Cut lefties some slack!

I just saw this article on the BBC News website.

Gene for left-handedness is found - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6923577.stm

So, according to this article, being left-handed means:

• I have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia (?!?!)
• I can think quicker when carrying out tasks such as playing computer games or playing sport
• I could have an advantage in hand-to-hand combat (that's a handy thing to know next time I get into a street-fight)
• I have a greater risk of getting some diseases and of having an accident

Sheesh.

A Spaniard in Iceland

Carlos arrived from London yesterday. The girls were beside themselves with excitement when they saw him. Elsa instantly became a total "papa's girl". She would not let Carlos put her down; she wanted him to hold her for hours after he arrived. Very cute. Anna couldn't stop talk to him -- she had to tell him everything that had happened in the last two weeks.

My dad arrives a little bit later today. Anna has already drawn several pictures for Afi. All of the pictures are of squid. I don't know why, but all Anna wants to draw these days are squid.

Backyard bounty & careful what you promise

We have had a busy day. All three generations of ladies went out to pick wild blueberries this afternoon. Delicious!! Because it has been such a warm summer in Iceland this year, the blueberries are starting to get ripe already (I think it is about a month early). We went out to an area just beyond the cottage and found a lot of berries and saw a lot more berries that should be ripe in a few days. Anna picked quite a few, and Elsa turned out to be quite the berry picker and berry eater. We found that the berries were best that grew on top of the moss. Anna is fascinated by the moss and how soft it is, but she has yet to master the name -- she keeps talking about how much fun it is to walk on the "mosque".

Earlier today, while Elsa had her morning nap, Anna and I took a walk together. I told her she would have to walk by herself for 30 minutes and then I would take her in the carrier backpack afterwards. By the time we had walked for 30 minutes, we had reached about the halfway point of our walk. What I had neglected to take into account is that the second half of our walk would be mostly uphill. Ooops. I got a good workout of walking uphill for about 40 minutes with Anna (weighing in at 33 lbs) on my back.

Always on the move

Yesterday we took Anna and Elsa to Thingvellir - a national park that is the sight of the first parliament held in Iceland, making it the oldest parliament in the world. It is a gorgeous place, and I thought it would a perfect opportunity to get a good picture of the girls together. This is the best I could do.

These two cannot sit still for more than 3 seconds. I've given up trying to get them to sit for a picture!

Here's Anna in Almannagjá.

This would have been a wonderful picture of Elsa if she hadn't moved out of the frame before I could snap it.

Amma is so clever! She figured out a way to put them both on the tricycle and pull them along the deck. They loved it.

Elsa's ready take a dip!

Waterfall v. horse

We had a pretty lazy Sunday, but we did manage to make a little trip to Gullfoss (a very large waterfall about 20 minutes from the cottage). The girls didn't seem that impressed by the waterfall, but they were super excited by a group of horses that were in a corral near the falls. A group of people were taking a trip into the interior of Iceland on horseback and had made a pit stop at the waterfall. I think it was a group of about 20. Anna and Elsa got to have a good look at all the beautiful Icelandic horses. I think Anna is going to want to try horseback riding sometime in the near future. Actually, seeing the horses even made me want to go horseback riding. And, that says a lot, When I was 14, I went horseback riding in Iceland for the first time and it was an absolute nightmare (the trip included: galloping at breakneck speed with me holding on for dear life, my horse rolling in the sand . . . with me still in the saddle, and shortly thereafter me falling off my insane horse).

Up in the Sunny & Rainy North

Yowza! Nearly a month since my last post. That's not good.

The girls and I left rainy rainy rainy London for a month in Iceland. We arrived on Sunday morning, and not a cloud was in the sky. It was incredible. And Monday, another beautiful sunny day. Tuesday, see Monday. Wednesday, see Tuesday. Today, see London. Rain at last, but this was a good thing because my mom and relatives said that they haven't had any rain in ages.

Anna and Elsa had a fantastic day with Amma while I worked. It is great that I can pretty much do my job from anywhere in the world, as long as I have an internet connection. Given that we finally got some wet weather, I was able to break out the little rainsuits I bought for the girls before we left London. We got them dressed in them this morning, and I think they look like they are wearing little pink hazmat suits!

Yesterday, while Elsa napped, I took Anna out for a walk in the hills behind the cottage. I was so surprised by how much stamina she had. She walked for almost an hour on really uneven terrain and only asked to be carried once. We found a big rock for her to climb.

She did lots of jumping in the fields.

And we picked a pretty bouquet of yellow and white wildflowers for Amma.

Here's a pic of the little ladies enjoying the comfiest sofa on the planet. They better get in some quality time on the sofa before their papa arrives and takes it over ... until their uncle Kiddi arrives, and Carlos and Kiddi are going to have to duke it out for sofa time or cuddle up with one another.

