It was another great day, weather-wise, so we made sure to spend quality time soaking up some much needed Vitamin D outside this afternoon. The boys played in the sandbox with their snow shovels (yes, I did say snow shovels) and took turns going down the swing set slide while I used the leaf blower to make short work of the 1st batch of leaves that fell from the trees. I’m pretty sure I already knew this, but I was amazed at how much faster it is to BLOW the leaves than RAKE them. All total, I figure it took about 3 hours to clean up the backyard – that’s counting a couple of pit-stops and time for putting Lincoln down for his nap. If I had been solely raking, I’m sure it would have taken at least twice as long. My hard work was quickly hidden by newly fallen leaves, but at I’m glad we made a dent in what always proves to be a never-ending task in the fall.
Earlier in the day, the kids had fun wearing the fire chief hats they picked up last night at the firestation. I love how Lincoln prefers to wear his backwards. 🙂
We’ve been using the fireplace in our porch quite a bit lately. It’s been warmer out there than most of the days in MN this past summer – 80, close to 90 degrees. It was the perfect temp for a coloring marathon. We spent several hours working on the oversized coloring pages. I even broke out my old box of 96 crayons. The kids loved the selection.
Nolan’s imagination continues to brighten my day. I gave the boys wooden spoons to play with while I was working in the kitchen. Nolan called for me to join them in the living room. They “roasted marshmallows” using their spoons as skewers over a pretend fire on the carpet. Nolan brought me an imaginary graham cracker, so Lincoln had to do the same. Then I received chocolate and another cracker from both of them. It was pretty cute.
We had game night at our house on Friday night. Larissa & Michelle joined us for Scrabble Slam, Buzzword & Mexican Train. Add the chicken, black bean & spinach dip I love to make (and the fireplace) and we had a fun time. 🙂
Saturday night we joined a few other members of Jake’s extended family to celebrate his cousin Sara’s birthday. On our way to the party, I mentioned I wanted a beverage from SA. Nolan then said from the backseat, “Mom, I’m going to get you a medium mocoa…And a Diet Coke for me.” Sounds like our kid has heard us order from the McDonald’s drive-thru a few times. Are we that predictable???
The boys had a lot of fun helping Sara open her gifts. At one point they were both jockeying for the prime seat next to her so they could see what she was opening. While we were there, Aunt Kristin came through for me in a big way. Nolan wants to be a pumpkin for Halloween and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to dress him for the cold (and potentially wet) Halloween we will likely have. Kristin had a pumpkin costume in her basement that she made for one of her own kids. It’s great! And Nolan is so excited to wear it. He gets to wear his costume to school on Wednesday, so he’ll get to take it on a trial run before Saturday.
We’ve been working on what the kids need to say when they ring the doorbell on Halloween. The last time I asked Nolan what he should say he told me, “Can I have some candy, please?” What nice manners, huh? I’m guessing if he uses that, he could end up with extra candy pieces for being polite!
I went to visit my mom today. She had shoulder surgery on Friday morning. She’s recovering well, resting up, and doing her best to let her family take care of her. It’s nice to be able to return just a little bit of the kindness she has shown all of us over the years. While I was gone, Jake watched the boys plus our friends’ son. They boys always have such a great time with their friend. Breakfast for dinner was on tonight’s menu. Lincoln apparently wanted to eat like the big boys and use his fork tonight.
In the car today Nolan asked, “Mom, can we go to Sara’s house again and play Hungry Hippos?” I would love to spend just a few minutes inside my son’s head to know what triggers random statements like this. Sara is Jake’s youngest cousin. She is now getting the chance to play “older cousin” to the great-grandkids in the family. She is such a delight (I wish we were able to see her more often,) and she loves all of the little boys in the family. She has the makings of a great babysitter 🙂
It rained again today. I think the weather encourages creativity in my kids. Nolan helped unpack the groceries when we got home and proceeded to assemble a tower. The construction materials of choice were cans of creamed corn & spaghetti. Oh, and the 2nd attempt contained a random water bottle he was toting around. (Make sure you click on the picture of the cans to see the tower in all its glory.)
