So, the Halloween finally came and can I just say "is it over yet?" :) If it was one night and is done with, but we've been having Halloween for a few days now because each class at school does their little dress-up party on a different day. So I've been dressing up Kason and Ani into their costumes like 5 times and Kason probably 5-10 times a day. :) I can't complain, they really loved it. We had a very fun get-together at Kjell and Jessica's house with friends from church on Saturday. We had a bon fire, hay ride, some kids wore their costumes and everyone had such a good time. It was a great turn out too and I think we had around 50 people there. It was so nice to just stand by the fire and enjoy some adult conversations while the kids were squealing and running around the huge yard. Somehow, I enjoyed it too much to take some pictures but I hope to see someone else's pictures online. And finally, today came and time for the real "trick-or treating".
Anika is discovering more about the Halloween world this year probably because of being in school and has asked me the other day how come we don't have any scary things in front of our house. So I tried to answer as simply as I could saying that God doesn't like scary things and doesn't want us to be scared. So now when she sees scary things in front of someone's house she points it out to me and says "mom, they don't know about God either." :) It just makes me smile.
Now we are finally done but I have to say, it is our first Halloween "way up North" when we didn't have to bundle up and we didn't even need hats or mittens. That's probably my favorite part about tonight. :) Our first stop was a church in town that hosted a Harvest festival and the kids had a lot of fun there. Kason just spent most of his time in the bouncy houses, Anika took her time decorating a big cookie with all kinds of candy and then ate it all, and Kade went around the whole place and played every single game you could play to win candy/trinkets. After that we went to see Ehren's great aunt Judith at the nursing home and we did some runs in a popular neighborhood. Finally, we made our way to nana and papa's house and were ready to be done. Kids' buckets were full, they had a lot of fun and all pretty much crashed a few minutes after we got home. It may be a different story tomorrow when Kason will be begging for his bucket of candy all day. :) Well, another Halloween behind us and it was good. It is a nice family outing for us, especially now that all 3 kids understand what it is about. Despite a few creepy costumes and decorations we came across, we had a good time. And Ehren and I are both beyond exhausted. :) Good night to all!
I know, the title looks like a kid held the "R" key down or something but it is the perfect title for my thought for the day. Our little Kason has been making these funny sounds once in a while, almost like he's stuttering but he's doing it for fun, on purpose. Ehren asked about it the other day but I guess I got so used to hearing it I don't even notice it anymore. Until, this past week Kason mastered his little tongue game and discovered how to roll his Rs perfectly. I could not be more proud when I heard him over and over going "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" with the perfect sound - like a true Slovak. :) Trying to teach different phrases and words in Slovak to Kade and Anika, seems like the letter "r" is the hardest for them to get right, or as they say to "roll their Rs" so then the whole word sounds American when they say it. So when Kason did that I couldn't believe it. Ehren can't learn it still and I don't know if some people just never learn it or what. So of course, I've been coaching Kason now to repeat all the Slovak words with "r" in it because I don't want him to forget this skill. He is pretty proud of his "rrrrrrrrrrrrr" sound though and is doing it quite a bit during the day. I think it is a tiny reminder to me that now is my time to pour my all into our kids, no matter how hard and tiring it is and no matter how reluctant they are about it. They will soon be gone but they are here now, ready to learn what I have to teach them.
Anika had a big day today. First she had preschool and she couldn't stop talking about all the things they did there. In the afternoon I had to take her to the doctor for her 5th year check up, a long-time dreaded appointment because she was getting all the shots that are required for Kindergarten next Fall. I have been preparing her about the shots for months now and she knew that after her birthday she was going to get them. I finally scheduled the appointment for today and she was so great. It seems like she is growing up so much in every way. To make it a fun day for her instead of a scary one, I told her that when she is brave at the doctor we will go to Dairy Queen for a treat. She was so excited about the DQ that I don't think anything else mattered at all. I was trying to remember when the last time was we took our kids there for a treat and I couldn't even remember because it is such a huge treat at our house. Well, I think it is mostly due to my thinking that it is just an overpriced ice cream place (which it is :)) but I guess once in a great while it's ok. Especially when I see Ani's bright blue eyes just light up with excitement when she talks about it. The doctor's appointment went great and Anika did really well even though she was a bit shy with the doctor. It was a bit long too but the 3 shots at the end finally came. Ani was so brave and I know it was hard for her because sometimes just the thought of getting hurt makes her cry. :) So the first 2 shots she just made a little face but didn't even peep which shocked me. The last shot was something that I guess hurts as it shoots into the body so she did let out a little cry but I was so surprised that was it. I was really expecting fighting with her, or even having to hold her tiny body down but she did awesome. My brave little girl. We sat down at DQ and enjoyed our treat and I told her how proud I was of her. But I think she's taking after her dad with the ice cream because I barely started mine when she was all done with hers. :) Afterwards we ran some errands and just took our time while Ehren was with the boys plus 3 extra kids at home. Anika was just in Heaven and she wouldn't stop talking from all the excitement. I think it's so important to spend one on one time with our kids once in a while, which is not easy to do in the midst of all the commitments, schedules, etc. But kids sure love the time with mom or dad alone, not having to fight for their attention and just feeling special for that one moment. I am really thankful I had this moment with Ani today, thankful for a husband that made sure we had all the time we wanted and I hope I have many more moments like these with her and my boys.
I am so proud of our Kade. He is very smart, sometimes too smart for his own good. :) It is funny, he is only 8 but it sure feels like he's in early teens some days. Just very opinionated, thinks he knows everything best and it is becoming a whole new level of parenting for us. It is not "do this because I said so" anymore, or at least not most of the times. We have to actually discuss things, attitude, and why we do it and so on. :) Sometimes I miss the days when he would just love to help me with anything, I would tell him to get some small chore done and he would be all excited to do it for me. Now, not so much. Although the chore chart works wonders and we let him earn money for completing them which we put in his savings account. He knows exactly how much money is in there at all times and he likes to save up for some toys or things so that's great. He always used to love Math at school, it was his favorite but this year he decided he likes reading the most. It makes me so happy because I am not a reader. I think I read really slow in comparison to other people but it's been also hard for me to read because I hate putting a book down when I'm in the middle of it and would stay up until 2, 3 am reading it. So then I just don't read because I feel like what's the point when I can't finish them for a month. Anyway, I've always read to our kids a lot, ever since they were babies and I feel like it's paying off now because they all like reading a lot. If I had the time they would love it if I read books to them for hours. It is still our naptime routine to sit on the bed or couch, all cuddled together and we read books. It helps Kason now because he hates taking naps and almost doesn't need them anymore but reading books first eases him into it and he knows once we're done it's time for the nap. Kade is getting bored with the little kids' books though and loves reading chapter books. I'm glad our library has a lot of them and he went through so many books from there over the summer. Just this week, Kade's precious journal came that he ordered online. He paid for it with his own money and he just wanted a diary so bad, but it had to have a lock so we had to get it online. I'm not sure why it had to have a lock because he doesn't care if I read it and Kason and Anika couldn't read it even if they wanted to. :) But, I was glad because his handwriting can use any practice it can get. This year, in the 3rd grade they focus a lot on handwriting which is Kade's biggest struggle and he hates it too. But it was funny to me, looking for diaries everywhere, they sell them only for girls. Or I should say like 98% I found were all for girls and that is sad. It would be great to encourage boys to write and they would love it if they made some cool ones for them. Ones that don't show skeletons or pirates, which is the only thing I was able to find.
We just had our parent-teacher conference tonight. Kade's teacher this year is very different from the one last year and Kade has missed her so much. The 2nd grade teacher was young, very sweet all the time and promised to never yell at them which was the most important thing to Kade. After the first 2 or 3 weeks of the 3rd grade Kade would come home and tell me he doesn't like his teacher now because she yells a lot. I said "well, I yell a lot too" but he's more scared of her I think. :) I think it has gotten a lot better though, she told us tonight she never yells but she is just a louder person (I'm not sure I believe her "never yelling" part though :)). Anyway, it went really well and he's doing great with everything. It is great to see him having good friends in his class, even though they get in trouble together. It is funny how every little thing is a competition to these boys. Whether it's a Math test or standing in line to go to the next room, they have to be first and so the teacher is having a little hard time with that but it's nothing bad. They're just boys and it's good to see Kade coming out of his shell a bit more this year. He sure is growing up, getting more brave and is learning about who he is and who he wants to be. It makes me a bit scared about being a good parent because it gets so much harder each year. There are so many more issues to wrestle with than when they are toddlers or preschoolers. I will have to write soon about the book I am almost done with - "a Grace-based Parenting". It is teaching me so much about the way I approach our kids every day and mostly about how it's ok to let them go out into the world because that is how God designed it. He made us a part of this world, not a part of our little Christian world behind a huge gate so we can stay safe and harmless. But more about that some other time. It's time for bed.
