so last monday, february 19th, it was dark and rainy and i was heading out to tswassen to pick up sarah and kyle and little addlebuns. i was feeling a little guilty because i thought i might be late. but there was this intriguing (in the words of brother murley) eerie light in the sky that i wanted to take a picture of. i kept trying to get it when i was stopped at a light but it wasn't happening, so i finally pulled over. i had to. and i took this shot.















then as i got closer to tswassen i could see the lights of that factory or oil rig or whatever that is out there and the light was right over it. that's cool. i mused. i must click it, i said. and so i pulled over again hoping sarah and kyle would forgive me a little lateness if they saw a cool picture. this picture i tried to take inside the car and you can see the rain spatter on the windshield. plus the lights are jumpy. oh well i thought. i gotta get to the ferry!

when i got to the ferry the parking lot guy told me it was still quite a wait for the ferry just as i was listening to sarah's message on my phone tell me the same thing. so i zoomed back out to my pullover place and ...





hopped out into the freezing gales of the night, used my zoom, and took this one. it's feb 19ths pick for the pic.
















then sarah called and this is the picture i took of myself talking to her. i like the purple light on my face from my cell. i like the back light from the car behind me. i like the look on my face while i'm asking her if she's speaking (she kept shorting out) "are you there?.... are you speaking? ... are you saying words?" "yes!" says an exasperated and laughing sarah. are you saying words became one of our sayings for this short visit.




i wouldn't really call it a visit per se. i was more visiting with adriel the elfin nephew. he now looks less like dewy from malcom in the middle because he has more hair. it's funny how much he changes in just a few short weeks. the elfin nephew and the cats had some bonding time while i made a peanut butter and banana sandwich in the sandwich maker. he shook what his mamma gave him, in this case a canister of cinnamon gum and the kitties just sat right by him looking at him. izzy actually sat by him a long time. i wondered if she were being protective. felt her motherly instincts setting in or su'mn. adriel and i played lots of games. we played the i'm teaching you to crawl game, the lets forget crawling, let's go for a walk down the hall game, the almost toss you up in the air game and many more.

then the babe began to get cranky and crankier. i changed his diaper (only pee to all you who are deeply curious about that) and let him roll around naked plus pamper (pampers are weird now. velcro?) for a while and he was happy for a while then he got dressed and i began singing my lullabyes and walking him to sleep, which was harder than when he was more of a newbie at life. this time he fought the sleep. i kept thinking that he was finally settling down and then he would fight it and be all enough of this position, i have to change positions, let me grab your hair too, and stick my fingers in my eyes...

my arms were at their limit and babe was not asleep. so i put him in the play pen for five minutes. first he just complained, and i thought he might fall asleep, but then came the wail. the wail was my signal to pick him up. so i did and i put food in his mouth which kept him happy as long as food was around. and eventually he slowly, fighting it all the way, fell asleep on my legs eating pancake bits. i felt accomplished even though i didn't do much to reach the result. i also felt like i was trapped beneath my elfin nephew on a couch. so slowly and imperceptably i began to move. bit by bit i wiggled a blanket onto the babe-on-a-leg, bit by bit, i shifted my hips off the couch and babe-on-a-leg upwards along my body. bit by bit i managed what seemed impossible. i stood up from the couch with a still sleeping and oh so sweet babe in my arms. an elfin babe at that. and from there on out it was easy peasy lemon squeezy. he was asleep in the playpen, and i was settling down on the couch. an aunt and a nephew climbing the sleepy train together. (all bound for morning town, many miles away)



the next day i didn't have any pictures until i took this one of elicia cleaning out the kitty litter and inexplicably this is the picture of the day. she's wearing her new yellow croc knock offs too.
















archie has a new favourite place.













archie, under a bad influence from a certain kitty litter scooper who shall remain unnamed, claws at my poor towels. a bad cat and yet a cute cat.