mini vacation

I can't even remember the last time our whole family had a vacation other than a 3 day weekend here and there.  It is sad we don't get to have time away more often but hopefully we'll be able to more in the future.  This last weekend though we finally managed to have a few days away together as a family and it was so wonderful.  We all needed some time together and it was perfect.  We managed to do a lot of things in the short time but at the same time it felt so restful.

We started off the weekend by going to the cabin where Ehren's mom's family had their annual family reunion. We stayed there until Saturday afternoon and enjoyed some lake time.  After that we went down to the Cities and stayed with Ehren's aunt's family who we love staying with.  We always have such a nice and relaxing time there.  Of course, we had to do some fun things with the kids over the 4 days we were there and they had a blast.  We went to the children's museum, Mall of America and Rainforest Cafe, boat ride on lake Minnetonka, we swam in the lake and pool, did a little shopping, I met up with an old friend, and finally Ehren and Kade got to their most anticipated Twins game.  It felt so nice to have more time down there and not rush through a quick weekend like we usually do when we're there.

As it happens, the Children's museum has free admissions for all every 3rd Sunday of the month so that was a no brainer to me.  Both Ehren and I braced ourselves for the craziest place on Earth, especially when we kept being warned about no strollers allowed inside on the 3rd Sunday.  But to our surprise (and probably due to a 100 degree weather outside) it was the emptiest I have seen it the few times we've been there.  We never had to stay in line for anything, the kids got to try all the things right away so it was just a win win.  Kason loved exploring all the things there and wanted to try everything.  To my surprise he was the sweetest boy to all the kids there and was so polite.  However, we did have to remind him a few times over the weekend that we don't talk to strangers. :)  He just has no fear of anyone or anything.  Afterwards we drove to Mall of America with the kids, went to see Legoland and to eat at the Rainforest Cafe.  The Rainforest Cafe was pretty cool for the kids, but I decided it is enough to go there like every 5-10 years. :)  Our poor little Kason was getting so tired though as we were waiting for the food.  He skipped his nap the day before and was up pretty early.  He was so good though, no crabbiness at all which is what I was expecting, just very tired and he wanted to be held as we walked a little bit around the mall.  So after we walked around the Nickelodeon park for a while we went back to the house so we could all rest the remainder of the day.

On Monday Ehren's uncle Kevin took us on their boat on lake Minnetonka which we always enjoy.  There are the most magnificent houses there to look at and also a big mixture of houses, new and old and you could drive a boat around the lakes for a week to see everything.  It was so hot though we had to stop and cool off in the lake and the kids just loved that because there was a nice sand by the shore.  Really, just as a big welcome back to the Cities from "way up North" it was the hottest weekend of the year with a record high for humidity and heat index, which was kind of funny.  I really wanted to do some outdoor stuff like going to Como zoo and some parks but it was way too hot to do anything other than being in the water or in the air conditioned buildings.  But in the end, we did plenty of stuff and doing more would just make the trip crazy for all of us.

Ehren and Kade got to go to their very first Twins game at the new stadium and they were so excited to go.  Well, Ehren was the one sooo excited to go and Kade didn't quite know what to expect.  Poor guys though, it was very muggy out but at least it was in the evening so it was bearable.  Ehren had a blast there and Kade enjoyed it a lot despite being so hot.  The rest of us had a chance to witness a very fun photo shoot at Ehren's aunts' place during the game.  It was a shoot for a bridal magazine, a wedding idea for a Southern wedding, Kentucky Derby style.  They had a model who posed for a bride and created the most beautiful table outside, with fresh flowers, table settings and all the tiny little details.  They also had a little dessert table and that was cute too.  The bride also posed with their 3 horses.  I could not believe how many people and how much effort goes into just a few pictures you see in a magazine.  They worked in the 100 degree weather from around 3pm until 8pm, just crazy.  They were very thankful for being able to use the air conditioned house for short breaks and for storing flowers, food, etc.

