June-a month of nights shifts.... Finally over!

We're still trying hard to decide on a name for the baby. For some reason, nothing is "just right" yet. I really appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions which have really helped us narrow down our ideas.
I ask the kids every few days, "what are we going to name the baby guys?"
They always say interesting things that make me laugh (that's why I keep asking), but yesterday Eirik really amused me when he said, "let's name him, The Julesburg, or maybe Thunder Road".
Some other suggestions have been "Jet Fighter" or "Paul Jeffrey Aanderud eater, so he can eat daddy." I just love these creative boys.

Right now I am sort of leaning toward Haaken or Alton. I know, neither of them were on the original list! Thoughts?

Today is an awesome day because last night was Paul's official last night as an intern!! He did a month of night call shifts through June. Night shifts really just throw things off. He lost 20 lbs in June by working nights and basically starving himself. I hate to tell him how great he looks when I know keeping a miserable schedule and starving himself is what has brought off the weight, but I do think he looks great. The kids and I tried to keep sort of a marathon schedule of morning activities and field trips outside the house and naps in the afternoon in order to let Paul sleep through the days. I fear we sort of tapered off on the "being quiet" goal toward the end, but we did a lot of fun activities throughout the month.

We visited the Cranbrook museum of science a couple of times. The boys loved it and talked about the giant T-Rex skeliton and the huge Sea Turtle skeliton for days. We got to sit inside their wigwam and pretend we were indians which was a lot of fun. The mastadon was really cool and the kids decided we needed to make our own viking warrior Totem pole to put outside our house to symbolize our family. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.

Our other favorite outing was to the Ann Arbor Botanical Gardens. They have a huge childrens' garden area that was so fun. We got to go with Ashley and her two cuties. I was totally inspired and wanted to come home and build all kinds of fun kids areas in my yard. (I will do it, don't worry... I was that inspired.) The first area I am going to build is a fairy corner. They had tree stumps set up in a perimeter around a shady area under some pine trees. The middle of the circle had a little table and chairs and the ground was littered with pine needles, glass beads, small cross cut tree limbs, acorns, and other "fairy" paraphernalia. We had a great time visiting while we built a fairy house complete with bedrooms, dining rooms, fire pits and gardens. The kids loved finding just the right sized rocks or leaves or twigs to complete our house. I just happen to have the perfect spot for a fairy village like this in my yard and by next year we will have troll / knome/ fairy parties in our little village. I decided to make a twig "chandelier" that can hold candles to hang over the table I am going to make. It will be our outdoor hangout and just as fun if not more fun than a sandbox. I can't wait. :)


Is this the best way to dig in the dirt? Ashley and I got to talk for an hour while the kids played here. Of course, her girls were nearly spotless when we left this area and my boys were covered head to toe in dirt. I had to give Joren a little bath in the sink in order to allow him in the car to come home. They had such a good time!
Wooden musical instruments strung up in your yard. That's not too hard to make!

The botanical gardens part was really cool too. I love tropical and desert plants so I felt really spoiled that day.


Speaking of growing things...
My friend Charyce, bless her heart, left me this terrarium when she moved. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted a terrarium, but when I brought it home I started to get pretty excited about it. I started to loose sleep thinking about all the cool things I could do and reading up on terrariums online. I started saving pictures of great terrariums and doing drawings and researching certain plants and soils and learning about things like activated charcoal... Like I need another hobby!!
It suddenly dawned on me that terrariums are to me like tropical fish are to Paul. (except mine costs significantly less which is good since my garden and paints make up for the price difference in our hobbies. I delayed getting started because I really considered painting the metal turquoise or yellow or red or something fun.. but in the end I just went with the white because I couldn't decide. I'll probably regret not going for something more fun down the road, but in the mean time, I'm just pretty excited that it's all still alive.
The "recipe" goes roughly like this: (I suggest looking at a more official site if you are looking for instructions) 1. layer of pea gravel 2. layer of activated charcoal 3. layer of sphangum moss 4. layer of potting soil with mixed in sand and compost
Last step.. plant and decorate.
I am going to get some red mushrooms and maybe make some acorn furniture and plant some more flowers. I bought some baby tears I am going to plant soon too, but here is the first draft and it will evolve from here. I just love having a growing world like this to cultivate. It's fun that the lid tips open for cultivation and that it is quite big so a lot of things are possible. Thanks Charyce! You did it again.



My vegetable garden is coming along too. I had a major bummer moment when I realized that the bunnies had chewed through the netting I had meticulously used to keep them out. Today Paul helped me put up metal chicken wire.. ugly and not what I really wanted to do, but if it keeps those bunnies from ransacking all my hard work.. it has to be. The deer are starting to eat my tomatoes that are now about 5' tall. Darn them. So the new 5' tall netting should make a little difference to that too. These pictures are a bit old now since a couple of weeks makes a huge difference in a garden. I'll have to take new pictures soon.


