All baby Grace, all the time

It is no secret that Audrey and Elliot love them some baby Grace. Audrey got the baby Grace hook-up from nana and babu this year with three new outfits, a cradle, and a high chair. Audrey was kind enough to share the clothes with Elliot's baby Grace/Moses/newborn King/Jesus so both babies are looking adorable.

posing with baby Grace in outfit #1 in front of nana and babu's tree

rocking her to sleep

the doting family

Elliot and Audrey model their babies in outfits #2 and 3

Audrey has the cradle right next to her bed so she can be close to her baby Grace. She sings her lullabies and pats her tummy and tells Elliot that he's better at getting her to sleep in the middle of the night, so he can take care of it while Audrey sleeps. So funny!

But Elliot, being Elliot, had to take it to the next level. He is slightly obsessed with the story of Jesus' birth. He talks about the newborn king and the city of David, which is Bethlehem. He wonders why Mary rode the donkey instead of walking. We had a talk about women who are very pregnant and how they can get uncomfortable so it might be harder to walk long distances. He said he wanted to be Mary and have Jesus in his tummy to see how it was uncomfortable to walk.

voila, mission accomplished.

He cried when baby Jesus dropped out and we had to quickly reposition him/her. Now his obsession with the birth of Christ has turned into an obsession with pregnancy. Today he took a nap with a stuffed hen under his shirt. He kept it in all afternoon, including bundling up in our warm clothes and playing outside, but he wouldn't hear of taking Henny out of his tummy.

Yes, all baby, all the time.

Christmas 2010

 "It was the best Christmas yet, too. Bubba got a bear made out of lamb's wool, and Woo got a dragon that breathed fire when it walked, and Bud got a model of a dinosaur with real bones. The Christmas before, Bubba hadn't even been born yet and Woo was too little to really understand. Bud remembered the other Christmases, and the other Christmas trees, but when he thought about Christmas without Woo and Bubba, he knew he liked this Christmas best.

'I wish it could be forever,' he said as they ate cookies shaped like Christmas trees with green sugar sprinkles on them.

'Nothing lasts forever,' Mom said, but Bud wished Christmas could, and the tree and the cookies, and he and Bubba and Woo eating them together."
The Tree that Came to Stay by Anna Quindlen

Each year, I am certain that Christmas cannot get any better. The kids were at the perfect age and they were the most thoughtful and they had the sweetest reactions to gifts and the most fun playing together and the weather was at its most beautiful. I say it every year, and every year I am wrong.


Really, this year had to be the best. Elliot woke me up nice and early, so I snuck him down to the basement without turning any lights on so he couldn't be distracted by all the packages and overflowing stockings. We read books and snuggled as I waited impatiently for the rest of the house to wake up from its long winter's nap. Finally Elliot and I went back upstairs to snuggle with Jim. Slowly, Isaac and Audrey rolled into our room and we made our way downstairs. They dug into their stockings, oohing and aaahing the special surprises. Then they all opened their gift from Santa. That gave them enough to play with while I got breakfast started. Christmas morning coffee cake along with flat eggs were on the menu and everything was scrumptious, but the real fun was had while the coffee cake baked and the kids opened their gifts.

We finished up just in time to eat and then got right back to playing. You know it's a good Christmas when you're wearing your pjs for your afternoon nap! In fact, Isaac and Audrey only got dressed in order to go play outside at about 4:20. They didn't think they wanted to play outside, but their urgent desire to run laps around our home indicated otherwise. So, actual clothes and warm woolens it was, although they did have the option of bundling up over their pjs. We're lazy like that.

We played new board games, tried on new clothes, played with new toys, and thoroughly enjoyed our day together. Nowhere to be. No plans, unless you count playing and eating and sleeping. We called our families to serenade them with a rousing rendition of "We wish you a Merry Christmas." We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. We did a whole lot of nothing, unless you count fun and laughter and togetherness.

"I wish it could be forever."