I think I'm going to have to take the number of views out of my blog because I am feeling a bit self conscious about so many people reading what I write. I am kind of hoping that my parents are just clicking on the same page over and over so it counts for more people than it is. :) No, it is great and I'm thankful for everyone that comes here but at the same time I worry if I am offending someone because I can be pretty high strong on some things at the moment, when in fact it's not like I am dwelling on those things or I am upset about them. I just like writing random things down that I've been thinking about so I apologize if it's dumb or insensitive or just plain boring some days. It is crazy that once you start blogging you do tend to think about oh, I bet nobody cares about these stupid little thoughts I have but then I have to think back to why I started this. It is a bit of a therapy for me, to see the light at the end of my tiny tunnels and to appreciate all the small and boring things in my life. :)
I've been thinking about Christmas presents already because it will come before we know it and it seems like it is always a bit stressful to find the right gifts for our kids or someone special. Especially when it comes to the kids, you don't want them to get too many presents that they just expect getting more and more each year. It can be hard as the kids get older and they watch what their friends have, especially in this day of tech toys and video games. On one hand it is good for them to learn about computers and tech gadgets when the whole world is going that way but on the other hand how much do they need. The big thing for younger kids like our Kade is to have a cell phone. Really? Who are they going to call? Ehren and I don't even have normal cell phones and I don't see any reason for our kids to have one until they drive. Anyway, Christmas can get a bit carried away in some families where aunts and uncles buy gifts for everyone. We are just a very materialistic society and I don't think it will change. If it changed we would have a huge economy crisis. :) But talking to some friends and family, our kids really don't need anything. They have plenty of toys and plenty of things to do. With our family, we used to do the cousin exchange for Christmas but it came up to be cheaper gifts that kids didn't really need anyway so we decided to just do Operations Christmas Child instead. I usually show our kids youtube videos of different countries around the world where the children are getting the shoe boxes and it is so fun for our kids to see that. When you see those kids getting so excited about their first present in their whole life, it just makes sense and it makes you feel like why do we think we deserve all these things in our lives. We also buy gifts at Samaritan's Purse where you can buy goats, chickens or cows for families in third world countries in the name of someone. I really enjoy doing that versus trying to find the right gift that the person will like. We do get some special gifts for our kids though because birthdays and Christmas is about the only time they get new toys and they get so excited for it. It just doesn't have to be anything huge because really, they are happy about a lot of little things but I am more conscious now about buying them toys that are good quality and have some educational value in it. I can see though that it is tougher with teenagers and older kids that want a lot more expensive gifts and seeing some families I know I don't know how they're able to afford gifts that they get unless they use credit cards or loans. It is just good to remember the real reason for Christmas and talk about it often with our children so we can help them move away from what I am getting and towards what I am giving to others around me.
