The Alabama Olsen's

Gong Hey Fat Choy

2011-02-03T22:28:00.003-05:00

That's the phonetic spelling for how you wish someone a happy new year, in Chinese. Translated, it's actually closer to, "May you become prosperous."

For Gregory's homework, he had to go to a specific website and find out what Chinese year he was born and then complete a worksheet. Turns out he was born in the year of the Ram (2003).

I wish I could say I'd been planning this already, but I tend to do some of our funnest family activities on impulse. Fred came home a little early, so he watched the kids while I grabbed stuff at the store to make a "traditional" Chinese dinner.

I found a great recipe for Sweet and Sour chicken. It was a little involved, but SO yummy! We also threw some frozen Kung Pao eggs rolls and cream cheese pockets into the oven, and served it all up with steaming rice and sweet & sour dipping sauce.

We already had these fantastic learner chopsticks for the kids.

(goofy kid... I imagine most Chinese folks don't drown their rice in margarine)

Fred learned as a kid- I never had the patience to learn, but tried again tonight. I lasted for about 1/3 of the meal.

Whatever it takes...

and defaulting back to the hands.

Apparently, they celebrate for 2 weeks. I don't think we'll draw it out that long, but I'm hoping to pull in a few more concepts.

Anyways, "Gong Hey Fat Choy" to everyone!

Moving In

2011-01-23T19:55:00.000-05:00

We’ve been in Alabama 18 days now, and in our house for 17. I’m sure anyone will agree that moving is a roller coaster ride…

There’s the anticipation. You’ve waited in line for your turn to welcome the moving truck. Finally you strap into your seat and head to your destination, gripping the sides through several drops and loop-the-loops, sometimes screaming with panic, sometimes just enjoying the ride.

Then you reach your destination, which you foolishly think is the end. You climb out of the car, stretch your legs and take it all in, happy to be on solid ground. Then some unseen force pushes you into a seat of the rollercoaster that just appeared right next to the one you just dismounted. You don’t even have a chance to buckle up before you’re zooming away again.

The name of that roller coaster?

“Settling In”

Now, it hasn’t all been head knocking turns, suffocating drops and rattling tunnels. But I’ll list those first to get them out of the way…

The downstairs heater stops working.
We’ve been told by countless Alabamans that the first week we lived here is the coldest they can remember… in decades. I don’t think it dipped below the teens (which Ohio does easily), but it was certainly cold. A day or 2 after getting the keys, the ground floor got alarmingly chilly. We fiddled with the thermostat and tried out the circuit breaker. We discovered the (wonderful, beautiful) gas fireplace is purely for ambiance- on the highest setting it emitted the vaguest warmth.
So we called maintenance. After poking around for a while, he asked me to come upstairs with him. I followed him to the attic and he showed me 3 light switches near the door. 2 controlled the lights up there. 1 controlled the AC/heater downstairs. I had accidentally turned it off after checking out the attic. At least it was an easy fix.

Leora goes to the ER for high fever and vomiting.
That first Sunday morning Leora woke up hot and cranky, so I stayed home with her.
Fred had his own adventure taking the older 3 to church. When he got there the parking lot was empty. Turns out it was Stake Conference that day. YAY for GPS and a phone with internet access. He was able to find the Stake Center and even a few people from our ward, including the 1^st counselor who came over later to help give Leora a blessing.
The next day the base was closed due to the inclement weather. The main concern was ice, but there was snow expected, too. I never saw a flake, but the ground was pretty solid frozen. Leora hadn’t been able to keep anything down and her fever was still soaring. Because of “ice day” ALL local businesses were closed, including the base clinic and all urgent cares. So Fred had to take her to the ER. He got a massive headache making sure we were following Tricare’s protocol- with the “ice day” it became a unique situation. She did get seen and her fever broke, so they sent her home.

Leora goes to Urgent Care for ear infection.
Her sickness turned into a nasty cold which turned into an ear infection. Her fever was on its own roller coaster, sometimes close to normal but suddenly zooming way too high for my comfort. She wouldn’t eat or drink anything. So back to Urgent care she went, coming home with antibiotics and pain meds. Within 3 days she was finally back to normal.

The bug makes its way around.
Leora was the first to get sick.
Kai followed, getting a hot fever and yucky nose and eyes for almost a week.
Charla got the rotten fever and yucky nose for a few days.
I got a fever for a day, head cold, and lots of aches, although it’s hard to tell how much of that was due to sickness, and how much was just fatigue brought on by unpacking and caring for sick family.
Fred brought up the rear, having the fever for at least 2 days, one of them being the day he was going to start at work. His head cold hung around for a while and he hurt everywhere, too.
It’s never fun to have a sick family, but it’s just not fair when it happens days after moving. I’m just so grateful Gregory never got it. *fingers crossed*

½ of the Downstairs is cast into darkness.
When I plugged in a floor lamp, there was a loud *POP* and all the lights went out in the living room and family room. Amazingly (I call this a tender mercy) the outlets in the family room still worked, so I could plug sick kids into the TV. Call me a bad mom- there just wasn’t enough of me to go around!
Cold weather persisted, so we just dealt with it for a few days, assuming maintenance was probably busy dealing with more urgent matters. Frankly, I was also a little embarrassed to call again so soon for something so closely related to the last call. Finally, they came out. I had played with the circuit breaker too, but the guy got it to do his bidding, so we had light again.

Un-Packing horrors:
So far we’ve only found one broken picture frame, but there was a few irritating discoveries…
* An elaborate Captain Hook costume I sewed was wrapped around the head of the weed whacker. WHY???
* My snow boots had gone missing when the packers packed up our stuff- they had been by the front door because I was wearing them because of the SNOW. Well, I did find them… with cook books
* We got pretty anxious when the box that had a detailed drawing of our flat screen monitor contained our old traditional monitor. Luckily we found it in another box in the hall way. How did they find the time to draw that thing… and on the wrong box??

General settling in frustrations.
I’m tired. Oh, so tired. And just to insult me, for about a week I woke up almost every hour throughout the night for no apparent reason. So tired.
Carrying boxes upstairs and downstairs that the movers put in the wrong place.
Arranging and re-arranging furniture. I actually enjoy that part, but it’s not as fun when there’re still mystery boxes waiting to be incorporated into the house.
Hundreds of boxes and billions of sheets of packing paper to haul to the curb.

The family still needs to eat, bathe, have clean clothes, eat on clean dishes, kitties need to be serviced, kids need help with homework… the everyday stuff sometimes overwhelms me without the addition of unpacking.

Then add to it all the mere frustration of NOT being in control of it all, because there is no humanely possible way that I could be. I look forward to spring time, in the hope that we’ll have settled into a comfortable rhythm by then. Moroni 10:22 comes to mind… “And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair…” (hopefully the 2^nd half of that verse would not apply to me). For now, I cling to the hope of normalcy in the not too distant future.

POSITIVES

I’ve enthralled you with the turn by turn account of the stomach twisting “Settling In” roller coaster ride.

But I would be very ungrateful, and rather pessimistic, if I didn’t share the exciting, tummy tingling, breathtaking moments hidden in the ride…

Fred has a generous commander.
The major who lives next to us used to be an OTS instructor, like Fred will be. At that time the OTS commander was a real jerk and morale was low. He’s heard about how the current commander is leading much better by being positive and supportive of his Airmen and their families.
Fred’s commander, Col. Welch, is very family oriented. He told Fred to do his duties, but to take every opportunity to be with us. He warned him that the job will be VERY demanding, but that he’ll be disappointed if he sees Fred there for anything other than essential duties like lesson preparation. I took that as a veiled way to also say, “Don’t suck up to me by hanging around work more than you need to, especially at the expense of your family”, but I also know he sincerely wants his instructors’ morale to be up so they’ll be in the best frame of mind to be stellar teachers. From the day Fred found out about this assignment, I knew the next 3 years would be demanding (lots of single-parenting) but it’s reassuring that the boss is considerate of the families.

First to live in a remodeled historic home.
We’ve heard that the house was built in the 1920’s. I LOVE the charm. Almost every entryway is arched. There’s crowned molding throughout. I love the hard wood floors downstairs and the new carpet upstairs. There are so many windows! The dining and living rooms have elegant tall double-doors serving as the windows. I’ve wanted a fireplace for years, and now we have one, with a beautiful mantel. The house has a full attic, with its own staircase leading up to it. I just love fantasizing about what the first owners must have been like, how they must have furnished the house and what everyday life was like back then.
It also has all new kitchen appliances, cabinets, and counter tops. The neighbor took a peek at the pantry and explained that it’s all new. The entry into the pantry from the kitchen used to be the entry to the servants’ quarters. From the back of the house there is the original door that still opens to that space, which is now just crawl space under the pantry, but you can still see the steps that used to lead up into the kitchen. I laugh about the bathroom. The only downstairs toilet is in a tiny closet off the pantry, originally the servants’ WC. The sink in the pantry was added with the renovation- you used to have to wash your hands in the kitchen sink!
The garage is detached and connected to the neighbor’s garage. It really isn’t big enough for our cars, but it holds boxes and utility shelves as good as any garage. We have a back patio and hope to get some sort of gazebo to protect our patio furniture from the rain. The backyard is huge and level, with some great mature trees and a few privacy bushes. The base contracts people to do all the grounds maintenance, which is WONDERFUL!
The neighborhood is so open and peaceful. Enormous trees arch over the streets. I feel safe. We’ve taken the kids on walks and bike rides. Some evenings I just open the windows, turn on the fireplace, turn out the lights, and sink into the couch with a blanket, letting the breeze wash over me, feeling a moment of tranquil peace.

We barely slipped in.
Our reputation precedes us. Or at least that’s how it feels. At church and at work, people already knew Fred as the Lieutenant who moved into the “Big houses” on Maxwell. It’s only ever been open to senior officers: Majors and up. They allowed a handful of captains to move in after Thanksgiving last year. Then we and one other Lieutenant moved in. On Friday Fred found out that they are no longer accepting junior officers into this neighborhood. Honestly, I feel a little nervous, wondering if a neighbor is irritated that a Lieutenant moved in next to them. I can imagine senior officers feeling that living here should be earned by years of dedicated service, and if it fills with young officers, then there may not be houses available for those who “deserve” it. That’s just my speculation of course.
From the day we found out we could live in this house, I’ve acknowledged it as nothing less than a tremendous blessing from our Heavenly Father. And now I feel it more than ever. We are just a stone’s throw from the kids’ school. It’s such a beautiful home. Fred can ride his bike to work, which also means he’s close enough to visit if he gets a window of time once things start getting really busy at work. It’s just all around more than I could ever have hoped for.

The school is great.
I’ve learned that Maxwell Elementary is the last DoDs (Department of Defense) school in the US. The kids like their teachers already. They have high standards and frequent homework, which I personally like… well, I like it more when I’m not unpacking. But what I also love is how it’s infused with such patriotism. The kids not only recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but also sing the National Anthem every day. They make many accommodations for the parents, some of which are sometimes not able to see their kids often because of military duties. There’s even an area designated for parents to eat with their kids at lunch time. They encourage parent volunteering, have an active PTO (I plan on getting involved) and there are activities that coordinate with things on the base, like 50 cent bowling for students at the base bowling alley after school. Add to it all that it’s a 3 minute walk from our house, and it’s almost perfect.

We have new friends already.
One of the best things to happen here developed this past week. We found out the neighbor to our left has a little boy in Gregory’s 1^st grade class. He and Gregory became instant best friends, sharing a passion for Lego’s and Star Wars and just being silly boys. His mom and I have gotten to chat, too. They seem like a great family.
We finally all got to go to church today. I’ve been home with sick kids the previous 2 Sundays here. Just like we were told, people welcomed us with open arms… literally. They were excited to get 3 more Primary kids- it was Leora’s first day of Primary. They said she did great. Kai helped strengthen the nursery. We even got an invitation to a potluck some families have organized this week in our neighborhood
The Primary presidency was thrilled to hear that I play the piano and have Primary chorister experience. Everyone is especially excited that we’re staying 3 years. At any given time there are at least a couple dozen Airmen there for training that lasts anywhere from 2 weeks to a year. I’m a little nervous about what callings they’ll be giving us.

General settling in perks
It is a beautiful place. I was madly in love with Ohio and its vibrant seasons and how green it is. I’m certainly bracing myself for a hot, sticky summer, but right now this place is heaven.
The base has all of our essentials. The hospital is much smaller than Wright-Patt’s, but it meets our needs, even our more unique ones. And if there’s something we can’t buy on base or if we’d like to eat out, practically every store and restaurant is available in a little town 20 minutes north of the base.
We’ve already had a fun family night at the base bowling alley. I’ve read about many different activities the base sponsors and I hope we’ll be organized enough to remember when they are so we can participate. I’ve even already hit the family gym once, where there’s a safe area for the kids to play and watch movies while I work out within sight of them.
Being a smaller base means it’s possible to cater to everyone. This week is a Spouses’ Call, where they’ll be providing information to all the military dependents about services available to us. I’ve heard there are dozens of interest groups and even base-wide play dates.

To wrap it up…
I don’t presume to say I’ve had a chance to dismount the “Settling In” roller coaster and collapse on a park bench. But it does seem to be mellowing out a bit. I think it will ultimately smooth out to a more steady pace in a month or 2. Then again, life itself is a roller coaster, unpredictable, always keeping us on our toes. But it’s the ultimate thrill ride and I wouldn’t trade it for any boring ol’ Ferris wheel… although there are days I would consider it.

The Big Move

2011-01-07T09:10:00.004-05:00

It's been one crazy move.

