Countdown to Christmas

The countdown to Christmas is on in this house. Only 12 days to be exact. So in the meantime we have been busy preparing. From school holiday programs to a full week ahead of Christmas parties and last minute preparations, the kids are ready and awaiting Santa's arrival.

Last Sunday a miracle appeared. It snowed for the first time since last January! Eventhough it will probably be all melted long before Christmas Eve, it is truly amazing what three kids can do with only 2 inches of snow.

I remember what the week leading up to Chistmas was like as a kid. The excitement was almost too much to take. One week from Monday is Christmas Eve. I have been trying to focus on teaching my four and six year old that giving is better than receiving. Kind of a hard lesson to deliver. Everyone has been assigned (except for the 2 year old) to do a Christmas deed of kindness. Averie donated some of her dolls to children less fortunate while Keaton went with Daddy to help build a Habitat for Humanity house last Saturday.  

Other ways we have been preparing for Christmas...

Searching for the perfect Christmas tree:

Decorating & wearing new Christmas outfits:

Watching Christmas movies:

We are looking forward to Christmas week. Otherwise known as the magical week leading up to Christmas when reindeer fly, family and friends come to town, cocoa and egg nog are served, children sing and dress up as shepherds for the Chrismas Eve Pageant and everyone you see seems a little bit friendlier. 



May your days be merry and bright. And may all your Christmas's be white.....

Wishing you a magical Christmas week, Dena

 

Summertime Memories

There is so much to LOVE about summer. Just the word alone is exciting. In the past few weeks my oldest son Keaton has finished kindergarten, summer school has started, blazing hot weather has arrived, watermelons have been sliced, smores have been made over the fire and normal bedtime routines have been traded for one more swim around the pool. Summer is about making the most of the short time we have together without school, busier schedules and colder weather.

Last week we all ventured out for the annual June beach weekend. My sister always hosts this event and we all go to the state park about ten minutes from her house. The night before the beach we all gathered in the backyard for dinner and a bonfyre while this photo was taken by my son Keaton:

This photo had me thinking.

Once it was taken I realized it looked similar to a photo of my brothers and sisters back in the day when I was about the same age of my daughter-3. This photo was taken in another backyard which belonged to my grandfather on the 4th of July. Every year all five kids would go to my grandfather's house over the 4th of July-it was the most exciting event of the summer next to a possible 6-Flags trip. Now its my turn to take my kids on summer trips that we turn into traditions.

Cameron-Govenor Dodge State Park 2012

I love this photo of Cameron. He is a totally terrible two year old right now. But darn he is cute and how can one be unpleasant at the beach?



Averie in her element and wearing all pink

You ask Averie about her favorite things and she will gladly answer. The two things that usually top her list are swimming and all things 'pinkalicious.'

Keaton-back yard water fight

So what did my kids want to do while I was exhausted aftern the beach weekend?

Have a water fight in the backyard of course.

We are looking forward to spending a lot of time with cousins, going to the pool, having popsicles on the deck, staying up late, taking walks in the dark, buying a slip and slide and more. Much more.

In fact, tonight  my dearest friend is coming in town and staying with us for the weekend. I am so excited I could dance and shout. I have not seen her since last November but once we get together it will be non-stop talking and laughing. Within 5 minutes it will be like we are in high school again-this happens every time.

Nothing says summer more than this!

So hello to summer and everything that comes with it.

Dena

It's Time for Bunny Cake!

Everyone who is close to our family knows there is a large cake every Easter Sunday for all to share. It is made with jelly beans, green food colored coconut, string licorice and two eight-inch round cake pans which are magically cut into pieces that form a bunny. This is a serious Easter tradition.

Notice the photo of Cameron and candles-we were also celebrating his 2nd birthday

The story is the tradition started when my mom cut the recipe out of Parade Magazine several years ago and it has been made by someone in the family ever since.

I think this is why I love holidays-not only because of the cake but because of the tradition behind it all. This girl loves tradition. Plus it's all of the things I love most wrapped up into one: spending time with family, cooking good food, eating (of course) and doing it all over again the next time.

