Here's my three little goblins this year:
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| Hagen's First Halloween! |
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| Everest, the Jawa from Star Wars! |
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| McKinley our Little Alaskan Girl! |
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween!
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Halloween! I have always found great pleasure in dressing up, and now I share this love with my kids. McKinley especially loves to dress up.
Here's my three little goblins this year:
Here's my three little goblins this year:
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Just in time...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Falling Behind or Catching Up?
I had the pleasure of going to bed at 8:30 p.m. last night. It is 6:30 a.m. now, the kids are still asleep, the house is quiet, the coffee is made, so I am going to try and squeeze in a post.
The past couple of days would not have allowed such a thing. It would have been like squeezing in an unwelcome guest into a VW bug that was already too full, for a long road trip across the country, where the driver had not slept in days, everyone was hungry, and there was only enough time for potty breaks. Yes, that's how hard it would have been. So I will have to catch you up!
The good news is we are going on a family vacation in just over a week. I can barely imagine sleeping in a bed I don't have to make. Eating meals I don't have to prepare. Sitting around watching my kids play all day. The most pressing task will be waking up in time to save our favorite palapa on the beach, so we will have the best view of El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, and enough shade to sit there the entire day watching the waves.
The past couple of days would not have allowed such a thing. It would have been like squeezing in an unwelcome guest into a VW bug that was already too full, for a long road trip across the country, where the driver had not slept in days, everyone was hungry, and there was only enough time for potty breaks. Yes, that's how hard it would have been. So I will have to catch you up!
The good news is we are going on a family vacation in just over a week. I can barely imagine sleeping in a bed I don't have to make. Eating meals I don't have to prepare. Sitting around watching my kids play all day. The most pressing task will be waking up in time to save our favorite palapa on the beach, so we will have the best view of El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, and enough shade to sit there the entire day watching the waves.
Well, my time is up. Kids are awake. It's time to start our craziness around here. It was fun while it lasted, daydreaming about vacation is a wonderful way to start the day!
~A
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Itty Bitty Knitted Hats
Not a lot of time to post today, but thought I would post some pictures of a couple of "itty bitty knitted hats".
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| Here is a little daisy flower hat I knitted for my baby if it were a girl. Since I had a boy, I gave it to my newest niece when she was born. |
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| It was the sweetest little hat, and I had a really hard time parting with it. |
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Here's a little hat my mom knitted. I love the sweet little rosebuds. |
I owe my interest in knitting to my Mom and my Grandma Norma. I must have been born with the "gene" because I have been interested in sewing, knitting, and all other crafts ever since I can remember. I have always been really good at making things with my hands.
My hope to is to knit a little pumpkin hat in the next couple of days for Hagen to wear this fall. I'd better get started!
~A
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Daddy's Birthday
Amidst the chaos, I was able to pull off a family party mid-week for Daddy's Birthday. Right in the middle of it all, I said, "next year we're going out for dinner."
The baby fell asleep on the way to the store in the morning, so I drove home instead of getting some necessary items for making the cake. Once I arrived home and pulled into the driveway, the baby was awake again, but by then I wasn't in the mood for the store anymore. I thought I would just "make do". As a consequence, I had to improvise on the cake a little bit, and I wasn't able to prepare dinner ahead of time. BIG MISTAKE!
The good news is the table was set for dinner by 9 am.
My ice cream cake "invention" was in the freezer by 10 am.
Presents were wrapped (with Hagen's "help") by 11 am.
I ended up picking up groceries at 2 pm on my way to pick up the kids from school.
The kids and I walked from school at 3 pm as usual, just missing a huge down pour of rain.
Ran into Walgreens in the pouring rain at 3:30 pm to pick up a photo gift I made.
By the time we got home, it was 4 o'clock.
The kids were starving, but I urged them to wait for dinner. "We're having a party!" I reminded them. I had to whip up chicken enchiladas while McKinley worked on her homework, while feeding the baby, and helping Everest with his homework. I am in awe of this multi-tasking 9 year old!
That's when I received a text reminding me McKinley had a rehearsal from 6-7 pm. Okay, I'm going to try to make this work...
Soon after, I received a call from the Birthday Boy. He was held up in traffic and wouldn't be home at 5 pm as expected. Somewhat a relief, but how would we get McKinley to rehearsal?
Baby was crying, homework wasn't going well, kids were starving.... that's when I declared, "STOP!"