Since random is the theme of the day, I also feel the need to include a link to a speech by the Archbishop of Denver that a college friend of mine posted on Facebook tonight. Archbishop Cahput recently addressed a group of physicians in Phoenix. I found what he said to be extremely powerful – specifically, two statements:
“The Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer once wrote that, “A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist, and shrinks from injuring anything that lives.” Every child with Down syndrome, every adult with special needs; in fact, every unwanted unborn child, every person who is poor, weak, abandoned or homeless – each one of these persons is an icon of God’s face and a vessel of his love. How we treat these persons – whether we revere them and welcome them, or throw them away in distaste – shows what we really believe about human dignity, both as individuals and as a nation.”
“It’s one of God’s ironies that the suffering imperfection brings, can perfect us in the vocation of love.” (Emphasis Archbishop Chaput)
It seems I’ve just added to my list of things to reflect on during the quiet moments I’m granted during the day.
I accomplished something today that has been on my “to do” list for many months. It’s not earth-shattering, but is slightly remarkable since it’s not a task I tend to make a priority. Here’s a little tidbit that most people probably don’t know about me: I’m not particularly good at keeping up with the pile of ironing that collects in our laundry room. Jake would tell you that I’m usually so far behind, he just takes the shirts he wants to wear from the ones hanging on the line instead of waiting for me to iron them and bring them to his closet. I guess I just prefer other household chores (or naps – if I can get both boys to take one at the same time.) That and ironing isn’t really something I can do with Shecklet #2 running around, so I have to do it when he’s napping or after the kids are in bed. Anyway, the story of the day is that I am currently caught up on all of my ironing. This might not sound like much of an accomplishment, but if you knew how much was hanging in the basement (and for how long) you’d be excited for me. 😉 Now if I could just get a handle on my laundry. My boys create more dirty clothes than Jake and I combined. It’s amazing!
Speaking of laundry, as I was hanging clothes to dry this afternoon, my little architect was creating this:
It’s so fun to see what he can build when he’s playing by himself. He has really been using his imagination a lot lately too. Our house is constantly a construction zone – trains, buildings, forts. You name it, the Sheck boys can build it!
I gave myself more than 5 minutes on this one because of all I attempted to cover.
Friday night we had a Rody rodeo at the house. Jake gave Rody a little extra bounce and the boys loved it!
Our 7th anniversary was yesterday (10/18.) It’s hard to believe how fast the years have passed. I recently realized how close Jake and I are to having been together for 10 years – we started dating in 2000 when we were at the U. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be spending this crazy, fantastic life of marriage & kids with than my husband. For all of the ups and downs that life brings our way, he has been (and continues to be) a source of calm, strength, and consistency for me.
Saturday morning we were planning on bringing the boys to Jake’s parents’ house for the day so we could go on our anniversary date – a day early. Jason, (Jake’s brother) called and offered us his Ford Mustang for the day, so we altered our plans a bit and exchanged cars and transferred kids at his house instead. I didn’t know where we were going until we left our house. All I knew was the attire for our date. It was great to be surprised!
Short side story. My mom and I had the most successful 10 minute shopping trip on Friday night. I didn’t have anything fall-ish to wear on Saturday, so my mom agreed to meet me to do a little shopping. On my way to Maple Grove, she called and suggested we try Nordstrom Rack. When we arrived, it was 10 minutes until they closed. We hustled in, found a couple of dresses to try on, found one, scooted over to the shoes, and successfully found a great pair of red heels. Love them! Not too bad for a “let’s just see what they have” stop.
