Everyday Summer 2015

A quick update on the kiddos so I remember the everyday of the summer of 2015:)

Luke

• is loving mad libs and thinks they are hilarious!
• is a busy guy with a variety of sports and camps: track, basketball, baseball.  His first time as a camper at Pine Haven Christian Assembly is coming up in August too.
• got to spend 5 days with several of his cousins and gets to see them again this weekend.
• is loving Harry Potter.  Brent just finished reading him the fourth book so they watched the movie together this weekend.  He liked the book better:)
• got to try his hand at pitching in his baseball game last night.  He's also adjusting to kids pitching to him as a batter as they transition from the pitching machine.  He did get hit in the butt once by a pitch;)

Nora

• is still loving walks with mom in the stroller although her growing independence is showing:
• One one walk, she continuously told me that we were lost...trust me, we've never been lost
• She often likes to walk "with her feet" (aka not ride in the stroller) at the beginning and end of our walks.  The other day she ran for more than half a mile before she got in the stroller! 
• is hating baths all of a sudden...I think it's just a control thing, not the actual baths.  Either way, it's been interesting...
• is not a fan of bugs and often has nightmares that there are bugs on her.
• is not a fan of fireworks or thunder. 
• loves strawberries and had a couple chances to go strawberry picking with Papa and Gma.
• likes using her fine motor skills on crafts, tracing letters/numbers, coloring, etc.
• is getting ready to turn three, but reminds us daily that she's still two.  
• loves Mickey, Donald, Goofy: Three Musketeers, the story (from) and movie.
• has noticed that if she sits on her butt in a chair at our kitchen table that she can actually see her food (she used to sit on her knees).  She's pretty proud too:)

June Update

School got out June 5th and summer started immediately for our family!  Brent and I were both able to take the first week of Luke's summer vacation off from work and we headed to St Louis to meet our friends, the Ericksons, for a few days while they were in the area.  We only get to see these guys once or twice a year, so we soak in as much time as we can together when we can.

St Louis and Des Moines

Our families met in St Louis on Sunday, June 7 and shared a suite at Sonesta ES Suites.  This was our first time staying with the chain and we really liked all of the amenities onsite (pool, sport court, breakfast).

Monday was our first full day together and we headed into Forest Park to explore and check out the St Louis Zoo.  We were interested to learn that Forest Park is even bigger than Central Park in New York City and to see how many attractions and events fall within the park.

The guys and their kids

After a hot, humid, and tiring morning, we headed back to the hotel for the littles to nap while the big kids and parents took a dip in the outdoor pool.  Monday night, Luke, Holly, Brent, and I were blessed with the opportunity to double date while Paula, Luke's mom, took on all of the kids at the hotel.  She's miracle grandma!  We headed back to Forest Park, had dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant, checked out the World's Fair Pavilion and The Muny, an outdoor theater.  We headed downtown for dessert at Bailey's Range and decided to walk to the base of the Arch, thanks to Holly's prompting:)  We were all very glad we made the walk to experience the incredible height and size of the arch from up close.  It ended up being a great time with very few people and the Arch was beautiful against the night sky.

On Tuesday, we made a trip to Grant's Farm for a morning visiting with more animals, riding the carousel, enjoying an elephant show, and feeding baby goats.  Grant's Farm is also home to the Budweiser Clydesdales but only Holly, Brent, and I made it to the stable to meet Evan, a horse that has appeared in a past commercial.  Our crew was tired and hungry so we picked up Chick-Fil-A on the way back for another afternoon of swimming at the hotel.

Holly, Luke, Brent, and I got out for a short visit to the St Louis Premium Outlets that evening and got back in time to watch most of the NBA Finals Game 3.

Wednesday came quickly and our time together came to a close.  By noon both of our families hit in the road, us to Des Moines and Ericksons to Ohio for a stop on their way back to Baltimore.

