Get Well Soon!

Tonight the Peanuts are thinking of Papa Peanut, and Great-Papa Danny, both of whom are feeling far from their best.

Miss wishes that she could use her considerable medical skill to give both of you a check-up. Master just sends his wishes for a speedy recovery.



We're praying that you are both better *very* soon. We love you!

Today We Are Thankful For . . .

1. Return address labels. I have refused to order these over the course of the past five years, because all of our living situations were so very temporary. I resolved to order them only when we found ourselves in a permanent living situation. Now that we have purchased the house, I carefully chose the labels that I wanted and ordered them with glee. They arrived a couple of days ago and are oh-so-super. Just wait until you receive a letter from me, and check out the upper left corner of the envelope!

2. Return address labels for Miss. For her own very special correspondence.

3. A beautiful, blustery day. Fall is in the air, but the chill hasn't quite come on yet. We are expecting that over the next few days.

4. Homemade applesauce and pumpkin bread, both of which I have made during the past week. Smells fall-o-licious in our house.

5. Miss's ability to take delight in the simple things. She entertains herself during "quiet time" by pretending that she's talking to the Veggie Tales characters. She was thrilled beyond belief by her "souvenir" from the Twins' game earlier this week -- her ticket stub.



6. Master's newfound habit of laughing to himself. He will be sitting and playing alone, and will just begin to laugh a great big belly laugh. Apparently something is going through his mind that is quite hilarious, and it is hilarious for us to watch.

7. Bath time. Both kiddos love it. They happily splash around and play together, and there is nothing like how sweet they are when the are all clean, smelling of soap, and wrapped in warm towels.




8. The Minnesota DMV. We *finally* took our drivers license tests this week, and were expecting the worst from the DMV office. We were very pleasantly surprised to find a clean, uncrowded, efficient office in a beautiful building. There was even a kid's play area, with a great big bus for the kids to climb on. You betcha!

9. The articles I've read about the planned Minneapolis city-wide wireless internet system that should be operational next year. Reportedly, all city residents will have access to wireless for $20 per month. Yay!

10. Our neighborhood. We are loving our walks around this area. We have strolled around Lake Nokomis, admired the Minnehaha waterfall, and played at the neighborhood playground this week. All without going more than a mile or so from our house. We feel very fortunate to have so much beauty right at our doorstep.

Family Nature Hike

Today we celebrated Daddy Peanut's day off with a hike along Minnehaha creek and falls. It was a beautiful morning, and there is a strong sense around here that these mornings will be hard to come by in the months ahead. So, we grabbed the littles and drove 1.5 minutes to the creek and set out on a wonderful wooded path that runs along the edge of the water.

Miss was allowed to walk, and had a wonderful time looking at flowers, plants, rocks, and the squishy mud next to the creek bank. She developed a fascination with moss on this trip, and was on the lookout for it as we marched along.

"Oooooo! There's some! There's some! Mommy, come feel the MOSS!! It's fuzzy!!"

Master enjoyed riding in the baby backpack, and we realized that this may be one of the last times he uses this mode of transport. They boy is *heavy* these days, and he is walking like a pro, now. Soon, he'll be toddling along behind his sister and will be able to touch the exciting moss for himself.

Here are some pictures from our day. Notice the state of Miss's pants in the last photo. Ah, well. We must sacrifice cleanliness for the pursuit of scientific exploration.

I Apologize in Advance

I've never had a job that was quite this boring, but I have had a few boring ones, and a couple that involved cubicles.

The worst job ever, though, was that of ride operator at Knott's Berry Farm. Girl Scout type uniform with red knee-high socks. Children throwing up on rides and proving that they weren't *quite* finished with the potty training. I would probably have a lot more sympathy for those littles now, but I was seventeen and *far* from motherhood at the time.

Second-worst job was that of Public Safety dispatcher for the City of Norwalk.

"Station One to Adam One."

"Go Ahead."

"We have someone parked on their lawn at 12XXX Lyndale Ave. Please Respond."

"10-4."

Ah, the glamorous life of law enforcement. Every day was like an episode of Alias.

Reliving these memories makes me oh-so-happy to be pursuing a much higher calling these days. *Grin*

Remembering

It was strange, today, to be remembering September 11th, 2001, while going about my daily routine with two children who weren't even born on that day. I knew of the anniversary and it's importance, but avoided all forms of news in order to shield the littles from any disturbing discussions or images.