On the morning we planned on heading out of Ohio, several things went wrong. We thought just Fred could be at the final inspection for the house, so I stayed at the hotel packing up the last stuff into our 2nd vehicle. Turns out I needed to sign papers, too, so I went nuts loading the last stuff as fast as I could so I could get there in time. Then as we rearranged some items in the cars, I accidentally left the headlights on and it killed the van's battery. The latch on the hood broke, so I couldn't open it to jump the battery. Fred drove to a store and bought a device that jumps a car by connecting them by the cigarette lighting outlet thingy- it worked!

I took the girls to grab lunch for everyone at Sonic. A few minutes after receiving our food, I reached for the cup of Ocean water from the cup holder in the car, but it was empty. Turns out there had been a lego in the cup holder which punctured the cup, causing it to drain the entire large cup. Joy.

We finally got on the road after 3 in the afternoon. We loved visiting with my aunt and cousins, the Hopkins, one last time when we picked up our kitties from them in Cincinnati. We pulled into the Motel 6 in Nashville, TN after 10pm, and collapsed into the lumpy, hard beds.

It was only 4 more hours to Maxwell AFB, so we did some site-seeing. We visited the Nashville temple...

and then toured the recreation of the Parthenon- SO cool! We also enjoyed lunch at Jack-in-the-Box, which was a real treat since there aren't any in Ohio.

(just off the Parthenon there was this jet... on loan from Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio!)

We arrived at Maxwell AFB at 10pm Wednesday, the day after leaving Ohio.

(with a rocket ship JUST inside the Alabama state line)

They lost our reservation for staying on base, so we got redirected to a hotel 20 minutes away... it gets complicated when you have kitties.

The movers called the following morning saying they were here and ready to unload- we hadn't expected them until the 10th. Within an hour of signing the lease papers and getting the key, the movers were rapidly filling our house with boxes. I had counted on having time to see the house, so that I could be confident about telling them where to put what. Oh well.

Then we discovered that the garage was FULL of garbage- we think it's stuff from the renovating. We're the first tenants to live in the house since they spent 2 years renovating it. But this meant everything that was supposed to go into the garage is now sitting on the back porch.

Things were going smoothly until the moment we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel for one more night. A shrill scream came from upstairs. At first I thought Charla was just being dramatic, but the screaming got more and more hysterical. When we got to her, she was standing at the top of the stairs, her left hand maimed and bleeding- a LOT. Leora had accidentally closed Charla's fingers into a door, by the hinges. It caused the skin on her 2 middle fingers to detach from the nail bed up to her first knuckles.

Fred took her to the ER. They think she might have a hairline fracture on her middle finger, but it was hard to tell. They were able to reattach the skin to one finger, but they said she'll lose the nail on the other. Luckily, she had screamed so much, she wore herself out to the point that she slept through most of the procedures- no stitches, just tape. They told us to follow up with her doctor in a day or two, and just pump her with Motrin in the meantime. She still hasn't woken up this morning- poor thing.

So today we check out of the hotel by noon. Fred is meeting with his new commander to process in. Then we get to fearlessly wield our box cutters and hopefully make some sense of the chaos that is right now our new home. Because of the our experience with Charla's finger, we got to meet our neighbor across the street when we asked for directions to the hospital. She was SO nice! She brought over several tarps to cover our things in the backyard in case of rain. She even offered to lend us her teenage daughters to watch my other 3 kids so I could go to the hospital with Fred last night. What a blessing.

Well, time to go eat breakfast at the hotel's impressive continental breakfast... it'll probably be the nicest breakfast we get for a while :P

Define "Peace" (funny)

2010-11-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

I've started singing Christmas carols to the kids at bedtime. Tonight I sang, "Silent Night" to the girls. As I finished the last line of the first verse ("sleep in Heavenly peace"), Charla innocently asked,

"What kind of "peace", mama? The kind of peas we eat, or the pee that goes into the toilet?"

Miraculously, I was able to hold my composure and explained that "peace" is a quiet, gentle feeling the Holy Ghost gives us in our hearts... although, it DOES sound a lot like those other 2 words.

Then I walked straight to the computer to blog this before forgetting to do so like I do almost every other night.

So, at the beginning of this Christmas season, I wish you all the "peace" that warms your homes and hearts... although peas are pretty yummy, too.

Moved and Moving

2010-11-12T14:02:00.006-05:00

Where we lived for the first 2 1/2 years in Ohio (on the left)

We knew joining the military would mean moving around. A lot. Which is actually a perk to us :) We've been told that we'll typically be staying at each place 3-4 years. Fred's commander was confident that he could help us get overseas for our next assignment, sometime summer 2011 (Fred's 3-year mark). Emphasis on the "was"...

Allow me to back up a little, though.

3 weeks ago we moved from our place on Dupont, to a townhouse in another area of base housing. We loved our last place- fantastic huge backyard, nice neighbors, attached garage, great ward. But we felt the time was right for the change.

(I added the cobwebs for Halloween)

Our new place has a much better floor plan, is within walking distance of shopping, is in a great neighborhood and is also in another fantastic ward. We love it.

6 days after getting the keys to our new place, Fred came home with news.
Big news.

He sat me down and, after beating around bush for a while, told me we got orders to move away from Ohio. He kept drawing it out, which drove me nuts- I was so excited! Finally he took a deep breath and let me have it...
Maxwell AFB by Montgomery, Alabama.
By February 10th.

I was stunned. I experienced the whole range of emotions in the matter of a minute.
Shock- we hadn't expected orders so soon, and the move is in less than 3 months
Disappointment - it was stateside, NOT overseas.
Fear - I'd heard that area of the country can be kinda scary
Frustration - we'd just had a GREAT move and it means having the kids change schools in the middle of the school year... to an area of the country that is known for suffering in the education department.
Anger - Maxwell was the ONE AND ONLY base/area of the country I had ever actually said I DON'T want to be stationed at.
Helplessness - realizing, as probably every military wife does at some point, that no matter what you may think is "typical or likely" you don't really have any control over where you will live and when.

And I cried.

I cried for all the reasons stated above and also BECAUSE I was crying! I'd always taken pride in my resolve to accept every challenge the military would throw at us, specifically in terms of where they would send us. And here I was crying, instead of bravely stepping up to the challenge!

At first we hoped it was a mistake- it's too soon, Fred's new responsibilities aren't remotely related to what he's doing now (he's currently in finance and the new orders have him as an OTS [officer training school] instructor), his paperwork had been specifically worded to guide the decision makers toward Europe. But he's been in touch with his new commander and it's very much NOT a mistake.

We've known for just over a week now. Since then I've come to terms with what's happening. We've decided to move out of here the first week of January so that the kids can start the spring semester at their new school (which will be on base if we live in base. We've heard that school is fantastic).

We've explored housing options and are hoping to get into a house on Maxwell, so both Fred and the kids could walk to school/work. We'd have to get special permission to move into senior officer housing, though (junior officer housing is all full). If that doesn't work out, we'll probably move into a house on Gunter AFB, 20 minutes from Maxwell. The kids could still take the bus to the school on Maxwell, but Gunter has fewer amenities than Maxwell. Either way, the housing on both bases has been recently updated and is apparently really nice.

(A picture from the housing website)

We know we'll be there 3 years. It's unlikely that Fred will deploy as long as he's an instructor at Maxwell. We've been assured he'll most likely be able to choose our follow-on base (I'll believe that when it happens). Apparently the ward there (more like branch) is absolutely wonderful.

The most reassuring thing we've heard are accounts from many people who have been stationed there before. They all tell the same story,

"I cried when I got orders to move there, and then cried again when I had to leave."

I've since dried my eyes and embraced the pending move. There are still lots of uncertainties and just the regular stress that comes with moving, but I'm ok with it now. Having moved just recently, most of our things are still organized and I've already gotten rid of a lot of junk. It's been a liberating experience.

So, 3 years from now my kiddos will have developed a cute southern drawl, I'll hopefully have learned how to make some great southern dishes, Fred will have added some great bullet points to his record and we'll probably (hopefully) be crying again as we anticipate our next move.

Likening the Scriptures... Literally

2010-09-14T00:03:00.003-04:00

For scripture study tonight, Fred told me to pick somewhere to read. I meant to look up "endurance" in the index, but the topic "flight" caught my eye first.
I picked 3 Nephi 7:12, and told Fred I'd found a very applicable verse to our travel plans. When I told him which chapter it was, he was very puzzled...

12 "Therefore, Jacob seeing that their enemies were more numerous than they... he commanded his people that they should take their flight into the northernmost part of the land... until they were joined by dissenters..."

I explained that we've been really oppressed lately by "enemies" (dishes, laundry, the litter box, etc).
We are going to pretty much the MOST northern town in the land of Germany.
And when we are joined by my parents and brother, we can fill them in as "dissenters" mentioned in the scriptures.

We sure had a good laugh!

Charla-isms

2010-09-09T00:19:00.003-04:00

(What Charla would look like with long hair- the girl sitting back to back with her happened to have the same color hair.)

We recently reassigned chores among the family. Today Charla verified that feeding the cat is one of her chores, but then couldn't think of any others. I reminded her that she's supposed to keep her room clean.
I often end up tidying it up when I search for dirty clothes. She pointed out that sometimes I do it and then asserted, "That's good, because it would hurt my brain to clean my room."

I assured her it wouldn't hurt her brain at all.

THEN...

For dinner tonight we had stir-fry with sliced sausage mixed in. At one point Fred commented about the meat in the dish. Charla immediately corrected him,

"PAPA! That isn't meat! That's a hot dog!"

We laughed and told her she was pretty much right.

Briefing the Troops

2010-08-31T22:50:00.006-04:00

(Kai at Parade Rest... AWESOME)

With our family trip to Germany looming just about 2 weeks in the future, we've decided to step things up a notch. For FHE tonight I put together a Power Point presentation, focusing mainly on our German family and heritage.
Being the genius that I am, it just now occurred to me that it might be a good idea to show the kids pictures of my German relatives, in an attempt to make my kids a little familiar with them before we move into my Oma's (likely NOT childproof) house for a week.
Even though I was competing with the bedtime crazies that seem to peek around 8pm, it was a great experience!

(1st powerpoint slide, showing our car route to Virginia and then flight to Germany)

This is obviously showing the rough route we'll drive to get from Ramstein AB up to Husum, the little town where my mom's mom, Oma Gisela, lives with Opa Lothar. She lives in the house her parents lived in who inherited it from her father's family. Such a cool, old house!
The car is an Opel Zafira, the 7 passenger (in sardine mode) glorified sedan that we will be renting, as well as my parents (hence 2 pictures). We'll divvy up the 5 adults (my parents, brother, Fred and I) and my 4 children between the 2 vehicles and save oodles of money by not having to rent a minivan *shudder*

I had actually intended for this slide to be in next weeks powerpoint, but it was still a fun perk to throw out- CASTLES! I'm sure we'll see at least 1 while we're there!

I was so happy to find I had this picture! It's of me with my mom's mom's dad, my Uhr Opa Friedrichsen. I told the kids about how he was a train conductor. I didn't mention the part about it during WWII, but I did explain that it was dangerous and that he was a brave man (I also omitted the fact that he was a POW in a Russian concentration camp... someday they'll learn what an amazing man he really was).
I did tell them about walking with him to the docks to visit his fisherman friends and about his house that we'll be staying in.

It was fun to let them hold the jacket I'm wearing in the picture- it's sure held up well for the past 25 years!

I quizzed them by asking them to identify people in this slide. Of course they knew Fred and I, and even guessed Leora (taken on our trip to Germany February 2009). We then told them a bit about Oma Gisela and Opa Lothar.
Someday I'll tell them the whole story about how they were sweethearts when she was a teenager, but that when her father didn't approve, Lothar respectfully withdrew. They both went on to marry other people, never having any contact until a few years ago when Oma Gisela happened to read the obituary in the local paper for Opa Lothar's wife. Her husband had died years before, and Lothar has a somewhat unique name, so she took a risk and called him per the contact info in the article. Lo and behold, it was the same Lothar she had loved so many years ago.
They reunited and are now one of the happiest couples I have ever met in my life, all lovey, dovey like a pair of newlyweds. It's adorable!

The kids enjoyed this slide. While I really do like this picture of my parents (I think it captures their fun personalities well), I really only used it because I found out I hardly have any pictures of them! It must be remedied.
The other man is my mom's brother, Svenn, who we hope to see on our trip. He's posing for the picture with his daughter Sandy, who is my brother's age and who we may also see. The picture is taken in my Oma Gisela's back yard.

Then we talked about family traditions and explained a little bit about what "heritage" means. I explained to the kids that the special clothes that German wear on special days are called "Trachten". The boys' Trachten are Lederhosen. I was SO excited when I discovered that I had a picture of my brother in the same Lederhosen that Gregory is wearing in this picture! I hope the Lederhosen are in Tucson, because I have searched every box here trying to find them.

Then we talked about how the girls' Trachten are called Dirndls. I ADORE this picture of my sister Anja wearing the same dirndl I wore when I was little. Hopefully I can get my hands on it before my girls outgrow it!
We also talked about the Schulteute and how both Gregory and Charla took one to their first day of Kindergarten, just like I did, just like my mama did, just like her mama did... And that Leora and Kai will both do the same and that when our kids grow up and have their own kids someday, they may also do it. It was a great illustration of how a tradition works.

(no, we won't be flying on one from the Royal Air Force, but Fred assures me all C-17's look the same, regardless of what country they're flying for, and I just liked this shot)

Finally, I ended the slideshow with this picture of a C-17, the plane we hope to hop out of Andrews AFB in 2 weeks. There are various planes that fly to Germany every week, but I'd like to take this one since there will be room for the kids to move around and lie down to sleep, if it's an overnight flight again.

