Surprises

This last weekend was all about surprises and excitement.  Who doesn't like surprises?  I guess some people more than others but I love getting and giving surprises, I think it makes this sometimes dull and rushed life more beautiful.

The first one kind of evolved over a few days last week.  Ehren and I have talked for a while now about me going to Slovakia this Spring.  Even though we had no idea if I would be able to go, we still talked about it and we both thought it was a very high priority this year.  I haven't been home for over 3 years and it has started to show. :)  I'm very glad my parents were able to come once and mom by herself again last year since I've been there, but it is still not the same as going there and seeing everyone.  Not being able to see my 3 brothers and all my nephews and nieces, 3 of them I haven't even met yet, is especially hard.  So, this last week we finally got our taxes done which pretty quickly made me look into the airplane tickets.  At first I thought for sure they'd be too much and yes, they are very expensive but somehow I threw a number out there, like I told God if I am able to find a plane ticket for this price I'll do it.  I didn't think I was going to find one but there it was, one of them was just the right price.  I think it was a bit cheaper than all the rest because the plane leaves on Easter Sunday, but we can manage that.  To make the long story short, I quickly booked it before it was gone and now it is for real - Anika and I are going to Slovakia for 2 and a half weeks.  I still can't believe it's happening and am so excited about it.  At the same time I'm nervous about what will happen with Kason and Kade because we have to figure out someone to watch them, mainly Kason every day during the week.  It is very sad when I think about not being able to take the boys, especially Kade who would love to come with me, but it's just too expensive.  For Kason, he would be very hard to deal with on the air planes and it is such a long trip that I know it would be exhausting for all of us.  Plus, I thought he would barely remember anything from Slovakia and Anika is at the age where she loves visiting people and can take away so many memories from there.  So, on April 24th we are taking off from Fargo and leaving our 3 boys behind.  It was the perfect timing for both of my parents' upcoming birthdays so I wanted to surprise my mom with it.  But the rest of my family too because they had no idea I was thinking about coming, so that was fun.

The other surprise came just a day after me booking the plane ticket.  Ehren has been telling me he has a "family" thing he wants us to do on Saturday so I shouldn't plan anything.  He played it so much about the kids that that is all I thought about.  I totally thought it was something fun for our kids but then when Saturday came I was wondering why he wouldn't tell me what the surprise was when it was just for the kids.  I still didn't think anything of it, plus woke up with a bit of a cold, so I tried to rest as much as I could that morning.  Then the afternoon came and Ehren is telling me he got an e-mail that "they" are not ready for us yet.  I'm thinking who they?  We must be going to visit someone at their house.  When the time finally came, Ehren started the van like we're about to go but there was a knock on the door little bit later and here is my dear friend from church saying "happy birthday" to me.  I was a bit confused, thought that maybe we're going somewhere with her family but the surprise was all for me as a late birthday present and she came to pick me up for it.  We picked up another girlfriend on the way and we met a third friend in Grand Forks for a nice meal, who was all in on the surprise.  It was the best present I could ever wish for.  I love getting together with close friends especially when it's just us without all the kids, which so rarely happens.  Afterwards all 4 of us went to see a roller skating derby, just for fun to see what it's like.  It was crazy different, especially some of the outfits these girl skaters were wearing.  I still don't understand how they manage to get up there dressed like that and not only have hundreds of complete strangers watch them, but their own little children.  But it was something different and good to see what it is about.  We had a great time catching up a little and just talking and talking.  We didn't get home until after 11pm and I felt so recharged.  It meant a world to me to just get together and talk to these sweet friends and I sure hope we do it again very soon.  I almost forgot how much I missed a great girl's night out.  They sure made me feel special that night.

Meanwhile to not disappoint our kids who were expecting a surprise for a whole week, Ehren took them to McDonalds where they played for 2 hours and Kason still didn't want to go home after that.  I'm sure glad they still can get excited about the smallest things.  Unfortunately, it was too cold outside for sledding or something so McD's was the only safe option.

Sunday morning, I couldn't quite get out of bed as I felt a lot worse, just sweating and having muscle aches.  But after resting all morning I got better so it wasn't that bad.  Having so much fun on Saturday was well worth it.

