guess who . . .Nice effort everyone . . . it's Rebekah!! I was surprised how few people got it right. Maybe the lack of curls so early in life!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Flashback Friday
guess who . . .Nice effort everyone . . . it's Rebekah!! I was surprised how few people got it right. Maybe the lack of curls so early in life!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thankful Thursday
So many blessings in life . . . it's always hard to decide what exactly to be thankful for each Thursday. It's a great way for me to reflect on all of the blessings I've got, both big and small, and acknowledge how very much I have to be thankful for.
Today I am especially thankful for my friends! I have amazing, wonderful friends! They are each a HUGE blessing in my life . . . each one of them in a different way. There are friends that I've had pretty much forever and friends that I just met recently but who quickly become integral parts of my life. There are close friends and friends that I might not be as close to, but who still add much sunshine and spark to my life!
Every other week I meet with 2 of my wonderful "peeps" for a time of accountability and prayer . . . with a little food, diet coke (NOT for me, but for them . . . they are both addicts, something I should hold them more accountable for, but really, there are more important fish to fry, right?) and some fun fellowship and chatter to round it out! This is our week. We're getting together tomorrow! It's always such a blessing! One of these 2 wonderful ladies was so good to give me some much-needed perspective the other day. You've gotta love a friend who can speak a little truth at cha when you need it! I appreciate that, although I couldn't handle it from just anyone. She was the perfect person with just the perspective I needed at that time, even though it knocked me off my high horse a little!
Friends are such a blessing and I feel about as blessed, in this area, as is humanly possible! I am so thankful for great friends. I'd start listing you all, but inevitably my brain would fail me (what's new?) and I would forget someone. So trust me on this, I'm thankful for you . . . you know who you are! Thanks for being my friend!
Today I am especially thankful for my friends! I have amazing, wonderful friends! They are each a HUGE blessing in my life . . . each one of them in a different way. There are friends that I've had pretty much forever and friends that I just met recently but who quickly become integral parts of my life. There are close friends and friends that I might not be as close to, but who still add much sunshine and spark to my life!
Every other week I meet with 2 of my wonderful "peeps" for a time of accountability and prayer . . . with a little food, diet coke (NOT for me, but for them . . . they are both addicts, something I should hold them more accountable for, but really, there are more important fish to fry, right?) and some fun fellowship and chatter to round it out! This is our week. We're getting together tomorrow! It's always such a blessing! One of these 2 wonderful ladies was so good to give me some much-needed perspective the other day. You've gotta love a friend who can speak a little truth at cha when you need it! I appreciate that, although I couldn't handle it from just anyone. She was the perfect person with just the perspective I needed at that time, even though it knocked me off my high horse a little!
Friends are such a blessing and I feel about as blessed, in this area, as is humanly possible! I am so thankful for great friends. I'd start listing you all, but inevitably my brain would fail me (what's new?) and I would forget someone. So trust me on this, I'm thankful for you . . . you know who you are! Thanks for being my friend!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sleep
I was watching Joe sleep early this morning . . . not too tough since he was laying RIGHT next to me (actually taking up much of what is "my" spot!). He was so sweet and cute and peaceful . . . until he elbowed me in the eye. But, oh, how I love to watch my precious kiddos sleep! It's the best!
Rebekah has night terrors; they are awful!!! She started having them a few years ago and it seems like they come in waves. For a while she'll have them almost every night and then they'll be pleasantly absent from our lives for a while and I'll almost forget, and then . . . they return! Last night she had a nasty one! If you aren't familiar with night terrors, or if you have "knowledge" of them, but have never really experienced one, be thankful. Jacob had them for a short little bit when he was about 1, but Rebekah is our real night terror sufferer. So last night Kirb and I were in the living room watching "What Happens in Vegas" (fun, funny, lighthearted movie) and Rebekah "freaks out!" (that's what we call it when she has a night terror. She doesn't quite remember them in the morning, per se, but she can usually sense that something is amiss and will ask "Did I have a freak out last night?"). So, she is screaming and kicking her feet, pulling at her legs and scratching at some imagined itch that is all over her body, mumbling to herself, thrashing around in bed and making a huge mess of her covers. She's not really awake although her eyes are open and occasionally she can even carry on a relatively logical conversation. Many times if we can get her up and make her go to the bathroom she'll kind of "snap out of it", but more often nothing works. I go in there and try to comfort her. I stroke her little (sweaty, at this point) cheek and brush her hair from her face and pray over her. I talk to her softly and try to calm her down. You aren't supposed to try to wake up someone who is having a night terror but that is what you want to do! You want to shake them and tell them to "wake up and snap out of it." but really you just have to wait it out and hope it passes quickly. Usually they only last 5 or 10 minutes . . . although those 5 or 10 minutes feel like hours, but once in a while they'll last up to half an hour or 45 minutes, which is almost more than you can bear to witness. Anyway, the poor girl is going to be tired this morning, it always takes something out of her when she has one. Last night in her "terror" she was yelling at Lydia, something that didn't even make sense . . . logical words, but put together in a random way that makes them lose all potential for comprehension. It woke Lydia up (amazingly, it usually doesn't) and she yelled back for Rebekah to stop yelling. Kirb and I both gave our best shot to calming her down (sometimes I wonder why we even try since it never helps, but as a parent you just can't keep watching your fun movie while your kiddo is seemingly in agony and acts like they are being tortured!) but in the end we just had to wait it out and, thankfully, it didn't last too long.
Anna is, I think . . . I hope, on the tail end of this nasty cold that she's had for what seems like forever. I think it's probably been a little more than a week. So, consequently, she hasn't been sleeping too great. She can't breathe so she can't sleep well or nurse well or eat well. For 3 or 4 nights in a row Kirb would get up with her about 2 or 3 in the morning and feed her . . . we're talkin' oatmeal and applesauce here, not just nursing her a little bit (not that Kirb has those skills!) or giving her a bottle. It was the only thing that would comfort her. Last night, if I remember right, I got up with her 3 times and I think Kirb took a turn in there too. The poor bugger just is so stuffy and can't get comfortable enough to sleep well. I sucked the snot out of her nose again about 5:30 and am hoping she'll sleep now until the big kids leave for schoool . . . we'll see! And yes, she does have a vaporizor in her room. If you have any other helpful suggestions/solutions to her dilema, bring 'em on!
Jacob slept peacefully (as far as I know and can tell) all night . . . 1 out of 7 ain't bad. Oh wait, that's wrong. 1 out of 7 IS bad! We'll hope for better sleep tonight!
Rebekah has night terrors; they are awful!!! She started having them a few years ago and it seems like they come in waves. For a while she'll have them almost every night and then they'll be pleasantly absent from our lives for a while and I'll almost forget, and then . . . they return! Last night she had a nasty one! If you aren't familiar with night terrors, or if you have "knowledge" of them, but have never really experienced one, be thankful. Jacob had them for a short little bit when he was about 1, but Rebekah is our real night terror sufferer. So last night Kirb and I were in the living room watching "What Happens in Vegas" (fun, funny, lighthearted movie) and Rebekah "freaks out!" (that's what we call it when she has a night terror. She doesn't quite remember them in the morning, per se, but she can usually sense that something is amiss and will ask "Did I have a freak out last night?"). So, she is screaming and kicking her feet, pulling at her legs and scratching at some imagined itch that is all over her body, mumbling to herself, thrashing around in bed and making a huge mess of her covers. She's not really awake although her eyes are open and occasionally she can even carry on a relatively logical conversation. Many times if we can get her up and make her go to the bathroom she'll kind of "snap out of it", but more often nothing works. I go in there and try to comfort her. I stroke her little (sweaty, at this point) cheek and brush her hair from her face and pray over her. I talk to her softly and try to calm her down. You aren't supposed to try to wake up someone who is having a night terror but that is what you want to do! You want to shake them and tell them to "wake up and snap out of it." but really you just have to wait it out and hope it passes quickly. Usually they only last 5 or 10 minutes . . . although those 5 or 10 minutes feel like hours, but once in a while they'll last up to half an hour or 45 minutes, which is almost more than you can bear to witness. Anyway, the poor girl is going to be tired this morning, it always takes something out of her when she has one. Last night in her "terror" she was yelling at Lydia, something that didn't even make sense . . . logical words, but put together in a random way that makes them lose all potential for comprehension. It woke Lydia up (amazingly, it usually doesn't) and she yelled back for Rebekah to stop yelling. Kirb and I both gave our best shot to calming her down (sometimes I wonder why we even try since it never helps, but as a parent you just can't keep watching your fun movie while your kiddo is seemingly in agony and acts like they are being tortured!) but in the end we just had to wait it out and, thankfully, it didn't last too long.
Anna is, I think . . . I hope, on the tail end of this nasty cold that she's had for what seems like forever. I think it's probably been a little more than a week. So, consequently, she hasn't been sleeping too great. She can't breathe so she can't sleep well or nurse well or eat well. For 3 or 4 nights in a row Kirb would get up with her about 2 or 3 in the morning and feed her . . . we're talkin' oatmeal and applesauce here, not just nursing her a little bit (not that Kirb has those skills!) or giving her a bottle. It was the only thing that would comfort her. Last night, if I remember right, I got up with her 3 times and I think Kirb took a turn in there too. The poor bugger just is so stuffy and can't get comfortable enough to sleep well. I sucked the snot out of her nose again about 5:30 and am hoping she'll sleep now until the big kids leave for schoool . . . we'll see! And yes, she does have a vaporizor in her room. If you have any other helpful suggestions/solutions to her dilema, bring 'em on!
Jacob slept peacefully (as far as I know and can tell) all night . . . 1 out of 7 ain't bad. Oh wait, that's wrong. 1 out of 7 IS bad! We'll hope for better sleep tonight!
Why?
My kids go to school in District 623 (isd 623 . . . say it out loud. It's kinda rhyme-y). I started kindergarten in Independent School District #6, then we moved between 6th and 7th grade and so I graduated from District 833.
