Snowed In

I feel like a school girl giddy with delight...

I absolutely love being snowed in with my family.

French toast and hot chocolate for breakfast.  No where to go.  Christmas trees to decorate.  A lazy day in pajamas.  Stromboli and homemade/ homegrown caramel popcorn.  An epic Wii battle.

And, only my kids would be insistent to play outside during a blizzard.  Donning snowmobile helmets and gear, they spent hours outside playing in the snow.  They would come in for a couple of minutes to warm up their hands and then they were off out into a winter storm again. 

Can life get any better?


Our popcorn cross pollinated with our decorative/ Indian corn but even the purple kernels still pop!

The boys insisted dressing up the animals in holiday gear.  Boomer was a reindeer...

Rex wasn't havin' it...

But Miss Kitty would put up with a little dress-up time.

Granted, a couple years ago I would have been in tears being snowed in with two fighting boys and an antsy husband.

But, today is great.

Last week was rough.  Aaron has been having laser treatments on his leg (his 'bad' leg- I hate to say it like that--- but the leg he does not have much feeling in) and they went.... alright.  The stomach flu has been going through our house... so we had been puking and rallying for several days.  And then to top it all off, we discovered that the boys had lice.  Yes, head lice.  Awesome. 

So, I was a little.... worked up.... shall we say.  Yes, we will not say crazy.... we will say worked up.

But, today is better.  Today we are snowed in.  Puking is complete.  Head lice is done.  And only four more laser treatments for Aaron. 

And the holiday season is upon us.  It's my favorite time of year.  I know I say that about every season... but Christmas time is my favorite. 

Pumpkins

I love fall.  I love Halloween & Thanksgiving & the fall color palette & everything about fall.

But...

I friggin' hate carving pumpkins.  Words cannot express how much I loathe this task.  My version of hell would be uncarved pumpkins lined up and me having to carve them for eternity.  A little dramatic--- I know.  But, hands down, this is my least favorite task.  Ever.  Give me toilets with skid marks to scrub... but do not give me pumpkins to carve.

Every year, I look for ways to get out of it...

1.  Not bringing it up... which totally back fires every time.  Because then the day before Halloween, the boys are begging to carve pumpkins.  And then it is a last minute jumbled mess.  And I do not do well with last minute jumbled messes. 

2.  I usually try to pawn pumpkin carving off on anyone who shows a spark of interest.  But, unfortunately, because I put pumpkin carving off, the boys have the sudden realization of, "Hey its the night before Halloween and we haven't carved pumpkins yet!"  And then no one was available to pawn carving pumpkins off on.  This very situation happened this year.

3.  Not buying pumpkins never works.  Because Aaron's mom grows beautiful carving and baking pumpkins and squash (our pumpkins never turn out... I am not sure why I keep planting them.)

So, this year, I tried to suck it up--- not wine too much--- and dive into pumpkin art.

There we were.  Elbows deep in cold pumpkin guts (and I have actually held real people guts--- pumpkin guts are much worse.)  The boys had goofy, glorious smiles on their faces in the midst of this 'awesome pumpkin carving.'  I bit my tongue so hard it bled, and tried my hardest no to ruin this for them.  Your only young once, right?  Right.

This year it wasn't hard. Noah completely gutted and carved his pumpkin with no assistance from me.  And Abram needed very little assistance.  So, I guess it wasn't that bad after all. 

The best part of Halloween (besides hiding in the pantry and eating all of the boys' candy) is roasting pumpkin seeds.  They are my favorite... with a little butter, parsley, and garlic.  Delicious!

The holiday season has officially started.  And I love it!  Next up... Thanksgiving.

He Just Gets Me

A co-worker of mine was talking about how her son 'just gets [her].'  With a sparkle in her eye, she shared with me a homemade birthday card with a picture of a momma walrus and a baby walrus on it.  In her eyes, it was the absolute-most-perfect birthday card ever.

This little conversation got my thinker thinkin'...  I have a boy like that too.  One that just gets me. 

Don't get me wrong.  I hold no favoritism for my children.  This child can--- and he will--- press Every. Button. In. The. Book.  And then press them again. 

But, if I am having a bad day... he knows exactly what to say.  If I want to curl up in a corner, basking in peace-and-quiet... he will let me. If I just need some time... he gives it... no questions asked.  If I am cranky, he usually doesn't push 'it'--- whatever 'it' may be.  When it is that time of the month--- even though he doesn't know exactly what that time is--- he knows to be a little more patient.