So in conclusion, I have to admit I love surprises.  Especially the surprises that Ehren is part of because he knows exactly what I love and need and that's why I love him.  He knows I wouldn't care about a big surprise party with a lot of people, but getting some real quality time with my friends is just what I needed.  And he knows how hard it is for me to live so far away from my family so even though it's not easy to spend so much money on plane tickets, he gladly and lovingly sends me off while many of his friends are buying trucks, big screen tvs and other toys.  I am so thankful to have Ehren in my life, to lean on him and to create a home with him.

dinner with friends

This was big girls' and beginners teams, it wasn't very pretty when they fell down in those outfits.

They can only shove with their elbows, but can't push each other down

the purple team was from Grand Forks and they kicked butt mostly because of a little girl on their team who squeezed by everyone and scored points.

Valentines Day

I know, it is a pretty overrated holiday and way too commercialised but needless to say, it is still another day we get to express our love.  I always looked at it as a romantic day for couples and Ehren and I have had some pretty incredible valentine's dates over the years but now that I'm a mom somehow I look at it differently.  I think of my children weeks before Valentines Day and think about that special something to give or do for them on this special day.  I think about my mom and dad and how much I miss them.  I remember mom doing something extra special for me on this day and now I feel like I finally understand how she felt when she did that.

Now I'm going to get the kids' little valentine's ready so I can watch their grinning faces tomorrow morning.  We are also going to have a special valentine's party for lunch, which Anika and Emily are so excited about.  And to me, their innocent excitement is more than going out with Ehren which we can do any other day.  I'll post some pictures of our day with the kids afterwards.  Of course, the kids will go to bed at 8pm sharp and then we're having that special romantic time with cheesy (for some) candles, rose petals and all... And there won't be any pictures of that. :)

my 3 girls (Ani, Emily and Aveah) I take care of during the day

Our Valentine's Day lunch party

Heat wave

When you hear the word "heatwave", everyone has a different idea of what it means.  Most people automatically think 100 degree weather when you step outside and you can barely breathe because it's like sauna.  But here in northern MN, we have different kinds of heat waves.  The ones that occasionally come in the summer time and people have to get to a lake because they can't handle the heat.  And the kind that comes during the winter months, mostly January and February.  After we go through weeks of sub zero temperatures, especially with many days of 20-40 below Fahrenheit (or 30-40 below 0 Celsius), when we finally get a weekend of 30s (or around 0 Celsius) it is a reason to celebrate.  To our bodies it feels just like a heatwave and kids think they should walk with no hats or jackets on.

And this finally happened yesterday.  It was sunny and around freezing and it felt amazing.  I couldn't help but think that growing up in Slovakia, that would be the normal cold weather during winter months.  So many people I know have no idea what it feels like to run to the mailbox all bundled up because if you're not your fingers are numb by the time you get back to the house.  Or kids waiting (or freezing) for the bus early in the morning, at the end of the driveway when it is 20 below Fahrenheit.  The first 5 years of our marriage we lived in the Minneapolis area and even though it gets pretty cold there a few times every winter, now that I live, as people here call it "way up north" I know that is NOTHING in comparison to our winters.  I do miss the nice weather, especially the nice running winter weather they have because it's cold but not too cold.

But yesterday, it was like we were in the cities.  The heatwave came and it was so nice to be outside.  Kids actually enjoyed playing outside for hours because their tiny fingers and toes weren't freezing after 15 minutes.  When Kason went down for his nap I was able to go running outside for the first time in months.  It was funny because even with the warmer temperature, this is still a tundra and a flat land so any tiny breeze can get very harsh when trying to run around our house.  And, just as I turned away from our driveway I could feel the cold southern wind, blowing in my face.  Of course I wasn't wearing my winter coat because I was going for a run and even though you need to wear layers of clothes you can't wear too much or else you'll sweat way too much.  So after 2-3 minutes of trying to run against the small but very cold wind I almost turned around and thought I should just forget about it.  But I kept on and was very glad I did because after I turned at my corner, it was just fine and I was able to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air.  It was just me and my mp3 player, white covered fields all around me and it felt very peaceful.