I thought back to what was happening in our lives on this day in 2001. We were just getting settled into seminary in Chicago. I was worried about a new job that wasn't going so well, and Mr. was loving the life of a full-time student. We had only been married for a year and a half. I had to work all day while listening to reports of what was happening on the radio. Mr.'s classes were canceled, and a special chapel was convened for students and faculty. He spent a good deal of time that day watching news coverage on television. I didn't see any images until I arrived home from work that evening. It was all so frightening and surreal.

So much has changed in our lives over the past five years. The biggest changes came in the form of our little peanuts. I realized, looking at them today, that it won't be long before the innocence they now possess regarding world events is gone. Soon, I won't be able to keep information about terrorists and wars away from their little eyes and ears.

But, for now, they are a blessed reminder of what it is like to exist without such knowledge. The biggest tragedy in Miss's life today came in the form of me saying that we had to put an end to our singing and dancing in the basement in order to get ready for bed. I'm glad that there is, at least, a little while when life is like that.

Here are the Peanuts, taken today on the basement stairs:

Overheard Today

Miss: Daddy, do you have a sore throat? Oh, honey, do your ears hurt?

Daddy: Sure, sweetie. Why don't you give me a check-up?

Miss: OK, honey. You just lie down. Now, you have an ear infection, and I'm going to give you some medicine called *antibiotics*. You should only take it when a grown-up gives it to you.

Daddy: (laughing) OK, I see.

Gotta love that Elmo Goes to The Doctor video. We checked it out of the library and watched it three times a few weeks ago. It has dominated the pretend-play time in our house ever since.

She looks in our ears, examines our vision, administers shots, and hands out imaginary lollipops as rewards. Mr. Peanut has come to especially enjoy playing this game, because she gives him a pillow, tells him to lie down, covers him with blankets and gives him a stuffed animal to hold. Rather relaxing, actually.



We're having a cool snap here . . . . Fall is most definitely in the air. Miss is looking diligently to see if the leaves are changing colors, and she gasps every time she notices one falling to the ground. It should be a fun time . . . until the raking starts.

Here is Miss, taking a time-out from her duties as staff physician to paint with water:

Another Milestone

For the past 14 months, all of my days have begun in the same manner.

I walk over to Master's crib, pick him up, feeling his little fuzzy head snuggled against my neck. I walk to the couch, locate the receiving blanket, and nurse my little guy.

For the first time in 14 months, my morning did not begin that way today. Master is officially weaned. I am sadder about this transition than I expected to be. When Miss stopped nursing, it seemed very natural. She had been walking for 6 months by the time she was weaned. As she was nursing, her little legs were moving and she was crawling all over me in a bizarre attempt to keep running while still obtaining some mommy-milk. We were both ready for the transition to occur.

Master, on the other hand, has just begun to really walk. He still loves to nurse, and he loves to snuggle with me. He was less than thrilled this morning when I popped him into his high chair and gave him a handful of cereal rather than his customary morning appetizer.

I am planning a short trip at the beginning of next month, and so it seems the right time for our nursing relationship to end. I will miss the built-in snuggle time in our day, though. This change is a true indication that his little-babyhood is behind us. *Sigh*

The fun of watching him walk around the house, flashing those dimples and laughing as he toddles by, almost makes up for the sadness of saying goodbye to something so sweet.

Girl Time

Miss and I have decided that we need a little bit more 'together time'. She has become increasingly frustrated with the constant interruptions of her toddling brother when we attempt to snuggle, read together, or play with her toys.

And so, we are carving out some time in our day to spend alone together. After Master is down for his afternoon nap, she and I are enjoying some mother-daughter time. Today, that consisted of some stellar Mr. Rogers viewing, and the painting of our nails.

She was quite enamored with the process, and was especially excited to learn that this is a girls-only activity. She was sure to remind Daddy of that throughout the rest of the day.

"Daddy, boys don't *ever, ever, ever* paint their toes. Only GIRLS."

It is good to have some quiet, snuggly time with her. I am beginning to realize how important it will be to carve out slices of time to spend with the littles individually. I can see her patience with her brother increasing, as she knows that she has a special appointment with me each day that won't be interrupted.

And, I get to have fun, too. Who can resist a little sweetie who gets so much enjoyment out of toenails painted red?

