Teig's room

Sometimes I wish I could be that mom who finds a cute bedset online for their baby's room and just buys it. Easy. But NOOooOOO... I have to invent a new style for each kid and spend weeks making them stuff they don't need for their room they will never remember. :) It actually brings me a lot of joy and since they probably won't remember it, I have to record it here.

This is Teig's baby blanket. I was inspired by a book about these awesome crazy quilts made by former slaves who saved every little scrap of fabric from every piece of old work clothes and hand-me-downs they could get and pieced them meticulously together into a "crazy quilt". It's been years since I saw the book on it and I can't find a reference online, but it was an awesome book. I used Paul's old jeans that I once tried to patch and some of Eirik and Joren's old T-shirts along with other pieces of fabric from favorite old things. I fell in love with this eccentric color scheme with tons of different textures from the shiny yellow fabric to the brown tweed. I gave it a soft grey flanel back and did a really random blanket stitch with floss throughout. I love the zigzig rickrack my friend Charyce gave me from a thrift store find. There's one leftover "penny" from the penny pillows I made last year with Kristen. It's a hodgepodge, but that's what life is and I like the old better than the new usually. It reminds me of our amazing history. We are such products of where we came from and it's worth paying homage to it. My friend Kasey taught me how to bind a blanket and this is my first time doing it. Not hard at all and I love the finished product.

My friend Merillee made some fish that inspired these.




This is the afghan that I found at a thrift store that I fell in love with. I think these colors started all this madness. I just love this for some reason. This is the afghan (below) that my friend Jena MADE for me and Teig! Yeah, I know! I can't believe it either. My mind is still blown every time I look at it. Did she nail all my colors and my style or what? I could not love this more!

These are the two awesome, soft, lovely afghans that PATTY made me when she was in town. I did not know I loved afghans before this year, but now, as you can see, I can't get enough.



and a few more cutie fish.

Forming good habbits

One of the reasons we got a dog was to encourage us to get more exercise. Every night that Paul gets home early enough, we go on a walk. We have really enjoyed this new habit. It's a time when we can talk, the kids get some exercise, we enjoy nature, the dog gets exercise and we are not distracted by the other 1000000 things we have to do the second we get home.
I love it and hope the winter won't put to much of a damper on our new habit.
We realized on our last walk that we better enjoy this moment in life when we are not racing from one after school activity to the next. I have a feeling that life is about to change in a big way in the next few years. Parenthood seems to be a lot about learning to give up your personal time and hobbies one little bit at a time over a long period of time until you almost forget that you ever had any personal time or hobbies and by the time you have forgotten, you suddenly have some personal time again and you have to try to remember your hobbies again. I'm thinking that maybe in a year or two we might try for a baby girl, so if that works out, then I forsee that I might start having some personal time during the day again in about 7 years. hmmm.... how about that? :)

Katie's Pickles

My sister Katie canned pickles last year and gave me the guts to try it this year. They turned out great! It was not that hard and they taste as good as Paul's favorite Clauson pickles.

Thanks Katie! I'll probably end up doing this every year now.

Joren- isms 34months

"One time I dwived to the worwld and I got you to the wowld in my new car, cool new mini van exactly wike my new mini van and there was Africa animals at the wowld like elephants."

"See that dwain? (drain) It's in the shower. Because rain can go in the shower. One time I swimmed in the drain. And I was twapped and there was gates and animals and vey were my pets." "Wow, that really happened?" "Yep it did."

"member? (remember) Member when Luke (Skywalker) dressed up as Eirik?"

"Do you want to go to my dance party? It's weawy fun. It's starting."

"See my stegger? (tiny black piece of square plastic) It's wike a bwack square. I will protect you from my bwack stegger. It can cut and swice (slice) and sting."

"I wike you"

"I can pet myself wif my hand wike zis."

"I know you. you're my mom. (kiss) Wewcome. You're my best giwrl."

Joren lifts his hand up to his cheek and pretends to be resting his face in his hand. "what are you doing Joren?" "I'm just finking." What are you thinking about?" "Mostwy the cwickets."

"One time I smashed an awien (alien) wif my car. Ver was bwood. Yep there was."

