GRRR!

 Feeling like I can't do anything right lately. Every time I do something I been criticized. Just tired. Ready to stop everything and become a hermit. Anyone else feel like they want to move to the middle of nowhere and never come back to "civilization"

I made Lefse today.

I got my lefse griddle in the mail the other day and decided to make a batch as what I made in November has been long gone.  Mind you I just used the two mixes that came with it, so they are not from scratch but decent.

Not that exciting except it was the first time I was able to use my Great-grandmother's lefse turner.  My aunt sent it to me since I've started to make my own lefse and she doesn't.  It isn't as pretty as the one that came with my griddle; no painted handle decorations.  It's dark from years of use; made for utility, but that is what makes it beautiful.

I can't help but think of my great-grandmother, Amy Van Sabben, and wonder if she would be happy to know her lefse turner was being used and that the tradition of lefse making was continuing.  I didn't get to know my great-grandma very well, as she lived a ways away, and I only got to see her one or two times a year.  But the two things I always remember about her/her house is lefse and her trundle sewing machine.

Updates

It's been a while since I've posted.  Life is busy with three children, espcially when two are under two.  Evangeline is growing and more awake each day.  She smiles and coos almost all he time.  She even laughs but every time I try to take a video of her laugh she stops.  I've been taking pictures a lot, almost daily as she has so many cute outfits but out-grows them so fast.

Colin is starting to say more and more each day.  I have a hard time hearing him and don't always understand hims.  There are times I hear him clear as day but can never get him to repeat what he says.  He's still attached to his pacifier.  In the next week or two he will be transitioning to a big boy bed and sharing a room with Patrick.  Not ready to try and take the pacifier away just yet.

 

Patrick is now 4 and getting ready for 4-k.  I had a meeting at a school about this and he came with to play in the 4-k room.  The next 4 days he kept asking when he got to go back to school.  Patrick has also become a LEGO lover.  He is always asking me to build certain things; especially Lego Movie things.

Evangeline's Birth Story

Sunday morning around 8:30 my water broke right after I had text Grandma to see if she would take the boys for a few hours after church so I could have some alone time before Evangeline's birth and maybe go for a long walk to help convince her to come out.  It wasn’t a huge gush, just a trickle so I wasn’t sure at first.  A few minutes later I had another small trickle and knew it was my water.  I took the boys to church and then they went with Grandma afterwards while I left for the hospital after church.

I was admitted around 1:00 Sunday afternoon and was only about 2 cm with very weak and sporadic contractions.  The OB on call was worried about my contractions being how they were 5 hours after my water broke, usually breaking of the water makes Labor come on fast and furious.  About 6:30 pm I was only around 3 cm and I was having a lot of pain because of the contractions and back laboring.  I decided to get an epidural because I was on the verge of crying I was in so much pain.  I couldn't even tell when I was having contractions because of the constant back labor pain.  The epidural was wonderful and I was able to rest and even took a nap.

Around 10 I was finally about half way there at 5 cm.  Surprised to be fully ready to push Evangeline out soon afterwards.  It took me 14 hours to get to 5 cm but only about 2 hours to make it to 10 cm.  The nurse set everything up, the OB came in, and I started pushing.  One contraction, 3 pushes later Evangeline was born at 12:55 am on November 24th.  She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz just like Patrick and was 20 1/2 inches long just like Colin.  She has lots of dark hair everywhere and is doing great.

Humbling Moments

Ever have your child chastise you?  First for me today.

It was lunch time and I was trying to get lunch made while the babies and Patrick were in the living room.  Patrick was playing with the baby gate that I had moved down stairs to put up over the stairs.  I had told him to quit playing with it before he knocked it over and hit one of the babies.

I was starting to lose my patience; trying to cook, keeping the babies out of the kitchen, keeping Patrick from playing with the fence or jumping on the couch, ect.  I had had it.

I was about to blow my top when Patrick looks at me and says "Mama, 'Have Patience, have patience, . . . '"  Instantly I smiled and this calm came over me.  I sang the rest of the song with him, gave him and hug and thanked him for reminding me to have patience.

I sing this song to him when he is starting to have problems waiting and he starts to cry about it.  Never thought he would use it on me.

"Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient, you only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
And think of all the times when others have to wait for you"

Preschool

Patrick and I have started doing "school" each morning since his 3rd birthday.  It's pretty simple right now, we do calendar and read a story about a certain topic each week.  We've done Penguins, Valentine's Day, Snow/Winter, and this week we are reading books my Ezra Jack Keats.

I wanted to do something for African American History month but thought the topic would be to abstract for him.  Instead I picked one author and we are reading his books.

Next week I plan to do Fair Tales with him.  I'm having a hard time picking the stories to read.   There are so many different ones.  I'm thinking either only animal fairy tales; 3 Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Hen, ext.; or the classics; Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, ext.  I think he would do better with the animals.

