Mom Remembers

1. Starting from the end of the week: Scott's trach was removed this morning!  He no longer needs any assistance to breathe and can speak normally. 2. OK, going backwards: My sister and her husband were here over the weekend.  Brianna was so helpful at the hospital, making sure that Scott was getting adequate care and prodding the process along.  And Collin was an angel at home, playing with the boys and keeping them entertained.  They taught Mom and I to play a game called "One Night", which is a spin-off from "Werewolf" that was actually pretty fun.  Watching Brianna and Collin interact was bitter-sweet for me; they are so cute together.  I am so glad that my sister is happily married. 3. The Scott-highlight from Sunday was that he got off the ventilator!  At first, they gave him supplemental oxygen through a little mask over his trach but gradually that was weened away until he was able to breathe without any support. 4. Monday, Scott got out of ...

Our youngest is now two.  Those baby years just flew by!  I think that each child grows faster than the last.  But even though it has passed in the blink of an eye, the past year with Leif has been delightful.  He has really come out of his shell, opening up to more than just his Mom and his Nan as his abilities have grown. We didn't do much to celebrate (two-year-olds have low expectations), but he was thrilled.  He has seen a lot of birthdays lately and loved that it was finally his turn.  Here's what we did to celebrate: 1. Carl helped him get out of bed in the morning and he toddled into my room for a "good morning".  He was excited to get a "happy birthday!" instead.   2. He did well unwrapping his presents--again probably because he's had a lot of examples lately.   3. Grandma bought him a little red wagon and Carl bought him a cell phone.  He was pretty happy, sitting in the wagon, talking on his cell phone.  I...

Before a year : Mama, Dada Before 15 months : yeah, please Before 18 months : no, bye, hot, ow, shoes, cheerios, hello, door, cracker, more, socks, go, down, dog, gum, up, Leif Before 21 months : cat, out, book, wee-wee (like what the fifth little piggy says), teeth, popcorn, stairs, truck, duck, drink, phone, bowl, Carl, Sven, milk, woof, brush, smoothie, bread, dump, Nan, breakfast, let's, Soren, hug, Daddy's office, bonk, yogurt, blanket, stop, Rachel, pumpkin, corn, get, page, prayer, amen, done, ok, jacket, house, hand Before 2 years : diaper, poopy, Maddy, cereal, thank you, clap, tap, goodbye, bunny, tape, chocolate, again, eye, turkey, bucket, cup, more, water, watch, salt, pepper, pjs, Nate, high chair, Poppy, wait, taco, rabbit, cookie, Ash, poke, eye, sticker, nose, eye, fingers, mine, bowl, plate, cup, spoon, mac, cooking, and more! (I stopped keeping track of new words sometime before Christmas, when he started copying everything that everyone said.)

Goals for Soren: * focus on his own schoolwork while Mom is helping other kids * stay quiet during lessons and adult conversations * keep his bed dry at night Goals for Carl: * obey instructions cheerfully * play nicely with Sven Goals for Sven: * stay in bed at night * finish potty training * follow reasonable instructions given by his older brothers Goals for Leif: * eat some of what we are having for dinner * no shrieking! * regular naptimes and bedtimes Goals for Carolyn: * finish writing novel * pray for missionary opportunities daily Goals for Mom: * attend to positive behaviors, reconnect when things are going well * start school promptly in the morning and don't multi-task * supervise tooth-brushing morning and night

Yesterday was Michaelmas, the holiday that (as Soren put it) "no one celebrates but us."  I think that's one of the things I love about it.  Since no one I know celebrates Michaelmas, there is no commercial pressure attached to it.  That means that the only expectations are the ones we create ourselves. I asked the boys in family council on Sunday which traditions were most important to them, so we could be sure to meet their expectations.  Thankfully, no one said "presents!"  So there weren't any.  The traditions that were mentioned were:    1. checking out dragon books from the library    2. decorating the house    3. making dragon bread    4. sharing the scripture story in Family Home Evening We did those things so--hooray!  Expectations met. I have my own personal expectations, of course.  I like to tell my Kindergarten story of St. Michael and the star children.  I like to sing songs abou...