Most of the time, he and I are on the same wave length.  Thinking the same things.  He knows how my mind works... and I can predict him. 

We can talk about anything.  He shares things with me that I wonder if other ten-year-olds share with their moms.  Immediately, after coming home from school, he will tell me how it was.  Any drama going on... when his mouth gets him into trouble... classmates freaking out... and of course--- his love--- Candice.

I know sometimes I blog more about Abram.  Little brother is more animated... gets into more trouble... has unique needs that not every child has... and still thinks that I am the coolest mom/person ever.  Big brother, on the other hand, knows better.  He knows that I am human... I am a sinner... and I am not perfect.

I know Aaron and I were young when we had Noah.  Ever since the day he was born, we have tried to do the best for him.  And when little brother was added, we tried to do the best for them.  We are so lucky to have them!

"I live for my sons. I would be lost without them." ~ Princess Diana

And We Hiked

As I sit here typing feverishly on the computer... smelling the coffee brewing in the kitchen... listening to the pitter patter of rain on our roof... I can't help but smile.  When was the last time it rained?  Sometime in August?  I love the rain.

Last weekend Aaron had a race.  It seems to be a recurrent theme.  He ran an 8k and his brothers ran a 5k.  They all did awesome!  We returned home after a 3 hour car ride, dumped our bags in the kitchen from our overnight stay at Ryan's... and then we ran to the blonde bloggers house for an impromptu bonfire.  It was a beautiful weekend.

Sunday, we hiked.

And hiked.

Until we reached the top.

It was beautiful.  And quiet.  And wonderful--- to just be with my boys.

And They Ran

"Run Forest Run!" was a mantra I chanted in my sleep.  Why was I chanting this?  Because I worked nights and was sleeping while my boys ran a race.

A big race.

Since I was unable to attend, gramma stood in as the picture taker/ cheer section.

Big brother leaving people in the dust!  Ca-chow!

Big brother got third place out of 30 or 40 kids (& my niece got second--- but we don't bring that up.)

My big brother got first in his age division.

We won't point out what age division he won:)

And, Abram finished in the middle of the same race that Noah and Annika ran.  I wish I could've been there to see him run.  Aaron ran along side of him and they ran the entire race.  Amazing!  Especially considering less than four years ago, he could only walk with a walker and AFO's.  And now he is running a race!

They all did awesome!  I wish I could have seen it.

Just the Two of Us

With the sounds of combines and tractors all around us... I know that fall is definitely underway. 

We only have carrots left in our main garden and popcorn left to pick.  It feels like I just sowed the seeds yesterday.  The image of my husband and the boys carefully sowing seeds is still fresh in my mind.
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Sundays are always busy.  Getting everyone ready for church, Sunday school, and then whatever else the hubby has planned. 

Last Sunday,  Aaron wanted to head to Inspiration Peak.  I could tell how important this was for him.  His grandpa used to take him and his siblings there when they were younger (and I have never ventured there.)  So, we planned a short trip with the boys.

There was only one problem... the boys wanted to do their own thing... go their own way. 

I found myself torn.  Do we force this on them??? Or do we allow them to go to a cousins home and a grandmas home. 

We ultimately--- and reluctantly--- let them do what they wanted.  Noah went to a cousins and Abram went to grandmas.

Aaron and I returned home after church, alone.  "We could work on landscaping," I said.

"It can wait.  Let's go... just the two of us," Aaron responded.  When is the last time I went anywhere with him---- alone?

So we made the road trip, just him and I.  And I am so glad we did.  It allowed us to reconnect... after weeks of just seeing each other in passing.  We needed this.

We hiked together and played like teenagers.

I see you:)

He waited patiently while I messed around with my camera.  Climbing in brush where no climbing was allowed to get some fall photos.

After a few hours, we were to back to real life.  But, I am so glad we took a break.

Trouble... With a Captial T

There is only one thing that comes to mind when I look at these photos....

Trouble (with a capital "T" of course.)  No other words come to mind.

The First Day of School

I bounded into the boys room, feeling like Nemo saying, "It's the first day of school- the first day of school!"

The only response was a few weak groans from the bottom of the bunk bed (yes- they still sleep together, in a twin bed... their choice.)

So then I lapsed into Donkey's song from one of the Shrek's, "Good morning, good morning, hey there sun is shining through... good morning, good morning to you and you and you."

That at least got the response, "Stop mom--- your annoying."  There is only one brother who would mutter those words.

Finally, they peeled themselves out of bed and drug themselves downstairs. 

