Just Another Day in Paradise

There ought to be stupidity interventions...

2011-12-22T21:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I ought to hand over my decision making to someone else. I feel that by doing so, my life would surely run smoother and I would avoid foolish choices. An example - For years, I have had a nagging feeling that I really ought to finish my Bachelor's degree. I was foiled by meeting E, moving to the US, having children, and moving again. I have tried to quell the feeling by doing all kinds of other things, including becoming an esthetician, but I haven't quite been able to shake the desire to graduate from college. Then earlier this year, I had the brilliant notion that I could finish my degree through BYU (my college) online. Now I am left with the lingering question of why there aren't interventions for stupid decisions such as going back to school while the kids are small and the husband is never home! I was reasonably busy and somewhat stressed before. Now I am a basket case. I am only taking one class at a time and it is still killing me. I am stressing out about the class, about getting homework done and most recently about missing quite a few questions on a test. (This is obviously stress in addition to all the usual stuff I can find to stress out about...) I kind of want to quit...but then I don't want to be a quitter - or teach my kids that it is okay to quit when things get hard. On the other hand I may be replacing my sanity with a degree...Provided I actually manage to finish.
It doesn't help that I am a bit of a crazy perfectionist and stress out to the nth degree if I don't do well on a test. I do realize that I am totally broken - I just don't know how to shut up the perfectionist in my head....I wonder if they have medications for trying to get all the answers right, all the time?

I am completely aware that people do time-consuming, stressful and difficult things all the time. I have just misplaced the ability to do them with grace. Which brings me back to this - why didn't anyone stop me? And would someone like to make my decisions for me from now on?

October Snow Storm. Or: The Year They Cancelled Halloween

2011-12-07T21:31:00.001-05:00

It may be that I needed a bit of distance from this experience in order to write about it. Or it may be that I have just been busy trying to catch up to my life since it happened, but in any case, I think it's about time that I document our freak October snow storm that turned our usual life upside down for a good week or so.

October 29th was a Saturday and the meteorologists were promising a snow storm. I have to admit, I took it with a (large) grain of salt. First of all, it was October -- how bad could it really get? Second, our area has been known to cry wolf and cancel all kinds of things at the threat of a snow storm and then end up with a flurry. It did start to snow around noon and I figured I better head out and do errands in case it did end up getting worse. After stopping at a few stores, I realized it was coming down kind of hard, but I couldn't imagine it would be any worse than a usual Nor'Easter (That's what they call the big snow storms out here..) so I finished up and started towards home.
It is usually a ten minute drive and about five minutes into it, I was seriously questioning my decision as the third alternative street I tried was closed because of fallen branches and downed power lines. I went beyond questioning to seriously fearing for my life when a branch broke ahead of me and what looked like a power line fell onto the road. I stepped on my brakes and could just close my eyes as my brakes locked and my car continued to glide forward in the snow... It turned out to be a line of snow off a power line - thus shaped to look just like it, though I'm pretty sure it aged me right there regardless. I have never been more grateful to make it home than I was that day. E was out shoveling and I went straight to the stove to make hot chocolate for everyone. (Although if I were a drinker, that is not where I would have gone first!)

About half an hour after I arrived home, we lost power, which wasn't really a surprise after seeing the devastation the snow was causing. What was a surprise was when the power didn't come back on after a few hours. Or a few days. The first couple of days we were dealing with it pretty well. We lost power for 48 hours with Hurricane Irene in August and figured we'd be back up again soon this time too. However, the destruction statewide was much greater with Winter Storm Alfred, as our storm was named. The snow was extremely wet and heavy and it landed on branches that still had most of their leaves on them. Snow that would normally have fallen through onto the ground, was being held up by the leaves instead and the combined weight of leaves and snow proved too much for many many trees.

When the 48 hours came and went and there was no end in sight, it got harder to cope. It was cold outside and our (otherwise) awesome plaster walls kept the cold inside the house as well. And it was so bloody dark! I'm not sure what got to me the most - the cold or the dark. At night we were okay. We bundled everyone up in warm clothes and under heavy Scandinavian down comforters, so we were warm enough when we were in bed. As soon as we left bed, we were miserable though. Little S would cry when she got up, she was that cold, and the rest of us just became sluggish. It is amazing how you can actually tell that your brain is slowing down when you are freezing. We made it through the next couple of days mostly by leaving the house as much as possible and visiting friends and family. Even if they didn't have power either, it was much less miserable when it wasn't just me and the kids all by our lonesome. E was at his nice (heated) office and worked till after 10pm...(I may have been suspicious of his motives for staying late but would probably have done the same if the alternative had been reading by candlelight under the covers while your nose was freezing...)
Tuesday night we returned home and as I tucked the kiddos into their cold beds (the boys together at this point) I noticed the thermostat downstairs:

Yes, that reads 48º Fahrenheit. Which is 8.9º Celsius. Inside the house. I had been trying to just stick it out, thinking that power had to return any minute, but seeing the temperature that low, combined with the power company's vague promise of power returning maybe within a week, was enough. Little S was crying, L was coughing and I threw in the towel. The next morning I packed up the kids and drove to VA to stay with E's sister. Even with an 11 hour car drive, it was so very much worth it.

We ended up having a wonderful visit in VA and enjoyed the 60º+ weather tremendously. For weeks afterwards I felt immense gratitude every time I flipped a switch and it worked. I get that we are blessed and our few powerless days are nothing compared to what others go through for years and years. I am so grateful for the blessings of power. And light. And warm feet! And most of all, that in all the devastation that hit our state that week, that we (and our home) were safe. I am so so grateful for that!

A few pictures, mostly from our neighborhood. I wish I had my camera with me as we saw some areas that were worse than this.

Snowfall after 3 hours (the driveway has already been shoveled):

Our yard Sunday - thankfully we didn't have any downed power lines on our property!

Trying to stay warm (I spent one evening literally reading up against the grate and I was still cold...):

Power lines down:

Many, many trees looked like this:

Scarecrow Parade Revisited

2011-10-16T14:48:00.001-04:00

A nearby town has an annual scarecrow parade - local shops and companies decorate scarecrows and line them up on Main Street each fall. I went once when S was about 18 months old and have had the intention to go back each year since. This year was the first time we actually made it back there. Twice! I went with little monkey S for playgroup and then I took all the kids this Saturday. It was not as impressive as I remembered but we had a wonderful time regardless. Here's an overload of pictures from our trip out there:

And just for fun...Who allowed S to grow up so quickly?!?

2004

2011

Apple of My Eye

2011-10-10T08:11:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite fall activities in New England is apple picking. I haven't been able to find a day when we could all go together this year, but baby S and I went a few weeks ago for playgroup and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. S especially enjoyed sampling apples -- several of the ones that made it home had little tiny toothmarks in them, which I at least hope are hers...:)

End of Summer/ First Day of School

2011-09-07T20:07:00.001-04:00

There are some blogs who at this time of year emerge with glorious photos and almost minute-by-minute (perky) accounts of all the fun that was had every waking moment all summer long by the entire family. I suppose I fall just on the far side of cynical; far enough to doubt the statements of non-stop fun, at least a little bit. Because I have just emerged from a summer with three kids, no camps and for a good part of it an overseas dad. (Well, technically we were the ones overseas, but that's not the point.) Certainly, we've had some great times. In fact we have had many, many wonderful experiences this summer and I have enjoyed spending time with my monkeys. And then there were the times I thought this summer would never end, the times where I was beyond exhausted, the bickering was non-stop and somehow someone convinced my children that my sole purpose in life was being their entertainer/ servant.
September 1, I felt a twinge of sadness for another summer gone by -- no matter what I do, those boys just won't stop growing older so quickly -- and I felt relief that school was starting. I have to confess, as they happily strode off to school on their first day, I was happy too. Don't get me wrong here - I LOVE my children. They love me. And we all love each other more when we are not together every second of every day.
So here's to another school year begun! May it be glorious and fun-filled and great. May we all learn many good things, and meet many kind people. And mostly, may we enjoy and love each other much - even if we don't have minute-by-minute accounts of fun to show for it!

P.S. OK, so in spite of my actual happiness at being back in a routine, it is indeed with a tiny bit of trepidation that I send my boys out in the world. I always worry about the blows that can wound a little heart. I know they need to grow though, and that I can't protect them from the world, so I try not to let my fears rub off on them. L actually started Kindergarten this year, and it warms my heart to watch him happily dance off to learn, make new friends and be at the same school as his older brother. He is so eager to learn and I am so thrilled to see his joy. And S is suddenly so big - too cool to hug us goodbye outside of school ( - whatever!) and yet still my sweet baby. have a fantastic year monkeys! I love you!

Light Summer Nights

2011-08-17T19:00:00.001-04:00

For those of you who wonder what summer nights really look like in Denmark...The ipod is there for proof of time - 22:18 is 10:18pm. No photoshopping involved.
Welcome to Scandinavia!

Kerteminde Cherry Festival, July 2011

2011-08-17T15:08:00.000-04:00

A few of my favorite moments from the Cherry Festival in Kerteminde... (There were many to choose from!)

S having her first encounter with cherry soft ice from what may be one of the best ice cream places in the world:

At the marina:

P.S. Dear Family, I miss you. Please come over soon!!

Wedding Bells

2011-08-06T19:21:00.003-04:00

This summer my little sister got married and I was lucky enough to be there for her and her wonderful guy's big day. They were radiating with joy and it was such a blessing to be a part of their celebration.

A few shots from their special day...

Elsker dig Søster! Og velkommen i vores (vanvittige) familie, Aan. :)

Summertime Update

2011-07-23T02:02:00.000-04:00

We are still in Denmark and loving it! Time is flying by in strange surreal spurts and I am battling an urge to mourn our departure already. I tell myself that most people only go away for the amount of time we still have left here, but alas, my heart isn't easily fooled by logic...I still hate leaving my family so far away! It's funny, but every time we get here I think, I must have been off my rocker to leave my home and invade someone else's for the massive amount of time we stay for. And then as our departure time approaches, I wonder why we didn't stay longer. There are still so many things I want to do, the kids are enjoying life here and are finally more comfortable in Danish, it's such a joy to see my family and my children interact, and we've only gained a combined 50 pounds by being here -- we're clearly not ready to leave! (It's also something like 9000 degrees back home which doesn't exactly make me want to jump for joy. Unless I could bottle that and save it for January...Hmmm, something to consider.)
In any case, pictures and such will follow when I return home - if anyone who isn't here with me is even still reading this . :) Otherwise I assume blogging for journal keeping purposes is still fully acceptable.

Homeward Bound

2011-06-15T20:19:00.000-04:00

Off to the homeland with the munchkins tomorrow for six and a half weeks. Yay. I can't wait to see my family again!!
Someone please pray my sanity makes it there too and isn't left somewhere over the Atlantic...Traveling with three is making me a bit (!) nervous. Provided we aren't ejected with a parachute mid-flight, I'll let you know how it goes.

Is Weirdness Hereditary?

2011-06-13T19:17:00.000-04:00

A few snapshots of the oddness around here:

Baby S chasing neighborhood boys, sporting L's helmet that she insisted on wearing. Maybe Toadette will be her new blog name...

Toadette loading a nerf gun. She does it remarkably well. Should I be worried?

I don't even know what is going on here. But there you go - this is our home on a daily basis:

Good Days and Bad...

2011-06-10T19:10:00.002-04:00

It has been a crazy month at the homestead...We have had some hard times - my fabulous grandma passed away - and some amazing times - I passed a final and E's sister got married. I have been a little overwhelmed by it all, not knowing where to even begin blogging. I wanted to honor my grandmother with a post and felt that blogging about anything else would seem trivial and make her passing seem inconsequential. The days went by in a flurry of activities and events and just day-to-day stuff, I couldn't wrap my mind around a post I felt would show my grandma the attention she deserves and so I just didn't blog anything.

Meanwhile, as I was feeling the guilt of not putting up a post for her while still not recording the other events and happenings in our lives, I clearly heard the voice of my grandmother in my head - several times. This is a woman, who was always outspoken and didn't sugar coat anything - and I am pretty sure her response to my lack of recording family memories because I couldn't think of the words to honor her would be blunt and possibly include the word stupid. With that, I have decided that I will post a post (heh) for her when I have the mental capacity to sit down and put it together the way I feel it should be. In the meantime, I will record some of the many great things we have been experiencing...

