this is our today

Okay, so these pictures are not actually from today, but last week on one of our visits to Jardin d'Etat in centre ville.
This morning Alex left for Mayotte for work and will be back Thursday. Luc and I had a VERY lazy day. We didn't even go down the driveway to check the mail. It was a beautiful day, but we still just spent it inside, laying around, reading, watching "Earth", eating leftovers, taking a long nap, and not changing out of our PJ's. By the end of the evening though, I knew we had to get on with more activity, at least for tomorrow. I was able to make a list of things for the rest of the week with my head all cleared from lounging around all day. Days like today allow me to catch my breath in a way, to prepare, to move on, to recouperate from whatever stresses had accumulated in my/our systems. (I've also finally completely cleared my body of the nasty sinus infection I had for 2 weeks.)
Without giving anything away for the time being, we are expecting some major changes around here very soon. And that's not including the baby boy who's due in 5 weeks! As soon as we have some solid news, I'll be sharing it here with you.
Have a lovely day everyone!

Luc is THREE!

This year has brought plenty of learning experiences for Luc and us alike. He has transformed from toddler to little boy right in front of our eyes. Once again, it is a joy to watch him grow and learn and progress through his childhood. We know these days are short in the big picture, so we try to focus on them as much as possible. We love you so crazy much Monkey!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Today, we had originally planned to visit the aquarium on the west coast, but since we are all still in recovery from a particularly rough cold, we're postphoning this birthday outing to later this week or next. Luc got Play-Doh as one of his birthday gifts today, and we've been making snakes all morning!

3 great things: volume 2

1. Forts

2. Craft time

Mama wore a headband that day, so Luc wanted one too.

3. Freshly picked mulberries from our neighbor's yard

After the harvest.

Practicing somersaults

I think for Christmas we're going to enroll him in a circus course. Cuz, man this boy loves to climb, jump, roll, you name it. And he's pretty agile, so I think not only would he really enjoy a program like that, he'd be pretty good at it too.

first paint

This past Sunday (and almost everyday after) Luc began to paint. And he loves it. Me too. I now have many extra painted pieces that may get sent to far-away relatives. The display is just in front of our kitchen table, where we can look at them during each meal.

PJ pants

I had a great time sewing these up, so easy, so fast, and so darn cute!

 love you so crazy much monkey!

the egg-dying process

I received a package recently that included an egg dying kit, and man, did that bring back memories! Last year I had tried to dye our eggs using food as the dye, but I only succeeded with the yellow ones. Plus, our eggs are brown, so the ingredient used has to be pretty potent. Luc and I had a blast today, so much so that he was asking for "more!"

Those leftover nutella jars came in handy....

Watch me eat this one Mom!

this is our today

Some days I just like to sit around in my basket on the balcony.

Tamana zahay!

We are finally settling into this house, slowly, one more empty box at a time, one minor kitchen disaster at a time, one day's worth of mangoes at a time, one small project at a time, and one beautiful sunset at a time. 16 gorgeously colorful sunsets from our balcony to be exact.

The corners of our home have been marked (quite literally) with our presence. There seems to be an unending list of things to clean, but thankfully, Luc is at an age where he wants to do exactly the same things I do. So, he grabs his mini broom, left here from the previous owner, and follows me around the house, down the steps and descends the steep driveway with me, sweeping leaves and other dust piles around. We talk (it's mostly me since what Luc speaks is neither French nor English quite yet) about what we will be doing for the rest of the day, or what we'll cook later, or stop to check out an interesting bug or lizard. Sometimes he stops by the cactus plants and warns me not to touch them. He is a very careful boy. He seems to notice everything; he's insatiably curious, and ever observant. In his own way, he tells me about all he's seeing, hearing, touching, and sometimes, tasting.
We are so happy here-what an understatement-we couldn't be any happier in this place we now call home.

*Tamana zahay is Malagasy, literally it means, "we're settled", but it implies that you are happy in the place you've settled.*

Luc is two!

Travel with me for a moment while I reminisce on Luc's second year of life.

Luc's 1st birthday (Dec 28)

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

This monkey has grown so much! It's amazing to think of all that's happened in growing, playing, and learning with him this year. Love you so crazy much little monk!