Kara's 2010 New Years Resolutions

Is it really the end of the year, already?  I can't believe it.  2009 started with a new baby and has been nothing but watching the kids grow and change ever since.  Lately I have really enjoyed watching Maida and Skogen play together.  Every day they interact a little more.  My all-time favorite is how Maida talks to Skogen all the time like he actually understands what she's saying.  Yesterday I overheard her saying to him, "Skogen, you stay home and watch the dog.  I'm going to the grocery store and then I'll be home.  And don't touch the baby, she's sleeping!  You be patient about that."  Here's a video that I took of them playing house this morning.

I have a feeling that 2010 is going to bring a lot of changes for us.  One being that I am going to start working again, beginning on Monday!  I don't actually have to leave the house, and I'm still going to be a stay-home-mom, but I am taking in an extra baby!  Baby N will be spending our weekdays with us and I'm sure this will keep me very busy.  He is almost three months old and I can't wait to have a new baby in the house again.  There are two things that I'm nervous about concerning Baby N, though.  One, I won't have as much time to spend with my own kids, and, two, I'm not the best house keeper in the world (and if I was bringing my new baby to someone else's house, I'd expect them to keep it pretty clean).  So, I've decided to start here with my new years resolutions (I've never made new years resolutions before).  Here we go...

Kara's 2010 New Years Resolutions

1.  Never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.

2.  Vacuum every night.

3.  Keep the toys organized.

4.  Spend at least 20 minutes of quality, alone time with Skogen and Maida every day.

I think I'll stop there before I stress myself out too much about having too much to fulfill, but I did have one other new years resolution that I have already fulfilled that I thought was worth mentioning!  It was a new years resolution to wean Skogen, which was slowly proving to be a very difficult task over the past two months.  Luckily over Christmas I came up with a master plan and two nights ago I executed the plan and it worked perfectly.  In case you are ever in need of a great master plan for weaning a breastfed baby, here's how I did it (which is very different than I weaned Maida, who was just as difficult to wean - every baby is different, so no guarantees this will work for you!)...


First of all, I had been buying bottle after bottle, just to find one that Skogen could put in his mouth without gagging on.  He literally would gag every time I stuck a nipple in his mouth.  Even the most expensive bottles, claiming to be "just like the breast" didn't work.  Little did I know that the secret was hiding in the $0.99 bottle, the Gerber brand that I always figured was way too cheap to ever be a good bottle.  Well, that was step one of my master plan, accepting that the Gerber bottle could actually be the one he likes.

The Gerber $0.99 bottle

The second thing I had to do was find a formula that didn't taste and smell so bad.  Coming from breastmilk, which is naturally very sweet and odorless, I could feel Skogen's pain every time he'd even smell formula in a bottle and try to squirm away.  I felt bad forcing him to try it when there is no way I would ever drink it.  Over Christmas, I had remembered that my sister-in-law made her own formula for all three of her kids.  I didn't know what it tasted like, or what it smelled like, but I remembered that it had Karo syrup in it, and anything that has Karo syrup in it must be good, right?!  So, I got the recipe from her and whipped up a batch.  This was the second step in my mater plan, discovering a sweet, odorless formula
.

Sweet, odorless formula ingredients

Step three in my master plan was to find a way to get Skogen interested in the new bottle and interested in what was in the bottle.  So, I had Skogen "help" by sitting on my hip and holding the bottle while I made the formula.  Every time he'd hold the bottle up to my face, I'd say, "Yummy! Mmmmmmmmmmmm!  We're going to put some new milk in there."  Well, by the time the formula had actually cooled down enough to taste, Skogen was begging for me to pour it into the bottle.  I couldn't get it in the bottle fast enough and he was sucking it down like it was better than anything he'd ever had!  That was the final step of my master plan.  Getting Skogen to actually accept the formula in the bottle.

So, we are now on day three of the weaning process and it has been fairly painless (unless you want me to mention my super sore, very engorged, yowie-owie boobs).  I'm pleased with this progress and slowly plan to  switch Skogen over to whole milk since the homemade formula really doesn't have much nutrition (that's probably why he likes it!!).  I also plan to slowly phase Erik into the night-night process as up until now, I've always been the one to put him to sleep because I was nursing and he wouldn't take a bottle.  It will be nice to know that I can leave Skogen over bedtime now and someone else will be able to put him to sleep.

I hope that you have a great New Years Eve.

Happy New Years! 

