Bits and Pieces: November

Aside from the election, which clouded my feelings about many things this month, we had a nice November at our house. It was mostly just the usual routine. And Thanksgiving, of course.

At the beginning of the month, I went away on a girls' weekend to Duluth. We ate, drank and walked by the lake. It was a beautiful November weekend in Duluth, and I love being on Lake Superior. I am so grateful to have found a group of friends to do things like this with. It was a much needed break.

Christopher and I went to the Como Zoo by ourselves a few weeks ago. Josie was with her other Grandma. It was so fun to spend time just one on one with him. We looked at all the animals. He especially loved the Polar Bear, which he was able to see up close through the glass. The giraffe was inside, probably because it was a bit chilly outside. Christopher looked at it for a few minutes and then said, "He looks sad." It was heartbreaking, because the giraffe did seem sad. Kids are so intuitive sometimes.

We had Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Katie, Andrew and Josie were there, too. We had a great time. Thanksgiving was filled with food (all of the usual dishes) and drinks. We went to my aunt's house the day after Thanksgiving to see my grandma and celebrate her 89th birthday. My cousins were in town from Los Angeles, and it was nice to see them, too. Saturday I met my friend Christina for lunch. And Sunday we joined the thousands of other people on I-94 heading north. Yeah, the ride home was long, but it was worth it to have that time at the Cuckoo House.

The kids are both doing well. Christopher is turning into quite a comedian, and he loves to have an audience. He has been struggling with the darkness in the morning - it is quite confusing for him that we have to get dressed in the dark. Clare is doing well in school. They have been playing together a lot, which is great, even if their favorite game is coming downstairs with no pants on and demanding I call them "little bare butts."

I am having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, which I think might be because of the weather. It is too warm for November! I never thought I would complain about that, but it is disturbing me. I have to say, though, that so far I have remained very zen about the Christmas tree lot next door. They finally moved their party area further away from our house, and it has helped a lot. At least so far.

One thing I am excited about is the new episodes of Gilmore Girls! I've only watched the first one so far, and am watching the rest with friends tonight. It's the little things, right?

Happy December!

Polar bear!

Ready for dinner. Except when it was actually time for dinner he declared everything "yucky" and left the table.

Decorating Meema Jo's tree.

He hung all of his ornaments on the same branch.

Throwing decorative gourds into the woods. An annual tradition.

Happy Clare. She had the best time over the Thanksgiving break.

What's Next?

I am grieving. I am dismayed, worried, and sad. Clare came home from school yesterday and told me that another little girl in her class told her that "Donald Trump wants to kill all the girls." Sick. The good news: Clare quickly assured me that she knew that was NOT true and she told the girl so. My girl is strong and is not afraid to tell people when she thinks they've said something wrong or untrue. I hope she never loses that.

The fact remains that hate won on Tuesday. I feel devalued as a woman. I worry for the safety of my friends who are not white men. I am concerned about the environment and what the planet will be like for my children when they are adults. We need to grieve, but then we need to ask, "What's next?"

For me, in the short term, it's going to be this.
1. Write a heartfelt email to Hillary Clinton, telling her how much I admire her and how sorry I am that things ended the way they did.
2. Help my sister with the get together/fundraiser she is hosting. The plan is to gather a group of like-minded women to support each other and hopefully raise money for Planned Parenthood or the Battered Women's Coalition. (Local folks: I'll be in touch.)
3. Hug my kids and talk to them (again) about kindness, and how important it is that no matter the person's sex, skin color or religion, they deserve our kindness and respect.

In the long-term, I don't know. I think that's part of what is scaring me right now. I just don't know. However, I will do my best to make my little corner of the world a better place. I won't sit back. I will be writing representatives, joining protests, and doing whatever I can to fight for the causes I believe in.  And I will look to the future, and hope that in what feels like the darkest of days, we will do better. We have to do better. For them.

For all of us.

Bits and Pieces: October

It's that time of year again.

Oh Clare. It's okay, though. I can tell you were feeling uncertain here and trying to do exactly what the photographer was asking.

