Hooray for Snow Days!!

Yesterday was an ugly day. Ice started pouring out of the sky yesterday afternoon (unforunately right when the kids and I had to leave to go pick up our neighbors from the airport). I had a terrifying experience driving our neighbor's huge suburban in the midst of an ice storm. It wouldn't have been so bad, except our two precious little ones were in the back seat (the thought of wrecking and causing them harm almost pushed me over the edge). We fishtailed several times and spun halfway around in the midst of the interstate once (thank goodness there were no cars around us). I am NOT a bad weather driver. Thank goodness I married a man who is, and in the future, I will not venture out in bad weather without him in the driver's seat. God is very good and we arrived at the airport safely. I was very glad to crawl into the back seat with the kiddos and let our neighbor navigate our way back to Liberty.

However, as a result of this same storm, today has been an AWESOME day. Over the past couple months, it seems like we've been running constantly...but today we've been forced to stay indoors, my meetings have been cancelled, and we've enjoyed some really great time together (unfortunately for Brandon, corporate America doesn't have snow days).

Everything outside is covered in a sheet of ice. Therefore, we've had to entertain ourselves indoors. I have had the BEST time watching our kids play together. They chase each other, giggle a lot, and occasionally wrestle around on the floor. I've been able to catch up on some things from work, make my grocery list, and put the finishing touches on our Christmas decorating. We didn't even get out of our pajamas until 11:00 this morning. I fixed the kids waffles for lunch with Christmas music blaring in the background. It's the best!!

These days are the greatest because they're a completely unexpected break from the normal daily routine. On top of that, you couldn't really accomplish anything even if you wanted to, because everything is shut down.

Connor did venture outside, claiming that he wanted to "see if it was really freezing outside". He donned his winter coat, hat, gloves, and Spiderman snowboots (was he in heaven or what?) before going out in the backyard. He tromped around for about 5 minutes and then came back inside reporting "Mommy, it is REALLY FREEZING out there." Kylee donned Mommy's boots for awhile this morning, but eventually, trying to navigate in shoes that are 12 sizes too big became more frustration than fun. :) She took Connor's word for it that it really was freezing outside. We all enjoyed hot chocolate with extra marshmallows together.

Hooray for snow days!!

Our Turkey Day

Hello! If you're reading this, we can assume that you too have survived your Thanksgiving holiday. We had a great time with the Carlsons in Lindsborg on Thanksgiving Day, and then got to go on to Great Bend to be with the Haneke/McKinney children crowd on Friday and Saturday. The kids had a great time playing with each other and with family, and Dad and Mom actually found some time to relax and enjoy conversation with family.

The Thanksgiving in Great Bend was certainly different without Grandma. We had some extra folks join us for our big meal, so the hole wasn't quite as noticeable as it might have been otherwise. We certainly missed her special touch and knack for making everything come together just right, but Grandpa and Craig are plugging along and making the best of a rough situation. It was amazing how she was there with us as we all gathered together. I teared up as we turned down the drive to their house--it's painful to see the place where so many memories have been made and know that she's not there anymore, but it was actually a comfort to step inside and see that even though she wasn't physically present, Grandma was emotionally present in all that we did. As I scrubbed dishes and helped stir gravy, I knew that Grandma and Mom were happy that we all came together as a family. Christmas will be hard--it was both women's favorite holiday--but I hope to draw strength from their legacies and make the season extra merry and bright in their memory.

Prior to leaving town for Thanksgiving, we had the distinct pleasure of watching Connor as he participated in Second Friends' Thanksgiving Celebration. He and his class sang songs and fixed a delicious snack of muffins, fruit salad, and popcorn that we all enjoyed together. Connor did a FANTASTIC job of singing and did the majority of the motions for each song, too. He was dressed up like a little Indian and looked absolutely adorable. We were so proud of him and thankful to be a part of his first school program. Here are a couple pics of him singing and us together as a family prior to diving into our snacks.

It was great day at home for us today--we decorated for Christmas and the kids had a great time helping. We did have to take some liberties as we decorated to allow them to utilize their own creative approaches for embellishing things. For example, Connor thought that the nativity scene wasn't complete without Lightning McQueen and Mater attending the Christ child's birth right alongside Mary and Joseph (see picture). As Connor was playing with his own nativity scene, he drove Mater around to the front of the stable and bellowed "Jesus, open the gates!". Brandon and I laughed hard at the thought of our Savior paving the way for Mater to enter into the Holiest of moments (nevermind the fact that He was an infant at that time and would probably not have even been physically able to open the gates by Himself--maybe Mater would have done better to employ the help of the angel or the donkey).

