Today is Stella's last day.

It has been quite the journey with this little thing.  We have had ups, we have had downs, we have had fantastic days and trying days.  Essentially 3 days a week Stella became an honorary member of our family.  And in our family it's for better or worse.

We started here.  



Discovered how much we loved the outdoors!

Did some serious tummy time!

Found our inner Lord of the Flies self...

The swing wasn't necessarily a long lived activity, but we have a few minutes of bliss!

We ran into some of this along the way...

Water baby!

Stella also realized the awesomeness of Dinosaurs! ROAR!!!

Just one of the gang.

We love you Stell and will miss you!

The Summer of Aid

Aid has had his eye on the big slide at the Y since the moment we walked through the doors over 2 years ago.  Of course he was super under the height requirement.  Last year, he spent the whole year measuring himself and practicing going under water in preparation.

This summer is Aid's summer.  The very first thing we did upon changing back to the Y was to go swimming.  And the first thing Aid did is run up to measure himself.  He was just under. Just.  He nervously asked the lifeguard what the test was to be able to go down the slide.  He had to float on his stomach and his back for 5 seconds.  This does not sound terribly hard, but we spent at least an hour practicing and timing him before he asked to take the test.

I went with him. (He had to do it in the deep pool.) I was probably more nervous then he was and reminded him to count to five in his head before coming up. Then I held my breath.  He completely made the stomach float, but struggled a bit more with the back float.  He probably made 4 seconds if we're being brutally honest, but I think the lifeguard had been watching him practice and saw how much he wanted it..and that he clearly wasn't going to drown.

The lifeguard gave him the wristband.  He is officially able to go down that slide.  There has been one other lifeguard who doesn't think he is tall enough but the lifeguard who passed him has his back. (If you are not tall enough the test is that you have to float on your stomach and your back for ten seconds and then tread water for 30. WTF? For a half an inch?) 

I was sure that my first born was going to be nervous once he got to the top.  He always is.  So we swam over to the slide so I could show him (and the cranky lifeguard) that he could touch just in case he panicked on the way down.  We talked about how it can feel super high but it's like any other slide and he should be brave, etc.  This was all unnecessary. 

He sprinted to the top giving victory waves and thumbs up as he went.  I caught the look on his face as he sat down on the slide.  He was beaming with pride.

So was I.

Great job Aid! You set a goal and worked toward it and you earned it! I am so proud of you!!!!

Home is Where the Heart Is

Almost 5 years ago we moved from Oregon to Minnesota.  At the time I needed a drastic change.  There were some serious family dynamics that I felt like I couldn't handle anymore and was afraid of having my children have to handle.  It was a reactive move.  And while Minnesota has brought us so many good things, I find myself longing to go home. 

Bob's family is here and for that reason alone where ever we live, we miss people.  (There are no plans to move back at this point so no one freak out.)  But my nephew has just been born and I so badly want to be there to celebrate with my family.  I love him already and want to hold him.  I want to babysit him for my sister so they can go on a date.  I want to spoil him and my niece rotten.  I'm missing so much and it's only getting harder for me.

Boys, I know some day the time will come where you just have to leave.  You will feel suffocated and upset about some family dynamic.  You will want your own adventure and your own space.  And I will support you.  But I will always hope that you find your way back home.  Either that, or we will move to where you are (be warned).

Distance has definitely provided me with some much needed perspective.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Our friends, The Knox's recently gave Aiden an entire bucket of Bakugans. What are bakugans you ask? They are transformery type things.  Just something that Aid can collect, although he does play with them frequently.  Their children have lost interest in them and donated them to Aid instead of selling them in their garage sale.  It was incredibly generous and Aid was over the moon about it.
He has carried these things with him everywhere. He sleeps with them for crying out loud.

But something else came of this great gesture.  Their giving to Aid seems to have really prompted Aid's own desire to share and give to others.  He selected 3 different ones to give to his best friend at school.  Then he gave our neighbor friend, Evan, one.  This. is. huge.  Aid has trouble parting with anything, particularly something he sees as his.