My first phone number was 455.4929 and my best friend's number growing up was 459.3060. (This was when 70% of the people in Minnesota had the same area code and you only thought of your area code when giving your phone number to the girl from North Dakota that you met at summer camp or the lady on the phone to whom you were giving your catalog order . . . item number, size, shipping address, phone number (with area code, please). You never thought of your phone number with an area code in front of it. Everyone knew it was 612.) I haven't called either of these numbers in years.
So, why is it that I remember this unimportant, not helpful, trivial information and yet call my children by the wrong name? Clearly, this is something that I should be able to remember . . . I mean really, I named them myself. Out of all the names in the world I could choose whatever I wanted (well, with a little input from Kirbs) . . . and yet I still forget or get frustrated or don't take the time to really think or whatever! I need a delete button for my brain to clear out random stuff I no longer need and also the option to "mark as urgent" things that really need to be remembered. This is one source of frustration in my life! Anyone with me on this one?
My first phone number was 455.4929 and my best friend's number growing up was 459.3060. (This was when 70% of the people in Minnesota had the same area code and you only thought of your area code when giving your phone number to the girl from North Dakota that you met at summer camp or the lady on the phone to whom you were giving your catalog order . . . item number, size, shipping address, phone number (with area code, please). You never thought of your phone number with an area code in front of it. Everyone knew it was 612.) I haven't called either of these numbers in years.
So, why is it that I remember this unimportant, not helpful, trivial information and yet call my children by the wrong name? Clearly, this is something that I should be able to remember . . . I mean really, I named them myself. Out of all the names in the world I could choose whatever I wanted (well, with a little input from Kirbs) . . . and yet I still forget or get frustrated or don't take the time to really think or whatever! I need a delete button for my brain to clear out random stuff I no longer need and also the option to "mark as urgent" things that really need to be remembered. This is one source of frustration in my life! Anyone with me on this one?
Monday, February 23, 2009
A family celebration & some deep thoughts
Yesterday my sweet nephew, Haddon, was dedicated (in case you aren't up on baby dedication it's kind of in the same spirit as infant baptism in many churches . . . just without the water. The parents dedicate their child to the Lord and dedicated themselves to raising him (or her) to know and love the Lord and do their best to be godly parents.) I had never been to my brother and sister-in-law's church so it was great to see where they worship and be able to better picture them at church and with their congregation! It was a great service and we were so glad to be there! Haddon had quite the fan club there cheering him on and encouraging and supporting his great parents . . . 9 members of the Carlson family ( since there's 7 of us it's adds up fast, plus my parents were there . . . they wouldn't miss it for the world!), 7 members of the Erickson family (Jenn's family) and 8 of Jenn & Luke's closest friends. Afterward we had a celebration at a nearby restaurant. Good food and great times together. Haddon, we love you so much and are thrilled to know that you will be raised in a godly home!
Here are a couple pictures of the cute family and some of the thoughts behind dedication that I appreciated! (note: the pictures aren't great! The lighting wasn't the best . . . they meet in an elementary school gym . . . and we were far away. Plus, Joe spilled apple juice on my camera the other day and it's acting a little funny!)
The sermon brought up some things that had been stirring in my mind already for a little while. We were taught from I Corinthians 13 and although I didn't hear all of the sermon (I was on Joe patrol since the nursery was only for kids under 3, and he's not used to sitting with us in church) I did catch part of it that stuck with me. "Love is patient." The word used in this passage for patient is a word that means patience with people as opposed to patience with circumstances. I think I'd heard this before, but it struck me yesterday because it hit close to home due to some things I had been thinking about lately. I completely understand how patience with people and patience with circumstances are very different things . . . if only our language had different words for them too!
So, this is where it resonated with me: one of our kiddos (who will remain nameless!) usually wakes up pretty grumpy. She (that narrows it down for you) stomps around, slams doors, grunts, screams, cries and generally carries on for quite a while each morning . . . she wants to sleep longer, her clothes don't fit right, she doesn't want to finish her homework, her hair is too poofy (that may have given it away . . . oops!), the jeans she does want to wear are dirty, she doesn't want to practice her piano, her sister didn't pick up her crap in their shared room, she ran out of time and didn't get any breakfast and on and on it goes. It drives me crazy!!!! I talk to her constantly about changing her attitude, trying to not be so grumpy, etc. It's like I'm stuck in movie "Groundhog Day." Literally, we go through the same stuff almost every morning! Almost always, later in the day she will come up to me (sometimes as soon as before she goes to school, but often in the evening sometime or right before bed) and say, in complete sincerity, "Mom, I'm sorry for the way I acted." Every time I tell her that I forgive her and give her a hug . . . but sometimes I also continue the "better attitude" lecture from the morning and get a little grumpy myself trying to get through to her that if she really is sorry she should change her behavior. WOW! So much like my relationship with God. I do the same gross stuff over and over and sincerely am sorry about it later. But, his love is patient . . . patient with people . . . and he loves and forgives me each time without the lecture. I try to learn from that and follow His example, but it's tough!! I feel like if she really was sorry for being a grump that she would do better next time. But she's a child . . . and she really is sorry; I can tell. That's how God thinks of me, I imagine. I am thankful for his boundless love and forgiveness. So, I will keep trying to work on forgiving and wiping the slate clean each and every time . . . and pray for more peaceful mornings!
Here are a couple pictures of the cute family and some of the thoughts behind dedication that I appreciated! (note: the pictures aren't great! The lighting wasn't the best . . . they meet in an elementary school gym . . . and we were far away. Plus, Joe spilled apple juice on my camera the other day and it's acting a little funny!)
The sermon brought up some things that had been stirring in my mind already for a little while. We were taught from I Corinthians 13 and although I didn't hear all of the sermon (I was on Joe patrol since the nursery was only for kids under 3, and he's not used to sitting with us in church) I did catch part of it that stuck with me. "Love is patient." The word used in this passage for patient is a word that means patience with people as opposed to patience with circumstances. I think I'd heard this before, but it struck me yesterday because it hit close to home due to some things I had been thinking about lately. I completely understand how patience with people and patience with circumstances are very different things . . . if only our language had different words for them too!So, this is where it resonated with me: one of our kiddos (who will remain nameless!) usually wakes up pretty grumpy. She (that narrows it down for you) stomps around, slams doors, grunts, screams, cries and generally carries on for quite a while each morning . . . she wants to sleep longer, her clothes don't fit right, she doesn't want to finish her homework, her hair is too poofy (that may have given it away . . . oops!), the jeans she does want to wear are dirty, she doesn't want to practice her piano, her sister didn't pick up her crap in their shared room, she ran out of time and didn't get any breakfast and on and on it goes. It drives me crazy!!!! I talk to her constantly about changing her attitude, trying to not be so grumpy, etc. It's like I'm stuck in movie "Groundhog Day." Literally, we go through the same stuff almost every morning! Almost always, later in the day she will come up to me (sometimes as soon as before she goes to school, but often in the evening sometime or right before bed) and say, in complete sincerity, "Mom, I'm sorry for the way I acted." Every time I tell her that I forgive her and give her a hug . . . but sometimes I also continue the "better attitude" lecture from the morning and get a little grumpy myself trying to get through to her that if she really is sorry she should change her behavior. WOW! So much like my relationship with God. I do the same gross stuff over and over and sincerely am sorry about it later. But, his love is patient . . . patient with people . . . and he loves and forgives me each time without the lecture. I try to learn from that and follow His example, but it's tough!! I feel like if she really was sorry for being a grump that she would do better next time. But she's a child . . . and she really is sorry; I can tell. That's how God thinks of me, I imagine. I am thankful for his boundless love and forgiveness. So, I will keep trying to work on forgiving and wiping the slate clean each and every time . . . and pray for more peaceful mornings!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Quote of the day
"God is so silly. He just snowed on all the roofs!" (Joe)
The view out our kitchen window when we woke up:
Friday, February 20, 2009
Beat the winter blues
Kirby's sister, Annie, and her family have been on vacation in Florida and flew back to the Twin Cities this afternoon. They won't leave on their journey "up nort" to their home until the morning, so we spent the evening with them swimming at the pool at their hotel. Annie's 4 girls and our kids had a blast playing together in the water! While it was snowing outside we were pretending it was a tad bit warmer and hung out in the pool.
. . . in case you wonder about the obvious injury on his nose . . . another case of Joe nearly needing stitches . . . and, if you are counting that's twice in one week! I think they are gonna flag my file at the pediatrician soon and call in a socail worker. Joe has had more injuries in his 3 and a half years of life as all my other kids put together in their 25+ combined years! I'm sure the future holds even more excitement for him.
Beautiful Beka
Lydia & her goggles!
Joe & Kirbs
Jacob (in his junior Olympian pose)
The 2 dads and 8 of the 9 kiddos . . . Anna hadn't gotten in yet.
Jillian & Rebekah
Daddy & his kiddos
Here's Joe sportin' a nice look
(this one's worth clicking to get a closer look!)
. . . in case you wonder about the obvious injury on his nose . . . another case of Joe nearly needing stitches . . . and, if you are counting that's twice in one week! I think they are gonna flag my file at the pediatrician soon and call in a socail worker. Joe has had more injuries in his 3 and a half years of life as all my other kids put together in their 25+ combined years! I'm sure the future holds even more excitement for him.Daddy & Anna
Beautiful Beka
Lydia & her goggles!
Joe & KirbsJacob (in his junior Olympian pose)
The 2 dads and 8 of the 9 kiddos . . . Anna hadn't gotten in yet.
Katrina, Rebekah, Andrea, Bethany, Kirbs, Lydia (peace to you too, Babe!), Darren, Jillian, Jacob and Joe
Brotherly love!
Jillian & Rebekah
Daddy & his kiddos
Thursday, February 19, 2009
In case you care
Here are a few little tidbits of randomness from the Stoll's:
- Anna is up to about 8 or 9 steps now, but still crawls most of the time . . . it's SO much faster that way!
- In Jacob's expert opinion Roundy's Blueberry "Toaster Pastries" are way more flavorful than actual Pop Tarts (whoo hoo . . . did I mention that in my expert opinion the Roundy's ones are CHEAPER!)