It is Friday and I was excited for the weekend to start until a couple bad news came a little while ago. First, it looks like Ehren has to work the day after Thanksgiving which is when we love going to the Cities for a long weekend and then my good friend called and she can't make our little getaway tomorrow either. Bummer! It's so easy to just get all mad and dwell in the self pity but I can make the best of it too. It's my choice. But that's not what I was going to write about. I just had to complain to the world a little. :)
I have to say this friend I was excited to hang out with is a big answer to a prayer for a good friend in my life, ever since we moved up here 5 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long because it feels like we're still so new to the community and even our church. I do have good friends, the problem is most of them are either too busy for me or we don't have that much in common and at this point in my life it is hard to find good friends who aren't already taken. :) I know, it's silly but that's the truth as far as women go. I am not sure if a small town makes it worse, sometimes it feels that way. And very likely I may seem that way to other women so I'm not trying to slam others here. Us girls are very funny creatures. Of course, there are a lot of exceptions to the rule, but it is interesting to me how many women around me are still in their adulthood very insecure in so many aspects of life and are constantly comparing themselves to that prettier or trendier or more of a "Martha Stewart" woman next to her. I am no exception, I'll do that more times than I would want or even admit but at the same time I am surprised to find out I am not in a minority and a lot of women around me struggle with those things daily. In some ways guys are spared of so much drama in their life. :) My absolute biggest pet peeve when it comes to women friends (and really to be fair I don't know too many women who do this) is when someone is "bragging" about doing this or that with their Best friend. It is very middleschool-ish to me, but I am finding how so many women don't change since high school and it is still about who is your best friend and who you're "playing with" and "not playing with". Seriously (something my 8 yr old would say)? But I try to just ignore it when I see it and be very careful not to ever brag about my friendships and even say the word best friend because really, you don't know who could be the biggest blessing to you today or tomorrow. And you don't know if the person that is listening isn't wishing she did that with you instead and was called someone's best friend. If we don't reach out and invite new people in we will never know if they can be our new "best" friends. I just joined a new Bible study with about 7 women of all different ages and it is so good to be able to share struggles/challenges/life with them. I especially like listening to and talking with the older women who have been where I am, who have had their shares of hurt, disappointment and joy. Women need each other whether they like it or not and I hope I don't close the door on any woman who is lonely and can't fit in with anyone. It is so easy to do when we don't purposely look for them but they're out there, at every social gathering I can think of.
Halloween is a holiday I don't think I'll ever understand and really I have no idea if we should even be encouraging our kids to participate in it but since it is about candy and dressing up, the kids love it way too much to take it away. Growing up in Slovakia, our "Halloween" was All Saints' Day. Even though my family is not catholic, our country is mostly catholic and so a lot of church holidays follow the catholic lead. I must say, it is a much more beautiful and peaceful celebration than our American Halloween. Everyone goes to the graves of their loved ones, lights candles around the graves, people bring beautiful fresh flowers and just remember those they've lost. I just have this image in my head when I think about it - pretty candles lighting up the dark cemeteries, everyone being very quiet and whispering (I'm not sure why you have to be quiet at the cemeteries, like we're interrupting the dead people's precious rest, but it's a rule). Every time I remember that I can almost smell the burning candles, love that smell. :)
Anyway, since Halloween is coming I had to start thinking what our kids could wear and how we can do it without buying new outfits. Well, I almost did it but then I did let Kade buy his favorite Mario character costume. I was working really hard with Kason so he would choose one of our costumes from Kade when he was about his age. The first one was a bit too small, the second one only lasted a day and he didn't like it. I was starting to think I may have to come up with something new but then Kade dug out one costume I almost forgot about - the superman. Kason has been so into spiderman lately which Kade never was and I don't know how it even started but I thought for sure he wouldn't care for the superman because it is NOT spiderman. But to my delight, he loves superman and I got more than I wished for because he likes it a little bit too much. He knows where it is at all times and he brings it to me at least 4 times a day so I would put it on him. He would just keep it on all day but I told him it is only for inside and he can't eat in it so it stays nice for Halloween. :) I can't help but smile at him as I put it on for the 100th time because every single time I put it on his face lights up and he is so proud of his outfit. "I like my superman costume, mom" he says every time. I love our little superman and it fits him so well. He is so determined and so excited about some things and there is not much that can stand in his way once he sets his mind on it. Anika is really excited to be a cat and I'm so glad because it didn't cost anything and it is really cute. One day before the kids are too old for it though I am going to make m&m costumes for them, each of them a different color m&m. That would be really cute but this year, only one of the children was on board with that so it has to wait a little. So for now, we have a little superman at our house and I'm curious to see if it will stop once Halloween is over.
