My baby’s straight, blonde locks have been growing for 18 months. The back has been bordering on piggy-tail length, so I called in Nana to trim things up. Lincoln did a great job sitting in his high chair once he checked out the tools that were being used to snip away the length. He looks just a little bit older now without his wispy ends.
Even though we spent a good portion of the day out in the porch with the toasty fire keeping things at about 80 degrees, we took a break for hot cocoa. Nana left the boys a special treat – Swiss Miss packets and chocolate covered spoons with Halloween Peeps stuck to them. The spoons were a big hit!
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.
We have a piano in the living room that doesn’t get played as often as I would like. I took lessons from the time I was 5 until I my 1st semester in college. I wish I had kept it up. I keep saying I’d like to take them again, but at this point, I don’t know when I’d find the time. For now I have to settle for the random 5 minutes here and there when I can sit on the bench before the boys come join me. Today they climbed up and tried a duet.
Jake and I had a rare opportunity to go downtown on Friday night to celebrate with a friend of mine who just passed the bar exam. The 4 people I knew who recently took the bar all passed. Anyone need a lawyer? While we were at The Local, the boys went with their grandparents to Auntie Larissa’s place to go swimming. I think we have a couple of little fish on our hands. They really do love the water.
Saturday morning instead of waking up to frost on the pumpkin, we woke up to SNOW on the pumpkin! The kids were ecstatic! Nolan immediately started talking about skiing, snowballs, and sledding. He’s just a little bit more excited than I am about the white stuff, but I do enjoy seeing the twinkle in his eye as he thinks about the upcoming winter months.
It’s been nice getting back out with the rest of the world after living in seclusion last week. I feel like we had a week full of Saturdays – wearing pj’s all day and napping in the afternoon. Starting tomorrow, it’s back to preschool and workouts at the gym. Oh, and apparently more snow.
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.
