Weekend Adventures

This weekend was an eventful one around here. On Friday, we visited Saint Paul for the annual Winter Carnival. I was a bit disappointed in the experience, as the event consisted only of ice sculptures and a hotdish tent. I was expecting something a little bit more . . . I don't know . . . carnival like. Go figure. The children loved the ice sculptures, but wouldn't touch our Tater Tot Hotdish with a ten foot pole. Go figure again.







On Friday evening, our good friends Noel and Laura came over for a fun filled night of taco eating and game playing. They put their two little kiddos to bed in our basement so that we could stay together a bit longer than usual. It was so nice to have some time with friends. We are really starting to feel that we have some good friendships established here in Minnesota, and it is good for the soul to get to spend time with like minded people.

The important highlight of our Saturday was our little baby boy's first solid food eating experience. Miss and Master were very excited about it, and we all gathered 'round to watch him try his first few bites of squash. Shockingly, his giantness was highly enthused about the food, and I dare to predict that he will continue to eat heartily.

The Nice Thing About Babies

5 month old babies are pretty near the best thing in the world. Especially if they sleep well. Why, you ask? Because, all you have to do is glance at them, and they look at you like this:
And, when they look at you like this, it is *impossible* not to smile in return. All of these smile exchanges are very helpful when you want to forget that you're sick for the umpteenth time in the past few months, or that the kids are sick, or that you just found out that you have some rare disease of the eyeball (long story).

I am so glad that this little guy is a part of our life. The level of smiling and talking in high-pitched tones has soared in our home since he came around. And that is a very good thing, considering the challenges we've faced this Fall / Winter. No matter how strange things get, there is smiling around here every day. He makes sure of it.

News From the North

Our activities of late have included:Trying not to freeze.

Selling the trusty old Taurus and buying a van. This car was my Grandpa's, and has been ours for four years. It has moved with us from Chicago, to LA, and to Minnesota. We brought both of our boys home from the hospital in this car. The addition of our baby, however, means three car seats. Three car seats means a van. Or a station wagon. Or some such large vehicle. And so, we bid the Taurus goodbye. Having three kids, though, has made my transportation life so difficult that I am overjoyed to own a minivan. Never thought it would come to this. But, it is so. much. easier. And . . . get this . . . there is a remote starter on this van. Yup, on those sub-zero days, I can start the van from the warmth of my house, and scoot through the cold to our garage, where I find it humming away, all heated up and ready to go. So sweet.

Celebrating our anniversary with dinner and a movie. Made possible by the visit of my parents. We also celebrated on the actual day by taking the kids for doughnuts and a trip to a local indoor park. This place was *wonderful* and will now be a winter destination for our family. Things to climb. Houses in which to bounce. Energy evaporated.

Due to the grandparental visit, we had a lot more time for relaxing and reading the paper. Sigh. Will be looking forward to the next time.

Watching the little guy grow, and wondering if he is the largest 4 month old in the world. He smiles nonstop, unless he is sleeping. He plays with his toes, makes all kinds of fun noises, and is transfixed by his sister's antics and attempts to entertain him.

8 Years

On January 8, 2000, we exchanged vows in a church that looks like a giant Pizza Hut. The slip under my dress was too long, and I kept tripping on it. Mr. had a cold, and managed a well-timed cough just before the "in sickness and in health" vow. But, it was an amazing and wonderful day. And it marked the beginning of the eight amazing and wonderful years we have now spent together. A lot of changes. A lot of moves. Three fascinating little creatures who are growing, learning, and becoming before our very eyes.

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person: having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them out. Just as they are - chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away." George Eliot

Ego Deflation

"Mommy, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Mommy, I love you."

"Aaawww, I love you, too."

"Potty seat, I love you."

Reasons to Celebrate

The little guy's first Christmas,

Well-loved gifts,

A *very* white Christmas,


And, most importantly . . .

Christmas Eve

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

 Come, thou long expected Jesus, 
 born to set thy people free; 
 from our fears and sins release us, 
 let us find our rest in thee.  
 Israel's strength and consolation, 
 hope of all the earth thou art; 
 dear desire of every nation, 
 joy of every longing heart.

 Born thy people to deliver, 
 born a child and yet a King, 
 born to reign in us forever, 
 now thy gracious kingdom bring. 
 By thine own eternal spirit 
 rule in all our hearts alone; 
 by thine all sufficient merit, 
 raise us to thy glorious throne.

Written by Charles WESLEY

Merry Christmas, everyone.

A Very Christmasy Day

Our day, in pictures:

Mom and Dad took us to Rice Park in Saint Paul to see the Christmas tree and decorations.

We ran around in order to keep ourselves from freezing.

Then we spent some time visiting our favorite Peanuts statues,

and took in the ice skaters at the outdoor rink.

Inspired by our outing in the snow, we came home and drew Frosty the Snowman,

and warmed up by reading a good story,

After lunch, we made some cookies with Daddy.

Frosting the cookies was fun.

Our brother decided to take a nap, since he's too little to bake.

After dinner and a bath, we donned our Christmas PJs for some jumping on the bed.

I love to jump.

I don't mind it, either.

Mom attempted to take our picture in front of the tree. It started like this . . .

And then turned into this . . .

And this.

We calmed down in time to put the star on the Advent Calendar.
Christmas will be here soon!

Favorite Phrases

My new favorite expressions, courtesy of the the littles:

From Master (usually said while scurrying up or down the stairs): Oh, oh, oh, here comes ME!

From Miss: I am very *fond* of . . . (cookies, coloring, etc., etc.)

From Baby Boy: Aaaaaah guh.

Lovin' the Little Guy

I have been amazed, lately, by how much Miss and Master adore their little brother. I expected them to like him, but I also expected them to be significantly annoyed by his interference in their daily lives. To my surprise, they have rarely been irritated by the attention he requires. Instead, they love to jump in and help with his needs. Master gets some kind of big thrill out of throwing away the little guy's diapers. Miss loves to hold him for me (though, she is starting to get tired of this because he squishes her with his tremendous girth). They both love to kiss him, hold his hands, and make him laugh.

Perhaps the love will fade when he becomes mobile and begins to threaten their toys. But, for now, all of the brotherly and sisterly affection around here is a sweet sight to see.

Notes on the Day

*I had an interesting morning, corralling all three children at church by myself. Mr. was forced to depart for work after Sunday School, leaving me to handle the three peanuts throughout the remainder of the morning. Master had to be fetched, taken to the bathroom, and returned to the nursery. Miss was retrieved from Sunday School (where she learned about "the feeding of the five thousand. By Jesus. With bread and fish."), and brought into the service with me. The little fella slept through most of the experience, but I had to lug his heaviness around in the car seat carrier up and down the stairs and wherever I went. It all went surprisingly smoothly, until after the service when Master decided to tour the choir loft in the sanctuary, while Miss took off in the other direction to run around the gym with her best pal. They were eventually rounded up, though it wasn't easy. Most frustratingly, I was unable to have any real conversation with anyone the entire morning, because I was on constant kid-patrol. I did manage a few fly-by 'hi, how are yous', but that was about it.

*It is cold here. And the real cold hasn't even really started. It climbed to 48 degrees today, and we were told by the TV weatherman to enjoy it, because it won't last for more than one day. We are trying to combat my California wimpiness and keep the thermostat set at 66 in the house. I am cold. Soon, I will begin to dress like this:

Thankful

Life With a Big Sister

Here she comes. What is she going to do now?

Halloween At Our House

One tired (and sick-with-a-nasty-cold) Mr. (who ran the store inventory overnight last night). One little ladybug. Two matching frogs. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, and Kit Kats for those who knock on our door. A trip to the church down the street for their Pumpkin Festival festivities. A lot of smiles, a good bit of candy, and a good picture.

Just Like Santa!

So, I was innocently taking pictures of Mr. with the children on a recent trip to the apple orchard, when a curious onlooker approached. He watched the picture-taking, and then stepped right up to take his turn.

"I want a picture."

"With me?"

"Yeah."

"Uh . . . . OK."

He sat down, I snapped away, and he scampered off toward the play equipment. And was never heard from again. At least we have the picture and the memories.

Fun With Leaves

We love fall. I am making pumpkin muffins and homemade applesauce every chance I get. The weather has been beautiful and crisp, and the kids love playing in the leaves. This morning, we attempted a major yard clean up, while allowing the kids to play to their hearts' content. Better than any toy, the leaves were great for jumping in, rolling in, wrestling in, and throwing in the air. The tree in our back yard is now completely bare, but there are many more leaves yet to fall from the giant maple in our front yard. Watching the littles having so much fun does make the chore of dealing with so many leaves quite a bit more fun.

Happy Autumn!

8 Weeks of Baby P

The little fella is now 8 weeks old. He has experienced those first dreaded immunizations and lived to tell the tale. He is sweet and cute and off-the-charts gigantic. Other news of note:

* In spite of being sick, I had a great birthday thanks to the efforts of Mr. P, who ordered my favorite dinner, and bought me a dark chocolate brownie with espresso cream cheese frosting for my birthday 'cake'. Yup, I like him.

* Miss is in full-on Mary Poppins mode these days. Insists upon being called Jane. Insists that we call her brother Michael. And insists on calling me Mary Poppins, and calling Daddy, Bert. It's a Jolly Holiday at our house.

* Master is learning to enjoy singing *almost* as much as his sister. He delights us all with moving renditions of memory verse songs from Bible Study, and, of course, the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song.

Here are some updated photos:

Smiley face.

Skeptical face.Sister love.Brother love.