We also took the kids ice skating after that and they had a lot of fun.  I finally took out my old worn out skates and it felt great to skate around again.  I found some small hockey skates from Kade that are just the right size for Kason now but he's a bit too young for it and didn't like it very much that he had no control over his feet.  It was only Anika's 2nd time but she still loved being out there and didn't want to go home.  I'm sure she'll be starting to skate on her own next winter.

It was just a great day with the family.  And the truth is, I wouldn't appreciate the 30s weather as much as I do now if I wasn't stuck inside the house for so long because it's too cold to go anywhere.  Living here makes us appreciate and really enjoy every nice day because really, there aren't too many of them some months.  So no matter how tired or lazy we feel some days, if it is nice out we have to get out there and enjoy this beautiful life God is giving us or else it will just slip away.

Anika's first steps without holding on

playing Candy Land after skating

Thomas world

I wonder what the fascination is with the little blue tank engine - Thomas.  Both of our boys have been very into it starting around 18 months old.  Kade is now too good for it and thinks it's too childish to play with the trains (even though he still likes to watch new Thomas shows on tv) but Kason at 2 and a half is just all about Thomas right now.  He could listen to Thomas books all day long if someone would read them to him and if not he'll just pretend to read them himself.  He loves playing with the wooden trains we have, knows them all by name and if he gets asked what he wants to watch, the answer is always Thomas.

Well, recently Kason started to use some of the vocabulary from this English show and it can be pretty entertaining sometimes.  If Ehren or I get angry about something, I hear Kason tell Anika :"daddy is cross" and it makes me smile inside. 

Today I wasn't smiling or laughing at his little melt down, but in retrospect it was pretty funny.  Kason and I were at Walmart and it probably took a little longer for his not very long shopping time limit so by the end I could tell he was getting pretty tired.  Well, once he saw the play area (pretty much just 2 cars to sit on that move if you put coins in them) he forgot all about me or wanting to go home and got right on the cars as I was paying for the groceries.  I put everything in the cart, slowly got over to him and let him play for a while longer.  Then, like a good mom I was letting him know he has 2 more minutes to play.  Out of all 3 children, he is our toughest cookie yet, with a very strong will, and melt downs if he doesn't get his way.  So I knew even before I said it that it wouldn't make a difference and when the time was up, he'd be throwing a fit.  So, just like every time when it is time to go, he was screaming and yelling, telling me to go home by myself because he was going to stay there.  After a few exchanges the only option was to throw him on top of the cart, kicking and screaming, and take off.  I was actually thinking right then how proud I was of myself for being so mature and grown-up about it because it didn't even faze me or bother me to have my child misbehave like this in public.  I think he was really tired though because this tantrum lasted a lot longer than usual, after I buckled him in his seat, put all the bags in the van and all the way home.

The funny part was as we were driving off the parking lot, Kason is yelling out his very mad 2 year old statements and besides others he says: "You're a bossy boiler and I am cross!"  That almost made me laugh but as I was trying to hide the smirk on my face I calmly disciplined him and said that it's not ok to talk that way to me.  Of course, he didn't care what I had to say, he knew he was safe in his seat so he kept throwing out some other lines from Thomas, which I didn't quite catch with all the car noise and him crying.  I knew all Kason needed was a time out alone, which he got as soon as we got home.  Then I sat with him on the bed, holding him and he just held me so tight with his arms around me.  That is his way of saying he's sorry and I love that.  He's our little cuddler and after being held for a while he always feels better and is ready to go, like nothing every happened.

I pray I have the wisdom to discipline him the right way and show love to him every day.  He's such a sweet child but has such a strong will and determination that I wonder what is lying ahead of us.  For now, I will just smile at his funny statements which he says with all seriousness and thank God for this unique little person.

My Gall Bladder Story

This is a pretty long post but I wanted to remember all the things about my little  ordeal.
  
