Northfield

On Saturday Morning, Mr. and myself looked at each other and realized that we had no plans for the day. Mr. quickly suggested that we hop in the van and drive to Northfield, a nearby college town about which we have heard good things. And so, after a lot of changing of clothes, escorted trips to the potty, and snack / bottle gathering, we made it out the door and loaded up the van. We were expecting an hour drive, but were surprised to find this cute little town to be only 40 minutes south. The kids enjoyed the drive, because there were farms with cows, horses, and barns to see. And, it didn't hurt that we brought all of their favorite CDs. The temperature has climbed into the 40s here in the great white north, but there was a bit of a wind chill that prevented extensive exploration. We did enjoy the historic downtown, the walk along the Cannon River, and our burgers at Rueb n Grundys. A good, spontaneous time.

Jack downtown

Ridiculous amounts of Sugar on a Stick purchased at the local candy shop.

A highlight for the kids -- a live sighting of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard from Make Way for Ducklings.

She's 5

Two years ago, I started this blog. I always remember that my first post was about the 3rd birthday of our little girl. She was then, and remains, such a fun and interesting little character. It is hard to imagine life without her, and these five years have been amazing as we have watched her grow and learn. I love her feisty spirit (most of the time), her vivid (to say the least) imagination, her love for her brothers, her random use of advanced vocabulary, and her loud, open-mouthed laugh. I have a feeling that she will always keep me on my toes, and that I will always be learning new things in life, because of her curiosity and burning desire to know everything about everything. She is a gift.

We enjoyed celebrating her birthday with my parents. We had a breakfast of bagels, at her request, and then went to the Mall of America amusement park for a couple of hours. After some down time in the afternoon, we dined on hot dogs and mac-n-cheese, followed by the requested white cake. She exclaimed with glee over each of her presents, and it is safe to say that she enjoyed every moment of her special day.

Quote for the Day

"Corrie, today is your Birthday Eve!"

"Hmmm. My Birthday Eve. Do you know what it will be before Jack's birthday?"

"Uh, Jack's Birthday Eve?"

"No. His Birthday Adam."

Of course.

On a Roll

It may come as a shock to many of you to see a new post on this blog, but I have even better excuses than ever for my long absence. I will boil most of my whining, complaining, and excuse making down to one word: flu. Oh, how I hate it.

That being said, I will move on to other news of note from our household.

Our little baby butterball has learned to roll his massive self over, and is doing so constantly. Of course, this means that he is frequently crying in distress because of being stuck on his tummy with no hope of rectifying the situation without help. Unfortunately, Miss has decided that it is her big-sisterly duty to help the little fella, and her baby rolling technique needs a little refining. Ah well, soon enough, he will learn to roll himself the other direction and all will be right with the world. Except for the fact that he will be on his way to mobility and my life as I know it will be altered forever.

Master Jack has begun to steal my heart with his sweet "may I?" requests. "May I read this book?" "May I play downstairs with Sister?"

He has begun to stomp on my heart, however, with his insistence on rising *oh so* early, waking up his little brother who has only recently been moved into his room. He has discovered that he can stand on his box of legos or lincoln logs in order to reach the light switch, and therefore even darkness is no deterrent when the little man has decided that it is time to rise and play. And so, morning after morning, I lay in bed, hearing this all go down on the baby monitor, knowing that my sprint down the stairs and through the hall will not be accomplished in time to stop the inevitable waking of the baby once the lego box has been positioned beneath the light switch. Electricity is overrated.

Miss is counting down toward her big 5th birthday. She wants vanilla cake with white or pink frosting, and this is a great departure from her previous requests which always centered around chocolate. I think that she has decided that white cake is more feminine, and all things frilly and girly are of the utmost importance in her mind these days. She is constantly to be found wearing numerous beaded necklaces and plastic heels, while simultaneously attempting ballet moves and practicing her Cinderella impersonation.

Mr. and I are on the mend after our bouts with the flu. I am coming out of the fog with a desire to clean, organize, and schedule. We'll see if these feelings sustain themselves, and if we can stay healthy long enough to accomplish anything. I'm off to take some vitamins.

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