More blossoms

A few days ago, the meadowsweet "Grefsheim" started to bloom with its small white blossoms - I can see it from our kitchen-door and it looks so lovely! Since the forsythia is still blooming too, then it makes a nice assortment with the 3rd bush -Thunberg burberry "Harlequim" with its dark red leaves.
Oh, I love this time of the year - every day, there is something new in the garden!

A Nanny

"What do you need a Nanny for?" asked my mom, when I told her I'm having another Nanny-candidate for interview coming over. Why do I need a Nanny?!???? I got quite irritated by this question. I've stayed at home with my 3 baby-boys for 9,5 months, mostly by my own, from morning till next morning, always trying to have a good mood, patience, and time for everyone; yet there's a limit.

Maybe I WOULD NOT get a Nanny if any of these conditions would be satisfied:

1. My boys would sleep non-stop from evening till morning.

2. I had someone cleaning the house instead of me.

3. I had someone making dinner for other family members.

4. I had someone to fill the refrigerator for me.

5. At least one of boys' grandmothers were retired and could help me baby-sitting on a regular basis (but both work full-time).

6. I had someone else to talk to Kert, after his school day, asking how he is doing, how are his grades and offer help to study together with him (which he likes so much - to discuss things with someone).

7. I had a gardener.

8. I was married to millionaire and I would not have to think where to get enough economical resources to manage with all the costs we have.

9. My boys were never sick and I would not have to carry someone non-stop leaving other 2 on the floor for the whole day.

10. I had no need or interest to meet my friends and I had zero hobbies.

Since none of these conditions are satisfied, then I have no other choice than to get a Nanny. For the start, once a week for a day off for me and as much as needed for my work-staff.

I'm already dreaming of those days off... Does it make me a worse mother?

***

The only requirement from Kert and Erik for the suitable Nanny was: "She can't be fat" :)

Tulips - part I

Tulips are in full bloom right now. Only a few, very late tulips, are still waiting to show their beauty. The days have been moderately cool and cloudy and thanks to this, the tulips seem to last longer.
Normally, I choose the flowers to my garden based on the colour. Namely, I do not like yellow flowers (they remind me of dandelion, which, unfortunately is an unwanted and uninvited intruder in my garden of which I will never get rid of...); so I mostly pick pink- and white-coloured flowers, some red (especially roses and peonies), but not yellow. However, yellow tulips are an exception. I have quite a few of them and they are beautiful. I even bought one quite expensive yellow tulip... which blooms indeed nicely!
I know most of the names of my flowers. But with tulips, it's different. Many of the tulips were here before I was here. In the first years, I bought some tulip bulbs from the fairs and didn't get the name with the bulbs. Later years, I, of course, have kept all the names, but among tulips, there are still quite few who's names I know.
These red tulips and white-red tulips are very early tulips. Both of them look lovely, especially when there are no other colours and blossoms in the garden, yet. During first Spring, when I had time, I found them boring, but within years, I have started to love them more and more, especially the red-white tulips, which develop their colours within days - they start being very pale, then adding pink colour, then red and finally even yellow in the heart!

These yellow tulips have been in my garden for about 2-3 years. They are called "Akebono".

Those pink tulips are in one of my roses bed. I know roses and tulips do not fit together well, but as roses start to bloom relatively late, then I wished to have some colour in this part of my garden before, too... So I ignored the rules and put some tulips bulbs in there... However, I'm not completely happy with the colours. I have white and pink tulips there, but the pink colour is quite pale, so maybe I'll change it soon. This tulip is called "Pink Impression".

This tulip is called "Pulse" and looks quite nice together with hazel tree "Contorta".

This tulip must be "Pulse", too, having yellow barberry "Maria" on the backround.

Mother's-Day-Weekend

The weekend was extra-ordinary lovely:

1. On Friday, I went to the big gardening fair "Luige Laat" and couldn't resist of buying a lot of summer flowers (I know, I know - I have to cover them for the nights, because it can be freezing...). I planted them to summer-pots and the garden suddenly looks so colourful! Just amazing - I can enjoy Spring and Summer again (it feel especially wonderful this year - because last year, I couldn't do that because of my heavy pregnancy).

2. On Saturday afternoon, Erik made sauna and we went outside to sit, on our small terrace of the garden-house (the photo above). The sun was setting, it was quiet and you could feel how Summer is going to be soon here... no words were needed, it was so romantic. :)
3. Both on Saturday and Sunday, the weather was beautiful. After quite cold days earlier this week - it finally got warm and sunny again and I could even take some sun (although just for 20 minutes!) to get a bit of tan, and I and the boys spent lovely time outside on a blanket. The boys explored the grass and Fred found out that it's much better to crawl on the grass than somewhere else.

4. Sunday morning, I was woken up with beautiful anemones which Erik went to pick up early in the morning from the local forest. It was Mother's Day. And I'm a mother of 4... I also got a rose "Lavender Dream" (see photo below), I'll be excited to see its first blossoms.
5. Today morning continued to be good - the boys didn't wake up before Kert's alarm clock rang at 7 a.m.! I think it has never happened before!

Yes, it was an extra-ordinary good weekend! I wish there were many like that...

9 months old

The boys turned 9 months old yesterday!

I baked a cake for them and we had quite a big birthday party with grandparents and uncle-aunts (we also celebrated my 35th birthday, yes I'm already THAT old!). The boys enjoyed the party and I'm happy that now they are big enough not to be irritated of crowdy house from time to time. They often didn't mind at all that the girls (Emily, Anna and Lisanne) sometimes made big noise; Ralf even fall in his small nap in the living-room just like every day.

We have not been to the doctor for 2 months (and it will be postponed for 2 more weeks because of my unexpected work-obligations which I couldn't change), but at home we weigh the boys and Ralf, the biggest milk-eater, is now 8,7 kg, Fred, quite a good eater, too (but easily vomits) is now 8,5 kg and Sten, a never-hungry-boy, 8,3 kg. I think they all are around 74 cm tall as they wear clothes of this size and they fit now perfectly.

I have intended to write a post about boys' characters, but even right now, I cannot really differiante their characters a lot. Who smiles the most? They are all smily. Sometimes people think that Sten smiles the most, but this is because he is smiling to all people at once. With me, Ralf smiles the most. Who is the most quieter? Sometimes it's Sten, but when he gets tired, then he is crying over anything, even when you touch him. Sometimes it's Ralf when he is swinging in his sitter (he can do it for hours if we let him to) and sometimes it's Fred as he loves to play on the floor for a very long time (not always, of course). Who is the most patient? Again, depends on the mood. I can only tell who is the biggest eater: definitely Ralf! And it shows in his face, too! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my darlings!

All my darlings together: my own 4 children and niece Lisanne + Erik's nieces Emily and Anna

Spring in my garden - Vol I

For about a week, we had beautifully warm and sunny weather - and many early spring flowers are now in blossoms: early tulips, narcissuses, bluebells, early primroses. More and more colours in the garden - lovely!
Unfortunately now, it's cold again, so it will slow down the growth of the flowers, but I'm sure it soon goes warmer again and I can enjoy even more colours in my garden!

The bluebell:

Red early tulips:

Early primrose: