M. I. A.

Well, it is confirmed.  My "teeth" are missing in action.  Ehren and I both had Friday off so we could get up early and spend a weekend with his sister Ingrid and her family.  It's been a while since we saw them and they weren't able to come for Christmas so we were all excited to spend some time with them.  Plus, Ehren hasn't seen their new house in Morris yet.

Well, Friday morning turned out to be quite the night mare of a morning.  We were all getting breakfast, while Ehren and I were packing some stuff but mostly I was in the kitchen.  My last memory of my poor retainer was as I was quickly taking bites of my toast.  I glanced at it sitting on the kitchen counter and thought to myself how I need to brush it out really well before we take off.  And ever since then, it is just GONE.  As soon as I realized I couldn't find it I went into panic mode.  Just crying, getting angry and looking everywhere frantically.  Ehren and I  spent the next hour searching every inch of the kitchen and then the rest of the house where I was that morning but no luck.  Then both him and I went thru the trash 3 times just to make sure.  Still nothing.  At one point I just sat down on the floor and cried. :)

But then I realized something.  I'm not going to find it anyway so I might as well just suck it up and get on our trip to see Ingrid even with my huge gap of 2 missing teeth in the front.  I was not going to let the stupid retainer ruin our weekend.  So we got everything in the van and started our trip.  I was still feeling really sorry for myself and very self conscious about leaving the house like that so I cried for a while. :)

And then I opened the book that Jessica let me borrow called "Kisses from Katie" and the tears almost never stopped. :)  Not because of my stupid self pity party but because it is an amazing story of how a young girl devotes her life to Jesus and lives for others.  Katie comes from a pretty well-off family in the US but chose to live in Uganda as a 19 year old, taking care of hundreds of orphans and has adopted 16 of them by the time she was 21.  Just her describing the poverty and death these little children live in every day makes you cry and me worrying about missing teeth seemed so trivial all of a sudden.  So stupid and pathetic.  Most often than not I don't put much emphasis on my physical appearance and wearing sweat pants and absolutely no makeup is my usual but somehow talking to people with this huge gap in my teeth makes me feel very self conscious.

But I think God made me read that book to open my eyes and see how trivial my "problem" is.  There are kids who are dying of starvation and disease every minute and I worry about some missing teeth?  It really humbled me right on the spot.  We just have so much here in the US and don't even know it.  This Katie talks about how she loves it there because people in Uganda have nothing yet they have such joy in their lives, praising God day in and day out.  They are fully dependent on Him and us because we are so self sufficient just don't need God as much (or so we believe) and so our lives are so much emptier and lacking joy.  Reading it made me think about my life and how much I take for granted.  How much of my time in a day is spent on stupid, empty things.  How little I serve God, how little I give and how little I care about people around me.  It is very eye opening and I'm so glad I got to read this book.

Now we're back from Ingrid'd house and it's almost time for kids to go to bed.  Still no retainer.  I went thru that trash one more time to make sure it wasn't hiding in there but no, it's not there.  Ehren and I can't believe how it would just disappear.  Tomorrow I have all the kids coming to our house and I was hoping to find it by then but I guess I'll have to stay toothless for a while yet and practice some real humility.  The thing is too that in about 2-3 weeks I am scheduled to get my permanent teeth in and I'm thinking I will have to suck it up and stay this way until then.  I'll call my dentist in the morning to find out what to do but I already know I don't want to pay for a new retainer that will only be for 2 weeks or so.

So that is my story about this weekend.  We had a great time with Ingrid and her girls.  Brent had to work at a hospital so we only saw him briefly but it was so nice to hang out with them.  They have a new kitten so all the kids including Ehren loved cuddling with it.  And our kids finally did some sledding because they have more snow than we do.  It was just a nice relaxing weekend which I probably would have spent taking our house apart looking for my retainer,  feeling miserable, if we stayed home.

Christmas weekend

As I woke up this morning, sore throat and a heavy head I had one wish - to have no daycare kids today.  They were supposed to come but 2 families have a day off so it was going to be just one little boy and I just got a call that he's not coming either.  It is like another present to me - another day to myself and only our kids!  All 3 kids have been feeling under the weather the last 2 days or so too so it's good we can have a day of rest.  Of course, the kids woke up this morning and after realizing no daycare kids are coming they were really disappointed.  I'm glad they love having their little friends over, even if they're 2 years old and can't play with them.  I'm a little surprised that even Kade misses the little kids when there's no school and enjoys time with them when they do come.  This last summer when his best friend that I watched was moving away Kade told me that I just need to get a new friend for him to play with. :)  Because that is the reason I do daycare, to provide friends to our kids.  It really worked great though when our kids were small and had buddies to play with and share their toys with.  Now, that Kason is heading into kindergarten next Fall it is getting a lot harder to watch little ones because our kids are not here most of the time and it feels strange.  So it will soon be time for a different adventure for me and even though it's a bit scary I'm also looking forward to something different.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about Christmas.  It was a very nice and quiet Christmas weekend for us.  I spent most of Saturday and Sunday in the kitchen, cooking and baking but I don't mind.  Food is a big part of my family's traditions and it means a lot to have the same food I grew up with, even if it doesn't taste exactly the same. :)  We always have some fish fillet and potato salad.  I make several of our favorite treats including my mom's walnut rolls which I love to have with coffee.  I decided to make a double batch this year and I made 8 rolls so I can freeze them and give some away.  So really, that took a good chunk of my Saturday but it was really worth it.

showing their tickets

We started the weekend with a fun outing with the kids and Emily slept over so she came with us.  We had a surprise for our kids and after we watched the Elf movie they got a note saying they need to put on their pyjamas and find a ticket by their bed.  It was a ticket for a "Minivan Express" and they had to bring it to the conductor mom & dad.  After they got it checked they were able to get a little puff corn bag and get on the special ride.  Then we drove around our town for a while looking at the Christmas lights.  We found a new one this year that had automated lights programmed to a radio station that played fun songs so that was fun to watch for awhile.  The kids really enjoyed it even though Kade is on the verge of being too old for it and thought it was a bit cheezy. :)

Monday was Christmas Eve and we had a nice quiet day at home.  Kason and Anika couldn't wait for the angels to come and bring presents to us.  For a while Kason was confused about Santa because that's all he heard at school and they even had a Santa come there and he talked to him.  He asked Santa for a green lantern (a super hero) which he never mentioned until then so I had to quick find one in a store or else he'd be one disappointed boy.  He kept asking how are the angels going to know he wants the green lantern if he told it to Santa.  So we had several talks about how Santa is just made up but angels are real and God tells them what we want because He knows everything.  That made Kason happy and I think in the end he and Anika really like the thought of angels coming.  At our house, we go to church on Christmas Eve and while we're there singing to God that is when angels come to our house and deliver the presents.  So when we were singing at church Anika asked me :"are the angels coming to our house now?" :)

I found this Christmas Story puzzle this year and I thought it's a great tradition to make it on Christmas Eve.  It recites the story from Luke in the Bible so while you're working on the puzzle you have to think about all the words written there which is neat.  Kade did most of it by himself and we just keep it out so we can see it the whole Christmas.

Seeing what angels brought

Presents time is always exciting for our kids and even though we try to keep the focus off of the gifts, I think it's ok for them to be excited about it.  It is only a short time the kids keep their excitement and joy of opening gifts so why ruin it by somehow suggesting that it is bad and selfish being that way.  I think Jesus smiles down when he sees the little children full of joy and excitement and He wants us to be more like them yet so often we want to make kids into mini adults.  We talk about selfishness a lot with Kade because he understands it a lot and sometimes only thinks of himself and what's in it for him.  So when I was shopping with him one day I asked him if he should buy something for Kason and Anika with his own money that he has been saving.  At first he had a hard time with it but then he was excited to pick the right gift for both Kason and Anika and that was really nice to see.  We need to do a lot more with our kids to show them how to be givers and servants.

the green lantern :)

pop beads

very excited about his first bb gun

Kason got a gun so he's not left out :)

kids are having fun shooting each other, it came with 2 guns.
Ehren and I had fun shooting each other too :)

And in the light of the tragedy just a week ago, here we are with guns for our boys' presents. :)  I know a lot of people would really frown upon it but I don't care.   A lot of people are speaking up about the guns laws now but they will not solve anything, people will just find another way to hurt and destroy.   Every boy has a little warrior's heart in him, that's how he was created and it's ok.  If their heart is in the right place and they know who they serve they will always "fight" for the great cause.  Kade has some little  buddies that have bb guns so he's been waiting and waiting to be able to get one so he can go in our woods and shoot things.  He thought he might get one on his next birthday but since it's at the end of the summer we surprised him with it now.  I'm actually very excited to do some target shooting with him because I haven't shot guns since middle school when I stopped the summer biathlon (running races where you stop and target shoot and depending on how you shoot you would have time added to your running time).  I loved target shooting and I can see Kade will really like it.


It was kind of funny to see that a big hit of a present wasn't something they've been wanting and it was just a cheap art project kind of gift but both Kade and Anika just loved the mosaic stickers and were really excited about it.  I'm glad something so simple can be exciting to them, still at 9 years old.  The main reason I got it was for Kason to work on his fine motor skills but he was too excited to play with his toys to do it on Christmas Eve while Anika started crying when she had to go to bed before she finished her picture.


On Tuesday morning we got up early and headed to the cabin for the Hanson Christmas brunch.  We were missing Ingrid's family but the rest of the cousins were there and had a great time playing together.  Too bad it was so cold out because they only lasted outside for a bit.  But Kade and Anika got to do some ice fishing with papa and they loved that.  It was nice to visit for a bit even if it was pretty short because we all had to go home in the evening as most of us had to go to work today.  It shows that I was just enjoying my time and relaxing because I didn't take any pictures there.

And now Christmas is done and I'm just glad I have a day to clean up and do laundry with no kids to take care of.  I mean other than my kids :) but they are going to be very busy all day playing with their presents.  This weekend we're going to visit Brent and Ingrid and the cousins so we're excited to see them.  It's always so much fun to visit them.  
    

Christmas concert

Yes!!!  We are finally done!  It is a huge relief to be done with this year's Christmas concert at church.  It is a really stressful time for Ehren who is running the sound for everyone, from little toddlers to adult choir with solos and millions of instruments.  It is kind of sad that he doesn't get acknowledged for his work at all, all those practices he has to be there for, all those complaints from singers/musicians he has to fix and work on.  He does it gladly though because he is good at it and likes it, but at the same time it is very stressful and we all feel it at home :) and I know it would make him feel so good if he got thanked for it as much as they thank places that let us use some of their lights. :)

I can't really compare my little stress with his but to me it is a big deal to get our little 4-6 year olds ready for their Christmas program.  The last 3 Sunday school hours we worked on our video which turned out really cute.  The kids were acting out the story of Christmas.  I had an idea in my head I wanted to portray but pretty soon realized we had to simplify it because we can only do so much in one hour that we have with those kids.

But the main thing was to teach the kids a new song that they've never heard before and even though it is an easy song, with just a few Sundays of practicing that doesn't give us much time so I was very nervous about it.  Plus, we not only had to do our little program one night, we had to bring the kids there 2 nights in a row because that is what the leadership decided.  None of us moms and teachers were happy about this but who listens to us?  Well, since it was too late in the game to do anything about it we had to suck it up but I am getting ready to write a letter to change it for next year.  When something doesn't make sense and other people feel the same way I do you can count on me for being the voice of change. :)

But, I have to say all the kids did so well considering everything, being tired and nervous.  Anika was singing the loudest, she was so cute and I was so proud because not that long ago she started crying during her school program.  All the kids were really cute and I just loved the song I stumbled upon and the meaning behind it.  Kids especially are so focused on gifts at Christmas time so I thought it is just really fitting to sing about a gift to God.  What would God want for a present when He has everything already?  The answer is us, each and every one of us, living for Him is the best gift we can give to God.  And so our little kids wore a big present around their body to show that they are a gift to God and sang "I'll give God me this Christmas".  That song just makes me smile every time.  Of course, I couldn't find sheet music for it anywhere but thank goodness Audrey (Ehren's mom) is such a good pianist she could just pick it up by listening to it a few times on you tube.  She is so good at it and when we mess up she just brings the song back to where we are with our singing so it worked wonderfully.  We did mess up the first night because the kids got confused with one line and they were a bit scared and not watching me but the second time they did great.  So I'm just really proud of them and it feels like all those stressful Sundays when they would all rather be playing than singing are worth it.  I like coming up with different things for them to do for a program because when Kade was little the kids sang the same exact songs year after year and that gets a bit boring.

It is heart breaking to know that 20 kids about the same age as the kids in our Sunday School won't be home for Christmas next week.  Yet, I just realized as I was thinking about our kids' song that those little children get the best present this Christmas - being in God's presence and in the best imaginable place they could be.  God gets to hold them, comfort them, take care of them and they get to be worry free and pain free.  God doesn't want these ugly things of this world to make us fearful and worried because He's all we need and no death nor anything can separate us from Him.  So I will put my Hope in Him and pray that our kids can grow strong in their faith and keep their eyes on Jesus.  

Below are a couple videos of the Christmas program.  The big kids did some great songs too and since it takes so long to upload it to you tube I'll only post one of those.


Christmas Story:


Kason and Anika's SS class:





Kade's SS program - last song:

a new kind of workout

Working out in the winter really stinks.  I get so bored of the treadmill and my dvds and it's just hard to get out of bed.  So today, I did something new - I went to a workout class at 5:30am.

I have heard about a small fitness center in our town a while ago but I always thought they didn't have any good classes or not at a good time for me and mostly I thought it was too much money.  Then recently, a friend of a friend on fb :) mentioned how she started going there for workout classes early in the morning and it was great.  I looked it up and was surprised to see that with our health insurance we get a discount and with that it doesn't seem that expensive.  Plus it would make me do it and get back into shape a little during the long winter months.

So this morning I went to the first "fit n tone" class and I had to get up at 4:50am, which was probably the hardest thing to do, especially since it was FREEZING outside.  But since I signed up I had to go and I was glad I did.  It was a bit getting out of my comfort zone because I didn't know anyone there and almost everyone was at their spots when I got there.  The instructor was a 60 some year old lady that is all full of energy and talks loud.  That would have been fine but right away she starts talking to me into her microphone  and bringing attention to me so everyone there would know who I was and I didn't care for that much.  If I'm going to go to a group thing like this I want to be somewhere in the back so nobody notices me, talks to me or anything.  Especially at 5:30 in the morning, you don't talk to me. :)  I can get out of bed and even work out, but talking and being cheerful is a completely different story, as my husband would tell you. :)

But nevertheless, it was a good workout.  Despite them doing a ton of step routines which kind of felt like going back in time, but with how out of shape I am at the moment it was great.  My thighs were burning like crazy because the focus was on the legs today.  And the nice part about the class is that I get home right as I need to get the kids out of bed for school.

So, getting out of your comfort zone can be good.  I'm glad I got my lazy bum out of bed and did something good for me.  Even though I dozed off on the couch during nap time because I'm not used to waking up so early. :)  Now to make a habit of it and go back because that is the only place I can go to a workout class at that time of the day.  I guess I should just get there 5 minutes earlier so I don't have to be in the front and be the person for the instructor to talk about.

family day

Today was just simply a family day.  A happy day.  Usually, Saturdays are all about getting the house in order.  Things like washing the floors, bathrooms, de-cluttering the kitchen after a week of 5 of us contributing to the things that somehow always end up on one of the kitchen counters.  But somehow, today none of it got done and I am sitting here in a mess and I'm not bothered by it because today my tank is full. :)  We did sleep in a little this morning which was nice and needed because both Ehren and I have not been sleeping well at night.  I have a shoulder/arm pain that somehow intensifies as I am sleeping and lately wake up in such pain I have to take pain medicine so I can go back to sleep.  So sleeping in a bit felt really good.

Then we got to chat  a little with my brother and his sweet family on skype and that was really nice.  Makes me really miss my family, especially as the Christmas is coming.  It was exactly 10 years ago that I was home for Christmas the last time because while Ehren and I were there we found out we were expecting our first born, Kade who is 9.  Sad to think that it was that long ago but life goes on and I need to make most of my time here with my family.

Around lunch I went over to a friend's house for a baby shower.  It was for a woman from our church that has been coming for a couple of years with her husband but very few people really know them.  I am so glad I went to it so I got to know Jenny a little (the girl that had the baby) and was able to fellowship with some awesome ladies and friends.  They are my family here and mean the world to me.  I would have loved to just talk to them for hours and hours, somehow I never get tired of it with the right women and I feel like I learn so much from each of them every time I talk to them.

By the time I got home it was after 2pm and our plan was to go to a Christmas tree farm to get a tree with the kids.  The friend who had the baby shower was going to the same place to get their Christmas tree so we all drove together.  Guys were in our car with our 3 boys and us girls were in their vehicle with our 2 girls.  It takes a while to drive up there and it was so nice to chat with a friend during that time.  Guys enjoyed their conversations too (except for the drive home when the boys were a bit too wild in the back) so it was great.

Our kids all loved running around looking for the right tree.  Our friends found theirs pretty quick but it took us a while longer and I think they laughed at me a bit because none of the trees we passed by were quite good enough for me. :)  But in the end we found one and it's beautiful.  It might be a bit too tall but we can chop the bottom off if we have to.  Our kids cannot wait to decorate it, they love getting our house ready for Christmas.

So I'm pretty sure I got my tank filled today.  Some days, all I need is some good connecting with friends and everything seems better.  Coming to a messy house didn't bother me at all, it just doesn't compare with the real important things in life.  And that is me being more like Mary and less like Martha today (Tiff :)).

cutting our tree down

our good friends Jason and Lacey

enjoying some hot chocolate and cookies after getting the trees.

bad mom moment

I had one of those "bad mom" moments today.  We've been having a great Thanksgiving weekend in the Cities at Ehren's aunt's family.  We did a little shopping, kids went swimming, sledding, we watched some Christmas movies, laughed, visited with relatives and this afternoon we had some BIG plans. :)  Ehren and I thought we would take our kids to the Holidazzle parade, which they've never been to.  It is pretty much a lights show parade with Christmas and different fairy tale characters.  Then I had an idea to leave early and take the kids to the Macy's santa land which is right by there.  It is just a cute area decorated as life of elfs.  I knew it wouldn't be anything huge but something to go do - well, I'm not so sure it was really worth it.  We get there and all we see is a forever winding line of people.  We're not even sure what we're all waiting for, but we stand in line and I got another glimpse of why we're never going to Disney World. :)  Our kids can't even handle standing in line for 30 minutes.  Kason is rolling on the ground, sitting down and just acting really tired 5 minutes into waiting. :) But we made it to the Santa Land and it was cute to see all the little details in each room of an elf's life.  Afterwards we grabbed a quick bite to eat and even though we still had an hour before the parade started people were starting to save their spots along the road so we made our way there.

By that time Kason started to get really tired and something made him really upset and neither Ehren or I could make him stop whaling.  Finally, I sat down on the curb of the road with him in my lap and tried calming him down but nothing worked.  And that's when my bad mommy moment happened.  As I'm trying to calm the loud crying Kason I see another little police petrol car zooming in the middle of the road, right in front of us and what do I hear myself say?  "Kason, look there is a policeman and he's looking for all the kids that are crying and he's going to take you away if you don't stop."  I know, some things that come out of our mouths!  Actually, I was expecting him to not care at all but it worked like a charm and he calmed right down and was a sweet boy after that, besides being really cold.  But, I actually said it louder than I thought and at least 2-3 different parents heard me.  A lady next to us with 3 boys was sympathetic and said to me:"desperate times call for desperate measures" and that's really how I felt.

We then enjoyed the whole parade and kids loved looking at all the lit up floats and people.  On the way home though, I felt pretty bad about what I said especially because Kason is our little guy who really thinks about stuff that is said and happens and takes it to heart.  So I told him I was sorry I lied and that police men are here to protect us and keep us safe and would never take him away.  He seemed ok with that and agreed with me that that made a lot more sense then police taking crying kids away. :)
 
So, I learned a lesson today and even though you'd probably think I would learn to react more patiently or not to say stuff I didn't think thru, I think my real lesson is that it's ok to mess up but the important thing is to make it right.  To say "sorry, I made a mistake" because little kids especially understand what it's like to do something bad or naughty and they are more than eager to forgive us.  And to be honest, it doesn't come easily to me to say "I messed up here, I should not have said that, please forgive me" so today was a great reminder to me how important it is for our kids because that is how they know they are loved.  And letting them know we are just sinful humans doesn't make them love or respect us any less, it is just the opposite.

I'm also really glad there is certain Someone that loves me just the way I am.  With all the ugly and bad and sinful, He thinks I am perfect.  And the thought that He would leave the riches of the Heavens and the status that belonged to Him to become a nobody on this Earth just for me and us, is unimaginable.  I want to really think about that this Advent season and remember what Christmas means to me and what it should mean to all of us.  

at Santa village

crafts

I would never call myself a crafty person. I know a few and I'm pretty sure I'm not one of them.  Even crafts with kids drive me nuts because I hate the mess that comes with it and when we do something more times than not I just take over and do it for the kids because I can't watch them mess it up. :)  I know, it's terrible of me.  I have to say I like to do SIMPLE crafts that look nice at the end but don't require a trip to Grand Forks to purchase a bunch of crafty materials and stuff.  So I do some crafts with kids, but in my eyes it's pretty pathetic.  I've always hated cutting and folding or hand sewing which kind of made me think I have no artistic bone in me.  But as I've grown older I'm realizing I do have an artistic side to me.  I may not have the creativity to come up with a totally new concept, but when I get inspired by something, I want to make it right away and I want to make it into my piece.  That's why I like painting because even though it doesn't have a retail value or is not painted by a famous artist, it is mine and I did it.  It means a lot more to me than something for the house I would buy in a store.

This week I had a new inspiration and I was not going to be content until I finished it. :) It is really funny how it is for me.  Whenever I start working on a big craft/painting it is all I think about and can't sit down or do anything else until it's done.  And of course, daily things (like feeding my children :)) make me leave it sometimes but even when I do, I keep thinking about my next step with it.  So today, I worked and worked on this stick Christmas tree that I had in my head (after I saw a picture of a similar one) for the past week.  The whole thing didn't take very long at all but then I had an idea to cut out little snow flakes with the names of all my daycare kids.  I didn't think it would be that tedious but it took way longer than making the tree, probably because like I said earlier, I hate cutting. :)  But, I have to say I love how it turned out.  I really enjoy natural pieces like wood,stone and stuff in the house so it was a no brainer.  And I found a perfect place for it.  In our kitchen we have a blank wall spot and it is the first thing we see when we come inside through the mud room.  It is the perfect spot for it, especially as we're getting closer to Advent time and I am looking forward to coming home and seeing my stick tree.  It was funny because when I started making it I asked Kason and Anika what they thought it would be.  I said it's something to do with Christmas, but all they saw was a triangle. There was no star yet but I still saw a Christmas tree.  Ehren wasn't so sure about it either but he likes it when I get into something like that.  When I said it is supposed to be a Christmas tree, Kason and Anika both thought it was cool and when they got their names on it that was the best ever. :)

So all in all, it was a great day.  I love Saturdays when there is absolutely nothing planned for us and I don't even have to leave the house.  We actually played outside quite a bit as I was looking for my sticks :) because I couldn't miss such a beautiful and warm day in November and just be inside all day.  I really, really hope this winter will be mild, it would be lovely.

a milestone

A few days ago we celebrated Ehren's birthday.  He turned the big 40.  When you say 40 it sounds pretty old, like it's really far for us to be in 40s but the years fly by so quick it comes before you know it. :)  I still have a few years before I get there which I'm glad because I'm not quite ready to join the 40 club yet.  But it fits Ehren.  His hair is graying more and more as he's getting older but it looks very nice on him. :)  I think if it was me turning 40 I would not be too excited but since it's him, it is great.  We were also able to spend a weekend alone at his parents' cabin and it was a very nice time, especially the quietness when it was just us.   We just don't get many times like that and in this hectic life we live in, it is great to just stop for a minute and be still.  And without the kids sometimes. :)

Recently, Ehren had a pretty big disappointment at work when he was applying for his boss's job.  His boss was moving to a different department and she was looking for someone to replace her.  Out of the applicants that applied Ehren felt really confident about it and his boss even gave him some hope that he would get it but then the VPs got involved in the decision and picked a guy who didn't apply and who is not even a people person, just does whatever he's asked to.  He won't rock the boat at all and that's the way they like it.  And Ehren likes to come up with ways to do his job more efficiently and thus change some things which some people higher up don't like.  But that's the way it goes in a lot of places, even churches as I'm finding out. :)  It was hard on Ehren but he had to realize his job is not who he is and there are far more important things he has in his life, 4 of them at home.  He's still grateful to have a job because it is a big blessing in this economy and he's done really great there but that's not what defines him.  He's been trying to find the best way to use his gifts and abilities at our church and it's just nice to see him maturing in that.  It can be very frustrating because there are many needs at church and to find the balance between that, our marriage, family and everything is not easy.  But we do what we can with God's help.

I like how the longer we're married the closer we are and it's so nice to have this man by my side.  As we're getting older, it just feels right and I'm actually looking forward to growing old with Ehren, if we're both here that long.  It's funny because we have not even been married that long and yet it already starts to feel like we're one of those old couples, totally dependent on each other. :) I'm guessing it will only get more so as the years are piling on.  But at the same time, I'm so grateful that our hope is in Someone else and no loss in this life, no pain or hardship can take it away.
 

teeth stink

That's my summary for today. :)  Why can't we just be born with perfect teeth?  Or semi-perfect.  I am probably repeating myself but our family is doomed in the teeth area. :)  I am not even done with getting my front teeth fixed and we're starting a new chapter - orthodontist appointments for Kade.

Today was our first visit and while the orthodontist did say Kade has a bit of time left, his mouth is way too narrow and will need 12 months or so of lower and upper braces that pretty much just make his teeth lines wider so when he's about 12 years old there will be enough room for all the permanent teeth.  The money part of it bites, but is not horrible and I would even be ok with the appointments, if they were in our town.  What really stinks is that we have to go to Grand Forks every 3 weeks, for 10 minute check-ups during regular business hours.  So right now, my biggest concern is how to make it work with our schedule because it is more complicated with me watching other kids here.  I know it will work out, I just want to complain to someone I guess. :)  All 3 kids inherited my tiny mouth while Ehren has a nice big jaw they could have had, isn't that how it always goes? :)  

This happened just a day after my appointment with a new chiropractor.  I went there with a bad shoulder pain but he pretty much assessed that my whole back is out of whack and will need 3 months of appointments with him.  I did like how he looks at your posture and can tell what is wrong just from that.  I thought my posture wasn't that bad, but from a side view, it is all crooked.  It gave me an idea to bring Anika there too because I always thought her posture has been really strange.  Well, when I thought my picture showed a pretty crooked back, Anika's was way out of line from what it should be.  He says that kids respond to the back adjustments a lot quicker than adults so now it is our girls night out to go to the chiropractor.  Whoo-pie!  I mean that sarcastically, of course. :)  I really just want to stay home and do nothing with my family in the evenings so it's hard to have something going on every night but I really want to see if it helps Ani's posture.  I am still half skeptical of chiropractics and I am not going to turn into one of those hypochondriacs who go to a chiropractor every day for something.  So I'm giving him 3 months and then I'm done.  Plus, how come I feel like I've been beaten up after every adjustment? :)

I guess God is just teaching me how to be really organized with my time and to be able to manage everything I need to.  And I am very thankful in the midst of this that I am able to stay home right now so I have more time for simple things like laundry, cooking, baking and stuff and I have absolutely no idea how the full-time working moms do those things.

Here are some pictures from Halloween last night.  The kids had fun and it was pretty quick because they got a ton of candy right away.  Kason was a Hulk and it fits his personality perfectly.  He is our little hulk sometimes and even does that "roar". :)  They love going to nana and papa's house, aunt Judith's and some neighbors. Kason did not disappoint with his bluntness and when we got to see great aunt Judith she was just getting up from a little nap and he asked her "how come you look like you're going to die?"  I was relieved she didn't think anything of it and just replied to him that she was sleeping so that's probably why. :)

  

definitely getting old

I've been thinking this lately, how I am sooo getting old.  The extra weight hangs on longer than before :), it's sooo hard to wake up early, I can't sleep away from Ehren, forgetting things, and the list goes on and on and on.  But today it came out in a real way.  It's funny now and I wish I had a friend here right now so we could laugh about it.

Anyway, like every Friday I went to a friend's house for a play date.  There are 5 of us stay home moms who get together, chat, eat lunch and stuff.  It is a really nice distraction for me, even though I have to take 4 kids there.  Today, as we were leaving my friend's house I was rushing to get home because it was getting close to 2pm and the kids had to be put down for a nap.  Finally we got home, I open the garage door and as I'm herding my 4 kiddos inside I realize the door to the house is locked.  We never ever lock that door and so in my panic mode I completely forgot what we do in a situation like that.  I thought I had a house key on my key chain but when I tried it it didn't work.  The thought to check the main front door did enter my mind but I was too panicky, mainly because I left my phone inside and couldn't call Ehren to ask him.  So I loaded the kids in the van and went back to town.  Tried a friend's house that's pretty close but they were gone so then I drove to church.  I called Ehren but when I got his voicemail I remembered he's in meetings all afternoon.  I tried paging him but nothing.  Finally the receptionist asked who his boss was and I got her so I was able to give him a message to call me at church.  Phew!  At least there is a nursery that kept my tired kids occupied.  In a little bit Ehren showed up and just as my inside voice was trying to tell me before I panicked and drove back to town, I had the key that opens the front door of the house.  I felt really dumb.  And old. :)  But now it is pretty funny I did that.  That shows how we still don't use our front door because we always come in through the garage.  Well, the kids went to sleep really fast and are still sleeping.  They won't be much longer because the bus will be here in a few minutes and the 3 school aged kids are just wild when they get home.  They let loose of all the feelings and everything they've been holding back at school.  It's normal and they do need some free time like that, but sometimes they bounce off the walls a little too much. :)

Anyway, that is the story of how I'm getting old, slowly but surely and sometimes not so slowly, just surely. :)

blessed

I feel very blessed today.  A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go to the Cities with her for a "Women of Faith" conference this past weekend.  She was going there with her mom and her mom's friend so it only made sense to have her own friend along.  It was a hoot!  It was so nice to visit with these ladies on our long drive there and back, it went a lot faster than when we go there with our kids. :)  I got my tank filled up for a while I think.  And the conference was amazing.  Of course, there were things here and there that weren't perfect, like the crowds of women during breaks (there were 11,000 women in one arena) and the music was so loud we had to cover our ears during most of the songs.  But all the speakers were so good, there was a lot of crying in the arena because each one of them had such heart breaking stories to tell.  It really encouraged my faith and made me feel so thankful for what I have in my life.  After some of those stories I just wanted to run home and hug my kids really tight. :)  There was also a Christian comedian Ken Davis and he was so funny we laughed really hard.  I wish he had a tour in our area so we could go see him.  I would be ok listening to him the whole conference. :) So, overall it was just a wonderful weekend away for me.  Ehren was taking care of our kids at home and a part of the Saturday he watched all 7 cousins at our house.  I'm so thankful for him and that he encourages me to get away and recharge.

It was pretty funny when I got home because Kade and Ani were just excited to see me but Kason came up to me with his arms crossed tightly and a very mad face.  It took him good 15-20 minutes to stop being mad and after talking a while he let me know that he was very mad because I left him at home and didn't take him with me.  Ehren had quite the time with him too, having an attitude and stuff while I was gone.  He processes feelings so differently but after a while he was back to himself and was my sweet boy again.  Funny how just me being home changed him and the next day he was really good everywhere he went.  I guess he's very much a mama's boy. :)  I was pretty wiped out physically when we got home because I didn't sleep much either night but emotionally and spiritually I am renewed.  Now it is back to school week, back to our busy schedules and running around.  I hope I can start my days always thanking God for all that He blessed us with and to keep my eyes on Him throughout the day.

family night

Our first family night was a success.  Every Fall when the business of school and extra curricular activities are upon us, we try to schedule one evening a week that is a family night.  It can't be on a weekend either, that doesn't count.  It took us a few weeks to start this year but finally this week we scheduled our first Thursday night.  That means from the time kids get home from school until they go to bed there is no tv, computers or anything like that, we have a special dinner in our dining room and spend time playing games, talking and stuff.  Tonight we played Uno, kids sequence and finished off by dancing to some good old 80s.  It was a great night with my family and just what I needed after an emotionally draining day.

First the school got cancelled because of a winter storm which would have been fine but it left me home with 8 children, one of them a 7 month old baby who won't sleep and clings to me the entire day.  The bad part was that we lost power right away and it didn't come back on until after we were done with lunch.  So no water, no heating up anything, just all the kids going crazy for a while. :)  It went fine though, I know the hardest part was that little baby because if she wasn't here it would have been fine and we would be able to play bunch of games etc., but since I have to carry her around with me or try to entertain her on the floor it didn't go as smoothly.  I did try to leave her to play by herself or even by her brother and other kids who are eager to play with her but as soon as she realizes I'm gone she starts her awful screaming and pretty soon all the kids run away from her just to get away from the noise.  So, today was one of those days I couldn't wait for the day to be done so I can have my house to just me and my family.  And it was peaceful, happy and perfect.  Just the way it's supposed to be.  One blessed evening, one blessed mom.