A first day of school is never complete without a few minor fights, the smoke alarms going off- over burnt toast, and cat puke on the steps. 

 

 

 

 

But after walking them to their classrooms and helping them put their stuff in their desks, I realized that I actually have a good feeling about this school year. Usually I do not look forward to parent meetings and IEP's and meetings about meetings.  For the first time ever, I can actually say 'bring it on!'

After Abram came home from school, we snuggled up on the couch and muttled through a little homework.  He whispered, "I wish I was still in school... I love my teacher."  There was no struggling to get his back brace on, he just did it.  Noah is sharing a locker with his best friend.  What more could we ask for?

Last Week

I was so nervous for last week.  I had a week off from work and was planning to spend every waking second with the boys before they head back to school.  The only problem with that is figuring out activities to keep them occupied... minus the bickering and fighting and what-ever-else-naughty-boy-things-they-can-find-to-do.  Yep, I think that sums it up. 

But then the course of our week changed right off the bat.  On Monday, Aaron found out he had business to do out in South Dakota.  And we had nothing planned, so we grabbed Noah's best friend and met dad out in the middle of no where. 

Now, those who know me know that I do not drive anywhere.  Aaron is the driver.  But, this was very exciting to me because I got to drive.  Me and three boys in a car for multiple hours.  Great.

Actually it went really well.  I only got lost once because of poorly marked road construction detours- we will blame it on that. 

While dad was at business during the day, we spent time at the zoo and chilled out at the pool and explored the area a little bit. 

The life guard at the pool in the hotel let us do pretty much whatever we wanted.  We played tag and buddied up going down the water slide.  Most of the time, because it was during the work week (and it is South Dakota) we were the only ones in the pool area.


When we headed to the zoo... we found that we had pretty much the entire zoo to ourselves.

At the end of the week, we weren't home for a total of 24 hours and we were off again.  This time we headed to Aaron's brother's house and then to a family reunion in southern Minnesota.  We finally made it home to stay on Sunday and I was exhausted. 

But my sink looked like this...

A weeks worth of canning, in an attempt to catch up. And it still does look like this--- and it will for weeks to come.

Next week school starts.  The boys (big brother is excited to see his friends) are super excited to start.  I have a feeling this is going to be a good year for them.

How Our Summer Has Been

This summer we have been busy, doing what--- I don't know.  A little bit of this... A little bit of that.

Canning and food preserving have been in full swing. This task made me late for my own surprise birthday party (sorry girls--- and Aaron's brothers who read this blog.)

For whatever reason, this summer I have not been able to keep up on our garden and food preserving and house work and being a mom like I have in the past.  Work sheets have gone by the way side and laundry is piled sky high.  Maybe it is because I work more nights than I used to.  Or maybe it is because the boys' clothes are bigger.  Or it could be because I am the big 3-0 now.  I don't know... but it is frustrating.    A co-worker (who is a grandma) once told me that when your kids are little they are busy, but when they grow and get older... they are a whole different kind of busy.  And I totally can see that now.  Our lives have felt very busy, but I can't pin point what exactly we have been doing. 






We have spent many hours at the lake and the pool.  I am sad that season is coming to an end.  But I am excited to start cooking fall and winter foods (I can't believe I just said that!) 

Oh, my dear niece Annika, this photo will be blown up and hung up at your graduation party.

Everyone must be buried in the sand at least once a summer.

I am happy to say that Dr. Evil is a papa.  He and his harem have five little ones.  I am not sure what to do with him.  He has gotten very aggressive in his old age.  He can still get the job done... but he has been very unreasonable.  My sister-in-law has a nice black-and-blue mark on her leg to prove it.  He might have to be eaten if he keeps up this behavior.

Miss Goldilocks, you are not suppose to be in the tomato plants.

Aaron continues to do well.  Saying he is 'doing well' does not do him justice.  He is doing extremely well... crazy awesome... insanely a health freak... does that sum it up?  He is by far the most driven person I know.  He has ran several 5 k races, done a couple bike races, and is building up endurance for a wilderness run.  Crazy doesn't cut it.  He is insane.  And in the best shape of his life. 



I, of course, was rooting for Aaron.  But, secretly I was cheering for the little guy behind Aaron.  He as all of eight years old---maybe nine at the most--- and ran the entire 5 k.  He was impressive.

So, that is how our summer has been.  Keeping busy... doing what???  I still am not sure.  It's not like I just had a baby---- or am going to have a baby, building a house, and moving:)

Next up, fifth grade for big brother and first grade for little brother.  Only three weeks away.