yes, it's true- we were sick again. this time it started with pink eye over a week ago, which we nipped in the bud immediately (poor calla- she did NOT like those eye drops!). there was some coughing going on, but it seemed we were on the upswing, until...greta woke up saturday with a rash covering her body, we took her to urgent care and they listened to her coughing, took x-rays & concluded it was a form of pneumonia that involves a rash. off to get anti-biotics and greta is on the mend. sunday had us back in urgent care for mike- with, what he believes (we need to verify with his mom), was his first ear infection. another set of anti-biotics and hopefully this is it.
so now we are working to de-stress and change our diet. my cousin's husband is doctor, focusing on whole body wellness. he is going to analyze our diet (keeping a food diary) and then give us suggestions. at this point we are going to try everything possible to get healthy...which might involve many more things- to be discussed later...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
who's the boss?
a few days ago i overheard greta telling calla- "calla, the big kids are the boss of you." i quickly jumped in and said-"greta, moms & dads are the boss- you are not the boss of your sister."
greta's response- "Mom, Jesus is really the boss of all of us."
WOW! i got trumped by a 4 year old!
greta's response- "Mom, Jesus is really the boss of all of us."
WOW! i got trumped by a 4 year old!
Monday, June 8, 2009
too many ideas, not enough time
lately my craftiness is starting to get the best of me. as in- all i want to do is craft projects. i just finished an apron for a friend & now i have a laundry list of other things all vying for my attention! where to begin? i need to finish mike's father's day gift & i'm working on fixing up the girl's upstairs table & chairs. i think the fact the table top gave greta a giant splinter under her fingernail (ouch!) was a pretty good indicator that the table is not okay in it's current form. (i'll take some before & after shots).
but here is the problem- i also want to do this, and this, and i'd love to try to recreate anything from here, and i have several ideas (and fabric to use) for skirts for the girls. mike has 4, yes you read that right- FOUR - days left of school and then it's summer break! well, not really since i still have to work and he will be working, but it's going to feel so leisurely in comparison to life with him in school (just picture me with the girls 24/7 and that is basically life with mike in school). and i hope that during this break he finds a full time job that wants to hire him when he's done in december. and i also hope that i can use my free time to enjoy some summer cocktails & crafty nights. the fact that there will be an extra set of hands with the girls (and with chores- oh how i look forward to not doing every single load of laundry for the summer!) already has me relaxed and revving to go...craft/organization/beautification projects- i'm coming!
but here is the problem- i also want to do this, and this, and i'd love to try to recreate anything from here, and i have several ideas (and fabric to use) for skirts for the girls. mike has 4, yes you read that right- FOUR - days left of school and then it's summer break! well, not really since i still have to work and he will be working, but it's going to feel so leisurely in comparison to life with him in school (just picture me with the girls 24/7 and that is basically life with mike in school). and i hope that during this break he finds a full time job that wants to hire him when he's done in december. and i also hope that i can use my free time to enjoy some summer cocktails & crafty nights. the fact that there will be an extra set of hands with the girls (and with chores- oh how i look forward to not doing every single load of laundry for the summer!) already has me relaxed and revving to go...craft/organization/beautification projects- i'm coming!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
since they are gone
the girls went to my parent's house yesterday and stayed the night. they have done this before, but usually it's b/c we have something going on, we are sick, etc. yesterday it was really for no reason. mike is studying for finals (he's done in 8 days, not that i'm counting!) and i had no plans for the evening. a full night with NO plans!?!?! i can't remember the last time i had a night like that. at first i didn't know what to do with myself, but the night quickly filled up- hair (it keeps getting shorter), gym, dinner with mike and the rest of the evening was devoted to gutting through the mounds of girl's clothing we have acquired over the past four years. garage sale- here we come.
back to the reason for this post- last night mike got out the video camera and since we couldn't tuck the girls in to bed, we watched some video from dinner a few nights ago. it was another night of laughing hysteria & another night we didn't want to end. (i need to figure out how to post video!). then we were laying in bed talking about the girls & their funnies, so before i forget - and because we miss them - here are the current favorites:
calla- "green hair!" (we have our first official family inside joke)
greta- basing her decision to go to grandma & papa's house- "well, you know, they do have a really good mcdonald's in their town. it's probably even better then the mcdonald's in our town, so we should probably go to their house." (apparently mcdonald's play structures are a big determining factor!)
calla- when we ask her "what color are your eyes?" she rolls her eyes up to the top of her head & tries to "see" what color they are- this last for about 5 minutes b/c we are all rolling with laughter & she knows she is putting on a good show. it's her new party trick.
greta- "mazagine", in reference to magazines and "pale nolish" for nail polish.
the other new dinner time entertainment is cheering each other on when we're finishing up dinner. when the girls decide they are done, but still need to eat a few more bites, we chant, "greta, greta, greta, greta..." until she takes a big bite & then we cheer. same goes for calla (and mom & dad)- it's a great way for them to finish eating a few bites and we are all happy & laughing. much better then the old - "girls, please finish your food!" (in a harsh tone). it's amazing how we get creative with things as time goes on and learn through trial & error. parenting- it's a learning process! :) what we don't have to learn is that we love our girls & miss them when they are gone.
back to the reason for this post- last night mike got out the video camera and since we couldn't tuck the girls in to bed, we watched some video from dinner a few nights ago. it was another night of laughing hysteria & another night we didn't want to end. (i need to figure out how to post video!). then we were laying in bed talking about the girls & their funnies, so before i forget - and because we miss them - here are the current favorites:
calla- "green hair!" (we have our first official family inside joke)
greta- basing her decision to go to grandma & papa's house- "well, you know, they do have a really good mcdonald's in their town. it's probably even better then the mcdonald's in our town, so we should probably go to their house." (apparently mcdonald's play structures are a big determining factor!)
calla- when we ask her "what color are your eyes?" she rolls her eyes up to the top of her head & tries to "see" what color they are- this last for about 5 minutes b/c we are all rolling with laughter & she knows she is putting on a good show. it's her new party trick.
greta- "mazagine", in reference to magazines and "pale nolish" for nail polish.
the other new dinner time entertainment is cheering each other on when we're finishing up dinner. when the girls decide they are done, but still need to eat a few more bites, we chant, "greta, greta, greta, greta..." until she takes a big bite & then we cheer. same goes for calla (and mom & dad)- it's a great way for them to finish eating a few bites and we are all happy & laughing. much better then the old - "girls, please finish your food!" (in a harsh tone). it's amazing how we get creative with things as time goes on and learn through trial & error. parenting- it's a learning process! :) what we don't have to learn is that we love our girls & miss them when they are gone.
Friday, May 29, 2009
what dat noise?
calla has been using this phrase for the past few months. anything & everything she hears she asks, "what dat noise?" sometimes it's the train coming, a siren, honking...but sometimes we don't even know what she is hearing because whatever it is, it seems it's audible only to her. a toddler's curiosity is such an amazing thing.
tonight over dinner she took her token "what dat noise" phrase and changed it up on us. greta was telling me a story about gymnastics and how after class (mike took both the girls so i could finish getting dinner ready) she saw "a guy with green hair and no shirt on- so you could see his ovals." apparently this is her word for nipples, and when we all started laughing calla said her new "what dat noise" phrase - "what you talk-a-ing about?" then we started laughing at her & it was all downhill (or uphill, depending on how you feel about uncontrollable laughter) from there. mike & calla started imitating each other, saying "what you talk-a-ing about" over & over, and then greta asked, "why are you guys argu-u-ing?" it was one of those nights where i wanted dinner to last forever. we frosted cupcakes after dinner for no reason other than sometimes you just need a cupcake with sprinkles and princess graham crackers on top. it was just one of those nights- love it!
