Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Jelly

Anna helped me make some jelly today. She came out to the rhubarb patch with me and "guarded" the bowl so that no bugs hitched a ride into the house via the bowl. I finished making the jelly while she took a nap and then we had some some toast with cherry-rhubarb jelly for snack. As we munched I recapped the process we went through to make the jelly and Anna added her two cents during the conversation. We decided we liked the jelly and Anna said, "We buy at home." I finally understood her to mean that the jelly was homemade.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Happy Birthday Gramps

Yesterday we had my mom, dad and sister over for my dad's 62nd birthday supper. We had intended on having a cook-out in the backyard but, due to the rain we all huddled around the coffee table in the living room. We ate, opened gifts and enjoyed the yummy cheesecake mom brought for dessert.

Ever the gentleman,Isaiah walked mom and dad out to their car when they left to go home. These are Isaiah's parting words to mom and dad: "Thank you so much for coming. Take your time there's no rush." (not sure if he was referring to the walking to their car or driving home on wet roads?). Then Isaiah ran back in the house only to realize he needed one more hug from the grandparents. He ran back out to their car yelling, "Hold it, I need one more hug from the birthday boy and from Grammy."

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Our Papa has Returned

Matthew's flight arrived in MSP at 10:30pm. Yeah. He's home and I'm breathing again for the first time in 8 days. I give credit to single-parents out there, yikes, I would not be good at that job. I'm not sure what time he crawled in bed last night but I awoke this morning from a relatively good night* of sleep. The weight has been lifted. I'm glad you're home Papa we all missed you.

*My night was as good as it gets with a nearly two-year-old who still hangs out in our bed and a six-year-old who also crawled in to be with his Papa. All in all it was restful for my standards. It makes a difference to know my husband is home where he belongs.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

It's the Simple Things

I have a bit of a confession: I sometimes go onto ebay just to reminisce about toys I had when I was little. I get to type in a toy, puzzle, game, etc. that I suddenly remember and see if anyone out there in ebay-world has a photo of my childhood. It's fun.

A couple weeks ago I bought a little memory for 10 buckaroos. It was part of my mother's day gift to myself. It's a little fisher-price desk. It has a slanted chalkboard with magnetic letters and numbers. The letters come in a tray that neatly slides into the bottom of the lap desk. The numbers are stored in the sliding compartment at the top. It also came with all 16 cards that have pictures of various objects with die cut spaces for the said letters to be matched into. Hours and hours of fun I tell ya. It came last week. I cleaned it up a bit and Isaiah loves it. How fun! It doesn't beep, blink, sing, talk or walk. It just sits there quietly and lets Isaiah make up little words with the magnets and practice his language arts skills.

Friday, May 18, 2007

The Inevitable

Since Matthew's out of the country for work I figured we'd all make a trip to the ER/urgent care, we usually do. It's a family tradition. Matthew's flight left Tuesday and I've been waiting patiently all week. Today was the day!

Anna and I played outside all afternoon yesterday and after supper the kiddos and I went back outside to play with our new chalk toys. We then hopped on the swing set and it was there I discovered yucky bug bites that were bleeding on Anna's neck. Yuck! She didn't seem bothered but we went inside for a bath and an application of Melaleuca oil. This morning one of the bites looked bigger and redder. I then doubted they were just bug bites. Well...we went to visit the fish tank at the clinic and found out the real bad bite turned into a skin infection. So as not to break tradition we then went to Target for the amoxicillan that is also a family requirement when Matthew's out of town.

I think to play it safe we'll just stay indoors until Papa returns. Usually I only go to the clinic for one child while Matthew's gone although once I did have to make two separate trips. Papa, please come home safely and soon. We miss you!

Thank Goodness

As my kiddos and I were pulling into the driveway I saw a horrible site lying on the side of the road. A small ball of fluff that was colored a beautiful blue. It was...a papa bluebird. In a split second I became concerned for the mama and her babies. Who was going to feed them? Will she leave the nest when he doesn't come back? Will she go get food? Will she sit in her birdhouse and starve? I decided to just let it go and let God be in charge. If he's concerned about sparrows I'm sure he cares about the bluebirds, too.

