Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Moving Eve

You might be wondering how I am finding myself blogging on the eve of a very big day when I have a countless amount of things to do...the truth is, I don't know. I am eating Sebastian Joe's Nicollet Pothole ice cream (which, lets be honest, if they don't stop making it I am going to have to renew my gym membership! It is the best ice cream I have ever had in my entire life. Not kidding.) and trying to take a small break from the chaos of my life and my house.

Steve and I have lived here on Bryant Ave in North Minneapolis for 3 years and 11 months - moving out one month short of our 4 year anniversary. We have welcomed 2 babies into our family at this house, had countless late night hangs with our besties, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas breakfasts...this is the home that our girls know. This is the longest I have lived anywhere since I moved out of my parents house when I was barely 17 years old (I think I moved out exactly this week 13 years ago).

Steve and I are bringing our family into our very first house tomorrow. Steve and I own a house, this is brand new for us. It's is exciting beyond words. Something that we have dreamed about for a long time. It's real, it's happening, it's tomorrow. I can't wait to start decorating!

So many thoughts tonight. So much mess. So many boxes. So many feelings. So much chaos.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Freaking Out

Today I am trying not to freak out about several things. One of them is this:



Remember this little baby that I had practically yesterday? She starts school a week from tomorrow. If I think about it too long I might start crying and never stop.

See these two?



They are almost exactly 5 years apart. Five years ago Tryn looked like Kye does in this picture, and now she is big enough to hold him.

Two weeks ago, for the first time ever, I felt excited for Tryn to go to school. She is going to have so much fun learning things that I don't know how to teach her, having all of her questions answered, and making new friends. Her mind is at a place where it needs to be stretched, used, and grown - all with information and projects that I don't have time to do with her. And so I am glad that she will get to learn, because so far she loves to learn.

But I am going to miss her being around.

Also, I am a little nervous about the fact that we are embarking on this journey of "school"...for the next 20 or so years. That seems like a really big thing. Every year around this time we are going to be getting ready for school, the kids will be gone most of the day, and that feels crazy. I was homeschooled and childhood was a totally different experience for me, I don't really know how to do this "going to school" thing. And that seems weird.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I don't have a ton of time to think about it because I also have a newborn to take care of, a three year old to run after, a five year old to occupy, and a puppy who needs attention. Not to mention we are moving into our first house this week and my husband is starting a new job today.

Call me in a few weeks to see if I am still sane.

:)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Two Months!!

Little baby Kyeson is TWO months old!! Not today, but on the 12th and now it's the 24th or something crazy like that...and obviously I am way behind. I can't even tell you how crazy life is right now. Well, I could try, but it might turn into a small book.

Anyway, I can't believe we have had Kye two whole months already! Sometimes if feels like he was just born yesterday and other times it feels like he has been around forever and I barely remember life without him. Sometimes it feels like all his days just run together and he is basically the same every day and has been since he was born. But then I realized last night that I was remembering when we first brought him home and how different he was then and I guess he really has changed.

Kyeson, seriously, is the best baby. Well, he has one flaw, but just one. Kyeson is a perfect baby for about 3/4 of the day. He lays right down for his naps, goes to sleep without a pacifier, doesn't fuss about anything really, plays by himself, puts up with whatever the girls to do him or however they interact with him (which usually involves screaming or yelling as close to his face as possible). Then the evening comes. And he is gassy almost every evening, no matter what I do or don't eat. And then he likes to be awake as soon as we put the girls to bed and we usually have to convince him to go to bed when we are finally ready to crash. Needless to say, Steve and I don't get much adult only time in this house these days - hopefully that changes soon. Bedtime used to be my favorite time of day - because I would get a break - but not so much anymore.

So far Kye is amazingly interactive, similar to Tryn who started talking when she was 6 months old because she just loved to converse so much. Kye loves to be talked to, he will "talk" back forever. He just loves the interaction. However, unlike Tryn who laughed for the first time when she was a mere 6 weeks old, he still hasn't laughed. I think we are getting close, he gets really excited sometimes, but he just does not seem easily amused...yet he's so happy all the time. Confusing. I can't wait, it's one of my favorite things, the first baby laugh.

Oh, at his 2 month appointment he weighed 12 lbs 1 oz and was 23 inches long. Growing like a champ!

I even took some super cute two month pictures of him in this adorable little hat that I found, but as my house is in a total state of moving disrepair I don't even know where to find a camera cord. Seriously. It's horrible. So, you will just have to feast your eyes on this bit of cuteness instead :)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Again...

I keep trying to get to my post about Kyeson turning two months old - but it takes time and my girls keep saying the cutest things. So, whenever I get a chance to sit down and write something quick, I want to make sure to write what the girls said so I don't forget...

Steve was going out to take the dog to the open area across the street (where there used to be two houses and now there is just grass) and Berlin asked, "Daddy!! Can I come wif you?"

Steve, "Sure!"

Berlin, to me while running inside to get her shoes on, "He is such a nice Daddy, isn't he?"

Me, "He sure is." :)

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Berlin took Piper out of her kennel and Piper ran into the neighbors yard to go explore. After running into tell Steve that Piper took off Berlin had to, again, put her shoes on and said, "I am going to go get Piper. I am going to save the world!"


Haha!! She is SO great!!