tonight over dinner she took her token "what dat noise" phrase and changed it up on us. greta was telling me a story about gymnastics and how after class (mike took both the girls so i could finish getting dinner ready) she saw "a guy with green hair and no shirt on- so you could see his ovals." apparently this is her word for nipples, and when we all started laughing calla said her new "what dat noise" phrase - "what you talk-a-ing about?" then we started laughing at her & it was all downhill (or uphill, depending on how you feel about uncontrollable laughter) from there. mike & calla started imitating each other, saying "what you talk-a-ing about" over & over, and then greta asked, "why are you guys argu-u-ing?" it was one of those nights where i wanted dinner to last forever. we frosted cupcakes after dinner for no reason other than sometimes you just need a cupcake with sprinkles and princess graham crackers on top. it was just one of those nights- love it!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
how could i forget my camera?
this past weekend was full of all kinds of fun adventure- and since i failed to have my camera around for any of it- you will just need to use your imaginations (plus a few links here & there) to get an idea of what the weekend held.
friday we headed to the gym in the morning, where the girls played with their church/school/gym friends. i then cut my hair (it seems i officially am a short hair girl. no matter what i do i can't seem to grow it out- so now the question remains- when will i officially have "mom" hair? or do i have it already?) while the girls played with more friends. then we headed to gymnastics that night and finished off the evening by going out to pizza with our gymnastics friends.
saturday we hung out at home all day & then had our first family bike ride! greta rode by herself across the streets and was awesome! calla fell asleep in the trailer and i relearned how to ride a bike after all these years (i can't even remember the last time i rode, but now that i have one of these i want to ride all the time!). it was awesome. rode to the fountain where we had a picnic and the girls played until they were soaked. well, calla was soaked, greta was not really into the fountain as much as riding the scooter we borrowed from our neighbor.
sunday was church, followed by a day spent in mcminnville in the carlson's backyard. saw friends, celebrated jakob's 4th birthday and enjoyed every minute of it. after the party and dinner we headed to my parent's house, where the girls got their first scooter, and greta received a lovely nightgown, which she is trying to convince us is really clothing.
monday we went out to a fabulous breakfast in portland with my family and grandpa. i sometimes am a complete genius and this was one of those times. i brought bead necklaces the girls could work on while they were waiting for their food (gotta love the michaels dollar bins). so they sat and created some plastic bead beauties while we waited for our food. the funniest part about the meal is that greta ordered a monte cristo- she cracks me up sometimes! we left there to head home & hit our local outdoor water park otter beach. i was not sure if the girls would love or hate it, but hours later i was pretty sure it was a hit! we met up with some friends there and it was a fabulous day, especially since mike joined us (we aren't going to see much of him these next few weeks as he finishes up school). after hours playing we went out for ice cream cones at mcdonalds (and enjoyed the play structure too), then we were off to friends from church for a bbq...a perfect end to a pretty perfect weekend.
now i really am kicking myself for forgetting my camera! but at least we can remember all the fun things we did for the weekend & we have a few visual aids to help out.
friday we headed to the gym in the morning, where the girls played with their church/school/gym friends. i then cut my hair (it seems i officially am a short hair girl. no matter what i do i can't seem to grow it out- so now the question remains- when will i officially have "mom" hair? or do i have it already?) while the girls played with more friends. then we headed to gymnastics that night and finished off the evening by going out to pizza with our gymnastics friends.
saturday we hung out at home all day & then had our first family bike ride! greta rode by herself across the streets and was awesome! calla fell asleep in the trailer and i relearned how to ride a bike after all these years (i can't even remember the last time i rode, but now that i have one of these i want to ride all the time!). it was awesome. rode to the fountain where we had a picnic and the girls played until they were soaked. well, calla was soaked, greta was not really into the fountain as much as riding the scooter we borrowed from our neighbor.
sunday was church, followed by a day spent in mcminnville in the carlson's backyard. saw friends, celebrated jakob's 4th birthday and enjoyed every minute of it. after the party and dinner we headed to my parent's house, where the girls got their first scooter, and greta received a lovely nightgown, which she is trying to convince us is really clothing.