- I am really annoyed by the .9 at the end of the gas price. Honestly, just round it up! I don't get it!
- In the spirit of randomness here is a random picture: (me and Jacob on the first day of 2nd grade . . . see, it's a 2 for 2nd grade . . . not peace!)
- When Joey has his "'nother birthday" he tells me that he is going to be 2 so that he can go back to Piglets (Piglets is the name of the 2-year-old ECFE class in our district which he LOVED last year!)
- I can't think of any crazy randomness to mention about Rebekah or Lydia at this moment.
- It's cold today!
- Kirbs is at work right now.
Happy Anniversary!
Today marks my parents 37th wedding anniversary!
They are wonderful and I love them TONS!
Happy Anniversary guys!
I didn't have time to sneak over to their house and get a wedding picture, but here they are (although not together) a little more than 2 years after the big day with a very little me!
(this should clarify where Rebekah's curls came from)
They are wonderful and I love them TONS!
Happy Anniversary guys!
I didn't have time to sneak over to their house and get a wedding picture, but here they are (although not together) a little more than 2 years after the big day with a very little me!
(this should clarify where Rebekah's curls came from)
nice top there, Mom!
The happy couple nearly 37 years later enjoying their newest little grandbaby [grandbaby #6]
Thankful Thursday
Today I'm thankful for my van! I complain a bit . . . "it's full of crap, it needs to be cleaned, we need gas again, you in the back, STOP FIGHTING!" but what a blessing it is. We all fit in it and it gets us where we need to go. Since there are laws against putting the kids all in the trunk of the family station wagon, I guess the minivan was a stellar invention. Plus you gotta love the automatic doors that open for you when your hands are overflowing with stuff . . . and often people! And that open parallel to the van so no overzealous kids put dings in the "just-off-the-lot" new car parked next to us at the library! Yeah for the blessings of reliable {extra large} transportation.
Here is my favorite picture of our beloved van {just kiddin'!, I don't really have favorite pictures of my van. Did you really think that I do?} posing with our Christmas tree 2008 and some ever-loving siblings!
P.S. On a similar, and funny, note Kirb and I joke that we are out growing our MINI van and will have to trade it in some day for a full sized van which we plan to dub the "MAXI PAD". Get it? Mini van . . . maxi pad? We think it will be a great family joke . . . "Ok gang, everyone in the maxi pad. It's time to go to church!" Just another way we can embarrass our kids when they are pre-teens and teenagers. Isn't that what parents are for anyway?
Here is my favorite picture of our beloved van {just kiddin'!, I don't really have favorite pictures of my van. Did you really think that I do?} posing with our Christmas tree 2008 and some ever-loving siblings!
P.S. On a similar, and funny, note Kirb and I joke that we are out growing our MINI van and will have to trade it in some day for a full sized van which we plan to dub the "MAXI PAD". Get it? Mini van . . . maxi pad? We think it will be a great family joke . . . "Ok gang, everyone in the maxi pad. It's time to go to church!" Just another way we can embarrass our kids when they are pre-teens and teenagers. Isn't that what parents are for anyway?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
. . . and in other news:
1. The blanket of clean, fresh, beautiful whiteness that fell last night is SO much prettier than what it is covering up! It makes me happy! Thanks, Lord, for the fresh new look you gave my world [I'll appreciate it while I can, I know it won't be this beautiful for too long.] We happened to be coming home last night right when it was falling. It was absolutely everywhere in the sky, the whole world seemed to be thick and heavy with the snow . . . just completely full of it. It was the most beautiful thing I'd seen in a while. The kids hung out in the dark when we arrived at home catching big, huge flakes of it on their sweet little tongues. What a fun way to end the day! [Which unfortunately was followed by some parental nagging . . . and yelling about brushing teeth and cooperation and other bedtime-related things!!]
2. We've caught 6 mice to date, but haven't caught one in 3 or 4 days even with multiple baited traps in the basement. I'm starting to get hopeful that we've got them all, but I won't hold my breath quite yet.
3. This week marks the 5th anniversary of Evelyn's new heart. How happy and deeply grateful we are to have her in our lives! Happy Heart Day, sweet girl! You are definitely one in a million. [In case you don't know, Evelyn is the daughter of my good friend Ing and also Rebekah's BFF.]
4. The kid's had Monday and Tuesday off of school. Monday for President's Day and Tuesday for workshops and conference prep. It was very fun [mostly] to have them home a little extra. We mainly hung out and relaxed at home: played outside, watched movies, read some great books and just loved the extra time together! Today it's back to reality.
5. We [Kirbs & me] were wounded and hurt by someone's words the other day. Both of us are feeling all torn up inside over it and generally just pretty yucky. It makes me sad . . . good thing for the pretty snow! The first part of the adage "sticks and stones can break my bones" is true, but the reality is that the second part is not. The words hurt just as much and, unfortunately, don't heal as quickly or completely in most cases. What I wouldn't give for a broken arm instead of this yucky feeling in my gut. It is a good reminder to me of the power of our words and the care I need to take with mine.
6. We got our [pretty significant] tax return the other day. I was thrilled to feel like we had no money worries, even for just a couple days . . . it's expensive raising 5 kiddos! It's pretty much all gone now, [the money, that is] but the good news is that we were able to pay off a couple of long-term capital campaign pledges that we pretty much made in faith, since they were kind of [seemingly] beyond our means. But we felt really lead to make these pledges anyway [one to CSC and one to Northwestern] The pledges weren't "due" for over a year, but now they are all "paid off". [which in turn will significantly boost our charitable giving for 2009 and get us another nifty refund next year . . . but that is just a nice perk/benefit and was not, at all, the goal in all of this] It feels terrific to know that these fabulous ministries have a little more money to work with now and that I won't have to think about those extra commitments again in the months to come when money might be a little tight! And if we can just hold on for less than a decade, [which I know will go super fast] by the time Jacob graduates from high school we should be mortgageless if we keep at it! What a day that will be. You think I'm excited now, just you wait!!!
7. Valentine's Day was great! The red, pink & white party at my mom's was extra fun. We did not eat a single thing that wasn't red, pink or white. The kids had fun and there was lot of love!!
The wonderful host & hostess of the evening
8. I have a few friends [which is a few too many!] who have really sick kids right now. In and out of the hospital trying to get things figured out. My heart is heavy for them and I'm trying to remember to pray for them all the time. Having sick kids is a terrible feeling. So helpless and painful!
9. The 3 big kids were invited by my grandma [their piano teacher, who they call GG . . . for great grandma] to give a little mini concert/recital yesterday at the nursing home where she volunteers. [yup, I do realize it seems a little funny that a lady in her 80's would be volunteering at a nursing home where I'm sure some of the residents are younger than she is, but hey, good for her!] They each played a piece or two and did a great job. I think the residents appreciated it too. [In case you know her, that's Elaine DeYoe's head there, front and center.]
10. Sleep update: Joe still makes his way up to join us in our bed most every night. Anna is getting better lately . . . at least a little. She usually gets up once [about 3ish] to eat a little, snuggle, have me find her nuk and just generally be assured that we're still there. I'm feeling hopeful that by her birthday she might be sleeping all night . . . at least once in a while!
11. I signed us up for family camp at Trout! I think it will be tons of fun and that we will all love it. This was our one fun, family splurge out of our short-lived wealth [see #6]. It will be the perfect vacation for us . . . no planning on our part and an already-scheduled babysitter for each and every evening so mom & dad can have a little fun! All without having to step foot in the van or buckle anyone up for 5 whole days! Plus, there's a lake . . . swimming is always a hit!
2. We've caught 6 mice to date, but haven't caught one in 3 or 4 days even with multiple baited traps in the basement. I'm starting to get hopeful that we've got them all, but I won't hold my breath quite yet.
3. This week marks the 5th anniversary of Evelyn's new heart. How happy and deeply grateful we are to have her in our lives! Happy Heart Day, sweet girl! You are definitely one in a million. [In case you don't know, Evelyn is the daughter of my good friend Ing and also Rebekah's BFF.]
4. The kid's had Monday and Tuesday off of school. Monday for President's Day and Tuesday for workshops and conference prep. It was very fun [mostly] to have them home a little extra. We mainly hung out and relaxed at home: played outside, watched movies, read some great books and just loved the extra time together! Today it's back to reality.
5. We [Kirbs & me] were wounded and hurt by someone's words the other day. Both of us are feeling all torn up inside over it and generally just pretty yucky. It makes me sad . . . good thing for the pretty snow! The first part of the adage "sticks and stones can break my bones" is true, but the reality is that the second part is not. The words hurt just as much and, unfortunately, don't heal as quickly or completely in most cases. What I wouldn't give for a broken arm instead of this yucky feeling in my gut. It is a good reminder to me of the power of our words and the care I need to take with mine.
The tongue is a small things, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. (James 3:5 TLB)I hope I will, from now on, be even more mindful of what I say. Of it's necessity [let's face it, I say tons of stuff each day that I just plain don't even need to say in the first place] and of it's impact on those who hear it [or hear of it, even]. I'm putting my hope on the fact that good will come out of this ickiness somehow, even if only in my own actions.
6. We got our [pretty significant] tax return the other day. I was thrilled to feel like we had no money worries, even for just a couple days . . . it's expensive raising 5 kiddos! It's pretty much all gone now, [the money, that is] but the good news is that we were able to pay off a couple of long-term capital campaign pledges that we pretty much made in faith, since they were kind of [seemingly] beyond our means. But we felt really lead to make these pledges anyway [one to CSC and one to Northwestern] The pledges weren't "due" for over a year, but now they are all "paid off". [which in turn will significantly boost our charitable giving for 2009 and get us another nifty refund next year . . . but that is just a nice perk/benefit and was not, at all, the goal in all of this] It feels terrific to know that these fabulous ministries have a little more money to work with now and that I won't have to think about those extra commitments again in the months to come when money might be a little tight! And if we can just hold on for less than a decade, [which I know will go super fast] by the time Jacob graduates from high school we should be mortgageless if we keep at it! What a day that will be. You think I'm excited now, just you wait!!!