RELAX and take care of things one at a time.
Here's what I did at 5:30 pm to get things in order:
Put the baby in his crib for an evening nap.
Gave the kids an appetizer.
Sent a text that McKinley wouldn't be able to make the rehearsal.
Opened two cervezas to compliment the entree.
I don't know what time we finally ate, but it didn't matter anymore. The Birthday Boy was surrounded by his loving family, and we were "having a party!" After dinner Daddy and the kids (baby included) even went out an jumped in a giant rain puddle in the driveway. Now that's what I call fun!
~A
The baby fell asleep on the way to the store in the morning, so I drove home instead of getting some necessary items for making the cake. Once I arrived home and pulled into the driveway, the baby was awake again, but by then I wasn't in the mood for the store anymore. I thought I would just "make do". As a consequence, I had to improvise on the cake a little bit, and I wasn't able to prepare dinner ahead of time. BIG MISTAKE!
The good news is the table was set for dinner by 9 am.
My ice cream cake "invention" was in the freezer by 10 am.
Presents were wrapped (with Hagen's "help") by 11 am.
I ended up picking up groceries at 2 pm on my way to pick up the kids from school.
The kids and I walked from school at 3 pm as usual, just missing a huge down pour of rain.
Ran into Walgreens in the pouring rain at 3:30 pm to pick up a photo gift I made.
By the time we got home, it was 4 o'clock.
The kids were starving, but I urged them to wait for dinner. "We're having a party!" I reminded them. I had to whip up chicken enchiladas while McKinley worked on her homework, while feeding the baby, and helping Everest with his homework. I am in awe of this multi-tasking 9 year old!
That's when I received a text reminding me McKinley had a rehearsal from 6-7 pm. Okay, I'm going to try to make this work...
Soon after, I received a call from the Birthday Boy. He was held up in traffic and wouldn't be home at 5 pm as expected. Somewhat a relief, but how would we get McKinley to rehearsal?
Baby was crying, homework wasn't going well, kids were starving.... that's when I declared, "STOP!"
RELAX and take care of things one at a time.
Here's what I did at 5:30 pm to get things in order:
Put the baby in his crib for an evening nap.
Gave the kids an appetizer.
Sent a text that McKinley wouldn't be able to make the rehearsal.
Opened two cervezas to compliment the entree.
I don't know what time we finally ate, but it didn't matter anymore. The Birthday Boy was surrounded by his loving family, and we were "having a party!" After dinner Daddy and the kids (baby included) even went out an jumped in a giant rain puddle in the driveway. Now that's what I call fun!
~A
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| Click on this picture to see details! |
Monday, October 18, 2010
Babies
Hagen was a brand new baby when the movie "Babies" came out. It is a documentary that simultaneously tracks the early development of four babies from different parts of the world. The movie takes the viewer from each baby's first breath to their first steps, all with very little, if any, dialogue!
I treated myself to watching it last night, and finishing it up today. What a treat it was! I'm glad I watched it alone, as I'm not sure anyone else in my family would have appreciated it the way I did (although Hagen may have).
I was so happy I had a baby in the next room sleeping while I watched, because watching this film would have made me ache for another! My favorite of the babies was Ponijao from Namibia. What a fascinating beginning this baby boy had, so different from my baby, yet similar too. This little sweetie crawled around in the dirt and played with flies. He was a happy little guy who loved to dance and smile although the only "toy" in sight was a tin can that he balanced on his head. His Mom nursed him, sang to him, egged him on while he danced, and her eyes glistened with love when she looked at him.
I also loved Bayar from Mongolia. It was as if he was meant to fend for himself from the very beginning. If not protecting himself from his bothersome older brother, it was the livestock both inside and outside the family home he must look out for! He often crawled on top of places too high for a baby, was strolled out into the pasture to watch the cows for who knows how long, and was even tethered to a bedpost in one scene to keep him out of trouble.
I won't bother to comment on Mari from Tokyo, or Hattie from San Francisco. Although they were completely adorable, their beginnings were much like all the babies I am familiar with. They slept in cribs, ate in highchairs, went to playgroups, and were surrounded by manufactured toys and stimulation.
I was relieved to see that it is not necessary for me to entertain my children 24/7. It is okay to let them explore on their own, and create their own toys. It is okay to let them get dirty, and to explore high places. It is okay to let them feed themselves, even if it makes a bigger mess.
This movie is inspiring, and I recommend it to anyone that has children, or that plans to.
