Monday, April 19, 2010

The Smell of Spring & Other Things

We just enjoyed one of those perfect spring days that ended with an equally perfect spring evening. We were still comfortable in our shorts and t-shirts as we enjoyed a picnic supper and a walk around Mill Lake tonight. There were plenty of new baby goslings and ducklings to spot and a brand new playground to enjoy. Everything is green and growing like crazy. But I think my favourite part of spring this year has been the smell. Especially the rain. Spring rain definitely smells different than winter rain. I love having the windows open and letting the freshness seep in.

I'll have to upload the pictures from tonight's park excursion another day. But for now, I've got some others to share, including a few cute ones of Silas. He learned to hold his own bottle since his birthday:


Also, he got his first buzz cut last week. We had to make it pretty quick considering he screamed the whole time:


After it was done, he suddenly looked a lot more like a toddler than a baby. And he also suddenly looked a whole lot more like Micah.



But despite how cute and happy he looks here, he actually got sick with a high fever later that night and ended up on antibiotics for a throat/ear infection. Thankfully now he seems back to his smiley-Siley little self.


Erik has been working hard building some new furniture for our place. I've been wanting a new TV cabinet for awhile, but Erik went the extra mile and built a new dining room table and bench at the same time :) I feel pretty blessed to have such a talented husband who can build beautiful things.


The table is a bit big for our space right now.


So now I'm on the look-out for some new chairs. Here are a few from Ikea that I'm considering:

The first one is black-brown, the second one black, and the 3rd one would need to be stained to match the table.

The new TV cabinet:


Silas discovering the new TV cabinet.



The kids are enjoying the surface space that the new table provides.


Micah found our Settlers game the other day, so I made up a game he could play - rolling the dice and building roads and cities on the corresponding numbers :)


And a classic picture of Keziah. She can be found - at any point of the day - lounging face-down like this on the floor. She does this sometimes on the carpet, but she seems to prefer the dirty, cold laminate in the kitchen. She does it mostly when she's tired, but it's not limited to tiredness.


She just lies there for a few minutes with this glazed look in her eye. And then she'll get up and go on with her day. She's definitely a funny one, that girl :)

10 comments:

Amber said...

JAYDA DOES THAT TOO!!!! (the lying down where ever, whenever thing!) Exactly like that, with her arms kinda tucked under her belly. That is hilarious!!! Maybe it has something to do with a middle child thing? Haha. Jayda also has those jeans. ;)

Mel said...

Hey Jamie - we just purchased the second chair on your post - the black ones from IKEA. They're great! By the way, do you guys have the piano yet? I keep forgetting to ask Dave's folks about it.

kelly ens said...

isn't it wonderful having a HUGE table??? :) we love it!
we have the first chairs (in white) and love them. the seat base is so nice and big, it's easy to sit cross-legged or one leg under the other without falling off the chair :) They're probably the most expensive of the 3 choices, but we felt it was worth it.
Ezra does that same lay-down thing. we don't have much laminate, so it's usually on the carpet, but same idea as Keziah :)

Kathy's corner said...

Maybe that's her version of bouncing. I can;t believe I will see you in 14 sleeps!!!!!

Trev and Rebekah said...

I'll have to learn the game you taught Isaiah because Isaiah always wants to play our games. We should do a Settlers night with you guys some time

patti said...

i said it on FB, but i'll say it again...that furniture is GORGEOUS!
that picture of keziah on the floor is adorable!

Kara said...

I am in love with your new furniture - it is stunning.

Bonnie said...

I know I've already said it, but I'll say it again-- Erik did an INCREDIBLE job on your furniture. I showed it to Jon the other night (on facebook) and he was VERY impressed!

Oh, and if you want my 2 cents, I would choose the last IKEA chair to go with your table. The style suits the best (in my opinion) and I think it would look awesome to be able to stain them the same colour. But again... just my opinion :)

And your kids are as cute as ever. LOVE Silas' buzz cut!

Jen Glen said...

I've been looking for a new TV stand as well! Do you think Erik would build me one and send it to SK? Just checking. Oh, and I totally think Silas looks like he's extremely proud of his new buzz cut.

rachel joy said...

Beautiful handiwork, Erik! How did he get it so shiny?! We have a big table and benches too, and totally love the space. Although it already feels too small! We have the benches from Ikea that are the same as the first picture you posted. They're really sturdy and have storage space, but one thing I was nervous about the X design was that it might snap. Sure enough, one of the boys pushed on it with a foot and it snapped. It's just taped up with masking tape till we do a proper repair. I'd be scared of the last one because it looks like a ladder to climb! This from experience after Max climbed the back of a chair like that at about 19 mos. and it tipped him over right into the corner of the wall. I really like the second one. :)

I don't know if I can paste a link here, but I just found this blog yesterday, featuring dining room chair plans!
http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/2010/04/plans-angle-chair-modern-simplicity-is.html

Marty does that lounging thing too. I guess they just need to space out every now and then, hey?