Soaking Up the Last of Summer

It has been interesting to observe the end-of-summer rituals here in the Twin Cities. Pools are drained, the State Fair comes to an end, and the children all head back to school on the day after Labor Day. There is general mourning regarding the death of summer, and the looming cold of winter. The local newscast ran a story tonight on whether it will be terribly cold this winter, or just *sort of* terribly cold. Suddenly, there is talk of foliage, and the progress of the fall colors along the north shore.

The change of seasons is much more defined here than it was in Southern California, where Labor Day meant going back to school, but it also meant that months of warm weather still lay ahead.

In recognition of the chilly days and nights to come, we have been trying to give the littles a great deal of play time in the new backyard.

Here they are, enjoying the simple pleasures of summer:

Still Here . . .

Papa and Miss at Lake Nokomis (our neighborhood lake)

Please accept my apologies for the lack of blogging over the past week. Since I last wrote, we have been continuing to settle in to the house, and we had a fun-filled visit from Grandma and Papa Peanut.

We had a great time while they were here, and we kept quite busy with a trip to the Minnesota State Fair, a drive out to Stillwater, many walks around the neighborhood, games of 'fetch' in the backyard (Miss's special name for 'catch'), and doing some work around the house. Papa was a huge help with some things we needed done around here. He hung doors, unstuck basement windows, and helped with multitudinous other little tasks.

We are all feeling amazingly comfortable in our new house, considering that we've only been living here for two weeks. The littles have been completely happy with their new room arrangements, and (surprisingly) Miss hasn't inquired once about our old apartment. We are especially loving the convenience of having a back yard. Miss pulled Master all around it in her little wagon yesterday afternoon. Pretty darn cute.

I will be back to writing about our daily adventures, so please check back for updates.

Scenes From A Move

After a long few days, we are officially 'moved in' to our new home. We love it. For the first time, we actually have enough space for everything. The kids love the new digs, and are settling into life here without any anxiety or stress. They are too busy enjoying the stairs to notice that they aren't in the old apartment anymore.

The process of unpacking is still ongoing, though we are almost finished with everything other than our basement library. Because of this stellar progress that we have made, we rewarded ourselves with a bit of fun adventure time today. We worked in the morning, but then took the afternoon to drive around and explore our new neighborhood and the surrounding area. We found some beautiful parks along the Mississippi River that we hadn't yet visited. We enjoyed the lovely scenery, and Miss especially enjoyed the freedom of running as fast as she could down the wooded trails. It was so nice to emerge from the piles of boxes and cardboard for a while.

Here are some pictures from the past few days:

Miss looks out the front window in her new room.

Master enjoys his first breakfast in the house.

Miss enjoys a new bear friend, brought by some wonderful women from our church, who also brought us some super-tasty "hotdish" and "Minnesota-Church-Lady-Tradition-Jello" for supper. Oooo . . . . and a pie!
Master *really* likes being able to look out our door to the outside world.

Miss and Daddy at Crosby Farm Park on the Mississippi.

Photos of the Day

The littles engaging in their favorite activities:

Miss playing games on SesameStreet.com. It scares me to see how good she is with a computer. At three.

Master surveying the contents of our fridge. He is fascinated with the food.

Protective Big Sister

Little Miss has grown increasingly protective of her little brother lately. She grows uncomfortable when people get too close or too interested in him when we are out and about. She moves in slowly, and positions herself between Master and the intruding individual . . . giving the stranger her best "hmmmmph!" accompanied by a look that clearly says "Back. Off."

Tonight, after laying a sleeping Master in his crib, I went to Miss's bed for one last tickle/kiss, as I usually do. She smiled, giggled, and then said (in a very stern tone):

"Mommy. *Don't* wake him up."

When we move to our new house, these two will probably not share a room anymore. There are many practical considerations (especially involving naps) that make separating them a good idea.

But . . . . . .

Having them share a room has been so good for both of them. Master clearly feels comforted by the presence of his sister. Miss has had her first real lesson (at the ripe old age of three) in looking out for someone else before herself. Anyone who knows our little girl knows that she *loves* to talk, sing, dance, and make merry. But she doesn't do those things when Master is sleeping in the room with her, even if she is wide awake. Instead, she quietly looks at her books, and reminds others (including her mother) that we are not to wake him up.

It is sweet to see a bond forming, feelings of love and protectiveness stirring between these two little people. Sure, they'll do their share of fighting as the years go by, but they'll learn from those experiences, too. That's why we have families.

