Raksha Bandhan

Today is Raksha Bandhan, a festival where sisters tie a decorative string, or "rahki", on their brother's wrist, and wish them a long and happy life. In return, the brother vows to protect his sisters from all harm. Pankaj and his brother grew up without any sisters, so they always celebrated this festival with their female cousins, commonly referred to in India as "cousin-sisters". Samedh, too, will be celebrating the Rakhi Festival with his cousin-sisters (my nieces) who are coming today for this special occasion. We plan to go to the Indian buffet and share a meal together, and then the cousins will exchange rakhis and gifts. The sisters also feed their brother a sweet on this special day, so Samedh will certainly be getting his share...most likely M&M's, which are his favorite. Only a few though. And I absolutely had to share the beautiful rakhi card posted above, which was sent from Samedh's cousin-sisters in India. How wonderful it was for them to remember him on this festive occasion from so far away. They asked that we feed Samedh some chocolates on their behalf, and he absolutely cannot wait!

Sneak Peek

Samedh is really into construction and road building these days. Even before the "backhoe road show" came to our street last month. "Asphalt" is one of his new favorite words, and he is always building me a "new road" on our living room carpet. A couple weeks ago, I asked Samedh what type of "construction" birthday cake he wanted. It's his birthday, so he should get to choose what vehicles are on the cake and what type of layout, etc. His reply? "Mamma, I want asphalt on my cake." Just to clarify, I asked, "You mean like an asphalt road?" Samedh: "Yeh!" So I mixed up some frosting and baked a 9x13 "mock-up" cake just to see what we could come up with. I opened my box of fondant, which is like a candy "dough" you can color and roll into shapes or even use to cover a cake completely for a smooth look. I used black food coloring paste to tint the fondant (using food safe latex gloves of course) and in no time, I had rolled out the perfect asphalt road. I still need to come up with the perfect shade of "dirt brown" frosting, but we still have a few weeks before the big day.

Roasty Toasty Marshmallows

Last weekend, we stayed at my parents' cottage. After it rained most of the afternoon, the weather quickly turned around and we were able to start an early evening campfire. For the first time, Samedh enjoyed roasting marshmallows (though his favorite part was eating them:). We made only 5, and boy were they good! If you look closely at the bottom photo, you can see white sticky marshmallow on Samedh's mouth. Here is how he sums up the whole experience: "Marshmallows aren't too sticky for me!"

Proud to be an Indian-American

A collage of Samedh photos, taken last weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's cottage. All the kids just adore the huge tree stump that supports Grandpa's flag pole!

Me and My Mower

Samedh and his mower...it's a beautiful thing!

Front Porch Getaway

Samedh and I have been spending lots of time on our front porch this summer. Unlike our deck, which faces south and gets so hot and full of wasps during the afternoon, the front porch is the perfect shady spot for outdoor activities. We found a wonderful kid's picnic table at a garage sale this spring, and it is the focal point of many outdoor activities. Samedh has a plastic tub that we fill with water (calls it his "water table") and he can splash around with his bath toys and measuring cups, etc. Or, we have another large plastic container that is filled with dried macaroni, lentils, moong dal, black eyed peas and rice. Samedh calls that his "macaroni bin". He uses cups and scoops and other small construction toys to dig around in the dried materials, and can spend 2-3 hours at a stretch doing so. Another activity we added to the porch recently is Playdough. We got a Bob the Builder Playdough set from one of my cousins last summer, and this quickly became one of Samedh's new favorites. It is so much easier doing these activities outside. Even lunch and snack time are more enjoyable. The only thing we have to keep an eye on is the bumble bee who frequents our porch for his snack time on my petunias.

Another trip to Tunnel Park

This was only our third beach trip this summer. Need a few more before summer's over!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Just another "catch up" post from July. My mom celebrated her 65th birthday on July 18, and we all gathered for cake and ice cream. My mom loves everything that has to do with watermelons, so I made a watermelon cake as a surprise. It even had watermelon puree baked in the cake. The seeds were chocolate chips and the rind was made of fondant, colored green and accented with edible colored markers. The cake was nice to look at, but the subtle watermelon flavor wasn't the greatest. Next time I'll stick with traditional white or chocolate cake. I think most everyone agreed. Except Samedh. His favorite part was the fondant rind, which was pure sugar. Go figure.

