A quick look on the weekend

Friday - A great day for work. Spent the day with the officers at Cargill and gained insight for a lot of future brainstorming sessions about Minnesota FFA and my role within it. The kids spent the day with G'ma Deb...went well! That night, Matt had a game in Goodhue - they lost :(:( and the kids and I had pizza with G'ma Deb, G'pa Don and Wyatt. Cameron must have been very overtired because at the point we decided to give the kids a bath, he went into major meltdown mode. It was a moment to call out to God for help because it was all I could do. Needless to say he had a few consequences for Saturday (no TV!) These moments with kids, no one can or does prepare you for. I had to keep telling myself "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"...like my Bible verse this week says - I was clinging to God!! It was that bad of a meltdown!

Saturday - Matt headed for Sioux Falls for the final weekend of deer hunting in South Dakota and the kids and I spent the day at home. Keep in mind, TV was off limits for the day, so we played a lot, read books, did some art projects and a little house work. Everyone had a great nap and we found that we don't need TV to have fun or fill our day. I realized that I rely a lot on our TV to watch our kids. I also realized that I need to do some thinking on my days of working at home...we tend to watch a lot of TV on those days...too much! Cameron was a good boy all day and even was able to earn some treats! Cameron and Emmy both slept through the night also...could also be a part of not watching so much TV - I guess we'll find out!

Sunday - The kids and I went to church and then went to McDonald's for lunch. Matt got home and we were all able to get a nap in again :)...have I mentioned how much we love naps!

A few things I learned this weekend...
1. I am thankful for Matt - kids are meant to have two parents and I miss him when he is away.
2. Being a parents is one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done.
3. I can't do anything on my own...only through Christ who strengthens me!
4. Too much TV is not good for anyone...especially kids.
5. Two-year-olds are not too young to understand when they have done something wrong...discipline accordingly (with love of course)!

God Bless Daycare Providers!

Have I ever mentioned that we have the best daycare provider in the world! We love Colleen! Colleen and I grew up through school and church. We feel so blessed to live close now so we can continue our friendship and now have her as our daycare provider. Colleen and her husband took a trip this past week so we helped out yesterday with having her two youngest kids for the day and her oldest daughter after school. Between my kids and hers I had a 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 year old at our house....we were busy to say the least. The thing I noticed most was that they hardly got tired!!! We play all kinds of games, we ran around the house, we played outside, we read books and still they did not tire!!! It was a very fun day and went really well. I did realize though that I don't know if I could do daycare. It is exhausting work that requires much patience (God is still helping me work on my patience level!). We are so thankful for our daycare provider and the many other mom's that do daycare!

Fun for All!

It has been a fun few days for all of us. On Friday, the kids and I got to celebrate our godson Noah's 4th birthday. We met their family and other friends at Safari Island in Waconia. It was a blast! We played on the slides, jumped in a huge ball pit, and mainly ran out a lot of energy. We also stopped for pizza at the Pizza Ranch. It was very fun and the kids had great naps on the way home.
The weather was not very good on Friday so the basketball game was postponed. Matt had varsity players come to our house to watch film and play a little Wii. It was a full house but we had a great time. Matt's assistant coach Mat brought Noah and Macy over to play so we had more fun that night. The guys played Rock Band and everyone was getting into it! Since that night, Cameron has been wanting to "rock out" all the time!! I caught a video of him yesterday drumming...always makes me smile! :)
Last night was fun for Matt and me as we went on a date! It was so fun to have time together. We went to the movie "The Blindside" and it was awesome! I can't wait to get it when it comes out on video. We also sent to Buffalo Wild Wings for supper and then to Gander Mountain. G'ma Deb watched the kids so again...fun for all!
Today we are hanging out and waiting for the big Vikings game to start. We are planning to head to Steve and Deb Sviggums house to watch the game. Go Vikings!!!

Exercising

We have all kinds of new things going on in the house one of which we are trying to exercise a bit more. I am finding that it is very easy to plop on the couch and watch TV and become a couch potato since we are not outside as much. A few weeks ago I decided to join Snap Fitness in Cannon Falls. I have been getting up at 5:30 am to make sure that I get in my workout. I really think that if I didn't get up early and do it, it would be much easier to forget about doing it all together. As I mentioned a few blogs ago, my body is still working on growing accustom to these early mornings and I am very tired and a wee bit cranky lately (Matt may say I'm more than a wee bit though!!)
Cameron must overhear me talking about exercising because he too says that each day he needs to do his exercises. For the past few days when he says this he runs off into the other room. Today, when he announced that he was going to do his exercises I decided to sneak after him and bring the camera along. Low and behold I discovered that his exercises include unrolling the toilet paper and then rolling it back up again. What a work out!! The pictures don't do it justice when I caught him in the act.
In other exercising news, Matt and I signed up for a 1/2 marathon in May. Our good friends Alice and Chris invited us and we decided to go for it. A day after registering I am wondering if we are crazy but overall I am super excited that we are doing it together.
Emmy is also trying something new...going potty on the toilet!!! I am still in disbelief! One night before her bath, I decided to just put her on Cameron's little potty chair and see what she would do. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time and just dangled her little legs. When I lifted her up, she had gone!! I tried it again last night and she went potty again! Cameron is not even potty trained yet...she might just pass him on this!