So I have to say it was one of our most successful trips since child #3 where everybody was happy and had a great time.  It is so fun to create memories like this with our kids, now that they're old enough to understand and remember what we've done.  Now back to our craziness we go, but at least another weekend is almost here.

children's museum - working hard

Cousins and a friend at the cabin

fun water play

on the "metro transit" bus

Ani loved it

Kason busy helping all the kids at the "restaurant"

Kason did not build this by the way but he loved digging in the piles of legos

this is an actual standing castle in Germany

had to get a picture with "Oh Mac Donald", the way Kason calls him

we had an aquarium next to our table

lots of fish to look at

Legoland at MOA

Ani loved Kai-lan

looking at the many rides at the mall but we didn't go on any

Kevin taking us on lake Minnetonka

stopped at a place ride off the dock and the kids just inhaled their hamburgers

fun time at the pool

the Twins stadium

so excited for the game

this is how hot it was - look at the sweat up close

cell phone age

Even though I refuse to accept it we all live in a cell phone world.  All over the world people use cell phones and so many can't live without them.  I don't have anything really against them, but I have never been impressed by them or felt a need for it.  Actually the one time I really needed it, traveling by myself with Anika, in the middle of a rain storm and the van dying with no houses or anything for about a mile and I didn't have reception.  But some nice guys stopped and helped me out in minutes so really, did I even need it then?  I think people are so quick to justify "needing" one when in fact, the world goes on without them.

Ever since we were married, or I should say ever since I started driving by myself (which was 1 or 2 years after we were married) I had a cell phone.  Mainly because the company I worked for paid for it so why not and it was my emergency phone only.  Ehren could tell you how emergency it was because any time he wanted to get a hold of me he couldn't because I had it off.  If I used 10 minutes a month that was a lot.  Maybe it has to do with the way I grew up because phone calls were so expensive growing up we barely used it.  So I never got into the mode of chatting with girlfriends for hours on the phone like many Americans did.  I know, now it is more just texting versus talking but still a lot of my generation loves talking on the phone and everywhere I go I listen to their very chatty conversations that I just wouldn't have over the phone.  I guess I'm not a phone person even though if I don't get to see someone in a long time, like my sister-in-law we could talk on the phone for a long time, or I should say a long time for me. :)

Anyway, after we moved up north I knew I didn't want a cell phone because of how ridiculously expensive it is but to have a peace of mind I got a "tracfone", mainly because of how bad our vehicles are and so I can get a hold of Ehren if something happened.  So I've had that for 5 years now and never once thought I needed anything else.  It is actually nice when I drive for an hour to just sit in silence versus trying to think of who I need to call to not "waste" any minute of my day.  I never even gave that number to anyone because it is off most of the time and I never check messages.  And that's how I like it.  I like being free of people when I go somewhere, when I try to escape my life for a bit.  On the other hand, if I need to get a hold of someone, like my husband, it is nice to have it and be able to use it.

The reason I write about this is because last night once again I came to one of those times when my minutes expired and I needed a new card for the phone, which is probably 3 times a year or so.  I never put those minutes on there because it is a pain in the butt and when Ehren was reminding me of this yesterday I said maybe I should just get a new phone to make it easier.  So on my grocery run to Walmart I checked out the phones and to my surprise I found one for just $10 that has everything I'll ever need.  You should see how obsolete my 5 year old phone looks, you can't even find one of those anywhere.  And I think this was the first time in my life I was actually excited about a new cell phone, one that has more than 3 ring tones. :) I still doubt I will use it more than until now because I just don't travel that much but it is nice to have a more user friendly phone.

So that is the story of my cell phone life.  I even have texting now so beware, I might just text Ehren sometime.  Although, for the few minutes each month I call him it really doesn't matter that texting is cheaper.  It is funny because even my mom over the years have become so efficient in using a cell phone and texting to everyone.  Over there cell phones are the way to go though, they are way cheaper than in the US.  I just cannot justify paying over $60 a month for the very basic cell phone plan when I can spend $10 and have everything I need in a cell phone.  But I am beginning to think I have to step up my game here a bit because by the time our kids are teenagers which is not that far out, I'll have to use it to be able to reach them and talk to them.