I did, however, say out loud, "Oh no!" Isaiah said, "What? What happened?" I said, "Isaiah...it's the papa bluebird...he was hit by a car." I braced for the crying and emotional distress I assumed was coming. There was emotional distress all right but, not quite what I expected. Isaiah said in a very tearful and upset voice/yell, "Mama, you scared me half to death. I thought you were going to say it was a fox or something like that!" Apparently Isaiah was willing to part with the papa bluebird but heaven forbid a fox get shmucked in front of our house.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The Things We Do

A few weeks ago my mom and Anna had a bonding moment. Grammy painted Anna's toe-ies with polish. Being the girly-girl that Anna is she LOVED it! She's been showing everyone who'll look her "pitty peent". It has started to wear off and she asked for more. I don't own any polish so I couldn't help the girl out. She not only asked for more but she asked for "boo peent" as well. Hmmm...I'm pretty sure Grammy does not have blue nail polish. Matthew wanted me to buy her some blue polish so, I did. I repainted Anna's tiny toes blues. Well, today she insisted Mama have pitty boo peent, too. Aww...c'mon....seriously? YES! I now have electric blue nail polish on my toes. I assure I will not be going barefoot or wearing flip-flops for awhile. At least Anna loves it.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mama's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms today. It is a super duper day! Today makes all the other days worth it, I only wish it were more like a week long celebration. :)

We are off to Red Wing, MN today for a ginormous brunch at the St. James Hotel. We went two years ago, however, I was 8mos. pregnant and in the middle of gestational diabetes. Needless to say, I didn't eat very much. This year....no insulin, no diabetes just tons of yummy morsels to eat. Yeah! My fam. brought me a tiny breakfast in bed this morning, don't want to fill up too soon, complete with a beautiful rendition of a Happy Mother's Day song composed by Isaiah and gave me three very sweet cards. I feel loved. I feel appreciated. I feel proud to be their Mama.

I hope all the other mom's have a special day too. God Bless!

Friday, May 11, 2007

Pray for Rain and Safety

www.startribune.com/10072/rich_media/1171231.html

When Matthew and I were married in 1999 we had zilch for moola, not that we're rollin' in it now, but I'm talking groceries being charged on credit cards. We also had this wedding to plan. I did not want to plan a wedding, it's not my thing. Matthew and my mom did most of the decision making. I just wanted real flowers, I wanted to get married at FCC and I wanted a honeymoon. That's it! I sooo did not care about the dress and the colors and the DJ and the party etc, etc. Too much stress! It all turned out wonderfully and the day was super, thanks to my mom and Matthew.

The honeymoon almost didn't happen though. We had this great big fancy trip planned for the BWCA on the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota. We wanted to spend our time together in the woods but be comfortable too. We decided on Gunflint Lodge. We ended up not being able to afford the whole honeymoon package. I was bummed but knew we'd go someday. Matthew surprised me though and figured a way we could go for a couple days at least. Yeah! It was so much fun and even though it was probably the shortest honeymoon in history Gunflint Lodge became very special to us. We were able to go again when Isaiah was two and we decided we were going to make the Lodge our yearly family spot as soon as we could.

This was our year! We have a whole week planned for July and my mom and dad are coming too. We wanted the kids to have some special memories of a summer vacation with Gramps and Grammy. They agreed to come along, it didn't take much convincing.

We heard last week about the start of the Ham Lake fire. The link above shows the damage that's been done so far. The winds changed yesterday, surprisingly, and really messed up the plan to stop the fire. Apparently only 5% of the fire is contained and under control. No lives have been lost which is THE most important thing. The entire Trail has been evacuated. It's about a 60mile road which has only one entry/exit point in Grand Marais. Essentially Gunflint Trail is a very long dead end road. Besides Gunflint Lodge, there are other lodges and businesses that make their living along the trail not to mention the homes and cabins that have been destroyed. Please pray for rain and the safety of all the firefighters. Some buildings and homes have outdoor sprinkler systems for this very purpose, those systems are working for the most part.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Baby Legs

