family update

Life here is teeming with activities, day and night, and while most are welcome, those night-time ones (wake-ups) are not. Here's a shakedown of life in Patra, family member by family member...

HLB, three years + four months old

This guy is loving it here. Top activities include running around outside, playing soccer, doing jobs, hitting parks and playgrounds, eating bougatsa, oreos, ice cream, pretending (he's in dinosaur time, Santa is coming, that he's taking the bus to South Europe or Romania, he's building stuff), reading, doing crafts and... did I mention he likes being outside? Bedtime is late, he's learning a few Greek words and he's being nicer to Alana. We took the bus into town yesterday and he loved it, but the castle visit the day before was a grand slam, and he buzzed with excitement as he explored nooks and crannies and different rooms of the restored fortress (see pics below). There are the usual three-year old challenges - listening (or, rather, not listening), but for the most part he's a good little guy. Favourite books include the Easter tomes that I just dug out, and most of the stories in this book. He talks about things he'll do when he's older like driving and playing on a soccer team, and he tells me things I'll do when I'm older too - I can't say what, but he usually gives me an age in the 90s, which gives me a thing or two to think about. I should be writing down some quotable quotes - maybe I'll do that this week, and do an exclusive who-said-what blog; I'll add it to the list.

ALB, one year + seven months old

I'm just going to start with the most obvious thing about this girl, which could be one of two things: she LOVES eating cheese, and she's a horrible sleeper. I feel like I have to break up with her, she is so smothery and clingy at night, and I dream about the weekend in May when we are back in Canada in Oakville for a wedding - will this be the next through-the-night sleep for me? Maybe. It's not even that she wakes up a few times; her routine is this: she goes down late, between 9:30 and 10:00, and sleeps in her own bed for what feels like a very short while. Then, she wakes up calling for me "mommiee mommiee mameee" in a very loud, very whiny voice, and won't stop until I pick her up and take her into my (single) bed. Sometimes she'll fall asleep right away, and sometimes she won't, but she'll always wake up again calling for me in that same loud and aggressively whiny tone, even with my head mere inches away from hers. She flails, sleeps on the pillow or sideways on the bed, and then calls for me some more, and I feel like I'm constantly being woken up. I need to erase all expectations of a decent rest at night, and take what I can get. Aaaand I'm done with the sleep rant... we can move on. She's increasing her vocabulary like nobody's business, and loves looking at and talking about the chickens, sheep and lambs beside the park down the street. She'll still randomly start talking about the creatures at Ottawa's Museum of Nature ("di-saurs! fish. birds. fogs!") and is able to have a conversation (albeit maybe the same one) about this or that or the other. She also likes pretending, reading, doing crafts (chalk wall, play-do), and throwing food. And running away. She loves cheese, pizza, yogurt - she could be a poster girl for dairy products, she could. She sings Oh Canada (must get on film) and rivals Hendrik with her interest in all things Franklin. And, of course, she likes doing whatever Hendrik does... which means tug-of-war for tools, the new baby stroller that Nik brought over and anything and everything that Hendrik wants to do/is playing with. She also loves being outside, picking flowers and squishing ants ("SQUISH!"). And eating strawberries. Good thing she's so cute, this one....

Steve

Volleyball volleyball volleyball. The team has their last regular season game this Saturday, and since all points accumulated in regular season carry over into the play-downs, every set counts. It looks like we'll be here until May 6th (dates confirmed today), just five or-so days after the season comes to a close. This gives the big guy a few days to relax before we head home to what will hopefully be SPRING in Canada. Will it will it will the snow be gone by then? I hope so. He hopes so. I digress. What else is new with him? He gets to eat at a variety of restaurants that serve up delicious fare - to both him, his teammates and the three of us hangers-on. This includes a waterfront cafe/resto in Rio, a place called BeerBarCue, Toulas (I've posted pics of the food here - it's so so good) and more. I know he's loving having Nik around, and so am I. It's good to have a few pals in the same city you live in, no?

Me

And me? What's new? Not much really. I'm enjoying the same things the others are - outside time, the sun, the food, the phyllo pastry goods, the pace of life - it's all good. Well, almost. I'd change the brutal nighttime routine, and I'd take a shower that actually contains water, and - would it be to much to ask to make all bakery goods calorie-free? Bah! I made bougatsa the other day, and it was good, but I think I'll save a second batch for Canada when I can't find delicious pastry down the street. I have to say that I've really felt like I've been on vacation here; there are no to-do lists (actually, I'm just not making any), and with a grocery store steps away, I can plan meals on the go... easy breezy. Or we just go out! Easier breezier. Alright... Alana is sleeping so I should too. More to write about, but it'll have to wait until next time.

castle collage