~A
I treated myself to watching it last night, and finishing it up today. What a treat it was! I'm glad I watched it alone, as I'm not sure anyone else in my family would have appreciated it the way I did (although Hagen may have).
I was so happy I had a baby in the next room sleeping while I watched, because watching this film would have made me ache for another! My favorite of the babies was Ponijao from Namibia. What a fascinating beginning this baby boy had, so different from my baby, yet similar too. This little sweetie crawled around in the dirt and played with flies. He was a happy little guy who loved to dance and smile although the only "toy" in sight was a tin can that he balanced on his head. His Mom nursed him, sang to him, egged him on while he danced, and her eyes glistened with love when she looked at him.
I also loved Bayar from Mongolia. It was as if he was meant to fend for himself from the very beginning. If not protecting himself from his bothersome older brother, it was the livestock both inside and outside the family home he must look out for! He often crawled on top of places too high for a baby, was strolled out into the pasture to watch the cows for who knows how long, and was even tethered to a bedpost in one scene to keep him out of trouble.
I won't bother to comment on Mari from Tokyo, or Hattie from San Francisco. Although they were completely adorable, their beginnings were much like all the babies I am familiar with. They slept in cribs, ate in highchairs, went to playgroups, and were surrounded by manufactured toys and stimulation.
I was relieved to see that it is not necessary for me to entertain my children 24/7. It is okay to let them explore on their own, and create their own toys. It is okay to let them get dirty, and to explore high places. It is okay to let them feed themselves, even if it makes a bigger mess.
This movie is inspiring, and I recommend it to anyone that has children, or that plans to.
~A
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Soccer Saturday!
Can you tell how much this family loves our Soccer Saturdays?
Everest had a muddy, slippery, sliding time at his 9:15 game. It was every 7 year old boy's dream! To be honest, I couldn't tell you if they won or lost, but I do know they all had a fabulous time kicking that ball around in the soggy grass.
McKinley's team played a fantastic game once again. The highlight of the game was McKinley's save as goalie that would have made any professional player jealous. She was fearless and it showed. I don't have a picture of it to post, but the smack the ball made when she caught it, and the look of accomplishment on her face as she dove for the ball will be forever embedded in my head. A proud moment indeed!
Hagen, well he just kinda hung out like always, wondering what in the world we were all screaming about on the sidelines.
That evening we topped off our Soccer Frenzy with our once a year trip to watch the LA Galaxy play. If you have never been to a professional soccer game, put it on your list of "musts". The field itself is enough to make you go "Wow!" and the player's endurance, stamina, footwork, agility, and skill will keep you watching the whole 90 minutes. If the game isn't stimulating enough, then the crowd will be. These fans go nuts for soccer. It's like a bunch of crazy AYSO parents, just times a couple thousand. One year we made the mistake of sitting right next to the section of super crazy fans. They are like a highschool pep squad made up of twenty-something year old men. They have their faces painted, chant songs, and beat on a bass drum throughout the entire game! Oh, and did I mention that David Beckham was playing? It was an amazing time.
~A
Everest had a muddy, slippery, sliding time at his 9:15 game. It was every 7 year old boy's dream! To be honest, I couldn't tell you if they won or lost, but I do know they all had a fabulous time kicking that ball around in the soggy grass.
McKinley's team played a fantastic game once again. The highlight of the game was McKinley's save as goalie that would have made any professional player jealous. She was fearless and it showed. I don't have a picture of it to post, but the smack the ball made when she caught it, and the look of accomplishment on her face as she dove for the ball will be forever embedded in my head. A proud moment indeed!
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| "Mom, must you constantly take pictures of me? How embarrassing!" |
That evening we topped off our Soccer Frenzy with our once a year trip to watch the LA Galaxy play. If you have never been to a professional soccer game, put it on your list of "musts". The field itself is enough to make you go "Wow!" and the player's endurance, stamina, footwork, agility, and skill will keep you watching the whole 90 minutes. If the game isn't stimulating enough, then the crowd will be. These fans go nuts for soccer. It's like a bunch of crazy AYSO parents, just times a couple thousand. One year we made the mistake of sitting right next to the section of super crazy fans. They are like a highschool pep squad made up of twenty-something year old men. They have their faces painted, chant songs, and beat on a bass drum throughout the entire game! Oh, and did I mention that David Beckham was playing? It was an amazing time.
~A
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