We have had an especially cold fall. Sunday was the first nice day in a long time. We went on a little hike with the family. I love living by these beautiful fields.
Monday, October 19, 2009
One Fall Day
We have had an especially cold fall. Sunday was the first nice day in a long time. We went on a little hike with the family. I love living by these beautiful fields.
Luke
Luke has a special love for me. He is in that time that I might be his favorite female around. I know this will not last for a long time. I will enjoy it while it lasts. Some of my favorite moments are when he consoles Eva when she is crying. He always says, "Eva wants________" It may be her daddy, to see the train, to ride in the suburban, but it is always exactly what Luke wants. Luke also has started asking, "Why are you smiling at me? Why are you laughing?" It is hard to say why so I just have to say that I love him.
Here is Luke wading on the beach when it is 42 degrees outside. Four old fishermen commented they were getting cold just looking at him. A gentleman walking by in a parka and hat called Luke rugged. I appreciated that because that is the last thing I would call him. He is still in the mode where he needs his car blanket and needs it to be tucked in a certain way. (A bonus to the cold day is that I got to drink a chai at the coffee shop with the kids. It was the first time I had done this since Eva was born.)
Luke's usual.
Luke is Eva's motor. He pushes her in the walker at top speed. All of her shoes are completely frayed at the toes because she can't quite keep up with Luke's speed.
Here is Luke wading on the beach when it is 42 degrees outside. Four old fishermen commented they were getting cold just looking at him. A gentleman walking by in a parka and hat called Luke rugged. I appreciated that because that is the last thing I would call him. He is still in the mode where he needs his car blanket and needs it to be tucked in a certain way. (A bonus to the cold day is that I got to drink a chai at the coffee shop with the kids. It was the first time I had done this since Eva was born.)
Luke's usual.
Luke is Eva's motor. He pushes her in the walker at top speed. All of her shoes are completely frayed at the toes because she can't quite keep up with Luke's speed.
There's just something special about her...
Eva still has a little of her baby magic left. She only has 4 more days of being less than a year old. Since we can't communicate with words, I cherish every smile, laugh, clap, bounce, sway, and nuzzle. I enjoy being her companion as she travels with me to the grocery store, to pre-school and to chruch. I love her smile. I love wearing matching clothes. I love having two sporty winter coats, one big and one small. I love teaching her about how to live. Monday, September 21, 2009
September 09
Luke was very excited to be at his friends', Nirav and Niati, birthday party. Luke is in the same class room with Nirav and they are good friends. As always, he said that his favorite part was the cup cake.
I love to go hiking with the family, but we have not been to Lapham peak since one week before Eva was born. I used to take Luke all the time and he would happily run on the trails. I thought he may have forgotten how to hike. He did not forget. We took a few wrong turns and took the steepest trail possible and he did not get tired. I thought we would be giving him a piggy back ride out.
Here is a tee pee we found as we were hiking. Luke called it his little house.
Here is one other extra picture of Luke in his PJ's in the rain.
I love to go hiking with the family, but we have not been to Lapham peak since one week before Eva was born. I used to take Luke all the time and he would happily run on the trails. I thought he may have forgotten how to hike. He did not forget. We took a few wrong turns and took the steepest trail possible and he did not get tired. I thought we would be giving him a piggy back ride out.
Here is a tee pee we found as we were hiking. Luke called it his little house.
Here is one other extra picture of Luke in his PJ's in the rain.
Toddler Insurance
A while ago I told Dave that we should save about $24 a day to cover the expense of the things the kids break. I thought this would be a reasonable way to not get mad at the kids. Dave quickly calculated that would amount to $8,760 a year.
I agreed that amount was a little extreme. But right now, I just wanted to list a few of our recent expenses on behalf of the kids. First, we have the pantry wire rack that gets removed a few times a day, cost $0, but it is frustrating.
Second, Luke had thrown our old phone a few times. Pieces gradually kept falling off. At the end point you could completely open up the phone while you were talking on it and see the battery pack and other electronics. It was surprising that it still worked. So we bought a new phone, $75.
Third, and this wasn't really Luke's fault, was the busted dry-wall in the bathroom. How is a 3 year old suppose to know that you can not swing on towel bars. Luke pulled the towel bar out of the dry wall and tore out a 6 inch chunck. Normally we would just get a patch kit for about $4. However, this is the only room of the house we have not painted. The previous owners did a very uneven texturizing paint job, so the entire bathroom needs to be sanded if you are going to repaint it. I have been asking for a power sander to complete this task even before Luke broke the dry wall. Maybe I will get it for Christmas, about $80. The only problem is that I really want a dual vanity and bead board installed, so while we are at it we could add $700+.
I agreed that amount was a little extreme. But right now, I just wanted to list a few of our recent expenses on behalf of the kids. First, we have the pantry wire rack that gets removed a few times a day, cost $0, but it is frustrating.Second, Luke had thrown our old phone a few times. Pieces gradually kept falling off. At the end point you could completely open up the phone while you were talking on it and see the battery pack and other electronics. It was surprising that it still worked. So we bought a new phone, $75.