I had intentions of writing a few smaller posts this month. That never happened, though, so forgive me for this excessively long post. Actually, it might not be that long because I am not sure that I can remember the beginning of the month anymore. Oh wait, it was Christopher's birthday!

We had a small party for him with just family, including one set of grandparents, two aunts, three cousins, a great aunt and his Godparents. We cooked out, ate cake (homemade by Ben) and opened presents. He had a good time, but did NOT want to share the dinosaurs we gave him. There was lots of roaring.

I also left a few things out of the update I wrote about him at the beginning of the month that I want to record here, so I remember them. Christopher had his well-child check and the doctor kept calling him Mr. Muscles. He is a sturdy guy, 90th percentile for height and weight. My mom said that was how I always measured, too. And I'm a sturdy gal, so there you go. The doctor asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up. His response: "Big and Christopher." Well, that makes sense. He also had an appointment with his cardiologist this month. He had an Echo done and he was a champ. He cooperated through the long procedure, holding my hand and watching "Paddington." It was all good news - his heart is still perfect. The doctor said his main risks are high blood pressure as a teenager and an adult. For now, though, we're all clear until we go back when he's five.

Christopher has an uncanny sense of direction, too, and always knows which way we are supposed to be going in the car. He yells from his car seat if I am going in what he thinks is the wrong direction. He also made me realize that I have specific nicknames for each of the kids I care for each day. The other day he told me their names are Christopher Buddy, Clare Honey and Josie Sweetie.

Christopher, Josie and I are all taking a music class together (one of my 40 x 40 goals!) and he has a surprisingly nice singing voice. He can also keep the beat. He loves it. His favorite instrument is the triangle and his favorite song is about a rocketship. We also sing the songs constantly in the car, so I am sure I will tire of them soon.

Speaking of 40 x 40 goals, another birthday has come and gone. I accomplished seven of my goals this year, so I need to pick up the pace if I am going to make it by 40. Also, is it cheating to change some of my goals now? I just don't think I am ever actually going to master knitting socks.

This month has been a busy one and it seemed unusually long.

We took a day trip to La Crosse earlier this month to visit my grandma and aunts. My parents were there, too. The kids always love seeing their great-grandma. They also went to a football game with Baba Ralph, which they found very exciting.

The next day we took our annual trip out to Whistling Wells Orchard. The apple picking was already finished for the year, but the kids had a good time choosing their pumpkins and fighting over the wagon.

During MEA weekend we went camping at Cascade River State Park, just south of Grand Marais. I was wary of taking a camping trip that late in the year, but we were invited by the same friends we camp with in the summer and we decided to give it a shot. It was really fun. It is so beautiful up there, and we had great weather on Friday and Saturday.  Was it cold? Yes. Did the pouring rain on Sunday morning put a damper on things? Yes. Would I do it again? Definitely yes.

And now Halloween! The kids went trick or treating in Highland Village on Saturday. They loved it. I did not. It would have been easier if Ben had been there. Instead, I found myself carrying 40 different things while trying to make sure my little stormtrooper and Darth Vader didn't break anything in any of the stores we entered.  We went to my friend's annual Halloween party on Saturday, which is always a good time for both adults and kids. Tonight was trick or treating in the neighborhood. We met up with friends to hit a nearby street's annual block party. It was awesome. I normally stay home and hand out candy on Halloween night, preferring the comfort of my own home and a glass of wine to being out in the cold. The block party was really fun, though, with houses going all out in the decorating department, Morris dancers, and even a police horse. Christopher loved the house decorated with scenes from "Where the Wild Things Are" (his current favorite book. He ran up to the house screaming "The wild things! The wild things!), while Clare preferred the house with the full tea party from Alice in Wonderland. It was a great night. Now, the kids are passed out in their beds and I am watching the Vikings lose. (I feel like I can start the trash talking again now that the Vikings are not so pathetic.) Happy Halloween!

Family Photos: 2016

We had family pictures taken a few weeks ago. Christopher was not into it. He kept crying and was generally uncooperative. He had his precious My Little Pony with him, which was obviously a mistake on my part because he wanted it in all of the pictures. Our photographer, Britt, is a miracle worker, though. There are pictures of Christopher smiling! And the My Little Pony is nowhere to be seen.