So to keep up with tradition I did my usual running around the night before Easter making sure everything was perfect for the morning. I even went to the grocery store that night to make sure I had everything ready for the breakfast rolls that would accompany the badly colored hard boiled eggs in the morning. My mom always had rolls on Easter Sunday.

I was begining to feel worried when my six-year old said the Easter Bunny was not a 'real person' so I did my best effort to make the deck as messy as I could. There were jelly beans and half eaten carrots everywhere in the morning. Something I would normally never allow.

It's amazing how affordable and entertaining an Easter egg hunt is. I should really do this more often. Ninety-nine cents for eggs, $2 for candy, 20 minutes of preparation time and you are set with an experience as exciting as Sea World.

My Bunny

Cousins Photo - Easter Suday 2012

Other Stories from the Last Couple Weeks:

Surviving an 18.5 hour car ride to and from Florida with three kids and actually enjoying most of the ride ( I knew in the end it would be worth the experience and it was)

Keaton enjoying his first ever view of the ocean-March 2012

Birthday parties with great friends


Easter Egg hunts and Easter dresses

Oh girl you look just like your mama once did

Reading books to my now two-year old who will actually sit listen to them-finally! His favorite book right now, 10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle.

My daughter is a very picky eater but it has been recently discovered she has a taste for expensive seafood. We noticed this after she tried to eat a whole bowl of crab claws while at a friends birthday party. This explains a lot.

Every time I walk into Cameron's bedroom in the morning and see this sight I want to stop time and freeze the moment forever:

Oh my you two are so cute. Love, Mom

With three kids 6 and under these are the moments that make all the crazy times even more worth it.

I am looking forward to many more 'freezer' moments ahead.

Dena

It's the Little Things

Just when I was starting to feel even more guilty about the mood I've been in since Saturday (insert mental image of myself arguing with three year old daughter constantly throughout entire weekend) It dawned on me right before I would normally start sending everyone off to their beds that there was a bag of oreos in the cabinet, a picnic table on the deck and some amazing March weather outside.

View from our backyard

So I asked everyone six and under in the house, "Who wants to go outside to have cookies and play in your pajamas?" That was an easy sale. Everyone was out the door within thirty seconds while looking at me like I might have just lost my mind.

It's the little moments like this that seem to lift everyone's spirits a little higher. No one was fighting, not a soul was crying and I think all three children were actually playing together. I must make note to buy more oreos.

Photo Curtosy of photographer, Keaton

I have to wonder if we all might just think about everything a little too hard these days. I was talking to my mom about parenting advice last night and she acted pretty calm about the whole thing-she raised five capable children afterall so I usually ask her opinion. I think back to the days when I was little and what mattered most. What I remember were holidays, outings with my older brothers and sisters, family traditions and going to Grandma's house.

Since my mother can't even turn on a computer (or typewriter probably) I know she wasn't reading about what the other moms were doing, (no internet in the 80's either) asking people if her parenting method was correct or even discussing it with other moms-she was just doing what she felt was right.

How can a girl who looks like this ever be sassy?

All I can ask is that my daughter and I have the same relationship I have always
had with my mother. And just maybe if I'm lucky it can be an even better one.

Two days until Cameron turns 2. He is really starting to show his funny personality. And he totally broke the two cookie limit rule tonight. That's ok-it's birthday week and he knows it.

This child is one hard baby to photograph

I will be back later in the week with special birthday details and photos. Then its off to somewhere even warmer for a spring break trip adventure.

How have I not noticed this before? Oh right, I have three kids.

What are the little things you are enjoying right now?

What I Love Right Now

Everything seems a lot brighter when the winter snow melts away, when you see the first group of robins who have made their way back from the south, when you can open up those windows that have not felt fresh air since last October and when you can once again go outside without a jacket.

All of the above happened within the last few days. Awesome early spring weather brings freedom-getting outdoors, riding bikes, playing baseball in the yard and just simply enjoying all of the fresh air.

