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.

Guest Post from Erika: I have a little GIRL.

Guest Post from Erika: Peter at Four

Peter is pictured here with Daddy and TWO mini cupcakes because he tripped over his new ambulance and somehow managed to scrape his entire face AND his elbow.

Peter George Kosina turned four years old on Saturday. We celebrated with a small, music-themed party with some kids from his preschool and the sweet neighbor girls, who saved us in the 93-degree heat by hauling enormous umbrellas across the street to our sweltering yard. There was a didgeridoo and a man who could ROCK it and hold the attention of four sweaty preschoolers for nearly 45 minutes.

That night, tucking my big, bony four-year-old into bed, I got all teary. Yes, he is "spirited", "active", "challenging", and frequently crazy-making. But he is also SO sweet and funny and smart.

He fixed an owie for me the other day -- noticed that I had cut my thumb and took it upon himself to go and get a band-aid and put it on me himself: "Mom, you need a band-aid. I'm going to help you." In the heat of the most recent bedtime argument, when I was explaining for what seemed like the umpteenth time that mommy and daddy needed some Time and Peter needed to rest, he interrupted me to say: "Mom, I'm going upstairs now. You don't need to talk and talk and talk."

He is so excited about the world and what he can DO. It seems that every 90 seconds I hear "Mom, I need to show you something." Especially when I am trying to make dinner. But he is so proud of these contraptions that he makes to hold giant loads of blocks on his toy trucks, or a monster truck that he has drawn, or a slide that he has made out of a piece of wood. I have to look. Definitely a structural engineer, if he decides against artist/house painter/runner as his future career.

I wouldn't trade him for anything. I love him more than I knew was possible.

After reading a hilarious birthday interview with her child on Kristen's blog, I decided that this was a brilliant tradition that I had not yet missed the window for, unlike several *adorable* pieces from Karolina's first wardrobe. Sigh.

So here, in his own words, is Peter's Perspective at Four. Just to set the scene visually, for the duration of the interview Peter is sitting naked in a folding chair outside our back door, completely covered in dirt, munching on a bagel with smoked salmon and capers in between questions.

Me: All right Peter, how old did you turn yesterday?
P: Four.

Me: If a genie could grant you one wish, what would it be?
P: A hobby horse.

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
P: A artist, and a house painter, and a runner.

Me: What does an artist do?
P: Paints pictures.

Me: What does a house painter do?
P: Paints houses.

Me: What does a runner do?
P: Runs.

Me: Where do you want to live when you grow up?
P: Maybe right here all day (points at our Nevada City house).

Me: Do you think you’ll have any animals?
P: Yeah.

Me: What kind?
P: Tigers, and gorillas, and hippopotamuses and a rhinoceros.

Me: Do you think you want to get married when you grow up?
P: No thanks.

Me: Why not?
P: I don’t feel like it.

Me: Do you want to have children?
P: [Long pause, finally makes unintelligible noise].

Me: Yes? How many?
P: [Another long pause…] One.

Me: One child, ok.
P: I want to just have Karolina.

Me: Do you feel different now that you are four?
P: [Nods.]

Me: How so?
P: I don’t know.

Me: What is your favorite color and why?
P: Purple and green.

Me: Why is purple your favorite color?
P: Because it’s just my favorite color.

Me: And what about green? Why is green your favorite color?
P: Cause it’s just my favorite color.

Me: Who is your best friend?
P: Blakey and Logan and Natalia and McKinlee and Cassidy and Connor. [kids at his pre-school]

Me: Why do you like them?
P: Cause they’re just my best friend.

Me: Now that you are four, do you think you’ll have a girlfriend?
P: I just want Karolina girlfriend.

Me: What do you think about world peace?
P: What?

Me: Do you know what it is?
P: No.

Me: Ok, we’ll come back to that next year. What is your favorite TV show?
P: Captain Featherhook. [??? Is this even a real TV show? Never heard of it. We don’t own a TV, but we do watch Blue’s Clues and Wonder Pets on Netflix. Funny kid.]

Me: What is your favorite thing to do that is not TV?
P: Play.

Me: Play what?
P: Play with my ambulance. [He just received this ambulance on his birthday after asking for it for MONTHS.]