Christmas snapshot

After a morning of gift opening and serious playing, I'm sitting inside with Elliot playing "baseball guys." Jackie Robinson just tackled Joe Mauer. Tarvaris Jackson and Derek Jeter play pivotal roles in this game of baseball meets football. Ron Gardenhire or Leslie Frazier are coaching, depending on the moment. "It's 40" is the score. There's no way to know who's ahead. Now "It's 1 to 7 so I'm going to tackle them with my head." I wish I could see what that looks like in his vivid, imaginative mind.

Jim is outside snowblowing our pond to prep it for skating. Isaac and Audrey are chasing and tackling each other on the ice, beautifully and coldly insulated with many inches of snow. It is the picture of youth and innocence and life at its finest on a cool, darkening Christmas afternoon.

Merry, merry Christmas!

memories to last a lifetime

The boys rolled in about midnight, fingers thawing, shedding layers as they walked, voices hoarse from hours of screaming. They braved the snow and the roads and the cold and the ticketing confusion, and they never once complained because it was so worth it. After all, memories that will last a lifetime were made.

 Yes, there's a boy under all those layers!

 Isaac and Jim watched the Vikings (sadly) lose to the Bears on Monday night at TCF Bank Stadium. The score meant little to Isaac as he told everyone about the fact that the Bears had to call a timeout because the fans were so loud and that lots of people left when they were losing by so much, but he stayed to the very end and when the scoreboard said "louder," he screamed even more. He saw purple and gold fireworks as the players took the field. He saw Bud Grant and Daunte Culpepper, among others, as the 50 Best Vikings were honored at halftime. He saw Brett Favre and the crew march up the field on their first possession and score on a pass to Percy Harvin. He saw Joe Webb dive for an unlikely touchdown. He saw Jay Cutler, his back-up fantasy football QB, have his way with the Vikings defense. He joined 40,000 other fans as they celebrated both MN touchdowns by throwing snow straight up in the air.

preparing the field for kick-off

 cheering for the home team Vikings!

 Two happy guys!

 TCF Bank Stadium, a.k.a. The Bank

 See that smile? It says it all!

Today he said, "I really think I'll remember this for a long, long time." Thanks to my uncle for giving us the tickets. It's pretty amazing watching one of my kid's dreams come true.

Elliot wonders and Elliot just plain knows

I was brushing Elliot's teeth tonight. He watched me turn the water on, his eyes filled with wonder and confusion and a dire need to understand. He asked, "How does the water come out when we push it up and stop when we push it down?"

We were listening to a classical music CD today when he busted out with, "This is Haydn's Great Surprise."

I am definitely not smart enough to raise these children. : )

the best

My husband is awesome. Sometimes I forget just how awesome he really is. I never forget that I love him, but there are times I forget just how much I like him and just how much fun he is and just how much fun we have together. Sometimes the laundry and the kiddos and the grocery shopping, the late nights working and the paperwork and the snow shoveling take up so much of our time that we forget that we were a couple first and that it was a whole lot of fun.

This weekend we relived the glory days for the first time in approximately forever. We dropped the kids off at Babu and Nana's house and headed to Chicago for one glorious night, not to mention a sleeping-in-morning, as just the two of us. It was so easy. We laughed a lot. We held hands with no interruptions. We had long conversations that were not peppered with kid questions. We walked busy roads without groping for small hands. We ate at a nice restaurant without playing tic-tac-toe while we waited for ourfood.  

We enjoyed our time so very much. Then we hustled back to the warm hugs and silly stories and fun times that make up our days.

My husband is the best.

Isaac's birth minus 1 week

In front of the stores along Michigan Avenue. Still smiling!

thanksgiving recap

It's almost Christmas, but we had a fantastic Thanksgiving full of most of our favorite things. It was a beautiful day full of laughter and love and plenty. It was a beautiul day for reflection on just how blessed we are to be surrounded by laughter and love and plenty.
My mom and Keith came from the Chicago area and my brother, sister-in-law and nephews were here as well. As always, we went around a table piled high with food and talked about what we are most thankful for. We always talk about family and health and the love the we share, about the food and clean water and doctor's visits and reliable vehicles that we take for granted for most of the year. This year we added Ivona and Abukari and Cristian to the list. Isaac said he was thankful for God and I'm thankful that Isaac knows God and loves God and feels God's presence in his life. There are always tears of happiness and gratitude and understanding that our lives are so richly blessed in ways big and small. Then someone makes a sarcastic joke and the laughter starts rolling again.
It was a beautiful day.

almost all of the cousins in various states of happy!