When we were picking up Connor from school today, Kylee asked where we were going. I replied "We're picking up Connor from school". She then said "Connor, my friend?" I said "Yes--is Connor your friend?". She said "Connor is my best friend--I love him". Awww. She's in a stage of a thousand questions--"Where's Daddy?" "Where's Mommy?" "What happened?". It would be really cute except for the fact that she asks these sorts of questions approximately a thousand times. Therefore, it's cute for the first 12 times, but after that, it starts to lose its luster. Good thing for that absolutely adorable smile!!

At the Carlson Thanskgiving, we were asked to share what we were most thankful for. I am thankful that our children have wonderful grandparents and great-grandparents, and that we have not just one, but several families to celebrate holidays with. I am thankful for my amazing husband and his patience, wisdom, encouragement, and kindness. I am thankful for two beautiful, healthy children who are growing more and more each day and forcing me to grow right along with them. I am thankful for God's grace and unconditional love.

And, I'm thankful for folks like you who take the time to read and look at what is happening in our corner of the world. :)

Our Two (Not-So) Little Hearts

Those of you that know me well know that I am certainly NOT the kind of person that wishes their children would hurry up and grow and get into school so that I can go on with my life. No, sir. The days pass so quickly for me and I almost panic when I think about both of my kids being away from me all day at kindergarten. This is not because I don't want to watch them flourish, but because the majority of the time, I LOVE being with my kids. Now, don't get me wrong, I will love having time alone with my husband, but I have already cried on a couple of occasions about sending my kids to college someday (pathetic, I know). Brandon jokes about starting me on medication when our oldest graduates from highschool. I come by this honestly--my mother was the same way. She was so proud of our accomplishments and always wanted us to go and do, but at the same time, she was always very connected to us and was happiest when we were together as a family. There is a quote that says "Making the decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is making the decision to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body." That sums it up for me.

I share this because this week, I once again saw how quickly things change. I just realized that our baby girl is no longer a baby. Now, logic would tell you that due to the fact that she is two years old, she hasn't been a baby for a long time. However, watching her this week, she just seems so BIG!! She has grown into her 2T clothes and is fitting into the footie pajamas that I once looked at and thought "Wow, it will be awhile before she grows into these!".

I went into our baby's room this morning to get her out of bed. As I looked at her, it was almost as if she'd grown overnight. Really. She looked HUGE in her crib--almost as if she is too big for it (we've been talking about converting it to a toddler bed, but neither Mommy or Daddy has made the move to make it official yet). She heralded me into her room this morning by yelling "Mom! Dad!" as if she were a teenager who was irritated that her parents weren't responding RIGHT AWAY, which only added to the feeling of her being older. Could this possibly be our youngest?

As I carry her, I see how long her legs are. She is proportioned like a little girl--not even really a toddler. Good thing she still has the attitude of a two year old...it reminds me that maybe she's not growing as fast as it seems. :) I took her with me to a faculty meeting this week up at Jewell. She hopped up in the middle of the meeting and started announcing (all too loudly, of course) "Mommy, I want to go home!". She kept repeating it until finally, when my duties were done, we left. Thankfully, I work with women, most of whom find that kind of thing cute.

Our son is growing, too. He can now fully dress himself (let me just tell you how wonderful it is to say "Connor, here are your clothes, now please get dressed" and to turn around 5 minutes later and find that he's ready to go!) and has started writing letters. He writes really well for a little guy, and has even learned how to write his name and spell it correctly. We've found that he likes to look at a computer keyboard, find a certain letter, and then write it on paper. In the last couple days, he's figured out how to type his name on the computer. Granted, most of his handwritten letters are backwards, but he definitely has the idea right. He sometimes gets frustrated and says "I give up!" when he can't make letters right. We try to coach him, but find that it's better to let him cool off a bit and then try it again on his own terms. Given that Brandon and I are both fairly easily frustrated when something doesn't turn out like we want it to, it's no surprise that our son is this way, too. It's pretty humbling to watch him exhibit the same behaviors we do.

This week, we will attend his class Thanksgiving Celebration at Second Friends. We'll be sure to post pictures. He seems to really be coming out of his shell at school. When I picked him up on Wednesday, his teacher's comment to me was "Wow, he sure had a lot of energy today!". Was that code for "Wow, he was a real handful today"? I don't know. :)

We have also enjoyed watching the movie Cars this week. It is really cute (and that is something for me to say given that we've watched it a MINIMUM of 10 times in the last week). Connor and Kylee both like Mater best, with Lightning McQueen coming in a close second. We especially like to dance to the "Life is A Highway" song that plays towards the beginning of the film. Daddy generally refrains from joining in, but Connor, Kylee, and I have a good time grooving together.