Me: What do you like most about school?
P: I like all of the things about school.

Me: What have you learned at school?
P: I learned about fish.

Me: What do you like to do in your free time?
P: I like to play in the grass.

Me: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
P: Eating Pirate Booty.

Me: What is your favorite song?
P: Rob Zombie. [This is Martin's doing.]

Me: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
P: Batman.

Me: That’s a super hero. What can Bat Man do that you would want to do?
P: Fly in the air.

Me: What is your very favorite thing to do?
P: Play all day.

Me: What are you most afraid of?
P: I’m afraid of monsters.

Me: What about monsters are you afraid of?
P: I’m afraid of witches and goblins and dragons.

Me: And what are you afraid of about them?
P: I’m afraid they will eat me.

Me: What is your favorite thing about me?
P: Hug.

Me: What is your favorite thing about daddy?
P: Hugging.

Me: What is your favorite thing about Karolina?
P: Hugging.

Me: What’s cool about Karolina?
P: Her tricks.

Me: What tricks are those?
P: Roll over.

Karolina is five months old.

Oh my. FIVE months! That's nearly half a year!

Karolina's favorite activities these days? Lifting her feet as high as she can and STOMPING them back down. She especially loves to do this at 1am, 2am, 3am...Oh, and she has rolled over TWICE now (both times back to front, just like her brother) -- the latest and greatest was in front of the full Easter crowd (cousins Sharon and Dennis came up with Vic and Nancy for Easter brunch). Huzzah!

She also loves to laugh at her brother's antics and examine whatever object you put within reach of her (very strong!) grasp. She is a Great Observer, as her babicka would say.

Girlfriend is pushing 20 lbs these days -- sorry Pawlene, you've been outweighed once again, despite all the fishy treats you have been getting from Peter lately. She still has a lovely, calm, happy disposition...a pleasure to be around.

And, just for the record, here is Peter at five months, in the same outfit. They are starting to differentiate just a bit...

Guest Post from Erika: Those Zany Kids

This morning didn't go well.

We are down to one working heat source in the house, besides the wood stoves, which are sketchy, inefficient, and not up to code (in other words, not ideal when you are singlehandedly juggling a baby and a very curious almost-four-year-old). The heater is currently set up in the bedroom, which remains at a tolerable temperature with this heater, despite the rest of the house being 50 degrees. Peter crept into my bed some time between the 1:00am and 4:00am baby feeding, which was just fine with me.

But then he woke up BEFORE the alarm clock went off and trotted downstairs into the arctic zone. I had set the alarm extra early so that I would have time to turn on the oven to heat up the kitchen and suss out the best way to keep my family warm until it was time for Peter to go to pre-school. Forget that plan.

Peter: Mom, it's cold!
Peter: Mom, will you play with me?
Peter: Mom, this library book is not a book.
Me (before coffee): Uhhhhhhhh.

Peter: Mom, it's really cold!
Peter: Mom, I'm a fire engine!
Peter: WEEE OOOO WEEE OOO WEEE OOO WEEE OOO
Me: Here, have some hot chocolate.
Peter: Where's the whipped cream?
Me: We don't HAVE any whipped cream.

Peter: Mom, can you come here?
Peter: Mom, I want to show you something.
Peter: Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mom?
Me: PETER, I AM TRYING TO MAKE BREAKFAST!!! I CAN'T PLAY RIGHT NOW.
Peter: Mom, just settle down. You need to settle down.
Me: [hysterical laughter] You know what? You are right.

Snow!

So, we've had a really mild winter. Right up until last week. It started raining on Monday, and didn't stop until it turned into snow over the weekend. I curled up under a blanket, but the Kosinas ventured OUTSIDE!

First, we had to dress Karolina up in her new snow suit! Oops, didn't notice that pinky. Frostbite, yikes!

Posing with mama.

Peter didn't get out much this week.

We hiked all the way up Nevada Street to have brunch with friends. The 10-minute walk took closer to 30 because, well, there was SNOW! Snow to throw, snow to jump in, snow to roll in, snowflakes to try and catch on your tongue...

Snow is a lot of fun. Until your heater breaks. And then your space heater breaks. And the heater repair man can't come until Wednesday.

sigh.