Last things first, S started scouts in May. An American scouting tradition is the "pinewood derby." Basically, each scout is given a small block of wood (approx. 7"x1.75"x1.25" or 18x5x3cm) and has to carve a car from that block, add wheels, and optionally weights to make the car go faster. Then the scouts race their cars down a track. I think I may have mentioned my feelings about woodworking on this blog at one time or another and I have to confess that I may have been hoping we would miss the derby this year.

Imagine my joy when we didn't miss it at all...I went through several stages of grief about this entire event, staring with despair (how will I ever help S with this?), then annoyance (I can't believe I have to figure out how to carve a car!), then anger (this is so foolish - aren't kids punished enough for their parents shortcomings?!) and then I remembered our secret weapon: E's dad is a genius when it comes to building stuff. (Not genetic, in case you are wondering why I would have been the one yielding the saw and not my dear husband...who has a lot of great skills, none of them involving tools.) Hoping for the best and remembering that grandpa once built an actual car, we went to him wooden block in hand and it turned out to be a great experience for S. He and Grandpa researched and worked on the car for hours and hours. S was so happy to be able to do this with his grandpa and I was so happy I didn't have to... As it turned out it was very fortuitous that they were at Grandpa's house, because when they were missing an axle for the car, Grandma somehow managed to find an old car with a useable axle in the basement. It was a great process for S and in the end, we all had a blast at the pinewood derby.

As a funny side-note, we all spent quite a bit of energy talking to S about the importance of participating and having fun even when you don't win. We spoke of the slim chances of winning and how in his father's scouting life, their family had only ever had one winning car. It was all to absolutely no avail. In spite of a couple of close heats, Green Lightning won the race for S's age group. The bar is set for next year's race.
Hey Grandpa, are you busy then??!

The boys ready to watch the race:

And the cars are off! Notice Green Lightning take an early lead:

It was so fast it went over the barrier at the end:

A few of the local scouts. What a handsome crew:

Proud S, sporting his ribbon and car:

Thanks Grandpa. You rock.

Happy Birthday Dear Mama (and Mormor:)

2011-05-18T21:45:00.001-04:00

Som ønsket :)...

8-5-1

2011-04-30T16:37:00.000-04:00

We have a huge birthday cluster in our family - we all have our birthdays within 2 months and a day - but I don't know if that is a good enough excuse to not have posted any pictures of anyone's special day till now....Finally, a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my most favorite monkeys in the world!

The littlest monkey on her actual birthday. I can't believe she turned one already. That was the fastest first year of any of my kids' lives!:

And the party we threw for her: (Yes, I took total advantage of the pink frosting-opportunity.)

Our sweet S - so joyful and excited. This was in the middle of his attempt to grow his hair long. (We have since abandoned the experiment!):

Birthday Buddies:

And finally (last in birthday order of course, never in importance!!) Our delightful, mischievous L, who was so miserably sick on his birthday:

Baptism!

2011-04-28T19:11:00.000-04:00

Last month, my baby turned 8. Yes, I am that behind on posting; I have pictures from all three kids' birthdays that I still need to put up. I am going to skip that at this point though and go straight to the big event of this past weekend.
In our church, children don't get baptized until they are 8 so this was a big birthday for S. He has been excited about his baptism for quite a while, too - on his 7th birthday, his dad asked him what the best thing about turning 7 was and he replied that the best thing about turning 7 was that next year he would be 8 and could get baptized. (He did not get that planning-ahead gene from me, btw...) It was a beautiful experience that we were blessed to be able to share with much family and some dear friends. S also invited some of his best friends from school and the neighborhood and it was so wonderful to see them come to share this special day with him. I was so impressed to see S handle himself so well throughout the ceremony - especially when the hot water at the church wasn't working and he got to experience baptism by immersion-in-ice-water. He didn't complain once. I'm so proud of him - and at the same time not entirely sure that I am ready for him to be getting big so quickly....

Somebody Fire that Groundhog!

2011-04-04T16:03:00.000-04:00

Back in February when Groundhog Day arrived with overcast skies, I dared to hope for the superstition of this day to be true. After one of the hardest winters I can remember, I was willing to place my bet on a rodent if only it meant spring would come soon. Given my history with rodents, I should have known how foolish it was; and sure enough, the weeks following Groundhog Day brought freezing temperatures and an April 1st Nor'easter. (That's a big storm in our part of the world for those of you who are lucky enough not to know what it is - the storms are most known for strong winds and large amounts of snow.) Fortunately, the snowfall in our county was just a few inches that melted as the day went on, but still - snow on April first? Way to miss the mark, rodent.

Anyway, finally, the last few days are showing signs of winter letting up. It's slowly getting warmer and little green growths are starting to pop up from the ground. We celebrated this on Saturday by talking a walk and enjoying the chilly but gorgeously sunny day. I am hopeful, spring will be here soon.

A Few More Bookworm Shots..

2011-03-28T20:25:00.001-04:00

These pictures are not even staged. She loves to climb into her chair and flip through books - it is the sweetest thing.

Book Worms

2011-03-15T14:40:00.000-04:00

I love books and it brings me immense joy to see that my children love them too. Even the littlest stinker is beginning to open books and look at the pictures. Sometimes she won't even rip any pages out...And most of the time she sits still when we read to her. This is one genetic trait I am thrilled to pass on!

(Sorry about the poor picture quality; it is shot with an ipod - I just had to share!!)

To the Land of the Rising Sun - With Love.

2011-03-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was driving down a calm street in our town, headed out to do a few errands. The sun was shining (finally!), I had great music on the radio and my husband had even taken the kids so I could do some stress-free shopping and returns. It was all so commonplace and normal and it made it hard to believe that on the other side of the world, people are reeling from the aftermath of such a massive natural disaster. I cannot comprehend the suffering. I cannot comprehend losing your loved ones, or having your home - your entire city - ripped apart by earthquakes and then a tsunami. Oh, and as the icing on the cake, now a looming nuclear disaster. I am not sure how to put such an event into words, even.
All I can say is that my heart and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters in Japan...May the sun shine on you again soon!

2011-03-07T16:42:00.001-05:00

Today is turning out to be one of those teeth grinding, jaw clenching days, so to get my mind off things, here is a picture from a day when my children did not cry much of the day, lie to me about peeing on the floor, or clog the downstairs toilet so my back hallway was swimming in toilet water...

Projects

2011-02-12T09:14:00.002-05:00

Warning: This is a completely narcissistic post about me me me - and things I have made - interesting to me and a very limited number of other people. (I.e. my sister and mom. Maybe.)
I realized a while back that I haven't been creating anything for a long time. I spend so much time doing chores, fixing things around the house, and raising children that creativity takes a back-burner - except when it comes to creative threats that will make my children eat their vegetables and creative ways to say the same things over and over (and over and over and over and...) again. Which, in reality, I don't even get creative with that - just repetitive.
With that I decided to try to revive some of my creative energy and I have actually managed to get a few projects done. First, I have to share this, though. When I was younger, I had a vivid imagination, but I was not in the least creative when it came to making things with my hands. In fifth and sixth grade we had mandatory woodworking and sewing classes. I absolutely abhorred them.
Woodworking gave me splinters and the results of my labors were so pitiful even my mother couldn't pretend to like them for long. It took me all semester to make one trivet - and it was so crooked that the pots would teeter precariously to one side, although to my mother's credit she still used it for years.
The sewing class was dreadful. It included knitting as well and I was so bad at it that one of the other girls used to take pity on me and just do my work for me. (I did say I was a bookworm, right?!) Based on my past as a non-creater, I get really excited when I manage to create something--so with no further ado (since we've already had a lot of ado about not much at all...), here are my creations from the last few months:

I painted the kitchen, from beige (pretty much the original color of the entire house) to a warm happy yellow. (For some reason I have no pictures of that.) Then I changed the ratty old knobs on the interior window shutters in the kitchen. Amazing what a difference it makes!

The corner hutch in the dining room is now purple (and makes me want to repaint the rest of the room...):

I have been wanting a wreath for my front door for years, but I haven't been willing to pay full price when they first come out in the stores - and at the end of the season, the remaining wreaths have been broken or looking much worse for the wear - thus no wreath for me.
So last fall, I decided to check etsy to see if a handmade wreath was cheaper. They weren't - but I fell in love with one that had yarn and felt flowers. What I didn't fall in love with was the price. I was completely outraged that someone would charge such an exuberant amount for yarn and felt, so I stubbornly decided, I could do it myself. Which I did, at a fraction of the cost. Yay! However, after numerous hours spent winding yarn around a wreath, I now fully understand why they are so expensive on etsy. If I didn't have the satisfaction of the finished product (and all the money saved) I would need some serious monetary compensation to make up for yarn-winding brain numbness.
In any case, I made one for fall:

And then decided to make one for winter as well:

A baby hair band with flowers (another "there is no way I am paying that, I can make it myself-project"):

And finally I am working on an alphabet picture inspired by my sister-in-law (who found it on another blog from another blog from...you get the idea...I think it originally came from Design Mom, created by Destri Bufmack.)

In other news, I saw/ heard two things this week, that made me wonder. The first one was a commercial for a "teach your infant and toddler to read"-program. Seriously? Is that taking the achieve-much-and-achieve-early mentality a bit too far?! Even if it works, which I honestly doubt (and not because I am too lazy to teach my infants to read. I think.) why would an infant need to know how to read?! Why?!?
The second thing was a diet pill. For dogs. No, really. Come on people!! TAKE THE DOG FOR A RUN, for crying out loud. Bring the baby, too. All that reading can make you long for fresh air...

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

2011-02-02T14:58:00.001-05:00

In the past two days, we have had what the media dubbed "a monster storm." Normally, I don't pay much attention because the media has been known to hype up the current events for ratings (shocking, I know..) but this time it actually seemed like the real deal. (See here for more information.)
A little back story - In the past few weeks, our area has been slammed with snow storm after snow storm and because it's frigid between the storms, none of the snow is melting. The roads are getting more and more narrow as towns are running out of places to put the snow, and everyone seems to be praying that their roof will hold up to the layer of snow on it. With all this, news of an ice-storm had us all in fear of power-outages and roof-collapsings. (Hey, it's a word if you have been cooped up in your house for too long!)
Not that I was ever a "let's-go-frolic-in-the-snow"-kind of girl, but this is seriously the winter that could make me consider moving to the South. We have had seven (!) snow days in four weeks - not including early releases and delayed mornings. All this and it's still only February 2nd. Seriously.

Snow picture spam for your entertainment:

Backyard swing set:

I think there is a grill under there:

Our driveway (notice the height of the snow next to the minivan; that's pretty much the level on the entire lawn):

And some happy snow monkeys to end on a more cheerful note:

Why I can't have Zooey Deschanel Bangs

2011-01-26T12:51:00.001-05:00

I recently read an article by a feminist who loves to read Mormon blogs because as she states it, she loves to look into a "strange and fascinating world where the most fraught issues of modern living -- marriage and child rearing -- appear completely unproblematic."

I truly enjoyed the article - it was nice to read something where the author wasn't trying to tear my church down or perpetuate the ever popular myth of secret Mormon polygamy. (No, we do not secretly have plural marriages. Yes, secretly (or not so - ), I may have thought on occasion that a second woman in the house wouldn't be all bad; see below how I fail at making anything look unproblematic...)

However, while reading the description of these blogs, I realized that I somehow missed the memo on how to be a Mormon blogger. I do not have bangs (I tried it once. It was awful. Curly hair and bangs do not mix.), I do not make thrifty purchases and turn them into fabulous finds (I've tried going to thrift stores, but I think I repel great finds), my husband doesn't wear plaid and while I have made a cupcake or two in recent months, I do not host fancy dinner parties with pretty little gifts for the guests.
The truth is, while I do take pride in having an "honest"(-ish...) blog, where my real life shines through, I sometimes envy those women. If only I could make life unproblematic and host fabulous parties...Or look put together each moment of every day, preferably in thrifty vintage clothes. Or make delicious treats on a daily basis. Or have a blog where I post pictures of pretty things each day and thus generate tons of revenue for my family. But I don't.
I consider it a success if I manage to get dressed in a put-together outfit. It is a victory if I make dinner on a daily basis, let alone an occasional (non-fancy) treat, and my big project currently is a chart to help me yell less at my children...
Does that make me less Mormon than those other Mormon bloggers? And because this is my blog and I get to answer all my own questions; of course not!
I think there may be a danger in assuming that because we all belong to the same church and believe in the same things, we must all be the same. Look the same way, cook the same foods, have the same talents....Whatever. We are different and that is perfectly fine - no one should be subjected to seeing me with bangs, anyway.

