Team Walkenhorst

34

2012-01-10T19:49:00.004-06:00

Sure, I'll get back to the chronological timing of events, but since I'm even on week 34, I thought I'd post about the babe. I am frequently asked "how are you feeling?" by pretty much everyone I come in contact with. And, typically, my response is "good. I feel great."

I really do. Considering stories that I hear left and right about crazy pregnancies (which bytheway come out of the wood works whenever you are pregnant), I really am great. I'm still teaching all of my classes at the gym, and still feel like I can do most everything that I set out to accomplish (minus the fact that I found myself mentally planning out my trips up and down the stairs today in an effort to maximize what I'm taking up/down, and minimize the overall trips). We're actually more prepared as far as "house logistics" (setting up the crib, etc) than we ever have been before, and that's a big relief. I've even started buying diapers. It's my third time going through the process, and in some ways, I know exactly what to expect and what I'm getting myself into.

But, at the same time, I have no clue.

Like, I had no clue that a baby could push quite so much. In every direction. Max was a constant mover in my belly. Alexis, sure she moved, but I'll always remember her as the girl with hiccups. This one has favored the right side of my body for some time (the doctor even chuckled a bit as she measured me and I was clearly bigger on one side of the belly than the other), but has also managed to earn the nickname of pusher. If I had an ultrasound machine at home, I'd be able to take a pic and show you what I mean - but she really takes the length of her body - head (or possibly shoulder) to her foot, and pushes them in opposition as far as she can. Out of nowhere I'll look down and see these huge lumps coming from opposite sides of my belly. Mike didn't fully believe me until one night he actually started to push back (I think on her foot) and she just kept doing it.

Some people say that they can tell the personality of the child from the womb. Which makes me a bit curious (and slightly nervous) as to what we are getting into.

Or, I know how fatiguing a newborn is. I've been there. And, while I absolutely love how tiny they are, I also know how completely exhausting they are at the same time.

But, fatigue coupled with two other little people will be a new unknown. Or, complete chaos as I've been told by so many other moms who don't hesitate to share how it all feels. At least for awhile. (Awhile is defined so differently by so many. I've had some tell me they felt like that until graduation, others seemed to have recovered slightly sooner).

Definitely finding a new normal will take some time. And, at some point my right hip, my ribs and my bladder will recover from all of this action.

One would wonder what all of this is for. And, I'd have to say, that at least for us, when we looked at Max, and then at Alexis, while we know how much work they are, we also knew that we weren't ready to be done with the little person chapter yet. Some days, just seeing how fast Max has grown, and what an amazing guy he is, gets me so excited to start the process again with the next one.

So, when the time comes that babe is screaming with a bright red face, my head hurts from how tired I am, my house looks like a bomb exploded, my belly feels like a bowl full of jelly, and I have nothing figured out for the next 15 minutes of life, I hope a part of me will remember how awesome it really is to feel this babe in my belly. And, that it won't last forever. And, that I just need to take a deep breath and recognize what a miracle and blessing the whole process is.

Then, I'll probably have to hurry off to change yet another diaper.

Pre-Christmas

2012-01-10T19:24:00.005-06:00

For some of the pre-Christmas fun, we headed to an indoor water park. It's a place we went to last year, and Max has talked about going back since the moment we drove out the parking lot. A year later (and still talking), he was thrilled to take along grandpa and grandma, who were good sports in riding the big slides with him and his dad. I can't imagine that a big bellied pregnant lady going down a large water slide would ever be a good idea, so I was happy to stay back with Alexis and enjoy the lazy river and little people slides.

Just prior to swimming, we finished up some last minute shopping. While they have their moments, these two really are buddies.

Before leaving town, the kids were able to open one gift early. Max's was a new board game and he LOVED staying up late with his grandparents on their last night and playing it. While I always love the idea of having an older kid stay up late for some special one-on-one time, it really doesn't happen nearly enough. I'm a huge routine person, coupled with just feeling beat by the end of a long day (and the knowledge that the next day starts right up), and am ready for the transition to happen into bedtime without kids still awake. But, remembering how much he loved every minute of this, reminds me how important it is for those kiddos to have separate experiences at separate times in their different chapters of life. With that, I make a commitment to do this more often (than not), with our guy who is growing all too fast!

3

2012-01-08T14:57:00.007-06:00

Sis has been looking forward to 3 for some time. Practicing the change in fingers, and contemplating all of the new and different big kid things she'll be able to do once the number changes.

I like making the day feel different from any other, but at the same time, not so over the top that they build a huge expectation year after year. Traditionally we wake them up singing happy birthday, dump a bunch of balloons, and then let them run in and out of their car wash for the day. Max has always loved this, and was sure that we set everything up the same way for Alexis. But as every kid is different, so is every reaction. Sis was a little overwhelmed this year with all of the noise and started off the day pretty bugged. Which when you think about it, who wouldn't be a little bugged if they were surrounded by noise and things dumped on them? It took her awhile to warm up to the idea that she'd finally made it to her big 3, but once things clicked, she was pretty thrilled and renamed the car wash her "princess car wash."

When asked what she wanted for her birthday, her requests were specific:

1-Sing happy birthday (she'd been practicing the song for a couple of weeks prior)
2-Have a rainbow princess cake

If only all of her bday requests could be so simple.

Checked off the bday song pretty early, but since it wasn't too successful, we were sure we did it again later on. Made a tie-dye cake on the inside, and she put on the princess crowns and rings herself. I'm always surprised at how girlie she is with some things. Accessories and detail are definitely something that she thinks about and instead of throwing them onto the cake, she spent some time deciding the exact placement.

Max was big enough this year to take in a little more of the process. He'd done a bunch of extra chores and had earned enough $ to pick up a gift for Sis. We happened to be at a consignment store and ran across a game that he really wanted to get her. Perfectly the right amount to spend and even better that it was so much less $ used. Took it home and he pulled out the sanitizing wipes, and there we are with a new game, completely earned, found and bought by her brother. While the process took more time then just picking up something quick, I'm glad it worked out. Watching his excitement about the whole game was just as fun as seeing her happy to open it.
And, a big thanks to everyone who remembered her big day! We feel so grateful to have such support from family - even when it's far!

Surprise Guest

2012-01-08T14:37:00.004-06:00

Max was speechless.

Alexis surprised us all and couldn't share her hugs enough.

Christmas always feels so rushed and chaotic in so many ways. And our family always manages to add some type of sickness on top of it all (this year was mild though compared to other years), that sometimes I forget to enjoy it. This was one of the moments where it was so fun to step back and watch their excitement as they embraced the magic of it all. One of those times I'll stick into a bottle and seal up in my mind.

2012-01-05T20:46:00.010-06:00

Another memorable trip to the Zoo - this time with Mike's parents who came up for a holiday visit. We're so glad that they came - it was so nice to spend both new and old holiday traditions together.

Max had a penguin that followed his every move.

And the two had a blast until...

Sis's eye encountered a bench. While you might not notice it right away, you'll see in future posts that the bench won. She managed to be a good sport while we finished up the visit.
This shot captures Max in his element. Why stand still for a photo, when we should be moving onto the next thing?

Decorations

2012-01-05T20:41:00.002-06:00

Put up all of the Christmas Decorations this year with the help of Mr. Max. His favorite part was hanging all of the ornaments. Mike's mom gave Mike a new ornament every year for Christmas and then gave him all of them when we were married. She has kept the tradition with the grand kids and Max is at the age where he loves to sit and talk about each one.

Gingerbread

2012-01-05T20:31:00.002-06:00

Spent an afternoon making a gingerbread house, and yes, in addition to using all of the provided candy, we pulled out a bunch of old candy from the pantry to add a little more detail. I think the stale marshmallows and valentine's candy were great additions (maybe I should clean out that bowl we have of left-over candy a little more often?).

Thanksgiving

2011-12-27T21:47:00.005-06:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday was simple and quiet. It was the first year we've spent with just the immediate family, and since it was just us, I wasn't so sure about cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner solo. But, then I thought about the leftovers (my favorite part), and went with it. I actually broke it up over a couple days, and it ended up being a lot of fun. I'm surprised at how much Alexis enjoys hanging around the kitchen while I'm cooking. While she isn't at the point of being a hands-on helper, she really loves to watch, talk my ear off, and taste test just about everything.

The day of, while I was pulling everything together, the kids both sat and colored some awesome turkeys. I was so proud of their coloring skills (and that they sat and spent the time on them), that I actually had turkey pictures hung surrounded by all of our Christmas decorations. I just couldn't take them down!

Kept up a tradition of writing (or drawing the picture of) things we're thankful for throughout the month of November. While I'd love to say we wrote one every day, it was more of a do a few one night, and miss out the next night kind of a tradition. But, we filled up a large vase with things we're thankful for, and it's another piece of work that I still haven't been able to let go. It's sitting on my counter, orange, yellow and brown, and a sweet memory of all the things we thought of as a family this year. Sometimes those memories are the best part of it all.

Around the Thanksgiving time, our city does a holiday event. I actually think they schedule it early to give people a chance to head outside before it gets too cold, but this year, it was actually warmer after the event! It had just snowed that afternoon, so it was fun to be out in wintery conditions. My favorite part is checking out the real reindeer.

Ice Cream

2011-12-27T21:35:00.004-06:00

We love ice cream. And I love when it can double with an errand, and quickly turn into an adventure.

More Pics

2011-12-27T21:25:00.006-06:00

At this point, you might be thinking that all I do is walk around outdoors and take photos of the kiddos at random, but it really isn't the case. As this is the 3rd "outdoor" photo post in a row, I do have to say these pics had purpose:

1 - to fill up the remainder of a Christmas calendar I do every year for the grandparents.
2 - to hopefully work as a Christmas card photo (which one did)
3 - to cross off one of the things on my list of photoing these kiddos doing some of the things we do all the time anyway before the year was over.

There you go.

Bike Rides

2011-12-26T22:17:00.005-06:00

Warmer weather meant lots of extra time heading out on bike rides. Managed to bring the camera along one day and then actually remembered to take a video of sis cruising along. I'm a big fan of the balance bike. Love the speed and coordination they pick up. In this video she's showing off a few of the balance skills.

And, while I've yet to catch it on video, her latest has been imitating dad "popping a wheelie." Of course, in her version, both feet are on the ground as she lifts the front part of her bike, but you get the idea.

Since I had the camera handy, took advantage of a few more pics.
Then Max snagged the camera and took these. I think I should hand him the camera more often.

Weather

2011-12-26T21:58:00.005-06:00

The high today was 51. The day after Christmas. In Minnesota. It's the 4th time since 1905 the weather has been this warm. I blame it completely on the fact that we finally broke down and bought a snow blower.

It's been an unusually warm fall and entrance to winter. Well, I say unusual because I only have one other winter to compare it to. And, compared to last year, where we'd already been through a complete blizzard, and easily had 18" of snow outside, this feels a little weird. Part of me felt a little cheated that I move to the "frozen tundra" and didn't even have a white Christmas. But then again, walking outside today in a light jacket didn't feel too bad either.

Heading back in time, I took advantage of one of the awesome fall days we had, put it together with some leaves and two cute little people, and managed to get some pics. Definitely don't claim to be a professional by any means, but I'd rank them above the average snapshot.

I'm not sure when this little guy decided to get so big, but it seems like all the shots I take of him lately remind me how quickly time goes by with these guys, and they literally do grow right before your eyes.

Cave

2011-12-26T14:39:00.006-06:00

We took a day trip South and checked out an awesome cave. One of those places where you type the address into the GPS and begin to wonder if the information provided is actually leading you to the destination. Head to the middle of Amish country, go through the tiny town and turn right. Then head to the middle of a farmer's cornfield to find the building entrance to the cave.

Sometimes driving to the middle of nowhere is completely worth it. This was one of those times. Saw some beautiful scenery, ate lunch in the eye blink of a quaint town, managed to pick up a hand carved wooden pumpkin for fall decorations, and loved the cave tour!

Way too long!

2011-12-26T14:25:00.003-06:00

Boom. The rush of the holiday season hit me like a train and before I could even think twice, the blog updates were the first thing out the window. I blame it on the combination of everything that I typically do coming to a peak in a relatively short amount of time. It seems like every section of life that I'm involved in seemed to hit it's maximum amount of work all at once, and as a result, caught me in a loop of chaos these past few weeks. I think if I would have spent more time blogging behind the computer, Mike would wonder if he even had a wife to hang out with anymore! As things go, this was the first thing thrown out until life returned back to "normal." Although, I've never really had a clear definition of what that should actually be, I'm grateful for the few breaths here and there opening up where I can do some updating. Apologies in advance for the somewhat "outdated" news, but old news is better than no news, right?

Grandparents

2011-11-07T16:09:00.000-06:00

My parents came out for a visit and the kids were so excited to spend some time with their grandparents. Went on some new adventures and one of my favorites was finding a new apple orchard with the best homemade peanut butter and the best Minnesota honeycrisp apples. Conveniently, it's fairly close to home, so we haven't had to travel too far off the beaten path for some local goods. Another find for local produce - just as I had found and was getting used to our town weekday farmers market, it closed for the season, so I was pretty happy to find more local produce for a little longer.

We actually went on a cooler day, but it was great since it wasn't too packed or crowded. Picked a few different apple varieties from the trees LOADED with apples, headed over to the pumpkin patch, and checked out the family farm animals.

Corn Maze

2011-11-06T15:56:00.005-06:00

It's been fun to take advantage of traditional fall activities so close to home. One weekend, we had a youth trip planned to a local corn maze and it worked out to just bring the whole fam. Most of these pics include Alexis since Max spent most of his time at full speed keeping up with the youth!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-11-06T15:36:00.005-06:00

The pumpkinstein:

Love Halloween. Love how at this age, these costumes are used all. the. time.

Trick or treating was probably the most fun with these guys this year. Over the weekend, they had their first taste with the trunk-or-treat at church. Alexis loved it so much, on Sundays she'll ask in a spooky voice while wiggling her fingers "ohhhhh, candy at church." To then only comment that the candy is closed until next year. (The easiest word I could find to help her realize trick-or-treating only comes once a year).

