Family Prayer Time

This is how family prayer time at the Petersen house looks.

Bunny Bear has become a permanent fixture in most of the daily tasks performed by LQ

Closing her eyes means gouging them out with her little fingers

Chinny, Chin Chin

To the extra under my chin that I can see coming,

Please go away. You look like you want to take over the role of my regular chin. I wont allow it. My regular chin does NOT need an understudy.

Yes, my regular chin has been performing since the beginning of the drama entitled "Helen", but he is not worn out yet and will not be for many years to come. Your coming has been premature in the worst sense.

I don't understand why you have appeared so early on in this production. You are such a titchy little thing at the moment, but if I don't address this problem I know that sooner, rather than later, you will overtake the entire production and just make it plain ugly.

So, Mr Extra Chin, I implore you to leave us be for the moment. We will call you when my regular chin starts to get tired. Until that time, go harass someone with a well chiseled chin.

Cordially yours,
Hel (and her ONE chin)

P.S. you can take those ugly little black hairs that suddenly appeared to. They are just as unwelcome as you are

I can tell that we are gonna be friends

LQ has found a best friend. She calls her "bibby". When bibby comes over to play there is excitement and chaos. LQ jumps up and down waiting for bibby, her mum and little brother to come up the stairs.

And then the intensive play session begins. I love that LQ enjoys playing with someone else so much. It also helps that bibby's mum and I get along so well.

Of course I couldn't get a photo of the two of them looking at the camera at the same time.

The amount of mess on the floor directly relates to the amount of fun they have had.

Exhibition LQ

LQ has become quite the exhibitionist recently.

She has become aware of the fact that mummy has "boobies" and loves to point any woman out with the same. As we walked down a street in the CBD last week a small poster board advertising a bikini came into view. The young woman modeling the bikini had a nice toned stomach and beautiful skin. LQ quickly put two and two together and proudly smiled up at me as she announced "MUMMY!" while pointing at the nicely toned bikini clad model. Only in my dreams.

Here are a few photos of LQ showing her boobies.
Look how happy she is - I hope this ends before she becomes an adolescent

and for the coup de grace

It is finished

I have finally finished the crib bumper that I have been making for my little nephew for the past month.

Little nephew is still cooking, so the hiccups in my sewing (looking for house, moving and getting sick) didn't stress me as much as they would if he were already here. Please admire and tell me how wonderful I am.

and we return to our regular programming

Outside

My dead arm woke me up. I know that I have slept too long, but I can't hear any pitter patter of small puffy feet. Grandma must have let me sleep and taken LQ when she woke from her nap.

I LOVE Grandma.

I lay on the bed staring out the window waiting for my whole body to wake up. As I look at the wind shaking the trees I think about how much I am going to miss having the live-in grandma. My mind begins to wander to other subjects - how much fabric will I REALLY need to make a Mickey Mouse silhouette head board. Important subjects like that are a continuous stream when my mind isn't otherwise occupied.

I am interrupted mid thought by a scene passing my window. It is a familiar but beautiful scene that only takes a moment to unfold.

Grandma comes into sight carrying shovel in one hand and plastic bag in the other. The chickens must have been invading the human's territory again and left poo deposits up and down the driveway. An old dog slowly follows behind. In her younger years this sunset coloured dog would not have allowed such a befowlment on her master's property. Those chickens would have known who was head animal and may have even had their numbers depleted (if they knew what was good for them... grrrowl). Now the old dog's biggest worry is choosing a sunspot that will soothe her aching arthritic bones.

Lurching, stumbling, half-jogging behind the old dog arrives LQ. Her butterfly gumboots especially purchased for ambling around the grandparents five acres hinder her progress somewhat. LQ's mastery of the boots is coming along but she still manages to appear tipsy as she walks past the window.

The three - Grandma, Old Dog and LQ - amble single file along the path through the unkempt garden. This has become a familiar routine over this past winter month. As the sun tentatively and quickly shows what it is really capable of, Grandma will announce it is time for outside. Gumboots, beanie and puffy vest are donned in an excited flurry. LQ is heard to pronounce "'side?!" (outside) several times. Then it is on to pottering, gardening, piggy-backing ("Hang On!") and old dog chasing.

The flashing scene outside my window reminds me that these lazy days will soon come to end. I quickly capture the memory framing it in my mind. The framed memory will be used later when I lament days gone by when toes and cheeks were chubbier and life was all about being outside.