Ironically, what I originally went online to post about today were a few projects that I have made in recent months -- and because they were such a victory for me (imagine Hermione doing crafts...), I wanted to share them on here. I guess the conclusion is, we are women, not items to be placed in neatly labeled boxes.And also, I have ADD and get easily distracted from any ideas I may start out with.

Now off to make cupcakes...

One

2011-01-25T20:42:00.001-05:00

To my littlest one; my sweet smiling daughter, my turn-around-and-I-will-be-scaling-the-kitchen-table child, my darling hugger and selective giver of kisses, my brown-eyed girl with big feet and edible toes, my wrap-my-father-around-my-little-finger child with the sweetest little voice and yet the loudest shrieks, to my explorer of the world, my mischief-in-eyes-girl, my tiny bundle of energy and joy, my amazing blessing from God,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY.

We love you so much. Thank you for joining our family.

January 26th, 2011;
Edited to add one year stats from our doctor's visit today:

Height: 29"/ 73.5cm (50th percentile)
Weight: 18.01lbs/ 8 kg. (25th percentile)
Head: 17"/ 43cm

Height is good; the doctor was a bit concerned that she hasn't gained much weight though, so we are bringing out the butter and whole milk.

MMR and Hep A shots, finger pricks to test lead and hg levels. (x2; because the first test came back at an insane lead level (27.2), normal at retest (2.9). She still needs to go to the lab for follow-up blood-work, just to make sure it was indeed a fluke.)

No walking yet, but great tone - the Doctor called her a "poser" - pretending she can't walk yet, when she could if she chose to. :)

Says Dada (a lot), Mama (sometimes), ca (for cat) - at least when we cat sat for Rudy, u (up) and m (more).

Way to grow and develop cookie. Keep it up!

Mexican Sunrise - or Why Nobody Received Christmas Cards from Us this Year.

2011-01-07T16:59:00.004-05:00

This will be the last Mexico post, I promise; I just wanted to share a sunrise with you. They were breathtaking.

And finally, our apologies for not sending out Christmas cards. We should have and we didn't. We are sorry.
We did do this instead, though...It was way more fun than writing Christmas cards. ;)

Merry post-Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Cancun Jungle Adventure

2010-12-30T22:08:00.002-05:00

While we were in Mexico, E's brother was able to set us up on a jungle adventure trip with some clients of his. We zip-lined, rappelled and snorkeled our way through a gorgeously warm summer day, stepping out of all kinds of comfort zones. I for one was about as hesitant as my four-year old when it came to hurtling myself off a tall tower, held up only by a few metal wires, although I'd like to think I cried just a bit less than he did. (He did actually end up enjoying all of the adventures he had, btw; see photo at the end of post for proof.) And I am thrilled that I overcame my fears as well; It was such a fun day.

(Also, I am aware that the jungle isn't actually anywhere near Cancun, but I have no idea where it was, except a couple of hours from the hotel, so please forgive my ignorant labeling.)

(First eight photos courtesy of Hidden World's photographer)
S rappelling into a cave:

Inside the cave (It was so stunning - I am in awe of what nature creates...I wish I had snorkeling photos!):

On the jungle zip line:

L rappelling:

The cave zip line (Note the look of apprehension - that water was approaching mighty fast!):

Wet suit family photo - the one you always wanted to see....Or not. (The only sad part about this day was that E's father couldn't join us as he came down with a miserable virus that morning.):

Even the buggy ride through the jungle was an adventure in itself. I believe we were all airborne at one point or another on that ride:

Shockingly, both Baby S and her cousin fell asleep during the buggy ride back. They may have been exhausted by a day spent in the sun. Or I may have to revise my absolute-quiet-during-nap-times-strategy.

Proof that L survived the day with his good mood intact - we didn't traumatize him with too many crazy activities:

Home Again

2010-12-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

We came back from Mexico late last night and have been busy unpacking suitcases and wrapping Christmas presents, and dealing with our stowaway strep infection that L brought home. Details of our trip will follow. In the meantime, here is a preview:

The ocean was truly that blue. The weather was warm. And my husband is actually that hot. Good thing he at least came home with me, since the weather and ocean couldn't...

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2010-12-08T10:44:00.003-05:00

I love December. I love the lights, the hymns and songs, the anticipation of Christmas, the stashes of presents in closets and on shelves. I love the focus on Christ and his birth so long ago, how He came to Earth to experience life as we do to help us. I love the baking and preparing for Christmas, strangers wishing you happy holidays, cutting down and decorating the Christmas tree. I love to see the joy in my children's eyes when they see the tree, and the joy I feel when I see them and the tree. This time of year makes me feel happy all the way through my bones.
Yet, there is no other time of year that makes me as nauseatingly homesick as Christmas, either. That's right. At the age of - ahem - 33, I still get homesick for my parents' house.

The first time I spent Christmas away from home was when I worked as a missionary for my church. I had been away from home for ten months by then and while I missed my family some, I wasn't really homesick. I loved what I was doing, I was busy and happy. I was doing great all through December. Right up to the afternoon of Christmas Eve when I was doing dishes in our little kitchen in the apartment I lived in with three other missionaries. It suddenly hit me that approximately 6000 miles away, my family was sitting down at the Christmas dinner table without me. I sobbed into the dishwater for a while and then I tried to shake it off, trying to convince myself that I was having a splendid adventure and experiencing an American Christmas for what might be the only time in my life. (!) I actually did pretty well until we went to this sweet family's house for Christmas Eve Dinner and they had a buffet style meal with crackers and other snacks. It was not what I expected and certainly not what I was used to for Christmas Eve and the absence of my family and our traditions made my heart ache.

In the years since, I have spent only a couple of Christmases with my parents and sister and it is still the time of year that makes me miss them the most. Of course, I have had wonderful holidays with my husband, my children and the people we love here in the US and I adore the traditions we are creating in our little family. Like I said, I love December and I certainly don't spend all my time sobbing into the dishwater. I do think back fondly to the Christmases of my childhood; remembering the smell of goose roasting in the oven, the sweet flavor of rødkål, the smell of pine, our Christmas tree all lit up by beautiful lights and decked out in ornaments as old as I. I remember the tree with beautifully wrapped presents underneath and the excitement of seeing them.
I make my kids dress up, because that's what we did for Christmas Eve and it made it even more special. We open a few presents on Christmas Eve as well as a nod to how ~~it's supposed to be done~~. Ahem, I mean, done in Denmark... Just like when I was a child, Santa may ring the doorbell as he drops by, and there will be no cheese-and-crackers Christmas Dinners. And hopefully, some day, my kids will think back with only happy memories of their Christmases as well.

Thus, with a nod to the ghost of Christmas past - thank you mom and dad for making Christmas my favorite time of year. Thank you for traditions, for everything you sacrificed so that Lou and I could be spoiled and happy.
And mostly, so very much, thank you for the love you always poured out on us in abundance.

Glædelig Jul!

Christmas Tree Cutting. Or: When Saw We Thee a Stranger?

2010-11-28T18:34:00.003-05:00

This year for the first time, I seriously considered an artificial tree. I have never really been a believer in those - I mean, how can it be Christmas without a genuine pine? However, pressed with the issues of time, long-term budgeting and a budding notion that maybe it isn't exactly eco-conscious to cut down trees each yea and then toss them after a few weeks, we brought the idea of artifice on the table. And then we took it off again.
Upon deliberation, we couldn't abandon our newly started tradition of cutting down our own tree and thus we set off yesterday afternoon to a Christmas Tree Farm. We had a busy day of rock-climbing classes and a birthday party, so we didn't get to the farm until ten minutes before closing time - which should be a decent amount of time to get out of the car, find the perfect tree, cut it down and head towards the exit. Or at least enough time to get into the farm, find the perfect tree and apologize for keeping the owners there fifteen minutes late.
Unless of course, you get out of your car with all the kids and the saw and then lock your car. With the keys still in the car. Which we did.
It could have been a disaster - the wind was icy, it was getting late and we were a good 30 minutes from home, but it turned out quite great in the end. We asked to borrow someone's cell phone to call AAA and when he didn't have reception, we were immediately offered three other phones to use. Because we had been running late, we didn't bring hats and gloves (except for the littlest monkey, who fortunately had her warm hat on), figuring we'd be in and out quickly. The mother of the teenagers who let us use their phone pulled the hats and gloves off her teenage boys and gave them to our boys. Within ten minutes the owner of the tree farm had come up see if he could get into our car (apparently we aren't the only fools to do this...) and AAA showed up shortly thereafter. As it turns out, our Sienna is fairly secure against theft, but the guy's expertise got us in after a few minutes of lock-jiggling. (Do those guys make some sort of a vow not to steal cars, btw? Or do they actually hire car thieves? They are very good at getting into locked vehicles...)
All that and we got out of there only 25 minutes after closing, with a beautiful tree! We weren't even the last ones to leave. We drove away feeling happy about AAA, thrilled that we were able to cut down our tree, comforted that the Sienna is very hard to break in to, and mostly grateful about the kindness of strangers. Thank you Christmas Tree Farmer for trying to help and not yelling at us about our stupidity. Thank you boys for offering your cell phones. And thank you lady, who we may never meet again, for giving us your children's hats and gloves without hesitating, when you saw they were cold and didn't know how long we'd be in the cold for. Happy Holiday Season!

Thankful

2010-11-25T00:06:00.002-05:00

I am thankful for many things this year and I may update this tomorrow with a list of some of those, just so I have it to look back at when I am 102.
For now, just these few...(Photos by the very talented Jenn Miettinen)

I am thankful for this little bundle of joy:

I am thankful for this guy here on the left:

And for the craziness that is these two:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Faster Than Her Own Shadow...

2010-11-12T23:52:00.000-05:00

I tried to take a few pictures of my littlest monkey and realized this mobility thing is going to make pictures difficult until ~~I can bribe her with candy like the boys~~ she learns to be a perfect model just like her brothers... She would sit still long enough for me to realize I needed to change my settings to get a good shot and then she would try to climb over the side of the chair or throw herself face first off the front of it. Until further notice, I may have to break out sports photography equipment for this to succeed.

It's Been A Hard Day's Night...

2010-11-10T21:47:00.003-05:00

After several weeks of our vole drama, I was beginning to worry that the voles were a product of my overtired brain, since I was the only one who kept seeing them. What kept me convinced that I was indeed seeing the real deal were the copious amounts of dropping I've been cleaning up. I would hope that any actual delusions would involve less cleaning. Meanwhile calls to several exterminators have gone along the lines of this:

Conversation A
Us: Hi, I was wondering if you guys can help us out with voles in the house?
Ext: Moles?
Us: No, voles.
Ext: Never heard of them.

Conversation B:

Us: Hi, I was wondering if you guys can help us out with voles in the house?
Ext: Moles?
Us: No, voles.
Ext: Sorry, those are hard to get rid of, so we don't do voles. They don't take the usual mouse bait. Good luck.

Conversation C:

Us: Hi, I was wondering if you guys can help us out with voles in the house?
Ext: Moles?
Us: No, voles.
Ext: You don't have voles, you have mice.
Us: No, we're certain they are not mice. They don't look like mice and the don't take mouse bait.
Ext: Oh. Well, not sure what they are then. Try mouse bait. (!)

And my favorite - we've had this one a few times:

Us: Hi, I was wondering if you guys can help us out with voles in the house?
Ext: Moles?
Us: No, voles.
Ext: They don't come into houses.
Us: Well, they're here, so what can we do?
Ext: Are you sure they are voles?
Us: Yes, we are sure. Very sure. Can you help?
Ext: Sorry, did you say moles or voles?
Us:.............................!

I promise I didn't swear at any of these guys. At least not while on the phone with them.
...

