great expectations

For the past few years over Memorial Day weekend, we've been traveling a few hours north to Osage, MN and spending the weekend with my parents and brother and niece.

 

We rarely have great expectations for nice weather. It hardly ever happens. We also really ramp down any expectation of catching any fish-we usually don't. And, generally speaking, we lower our expectations for accomplishing anything personal, including reading, blogging, running, or any other sort of private moment. It's usually too busy for that.

 

But at least for me, I always have great expectations of this being a time spent with family and loved ones. A time when laughter abounds and good times are remembered. This year was extra special- my grandpa was able to join us and we were able to see my mom's side of the family on Saturday for a wedding reception. It was like a three-fer (and that's better than a two-fer).

 

Of course there was lots of fishing even if they weren't biting all that much. Zoe commented several times, 'I can't believe Jaxon is still fishing!'. I'm not sure if he just really missed his dad after Scott being gone for a week, or if he was just having that much fun in his pajamas catching little sunnys, but this boy is a fisherman! I think he is ready for Cedar Lake!

 

Meanwhile, Kiley played house at the park, being her cute lovely self.

 

We rented a pontoon on Sunday and all of us went out for a couple hours until the little ones got stir crazy. My grandpa got to fish with my dad, which I think was pretty special, having watched these guys fish all their lives pretty much...  it was great to see the happiness in both of them.

Jaxon fished some more, though he really just talked the whole time. You can see  his mouth just getting ready here to ask a question or say something like, 'hey! I just missed that nailer! I need another worm so I can catch another nailer!'.

And then he caught my dad.

 

Kiley was more interested in her fashion and eating M&M's. Because that's what girls do.

And they blow bubbles and look cute.

 

 

Though Jaxon enticed her to get a little closer to the edge to check out his nailer.

 

 

Zoe had a new rule imposed on her by grandma-no cell phones at the dinner table. Allowable on the boat, but not at the dinner table. I mean, there are a lot of things to text your friends about when you are riding around on a pontoon.

Saturday night, we drove back to Fargo to attend my cousin Matt's wedding reception. It was great to see everyone having such a great time and fun to watch the kids-they love a good party, especially a wedding with free lemonade and glow bands.

 

 Kiley was rockin' the off-the-shoulder look. Told ya she was into fashion. You should see some of her color combinations. Solid.

 

 

 Kiley missed daddy too.

Then came the dancing. Jaxon never disappoints.

I'm thinking I'll start wearing these to work, maybe it will help with my next performance review.

 

Best of all was watching these three. So glad my kids have a cousin like Zoe. They adore her.

 

And then there were the Geurin Girls! We got a photo of the best looking ladies at the reception- my mom, grandma and her two sisters (Sandy and Laurie), cousin Kiara, and then Kiley and Zoe. So fun.

Sunday was a decent day weather wise. Again, no great expectations, so it's always better than it really is. Perception is reality. Something like that.

Weather be damned, we decided to have a beach day. That's me in the kayak with long sweatpants on and a sweatshirt under my life jacket. Not exactly tip-over and swim weather so glad neither of us tipped over. I was nervous about Jaxon going in the kayak, but that boy rocked it! He was awesome and I we loved it. Can't wait to do that again with him.

 Then of course there was some beach time to play in the sand and water, even though it was freezing! Kids just don't seem to care about that as much as us old moms and dads.

 

All in all, it was a fun trip. Great expectations indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes you can

Yes You Can.

I hear these three little words every Monday night at 4:15 with Alice H.

She's the instructor from my Total Conditioning class at Lifetime that I would be lost without. Alice's three simple words have made me think differently about tough challenges in life.

It's only an hour. And we break it into 60-90 second intervals. You can do anything for 60 seconds.

Yes you can!

Sometimes life is about getting through the tough times in 60-90 second intervals. Or a week. Or a day. Or let's face it, ten minutes at a time...

On Friday I took a half day, picked up the kids early and then picked up my niece Zoe to go to Fargo for the weekend. I figured it would be a long ride. It was.

But my internal dialogue kept humming along... let's just make it to Alex and we'll get a coffee. And when the kids asked for the hundreth time if we were in Minnesota still, I just said yes. Again. And hummed along to the rhythm of 'it's only another hour and a half, yes you can' in my head.

Saturday morning was when my mantra became even more important though. That's when I was hanging out at the Fargo Dome, all by myself, wondering why I had signed up for the Half-Marathon. It always seems like such a good idea when you're sitting at home by yourself late at night and surfing the web... and then you get to race day and you feel undertrained and overwhelmed by all the athletes around you and you wonder if you'll even get through mile 9 without needing a break. And you second guess your outfit, wish you'd have remembered your favorite necklace, and envy all those girls with the cute headbands.