On Halloween, we went out as a fam (left candy in a big bowl on our porch - and actually still had some in there by the time we came back!), and hit house to house. Alexis was done about 45 minutes into it, so she and I headed home to pass out candy which became her favorite part of the night. She loved running to the door and would scream "trick or treat" or "halloween" to the kids as they came to the door. Gladly, they were patient enough to let her pass it into each bag. Mike and Max stayed out and went until his bucket was full. Max loved it and was so excited to check out his stash.

And after about a week of the candy stash we gave the kids a choice to keep it or donate it. A local church is sending candy over as part of a care package for troops overseas, and once Max heard they didn't have access to things like candy, he had no problem setting aside his few favorites and then bagging up the rest. Alexis joined right in, although, I think if she fully realized the candy would be gone, she would have rethought her choice. She's a bit of a chocolate lover. I'm super relieved to NOT have it around the house - I don't think I'm the only parent that a: gets tired of hearing, "hey, mom, can we have a piece of halloween candy?" and b: gets tired of the burdening temptation of known large amounts of candy so easily accessible. I had to curb that sweet tooth eons ago, but staring at it anyway wasn't very fun.

Party Planner

2011-10-27T08:49:00.000-05:00

Max loves to keep track of the birthdays in our family. He loves to ask about what each person wants, and what kind of a party they want to have. When Mike mentioned that he really didn't need anything, and didn't really need a party, Max went into action.

"Mom, we have to do a party for dad. I need to get him a gift. I know exactly what he wants. He'll just love it."

Translation: Can we please go to the store and pick out a bday gift for him that I secretly want so I can totally play with it?

Here's where I hit the mental mom-debate. Do I let him spend money to buy a toy for dad that he'll actually just want to play with, or do I insist that he buy dad a true dad-gift, like socks? Maybe it was his genuine excitement, or the fact that he was going to pay for part of it with his own money, I caved, and went with it.

Gift picked. He came home and planned the rest of the party. Decorated balloons, hung them himself throughout the house (including one on the garage door so dad would see it was a party as soon as he came home), found the birthday banner to hang, and made sure we had cake to eat. He was a rock star helping me clean the house to get it all ready for when dad came home.

His favorite part? Hiding the gift from dad. Location decided by him, with a hot/cold game to find it.

My favorite part? When he and Alexis sang the happy birthday song they'd been practicing all day. She was awesome.

All in all, it was completely worth it. There's just something about the enthusiasm of little people that turn an otherwise simple day into a memory that Mike and I will keep in our back pocket for years to come.

And, the baby is...

2011-10-26T14:34:00.001-05:00

A GIRL!!!

Mike and I went to the ultrasound in the morning (everything looks great!), and then made a pink pancake dinner that night for the kids. Had Max guess who picked the color of pancakes for the night - after going through everyone in the family (including Kermit), we had a long pause, then the light went on, and he said "it's the new baby! it's a girl!"

Maxman is genuinely excited to have another sister. Or as he says "it's because I'm such a good brother to Alexis already. Plus, I won't have to share my legos as much, mom."

Alexis is excited too. Mostly because she sees Max is excited. But, she has a soft spot for the babe - comes up regularly to give the baby a hug, and tell her hello.

Had a blast telling the youth at church that night (I work with the girls ages 12-18 at church. In addition to church, we meet up on a weeknight for an activity together). They'd been waiting to hear and all had their guesses in. We let them cut open a cake (dyed pink) to find out the surprise. Super fun.

We're thrilled!

Measuring Cup

2011-10-25T20:16:00.003-05:00

Seriously? Who's the writer that's been slacking on posts lately? I know. And I completely blame it on a nasty cold I picked up. Felt like the flu at first, then felt like a cold. I thought I was just getting it worse because of being prego, but sure enough I've run into a handful of other people who've all had the same symptoms. It knocked me out, and being a bit paranoid of it turning into another episode flu/pneumonia/what-was-I-thinking-to-ever-get-so-sick and I-never-want-to-get-that-sick-again, I took it easy and eliminated everything non-essential. Hubby didn't want a repeat either, and was sure to enforce anything that looked like "extra" work. But, we're back in motion again. Whew!

Onto the measuring cup. Or, the first choice out of the treasure box for successful #2 in the potty by Ms. Alexis. Sure, that's way too much information, and she'll probably hate reading about this when she's 16, but in this current chapter, it's a big highlight.

The whole potty thing clicked for her about a week after school started for Max. We went with the same method as Max - a treat for a pee, a surprise* from the treasure box for a poo, and a sticker on a chart for every success. Lots of practice time in the beginning, lots of time spent at home those first 3-4 days (well, all time spent at home), and just like that, we have a cute underwear-wearing 2 year old.

While Max seemed amused to figure out every color of soap in every store we went to post-diapers, Alexis seems most interested in the toilets (size, color, shape of the actual seat) and the hand drying methods. Comments regularly on how loud they are, and is genuinely excited to wave her hand for the automatic towel.

*surprise - small "extra" things she's received as a gift that I stashed away for a later date. Once those are gone, pipe cleaners and foam stickers to add to an art project. Once those are gone, an assortment of little things she's forgotten about that look completely new inside a shoe box. And, once those are gone, the newness has worn off and the treasure box retires.

First Day of School

2011-09-16T13:47:00.004-05:00

Just like that summer is over and school has started. And, just like that I have a little guy who's not-so-little anymore. Big enough to have a long list of needed school supplies. Big enough for heading off to school everyday. Big enough to make his own bed. And big enough to ride the bus.

I have to admit. I had some concerns about actually standing at the bus stop and letting him tackle the first day of heading to class solo. But then I felt lucky, since he's at the same bus stop with some classmates. So, as parents we gave them the best advice we could. "Just stick together and you'll be fine." Knowing that they had cute name tags didn't hurt either.

And, just like that, we were waiting back at the bus stop when all of them managed to get off.

Definitely hitting that point where I feel like he's at a crossroads. Big enough for so much, but still little enough for so much too. Little enough to still sit on my lap when he wants. Little enough to still need a stool to reach the faucet. Little enough to still love Curious George. Little enough to still think his parents are so cool and funny.

While the first day of kindergarten can make a parent have another one of those moments where they see every moment of their child flash by in an instant, no tears were shed by me. I'll just relish in the thrill of the present.

Like getting Alexis to stop crying. She managed to cry every morning for a solid week. Randomly breaking into tears "I want to go to kindergarten!" "I want to go with Max!" This guy is her world, and the thought of spending time solo just wasn't on her agenda. But after a week, she's started to realize the one-on-one time with mom isn't so bad either.

What does Max think of the whole heading to kindergarten? He comes home happy, energetic, and excited to go back. Details are scattered, information comes in snippets, but from what I gather, he's made some new friends, listens well, thinks the library inside school is awesome, and loves it when they get to play freeze tag at the gym.

The first pic I took makes me laugh. His eyes were in the direction of the street - he didn't want to miss the bus!

Snapped these of sis later that day. Clearly feeling more cheery after hanging out with mom!

State Fair

2011-09-10T21:12:00.001-05:00

L.O.V.E. it. More people watching than any other place. More food than you can even think up. And way too big to see all at once.

We've found a few favorites. The animal barn where you can watch live births. We saw 4 hour old twin cows with mama still in afterbirth labor (oh! the poor thing!), lots of cute newborn babies, and best of all, 2 pigs born while we were there! So cool. All of the animal barns are pretty awesome, but the babies are so cute.

Love the unlimited milk stand. Our kids probably had 1/2 gallon each.

Love the kiddy farm. Our kids are still young enough where this is a lot of fun. Eventually they will be way to big and way too cool, but I'll relish it while we can.

Love the donuts. These mini donuts, cooked on the spot. You could literally drink them.

And, another great sandwich - pulled bbq turkey with Minnesota's own turkey meat. Yum.

We'll avoid the rides as long as possible too (maybe, uh, forever?). We could potentially be listing ourselves as the meanest parents ever because we don't spend the gazillion extra it costs to ride the rides, but oh well. Someday our kids will get to experience a Ferris wheel, and there are cool places where they can be entertained away with rides that aren't the portable drop and move rides (that I saw way too many tv episodes on "rides gone wrong at the fair"), but for now, we just keep walking. And, for now, they are ok with that.

Gotta love the fair.

The Beach

2011-09-09T21:00:00.001-05:00

I'll admit. While I love the idea of taking the kids to the beach, I actually dread the logistics. The unloading of everything clean, and then the reloading of everything covered in sand is enough to make me avoid it. Mike's even worse with the thought of the mess, so sadly, we do avoid it a lot. But then I feel like I just need to let go the annoyance of sand all over my car, in Alexis' hair and everywhere else it seems to get, and just take them there.

I talked myself into it a couple of times, and we had a blast.

Of course, after all of these cute pics, I did spend WAY too much time cleaning up all the sand that seemed to come home with us.

The Drive

2011-09-08T20:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought I'd recap the drive experience. More than anything, so I have something to look back on. I'll warn you now, it's long and I probably rambled too much.

The first morning we left around 7am. We'd planned to leave earlier, but didn't make it out. We learned quickly how nice it would be to have those extra couple of hours, and left every other morning around 5am - giving us a couple hours to just drive. In silence.

Back to the first day. I think we were all excited to get out on the road, and the kids were super excited about having a tv in the car. Yes, we bought the strap-on-the-back-of-the-headrest tvs per recommendations from pretty much everyone I talked to. I was pretty proud of myself for catching them on sale and with a coupon, so they were cheaper than what I could find used. Since tv viewing is extremely limited at our house - without going into a lot of detail - tv viewing is brief. My kids just do better with other things (and I do too), and to be honest, hearing the noise of the tv just stresses me out most of the time, so we don't watch it. Unless I'm cooking dinner. Then it's fantastic. Or if someone is sick. Then it's a great place for them to lay and hang out. I could probably think of a bazillion other times when we love it, but for the most part, we just fill our time differently. Anyway, I went with recommendations and thought the tvs will be such a novelty and they will just be so excited to watch movies!

20 minutes into the first movie my kids were B.O.R.E.D. Alexis was already asking for a book and Max had dug into his backpack he'd packed. Oh great. This is going to be a very long trip if they won't even watch something to keep them occupied!!

We made it to our first rest stop which had a great grassy area for dogs. So, we ran the dog (and the kids) when snap! Kermit's entire collar completely broke. He kept running (I'm sure shouting "freedom!" the entire time), while I stood there holding a leash. Thankfully, the next thought that came to his mind was "food!" and he stopped with ease and made his way back. Not wanting to stop and spend time looking for a replacement, we jimmied the leash and pretty much used that the rest of the trip.

Pre-planned things that were a success? Snacks in plastic cups. Big hit. Story time in the car. Mental note: Do not let Max pack 3 Spiderman books. I cringe every time I see them. Color wonder markers. Stickers. Magnetic boards. Pipe cleaners. And of course, Max's transformer.

No gos? Any other writing thing I brought. For some reason, they just wanted the color wonder markers. Puzzles. Packed a couple of those, and even though they were small enough, didn't really seem to be of interest.

Where did the tv's end up for the rest of the trip? We actually tried a couple of different shows and found that the short shows were what caught their interest instead of a long movie. Probably because that's what they are used to watching anyway. Probably because we didn't pick up a new movie for them to be excited about. And, by the time we were driving back, Max was totally content watching a movie while Alexis slept. So, I still put them under a success, and for long trips, I do think they help.

Unplanned successes? The amount of time they were content just looking out the window. We even had this fun spaceship/different planet/alien story going for a good part of Wyoming - both times. The kids loved the pretend stories we could make in the car. Music. We had a big selection - and had thought Mike and I would really benefit from it initially, but there were plenty of times the kids loved just listening to tunes. The different maps we picked up along the way. And some of the games we just made up on the spot - both in the car and at rest stops. Seeing sights along the way - random places to check out. Laughing at each other. Fun times.

Unplanned failures? Number one for me, definitely the impact of the nausea and the car trip, especially on the way home. I didn't think we'd ever get out of the car, and the thought of a long trip still makes me a bit green. And the challenges of traveling with a dog. Well, maybe not any dog, but definitely our dog. While I love Kermit to death, it is a lot of extra work to manage him at gas stations and try to figure out where to eat since you can't relax in a nice air conditioned restaurant. Which on our first stop in Council Bluffs, NE, we went to the nearest park. Next to railroad tracks, a viaduct, and extremely low income housing. Surrounded by who-knows-what is going on crowd and who-knows-what is actually in the grass so we had better not sit down. Quickest picnic lunch we ever had. And one of the only times I wouldn't let the kids play in the park. So gross.

Back to the dog, where you have to make sure you have enough bags to pick up the poop, etc. I was pretty grouchy about it by the end (again, I blame all grouchiness on my nausea, but who knows, healthy Sara might have been just as bugged). I had some definite Marley & Me moments, and was ready to give him away by the time we made it back to Minnesota. Then it took a week or so for me to really snap out of it, and decide that I really do love the dang guy. Actually, it just took me really watching how much the kids love him, and then I decided I liked him. Or maybe it was when Mike told Max that I wanted to give the dog away and Max started crying. Real tears. She can't! Where would he go? He cried. Or maybe when I remembered what a companion he really is for me - right by my side every night, and the closest thing around when I'm sick. Probably a mixture of them all brought me back to reality that yes, we have a dog, yes I love him, and yes, he's part of our family.

Sure, there were moments that Alexis just cried. And times when they needed something every two seconds. And sure, we were exhausted from the actual driving. But, overall I really do say the pros for us outweighed the chaotic moments. I really was a pretty dang fun way to build some memories.

Didn't take many pics, but snapped a few in Wyoming.

Trip to Utah - more adventures!