7. Valentine's Day was great! The red, pink & white party at my mom's was extra fun. We did not eat a single thing that wasn't red, pink or white. The kids had fun and there was lot of love!!
The wonderful host & hostess of the evening
The Valentine-y Stoll's (all in red, pink & white!)
Lydia's Valentine hair [you know, since hair is one of my greatest talents!!]
8. I have a few friends [which is a few too many!] who have really sick kids right now. In and out of the hospital trying to get things figured out. My heart is heavy for them and I'm trying to remember to pray for them all the time. Having sick kids is a terrible feeling. So helpless and painful!
9. The 3 big kids were invited by my grandma [their piano teacher, who they call GG . . . for great grandma] to give a little mini concert/recital yesterday at the nursing home where she volunteers. [yup, I do realize it seems a little funny that a lady in her 80's would be volunteering at a nursing home where I'm sure some of the residents are younger than she is, but hey, good for her!] They each played a piece or two and did a great job. I think the residents appreciated it too. [In case you know her, that's Elaine DeYoe's head there, front and center.]
10. Sleep update: Joe still makes his way up to join us in our bed most every night. Anna is getting better lately . . . at least a little. She usually gets up once [about 3ish] to eat a little, snuggle, have me find her nuk and just generally be assured that we're still there. I'm feeling hopeful that by her birthday she might be sleeping all night . . . at least once in a while!
11. I signed us up for family camp at Trout! I think it will be tons of fun and that we will all love it. This was our one fun, family splurge out of our short-lived wealth [see #6]. It will be the perfect vacation for us . . . no planning on our part and an already-scheduled babysitter for each and every evening so mom & dad can have a little fun! All without having to step foot in the van or buckle anyone up for 5 whole days! Plus, there's a lake . . . swimming is always a hit!
Monday, February 16, 2009
verse 4
Time for another verse already! Man, the weeks just keep flyin' by! I'm on my 4th verse of my 2009 scripture memory challenge. There is so much in the Bible that is applicable to my life EVERY day! This is the passage I'm going to work on for the next couple weeks:
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known. (Habakkuk 3.2)
If you don't know about my "resolution" to memorize 24 scriptures in 2009, you can check it out here.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day!
What a fun day it will be!
What a fun day it will be!
We are going to a "Red, Pink & White" party at my parents house later on this afternoon. You have to wear red, pink & white, the decorations will be red, pink and white and so will the food! Fun, fun, fun!
Have a great day and spread the love!
I had to add this because I'm just so in love with lipstick!!
If you know me AT ALL, you'll know that's supposed to be a funny joke!
If you know me AT ALL, you'll know that's supposed to be a funny joke!
Friday, February 13, 2009
TGIF!
It's been a crazy, long, sickish, busy week! I'm looking forward to the weekend and celebrating with the people I love most! Plus, the big kids have Monday and Tuesday off. We could all use that little bit of extra break right about now!
I'm currently reading "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" and loving it! I'm on the D's . . . it's a memoir, but is written encyclopedia-style. It's not at all your average book and I love how so much of what it says feels like it resonates with my soul, even the layout of the book. I love it! It is by my new favorite author Amy Krause Rosenthal. Remember her from this post? You should see if you can find the book and check it out for yourself. It is unique and refreshing in so many ways. And once you find it (or even before) you might want to watch this to see what super fun thing she did when this book first came out! Watching it just makes me happy!
Have a super duper weekend.
P.S. Don't worry, the G in the post title stands for "goodness", I'm not big on taking the Lord's name in vain. Although, on a more serious note, I am very thankful to God for His help in getting me through until Friday this week! A couple times I wasn't so sure . . .
I'm currently reading "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" and loving it! I'm on the D's . . . it's a memoir, but is written encyclopedia-style. It's not at all your average book and I love how so much of what it says feels like it resonates with my soul, even the layout of the book. I love it! It is by my new favorite author Amy Krause Rosenthal. Remember her from this post? You should see if you can find the book and check it out for yourself. It is unique and refreshing in so many ways. And once you find it (or even before) you might want to watch this to see what super fun thing she did when this book first came out! Watching it just makes me happy!
Have a super duper weekend.
P.S. Don't worry, the G in the post title stands for "goodness", I'm not big on taking the Lord's name in vain. Although, on a more serious note, I am very thankful to God for His help in getting me through until Friday this week! A couple times I wasn't so sure . . .
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thankful Thursday
Today I'm thankful for naps. Ahhhh, naps. I love it when the kids take them {Anna always takes one if we're home in the afternoon and sometimes Joe still will too} and I love to take one myself!!
Today all 3 of us took naps for at least a little while. How great is that? I haven't been feelin' super hot the last couple days {the nurse I talked to on the phone yesterday even advised that I "go right to the ER and get checked out". I didn't actually do that . . . I didn't feel it was that big of a deal. But, don't fret, I do have an appointment tomorrow to get myself all figured out}. So I thought a nap would do me good. Anna has an ear infection and is doing much better now that she has some antibiotics, but I know she's still a little short on sleep from Tuesday night when she mostly screamed and cried when she should have been sleeping. Poor dolly! Hopefully, if you enjoy a good nap too you'll get a chance to sneak one in soon! Enjoy it.
Oh, and just to clear up the records, I am NOT a fan of the "power nap". If I can't shut my eyes for at least an hour I'd rather not even lay down. That's just me! How about you?
Today all 3 of us took naps for at least a little while. How great is that? I haven't been feelin' super hot the last couple days {the nurse I talked to on the phone yesterday even advised that I "go right to the ER and get checked out". I didn't actually do that . . . I didn't feel it was that big of a deal. But, don't fret, I do have an appointment tomorrow to get myself all figured out}. So I thought a nap would do me good. Anna has an ear infection and is doing much better now that she has some antibiotics, but I know she's still a little short on sleep from Tuesday night when she mostly screamed and cried when she should have been sleeping. Poor dolly! Hopefully, if you enjoy a good nap too you'll get a chance to sneak one in soon! Enjoy it.
Oh, and just to clear up the records, I am NOT a fan of the "power nap". If I can't shut my eyes for at least an hour I'd rather not even lay down. That's just me! How about you?
Happy Birthday Abe!
I'm pretty sure that today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. If it's not today, it's pretty close to today and we'll call it good! I went to Lincoln Elementary School. I know that's not super important, but it is related and so I said it. Abraham Lincoln said lots of great stuff. In honor of his birthday here is a quote of his that I read today . . . and enjoyed. I hope you enjoy it too:
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My Hero
This morning mouse #4 was in his trap right at the bottom of the basement steps (that's not where we put the trap last night, he must have drug it over there after getting himself -- or herself, I guess -- caught in it.) Anyway, I have laundry to do today and the thought of stepping over it each time I came downstairs creeped me out . . . but even creepier was the thought of doing something about it myself! Yuck! So Jacob stepped up to the plate and took over as my hero since Kirbs is at work . . . I told him he should check on these things before he leaves in the morning, but alas . . .
Thanks Jacob, you are my hero today! And quite brave too, I might add!
Thanks Jacob, you are my hero today! And quite brave too, I might add!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Introducing . . .
Ava Yeon Vogt
Born August 21, 2008 in Korea
Born August 21, 2008 in Korea
Ava is my best friend Allison's daughter. Al & Justin were just matched with her last week (mystery solved if you were curious about my earlier post!) and will travel to Korea with their son Sam (who is almost 5) & Allison's dad, Ron, in about 3 months to pick her up and bring her home! I can't wait! Isn't she beautiful? I said she looks like some kind of little princess of that throne-of-a-chair they've got her sitting on. No doubt she will be one very soon, if she isn't already!
We had a chance to stop at the wonderful Albertville outlet mall on the way home from our girls weekend and Al & I made quick work of a few great kids shops where we got Anna & Ava 3 matching outfits [and talked ourselves out of quite a few more!!] for this summer and fall . . . one of which Anna is modeling for you here
we also got 2 super cute green t-shirts with butterflies on them that say "best friends". We've decided they will wear them when they got to the 2009 Minnesota State Fair together . . . we only have to wait 7 more months or so . . . I promise to take a picture so you can see. Think you can remember for that long and remind me if I forget? Okie doke, it's a deal!
We are SO excited for Al, Justin & Sam! Ava, we are praying for you like crazy and just can't wait to get our hands on you for some huggin' and cuddlin'! We love you so much . . . all 4 of you!
I have Ava on the brain so much the past few days that I even called Anna Ava once this morning! Yikes! Anna & Ava. That could get confusing . . . but then also SO cute! BFF's for sure [whether they like it or not!]
Update on life
#1. I had a wonderful, wonderful weekend! We laughed so long and hard and late into the night early into the morning that I'm sure it counted as a workout!
#2. Anna got a fever (101.7) sometime during the night and started throwing up . . . poor girl! So we're laying low and sticking close to home today. Plus, when I took her downstairs at about 3 to check her temp I missed the bottom 2 steps and fell . . . thankfully the baby hardly noticed it even happened and I landed on my knee [which hurts a little]. But it could have been MUCH worse! Thank the Lord for His protection and watch over sleep deprived mommas who are stumbling around in the middle of the night holding precious cargo!
#3. We're up to 3 mice caught so far in the traps since Friday (one each night . . . even though we have more than one trap set . . . we still just catch one per night, funny!) It kind of grosses me out to think that there were [at least] that many in my house, but at the same time I'm glad we've got 3 less than we did the other day. We just keep settin' them and waiting to see what comes of it!
#4. Kirb did a bang-up job of holding down the fort over the weekend, AND he finished most of the kitchen project by paining the last 2 walls. He did a splendid job!
#5. I had a super fantastic time with my "peeps"! . . . oops, did I already mention that one? Sorry! Mel, Bridge, Sarah, Al & Nancy: thanks for the fun time. I love you! Can't wait 'til next year!