Next week we'll talk more about Germany itself... and Legoland Denmark, which is not quite a 2-hour drive from Husum!! We plan on that being Charla and Fred's birthday present (September 23rd).

We ended by singing "We Have a Happy Family", reviewing ALL the people we talked about in the briefing, including our little family. Then the kids "accompanied" me while we sang, "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" which they'll be helping to sing at church in 2 Sundays.

Well, I think this post has gotten long enough.
Tschuss!!

Sharing

2010-08-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

This past Friday we were walking home from the bus stop and Gregory was begging to have some neighbor friends over. I told him it was fine with me as long as he finished his homework first.
He eagerly replied that he didn't have any homework.
In a very sympathetic voice Charla told him, "It's ok Gregory! I've share mine with you!"
Dang, I love these kids.

(This is a picture of them doing homework after their first day of school... excuse the messy table and dinner prep :P)

Leora Turns 3

2010-08-24T02:05:00.010-04:00

On August 17th our sweet lil' Leora turned 3 whole years old!

ON her birthday we had some family fun. In the morning I stuck candles in her french toast and we sang to her. Later I took the 3 youngest to Chick-Fila for lunch and to play in their toddler-fun area.

(Kai loved the toddler play area!)

For dinner we took the kids to a McDonald's with a huge playplace. Leora usually keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground, but she ventured up and up and up. I was so proud of her, until Gregory's ominous announcement that echoed around the entire area:

"LEORA JUST PEED!!"

Yup. And just to make sure my mortification was complete, Gregory yelled it out several times, and a there was soon an impressive puddle on the tile a few feet from our table. I offered to clean it up myself, but they pulled some poor guy off his lunch break to take care of it. So sad.

From McDonald's Fred dropped me off at home to grab Leora's present. I met up with them at the neighborhood basketball courts by the playground. A couple weeks earlier Leora had fallen in love with this tricycle, so I went back later and got it. She was no less in love with it that night!!

At home we had a store-bought chocolate cake with candles and a song. It was so fun!

That Saturday we had her official party. It was technically a "Princess" party, but we invited plenty of boys, too. In fact, I think we had at least as many princes and princesses. Luckily I was prepared!

(I sewed the top part and the skirt is actually the petite coat from my wedding gown)

In the beginning the kids got to decorate either a wand or a sword. We had a whole bunch of little PVC pipes from a tent that had long since lost a few essential connectors. I'd been holding onto them, telling myself I'd eventually modify it to make it work. Well, they worked beautifully as wands and swords.

It's no secret that I love the rain. We've been sorely missing it these past few weeks. So of course, it made it's one-day appearance on the day of Leora's party. Luckily, it really only sprinkled until about 10 minutes after the party ended, when it then poured.

Once kids were done with their PVC pipe, we booted them outside. Can I just say how grateful I am for a big, grassy back yard! The boys had a blast, waging an epic battle against each other. The girls daintily danced around and pretended and played on the swing-set.

(I loved her her dress poofed out as she bounced! I sewed it for her this past Spring, but she wasn't interested in it until now)

We had made a play-list of Disney princesses songs and we had fun dancing to them. Fred had the foresight to set up the canopy so when the sprinkled get harder, there was a place to wait it out.

Our gazebo imploded this past winter when the snow made the canopy collapse. I've stubbornly held onto the remaining frame and finally put it to use. Unfortunately, with the less-than-perfect weather, it wasn't as pretty as it had been the day before. Oh well.

I gathered the kids to play "Frog, Frog, Prince"- my variation on "Duck, Duck, Goose". It was actually pretty fun.

(they were such eager little helpers the morning of the party!)

(My quirky hubby)

My kids had helped make the treats for lunch- they were all a hit! Kind friends helped me whip up the sandwiches that we then cut out with various cookie cutters. I mixed Strawberry drink-mix with sparkling water for our drink and it was all just right.

Dessert was the best! Classic ice cream cone cupcakes (on the right of the picture)- virtually no mess and oh-so yummy!

Present time! She got some super-cute gifts!! She was definitely pleased!

I love how the girls crowd around the present opener! Luckily, she didn't seem to mind.

It was really a wonderful experience. We made some new friends, had some laughs with old ones. The food was yummy, the kids had fun, and (most importantly) I had one happy little 3-year old princess!

Charla's First Day of School

2010-08-24T01:46:00.005-04:00

Last Thursday, August 19th, was Charla's first day of Kindergarten! Gregory had started the previous Thursday, so he's been a big helper showing her the ropes.

She had requested pancakes but time got short really fast, so I popped a few waffles from the freezer into the toaster. We still made them special with whipped topping.

We carried on the German tradition of the Schulteute. On the first day of Kindergarten children take a decorated cone to school filled with anything from school supplies to treats for their classmates. We stuffed Charla's with these little packs of Teddy Grahams.

(I sewed her skirt and was relieved that it turned out so cute!)

They take the bus together, but we wanted to walk her to class on her first day. Fred was even able to make arrangements to go into work late.
Charla was such a little natural. She walked straight into class without hesitation. Her teacher, Mrs. Hamlin, seems very nice. She's been teaching there since the school was founded 8 years ago and she just had her first baby.

Charla is thrilled about riding the bus. She tells me her favorite part about school is lunch time. Gregory always finds her on the playground at recess and gives her a great, big hug.

They're attending a K-8 charter school called Pathways Heritage Academy. After trying out the local public school for the past 2 years, we are so far immensely pleased with the switch. They place a very heavy focus on morals and character development. There's homework every day and lots of communication between parents and staff. I look forward to helping out in both classes this year, now that I'm not pregnant or nursing.

I was so excited about my 2 oldest being engaged in school that I didn't realize how much they entertain the 2 younger ones! We're adjusting, though. It's like taking a step backwards, just having my 2 little ones. Before we know it, those 2 little ones will be in the full swing of school, too.

The Giving Tree

2010-08-22T22:19:00.001-04:00

I'll make something for you!

Here's the good news: I will commit to making something for you and four other people. A friend of mine on FB has sent out a similar note and, as a soon-to-be recipient of "something" from her, I agreed to pay it forward.

The first five (5) people to respond by commenting on this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get. If you'd like to send me 15 words naming things you like, I will probably play with that.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It'll be done this year (2010).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be.

5. In return, all you need to do is post this text (you can alter it because I did) into a note of your own and agree to make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note. You can make whatever you want - cookies, paper airplanes, sock puppet, a poem... whatever you want.

6. Send me your email address.

7. It doesn't matter who you are - if I talk to you every day, or once every 10 years, worked with you, if you are a man or woman, or both or neither - if I talked to you twice in high school and have only just now gotten reacquainted it is because I LIKE you and have always thought you were COOL in some way or another... SO please if you want to participate, DO!

8. If you aren't one of the first 5, you can still start your own Giving Tree!

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward. For reals.

Pioneer Sunday

2010-08-03T02:31:00.006-04:00

I've been the Primary Chorister for 2 years now. I started out the calling terrified, but now I absolutely LOVE it.

I baked several dozen mini rolls for the butter the kids made during our activities.

I'd also been looking forward to making salt water taffy for the kids. I had looked up several different recipes and chose one I felt was doable.

I have 2 words for my taffy making attempts:
EPIC FAIL.

(the wax paper bonded with the hard taffy)

(Using the candy thermometer)

(You could stretch that candy for ages!)

After 5 batches and 3 different recipes, I had only managed to produce rock-hard candy. It was certainly tasty, but NOTHING like taffy! Fred and I stayed up into the wee hours of Sunday morning, desperately trying to make that taffy for my Primary kids. Our hands were literally raw and blistered by the time we were done.

It's not actually touching his mouth- he blowing on it to help it cool down)

Fred, the candy Wolverine

In the end I had to consign myself to bringing them hard candy. They got super excited when I told them I had brought Pioneer Jolly Ranchers.

I felt a little better when a friend in the ward told me how her mother, an experienced candy (and taffy) maker, was unable to make taffy when she was visiting here. I had read that taffy recipes won't work with certain weather conditions. I plan on attempting it again in the winter.

I wore my full pioneer get-up, complete with apron and bonnet. I decided that the story of the pioneers needed to be told from the beginning- from conversion. So I had assembled a succession of stories from LDS.org to help illustrate the pioneers' journey from Europe to the Salt Lake Valley.

I planned on Fred reading the conversion story of a boy from Whales, but he reminded me of Brother Pete Unnitt, a member of our ward who immigrated from Great Britain when he was a young man in the military many years ago. At the last minute Fred asked Pete if he would be willing to read the account to the kids.

He was PERFECT! He put on a great Whales accent and really got into character. At the end he even shared about his conversion and immigration story, and that he is a modern pioneer. It was SO great!

We sang several more songs and read several more stories. It truly was a beautiful experience.

At the end the kids loved the rolls with butter and the candy.

Once at home, we enlisted the kids in helping us harvest our carrots! This is our first garden ever, for each of us, so we weren't certain f the carrots were truly ready.

The vast majority of them were 1-2 inches long, with a few exceptions that almost looked like normal sized carrots. It was more fun than anything to watch the kids earnestly pull out those carrots.(sweet big brother playing with baby Kai)

Charla had a blast digging through the dirt with her fingers in search of elusive carrots.

I cleaned, diced and cooked the carrots. In the end the entire harvest yielded one cereal bowl-full of carrots. Oh well, they were yummy. I think next year we'll thin them out more...

(Our most impressive mutant carrot)

Charla even got to pick a strawberry!

Gregory helped pick basil leaves for our chicken bake, which was delicious!

At the end of the day I was a little sad about Pioneer Week coming to an end. It had been a beautiful experience, sharing our heritage with the kids. Even now they still ask questions about pioneer life as compared to ours today. I hope this is a tradition we can keep up indefinitely :)

Pioneer Week - Pioneer DAY!

2010-08-03T02:08:00.007-04:00

It was finally Pioneer Day!

We had hoped to visit some Ohio church history sites that day. Some internet searching quickly revealed that it would not be the quick drive we'd hoped it would be. The nearest historic town was at least 3 1/2 hours away, in northeast Ohio. That's a lot of driving in one day with 4 little bodies.

(checking out the pigs in the mud)

SO we settled for a fun second- Carriage Hill park. http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/CarriageHill/Home.aspx

It's a functioning historical farm, complete with old buildings, and daily demonstrations. We've watched the blacksmith at work, the carpenter made a top for Gregory. There were ladies dressed up like from Colonial times in the big house where they were going about chores and telling about life in the 1800's.

(Charla and Gregory loved the chickens)

They have some cows, pigs, horses, chickens, and lots of sheep. A real treat was seeing the 5 brand new lambs and calf.

(gazing at bitty lambs)

As you can imagine, talking about pioneer life was effortless in that setting. The kids really enjoyed checking out the old tractor plows and other farm equipment.

(Leora was too scared to go into the big barn to look at the equipment, so when we came out, she ran to me and flung herself into my arms for a good snuggle)

When the park closed, we headed to the lake just down the road. We brought a lunch with us similar to what pioneers probably enjoyed, mostly after they'd settled: bread with meats and cheeses. We also brought along leftover beans which led into how they had to eat their leftovers since they didn't have refrigerators.

(Fred observed that our stroller looked remarkably like a covered wagon - this shot was his idea)

Then we headed to the lake's edge and fed the ducks and geese. That was so much fun! There were also a ton of little fish frantically trying to get to the bits of bread- Gregory focused on them, giggling as the little guys demolished the crumbs in seconds.

We stole a few good shots of them tolerating each other before heading home.

(sweet sisters)(Charla administering the Vulcan death grip)

home time... like Leora's tail pinned to her dress?

Pioneer Week - Friday

2010-08-03T01:44:00.006-04:00

Friday was a busy day- sewing day!

(our cat claims pretty much anything I'm working on as her throne- this fabric was meant to go into Kai's quilt because it's soft and cuddly, like he is)

I rummaged through my fabric stash and laid out about a dozen different fabric designs for the kids to choose from for their patchwork quilts.

Gregory chose 3 prints: a dark blue with silver stars, camouflage (for the Air Force, he told me), and a cat print.

The girls chose 4 different princess themed prints plus a kitten print. For anyone who doesn't know, my kids have a passionate obsession with cats.

I cut out the majority of the squares, but they got to wield the rotary cutter a few times.

(no, we never left Charla alone with that blade)

TA-DA!

Then the kids got to lay out the squares in any way they wanted to.

Gregory came up with a pattern. He would first lay out 1 block of each print, from left to right, and then 2 blocks of each print in the same order, then 1 of each again... repeated until they were all laid out.

I was afraid that it would be too obscure to even follow. But it resulted not only in a recognizable pattern, but resembled Gregory's favorite plane, the B-2! He was BEYOND thrilled! That boy never ceases to amaze me.

Using yarn, I laid down a grid on the carpet for Charla to use to arrange her squares. She was so delighted, prancing around the room, daintily laying those girly squares at random.

Charla often begs me to let her sew. Unfortunately, the sewing machine I got her is currently out of commission. She was sure excited to use mine to piece together a few blocks! She was so careful when feeding the fabric into the machine.

(all ready to be backed... sadly hers is the only one that is complete at this point. I still need to back Gregory's and piece Leora's and cut out Kai's!)

I cooked up a pot of dried pinto and white beans with some spices. We also whipped up another batch of fresh rolls. It was a simple, yet delicious dinner. It really reminded me of my grandma's beans- sure made me miss her more than ever!

(Eating only by candlelight that time!)