what we woke up to - our first snow

they had a lot of fun and came inside soaking wet

Ani turns 6

Our little Ani turned 6 this week and it was a few days of celebrations so I think she felt very special.  First, nana and papa couldn't make it to her birthday dinner so they took Ani out to a restaurant earlier this week.  Then on her actual birthday she got to bring cupcakes to school and have her first dance lesson.  A day later we had Kjell and Jess over with Emily and Aveah and had the real birthday cake for Ani.  But, the main birthday celebration happened today when me, Jessica and another friend took our 4 girls to Grand Forks so Anika could get her ears pierced, do a little shopping and eat at a special place.  The girls had so much fun and Anika was talking for months how she's going to get her ears pierced when she turns 6.  She was really brave and cried just a little bit after it was done.  Now she's excited to show them off and they are really cute on her.

This school year has been a hard adjustment for Ani.  To go from going 3 mornings a week to preschool to a long day every day in kindergarten is a bit too much for her and she's been getting a little overwhelmed.  She was so excited to start kindergarten but after just 2 weeks she was asking when is the last day of school and does she have to go tomorrow.  This last week it was tearful bedtime every night because she doesn't want to go to school the next day and in the morning she cries too which is so hard to see.  I've been talking to her teacher and she assures me that once Anika sits down at her desk in the morning, she stops crying and has a great day but I think by the afternoon she gets so tired and worn out she comes home just exhausted.  So I'm not sure what to do, if she just has to tough it out or what.  I hate how much they focus on the learning so early on.  A friend of mine just told me that when her daughter was in kindergarten they had her take every Friday off to just have a break and that really helped her.  It made me think how Anika would love a day of rest and would be ready for school better but I know the teacher is not going to like that.  So we'll have to see what happens.  She is such a hard worker and wants to do everything right in school and that is also stressing her out a little bit because she gets frustrated when she can't do something right.  But she has such a sweet personality and I just love how God made her so beautiful inside and out.  She is so selfless and cares about everyone around her more than herself.  Always trying to serve people around her and loves to help, just a big servant's heart.  I hope she keeps that as she grows older and that she knows what a special child of God she is.

her ladybug cake

cupcakes for school

Getting ready to get the ears pierced.  Don't look at my mouth, not sure what I'm doing but my gums still hurt from this week's surgery.  I have stitches all the way up to my nose under the lip.

    

North Shore trip

We try to go to the North Shore about once a year if we can.  It is my absolutely favorite place to be in MN.  I love the hiking trails, trees, ocean waves.  Well, it is lake Superior but it might as well be an ocean because it has the same feel to it.  And the rocky beaches remind me of our trips to Croatia with my family when I was little although it's on the other side of the planet.  Just a cool place to be and I just wish it was a bit closer so we could go there more often. I definitely want our kids to remember our special trips to the North Shore and I would never trade it for any trip like Disney World.  So many people think they have to take their kids to a "cool" place when we have this amazing place right here in MN.

We made a long weekend of it and it was perfect.  Kids had a blast exploring new places and when we were done for the day they still had enough energy to swim and enjoy the swimming pool for a couple hours.  They had a fun curvy slide at the pool but sadly Kason and Ani weren't tall enough and they didn't allow kids going down with their parents.  Kason was not happy about it but he got over it and enjoyed the rest of the pool.  I had to try it for myself and had a blast, who knew? :)  There were a few times I was going down just giggling and I couldn't stop laughing.  Partly, I think I was getting too tired at that point because giggling like that comes when I reach a certain point in over tiredness.  But it was a lot of fun and Kade did the hotel's challenge, he went down 40 some times to make one mile and they put his picture on the wall along with other one milers.  It was a much needed family time for us though and it was just nice to have that time just the 5 of us.  We took around 300 pictures too which is a huge amount for us because we loved every place we were at.  Sometimes the pictures don't give the places justice because it looked so much more amazing in person.

Ehren and I were also really excited when we discovered a couple new trails we've never been on because they came up to the most beautiful views we've seen around the North Shore.  This one trail we came across looked like nothing when we started and we thought this would be a cute little loop for the kids because it had educational information for kids to read along the path.  Little did we know it came out to the lake shore and the most amazing views of it with all kinds of rocks, caves and stuff.  This summer has been very dry so none of the waterfalls had much water but even so it was very beautiful.

The only place both Ehren and I didn't care for at all was the Gooseberry Falls because it was absolutely packed with weekenders, mostly from the Cities and you would not believe how many dogs people bring there.  It was way too crowded for our taste and so we were very happy that every other place we went to was free of people and it felt like we're the only ones there sometimes.  We would come across people, but nothing like the crowd at Gooseberry and I just cannot believe that all those people take their little trip to see that but have no idea about the gorgeous trails they are missing that are just a little bit more to the North of the Gooseberry Falls.  Well, I guess less people for us to worry about when we go there. :)

As I said before we took a ton of pictures so I apologize for throwing them all on here but I can't tell which ones to eliminate anymore.

the crowded place

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