Bucket list * check

I always dated guys that rode motorcycles. It's just what I liked. So when Paul decided that I was the girl for him he secretly learned to ride a motorcycle. On a Friday night he picked me up on a Honda and as I jumped on he said, "See Melody, I can be all the man you need."
It was a great ride and as Paul is "all the man I need", I was only a little bummed when 6 years later I had not been on another motorcycle since. As you might have seen in a recent post, we got ourselves a little vintage 1973 Honda CB 100 motorcycle and I officially took it for my first drive this month. SO FUN!! This is not the last of motorcycles for this couple. :)

Home sweet magic home

Our kids dresser broke so I found a couple at Garage Sales and my mom helped me make them "new" again when she was in town. We painted them and then put a glaze with brown acrylic paint over the top to make them look a little used. I love how they turned out.


We also did this cute table that we use for preschool. I love it because it's a finish that I don't have to be too particular about. If the kids get marker and glue and glitter all over it, I don't care.


This is the painting that started the whole room.
I also painted the stools and this paper roll from Ikea barn red.

I was so excited when I caught this rare magical moment of my children reading together. Eirik was reciting what he rememberd of this adorable book called "Way out West with a Baby." He has such a great memory it astounds me.
This room has been such a delight this summer. Those vines outside the window are trumpet vines that are gorgeous with the summer sun through them. Birds come and land in them right outside the open window. Magic

On Time!

I have a great accomplishment to congratulate myself on with a post. :)
I have dropped off and picked up Eirik to and from preschool 8 times and been ON TIME every time! Now is where I make the confession that I think I was late to every single class of High School and college my entire life. I was so notoriously late that I am surprised I did not have to repeat a grade or fail a class or something. It took meeting Paul and having him be honest with me about how rude and thoughtless it was of me to be late to things to start the change. I had to study tardiness.

I learned that if you are notoriously late you probably:

1. are seeking attention, and enjoy getting it as you enter late
2. enjoy letting people think that you are so busy or important that you could not possibly make it on time.
3. seriously think that what you were doing that made you late is way more important than any engagement, and you don't mind if the people you are engaging with know that.
4. enjoy making people wait since it give you power or control

All of these reasons have something to do with pride and selfishness. I never realized what message I was giving when I was always late. I just did it out of habit. I have learned since making it a priority to be on time to things that I think a lot more highly of myself. In my "late" days, I can't tell you how many hours I wasted thinking of excuses to give when I arrived to things. Excuses only made me anxious and fearful because of course they are always lies. I was late because I was prideful and selfish and always thought that what I was doing was more important.
So back to the point.. I was on time for preschool this week 8 times and with 3 children, one nursing, and having to haul out the double stroller and walk a block to get there each time, that, to me, it quite an accomplishment!
I have a new found respect for moms with kids in school. It is a BIG job!
phew!

No more squeaks!

After we got spoiled having my parents and brother visit, we got extra spoiled having Paul's parents come for a week. I made the right choice marrying Paul, not just for him, but for his wonderful parents. I enjoyed every moment of their visit. Patty is wise, generous and kind. One night Paul and Steve went to a baseball game. I sat symbolically at Patty's feet working on recovering a kids chair while she crocheted a blanket for the boys in a nearby chair for hours into the night. We talked and I soaked up all the knowledge I could hanging on her every word. Sometimes I just yearn for someone to tell and show me what to do and Patty is just the example I need. I felt really lucky to have her to myself for a week. She is a marriage and family counselor and people pay her quite a bit to sit down with them for an hour to talk. She did some therapy on the boys. Eirik has had some disturbing dreams and we discovered why and helped him process those feelings. That was really interesting.

We took a day trip to Frankenmouth and Patty and I went to Bronners, the biggest Christmas store in the US. (we weren't that impressed) and then to an awesome antique store where I wanted to buy a ton of things and didn't buy anything. Steve took the boys to Tiny's Farm where they held baby chicks and got peacock feathers and came back with exciting stories about all the animals. Then we went to the outlet mall and Steve and I shopped while Patty and the kids stayed in the car. Steve was a really fun shopping buddy! I could hang with him every day and never run out of things to talk about.

On their first evening here my friend Ruth brought a roast and Yorkshire pudding. It was delicious and Pat and Steve were very impressed.