2011-09-08T19:49:00.000-05:00

The last day of our trip we headed to Temple Square. I'd recently taken them to the St. Paul temple with the young women and it was so neat to see how much they enjoyed being on the grounds, and getting close to a beautiful building. After that, we really wanted to let the kids experience some of the sights and see what a bigger temple is like, and to just enjoy the beautiful flowers and museums. We had a great time at a lot of the museum exhibits - they were nice tie-ins with scripture time at home, and a good way for visualizing it all. There was so much to do and see - and so much that we didn't get to! Although we drove, we packed super light (including no stroller), and the kids did a lot of walking. I was surprised at how well they did - we were there midday for about three hours and were such troopers. Plus grandpa and Mike were troopers carrying Alexis whenever she asked!

I know. Why were we in this random room? It's actually where Mike and I had our wedding reception. Fun to go back 9 years later (almost to the day!) and let the kids check it out. Of course they really had no clue, but for Mike and I it was one of those moments where you kind of pause, reflect, and think about how much 9 years brings!

Trip to Utah

2011-09-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

We went with grandma and grandpa to the zoo while we were there. Super fun to see the new dinosaur exhibits - which Max LOVED (and still talks about), and Alexis had a love/hate relationship with. I think she just couldn't decide if they were going to eat her or not. The kids loved spending time with their grandparents and it was a beautiful day!

Trip to Utah - 2nd half

2011-09-08T16:22:00.001-05:00

For the second half of the trip we headed over to Mike's parents. I have to say I was a bit terrible at taking pictures at this point - partially because I didn't steal photos from anyone else and partly because I was feeling so sick at this point that anything extra just wasn't getting there! But, we were able to catch a few shots.

Below are some pics of pretty much every night - the kids spending time with their cousins, playing outside, staying up way too late, and laughing the entire time!

Alexis is a bit timid around large groups and would be found doing one of these two things: running to the house to try to sneak indoors while everyone else was inside, or she'd be on my lap (in this photo, pretending to catch up on a moment of sleep - to her credit she probably was exhausted. My daily napper didn't take more than one nap the whole trip and stayed up much later than normal, so she probably did need a quick snooze here and there!)
Even fit in a CRAZY sleepover one night. Hilarious.

Trip to Utah

2011-09-08T13:25:00.006-05:00

I know. Eventually I'll finish posting about this trip, but we did A LOT in a short amount of time, and I wanted to get pics up. These were all in Park City. A surprise baby doll from grandma (who also brought up my old "my little ponies" for Alexis to play with), some random pics of swimming, etc., Max's finished boat (which he helped design with papa), and a fun night these guys had blowing those plastic-balloons while Mike and I had a yummy dinner with some awesome friends who met us in Park City for the night. I don't know the last time I laughed so hard. You always know you have true friendships when you can just pick up right where you left off and jump into conversations like you've been talking daily for ages. They even surprised me with a gift to remember the old hood - which we now have in our family room and I love seeing every day! Thank you!!

Trip to Utah - Fishing

2011-09-01T13:27:00.006-05:00

I wasn't there (grandma, Alexis and I enjoyed more shopping and lunch!), so I thought it'd be best if Max told the story. I guess you could call it another "mind of Max."

I really wanted to go fishing in Park City. I told my mom that I wanted to swim at the hotel, and go fishing. We woke up really early when everyone else was asleep. Then we drove to get to the fishing place. I almost took a nap in the car, but was too excited. We got rainbow bait and it is so stinky! But the fish ate it up. I caught a lot of fish! Dad caught two. I caught seven. Papa caught seven too. Bryce caught three. Kristen had a few snaps on her fishing pole, but the fish took all of her bait and then swam away. Some of the fish had big tummies. The hooks for the fish are very sharp, and we used some twister hooks.

I really liked being in the Rocky Mountains. They were really rocky. It was such a sunny day and I was glad I wore my hat.

Fishing was fun. My favorite part was touching the fish. They were slimy and squishy!

After we were done fishing I got a hamburger and an orange sprite. I've never had orange sprite and it was so good!

Trip to Utah - First 2 Days

2011-08-28T15:44:00.007-05:00

We split our Utah time between grandparents. The first half we were in Park City with my family. Looking back at the pictures and I can't believe we did so much in the 4 days we were there! Loved every minute, and not only did they spend some great time with grandma and grandpa but were able to hang out with their Aunt & Uncle too!

Art project at the hotel. Alpine Slide - first time for Alexis! Thought I'd have a panic attack taking her up the ski lift. She REALLY wanted to to turn around and see everyone behind her. We headed off to take Max on the coaster (his favorite!), and she jumped right on the lap of our old neighbors and family friends! Their family used to babysit me (in fact, she was the only one that I'd go to!) and I've grown up with their family. It was great to run into them while we were there, and fun that Alexis warmed right up to her (like I used to!). Then she crashed, and hung out with grandma until we made it back. Dinner and a nice walk on Main Street. If you can't tell, this girl was glued to papa!The kids went to my parents home one morning/afternoon while I had the chance to workout and go shopping with my sis - without kids, and Mike headed out for a long mountain bike ride (ahh! simple things that are appreciated so much more when the opportunity to do them rarely comes around!). Max was super excited to build something in Papa's workshop!

That evening, my dad dusted off these kites and let the kids fly them. That evening had just the right canyon breeze for both the dragon and elephant to fly. Mike and I caught a glimpse of the scene before we headed out on our first of two big kid nights. It looked like the kids (and everyone else) were having a blast. And, it was so nice to be able to easily go on a date with my hubby (another simple thing that is appreciated so much more when you don't live around grandparents!)!

Trip Prep

2011-08-28T15:06:00.003-05:00

Our summer vacation this year was a trip to Utah. It was our first time going back in a little over a year, and were excited to see family. This trip took a lot of prep work on my end, as we decided to d.r.i.v.e. with the kids and Kermit, 20 hours each way (splitting up into 2 10's) for a variety of reasons:

1- We wanted to take Kermit
2- I needed my brake rotors and pads replaced. Mike's dad has ALL of the tools to do this at home, and we knew we'd save a huge chunk of change if the two of them could crank it out one night.
3- Did a cost comparison and not only would we save on #2, realized we'd save more than a bundle if we didn't board the dog and didn't fly.
4- The reflective-looking-for-teaching-opportunities-parent in me thought it'd be a good chance for the kids to realize that things don't just immediately appear. What better way to instill the lesson of patience than to buckle them in their car seats for two days. Of course, the deal-with-the-reality-parent in me really wondered how this would actually turn out.
5- We're a bit crazy.

So funny to hear people's reactions when I'd mention that we were planning to drive to Utah. I'd get strong opinions that it wasn't possible to expect a 5 year old and 2 year old to handle life in the car for 2 entire days (4 if you add in the drive back). Or, I'd get the complete opposite from other people who do the same thing for the same reasons, and actually find it pretty doable (okay, most of those people are in our ward. And, they were all pretty much making the same drive. to Utah. Oddly, either the same time frame or overlapping the same time we were going.)

This was our first time doing the long car trip thing with the kids. Put together all kinds of games, books, snacks, what to pack, etc. I made too many lists, thought of way too many scenarios, and overall probably just spent too much time on the prep work. Probably because I was expecting the worst, and was, for the most part, dreading the unknown. Oh, and maybe I dreaded it because of the constant pit of nausea I'd knew I'd have the whole drive.

But, in the course of the prep work, I decided to create a teaching opportunity for Max. He's been talking about how he wants a transformer for AGES. And, we're pretty big sticklers on the nothing new unless it's your birthday or Christmas kind of thing, so I'd just been telling him he'd have to put it on his Christmas list for ages.

But then I thought this would be a great opportunity for him to earn his own toy. Wanting to avoid allowance, and scheduled "give me money because I did what I always do" entitlement attitude, I found this great idea on another blog to have him earn his money one extra chore at a time. Combined it with another great idea I heard from another mom, and voila he was on his way to earning himself a new toy for the drive to Utah.

So, just like you'd have someone earn extra credit in school, or give salespeople opportunities to add onto their base salary via commission, Max had the chance to earn his way to the transformer. All of his regular chores would not count towards anything. Those are things to do because things just need to get done. But, for every "extra" job he'd earn one box. One box = 10 cents. Maximum number of boxes to earn would give him a full $20 to spend, just about what he'd need for the transformer he'd had his eye on.

He'd have a little over a month, and I told him that when the month was up, he could take whatever he earned and head to the store with it. If he worked hard, we'd head to the store with transformers. If he didn't work hard, we'd go to the dollar store.

Talk about motivation for this kid. He worked his tail off, and was so happy to earn this. On his own. Fulfilling for me to have the "see how much work it takes to get something" talk, and for him to actually understand what I was saying.
Alexis even caught the action and earned herself a beautiful bracelet.

Day Adventure

2011-08-28T14:34:00.006-05:00

You could call it a tradition, or a way to get out of the house, but we've established some fun daytime adventures on a pretty regular basis this summer.

This adventure took us to Minnehaha Falls. A beautiful waterfall nestled right in the heart of Minneapolis. Nice, old park filled with history surrounding Minneapolis, and a hot spot to people watch. Oh, the joys of being in the heart of the city. Ate at a great seafood restaurant that's actually attached to the park pavilion. One one side of the pavilion, yummy seafood, the other side, some family reunion. Mike was happy to try the soft-shell crab sandwich. Max loved trying the new food. Alexis settled for a granola bar in my bag.
We walked around the park and found the first home built west of the Mississippi in Minneapolis.

Big Sis

2011-08-23T14:02:00.004-05:00

We're thrilled!

And while Alexis looks cute in this photo, the real guy full of excitement is Max. He talks about it all the time.

February looks like the month we'll find out if we're 3 for 3 on cute little redheads...

The Sting

2011-08-03T08:21:00.003-05:00

One night post-dinner I sent the kids to the backyard to play. It was a nice night, and they were super excited to get outside. Max ran through the back door of our garage first, and Alexis followed as fast as she could. I was coming from behind when I heard her screaming at the top of her lungs.

My mind couldn't figure out what had happened. Did she run into the door? Did she trip and fall?

I zipped to her, and saw she'd been stung. By a mean wasp. Right on her cheek.

Turns out the buggers were in the process of building a new nest right at our door - and right at the level of her face when she tried to run out. Clearly, the wasp was surprised, and instead of flying the other direction, he went right for her. Aggressive buggers.

She was so sad. I was so sad for her. They hurt! But then Max came running back, and went into full blown panic. Screaming and crying at the top of his lungs.

And not because of the bee sting.

Within a short time, her cute cheek started to swell up all the way to the top of her brow line. Her eye was swelling and looked like she'd been hit in the face.

Rewinding to our pre-dinner time would take us to Max watching a show called How It's Made. He (and Mike) love it. It's exactly how it sounds - it shows how all kinds of things are made. The process from start to finish. We've seen everything from ceiling fans to Worcestershire sauce (a word I struggle to pronounce).

But, on this particular episode, it highlighted artificial eyeballs. And, in an effort to show the process, had a guy, sitting in a doctors office, zooming in on his eye socket. The other eye looking around the room while the eye socket was being opened and prodded by the doctor for exact measurements. The next shot is a close up of a mold being made of the socket for the artificial eye. It completely grossed me out.

"AHHHH!!!" He yells. "I didn't know your eye could pop out!" (now holding one eye shut while watching with the other.

"Does it just fall out? Am I going to lose my eyeball?" Sheer panic in his voice, as he's now becoming convinced that this guy on TV lost his eye because it just popped out one day.

By then I'd already turned the channel, but Max then spent the next 1/2 hour asking everything there is to know about the eye and the eye socket, and what the potential is for losing one.

Finally had him calmed down, and satisfied that his eye would not pop out from leaning over too far, looking one direction quickly, or from a napkin brushing up to it and accidentally poking it.

Which brings me back to the bee sting. Where her whole eye swelled shut and she could no longer open it.

"AHHHH!!" He screams. "She's losing it mom! This is terrible! We have to take her to the eye doctor for a fake eye ball! We can't save it!" Mental note to self: when discussing loss of eyeballs with 5 year old over dinner, remember to include bee stings as an unlikely way to lose an eye.

Alexis, who was already upset, sees the emotion her brother has and immediately kicks it up a notch. How could she not? If I saw someone look at me and completely lose it, I'd be more than upset too.

Of course, since we were outdoors during all of this, I can only wonder what the neighbors heard and thought I was doing to my children to make them both scream from the top of their lungs. Sigh.

We made it indoors. Convinced Maxman that her eye would be okay. "See? She can still look around with it." Of course it was so swollen, you couldn't really see her eye, but I was trying anything.

Benadryl? Check. Note to let doctor know this girl definitely has a reaction to wasp stings? Check.

Maxman still thinks up a different scenario every day with a look of momentary distress about the possibility of losing an eyeball. "I think there is some dirt in my eye. AHHH! Am I going to lose it?" "I bumped it with this ball. AHH! Is it going to fall out?"

I think I'll need to use the "you could poke your eye out" statement very lightly over the next few months.

Dolphin Talk

2011-08-02T20:25:00.002-05:00

Our very own dolphin caught on video. Speaking to the sea otter, of course.

Strawberries

2011-08-02T20:16:00.005-05:00

Living between the country and the city definitely has its perks. And, since we're actually closer to the "country" side of things, Mike has really been able to get out and do some fabulous road riding with zero traffic, or stoplights for that matter.

This lovely country has about a gazillion corn and soybean fields and some apple orchards. We headed over to one during prime strawberry season and had our fill of picking beautiful, fresh strawberries!

Wasn't sure how the kids would enjoy picking strawberries, as Alexis' attention span can sometimes last, oh, 2 minutes. But, we were pleasantly surprised. Max even leaned over to me mid-picking and said, "mom, being a farmer is so cool. Is this what they always get to do?"

We then had our fill of strawberries and I managed to crank out some yummy freezer jam.

Yum. I think we'll make this one a tradition.

The 4th

2011-07-12T14:07:00.012-05:00

Celebrating the 4th was super fun.

We had a weekend of swimming, checking out the new Cars movie (actually took both kids with us!), and lots of time outside. Mike was able to enjoy some good bike rides. He's loved getting back in the saddle more regularly, actually riding some longer miles, and has loved the road biking routes! I love that he comes back with new places that we need to go check out with the kids, and that he basically has the bulk of these rural roads along Eastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin mapped out in his head.