Then he asked me what their kids liked.  I told him that I believed they like legos.  "MOM!  Why don't we give them our legos? We don't play with them at all! They would love them!"

Sure enough, they are equally happy to have the legos and we are super excited about the Bakugans.  Aid learned a lesson that I have been trying to teach him and get him to participate in for quite awhile.  I am so happy that we have such great friends.  But I'm even happier that we have the type of friends that can teach my children the value of giving and sharing.

The Curse of a Mother

I'm free!!!!

Wait. I'm free....

What is it about being a mother that makes you long for some alone time, but almost the moment you get it you want your babies to just come back?

I have today and tonight to myself.  I told myself I was not going to clean, but I can't relax as well if I don't.  Grant helped me out by peeing absolutely everywhere in the bathroom...although his diaper was completely dry so still a step in the right direction I suppose.

I let Aid watch dinosaurs on the computer all morning and was rewarded with, "you are the best most prettiful mom ever."

Bob seems happy and excited to get full on boy time at the lake. A guitar, a frisbee, and a soccer ball were packed.  I packed everything else I thought they would need.

As I stood there giving good bye kisses and waving and yelling good-bye until they were out of sights, tears bubbled up.

"Good grief," I thought. "It has got to be the ultimate curse of motherhood that your job is to prepare them to be independent, adventurous, self sufficient people in the world when all you want to do is hold them as tightly as you can for as long as you possibly can."

Happy Mother's day weekend to every mother who knows exactly what I'm talking about. Including my own....

Ode to the Children In My Life

Dear Boys,

I can't believe you haven't picked up on this yet, but the thing that drives mommy the most bananas is when you scream (at each other, at me doesn't matter).  I have far less patience for it then you think.

If you scream about something you are almost immediately not going to get it.  Even if it would have been a legitimate request or it really was your turn.

Even if it was your turn, or your brother was driving you crazy, hitting is not ok.  I do not hit you when you drive me bananas. Please have the same respect for one another.

Please stop fighting with one another. Your piece of Grandma bread is no bigger then your brothers. How do I know? I now weigh them on the scale.

When I say no, I mean no. Once upon a time the crying and begging worked. It no longer does. At. all.

Your mama is every bit as stubborn as you are.  Where do you think it comes from?


Dear Stella,

There are some things that I am confident you will eventually figure out...

If you continuously grab the boys' food at the table, you will then be relegated to eating your breakfast in your high chair. End of story.

I can't defend your right to go into the playroom when they are watching the computer if you only want to slam the keys and pull it away from them.  If you just play with everything else in there I totally have your back.

If you hit Grant with your sippy cup in the car(and I know this is on purpose darling little one because it's ONLY Grant that you hit) then you get your sippy cup taken away from you.

I know that you don't love being buckled into the cart at the grocery store.  But you also won't stop trying to climb out of said cart so you leave me no choice.

I go to the bathroom by myself.  No amount of hitting the door and yelling at me will change that.  You are fine for the few minutes this takes I assure you.

I am almost completely immune to bottom lip action. P.S. Grant's was TOTALLY better.


I love you all,

Love,

Mom/Auntie Karen

Will I Have a Ross?

Aid loves dinosaurs.  This is nothing new.  Of coarse when it started we all thought it was a phase.  Three years later it is clear it is not a phase.  He is fascinated by them and is never uninterested.  He continues to learn more about them including venturing into their organ make up and how they are related to animals now.

Aid is learning about reptiles and amphibians at school right now.  His teacher was very impressed when he spouted off to the class that "dinosaurs were the oldest reptiles!"  He brought in some books to share and was very pleased with himself for making the connection.

As we were reading this dinosaur encyclopedia (one of many) he was pointing out which ones were reptiles and which ones were amphibians.  "Aid," I asked, "how do you know that a Ichthyostega is an amphibian and not a reptile?"

He sighed.  "I told you before mom....because my brain tells me that I am a paleontologist.  I just know these things."

It will not surprise me for one second if he actually becomes one some day. Not one bit.