Monday Morning....

These days, I enjoy my Monday mornings. Its when we all get back to a steady rhythm and schedule that allows me my room and space to return emails, play with Karina, plan meals and even do a little school work. Its just Karina and I so its usually fairly mellow. Not so relaxing if I actually have stuff to accomplish because it always seems that if I have high expectations of accomplishment for the day then Karina seems to become more of a handful and everything gets hectic. I know that if I come into the day with an open mind with what I will be able to 'get done', then I am always happy with the outcome - even if its just a blog and a healthy dinner and of course a happy baby!

By Friday, I am happy for the weekend and for all of us to be together. On Sat we went on a fun but exhausting (I have a bad cold) urban trek. We took the skytrain from SFU to downtown and walked over to Gastown where we checked out the trains, old steam clock and met a friend for lunch. Then we walked over to a newly revamped park along the water where we could see the trains, ocean, port yard with cranes and a new playground and Jonas was in heaven. We spent a couple of hours there with Pete - a childhood friend of Jordan's. We then wondered around dowtown some more and then found a little street cafe where we had strong coffees, Jonas had treats and Karina had a sleep. We then hopped back on the skytrain and then met some other friends at a park in Yaletown. Of course Jonas was thrilled with another great playground to run around in. We met Dane and Roxanne's baby Liam and visited until it began to get late and then once again we were on the skytrain and headed home at 7pm. I'm glad we didn't take our car downtown because we would have not been able to be as spontaneous and of course public tranist always ads a sense of adventure for Jonas. Its so quick and easy from our home on Burnaby Mountain and its also freeing to not have to always rely on the car.

We stayed home Sunday and Uncle Soren came up for a visit. It was nice to catch up and watch him play with Jonas - of course Jonas was so happy when Soren helped him build a marble tower. We are so excited that Soren's film, 'Play With Fire', will be having showings throughout Canada this Fall/Winter. He has worked for several years on this film and it is finally making its way to the public. Having written, directed, filmed and edited the entire film himself, I am especially proud of him for sticking through until the end. I enjoyed most of the work I did when I was involved in film, but I never had the passion that Soren has for it. I could see picking up the camera again for documentary work but that is all - I do not have the incredible creativity that Soren has in storytelling.

I have taken such delight lately in sitting back and observing Jonas as he is growing into a young boy. The other day I wondered if his stubborness and strong will are actually a part of his personality and not just a preschooler thing. I know that most kids his age seem to really want most things to go their way, but he seems especially so this past year. Maybe its just a real part of his personality. As well, he is incredibly social and senstive to those around him. He loves to hug his friends and is quite empathetic if anyone is sad or upset. He is so friendly and loving to everyone around him and is never shy to walk up to a new little friend and introduce himself. As a baby he was so easygoing and loved heing with and around people. Although he loves going to playgrounds and taking the skytrain and Science World, Jonas really just loves to walk around in the forest or anywhere natural. His imagination has blossomed and I love the stories he comes up with and the way he organizes his play. He is forever working on building railways, houses, hospitals, cities, roads, mechanic shops etc... Once I heard him talk about having a baby - that was just after Karina wa born. The only negative that I hope turns into a postive is Jonas's waking up crankiness. He always wakes up from a nap cranky. The more you say or try to do, the worse it gets until he is in tears. It is always best to just leave him alone to work it out. Until recently it was the same for morning wakeup - but I seem to have found a way to start mornings with some real happiness. Basically when he calls for us in the morning and I go to him, I will say 'Goodmorning! You have lots of work to do today - the trains are waiting for you to get them on the tracks' - or I will say 'the road crew is beginning work - you had better check make sure everything is running smoothly' and you know what? Jonas happily jumps out of bed and spends a few minutes reorganizing some of the scenes happening around his room and then he is good to go and joins us soonafter for breakfast and normal, happy conversation.