I've been working on a couple of other projects. I got this hideous Barney chair for $1 at a garage sale and made it much cuter. I was surprised that it was so much more difficult than I thought it would be. I always overestimate my sewing skills, but it the end it turned out, and Joren loves it. He calls it his "thinking" chair and sits in it all the time.
I'm really into these graphic botanical monochromatic prints. I made this quick pillow from a $1 remnant. I love the pop of yellow in my front room. I give it 2 months before Tor has destroyed it. It's really only a matter of time.
My friend Amy gave me these woven storage ottomans when she moved. At first I wasn't sure what to do with them, but when I remembered this green patterned fabric that I have been saving for a special project, I knew just where I could put these ottomans after the tops were recovered. These storage bins work great for blankets and all the toys that accumulate in the front room. They also turned out to be great hiding places for the boys. They love to play in then, on them and under them. Sadly they actually never stay placed where they are in the picture.

Speaking of Tor.. look how big he is getting. He's 6 months and has all his adult teeth. He tries so hard to please everyone. The electric fence has been a lifesaver. I LOVE it. He can play outside all the time. That way when I do invite him in we have a nice time together and I really enjoy his company. He is really such a good dog and almost completely housebroken. He has not had any accidents this week! He gets so excited when Paul comes home from work. you should see how much he loves Paul. He follows him everywhere and lays at his feet just watching and making sure he is pleasing Paul. I never knew a creature could be like that. Paul is a great dog owner.

Eirik finished his first Tae Kwon Do class this week. It was a 12 week course and at the end he got to test for his yellow stripe belt. The test is a one on one with the instructor in front of the class and the parents. Eirik was doing his kicks and punches and the instructors kept exchanging looks. I was wondering what they were thinking. Finally the instructor getting "beat up" turned around and asked who his mother was. He said, You have to get his expressions on video. They were just loving how intense he was with his fighting and getting a kick out of his fierce faces. I see those "fierce faces" all day long so I just chuckled, but it was fun to see his energy appreciated in an appropriate setting. Karate was perfect for this kid who wants to be a power ranger or other super hero so bad that he dreams about it and if I hear him talking in his sleep he is fighting some bad guy or saving someone. He picked up the vocabulary of Tae Kwon Do really fast, probably because Paul speaks Korean to him sometimes and because he is just really great with languages. The teachers commented on that a lot too. At testing he got to break a board with a kick, get a trophy and get his yellow belt. He was SO Proud of himself! I was pretty proud too.
Eirik also graduated from preschool this month. We had a fun little celebration at the park.
I loved working with these amazing mothers. I learned so much from them. Each week as the kids brought home fun projects and new ideas I was amazed at the creativity and insight these women have into opening up little minds and helping them learn and grow. I am so blessed to know them. I know Eirik learned a lot. I am putting together a book from the pictures that each of us took of our preschool classes we taught. I hope Joren will get the same great experience that Eirik has been able to have when he turns 3.



pThe following picture cracks me up. It illustrates just how intense Eirik is. He has become a serious hoarder. He MUST have all his gear with him at all times. (actually this is nothing new.. it's just evolving) This means that the new van is always a mess and looks like a giant toy room. You can see that his backpack is stuffed. In it you can find things like dirty socks, Pauls used deodorant container that Eirik calls Gatoraid and I don't correct him because I think it's so funny, about 80 kinds of weapons, many of them homemade, and several stolen items that Paul and I have undoubtedly been looking everywhere for. If you are missing fingernail clippers or a pocketknife or a cord to something, or basically ANYTHING sharp or pointed, you can probably find it in Eirik's bag. He also has a heart keychain, two lightsabers, an apple, ("just in case".) (his favorite phrase) his Tae Kwan Do target and his new rockets. Every day the "important" items are different and it just so happens that whatever anyone else thinks is important becomes the coveted item of the moment that can't be lived without. I have to guard the kitchen utensils, garage tools and garden tools with super vigilance. Not to mention the knives and scissors, IPODS, remotes, calculators and phones. All things electronic seem to go missing at one time or another. "That's a tool not a toy" has become one of my all too common phrases. Eirik has started saying things like, "Fine, I will just take all your CD's and throw them in the street!" or "I never even wanted to be born!" or "I wish I could burn down all the houses." These phrases come in response to things like, "No, you can't take my fabric scissors to swimming lessons." or some similar request. His creativity certainly keeps me on my toes and I am trying really hard to not let myself be too attached to the things in my house as everything is bound to get massacred at some point by one of the children or the dog.
As they say on Wonder Pets, "sometimes you just have to laugh." :)