So here is to another 5 years if this phone will last that long.  For the most part though, I am an e-mail girl.  When I have so many kids during the day there is hardly a quiet moment and every time I get on the phone one of them has to start screaming on top of their lungs and if I e-mail, I can just do that no matter the noise. :) And it is also way easier to get to the point in the e-mail, not overreact and compose my thoughts together.

what moms get excited about sometimes

It's been one of those days, a little bit on a crazy side.  I knew I wanted to get a lot done in the house before the day started but lately that doesn't mean half of those things actually get accomplished.  The last few weekends we've been gone and so my time to attain to the house quickly diminished since weekends are the only time I have big chunks of time to clean the stuff that otherwise doesn't get cleaned.  Week nights are way too short and I'm usually way too tired to start laundry or wash floors after 9pm.  So our house was starting to look pretty bad and I was feeling it inside and out.  I think even though I am not the most clean person in the world, my mom sure is and growing up with that must have done something to me because I cannot completely relax and enjoy myself until the house is clean.  I try very hard to not let it bother me but eventually I can't take it anymore. :)  And that day was today.  I knew I had to do something before we leave for another long weekend on Friday and another weekend that nothing was going to get done. Now it is after 10pm and I am pretty happy with what I've done.  There for sure is need for more and there always will be and if my mom was here she still couldn't stop at 10pm because such and such needs to get done.  But for now I'll be happy with the tiny progress I made.

I watched 7 kiddos all day today, which is a typical number during the summer. Two 1 year olds, one 3 year old, two 4 year olds and two 7 year olds.  I was very thankful for the beautiful sunshine and cooler temperature because 5 out of 7 kids played outside most of the day which gave me some time to clean.  Loads of laundry got done and folded, kitchen got all cleaned up, bills and office stuff got organized,  garage swept, fed the kids 3 times and a few bottles to the babies, worked with one of the babies who refuses to crawl at 12 months old, read with the kids and built with legos, cleaned up the kids rooms with the kids, played outside with all the kids for a while, was teaching Kason how to go potty outside like a big boy, tried to explain to him we cannot pick the bell peppers from the garden before they are ready (but at least he ate it),  made 2 big homemade pizzas for dinner, e-mailed back and forth with Ehren a million times during the day about what we should do about refinancing, later this evening I filled out a form online for that, vacuumed most of the rooms, put the kids to bed, washed all the hardwood and tile floors.  I think that is about it except for countless interruptions of sweet little faces either informing me about who is doing what, crying after a fight, telling me so and so is not sharing, etc.  I guess it was a full day and not a dull day even though nothing exciting happened, I didn't even get out of the house.  But sometimes, little things can bring satisfaction and excitement.  Like sitting in the fresh clean kitchen, a peaceful house and just me with my thoughts.  Good night to all and hope you had a full day today with your kind of excitement.

     

Here are some pictures from the last weekend.  We really enjoyed the lake at my in-laws' cabin.  The kids and our dog just wanted to swim and swim. 

Kason is so fun to watch in the water.  He's our fish.

my 4 lovelies

strawberry farm close to the cabin

where I ran into a dear friend who now lives in Kansas so we don't ever see each other