#2. Anna got a fever (101.7) sometime during the night and started throwing up . . . poor girl! So we're laying low and sticking close to home today. Plus, when I took her downstairs at about 3 to check her temp I missed the bottom 2 steps and fell . . . thankfully the baby hardly noticed it even happened and I landed on my knee [which hurts a little]. But it could have been MUCH worse! Thank the Lord for His protection and watch over sleep deprived mommas who are stumbling around in the middle of the night holding precious cargo!
#3. We're up to 3 mice caught so far in the traps since Friday (one each night . . . even though we have more than one trap set . . . we still just catch one per night, funny!) It kind of grosses me out to think that there were [at least] that many in my house, but at the same time I'm glad we've got 3 less than we did the other day. We just keep settin' them and waiting to see what comes of it!
#4. Kirb did a bang-up job of holding down the fort over the weekend, AND he finished most of the kitchen project by paining the last 2 walls. He did a splendid job!
#5. I had a super fantastic time with my "peeps"! . . . oops, did I already mention that one? Sorry! Mel, Bridge, Sarah, Al & Nancy: thanks for the fun time. I love you! Can't wait 'til next year!
Joe, Joe, Joe . . .
Joe is being especially funny again this morning. [Or it may just be that I missed his silliness while I was gone this weekend]. He watched part of a Star Wars movie this weekend . . . feel free to keep your judgements to yourself, ok? and told me this morning:
He does love all things Star Wars [even though he'd never seen it until this weekend]! Jacob reads him Star Wars picture books, we have light sabers to play with . . . and if he can't find a real light saber, most anything longish will magically "turn into" one anyway! . . . these are things Jacob would have had absolutely no idea about when he was just-about-4! Just one more difference between child #1 and child #4!
"CR2PO is in this one." (who I imagine to be the love child of C3PO & R2D2, but I'm just not sure)
"When 'Dark Vadeh' was getting littler and littler he was turned into Anakin." (pretty smart boy there, eh?)
And on a non-Star Wars [but similar thought process] note, he also told me that "when I was little you put me in your tummy."
He does love all things Star Wars [even though he'd never seen it until this weekend]! Jacob reads him Star Wars picture books, we have light sabers to play with . . . and if he can't find a real light saber, most anything longish will magically "turn into" one anyway! . . . these are things Jacob would have had absolutely no idea about when he was just-about-4! Just one more difference between child #1 and child #4!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Rodent update
One mouse dead in the trap in the basement! Whoo Hoo! We (we meaning KIRBY!) will empty it and bait it again and see what else we can get. I was just thrilled it wasn't a rat . . . at least not yet, anyway!
We won, we won!
Last night was the annual carnival at Falcon Heights Elementary. It's always quite an experience. I figure it ends up to be a pretty significant investment for our family each year: each kid (I have 3 there!) comes home with 10 raffle tickets to sell . . . and you know who buys them, don't cha? Me! Like I'm really gonna go around selling them to others? Then there are donations to 3 classroom raffle baskets (a totally different thing from the raffle tickets raffle, so don't be confused). Then there are the tickets we buy to enter the basket raffle, not to mention the tickets that we use during the evening for 7 family members . . . actually, I don't think Anna did anything at the carnival that required a ticket, so make that 6! You know, 3 tickets for face painting, 1 ticket for "pick a pencil", 2 tickets for the soccer kick, 5 tickets for a piece of pizza, 3 for a slushie, 2 for cotton candy . . . and the list goes on. I think I've written 7 checks to "FHPTA" in the past week!
All this year after year after year and we never win anything . . . until last night! I had taken the 2 little kids home. [Joe was beyond meltdown by the time we left.] Kirb worked the 7:30 to 8:30 shift at the "Prize Wheel" and as soon as it was done they headed to thelibrary media center for the big drawings. There is one raffle basket for each classroom (I think we have 16 homeroom teachers). They are themed (things like "Lego", "Snuggle Up & Read", "Endless Errands", "Family Movie Night" and stuff like that) and you buy tickets and drop them in the bucket for the prize you want to win. We always buy each kid 1 ticket that they can put in whatever basket they want and if they want more than 1 they have to buy them with their own money. Jacob put his 1 ticket from us and the 10 he bought with his own money all in the Lego bucket (nothin' like putting all your eggs in one basket!). This is what he does EVERY year. It's a good refresher on the pitfalls of gambling when he is truly disappointed each and every year when he doesn't win. Lydia just stuck with her 1 ticket and I think Rebekah bought a couple extra with her own money. [The raffle tickets -- which we were supposed to sell to others -- are for donated prizes from outside our school like a new bike donated by the local bike shop, a free limo ride, Twins tickets . . . you know stuff like that]. So they do what seems like a million drawings at 8:30 and the anticipation is thick! So they are raffling off the baskets. Mr. Charest [the principal] is announcing the winner of Mr. Hausman's 5th/6th grade "Camping" basket . . . and the winner is LYDIA STOLL! My family cheers loudly and is very excited. Families around us are excited for us. It's so fun! [Note: Lydia based her decision to put her one and only ticket in the camping basket because of the fact that it included some Hershey bars and marshmallows (you know, for the s'mores you'll make while camping). That's the only reason she wanted it. Silly girl!!] Now 2 or 3 baskets later they announce the winner of Mrs. Heille's 4th grade basket (Jacob's class) "Quick, Fast & Easy", it's filled with gift cards to make family dinner "quick & easy" so: McDonald's, Wendy's, Subway, Target, Boston Market . . . and the list goes on. Tons of gift cards! And the basket goes to THE STOLL FAMILY! (I always buy a few extra tickets and write "The Stoll Family" on them). Kirb and the kids are in shock. We never win and now we won two! Plus, I took the van home, so Kirb, the 3 big kids and two HUGE baskets have to fit in the Nissan (which has a trunk filled with stuff to be dropped off at Goodwill . . . which was put in there in roughly 2004!) A dad we know leans over to Kirb and says "You didn't cheer quite as loud that time." Anyway, now we'll always remember the 2009 Falcon Carnival and all the fun prizes it brought to our house! The year we won big! How fun! We really never eat out much . . . it's tough with Jacob's allergies and we can't really afford to eat out with 7 people anyway. What a blessing this will be. We'll still be using up gift cards well into 2010, I would imagaine . . . how fun! Plus, Kirb had planned to take Jacob on a "growing up" father & son camping trip this summer, so they'll be all decked out now for it!
Hooray! Don't tell the kiddos, but after they went to bed [since we hadn't really eaten dinner] we ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut . . . that's one gift card down, about 25 to go! Actually, you can tell them if you want, we don't try to deceive them . . . too often, anyway. I was just kiddin' about the "don't tell the kids" part . . . they saw the evidence in the kitchen this morning since who really wants to take the pizza box out to the trash at 10:30 pm . . . in the winter . . . in Minnesota (even though yesterday was nearly balmy!!)
UPDATE: I have to apologize and print a retraction because I was inaccurate in my information on the distribution of Jacob's tickets. He has informed me that he did NOT put all 11 of hiseggs tickets in the Lego basket, instead he put 5 in the Lego basket, 2 in the movie night basket, 3 in the Minnesota sports basket and 1 in the "Quick, Fast & Easy" basket . . . which we won, and turns out it was Jacob's ticket that was the actual winner and not the one that I put in . . . I guess I'm not a winner after all!
All this year after year after year and we never win anything . . . until last night! I had taken the 2 little kids home. [Joe was beyond meltdown by the time we left.] Kirb worked the 7:30 to 8:30 shift at the "Prize Wheel" and as soon as it was done they headed to the
Hooray! Don't tell the kiddos, but after they went to bed [since we hadn't really eaten dinner] we ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut . . . that's one gift card down, about 25 to go! Actually, you can tell them if you want, we don't try to deceive them . . . too often, anyway. I was just kiddin' about the "don't tell the kids" part . . . they saw the evidence in the kitchen this morning since who really wants to take the pizza box out to the trash at 10:30 pm . . . in the winter . . . in Minnesota (even though yesterday was nearly balmy!!)
UPDATE: I have to apologize and print a retraction because I was inaccurate in my information on the distribution of Jacob's tickets. He has informed me that he did NOT put all 11 of his
Friday, February 6, 2009
Eeeeeeek!
So a week or so ago . . . wait, let me back up even farther . . . a year or so ago I noticed some (what I believed to be) mouse poop in our basement. In my "office" even . . . the nerve!!! We never laid eyes on an actual mouse, just saw some evidence of one. So we got some sticky traps and put them out. Once one of them had a little fur on it, but nothing more . . . ever. The "evidence" seemed to go away so I thought the problem had somehow resolved itself. Whoo hoo!
Fast forward to a week or so ago: We store our overflow of pantry stuff (cereal, pasta, juice, etc.) in the basement on some shelving in the laundry room . . . 7 people eat a lot and it doesn't all fit in the (beautiful, newly spiffed-up -- see below!) kitchen cupboards. We have always kept stuff down there . . . without problem . . . until now. I grabbed a box of cereal from the shelf the other day and noticed a little corner of the cardboard box had been chewed, and the plastic bag inside . . . and all that was left of my huge box of cereal were a few crumbs. Yikes! Yuck! I tried not to freak out and told Kirb we had mice (as my dad so sweetly pointed out, "fat mice") in the basement again and we agreed we should pick up some traps. Well we hadn't gotten around to that yet (really, I don't know what we've been doing . . . possibly keeping up with 5 kids, giving the kitchen a face life, spending time with out-of-town company . . . )
Now fast forward to this morning . . . I am down in the basement. The kids are pretty much ready for school . . . Friday mornings they go to school early because they are in "Chess Club" that meets on Fridays before school (love it!), so I drop them off there. From the basement I hear screaming. I can tell right away that this is not your average fighting sibling/"he is annoying me"/"she hit me"/"can't find my toothbrush" kind of scream. It's for real. I go upstairs to all 3 big kids yelling about having seen a mouse . . . on the main floor!!! Not in the basement where we do laundry and store extra "junk" and play in the summer when it's not freezing down there, but ON THE MAIN FLOOR where we live and eat and sleep! Now I'm mad! They said it ran out of the bathroom and into the hall and headed for the boys room. I am super grossed out and, honestly, a little scared! I ask Jacob (who is pretty calm) if he's afraid of it, he says "No, but I don't want to get rabies". I assure him he won't (although I'm not sure it was the truth) and tell him to go in his room and see if he can see it . . . he claims to not be scared of the mouse, but doesn't do it . . . neither do I! Lydia is hysterically sobbing on top of the bench in our kitchen! She is terrified. Rebekah thinks we should name it . . . "until we can kill it anyway", she adds. I pack up the kids as quick as I can and leave the house!