Little Red Rocking Chair

One of my favorite things to do is look for new old stuff. I wouldn't say that I am totally into antiquing but I do enjoy looking at old antique like items. One of my favorite purchases in recent months was an antique little red rocking chair. It is tiny, perfect for Emmy. I bought it with Matt in mind too for photography. Lately Emmy has taken a liking to to the little red rocking chair as well. It is her favorite spot to watch TV with Cameron. It is so sweet to watch her sit content in it...here is a picture.

Yesterday the kids spent the day with our good friend Lisa Schwanke. At least once a month Lisa will call us and say "I need a kid fix!" She is an amazing mom of three grown kids and is a wonderful mom mentor to me. The kids adore her and always have such a fun time when they have play dates with her. They had a fun day and I was able to get some work done at the office.
Today has been a little of this and a little of that. The kids and I did some running today and then they spent some time with Grandma Deb so I could get my hair cut. Cameron has been making lots of comments about my hair lately so I thought it was time! When we got home we made our favorite chocolate chip cookies...you can see by Cameron's chocolate face that we have been enjoying them this afternoon!

A Colorful Day!

I could relate very well with the Proverbs 31 devotion today. It talks about the colors of our emotions and I was feeling quite colorful today. I am in the process of getting into a routine with working out early in the morning. Because my body is not quite accustomed yet, I am finding that I am tired and therefore lacking a chipper mood by the end of the day (if you know what I mean!). So because I was tired, my heart and mind got into an emotional roller coaster. I was a little blue knowing that Matt would be gone tonight with work. I always look forward to him coming home and always appreciate the fact that I am not a single parent...thank you God for my helper! I was tickled pink when my kids wanted to play and build forts today...it is not much of a fort really but the kids get such a kick out of it and it is pure fun for the day. "Fort Addington"...see the pictures!

Unfortunately my pinks turned to shades of red as I grew frustrated and even a little angry as the kids were overtired, would not take naps, and started wrestling and hitting each other. I was grateful for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Baby Einstein by the end of the day!!
Fortunately God is always working and when I reached my limit suddenly Matt was home for a bit and there was a little peace again. I guess God knew I needed a bright color at that moment!

Besides having a colorful day myself the kids also had colorful days. Cameron had a blast painting pictures and learning how to make paper chains (we are working on decorating for Valentines Day...and maybe St. Patricks day since he likes to use green all the time!!) Emmy was a little colorful as well as she found an ink pen and drew all over herself.

Cameron's saying of the day was "mom, you hurt my feelings". This was in reference to me changing his diaper. He told me that it hurts his feelings when I change his dirty diapers. I always have a little laugh when he says this. I think he is a little mixed up with the meaning of hurt feelings!

Don't lick the train table...

Boys are weird!!! I suppose you could say that girls are weird too but right now I am particularly thinking of my little boy. Matt built Cameron a train table for Christmas this year and it must be flavored wood because Cameron cannot stop licking it! It is disgusting if you ask me but every day we have been having the same conversation, "Cameron, why are you licking the train table" Cameron's reply "because I am" Mommy - "please don't lick the train table" Cameron - "but I like to"....like I said earlier, weird!! The picture here shows the wet spot that he has been licking the table...can you believe he would lick this much of it!


Emmy is really getting into books and multiple times during the day will bring a book over to you and reach up to sit on your lap. I am also finding her to be quite the daddy's little girl. Here is a picture of her and daddy reading her favorite book. We are working with her to say Elmo although it usually comes out as "Elgco" :)

The last few nights we have been playing Hide and Go Seek in an effort to wear us all out and help the kiddos sleep better through the night. Cameron never wants to hide he prefers to count. Matt and I take turns hiding and then counting with Cameron. Once he finds us, we run all over the house screaming..."she/he is going to get me" and "don't run over Emmy!" It is a blast and I think it will be a nightly ritual through the winter months :)

Mommy's Little Helpers/Great Conversations!