Well, after many attempts at glue traps (and mouse bait - we tried to prove Google wrong about voles not taking mouse bait, but alas, Google knows better), many sightings and jumping at small noises and an evening of scrambling, squealing (mostly mine), some furniture rearranging (we had to move the dishwasher out) and an escape attempt that nearly succeeded, we are down one vole in the household. And I am, in fact, not delusional. I even have a picture to prove it:

My darling husband drove the vole to a far away location as neither of us could bear to actually kill it - although it may yet die from stress after being chased around by us for a good 45 minutes.
Now we wait to see if the rest of its vole friends show up. that's right. This round goes to Tom, not Jerry.

Piano Recital

2010-11-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

S has been asking for piano lessons for over a year, so when a spot opened up with an amazing teacher in our area, we finally said ok. He started in September and the first recital was a couple of weeks ago. Given his recent history of panicked shyness in front of crowds, I was worried he would have an awful time, but he did so well. He was first, went right up, played his song (a duet with his teacher), took a bow and came back to us. I was so proud of him. Unfortunately, I was also woozy from surgery earlier that day, so I completely forgot that my camera has a video function. I did get the chance to record the song at his lesson the following week, though. Phew.

(I should probably also mention that for this recital the students and the teacher all dressed up in their Halloween costumes, lest anyone wonders if the surgery also caused me to think it was ok to send my son to his recital in his PJs...)

The Disney Conspiracy, Part II

2010-10-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

The day before yesterday I was considering my lunch options in the kitchen when an unidentifiable rodent skittered across my kitchen floor, navigated my glue traps (which I had suffered severe pangs of conscience over) and disappeared. Yesterday, my amazing father-in-law spent a couple of hours closing off what we think was one of the rodent entry points (of course conveniently located under our dishwasher; making access rather difficult. Still, I just spent a good 35 minutes cleaning up mouse/vole droppings from my entire downstairs.
I am left wondering whether the rodent(s) have found their exit route blocked and are running around trying to get out or if these droppings were left between last vacuum and this evening. Since I actually do keep a reasonably clean floor these days, I am putting my money on a rogue rodent loose in the residence. It leaves me with a new found respect for popularly vilified characters like Elmer Fudd and Tom. (From Tom & Jerry).
I think we as a public need to revisit why we perceive rodent hunters as "bad guys." I am beginning to find Tom's mouse hunting methods perfectly acceptable - that mouse had it coming. Would you want it living in your walls, crawling on your tables, eating your cheese? Once again, popular culture is trying to skew our perception of reality - if you are still cheering for the rodents; feel free to have lunch in my kitchen...

Hello Gorgeous - and a Danish Lesson

2010-10-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

No matter how much I will grumble about my cold toes and frozen nose in a few weeks, there is no way I could live in a world without fall. I love the crispness in the air, the coziness* of darker evenings with warm drinks, the flicker of candles, and of course, the colors.

How could you not love this:

* Coziness is an inadequate word to express what I mean. It is an entirely Danish concept that doesn't translate well and almost needs its own post as an explanation. It is something comfortable and familiar, with no strain or stress to be anything but yourself, to enjoy the moment in its simplicity. The actual word is hygge, difficult to translate and nigh impossible for foreigners to pronounce. It is cuddling under blankets on a cold day, reading books to your children. It is watching Christmas lights sparkle, or candles burn. It is dinner with good friends and laughter (but no worries about whether the meat is too dry or the veggies to crunchy.)
Hygge is the absence of stress, of worry; an oasis in the desert. You wouldn't want to live in the oasis because you would never get through the desert that way, but it sure is wonderful to stop in occasionally on your journey through the sands. The antonym for hygge is uhygge, which translates as horror/ ghastliness/ eeriness/ grimness, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean that the absence of hygge means uhygge; it can also just be the regular every day life, but I think we can all agree that we are in need of a hyggelig (yes, you can even conjugate it - look at that versatility!) fall season with much hygge and no uhygge whatsoever.
And that, my dear readers (both of you) concludes our Danish lesson for the day. Tune in again for more long-winded explanation on a language you will never need to use.

Unhappy Thoughts on a Horrible Subject

2010-10-28T12:15:00.002-04:00

First a warning: this is a post on something highly unpleasant and probably not something you want to read today. Or any day. It is in fact not even something I want to write, except for the fact that the thoughts keep bouncing around in my brain and I think forcing them into written form might finally stop the craziness in my head...So here it goes.

Yesterday morning a woman was raped in our neighborhood.
I almost feel like that sentence ought to stand alone for a little while; if it was spoken, it certainly deserved a moment of silence...(And don't say you weren't warned about the subject matter being unpleasant.)

Yesterday morning someone went out for a run, in a safe town, a good neighborhood, on a busy street during commuter hour. And some bastard decided that he would take it upon himself to change this woman's life forever. Right there, in the bushes of someone's front yard, a woman's life was altered in an incomprehensible way.
I don't get it. And I can't quite process it - hence the constant bouncing thoughts that keep me shaken up. It is easier to put unpleasant stories in a box when they are removed from you. When someone gets raped in a big city at 4am in a shady neighborhood, I feel bad and yet somehow I am able to remove the event from my life - why would anyone chose to walk there at 4am anyway? When it happens in foreign countries, it's far away, a different world almost, and my heart aches, but I am not terrified like this.
Less than two miles from our house, in daylight, on a street we frequently walk on, is harder to push away. Which box does that fit in to? So I end up with these questions that have no answers. How could anybody do that to a human being? How does someone recover from something so brutal? How can it be avoided?
That last one brings in a whole new crowd of loud thoughts: Is the house safe enough? Is my running route (so close to hers) safe? Why didn't someone see something and stop it? Why wasn't she able to fight him off? When will they catch the creep - if ever? And maybe the worst one: What would I do? And there is no real answer, is there? This isn't exactly something you can plan for, like putting your important papers in a fireproof safe or wearing a seat belt in the car. If she couldn't get away, who is to say anyone else could? That I could?
I am scared. And I try to convince myself that this is just like it is with terrorists - we cannot let fear control our lives. So much easier said, than done, that one, though. You see, in the end, bad things do happen to good people.
In an effort to make the panicky thoughts shut up, I've tried writing this out, thinking it through and in the end, the only way I can find any kind of peace in all this is through the scriptures. As I was reading the Book of Mormon, both last night and this morning, somehow the ancient words of people long gone found a way to soothe my soul, to tell me that God knows us and our struggles and He will help us through them. That somehow with His power, we can navigate the evils of the world and still come out ahead. I love this scripture, by a prophet named Jacob, who lived around 550 B.C.:

Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. (Jacob 3:1)

I like the message that God will console us no matter what we go through. And that justice will be done in the end. No matter what happens here, God won't let the bad guys off the hook.
Does this help me be less scared? I think so. At least a little. It helps because I feel comforted that God has my back. And that Christ suffered all things - not just our sins, but also our pains and sorrows - so He knows. He is ready to help and comfort and strengthen.
I think it also helped to write it all down - if anyone is still reading, thanks for the therapy. My apologies if you need therapy now. I did issue a warning.

The Cutest Pumpkins in the Patch

2010-10-24T22:18:00.003-04:00

Conspiracy Theory

2010-10-23T21:27:00.003-04:00

There are some conspiracy theories that I cannot - and will never - subscribe to. There are some hat are so ridiculous I will never understand what possesses people who believe in them. Then there are some that could make sense but I am too caught up in raising children and doing laundry to care.
Before I banned all Mel Gibson movies (i.e. before it became public knowledge that he is a nasty piece of work and I drove my husband crazy by refusing to support Gibson's income through watching his movies), I watched "Conspiracy Theory." And it kind of made sense that there are things we as a public are being deceived about to make it easier to run our society/ countries. But I didn't think I would ever be consumed enough to try to "unveil" the truths, that the government/ CIA/ New York City cab drivers are trying to keep from the public.

Until now. I have finally reached a breaking point and I call upon all responsible citizens to unravel the biggest conspiracy of all.

The Disney Conspiracy.

I've seen the movies. I've been to Disney World. All this time, I never realized how we are being conned and tricked by this massive conglomerate. Oh, I am not speaking of their attempt at convincing all little girls that they need to be rescued by a prince. Or that they need massively expensive "princess-dresses" to be pretty. Or even that getting on a magic carpet with a complete stranger in the middle of the night is a great idea.
No, I am speaking of the rodents that have somehow infiltrated most of Disney's movies and convinced us that they are adorable little creatures. Chip and Dale. Thumper. Ratatouille. Gus-Gus and his croonies. And, of course, Mickey. They sing. They dance.They narrowly escape brutal predators. They teach ice-skating and foraging. They sew and cook. Come on! It is finally time to stand up to this mob of cuteness and say enough is enough. Or cry uncle. Whichever comes most naturally.

I used to believe in all this sweet fuzziness. Not any longer. Last year, I had dead mice stink up my basement. This summer, chipmunks ate my tomatoes and bulbs. Rabbits ate my flowers. The clincher, however, is the vole(s?) that as recently as this evening shamelessly runs across my lit rooms, probably cackling that it has convinced all exterminators that voles don't actually enter homes. (Or so I have been told by several stumped exterminators.)
Somehow these voles defy all exterminator wisdom, circumvent the steel wool we've plugged holes with, avoid any and all traps and continue to dance across my floors; slowly enough for me to see, but too fast for me to catch.

We've tried traps, screaming, crying, praying, and even calling in reinforcements:

No luck. Not even the cat helped. I've briefly considered that I may just be hallucinating, but I'm fairly certain the creatures are real. Maybe I'll start handing out leaflets to anyone in sight. Because, honestly, I am a few more vole-sightings away from the loony bin.

Are those rodent free, I wonder?

Letters of Malcontent

2010-10-20T20:21:00.004-04:00

Dear politicians,
I understand that with elections coming up, you feel the need to barrage me with reasons to vote for you, but even if I could vote, I suspect I would not be inspired by your bitter rants on the radio, your "he-sucks-therefore-I-am-better"-ads on television and the ridiculous amounts of colored fliers with your faces on in my mailbox. The flier I received today was approximately 10x10 on card stock.

Stop wasting our resources and polluting the airwaves. Is there really no better way?!

Sincerely,
A disgusted casualty of political drive-bys.

Dear "Tolerant" People,
I didn't use to care about how you chose to live your lives, but now your outrageously intolerant demands for tolerance have made me care.
I suppose it would be futile to point out that you don't believe in the way I choose to live my life either. That, in fact, you think the choices I am making are misled and even, perhaps, wrong.
Perhaps you could explain to me, why it is acceptable for you to think and even say that I am a fool, that I am small-minded and that I am living a lie, while it is completely unacceptable for me to even insinuate that I don't think your choices will bring you the greatest happiness?

Is it really that crazy to imagine a world where we both agree that we believe the other person to be completely wrong and yet, dare I say it, show tolerance and acceptance towards one another? Not necessarily acceptance of beliefs, but acceptance of human beings?

I don't like your one-way street.

Sincerely,
A disillusioned Believer of True Tolerance.

A Rather Blustery Day

2010-10-16T21:59:00.003-04:00

A windy storm moved in over our state yesterday and blew around for a good part of today as well. I am normally not crazy about being outdoors when it's windy, but with memories of our recent oppressively humid summer still fresh in my mind, I enjoyed the freshness and the promise of fall in the air.
Since our yard already had thousands of leaves on the ground, we raked for a while this morning. It is a complete exercise in futility at this point, because as soon as we rake one area, the wind blows a new layer of leaves down. To avoid bagging a hundred bags at once in a few weeks, we are trying to keep up, however. At least the leaf-bagging version of Sisyphus comes with the option of leaf pile jumping. And how could you resist such a huge pile of gorgeous, fresh, yellow leaves?!

No, really - who could resist?!

We also went to cheer on S at his soccer game - they won one and lost one, and he made it through the game without any major injuries. There may be a future in La Liga for that one, though - he has the drop to the ground technique down pat. Besides that, he is getting better and better. Is it unmaternal to admit that I was maybe not entirely convinced of his athletic ability before? And that I am pleasantly surprised at his improvement? In any case - I am proud as can be that he keeps trying. (And that he doesn't blame me for the dramatic gene that causes him to drop at the smallest whiff of an injury...yet.)