I drop the big kids off at chess club and Joey off at ELL . . . long story . . . obviously he is not an English Language Learner, but I'll post that longish, funny story another time if I remember. Anna & I go to the (mouse-free) Y, stop at the hardware store and buy all manner of mouse annihilating stuff and pick Joe back up at ELL . . . they do have curb-side pick up, so that's a perk even if he doesn't need to learn English.
Now we are home and I am anxiously awaiting Kirb's arrival so he can help me out . . . well, after he takes his sister and her family to the airport . . . they are going to (mouse-free) Florida for, like, an insane amount of time (2 weeks or something). Lucky them . . . actually I'm kind of a home body and while the sunshine and warm temps of Florida sound fabulous (not to mention the mouse-freeness), I really wouldn't want to be away from my house that long . . . unless, of course, my house was infested with a mouse, or possibly mice, or possibly a rat . . . thanks to my mother for opening my brain to that line of thinking. It was just what I needed!
So, I'll keep you updated on the situation, but for now here is a photo of what $26.11 worth of mouse killer looks like:
Fast forward to a week or so ago: We store our overflow of pantry stuff (cereal, pasta, juice, etc.) in the basement on some shelving in the laundry room . . . 7 people eat a lot and it doesn't all fit in the (beautiful, newly spiffed-up -- see below!) kitchen cupboards. We have always kept stuff down there . . . without problem . . . until now. I grabbed a box of cereal from the shelf the other day and noticed a little corner of the cardboard box had been chewed, and the plastic bag inside . . . and all that was left of my huge box of cereal were a few crumbs. Yikes! Yuck! I tried not to freak out and told Kirb we had mice (as my dad so sweetly pointed out, "fat mice") in the basement again and we agreed we should pick up some traps. Well we hadn't gotten around to that yet (really, I don't know what we've been doing . . . possibly keeping up with 5 kids, giving the kitchen a face life, spending time with out-of-town company . . . )
Now fast forward to this morning . . . I am down in the basement. The kids are pretty much ready for school . . . Friday mornings they go to school early because they are in "Chess Club" that meets on Fridays before school (love it!), so I drop them off there. From the basement I hear screaming. I can tell right away that this is not your average fighting sibling/"he is annoying me"/"she hit me"/"can't find my toothbrush" kind of scream. It's for real. I go upstairs to all 3 big kids yelling about having seen a mouse . . . on the main floor!!! Not in the basement where we do laundry and store extra "junk" and play in the summer when it's not freezing down there, but ON THE MAIN FLOOR where we live and eat and sleep! Now I'm mad! They said it ran out of the bathroom and into the hall and headed for the boys room. I am super grossed out and, honestly, a little scared! I ask Jacob (who is pretty calm) if he's afraid of it, he says "No, but I don't want to get rabies". I assure him he won't (although I'm not sure it was the truth) and tell him to go in his room and see if he can see it . . . he claims to not be scared of the mouse, but doesn't do it . . . neither do I! Lydia is hysterically sobbing on top of the bench in our kitchen! She is terrified. Rebekah thinks we should name it . . . "until we can kill it anyway", she adds. I pack up the kids as quick as I can and leave the house!
I drop the big kids off at chess club and Joey off at ELL . . . long story . . . obviously he is not an English Language Learner, but I'll post that longish, funny story another time if I remember. Anna & I go to the (mouse-free) Y, stop at the hardware store and buy all manner of mouse annihilating stuff and pick Joe back up at ELL . . . they do have curb-side pick up, so that's a perk even if he doesn't need to learn English.
Now we are home and I am anxiously awaiting Kirb's arrival so he can help me out . . . well, after he takes his sister and her family to the airport . . . they are going to (mouse-free) Florida for, like, an insane amount of time (2 weeks or something). Lucky them . . . actually I'm kind of a home body and while the sunshine and warm temps of Florida sound fabulous (not to mention the mouse-freeness), I really wouldn't want to be away from my house that long . . . unless, of course, my house was infested with a mouse, or possibly mice, or possibly a rat . . . thanks to my mother for opening my brain to that line of thinking. It was just what I needed!
So, I'll keep you updated on the situation, but for now here is a photo of what $26.11 worth of mouse killer looks like:
flashback friday
I leave tomorrow morning for my annual "girl's weekend". Whoo hoo! I can't wait! We call it a "weekend", however truth be told it's not even 36 hours. But, we take what we can get. I think this is our 4th annual, if I remember right. We go up to Grandview Lodge near Brainerd. We spend a little time at the spa getting some once-a-year pampering (I'm getting a 60 minute massage!! Can't wait!!!) and then stay up most of the night eating and chatting and laughing 'til we pee and other fun stuff like that. Then we pretty much drag ourselves out of bed in the morning, eat a little more and head home . . . but not without stopping at the Albertville outlet mall! So much fun to cram into 36 hours! I'm also looking forward to NOT being pregnant this year . . . although my breast pump will have to accompany me on the weekend. These ladies are such great women and I love spending time with them. I'm so thankful to my bestest, bestest friend, Al, for introducing me to these wonderful women about a decade ago. They started out as strangers whose names I could never remember no matter how hard I tried, (actually, I could remember the names, but not which person went with which name!) but have now turned into great friends even though I rarely see them apart from our annual winter weekend away!
This picture was taken at our girl's weekend in 2007 and it makes me happy even though it's not very good of any of us (it was, after all, taken in the morning following little sleep or personal grooming . . . well except for Elisa, she's always well groomed!) . . . and it would seem that Mel & I didn't get the memo about wearing blue. I'll try to remember that this time around when I pack!
Enjoy your weekend, I know I will!
This picture was taken at our girl's weekend in 2007 and it makes me happy even though it's not very good of any of us (it was, after all, taken in the morning following little sleep or personal grooming . . . well except for Elisa, she's always well groomed!) . . . and it would seem that Mel & I didn't get the memo about wearing blue. I'll try to remember that this time around when I pack!
Enjoy your weekend, I know I will!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A little something new
I have a new favorite children's author (and all-around pretty cool lady from what I can tell). Amy Krause Rosenthal. You can see quite a few of her books if you just shift your eyes a little to the right and peek at my book shelf. Her books are so true, so fun, so refreshing. She has a blog and did this thing she called The Beckoning of Lovely. You really should watch it!!
Also you should read a few of her books, if not all of them . . . I haven't found one yet that I don't like! Don't try to find them at my library though. I currently have everything they have that she has written checked out, and I don't plan on returning them anytime soon . . . you can renew twice, you know. That makes a total of 9 weeks that you can have a book out before you HAVE to return it. If I don't buy them all before the 9 weeks is up, I guess I'll have to take a little break and then check them out all over again. So, probably head to another library . . . actually there is probably more than one copy of each one, so you might still be in luck, or you could just request them! I would tell you my favorite one, but every time I think I've decided on my favorite, I change my mind and think of another that must be my favorite. You should start with Cookies, The OK book, It's not fair, Little Hoot & One of Those Days! Man, they're good!
Hope you enjoy them too . . . if you take my advice and check them out, that is!
Also you should read a few of her books, if not all of them . . . I haven't found one yet that I don't like! Don't try to find them at my library though. I currently have everything they have that she has written checked out, and I don't plan on returning them anytime soon . . . you can renew twice, you know. That makes a total of 9 weeks that you can have a book out before you HAVE to return it. If I don't buy them all before the 9 weeks is up, I guess I'll have to take a little break and then check them out all over again. So, probably head to another library . . . actually there is probably more than one copy of each one, so you might still be in luck, or you could just request them! I would tell you my favorite one, but every time I think I've decided on my favorite, I change my mind and think of another that must be my favorite. You should start with Cookies, The OK book, It's not fair, Little Hoot & One of Those Days! Man, they're good!
Hope you enjoy them too . . . if you take my advice and check them out, that is!
Thankful Thursday
Well, I took a week off from being thankful for my parents (actually, I was thankful for them all along . . . I just didn't write about it), but I'm back at it. Today I am extra thankful for my dad and for our fresh new kitchen. My dad's been workin' (somewhat hard) off and on for the past 10 days or so to help us with a kitchen transformation. (We would LOVE a complete kitchen remodel . . . and an addition . . . and a mudroom . . . and I could go on and on but the sad truth is you can't do these things without gobs of money -- which we don't have -- so we settled for the $150 makeover, actually all those extra trips for "one more thing" that we forgot probably pushed it closer to the $200 mark, but still worth it!). It didn't turn out to be quite as simple as we hoped (when does it ever?). We thought, simple enough . . . take the doors off the cupboards, spiff 'em up a little, paint 'em and re-hang 'em . . . not too tough. I mean really, just the other day I saw someone do almost the exact same thing on HGTV in about 30 minutes!! Well, it turned out to be a little more of an undertaking then we expected, (you don't really want all the details, I'm sure) but it's (pretty much) done and it looks great! I still have a little distressing work I'd like to do on them, but even as it stands right now it's a huge improvement from 2 weeks ago!! If my uncle Den would have stayed longer (or spent more time workin' and less time playin'!!) it could have really gotten a professional makeover, but we'll have to settle for the really nice amateur job we got instead! Thanks so much Dad, we appreciate it (and you) lots! I love you and am glad, quirky as you can sometimes be, that you are my Dad. I wouldn't trade ya for anyone else!
Plus, just look how cute he is. He's trying to hide behind Anna, but I know you can still tell!