One Step Closer

About this time last year, Michael and I found out we need to have our basement fixed.  We got a estimate from one place about how much it would cost to fix.  Needless to say, it was way out of our reach.

This spring, we received a letter for the city about a rehabilitation program.  We would be given a loan to fix the basement and possibly the doors with no interest and no payments.  We would just have to pay it back when we sold the house.  Needless to say, this was an answer to our prayers.

We are now one step closer to getting our basement fixed.  An inspector came by the house yesterday and look everything over.  We are now getting quotes to fix things the basement and replace the doors.  We are hoping to get everything fixed and done by spring.

All Hallows Day

Most people forget that the day after Halloween is a Christian holiday, primarily Catholic.  Even the name Halloween comes from this day.  "Hallow" means Holy and "Een" is an abbreviation of evening.  Halloween means Holy Evening; fitting as it is the day before All Saints/Hallows Day.

An almost forgotten holiday it is.  Christians are to spend the day remembering and honoring the saints who have come before us; martyrs and non.  While I'm not Catholic I like the idea behind the day.   Taking time to remember those who died for their faith and those who gave their lives to the ministry.

I have a lot of people that I look up to from the Christian faith.  Most are missionaries who followed God's call and persevered through many trials.  Lillian Trasher, Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward; all sacrificed much but did so much more for God's kingdom.  Many of the saints did the same; stood up for Christ in the face of death and spread the gospel to those who didn't know him.

4 months

Late, but better than never I guess.

Colin turned 4 months old about two weeks ago now.  He's growing so fast and starting to interact with Patrick a lot more.  He's almost able to roll over from his stomach to his back but not quit yet.  He will get to his side and even get his hips all the way over but can't quit figure out the shoulders.

He's also starting to talk a lot.  I love his little squeals and his little laugh.  Patrick seems to get the best laughs out of Colin.  The boys do well together and Colin doesn't mind when Patrick sits on him.  He actually seems to like it.

Colin had an appointment this month as well.  He's in the 90% for both height and weight.  At my bible study on Tuesday nights he was on the floor next to another little boy who is 6 months old.  They were the same size.

Took Colin and Patrick to Iowa to visit my Grandmother and other family members.  Thankfully, my mom and dad were heading to Iowa as well, so we all drove together.  Colin and Patrick did very well on the 4-5 hour drive.  It actually ended up being closer to 6 hours on the way home as we had to stop for lunch and to feel Colin.

3 Months

A little late but what do you expect.  Colin is 3 months old and awake a lot more now.  He is starting to try rolling over; he gets to his side but can't quite get the rest of the way over.  He is eating about every 3-4 hours and has been sleeping through the night now for a couple of weeks.  He still gets up every once and a while to eat but not very often.  He has started to laugh aloud just this week as well.  Patrick was "dropping" onto Colin and Colin was laughing; so glad I was able to get it on video.

Colin had his three month pictures taken at Little Farmer.  They turned out wonderful.  I had a hard time picking out my favorites.  Laura was even able to get a few really good ones of Patrick.

  

Quarry Quest

Patrick loves big trucks and anything even close to large machinery.  To fuel this love, I took him to Neenah, for Quarry Quest.  It's a large working quarry that is set up into many different stations/area for you to explore and learn.  You can learn some basic geology and even some chemistry (mixing concrete) and history (cave paintings).

The big attraction for Patrick was the excavators.  He was so excited to be able to sit in and "drive" one.  He waited patiently for 45 minutes for his turn that lasted maybe 2 minutes.

Thankfully for Mama, right next to the lines for the diggers were large sand piles for the children to dig in.  That really helped Patrick wait for his turn. 

There was so much to do that we didn't get to it all, not even half of it.  We did so a rock painting and dug for fool's gold.  We were also able to ride in the back of a large dump truck filled with rocks.  You couldn't get a picture of the truck but I did take one with Patrick sitting on the rock waiting to go.

I'm planning to take the boys back next year, this time with at least one more adult to help watch the boys.  Colin was fine, but some times I had a hard time keeping up with Patrick.

2 Months Old

A week late but Colin is now two months old.  He is doing very well and growing very fast.  He is now 24 inches long and weighs 13 lbs and 7 oz putting him in the 85 percentile for his age in both areas.  I've moved him into 3-6 month clothing this week.

He is learning to coo and make noises besides just crying.  He seems to surprise him-self sometimes with the noises he makes.  He smiles a lot especially after waking up and eating.  It's fun to watch him smile at other people in church or the stores.

He has begun to sleep through the night this week.  He goes to bed about 8:30 or 9 and wakes up around 6 or 6:30.  Since he has been consistent for a week I marking it down as Sleeping Through The Night on his little milestones calendar.