But I was there. And I figured I'd paid $70 to run in the rain. I might as well try to do something great with the road in front of me. So as I made my way to the start line, I thought about all the people who lost their limbs in Boston last month, and those who will never likely run, even walk, again. And I decided I'd run in honor of them. Of those who couldn't run anymore.

Yes You Can.

And I had the best time. I just smiled at the fans cheering their favorite runners along. At the nervous energy among the first-timers. And the calm enthusiasm from those who had been to the finish line so many times before. I clapped for the bands who were out in their garages playing to keep our spirits up. At the old timers who were polka dancing and at the mother-son duo playing their fiddles. I laughed at the use of Fargoisms in the signs along the way and I enjoyed the sunshine, the people, and the feeling of being alive!

And most of all, I enjoyed seeing my family at the end (and being done!). It was the perfect start to a wonderful weekend!

After the race we made a picnic and headed to the park for some fun while the weather cleared up for awhile.

 

Then we picked up Grandma Barb and headed home for dinner and a first for the kids- root beer floats. I'm pretty sure they were enjoying them.

 A great way to end the day!

And now, I have the kids all to myself for the week since Scott is out of town on his Canada fishing trip. (I'm putting a positive spin on it this time by saying this is a treat for me instead of dreading it-I am hopeful it's like 'the Secret' and that which I put out into the universe will come back to me).

So here's to a great week of good behavior, fun times, and taking it one day at a time. (or if we're being real honest, 1 minute at a time).

For you...





This morning I woke to the sound of whispers and giggles... to little smiles and jumps of joy greeting me quite literally, right in my face. And even though it is a weekend and it was 6:15 a.m. and I'd stayed up late catching up on shows on Hulu, I greeted the wake-up call with a smile.

 

I know that some moms really want to be pampered on Mothers' Day. Go to the spa or brunch, or have their husbands wait on them all day. And while that sounds nice, I'd rather just soak it all in.  This thing called being a mom.

 

Rather than getting upset with the constant 'Mom, mom, mom!' today,  I'm trying to make sense of the really BIG meaning of that tiny little word.

 

The responsibility, the blessings, the absolute nonsense and pure craziness that comes with having children.

 

 Figuring out that building a fort, no matter how flimsy, is better than not trying to build a fort at all.

 

That not everything I say needs to make totally clear sense.

 

That I can let the dishes go a little bit longer in order to put a diaper on poopy Karen or Thomas.

 

Listening to Jaxon read for the first time and knowing that we had maybe a small part in helping him develop a love for reading and learning.

 

Helping Kiley go potty and 'not get any on her leg' ( a common fear these days). Wiping butts and cleaning toilets for the umpteenth time.

 

Listening to Kiley sing 'The Wheels on the Bus' and watching as she takes such good care of her babies...

 

These are the moments I love so much about being a mom. Even though I could use a little less whining in my life, I know that I wouldn't be who I am today without these two little cuties and their dad in my life. It's amazing how it changes you...makes you want to be a better person... and makes you cherish the moments when you get to take an uninterrupted shower, go to the bathroom, or eat by yourself. Seriously. Now I guess I'd take a little more of that!

 

Jaxon and Kiley, I am so grateful and honored to be your mother.

 

 

 

You're my backbone. You're my cornerstone. You're my crutch when my legs stop moving. You're my head start. You're my rugged heart. You're the pulse that I've always needed. Like a drum baby, don't stop beating. Like a drum, my heart never stops beating, For You.

 

just because

just because it is Sunday... time to take off all our clothes and play with the stampers!!

 

 

 

nine minutes of fun

Easter sure seems to have come early this year. I feel very ready though. I've got the kids' Easter baskets and some 'crap' from Target to stick inside them come Easter morning. I've got way too many fillable plastic Easter eggs and a plan for hiding them on Easter morning. I've got some eggs boiled and an Egg Spinner complete with dye and stickers to decorate. And I still have a week to go! I guess I'm making up for St. Paddy's Day and my sucky attitude.

So to get the kids in the true spirit of Easter (it's all about bunnies and eggs, right?), we took them to the City of Woodbury's Ole Fashioned Easter Egg Hunt last night. First we had a nice dinner at McDonalds. Let me say- that is the place to be on a Friday night. We got the very last table. It was practically standing room only in there.

After dinner, we made our way to the egg hunt, where there were a few hundred eggs scattered across the snow banks, making it less like a hunt and more like a grab. There were a lot of people there. And rules.

Kiley was pretty upset when she found out that her age category was supposed to get orange and green eggs and that Jaxon's was supposed to get pink and blue.