(My favorite picture of my dad's parents)

Pioneer Week - Thursday

2010-08-03T01:08:00.004-04:00

Of course, we had every intention of carrying on the traditional pioneers them that night, but we got a last minute invitation to help welcome some modern day pioneers.

Wright-Patterson AFB is enormous. It's actually like 3 bases squished into one. Fred works in finance for one part of the base. There's also the materials command. Then there's AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology). It's basically grad school for Air Force officers.

What does that have to do with pioneers? Aside from existing to further the education of US military officers, there are also many officers from countries all around the world who come to Wright-Patt to further their education. It can be really neat to go grocery shopping and see other shoppers in uniforms from various different countries.

Much to our delight, there's a pretty well-represented group of Brazilian officers. There's one couple in particular, Kezia and Alan, who we have made good friends with. They are both in the military, but only Kezia is in training. Her husband, Alan, stays home with their 6-year old son. Neither of the guys speak very good English, but they're certainly determined!

Kezia called Fred that Thursday to let us know that a new family had arrived from Brazil and that they were throwing a welcome party. I had a grueling day that day and at first told Fred to go on without me. In the end I decided to go along, and boy, am I glad I did!

(driving to the party)

Brazilians are some of the kindest, funnest, most relaxed people you'll meet anywhere. We immediately made friends with everyone there. Our kids played with their kids. We all ate tons of yummy food.

The new family consists of the father who is here for training, and his wife and 2 teenage daughters. The ladies don't speak a lick of English, although the wife's name is "Deborah"! So cool. They plan on putting their girls in public school. Sink or swim, I guess.

It was so funny how some of the Brazilians just couldn't get over how well Fred can speak Portuguese. This one lady would randomly burst out laughing, exclaiming in the cutest pitch, "You are amaaazing! You speaky suchy good Portuguese!"

She adored Kai. He wasn't sure about her at first, but warmed up quickly once she let him gnaw on her necklace.

It was just such a warm evening of laughs and fun stories. We were sad to go.

It also opened up the opportunity to tell our kids about modern pioneers. They were in awe when I explained that my mom (their oma) is a pioneer, since she moved here from Germany to marry Opa.

(I didn't have access to many pictures of them for this post.. although this one captures their fun relationship pretty well)

While the evening was completely modern, it was a beautiful experience!

Pioneer Week - Wednesday

2010-08-03T00:45:00.005-04:00

(Charla unrolling homemade pasta)

I was determined to have at least dinner of each day remotely Pioneer-ish.

I found a pretty neat website that had a bunch of recipes specifically shared for people participating in pioneer reenactments.
http://heritage.uen.org/resources/Wcd053250dbb55.htm

I decided to try a first and make homemade pasta. Let me just say, if I decide to do it again, I want a pasta maker- the kind that rolls and cuts it for you. It was delicious, but tedious work!

The kids had fun mixing, kneading and rolling out the dough. I then used my quilting ruler and our pizza cutter to slice the dough into long noodles.

(no, I didn't let them hack away at it with that knife - I did it... it looks like an albino leak to me)

We laid them out on cookie sheets and let them dry while I prepared the soup.

I am NOT a sweet potato fan, but I wanted to be adventurous, so I prepared the Cider Pork Soup from that website. HOLY W-O-W!! It was DELICIOUS and really pretty healthy. The kids weren't as thrilled with it, but oh well. They did love the noodles!

(The kids thought the sweet potatoes were carrots. I let them think that since I figured they probably wouldn't eat them if they knew otherwise... does that make me bad??)

We added one lit candle as a reminder that the pioneers only had firelight to eat by in the evening- it was Gregory's idea.

Pioneer Week - Tuesday

2010-08-03T00:18:00.006-04:00

Yes, I am unforgivably overdue for blogging. Oh well, better late than never, right? I am an excellent Facebooker, though.

Looking through the literally hundreds of pictures taken over the past few months from dozens of family adventures, I've decided to post about our family's Pioneer Day celebrations that we stretched out throughout the week leading up to July 24th, Pioneer Day.

I got the ball rolling that Tuesday before Pioneer Day.

Throughout the day (and the week) I pointed out conveniences that we have in contrast to our pioneer ancestors. Things like running water, toilets, anything running on electricity, grocery stores, AC/heaters, motor vehicles.

(ok, this picture isn't remotely related to anything pioneer... unless you count swinging in general... Kai is just adorable)

But we also talked about how much our ancestors valued what they had because they had so little, especially in comparison to all we have. I pointed out how they depended on each other- that everyone had to do their part just to get by- even the youngest children. And that their families were strong for it.

Charla loved helping me mix, knead, and bake fresh bread. Since I've overcome my fear of yeast, the world of bread baking has opened up to our family- it's SO fun... and yummy!! And since that first day that she helped me, Charla asks almost daily if she can help me bake some more bread.

Fred helped the kids saw some old limbs I had hacked away at a couple months ago. It was certainly sobering to think that they depended on wood for so much- it was hard work! The kids loved it, though.

(Leora going through the motions, holding my Popple)

We meant to grill hot dogs and then marshmallows (I know, pioneers probably didn't have those), but we got rained out! We improvised and the kids roasted marshmallows over our gas stove in the kitchen. While it would've been fun to eat outside, it was also very sobering to realize that when it poured on those early saints, they didn't have a dry, comfortable house to retreat to.

Throughout our activities we recounted the story of the pioneers. We started in Europe when they were converted, then how they had to sail across the Atlantic, then board trains as far west as the tracks extended, and then on foot for many grueling weeks.

All along we took turns shaking a baby food jar of heavy cream.

By the time we sat to eat dinner, we had a jar of rich butter! YUMMY! On Sunday I did the same thing in Primary :)

(Fred pretending to steal a bite)

Gratitude Journaling

2010-05-12T01:41:00.000-04:00

Like everyone, Gregory sometimes gets all wrapped up in what he doesn't have (not that he has a deficit of Lego's... though I'm sure it's impossible to have "too many"). While it may not be unique, it can be wearing on the parents.

Fred had this great idea: he got Gregory a spiral-bound notebook to be his gratitude journal.

Fred has a matching one. Every night, right before bed, they each write down 10 things they're grateful for. It's so fun having a child who can write (at least phonetically)!

(labeling Popsicle sticks for the garden)

This is a video of Gregory showing me his latest entry. He usually finishes writing before Fred, so he illustrates. This will be so special in years down the road! Despite the trouble he can be, he is such a wonderful boy- I feel so privileged to be his mama!

(not sure what was up with the camera's coloring..?)

Giggle-Bug

2010-05-12T01:26:00.000-04:00

Ever had one of those days where no matter how hard you try, you just can't get yourself moving?? Today was definitely one of those days!

By lunchtime I had tried several times to get motivated to clean up the kitchen, living room and other various parts of my house, but I felt like I was stuck in one of those dreams where you're trying so hard to run but are stuck in slow motion.

In exasperation I mimed wading through mud and starting wailing about how I felt like I was trudging through molasses... a truly pathetic sight, I'm sure. Then I caught up short when a delighted giggle came from the high chair.

In my dramatic pity party I'd forgotten that Kai was a little captive audience, treed in his high chair with bits of pancake and Cheerios. He was giggling hysterically. That got me going- I had a huge laugh over how ridiculous I'd been, and that my not-quite-yet one-year old son could laugh at me.

Within the hour my kitchen was immaculate (it's a wreck again since dinner, but for 1 blissful hour it sparkled). Gotta love those tender mercies from the Lord. Today mine came in the form of my little giggle-bug... such a classic example illustrating his cheery personality.

Here's a recent video of Kai doing his happy dance. He jerks his whole little body all over the place. He was a bit burned out by the time I go the camera rolling, but if he doesn't make you laugh, listening to me trying to motivate him probably will.

One more of him. He loves making that thing bounce with all his might

Family Scavenger Hunt

2010-04-27T22:25:00.003-04:00

Every once in a while, inspiration strikes. And sometimes it even materializes! Luckily Sunday night was one of those moments.

We did our first Family Scavenger Hunt. It was SOOO fun! We'll definitely do it again!

I baked a pan of brownies and placed 5 bite sized pieces on each of 6 plates. I also assembled a collage of pictures (see below), printed it out, and cut out each picture like a puzzle piece. Each plate got a puzzle piece picture. The last thing I added to each plate was a question that was a clue to the next location and the next family member.

While Fred got the kids ready for bed, I distributed the assembled plates to their various spots.

We all met in the kitchen and this was the first clue:

What does this person like to do in the living room that sounds pretty?
With some prompting they guessed, "Mama likes to play the piano!" So they ran to the piano and found the first plate of brownies, with the picture of me confirming that I was the right answer.

The clue stuck in one of the brownies read:
What does this person like to do that gets him all messy?
It didn't take long for them to deduce that it was Kai, who loves to eat. So they found the next plate on his high chair, with his picture and the next clue which went:

What does this person like to do outside?
Charla knew right away that it was referring to her and they bolted outside. She begs to eat outside every night and she loves swinging on the swing set. They found the plate, Charla's picture puzzle piece, and the next clue on one of the patio chairs.

With great excitement and mouths full of brownies we read:
What does this person like to wear to bed?
I was afraid the clue might be a bit obscure, but they figured out it was referring to Leora who wears a froofy dress over her pajamas every night. The next plate was found hidden in the chest that holds the dress-up clothes. We stapled the picture of Leora into place with the other pieces and read the clue:

What does this person like to do that uses Lego's and Star Wars?
I hadn't realized how misleading it was, since Gregory's passion right now is playing Lego Star Wars on the PC downstairs. I clarified that it was something upstairs. Eventually they figured out that I was referring to the numerous Star Wars creations Gregory makes from Lego's in his room.

After savoring another bite of brownie (ok, the kids horked it down) we read the final clue:
What does this person like to with the kids right before bed?
Fred reads to the kids every night right before lights out. They raced to the girls' room and found the last plate and the last puzzle piece on the bed.

We finished assembling the puzzle and then took turns saying things we liked about another family member. I started with complimenting Gregory, who then complimented me, so I got another turn. I paid Fred a compliment and then he said something he loves about Charla, etc. I was afraid I'd lose them at this point, and eventually did, but we actually kept it going for a while!

Then they went to bed.

It was such a wonderful experience! I LOVE having such a spread of ages, but all still so young and eager. There is truly nothing better in life than having a family.

Adventures in the Garden

2010-04-20T23:07:00.006-04:00

I'm carving out a few minutes to finally write about something fun our family has started: our own garden!

Since these houses are built on an old landfill, we're not allowed to plant anything that we'd eat. I'd heard about Square-foot Gardening a while back and finally bought the book. I've heard from MANY friends that they've had great success with this method of gardening, so I have high hopes!

This is the first garden I've attempted. We've already had a few adventures. Probably the most impressive was when I turned out the backyard hose and flooded the other 1/2 of our duplex, which caused most of our bottom floor to flood. The hose bib had cracked during the winter, so the pipes were broken. Maintenance came and sucked up most of the water. They left us with an enormous, noisy fan for a few days after that.

The big guy let our a yelp when the elusive mouse scurried near him- we've been trying to catch that little beast for months.

our front hallway- good thing there was a heap of dirty blankets to stop the water from spreading too fast!

When they moved the fridge we were reunited with most of our alphabet magnets!

Luckily, nothing was ruined and the kids were happy to eat lunch at Burger King that day.

Tonight we mixed up the soil according to the instructions in the manual. The kids had a blast mixing and shoveling- and they got thoroughly filthy! Good times!

We've attached a sheet of plywood to create a bottom so that there's no contact with the existing soil. It works out especially well since we're putting the garden plots on the sloping front yard.

When we were done, Fred showered them off and then we enjoyed a yummy dinner of spaghetti (sauce enhanced by my mostly-Italian neighbor), and homemade wheat rolls.

I love it when I feel like a good mom. Now if only I could get someone to do the dishes....

From My January Tucson Trip

2010-02-15T22:56:00.009-05:00

I figure some back-blogging is in order, considering some of the big stuff I skipped over these past few months...

I FINALLY got to travel back to Tucson with baby Kai at the end of January. Most Tucson people hadn't met my baby yet and I hadn't been there since we drove out here almost 2 years ago! It was a wonderful, much too short, trip.

(Lovin' his Auntie Anja)

(AH! Inga driving!!.. she did exceptionally well)

I had such a blast hanging out with my family. I can't believe how big my sisters all are! Being on Ohio time, Kai and I were up early enough to drive my sisters, Inga and Anja, to early morning Seminary one day, and my other sister, Dora, to grade school the next day. It was so fun seeing a couple of my high school teachers and a bunch of younger siblings from friends I went to school with... I felt old.

(How do my sisters manage to look so dern pretty before 6AM??)

(Dora proudly showing off her nephew... Kai favors her)

My sister-in-law Heather is an aspiring photographer, so we managed to squeeze in a quick photoshoot of our babies who are only 6 weeks apart. Her little Lexie is SO dang cute! I was there the week of all that extreme weather, so we were lucky that it worked out at all.

(My favorite out of the bunch)

(heehee... my idea, her photographer skills)

I got to spend some time with my in-laws too, of course. I hadn't gotten adjusted in almost 2 years, so a trip out to my in-law's chiropractic office was DEFINITELY in order- I swear my father-in-law has some kind of 6th sense- he's amazing! That was the first time Kai got to meet his grandma Olsen... he was adored by all who were there.

(Kai actually liked his Grandpa Olsen's trembling chin thing he does to every baby)

Later that week we had a fun breakfast at my in-law's home where we also exchanged Christmas gifts. It was so cute seeing the 2 bitty Olsen's on the floor- I imagine they'll be a bit more interactive the next time they see each other.