I love how Keaton is old enough now to play a competitive game of basketball. Game of Choice? HORSE which sometimes turns out to be PIG depending on time or my level of patience. He has his own March Madness going on in the driveway.

I love that Averie thinks this world is really just about ballerinas, crafts, baking cakes and dress up-her favorite three things in life right now. Because that is how childhood should be-no stress, just wondering about which doll to sit at the table for the next tea party.

I love this time of year-not only because of the spring weather but also because we have a special birthday we are preparing to celebrate in the next week. Cameron Patrick will be turning two. What a milestone this will be for him as well as our family.  We call him our little Irish boy-we are so lucky to have him. It's like he already knows his special birthday is coming because there is no hiding the smile on his face.

And brother knows that it's nice outside and he is not going to miss one minute enjoying it.

After I took this picture I thought to myself how one day my husband and I would look back on this very photo and miss 'the good old days' when all of our kids were little and making us laugh while also driving us crazy. These are the hold on to type of moments...

 Happy Early Spring~Wishing you many happy hold on to moments,

 Dena

 

February Fly By

There are two months of the year I dread: January & February.

But this year I was not going to let those two wintery cold and snowy Wisconsin months bring me down. Not this year. So I decided to make some plans in the hopes that the shortest but also longest month (February) would fly by. And it did.

We took off and packed ourselves plus three kids almost every weekend in February. I just might have overbooked a little too much adventure.

I find that I do this often. Make plans-especially for the weekends. This girl is big on creating memories.

We did that during a recent Wisconsin Badger Hockey Game...

We did that while trying to do a photo shoot to capture Cameron's 2nd year photo-yeah right, that boy will stop for nothing and runs immediately at the sign of my camera.

I will get this photo shoot done and we will have some great ones-that's still on my to-do list for now.

We created more memories by visiting family and celebrating birthdays. We celebrated birthdays in resturants, in waterpark hotels and even in a spa (kids not a part of the spa celebration). Because each birthday is special and deserves to be celebrated in a major way.

Last summer my husband and I spent hours packing for a Father's Day camping adventure with my sisters. It was very hot, not everyone was feeling well and I think all were sleep deprived. Needless to say after a weekend of swimming, hiking, roasting marshmallows and sleeping in tents was over I asked Keaton what his favorite part of the weekend was. His reply, "Seeing the racoon in the dumpster." So there you have it.

I don't think I have learned my lesson yet. Maybe we should try a few weekends at home with less packing, driving or plans and see what happens. I'll be sure to report back.

Top Stories of the Weekend:
1. Cameron is starting to say more words. He handed a doll to Averie and said Barbie.
2. Keaton practiced some serious basketball skills with cousin Ciara
3. Averie worked further perfecting her plie and other ballet moves as her life goal is to become a professional ballerina.
In her most recent spare time she can be found playing cars and trucks with her two brothers. Her car is the red one and everyone knows you don't mess with that.

And as for me? I didn't make any plans and I find myself a little. . .disapointed.

More Later,

Dena

Time to Celebrate a Birthday!

January 30th is a very special day in our house-Keaton turned six years old yesterday. Averie's eyes were glowing as she asked, "Are we having a party?" My kids think every day should be celebrated with a party-just the way childhood should be.

As I look back to six years ago I think about how excited I was to meet the little baby boy who was going to be named Keaton or Caleb. We actually had the wooden letters to decorate the walls in his nursery that spelled: C A L E B, but once we saw him, he was Keaton Matthew.

I think about being in the hospital those first few moments, hours, and days that followed and not realizing how much my life had suddenly changed. I also look back and think I didn't count my blessings nearly as much as I should have, held my little baby boy close enough and just simply enjoyed the short time while they are so little.

If I were to go back to being that brand new mom I would tell myself to relax and just enjoy it. Household chores can wait. The first born is extra special. Take more video. Take more photos. Write about it. Remember it. Everyone always says, 'It goes by way too fast.'

Keaton is an energetic happy and healthy six year old who loves sports: basketball, golf, soccer, football, baseball, swimming-the athletic list could go on and on. He LOVES his uncle's farm where he knows quite a bit about farming. He can milk a cow, feed them and even clean the barn.