Our Christmas Vacation in the Rocky Mountains

I feel overwhelmed with trying to recap our trip to Colorado for the holiday.  I seemed so out of touch with the world prior to going... not only was our bathroom being remodeled, but all of us got a stomach bug last weekend.  This was the first time that Skogen and Maida got the puke flu, and it was not pretty.  Skogen was the first to get the flu on Friday, followed by me the next day, and then Erik and Maida both got it on Sunday.  It was harder than I ever imagined to take care of sick people while I still wasn't feeling well myself.  Luckily, Barkley! helped keep us warm when we were chilled by laying right on top of us.  This was the first time that he had ever done this to Maida and it was so cute.  Anyway, here is my best attempt at recapping our vacation...

On Tuesday night we were all feeling a bit better and we headed west for the Rocky Mountains.  Driving all night long, we hit a bad snowstorm, but we were fortunate to safely plow right through (thanks to Erik's driving!).  We witnessed the aftermath of many accidents and a bunch of cars that had flipped or rolled, and we even saw one accident happen right in front of us!  The car had fishtailed, spun out of control, flew over the median, crossed over the two opposite lanes of traffic, and then started rolling down a hill, and was (luckily) stopped by a fence before falling off of a ten foot drop into a river upside down.  The car was turned on it's side when Erik ran up to it and, not knowing what he was going to find, he opened the door on the top and found a little nine-year-old girl sitting in the back seat smiling up at him, probably thankful to see him.  Luckily no one was hurt and he was able to get the kids (the little girl had an 18-month-old brother) and their parents out of the car and squeeze them into our car to keep them warm while we waited for rescue vehicles to get there.

A couple hours later we finally arrived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at my brother Tony's house.  There we met up with my other brother, Jay, and his family, and my parents.  That night's activities included watching the kids sled, feeding the deer in the backyard, and playing some Hand and Foot.  Early the next morning we all took off for Monarch Mountain, Colorado, where we met the rest of our family for some skiing.  It was a hectic morning with trying to get the ski rentals and lift tickets organized for 20 people - and it didn't help that I drove 45 minutes in the WRONG direction while I was trying to get the lift tickets back to our condo, which was only 3 miles east, so that everyone could go skiing.  Luckily Skogen and Maida, who were with me on my voyage, fell asleep on the 45 minute trip back to Monarch after screaming the whole way to Gunnison.  Everyone else was very patient and kind to me when I finally returned with the tickets.  I have to admit that it was kind of scary being lost in the mountains with no cell phone service!

The following three days were filled with lots of skiing, along with super fun nights of games and laughter.  We did two things this year that I really enjoyed.  First, we played a game where everyone had to write down something about themself that no one else knew.  Then Erik read the papers aloud and we had to try to guess who it was.  Congrats to Kim, my sister, who got the most matches.  The second thing we did that I really enjoyed was taking some family pictures.  We all tried to wear red, green, or white, and came up with some pretty crazy poses!  It was a ton of fun!

Santa made a stop on Christmas Eve and left presents for us to open on Christmas morning!  Maida's cousin Natalie woke Maida up on Christmas morning to tell her that Santa had come.  Maida ran down the stairs yelling, "Santa came!  Santa came!" and was so excited to see presents in her stocking.

Besides all of the new Christmas presents, Maida really enjoyed her second year of skiing and surprised everyone at how well she did at only two-years-old.  She was able to ski on her own, and even went all the way to the top of the mountain and skied down with her new harness!  Her size definitely didn't restrict her to the bunny hill - she went all over the mountain!  One thing that made this year special was that Erik's parents (who are good old friends of my parents) were able to join us in Monarch for the celebration!  [Oh, I should also mention that the big reason for us to get together, in addition to Christmas, was my parents' 50th Anniversary this year.]  We missed the rest of Erik's family, but greatly enjoyed having both sets of our children's grandparents there with us.  I really appreciated how Erik's parents just blended right in with my family.  They weren't afraid to venture off without us, help out with whatever was needed, or jump in any game with anyone.  It was a blessing to have them there.

On the way home, we passed a dinosaur museum.  Maida had been asleep, but woke up when she heard us talking about wanting to stop if she had been awake.  Well, after gassing up across the street, and talking about it a little more, we decided that maybe it would be a good break for the kids if we went in and walked around.  So, the dinosaur museum ended up being one of the highlights of our trip!  Maida was so excited to see skeletons of one of the dinosaurs that is on one of her favorite shows, "The Dinosaur Train."

The trip home was fairly uneventful.  I talked Erik into getting us hotel room so that we could rest a little bit and arrive home not so sleep deprived.  After sleeping five hours in the hotel, we were on our way again and got home around 7:00 on Sunday night.  Barkley! had a great time at a new dog sitter's house.  She and her family were very sad to see him go.  They told us that everyone would have a dog if every dog was like Barkley!.  We appreciated that compliment and we were also really proud of Barkley! for being such a good boy.