1 Month Old

Colin is one month old now, and doing well.  Patrick seems to be adjusting well to having Colin in the house.  He still have his moments and I'm just not sure what to do anymore.  Patrick doesn't seem to respond to any type of discipline.  This morning Patrick hit Colin with the broom while I was cleaning up breakfast.  Colin now has some cuts/scratched on his nose and Patrick got a time out.

Colin is finally eating (well almost) on a regular schedule of every 3 hours.  He still has times of wanting to eat every hour, usually at night before bed.  He is sleeping great; usually goes to bed around 10 or 11 and only wakes up once during the night.

We started cloth diapers with Colin; they make his butt very big.  I bought a few extra covers as Patrick is still in cloth diapers right now.  I'm hoping to potty train Patrick soon and will then use the covers I already have for Colin.  I bought some training pants for Patrick and hope they come soon.  They are made by Best Bottoms just like my cloth diapers.  Any tips for potty training?

First Week

Colin's first week has gone by quickly.  He is doing well and everyone seems to be adjusting well.  Patrick doesn't seem to notice Colin unless I'm feeding him or he is crying.  Colin has been doing well with nursing and has a good sleep schedule going on.  He's been going down for the night around 10:30 and wakes up somewhere around 7:30.  He usually wakes up only once to eat and goes right back to sleep.  He sleeps pretty soundly and quietly.  I've had to check on him a couple times to make sure that he is still breathing he is so quiet.

We went and had his newborn pictures taken today.  We got some good family photos and sibling photos taken.  He didn't want to cooperate for his individual pictures, so we are going back tomorrow for those.  I can't wait to see all the pictures once they are all done.

This week will be pretty quiet around the house.  Patrick has gone to the cottage with grandma and grandpa until Wednesday afternoon.  I hope to get a few things done around the house.  Next week, for the 4th of July, we are all going to the cottage.  I was thinking about going with this week but with Colin still getting onto a schedule I thought it would be best to wait.  I don't want to possibly throw him off.

Do They Look Alike?

Pictures of Colin and Patrick, both about a day old.  Can you tell they are brothers?

Colin Robert

Introducing Colin Robert

Colin Robert was born on June 15, 2013 around 11:15 pm.  He weighed 7 lbs and 15 oz and is 20 inches long.  Lost of dark hair and brown eyes.  All natural labor, no drugs for pain or to keep things moving along.  Pictures will follow.

I was awaken around 5 am with contractions.  They continued all day with no real pattern or consistency to how long they were.  Only a little painful but not bad.  I ran some errands and even stopped by a baby shower for a friend that afternoon.  Watched a couple movies and did a some laundry.

My contractions started to become regular and consistent around 5 pm; about 1 minute long every 10 minutes of so.  Michael and I watched a movie while I continued to time my contractions.  We were told not to come to the hospital until the contractions 5 minutes apart, 1 minute long for 1 hour.  About 30 minutes before the movie ended we reached this criteria.  We finished the movie and headed to the hospital.  It was about 9 pm at this time.

Just getting up and moving made my contractions increase quickly.  We got to the hospital, checked in, and up to labor and delivery by 9:30.  They hooked me up and started some of the initial registration questions.  They checked me and I was at 6 almost 7 cm and 100% effaced by about 10 pm.  By the time they got my IV in for my antibodies I was already 8-9 cms.  Not time for drugs for me, which was fine since I didn’t want any.  I started pushing around 11 pm.  Two contractions and 6 pushes later, Colin Robert came into the world.  He had the normal newborn mewing cry instead of the high-pitched scream that Patrick had; I’m very grateful for that.  No tears and everything went great; much faster and easier than with Patrick.

Colin has had a little trouble keeping his temp up so he spend most of the night in the nursery.  He didn’t like his bath but loved having his hair combed.  He also holds his breath when he cries.

Dear Peanut,

You are over due by two days and it's driving your mama crazy!  I know it's normal for baby's to go over due but in our "modern and advanced" world our first instinct is to make you come out as close to your estimated delivery date as possible.  Mama would rather wait and let you come when you want to come.  Lucky for us, mama's doctor agrees that letting you come naturally is better than forcing you out.  Mama was able to push your eviction notice back for almost an entire week.  While you can stay in until next week Friday, mama wants you out now.  The sooner the better for everyone otherwise mama has to go take some tests to make sure you are okay in there.

Everyone can't wait to meet you and have you join our family.  Mama has your room 95% ready for you, just waiting for your shelves and to put your name up.  Daddy has been on baby watch for the past week at work and I know he's anxious for you to come as well.   Grandma and Grandpa are going on vacation and I know they would like to meet you before they take off for almost 2 weeks.

On a side note, Mama is thinking of changing your name to Sheldon; the little chicken who wouldn't hatch because he read the newspaper and the outside world scared him.  Mama and Daddy promise to take good care of you and to protect you so there's no reason to be scare and stay inside. :)