(grandpa Olsen romping around with Kai and Lexie)

While there I placed myself in the hands of my sister Inga, allowing her to have her way with my hair. I've never been one to mess with my hair color, so I was excited to see what she'd do to it. I was VERY pleased with the end result!

We had so much fun just hanging out. We went to see "Leap Year" (my 2nd time) and we had some good ol' slappy happy laughs cruisin' the mall. It was so funny to see all the pimped out G-cars, we couldn't resist taking pictures... I'm sure a security guy watching the cameras somewhere had a good laugh at us.

One of our stops at the mall was to visit the over-priced pet store and play with a puppy :)

(The puppy gnawed on Inga's shoe the whole time)

We made sure to make visits to Eegees (a fast food chain exclusive to Tucson that makes AMAZING slushies) and to In-and-Out Burger- YUMMY!!

(Kai definitely became a fan of Eegees)

(at In-and-Out Burger)

The "official" reason for my visit was to be there when my youngest niece, Kimber, was blessed in Ajo. 2009 was the year of the Olsen babies, since all 3 Olsen boys added another little one to their families.

My mom and I drove out to Ajo for the blessing and then we had a great time catching up with family and gorging ourselves on Trish's yummy chili and corn bread at her house. We were so sad that we couldn't stay longer!

(all 3 Olsen SIL's with their respective 2009 babies)

(Trish's 2 oldest unwrapping Christmas presents from me)

When we got home from Ajo we went straight to my grandparents' for an open house. Since I wasn't able to go to my old ward for church, my grandparents opened their home for anyone who wanted to stop by to see Kai and me. It was SO much fun. I was flattered by all the visitors we had... I really do miss our ward.

(My wonderful grandparents, Carl and Carol Jensen- I love them SOOO much!)

(chatting with Sister Brown, one of many friends who came to catch up)

I squeezed in as much quality time with family as possible. I was sad to go, but also missed my other 3 babies plus hubby. I had the great fortune of having my mom along for the flight home. We knew I would be having a hernia repaired shortly after getting back from Tucson, so she has come to stay with us through the end of February to help me with the kids and house. It was SO nice to have her on the flight and we LOVE having her here with us... we'll be sad to see her go home next week.

(Whatever am I going to do when Oma goes home?? We will all suffer serious withdrawals!)

(one last random one from our trip, at In-and-Out Burger... I love my baby!)

A New Post, at Long Last

2010-02-14T23:12:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I haven't blogged since Gregory's birthday. I'm a bad blogger. Hopefully I can redeem myself by being more consistent...

I just HAD to blog about the Valentine's date Fred and I went out on this past Thursday.

We did an Irish themed date. I ADORE the movie "Leap Year" and since it went into the cheap theaters this past week, I resolved to take Fred to see it. To get in "the mood" for some Irish-ness, I found a Irish restaurant/pub downtown called the "Dublin Pub." It was so neat! Definitely had a bar atmosphere, but there was live music that was awesome, there was rugby on the TV's, the structure was just cool, and (best of all) the food was AMAZING!!!

On the way to the theater we missed our turn, making us pull into the parking lot 15 minutes into the movie- I was SO bummed! We rushed inside, bought our tickets and raced into the theater... and the screen was blank. We were the only ones there to see it, so they hadn't even started it! We notified the staff, so they started it for us, and we had our own private screening! The manager even let us bring in our food we'd brought from the pub.

It was the 4th time I'd seen it, and I loved it all over again. Hopefully it'll be on video by St. Patty's day so we can host a date night at our house with Irish food and the movie :D

Gregory Turns 6!

2009-09-17T15:13:00.009-04:00

Last Tuesday, September 15th, my oldest baby turned all of 6 years old! It was a fun day, from breakfast to bedtime...

The night before I cooked up about 30 "kitty" pancakes for him to take to school. They ask that the kids not bring cupcakes and we wanted to do something more than just cookies. Gregory and Charla both have this obsession with cats right now and this is a beloved breakfast choice in our house.

Chocolate chip eyes and 2 drops of food coloring, run into a kitty smile with a butter knife- SO easy!

Here's video of everything to do with food throughout the day:

We are BIG Lego fans. After browsing the internet a bit to get some inspiration for a way to pull Lego's into dessert, I came up with an idea for edible Lego's that Gregory could build his own cake with. SOOO easy...

I bought one mix for pound cake (it's heavier and less crumbly than regular cake). I mixed it according to the package and then divided it into 4 bowls. Charla helped mix food coloring into each bowl.

The batter is pretty viscous, so it was easy to pour each separate cloor in without mixing them. I baked it just a bit less than the package called for. Then I set it out of the way to cool completely for the evening.

Charla had fun helping to wrap presents.

I found balloons on mega clearance so we made some fun balloon objects.

One of my favorite gifts is actually for all the kids- an art easel. Gregory got some paint and brushes and paper with it, with the understanding that it's for them all to use. Leora helped herself to the green paint in the cart before I'd even paid for it- THAT was a fun mess to clean up.

It was a fairly warm day, so I tackled the tremendous task of filling water balloons for us to ambush Fred with when he got home. The kids DID try to help. Word of advice: Fill them FULL if you want them to pop without it hurting too much. Sounds like common sense, but it took a lot of force to pop ours, resulting in some tears :/

ATTACK!!

HeeHee... this pictures cracks me up. It looks like Leora is giggling about Charla having an accident. Charla just happens to be standing where a balloon had popped and Leora is grinning for the picture.

While we let Fred go change into swim trunks, Gregory galantly insisted he take the cooler mostly full of water balloons to the backyard so I wouldn't have to. He made it 1/2 way across the driveway- such a sweetheart.

While waiting for Fred we had a nice surprise- Gregory's Primary teacher came by with a jumbo Cookie Monster cup cake for our birthday boy. She is SO sweet! And he thoroughly enjoyed it later :D

See the water balloon?

I picked up a package of primary colored fondant at Walmart and it matched the cake colors almost perfectly! While we were all in the living room, Leora snuck onto the table and picked off 1/2 the yellow fondant, so we were a little short, but Gregory didn't mind mixing colors.

I had hoped to be done and let him just build with the lego pieces, but I think he had just as much fun assembling the Lego pieces! Charla was a great helper, too.

He decided to build a sidewalk. It was fun watching him model it by walking his fingers around it.

We let him put in the candles- I hadn't imagined it would be so much fun letting him be such a participant in the whole thing.

Gift Time! He got a hoard of Lincoln Logs (YAY for Craigslist!).

I found some gently used roller blades at Goodwill. They're even extendible for 4 sizes.

My grandparents sent him a box full of the neatest miniature antique vehicles. He was delighted! He wanted to open them all right then, but Leora was pretty excited about them, too, which made the birthday boy pretty anxious.

Here's video of the gift opening. One final detail:
When helping Gregory fill out a survey about himself for school, one of the questions asked what his favorite sport is. He promptly replied, "HOCKEY." I was surprised and threw out some other suggestions. He stayed firmly by hockey. To my knowledge he's never seen a game or even a movie about it.
Our neighbor across the street is THE authority on hockey. He said he would be thrilled to give Gregory some lessons. He's pretty psyched, too :)

About the President

2009-09-15T01:35:00.004-04:00

(The White House, July 4th 2008)

No, I'm not expressing any political opinions in this post- I strive to avoid making them. This is just a brief note from last Tuesday, involving my cute Kindergartner...

As most know, there was a lot of controversy in regard to President Obama's pending address to our public schools. I got some great insights (and some not so great) from various people. Fred and I discussed whether or not to send Gregory to school that day. We ultimately decided not to keep him home.

That morning at breakfast I told Gregory a bit about what the office of President is and what he does. He thought Obama's name was kind of funny. Considering how young he is, I didn't expect him to comprehend most of what I told him, although he did look at me while I talked :P I encouraged him to listen to what the president had to say, and that we would talk about it together when he came home (they ended up not showing it to his class).

As I was pushing the kids out the door, I took the first real look at Gregory's shirt. It SO cracked me up! We got the shirt when we visited our friends in DC last year for the 4th of July. He couldn't have picked a better shirt to wear that day!

Hunting

2009-09-13T17:56:00.003-04:00

Neither Fred nor I are into hunting (shooting, yes), but apparently our kids are. Probably some gene that skipped us. We've used this drive to con them into doing several chores.

My 2 personal favorites:

The Laundry Hunt -
We got them all worked up about hunting down every last scrap of dirty laundry- don't let a single sock escape! They rushed around, stuffing the laundry bags full. Then Gregory helped Fred drag them down the stairs. We'll see if it still works a decade from now...

Hide-n-Brush Teeth -
I may have mentioned this in a previous post. My dad invented this game to get my sisters to cooperate when it was time to brush teeth at bedtime. While the parent prepares the toothbrush, they're counting out loud. We usually count to 20. Then they hunt down the toothbrush-ee. Gregory is actually an excellent hider! More than once I've given up and started calling for him. Pretty impressive! We've never dealt with a fuss after finding them and brushing their teeth.

Family Temple Trip

2009-09-11T02:02:00.007-04:00

This past Saturday we seized the moment and took our little family to see the temple in Columbus- it was such a fun experience!

We ate a picnic on the outskirts of the temple grounds. The temple was closed due to the holiday weekend, but that meant we were the only ones there, which was kinda nice.

Lunch! I made a point of it to grab this quilt specifically- it's a handmade quilt my great-grandmother made for me when I was in high school. It was very special to have my 4 little ones on it, at the temple. We miss my Grandma Knight.

We LOVE how green Ohio is!

The landscaping is so beautiful- as are the grounds at all the temples. It was the perfect day for a picnic.

Cute lil' thing enjoying her poptart

While I nursed Kai, Fred took the kids around the temple and got some wonderful pictures.

3 of my favorite people- they're so sweet!

LOVE this perspective shot!

The diaper bag took some great family pictures of us- YAY for the "timer" function!

GRIN!

I can't get over this picture! I LOVE my hubby- he's such a great dad!

Family picture! This one's going up on the wall!

She's such a daddy's girl.

It was a wonderful experience! As we pulled away from the temple in our van, Fred had a great idea. We stopped and said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for the great time we had and for all the temples. When the prayer was over we all sang "I Love to See the Temple." I felt like I was in an Ensign article about families and temples. I'm SO grateful for my eternal family!

Save the Date

2009-09-09T13:38:00.001-04:00

It's still 4 weeks away, but here's a note to let you know I'm throwing Fred a party on Friday October 2nd to celebrate his 30th birthday. He knows I'm doing something for his birthday, but not the particulars, like who and where. The thing that really makes a party is having our favorite people there, so I hope you'll be able to make it. More details to come!

-Debbie

Corn Festival

2009-09-08T01:21:00.009-04:00

Yes, they actually have a festival to celebrate corn over here. And it's really pretty fun! It's like this farm town carnival with some rides, lots of crafts and DE-licious corn! I actually took Gregory and Charla to it last year when Fred and Leora were in Tucson for his cousin Dave's wedding. It was SO fun going as a whole family this year!

When I saw how this picture turned out, it made me laugh SO hard! I just love how every person's expression is different. I LOVE having 4 kids!!

Baby toes!

I love it when they act like they like each other

There was this sort of "encampment" on the edge of the fair where these hippie-types had dutch oven's going next to their raw-hide tents, selling wind chimes, dream catchers and homemade food. They all wore leather clothes they made themselves, like pseudo Indians. It was a little weird, but the kids liked the drum they had out front.

LOVE this shot

Aww...

Pony rides!

I think Charla enjoyed it most.

"someone's following me..."

That corn was the absolute BEST I've ever eaten! Gregory scarfed down the watermelon before any of us had a chance.

WHEEE!

Cute sisters.

Leora just cracks me up. It looks like she's doing a door approach.

YAY for big brothers! He's walking them to the playground.

Cute girl

The playground is brand new- pretty cool stuff! I wonder how it will weather the winter..?

Of course there was resistance when it was time to go. We hoped by doing the old "Bye Charla" and starting to walk toward the car that she would just follow us. Gregory got upset at us for leaving her and ran back to the playground to fetch her. When she wouldn't come willingly, he DRAGGED her. We didn't let him drag her the whole way- once we caught our breath from laughing, Fred scooped up our little screaming ball of fury and we headed home.

Boonshoft

2009-09-08T00:17:00.007-04:00

Dayton has one of the COOLEST children's museums EVER. It's several stories high and just bursting with interactive displays and hands-on activities. Here are a few pictures from our most recent trip to the awesome museum...

There is an enormous section dedicated to teaching younguns about recycling. Here is a mock landfill complete with operational digger.

In this room there are also a few jail cells- it's a perfect little court room.

This is SO neat! There's a constant flow of water that the kids can redirect and guide with various tubes and links. Great way to get soaked, too.

There's this huge dress-up area, complete with a play veterinary's clinic and a bunch of different other occupations.

Charla being vain...

The "store" is definitely one of my favorite features. It's just like a miniature grocery store!

peek-a-boo!

This last clip is of Leora cutting a rug in this dark room that has a camera mounted under the screen, to project distorted images of people dancing in the room. It was SO fun!

Dayton Celtic Festival

2009-09-07T22:20:00.006-04:00

About a month ago we headed to downtown Dayton to check out the annual Celtic Festival.

(crossing the bridge from our parking spot to the festivities- We LOVE that Ohio's rivers are actually full of WATER!)

(My big helpers)

My brother Lars is on his mission in Germany right now, but SOMEDAY he'll have a family and when he does, Aunt Debbie will be getting that baby this shirt.