Backhoe Road Show

We had quite an exciting July in our neighborhood! One evening after we returned from swim class, we noticed that our street had been torn up as if some road repairs were about to take place. There were no notices, no signs. But something big was about to happen. We just didn't know when. The following week, the road crew finally arrived. Young boys throughout the neighborhood set up watch from their front yards, moms included. It was a very hot day, so Samedh and I sat in the shade with water bottles and watched what he calls the "road show". EVERY construction vehicle imaginable was there, and Samedh just couldn't get enough. There were backhoes and rollers and Bobcats and huge dump trucks supplying asphalt. It was fun to watch every aspect of the road construction and see just how each of these vehicles worked together to build a new road. The best part for me? We now have a smooth new road which makes stroller walks a breeze. So smooth and flawless...makes me wish I still had my old roller skates from when I was 12.

Tractor Time!

This is the first of several "catch up" posts I plan to share today. It seems like I am always one step behind these days. This is a collage of Samedh at Grandma and Grandpa's house (taken in July). He had just discovered the tractor and trailer Grandpa had stored in the basement, a riding toy my siblings and I once enjoyed when we were kids. It's no John Deere, but sometimes to a little boy, a tractor is still a tractor.

Monet, Degas, and the Big Horse

We visited Frederik Meijer Gardens in GR on Tuesday. It was the first time we had ever been to the outdoor gardens and sculpture park. In the past it has always been butterflies indoors or at Christmas time. This was absolutely beautiful, but hot too. It was a perfect day for the beach, so after about an hour outside wandering through the Monet-inspired gardens, we ventured indoors for the Degas exhibit. I really enjoyed that, but Samedh was tired and had enough by then. Thank goodness for the stroller! I hope to make one more trip to the outdoor gardens this summer and another one in the fall. There is so much to explore outside, and Tuesday's visit was just the beginning. Oh, and by the way, if you look closely at the horse's nostril, you can see a wasp nest inside. Samedh thought that was pretty funny!

Overnight at the Cottage

Last weekend Samedh had his first "overnight camping experience" at Grandma and Grandpa's cottage. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was only the three of us plus my parents, so it was a quiet and relaxing weekend. Samedh got to experience the joy of a night time campfire, complete with all the "night time sounds." We didn't roast marshmallows or hot dogs, but it was nice just sitting out there listening to bullfrogs. After about 20 minutes, someone commented on how the bullfrogs' sound had changed. Instead of the familiar "twanging rubber band sound", they now sounded like, "Um-um-um-um-um". That did it for Samedh, and he wanted to go inside.

The following morning, Samedh enjoyed a hearty hot breakfast and spent some time playing on the swing. He even took some time out to pose with Grandma's famous watermelon wedge and sat on the paddle boat. The boat never left the shore because it was far too windy that day. We'll attempt that another time. Just sitting on shore was enough for Samedh. He enjoyed wearing Grandpa's old fishing hat, but wasn't too sure about the "coat" he was wearing (he was referring to the life jacket).

Overall, we had a great time and hope to make one more overnight trip up north before the end of the summer. Not sure if it will be just our small group again or with all the cousins, but we'll see how it goes.

1st Diving Board Jump

I just had to post this video today. For the first time ever, Samedh asked to jump off the diving board after class. All last summer, he enjoyed watching "the big boys" jump and dive off the board. Even yesterday he watched the other kids and their parents jump off the diving board after class. Then today, he announced that he wanted to try it. He liked it so much (I think) that he asked to jump a second time. For someone who has a difficult time jumping to me from the side of the pool, he sure surprised us. We are happy and proud beyond words. So is Samedh!

Wednesday

On Wednesday we ventured to Helder Park to enjoy the summer playgroup offered by the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD). During the school year, we attended the monthly Literacy Playgroups. This was the same group, just an outdoor summer version. We were there from 9:30am-11:00am and I'm not sure Samedh was all that ready to go home afterward. He spent most of the time digging in the blue sand (one of his favorite activities), but enjoyed running around the playground just as much. Because he is so much taller this summer, he can climb the playground equipment with ease. He is also more comfortable going down (and up) the slides this year. Just the small slides, though. What a difference one summer makes!