L at a playground by the fields. He was there all of 60 second before he found a girl to chat with. I wonder when I should start locking him up...

Baby S enjoyed the blustery outdoors as well:

Renaissance Festival

2010-10-14T10:41:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we packed up the kiddos and traveled back in time to the middle ages (-ish).
S and I got to shoot a bow (I've always wanted to do that), the kids tried fried dough, we watched a couple of shows (pirates and fire, respectively), people were in costume, there were swords, and we even saw jousting.
I may have been even more enamored than the boys...I am sorely tempted to go again next year and have he whole family dress up.
Is this where I reveal that my favorite time period has always been the middle ages? And that I secretly dreamed of being a female knight when I was a teenager? Hey, if I get a sword, I'll totally embrace my geekiness!

Cross bow

Long bows(Yes, a few of our arrows did hit the target. And they weren't all S's.)

Watching the show

We did talk about not trying this at home. I am wondering if I should reiterate...

Cheering for the female knight in jousting

Child of the TV-age: Are they (ie. the people in the shows) real?

Another future female knight in training? Actually, this one may want to be an acrobat instead...

Blogging Revival

2010-10-13T22:19:00.003-04:00

I admit it; I have been a blogging slacker. At first, I was merely busy; we had a fabulous summer, packed with wonderful activities and great times with family and friends and I chose to just enjoy it and not post along the way.
I guess somewhere in the middle of that, I also ran into an existential blogging crisis. My blog doesn't quite know what it wants to be when it grows up. I want to share pictures and stories from our every day happenings for far-away family and as a record for us. I also have this need to share my random thoughts at times.
Does that even mix?
My family is clamoring for pictures, and as my mom kindly put it, "who cares what you write, just show me pictures of the kids." (Hi Mom... Love you!:)
That might be all good (and true), but since I speak to approximately 2.4 adults each day in something that resembles a sane conversation, I do need an outlet for the thoughts that pile up in my head, so I can avoid situations like today, when I asked two seven-year olds in my car if they had heard about the Chilean miners. (One of them had.)

Thus as more and more pictures and thoughts were piling up, I didn't know where to even begin with my blog posts...And as I am writing this, I realize suddenly I am not really that important, and I do just need to get some pictures up. Thoughts will surely follow.

For now a few pictures of my raking helpers this afternoon. And yes, there are three times as many pictures of Baby S. However, this is not a sign of motherly favoritism, it is a result of the following process:
S, hold on, so I can take a pictures of you raking. No, don't make a weird face. S, please look into the camera. S, pretend there is a marshmallow on my head, will that help? OK, stop pretending to eat the marshmallow.
S. Please.look.in.the.camera.with.a.normal.face.for.just.one.picture. (Shortened for your sanity.)

And with Baby S, it goes something like this:
S, look at mami. Yay, good job. (And she gives herself a round of applause. See last picture.) Much less trying...

I somehow neglected to get a shot of L. Possibly because by the time I got the camera out, he was long gone form the yard. Lest he reads this years from now and feels neglected, here is a picture of him posing in my half-painted kitchen yesterday. Not sure where he learned his posing skills. Or what the deal is with the hands. He is cute, though.

Last Things First - aka First Day of School 2010

2010-09-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

One morning after school had gotten out in June I was in our sun room with all three kids and the boys were at eachother's throats. I asked them to stop fighting for probably the 14th time that morning and wondered how we would ever make it through the summer. Then I blinked and it was September.

We have had an absolutely wonderful summer, with a good mix of action and relaxation. I will try to catch up on some of our fun, but in the meantime I wanted to finally post pictures of the boys' first day of school. These little creatures are getting too big too fast and they refuse to slow down. (I've asked.)
Here they are, all ready for another year of learning...

S just started second grade. He could hardly wait for school to start and was first in line when the kids lined up with their new teachers. He is ridiculously smart and perceptive and has a tender heart - well balanced out by his ferocious competitiveness...He loves his siblings and loves being by himself as well. He is usually in the middle of several books at once. He loves soccer and riding his bike.
He still loves hugs and snuggles, but only on his time and never in public. (I can barely get a handshake out of the kid when I drop him off.) Most of the time, I respect that and allow him to grow up, but I have been known to sneak in a quick air kiss in the morning at drop-off. He may be ready, but I need a bit more time before I am willing to be disowned in public!
I feel so blessed and lucky to have him in our family - and at the same time terrified that I will somehow mismanage the responsibility...He truly is an amazing boy!

L was accepted into a magnet school for pre-k. Originally we applied because it was free. Yes, we are those people, but hey pre-k here is expensive and L was beyond ready to do something other than hang out with me all day. (Maybe I was a little ready too...I am not terribly good at staying sane under pressure.) In any case, we researched the magnet school and heard great things about this particular one - it is a school of performing arts, so in addition to regular instruction, they teach the children through art, music and movement.
I may have been living out my childhood dreams of a "Fame" school a bit, but L actually likes it as well. They started dance classes a couple of weeks ago and he will shortly begin violin lessons. He is thrilled to go in the mornings and seems to enjoy having something that is just for him. I was a bit concerned about the full days (7:45-2:15-30) but it turns out that with the naps, breakfast, lunch and snack, as well as playtime, he is tired but not exhausted.

I love to see how he dances out the door and eagerly starts his day. Although I choke up and wish I could snuggle him close for a long time, I am also perfectly aware that reality would have been different if he were only in pre-k a couple of days a week for 2.5 hours. This child is ready to take on the world. He is slowly beginning to read. (I know it may sound like bragging, but honestly, I didn't teach him - he just picked it up on his own!) He refused to ride his bike when we tried to get him to until he decided it was time and now he loves it. He is tough, yet so sweet. He sometimes is a terrible listener, but then he turns around and is to tender and loving that you don't know what hit you. He wants to keep up with S so badly that he often walks the fine line between being his friend and driving him crazy. Mostly both. And we all love him to pieces!

Here's to a good year for all of us!

I Know a Girl - Who Puts the Color Inside of My World...

2010-07-25T22:32:00.006-04:00

Well, she and her monkey brothers put all kinds of colors into my world!
Pictures of the brothers will follow, but since this is Baby S's SIX-month day, you'll get pictures of her sweet face today.

Baby Girl, every day we all just adore you more and more. Your sweet smile melts my heart. I can hardly stand it when you look up at me with your toothless grin while I sing your goodnight songs - not just because you are the only one of my children who still smiles when I sing to you...

I love watching you study the world - yesterday you watched your hands open and close and I saw the wonder of that little miracle through your eyes. Today you found a thread in the carpet at church and you kept trying to pull it out. I sat back in amazement at how you are growing and learning so quickly.

I love your sweet little features and your chubby feet. I love your delicious neck and little bald spot in the back of your head and your little toes and your hands and your adorable lips and your inquisitive eyes and...well, pretty much every little millimeter of sweetness!

I love how you reach out to touch my face. I love how you ferociously chomp down on my shoulder if I am carrying you when you are hungry. I love how you are experiencing new tastes and textures as you are learning to eat "real food." I love how you are bouncy when we hold you and how you are moving around by getting on your hand and knees and then fearlessly throwing yourself forward. I love how heavy your body gets when you fall asleep while nursing> And I love how you just snuggle right up in your bed when it's time to sleep.

I love the miracle of watching you grow and I am so incredibly thankful that you are part of our family!!

Happy half-birthday, Baby Girl. Can't wait for more adventures with you. :)

Here's a newborn shot for comparison (One week old):

And here's my sweetest baby monkey today:

Happy Birthday America.

2010-07-22T23:18:00.006-04:00

Yes, I know it's July 22. However, this being the land of the free and all, I will still demand the right to post 4th of July pictures of my remarkably adorable children and their equally adorable cousins whenever I want. Ha! I will also call upon the freedom of speech to claim that these are the five most beautiful children ever.
And thanks to the work of the founding fathers, there is nothing you can do to stop me. Mwahaha...

Happy Independence Day everyone!

We're Very Very Busy...

2010-06-30T13:27:00.001-04:00

And time is just flying by! In the last few weeks, the boys finished school for the summer, we've been working, we went berry picking and have had all kinds of other fun. The one who's been the busiest, though, is Baby S. She is learning new tricks every day and she is just so ridiculously adorable! We're all in love.

First and last days of school 2009/10:

CSA Excitement

2010-06-15T16:42:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of our summer CSA. (Community Agricultural Agreement) I loaded up 2/3 of the kiddos (school's not out for S till next week) and drove out to a local farm where we picked up our share of this week's veggies.
I am so thrilled to be able to eat farm-fresh vegetables, but even more so to see the kids experience where the food comes from and how much better it is when it hasn't been through the grocery store journey. Apparently the lack of pig smell is one point for the grocery store in L's book, but he was so happy to load our bags with our vegetables - even if he had to pass the pig to get there. We will get a farmer out of that one yet...

Now I am off to find out what to do with hakurei turnips!

To Moster with Love

2010-06-11T20:34:00.004-04:00

Gratuitous pics of the monkeys for my sister who keeps asking for some....Is it time to come visit again yet?!

Language or the Kiss

2010-06-08T22:16:00.004-04:00

I had my Ipod on shuffle the other day and ran into an old friend; a song by Indigo Girls that I used to play over and over again a hundred years ago. It's quaint and slightly haunting, and I still love it. I wanted to post the lyrics because they so perfectly describe how I feel today so I looked for it online - and it turns out I have always interpreted the song opposite of how it was written. To me it was about choosing love over language - i.e. the familiar and known. It was about leaving family for something else, something new and different, loosing your language, leaving behind family...Listening to it made me homesick, I think, but it also made me smile...

I highly recommend seeking it out somewhere to hear the music with the words, but for now, enjoy:

I don't know if it was real or in a dream
Lately waking up I'm not sure where I've been
There was a table set for six and five were there
I stood outside and kept my eyes upon that empty chair
And there was steam on the windows from the kitchen
Laughter like a language I once spoke with ease
But I'm made mute by the virtue of decision
And I choose most of your life goes on without me
Oh the fear I've known
That I might reap the praise of strangers
And end up on my own
All I've sown was a song but maybe I was wrong

I said to you the one gift which I'd adore
The package of the next 10 years unfolding
But you told me if I had my way I'd be bored
Right then I knew I loved you best born of your scolding
When we last talked we were lying on our backs
Looking at the sky through the ceiling
I used to lie like that alone out on the driveway
Trying to read the greek upon the stars
The alphabet of feeling
Oh I knew back then
It was a calling that said if joy then pain
The sound of the voice these years later
Is still the same

I am alone in a hotel room tonight
I squeeze the sky out but there's not a star appears
Begin my studies with this paper and this pencil
And I'm working through the grammar of my fears
Oh mercy what I won't give
To have the things that mean the most
Not to mean the things I miss
Unforgiving the choice still is
The language or the kiss

Who's the Brat Now?!?

2010-05-27T16:17:00.004-04:00

After ranting and raving in righteous indignation, I learned that my darling L actually hit his little friend. And threw a book at her. (Seriously? Not just throwing things, but books? Those are practically sacrosanct at our house!)
We had a looooooong talk about it - mostly me talking and him doing a reasonable impression of listening - and today he had the chance to redeem himself as we had two different playdates at our house.
As a redemptive measure my son threw Legos at Z and mere hours later slammed the door on his other little friend's fingers.
Innocence lost indeed. Mine, of course. He seems so sweet. If being dumped by friends is genetic, then what is this?!

I still feel bad for S who still has not been found guilty of any crimes that merit his friends dumping him. At this point I am hesitant to inquire, though...

Hey, brat, that's MY HEART you're stomping on!

2010-05-26T20:10:00.004-04:00

I realize it is not good form to call children - even other people's children - brats. I suppose I could chalk it up to the fact that my state shattered its record for temperatures today and my childhood near the balmy North Sea didn't prepare me to cope well with 98° F - in May or any other month of the year. But reality is it hasn't been a good week for friendships in our house and it's hurting my heart.