Tolerant little guy enduring mama-kisses in public... may he always be so tolerant.
Heehee.. this next picture always makes me chuckle.. I love Fred. Not sure this has anything to do with the Celts, but you have to admit it's pretty funny.

Another clever shirt

Those dogs were unnervingly HUGE!

There was lots of live music and people taking advantage of the opportunity to don their kilts. As you can see, by the end, Leora was all tuckered out.

Statuesque Kids

2009-08-30T15:36:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately my 2 older kids like to play this game where they pretend that Leora is "the monster." They run away from her and she chases after them, blissfully unaware that she's supposed to be the "bad guy." I guess it's nice that they can all play together in some form, but it won't be so nice when she catches on...

Anyways, a couple days ago I was nursing Kai in the living room when Gregory and Charla came zooming in, taking refuge on the couch from Leora who was giggling a few paces behind them. She climbed onto the couch, waiting to see what exciting thing they would do next.

Then Gregory had this stroke of brilliance and whispered to Charla that they should be statues! They froze in similar poses, eyeing Leora, as if waiting for her to give up finding them and move on. Instead, she thought this was fun, too, and froze as well, grinning broadly.

I was laughing SO hard!

A Tough Decision

2009-08-22T00:08:00.004-04:00

Gregory goes back to school this coming Monday! I can't believe the summer vacation is over. Somehow I feel like SO much happened, yet feel terribly guilty for not maximizing the time I had with him home better...

Posing with a picture he drew for his new teacher at the Open House this week. He adores Mrs. Brown already!

We've decided to have Gregory repeat Kindergarten. Academically, he's right about where he should be for 1st Grade. We've discussed and prayed about this long and hard, and just can't shake the feeling that he needs another year to mature before advancing a grade.

His birthday is 2 weeks before the cut-off. We hope that by allowing him to be the oldest in his class, he will be less likely to succumb to peer pressure and have more opportunities to be a leader and (hopefully good) example.

(Enjoying popcorn at the Open House)

He will also have another year to better master the curriculum, so that he will be less likely to be playing catch-up for the rest of his school career, or even possibly end up repeating a grade a few years down the road.

We're grateful that the school allowed us to make the ultimate decision, despite some of the educators opposing the idea. It just feels right. And he's excited about it, too! I was worried about broaching the subject, but he immediately responded, "I LOVE Kindergarten!"

On a similar note, we have Gregory and Charla scheduled for sleep studies next month. They both have huge tonsils and snore a lot. The snoring I can handle, but they're often very difficult to wake up and I think some of Gregory's struggles to focus at times, and Charla's short temper may be aggravated by poor sleep. I'm hoping that we'll be able to get them tonsilectomys, in an attempt to make life easier for everyone, especially them. We'll keep you posted.

Resourceful 2-Year Old

2009-08-21T23:22:00.004-04:00

I had to devote a post to my Leora in honor of her determination to get into mischief...

(Luckily the last occupant had flushed the toilet!)

A couple months ago she discovered that the little chairs that came with our little Disney Princess table can easily serve the alternative purpose as a stepping stool! This has enabled her to get into all sorts of trouble, although luckily never anything harmful...

("washing" the dishes)

My kids are unfortunately often picky eaters, so we try to supplement their less-than-satisfactory diet with Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks. As you can see, Leora utilized her chair trick to dump and mix a couple packets together. We caught her pinching the powder in her little fingers and blissfully licking them. I wanted to be mad (it's not cheap!), but I grabbed the camera instead.

On this day I heard Charla yelling at Leora and came into the living room to this- my toddler chugging down what was left of the juice! Maybe she has a future as a poster child for Juicy Juice...

This picture just cracks me up every time I look at it! I guess it's pretty self-explanatory.

We've recently moved the table and chairs upstairs into the girls' room. I didn't snap a picture of it, but I found my resourceful little girl dragging her potty chair out of the bathroom to use as a step-stool, which I confiscated and returned the the now-closed bathroom.

She is such a little firecracker!!

Leora Turns 2!!

2009-08-20T01:31:00.010-04:00

My #3 has officially entered her Terrific 2's! I can honestly say that because I don't think she's officially entered her menacing-tantrum-throwing-stubborn phase yet... She's still fairly compliant. May she ever be so.

Most of her birthday happened the day before, on Sunday. While she took her nap we baked her cakes (a personal sized one and one for the rest of us) and the kids helped decorate. It was SUCH a blast!

(first balloon he ever blew up)

("Decorating" the tree with old party hats)

(I am an AWESOME photographer- I snapped this right as the streamer broke in 2... crazy cat.)

Gregory helping to set up the Disney Princess dome tent I found at Good Will for $2- I was pretty proud of that find. I also figure it's about time she be let in on the Princess obsession dominating our house. After all, we call her our "Baby Princess".

Decorating was SO fun. The kids took turns pointing to wear I should start one streamer and then where to tape the end of it. They also chose where to put the "Happy Birthday" banners, and put a lot of thought into where to put party hats from my box of party supplies I've accumulated over the years.

(the actual original cake mold from my own toddler years... I stole it from my mom when I moved here)

Quick great/painful story:

For my 3rd birthday my mom painstakingly frosted this cake into Birthday Bear with a star tip (like I frosted Leora's) - it was perfect! During the birthday party, my best friend Christian, and I, kept sneaking away from the games to lick the frosting off the cake in the fridge. By cake time, we had scraped off almost all the frosting. A sheer miracle that I am alive to tell the tale.

The instructions are about a 1/4 century old, so it didn't clearly say how much batter I needed. When one cake mix barely filled it 1/2 way, I quickly mixed another batch (I didn't have another of the same flavor) and added it, leaving a couple inches from the rim, and using the remainder to put in my mini-bear tin for Leora.

When I checked about 1/2 way through baking I was SHOCKED to see the batter flowing out of the top of the cake mold like gloppy lava!

heehee- looks like the Care Bear had a nasty accident... how appropriate- I plan on starting Leora potty training next week when Gregory goes back to school.

I LOVE this picture- as I frosted the cake, occasionally I would squirt a dollop of frosting on the kids' hands. They were very enthusiastic about getting more!

SO, after going through all the trouble of baking the cake, I wanted to spend some quality time frosting it, but the cake-eaters were getting impatient. Then my stroke of brilliance- I sliced the sitting bear in half so that I could frost the front at my leisure for her actual birthday the following day, and people could still eat cake on Sunday!

It started as a joke, inspired by the chocolate bottom. In the end we were laughing to tears, "diapering" the face-planted Care Bear in white frosting, hoping the brown tail would look like a cute lil' tail and not... something less appetizing.

I had refrigerated the frosting in the decorating bag, so it was SUPER hard to make the stars of frosting on Leora's little cake. After finishing the front, I figured Leora wouldn't care if the whole thing was frosted, so I didn't bother with the back :P BTW, it was all Gregory's idea to make her a kitty cake.

I needed to borrow a few ingredients from a neighbor, so I invited them to come help us eat our copious amounts of cake. Unfortunately, they were unable to make it. Charla waited for them faithfully by the stairs, finally zonking out. She ended up sleeping through the presents and most of dinner!

When we got Leora up she came down the stairs, all bubbly and happy as usual. She was SO excited to see the closed tent, and then wasted no time trying to pull out the gifts when Gregory revealed them!

She was so psyched about the little wagon, that once she freed it from the tent, she just took off down the hallway, pulling it behind her! She probably would've been happy without any other gifts!

Good big brother, carefully pulling her along. She's definitely easing into that princess role easily!

Gregory was VERY eager to help unwrap the presents! Practicing for next month, I guess

(Our awesome assortment of table decor: Princess table clothe, Winnie the Pooh cups, and Valentine's Day plates)

(Right before she bravely blew out the candles)

Enjoying breakfast in her tent the next day, ON her birthday

My finished product- I was pretty pleased :)

Leora, on the other hand, was not nearly as brave ON her birthday. The candles scared her. She burst into frightened cries and fled the table.

Aside from her reaction to her cake in the end, the whole birthday experience was a ton of fun for everyone. Now to brace myself for mountains of laundry next week...

False Alarm = Good Practice

2009-08-17T16:46:00.003-04:00

So the forecast for this week predicts a 30% chance of rain every day. Around 4:00pm yesterday I could here sirens from the base, but I couldn't make out any dialogue, so I figured it must be an operation on base.

Imagine my surprise when my neighbor burst into my house to grab her 2 girls who were playing with mine, and informed me those sirens had been a tornado warning and that the base had already taken cover (I'm STILL getting used to this part of the country.. grr). I had noticed BLACK clouds rolling in and noted the rain and wind pick up a bit, but it never occurred to me that it may be indicative of severe weather!

SO, I throw my kids in the downstairs bathroom and race around the house, grabbing an assortment of things. The kids were understandably anxious, especially when I grabbed the cat and held on to her while collecting essentials- they kept asking what I was going to do with her. I was afraid she's scamper out of reach if I put her down.

Of course, the one thing that was eluding me was my cell phone. By the time I found it (in plain view on top of the TV) it had been about 5 minutes. Kai was crying in his bouncer, and the other 3 were trembling. When I plopped down on the bathroom floor, one crawled into my lap and the other 2 snuggled into me as closely as they could.

Not even 3 minutes passed before I got a phone call- it was that same neighbor. Get this... turns out it was NOT a tornado warning- it was the siren for "We're under attack!". Come to find out from Fred later, it was accidentally activated. *groan*

All this week the ENTIRE base is enduring drills and roll-playing and simulations to see whether they are truly prepared in case of eminent danger- I know ALL about it because Fred is his unit's UDM (Unit Deployment Manager); the guy in charge of this operation. Let's just say the past couple months leading up to this have been a bit stressful... ok, that's an understatement.

ANYWAYS, ironically, the storm DID peak during my rushing about, making the trees thrash around pretty violently, rain pelting the house super hard, so I totally believed my neighbor!

Gregory was very concerned about our "stuff". I considered trying to explain renter's insurance to him, but instead tried explaining that the most important thing was that we were safe, and that we could replace any possessions that could get destroyed.

I've decided to view this whole thing as a blessing- a very realistic trial run for next time, should there ever be a next time. I think having a basket, box or bag of stuff ready to go in an easily accessible place is a must.

Here's a numbered picture I took after the "all-clear". It's kind of funny seeing what I figured was important enough to grab... and realizing what I forgot (like important/legal documents and water) :

1. 2 big blankets
2. My beloved Canon S5 IS
3. Baby bouncer
4. cordless phone (not much use if power went out)
5. sippy cups
6. milk for the kids
7. battery operated lantern
8. kids' books, to wile the time
9. case of kids' DVD's (I gave up finding the laptop- later Fred pointed it out in the main hallway)
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows... reading for me
11. nursing wedge (coolest nursing invention EVER... deserves its own blog post)
12. loaded diaper bag (behind Charla)

Yet Another Blond Moment

2009-08-16T14:04:00.002-04:00

So, here's another laugh at my expense...

Anyone who has nursed knows what a "let-down" is. For those who may not know, it happens a few seconds after your baby starts nursing- you get a tingly feelings in your bosoms, like you get when your feet fall asleep, as the milk is "let down" for the baby. Unfortunately, this happens on both sides at once.

I forgot to insert breast pads yesterday, so when I went to nurse Kai during the first block of church meetings, I was relieved that I didn't get the tingly sensation after he latched on. Of course, as luck would have it, I DID have the let down, as evident by the enormous damp spot dominating the left side of both my shirt AND over-blouse!

With 15 minutes left until Primary, I didn't have time to go home and change shirts. So, I wadded up some paper towels and stuffed them under my shirt, hoping to soak it up, which did seem to help.

Of course, once Primary got underway, I was so preoccupied with the kids that I didn't realize that the paper towel was STILL wedged in my shirt, until we had started the last block of meetings! I had a good laugh at myself, hoping the open blouse had concealed it :)

Leora's First Haircut

2009-08-16T13:22:00.005-04:00

I put this off for a long time. She'll always be my baby girl and I knew if we cut her hair, it would instantly make her look older :( BUT, it was all different lengths and in her eyes if we didn't put it up, so I finally made the trip out to our favorite kids' salon, Cookie Cutters.

(on the indoor slide at the salon)

(I want THIS one!)

It all went pretty quickly- in fact, they only charged me for a trim. She chose her seat, sat reasonably still and with a few snips, my baby princess, as we call her, officially looked like the little almost-2-year old toddler she is. WAAH!

(being distracted)

They gave me a few barrettes to separate her bangs from the longer hair. I think the bangs help frame her face nicely. I'll probably eventually let them grow out, but for now they're just cute.

(see me?)

I did bribe her with promises of french fries from McDonald's, which she didn't let me forget, even as we were walking out with her balloon and a big smile :)

Work BBQ, plus Blond Moment Du Jour

2009-08-14T08:31:00.006-04:00

Yesterday we went to a BBQ for Fred's work by the lake on base. It was a little toasty (you AZ people may balk at me, but there is something to that humidity thing), but it was still fun!

(cooling off in the discarded ice near the end- yuck. Fred took this one)

Fred's unit reserved one of the log cabin dining halls and a few shelters. They also had a corn hole game set up (I somehow never heard of the game until we moved here).

(I love this shot)(view from the deck- pretty good, huh? *wink)

The biggest highlight was getting to meet Fred's new commanding officer, Lt. Colonel George Govan, and his wife Bianca, who he met in Germany. I think she was relieved to meet someone here who speaks German. They have a cute lil' 2-year old together who is bilingual. Made me feel pretty guilty that my kids aren't.

So my fantastic blond moment...
There was a playground nearby, so I let my older 3 go play, making Gregory promise to keep an eye on his sisters. We were visiting with the Govan's at that time. Over the course of our conversation, the kids would come and go. Sometimes the girls would ask to be held for a minute and then they'd go to play again.