Erik went back to work on Monday and I am still trying to unpack and clean.  I did not get my Christmas wish, as our bathroom remodel is still not quite complete, but I did take the first shower when we got home on Sunday.  They are promising a finish date by the end of the week, though.  So, pictures of the bathroom to come!  Speaking of pictures, I have posted most of the Colorado pictures on my share site.  If you want to check them out, go here.

Christmas 2009

More stories and pictures to come!  I have bags to unpack and a house to clean.

All I want for Christmas...

is a finished bathroom.

We are pretty much halfway to getting a new bathroom.  It has been a long four days!  The last time I showered was Saturday night and I am feeling a bit itchy and stinky.  Luckily the kids are little enough to throw in the kitchen sink, so they are staying clean.  I've also been washing my hair in the stink, too, so at least I don't have to smell that.  I'm really missing a shower, though.  Especially on these cold nights, I just want to jump in a nice warm shower or bath and relax.

Here is our bathroom before:

After day one of demolition:

Day two was all plumbing and electrical.

Here is the bathroom after day three of sheetrocking:

Today (day four) has been more sanding, taping, and puttying.  Tomorrow the tile will go in.

Here is Erik picking out paint colors (Maida took this picture!):

Maida taking a bath:

Trying to figure out a tile pattern:

Playing in the vanity box:

Even with all the things I've been learning about remodeling, and all the fun we've been having living a little different lately, I think that I'm ready to soap up, shave my legs, and feel like I can go out in public without people smelling me again.  Christmas can't come fast enough!  The first thing I'm going to do is take a nice warm LOOOOOONG shower.

Weekend Recap

Our weekend started off with a BANG on Saturday morning when Erik suddenly sat up in bed and hit his head on the top bunk (we were sleeping on Maida's bottom bunk since my parents were here and we gave them our bed).  He hit it so hard and right on a sharp corner, that it busted his head open and he had to go to the ER and get it stapled shut!

Erik went to Army drill for Saturday and Sunday and we spend some time with Bumpa and Grandma, getting little things done around the house.  Grandma also made us Christmas cookies!  Both of the kids enjoyed munching on those!

On Saturday night, Maida watched "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" for the first time.  She really liked it and especially liked watching it with Bumpa.  It was a great Christmas-y thing to do!

On Sunday night, Grandma and I took Maida to Disney on Ice.  She didn't like it as much as I thought she would.  Her favorite part was the Cinderella story because that is the only Disney princess she knows!  Maida hasn't ever watched a movie before, so she hasn't discovered Disney movies, but maybe on our upcoming trip to Colorado, we may buy some Disney movies for her to watch in the car!

Here is a short video of Skogen's new sign!  He can sign "all done" and "more" now.  The next ones we'll work on is "please" and "thank you."

 

We are on day three of our bathroom remodel.  So far, so good.  We are washing hair and sponge bathing in the sink.  Hopefully we'll have a working shower by Monday!

One Day at a Time

When I look back on these days, I don't want to just remember the happy times, the fun times, and the seemingly-perfect times. I want to document and remember the sad times, the hard times, and the stressful times. It is in these times that we are often able to learn more about, and grow deeper in, our gratitude for the simple things.

***

Today was a hard day. It was one of those days where nothing really goes wrong, but everything seems to be wrong.

Today contributed to an already hard week. This is one of those weeks where you look ahead to what is to come and wonder how in the world everything is going to get done that needs to be done…

Christmas cards to address and mail… Christmas presents to buy and wrap… our family vacation for 20 people to plan and carry out in a week… our only bathroom under a major remodel, leaving us with no working shower in the house, carpenters all around, and deadlines and city codes to constantly meet… Skogen sensing my small attempts to begin the weaning process, and many tears from a little boy who doesn’t want to accept it… my medical school husband who barely has time to eat, sleep, and work, let alone come home to a me and two kids who want to sing, dance, play, read books, and need help shoveling the snow or fixing the vacuum…

Today life began another whirlwind of craziness and I was a bit overwhelmed at what lied ahead.  However, as I sat quietly tonight and embraced life and what it is at the present moment, I was able to see through these stressful times. I found the simplest things to be thankful for (running water and a flushing toilet), the happiest things to rejoice in (giggling children), and the littlest things to smile about (Maida’s black lips after sharing frozen blueberries with me on the couch as I typed this entry).  Tomorrow is a new day, a new beginning, a fresh start to today, the beginning of the week that started off so stressful. I am so thankful that God knows best and that He generously gives us just one day at a time.

