More Ice Cream? Yes, Please!

Spring has finally ushered in a wave of nice hot weather. As the cold weather blows out, with it goes my restraint. I just cannot refuse Claudia's repeated requests for ice cream and ice lollies (I'm sorry, I love this word and can't bring myself to say "popsicle" anymore) and I must let Patrick run amuck in the yard while wielding a water hose.  I can't help myself and neither can they!

They made a paper mache dinosaur on Dino Dan (Clau's new favorite).  So, she wanted to make herself a papier mache lady bug.  I love paper mache, so she didn't have to work too hard to convince me.

This is where we had a breakdown.  It's done, though.  Not really a ladybug, or anything really.  Just a festive candy container waiting to be smashed up.  

Watermelon season is upon as well.  In the past two weeks, she has been averaging one large watermelon every two days.  This is not an exaggeration.  

She eats every slice down to the rind and does not shy from eating the seeds.

I'm not sure how this has happened, but I am a little short on pictures for this guy.  I will make up for that with extra Paddy pictures next week! 

First ice lolly ever!   Made it from sour cherry juice.  He loved it!

He didn't want to share.  He growled like a little junk yard dog if you even got near it.

This one also had her fair share of treats.

For Patrick's two, Claudia had 4.

All was well until she got her first brain freeze.  Ouch!

There was a short cold snap on the weekend, so we decided to go explore the Aquincum.  It's the remains of the old Roman city from the Pannonian region, situated in modern day Budapest, on the way out to Szentendre.  It's in great shape and was a lot of fun.

You could crawl, climb and navigate yourself all throughout the city.  They have it well marked to show you what was where.

It was a bit of a hazard for Patrick, though... way too many jagged surfaces to fall on.  The playground there (which was great) was much more his speed.

She helped me make crepes, with chocolate chips.  She said she wasn't eating the chocolate chips, but her hand in the bag and the chocolate smeared on her forehead (how??) tell a different story.

The best thing about her coming down from her sugar highs (be they from ice cream, ice lollies or chocolate crepes)... she will just go curl up in her chair in the living room and "read" her books.   I like that!  

Mother's Day Leftovers

Here are two of my favorite pictures from Mom's visit to Budapest a few weeks ago.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  We love you to the moon and back!  

Somebody loves his Gram and can't wait to skype with her.  =) 

19/52

Claudia and her favorite statue from our field trip to Memento Park.  She screamed at him "You are entirely too large!" about twenty times, then sat on his boot for a rest. I was quite proud of her interest in Hungarian history.  This statue was also perfect for making my growing girl seem itty bitty again... even if just for a two minute rest.  

My sweet Paddy.  He is obsessed with cars... even ones that haven't worked in the past thirty plus years.  Only fifteen more years until he can officially get behind the wheel!

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."  

Inspired by Jodi.    My favorite from last week, a nap with Dad at Serendity in Chaos.  

Communist Graveyard and Spring Things

A regime change typically ushers in a great opportunity for citizens to join together to destroy all the monuments dedicated to their former leaders or oppressors.  Here in Budapest, following the collapse of the Soviet Empire, all the Soviet era statues were rounded up, tucked away and then drug out to the middle of nowhere.  They are now on display at Memento Park, just outside the city.   My Hungarian friends call it the Communist Graveyard.  We have been curious about this place for years, so we ventured out for a peek.  

Some of the statues commemorate the Soviet liberation of Hungary.  The Soviets expelled the final Nazi soldiers from Hungary in 1945.  This nice lady holding the palm leaf honors that momentous occasion.  There are a few others like this still displayed inside the city too.

Other statues in the park fall into the propaganda category.  This one here is a communist worker charging into the future, with the Soviet flag in his fist.   

More propaganda.  Russell explains this one to Claudia:  the hands symbolize workers' hands holding a sphere (which used to have a red star on it), the sphere representing the proven ideals of communism.  