Stressed Peanuts

As Mr.'s two days off for the week come to an end, we are one tired little family. We have been packing. And driving. And shopping. And planning. We returned home from a trip to Ikea today completely exhausted. The kids have had *enough* of riding around in the car, only to arrive at a large retail destination and be greeted with the thrill of riding around in a shopping cart.

Master just about lost his mind in the home organization section this morning. My finely-tuned mothering intuition told me that he was thinking, "NOT ONE MORE RUG OR SHELF OR WHATEVER!! I WANT TO GO HOME. I WANT TO PLAY. I CANNOT ENDURE ONE MORE MOMENT OF THIS INSANITY!"

Miss has a bit more tolerance for our errand-running, but her mood was not helped by slipping and taking a header into the booth at McDonald's, where we stopped for an oh-so-disgustingly unhealthy lunch while out this afternoon. Master was screaming as we searched for sustenance. We were desperate. We felt guilty as we watched the littles ingesting unknown carcinogens.

Mr. and I are faring slightly worse than the children. By the time we returned to the apartment, we both had splitting headaches, and had to take turns laying down to recover. If only we were as resilient as the children, who were immediately energized by the sight of home and their toys. Master crawled, cruised, and toddled around the house in utter glee, while Miss continued her latest fascination with the medical profession by giving check-ups and "shots" to all members of the household (with her McDonald's straw serving as the hypodermic needle).

Thank goodness we move in less than one week. Soon, we can at least settle into going crazy in just one location, rather than maintaining two homes simultaneously.

I am ready to get back to normal. Can you tell?

Ice Cream at Lake Minnetonka (and other things we'll miss)

After dinner this evening we headed down to Lake Minnetonka for some ice cream, and a chance to enjoy the *perfect* 75 degree weather. We have come to really enjoy the beauty of this great big lake, and will miss being so close to it when we move into Minneapolis. Sitting there, watching Miss run around next to the lake shore, I began to think of all of the new things that have come into our lives over the course of the past few months.



Lake Minnetonka.

Our apartment complex, with its wooded path and Miss's favorite playground.

Acquaintances we've made in the building, and friendships that have begun with some of the other moms and children we see frequently.

Pannekoeken -- the local chain that serves Dutch-style pancakes, and where the waitress yells "PANNEKOEKEN!!" as she brings the large, sticky breakfast wonder to your table.

Our driving routes -- 394, 100, 62, 169.

Ridgedale library, and its lovely children's section.

Caribou Coffee.


All of these things have become a small part of our lives, and some of them won't be after we move. I feel sorry for our little Peanuts, as they will have to endure yet another transition so soon after we have settled into this apartment. But I am so glad that this will be the last transition they have to go through for *quite* some time. The best part about buying a house is that it will mean permanence for them.

It will be hard to leave behind some of the things to which we've already become attached while living here. It will be exciting to form new attachments in our neighborhood, and to have the security of knowing that we can truly put down roots there.

How do I make her stay in bed, if I can't keep a straight face?

Ahh, the never-ending upheaval regarding naptime continues in the Peanut household. Today, Miss decided (of her own volition) to take a nap. She slept for about 90 minutes, woke up refreshed, and had a lovely, fuss-free afternoon.

As I write this entry, it is 9:50 PM, Central Standard Time. I have just ushered Miss back into her bedroom for the umpteenth time since tucking her in at 8:00 PM. She first came gazing into the living room a few minutes after I put her down, while I was nursing Master. She sauntered over towards us, thumb firmly planted in her mouth. She stood there for a second, popped the thumb out, and then said (as if she was delivering earth-shattering news):

"He (master) has little bears on his p-jammies!"

"Yep. He sure does. (Trying not to laugh) Go to bed."

This is her little way. She does not cry, scream, or fight the instruction to go back to bed. She just comes out, takes a look, delivers tidings of great importance like those noted above, and walks back to the bedroom. We hear about the fact that she is going to Mr. Lunt's house tomorrow. Or, we hear about Stanley (her stuffed dog) being a disobedient little boy. Or -- best of all -- we hear, "Guys . . . . *sigh* I just really love you guys."

It is difficult to avoid laughing. I try. I really do.