Bumpa and Grandma are here for the weekend.  Tonight Bumpa and Maida were sitting in a dark dining room, at the dining room table, having a late-night cookie.  Bumpa asked Maida, "Maida, why is my hair white?" and Maida responded with, "Because!  You are going to die... on the cross!!"

Then shortly after saying this, Maida was walking by Erik and me sitting on the couch, and as she walked by, she burped and then said, "Ha, did you hear that?  That sounded like a frog!"

This is why we love this girl.

She cracks us up.

She's Got Moves

A few things before you watch the video:

-  Maida loves to be without clothes on.

-  Maida loves to dance.

-  I can't sing (feel free to turn the sound off).

-  We call Skogen, "The Destroyer" because he loves to destroy everything in sight.

-  Whenever Maida doesn't have a pocket for things, she puts them in her underwear.

Enjoy!

Growing and Changing

I have been having so much fun with these kids lately.  It seems like they are growing so fast and changing every day.  I have really gotten a kick out of things that Maida says lately.  For example, the other night before going to bed, we read, "Why do Leaves Change Color."  It explained that the leaves die and then don't have the chlorophyll in them anymore so they turn colors.  Apparently Maida had been thinking about it and as she was climbing up to her top bunk to go to sleep, she said, "Mommy, the leaves die, right?" and I said, "Yep, that's what the book told us tonight." and she said, "Well, do they die on the cross or do they die somewhere else, like in the river?"  It was so cute!  (My mom told Maida that she had been raking the dead leaves out of the river.)  I'm also surprised at the things she knows.  Today she surprised Erik and I when she was reading letters upside down on the bag of chips during lunch.

Skogen has surprises for me every day, too.  He's walking more and more and has now started saying some two word phrases like, "hi, dada," and "more, bite."  He's also learned to climb!  He can climb on the windowsill (which he's been doing for a while), up on top of his train or other toys, and just learned to crawl up on Maida's stool at the kitchen table.  I had no idea that he could do this until Maida discovered him up at the table one night, helping himself to some cheerios.  It was very funny to see such a little guy, sitting up at the table all by himself!

Lately I've also been enjoying being a mommy to two, even though sometimes I really struggle with trying to find quality time to spend with both of them.  I often miss the times when it was just Maida and I, because for so long it was just us two, and it was easy for me to get that one-on-one time with her.  I know that giving Maida a sibling was one of the best gifts that we could have ever given to her, though, and I am reminded of this every time I see them interacting and playing together.

 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Click on the pictures to make them bigger!

SKOL Vikings!

Last Sunday, Nana and Papa watched the kids for us so that we could go to the Vikings game with Brandon and Karlie.  Poor Erik worked the night shift the night before and came right from work - I have no idea how he managed to stay awake during the game!

Brandon, Karlie, and I rode the light rail to the game from the Mall of America, which was really nice because we didn't have to find a place to park or walk very far to the game.  Our seats were in the upper level, section 207 (I think my legs are still sore from climbing all those stairs - Ha!).  We had a TON of fun!!!!

Walking into the dome

Me and my sister-in-law, Karlie

Erik's brother Brandon and his wife Karlie

Me and Erik (please ignore the triple chin that I'm getting)

The Viking ship that the players run out of and the SKOL line in front of it

Ragnar the Viking on his motorcycle and some of the players praying in the end zone before the game.

Here's a video of the players running out onto the field.  This is my FAVORITE part of the game.  It is SO loud and crazy in there!  (Erik elected me as the video-taker, which was kinda dumb because I was so short I could barely get the video camera over the people's heads and hands in front of me!)

Day After Thanksgiving

The morning after Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law treated Karlie and I to pedicures!  It was such a relaxing morning with the massage chairs, warm soak water, a great foot massage, and pretty toenails to show!  I really enjoyed some girl time with no kids!!!  It was so special!

While the girls got pedicures, the boys replaced our toilet.  (I'd much rather get a pedicure!  Ha!)

Pictures of the new toilet to come!

That afternoon the boys played football with some friends from church, then we went to IKEA for some quick shopping, and that night we took Maida and Skogen to the Holidazzle Parade!  It was pretty chilly, but we dressed warmly and wrapped up in sleeping bags.  It was fun to see how much Maida enjoyed all the lights and she even recognized some of the characters in the parade.

We were so busy trying to keep warm, that we forgot to take some pictures of the actual parade, so I attached some from the Holidazzle website.