Cameron has really become a wonderful helper to me. For instance, today (two times) I began changing Emmy's diaper without having all the needed supplies. I yell for Cameron and he is at my side asking what I need. He gets me the diaper bag both times when asked. I love these moments. They don't happen all the time but more and more he is beginning to listen when asked to do something or help with something. I don't want to sound like a task master but it is even simple things such as "Cameron, please come and help pick up your toys"....this is his least favorite task to help with but as we've begun to make it a habbit it is actually getting easier. Emmy too loves to help and is understanding more and more what we are saying to her...now we need an interpreter to understand her I think!

Cameron has also begun to discover many new things. Today, he asked me if I had bones! He was very curious but also somewhat concerned as he was under the impression that bones were a bad thing to have. We had a teachable moment and he discovered that his body has many bones...and it is a good thing...especially the bone that is holding his brain...he calls it his "scullture" :) I love it when he makes up words!

Another conversation that Cameron and I have been having lately is about marriage. He'll ask "mommy, are you married" I say yes and he is instantly in tear saying "I don't want you to be married!!" I alway reply that I am married to daddy and this is a good thing. I don't know that it totally eases his mind but he also say that does not want to be married either. Such innocence and wonder...these times with our little ones are the most precious times. God has truly blessed us!!

Today at church we had a guest speaker who spoke on Psalm 68....the first three words being "Let God Arise". This spoke volumes to me and it makes so much sense in a number of ways. If we let God Arise rather than trying to do it ourselves or hold him back from doing what he needs to we will be so much better off. My prayer is that I can remeber these three words this week and in time after. Amen!

Lazy days!

Is anyone else having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after the holidays? I went on vacation mode on December 23 and haven't been able to get back to the real world! I am enjoying play times with the kids and their new Christmas toys. We play train and what Cameron likes to call "mash crash"...with that name I'm guessing you can tell what we are doing...crashing trains of course!! We also have tea parties, play store with our new cash register (thanks G'ma Carol and Amy!), feed the multiple babies, and play some fun games too. These are the times that I love my job because it allows me to be home some with the kids as they grow.

Emmy has had some fun getting into things lately. I was on the phone with my friend Laura for five minutes and in that time, she found her daddy's favorite cereal box...Cinnamon Life. It seems like kids realize their wide open domain of freedom when you are on the phone. She took her chance and five minutes later there was a cereal trail from the pantry into the kitchen. Do you smile or scream!! :) More and more I am learning to smile but I believe God is trying to teach me a little more patience in all of it.

As I said earlier, the kids haven't been sleeping the best but we found out that when they can run a bit it helps immensely. We are back to our two or three games a week schedule and on Tuesday night, Cameron and Emmy ran and ran during the game (thanks G'ma Carol for missing so much of the game to run with the kiddos!) and that night slept through. We've decided that going to the gym and running around will help all of us have a more restful night. We are also hoping that the weather will warm up this week so we can finally enjoy the abundant amount of snow we have been given. Cameron is also itching to do some shoveling. We'll keep you posted!

Home Sweet Home!

The kids and I are enjoying our first full day at home since before Christmas. We are still in our jammies!! It was a wonderful couple of weeks but a little crazy. The hardest part of the break being over is having Matt go back to school. I think we were all ready for a schedule again but I wish it included Matt being home with us too!

The kids have been a little off of their schedules since the Christmas hustle and bustle began. Missed naps, late nights and early mornings have turned them around. Cameron has been getting up every night with either bad dreams or being scared of noises he hears. He wants mommy and daddy to sleep in his big boy bed with him. Did I mention the bed is the size of half of me! We also moved Cameron's crib out of his room and into Emmy's because a few days ago, she got out of her crib all by herself!!! We are still trying to figure out how she did it. We didn't hear a cry so I hoping she landed on her feet! With all of the changes it has been another thing that has mixed both of the kids up a bit. I'm hoping that we'll get back on track and hopefully all have a full night of sleep again soon.

Emmy's personality is really starting to come out now. She is a happy little girl that is full of energy and adores her older brother. She pretty much follows him around the house doing whatever he does. Did I also mention she is a little terror!! She is in the stage that you have to follow her around an pick up behind her. Otherwise she is right behind you pulling out everything you just put away. We had Bible study here last night. I about lost it before everyone got here as I was mad dashing to put Christmas decorations away and trying to keep things somewhat picked up before they got here. I guess it really doesn't matter in the end if the house is messy...I think I more or less like to look like I have it all together but maybe I don't!