3 Cheers for Tassia!

Tassia is now a big 3-year-old. This has not prevented her, several times this week, from insisting that she is a baby, and therefore can't walk, or needs to be held, or should sit in the baby seat... On the other hand, she has begun insisting that she is a big girl and doesn't need a diaper at naptime anymore. I love being able to put her to bed without a diaper! I'm a little less fond of washing sheets, however.

For her birthday, she received a book about Pippi Longstocking (to be read aloud, of course!). Ever since I explained to the girls about Pippi's hair that sticks straight out, Tassia will often ask me to do her hair like Pippi's. She also received a set of Russian nesting dolls. For Christmas, she received a book about matriochkas, and since often asks to play with mine. However, I'm a bit particular about mine, not wanting them to be lost. These are her very own, to play with as she sees fit (and Mama's trying already to get used to the idea that they will inevitably get lost.)

Unlike her other birthdays so far, Tassia has actually understood that she has made the passage from two to three. She will even try to hold up three fingers (the French way, a thumb and 2 fingers), showing how her math skills have increased over the last couple of months. She is growing more and more independent, and I think she enjoys being big sister to Sybille.

Her favorite colors are yellow (see cake) and gray. She does not yet have a favorite number, so far as I know, but recognizes the letter 8 as being Alina's! One of her favorite activities is snuggling on the couch, followed closely by reading the same book over and over. Preferably right in a row.

We celebrated her birthday with half her grandparents, and a friend from Alina's school. A good time was had by all.

March Madness

Besides being sick, we did manage to do a few other things during the month of March. Notably, Alina kidnapped the camera for awhile. This was one of many, many pictures she took: This is Alina and Tassia's cabin. You can't see them, but they are hiding under there, along with a couple of stuffed horses. I believe they were playing "Pa and Laura".

Where are they going to mail themselves? I have no idea.

I love this picture! (It was pre-chickenpox, by the way!)

One of our days in quarentine, we got out the ball house.

Hopefully we'll all be on the mend soon!

update

We're under the weather.  Sybille is almost over her stomach flu, I think.  I was feeling better in a lot of ways, but some of my symptoms are actually worse tonight (I'll spare you the details).  Thomas made it through church this morning, but he's got it, too.  Alina went to bed complaining of stomach pains.  Hopefully this is just symptomatic of too much chocolate.  Because there was Easter chocolate today.  Oh, my, yes, there was Easter chocolate.

The Troubles I've Seen

Sybille with chickenpox still looks pretty happy. She was a bit less so today, when she also had the stomach flu.

No, Alina did not get punched in the face. This is what she looks like with chickenpox and pinkeye.
Tassia, who was the first to come down with chickenpox, was also who chose not to combine it with some other ailment.

It's been a long couple of weeks.

Alina's Opus 1

This is inspired by the title of a book we got from the library, but as near as I can tell, the words and the melody are original. The translation:

Sleep, baby, sleep
The stars are coming out
Sleep, baby, sleep
The moon is shining
Sleep, baby, sleep,
Mama is closing the shutters
Sleep, baby, sleep,
The night won't scare you.

Who's chicken?

One case of chickenpox, and counting...

Delightful Day

We had a nice day.  This morning, we went to Niort and visited a museum with a family from church.  We generally enjoy this sort of thing, and this was no exception.  They had a display of modern art.  There was this metal sculpture, made out of junk that didn't look like it resembled anything at all, but when you lit it up from the right angle, it made a clear shadow of a little girl and a little boy kissing.  So cool!
 
This afternoon, I baked my first 2 loaves of no-knead all-sourdough bread.  It turned out great!  (Why did people start kneading bread in the first place, I wonder?)  I may try and tweak the recipe a bit.  It is really good, but..um...no one could mistake it for anything but sourdough.  Maybe cutting down on the 19 1/2 hours of rising time could change that.
 
As I was pulling the bread out of the oven, a friend of Alina's from school rang the doorbell.  She and her mom had baked cookies and brought us some, so we swapped them for a half a loaf of bread and went and played in the backyard.  As it turns out, Zoe has had the chickenpox.  She broke out in spots last Thursday.  We spent all day with her last Wednesday.  This could explain a certain amount of grumpiness in our house right now, along with Alina's sudden love for naps!
 
At dinner, we had this conversation:
TASSIA:  I have a story where I turn into a puddle.
ME:  Oh, really?  A puddle of what?
TASSIA: A puddle of soup
 
I guess there are worse puddles one could turn into.