our hand picked strawberries, most of them are frozen already

our soccer life

Kade has loved playing soccer since he was 3 years old.  Up here it means playing soccer in the summer time for about 2 months.  When he was younger, the week after the soccer season ended he would start asking when he can play soccer again.  I felt pretty bad for him that for the most of the year he can't play it and for probably half the year he can't even try to play with his friends because it's too cold for it.  As Kade is getting older he is starting to really love this sport and he really appreciates and enjoys every moment of it.  It is so fun to watch him blossom in it and this year must be the first time that I'm thinking to myself " wow, he is really good!"  And that is something for me to say because I'd be the first one to not give out any false compliments to my kids.  But watching Kade out there is so fun because he is pretty good and he is trying so hard.  Of course, he's no Maradona but I am surprised at how much of a natural talent he has when he really doesn't play the sport that much throughout the year.  It is so funny because here is me, a mom who is very much against parents pushing their kids into all kinds of sports, and having their lives evolve around those sports, yet a part of me is sad Kade will never have an opportunity to play soccer on a higher level.  We also try to be careful around Kade so he doesn't get too big of a head but he just thrives on acknowledgments.  Some adult was telling him what a great soccer player he is and after scoring his first few goals he wanted to know what his chances of becoming a professional soccer player were.  I pretty much told him his chances are super slim since where we live it's either hockey or baseball and I'm guessing Kade will not be playing either of those.  We ruled out hockey right away because of financial reasons and the commitment and sacrifices our whole family would have to make for it.  And baseball so far has always been during the day and I can't possibly drive Kade to town every day for that so that's the reason he can't do it.  That leaves him with soccer but I am NOT complaining, plus he's probably best at it from doing any other sports.

I've always loved soccer.  My 2 older brothers played soccer with friends from the young age and since I had to tag along with them they would either put me in one of the goals or I'd get to play with them.  Neither team wanted to pick me, of course, since I was a girl but I am pretty sure I got quite good at it eventually.  My oldest brother Marcel actually played on a soccer team for a number of years (I think he broke his arm 3 times doing it) and somehow watching Kade reminds me so much of him.  The moves he has, the focused look.  Kade's facial expressions remind me of Marcel anyway but when he's playing soccer it sometimes feels like I'm going back in time (minus the TRF team dress shirt) and am looking at my brother. :)  Or a quite shorter version of my brother.  Kade is one of the youngest kids on the team and he is one of the shortest but he's also one of the fastest.  So here we are, Ehren and I as proud as can be of Kade and we are entering the world of the soccer families.  The thing about it is that it's not a drag for me at all to go to the games.  I love watching Kade improve and have little pep talks during and afterwards.  Ehren loves it just as much and even though this year he's not coaching Kade he might start again next summer.  Anika already said she wants to play soccer next year so we will see how it goes for her.  She's the kind of person who will enjoy anything in the world that happens with other kids, but truthfully she is not very athletically gifted.  I will never discourage her from doing something because she may not be very good at it though.  It makes me smile sometime just to watch her struggle with things other kids can do so easily, yet it doesn't bring her down at all.  She is just excited to be in their company and excited to be trying something new.  And I just love that about our Ani, I have so much to learn from her already. :)

So to see a glimpse of our soccer adventure, here are some pictures and video clips.  At Kade's age they use these little goals with no goalie but next year it should be the bigger size goals - if they let Kade get in with the rest of his class mates.  According to the birthday cut-off he shouldn't be in this group, but I'd want him to go to a higher level and stay there an extra year so he gets better practice there, but we'll see.

this little boy tripped Kade 3 times as he was about to score.  Pretty frustrating but I guess that's how they play at that age.

Just some pictures

Here are a few pictures from our first trip to the cabin this year.  It wasn't very warm and it was somewhat wet, but that's ok.  We had a fun and mostly relaxing weekend there.

And surprise surprise, I have a few plants growing in my garden!

our kiddos growing up

borthers

taking a bit too long of a walk for Kason and Ani

Kade helped nana pick wild flowers 

having a serious conversation with dad

enjoying the boat ride

mom roasting the marshmallows while they're waiting patiently 

me and Kason enjoying our treats

sunsets are the prettiest from this swing

the view from the swing

tiny cucumbers are coming out

I did not expect tomatoes this early with how cold it's been

I'm so excited our bell peppers seem to be going strong, unlike last year

the front of the house - not quite done.  We need to find some plastic window
covers to put over the windows