And then she decided, to hell with the rules. She was gonna get what color egg she wanted. And we thought, sure, let's all avoid a tantrum in the middle of the egg hunt and spare everyone the drama. And we were back to happy.

 

While Kiley was off picking up whatever eggs she wanted to, Jaxon was strategizing. I was watching as he picked his eggs. He knew he was only supposed to get 10 and they were supposed to be pink and blue for his age group. He came up with about 7 or 8 in the same area almost right away because he was scoping them out while we were waiting for them to give the go-ahead.

 

 

Then, even though there were several more nearby him, he took off for the other side of the path, almost like he was savoring the 'hunt' for the last couple eggs, trying to make it somehow more challenging for himself. I notice he does this when there's only one fruit snack (insert other candy/treat/food item) left. He'll either save them for later or take a really long time to chew on it. I'm sure it's hard to know that the fun will end at some point so he's just trying to hang on to it.

 

Which I totally get. Because I'm the same way. Trying to hold on to these fun times and special moments as long as I can. Sometimes they go so quick. Like this egg hunt. Nine minutes.

 And of course, the kids were quite dismayed when they realized there was no candy in the eggs. What!! No candy? I'm fine with that though. It will make the 'real Easter Bunny' look really good!

Enjoy your special moments today...whether they last nine minutes or ninety... cherish each one. I know I will.

winter blues

Seriously. I have got it bad. The winter blues.

When I half-heartedly joked about not writing again until March, I didn't realize that I would actually wait a whole month to post something!

Last month I wrote about winter fun. Now, I'm ready for it to be done.

This past month has been hard. I'm not gonna lie. No sugar coating here. It's been downright hard. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because everyone in our house has cabin fever, is sick and tired of going to Pump it Up to get our wiggles out, and needs to be able to walk from point A to point B without hunching our shoulders up because it's so d*mn cold and windy outside!

Okay. Maybe that's just me. But I'm pretty sure the rest of my family is feeling a little bit of the same.

We've resorted to staring out the window and chasing lasers around the floor...

And every day, the kids ask, 'Mom, is it Spring yet?'. Jaxon is just itching to get on his bike and Kiley has even declared that she is excited to ride on her imaginary purple bike. Something tells me that we will be buying Kiley a purple bike this spring.

 

But before we think about that, we still have to get through the rest of this winter.

Lucky for us, there were some giant ice castles that we got to visit on a pretty decent, sunny, warmish day...

 Kiley and Jaxon enjoyed running in circles, hiding from us, and pretending they were ice princes and princesses.

 It was a fun afternoon with Auntie Jenny...

 

In February we had Jaxon signed up for a sports sampler class at a local elementary school. He got to do basketball, soccer, t-ball and floor hockey. I'm pretty excited that floor hockey wasn't his favorite. I really would rather not become a hockey mom...

 I mean, he really looks more like a golfer anyway, doesn't he?

 

These were fun Monday nights... something to look forward to during this super LONG winter (have I mentioned yet how I hate MN winters?), both for him and for us.

 

What I have really missed though as I've been stuck in my own head and trying to get past my own selfish winter blues, is just the simple moments. Having my camera out and ready to shoot. It has just felt like something's been missing. I haven't taken the time to take pictures, spend time enjoying the things I like to do... I didn't even make leprechaun footprints this year for St. Patty's! What is wrong with me? I need to get a little bit of sunshine back in my life.

And there's nothing more like sunshine than these two kids (except when they are giving us attitude, calling us names, and hitting/kicking/throwing things... which seems to have happened a lot lately. But we'll save that for another post).

 

 Kiley has been taking really good care of her babies. They have different names these days, but they're still without clothes and need their diapers changed all the time. Typical babies.

 Jaxon has been playing a lot of Wii. He's actually getting pretty good at it. I'm not sure if I should be proud or frightened by that?

 Kiley can still melt hearts with her smile. She's being transitioned into the preschool/3's class the past couple weeks. Miss Kelly, who will be her new teacher in a couple weeks, told us her productivity is going downhill as she just wants to sit and look at Kiley all day. I mean, seriously. Girl is adorable and she totally knows it.

And Jaxon has been reading words all over the place. I'm so impressed with how much he knows too-and man does he talk alot! He talks about the earth and dinasours, planting seeds, the seasons, our presidents and Martin Luther King... he's pretty darn smart and of course says some pretty funny stuff. There's always something to laugh about when he's around.

 

So today I guess I'll remember the sunshine moments of the past few weeks... and I'm going to pray really really hard for the end of winter... just as soon as tomorrow's snow storm is done. Ugh.