Started out the morning of the 4th with a red, white and blue breakfast!

We headed over to a true small town parade in Afton. Contemplated riding our bikes there (with kids in the bike trailer), but Mike had been out on his ride earlier, and it was actually a pretty hot day so we decided against it. A good thing as there were WAY more people than we would have ever anticipated. We did get there early enough to snag some shade. Not early enough for a first or second seated row, but a perfect spot for people watching prior to the parade start. (Thanks KJ for the shirts! The kids loved them!)

The actual parade was SMALL - no dazzling, big floats or wild entertainment. And super old school - passing out flags, candy and ice pops. It runs on the biggest street in town, but since the town is so small, they actually turn around at the end of the parade route and head back on the other side of the road. If you missed something the first time, you could catch it on the second round. Like the old fire trucks, Port-a-pottys, or pig in the trailer. Loved every minute.

Prior to the 4th, we checked out a few different places that were doing large firework shows. Had intentions to head over to one of them, but, actually stayed at home and watch the neighborhood shows instead.

Wisconsin is to Minnesota as Wyoming is to Utah. The biggest difference is there are no fire-hazard areas and no worries that fields will go up in flames, so there are no "restrictions" when it comes to the actual lighting of illegal fireworks - you just can't buy them here. Never in my life have I seen such large firework shows coming from homes. For three nights straight, we watched shows from our house that reminded me of the Eaglewood firework show when I was in high school (you know, one big firework at a time, with a relatively big finale at the end). We heard some of the "home spun" shows were a collaborative event among many people and were in the price range as high as $2,000 big ones. I don't know that we'll ever see anything quite like it anywhere else.

We got together with our neighbors on the eve of the 4th, and lit off some of the small street fireworks. The kids had such a blast and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

And, then I was tuckered out. Couldn't last that third night late watching fireworks. I even told Mike I felt like we were living in the middle of a war zone as I was trying to go to bed.

Funny enough, a bunch of my neighbors were still awake. The Scouts in our ward started the flag fundraiser a couple holidays ago. They broke out geographically where they deliver and pick up the American Flag on the holiday. They were running a bit late the night of the 4th, and didn't come by to the house until after we'd checked out. Our neighbors saw a SUV of teenage boys stop at our house, take our flag and leave. Not knowing what was happening, and not knowing that this was an organized fundraiser, they called the cops to report the theft. Super grateful that we have awesome neighbors who are so watchful, but it did cause a bit of a mix up, needing some explanation the next day...

Favorite Shirt

2011-07-03T15:56:00.003-05:00

Seems like every kid has a favorite shirt.

Max has loved this one his grandma picked up for him. You can tell from this photo I took over a year ago, and that she bought it big enough that he's been able to enjoy it for a couple of years. The sharks mouth actually flaps open to reveal an octopus inside its mouth. It was a novelty in his preschool class this year. His teacher said the other kids would circle around to lift the flap whenever he wore it. As you can see, I've always had to adapt it for winter and summer months. He's actually getting to a point where he'll be out of it before too long. Don't know how I'll break that one to him. I have visions of him trying to go to kindergarten every week wearing a now fitted muscle tee. He likes it so much, I've actually had thoughts of cutting out the shark part and sewing it onto a bigger shirt. But, it's too cute as is.

Alexis has recently found her favorite shirt. Grandma actually picked up a cute set of summer jammies, and this was the top. When I told her what it said, we quickly realized this was going to be part of daytime clothes instead. Almost daily, she requests her "yellow daddy shirt."

On this particular morning, she made a beautiful ensemble. When I told her how much her daddy would love it, she started to cry just thinking about him. Definitely takes the meaning of the shirt to heart.

Swimming

2011-07-03T15:40:00.003-05:00

I think I have two fish. One is more timid than the other, but loves the water just as much. And one has figured out the whole coordination thing a bit better this year.

Alexis loves to float around holding a noodle, and jump into the pool from the side. As long as she's holding your fingertips.

Max loves to dive for rings, swim to the ladder (I only let him go that far when it's just me to keep him from going too deep), and swim underwater (yep, papa. I think he gets that from you!).

Super grateful we have the opportunity to live where there is a pool close by to go swimming. And we go A LOT. Even in June, where summer started out on the cool side. We joined all of the Minnesotans and went swimming whenever the temp hit 70. Great to be in the pool. Not so great to be out of the pool. Now the weather has heated up, and it's a fantastic way to cool off and get some energy out!

Managed to have good evening weather when we weren't already scheduled, and took a family trip to the pool. Which left me with a set of free hands to take some photos.

Soccer

2011-07-03T15:14:00.008-05:00

I signed Max up for a very low key soccer team this past month. There are basically two versions of soccer that you can do here - one is longer, is a bit more focused on the technical aspect, and kids wear the full gear. The other is shorter, kids get a t-shirt and it's super low key. Based on our success with baseball last year, I picked the lesser one.

In fact, that's another memory I failed to mention last year (as it all happened during the course of our home selling in Utah and finding a home in Minnesota).

I'll just give the Readers Digest version of baseball game one. Max was so excited for the baseball game to start. His team was in the outfield. He was right at second base. Or in the middle of a long line of teammates that went somewhere between first and third base. The ball was hit, his teammates scrambled to scoop up the ball with their mitt. Just like that, Max realized that he had moved a bit slower than some of his teammates and lost the chance to catch the ball.

I thought he'd just go back and wait for the next one. Nope. He went into complete meltdown, thinking he'd lost his chance to get the ball. "I wanted to catch the ball" He yelled.

And it didn't just happen the first time. Same reaction over and over. Towards the end of the first game, he actually took off his baseball hat, threw it on the ground, and stomped off the field.

So much for the team building concept.

How did the rest of the season go? Well, part of me just wanted to call it quits after the first game, and wait until he was a bit older. But, we'd signed up with a buddy, and I figured, well, I paid for it, we might as well go. And he got better. Sort of. Actually one of the coaches was a stud, and would stand out there with an extra ball or two. When one ball was hit, he'd toss out a few more on the field so multiple kids had a chance to catch a ball. And, he always managed to toss one near Max.

Max thought he was doing great. And while he still didn't get one every time, he managed to catch a few more than average.

So, I kept my expectations for soccer this year very low.

And was pleasantly surprised. He loved it. Loved being a "fender" to keep the ball out of the goal. Listened to his coaches, and seemed to have a great time playing the game, taking turns and asked me every day when he'd get to go back again.

The best part was on the car ride home after his last game. "Thanks mom for signing me up for soccer. I'd really like to do that again."

Ahhh....gratitude. More important than learning the skill of soccer, the fact that he said thanks made it all worth it.

It's one we'll definitely do again.

Bike Race

2011-07-03T14:28:00.013-05:00

Every once in awhile, a cool cycling race with pro riders comes into town. We'd looked forward to watching the Stillwater portion of the race for some time. It's where the pro riders head up a 22% gradient hill, not once, but multiple times as they lap around the town. And decided this would be a good opportunity to give the kids a chance to see something cool. Or, Mike and I really wanted to see it, and we had our fingers crossed that the kids would be up for it.

Even better, our friend Lorena had written about her experience doing this race in 2008. While her writing is fantastic, it was fun to see her words brought to life (minus the part where we're watching her live, and minus the part where we would have been cheering for her!).

While the kids didn't contemplate how tough it was to go up the huge hill, they had a blast. Cheering was fun, and when there was down time, they both played at the park across the street.

Favorite for Alexis? Ringing the cow bell. So much that we had to hide it for the car ride home.

Favorite for Max? That he rode in the kids race. He's in the gray shirt, green helmet and blue bike toward the right end of the screen. Apologies in advance for the mom who was cheering so loudly for her kid. Oh, wait. That was me.

Untitled from sara walkenhorst on Vimeo.

A pic of the world champ winner in the women's race.

What a hill!!

Mike went further up the hill with the bigger crowds and captured some video footage. Pretty cool.

After his big race!

Training

2011-06-30T20:34:00.003-05:00

Earlier this month, an annual yoga training (for yoga instructors) came into town, and I jumped on the chance to go.

It was amazing. I love spending all day learning about something only to realize how much more I actually don't know. It's fantastic to be in a room with people from all walks of life. Combinations of individuals who'd you'd never meet otherwise (Minneapolis is a big "hub" place - so people came to this training from all over - New York, Florida, even England!), but within a few minutes can talk endlessly about not only a shared love for yoga, but a love to share it with others. We had a great presenter who engaged not only the information in the text, but shared unique and fantastic added info that I scribbled everywhere I could find a white space.

Then there's enjoying the energy of downtown Minneapolis. Heading out on a lunch break to an old-bank-turned-sandwich-shop, complete with an outdoor patio, literally sandwiched between two skyscrapers was wonderful. Not to mention an hour of uninterrupted adult conversation.

Don't get me wrong. I love my usual lunchtime conversations. "Hey, mom, did you see that spider on the ceiling?" "Hey, mom, watch how I can drink out of my cup like Kermit (then tries to lap it up our dog)." "Hey, Alexis, are you going to eat all of your chips?" "Mom, what kind of bird is that out on our deck? I think it's a ___" (and actually, thanks to his time spent birdwatching from our back window, he's actually right most of the time)!

No, really. I do. I think it's hilarious to see what comes out of those minds. And I love that Alexis copies her brother to a tee. Down to demonstrating her new ways to drink out of a cup, which then turn into spilled drinks all over the floor. Oh well. That's what towels are for, right?

But, as much as I love and cherish this chapter, I know there is more to me than mom. I know that while my hubby, kiddos and my faith are my top threes, teaching fitness is right up there. I've never viewed the opportunity I have to teach fitness, whether it is yoga, cycling, pilates, bootcamp, Balletone, as a job. It's an outlet, a fun hobby and a great way to build relationships with people.

I'm so grateful for the chance of continuing education, and for the awesome hubby who makes it possible for me to do what I do. It feels like a recharge of the battery, filling the mind with all kinds of new ideas and concepts.

Coming home after a full day of work, and seeing the kids out on the deck, eating hot dogs with dad for dinner, their faces plastered with the biggest smiles, was just like icing on the cake. Too bad I didn't grab the camera.

Underwater

2011-06-21T07:20:00.013-05:00

Prior to the birthday, I mentioned to Max that he could have some friends over for a birthday party. He had a small one last year, and since this was the big 5, I thought we'd do it again. He'd been to a few throughout the year, almost all of which were themed as superheros. When I asked him what kinds of a party he wanted to do, I expected one of two answers. 1- He'd go with what he'd seen and pick superheros. 2- He wouldn't have an idea yet, but would figure one out with some brainstorming.

Didn't anticipate answer 3.

"Mom. I want to do an underwater birthday party. With sharks. And octopus. All the kids can wear their swimsuits and pretend that we are underwater. We can have the kids try to jump over a shark. Then we can try to pin a fish into the sharks mouth. Think we can give everyone goggles? And, could we fill the house up with water?"

To say this is something he's been thinking about feels like an understatement.

I mentioned the filling the house with water idea would leave us with soggy furniture to sit on. And probably with an unhappy dad.

"Okay. Maybe we could just fill the bathroom up, and the kids could swim in there."

How funny! I remember thinking the same thing when I was young! Filling a room with water seemed like such a simple and completely practical idea. You could just open the door and have the room full of water, ready to jump in and start swimming anytime you want. But, I eventually steered him from the filling-rooms-with-water concept.

Then I tried to figure out how to make the rest work...

Made a bunch of sharks out of boxes for shark toss. Made an obstacle course of green seaweed, underwater cave, and a floating jellyfish to jump through. Or green ballons, a chair covered with crepe paper, and a hula hoop. Assigned Papa Oskar to draw a shark for pin the fish on the shark and now we have this awesome shark poster still hanging in Max's room! Managed to find goggles at the dollar store - the reward for completing their underwater scuba training, complete with a certificate. For the bday cake we went with an ocean topped with sand and fish inside. Or a mixture of jello pudding and cool whip dyed blue, crumbled graham crackers and Swedish fish.

The kids were hilarious to watch and listen to. The sea creatures they pretended to be, the comments they'd make to each other, priceless. The panic when they thought real fish were in the cake "ewwww! gross" only to be happily surprised that it was the candy version.

Probably my favorite part was the final game, with goggles, where we had the kids pretend to be a sea creature, move to the music and then freeze when the music stopped. Even better for the parents watching as they did it to the Jaws theme song.

The party was fun. But it was also A LOT of work! I was so happy when it was done. Post party I had some great conversations with other moms about the work behind a "homemade" party. How it's so nice to keep it light on the wallet, and to let them invite friends for a party, but how there is always so much work behind the scenes.

And, while I was happy to make the big 5 fun for him, looking forward, this won't be an annual gig. Sometimes a tricky thing with parenting is while you want them to feel happy and excited about a big day, remembering to mindfully hold back in an effort to teach them to understand the value of less or simple can be a good thing too.

A BIG THANKS to our sweet neighbors Chris and Jamie who took ALL the photos. I didn't get one click out of our camera! (These will also probably be the nicest photos posted on our blog. If you couldn't guess, she has a knack for professional photography!)

The Zoo

2011-06-20T20:19:00.006-05:00

I know. Another post about the Minnesota Zoo. I can't help myself. This trip we spent all of our time in the outdoor sections.

The bear exhibit. Definitely the closest I've ever been to one of those big boys.
Beautiful tiger.
Checking out the "farm" at the Zoo. Cleanest farm I've ever been to.

This face pretty much sums up what Alexis thinks of the Zoo...

Or maybe it's this one, when we told her we were leaving...

Graduation

2011-06-12T16:47:00.006-05:00

In a conversation with one of the young women in my ward she mentioned how she'd just been to her brother's high school graduation. And, while she's happy he's graduating, and glad to support him, she was honest. It was completely B.O.R.I.N.G. Listening to over 300 names got a little old after, oh, 3 (which was her brother).