Third, and this wasn't really Luke's fault, was the busted dry-wall in the bathroom. How is a 3 year old suppose to know that you can not swing on towel bars. Luke pulled the towel bar out of the dry wall and tore out a 6 inch chunck. Normally we would just get a patch kit for about $4. However, this is the only room of the house we have not painted. The previous owners did a very uneven texturizing paint job, so the entire bathroom needs to be sanded if you are going to repaint it. I have been asking for a power sander to complete this task even before Luke broke the dry wall. Maybe I will get it for Christmas, about $80. The only problem is that I really want a dual vanity and bead board installed, so while we are at it we could add $700+.
This next one Luke had some help from the neighbors and his cousins. We had a basketball hoop downstairs which naturally lead to basketball throwing. As the balls bounced off of the ceiling before they hit the net they bounced on our fluorescent lights and drop ceiling. Then the kids were making shots off of the bed so they hit the light above the bed. Somehow a third light got hit. So we needed three ballasts to be replaced because they did not work. We also had some rips in the drop ceiling.
Instead of replacing just the broken lights we thought we should replace the entire basement with can lights instead of the fluorescent lights. And replacing all the ceiling tile, So... about $700 later I really like our new basement ceiling.
Maybe my original dollar estimate is more accurate than we thought. This is just another reason I am glad I do not live in a fancy home. 
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Nana's Pictures
We had a great time at Blue Harbor Resort. Pam took our pictures and captures some of the great moments that we celebrate as a family.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
July Reprise
Well, it is now August 23rd so I thought I would post some July photos. We have been having too much fun out of town so I have not been by a computer. We have been so busy we have had a hard time getting groceries or mowing the lawn. Dave started mowing the lawn today and I just finished mowing the lawn in the complete dark while he put Luke to bed. I used my kinestetic ability to navigate and align the mower with where I thought I went the last pass. We will see how it looks tomorrow.
This one is for Grandma... the tomatoes are about ten times larger than when they started. I have been letting Luke really do the work, so they are not perfectly cared for. The bottom photo is of all the tomatoes Luke has helped to pick.
In mid July we went camping with friends from church. I was amazed at how many happy campers there were in the rain and in the cold. I was impressed by how many people actually enjoyed camping with toddlers and infants. I decided that I will never go back to tent camping again unless we are backpacking. We used a pop-up for the first time and it was great. I had easy access diaper changes and a dry and warm bed. The furnace ran throughout the night because it got into the 40s by my calculations.
I didn't get any pictures of the adults but you can see all the cute kids lined up below.
A birthday party with Sparky. My twin nephews had their birthday party at the fire department. It came complete with decorations, a cake, and a fire engine ride. They also got a visit from Sparky the fire dog... or mascot. He had to get all dressed up for just 6 kids, 4 of which were not impressed with his costume and two of which were scared. I wondered how the firemen choose to who would be Sparky for the day because it was not the honored position. The boys were fully impressed with every vehicle and piece of machinery.
I get to see my old best friend from grade school once a year. Here she is with Eva.
This one is for Grandma... the tomatoes are about ten times larger than when they started. I have been letting Luke really do the work, so they are not perfectly cared for. The bottom photo is of all the tomatoes Luke has helped to pick.
In mid July we went camping with friends from church. I was amazed at how many happy campers there were in the rain and in the cold. I was impressed by how many people actually enjoyed camping with toddlers and infants. I decided that I will never go back to tent camping again unless we are backpacking. We used a pop-up for the first time and it was great. I had easy access diaper changes and a dry and warm bed. The furnace ran throughout the night because it got into the 40s by my calculations.
I didn't get any pictures of the adults but you can see all the cute kids lined up below.
A birthday party with Sparky. My twin nephews had their birthday party at the fire department. It came complete with decorations, a cake, and a fire engine ride. They also got a visit from Sparky the fire dog... or mascot. He had to get all dressed up for just 6 kids, 4 of which were not impressed with his costume and two of which were scared. I wondered how the firemen choose to who would be Sparky for the day because it was not the honored position. The boys were fully impressed with every vehicle and piece of machinery.
I get to see my old best friend from grade school once a year. Here she is with Eva.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Pamela Therapy
We haven't gotten a great photo of the entire family since Eva has been born. The camera logistics are more difficult when you don't have a spare hand. We went away with my family for five days and took two pictures on one camera and about five on another. So...we are very thankful to a college friend Pam who took our pictures in Whitefish Bay. She has a special knack of capturing emotion and life in her pictures. Just looking at these photos does my soul well. It reminds me of what is important in life. She has captured the highest dynamic of having children. Looking at these pictures will balance the crying and struggles of having children. It will balance when Luke pulls my hair up into two horns and says I look like a yak. It will balance when Luke is being oppositional about everything. I call it Pamela Therapy. Her website is www.psphoto.org She has a blog on that site to view examples of her photo shoots.
I am not derserving to have such wonderful children, such gifts from God, but that is how God works.
I am not derserving to have such wonderful children, such gifts from God, but that is how God works.
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