You have to get up early in the morning and stay up late to keep up with this "big" boy and he knows it.

We are looking forward to celebrating more this coming weekend. We have a fun indoor water park adventure planned. There is going to be a lot of chasing three kids six and under in wet swim suits in the near future.

But each and every birthday should be celebrated to the fullest and that is what we will do.

Happy 6th birthday Keaton! We love you and wish you the most fun sixth year ever.

Dena

50 Degrees in January, What?

This week we experienced the most wonderful January weather in Wisconsin. There is usually 8+ inches of snow on the ground but as I look around I see green grass, sunny skies and 50 degree weather. We were not going to sit inside and let this opportunity pass us by so we went to the zoo.

Keaton

This experience was nothing like the crazy trick-or-treat event last October. 3.5 hours later no one wanted to go home.

Averie

The best part? Harldy anyone else had the same idea so you could actually find your kids. They could run around for hours because the place was almost empty. It was great to see people out and about on what would usually be a cold January day having picnics, riding bikes and walking without winter coats.  

Cameron-Not tall enough to reach the antlers but working on it...

And yesterday was yet another opportunity to experience the unusually warm weather. So Averie celebrated by getting the beach chairs out of the garage and set them up in the driveway...

All the Christmas decorations are now put away and the current challenge is finding a place for all the gifts these lucky children received.

Top stories from Christmas:
1. One urgent care visit on Christmas Eve morning (Casey)
2. One of three kids sick (Cameron) but hey that's one out of three
3. The kids sleeping in on Christmas morning
4. Cameron crying the entire Christmas day
5. Keaton successfully portraying the role of sheep for the Christmas Eve pagent

And I gotta say, I now understand why my mom was always so tired at Christmas. Working to make it a magical experience for these three kids was exhausting. But, I already have ideas for next year as to how to do it up even more.

It looks like snow is finally in the forecast for tomorrow. Maybe Keaton will be able to try out that new snowboard he got for Christmas or the sleds that we under the tree. Until then I will enjoy this last day of warmth.

Happy New Year!

Dena

It's Christmas Week!

The most wonderful week of the year is here!

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the final days leading up to Christmas. This is the week that everything happens: cookies, wrapping, final preparations, Christmas music on the radio, etc. I wish I could freeze time on Christmas Eve-everything seems peaceful (well maybe not inside our house) and a little magical.

I even went a little further this year and placed a radio on the kitchen counter so that the kids could listen to Christmas music on a daily basis. This is something my mom always had playing in the kitchen around the holidays. You knew it was Christmas Week when the radio blared out Silver Bells in the kitchen.

We have survived all three kids having the stomach flu and a very stiff neck (me) this holiday season. And, two 'pinkalicious' eyes as Averie would say. We are crossing our fingers that this week is a healthier one... because we have to do really important things like baking cookies for Santa.

Averie at the Christmas tree farm

Keaton had his kindergraten Christmas program last Friday and this Christmas Eve we are looking forward to seeing him act out the part of a sheep at the Christmas Eve church service while his cousin, Ciara, plays the role of Mary. There no doubt will be video cameras rolling for that one. After all, Christmas Eve is the most wonderful night of the year.

Until then we are going to pack in (to make up for some lost time while we were under the weather) some ornament making, a cookie party with cousins-Carissa & Ciara, a trip to see Santa, some wrapping, and more listening to 'The Night Before Christmas,' which was mailed by cousin Jaimee in Colorado with her voice telling the story. The kids are so excited just to hear her voice and they will actually sit there and listen.

Even the littlest one gets in on the action.

Other Stories from the past week:

Number of The Grinch who Stole Christmas Viewings: 10+? Too many to count.

A family Christmas party where we discovered that white chocolate covered popcorn
might just be the best thing on earth.

A sleepover with cousins.

Last minute Christmas shopping (with three year old Averie) who lasted 3+ hours without complaint.

Keaton playing in the one inch of snow that we finally recieved for 3+ hours. How he can stay entertained out there is something we will never know.

