Going with the Flow

We are practicing "go with the flow" around here. This is how it started. Last summer we came up with the idea that it would be fun to go camping in Maine. Wild blueberries! Canoeing! Fireflies! AND we could see our East Coast friends and family to boot. Woo hoo!

Then we realized that dear friends Amy/Lance/Lindy/Piper were going to be away from Nevada City for WAY too long. We needed to travel this summer to see them as well. They were due in San Antonio, Texas for the June-July time frame. Texas! That's on the way to the East Coast! This is sounding like a trip in Martin's plane...

The race in San Diego clinched the deal. For those of you who have been following along, Erika decided to train for a half marathon in San Diego with her college roommate as a way of staying motivated to get her postpartum patootie back in shape.

Well. Things don't always go as planned. First of all, Maine, in case it's been a while since you took a geography class, is a REALLY long way from California. We were trying to limit the trip to two weeks, so Maine fell off the list early on. Not to worry, we could still make it to New York City, which is home to an unusually high concentration of friends and family. We planned. We booked. We were set. Grass Valley to Westchester and back, with a loop that started in the South (San Diego, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia) and came back across the North (Minnesota, South Dakota, Oregon).

And then the U.S. Military made other plans for Lance. Ok, so no stop in San Antonio. No problem. We are extending our stay in New Mexico by a day and figuring out a new and exciting stop en route to Williamsburg, Virginia the day after that. It's an adventure!

But then, Erika started getting sick. And running got painful. She felt worse on every run, like her super-expanded hips and abdominal muscles weren't quite ready to spring back into place. The pain extended down to her wonky knees. Still, she soldiered on, re-working her training plan to the bare minimum. It didn't help. She bailed on the 10K in Reno, a mere six hours before it was supposed to start. And then, she realized that it was OK not to run this half marathon. In fact, it might even be a good thing. And so, she sucked up her pride and made a phone call to Shannon to call the whole thing off. And she felt much better.

So now the three original reasons for the trip are gone. Oh, did I mention that Martin sold his plane about a month before we were scheduled to depart? Yes, we are now on Plan D for transportation. Fingers crossed. And now, Erika is sick again. Really sick. Like, fever and chills and all that. Is this trip is really meant to be, or is this just yet another lesson in going with the flow? Stay tuned -- photos and stories from the road (the air?) will show up on this blog pending internet access.

In other news, both Kosina children are trying out new future career choices. Peter: guru, or maybe just mystic:

Karolina, gymnast. Oh, by the way, girlfriend is getting TWO teeth! And she ate her first rice cereal yesterday! She is growing up. Here is the gymnast video:

News Flash: Pawlene's First Trip Outside Since Fall 2011

Well, Spring has sprung here in Nevada City, and I made my first sojourn out onto the porch since temperatures dipped below 50 degrees or so last Fall. It wasn't bad! But there is lots of other news to report... Peter attended his second Car Show in Grass Valley (and Karolina, not pictured, attended her first). He found a Big Truck right away.

Wasn't sure about this funny looking one...

Picking out his next vehicle.

Tempted by a fixer.

Looking forward to next year's Soap Box Derby (we'll be out of town this year).

Karolina has news as well. She arrived at the Six Month mark yesterday, and we celebrating with a half birthday cake from Emily's and a spontaneous visit from Aunt Kristina and her friend Dorothy. For those of you keeping track of statistics, Karolina now weighs 21 lbs and is just over 26 1/2 inches long. Her eyes are starting to turn from blue grey to hazel and her hair is turning a bit blonder. She is beautiful.

And talented too! She can sit by herself for longer and longer periods of time, flipping from back to front is a breeze, and she occasionally goes the other way (front to back). It's time to get out Peter's old high chair and see what she thinks of Real Food. No teeth yet, but they are on their way in.

Out on the farm with Mom (thanks to our neighbor, Andrea, for this photo, and for providing two excellent soon-to-be babysitters -- ten-year old twin daughters Olivia and Bianca).

Karolina's smile come easily, and is a delight to behold, but she only laughs hysterically for Peter, who apparently is the most entertaining guy on the planet to the 6-month-old set.

Her favorite activities these days (besides bouncing wildly in her bouncy chair), are playing with her toes, going on strolls with Babicka, and examining new objects. She receives any new object (tupperware, empty yogurt containers, measuring spoons, a cabbage leaf -- can you tell mom is usually in the kitchen, trying to cook dinner, when she needs to be entertained?) with great interest, turning it over and over in her hands, bringing it to her mouth for a small taste and passing it from one hand to another before flinging it violently aside. I avoid her strong grasp. Plenty of time later to teach her how to pet properly.