Giving thanks

Each night before bed, Matt goes through a time of prayers and poems with Finn, which includes a litany of the day's thanksgivings. Just in the last week or so, Finn has begun adding to the list, wanting to offer his own thanks. His first prayer?

"Thanks for toys. Thanks for ice cream. Thanks for people. Thanks for mama. Thanks for papa."

The other night, Finn was getting a little silly with his list, adding things like "Thanks for cribs. Thanks for windows that go up and down."  When Matt laughed, Finn smiled and added "Thanks for smiles."

Some other recent additions?

"Thanks for oatmeal." "Thanks for yoga." "Thanks for trucks."  "Thank you for the creek." Even if he doesn't really understand what he's saying or to whom, he's at least thinking about his day and remembering the good things, the things that made him happy--which is not a bad way to end the day.

So for tonight, as we end one week and start another, here's my list.
--Thanks for family willing to drive thousands of miles to visit us.
--Thanks for cold mountain water in which to escape the Hong Kong-like weather.
--Thanks for a midwife that tells me I need to gain more weight, and a great state in which to do that.
--Thanks for farmer's markets, rummage sales and live music on the green.
--Thanks for a little boy who loves horses.
--And lastly, to echo Finn, thanks for ice cream.

(and thanks for a cousin who takes great photos! Those last two, of Finn and of the ice cream, were hers. Thanks, Jennie!)

New Vocabulary

We're still alive. Between a drowned computer, a move, jetlag and just a few transitions, this blog (and other forms of computer correspondence) have clearly not been the focus lately, but I think we're back. Finn and I have been in the US for about a month, and we've started our third week in Vermont. Feeling settled in, organized, and a bit more energetic.

Finn's language skills have just exploded in recent months, and it is sweet, I tell you, to hear words like "tractor" and "Vermont" roll off his tongue. Balm to his parents' ears it is, right up there with watching his excitement at finding a frog in the reeds, floating on a raft, or climbing on to said tractor.

So for today, just a few of the words that have entered his vocabulary, thanks to our time in Kansas City and now Vermont.  I think this list will tell you much about how we've spent our time lately.  More pictures to come, along with more adventures ...

airport, runway.
sprinkler, lawn mower, squirrel.
radish, hanger steak.
raspberry.
river, kayak, pond, raft.
trampoline, jeep, silo.
Vermont, maple syrup, story hour.

It's a sweet life, no?