This year I got an early birthday gift - having my gall bladder removed.  It was as far from an exciting event in my life as can be but a memorable one.  My whole life I haven't had anything done to my body other than a few stitches and giving birth to 3 children.  Not even a broken bone so this was very different for me and a bit scary too.  Now that it's over, I think I would take giving birth over any surgery out there. :)    

Well, I recently found out that having your gall bladder removed is a very common thing and just talking to people I couldn't believe how many have theirs removed.  Is this organ even necessary if all it does is cause problems?  I guess the attacks and gall bladder problems mostly happen to people who are overweight and eat a lot of greasy food, but it can happen to anyone and out of all people it happened to me! To me, who's in perfect health. :)

It happened the weekend after Christmas when our family was staying with us.  I had a bad gall bladder attack in the middle of the night.  It woke me up and I could barely breath.  I had this horrible chest pain and thought I was having a heart attack.  Well, I knew it wasn't a heart attack because the pain was under my rib cage, but if I imagine a heart attack that's what it would feel like.  I tried to wait it out at home and see if it would go away but it got worse so Ehren took me to the ER.  They took my blood from which the doctor didn't think anything major was happening so they didn't run any other tests.  I got morphine for the pain and was sent home.  The next whole day I was out of it and I'm not sure if it was from the morphine or recovering from the gall bladder shock or what.  The pain subsided a lot but it was there for the next 2 weeks and I was able to experience our clinic at it's best.

The ER doctor told me if I still have pain the next day to come in and get an ultrasound done.  But to get an ultrasound I had to come in to see my doctor first.  He, of course, was way overbooked so I waited 2 hours to see him just so he would order an ultrasound for me.  But to fit in for the ultrasound I had to wait 2 more days.  Finally I came in and I was glad the technician told me a little bit about what she saw.  She said there were 2 pretty big sized gall stones in the gall bladder and she thought they would probably want to do a surgery.  So I went home and waited about a week until my doctor sent me a letter stating I should come in to discuss my options.  I pretty much knew he was just going to recommend me to a surgeon so I left messages everywhere to just please call me and finally his nurse did and all she said was that I need to go see the surgeon who will tell me about the surgery.  So off I went, to another appointment where I found out the only recommended option for me was to have the gall bladder removed.  I didn't have to get it done and people live with gall stones their whole life but once you have an episode it will most likely happen again and it could be worse.  My main thing was that I didn't want to risk getting the gall bladder inflamed or something major for which I'd have to go to the ER and be at the mercy of our small town doctors.  I heard enough of the horror stories from that so I decided I would go under the knife now when the gall bladder is at a calm state.  So this was a big step for me, having an organ removed.  At least it is done laparoscopically, with 3 small incisions and pulling the gall bladder out right under the belly button.

So off we went on Friday morning (yesterday), to have Dr. Gutierrez remove my gall bladder.  I was pretty nervous to be put to sleep, such a strange feeling, but mainly I was nervous about the healing of it and me being able to take care of the kiddos at home.  A lot of people told me they couldn't lift much for 2 weeks after that and I wasn't sure how that would go with my 21 pound baby that I watch every day.

I was prepared for a lot of pain, but nothing like when I woke up.  They hooked me up to the IV when I got there and then wheeled me into the operating room.  There was a guy waiting right away to put me to sleep and all I remember is that I saw this funny looking pillow and I think the second I laid my head on it I was out.  The next thing I remember was doctor G. and nurse calling my name, telling me to wake up and that everything went great.  I had a really hard time waking up but when I finally did, I felt really nauseous and full of gas they pump you up with.  I knew it would have to get out of my body but I wasn't prepared for so much pressure, up in my shoulders, chest, stomach, just everywhere.  The doctor doing the surgery said everything went great and that it was a good thing we got it out because the gallbladder was a little inflamed and I'm not sure which part of it but something was twisted in there which was causing problems on top of the stones.  So it made me feel a little better to know I didn't go through all that for nothing. 

We got home around 11am and for the rest of the day I just lay in bed because whenever I would get up I was really nauseous.  The pain from the incisions didn't even hurt, it was mainly the gas that bothered me.  But today I woke up and it is much better, I'm able to walk around and not feel like fainting.  Now that the gass pain is a lot smaller I also feel the stomach hurt more but it's not too bad.  It feels like someone punched me in my stomach really hard, over and over. :)

Ehren was Mr. mom for a while yesterday and his mom helped us with all the kids when he was with me so that was very nice.  I just thought last night before going to sleep, how many moms who are going through cancer or something really bad feel like I felt every day and they have to manage through, being there for their kids, house and everything.  I felt completely useless, just a rag lying down on the couch or bed so it makes me very thankful for the health I have and for all the things I am able to do.
     

here's a pretty gross picture to remember the scars.  I have to keep that one bandage on for 3 days and none of the incisions even have stitches, just the glue.