Terrible pic of me, but this is Evan, the Clydesdale:)

Our family of four enjoyed 24ish hours in Des Moines on our way back to Rochester to take in a concert.  Michael Franti and Spearhead, who Brent and I had seen last summer, put on a super fun, family-friendly concert so we decided to try it with our kids.  (You've probably heard his song, Say Hey, on the radio.)  Unfortunately our plans of an outdoor concert did not work out, but thankfully an indoor venue was available and we enjoyed the show nonetheless:)  Nora slept through the opening act, but woke up for Michael Franti and we all had lots of fun singing along and dancing!

More pics from St Louis and Des Moines available on Facebook.

La Crosse
Brent's extended family gathered to celebrate his grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary with a La Crosse Queen River Cruise.  It was a great, kid-free evening on the water and was nice to see Brent's family from Texas and to see the joy on his grandma's face at everyone gathered to celebrate.  After the cruise, Brent's brothers and wives all got to hang out for a while too.  We rarely spend time together without kids so it's wonderful when we get the chance:)

Brent's cousin, Katie, came from Texas
(first time I got to meet her in person)

Brent was full of it the night of the cruise

Brent's older brother, Greg,
and his wife, Cally

Brent's younger brother, Troy,
and his wife, Audra

Baseball
Luke's playing baseball again this year (he took last summer off), so we spend two week nights a week at the baseball field.  He's really enjoying it and it's a good excuse to be out enjoying the beautiful summer we've been having (minus the mosquitoes of course;)).

Arizona Friends in Town
Our friends, the Gutierrez family, were in Rochester for the month of June and it was so great to spend time together several times throughout the month.  We finally got all of our family members together for a 24 hour stretch for a sleepover and it was such a blessing to be together.  We saw Inside Out (which I highly recommend), grilled dinner, had a bonfire, played Settlers of Catan, chatted, played legos, and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Day trip to Apple Valley

Picnic dinner on the patio

Lazy morning after our family sleepover:)

Day Care Buddies
When I say "day care buddies", I'm referring to Luke's buddies from his day care days before Nora.  Last week, Luke got to spend a day playing, catching up, and reliving the his good ole days with several of his day care buddies.  He was in his glory:)  Nora and I also hung out for a while and she warmed up quickly to the youngest of the Linden family and all of the fun toys:)  It is always so great to catch up with Jon and Tracy.  We miss seeing them regularly.

Nora and Luke's everyday schedule this summer consists of Grandparent and cousin time.  They spend the 20 hours I work with my parents and their cousin, Piper, 10 months old.  My parents have kept them busy with fun outings like strawberry picking, trips to the library and Carroll's Cup, trips to A&W Drive-In, and time with the animals at Oxbow and Como Zoos.

Star of the North
This year both Brent and Luke participated in the Star of the North Games that we held in Rochester.  Brent played on a basketball team organized by a friend and coworker and Luke participated in track and field for the first time.

SO...it was a busy month!  All good busy and super fun-filled, but I'm still ready for a quiet 4th of July week when we have a break from baseball, few plans, and time to catch up at home (i.e. weeding which took a dual effort from Brent and I last night!).

Adios Third Grade!

Here we are again...another school year under our belts...and we now have a fourth grader!

This boy sure has changed over nine months.  Particularly in the hair department;)  He's also grown 2 inches and gained nearly ten pounds!

According to Luke, he'll miss his friends most over the summer.  But, the great thing about going to a neighborhood school is that many of those friends live close by.  I know he'll also miss the structure, because he already asked if we could get workbooks for the summer.

I have no doubt he'll have a great summer spending four days a week with Papa, Gma, Nora, and Piper and we have lots of fun planned as a family:)

Entertainment

For the past two springs, we have dropped our cable for the spring and summer.  After March Madness is done, we enter the sports abyss (no college football or basketball for Brent and Luke to watch).  Last year, we realized that we have cable for two reasons: watching sports and cartoons, everything else we could access online if we wanted.  Brent didn't miss the sports much since his favorite sports weren't in season and the kids still had enough access to cartoons via Netflix streaming and DVDs.