the bed

I think every couple has their little quirky things they like to argue about.  Ehren and I can find agreement with most things fairly easily but somehow, our bed is an ongoing issue for us.  And by that I mean the bed in a physical sense, in a sense of sleeping of course. :)  You see, I grew up sleeping on a bed frame that my dad built which was sitting on the floor so I would lie just inches away from the floor.  This is pretty normal in Europe and most of the beds they have are very low which is what I prefer.  And then I married a man who comes from a country where most people prefer to fly in the air as they sleep, at least that's what it feels like when you finally climb up to the top of their beds.  Needless to say, we both like completely different beds.  Quite a few years ago I got my wish and we bought a low bed frame that I love, but Ehren doesn't love the fact that I don't want to use the box spring with our mattress on it.  The reason is that when you add the box spring to our already very thick mattress it is way too high for the bed frame or my taste.  So we argued about it for a while and recently Ehren decided to put the box spring on because he says it helps his back pain.  I wasn't happy though because really, it is just way too high that way (don't get me started on how ugly it looks) and it just throws me every time I wake up, plus it is too soft for me that way too.  Maybe we need a sleep number bed so we are both happy but in the meantime, I looked for one of those memory foam toppers to put on top of our mattress.  It wasn't cheap but the reviews were very good so last night was the first night with the box spring finally gone and the new memory foam on the top.  Neither of us felt like wow, this is awesome after the first night but at the same time we both slept really good.  I love how you don't feel the other person moving around and how it's firm but soft at the same time.  So that is our bed story and I really hope the topper will mean a happy and resolved bed conflict for us. :)  I was trying to think of another silly example Ehren and I constantly don't see eye to eye on but I have to say this must be the only thing that usually comes back to haunt us.   I'd love to hear what is something other couples argue about, I bet there would be a lot of funny examples.  It is funny how we're all so different and how we need to blend our lives together when we get married, with all the good and bad, with all the fun and weird habits which we don't see as much in ourselves but we definitely see in our spouses. :)  It's what makes life beautiful and interesting and I'm so glad God designed it this way so we have a helper and mate to share this life with.  Even if his vision of a perfect bed is on the very opposite side of mine, I know that in the end whatever bed we have the best place to be is in his arms.  And I have to say my favorite and cherished moments with Ehren are when we talk and talk (or cry or laugh) because one of us can't sleep until midnight or later, just lying in our bed.  Happy 12th anniversary to my Ehren this Sunday and I hope we have many more years to argue about a bed together but mostly to see the gifts we are to each other every day.

a quick update

I feel like I am living in a "blank" the last 3 weeks or so.  Just trying to survive the kids, the neverending chores around the house, getting over 2 bad colds while trying to start running more, etc.  I thought about writing on here a few times and then I realized that I don't have anything good or interesting to say. :)  So it feels a bit like my life is pretty boring at the moment, no excitement other than watching kids get excited about playing with water outside, or popsicles they get to have, or watching Kade play soccer.  The summer is sort of here, we had a couple days here and there that were pretty warm and we actually enjoyed some summer fun in our back yard.  Since me and the kids are pretty stuck here in the house all day (there are too many kids to fit in our van) we've been going to town a lot in the evenings, like going to the park or Kade's soccer, or to the library which is a nice break.  Other than that, nothing too much going on.  We're hoping to enjoy some family time this weekend at Ehren's parents' cabin.  It will be Father's Day and our anniversary on Sunday so we have 2 occasions to celebrate.

Here are a few pictures of the kids outside, our first warmer days and we hope for many many more this summer. :)

PS: In case you're wondering why in the world do we use the tiny kiddie pool instead of the big blow up one is that as a rule for a licensed daycare we have to change water in those pools every day and it is a pain in the butt to fill up the big pool and drain it all in one day. :)  So our kids really can't wait to swim in the lake or the swimming pool on the weekends.

enjoying our slip n slide

how many bodies can we fit into this kiddie pool? :) They still had fun in there

Kason is the main entertainer in the water

now it's the babies' turn in the pool - a little play time after their nap

Carson and Aveah - my 2 babies who are officially not infants anymore

Still a few bottles a day but at least one of them will hold it until he's done.

happy eaters, sometimes