Steve spent hours fixing things for us around the house. Our dining chairs that have always squeaked.. yeah, he tightened them! He fixed the squeak in our bed and on the 2nd and 3rd stair that has bugged me daily since we moved in. He helped us fix the electric fence and our leaky faucet and the light under the oven hood and the ice maker. Yeah, he's amazing! I love it when he comes to town. Thank you Steve!
The kids loved their visit too. They bought them dollar store toys every day and lots of treats to eat. Since they left Joren has loved Bob the Builder and says that his "grandfaver says he can do whatever he wants" all the time.


We miss you Pat and Steve. Thank you for coming!! XXOO

The end of Summer vacation and my first day of school for the rest of ... forever

Paul finally graduated last year and guess who starts school this year? Yep, Eirik. My first day of kids in school for the rest of ... forever.

One of my friends said to me this week, "I feel sort of guilty, my life seems too easy right now." She has gone from 4 kids at home all summer to just two.
Personally, I have been getting giddy for preschool to start. I don't feel a bit guilty that I had a super easy morning this morning on Eirik's first day because Eirik loved his first day as much as I did. For three mornings a week someone else gets to keep up with his amazing energy for a few hours! Joren and I had a very nice time just being together this morning. I think Joren really enjoyed some alone time where he could play with anything he wanted, no one grabbed, and no one bossed him or bullied him. He just happily played. Eirik's teacher is wondreful and cried at our first parents meeting as she told us how excited she is to teach and how much she already loves our kids. She is fresh out of college and I think she's wonderful! Hooray for Preschool!

The Law's visit

We were in Utah for two weeks this January, but we've had so many big changes in the last 6 months (new house, new car, new dog, new calling, new garden, new KID) that we were really excited to have parents come out to visit. I think every kid secretly longs to have their parent say, "good work, you are coming along well." and that's what I needed. I sort of longed to have my mom walk around our yard and say, "beautiful" and walk around my house and say, "that's lovely dear" and see my children and say "aren't they wonderful" and that's just what she did. I don't think I'm really a validation junkie or anything, but I needed my parents to say "well done." Their visit seemed to go very fast, but I was filled up when they had to leave. They brought an unexpected surprise with them on the 26 hour drive; my brother Daniel!

It was so fun to have some time with him. He brought back to life this awesome motorcycle that our amazing landlords gave to us when we moved into our house. It needed some repair but in one week my brother had it in good condition. The kids love riding it!



We drug my parents on a long walk the day before I was induced. We were trying to get the party started early, but had no luck. The walk was a lot of fun though! We love exploring our neighborhood!






I got to harvest our first vegies from the garden the day my mom came. I'll admit, the yield has been small, but we have enjoyed it anyway.

My parents wanted to take the kids jet skiing. The kids were so excited. Joren got a little bloody nose from belly diving down a hill racing Eirik to the jet skis.
Eirik is sure his goggles are essential. (He doesn't realize that they don't work unless there is rubber around both eye pieces. We don't have the heart to tell him.)


We were so grateful that they got to spend a lot of good quality time with the kids. My mom brought the kids a blow up pool for the backyard and new beach towels. They got to see a movie and go out to eat a couple of times. We miss you family.

Joren at 34 months

My Joren is killing me with his sweetness. He is like constant sugar. Even when he is being naughty is is so cute about it you just want to gobble him up. He will write on the wall and then say, "We write on paper." and he will give me this silly sideways glace that seems to say, "I totally know what's up, but I just couldn't help myself."
Some of my favorite things he has been saying:

"muver, I don't like little girls, but you are my best girl in the whole entired world."
He is constantly saying, "One time I.... " followed by some insane story.
The other day I told Joren that we live on Earth. He asked, "we don't live on the sun?" I said, "no, the sun is made of fire and we would burn up." He replied, "One time when I was 18, I wooked behind the trees when I was a fairy wif wings and I saw the fire and I fwied and fwied." (aka, flew)



Tonight he said over and over again, "I don't want to go up in space muver, I want to stay here wif you."
This weekend we went to the "Arts, Beats and Eats" festival in Royal Oak. I was carrying him on my shoulders walking through hundreds of people with tattoos, spiked hair, crazy clothes, loud music, tons of smells and things to look at and Joren says, "Muver, don't forget, there are crocodiles down there." I said, "where?", and he explained that he meant in the sewers below the street.
He always says random things like, "I have antlers, soft ones of hair."
Paul: "Joren, why are you up so late?"
Joren "it's better than sleeping in a basket or an igloo, or a diaper of igloos."

