Leading up to Dec 30

We have been having a nice time since Christmas. On the 26th, we were invited over to our friends' house for supper and Fina had a lovely time as always with their kids.  The 27th was dad's birthday and we went to the city for church and we brought home pizzas for his birthday. We had also made a cheesecake for him.  She also got out to play for a while.

For those of you who know Fina, you will know that a bag quickly becomes something else. After dad opened his gift, she cut out the bottom of the gift bag and became his very own little present!

On the 27th, I was also able to give Fina her belated Christmas gift.  This crocheted mermaid tail lapghan I made for her this fall. The pattern is here. The youtube video she has linked in her pattern is not only helpful, but necessary!

On the 28th, we went to visit one of our friends and got in some outdoor play time. On the 29th we had our outdoor playgroup and we got to go into the forest again. We were able to go over the temporarily fixed bridge with some of our companions.  No pics of the forest, but here is the intricate snow piles in the Museum's parking lot. The kids had fun playing there for a bit.

After playgroup, Fina and one of her little friends, K, were not ready to go in, so they went to play in K's backyard (she lives right across the street from us) and they had the best time ever, playing til after it was dark. K's mom said they were playing house and so many other imaginative games.

Canoe-sled? Look how happy they are!!!

On the 30th we went out to a giant snow pile in town with dad. Fina had fun, though she did get a few bumps along the way. It was pretty hard snow, quite packed down, with rough icy chunks! Someone had also made a little ramp at the bottom of it. Look how she flies right over it!

We went to the city for dinner at some of our friends' house (dad's professor colleagues and their wives were there) and Fina did so well with their large dog (who usually freaks her out!), but she was petting him etc. She also had a great conversation with the English professor about The Chronicles of Narnia, her preferred reading order and the merits of the movies and of the BBC version. I mean, she is just a kid, but it is always heartwarming seeing her be able to hold some semblance of an intelligent conversation with adults. One that doesn't revolve around kids' commercialism.

She has been doing some episodes of yoga, every once in a while.

We have been reading from this book of Norwegian Fairy Tales, on loan to us from our friend L.  A Time for Trolls: Fairy Tales from Norway told by P.C. Asbjörnsen and Jörgen Moe. We have read the first five chapters. Fina is really into it. I overheard her narrating the tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" to dad the other day.   I also heard her telling dad about "The Cock and the Hen in the Hazelwood" which goes like "Petruccio" an italian fairy tale / nursery rhyme, where the story keeps repeating and getting larger (like "The House that Jack Built" in English).  She got a lot of it in her narration. The last and largest iteration of the story is:

"Dear charcoal burner, give me charcoal to give to the smith, who will give me an axe to give to the woodcutter, who will give me wood to give to the bakeress, who will give me a bannock to give to the thresher, who will give me corn to give to the sow, who will give me bristles to give to the shoemaker, who will give me shoes to give to the Virgin Mary, who will give me ribbons of red gold to give to the lime-tree, who will give me leaves to give to the spring, who will give me water to give to Hickety, my dear hen, who is fighting for her life in the hazelwood."

 It is very fun to read aloud! We will continue reading it. There are 13 tales in all.