Cars

Yesterday we went to a sports car show. The boys were in heaven, all four! I have to admit that it wasn't boring for me either. I tried to take some photos, but had just one lens, no tripod and I don't have a decent flash. I didn't like the fluorescent lights reflecting from the cars. And of course the boys wanted to use the camera, too.

I like keeping the pictures simple.
The red paint was chipped.
I don't know the make nor model, but it's an old green car that makes my heart throb.
This one's orange, the only thing I like about it. I prefer the older ones.

Yeah, this is what I like.So where does the airbag pop out from?

My list of "I want" includes a house in the country, a loom, apiary and llamas (alpacas will do, too). I'll just add to it a nice red sports car. I don't ask for much, do I?
I try to find the time to do some girly stuff, too. I knit these socks this spring. Took me about a month, but had to have a break between the two socks since I got RSI. My hands really hurt for almost a week.

Perfect weekend

Ascencion Day weekend took us to Saviaho, DH's aunt. Four days in heaven for me and the boys, too. Total relaxation in excellent company in the country side. The boys took the dogs for walks. On a field about 300 m from the house was a huge boulder. The first night we headed there.Jaakko with Aino-Inkeri.Tuomas with Hex.Risto with Alli Manninen.And how do I know that the distance was about 300m? Because DH has a range-finder, and Risto measured it. 274m as the crow flies, so approximately 300 for the boys. We had a lovely evening sitting on the patio sipping bubbly watching the boys run around with Alli. Tuomas decided to run to the boulder and back three times. A nice 1800 m run to end the day.The itsy-bitsy spider also thought that it was a perfect time for an evening walk and took a stroll on the birch. The black speck about half way up is the spider.
There is plenty of space for the boys to run around. They're old enough that I can trust them not to fall face down into the pond or get run over by the occasional car. They love going to the ghost forest for walks on their own.
Then there was fire! Aunty P's husband burned the dry grass on the surrounding fields and the boys could join in. Well, it was fun for me, too.It wasn't easy to drag the boys to bed from the burning field.
It is only in Saviaho that I go riding. 2 hours in the forest on a horse, that's what I call therapy. The boys want to ride, too, but they're too inexperienced to go riding in the forest. And these horses hadn't been ridden for quite a while, so they were full of energy.After the ride in the forest the boys could have their turn on the field.
It's a lot of excercise for me: "Mom, run faster!!!"
Tuomas' turn. I let him go by himself. I was too tired to run in the +23C weather. And Risto. By this time Gloui was so tired (i.e. fed up) that every time Risto turned him towards the stables he started to tölt (Icelandic pony trot) faster and it was difficult for Risto to stop him. I was getting anxious.
DH doesn't want to try. He says because he's allergic, but I think he's just a big sissy. He was surprised to see me ride, tölt and gallop and to have the horse in control. What did he think I had been doing in the forest with the horse?

Piano

Risto had his first piano concert about a month ago. There were about 20 children (+ a couple of adults) performing, an audience of over 50. I think I was more nervous than him. A couple of hours before the concert he was struggling a bit, but ended up playing the Norwegian folksong perfectly (took about 24 seconds). I was so proud to notice that he was the only one to bow after playing.
Il Maestro.Tuomas sat quietly and listened throughout the whole concert which lasted over an hour. It is amazing how he is able to fully concentrate on something he enjoys.
For Jaakko it was too much.

Art

To balance all the sports we took the boys to an art museum. I knew there was a workshop for children, so we headed there first. The boys were so into making their own art that they didn't care too much for the actual exhibition.
Tuomas loves concentrating on stuff like this. We took his piece home, but it broke and he had a fit and it ended up in pieces. I could see it happen.
Even Jaakko sat down for a looong time poking toothpicks into foam cubes.Risto concentrating.

Same old, same old, but with a twist

I went to the hairdresser yesterday. When I came back home, Risto looked at me:"Who are you?" Picking up Jaakko from daycare:"I recognized you from your handbag." Tuomas told me I looked like my sister. DH.... he remembers the time I used to have short hair. Most of my mother-time I've had long hair, so the change was bigger for he boys.I actually feel more comfortable with short hair (or that's what I have to tell myself if I start regretting). I never had long hair as a child. I was often mistaken for a boy!

To make the post less about me I've included a recent photo of DH, with a twist. If you look closely at the corner of his right eye you can see a red mark. He bumped into a door.