how Kajsa stays busy… at times

the cubby, the tree, the bubble wrap girl....

One of Kajsa’s favorite soundtracks these days is Veggie Tales... Veggie Tales anything, but we have one CD that we all know quite well now. It’s pretty funny. If you haven’t heard or seen Veggie Tales, look it up.. it’s quite silly and amusing.  But anyhow, there’s one song called “Busy”… and the lyrics are this: I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy, You’ve no idea what I have to do. Busy, busy, shockingly busy Much, much too busy for you.”  I’m not sure which episode the song is from, but Kajsa loves it.. she walks around the house singing, “I’m busy, busy… shock-a-leeee BUSY… busy, busy, shock-a-leee busy…”

These pictures give a little glimpse into how she keeps “shock-a-leeee busy”… partially. She’s three, so of course this only represents about an hour, probably!

Bubble Wrap Fun

"my Ann-Britt towel"...

a Kajsa-rrito..

I can do it ALL mySELF

while working on sermon...

.... I had Kajsa "paint" the house, the chalk, anything she could paint with water....

August days

Abby loves her sticks!

the "minture" horses --some of our animal neighbors

a bit scary, but also a fun picture...

Kajsa on rollerskates... Abby sees her stick

Abby tries to get Kajsa's stick

Abby tries even harder to get Kajsa's stick

Mommy distracts Abby.. Kajsa keeps the stick

strike a pose…

"my fun dancing outfit"

I helped her get dressed today, choosing the leggings to match the top–sort of. But Kajsa insisted on wearing her dancing skirt. As the day progressed, the whole outfit became known as  “my fun dancing outfit”.  Then when we went to the 4-H Fair later on, I tried to convince her that she might be hot, but she wanted to wear the same outfit–I managed to get leave the scarf behind, though, concerned that my daughter might end up in a pool of sweat… Because, by the time we left for the 4-H Fair, she was sweating from dancing around inside.

the adorable cow and kid

The 4-H Fair, in Creamery (Skippack) was a blast. How could it not be, with all the animals and with a giant “Clifford the Big Red Dog” inflatable bouncing thing, and with the people we ran into. The cows were adorable, clearly.

And, finally, this last photo is Kajsa after

Spelling in the driveway

spelling “Daddy” and “Mommy” in the driveway. Jim took the photo, after she had asked how to spell all these names. Last week she spelled her first word : DeeDee… and then her second: JoJo. Her interest in spelling has taken off, now, so it’s fun to be a part of this learning season in her life.

fun in the sun

Last weekend we were at Pilgrim Pines in NH for the East Coast Conference Ministerium and Annual Meeting. Kajsa loved the beach at the Pines.. LOVED the beach. She would have been in the water all the way, had we let her! but it was tooooo cold. (the water.. the outside temp was fantastic last weekend!)

playing with Aidan and Beckett's beach toys...

Then we had fun with bubbles and her tricycle last week–before it got cold again, here.

Some funny Kajsa sayings lately:

-looking for something… “hmmm.. where that be? it must be here somewhere!”

-when holding the vacuum cleaner cord while I’m vacuuming, even though I told her to let the cord go because she was holding it too tightly: “mommy, I just hold it…. case you don’t get hurt..”

beach girl

-and nearly everyday, she calls “Dee Dee”.. the other day I heard her talking while holding her pretend phone to her ear, and this is what I heard: “Oh, hi, Dee Dee… it’s me, Kajsa.. Yep. A huh.. yep. Ok.. Oh, (laugh, laugh) that’s SO funny. Oh, you what? You and Oppa? (translation=Entropy)… Oh. Hold on, Dee Dee.. Hold on for minute. I need to go.. Ok. I call you later, OK? bye!”

Kajsa's "click".. "the click with the orange button"

Bubbles..

"Mommy, I put my 'elmet on."

More pictures

hockey, hockey, and more hockey.. Kajsa loves hockey.

little gardener

little artist... enjoying the spring day

Snow Angels... not grass angels, but snow angels. She thinks snow angels are hysterical in the grass.

the fine spring day

I Love Baseball, I love pink... I love my new rain boots...!