Steel Cut Oats

I really wish I would have tried the steel cut oats sooner.  They are very tasty and heart warming.  It is similar to regular oatmeal but the texture is totally different and it is a bit tricky to make because the steel cut oats are so hard and crunchy.  First you sauté the oats in butter (I add a dash of cinnamon), then add boiling water, stir it once in a while, and when that water is all gone you add some milk.  Then you keep stirring it until the milk is almost all gone and you have nice soft oats.  I also add some brown sugar with the milk.  If we have bananas, that's the best with some more cinnamon but I just had a little bit with my home-made apricot marmalade and it was awesome. 

It is funny because out of Ehren and I it is me who is more health conscious about what we eat and stuff and yet once in a while he will be the one who brings home something out of the blue that is very healthy, like the steel cut oats.  I didn't even know we could buy them here in our dinky town with hardly any grocery store options.  So now I make this oatmeal in the evening and refrigerate the leftovers for Ehren to have for breakfast and it stays good for days.  You just add a bit of milk and warm it up when you want to eat it.  Because, of course, who has half an hour to make a bowl of oatmeal before going to work? :)

Well, I just had to write about my discovery.  It was a very pleasant bowl of oatmeal with a total silence in the house since the kids already went to bed.  Now it is time to soak in my tub, which is where I can day dream, think out loud, pray, cry and hopefully get renewed for the next day.     

Zumba

It is just a regular Saturday morning, with no big plans.  I get up, get the kids breakfast at 7am because they can never sleep past that time.  I eat some toast with my coffee and head out into the cold, ready to hit the Zumba class even though I haven't done any working out since before Christmas.  I am so glad I got my butt out of the house in this freezing weather.  I feel recharged, refreshed, motivated and ready for the weekend.  Working out with a group of women is also what adds to it.  You can't slack off, you have to try your hardest and you feel like you are doing it with friends all around you.

I have been introduced to this funky exercise style a few months ago.  I'm sure most people have heard about it, it's becoming very popular in the US with a lot of Zumba studios starting.  It is basically dancing, combining sort of hip hop, latino and funky dance moves.  Mostly I think it's supposed to be Latino style, very much belly and butt twisting. :)

So first of all, I am so NOT a dancer.  Even though I attended one short course of ballroom dancing, I am so far from knowing how to move right it's not even funny.  I have the hardest time following choreography and it takes me quite a while to finally get the steps.  It is funny because watching our little Ani at her first experience of a dance class, I totally saw myself in her.  She couldn't follow the teacher's moves because the teacher was facing the kids and Anika had a very hard time following the mirror image she saw, exactly my problem once the steps get a little tricky.

But, despite the fact of me being such a poor dancer I always liked dancing to a good upbeat music, especially when I knew no one was watching. :)  I haven't done it much for a while though until I went to the Zumba class, and I think it brought it back to life in me.  For example, the last time I was running on the treadmill this great Gypsy Kings song came on on my mp3 player and suddenly running fast wasn't enough.  So I jumped off and started crazy dancing all over our basement just having a blast.  Kason and Anika just stared at this crazy lady at first (mostly because only I could hear the music I was dancing to) but soon they joined in and were dancing all around me.  I love coming up with my own moves and just move to the music because that way I get the best workout from it and at the end of a song I am totally out of breath.  And that's what Zumba is trying to accomplish, having a fun time while getting exercise.

Even though I personally need a lot more out of my workouts than Zumba alone can give me, I really like doing it on top of running and strength training (which I really haven't been able to do lately).  Especially during our COOOLD winters when the only option is to run on the boring treadmill, Zumba brings such a fun variation to my week.  I always feel so good after doing it and it motivates me to do more.  So today I am going to be thankful for what I have in our tiny town.  No fancy health clubs with childcare (which is almost the #1 thing I miss about the cities), but there are things I can do like Zumba or ice skating or cross country skiing and I have to treasure that and have our kids treasure it with me.