Tuesday

Tuesday morning Samedh and I went on a Backyard Safari at the library. There were stories and songs about bugs, and we went on a little "bug hunt" to see what critters we could find. We found all but one, so that's pretty good. Samedh was more interested in running around than looking for hidden "paper" bugs. The photos are of Samedh proudly making and wearing his bug hat during craft time. He was so excited that they had orange pipe cleaners among the color choices, as that is still his favorite color!

A Quiet 4th

This year's 4th of July was very simple and quiet for us. We did a little yard work after a trip to Lowe's and Barnes and Noble (Samedh played with the Thomas the Train table of course), then escaped the noise of motorcycles at our neighbor's house later in the evening. It seemed our entire neighborhood was gone (except for Mr. Carl's motorcycle show), so we decided to head over to the local Indian restaurant for dinner. After a delicious dinner, we noticed the parking lot was beginning to fill up with cars and people setting up lawn chairs, etc. It was just after 9pm, but these folks were obviously getting settled in for the fireworks show that night. What an excellent idea...for next year that is. We were not in the mood to sit in the parking lot for an hour to wait for the fireworks, so we just went home. But this would be a perfect location to sit and watch next year. The view would be perfect and traffic would not be an issue afterward. Certainly something to consider.

Another Reunion Video

Here's another video from our weekend in Chicago...

Dancing Bollywood Style

Here is one of the videos I took while we were in Chicago last weekend. Samedh and Pankaj show off their Bollywood moves. Sorry about the sound...not sure why it doesn't work.

India Families Reunion

Last weekend was our long-awaited "families reunion" in the Chicago area. Nine families attended, all of whom adopted children from Bal Vikas Orphanage in Mumbai. This was the first reunion of this size, and it was a huge success. Families traveled from as far away as Boston, and many of us were meeting each other for the first time. The older children remembered the younger children from their past at BV, and it was touching to see them unite once again.

Samedh enjoyed himself for the most part, but so often during the weekend he kept telling us that he wanted to go home. At times it was a bit overwhelming for him, which is something I certainly did not expect. Now that we are home, Samedh covers his eyes whenever I look at the photos families are sharing online.

I plan to order a variety of photos from our weekend and make a scrapbook that can be shared when we all meet again next summer. I'll just be sure to work on that project during Samedh's nap time, and will only show him the pictures when he feels he is ready. Below are only a few of the photos that were taken over the weekend...

Group photo on the basketball court Friday.
Samedh and Anish playing with the pine cones they collected.

The cake we shared Friday night.

Samedh with his new friend Madhu at dinner Saturday.

Pankaj and Samedh "hit the pool" after dinner on Saturday.

Father's Day

For the past seven years or so, it has been a family tradition to spend Father's Day at my parents' cottage on Nevins Lake near Stanton, MI. We made it up there a little later in the day because our morning was spent in Ada at the final day of opening ceremonies of the West Michigan Hindu Temple. The opening ceremonies at the temple were a three-day event, but we were only able to attend the final day. We sponsored one of the poojas and took part in the procession around the outside of the temple. It was quite an event, and now I wish I had brought my camera along for photos and video. I left it in the car out of respect for the deities, but everyone else was clicking away with cameras and cell phones, etc. The procession was beautiful, peaceful, and a once in a lifetime event. There was even a cow outside which Samedh loved. The best way I can describe the experience is that it was like a little bit of India had come home to us. The sights and sounds from Sunday are a regular occurence in India, and it was just nice having the experience closer to home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After we arrived up north, my sister Dena took a few photos of our family before we changed into our "cottage wear". After all, it's not everyday we dress in Indian formal attire while at the lake. The rest of the day was spent with family, including my brother Joe, cousin Steven, and Uncle Bernie. Samedh's favorite past time at the cottage is swinging on the swing. That's all he remembers doing last summer, and all he cared to do this time. As he gets older, we will be able to take him out in a row boat or paddle boat, just like the big kids do.