I will get to Kye's two month post soon...hopefully :)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Addition to Kids Say the Darndest Things

This morning I was braiding Tryn's hair, getting her ready to leave for the day. She asked me, "Mom, when am I coming back?"

I told her, "Oh, sometime later today."

After a second of silence she said, "Is later longer or shorter than "awhile"? I know how long awhile is, but I don't know if later is longer or shorter than that."

She makes me smile :)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Last week I had a rough day. Well, let's be honest. With all that's going on right now, I had a few rough days. However, one day Steve came home from work to find me close to putting Piper on Craigslist, free to the first person who would come and pick her up.

The following day I was sitting at the table with Tryn and she asked me, "Mom, why were you sad yesterday?"

I didn't want her to start disliking Piper, so all I said was, "Well Babe, some days are just hard days."

Thoughtful silence.

Tryn: "Well, when I am a grownup I will probably have sad days...I am only going to have one pet, a cat."

She's so intuitive. I asked her, "Why are you only going to have one pet?"

"Well, because if I have more I am going to have take care of them all and that would be a lot of work. I think only one pet would be good."

She is also wise. :)

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Today Berlin was hanging out in the living room while Steve was watching the news. A Mormon commercial came on, you know the ones that end in "...my names Deborah, and I'm a Mormon."

After hearing that Berlin looks at Steve incredulously and says, "She's a MERMAID???!!"

Haha!!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Newest Member

We have yet another new member of our family. Sort of. I do not consider dogs to have equal standing as a member of a family, but she's new, she's living, and she will most likely be around for quite some time. I think. Haha! Depends on if she drives me crazy or not.

Also, I have officially found something harder to take a picture of than a little kid. This is Piper. This would have been a cute picture if I could have gotten her to hold still for at least one second. She can move really fast.



Or she's just more interested in attacking leaves.



Or sniffing the plethora of trash that line the streets of North Minneapolis. Each single piece of who knows what.



Even if the dog will hold still for more than a second, getting it to actually look at me for more than a millisecond is close to impossible. I am sure she will slow down in the upcoming months and I will be able to actually get some cute pictures of her. Because, regardless of whether or not I wanted a dog, which I didn't, I do think Piper is a very pretty dog.

Steve has been trying to convince me that we should get a dog for years and I have never wanted one. My really good and reasonable excuse is that we haven't had enough room or a yard - essentially we didn't have a house. (Not to mention my other reasons: they chew things, they smell, they are a lot of work, and in the city you have to pick up their poop with your hand anytime they poop somewhere besides your yard. And your yard is so small you will pick up the poop anyway so your kids don't have to play in it.) Well, now that we are in the process of getting a house (more on that later!!) I couldn't think of any good excuses anymore. Darn it.

But, certain requirements for a dog were as follows: Heidi, NO SHEDDING. Steve, big dog. Heidi, not being responsible for said animal. Steve, big dog.

So this is Piper, a German Short Hair Poodle Pointer. We considered getting a Goldendoodle or a Labradoodle, but neither of us thought they were especially cute dogs. Their hair gets so long and curly! But because Piper is half German Short Hair Pointer (GSHP), her hair will stay much shorter, and it might get a slight wave or it might stay fairly short and straight. Some of the mixes actually looked really similar to the GSHP, which I have always thought to be really pretty dogs. So we just happened to find a litter of these puppies about 20 miles away from Willmar and took a little road trip with Kyeson and our friend Gennae to get Piper.



Berlin finally gets her dog that she has been wanting her whole life - all of three years, but still :) One thing that Berlin didn't even realize is that she would finally get someone that she could boss around. Let's just say she is taking full advantage of her standing as Piper's boss. I am surprised Piper even likes her.



Speaking of, regardless of whether or not I wanted a dog, which I didn't, Piper is a pretty great dog. She is fairly smart, part Poodle remember, and is already responding to her training. She let's the girls do whatever they want and doesn't get mad. She's funny and runs around the yard in figure 8's barking and growling at nothing. And besides the fact that we will have to throw away our living room rug because it smells like dog pee, which if I hadn't already spilled a wine cooler on it the week Kye was born and it if hadn't left a big pink stain I would be really upset because I really liked the rug, Piper is alright.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

It Won't Be Like This For Long

Steve had to learn this song by Dairus Rucker for church this weekend - for a child dedication part of the service. Whenever he has to learn a song he plays it on repeat around the house for awhile and it gets stuck in my head. It has made me think a lot about our kids and our stage of life.

True to his musical expertise, Steve isn't extremely fond of this song. I guess the lyrics feel a little awkward while singing them, which makes the song feel awkward. But, it's not always the music and the feel that matters, sometimes it's just about the concept :)

It Won't Be Like This For Long

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK




It won’t be like this for long
One day we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won't be like this for long




Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long



Some day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Cousins

I am spending a couple of days up at my sister's house in Brainerd. My sister-in-law is also here with her four boys. It is basically like having 4 sets of twins around. Let me show you...

The newborns: Wyatt and Kyeson


The one and a half year olds: Vienna and Liam


The three year olds: Berlin and Tyvan


The five year olds: Trynica and Brendyn


At times it feels like a little bit of chaos, but the kids have SO much fun together! On the way here Tryn said, "Mom, Brendyn and Tyvie are my best friends." Very true. She also said, "I have know Brendyn since I was a baby and he was a baby." Also true.

(Missing cousins are my other sister's two boys: Gabe, three in September, and Eli, who just turned one.)