Maniac

For some reason J's email account keeps rejecting my picture-sending attempts so..... y'all are going to be seeing a lot more of the Moop from now until December.

Here she is wearing mama's headband.

The Two Muriels

Reconnecting with one of my best girls, Muriel.

The Moop and the Geese and the Green Balloon on Canada Day

Happy Canada Day, y'all. Also, happy 13th-friend anniversary to the sons of the owners of these geese. Not that they read this....

Nadia was surprisingly brave when approaching these creatures, probably thinking they were like seagulls and would eventually fly away, but when she threw the balloon at their cage and they went into a goosey rage, she immediately freaked and ran for the nearest set of human legs. Her father is afraid of geese, so I guess it stands to reason that she is as well. But I was all like, don't you remember the geese you must have heard in Romania during your embryonic stage?!?!!!!

The Urban Princess and Her Awesome Color Dreamcoat

We spent a delightful morning at the downtown outdoor market which turns out to be so much more enjoyable than the, what I find to be, pretentious indoor market across the river. Maybe it's because it was freezing a** cold outside (hence the toque and raincoat), the annoying people were too afraid to venture out, or, at least, across the bridge. N got many a compliment on her rad coat, many people asking where we got it. Well, if you're ever in Italy (and probably the rest of Europe too), check out any store that carries the children's label, "Grain de ble." Totally awesome cool. I went a bit nuts before her birthday, buying a few things for the future. Should have bought more.

Not that I took pictures at the market. We were with a friend and I was busy buying homemade barrettes and dresses and kolbasz, oh my!

Our newest pastime. Nadia no longer vehemently shakes her head no when I open the viola case, maybe because she knows she will get a few minutes of "cello" time. We play Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, you know, the classics. She's actually pretty good with the bow just needing me to keep it straight more than anything. Though since we got here it has been suggested that she may one day be a kicka** brass player. When asked what sound a horse makes, she imitates trumpet embouchure to a tee. My dad is constantly floored and he would know, he used to teach band.

And yes, that is my new "stealth" viola. It's carbon fibre black and it's pretty wicked.

From Proust to Coach

Happy 3rd anniversary, J. I tried desperately to upload a short video of the Moop but it seems Blogger doesn't like my camera, not one bit. So instead, I present you:

The philosophe and the

Fashionista!

We miss you. N was asking about you all day.

30 is the new fabulous

I'm thirty....

and fabulous...... (with equally fabulous friends)

this child makes me so.

(I'm pretty sure this is the same deadpan look she exhibited last year on my birthday. So unimpressed.... oh, and she gets the giant belly on a little body from my side of the family... not to worry, I'm pretty sure it will shrink eventually... everyone else's did!)

Today

Happy birthday a moi.

My Last Day as a Yute

I tried to upload a hilarious video but it was taking 18 thousand years and eventually the internet just died. Yup, it just died. Note to self: Don't shoot videos for blogging purposes longer than 20 seconds.

This dandelion (gotta love Alberta!) is a lot like my twenties will be tomorrow. Denial is the first stage.