And, she has a point. Graduation can be excruciating. Hot. Long. Your butt goes numb from sitting for so long. Your back starts to ache. You want to fill up the graduation program with doodles, but can't because mom wants to save it for a scrapbook. I even remember being bored at my own graduation (and nodding 0ff). And then you stand still for the endless cap and gown photos in every grouping possible - one by yourself, one with the family, one just with siblings, one with friends, etc. I'm yawning just thinking about it.

Except when the word graduation and little people are joined together. Then seeing little 5 year olds dressed in mini caps and gowns is just stinkin cute. And, by nature of it involving little people, it's never really too long. Or too hot. Or too boring.

No matter how many times it has been rehearsed, the live performance always seems to drum up a surprise or two. Funny faces, quirky hand signals, and other nuances that just make the audience chuckle.

Even better is when you watch the whole thing and one of the little people is yours. Again, it's one of those parenting moments where you are so excited for them to be at the place where they are, but instantly flash back to the teeny tiny baby you held at the hospital and can't believe that in what feels like an instant they are standing so tall, ready to move onto their next chapter.
This graduation was exceptional. The after party included cookies and punch. The kind of cookie that is made "too good" as it leaves you wanting to run back and hide three more in your bag. While we held back, the graduate helped himself to two. We walked away not only with an official certificate, but an awesome book the teachers put together compiling his best and most awesome stuff throughout the year.

Sissy was completely content the entire time - on dad's lap.

The Big 5

2011-06-12T16:15:00.008-05:00

Maxman has managed to turn the big 5. Filling an entire hand. Headed to kindergarten this fall. A sweet guy who definitely loves to laugh, make people laugh, and is probably the most creative and imaginative little man I've met. Whew. I can't believe how fast time flies.

It was fun for him to open the gifts and cards sent by family members. We feel so grateful for the love and support from a far!
My scuba diver had asked for a snorkel mask and flippers for over a month. It was the last present he opened that day, and he couldn't wait to put them on. Not only is it funny to see him wear them around the house, but it is H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S. to watch him at the pool (in the tot 1.5 foot pool) with full gear on, snorkeling. I won't let him in the big pool with the full gear yet. I'm sure he'll win me over at some point, but he has enough to think about when he's over there - swimming!
Kids can ride free at the Nickelodeon Universe (the amusement park in the Mall of America) on the birthday. Max was much more timid than he's ever been with the rides, and really wanted to stick with the safer/smaller rides. Papa was a good sport and went on the little rides with him, until the Dora Bus made him a bit green and then Max was on his own (I couldn't have lasted that long, so he did great!)! Log ride was still a favorite.

Alexis, still too little for the rides, played in a train and watched from the sidelines like a champ. Next time, I think the girls will go shopping while the boys ride the rides!
Papa and Nana let Max pick out one thing from the Lego Land store. Max L.O.V.E.S. Legos and was really excited for this. He knew exactly what he wanted, and even convinced Papa to stay up way too late building it that night with him.

Brainerd 2

2011-06-12T16:00:00.004-05:00

We spent some time inside the lodge. And, then I kept taking way too many pictures...

I'd say this last photo sums up what the kids thought of the trip. Max has talked countless times about our vacation at the lake, and it's definitely a place we'll go back to! We finished the evening sitting on the outdoor deck watching a lightning storm roll in on the other side of the lake. Much better than tv!

Brainerd

2011-06-12T15:18:00.008-05:00

We'd been itching to drive North and enjoy a "Minnesota vacation." The timing worked out well enough for us to spend a few days up there with Mike's parents. Hanging out at a cabin on the lake, doing a little fishing, swimming and checking out the local small town scenery was a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of the cities. One of those spots where we didn't know what exactly to expect, but once we were there, just wanted to stay longer!

We were a bit early for enjoying the warm sunshine on the beach with the kids play in the sand and lake, but they still had a blast. A big indoor pool complete with a water slide was a favorite. I think Max went down the water slide over 100 times. And he managed to get everyone (expect little Alexis) to go down with him (thanks for being a good sport, grandma - he still talks about it!).
I loved the trails that surrounded where we were and enjoyed a jog each morning we were there. Fresh air, peaceful and quiet! Max loved the trails for it gave complete access to sticks, bugs and dirt (soon to be flower beds). Alexis loved the trails well, because Max loved the trails.

The boys managed to do a half day fishing trip in the POURING rain. A one point the tour guide said, "I am getting so soaked." Max turned to him and said, "yeah, so am I!" They all laughed when they realized the adults were all in complete rain gear but Max was just in his jeans, a coat and a trash bag (our way to improvise!). Even with the rain, they managed to catch a few fish (no walleye this time), and Max loved every moment (a relief since we didn't know how he'd be with the rain!). Most favorite part for him? Playing with the minos in the tank as they waited for a bite.

Big Surprise

2011-06-12T15:10:00.003-05:00

Mike's parents really wanted to surprise Max. He knew that grandma was coming to visit him, but had been told (time and time again) that grandpa had to stay and work. I think he thought of every scenario he could to try to get grandpa in town. Finally, on the way to pick up grandma from the airport Max told me, "Mom, I wish grandpa was coming too. But I'm really happy that grandma will be here. I'm excited to show her my new shark shoes."

As expected, we picked up grandma and then I stayed at the car with Alexis while Max helped her run in and grab a magazine she'd forgotten. Max was super happy to see something much better than a magazine - grandpa!

A few photos once we made it out of the airport...

Garage Sale

2011-06-09T14:40:00.005-05:00

"Annual garage sale starts on Thursday!" I heard and read more times than I can count. I'd never been near or in an "organized sale" of this scale. Basically, anyone and everyone in the entire city plans their garage sale at the same time - running Thursday through Saturday. Some people work through the Lions Club (who do this as a fundraiser, and for a small fee your name is included in a directory, also available for purchase, and you get a sign to stick on your lawn). Others just know there will be a lot of people out anyway, and open up their garage. Literally.

"Remember to watch for traffic tomorrow. It gets pretty crazy." My neighbor told me Wednesday afternoon.

Really?

Thursday morning I taught a class at the gym. Super small.

"Oh, everyone is out shopping the garage sales. I already went this morning (that is, at 7 am.), and I'll head out later this afternoon too. Did you know this is the largest organized sale in the state? It used to be so much bigger before eBay and Craig's list came along."

Trucks pulling trailers, mini vans of women scouting around town, residential roads nearly impossible to drive through thanks to the traffic and parked cars all over the streets. More Wisconsin license plates than I could count.

On the way home from the gym, I stopped by to get some gas at the station near my home. Bad idea. Jam packed with garage sale shoppers who stopped in to use the restroom, refill their tanks, and of course grab a hot dog from the temporary stand the gas station sets up in the parking lot specifically for this event.

Seriously?

It does make sense...one weekend to pound through sales to catch any deal you can find and on the flip side, sell anything you no longer want to keep storing.

Did I snag anything?

While I wasn't on the bus load of people who come every year from Milwaukee, nor in the Honda Pilot that was loaded completely with garage sale finds only holding room enough for the three women who arrived in it to squeeze inside, nor the guy pulling his ginormous truck AND trailer full of goods, I'm happy I did snag a few finds. A few summer tops for Alexis, a hanging flower basket (yes, a resident works for one of the large nurseries in the area has access once a year to wholesale - or garage sale - hanging baskets and potted plants), and last but definitely not least, a jogging stroller (okay, I actually found the jogging stroller posted on Craig's list - but it was sold by a family just down the street, and I'm confident she would have put it out on her driveway had I not snagged it up. Don't worry, we met in a very public parking lot, in a very safe location for the deal).

Overall, fun to catch a few finds, although I don't know how much time I'd put into the whole process. While I'm sure there were plenty more deals to be had, I had two little people, a budget, and of course, a lack of patience for scouting through the piles of stuff just to get to the really good stuff.

Until next year...

Kites

2011-05-16T13:30:00.005-05:00

My dad has always enjoyed kite flying, and we had some great kite flying days in my childhood. We'd head to the high school football field, and sometimes would drive out to Skull Valley for an afternoon of kite flying/gun shooting picnics. Anytime we went downtown for a night out at Trolley Square, we'd always stop at the kite store to see if there were any new kites on display. At home, we'd have an occasional magazine dedicated to kites (and possibly other flying outdoor toys) where we'd study each page. Over the years, he collected a handful of kites - some more complicated to fly than others. I had two favorite kites. One, an elephant - gray with a dangling nose that if flown just right, would look like his trunk was swinging around for a drink of water, or possibly to scratch his ear. The other, was a dragon. Colorful and with a super long tail, this kite needed just the right amount of wind to fly. Too little, and we wouldn't get the tail off. Too much, and the tail would flip and flip causing the delicate material to rip and tear. I have vivid memories of when the wind was just right. As I would stand and watch the dragon sail, twist and turn in the sky I'd imagine myself twisting and flowing so effortlessly in the wind. Enjoying the sunshine and welcoming each turn of the wind as if it were a new adventure.

The last time my mom was here for a visit, she told me she had to pick up some kites for the kids, per grandpa's request. I'm not sure if he'd pictured these tiny kites for the kids or not, but, it was a bit early in the season, and all that was available.

She left, and they've sat. Just waiting for the right chance to be used. And, that day finally came.

Max is at the age where he is patient enough for the process (and able to stand still long enough!). This was actually his first time successfully launching the kite, and keeping it flying! No shots of the success (I spent most of my time chasing Alexis - who loved running around with her little kite, until it got stuck around a big bush).

And, while these tiny kites were no dragon (or elephant), and I thought they would never make it off the ground, they surprised me. Watching the grin on Max's face as he stood and watched his kite fly and twist in the air was so rewarding. One of those parenting moments where you can relish in and enjoy the memory. And then want to express gratitude to your parents for giving you those childhood memories.

Thanks dad for the kites.

Bedtime

2011-05-16T13:13:00.005-05:00

Max has always been a light switch. He's either all the way on, or all the way off. Sometimes, I'm ready to turn the off switch a bit sooner than he has in mind. On these occasions, he'll typically hang out in his room and then we'll come in later to see something like this:

The next morning I followed up to find out the details of this new contraption.

"Oh, mom. That's their ship. The Hero guys (also on the bed) didn't have a ship to fly around to the different planets, so I had to build one."

Then, as if he collapsed with exhaustion as soon as he'd snapped the last piece.

Last week, Mike and I had the kids down and were watching some TV. Then we heard a sound similar to Darth Vader breathing. We turned around and found this:

I wish I could take credit for giving him the idea to turn his backpack, music container, scuba goggles and orange tube into scuba diving equipment, but it's all him. He even managed to fill his backpack with various explorer tools - to clean animals teeth, to hear animals from a distance, to vacuum the ocean floor, and to take a closer look at some of the animals as he was swimming.

Daddy's Girl

2011-05-16T13:09:00.002-05:00

It's funny to watch these two. She is pretty much glued to Mike's hip when he's home.

First question every morning (I don't even get a hello) is: "Where'd daddy go?"

I'm glad she likes to keep close tabs on her dad. He thinks it's pretty cool too.

The Jar

2011-05-16T12:55:00.003-05:00

Has been a success! Completely motivated by a visual rock-in-the-jar reward system. We made a photo list of one-on-one date options (bike ride, trip to a new park, trip to redbox, etc.). He (of course) picked the one he thought up first - a trip to MOA LegoLand. Once the jar filled up, he and Mike headed on their adventure.

Picked up some lunch:On his way to the store:

The decision:

So funny. And while there are still some bumps in the road here and there, he's definitely figuring out that if he does his part, the jar fills up quicker. Now I just need to find a bigger jar...

Our Month

2011-04-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

"Oh, man." I say again as I pull into the driveway to pick up my little people from a play date.

Alexis comes running, smiling and happy (as always). Looking at Max, I already know what has happened. Red faced, hands in pockets, bright red ears, runny nose and hiccupy breath. That's my boy every time I pick him up from pretty much anything these days. At this moment, I'm having more flashbacks to the time he was 2, turning 3, and his severe anxiety of wind. For details, there are snippets in this post and this post. But today's memory I flashed back to was actually never posted.

We were a good month into the fear-of-the-wind stage. It was June, 2009 and we were headed over to our neighborhood elders quorum BBQ that Mike was in charge of. He had arrived early to set up, so I showed up a bit later with the two little people. Mike was cooking and grilling for most of the night, and Max was happy running around with the kiddos. Until he realized there was food. Until a summer breeze shifted some of the napkins. Until he realized we could all potentially lose everything in sight to the wind. I still have vivid memories of him crawling underneath the park pavilion tables crying to all that would hear that everything was going to blow away. I still remember him clutching onto everything he could grasp in sight - not only his plate, cup, napkin and food, but everything else he could get to as well - purses, car seats, anyone's food, drinks, plates - he was trying to hold everything. He was so stressed out in fact, that my yoga-inspired techniques of deep breathing were completely ineffective. I still remember being so stressed and feeling so frustrated. Needless to say, we headed home early - probably a good thing, shortly after we'd left, the storm really picked up with actual winds and rain for the night. I still remember my sweet neighbor looking at me and just laughing (yes, Kathy), saying, "Sara, someday you will look back at this and just laugh and laugh." She was right. After about a month, Max got over it, and I now think back on that once stressful BBQ night and laugh.

Well, I've arrived at another one of those times where I have to keep reminding myself that someday I will look back at this and laugh. Except the month is coming and now going.

This time, he's developed a fear that I won't return. Not the typical separation anxiety that kids have right at the moment mom or dad leaves them. This one is delayed. Not a set amount of time, but at some point his mind registers that I have been gone for "awhile" and should be back by "now." And since I'm not back "now" then, the only conclusion is that I have left him forever, never to return. He then panics, cries (almost) to the point of throwing up (although I think we're getting pretty close to where he's actually going to make himself throw up), and asks the adult in charge (teacher, parent, whoever) to go get me as soon as possible.

Sometimes they can, and they do. Like at church, when Mike and I are in the middle of teaching our lessons at the same time. Or, a phone call, to come pick up my little man from a play date that he was supposed to be at for another 1/2 hour while I'm supposed to be catching up on errands.

But, sometimes, they really can't (or shouldn't). Like when he's in preschool with a class full of kids. Or when I'm in the middle of teaching a class at the gym.