Can I just say I'm so glad for the summer weather. I absolutely loooove to put my little girl in shorts and short sleeves. Why? For the simple fact I get to look at her little arms, legs, feet and toes all day long. When your babies are brand new I think all parents could just sit and stare at their babies' wonderfulness, it hasn't changed for me yet. I sort of just giggle at how she looks in her summer outfits. I keep telling Matthew to just look at her little legs and did you see her little elbows? He sort of looks at me like I'm nuts, although he did sneak in a shoulder kiss this afternoon. I saw him with my own eyes! I must not be that crazy. I could just eat her up I'm tellin' ya.

Early Mother's Day

I picked up Isaiah from school yesterday because I was running some errands at that time and thought I'd surprise him. His teacher, being as clever as she is, sent home the plethora of Mother's Day gifts he made so he wouldn't have to lug it all home on the bus later. I received a beautiful card about Dandelions with a photo of Isaiah holding a bouquet of said flowers. I also received a wonderfully painted terracotta pot with Marigold seedlings growing inside. The other two gifts, I was told, were for tomorrow morning. The clue I received from Isaiah was that they had something to do with breakfast. Hhmmmm?

This morning Isaiah had told me to hop back into bed and get ready for my surprises. I had already showered and gotten ready for the day, but I obliged as he seemed pretty adamant. He handed me a lunch bag with a portrait of myself in bed and the note attached read:

Breakfast in Bed!
Since it is your day,
I have something to say:
Don't lift your head.
Have breakfast in bed!
Just take a look...
You don't have to cook!
I don't like to brag
But it's breakfast in a bag!
Happy Mother's Day 2007!!
Love, Isaiah
Inside the decorated bag was a green tea bag and a cereal bar. Isn't that cute? I was so excited. I teared up a bit, just a continuation of tears from yesterday's gifts really. Isaiah was very serious that I eat the bar in bed with my tea. So...I went down to the kitchen, made my tea and brought it back upstairs to lay in bed per Isaiah's orders. As I was opening the cereal bar I noticed Isaiah's eyes got bigger and he smacked his lips a bit so I did what any mom would do with her Mother's Day breakfast in bed and asked if he wanted a bite. He said, "Oh yes Mama, I really wanted the whole thing and could hardly wait for you to open it up." I gave him a couple bites and ate the other half of my cereal bar when he was finished. Happy Mother's Day to all the other Mama's out there!!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Spring Fresh

Isaiah was pulling out jammies from his drawer for bedtime yesterday and found a dryer sheet still attached. He said, "Suh-weet a freshener! Thank you Mama for leaving the freshener on here and not throwing it out. I'm going to leave it in my drawer to keep it fresh." I took credit for the freshness and said, "You're welcome."

When I finish up the laundry today I think I'll keep those little dryer sheets attached to the clothes as apparently they brighten up the day of my son. Can you just imagine the joy when he finds a freshener attached to a pair of jeans?

Monday, May 7, 2007

School Dayz

As I was making supper today Isaiah asked me if I knew how many days he's been in school. I said I wasn't sure but knew it's been more than 100 as he had a 100th Day of School celebration a while back. I then asked if he's still keeping track during group time at school. Isaiah said he is keeping track and that he's been in school for ten hundred days. I tried to explain that ten hundred days is more than three years. He said, "Oh Mama, I know it's been ten hundred days, maybe even eleven hundred days." He may as well have been saying, c'mon mom don't ya know anything about counting, because that's how his statement sounded. I sort of laughed at my ignorance and then listened to the same coversation between Isaiah and Matthew during supper. Matthew also tried to explain how long 1000 days would be, however, he too was shot down. It's a good thing Isaiah entered kindergarten when he did because apparently Matthew and I need help with our math skills.

On This Day in History 2006 ...

Last year at this time my husband, our two kiddos and myself enjoyed an extremely gorgeous day at Stirling Castle in Stirling Scotland. Today, I'm making peanut butter toast, standing in the rain waiting for the bus and going to T-ball practice (again probably in the rain). I'm not saying which day is/was better I'm simply stating the differences in the days. I will try to enjoy my day this year as much as I enjoyed this date last year, however, I may be daydreaming a bit about castles, tulips and fish-n-chip shops.