I did a little questionnaire with him back at the end of July:

What's your name? J-Rock
What's your middle name? Car fast in Pink
What's your last name? Cup holder Pants or Water Pants
Where are you from? Nobody
Where do you live? I wiv in Michigan. My map tells me that. Where's my map?
What's your address? This is my address.
What is your favorite toy? Maybe a dinosaur or a dragon or sumfin.
What is your favorite color? Pen and handy dandy notebook.. um blue
"My favorite boy is called Diego. Go Diego go. He's my video watch"
What is your favorite thing to wear? Blue pants, blue shirt, blue tie, blue shoes, even green shoes.
Are you going to be a big brother soon? No, I'm not.
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe, even Hippopotamus, or a hexagon bird

This is a more recent questionnaire (Sept 7):
How old are you? I'm not 2 now, I'm week- months.
What is your favorite kind of car? Lightning McQueen, also Bryce wikes him. He's my older brother.
What is your favorite thing to eat? P. butter Sanmich.
What size are your feet? Crabs
What is your favorite place to swim? Turtle Cove
If you found a treasure chest in your house, what would be in it? a pretend T-Rex
Who are your 3 favorite people to be with: 1. bulldog, 2 . Bernese Mt. Dog, 3. Joren
What is your favorite thing to do to help mom? Draw

I also can't keep this kid out of the water. He loves to be wet. We have this big bucket outside that we filled with water for the dog during the hot summer days. If I didn't watch Joren carefully I would find him in the bucket.. over and over and over again. What a cutie.




On this particular day Joren sat in the sink for about 2 hours straight practicing pouring and measuring and getting very wrinkly. Great entertainment.
In the past 3 weeks a miracle has happened. Joren has started playing with toys. I thought none of my kids would ever actually enjoy the toys in our playroom. Eirik, of course just likes to play with weapons he has made and collect trash to make it into "useful items" and collect rocks and sticks. His main entertainment is talking to people.. aka: me and Paul and anyone and everyone else who will listen. Joren has suddenly discovered that he can build with his "bob the builder legos." I think Grandpa Steve started the toy miracle by building him a Bob the Builder house. Every day Joren wants me to play Bob the Builder. He builds with blocks and examines all his toys and finds new uses for them. He will actually go to the basement by himself and pull out toys and entertain himself for a long time. It baffles me and makes me giddy to see him have fun like that. You mean I don't have to entertain him all the time?? I love this kid.

Joren loves his dog.. but his dog has outgrown Joren in a big way. Remember the photo I posted in March of Joren sitting on Tor. Well, here is Tor sitting on Joren. Now that Tor is taller than Joren standing, Joren squeels and runs away a lot and says, "Tor wicked me (licked me) all the time. He is a good sport considering Tor is a little bit clumsy and if he runs into Joren, the poor kid is on the ground.
Tor is almost 100 lbs. Isn't he a cute beast though?

Joren very athletic and fearless. Here he is learning to ride his new bike. Actually Eirik got a new bigger bike so Joren inherited the Jet Bike and he is doing great on it.


Here is Eirik dressed in "Luke in the black" or maybe in "aninja attire" helping Joren in such a cute big brother way. (I am looking forward to cooler weather.. or "Eirik" weather, just so that Eirik won't make me crazy insisting on wearing head to toe black with a turtleneck and boots in 85 degree humid weather. The kid just loves winter clothes. He would wear his winter boots and snow pants all summer if I did not hide them. (hiding his winter clothes has caused a lot of tears, fyi.)

This stage is going by so fast. Pretty soon he won't say all of his L's like W's and his Th's like F's, and pretty soon he will stop saying the most random crazy things that make no sense and it will be just a little bit sad. I wish I had more of his sayings written down. He is seriously yummy. I wuv you J-Rock.