Claudia has asked about the meaning of "communism" and "socialism" before this.  To keep it simple, I give her example of the egg redistribution rule at her preschool's Easter egg hunt ... no matter how many or few eggs you get, they all get evenly redistributed in the end.   Boo!   

running with the Hungarian soliders

This one is a Hungarian and Soviet woman (and Claudia) uniting to release doves of peace in the air.  I suspect that after decades of Soviet occupation these "unity" statues became pretty annoying.   

Patrick was mostly interested in the broken down Trabant at the gate of the park.  The Trabant, a two-stroke, 26 horse powered marvel, was widely driven throughout the Eastern bloc during the Soviet era.  Our sweet, 90 year old next door neighbors still drive theirs around to this day.  

Enough of the Communist Graveyard, here's some nice spring happenings!

My sweet guy will do his best to wipe down the floors if you just give him a dust rag.  Spring cleaning... DONE!

The closest Patrick has come to voluntarily reading a book.  He ripped the front cover off one of his favorite board books.   =(   My busy little man just doesn't want to sit still long enough to hear more than a few pages.  So busy!

A little over a month ago it was cold and snowy... now its officially paddle pool weather.   Thank goodness spring came in a hurry!

18/52

I 'm hopping back on my favorite project after a 3 week break.  Now, back on track!   

I didn't participate last week, but I still have a favorite.  It's Ingrid Lerstad's beautiful photograph of her boy Roald and his grandpa, found HERE.  What a happy moment!  And they look like they are glowing in that light!  

Always up for a challenge, Paddy found, enjoyed and destroyed Claudia's slinky.  I wish you could hear the tough little grunts accompanying his furrowed brow.

My poor Claudia, terrified by some colorful bus stop artwork.  I thought this little guy was pretty funny, but all Bop could see was "pink blood" coming out of his mouth.  

"Smile"?

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."  

Inspired by Jodi.   

Let's Go Dutch!

I hope you like tulips!  This post is big on tulips.  We popped over to Holland for the weekend and had the good fortune of seeing the most beautiful tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths in bloom.  

Claudia liked the flowers, but was most content sitting around in a giant wooden clog.

The highlight of the weekend was visiting Keukenhof, a massive, manicured garden in Lisse, just about 40 minutes outside of Amsterdam.   I read that they plant about 7 million bulbs every year. 

  The attention to detail is amazing.  At one point I saw a groundsman fluffing up group of tulips that was slightly drooping.  

The highlight for Claudia was the Miffy playground at the garden.  Miffy ("Nijntje" in Dutch) is a popular little bunny girl from the Dutch book series by Dick Bruna.  We are a big fan of the books, so it was exciting to see so much Miffy everywhere.

I can only imagine what all the technicolor flowers looked like for Patrick.  

I'm guessing he liked them, though!

My favorite thing was the river of latifolium flowers that wound its way through the park.

Here is a closeup of some latifolium that popped up in our garden.  I miss Texas bluebonnets, but these guys are a pretty nice substitute.

The garden was perfect.  I can only imagine how much time and energy it takes to cultivate 7 million bulbs.  All I know is that the bulbs in bloom are a work of art.  

In the fields around the garden, farmers are growing acres and acres of flowers.   It looks like someone just painted the fields in different color stripes.  Amazing!

We stopped to sniff tulips in the city too.

Amsterdam is a bike city.   Cars yield to the bikers here.  Moms take their kiddos everywhere on bike.  If you have more than one kid, you ride a bike with a cart attached to the front and load it up with kids.  I never got a good picture of that and I'm so sorry, because it was the coolest thing!

This little girl desperately wanted a bicycle ride too.  Once I'm cleared to ride a bike on the road, I think I will get a seat put on for Claudia.

(nestled between the "a" and the "m")

Bop and I took a girls trip to the Rijksmuseum while Paddy and Daddy napped.  She had no interest in the Dutch masters, but asked a lot of questions about art from former Dutch colonies.  Specifically, she wanted to know why the Dutch took the art and when they would be giving it back.   I'm starting to have trouble answering her questions.   

Walking the canals was also a pleasant way to spend the day.

Those clogs are pretty much glued to her feet.   At least I always know where she is in the house.   Perfect Dutch souvenir from a perfect Dutch weekend!