New words and prayers

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - "Mommy, I'm disappointed."
My four-year-old told me this yesterday.  I brushed it off in my mind as an over-zealous use of an unknown word.  "Why are you disappointed?"
"Because Gramma is sick."
"Oh, so you mean you're sad," I replied smugly.
"No, she's sick so I couldn't visit her yesterday.  I miss her.  I'm disappointed." 
Like, duh, Mom, don't you get it?

--
At lunch I asked her to say grace.  She told me to go first so I quickly ran through my standard Christian-upbringing "Bless us, Oh, Lord..."
When I finished, she bowed her head, closed her eyes and put her palms together.  She breathed in deeply.  "Jesus.  Take care of us through the night.  Take care of us through the day.  Please help all the people who don't have the things they need or the things they want and the people who live on the street.  Help the poor people.  Amen."

--  
And then there's my two-year-old son who throws in new words and phrases every few hours it seems.  I hear him bargaining upstairs for a movie at bedtime right now.  "I want to watch Rio,please."  Pretty good phrase structure for a toddler.  Add two giant brown eyes and out-of-control curls and he's a killer combination for even the strictest parent (which I definitely am not).

And now I'm hearing the sounds of birds singing and Samba music - meaning my husband gave in.  I'd better go intervene.  My husband doesn't call me "Fun Killer" for nothing.

Neglected

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - I have not posted for months and months.  Each time I go to put something up, I realize I don't have a picture on the computer and I'll have to go find that cord that goes from my camera or iPhone (how fancy!), and who the heck knows where that is?  So I've finally sucked it up and am going to post without photos of my garden (which is dormant and covered in a thin layer of pathetic snow) or my babies (who are also technically dormant since it's 9:29 p.m. and I don't expect them to emerge until about 2 a.m.).

If you are in Winnipeg like me, you're probably wondering what is going to make it through this winter in your garden.  There has been very little snow cover so I'm thinking some of my newly-planted perennials will not show themselves this year or give up the fight completely.  This lack of snow has also been detrimental on my kids.  They need to run and play and scrounge in the front yard and I am not very willing to drag them along the bare pavement in their plastic sled.

However, we have received a good dump of snow over the last week.  My husband drives a truck and he's so happy to plow through all the drifts at which the rest of us are openly swearing. And the kids were able to play in the backyard today.  At least around the edges of the yard against the fence - the sunshine exposed greenish grass in the middle of the yard.  I made lunch and watched them frolic.  And scream in pain when they decided taking off their mitts is the best way to dig their way out of the confines of the fence.  And fight over a red plastic shovel.  And scream at me when I made them come in for a delicious lunch of leftovers and vegetable smiley faces. 

Oh, winter.  Glad to see you leave.  I miss my plants.