And when those times come, I'm really grateful for their patience. Because I think they get it. They know, even though I have serious doubts, that he will figure this out. Get over it. Move on. And realize that, yes, I will come back to get him.

Here's where I insert the story of how I left him one time, or forgot to pick him up from something, or where he had this traumatic experience and thought he was stranded on the curbside, completely alone without food or water.

Oh, wait. There actually isn't one. For some reason his mind has created this very real anxiety that when I leave him (and once I've been gone for an extended period of time), that I really won't be back. Never. He will forever have to survive and live at his at school, at the gym, at church, or at his friends house (which, in some cases probably wouldn't be that bad!).

He's had this a little over a month. While I don't think I can say that I've tried everything, I can say we've tried A LOT. Mostly from recommendations from other moms who've had kids with separation anxiety of some sort. And, I have to admit. He has improved in some situations. Like during most of preschool - when his mind is constantly stimulated and busy, he's good. But then they switch to a few moments of free play and he starts to wonder. Thankfully, his teachers know this, and are able to step in and keep his mind busy on a different project while the other kids play. But anytime that he's in a situation of "free play" - a play date with another kid, spending time at the gym, a moment of down time anywhere, he's a goner.

So, I'm using this post as a vent. To write, read and laugh (a little) about everything I've tried thus far. Who knows, maybe someone will read this and have another idea. I'll try (just about) anything.

1. Cut out a heart and put it in his pocket. Did this one. Idea that "mom is always with you." Similar to the story The Kissing Hand (we tried the kisses on the hands, but thought a heart would be more tangible). When I picked him up from teaching a class, he pulled the heart out of his pocket and in tears said, "mom, the heart didn't work! It's just a piece of paper! It's not really you!" Right bud. Here's where you should use that vivid imagination you have.

2. Wear a watch. Write and show him at what time I'll be back. This one worked for the first 1/2 hour. Then, he decided that time was moving much too slowly. Panicked that his watch was broken and he would no longer be able to tell when I would be back. Sat and stared at watch for about 5 minutes. Convinced time was not working correctly had a full on panic that I was never to return.

3. Wear a sticker (similar to the heart). Whenever you see the sticker, remember that you're holding onto it for mom and she'll get it when she comes back. Yeah, right.

4. Ignore it. Yep. I've tried this one. Calm cool energy, no discussion prior or after to try to avoid the attention it is getting. Didn't work.

5. Deep breathing. Yep. I'd say he's a pro by now with the deep breathing process. But, since I'm not around when it all happens, he doesn't want to or remember to do it early enough.

6. When he's calm, have a discussion about why moms and dads pick up their kids. This was actually a great discussion. We had yet another conversation with his preschool teacher about what would happen if mom was a little late. What he and the other kids would do, and what all kids do. It actually went really well. Days later, he could even reference and talk about it as if he had complete understanding. All rational behavior and thoughts though are lost when this kicks in.

7. Stop and say a prayer when you start to feel sad or worried. Tried that one. Tough thing is that he usually doesn't remember until he's really upset, so then he can't calm down anyway.

8. Distraction. Thankfully, since this all happens while I'm not around, there are some really kind and patient people who really are trying their best to help Max out. All kinds of distraction techniques are used. Some work for a bit, some not at all. He's even had tours at the gym to see where all of the "hidden" toys are if he wants to play something different.

9. Practice time. We've done this a few different ways, but it's to help him understand what "10 more minutes" would feel like via setting a timer and then by seeing the time disappear. Kind of okay, except that he gets really fixated on it (similar to the watch), and then begins to worry when I'm not around.

10. Sing a song while I'm gone. He actually made up the song himself. "my mom always comes back, my mom always comes back, my mom always comes back, all day long." Song worked. But then forgot the lyrics and couldn't make up new ones. Since I'm talking about songs. He has a such tender heart. Last Sunday, he was actually doing really well. Finally! I thought to myself as we were approaching the last portion of church and I hadn't heard from his teacher. Until the primary started practicing the songs for Mothers Day. "Mother, I love you, mother I do" were the lyrics Max sang, as tears started to stream down his face, then thinking about how much he missed me. Tears turned into the red faced-upset little man so they came and got me. In the hallway, Max gave me a big hug. I asked him what happened and he said, "mom, we were singing about you, and I couldn't remember where you were and I started to get really sad just thinking about you, so I wanted to see you and give you a hug." Hug gladly accepted.

11. Reward (okay bribe). I gave him a set number of times for "good happy Max." If he did this for a certain number of times, he earned a trip to the dollar store. He did this perfect - twice. Then tried to negotiate that he should only be good if he could go to the dollar store after every single time. I'm wouldn't give in to his terms and the deal was off as quickly as it had been on. I didn't feel too terrible - I hate all of the Chinese plastic that seems to multiply and take over the house!

Next steps? I'm actually going back to the reward system. It's the only one that's shown some type of success. This time, he'll be filling a jar with rocks for "good behavior when he's away from mom." Once the jar is full, a one-on-one date with mom or dad, of his choice.

And time. Because sometimes that is just what it takes. We have a doc appt. set up relatively soon, so maybe that'll provide some extra information too.

And, I think it's becoming a bit of a habit for him. Now it's just about breaking the habit. Although I'd like to attribute it all to the fact that I really am that awesome and cool, I know it's not the case.

I'm actually amazed if anyone has read this long into the post. But, if you have and can actually offer thoughts, suggestions, comments, I'd love any. Don't be shy.

Easter - Sunday

2011-04-28T21:31:00.007-05:00

Sunday morning we headed to church. I really wanted a family pic and this cute one came out on the first try! I think the kids were so happy staring at the blinking green light for the timer. I don't think we could have posed them better!

Post church we got together with some families from church! Below pics include more Easter egg hunts & baskets, dying Easter eggs, and spending time with our dear friends (or, as anyone says when you live away from family over a holiday - our adopted families!)!

This group shot is so funny. Two sets of twins! And, the person taking the picture is pregnant with twins too (Brit, we should have had your belly in the shot!). I figure we're close enough with having two-matching-red-heads! So, of the four families together, three of them either have twins (or are about to). I can't imagine the odds of that. But, it makes for a cute picture!

Easter - Saturday

2011-04-28T20:00:00.006-05:00

Easter was super fun. Holidays in general are so fun through the eyes of a child. Easter egg hunts, looking for baskets from the Easter bunny, spending each day of the week prior learning about the true meaning of Easter. It was really nice and fun.

Our neighborhood Saturday morning Easter egg hunt. One of our neighbors is awesome enough to organize the hunt - including dividing the backyards and common areas according to age. She said there were over 1400 eggs for all of these kiddos!

A pic of our best buddies on the street - who also happen to be the same age as Max and Alexis. These guys get along so great, and it's so nice to have such great neighbors!

The Park

2011-04-10T15:38:00.002-05:00

I feel like we've gained new appreciation for Spring. Minnesotans told us over and over last summer how they really appreciate their time outdoors, because they all know it won't last forever. And, while I understood their explanations, I don't think I really felt what they meant until I went through a winter for myself. I can't describe the energy and excitement you feel stepping outdoors knowing that it is spring. People want to stop and visit, and just seem refreshed and rejuvenated from the cold winter. Looking back, I can't say that I hated winter. Picking up a new winter sport, and spending time indoors was actually pretty fun. Would I want to do it year-round? Nope. But, I think it's the change of season that I appreciate, and the opportunity to feel some gratitude for how amazingly beautiful this world is.

We've spent everyday this past week outside on bike rides, or at the park. The kids can't get enough. While at the park, Max saw some of the older kids crossing the monkey bars and was determined to try it for himself. I held his legs for round one, and he took off on his own for round two. I think he had a bit of adrenaline pumping because some of the older kids were cheering him on. So he crossed them about 5 more times.

I was actually pretty surprised that he picked it up so quick. So, on the way home, we had this conversation:

"Hey bud, how did you figure that out so quick?"
"Oh, it was easy. My brain just sent signals to my body and told me how to do it. Just like signals for a cell phone."
Oh. Right.

He was still pumped that night and we had to take dad back. The next day he awoke pretty sore (he thought his arm was broken until I helped him discover it was good ol' muscles that had been hard at work!). So, the monkey bars have been at rest. Plans to document on camera for the grandparents once those muscles are ready.

Bird Watching

2011-04-10T15:23:00.004-05:00

Being sneaky with the camera is one of my biggest challenges. I love the real-life images, but struggle to capture them on camera as my kids seem to jump for the attention of an on camera-cheesy-smile shot. On my list of life, I've always wanted to practice and learn photography so I could capture what I see in my mind on the camera. And while the lighting is a bit off, I was glad to snag this photo, as Max began setting up for bird watching. He loves to look out our back window, spot birds, learn the names, and then watch for when they will come back.
With the entrance of SPRING, there have been plenty of new bird faces out there to check out. It's been fun seeing the Canada Geese come back at just the right time, and earlier this week, we heard our first frogs who've dug themselves out of hibernation.

Showing Alexis how to use the binoculars. I'm glad he's so patient with her!

Checking for birds in the bird book grandma gave him.

Costumes

2011-04-10T15:14:00.003-05:00

Surviving the last chunk of winter took some creativity. Max is full of it, and seemed to always find ways to make more projects. Alexis is content doing anything he's doing, and has managed to test drive some of his costumes. The girl loves to be tickled and often can be found running, collapsing, and then just waiting for you to come get her.

Delving through our recycle bin, Max created the above costume. A strap on jet pack with night vision binoculars. Or, an empty wheat thins box, yellow paper, and toilet paper rolls.

Mind of Max

2011-03-29T20:42:00.002-05:00

(driving in car, temp was a balmy 40 today)

Max: "Mom! Can we roll down the window?!"
Me: "You bet. Just let me know if you feel cold."
Max: Making all types of shooting noises. "Pchew, pchew, t-t-t-t-t-t-, pchew, pchew" (how he knows the sounds of machine guns still baffles me, but then I just remind myself that he's a boy).
Me: "Hey bud, what are you shooting at?"
Max: "The snow. So it can melt faster. I think it's totally working."
Me: "Shoot away, bud, shoot away."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T20:09:00.005-05:00

Max was sure his trap, complete with attention-drawing 3D "toys" was going to work this year, but alas, that little leprechaun got away again. He managed to leave some funny messes around the house, and a few treats for the kiddos.

The kids had fun decorating some lucky clovers and wearing SHORT SLEEVES (wahoo!)!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

At night

2011-03-17T20:04:00.005-05:00

Had to post this recent shot after I cut her hair one night. She had just finished that head flip and was happy to show off her new look.Max stepped away from chasing the bad guys on his horse in just enough time to jump in on the action.

Grandma

2011-03-17T17:06:00.001-05:00

My mom made a daring choice to head north recently to spend some time with her grand kids. Prior to her arrival, I mentioned she would definitely find the temperatures chilling and should plan to dress a bit warmer. I don't think she believed me. Her first request was to go shopping for some long sleeved sweaters! Mike and I chuckled every time she commented on the cold (temps were in the teens, and twenties while she was in town), because those temps felt a bit refreshing compared to the "real cold" we had in earlier months! Funny how weather can be so relative to what you are familiar with. The visit was a fun excuse to do some out-of-the-usual-routine activities.

While she was here, Max's preschool had an art show and winter song fest. They sang a few winter themed tunes, and then headed over to their exhibit to show off some of their recent art projects. The kids had been asked to make their own type of snowman for the show. It was fun to see the different types of snowman the kids made - from snow-princesses, to snow-dogs, to snow-astronaut. Max chose a snow-robot. Also on display was a clay animal. Each child chose an animal they wanted to create out of clay. Dogs, horses, and giraffes seemed to be the most popular. What did Max pick? A moose. Definitely original. Another fun art project they did was the big yellow fish. The teacher brought an actual fish (from a kind ice-fisherman), the kids painted it, and then pressed paper to the fish to capture the texture and shape of the fish. I hadn't heard of that before. Seemed pretty creative. And a bit stinky.We took her to the Children's Museum. The kids had fun showing her their favorite spots at the museum, and it was fun to check out the new interactive Lego exhibit.

You can't have a winter visit to Minnesota and not go to the Mall of America! This time we checked out the aquarium. Max took his camera and loved taking pics of everything (posting his pics is on the to-do list). Alexis was a bit scared with the sharks (I can only imagine how huge they seemed from her perspective!), but finally warmed up a bit (we have a cute video, but I have yet to figure out how to upload it correctly. Another one on the to-do list).

From the aquarium, we headed over for our second Lego experience - the new Lego Land store that was recently remodeled. It is a pretty fun place to see - there are some places for the kids to build, and the Lego creations they have are so big! It is hard to imagine someone having the patience to actually assemble it. Max has a definite interest in building and using his imagination with his creations - and Legos seem to be a natural fit. Grandma was so sweet to let them pick something out - a gift they have used countless times since going!
In addition to the sightseeing, my mom helped me with some projects at home. I accomplished my first ever sewing project thanks to her guidance, and while I won't be tackling complicated patterns at this point, knowing and having the capability to do some mends and small projects here and there will be fantastic.

She joined me at the gym and while I was teaching, she headed to the pool to try out some water fitness and may have found a new hobby! She spent some one on one time with each of the kids, went to the library and spoiled them with plenty of ice cream.

And, she was a great babysitter. Mike and I were able to get out as a couple and enjoy some grown up time. Cross country skiing, a visit to the temple, dinner with friends, catching up on random errands, we even caught a movie. Knowing that those opportunities don't come by with the blink of an eye make them so much more appreciated.

Thanks for the fun trip mom!

Bear

2011-03-10T18:44:00.002-06:00

Max's preschool has a few different bags that each child has a turn to take home sometime during the school year. There's the star bag, where each child fills out a poster with some of their favorite things, adds some photos, and gets to be the line leader for the day. There is the prayer pocket, where a child draws about a special prayer or thought they have. Then there is the Bear bag.

It's a small bear that loves adventures with each child. Inside the bag, he brings a binder that contains pages and pictures of every adventure.