At one point I looked at the playground to take inventory of my kids and couldn't find Leora. I anxiously scanned it again, but she was no where in sight. I yelled at Gregory, "Where's Leora?!" He looked around and shrugged. I angrily yelled it again, taking off to the playground. He just gave me a puzzled look.

Then I realized why.

I was holding her.

I was relieved, but sure felt foolish, right there in front of Fred's boss. I hope he knows what mommy-brain is!

Afterward we treated the kids to ice cream cones from McDonalds, to reward them for their good behavior at the picnic. It was all in all a nice experience, although it was nice to relax in our air conditioned home afterwards :)

(out along the lake's shore)

hehee... my own little Shadow Charmer Gregory and Fairykind Charla. If you've read the Fable Haven books, you know what I'm talking about.

Can you guess what pose he's striking?

XO.

2009-07-30T01:44:00.003-04:00

I wish all my kids' names did something clever like this...

Aside from meaning something pretty awesome in several different languages...

Scandinavian - rejoice,
Japanese - leader,
Mandarin Chinese - victory/triumphant,
Burmese - unbreakable,
South African - beautiful,
to name a few.

... it is also the name of a Greek Letter: X.

SO, when you write Kai's name as the Greek "X" and add his last name initial you get:

XO!!

HUGS AND KISSES!!

How cool is THAT??

"Super Hero Day"

2009-07-29T01:18:00.008-04:00

With school starting up again in about 3 weeks, I've been feeling acute pangs of guilt for not being a "funner" mom this summer. Granted, I did have a baby 3 days before the last school year ended. STILL, I want to give my son a reason to be excited to be home next summer by giving him some fun memories THIS summer!

A long time ago my mom gave me a big book for preschoolers that has outlines and ideas for 80 different themed days; everything from Chicken Day to Pants Day to Wrapping Paper Day. I've never actually read through any of the ideas, but it inspired TOday:

Olsen Super Hero Day.

We started the day with super hero pancakes. I simply added a few drops of food coloring and used a knife to move it around to make shapes.

Gregory sincerely asked if the CTR pancake would actually give him super powers. I told him if he always chooses the right, the Lord will always bless him and that's even better than super powers (if only all his questions inspired such meaningful answers!).

As incentive for Gregory and Charla to complete their chores last week, I sewed them each a cape. Luckily they did earn their capes, so after breakfast they donned their capes and we took a walk to a playground not too far from home.

Charla REALLY liked her cape- so did Gregory, but she was a bit more expressive

I brought sandwiches and a special treat from my childhood- Kool-aid squeeze-it's. My kids all ended up with blue tongues (except Kai).

They had a blast running around on the play equipment and leaping off stuff for me to snap super hero shots of them. Of course I couldn't resist grabbing a few shots of Kai demonstrating his super-cuteness.It looks like she's gently floating down

This picture just looks funky to me- like he's laying a Leora

Queen of the Castle

Unfortunately, even super heroes can't deflect everything. When Gregory got the see-saw going too hard, it irritated some wasps we hadn't noticed underneath. Charla ended up with a sting on her knee, which abruptly ended our outing. Luckily, sharing the last Squeeze-It with Gregory on the (all up-hill) walk home distracted her from her welt.

Moments before the wasps attacked

Once home I treated my toasty kids to Otter-pops. I asked the kids if they could think of a super-hero movie they could watch. Gregory remembered the DVD his aunt Trish sent him for Christmas- a sort of Marvel comics Hero's cartoons: The Justice League. Perfect.

There's a method to Leora's madness- she was biting the middle to get the ice to move to the top. Smart girl!!

The day still had the typical squabbles and whining common any other day, but it was SO fun drawing them into the theme and playing along! Maybe I'll have to start consorting the book for some more ideas.

Have a super day!

Dayton Air Show

2009-07-25T23:53:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we took our crew to the annual Dayton Air Show. We had a great time!

Last year it had been SO hot and humid, we sought refuge in the shade of the huge planes every chance we got. This year was the opposite. As we were walking to the entrance we stopped and considered going home because it was in the 60's and drizzling.

Luckily Fred made the call to stay (lucky for him that the weather improved) and it ended up being a lot of fun :)

Fred heard that this year the Brazilian air force had one of their elite fighter squadrons participating in our Air Show (they do every 2 years). They did incredible stunts in the air and we had fun talking to them at their booth. When we approached their display I had Charla say "Bom Dia!" (good day, in Portuguese) and all the pilots were just tickled.

We bribed the kids into behaving by promising them that they could pick one of the kiddy attractions- they had a blast in the bouncy castle with slide- the guy overseeing it was cool and let them play a good 15 minutes, since it wasn't too crowded!

(my boys on the C-17- Gregory had his hands on his ears pretty much the entire time we were there)

(they cut out Leora!)

(this picture cracks me up- it's set up by the Marine recruiters- I thought it looked like a big, buff guy kneeling and saying a prayer!)

The Olsen Complimentary Limo Service I wasn't aware we offered until walking back to the car.

Pioneer Olsen Girls

2009-07-24T17:06:00.005-04:00

As Primary chorister, I decided to seize an opportunity to go a little over the top. Lately, I've been looking for sewing projects to help use up my hoard of fabric... so I can justify buying more. You definitely need lots of fabric when sewing pioneer clothes!

(unfortunately, the dress made me look about 20 pounds heavier- ech)

(definitely one of my all-time favorite pictures!)

I came to church this past Sunday in regular church clothes, but changed into my pioneer dress right before the kids got to Primary. It was so fun seeing their faces when they saw me, in my billowing dress, apron and bonnet!

It turned out to be SO fun! I brought several quilts that we had the children sit on for singing time. I'd drawn our "trek" west. We started our little handcart picture at Camp Zion, moved to Prophet Peak, down to Child of God Canyon, way up Scripture Power Mountain, and unto the Salt Lake Valley to the temple, with songs and stories along the way. I had sewn the child sized bonnet for the girls and brought a straw hat for the boys, to put on the children I chose as helpers along the way.

It was such a fun experience- definitely worth dressing up for! And now there's a little more room in my linen cabinet...

Father's Day Post (a bit overdue)

2009-07-23T14:41:00.003-04:00

OK, so this is a month and 2 days overdue. But in the interest of this being our family journal, I really wanted to include it :)

Before my mom and sisters got here for their 6-week stay, Fred had expressed how much he'd like a place to retreat from the estrogen. After several failed attempts to conquer the garage, he abandoned the idea... leaving things open for me to come up with a stellar Father's Day gift!

Thus was born, Fred's Man Cave.

(about to enter the garage from inside the house)

I picked up a small fridge off Craigslist, a couple folding chairs, and a work light. He'd been wanting saw horses and a work table, so I fashioned a work table with 2 new saw horses and a sturdy 3x5 sheet of wood. I rigged up our 2 fans to blow in on his corner of the garage where it was all set up, by the TV he already hooked up.

The real treat was in the fridge and served for dinner. We found this amazing, ENORMOUS super-store called Jungle Jim's, north of Cincinnati. It's like a glorified Trader Joe's- AMAZING :) It has a huge international section (several long aisles German food *grin*). I found a good lute of Brazilian food and goodies and, most of all, the Brazillion soda Guarana Antartica.

(he didn't realize he was squishing the cold soda can against Kai's face- poor baby!)

I set it all up (in the garage I organized and cleaned up) while Fred was banished to our bedroom with his laptop, the Star War's Legos game, and a captive audience (Gregory) while he played it. When he came down, we led him into the garage- he was blown away! Desired reaction achieved!

We enjoyed a yummy dinner of arroz (rice), feijoada (well, just beans), farinha (a sort of grainy meal you sprinkle on the rice and beans), pao de queijo (yummy cheese bread balls, I made fresh), milho (corn), queijo (cheese), and bananas (bananas), with cold Guarana. For dessert we had an assortment of Brazillion cookies.

It was SOOO yummy and, most importantly, he loved it.

Hot Chocolate in July

2009-07-22T15:16:00.004-04:00

OK, so maybe it was more like "warm chocolate", but today was definitely conducive to a heated, yummy drink!

The property management kindly sent out the exterminator today, in response to last week's spider adventure. Since we have a newborn, they recommended leaving the house for about 3 hours after they sprayed the poison.

Fred had the van, so when the bug man showed up, I threw some rain gear on the kids and the stroller and headed to my friend, Crystal's house. We visited for about 3 hours and then ventured home. The high for today should be 67, but the kids insisted they were cold by the time we got home. So I humored them with hot chocolate.

Now my house is clean (from getting ready for the bug man), the bugs should be dying as I type, 2 kids are peacefully sleeping, and it's raining outside- near perfection :)

Little Big Helper = Cat Crisis

2009-07-21T18:12:00.003-04:00

That ominous silence.

I went to investigate WHY Leora was being so quiet. My quest led me to the upstairs hallway bathroom.

There was the kitty, nibbling at soggy cat food floating on the bathroom. Apparently, Leora had taken it upon herself to feed and water the cat.

We keep the cat food in an old Goldfish crackers box.

While I went to grab paper towels, Leora committed an acrobatic act. Actually, she was just trying to brush her teeth. Determined little hygienic-conscious girl!

Ritzy Night Out

2009-07-20T00:21:00.005-04:00

(yes, I cut and pasted us together)

You might say this has been an epic weekend for Fred. He had the privilege of escorting one of the guests invited to participate in the 48th annual National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF), David Hartman (original host of Good Morning America) . Click on the first link to read all about the NAHF, but basically the event chooses several people each year to be enshrined, also inviting many other past enshrinees (like Niel Armstrong and many other astronauts from all the Apollo missions and more), along with other important guests.

There were 3 days packed with events for the guests and those involved (like Fred). I won't post about all of those things now, but highlights included Fred getting a free flight at a BBQ, Gregory eating breakfast with an astronaut at the Air Force Museum, Fred getting the privilege of listening to many of the astronauts recount their experiences and answer questions, and many other little things along the way.

Since it's difficult for me to leave Kai for too long (avid little nurser), I only went on the last day to the formal, Saturday evening. We had wonderful friends who watched the kids and Kai managed with his first-ever bottle of expressed milk, much to my relief!

To say it was fantastically amazing would be an understatement. It was a black-tie event, with the military people in their mess dress (the fancy uniform). Since Fred was escorting a guest, there was no charge for us. Good thing, because it was $150 a plate!

(the arrow is meant to point out just how big the stage was in comparison to the speaker)

They had this amazing set-up on stage, made to look like the view the pilots/astronauts would have in the cock pit. There was also audio mimicking what it would sound like. The simulation played on the "windshield" for the entire evening, first for lift-off, arriving at the moon, and then orbiting the moon for the remainder of the evening, with headlines and photographs occasionally appearing as the program called for. The video captures it pretty well.

(lift-off)

(Arriving at the moon)

The food and service was excellent and we had lots of laughs with Fred's Captain, Scott Smith, who had also escorted one of the guests. One of the other officers at our table happened to be one of the nurses I had when I delivered Kai. Small world.

(at our table with Captain Smith)

During dinner, people could freely walk around and meet the guests.. if you could elbow your way to them! Niel Armstrong had the Dayton Chief of Police near him at all times! Fred tried to find his escortee in the sea of other esteemed guests, but we had to find our seats before he was able to spot Dave.

As we meandered around the tables, I had this surreal feeling of awe, taking in the scene. I felt a little guilty for not being able to recognize anyone, so I tried to put on my best appreciative smile whenever I met someone's gaze. One elderly gentleman grabbed Fred and gave him a firm handshake, also shaking my hand. He was excited to see Fred's rank (we call them butter bars, because it's a single gold bar- lowest officer rank) and he enthusiastically wished us luck. I wish I could've known who he was.

Unfortunately, we had to leave before it was over, since our kids were at our friends' house and the program ended after 10pm. They do this every year, so Fred definitely has plans on participating again next year! We felt so privileged to be a part of such an awesome experience!

This Morning...

2009-07-16T12:32:00.003-04:00

I just thought I'd post some highlights from this morning.

Breakfast on the table. Kai got a close-up look at breakfast. It was so cute! When my sister Inga (now 16) was a baby, we would lay her in the middle of the table while we ate or hung out there. Maybe we'll carry on that tradition with our #4...

I got a good laugh when Charla sauntered into the kitchen, her blanket tied like a cape around her neck, glittery fairy wings on, chatting away on her "cell phone"- actually a little digital alarm clock that closes in on itself.

The most terrifying thing this morning (we have a quota to fill... just kidding) was my battle with the monstrous spider in the living room. I considered taking a picture of it before making my attempt to kill it, but was afraid of scaring it away.

The thing was huge! It would have spanned the diameter of my open palm IF I ever had the nerve to hold one. I wanted to make sure I could take it out in one swat, so I moved the furniture away from the wall so I could pull over a chair to stand on to reach it (near the ceiling, on the wall). I firmly grabbed my sneaker and gauged the blow. With all my might I hit at it...

...it didn't have much effect. So I hit again A piece of it stuck to the wall and the rest plummeted to the carpet... where it promptly popped up and scurried under the couch. AAAAGH!!

I ordered the kids onto the other couch and scooped Kai up off the floor and put him in the swing. I probably looked pretty comical, perched on the easy chair, a toy sword in hand vacuum hose in the other, poking around at the clutter by the couch.

Long story short, I called maintenance who sent over the exterminator. We never found the elusive arachnid, but we're now scheduled to get the house sprayed on Wednesday. I'm clinging to the theory that spiders only bite when provoked, so hopefully it's not a vengeful spider, and will just go on his merry way- outside.