I have decided that I must be getting old. Or else it is the "living up North" syndrome. :) While we lived in the Cities and even when Kade was 2 years old I remember how it was nothing to get up at 4:45am, go to the health club or go for a run outside. Now, when the fall comes all I want to do is sleep and when that alarm goes off before 6am, more times than not I just turn it off and snooze a bit more before I have to get the kids up for school. I feel totally pathetic, like an old lady who needs her 9-10 hours of sleep. Where is my energy going? I also blame my mom's heavenly goose down comforters she gave us. Ever since we have them both Ehren and I sleep sooo well (well, Ehren has his sleeping issues like all his siblings but he still loves the comforter). Especially on cold nights it just feels way too good to get out of by the time the morning comes. But still, I definitely feel this pull inside of me every Fall to just be lazy, curl under a blanket with a book or a good show instead of being active, workout or something. I have to really force myself to do the extra stuff when not too long ago I couldn't wait to get out there. The darkness at 7pm doesn't help me either, but really this bear hibernation feeling is not fun. Seems like every Spring I try to get myself up and running again because I get so out of shape from the rare workouts over the Fall/Winter. Usually, the thing that gets me off my butt like a whip is when my pants start to get too snug but somehow, I am not even gaining weight so that stinks because in my "bad" mind I feel like I don't need to workout because I'm still the same size or even losing weight. :) Anyway, it is time for me to break the cycle this year. I will stick to more than 2 runs and workouts a week! :) I miss my colleagues who would do this with me, one time we had a calendar going with stars for each workout we did and that was a motivator! Now I don't have that but maybe I should start my own "star" calendar and see if that helps. Well, I am working out tonight no matter what. I guess just one day at a time. Happy Staying-Active Fall to you!
Mondays are usually not my favorite days. The weekends go by way too fast and to have one extra day "off" would be so lovely but here we go, back to work with the kiddos and usually a mountain of laundry from the weekend. Both Ehren and I were a bit more tired after this weekend because we pretty much spent the whole Saturday cleaning the house, inside and out for Ehren's colleagues' party. Not too many came but it was nice to have them over and for Ehren to show them he appreciates their work. Then Sunday we had the Hanson family over for dinner and it is so fun to watch when the cousins get together now as they're getting older. They get all excited and loud and just have fun with each other. So by Sunday night, we were pretty pooped and Ehren was wishing he didn't have to go to work this morning. Well, he didn't get his wish but somehow I got mine and what a blessing it was. I knew my 2 nieces weren't going to come today but then I got a call this morning that Carson, my other one year old was not coming today either. Yes! I was so excited. :) I get to spend the day with my 2 sweethearts and feel like a regular stay home mom for a day. It has been the best morning ever. I got some cleaning done, workout done, I took kids with me to run a few errands including big grocery shopping and I just loved it. Sometimes I envy moms that stay home only with their kids because they get to do all their cooking/shopping/errands running with the kids during the day. For me, most of that has to wait until the evening, after dinner and it is so hard to do that when I'd much rather stay home with my family and play games with them, be there for bed time and stuff. But today, I got to do that and it totally made my day. I just smiled this morning and thanked God because He knew so well how much I needed a bit of a break. Now I'm ready for tomorrow. It can be hard sometimes to see anything positive or good in our life but once in a while we get little blessings that may not seem like a blessing to anyone else but us. And in those times we can see God smiling down at us, taking care of us. Have a blessed week!
I have this love hate relationship with eBay. I haven't gotten to actually try to sell something on there, although I probably should, but I do check it out often for the things I want to buy. It is funny how the bidding can make you go all crazy and you end up spending way more money than you wanted. Luckily it hasn't happened to me yet because there is always someone a lot more greedy than I am. :) But I love it how you can find the exact thing you're looking for on eBay. I have been looking for some dressy boots all over the stores I shop at but with the ugly styles (and in my opinion styles that will be gone in 2 years tops) that are out there right now I didn't see anything I had in mind. So I was really excited to find exactly the style I wanted in my size on eBay. But so did someone else who obviously has too much money to spend because they ended up paying way beyond my limit. So I was bummed but the next day, I found even better shoes, Ecco brand, all leather and somehow I was the only bidder so I got them for $8. I love good deals like that! I decided in my "old" age, it is so not worth it to buy cheap clothes and shoes. Rather, it is good to have a few pieces in the wardrobe that are high quality and with little finds like this on eBay it doesn't have to cost a fortune. For kids, I almost always buy second hand clothes and I haven't bought many on eBay because to me they usually are way overpriced. I don't think people look at the price and shipping together because if they did they would realize they could pay the same or less money for brand new clothes when they're on sale. So shopping around really pays off. It is harder the older the kids get because the second hand stores don't have nearly as much clothes for 7 years and up as they do for small kids so I do have to get some things in the stores and I do most of it online. I love free shipping from my favorite stores because I can pick the size I need, I don't have to drive two hours to get there, and if it doesn't work or fit I just bring it in and return it. I love online Christmas shopping too, my favorite place is Amazon but I did learn for toys you have to buy by the end of October or else the prices go up because they know people are buying for Christmas. So I have to say, I am so thankful for all the technology we have available to us because it makes living in a middle of Nowhere a lot easier and now when I go shopping for real I can just enjoy looking around and seeing what's there because I already bought everything I need online.