It all began when S told me some of the kids at recess push him back in line so he never gets a turn at kickball. I get it; recess can be a jungle. Life will deal him harder blows. But how can my heart not ache, when I told him to just push back and insist on his turn and my tender little boy teared up and said, "But I don't want to be mean."
Then, L told me that he and his little friend Z "used to be best friends but aren't anymore. Well, she is still my best friend, but every time I sit next to her, she moves to a different seat."
And finally, the clincher was today, when S mentioned that his best friend of two years doesn't want to be his partner in projects, etc. at school anymore.

Fortunately, nobody was mean to Baby S this week, or I might have lost it entirely, but seriously!! I have to of the sweetest, kindest, most precious boys and I am hurting for them. Yes, they can be brats too. Yes, they can be loud and boisterous. Sometimes they are selfish. Sometimes they fight. Sometimes they drive me up the wall and down again, but they are good people.

Yeah, I get it. Life hurts sometimes. It's all part of the deal. My children will be dumped and pushed and knocked down many times over and my heart will break a little each time. And they will learn and toughen up and move on; a little bit of innocence lost each time.

All the while, writing this, thinking about it; there is that ever-present maternal guilt nagging in the back of my head. Is it somehow my fault? Were playdates at our house not fun enough? Did I somehow mess up somewhere? Did I not have enough playdates? Or too many? Did I teach the boys something that just rubs everyone else wrong? Not exactly the social queen bee myself, would I even know what the wrong was?

And finally; is it genetic?

O Sleep, O Gentle Sleep

2010-05-16T12:43:00.003-04:00

Sleep is elusive around our house these days but the fact that both boys turned out to be solid sleepers gives me hope that one day in the future I will go to bed in the evening and wake up when the sun is up again.
Until then, I find comfort in the fact that Baby S is ridiculously adorable when I am up with her and this period of late night snugglings is so short. Soon she too will be sleeping all night (right?!?) and off and running all day. I will be well-rested but missing the sweet baby moments...Do I seem fickle yet? It must be my lack of sleep.

A few shots of the little monkeys for your entertainment:

Baby S after performing her latest trick - belly to back flip:

Baby S has been a belly sleeper since she was a few days old. Every time we put her down, she would spit up and finally we decided that choking on recycled milk is probably not very safe either - so belly sleeping it was. This made the little lady perfectly content and she has slept well since - until she learned to flip over. Now, as she is unable to go back to sleep on her back, we wait for her to learn to flip the other way.

I walked in to check on the boys the other night and found this:

He really is asleep, although how he can sleep with his leg up is beyond me. Long plane rides should not be a problem.

And finally, L:

Sideways in the bed - just like I used to sleep.

I Love My Minivan. No, Really!

2010-05-12T21:12:00.002-04:00

I remember driving down the street one day a little while after we bought a minivan and suddenly coming to the realization that driving this car meant I was no longer young and cute.
Don't get me wrong, I still think I am adorable - I am just not that carefree, swing-your-hair-around-shampoo-commercial-style chick any more. And the minivan solidified that. It screamed that I am somebody's mother. In fact, I am somebody's mother so many times that I need a van to fit us all in. Granted, the number of kids I had didn't change with the purchase, but if you squeeze your family into a sedan, you can still convince yourself that you are hip like you were in your early twenties. (Or whenever you thought you were hip...)
Once you have a minivan it's over. Minivans are large and they are very useful. They are also very much not sexy.

Lately, however, I have started to love my van more and more. I don't have to listen to kids complaining about their sibling touching them. I can load all my groceries in, still have room for the kiddos, a stroller, all the sweaters that somehow end up in the car and a guest or two. I can open the doors with the push of a button when I am herding two boys and a car seat through a rain-filled Target parking lot. And I am that much more intimidating when someone won't let me into their lane while driving.

Then today I saw this commercial:

It's absolutely awesome!

I'm cruisin' to their play dates looking all slick. In my Swagger Wagon.
I got the pride in my ride...And I'm kinda a big deal....

Yeah! I love my Sienna. And I've come around - it's totally sexy!

Dear Laura

2010-05-12T14:36:00.004-04:00

When I first met you, I was probably eight or nine years old. I lived in an apartment, in a busy city and my exposure to nature consisted of playing on the lawn in front of our building and visiting my aunt by the beach in the summers.
You invited me into your world and showed me the wonders of a different life. I saw the woods and the prairie through your eyes. I churned butter, sewed calico dresses and taught school through your pen. I laughed and cried as your life unfolded before me.
I cannot thank you enough for sharing your life and leaving your legacy.
Now my seven year old is reading your books and I see the wonder in his eyes as he learns about your adventures and the world as it was when you lived. It is vastly different from his world of Nintendo, soccer games and easy access to information, and yet he connects to you just as I did.
Thank you for that magic.

And by the way - 25 years later, I still cry when Jack dies.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:12:00.005-04:00

Sometimes the days are long and the floors are dirty - okay, the floors are often dirty - but the looks from these eyes melt my heart.
I like my life in the motherhood.

3 months...

2010-04-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

More to follow. I just had to post this for the world to see....

Crush

2010-04-25T19:26:00.004-04:00

It seems that L has a little crush - or maybe just a very good friend. She is this absolutely adorable girl in his preschool; she is quiet, but precocious. And she plays the violin. How can you not love that?!
L's face lights up when he finds out that they have a play-date scheduled and they are both sad when it's over. At his birthday party last week, he made sure to be next to her for all the games the kids played as well as at the table for lunch and cake. They have even been spotted holding hands at preschool.

It makes me smile - especially because it's so different from how S was at four - and even is now. S has a couple of friends who are girls, but he treats them as he treats his friends who are boys. L is often surrounded by several girls and it seems like he is nicer to them than he is to boys; always making sure they are pushed on the swing (sometimes by him) or get whatever treats the adults are doling out. (After he gets one, though..)
It should be said that he did football-tackle one girl on the playground last week, so he still has a few things to learn. Which is probably a good thing - this is cute now, but may not be quite as adorable in 12 years...

Can I Have my Weed Killer on the Side, Please?

2010-04-09T18:26:00.010-04:00

Tonight I finally got it together and made a real dinner. And yes, it is sad that me making dinner is an event not a regular occurrence. However, tonight it happened. Salmon steaks in a mirin glaze, with basmati rice and steamed broccoli. I even had a vegetable!
As a finishing touch, I sprinkled chives over the salmon and its sauce - the chives just popped out of the ground in the last day or so and I thought that would be a delicious addition.
As I am cutting the last few centimeters of chive, I watch it land on the salmon; the bright green chives juxtaposed against the silky brown glaze and the cooked-to-perfection-fish.
And then it dawns on me. E put down fertilizer and weed killer in the yard.
This morning.
As my previous mini herb garden is now part of the lawn area due to some yard restructuring, I pretty much just made dinner seasoned with poison. I think the weed killer may negate any health benefits found in the salmon.

As I write, L and his father are on their way to McD. Maybe next time, I'll just skip cooking altogether. I'm fairly certain, there are easier (and cheaper) ways to get poisoned than having to make an entire meal first. McD 1 - Healthy Food 0.

Easter Bunny

2010-04-04T19:10:00.000-04:00

Could Someone Watch My Children While I go to Detention?

2010-04-02T19:52:00.002-04:00

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I am intimidated by authority figures. This includes teachers - thus resulting in me making it through all my years of school without getting in trouble. The mere thought of having to go to the principal's office would have been a deterrent from any misdeeds had I been inclined to do them, which I wasn't. Ever.
Sure, I missed an assignment here or there - mostly in secondary school where the work load was so heavy that we suspected the real assignment was weeding out the unnecessary work. Doing it all was nigh impossible - at least if you also wanted to sleep once in a while. As a few people know, I may also have put my math skills to use in my senior year by figuring out how many classes I could miss and still remain safely within the allotted 15% permissible absence hours.
However, despite these minor infractions, it is fairly safe to say, I was as much of a goody-two-shoes as they come. In fact, one of my favorite literary characters once said: "We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled" and it should come as no surprise that I completely identify with that statement. (And the person who said it - can you name him/her?)
Yet, somehow, with all these years as an obedient student behind me, I now find myself in trouble with a principal after all. Somehow, I spaced out a parent/teacher conference at my son's school - after already changing the appointment twice, due to illness and clogged milk ducts. It was totally my fault and I feel awful - and apologized profusely. The teacher wasn't appeased however - and she is apparently so put off by me that she called in the principal. I totally understand her frustration, and although I was hoping she would be a bit more understanding of my sleep-deprived lack of organization, I can see why she is annoyed. I am just bothered that I now have to meet with the principal and explain myself in order to prevent any ramifications to S's future education at the school.

It's probably a good thing to go through - maybe I will get over my fear of principals and teachers and thus be a better advocate for my childrens' education. Or maybe I will just faint from fear in her office.

As I am writing this, I wonder if she can put me in detention...I have to confess an hour to just sit and read quietly no longer seems like such a horrible punishment - if only there was a way to do it without the awful reality of being in trouble!

I Hate Goodbyes

2010-03-27T13:34:00.002-04:00

OK, that may be a blanket statement. I don't mind saying goodbye to headaches or to each season as it has stayed past its welcome. I don't mind saying goodbye when I leave the doctor's office or a friend's house. I do have manners, you know.
What I do hate are the heart-breaking, gut-wrenching moments of saying goodbye to my sister when she leaves - or I leave her and my parents after a visit in Denmark. There ought to be some fancy, literary way of describing it, but all that comes to mind, is that it sucks. I despise those last moments at the airport, I despise not knowing when I will see them again. Boo.
I just dropped my sister off at the airport and am now trying to get over my sob-induced headache. How is that for self-pity...
I understand fully, that I have placed myself in this predicament by moving far away from my family. I understand that there are people who are much worse off, that the pioneers had to say goodbye forever when they left Europe, that I ought to be grateful for the times we do get to spend together. I get it. I have told myself many times. And I am grateful. I love my husband, my kids and my in-laws. I just miss my parents experiencing the kids growing up. And I miss my little sis - I miss doing the everyday stuff, celebrating holidays, birthdays and shoe sales without the constant pressure of a return ticket hanging over our heads. I am not even above resenting my poor unsuspecting neighbor, because her sister is always at her house. I may even have glared at them as they drove off to do yet another activity together...Poor woman, probably thinks I am crazy.
I think I will go take my frustrations out on the remainder of last season's dead leaves in my flower beds. As long as the neighbor and her sister aren't working in the yard next door...

If I Could Save Time in a Bottle...

2010-03-10T15:22:00.004-05:00

When I went to dress S for church on Sunday, I couldn't button the little dress I was trying to put her in and it made me completely breathless. In a swift second, I was envisioning her leaving for college soon - and completely choked up. I realize that I am sleep-deprived and probably a few steps removed from my senses but time does seem to be going by awfully fast these days...

One week:

Three weeks:

Five weeks:

Mami, My Hip Hurts and other Adventures with L

2010-02-21T14:23:00.007-05:00

In the past three or four months L has mentioned a few times that his hip hurts. The first couple of times, I chalked it up to being tired or just wanting attention. Then I began to worry - there is arthritis in our family and the thought of my little boy having to struggle with something like that made me queasy. I'm not even sure juvenile arthritis exists, but my brain went into panic mode whenever he brought it up. Last week, I finally did what I should have done the first time - I asked him where on his hip the pain was. And he pointed right to it.
On his lip.
Which was definitely dry and a little cracked; just like mine has been. For just about three-four months...
This is my child who has pretty much every other part of anatomy down and who was the one who wanted to know what his almost seven year brother has never bothered to ask - how do babies come out of the mother's stomach. Of course, he is also the one who is convinced that babies nurse from the belly button, so I guess, I should never assume anything with him....

He is such a funny kid - completely independent in certain ways - he is known to help himself to whatever snack he may find laying around the kitchen - or in the fridge - whenever he feels hungry. S, on the other hand, does exactly what I did growing up - he obediently asks for permission for snacks, drinks, whatever. With L, it's fair game if it's left out in semi-reachable height.
And if you have noticed in the picture below that there is something off with his shirt - this is a common occurrence at our house. He loves to dress himself, which often leaves me gritting my teeth when the outfit clashes horribly and/ or is backwards. When I point out that his shirt/ pants are backwards, his reply is usually "that's ok, Mami. I like it that way." Since I am trying to foster some independence and an ability to get dressed without supervision, I usually leave it as is. (Unless we are going somewhere where people may judge my mothering ability on how my child is dressed - then I totally cave under the pressure and trick him into turning it around. Yes, that's how I roll...)