Back to Saturday. Once we picked up the Mustang, we headed east on 94 and traveled various small highways up through Wisconsin to St. Croix Falls. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant called Grecco’s on the St. Croix. The place is quaint and has an intimate feel. We sat near the fireplace, which was great because if you know me, I’m always a bit cold. We ordered an appetizer and each chose the herb crusted walleye for our main dish. To our surprise, the host came over a short time later with a different appetizer, Ahi Tuna, “compliments of the chef.” I had never eaten pan seared tuna until Saturday. It was delicious! In fact, every part of our dining experience was amazing. We plan on returning and would highly recommend Grecco’s – it’s worth the drive to St. Croix Falls!
We drove back to Jake’s parents’ place through Minnesota. It was such a beautiful day and the leaves still had some color. We stopped in Afton and got an ice cream cone (my 2nd dessert of the day) and then finally arrived back in Hastings. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football (poor Gophers :(), letting the boys and dogs run off energy (and ride) outside, and finally having dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, the boys, Larissa, Jason & his girlfriend B. It was a nice way to end the fun day Jake and I shared together.
Our actual anniversary was pretty laid back, which was ok with us. We went to mass in the morning, came home and had donuts – Nolan’s favorite 🙂 and then watched the Vikings game. Jake also worked on a few things around the outside of the house since the weather was so beautiful! Later in the evening, my mom came over and watched the boys so we could go to a movie. Neither of us would recommend seeing Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately, it was a depressing movie with no real plot. I’m glad I know the book is good because had I not read it before, I don’t think I’d even pick it up. It seems we’re 0 for 2 lately with picking movies to watch at the theater. We seem to do better with our picks from RedBox. Plus, in my opinion, it’s way more comfortable to watch a movie at home. I’m guessing we won’t be hitting the theater again for a while – unless someone can recommend a really good flick for us to see.
Today was business as usual. Nolan went to school and Lincoln and I headed to the gym. I feel so much better when I get a workout in in the morning. After school, we came home for lunch and then everyone took a much needed nap. We spent the afternoon outside – took a walk, played with chalk, and took “cheesy” pictures with the bale of hay we received from the local volleyball boosters we supported.
Yesterday I sent a text message to my hair stylist asking if she could get me in for highlights and a cut before our anniversary this weekend. My last haircut (not given by her) wasn’t that great, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to change things up a bit. To my surprise, she had an opening today. I quickly scrambled to find someone to watch the boys so I could book the appointment. Great-grandma Lois came to the rescue! She hadn’t seen the boys since we visited the cabin this past summer, so she was excited to spend some one-on-one time with them.
After a get-out-of-bed-late kind of morning, we were finally ready to head south. Today’s random “bring along items” were bouncy balls and two pieces of pink wrapping paper. (I wrapped a birthday present for one of Jake’s cousins before we left and my little helpers wanted their own paper to “wrap” things with too.) The paper was apparently too fun to leave at home. But whatever keeps them entertained in the car, right?
Once we arrived at our destination, Nolan took off his coat and shoes and headed for the toys in the basement. Lincoln wanted to follow, but Grandma Lois hung on to him while we briefly talked about lunch and nap time. When I returned an hour and a half later, Lincoln was sleeping and Nolan & Grandma Lois were in the middle of making peanut butter cookies. Yum! Nolan was in charge of rolling the little cookie dough balls in sugar. He was pretty proud to be helping out. Once again, if I had been thinking, I would have pulled out my phone to take a picture. Unfortunately, this time I didn’t have a teenager to remind me of this, so you’ll just have to imagine my curly haired 3 1/2 year old up on a chair next to the counter, burying cookie dough with sugar.
The boys had a “non-routine” afternoon today. We had the pleasure of spending 1 1/2 hours at the doctor’s office for Lincoln’s 18 month check-up. Nolan & Lincoln enjoyed entertaining the other waiting room patrons by pointing to the different artwork, jabbering & laughing with one another, and doing laps around the chairs. (No one scowled at us, which I appreciated. We only received smiles.) When Lincoln’s name was called, we spent a few fleeting moments in one patient room before moving to one that our doctor typically uses instead. After the good doctor checked Lincoln out, I asked her a few questions and did my best to focus on her responses as I attempted to corral the boys. They were extremely interested in the sink & goose-neck light in the room – why am I not surprised?? I don’t blame them for getting antsy – an hour and a half is a long time to be cooped up like we were. I’m so glad our doctor has lots of patience, loves kids and likes to laugh.