Cheers!

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Chef Rolli

Matthew made an amazing supper for my mom's birthday yesterday evening. We ended up eating "supper" for over two hours. He did this all because my mom's an excellent mom who is the most generous and giving person I've ever known. It means a lot to me that Matthew honestly likes/loves my family. Anyways, Matthew did an awesome job and I thought I'd share his menu. If the sign business thing doesn't work out he may open a restaurant.

Appetizers:
smoked trout bruschetta &
lamb nachos (roasted lamb on grilled pita wedges and drizzled with homemade tzitziki sauce)
Salad:
Greek salad
Entrees:
shrimp scampi on a bed of angel hair pasta with a lemon butter white wine reduction sauce &
FRESH LIVE Maine lobster (yep, he fedex'd three live lobsters from Maine. Didn't even know that was possible?)
Dessert:
raspberry cream puffs with creme brulee

Just thought I'd share Matthew's plan. Originally I asked Matthew to grill something for mom's birthday. That's all I said. He sort of took the idea and ran a marathon with the whole thing. Happy Birthday, Mom! Thank you, Matthew, it was super delicious!

Friday, May 4, 2007

Kitchen Trap

I needed to creatively keep Anna out of the kitchen drawers that hold the snacks. This is what I came up with:

This worked for about 6 weeks. Today Anna tricked me, she sneakily had me dress her baby doll and with my back turned she went to the kitchen. When I turned around she was carrying a graham cracker and looked like she had just conquered the world. Yet another difference between my two kiddos. We didn't lock anything up with Isaiah, ever. Oh well! I'm sure I'll think of something. I think my jr.high locker padlock is in a box somewhere. I'll find it. That might hold her off for another 6-8 weeks.

Freeze!

It's my mom's birthday today. Matthew has volunteered to make dinner for my family, yeah!! He's really a super cook and when he gets to use the grill...look out Bobby Flay!! I don't even have to make a dessert. My job is to clean up the house a little. The dishwasher's going, the floor's mopped, the rugs washed and dried and the candles are a-flamin'. What does that mean? Nobody move, nobody breath, don't touch anything and for goodness sake DON'T EAT ANYTHING! The house/kitchen might just look presentable by the time 5pm rolls around and our guests arrive.

Yeah right!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

When's Pay Day?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070502/us_nm/work_mothers_dc
To whom it may concern:
I was just wondering when I may collect on this amount. Also, does this amount increase depending on amount of children? I understand and do enjoy the benefits, however, I wouldn't mind one pay day...just one.
Sincerely,
Katie Rolli

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Helpful Suggestion

Anna just handed me her opened bag of Cheese Nips and said, "Dohn speel Mama." To which I replied, "Thank you Anna, I will try to be careful".

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

Isaiah is just about 6.5 and Anna is almost 2-years-old, we obviously met Isaiah first, therefore, any amount of parenting skills I had involved boys and how their minds work. Now we have our Anna and I am amazed at how different they really are. I always knew boys and girls were different but to witness it full-time for myself is neat.

About a month ago Anna and I went to the shoe store for her summer sandals. I wasn't intending for her to wear her sandals at that time. I had time to spare and wanted to get that chore done, so off we went. The next day Anna was very intent on wearing her new shoes. She can wear socks underneath so I thought it would be just fine. The thing is I know I would get Isaiah's summer sandals a little early when he was that age and we could have waited all summer to put on his new shoes and he wouldn't have cared one bit.

Something else about Anna, she noticed a little girl in our music class that we attend, named Emily, who wears two pony-tails. Yesterday morning we were talking about going to music class and Anna said, "Eminy pony too." (She calls Emily, Eminy) Anna wanted to wear pony-tails just like her little friend. When we got to class she couldn't wait to show "Eminy" her ponies. Isaiah still doesn't care about appearance stuff.

It's fun to see how they are sooo different on certain things. I'm pretty happy to have one of each.