes on the grade 9 camping trip... ;)

he noticed things about other people & was intuitive about what was helpful to say if someone was having difficulty.

Our prayers are with the Chan family this week, & in the weeks ahead, where the pain of his death with be continually felt acutely.

Mikael- you are in a safe place now, where nothing can hurt you anymore.

baby bear: a photo shoot

chicken little: a photo shoot

Giggles with Papa