Our time at the clinic ended with both boys getting shots. Nolan went first, which ended up being a good thing. Had he seen Lincoln get poked first, I’m not sure I would have been able to get him up on the exam table. He was rewarded with a chance to pick out his stickers, which made him forget the leg poke he just received. Lincoln had no idea what was coming. He was poked twice, and afterward, was very concerned that he had a band-aid on his leg. Poor kid hasn’t quite figured out that stickers are supposed to make everything better.
We pulled out the Play-doh when we got home to take our minds off of the shots (and to give me a chance to put something together for dinner.) I’m happy to report that tonight the Play-doh was only “played” with and not eaten. Hurray!
After working out at the gym, we went to my parents’ house to have lunch with Nana (my mom.) The boys have a special “fort” area under the steps leading to the lower level of the house. The room used to be my mom’s “stash closet.” She kept presents and snacks under lock and key while we were growing up; as teenagers, we had a habit of eating anything that was left out. Now the space has been cleared out to make room for the kids’ toys. There’s even a funky green silicone-covered light bulb that they can turn on and off with a string (not just a switch) – this was a new discovery today and they loved it!
This evening, Nolan’s preschool invited all of the kids to bring their dads to St. John’s for the 2nd annual “Dinner with Dad” event. The group had hot dogs, chips & carrots for dinner and floats for dessert. Such a fun way for the kids to spend one-on-one time with their dads!
Here are the guys before they headed out. After they returned, things got a little silly at our house. I’m not sure who started this, but we ended up with buckets on our heads. Nolan and Lincoln thought it was pretty funny. Actually, I did too 🙂
It’s times like these that make me forget how stressed or frustrated I can get when the boys are having a meltdown or I can’t figure out what they want. Note to self: make prints of these and put them where I can see them when I need a reminder of why I love being a stay-at-home mom.
Today was the second day in a row that we were able to get outside. Let’s hear it for the sun! After Shecklet #2 got up from his nap, I loaded the boys into the wagon and headed for the park. I would have taken a few pictures of the two monkeys on the playground equipment had I remembered that the technology I needed was right in my pocket. It wasn’t until I noticed two teenage girls using their camera phones that I realized I actually had a camera with me as well.
Swinging was a tolerable activity this afternoon, (some days it is definitely not!) so we ended our trip with a lesson in how to move our legs out and in to “pump” the swing. Then Shecklet #1 wanted to help push Shecklet #2. Shecklet #2 was a good sport even though he looks a little annoyed in the picture.
Prior to the day getting warm (and dry) enough for us to venture outside the walls of our house for the first time in 4 days, the boys discovered just how fun paper towels can be. Again, I have to thank Sam’s Club for the large number of rolls of fun we have in our basement. Apparently these are the blocks of choice today. They are easy to carry around, somewhat challenging to stack up, and loads of fun to knock down, kick around, and collapse on. And the great thing is, they don’t hurt when you get hit by one.
Shecklet #2 has discovered that his spoon (which he only parts with when he sleeps & eats) makes a great catapult. Today’s launch item was chalk. He challenged himself by loading up the spoon and attempting to stand up without dumping the contents prior to being able to throw the pieces everywhere. Where do kids learn this stuff?
Yes, the boys were dressed alike today. We were going for “comfy” and when Shecklet #1 saw what Shecklet #2 was wearing, he wanted to wear the same thing. This is the exact opposite of what we experienced a week ago when Shecklet #2 HAD to wear the same Lightning McQueen outfit that Shecklet #1 had on. Good thing we had an outfit his size!