monday we went out to a fabulous breakfast in portland with my family and grandpa. i sometimes am a complete genius and this was one of those times. i brought bead necklaces the girls could work on while they were waiting for their food (gotta love the michaels dollar bins). so they sat and created some plastic bead beauties while we waited for our food. the funniest part about the meal is that greta ordered a monte cristo- she cracks me up sometimes! we left there to head home & hit our local outdoor water park otter beach. i was not sure if the girls would love or hate it, but hours later i was pretty sure it was a hit! we met up with some friends there and it was a fabulous day, especially since mike joined us (we aren't going to see much of him these next few weeks as he finishes up school). after hours playing we went out for ice cream cones at mcdonalds (and enjoyed the play structure too), then we were off to friends from church for a bbq...a perfect end to a pretty perfect weekend.
now i really am kicking myself for forgetting my camera! but at least we can remember all the fun things we did for the weekend & we have a few visual aids to help out.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Spring sing, Belle & Calla
now that i've committed to keeping up the blog, it's time for some photos!
last thursday greta had her spring sing at school. it was about 15 minutes of the kids singing various songs & it was probably one of the tamest programs i've seen. no one did anything crazy and it was structured- kind of a big surprise and i have to admit, sort of disappointing! i totally look forward to the chaos that comes with a kid's program, so i was waiting & waiting for some sort of disaster and while it was still really nice, i wanted to see a meltdown or one kid singing & dancing out of control. at the same time, it was SO fun watching greta up there. she was so excited to see us & very diligent about making sure she followed the moves and that she sang loud & clear.
i also took greta to her first play. we went to see beauty & the beast. her friend scarlet (who is 12, but greta refers to her as her friend) was in the play and greta loved it. took a little getting over the scary beast, but she turned to me during the play and said, "mom, this is a really, really good movie!" everyone near us got a good chuckle out of that one.
then there is calla. it seems like poor calla gets neglected on this blog when it comes to story telling. and it's not because we lack stories about calla, i think it's more that she can't talk much. she's getting there, but her stories involve more physical activity and i don't know if she wants us to mention all the bullying she does on here! :) i will say my absolute favorite thing about calla is that she laughs- all the time, about everything. if she falls down - she laughs. if she is talking to greta - she laughs. if she is being a monster - she laughs. if we say it's time for...(fill in the blank- dinner, bedtime, getting dressed) - she laughs. everything she does- she does it with a laugh. life doesn't get much better than that!
last thursday greta had her spring sing at school. it was about 15 minutes of the kids singing various songs & it was probably one of the tamest programs i've seen. no one did anything crazy and it was structured- kind of a big surprise and i have to admit, sort of disappointing! i totally look forward to the chaos that comes with a kid's program, so i was waiting & waiting for some sort of disaster and while it was still really nice, i wanted to see a meltdown or one kid singing & dancing out of control. at the same time, it was SO fun watching greta up there. she was so excited to see us & very diligent about making sure she followed the moves and that she sang loud & clear.
i also took greta to her first play. we went to see beauty & the beast. her friend scarlet (who is 12, but greta refers to her as her friend) was in the play and greta loved it. took a little getting over the scary beast, but she turned to me during the play and said, "mom, this is a really, really good movie!" everyone near us got a good chuckle out of that one.
then there is calla. it seems like poor calla gets neglected on this blog when it comes to story telling. and it's not because we lack stories about calla, i think it's more that she can't talk much. she's getting there, but her stories involve more physical activity and i don't know if she wants us to mention all the bullying she does on here! :) i will say my absolute favorite thing about calla is that she laughs- all the time, about everything. if she falls down - she laughs. if she is talking to greta - she laughs. if she is being a monster - she laughs. if we say it's time for...(fill in the blank- dinner, bedtime, getting dressed) - she laughs. everything she does- she does it with a laugh. life doesn't get much better than that!
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