Mom Remembers

With two big brothers (one of whom is very competitive), Sven doesn't get to win very many games.  He is usually good natured about it.  But that doesn't mean he wasn't extremely excited to win Uno at family home evening this week.  Even though he doesn't know how to hold his cards close yet and was pretty much playing face up, he still played all his cards before anyone else in the family.  He beat Soren and Carl.  He beat Mom and Dad.  He was so proud of himself.  He says that this is the first time he has ever won anything.  I think he is probably right.

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 ...

Sven is four!  Here's what we did to celebrate: 1. He opened a present from Carl first thing in the morning: a new LEGO set.  Since Sven is four, he is now old enough to play with the real LEGOs in the basement (instead of just the duplos in the nursery).  He has been looking forward to this milestone for months and Carl wanted to help him greet the new age with an age-appropriate gift.  He helped Sven to put it together and then they went to the basement to clear out a bin that Sven could keep his creations in. 2. My mom came to visit--and she brought plenty of party with her.  When she arrived in the morning, we drove to Rockford where we spent the morning at the Children's museum. 3. Of course, we stopped at Taco Bell on the way home.  Whenever we go out for food, the kids want to go to Taco Bell and get quesadillas.  Sven and Leif likes theirs with the spicy jalepeno sauce.  They love spicy, just like their dad.  Since it was a ...

SVEN: We're Mormons and Mormons don't eat with their fingers. SCOTT:  So when Soren scrapes salad dressing from his plate with his fingers, he's not a Mormon anymore? SVEN:  No.  That's not the way it works.  He's still a Mormon, he's just not a good Mormon.

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...

I am sitting outside the door of Sven's room, listening to him play with duplos.  He has three little duplo people, two boys and a girl, that he has decided are a family.  I can hear him playing with them, making them talk and driving their little car across his hardwood floor.  Here are some of the things he is saying: "Mom and Dad are getting married!" "Dad is taking us to the temple.  Where is the temple?"  (He says this in a higher voice.  I guess the "Mom" is talking.) "It's too far away."  (This voice is deeper.  Must be the "Dad".) "Hooray!  It's general conference temple!"  (Now his voice is normal.  Does that mean this is the kid?) "Beep, beep."  (That must be the car.) "I'm making a ham and cheese sandwich."  (Then all the duplos get dumped out.) And my personal favorite: "Carolyn, you can call me Scott."  (How romantic.)

Sven has been talking about his upcoming birthday for two months.  He knew it was in March and asked me almost every day how far away March was.  And when March came, he became even more impatient. 1. We ended up having an unbirthday the Monday before to hold him over.  He had woken up that morning, very upset that it was still February and that his birthday was so  far away.  So I sang him the unbirthday song and we made cupcakes for Family Home Evening. 2. His Grandma and Grandpa came up the Friday before and took us out to Monkey Joe's for pizza and jumping.  That's always a good time.  It was especially fun because Grandpa was passing out quarters for the arcade games.  The boys jumped for hours while I talked with my parents and we passed Leif around.  I loved watching Sven run after the big boys, jumping where they jumped and sliding where they slid.  He has gotten so capable in the last year. 3. My parents bought a headboard...

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...

Toddlers make me smile.  One of the really fun things about them is the things they say.  They imitate the big people in their life and for some reason that's funny.  (And endearing, which Scott would say is a survival mechanism.) Sven has been in rare form lately.  He's always listening but he doesn't always understand what's going on around him.  It comes out later, which gives me insight into the aspects of family life that are most salient to him. What he has revealed shouldn't surprise me: our family life revolves around our homeschool.  Even though a good portion of schooling happens during his independent playtime and his naptime, Sven still uses the lingo.  He wants to be a part of that most demanding part of my life and it makes me smile. Some of the things he has said: * while coloring at the table: "I'm doing my math." * after a bedtime story:  "Mom, can you give me a narration for that story?" * commenting on his brothers...

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...

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...

Sven:  I think the pioneers went to Illinois. Soren:  No, they went from  Illinois. Carl:  To Utah. Soren:  And there, Abraham Lincoln said "This is the Place."

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...

ME:  You are such a good brother. SVEN:  That's right.  I am Carl's brother. ME:  And you are Leif's brother and you are Soren's brother. SVEN:  And I am your brother. ME:  No.  You are my son. SVEN:  No, I'm not your son.  I am your brother.  Daddy is my brother. ME:  No, Daddy is your daddy. SVEN:  He's not my daddy.  I'm Sven. ME:  Whatever.

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 ...