These visits are becoming less and less frequent, because they only occur when she has taken a nap. She usually skips the nap these days, and passes out the moment her head hits the pillow. Of course, on those nights, she comes to visit us in our room at approximately 3:00 AM. I find it much easier not to laugh at that hour.

Someday, she will go to bed, sleep all night, and will even want to sleep in sometimes. I hope. But I'm sure that, when that happens, I'll miss these nighttime visits a little bit. It's always nice to have a reason to laugh. Even if I have to hold in the laughter until her little blonde head has disappeared down the hall.

Happy News

There is joy and relief in the Peanut household. The good ol' digital camera appeared to have breathed it's last yesterday, but miraculously recovered today (I turned it on. No response. I walked away. I picked it up later. It was working).

We take *so* many pictures. It is a bit obscene. When the camera wasn't working yesterday, I didn't quite know what to do with myself.

Order has now been restored to the universe. I can go on packing, assured that I will be able to record the rest of the littles' summer enjoyment, and share that enjoyment with you.

In other happy news, I located a missing butter knife *and* a bag of PopSecret Popcorn in a suitcase as I was packing for our move. How either of these items ended up in one of our suitcases, I do not know. Nor do I care to speculate. I shall just go and enjoy some popcorny goodness while I read my book and wait for Mr. to come home.

PopSecret can't go bad, can it?

I'll let you know tomorrow.

It's August, and I'm Nervous . . .

No, not nervous about the mortgage payments, the arrangement of furniture, or the stairs down which Master may plummet.

Rather, I am getting more and more worried about our lack of preparedness for the cold months ahead. I don't know what brought on this concern. Perhaps it is the 'Back to School' advertisements, or the aisles and aisles of pee-chees and protractors at Target. But I'm suddenly realizing that Fall will soon be upon us, and the littles have *no* cold-weather clothes. I have a few things for myself . . . but really not enough to make it through the winter.

Our new home is near Lake Nokomis. We drove by this beautiful lake this evening, and admired the lush, green grass and beautiful leafy trees along its shoreline.

Here is a picture of the Lake Nokomis area in the wintertime:

I am seriously considering purchasing a coat that looks like this:

Yes, we lived in Chicago for three years, but I have the distinct feeling that I'll be spending a lot more of my time outdoors this winter, due to the enthusiasm of a certain three year old for snowballs and snowmen.

I guess I'd better get shopping. Consignment shops of the Twin Cities, here come the Peanuts.

Miscellaneous Notes

*Just finished reading:

My review: Quite good. Worth reading.

*Check out my new table:


One of my absolute must-haves for the new house was a *big* table. This one fits the bill -- seven feet long, with plenty of room for the Peanuts and any guests to eat in comfort (unless we're hosting Thanksgiving for the extended family). And, to put the icing on my cake, it was purchased on super-cheap clearance. Now we'll just have to find some chairs . . . .

*I unfortunately do not have a picture of this (though I do have video), but Miss has lately been making us laugh by practicing her preaching skills around the house. Now that she sits with us in church and listens to the sermon, she loves to reenact the event at home. One stack of moving boxes has been converted into her pulpit, and we are hearing all sorts of instruction about various ideas she strings together from what she hears in church and things we have read in her Bible. Pretty darn funny.

Moving!

After a couple of eventful weeks, the Peanut household is *not* getting back into the normal rhythm of life. Rather, we are completely involved in preparing for our move . . . which will take place on August 23rd. It is, shall we say, interesting to attempt packing with the littles running hither and thither . . . but we are somehow propelled by the thought that we will not be doing this again for QUITE some time. Now that we know where we will be for years to come (hopefully), we are eager to settle in to our little house and become comfortable there.

We look back on the past few weeks with full hearts. We had a lovely visit from Grandma G, who babysat numerous times so that we could complete all of the last minute details on our home purchase. The littles especially enjoyed all of the love and attention she gave while she was with us.


We are also so thankful for the visit of Grandma and Papa T. They rose above and beyond the call of duty by driving out from California, painting our new basement for us, doing various other projects at our new home, driving me all around the Twin Cities metropolitan area so that I could shop for furniture bargains, and hoisting said (heavy) bargains into the back of their truck. Their visit was packed with activity, but we don't know what we would have done without their help. In the midst of it all, the littles were able to enjoy some good Grandma and Papa time.



Though we are so far away from so many family members and friends, we continue to feel the warmth of their love and support as we commence this new (somewhat frightening) endeavor of home ownership.