It is well documented that Elliot loves babies. He pets, holds, and generally gets in the face of Beckett anytime they're together.

Elliot's new favorite holiday. Unlimited snacking! He's all in.

Nana loving on two of her favorite boys.

Audrey and Maclain have fun wherever they go!

Story time with Isaac

We all match so we thought we'd snap a family picture!

story time with babu

The sleepy gang getting ready for bed after an awesome weekend together

The games they play

Elliot and Audrey were whooping it up in the tub this morning while I blowdried my hair. They invented an interesting and very loud game. They wanted to laugh louder than my hair dryer so if I turned it up, they'd fake laugh louder, if I turned it down, they'd quiet down. It was great fun for them and hilarious for me to watch as they cracked themselves up.

Tonight Audrey was helping Elliot get ready for supper. Oh, how she helps that boy. He only wants me to help and has since approximately birth, but she keeps asking if she can help wash his hands, take his shoes off, get his water, or any other task that may involve help. But, tonight they finished up playing in the garage (too cold and dark to be outside) and Elliot let her take his shoes off. Audrey was thrilled and right away started planning for the next time he needed help with his shoes. Give this girl an inch and she's off and running! She was feeling lucky, so she offered to peel his clementine and he said yes. She was peeling it and talking in her mama voice about how yummy it was and how she would help him and what else would he like for supper. As I watched her I imagined her loving on her own toddler someday, using that same gentle, slow, and caring voice to convey all of the love that her little heart could possible hold. I asked her if she thought she'd be a mama when she grows up. Of course she said yes and she thinks she'll have three kids. As an afterthought she wistfully said, "I really wish I was Elliot's mama."

It's so true. She loves that boy so much and wants to be near him, help him, laugh with him, and dress him up. Elliot has a lot of fun with his big brother, but he's realizing more and more just how much fun a big sister is. Especially one who loves him as much as Audrey does!

two kids, a lazy day, and a nativity scene. What more do you need?

loving on her brother since way back in the day!

always, ALWAYS there to catch him when he falls. And so happy to do it.

sending a little holiday cheer

If this doesn't make you smile, your new nickname is Scrooge!

winter surprise!

On Thursday afternoon we told the kids to put all of their winter woolens into a big bag and get into the car because we had a surprise for them. They threw around all kinds of ideas, none of them even close to hitting the mark. I wrote down one letter of the surprise every two miles to keep them guessing.

 Here is the answer! We were headed downtown to the hollidazzle parade. This is something us crazy northerners do every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas.

 The floats are the same every year, but the excitement is always new for the little kids. We were going for the first time since Isaac was a wee babe, so our kids had no idea what to expect.

 We decided not to brave the weather and instead found a comfy spot in the skywalk right over the parade route. Jim took Isaac and Audrey to get our supper while Elliot marveled at the enormousness of the bulidings. Here he's staring up in amazement at a huge skyscraper. With wonder and amazement in his voice he whispered, "That is the most enormous building I ever saw!!!!"

 Here they are saving our awesome spots and having a bite to eat while we wait for the festivities to begin.

 The kids craned their neck and looked for any sign of lighted floats coming our way. They were so excited! Jim and I loved watching them anticipate the fun they were about to have.

 The first train float lets the crowd know the parade is about to begin and picks up food donations.

 Here we go! Hollidazzle 2010! The kids had their faces pressed up against the window.

 Kind of like this!

 And this!

 I love this picture of Audrey and her dada.

Making new Christmas memories together. What a wonderful day!

Have sweeter words ever been spoken?

"You are buuudeeful and I love you," said my baby boy as I rocked him before bed.

quiet

Sometimes my house is quiet. It's naptime and all I hear is the calming whirr of Elliot's fan through his monitor. I chop veggies. Unload dishwashers. Plan lessons. Today, I sat to write the grocery list. I sat and heard the silence. It was beautiful. I just sat.