This year, we have learned of a few more avenues to access tv, movies, etc via our XBox One and Roku.  The Watch ESPN and Watch Disney Junior apps have allowed even more access to sports and cartoons and we can use them both with just our internet service via Charter.

Sports and cartoons are not my go-tos for entertainment, but I have also found some great stuff for my downtime and to keep my entertained while I exercise indoors.  Here are a few of my favs right now...

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - If you like Jerry Seinfeld and haven't checked this out, I highly recommend it!  I'd say my favorite episodes so far have been with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kevin Hart, but I haven't seen the Julia Louis-Dreyfus episode yet:)  (I watch via Crackle)
• Flea Market Flip - I love the trend of "upcycling" items and am always inspired by the fun projects that are created from flea market finds.  Plus, I've become more interested in flea markets in the past few years.  I may have very little creativity or hands-on ability like the people on the show, but I sure appreciate their work!  (I watch via Netflix)
• Rehab Addict - Nicole Curtis is incredible!  She has amazing energy, creativity, skill, knowledge, and I love her philosophy of saving/preserving historical homes.  (I watch via Netflix)
• Parks and Recreation - I've already watched most of these seasons as they aired on NBC, but I think I'll start them over from the beginning:)  (I watch via Netflix)

A few of my other favorites that I watch online occasionally are...

Modern Family

The Middle

The Big Bang Theory

TV for me is a chance to zone out when I finally sit down at bedtime or to keep me entertained while I fold laundry or workout.  So, all of these shows fit the bill, they make me laugh (the sitcoms) or inspire/impress me creatively (Rehab Addict and FMF).

Sentimental

The last week of school always gets me sentimental.  I look at Luke and see how much he's grown and cannot believe he's got another year of school under his belt!  The other reality is that with another school year passing for Luke, Nora is another year closer to starting school.  Oh.my.goodness!

Honestly though, my kids still show me regularly how they are still my "littles," even though their bodies are growing and changing so very quickly.  Here are a few examples just from the past few days.

Luke

Soon-to-be third grade graduate
working on a sudoku puzzle

I dropped Luke at his soccer game so he could get warmed up with his team while I parked the car.  When I got to the field, he was teary eyed and looking for me because he had forgotten to change into his rec specs (sport safe glasses).  It's endearing to know he still needs me, even though he is nearly too big to sit in my lap.

He also had his first experience with a 3-on-3 basketball league.  He's the youngest grade able to enter, so we didn't know much about it until we got there.  There were some very talented third graders in the league, and clearly some of the teams had played together before.  Luke's team, however, was made up of complete strangers who met 10 minutes before the game.  It was certainly a lesson in spontaneity for our type A boy who likes life planned.  He looked like a deer in the headlights for the first few minutes of the first game.   He played two, 13 minute games in an hour and was pretty dejected after being beat in both games.  Oh, these are the life lessons that are hard to handle as a parent.  Our advice to Luke: take this 3-on-3 league as a learning opportunity to work on skills he wants/needs to develop.  Playing 3-on-3 is a very different game than 5-on-5 so it will stretch him physically and mentally.

Nora

Big girl waiting on her mac-n-cheese at Wild Wings

Nora likes to be grown up in so many ways, but one recently development has been ordering her own meal in restaurants.  Yesterday at Buffalo Wild Wings, she ordered her milk and macaroni and cheese.  When the waitress asked if she'd like carrots, mandarin oranges, or fries for her side, Nora's response was "yes".  It got a chuckle out of all of us, including the waitress:)

She's also at the age where we loves to talk about school and pretending to go to school.  This morning, she packed a mini-backpack with her "bear-bear," aka her pink teddy bear, and her pacifier (she's a thumb sucker, but goes in phases of playing with a pacifier).  It was such a juxtaposition: she wants to be big enough for school with her backpack, etc, but she's still my baby wanting to pack her teddy bear and pacifier:)

This morning was a beautiful reminder that they are still my "littles" and that they love each other dearly.  Nora and Luke laid on opposite ends of the couch from one another and asked to be covered up with the blanket.  It was so very precious.  After awhile, Nora came over to Luke's end and gave him her pacifier to suck on:)  They may be growing up, but at least at home, they still have lots of opportunities to be our "littles."