Just in case you don't realize how far north we are, here's a picture I took on Tuesday night at 11 pm. It was a really clear day, and we could see the volcanic Mount Hekla in the distance.

In the other direction, the sun was starting to set, but it still had not dropped below the horizon. Pretty neat, huh?!

Want to laugh?

The guy in the pink shirt is fantastic!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kiddi!

Happy birthday to Kiddi!

Papa & Pabbi

Happy Father's Day!

We had a low key Father's Day today, but fun nonetheless. The day included an outing to the playground where the Reyes sisters took to the swings and wouldn't leave. Carlos and I definitely got a workout pushing them. Elsa loves swinging so much that it practically took two of us to get her out of the swing when it was time to go home. That girl is strong!


In honor Father's Day, I dug out my all-time favorite photo of my dad and I. This was taken at the beach in North Carolina, August 1977. Pabbi and me.

Start your engines!

Elsa is off! Yesterday Elsa decided it was time to stand up and walk the entire length of our kitchen/family room. All by herself! It was wild. It seems that she's decided that now is time to start walking on her own. It was fantastic to see the expression on her face -- she was literally beaming, so pleased with herself.

I'm thinking that the catalyst for Elsa's pedestrian activity was our lovely friend Alison. I love the company she works for because it keeps sending her to London on business, and she manages to come for a visit every time she comes. It is great to see her, and the girls love love LOVE her. So Elsa must have decided it was time to show off for our favorite house guest!

I've crossed over to the dark side

I had toast with Marmite for breakfast this morning.

Did I mention ...

the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (the organization I work for) launched a new website yesterday. It looks quite snazzy, especially compared with the old one.

London Walkies

Oh to be a dog in London. On two separate occasions this week, I've seen a dog being taken for a "walk" in a stroller. Yes, a dog in a baby carriage! That's nuts. On Monday, I saw an old lady taking her Westie out for a walk in an old fashioned baby carriage (it looked like something from a WWII movie). And today, I saw an old lady in central London with her poodle in a stroller, and it looked like the stroller was made specifically for dogs. Again, that's nuts.

Mother of two?!?!?!

When did that happen?

I know I have two daughters, and I absolutely adore being a mother, but deep down I still think of myself as someone much younger than I actually am. It's not that I have an issue with being 35 (nearly 36!) because there's no changing your age! But, I never feel like a proper grown-up. Isn't that weird because how much more grown up can you get than becoming a parent?!

It is the picture I've posted below that has prompted this random musing. This picture of two slippery, delicious and juicy little girls that constantly amaze me. I love them so much that sometimes I feel like I could turn inside out! When I see Anna and Elsa sitting in the bath together I'm always shocked. I think: "Holy crap! I've got two kids!" What is it about this bathtime setting that brings this fact front and center for me?

Here they are:

3.5 years & 15 months

Anna goofing off on the stairs. 3 and 1/2 already!

Miss Elsa. 15 months today. She's taken some steps on her own, and she can do it, but I think she doesn't see what all the fuss is about because she can scoot on her bottom at the speed of light. I love this picture -- it captures the mischevious look that she almost always has in her eyes.

It's all gone!

My hair, that is. Yup, I've taken drastic measures and cut it all off. It feels excellent! Not sure how it looks, but it feels great. I seem to be on a continual 5 year cycle of growing my hair long and cutting it all off.

I better mark my calendar, here's the beginning of another 5 year cycle -- no long hair until 2012 (by the time the Olympics are in London)!

Here is the result of my attempt at a self-portrait:

Funny

Here's an article from yesterday's Sunday Observer that made me laugh out loud.

"What is it with modern women and shoes?" by Barbara Ellen
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2087387,00.html

"A brain, a brain, my kingdom for a brain"

Forget the horse, I need a brain that functions at a more profound level than just taking care of the basics, like making sure that my heart beats and my lungs breathe. I'm not sure I need an entirely new brain (I like the memories contained in my current one), but I certainly need it to exit its present foggy state. Stay tuned, maybe a decent night's sleep (here's where we'd have a close up on the wistful expression on my face) will alleviate my foggy woes.

Numbers

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, teven."
New numerical system courtesy of Anna.

Lefty, jr.

Behold, my left-handed child! I'm pretty close to making it official, but Elsa's is really looking like a left-hander. That's pretty exciting for me because I've been the lone lefty in my family.

Elsa and Anna both seem to have inherited my shoe obsession. Elsa's latest move is called "The Clumper". She goes off to find a shoe to put on her foot, only one shoe, and then she scoots around on her bottom "clumping" with the shoe on her non-scooting foot. I tried to capture it in a photo, but I'm not sure it comes through. One of these days I'll capture it on video and post it.