If you don't already know, my dad is also an amazing artist, Doug Carlson gallery even has a website of all things (it's listed on my right side bar so you can hop on over any time you want to!). We have a great Ethiopian landscape that he did hanging above our couch in the living room . . . we love it! I know he would have much preferred to be painting on canvas rather than my cupboard doors, but he did it anyway. What a guy! You can get back to your canvases now . . . thanks for taking a break from the "fun painting" to do some "not-as-fun" painting for us! I think there is still a square foot or two of bare wall space in the stairway coming up from your basement, so you better paint something to fill it up!
And did I mention this is what he spends about 8 months of the year doing?
This was last summer on some insanely long ride that he signed up for . . . I think he was the oldest guy to finish it. He rode for like 36 hours straight with a few short little stops to eat, go potty and catch a nap for like an hour. He's one unique grandpa, that's for sure!
And here he is working hard on the kitchen:
And the [almost] finished product:
Stop over & see it in person if you want! That is, if you know where I live!
Plus, just look how cute he is. He's trying to hide behind Anna, but I know you can still tell!
If you don't already know, my dad is also an amazing artist, Doug Carlson gallery even has a website of all things (it's listed on my right side bar so you can hop on over any time you want to!). We have a great Ethiopian landscape that he did hanging above our couch in the living room . . . we love it! I know he would have much preferred to be painting on canvas rather than my cupboard doors, but he did it anyway. What a guy! You can get back to your canvases now . . . thanks for taking a break from the "fun painting" to do some "not-as-fun" painting for us! I think there is still a square foot or two of bare wall space in the stairway coming up from your basement, so you better paint something to fill it up!
And did I mention this is what he spends about 8 months of the year doing?
This was last summer on some insanely long ride that he signed up for . . . I think he was the oldest guy to finish it. He rode for like 36 hours straight with a few short little stops to eat, go potty and catch a nap for like an hour. He's one unique grandpa, that's for sure!
And here he is working hard on the kitchen:
And the [almost] finished product:
Stop over & see it in person if you want! That is, if you know where I live!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
HOORAY!
I got some extra great news today, but I can't say much about it yet! More to come soon . . .
What a fiasco!
We spent WAY too much time at the doctor yesterday!
All day long Anna's diapers smelled like someone had opened them up and poured in a bottle of ammonia. I am not exaggerating! The smell was so strong I thought something had to be wrong. Now, being on baby #5, I'd like to think I've been through my share of weird stuff and not a lot phases me, but I just couldn't get over the fact that her pee smelled so strong and I figured that probably meant something . . . and that something was probably not good. So first off I call a few of my mom friends to bounce this weirdness off them, but NONE OF THEM WERE HOME! Honestly ladies, where are you when I need you? Home phones, cell phones. No one was answering me. I called my mom, but she didn't have a solid answer. But she also thought that it was weird. I called our pediatrician and they were having phone issues, so the phone was answered by a receptionist at the Woodbury branch of our pediatricians office. She took down all my info and faxed it to the St. Paul office (I guess faxing was working, but not the actual phone!) and said someone would call me back. It wasn't really an urgent need and I knew it wasn't an emergency and I didn't need to "hang up and dial 911" or anything (it always cracks me up when they say that. If my kids is about to die or is bleeding like mad or has 7 broken limbs would I really call my pediatrician? Who does that? Sorry, I digress!) But I was hoping for a call back in timely manner. Anyway, the initial call was probably at about 10 am and the return call came about 2:30. They thought it should probably be looked at (really? I feel like they always say that). So I got an appointment for 3:30. (But our pediatrician, who I love, doesn't work on Tuesdays. Bummer!)
Here's a cute picture of the patient to break up my extra-long rambling!
3:30 we show up at the office. Check in. Wait in the waiting room. I'll just say right now that I should have brought a book. Funny that this post would closely follow one all about waiting!! Hmmmmm. We finally get called back. I take all Anna's clothes off and they weigh her (18 pounds 10 oz. if you care!). I explain what's going on with her to the nurse. Nurse takes her temp (97.9 or something 98ish) and says the doctor will be in shortly but that he's a little behind. After a not-too-long wait the doctor comes in and asks what's going on. I explain, again, about the ammonia smelling pee. He says it could be some sort of an infection, but she's not showing any other signs of infection (no fever or anything) so he thinks that's not it. It also could be that she's a little dehydrated and her pee smells because it's more concentrated than usual . . . she has had a little cold and a stuffy nose and hasn't been nursing quite as well as usual, but, honestly, her pee smells just terrible! Like literal ammonia . . . have I said that yet? Anyway, he suggests they stick this bag thing on her that will catch her urine (since she is super disobedient and won't pee in a cup like I would like her to!). Then we'll hope that she pees quickly. They'll test it for infection and we'll go from there. The nurse comes in and sticks this little adhesive baggie on her and we wait. I nurse her thinking . . . liquid in, liquid out. She pees about 5 minutes later but somehow NONE of it goes in the bag! Argh! A different nurse comes in a puts on another bag and brings us some apple juice for Anna to drink. Since she has just peed quite a bit (which, incidentally went mostly all over my jeans) they are hoping the apple juice will do the same liquid in, liquid out thing again. When we've waiting quite a while with no more pee they ask where I live. When I tell them not far they send me home with the 2nd bag still on and tell me to come back when it's full. The nurse says I can just tell them at the front desk why I'm there and head right back to the nurses station. I leave.
When I get home my mom is over. She holds Anna and we talk for a while. We go down the basement because I want to show her something. She is holding Anna in the basement and Anna pees . . . on my mom. Again, none in the bag! Now I'm ticked.
I pack Anna back up (after changing her wet clothes) and return to the doctor. The lady at the front (it is now "after hours". Our clinic houses an urgent care too, so we're at the same place but all the staff has changed over) looks at me like I'm from another planet when I tell her I'm just supposed to go back to the nurses station. I explain the whole fiasco to her. She tells me she can just take my urine sample from me. Hello, weren't you listening? I don't actually have a sample, herein lies the problem!! She still looks at me like I'm from Mars and tells me to wait in the waiting room and she'll go find someone. She comes back alone and apologizes. She can't find the nurse???? Really, where could she have gone, I wonder. She comes back out again alone and after probably 5 or 7hours minutes she returns again, with a nurse. I know this nurse. I've had her before. She's pretty good. Yes! After explaining the whole thing again . . . came at 3:30, first bag didn't work, went home with 2nd bag, 2nd bag didn't work, now what? She says we have 2 options: Try the bag again or just try a catheter, which is much more uncomfortable but if there's urine in there it'll get it out. I tell her I'm not opposed to a little discomfort . . . she's a 5th child for heaven's sake. Let's just get this thing done! She says ok and takes me back to a room. She says that since she just peed again she'll have to be rehydrated to successfully get something out of her. So, just to be safe, she puts on a 3rd bag in case she pees (and, I must note, puts it on completely differently than the other 2 nurses . . . in a way that looks like it might actually catch some urine) for her to wear while I nurse her (again . . . the 3rd time in like 2 hours . . . I feel like she is 4 days old! I haven't nursed her this frequently in . . . ever, I think!). Then when I'm done nursing her they'll do the cath. This is the plan. Amazingly, (well, not amazingly, I was praying like crazy and should have known better than to doubt) while I'm nursing her she's pees a ton and it ALL ends up in the bag. I take her out to the nurses station with much excitement. They remove the bag (you might imagine, this is not pleasant . . . especially for the 3rd time in one afternoon . . . it has adhesive . . . and you know where it is attached . . . ouch!) and test the urine. No infection. It isn't even more concentrated than usual! So, she's good . . . we can go home!
So, in the end it was a very expensive and time consuming (not to mention gas consuming) weigh in. But, she's up to almost 19 pounds . . . I guess that's good to know! What a mystery? If anyone has any idea why her pee would smell like straight-up ammonia, I would love to hear it! Weird!
"Hey lady, may I please use the bathroom?"
All day long Anna's diapers smelled like someone had opened them up and poured in a bottle of ammonia. I am not exaggerating! The smell was so strong I thought something had to be wrong. Now, being on baby #5, I'd like to think I've been through my share of weird stuff and not a lot phases me, but I just couldn't get over the fact that her pee smelled so strong and I figured that probably meant something . . . and that something was probably not good. So first off I call a few of my mom friends to bounce this weirdness off them, but NONE OF THEM WERE HOME! Honestly ladies, where are you when I need you? Home phones, cell phones. No one was answering me. I called my mom, but she didn't have a solid answer. But she also thought that it was weird. I called our pediatrician and they were having phone issues, so the phone was answered by a receptionist at the Woodbury branch of our pediatricians office. She took down all my info and faxed it to the St. Paul office (I guess faxing was working, but not the actual phone!) and said someone would call me back. It wasn't really an urgent need and I knew it wasn't an emergency and I didn't need to "hang up and dial 911" or anything (it always cracks me up when they say that. If my kids is about to die or is bleeding like mad or has 7 broken limbs would I really call my pediatrician? Who does that? Sorry, I digress!) But I was hoping for a call back in timely manner. Anyway, the initial call was probably at about 10 am and the return call came about 2:30. They thought it should probably be looked at (really? I feel like they always say that). So I got an appointment for 3:30. (But our pediatrician, who I love, doesn't work on Tuesdays. Bummer!)
Here's a cute picture of the patient to break up my extra-long rambling!