Why Do I Walk?

I do a lot of walking.  It's my favorite form of exercise.  I can do it alone and enjoy the quiet, I can push Nora in the stroller and we can chat about our surroundings, or I can walk with Brent or a friend and can carry on a conversation easily while covering several miles.

Spring and fall are the best for walking in Minnesota.  The bugs are tame, the temps are cool, and the colors are beautiful!

This weekend I will be walking for a purpose: to support two causes that are near and dear to my heart.

Tonight, we'll be at the Stay Out of the Sun Run/Walk.  Brent will run the 10k and I'll be walking the 5k with the kids and my cousin Steph.  We started participating in the local fundraiser for Melanoma research three years ago.  It means so much to me to support the cause in honor of my uncle David who lost his battle to malignant melanoma 21 years ago.   I have so many great memories of David, but here are a few of my favorites:

• He was a clown in the local small town parade and I remember how much fun he had with it (and thinking, as a kid, that it was pretty cool having my uncle in the parade:))
• Driving in his old truck around a corner on a gravel road and him telling me I needed to hold the passenger door handle so the door wouldn't swing open...I know I didn't succeed at least once and it flew open.  It terrified me, but he knew I was safe and got a good chuckle out of it:)
• Near the end of his battle, he bought me a bracelet with my name engraved and a Precious Moment jewelry box to keep it it.  I still have them both and I think of David each time I see them.
• He had great curly hair.  He was a farmer and worked through all kinds of heat, humidity, rain, etc and I remember his curls popping out around his baseball hat:)

He was a good man, and we lost him far too young.  

Tomorrow, I'll be at the Strides for Stroke Walk.  Nora and I will be walking the 5k with a few of my coworkers.  I started working in the Mayo Clinic Stroke Center last fall and I work with some amazing doctors, nurses, nurse specialists, etc who provide for the stroke patients who find themselves at Mayo.  My coworkers are passionate about their work and their patients and support many through a difficult time in their lives, both physically and emotionally.  

This quote from the Minnesota Stroke Association site says it well:

The Minnesota Stroke Association annual Strides for Stroke exemplifies the notion of an active stroke community.  Not only does it allow us to honor stroke survivors and walk in solidarity with one another, it also raises stroke awareness and helps fund programs that benefit Minnesotans who live with the effects of stroke.  Strides for Stroke demonstrates that stroke is not an ending.  The hundreds of people walking together for a common cause is a beautiful picture of the power of community and the possibilities it represents - for survivors, their families and the people around them.

I have seen the residual effects of stroke in the lives of friend sand family and on-going support is key to recovery and life after stroke.

In a few weeks, we'll also be at the Go for the Gold Run/Walk.  We've participated in the event for a couple summers, but this year the event is closer to our hearts.  A friend I met while we were both pregnant with our daughters, is facing the horrible reality of cancer in her nearly three year old daughter.  My heart breaks for them and we want to show any support we can during this very difficult journey of treatments, surgeries, hospitalizations, etc.

It's just walking, but I also know that not everyone is blessed with the ability and/or health to walk.  I am honored to walk and financially support these important causes and to honor those currently fighting and those who have gone before.    

So Happy Together

Around Thanksgiving this past year, our kids started sharing a room.  Luke and Brent liked the idea of Luke being upstairs with the rest of us so we made room in Nora's room for both kids.  