Then I looked around. At the headband under the table. The books haphazardly placed on shelves. The games balancing precariously on their shelf, one sneeze away from a tornado of checkers, marbles, cards, and puzzle pieces.

I thought of what it looked like to the man who fixed our furnace today. Clutter. Mess. Disorganization.

I thought of what it means to us. Much loved books read by Isaac and memorized by Audrey and Elliot. Laughter, cooperation, and fun from games played. Time spent with those we love best. Life. We live here. We laugh, cry, play, rejoice here.

I heard the quiet loud and clear today.

Have activity scene, will travel

Elliot calls his nativity scene an activity scene. It is usually in a green bucket up in his room. After reading "The first Christmas" to Elliot approximately 34 times this morning (I wish I were exaggerating), he decided it was high time to pull out the activity scene.

After breakfast, Isaac was working on a book for writing, Audrey was doing some brainquest flashcards, and Elliot was entertained with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and a random construction worker in his room so I decided to grab a shower. I was minding my own business when I heard a thunking on the door and in walks Elliot with his green bucket o' activity scene. He plopped it down on the towel that we pretend is a rug that matches our bathroom and set it all up. He happily played for a while. Then he loaded it up again and walked out the door. I thought that was that, but then he peeked his head back in and said, "Will you be okay in the shower by yourself? Are you alright alone?"

snuggling his baby Grace/Moses. He put her up like this and said, "Look, mama, baby Grace can stand. She's getting soooo big!" Such a proud papa!

reading snuggle puppy to his baby

wearing his little friend's bumblebee halloween costume, although he wanted to be called a butterfly because he doesn't buzz. He, Audrey, and the other little girl all came down decked out in butterfly costumes.

I assured him that I would be fine and he brought his toys back to his room where I found him playing a few minutes later. That boy breaks my heart! Just in case you ever wonder.

baby it's cold outside!

Jim worked from 6 pm saturday to 8 am sunday. Elliot woke me up at 5 am sunday, unusually early, even for a boy who could get a side job as a rooster. I went to get him and realized why he was awake so early. Our furnace was not working and it was 59 degrees in our home. Definitely better than the 5 degrees outside, but still BRRRR!

My hubby is a rock star and stayed up to get it working while I took the kids to church. Today someone came with a new part and it is officially repaired. But, while it wasn't working we looked like this. . .



three kids under there somewhere



later in the morning Isaac said, "My legs are so used to the cold that they don't hurt anymore." I'm not sure that's such a good thing!

still smiling!

We went to church that night and prepared and shared a meal with 13 homeless people, 4 moms and their 9 children, in our community. They will be staying at our church for one week, then off to another church for a week, and so on.

That definitely puts a broken furnace into perspective. We talked with the kids about being able to put more clothes on and huddle under blankets, being able to afford to get it fixed, having four walls and insulation to keep us safe even when the furnace isn't working.

So, although we experienced a chilly morning, it was perfect timing for a little life lesson for the kiddos. The parents, too. Perspective is a powerful thing.

cookie making with my Audrey

Audrey and I attempted Grandma's world-famous, at least in our house, bird's nest cookies. Audrey is such a great helper and loves to bake, especially if we accidentally spill flour on the counter because then she forms little hills with it and does her best to get it into every crevice of the kitchen. This drives me a little crazy, but I make myself ignore it because it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It's just one more thing on my floor that I neglect to sweep up. 

She was in on all of the action last week. From scooping to dumping to forming balls to rolling them in nuts. Then I made a classic me mistake. I had the last batch in the oven and we were about to decorate the tree. I set a timer and went into the other room. The timer went off and I checked the cookies, but they weren't browning up like the others had. I set the timer for a few more minutes, but when I checked back they still weren't done. I checked the oven and realized that at some point I'd accidentally turned the oven off when I thought I was turning the timer off. I turned the oven back on and went back to the tree.

About ten minutes later I heard, "Should these cookies still be in the oven?" Whoops, now the oven was on, but no timer. UGH! So, my friends got some yummy and a few very crunchy bird's nest for our cookie exchange.

baking together is so fun!

She is so careful and makes sure everything is out of the very heavy measuring cup

Elliot's up from nap. The show must go on. Hence, my left arm is visibly stronger than my right.