3:30 we show up at the office. Check in. Wait in the waiting room. I'll just say right now that I should have brought a book. Funny that this post would closely follow one all about waiting!! Hmmmmm. We finally get called back. I take all Anna's clothes off and they weigh her (18 pounds 10 oz. if you care!). I explain what's going on with her to the nurse. Nurse takes her temp (97.9 or something 98ish) and says the doctor will be in shortly but that he's a little behind. After a not-too-long wait the doctor comes in and asks what's going on. I explain, again, about the ammonia smelling pee. He says it could be some sort of an infection, but she's not showing any other signs of infection (no fever or anything) so he thinks that's not it. It also could be that she's a little dehydrated and her pee smells because it's more concentrated than usual . . . she has had a little cold and a stuffy nose and hasn't been nursing quite as well as usual, but, honestly, her pee smells just terrible! Like literal ammonia . . . have I said that yet? Anyway, he suggests they stick this bag thing on her that will catch her urine (since she is super disobedient and won't pee in a cup like I would like her to!). Then we'll hope that she pees quickly. They'll test it for infection and we'll go from there. The nurse comes in and sticks this little adhesive baggie on her and we wait. I nurse her thinking . . . liquid in, liquid out. She pees about 5 minutes later but somehow NONE of it goes in the bag! Argh! A different nurse comes in a puts on another bag and brings us some apple juice for Anna to drink. Since she has just peed quite a bit (which, incidentally went mostly all over my jeans) they are hoping the apple juice will do the same liquid in, liquid out thing again. When we've waiting quite a while with no more pee they ask where I live. When I tell them not far they send me home with the 2nd bag still on and tell me to come back when it's full. The nurse says I can just tell them at the front desk why I'm there and head right back to the nurses station. I leave.
When I get home my mom is over. She holds Anna and we talk for a while. We go down the basement because I want to show her something. She is holding Anna in the basement and Anna pees . . . on my mom. Again, none in the bag! Now I'm ticked.
I pack Anna back up (after changing her wet clothes) and return to the doctor. The lady at the front (it is now "after hours". Our clinic houses an urgent care too, so we're at the same place but all the staff has changed over) looks at me like I'm from another planet when I tell her I'm just supposed to go back to the nurses station. I explain the whole fiasco to her. She tells me she can just take my urine sample from me. Hello, weren't you listening? I don't actually have a sample, herein lies the problem!! She still looks at me like I'm from Mars and tells me to wait in the waiting room and she'll go find someone. She comes back alone and apologizes. She can't find the nurse???? Really, where could she have gone, I wonder. She comes back out again alone and after probably 5 or 7
So, in the end it was a very expensive and time consuming (not to mention gas consuming) weigh in. But, she's up to almost 19 pounds . . . I guess that's good to know! What a mystery? If anyone has any idea why her pee would smell like straight-up ammonia, I would love to hear it! Weird!
"Hey lady, may I please use the bathroom?"
Fun visitors!
2 of my dad's siblings were here for the weekend. It was so fun to see them. My aunt Denise and uncle Dennis (they are twins!) Denise's daughter goes to college here, so they came to visit her (and us, but mostly her!) Here is a picture of them, aren't they cute? I love you guys! xoxoxox
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
I find it interesting . . .
There's a way (through google) to keep track of the stats from your blog (how many people visit in a day, where they are from geographically, how long they stay on your site . . . lots and lots of pretty trivial info). If you want to track the stats for your own blog, please don't ask me how. I did it quite a while ago and don't remember! Sorry!
I am a math person through and through. I always have been. I love statistics!
Anyway, I was peeking at my stats this morning (for the last month anyway. . . they track one month at a time. I'm sure you could change the time period you were studying, but again I'm not real tech savvy and don't really care quite that much. Thus, the stats are from the beginning of January up until yesterday). Would you believe a bunch of people from the US looked at my blog this month, like 8 hundred or something like that? Seems like kind of a lot to me, but I guess I buy it? What surprised me was that I had 4 visitors from Canada, 2 from France and 1 from each of the following countries: Malaysia, Germany, Italy and Bolivia. (And guess what else? 31 of my blog visitors visited using a dial-up connection . . . I was a dial-up girl until just the other day, so I feel their pain!) Who are all these people and why do they care about my little life? I find it a little weird. I guess it's ok, but just weird. I read a few blogs but they are people that I know or have some connection to. I'm pretty sure I don't know people in any of those countries (except Canada, I guess). So, if you live far from here and don't have any idea who I am in real life, but are reading this anyway, "Hi, welcome". Enjoy this little glimpse into the life of one (probably rather abnormal) American family who lives in Minnesota . . . where it is REALLY cold today! To the readers who have actually met me in real life and could pick me out a crowd at Target (where I will be at some point in this chilly day), "Hi" to you too. I hope you have a splendid day!
Blessings!
I am a math person through and through. I always have been. I love statistics!
Anyway, I was peeking at my stats this morning (for the last month anyway. . . they track one month at a time. I'm sure you could change the time period you were studying, but again I'm not real tech savvy and don't really care quite that much. Thus, the stats are from the beginning of January up until yesterday). Would you believe a bunch of people from the US looked at my blog this month, like 8 hundred or something like that? Seems like kind of a lot to me, but I guess I buy it? What surprised me was that I had 4 visitors from Canada, 2 from France and 1 from each of the following countries: Malaysia, Germany, Italy and Bolivia. (And guess what else? 31 of my blog visitors visited using a dial-up connection . . . I was a dial-up girl until just the other day, so I feel their pain!) Who are all these people and why do they care about my little life? I find it a little weird. I guess it's ok, but just weird. I read a few blogs but they are people that I know or have some connection to. I'm pretty sure I don't know people in any of those countries (except Canada, I guess). So, if you live far from here and don't have any idea who I am in real life, but are reading this anyway, "Hi, welcome". Enjoy this little glimpse into the life of one (probably rather abnormal) American family who lives in Minnesota . . . where it is REALLY cold today! To the readers who have actually met me in real life and could pick me out a crowd at Target (where I will be at some point in this chilly day), "Hi" to you too. I hope you have a splendid day!
Blessings!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Man, I love that guy!
I love Dr. Seuss! That man was a genius with words! His books bring such big ideas down to such a basic level that even the tiniest little people can get them, and yet super wise "adults" like me can learn huge lessons from them too. (I guess, for some reason I feel I need to clarify that the Bible is still the best source of wisdom around and the place to start when you need to get perspective and an expert opinion, but man that Dr. Seuss sure had lots of amazing thoughts to share in his many, many books.)
One passage from "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" that has been rolling around in my brain for days now (years, actually!) and one that resonates so perfectly with the way I often feel is this one:
I did use the book to make sure that I got it all right, but I think I could recite most of the section from memory. I feel like that's how I live my life lately (always, maybe! at least it seems that way) and I wish it weren't! That's something I'm working on. I always feel like I'm waiting for the next "big thing" be it a date night with Kirbs, payday, coffee with friends, dinner at my parents, my meeting tonight, running errands ALONE in the evening, getting EVERY LAST THING checked off my to-do list (that one hasn't really ever happened yet!) next week when I can get my haircut (and then immediately wish it would grow longer!), bedtime so the house will be a little quiet, the concert I have tickets to in a couple weeks, my book that's on request to come in at the library, the girls weekend. I just feel like I bide my time from one "thing" to the next. Inevitably whatever it is I'm waiting for always comes and goes so fast and seems somewhat disappointing after all that waiting and mental "build-up" to it's greatness! And in the meantime I've pretty much missed all the wonderful life happening in between during the time that I am wishing away. Arrrggghh, I hate that! I wish I were better at "being present in the moment", as my friend Jill always says. But, I figure at least I am aware and am trying to work on it. That's somethin', right? I have a feeling I'm not alone in this mindset and that it's probably pretty common, actually, in people in my life-stage, but man, how it bugs me.
Anyway, all that rambling . . . enjoy your day and each and every little moment that makes it up. And have fun during your next "big thing" but also enjoy the time until then because it's probably gonna hold lots of great stuff! "Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying . . . "
Happy Monday!
One passage from "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" that has been rolling around in my brain for days now (years, actually!) and one that resonates so perfectly with the way I often feel is this one:
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled road at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place . . .
. . . for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow [um, nope!]
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow. [amen!]
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearl, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
I did use the book to make sure that I got it all right, but I think I could recite most of the section from memory. I feel like that's how I live my life lately (always, maybe! at least it seems that way) and I wish it weren't! That's something I'm working on. I always feel like I'm waiting for the next "big thing" be it a date night with Kirbs, payday, coffee with friends, dinner at my parents, my meeting tonight, running errands ALONE in the evening, getting EVERY LAST THING checked off my to-do list (that one hasn't really ever happened yet!) next week when I can get my haircut (and then immediately wish it would grow longer!), bedtime so the house will be a little quiet, the concert I have tickets to in a couple weeks, my book that's on request to come in at the library, the girls weekend. I just feel like I bide my time from one "thing" to the next. Inevitably whatever it is I'm waiting for always comes and goes so fast and seems somewhat disappointing after all that waiting and mental "build-up" to it's greatness! And in the meantime I've pretty much missed all the wonderful life happening in between during the time that I am wishing away. Arrrggghh, I hate that! I wish I were better at "being present in the moment", as my friend Jill always says. But, I figure at least I am aware and am trying to work on it. That's somethin', right? I have a feeling I'm not alone in this mindset and that it's probably pretty common, actually, in people in my life-stage, but man, how it bugs me.
Anyway, all that rambling . . . enjoy your day and each and every little moment that makes it up. And have fun during your next "big thing" but also enjoy the time until then because it's probably gonna hold lots of great stuff! "Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying . . . "
Happy Monday!
oops!
I was feeding Anna breakfast and dropped a big bowl of applesauce on the floor. Amazingly, it landed right side up and most of the applesauce was still in it! I picked the bowl up and kept feeding it to her. Then when she was done I cleaned up the floor. I have no idea how it got dropped. One second I was holding it and happily feeding my adorable little bundle and the next second it was lying on the floor. I swear it jumped right out of my hands. Weird!?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
verse 3
Well, I can't believe it's February and I'm on my 3rd verse of my 2009 scripture memory challenge. There is so much in the Bible that is applicable to my life EVERY day! This is the passage I'm going to work on for the next couple weeks:
This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3.21-23, NIV)
If you don't know about my "resolution" to memorize 24 scriptures in 2009, you can check it out here.
Happy February! I'm hopin' the groundhog will see his shadow tomorrow . . . or that he won't? Whichever one means it will soon be spring. I can never remember it right . . .
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