Tomorrow, our church will celebrate its 6th birthday. It's hard to believe that we have been attending services there for 6 years! We recently found out that we will not be breaking ground on our new building this spring as originally planned. It is difficult for us to be patient, but in the end, we know it's the responsible thing to do and are glad to be part of a financially reasonable entity. Please pray for North Star as we vision for our future and dream about the possibilities that lie ahead for us as a congregation. Brandon recently wrapped up his tenure as the chair of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. He did a great job mediating in some difficult situations. It will be interesting to see what he gets asked to do next!!

All of these milestones are pretty exciting, and maybe a little bit painful, as we watch the ones that we love grow right before our eyes. I feel as if I'm going to blink my eyes and our kids will have turned into teenagers (at which point I'll probably wish I could blink my eyes and send them to college-ha ha!!). I am so thankful to get to be a part of their everyday lives!!

The Hidden Picaso

When your kids are screaming at the top of their lungs, running through the house, and crashing around with their toys, it can be annoying. But, as anyone with kids knows from experience, it's the times when they're quiet that worry you far more. A few weeks ago Lindsey made a discovery that was a prime example of this fact. It's been a while, so my memory is a little fuzzy, but here's essentially what happened...

Connor had started playing by himself in his room more often lately, and that was great. He's got his trains, his piano, lots of books, and no little sister in there. However, one particular day when he'd been playing quietly in his room for quite a while, Lindsey went to check on him. Connor had that "busted" look on his face, but she couldn't see right then what he'd been busted for. A few days later, she was putting laundry away and hit the jackpot --- our little blonde Picaso had been creating a mural on the back wall of his closet with crayons!

Connor was duly scolded and told that he was not to color on the walls anymore, but we couldn't help but be proud (when he wasn't watching, of course) of the quality of his drawing. Here are a couple pictures of the afore-mentioned illegal mural - you can plainly see the pirate ship on the water with one pirate on the top mast, as well as some birds and rocks. If he asks, he is never to color on the walls again, but we haven't removed his original work from the wall yet...it makes us smile too much. ;)

Fall Festivities

It's 9:20 pm and all is quiet at the Carlson house. We've had an insanely busy week so far, so the quiet is very welcome. It is a balmy 67 degrees outside, so I'm sitting here typing with the office window open. I love it!

The kids had a blast trick-or-treating. Kylee wore out fairly quickly, but Connor hung in for the duration. He did a great job of saying "trick-or-treat" at each stop--a far cry from a couple years ago when he wouldn't dare to even look directly at a stranger. Above is a pic of the kids with Daddy has they get ready to start trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

Since Halloween, we've been busy with school, work, and just life in general. Today we had our first playdate with some friends of Connor's from school, Noah and Jacie. He had a great time running around the park with his new buddies after we all enjoyed a picnic lunch together. He is doing so well at Second Friends--I went and helped with his Fall Party last week and it was incredible to watch him relate to his classmates and teachers--he is learning to be a bit more outgoing (here are some pictures of Connor with some of his classmates and with Mrs. Tiffani, the assistant teacher for his class). Mrs. Amy, his lead teacher, told us that he is starting to talk a lot more and "really come out of his shell". I am excited about that, but then I also get nervous--will he decide to talk about something embarrassing? Who knows. Speaking of embarrassment, we had our first confrontation with Mommy/Daddy public displays of affection a couple weeks ago--Brandon gave me a quick hug and kiss one evening while we were watching TV together, and Connor promptly piped up and said "Daddy, that's disgusting!". Let the games begin.

Kylee is doing well, also. Her speech is incredible and clear about 75% of the time. She does a good job of "using her words", and you can almost carry on a conversation with her (as long as her attention span will allow you to). She is starting to get into babies, but still prefers trucks, Play-Doh, puzzles, and coloring to all the pink frilly stuff. She is absolutely ADORABLE, which has saved her life on many occasions (the book "The Strong Willed Child" is currently on hold waiting for us to pick it up from the library). She works hard to keep up with the big kids and does a pretty good job most of the time. She is a riot and keeps us all laughing (when we're not trying to discipline her). ;)

In a couple recent posts, I have mentioned that sibling rivalry has reared its ugly head around our house. We were driving along the other day, and I looked in the backseat to see Connor and Kylee holding hands. I had to snap a picture of it (not the safest thing to do when you're driving, but hey) because the moment really touched me. The kids take such good care of each other, and I hope that their relationship stays strong as they grow up. I know that my brother and sister have been such a source of joy and comfort to me, and I hope that our kids can find strength in each other's company for years to come. One of our greatest joys as parents is watching the two of them play together and really get to giggling. Then there are quieter moments like these, which are no less precious. What a gift!!

We hope this picture will encourage you to squeeze the hand of someone that you love today. :)