The pictures were taken at Hidden Falls in St. Paul. A few of my favorites:

Three!

He did not want to pose for the picture, but he was having fun with his moose in the kitchen so I managed to snap this one. Is this the three-year-old stubbornness starting early?

Three. I am always surprised when another birthday comes around, yet here we are. I have to say, three was not a good age for Clare, so I am hoping for better with Christopher.

I think he has grown recently. He just looks like such a kid.

Lately, Christopher has been snuggling up against me and saying "I love you, Mama," several times a day. I, of course, eat that right up. He is such a sweet boy. He occasionally gives me grief by running away when I am trying to get him to do something, or throwing a temper tantrum, but he is really pretty good overall.

He loves to antagonize his sister, but he misses her when she's at school. He was so happy last week when he found out Clare was going to an ice cream social at his school. He thought that was quite special.

At the beginning of the month, we took away Christopher's diapers. He was so ready. I could just tell that if he wasn't forced into it, he wasn't going to volunteer to give them up anytime soon. It has been going well so far. I mean, he is far from perfect, but overall I'd say he's well on his way to being fully potty trained. (Knock on all the wood.)

We have a new routine now that Clare is back in school. We go to ECFE and music, both once a week. Christopher really likes both classes. I think he is probably ready for preschool, too, but we'll wait until next year for that. He has basically given up naps, which is sad, but maybe we'll go for an afternoon preschool program next year.

He loves trains, and his favorite place is Choo Choo Bob's.  He is also into dinosaurs and Star Wars. He is going to be a storm trooper for Halloween. (Clare is going as Darth Vader.) His favorite movie is "Frozen" and his favorite TV show is "Kate and Mim Mim." His favorite book is "The Tiger Who Came to Tea." He still likes Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street, especially Super Grover. He'll eat pretty much anything that I put in front of him, but he especially likes pizza and spaghetti. He still eats lots of fruit every day. Right now he is particularly into mandarin oranges, but really any fruit will do.

Christopher is still very attached to his blanket. It slowly becoming smaller as strips tear off bit by bit. I am hoping it will last until he is less dependent on it. He also loves his Anna doll (from "Frozen") and his My Little Pony. And whatever stuffed animal strikes his fancy that particular day.

He talks constantly. If I am gone for a few hours, he likes to tell me everything he did while I was gone. ("Mommy, we came home and it was dark out and we read books and we brushed teeth and then Daddy's phone rang, and it was YOU, Mommy, and now you're here.") He is in the stage of why. He asks why constantly, and also wants to know what everything is, especially when I am driving. (And while he is asking me to explain everything in the universe, Josie is yelling "What doing, Em-ly?" Car rides are not as quiet as they used to be.) He can be extremely serious when having a conversation, but also loves to make people laugh. When he does, his eyes light up and he'll keep doing whatever it what was that people found funny.

We are having a small family party for Christopher on Saturday. We are going to make a chocolate cake and grill brats. His two best friends, Josie and Clare, will be there, along with assorted other family members.

We went to Osceola, Wisconsin, on Saturday to ride take a train ride to look at fall colors. Christopher was in his element. We are looking forward to more fall fun this month, and to another year of snuggles with this sweet little guy. Happy birthday, Christopher. You are just the best.

First Day of Kindergarten

In the weeks leading up to the first day of school, Clare kept insisting she didn't want to go back. She was not ready to leave summer behind. When we went to school on Tuesday to meet with her teacher and drop off her school supplies, she barely spoke to her teacher (who she had all of last year, so she is not a stranger) and told me when we left that she was not ready to go back. Well, fast forward to this morning when she was up and dressed well before she had to be out of bed, announced that she was too excited to sleep last night, and bounced around the house until the bus FINALLY came. She is ready.

She is in a combined pre-K/kindergarten class, and I think Clare will really enjoy helping the pre-K kids get adjusted. Since she'll be at school all day this year, she'll get to take music, art and gym as well, along with eating lunch at school. My picky eater will likely never take hot lunch, so I am going to have to get creative when packing lunches. Today I left her a note in her lunchbox, which I hope she can read.