(these 2 fell asleep while we hunted the spider)

Right after the exterminator left, Charla suddenly shrieked, "A SPIDER!" and she pointed a shaking finger across the room. I tensed, and then laughed when I saw she was pointing at the computer screen. I had found a picture of a spider that looked just like the one on my wall (a wolf spider). Brave Gregory cautiously approached the computer screen to verify that it wasn't the real thing.

Now it's afternoon. I hope lunch will be uneventful.

Getting Blonder

2009-07-09T19:47:00.005-04:00

I have been blond from birth- and yes, such an admission exposes me to all kinds of wonderful jokes and observations. But, I've always enjoyed my hair color. In high school I thought it could be fun to bleach in some platinum highlights, but just never did.

My sister Inga has dyed her (beautiful) hair every color of the rainbow- literally. After 5 weeks of the same color she was getting bored with it, so I took her to the store to grab some hair dye.

As we stood there in the hair color aisle I browsed the myriad of colors and without too much thought, plopped a box for light blond highlights in my cart and informed Inga she could "have her way" with my hair. Yes, I am brave.

It was so fun and I loved the results- very subtle but nicely frosted. Hopefully it'll make seeing my roots less likely.

My mom consented to allowing Dora to do her bangs.

Inga dyed her hair jet black with tufts of burgundy and blond under-bangs. I don't think I could ever pull it off nearly as well as she does, even if I ever was that brave.

Her hands looked frostbitten for several days :P

4th of July

2009-07-06T01:33:00.009-04:00

We are #1!!

4th of July this year was really nice- nothing spectacular, but still fun :) We started the day attending the Ward Independence Day breakfast.

The forecast called for intermittent rain showers. Around noon there was a light drizzle. Over the next 6 hours it steadily increased to actual rain. We were invited to a friend's house for a BBQ (she made scrumptious ribs!). Luckily the men set up a canopy over the tables so we could still eat outside. By 7 it had reduced to a drizzle again.

Their kids are my kids' ages, so they all had fun, while the adults ate too much- it was so yummy!

We had planned on driving somewhere to find fireworks, but the cloud cover looked so low and the kids were content playing with each other, so we just hung around after eating until bedtime.

(all she needs is a feathered hat)

(ALL muddy)

(this picture cracks me up... see the hand sticking out of Inga's side? You can only tell it's my sister Anja because of the blond ponytail sticking out of Inga's head)

(ok, so the dress is from Mexico... she insisted on wearing it)

Here are just some more pictures taken throughout the day... I can't help myself.

First Family Outing

2009-07-05T13:16:00.004-04:00

Last Friday we took all 4 kids with us on our first family outing since Kai was born. Dayton is famous for having TONS of festivals all summer and through the fall. This weekend was the Cityfolk Festival, celebrating the different cultures here. It was held t the downtown metro park, Riverscape.

We assumed there would be various displays and booths for each country represented, but it was more like carnival food, with an occasional stand of international cuisine.

The main attraction was the huge stage in the middle where bands and music groups from different countries took turns preforming. The Celtic band was my favorite.

ok, this is American.. the baseball stadium was right there

I love my kids when they cooperate and share! It's a rarity.

Kai's Blessing Day

2009-07-01T00:50:00.005-04:00

You'd think with all the extra hands in this house I would be updating my blog more often! I just really enjoy hanging out with them, so blogging gets bumped down my list of priorities.

Sunday morning Fred blessed our sweet lil' Kai. We felt SO loved! My dad's youngest sister and her family drove up from Cincinnati, Fred's Aunt Sally and her husband Ralph drove here from upstate New York, and Fred's dad flew here from Tucson! Of course there were also my mom and 3 sisters. It was a great crowd!

The blessing was beautiful. It was fun having my cute lil' cousins with me in Primary- they are great singers! Even aunt Sally hung out with us for the first 1/2 of Primary and got all into the songs with the rest of the kids. I love being corny with the little ones :)

(best family pic we could squeeze out of our 4)

(attempting to reason with them)

Everyone!

After church we caravaned back to our place and everyone pitched in to help make a great lunch. Altogether we had 26 people in our house! It was awesome! Kai got passed around and adored- he really handled it pretty well!

(Chow time! fresh fruit and veggies and supreme nachos!)

(My adorable cousin Madeleine- she will be one of the best babysitters ever someday!)

(My aunt April with 2 of her kids, Ethan and Madeline- I LOVE having them just an hour away!)

(Charla zonked out under the serving table- it was an exhausting day!)

(sleepy men)

(one of Kai's favorite spots- on Uncle Ralph)

(Uncle Ralph and Aunt Sally)

It was such a wonderful day! I felt so blessed to be surrounded by loving friends and family celebrating tiny Kai and his special day. My mom was a saint and sewed his blessing outfit (I cut it out and did the buttons). Fabric for the vest was left over from my baptism gown that she had sewn me, 18 years ago. The same fabric is in the gown we blessed the girls in, along with the last of the fabric from my mom's wedding gown. I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was super special to me. I must say, he was one good lookin' little charmer!

First Captured Smile and an Update

2009-06-07T09:49:00.003-04:00

(grinning at Aunt Anja- check out his dimples!!)

Things are coasting along here. Kai is such a great baby! So far (for the whole 11 days since his birth) he's been our lowest-maintenance baby, aside from being hungrier than the others were. He has such an easy-going little personality- "Feed me and I'm happy."

Fred and Leora are in Tucson this weekend for Fred's baby brother's first daughter's blessing (follow that?). She's 6 1/2 weeks older than Kai. We sure miss them, but are happy they can be with family for the special occasion. We plan on blessing Kai the last Sunday of this month.

Gregory and Charla are eating up every minute with my sisters. I'm so grateful for the extra hands that make my life pretty simple right now. We'll be sad to see them go back to Tucson in July, but for now we're making some fun memories :)

Baby Kai is Here!

2009-06-03T20:22:00.007-04:00

We had our baby, Kai Logan, Wednesday May 27th at 5:54pm at Wright-Patterson AFB hospital.

My water broke on its own (on the couch- the cat was confused) and we got admitted before 6am. I had a wonderful midwife who fully supported our wishes to deliver without pain medication. At about 3:00pm the contractions stopped so we started Pitocin. NOT pleasant, but we somehow managed to push that baby out without intervention- SO awesome!

(We've played Boggle during my last 3 deliveries... we had fun arranging the letters on this one)

He was 8lb 13oz (a full pound bigger than my next biggest baby), 20.5 inches long... and beautiful.

Recovery has been pretty good. He's a fantastic nurser... maybe a little too great- he eats every 2 hours :P

We feel so blessed- he's just perfect and his siblings love him- especially Leora, which was a surprise since she's pretty clingy. Of course, Kai won the others over when he "gave" them each a little gift when they first met him. We've done that with each baby :)

It's amazing how with each baby our family feels complete all over again. I remember being worried about how I could possibly love 2 kids as much as 1. The moment I held my Charla, it was as if my heart expanded exponentially and I could hardly stand the overwhelming burst of love I felt. It's been like that with each new baby. There is nothing in the world that compares to having a family.

Here's a link to more pictures of our precious baby- enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/usafmama/Kai?authkey=Gv1sRgCN_ywb7LhrDUmQE&feat=directlink

"Night at the Air Force Museum"

2009-05-17T17:21:00.009-04:00

This past Friday we braved the crowds and got to enjoy the first annual "Night at the Air Force Museum" hosted by, well, the Air Force Museum here by the base. They timed it to take place right before "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" opens in theaters.

(the girls eating candy we were "bombed" with passing through the Russian exhibit)

There had to have been at least a couple thousand people there, but it was really managed pretty well. We were given a "map" of the huge museum (3 full-size airplane hangars connected, plus an IMAX theatre).

(Gregory was THRILLED to pose with his FAVORITE plane, the B-2)

The theme was centered on aliens roaming the museum, trying to find their space ship. The museum has a "spaceship" on regular display that was created by the military years ago as "proof" of artificial intelligence.

(some little kids freaked out when an alien would walk by)

The map directed us to "travel through time"- each hangar is packed with aircraft (on the floor and hanging from the hangar ceiling) from a different era starting with the birth of aviation working up to space travel. We were roughly grouped and moved from exhibit to exhibit, as we could follow on the map.

(approaching the first exhibit: the Wright Brothers, complete with actors)

(Fred LOVEs this picture- Leora's angelic grin seems to imply that she has something to do with the picture behind us)

(I caught Leora pointing her bottle at people and making shooting sounds)

They did such a great job! Several of the exhibits had actors who were standing frozen when you walked up (the museum has 100+ different wax figurines on regular display with the aircraft and various displays). When a substantial crowd was gathered, the figurines would burst to life in full character. Then when they "realized" people were watching, they'd promptly freeze again.

(I loved this one- it's of the first women pilots in the military, during WWII)

(this one oddly reminded of us Fred's youngest brother... a sign?? j/k)

(This guy was hilarious. He was supposed to be a Russian officer regulating people entering the USSR territory)

Some of the stops along the way gave visitors the opportunity to climb into the cockpits of different airplanes. The longest line was definitely for the F-22.

(this is obviously NOT the F-22... we didn't wait in that line)

There were free flight simulators and the IMAX was showing different movies about aviation, also for free. We didn't think the kids could handle the wait for those, but maybe in the future...
Fred took the kids up into several of the open aircraft, like this huge cargo plane. I was happy to sit with the stroller.

(this was on the side of a bomber that drop "Fat Man" bombs during WWII)

After 2 1/2 hours I was pretty much spent.

(one of the last exhibits had characters acting as Men in Black agents trying to "brainwash" us out of remembering that we had seen aliens)

(the Men in Black people were right by the OSI exhibit [the Air Force's version of the FBI- Office of Special Investigation]. They had cool displays of old secret agent-type stuff. Like the triple view of my belly?)

It was an incredible experience. The museum is always a fascinating place to visit, but they really pulled of the "Night at the Museum" theme. We look forward to going again next year, and visiting the museum often until then.

More from Mother's Day

2009-05-17T16:13:00.005-04:00

I just got these pictures off of Fred's camera from the walk we took on Mother's Day last Sunday.

Dayton has over a dozen impressive state funded Metro Parks. We decided to check one out that we've driven by several times, the "Island MetroPark". It's a huge park with a river running through it. There are fun play grounds, beautiful picnic areas, and other facilities available for entertaining and getting together. In the summer it has a huge water play area, made up of a system of pipes that spray the kids (or anyone close enough) with water.

Anyone planning on visiting us out here should check out that first link- it's a great site showcasing each amazing park :)

Anyways, here are some pics from our walk...

This looks more like a hostage situation than a helpful big brother... he meant well.

I think the goose won the stare-down

She was running her fingers along the railing

Our angelic toddler.

So many beautiful look-out spots.

The picnic areas looked like little cottages.

Perfect end to the day.

Home from the Hospital and Recovering

2009-05-14T17:30:00.003-04:00

Well, we'd finally had it, so yesterday morning we headed to the hospital to put an end to it.

If course, by "it" I'm referring to our cat, Cinders, being in heat.
*Sorry, I couldn't resist*

Several months ago she went into heat for the first time. People had warned us to get her fixed before she got to that point, but no one had ever told us WHY. I'll tell you why...

She would meow and yowl all hours of the day and night. She'd get in, er, obscene poses that the kids thought were funny. But worse than that, she has been peeing, and even sometimes pooping, in random places around the house- like my DOWN COMFORTER! She's lucky I didn't skin her alive.

The last time it happened, when Fred got home I growled, "That cat has 2 options- sterilization or euthanization!"

Of course the second wasn't an option, so we got her scheduled to have her gender removed. Now she has joined the world of other "it's" and we can only hope it will mean the end of excess laundry (and frustration) due to the feline.

Mother's Day Highlights

2009-05-11T02:28:00.007-04:00

I must say, I had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Fred had grand plans of an elaborate breakfast, involving the kids in the set-up and everything. Unfortunately, his alarm clock failed him, so we woke up 40 minutes before we needed to be out the door to church! I think it was better that way, so I could have the time to really enjoy his surprises later.

At church I led the Primary in singing, "Mother Dear I Love You So" and "I Often Go Walking". That was officially my first time leading in Sacrament meeting. The kids were so cute and even smiled! In Primary the kids filled out this little questionnaire about their mothers... Gregory's was just too dern cute! He drew a picture of us watering the flowers in our garden...
My favorite lines are:
I Love when my mom: Lets me do the laundry (he must not love me much, because he's only helped out with the laundry a handful of times!)
I know my mom loves me because: she's pretty (My boy will go FAR in life!)

So, I took a nap when we got home from church and woke up to this array on the table!

Fred explained that each plant was from a different family member. From Left to right: Charla, Fred, Kai (because it had lots of buds yet to bloom), Gregory and Leora. We hope to transplant all but the roses into our garden... that will be a new adventure for me.

Fred's stories behind the gifts were priceless.

He took all 3 kids shopping with him last night. When he asked Charla what she wanted to get me, she was insistent that I wanted a candy cane. He couldn't find any for sale, but managed to dig up a few at home (which she gladly ate later today).

Gregory's gift idea was certainly unexpected. He told Fred he thought I'd like to get a can of vegetable soup for Mother's Day. So, as you can see, I got that, too!

Fred managed to get his hands on a scrumptious selection of dangerous chocolates that I have been savoring throughout the day.

Apparently, Leora took it upon herself to taste test my omelet before I was fetched.

The kids also picked out a card for me, which they drew on. The video is of Gregory explaining that he had written on the envelope in fancy letters because I'm "pretty." Dang, I love that kid!