Super cute for the kids to build commonalities. Super fun for the kids to take turns being in charge of something. Super fun for them to document different adventures.

Super fun for me to think about all of the germs this little bear is bringing with him. Super fun that this bag ran alphabetically through preschool, making us the tail end of the line.

"Mom, he gets to sleep with me!" Max exclaims on his first night home.

"Yea!" I say, as my mind immediately develops a master story that we need to build Bear his own bed so he can get in and out at night if he needs to use the bathroom. In all honesty, it just grosses me out thinking every kid has already snuggled and drooled over the little bear.

Fine. Call me paranoid. I avoid buffets because the thought of open food to everyone in the restaurant grosses me out. I love to cue members to wipe their bikes at the end of class. My first thought upon entering any enclosed kid-play facility is "how often does this place get disinfected?" I carry hand sanitizer in my car, in my bag, and know where every wall dispenser is at every "regular" place we go to.

Do my kids still get sick? You betcha. Because kids are kids. And they will do their darnedest to lick their hands, each other, or however else they manage to spread germs from one to another like wildfire.

Do I avoid living? Nope. I think kids should get exposed to germs. I really do think it makes them stronger. And I had great luck with this philosophy until we moved to a new state where other mothers have me almost convinced that we are getting so sick so often because the germs are different than what we are used to.

Either way, I had thoughts of accidentally leaving Bear at an undisclosed location until just before it was time to take him back to preschool. I considered washing him in the washing machine, but then worried Max would have to explain to all of the kids why Bear just didn't look the same.

I settled with wiping him down with a disinfectant wipe, and moved on.

Because, sometimes that's just what you need to do as a parent. Move on, and let your little people experience life.

We read him stories, took him on trips, buckled him in his own seat belt. Kermit even joined in on the fun. And took pics to document.

A month of love

2011-02-22T20:03:00.008-06:00

Mike took me on the best Valentine's Date ever. Yes, we actually got a babysitter and left the house on a date. And yes, we actually went on Valentine's-weekend. I know some of you who think "best date" start thinking about a cool concert or night at the theater, a fabulous restaurant, or a night out dancing, complete with chocolate and roses. That's all great. But then you wouldn't be thinking of Mike (or me for that matter).

He did much better.

He took me cross country skiing.

"What?!"

"Who calls spending 2 hours out in the cold a date?
Who calls learning a new sport (which means you'll look ridiculous trying to figure out the coordination of it all) an awesome date?"

I do. And, yes, I do.

We grew up where the state slogan is "Greatest Snow on Earth." We've had our share of snow days. We've "bundled up" when we thought it was cold outside. We've definitely enjoyed the warmth of a fireplace on a cold night.

But then we moved to Minnesota. And, now, we're learning what a real winter is like. Blizzards? Check. Sub-zero temperatures for an extended period of time? Check. Arctic wind chill? Check. Learning that you NEVER leave the house (or let the kids leave the house) without boots, coat, gloves, and hat? Check.

And even with all of the elements, Mike was spending his free time outside. For fun.

I have to admit. I was a tad curious.

He must have caught my curiosity. Or, maybe he noticed that I felt a bit like a caged animal, having not spent time outdoors during the whole month of January. Granted, I went places indoors and had fun, but my extended period of time outside consisted of transport from the garage to the parking lot to the location I was headed and back. Or shoveling, but that's just not on the top of anyone's "fun" list.

And, it was a beautiful day to ski. The mid-20 degree temperature couldn't have been better (I actually got HOT!). The beautiful sun was shining, and we did an awesome trail at Lake Elmo Park Reserve, only a short 10 minute drive from our pad.

And then I fell in love.

With winter.

Oh, and I was reminded how awesome my hubby is. I fell in love with him all over again. (Sorry, I couldn't resist sounding like a cheesy jewelry commercial).

Seriously though, thanks Mike. For showing me the beauty of a Minnesota winter. For getting me out of my comfort zone and teaching me something new. For being patient with how slow we must have been going. And, for giving me the chance to enjoy some big kid time, complete with uninterrupted adult conversation as we stopped and enjoyed the scenery.

Then it was over. The very next day, the "winter thaw" came. While part of me was happy to see grass for the first time since November, a bigger part of me was actually bummed. Every day spent in the 40s meant that we'd have that much less snow to ski on. And, a whole week in the 40s meant that I had missed out on the rest of the ski season.

So, I moved on. "There is always next year." I said. And was satisfied to enjoy the warmth. Max rode his bike, I ran errands without a jacket, and Alexis stopped saying "cold!" every time we went outside. Kermit started walking all over the backyard again to find his perfect spot to poop. We were ready to dig out the swimsuits.

But then Sunday came. And boom! Just like that, we were reminded that winter is definitely not over.

Blizzard #2. Snowed in? Check. Church canceled? Check (actually everyone was sent home early, but close enough). Mike leaving the house at 4am to make it to the airport in time for his 7 am flight? Check (thank goodness the snow plows cleared our road in time! FYI - typical travel time to the airport is about 30 minutes).

I'm trying my best to sympathize for the sick-of-winter folks. I hear ya. I'm ready to head to the outside pool as much as the next person. But inside, I'm just giddy with excitement that I have more time to ski.

Love the chapter you're in. Enjoy every breath. Sometimes it's the only thing you know for sure.

Oops. Now I'm starting to sound like I'm teaching a yoga class.

But, you get the picture. Can't beat it? Join it!

A couple pics of Max helping me shovel yesterday. He's the blob on top of the snow pile.
p.s. I'll try to get pics of the places we ski. It's Mike's assignment since I'm still trying to figure out the coordination of one foot and pole in front of the other.

A unique zoo trip

2011-02-20T20:17:00.005-06:00

We love the Minnesota Zoo. I feel like I couldn't post enough about it. I love the layout and opportunity you have to go any time of year. I love the variety of animals they have - most are very different from the traditional zoo. I love the size of the exhibits - I rarely feel "crowded" with all of the other moms in strollers. The mom-nerd in me really loves that my kids are learning the whole time they are there. We have a different experience every time we go. The most recent was definitely unique.

We partnered up with our neighbors who have little people the same age as my kiddos (so fun!), and headed on a trip to the zoo. Max's little buddy brought with him a field journal (notebook) so he could make notes (random drawings) of the different zoo animals on their visit. Max was content with his copy of the zoo map to track the places we went that day.

On our walk through the tropics, we headed to the gibbon exhibit - a large tropical area for two gibbons, a ton of ducks and a bunch of flamingos. The space is large enough for a few ponds, tall "trees" and a whole bunch of rocks and live shrubs throughout the exhibit. The walkway is built about half the height of the trees, so you can easily look up or down.

Max and his buddy were checking out the gibbons as I'm showing Alexis the cute sleeping otters in another exhibit on the other side of the walkway. I am startled and sent into a panic when I hear my son screaming at the top of his lungs. The mom in me goes into the "protect her own" mode and I had immediate images that I'd be jumping into the exhibit to rescue him, or to assist with some other life-threatening need.

I turn around to see Max standing next to his buddy (immediate sigh of relief that neither one fell in), completely hysterical.

Between sobs, I learn that his buddy (not Max), had dropped the crayon into the exhibit. Between more sobs, I learn that Max is deeply concerned that he will now witness the death of an animal because they will eat the crayon. He is so concerned (and hysterical) that anything I say or do is pointless. My mind is immediately brought back to a couple summers ago when he experienced an extreme fear of wind. All things rational were thrown out the door as he'd panic that everything he held near and dear to him would be blown away, never to return.

Distraction. We tried it. Deep breaths. We tried it. Calming voice of reason. Tried it. All Max could tell me between sobs, was "find a zookeeper!" and then concern for how the zookeeper would enter the exhibit. "Can they get a ladder in time?" he screamed from the top of his lungs (thinking they'd need a ladder to enter the exhibit from the walkway we were at).

Knowing just ahead we would run into some volunteers at the diving demonstration, I convinced him we should walk over there, tell someone, and that a Zookeeper would know just what to do.

Still hysterical and sobbing, we manage to get him to the next place, where (thankfully), there were volunteers. We explain the crayon incident while Max is holding back his sobs, but red faced and worried, still trying to catch his breath.

Funny enough, the volunteers tell us that a Zookeeper is in the exact place at that very moment, searching for a pair of red sunglasses someone else had just dropped in. They said we could head back, and show the Zookeeper where we dropped it.

A boy on a mission, he walked/ran back there as fast as he could. We followed behind as best we could, though not quickly enough as I hear max yelling "where is the ladder?" "how will the zookeeper get back out?" Now panicked that the Zookeeper is stuck inside the exhibit as well. Good thing it was easy to show him the secret Zookeeper door.

I signaled to the Zookeeper (who had just found the sunglasses) to now check for the orange crayon.

At this point, my somewhat calm Max was going back into a state of panic as he could no longer see the crayon. Again, convinced that an animal had taken it, eaten it and was now on the brink of death. "Are they chewing it?" he cries. "I can't see their mouths!" (A true statement, since I should mention the gibbons had been in the top branches of the trees, swinging and sunbathing the entire time. The ducks and flamingos were also at opposite ends of the exhibit).

Again, I do my best to convince Max that the Zookeeper is doing her best and the crayon had not been eaten. "You're not a zookeeper!" was his only reply. True, Max. Although sometimes I think the role we take as "mom" is very similar to "zookeeper" but that's a whole different post.

The Zookeeper lifts up rocks, peeks between shrubs, and has no luck locating the crayon. "Probably stuck between one of these bigger rocks." she says. Probably. Although it's my personal opinion that one of the ducks snagged it and stowed it away for coloring time with a flamingo friend.

Max, calming his sobs only to listen to the Zookeeper explain how the animals see foreign objects all the time and are trained to avoid putting them into their mouths. She explains how even though they don't see the crayon right now, they will find it, and assures him the animals are safe.

Deep breaths. Starting to work. Calming reassurance. Again starting to work. Diversion to the sharks. Definitely works. He runs off with his buddy, still red faced, but convinced that death will not come from the crayon. I decide this is not a good time to remind him that he has eaten crayon and is also still alive, as he might rebound back into panic.

And, while part of me wonders what all of the moms were thinking during the fiasco, the bigger part of me is grateful for the experience this little guy gave me. He was so quick to show his honest soul (not hiding from us the crayon had been dropped) and his deep empathy and concern for others (in this case the animals). I think as adults we have so much to learn from little people. Their hearts and emotions are so open and pure, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be their mom. It's a pretty sweet gig.

Note: All pics below were taken prior to the above experience, which forced the camera into the bottom of the stroller.
Max and his buddy love this exhibit - the komodo dragon!

Here's what the gibbon was doing (definitely on the verge of eating the crayon!)

Little Sister

2011-02-20T20:12:00.003-06:00

There are certain things Max uses that Alexis will just eye longingly at. As if her mind is dreaming of the time that she too can do exactly what he's doing. The other day I was getting dinner ready and heard her in the office. Looks like she was determined to speed up the process a bit, and figure things out for herself.

Trying to plug it in.

Satisfied with the connection, and working hard.

Post computer time. Couldn't be a happier little girl!!

A Fish

2011-02-20T20:11:00.003-06:00

Can you tell by this face how much this kid loves swimming?

Curlers

2011-02-20T19:59:00.003-06:00

It's fun to open the mailbox on occassion and see a surprise care package. My mom and sister sent a cute "winter day" package to us, and foam curlers were one of the goodies inside. I have so many memories of sitting with wet hair at night while my mom rolled it into curlers, and then waking up the next morning with a head of curls.

Surprisingly, Alexis knew just what to do with them, and couldn't wait to have what she called "princess hair." She sat so still while I put them all in, and after running around the house for a bit, was a great model. Such a cutie.

The Bike

2011-02-20T19:27:00.004-06:00

Around the first week of February we had a warm day - and Max couldn't WAIT to get home from preschool so he could go for a ride on his bike from Santa. Since there was still a lot of snow on the streets near us, and since it was a school day (we couldn't head over to the school parking lots), we headed to the good ol' church parking lot. He had a permanent smile the entire time.

While I'd initially planned to let Alexis ride around on the the little "bike" that she has, she was much more interested with sitting in the back of the car, munching on snacks, and running around the parking lot trying to chase Max. I got caught up chasing her around the parking lot and forgot to take pics, but she was a good sport!

Pockets & Pretend

2011-02-06T19:35:00.006-06:00

Showing off her recent discovery of pockets. Loves having her hair done. Regularly specifies between one piggy or two. It's fun that she actually has enough hair now to somewhat style.
The look I rarely capture on camera, but it's the "I'm about to make my next story come to life." This kid has such an active imagination, it's a joy to listen to the stories he comes up with!

Experiment

2011-02-04T13:23:00.002-06:00

What do you do when it's super cold? Well, we had some fun experimenting. This one we did one morning when the temp was -18 (brrrr!!). Another fun one in well below 0 temps is to blow bubbles (not captured on film). The bubbles freeze and either sit on the snow looking like glass, or if the temp is just right, they fog up slightly and turn into what Max called a "tissue paper" bubble (slightly opaque, and then they begin to deflate).

It has arrived

2011-01-20T20:29:00.002-06:00

Well, it has arrived. "What?" you might ask. The notorious Minnesota cold. The one everyone talks about. Driving home from a youth church activity last night, my car temp read -1. Unfortunately, it doesn't factor in the arctic wind that's dropping down over us, and that freezes those nose hairs once you step outside.

I know. While reading this post, relishing in those balmy temps, you are so jealous.

I have to admit, the cold is invigorating. Feeling tired? Take a step outside to burst some life into your bones. Just don't stay out too long, or the bones will freeze.

So what do people do when it is so cold? Well, I bundle up, I bundle the kids up and life keeps going. We still do all of the usual things. Took the kids swimming on Monday, went to the Zoo on Tuesday, preschool on Wednesday, and taught my class at the gym today. One thing that impressed me so much when we decided to move out here was just that. Life goes on. There is a great infrastructure of indoor things to go and do. And thanks to some kind grandparents and some savings, things like a year membership to some of those places are doable for us.