It has hard to believe my little girl is in kindergarten. I know she is going to do great. And we all needed to get back into a routine; things were falling apart at the seams here at the end of summer. Christopher cried when Clare got on the bus (mostly because he wanted to get on the bus, too), but he is happily playing now.

Here's to a great school year!

Bits and Pieces: August

Well, that's August done. Summer has felt long in many ways, but now that it is nearly over, it doesn't seem like it has been long enough. Isn't that always the way?

We started the month with a group camping trip at Lake Rebecca. It was fun, but the mosquitoes were terrible. Poor Christopher looked like he had the measles when we came home.

I took Clare and Christopher to visit my parents during the second weekend of August. We went to the pool and to Clare's favorite restaurant, The Night Owl. (Yes, it's a bar. It's Wisconsin, what can you do?) Then we came back to the Twin Cities to say goodbye to Uncle Andy (Ben's brother), who moved to Walla Walla, Washington. We already didn't see much of Andy and his wife Meg, and now we'll see even less. We'll just have to make the time we do have together count!

Clare had her last gymnastics class a few weeks ago, and was thrilled when she moved up to the next level. (The next Simone Biles, she is not. She has fun, though, and that's all that really matters at this age.) Now she is deciding between gymnastics and ballet, because her mean mom doesn't want her to  be overscheduled.

We took our annual family camping trip in mid-August. This year we made the drive to Itasca State Park in northwest Minnesota. It was beautiful. The mosquitoes were terrible, but it was a beautiful place. One day, we drove north of Bemidji to The Lost 40, which is a tract of land that was never logged. The trees are nearly 400 years old. It is an incredible forest, filled with old growth. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the U.S. It was really cool to step back in time to see what we could have if we hadn't cut it all down. We also went to Bemidji to see the Paul Bunyan statue. The kids thought it was great. For some reason I thought it was much taller than it is, so  I was disappointed. My dad always talked about going to Bemidji when we were kids (mostly jokingly), so it was fun to actually get there.

Itasca is home to the headwaters of the Mississippi, and we spent quite a bit of time there. Clare loved scrambling across the rocks, while Christopher was more comfortable wading in the water. We also took several hikes, spent some time at the beach, and had a campfire every night. Ben and I actually got to spend sometime by ourselves at the fire after the kids went to bed, which we haven't been able to do in the past. Camping is a lot of work, and sometimes I think it is not worth it, but after our trip I am always glad we went.

We went to the Fair on Sunday. Clare is begging to go back, she had so much fun. Christopher was asking to leave after we'd been there for about an hour, so I don't think he'll be in a hurry to go back. We did all of the usual things: animal barns, fire tower, crop art, rides. Clare and I rode on the Sky Ride that goes across the fair, which I've never done before. It was a neat way to see the fair. And Clare is a ride junkie, so she was really into it. It's funny to me, because she is so fearful some of the time, but she has no fear on rides. She was disappointed that she wasn't tall enough for some of the bigger rides. Next year!

We've also squeezed in many trips to parks and beaches with friends. We discovered Nokomis Beach last week, and my friends and I were all wondering why we'd never gone there before. It is clean, there is a playground on the beach, and it is close to our houses. We're making a final trip there this Friday.

Next week: kindergarten! Yikes!

Ice cream in the Wisconsin countryside.

A 400-year-old pine tree. We couldn't reach each other when I put my arms around the other side.

Mr. Bunyan.

At the headwaters of the Mississippi.

Walking across the Mississippi!

After we waded across the Mississippi.

Christopher and Daddy at the headwaters.

Christopher developed his own way of roasting hot dogs. Why hold onto it yourself when your chair can do it for you?

Warm oatmeal on a cold morning.

Storms damaged many trees in Itasca this summer, including this one that was completely uprooted.

Clare lost another tooth on our way home from our camping trip. She'll have no teeth left soon!

Mini-donuts at the Fair.

I think we take this same picture every year.

Bumper boats!

Ready to fly.

Little farm hands.

Clare in the Sky Ride.