Oh, how I welcomed Midsummer with open arms this year!  I was ready for summer: no school means time to write, time to plan, time to swim, and time to rest.  The kids went with wide-open eyes into our media fast and I had a plan to teach them lots of skills and chores.  I love that summer is unique in all the year; at least for stay-at-home moms and kids, it is a gift of time large enough to explore different skills and new ways of being. And, of course, we kicked off summer with our traditional camping trip.  Here's a recap: 1. We went somewhere new this year: Lake Le-Aqua-Na.  It's a man-made lake in Lena, hence the silly name.  I find it ironic that even though I associate Midsummer with the desert, we will probably always camp near water now that we live in Illinois.  The fun thing about choosing a campsite this year was that we made it an item of business for our (newly-formed) family council.  We voted not to return to Apple River, th...

I have been blessed in the last year by many experiences that are spiritual in nature.  My faith in God and His miracles has grown as the voice of His Spirit has testified to me.  I know better than before of the reality of an unseen world and the love that reaches out to me from that place. Because of that growth, Easter held extra meaning for me this year.  Christ's triumph is real  to me--and so is the hope I felt this season.   Hallelujah . Our family's celebrations this year included: 1. Soren and I kicked off the season by watching the world's largest virtual Hallelujah chorus , a project produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  That was an amazing way to get into the celebratory spirit. 2. This was our first Easter in our own home.  We set up the Easter table in the dining room.  This is one of my favorite traditions: we decorate a table with symbols that remind us of Christ and keep a candle burning there in t...

1. How he sits on my lap to listen to a board book.  He likes to turn the pages. 2. He also likes to "read" to himself.  His babbling noises are charming. 3. The way he puts his head on my shoulder when he is tired. 4. How ticklish he is. 5. That he can come down the stairs safely all by himself. 6. How pleased he looks when he is wearing Daddy's glasses. 7. That he has learned not to play with the chess pieces. 8. His enthusiastic toddle. 9. The way he smiles at his brothers. 10. That he will eat almost anything--but only if he sees you eating it first. 11. How much he loves Nan.  When she comes, he pants with excitement and practically jumps out of my arms. 12. The way he squeezes his hand to sign "milk". 13. Giving him raspberries. 14. That he likes animals.  He gets excited whenever he notices the cat 15. and enjoys getting licked in the face by Poppy's dog. 16. His smile. 17. And his laugh.  That's really the best. 18. How warm he...

Leif made the switch this week.  You know: the switch to walking. He took his first steps in January.  I didn't see them; I was teaching Sunday School and he was with his beloved Nan.  But he was happy enough to repeat the feat given marshmallows as an incentive. After that, "walking" became a game Leif and Scott would play almost every night while I made dinner.  But Leif would try to get away with as little walking as possible.  He would crawl to Scott, then climb up his pant legs and try to reach the marshmallows from the safety of that grip.  It usually worked so he didn't have much reason to improve. The cutest thing about the process this time was watching the way Sven and Carl responded to Leif's attempts.  Carl liked to playing "walking", too and would offer whatever bits of snack might tempt our little toddler.  We would all laugh whenever Leif clawed up Carl's pants; it seemed like they would both knock over!  As Leif got bett...

They say that later-born children have skinny photo albums.  While parents lavish attention on the firstborn (making certain to record every milestone and in both print and pixels), later children are forgotten and neglected.  So the common wisdom goes. Maybe its true.  There are certainly fewer posts on this blog about the younger boys than there were about the older ones.  And there's no doubt about it: fewer photos are taken now-a-days.  I don't even want to talk about videos.  Poor neglected Leif.  According to the records, he's hardly even a presence in this house. Except that's not true. The paucity of posts and pictures does not reflect an absence of affection.  It does not speak to my feelings about living with children at all.  I find them no less delightful and amazing than I did eight years ago when I first began my mothering journey.  If anything, the little ones delight me even more now.  I know better how to enjo...

I have been looking forward to Christmas at my parent's house for months.  My mom goes above and beyond when preparing to welcome company and, as a result, her home is the most comfortable place in the world. While looking forward to our visit, I was reminded of a very old talk given by Neal A. Maxwell that reminded me of my mom.  He said that "When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.'  There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.'  Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?" Yeah, my mom makes coming home feel like that.  And since it had been five years since I'd gone home for Christmas, my excitement for the holiday this year was almost as great as when I was a child. Here are some of my favorite mem...