This last week or two we've been having very warm temperatures, a couple days it was just a bit too hot for me but I held it together and suppressed the urge to complain because I know very well that we can go from 80 degrees one week to 30 degrees another. So there's no place for complaining, rather get those shorts and tank tops out again and enjoy the outside. So today, that is what we did for a while in the afternoon, with all the kiddos. It was so nice and warm outside (not too hot :)) and there was a strong wind. So of course, I had to pull out the kite and all the kids took turns flying it. It is such a simple and fun thing to do when there is a strong wind blowing. Kids, including the babies were squealing when the kite flew all around and they were trying to catch its long tail. Makes me smile when I picture it.
Today during my afternoon mini break (while the babies are napping) I was listening to one of my favorite Christian radio shows and I was convicted of something. They talked about a full enjoyment and contentment with our season of life. I think it is like a lot of things, when you're reminded of it you think "oh yeah, I should be doing that more" but then we get busy with all the stuff life throws at us daily and we forget. For me, the season of life right now is staying home with our kids, enjoying the short time I have with them and prepare them for life ahead. It is so easy to complain about how tired I am most days, or drained from the whole day with kids. It is easy to complain when I can barely remember I once had a job with adults where I could use my brain. It is easy to envy those around me who to me have it so much better and that is really where the discontentment comes from - comparing our life to others. I need to focus on our family and not what other people have or else I'll go through my whole life wishing I had a different life when I could have just enjoyed the beauty of my life that God gave specifically to me. With me, my big enemy is the chores around the house. I hate having a messy kitchen, a messy house, I like to provide home cooked meals for us on most days and I try really hard to keep up with it all but more times than not in my effort to do that I lose so many opportunities to comfort our kids, to hug them when they need it, to teach them a real lesson, to read or play with them for a few minutes. Is the "clean" house really worth losing all that? Because really, there is always something that is not quite done, laundry is hardly ever completely finished before I start the new loads, floors need washing all the time and all kinds of stuff so I am not winning there anyway. But I am not treasuring and fully enjoying moments with the kids the way I should and that bothers me. I'm not saying I should just quit all the work around the house and just sit and play with the kids all day. That's not it at all, but I want to find that balance in life so that 10, 20 years from now I don't look back and think why didn't I spend more time with the kids. They are so worth it and they are so hungry for our love. And the season is so different for everyone. It can be someone married with no kids for 10 years even though they've tried everything possible, or a single mom with little kids, having the last of the children leave home, etc. Whatever the season is we need to find our joy in it because God has a plan for us, a perfect plan that we need to be a part of and not watch it float away.
So here is to kite flying with the kids, listening to their giggles and laughs, comforting them when they're hurt or broken, showing them grace through all their mistakes just like God is showing grace to us every day (something I'm learning to do better now), being less tasks driven and more enjoyment driven, and give praise to the One no matter the season we're in.
That's enough sappy words. You can tell I just watched a sappy movie. I took our Kade to the movies tonight to see a movie which is a huge treat for him and there I saw a few babysitters taking other kids to the movies and I thought why wouldn't the parents want to make it special for their kids to take them themselves? Maybe I'm too old fashioned but I'd much rather have a date with my son and make him feel special, showing him I want to spend time with him, even if my free time can be pretty limited these days.