Sometimes I can hardly stand it..

how cute she is. And how funny. I wish I had the energy to write the stories, right now, but for now, photos will have to do. Enjoy.

Washing toys after the rummage sale

Twirly Dress

I love this picture...

carrying the hockey stick--in its bag. She carried it around much of the time we were outside playing that day.

We love spring! We love chalk, spray bottles with water, being outside in the spring... and, by the way, the chalk rainbows down the driveway were on request by Kajsa, but exectued by me, on rollerblades.

peek-a-boo

feeding the goats at Stewart's Bird Farm

Lily of the Valley--this ones for you, Joan!

way late posting: “Holy” Saturday

“Holy” Saturday

Originally uploaded by cathyse97.

Is this what that Saturday before the resurrection was like–looks of confusion, people scattered all over, even the animals scattered, wondering what was going on…? And, as much as I love an Easter egg hung–and I do–missing the point of the whole thing? (Don’t get me wrong–I’m one who likes to do the egg hunts, as long as we don’t lose sight of the reason we celebrate Easter.)

I can only imagine the shock, grief, confusion, disappointment, and discombobulation felt on that Saturday… wondering what needed to happen next. How to go on? How to move forward? Where to look for meaning, for comfort…

pictures, part 2

Kajsa's new easel

outside

a "bridge" in the woods behind our house... and wearing her boots for the "gooey mud".

laughing with Daddy

playing with beans... pouring beans into her plastic cups and bowls, then pouring them back into the big bowl.

Kajsa-pictures, update, etc.

It’s hard to believe how much Kajsa is talking, advancing, growing up.. then again it’s not that hard to believe. It’s natural. But watching it right before our eyes is so amazing. I commented to Jim the other day how much fun it is to have conversations with her. She frequently has something to say. She loves exploring, watching her favorite TV shows,

enjoying the outdoors

Dora, Diego, Handy Manny, Ni Hao Kai Lan), playing with dry beans, art stuff–anything to do with coloring and painting and paper… being in her “car” outside, pretending to be in “gooey mud”, swinging, reading reading reading, arranging her stuffed animals in a train, Hide-and-Seek… stickers… stickers… stickers. Wow does the girl love stickers.

A little funny story. The other day she walked up to me, put her finger up to her cheek as she does when she says, “right back”.. she said, “Mommy, I go to get gas for my car. I be right back.”

“Ok”, I said… “Where are you going to get gas?”

sitting in a box (that the toddler bed came in) to play Kajsa's "Match Game"..the Kajsa way.

“Uh” she paused. “Maine.”

“Maine?” I asked… “Why Maine?”

“Uh.. I go get gas. Right back.”

Then yesterday afternoon we were outside enjoying the nice weather. I was sitting on the driveway watching her. She was playing with her Little Tikes Car. She got out of the car, walked up to me and said, “Mommy.. I go to get gas for my car.”

having a "pickwick" outside with pudding... (picnic)

“Ok” I said, expecting a repeat trip to Maine… “Where are you going this time?”

“Two stations…” she said, carefully holding up two fingers. “I go two stations to get gas. Right back, Mommy.”

does tie-dye go with sparkly pink shoes?

“Catch-Up”: Thursday… filled with laughter

filled with laughter

Originally uploaded by cathyse97.

Psalm 126:1-3: “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”

“our mouth was filled with laughter”. Kajsa is often filled with laughter. And her laughter often fills me with laughter.. even if I don’t feel like laughing. Often, I say. Because there are times when she’s simply stalling from doing what we’ve asked her to do. But mostly, Kajsa’s laughter is contagious. And it reminds me of what restoration feels like–restoration thanks to God’s work, God reversing fortunes.. God doing great things for us. Where does that leave those who don’t know this feeling? or feel this, when things are going better? Sometimes laughter is possible, but mostly it’s discouraging, when others get to laugh from the pure joy they experience.. and when some aren’t able to share that.

What’s the answer? I don’t know. I’ve been in both positions. And of course I prefer the laughing, because of God doing what I consider to be great things in my life, or the lives of others. Of course. But I also am discouraged at the amount of continued chronic pain that others (and myself, at times) experience…. how long, O God? How long until they, too get to be filled with laughter…?