Babies don't know that it's their birthday.  No amount of singing and being excited on their behalf will change their disposition. So it shouldn't be surprising that Leif was upset this morning.  In spite of all my good cheer, he was cranky as all get out.  He didn't like breakfast, he didn't want to play with toys, and he didn't want to have any of his brothers make silly faces at him.  He just wanted me to hold and nurse him, which I could only do so much of because I was getting everyone ready for church. He was the maddest about the drive to church.  It was bitter cold and he wouldn't let anyone warm up his hands.  It wasn't until Nan gave him a granola bar that the day started to look up.  But only moderately so, because being one is mostly frustrating. Here's how we tried to make the day special: 1. Sven was really excited about Leif's birthday.  He wished him a "Happy Birthday, Leif!" just about every time he saw him.  Th...

Lest I forget, Leif learned to crawl this September.  He was 8 months old.  At the beginning of the month, he was making a cute but feeble effort.  At the end of the month, he could get everywhere and into everything.  His favorite destination: the cat's water dish.

Michaelmas came like a breath of fresh air this year.  It brought certain pessimistic ruminations to a screeching halt, reminding me once again that God is at the helm and His victory is assured.  Michael and his angels have fought and conquered the dragon once before; with the help of our Savior, we will do it again.  My faith is refreshed and my courage is bolstered. Here is what we did to celebrate: 1. Yesterday, we went apple picking at a my husband's sister's friend's grandma's house.  She has more apples than she can pick and so we took a bucket and brought home plenty for our needs.  The trees were so full, it only took about 10 minutes for the kids to gather enough good apples to fill two buckets.  Soren got the idea that he might like to sell some apples so he filled up his shirt, too. 2. Then, yesterday evening, Scott helped me make boffer swords.  They were surprisingly easy but used a lot more duct tape than I expected.  We...

Sometimes, it seems like nothing is happening in my life.  But when I am keeping a journal, there are a million things I want to write about.  That’s a little daunting.  It makes me not even want to get started because I know that I could just write forever.   I was thinking today, though, about memories.  Our memory is so faulty.  Someday, my children will be grown and I will only have my patchy memories to hold close.  I am grateful for the everyday things I have recorded about them.  I haven’t done enough of it, though.  And so today, I want to write about my kids. Carl is very excited because his birthday is tomorrow.  He was antsy about it all day today.  He kept climbing up on the piano bench to shake the birthday present from his grandma and guess which lego set she bought for him.  Mixed with the pre-birthday excitement, he also had more than his fair share of upset today.  He tripped in the kitchen during...

I have long wanted our family's midsummer festival to be a celebration of balance.  My motto every year has been: "Just enough is more."  I have tried to pare back on the excess in my life and make more room for the simple pleasures. But this year, I took to heart more than I ever have before.  Something clicked and I finally "got it".  I was so excited to slow down and do less--not just for the weekend camping trip but for the whole summer!  Maybe even for my whole life. So I made a list of things that I was going to give up for Midsummer.  I wanted to make more time in my life by doing less stuff.  For starters, I was going to be done with homeschool after Midsummer, whether or not we finished our reading list.  Also, I was going to forgive my chore and blog post back log.  And I decided to take a break from potty training Sven and put him back in diapers for the summer.  Plus, midsummer marks the beginning of our media-free summer...

Dear Leif, We almost didn't make it to your blessing day.  It was scheduled for April 12, the first Sunday we planned to spend in our new ward.  But our plane flight to Chicago was cancelled and we ended up making our big move on a train, arriving less than 24 hours before your big day. That was enough, though.  We woke up in our own house for the first time the morning of your blessing. The whole building had a jubilant feel to it that day.  The church members were eager to welcome our family into the ward and that spilled over into eagerness to welcome  you .  So many people who loved your dad and watch him grow up are excited to have that same experience with you.   Mother and Father Duede travelled from Michigan to be with us.  Grandma and Grandpa came from Kentucky.  Nan, Poppy, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Ash, and Maddy drove the five minutes from their homes; we live near them now!  How wonderful it was to be surrounded by...

Easter this year butt up right against our family's impending move to Freeport, Illinois.  Although it would have been fun to celebrate newness of life in our own new home, I lobbied for the move to be postponed until the week after Easter.  I wanted to have time for reflection as well as resources for celebrating. Here are some of the things we did to mark the season: 1. On Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, the kids and I watched the Bible video on lds.org about Christ's triumphal entry .  Then we set up our Easter table and talked about our plans for the week. 2. On Monday night, we planned an Easter program that we would share with our dinner guests on the upcoming Sunday.  There would be music, stories, and scripture readings.  Carl and I spent the week practicing a solo he would sing ("It Shouldn't Be Hard").   3. Of course, we spent a lot of time that week cleaning and packing.  During all that time, our Easter candle burnt ...