He is also fearless - I took him ice skating on Friday and the little guy was all about going backwards and not holding on to me before we'd made it all the way around the rink once. I am already practicing my reasons for turning down sports like skeleton and Australian rugby. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be having that argument sooner or later. I am banking a bit on his desire to be just like S to temper him a bit for the next couple of years at least. Then I have a feeling all bets are off.
And I freely admit - I think this boy is one of the two most amazing boys in the world. (The other one should be fairly obvious as well :)

My Sweet Valentines

2010-02-15T13:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Two Week Birthday, Baby S

2010-02-09T16:54:00.002-05:00

Big S, Little S; What Begins with S?

2010-02-02T14:37:00.003-05:00

Such Sweet Siblings and a Snooze on Someone's Chest...*

(*All poetic credit goes to Dr. Seuss)

Welcome to the World, Baby!

2010-01-30T10:03:00.006-05:00

Birth story to follow - in the meantime here are a few pictures of our little wonder girl.

Meeting the brothers for the first time:

Things went a little fast towards the end, so for the first few days, we affectionately named baby "smushy face." L thought that was the best of our naming options and voted to keep it.

As she has become much less smushy-faced over the past few days, we did choose to go with a different name. We wanted to name her after two of the most formidable women we know, but as neither of their names were very user-friendly, we ended up chosing names with the same initials instead (- and thus inadvertently included one more great-great grandmother in the mix...This great lady happened to be pretty cool too, from what we hear, so we are happy she shares a name with our babe.)
Baby SG is named for her father's maternal grandmother, Sylvia and her mother's maternal grandmother Gizela. We hope they are pleased.

We are totally in love with SG and are so grateful she is now part of our family!!

Patience is a Virtue...

2010-01-19T18:29:00.002-05:00

I understand why patience is a virtue. I understand why it is important for humans in general and myself in particular to learn to possess patience; to be able to temper my wants and needs in a world that touts self-gratification. I understand, that I will be a much happier and more well-balanced person if I await rewards/ events/ resolution with patience as opposed to temper tantrums.
With that said, my back hurts. And I am tired. So if stomping my feet and crying would speed up the process of labor, I totally would. But jumping up and down screaming is only going to make my back hurt more, so I am trying to virtuously convince myself that I want to be patient. It's not really working.

A Beautiful Kind of Limbo

2010-01-09T07:51:00.009-05:00

The last few weeks of pregnancy seem to be an exercise in patience. When you are five/ six weeks away from your due date you go about your business without much thought. When you are two weeks away, every little stomach gurgle makes you pause and wonder "is this it? Is it happening? Will today be the day?!?"

This happens even if you are not trying to - or actively trying not to be over-anxious about the timing of labor. I must admit - of course I am anxious to meet my baby. And I am excited to be reacquainted with my feet. To be able to turn over in bed without needing a crane, or to run downstairs to get the phone without needing an oxygen tank. (I could also do without people's running commentary on how large my stomach is. I am 5'3", everyone - there is only that much space in my torso before I have to build out...) I am eager to hold my baby in my arms, to be done with the waiting game and move on with this new, exciting phase of our lives.

At the same time, I understand how precious these last few weeks are; like a quiet before the storm. I appreciate being able to take a nap still, while the boys watch a show, or being able to snuggle with them without having to worry about a crying baby. And granted, I am terrified of switching from man-to-man defense to zone defense. (I can't believe I just used a sports metaphor...What has happened to me?!) Suddenly we will be a family of five - the thought of which, makes me practically dizzy. Just like the sports metaphors, I feel like this adult life sort of snuck up on me. Don't get me wrong; I love it - it's just that sometimes my brain is still trying to catch up to the fact that I am no longer a carefree 18 year old. I wouldn't even want to go back to being 18, if I could - this current chapter of our adventure story is too great for that. It just seems like such a quick read!

This little one will turn our lives upside down and it's such an incredible, fascinating, frightening and and beautiful event. With my toes at the edge of the open plane door, and the wind whipping at my face and hair, I am waiting for the right altitude to jump.
Are we there yet?

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-02T21:45:00.007-05:00

Our traditional Christmas Eve celebration is with dear family friends and this year was a wonderful low-key evening with incredible food (as always!). What a blessing it is, to have traditions that the kids will (hopefully) remember for years to come.

Making cookies for Santa before we left:

Quiet and not so quiet moments:

Leaving out cookies for Santa - you know he needs that snack in between deliveries!

The kids (and I) were knackered by the time they went to bed around ten, but it was such a magical evening -- I can't think of many things that center me and give me joy as much as seeing the light in my children's eyes in anticipation (and enjoyment) of family and holiday celebrations.
For the record, Santa did come that evening - and he enjoyed his cookies.

This Blog Has Been Taken Over (at least for 1 post)

2009-12-24T14:10:00.004-05:00

While this blog is normally written by an extremely eloquent and amazingly expressive woman, today it has been hijacked by her three favorite boys so that we can write about her.

As L is getting very impatient waiting for his turn, I figured that he would go first. The following is from L:

“Loimnhgkjhgfdsaq” – Which L explained means: “I love my mommy and think that she is friendly and good. She loves us and she likes us to clean up and she likes to wear sun glasses.” That is all from L.

S is now anxious for his turn. The following is from S:

“I love mommy. I think that she is awesome. She is the best mommy in the world and she will always be. I think that she is good at knowing things that me and L like. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.” (I am not quite sure what the last sentence has to do with you. However, S said it. So, much like the sun glasses line from L, I decided to keep it in.)

Now for my turn.

For all the years that we have been married, I have marveled and admired your sense of honor and goodness. You have always looked out for the best interests of others ahead of your own well being. You have always strived at becoming better and at helping our family become better. Getting married to you may very well be my smartest decision. I love you very much. Merry Christmas.

Baby Bump

2009-12-18T09:28:00.004-05:00

I received a Babycenter email today, informing me that I am now 35 weeks pregnant. I am not sure, I believe it - it feels like I entered a time warp and suddenly I am five (-ish) weeks away from delivery. At the same time, I have been pregnant now for over eight months - which does seem rather long...
Needless to say, I am not any less confused than normally. We are, however, all so very excited for this little one to join our crazy family!

Thank you, Jenn, for taking these. You are an amazing photographer!

Happy Hanukkah

2009-12-15T10:29:00.002-05:00

Hitchcock Rerun?

2009-12-03T12:30:00.003-05:00

This is what we saw, when we looked out the windows on Sunday:

I have never before seen hundreds and hundreds of birds converging on a few residential lawns. It was eerie and I was reminded of the old Hitchcock movie The Birds, where birds flock into and attack a small town. The sight was incredible - and the sounds were overwhelming; they would peck around the lawns and caw and then suddenly set off all at once, their wings hushing in unison. Strange and incredible at the same time.

Lego Fest 2009

2009-11-29T11:29:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Lego Kids' Fest. We had no idea what to expect but we ended up having a wonderful time. The Lego creations were amazing, the kids got to do some games and Lego building and E even got a massage. Clearly a winning family activity!

I'm including this final picture because I realize there are hardly any pictures of my belly bump...However, I am fully aware that it may be difficult to tell which one is me and which one is Hagrid. A clue: I am not made out of Legos...

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T11:12:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with family and great food.
Unfortunately for documenting reasons, I was so busy enjoying myself that I didn't get any good pictures - here is the best of what I captured:

I am thankful for wonderful days. I am thankful for family near and far! I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband who takes care of his children - and throws them around as well. I am thankful for good food. In fact I am thankful that we have food. I am thankful for modern technology hat allows me to speak with my family far away - I can't imagine the pain of the immigrants in days of old, who left their families behind in their home countries, knowing they would only ever communicate through occasional letters from then on. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who helps me be better - and holds my hand when I'm not. I am thankful to not be vacuuming every waking minute this fall; for a clean(ish) house, with minimal buggage...I am thankful for the winter sun shining in through my windows (although that does remind me I should wash those...) I am thankful for lessons learned in the past year, for scriptures, for prayer and for church. I am thankful that I can listen to Christmas music at this time of year. I am thankful for the little kicks and nudges in my belly, reminding me of the little life there. I am thankful for the improvements we have been able to do around the house in the past year - and for the amazing help of my father-in-law who has done a lot of them. I am thankful that my husband has a job - and that he has this week off! I am thankful for my little, clever, crazy children, who bring so much joy and madness to my life!

The list could go on. And I am thankful for that! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Pretty or Gorgeous?

2009-11-15T16:46:00.002-05:00

The other day at lunch, L and I had the following conversation:

L: Mami, who is prettier, a boy or a girl?
Me: Hmmm, I guess they could both be pretty. (As it often happens, I am wondering where he may be heading with this...)

After a short pause -
L: Mami, you will be pretty and I will be gorgeous.

In case you were wondering.

S, Our Toothless Wonder

2009-11-14T18:52:00.004-05:00

It happened this past Tuesday - S is so proud of having lost his first tooth and I just think he is adorable. The tooth fairy even stopped by the following night - which is nice, considering the fact that she never made it to Denmark when I was growing up...

Halloween Extravaganza

2009-11-04T19:07:00.005-05:00

Halloween is the only holiday I wish there was less of. Partially because all the parading, parties, and trunk/ trick or treating loses some of the magic through the sheer mass of it. And partially because I have no self-control and can't stop eating the kids' candy that is sitting out on my counter...
Meanwhile, the kids had fun dressing up this year, in spite of the fact that costumes were cut out of the budget and they wore the costumes they both received as dress-up clothes for Christmas. Of last year. Yeah, I was that cheap. But they did actually want to wear them - and I am fairly certain that they didn't feel deprived.

Here's my evidence:

S at the school Halloween parade:

S, L and their adorable cousin at the church trunk or treat. This was funny, because that afternoon I was double checking whether the kids wanted to wear their Pikachu/ cow costumes again or if we should pull something else out of the dress-up box. S asked what else he could be and racking my brain, I blurted out "Harry Potter." Which I didn't think he'd want to do because he has never read the books. He was totally sold on the idea, though, so we pulled together a costume according to the cover of book 3. We even made a wand. I personally think he is beyond adorable.
L fell asleep and had to be woken up to go, so getting him into any costume was impossible. We settled for his bone-pajamas:

And finally, the kiddos got to go to the dentist the day before Halloween. And yeah, that is a "got to" not "had to." Grandpa is the dentist - and the office dresses up in costumes. Fun all around! They had no cavities either! (Only a wiggly tooth!) I guess before Halloween is better than after...Or maybe it's because they had a chef check their teeth this time.

There Goes the Mother of the Year Award

2009-11-02T22:03:00.003-05:00

Tonight L got himself tangled up in the rope that divides the kiddie pool from the slightly deeper end at the YMCA and I completely lost my head. I saw him struggle, ran over there and then just stood at the edge of the pool, hollering for S to yank his brother up. Then, finally, the lifeguard came and grabbed him.
I can't shake the guilt over not just jumping in and pulling him out myself. This isn't even about me - I mean, L is fine, he went right back to playing in the water and seems to have recovered just fine. I just wish I'd jumped in the bloody pool. Maybe then I could recover quicker too...As it is, I am just shaken - over the incident and over my freezing up. Can I outsource some responsibility please?

Pumpkin Goop

2009-10-10T00:22:00.006-04:00

This afternoon found us up to our elbows in pumpkin innards and L kept saying "this is so goopy." I obviously thought he was beyond adorable and quickly dug out the camera to capture our pumpkin carving activity. (I threatened them into this picture, by the way. Does the end justify the means when it comes to photo ops as well or is that strictly a Russian mafia thing?)

In any case, we all had fun (except for the picture taking and accompanying threats) and have some pretty neat pumpkins to show for it - Designed by S, I might add. Too bad my photo skills aren't up to low light photography. I'll dig out the tripod and see if I can get a shake-free shot tomorrow night.

In other news, I took S to a cub scout activity tonight. A few of his friends are doing scouts this year and I think we will sign him up. I was very much the indoor, book-reading, doll playing kind of child, so scouts is (are?) completely uncharted territory for me. I hope he likes it. And benefits from it. And I sincerely hope I wil never have to do any camping as a result of signing him up...