And where are the pictures from Keaton's Christmas Program? Well, just my luck as the camera was used so much that the battery ran out. We will do better on Christmas Eve.

Hope you are enjoying Christmas Week and that you take the chance to rock around your tree.

2011 Christmas Tree

Dena
 

Gratitude Sunday

Last Sunday was 'Gratitude Sunday' at church.

It really got me to think more about this whole idea.

Definition of Gratitude:

The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation

for and to return kindness.

It might have been good to have thought about gratitude while the

following stories occured last week:

1.My husband and I could not find Averie anywhere but we heard her talking. She

 was found hiding underneath the kitchen table with her entire bag of Halloween candy

 and several opened wrappers.

2.While cleaning up the endless mess that was created in every room of the house.

3.While counting the number of times Averie gets out of her bed before 10 pm at night.

 How many you ask?  4-7 on average.

4.When Cameron started sweeping the entire house with the dirty broom

 including all the carpeting and walls. Number of times this has ocurred in the past week: 3.

He is getting a cleaning set for Christmas.

Then all of the sudden it snowed an inch of snow.

That kept Keaton busy for at least 3 hours.

It was dark by the time I ran out with the camera but the next morning

the other two discovered something white:

I was thankful the hardware store still had three little shovels.  This is gratitude   I tried not to look out the window. I really prefer summer and try to savor every second of the warmth, however the snow made me think of Christmastime, cookies baking, hot cocoa steaming, Christmas lights and I got all excited. I am trying not to fall victom to decorating way too early, (as I do every year) Christmas shopping more than I should, playing Christmas music and decoratingbut I might have to give in soon. There were even holiday movies that started playing this weekend. The Hallmark Channel is sure to get anyone in the Christmas spirit. Number of times The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was viewed this weekend? 3. And, one of those times was shared with a special friend:  Gratitude for playdates with friends     I could never express enough gratitude for the three healthy and happy children we have been blessed with. And, gratitude is the word to whisper when this one looks like this when she really should be sleeping:  Gratitude for the daughter I never knew I would have   Number of times I have had to put Averie back to bed while writing this? 8. And it could be more... Happy sleeping to all, Dena

Times Are Sure Changing

I went away for four day weekend last week. Just me. Nobody to worry about but myself for four entire days. It was fabulous.

It made me really start to think about how times really have changed. Gone are the days where I could pick up and go.  There was endless preparation and planning to get everything organized before I left. I frequently still find myself wondering...how do I possibly have three kids? I still feel like I should be the one babysitting.

There were two things that I was certain on in this life:
1. Marry someone who will not plan his day around sporting events/football programming/hunting activity
2. Have children who will dress nicely in polo shirts (boy) or dresses (girl)

I thought I had those areas all covered until apparently times have changed. I came home from a blissful shopping experience along Chicago's Magnificent Mile to find my husband and oldest son dressed in head to toe hunting gear while watching a football game. I must have had a horrified look on my face for the entire night.

What in the world? Is my own family ganging up on me I thought?

My son Keaton, who I want so badly to wear Ralph Lauren, would rather stay in camouflage from head to toe. He told me that maybe his teacher would not be able to find him the next day at school.

This happens every year in November when the hunting bin comes out. Keaton gets dressed in orange.

 Some things though have not changed. I have been friends with my dear friend Lesley for 16 years. It was a connection that occured almost instantly and we have talked almost every day since. I am so grateful for this friendship.

Myself and Lesley in Chicago Nov 2011

This photo of Cameron makes me stop and think... How is it possible that he was only a tiny baby last year at this time?

Times just keep changing.

Take for example my oldest niece, Carissa, who is turns 15 this week. It really does not seem like that long ago when we went to visit her at the hospital. Or the first Thanksgiving where there was a baby in my family. My brothers and sisters all fought over who got to hold baby Carissa.

Carissa was Miss America for Halloween-Plays the part well I'd say

The trip to Chicago could not have come at a better time. I am back feeling a lot more patient and that is not something you can just find anywhere.

Dena