I was pleasantly surprised how well we were able to fit all of Luke's clothes into the closet/dresser and that we had room for Nora's toddler bed and Luke's twin mattress on the floor in second bedroom upstairs.  

By February, we purchased a twin bed with space for a trundle underneath for the kids to share.  Nora moved into her first twin bed (which she looks so tiny in:)) and Luke's bed tucks nicely under Nora's bed during the day for storage.  It's a great fit for the room.  

Recently, I've been wanting to make the room a little more "their" room instead of "Nora's" room.  I was able to rearrange a few things, hang a few things we had on hand, and I'm happy with how it turned out.  

A quick tour of where this room has been:

Nursery ~ 2012

East Wall: Crib and Sweet Dreams Baby decal

West Wall: Rocker, Changing Table/Dresser, and Tree decal

Toddler Room ~ February 2014

West Wall: Crib converted to toddler bed

Shared Room ~ May 2015

West Wall: Twin bed with trundle
(added Sweet Dreams decal with tree)

Bedtime

The west wall didn't change much.  I just moved "Sweet Dreams" from the "Sweet Dreams Baby" decal over the bed. 

East Wall: Changing table/dress (flipped)
Removed Sweet Dreams Baby decal and added kids' poems

On the east wall, I flipped the changing table into the dresser.  My parents got us this awesome piece of furniture when Luke was born.  The drawers come out, the piece flips, then the drawers go back in the other direction!  Cool, huh?!  (Don't misunderstand: this does not mean Nora is potty trained;) We're just changing her on the bed now.)  I also moved around some pieces I made a while back out of the poems Brent's mom wrote for the kids when they were born.  

Luke's poem

Nora's poem

On the north wall, I moved some of the remaining shapes (moon, stars, clouds) from the "Sweet Dreams Baby" decal and added some fun pieces I made.  I was inspired by some ideas I'd seen online so I decided to make my own so I could personalize them.

North Wall (a small space between closet and door): Added decal and art

Daily Life

A day in the life of Luke and Nora sharing a room...

Mornings

• We don't have a set wake up time for the kids.  They get up in plenty of time for our morning routine of getting Luke to school, Nora to Papa & Gma's, and Jen/Brent to work.  They typically both get up around 7.  Occasionally, Nora will wake up first and announce to Luke "The sun came up! Time to wake up!"  It's very sweet, though my not-a-fan-of-morning-self feels badly for Luke:)  
• Once Luke's up for the day, he pushes his bed under Nora's and we have room to get dressed for the day.

Evenings

• Nora goes to bed around 8:15pm.  She sleeps with her "BB" (aka pink blanket), her "bear bear" (aka pink teddy bear), and likes a sippy cup of water.  We read stories before bed, which for the past six months has been her "story book" (a book of multiple Disney Adventure Stories).  Her favorite stories in the book are the "Three Musketeers" and "Goofy Blasts Off".  Once stories are read, she likes her radio and Minnie lamp turned on that projects stars on to the ceiling and she continues to "read" her story book to herself.  
• Luke goes to bed around 9pm.  He sleeps with three stuffed animals (froggy, sheepy, and a puppy) and his blanket.  You'd think that by the time Luke goes to bed that Nora would be sleeping...well, that is not the case.  She is always very happy to see brother come to bed and greets him accordingly:)  But, she knows that once Luke comes to bed, she has to be quiet so he can get rest for school.  
• Brent and I are usually headed to bed around 10pm and it is not unusual for Nora to still be awake in her bed.  Sometimes she'll announce the song she hears on the radio, or will request we leave the hall light on, or we'll simply see her little eyes open from the hallway:)  
• One funny thing we are used to each night is hearing the thud of Nora's story book hit the ground.  We know she's winding down when she pushes her story book off the bed and onto the floor:)  

All in all, the kids enjoy sharing a room and it's worked out well for all of us.  When the day comes that Luke wants his own space again, the guest bedroom downstairs will be all his again:)