A "hyggelig" Day

2009-09-28T20:54:00.005-04:00

Today was a perfect New England fall day. The sun was out and it was warm, but not humid. The air was crisp and fresh, the colors vibrant. The trees are beginning to turn, slowly changing their green leaves into splendid gowns of reds, yellows and oranges.
I adore this season with it's spectacular coloring and inherent "coziness." Candles, hot chocolate, Halloween decorations, upcoming holidays - it all adds up to a Danish word that is missing from most other languages - "hygge" - a calm state of being comfortable and content, doing quiet things you enjoy with people you care about.

Schools were out for Yom Kippur and as the boys and I were out doing errands, we passed a pumpkin patch with free hayrides. We then went home and unpacked our Halloween decorations, cleaned a bit in the basement, negotiated a deal to leave the pumpkins whole (the way I like them) until tomorrow when they are carved (the way the boys like them...), went to the farmers' market and the playground and then made lasagna for dinner. A great day!!
So here's to our impromptu hayride and pumpkin picking, to sunshine and the color orange, to fall, candles and the beauty of New England.

Fyns Hoved

2009-09-27T13:40:00.005-04:00

On this rainy fall day I thought it would be appropriate to finally edit and post a few pictures from warmer summer days. This is Fyns Hoved - the most northern tip of the island I am from.

Big Boys

2009-09-23T22:23:00.004-04:00

I caught S and L looking adorable and way too grown up a few Saturdays ago. They were heading over for lunch with their grandma and great-grandpa.

We are also having an onslaught of homework from school at the moment. While I'm certain it will get old very fast and I do feel it's a bit excessive to have so much homework in 1st grade, I still choked up at the thought of my little boy being old enough to do homework. (Is there an equation out there that can prevent this event from implying that I am getting older too?)

Reasons and Excuses

2009-09-13T12:37:00.004-04:00

I have been neglecting my blog in the past few months. I have many excuses - tiredness, traveling, head colds, nausea, plain old busyness, did I mention tiredness?...
Mostly it comes down to one little reason, though; currently growing and causing most of the excuses - although I suppose I can't blame her for neither traveling nor head colds and being busy...

With that, we are so excited to announce the future arrival of Baby Posner #3, due date January 22 2010:

Upon Request

2009-09-08T09:58:00.006-04:00

After many requests, I am finally getting around to these pictures. As you may know, we had a...few issues with our home and regular house projects were put on hold while we fought with the more pressing stuff.
However, a few months ago, my amazing father-in-law took on our outdated living room wall unit and completely changed the look of the room.

This is what we had before: (shelves and books removed):

During construction:

And finally - After:

I should mention that my father-il is not a carpenter by trade. He is just incredibly talented; the entire unit is designed and built by him. He also helped us paint, he changed the electrical outlets and he put up new crown moldings. I cannot thank him enough. So, here it is, very publicly:

THANK YOU DAD!!!

Off and Running

2009-09-03T19:26:00.002-04:00

We're home and life has kicked into high gear. Cleaning, weeding (the weeds have used the rainy summer to completely take over the yard), errands, appointments and most importantly - school. S is now a first grader. He bikes to school most days with E or I, and is just such a ridiculously big boy.
My brain is still trying to catch up to the fact that he is in elementary school, let alone already done with the first year. Luckily, he is preserving a slight bit of little-boy-essence and suddenly loves to cuddle at night. I swear, I just blinked and suddenly, he's 6.

A Few More Legoland Shots

2009-08-14T03:39:00.007-04:00

L and Moster on the Around the World boat:

Snobrød:

Yup, this is all made in Legos. (Except the birds. And trees, of course...)

Morfar and L searching for gold:

S swimming with the fishes:

With Morfar on the Dragon Ride:

Legoland

2009-08-13T02:46:00.002-04:00

We had such a wonderful day at legoland, although we missed E tremendously. We did find a stand-in for him for a family picture...

Nature Playground (Svanninge Bakker)

2009-08-02T15:33:00.007-04:00

On Friday we went to this huge playground where the equipment is made from trees, ropes, tree stubs, etc. It was a blast - and I was surprised at how much the boys loved it. Probably not enough to let me throw out all electronic toys, but definetely enough to go back. And even maybe like nature. A bit.

There is Something Wonderful in the State of Denmark

2009-07-30T05:15:00.005-04:00

We have already been in Denmark for two weeks but I am having a hard time believing we didn't just get here. Time flies so ridiculously fast when I finally get to see my family, it hardly seems fair. We've already had so much fun, though and I just love being back here and seeing my boys experience all the things I grew up with.

So far we have been to the beach:

We went to Den Fynske Landsby, which is a recreated 19th century village where volunteers demonstrate how people used to do everyday chores. We made balls from wool, sampled authentic æbleskiver and of course saw cows. (L was happy, yet slightly awed that real cows are that big.)

We've eaten much delicious food and played loads of wii. Fun times! (And E - this one's for you - I think it's a challenge from your son...)

Homeward Bound

2009-07-14T16:11:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, the boys and I are off on our Scandinavian adventure. I am so excited. And only slightly apprehensive about the 20 hour trip. I'll let you know how it goes.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2009-07-12T12:32:00.005-04:00

Playing catch-up again...
Here's S on respectively the first and last days of Kindergarten.

Left Brain, Right Brain

2009-07-08T17:40:00.007-04:00

Either my son is a genius. Or I'm daft. Either way, S just beat me in checkers. And I tried to win -- I believe in doing that once in a while and not letting kids win all the time. Healthy for them and all. In any case, I guess it doesn't matter anymore; now he'll have to let me win once in a while. Sigh.
I seriously used to think I was smart, but I so very obviously prefer to use the left side of my brain to the right. I'm not only bad at checkers, I also cannot play chess - and I have always despised the math problems that began with "a train left station X at 3 pm..." That's why they have train schedules, people!! right? This may be why I just lost a game of checkers. To my son. Who is six. I try to find comfort in the fact that at least it was the six-year old, not the three-year old. And he is pretty smart. But in the end, I still lost. In checkers. To a kid.
S just tried to make me feel better by telling me that I would do really well against L. Probably.
Ouch.

Glorious Summer Days

2009-07-06T22:08:00.002-04:00

Tonight I broke all the rules and instead of putting the boys to bed, we walked to the park and swam in the pool after dinner. Well, S swam, L combat-crawled and I waded in the shallow water, pointlessly trying to keep my dress from getting wet.
As we walked home, there was a mild breeze and the setting sun cast a glow over our neighborhood. I was a few yards behind the boys who ran ahead when I suddenly realized how blessed I am. Wet hem and all, life felt peaceful for a moment.
It's been a good day.

Being a Mermaid and other Thoughts

2009-07-01T20:09:00.004-04:00

Today, the humidity level in my state clocked in at 90%. Now, I'm no physics buff, but wouldn't 100% indicate that there is all water and no air? Will we be growing gills soon, I wonder?
Aside from the humidity, it's been raining a ton. People are griping everywhere that this is the worst June in memory, but I'm actually enjoying it. I get to pretend I'm a mermaid when we're swimming around in 90% humidity and it's not unbearably hot - since my attic fan broke last year and we can't afford to fix it at the moment, I can't help being a little thrilled that it's raining a lot and I'm not sweating like a pig...
(Sorry about being graphic. I don't function well when the mercury rises above 75º F)
In spite of the weather - or maybe because it hasn't been hot enough for my body to shut down - we've still done some fun things. A couple of weeks ago, all of E's family was in town and we played, went to an amusement park, had a wedding reception and even picked strawberries. Fun, fun, fun.

More pictures will follow. We've also been remodeling like crazy - yes, pictures of that will follow as well.
Then, S graduated from kindergarten (we celebrated with ice cream), we were finally released from quarantine after the swine flue went through 3 out of 4 in our house and the boys and I are getting ready to go to Europe for six weeks. Life is a little busy these days...

Finally a few gems from the monkeys -

Rainstorms, according to L: First you have a grumpy, grumpy cloud and then come the zig-zags.
(This is after we narrowly avoided getting drenched by a huge thunder storm.)

Weight gain, according to L: Wow, mami, your body is HUGE! Right there - points to my thighs. You will not fall into the potty.
(This is after he followed me to the bathroom and I have neglected the gym for a month...) This child redeems himself by being ridiculously adorable and smart. He will insult you and then occasionally throw in an I love you, mami, to keep me from giving him away.

S is such a big kid - he loves Pokemon and Star Wars, and whatever time he doesn't spend asking to play Pokemon, he either quizzes me on it or runs off to read another book. I'm still trying to fight genetics and convince him of the joys of the great outdoors. Maybe I'll do what my mom did and just throw the boys outside and lock the door.

I am excited and nervous to travel half way across the world with these two - it will definitely be an adventure!

Welcome Home. Now Let's Go Call the CDC.

2009-06-13T22:21:00.003-04:00

I flew in this morning and completely exhausted off the red-eye was planning on spending a low-key day hanging out with the boys and husband. Maybe watching a movie. Definitely taking a nap. I guess, I need to get a little more specific with my planning, because I hadn't quite envisioned it as hanging out with S at the children's ER, watching "Happy Feet" on the tiny TV in the room there. I also don't remember including anything about pandemics in my plans...
When I came home this morning at 10, S had been miserable all night with a fever and body aches. In a normal world, I would let him watch TV for a few days, drug him with motrin when he got too miserable and otherwise wait it out. In this swine flu/ H1N1 world, we called the pediatrician, who recommended waiting a few hours and if the symptoms didn't improve, or worsened, make our way to the ER. And thus, at 5:30 PM, I packed my miserable child into the van and headed out for three and a half hours of ER fun.
Turns out, S is positive for Influenza A. Now, there's a welcome home present. The bad news is Influenza A is so uncommon at this time of year, that they assume it's probably H1N1. The good news is, H1N1 is so widespread now, we won't be quarantined for a month - only advised to spend a few quiet days at home. And they treat it the same way they would any other flu now, unless the patient "already has a compromised baseline." So we're back home, Tamiflu in hand, praying this won't spread through the family.
And I am, in a morbidly curious way, waiting to hear the final results from the CDC on the H1N1 test. This little piggy went to town, indeed.

In Our Lovely Deseret

2009-06-11T19:16:00.005-04:00

The past five days I have been at a writers' conference in UT, playing hookie from my regular life. Instead of being a mom who does laundry and makes dinners, I have been a woman who has interests and talents. Beyond making a passable lunch box and finding the missing shoe/ library book/ remote control.
I have spent much of my week reminiscing about our life out here, probably driving my friend Ashley crazy by constantly exclaiming " I forgot how..." or "Now, I remember..." I forgot how special the Salt Lake temple is. I forgot how inspired I feel when I hang out with friends who are creative. I forgot how recent everything is in UT - and how Provo still manages to seem dilapidated in spite of it's newness. I forgot how absolutely magnificent the mountains are - how they loom over the valleys as giants set here to remind us of God's power.
And somehow over the past few years, I forgot who I am and maybe more importantly who I can be. I have been so consumed with the laundry and the missing shoes that I haven't allowed myself to be more than the sum of my chores and to-do lists. I forgot that I can create, and challenge myself to be more than I currently am. Or maybe I just forgot how to do it - or how not to talk myself out of doing it. I'm not entirely sure. I just know that now I remember.

Photo Slideshow

2009-05-25T22:28:00.004-04:00

We finally got the slide show from our photo shoot that we've been eagerly awaiting. Feel free to check it out - it will only be up for the next five days.

Slideshow

It's Not Easy Being Green

2009-05-21T22:21:00.002-04:00

Remember my recent post about the beauty of spring? All the colors and nature's rebirth. Yeah, I forgot one teeny tiny detail of the rebirthing process -- Pollen!
Apparently our city is on the top ten list for the nation's allergy capitals, just in case the high crime rate isn't incentive enough to visit...
In any case, I sound like I've been smoking for forty years and today someone asked me if I've been crying. I haven't, yet, but if someone else suggests allergy meds, I may. If I could, I would, people. I do know they're out there. However, if I want to actually be awake, which I believe is one of the requirements for mothering, I can't take anything. All the drugs knock me out cold. But at least my yard looks pretty. (Hey, blame the grumpiness on the lack of oxygen to my brain!)