The Minnesota Zoo is a four season zoo. Different from the traditional zoo, the animals that are outside are indigenous to surviving and living outside. The "tropical" animals spend their time indoors year round. Right now, we're taking advantage of the indoor buildings available, and at some of the enclosed-but-outdoor exhibits. A favorite is called the Minnesota trail. People view from inside, but all of the animals are outside. And, all of the animals in this section are native to Minnesota. It's really fun to see the porcupine, wolverine, wolves and coyotes up close and see how they adapt and survive outdoors.

What do the kids think of the cold? Well, they definitely think it's cold. Our conversation from the parking lot to the indoor zoo building, went a bit like this:

Max: "Mom, I can feel the cold through my pants!"
Me: "I know, but the more you move the warmer you feel."
Max: successfully now running around. "My legs feel better. But, my eyeballs are going to freeze off!"

Another favorite is the Children's Museum. Probably a favorite because 1) there is a lot of variety in the exhibits 2) it's a great way to expend energy from crazy redheads while indoors 3) I can go from my garage to the inside of the museum without ever touching a foot outdoors, thanks to the lovely invention of a sky walk.

And, with the temps dropping sub zero, there are a whole bunch of opportunities for unique science experiments. Tom, a retired grandpa who's a regular in my cycle class, has been so kind to tell me of a few fun outdoor cold experiments to try with the kids. I'll (hopefully) let you know how they go.

What does Mike think of the cold? While the rest of us are looking for everything possible to do inside, Mike has found a way to keep his fitness outdoors. Cross country skiing. Someday he'll take his camera to show pics of the areas he skis in (and then actually post about it). But, he's one of the few people I know that can enjoy the cold enough to come home and talk about the beauty of the sunrise (or sunset), instead of complaining about the temps. He says the full body movements warm him right up, and he regularly feels overdressed. I've yet to try it - for now, I think I'll stick to the teaching-in-a-temperature-controlled-fitness studio.

So, if you were one of the many that commented "you're moving to Minnesota? It's so cold up there?" You are right (although we knew that one coming in). But, there are beautiful blue, sunny skies, the moon's reflection on the snow is as brilliant as it can get, and as a Minnesotan would say, "the cold keeps the riff-raff out."

For me, I'll just keep taking it all in. One breath at a time. And, just feel a bit tougher in the process.

One of the sky walks we take to the Museum.
A karaoke section complete with toy rock-band instruments.

Max's favorite section. A big construction site.
Alexis doesn't hesitate to jump in the construction action.

One spot in the water exhibit. The kids were running boat races.
Max building a skyscraper.

Alexis, caught in the moment of actually sitting, inside the light exhibit. The stuff on their faces is from a do-it-yourself face painting area (I promise, they didn't get into my make up!).

Max driving the bus.

Alexis, a super wiggly passenger. They put a tv screen up to the window and show a bus route from St. Paul to MPLS, complete with actual photos. Too funny.

At Home

2011-01-06T13:20:00.008-06:00

New Years Day I was cleaning up breakfast and looked over to see them snuggled on the couch. Then they saw me (and the camera) and started to pop up. I feel lucky I at least got a pic before they jumped off. Too cute.
A hunting expedition.

A perfect fit.

Christmas

2010-12-26T17:05:00.002-06:00

We officially spent our first Christmas in Minnesota, and successfully broke the record for the snowiest December on record. We'll take some more pics to post - although I don't think the snow will be going anywhere anytime soon!

I'm sure the neighbors think we're a bit odd if they saw Mike walking around outside, with no coat, while holding a laptop, showing the grandparents the snow via skype. Technology is amazing.

Max and Mike went sledding Christmas Eve day (while little girl had her nap and I cooked my first turkey dinner), and then we caught up with everyone on skype that evening, and managed to recreate the Joseph/Mary nativity thanks to some bathrobes, a baby and crib.

Christmas was a wonderful time to reflect on Christ, our many blessings, and the love and support from our families. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful day, and hope yours was merry as well!

Listening to Mike read them the nativity story.
Testing out the cookies before leaving some out for Santa.

A piece of history

2010-12-26T16:17:00.007-06:00

My parents picked this up up many moons ago - before they even had kiddos on a trip to Germany. I don't know if they ever thought, "oh our red-headed-light-skinned-grandson of a 1/4 German dad would love to dress up in these!" But, it's worked out great - showing Max a piece of history has been fun.

I snagged the rocking chair from my parents storage before we moved up here - and it's a piece of history too, as it's been in my mom's family for many years.

Had to share the pics.

Two for Two

2010-12-22T20:54:00.004-06:00

Alexis had the big T.W.O. I can't believe it's gone by so quickly. She's the sweetest little thing (barely at 23 lbs!) who loves to talk your ear off. I can't believe how many words she says. Definitely a self-starter, independent (especially when it involves food!) and a goof. It's been so fun seeing her personality pop out this past year. Aware and active like her brother, but with a softer edge that makes her such a sweetheart. Loves everything girl, but will jump in and play cars and sword fights with the boys. A coordinated little thing - dances anytime she hears music, has a great throw and three-legged downward-facing dog. Already has dad wrapped around her finger, and can pretty much get anything she wants from him.

Two for two on the bday party. Another one canceled because of sickness (and a good thing as little man ended up with tonsillitis - would hate to have spread that one to the neighbors pre-Christmas!).

Still managed to make her some cupcakes, sing and have a fun time. She was as happy as could be.
Bundled up and so excited to be the shoveling helper. What? You guys had more snow? You betcha. Just a few inches away from the snowiest December ever recorded, and with 1.5 weeks left and snow in the forecast, we just might make it.

Santa's Lap

2010-12-22T20:46:00.004-06:00

Max: "Hey mom, his eyebrows don't look like Santa eyebrows."

Mom: "Oh yeah, maybe Santa had to send one of his helpers - he's so busy this time of year."

Whoops. I guess we should screen the Santa before we sign up for another "breakfast with Santa." Other than the eyebrows, it was actually a lot of fun. Successfully wore kiddos out in an indoor activity.

How did Alexis enjoy it? Pancakes and games were a hit. But, this is as close as she came to Santa's lap.

For the Grandparents

2010-12-22T20:32:00.002-06:00

Only because you guys wanted to see it. Jumbled clips of the program (the last song is a jazzy version of Joy to the World). Jeez, who was the crappy videographer? Oh wait, that was me. Next time I should probably try looking through the camera while filming. I think "capturing better video of kids" will be on the new years resolution list.

Christmas Program

2010-12-22T19:59:00.004-06:00

Max sported his costume well in his preschool Christmas Around the World program. How was it? Darling.

The Mary and Joseph could not have been cast better - they maintained a perfect stance, looked straight forward, and held a serious face the entire program.

They were right on with Max's role as an "Australian World Angel" - in the front, big flashy costume, with a speaking part. He did awesome.

Songs were super cute. Kids were super cute. Something so cute about a bunch of 4 year olds in costume and on stage for 20 or so minutes. I'll definitely be storing this one in the memory for years to come.

Visiting Christmas in Mexico, while singing Feliz Navidad.

The Top Five

2010-12-12T14:00:00.000-06:00

I stopped at the grocery store with the kids for a quick trip on Friday afternoon, and felt like I'd entered a movie set for one of those end-of-days apocalypse movies. Every isle was packed, every check-out line was open and four carts deep, and by the time I walked out, the parking lot was almost completely full.

I shop my grocery sales as good as the next person, and I knew the crowds weren't there for any sales. On our drive home, I looked around and noticed that ALL the stores were packed. I went to the gas station, and had to wait in line for gas.

So, I did what any wife would do who spends most of her day absorbed in her little people's lives - which usually means hearing the news in small blips, reading a main headline online, or peeling her eyes open to watch the end-of-the-evening news - I called my hubby.

Did I know a storm was coming? You betcha.
Did I know that the news stations had released an announcement that everyone should do any type of errand that Friday afternoon in preparation for the big storm? Nope.
Did part of me think "oh, a storm warning, we'll see how much this one actually delivers."

Maybe it's because I'm from Utah, that I've felt a bit of distrust in the weathermen. If you've lived there, you know what I mean. While I'd put no fault on them directly, I just think that weather is very hard to predict, and I can think of countless times those Utah weathermen would announce a "big storm is coming!" only to get a couple of inches. And then we'd have plenty of mornings where nothing had been mentioned and we'd wake up and see snow had dumped (see this post for example).

But, in my six months of being in the Midwest, I've noticed how completely different the weather is here - to a point where you really need to be on guard and have the knowledge base of what is happening to those clouds in the sky - no matter what time of year.

So, I expected a storm. Just not one of the top 5 storms in the Twin Cities history of recording weather.

In short, we've been snowed in. Literally.

As predicted, the storm entered strong Friday night and lasted through last night. Everything across the state has been canceled (yep, even church). The blizzard was so intense and the snow drifts were so bad yesterday, that snow plows were even taken off of the roads because it was too dangerous. We went to sleep last night looking outside and, because of the snow drifts, saw no difference in elevation between our front yard, the driveway and the street.

Then the winds picked up and temps dropped. As I'm typing this post, we have a lovely high of 2, with a wind chill of -20.

So, what do you do when you're stuck in a house for two days? Well, Mike and Max have done a lot of shoveling! Pulling out all of the crafts, games, books and movies has been fun too.

I have to say, it's a bit nice having nowhere to go. Is is cold? You betcha. Here's an pic from the inside of our front door knob. Completely glazed over with ice.

But I honestly can't say that I hate it. Call us crazy, but surviving and adapting to some extreme weather here and there only adds character.

Some pics of the storm yesterday:

Last night I thought our windows looked like a winter wonderland Christmas card!

And, some pics from today:

Stay warm!!

Alexis

2010-12-12T13:53:00.000-06:00

My self-designated cleaner hard at work. This time she found her baby wipes and made the chest shine.

And, showing off her cute coat I found for a steal. The outfit, combined with the seahorse, officially makes her more in fashion than me.

Mini Vacation

2010-12-07T20:02:00.009-06:00

Mike and I surprised the kids with a mini-vacation to the Water Park Of America over the Thanksgiving holiday. Keeping the surprise from Alexis was pretty easy, and it was a lot of fun with Max. We told him about a week before that there was a surprise coming, and then would give generic hints about it. It was hilarious to see his mind try to figure it out, to try to convince Mike to tell him what it was (as long as he didn't tell mom), and to try to get us to give him more hints.

But, we kept it a surprise and it was so fun to see the look on his face when we walked into the hotel and saw the water park. It's located next to the Mall of America, so we zipped over there for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.

We haven't frequented the MOA, and I have to say I'm still pretty shocked with how big that place really is. Dinner was great. I think Max had the most fun trying to name all of the animals and types of fish that he saw. Alexis loved finding all of the butterflies.

We woke up the next morning and headed into the water park. The temp outside that day was in the high teens, so it was fun to have a day in swimsuits. Mike and I kind of laughed because we'd remembered watching the Amazing Race and commenting on how funny it was that Dubai has a facility for people to go indoor skiing during the summer, but then there we were doing the exact opposite in Minnesota (on a smaller scale than Dubai, of course!). I guess indoor water parks are fairly popular around the mid west. We've heard locals talk about some in Wisconsin and other areas as well.

Lots of slides and variety of water features for all ages of kids. I was happy there were things for little Alexis to do, slides for Max to enjoy, and even some big-kid/adult tube slides that were cool.

Max's favorite? One of the two-person slides on an inner tube. Between Mike and I taking him, he probably went down it 20 times! He's a fish, and probably would have gone hours longer than we could have!

Alexis' favorite? Sitting with me or Mike on the lazy river that wraps around the outer edge of the water park. She loved the sightseeing, and I was happy to float on the river and enjoy her being in one place for a bit! She even did a couple of the smaller water slides - definitely a much more timid personality than Max, but was still pretty brave!

Kermit's favorite? I know you're all wondering how Kermit fit into this picture. He had a lovely overnight stay boarding at the local vet's. Not the free gig that we had back in Utah, but it works!

Super fun mini-vacation with a travel time under 30 minutes from home. Sometimes it's really nice to get away without all of the stress of getting away. Definitely will go back to this one again!

AND - Thanks Mike for suggesting this one! It's been so nice having a hubby who has really checked things out around here - either through word of mouth or from his regular map studying he's my go to person with figuring out all kinds of places to go to (whether on his bike or, now that it's cold, to drive)!

Pics from dinner:

At the restaurant entrance, there was this little mechanical crocodile that would pop out of the water. The kids were so funny about it - we wanted them to sit on the ledge on either side of me, but they were freaked out that the croc would come and bite their bum. So, the pic is of Alexis running back toward Mike and Max looking like he's ready to bolt any second. To their credit, it was covered with some fog, and did look pretty realistic. ;)

The kids ready to get in. Fun room idea - the balcony faces into the water park.

A somewhat crappy shot of me trying to take a photo of a portion of the park. If you're interested in park pics, click on the link at the top.

Haircut #1

2010-12-07T14:48:00.004-06:00

Seriously. Minus a one-time bang trim, this girl has had nothing done to that head since she was born. The flyaway-borderline-mullet-losing-the-curls-stage had come to a peak, and she was ready for an actual haircut.

I thought she'd be excited to go in and be a big kid, but as soon as she sat in the chair, she pulled a huge pout and stared at herself in the mirror and cried. It was a pretty funny because she was so sad, but did nothing to move out of the chair, and didn't try to turn away from the mirror. Maybe she feared what so many women fear when they are going to a new hair stylist for the first time - "will they ruin my hair?"

Halfway through she warmed up and saw it wasn't so bad. Then she started pulling faces in the mirror. Too cute.

I got her home and the rest of the night, she kept touching her hair to make sure it was fixed just right. What a girl.

Easy Entertainment

2010-12-07T14:40:00.002-06:00

For whatever reason, Alexis was fascinated with lying on the step one afternoon. We'd be playing, I'd notice she was gone, and every time she was lying on the step, giggling. I couldn't ever figure out the excitement, but I think she was trying to see if she could get Max to follow her. He's a good sport.