These are snapshots of old pictures. I don't have a scanner.
Recognize Julia, I mean Mark, in Donna's lap?
Mark - I mean his dad, James - in 1958. He was 21.
Mark center, Jim left and Craig right.
Mark right.
05 April 2010
The Dead Animal Smell
What's that DEAD ANIMAL smell in the car? It was really hot over the weekend and on Sunday when I opened the car door it was clear that something was rotting... Not a diaper. I knew that much. I never leave food or anything in the car, either. A forgotten lunchbox? Nope. I've trained the kids far too well for that, I think. It could never smell that bad anyway.
Well, on Friday we went to Sam's Club and as always Elina begged for shrimp (she eats it out of the bag, like other kids eat candy). She fell in love with shrimp in 2008 at my sister's graduation, and often wonders if I can make the shrimp soup my parents had catered for the occasion... Anyway, I had forgotten about the bag of shrimp.
And so had Elina, apparently...
Well, on Friday we went to Sam's Club and as always Elina begged for shrimp (she eats it out of the bag, like other kids eat candy). She fell in love with shrimp in 2008 at my sister's graduation, and often wonders if I can make the shrimp soup my parents had catered for the occasion... Anyway, I had forgotten about the bag of shrimp.
And so had Elina, apparently...
Seeds and Such
Soccer for the non-competitive
What you are seeing here is the occasional soccer we play with friends. Everyone against the goalie (one goal), and multiple balls - that part is important! No score is kept.
25 March 2010
Anja's Big News
It has been said that sometimes a baby bird needs to be given a little push to learn how to fly. Well, I decided that Anja was potty trained one day at the beginning of March. This is a battle I would have taken last summer, but - well - let's just say it is Julia's fault that that did not happen.
Number 1 was not much of an issue. But in accordance with tradition in our family, Number 2 was suddenly not happening at all when the diapers were discontinued. As the loving mother I am I gave laxatives to facilitate the solution to this problem. And voila: success! The final exam was a bit steeper than usual (our camping trip during Spring Break, as blogged about previously). Okay, so not perfect, but pretty darn good.
The proud graduate with her reward:
Number 1 was not much of an issue. But in accordance with tradition in our family, Number 2 was suddenly not happening at all when the diapers were discontinued. As the loving mother I am I gave laxatives to facilitate the solution to this problem. And voila: success! The final exam was a bit steeper than usual (our camping trip during Spring Break, as blogged about previously). Okay, so not perfect, but pretty darn good.
The proud graduate with her reward:
24 March 2010
Isak's bikeride
We've been spared frequent Emergency Room trips, considering the number of kids we have and their ages. No broken bones, just a few lesser injuries. But yesterday I was in the house when Isak's scream reached me from outside and I knew it was for real.
Our neighbors were emptying their pool via under-lawn pipes that leave water on our side of the yard on the sidewalk and lawn both, before reaching the drain at the end of the cul de sac. Isak had ridden his bike through it - and fallen. His mouth was bleeding and against the dark background of his open mouth I saw a huge missing piece of his right front tooth (as seen from my perspective) - a jagged diagonal line beginning high up on the right side of the right tooth and ending at the left corner next to the left front tooth. 30% of the tooth was gone. Isak has big front teeth - or had. Especially his right one, which was the first one to erupt. It is the one awkward feature in an otherwise perfect face (Mamma knows!). On our camping trip last week Mark and I each had a turn at saying once, "Isak you don't have to smile quite so big..." when photographing him. I just kick myself for ever letting such a thought enter my brain. What awkward feature? Those teeth were perfect. Mark was working one of his 16 hours shifts, but he came home immediately (after 'only' 11).
We don't know exactly the extent of the damage just yet. But from both the emergency consultation yesterday and the x-rays and exam today it looks good, all things considering. The tooth did not appear displaced nor did the other other appear loose. And the blood flow looks good. We still have to watch for changes in the gums and the tooth itself for a while.
The dentist repaired his tooth with regular composite filling today in the office. It looks great - just lacks that jagged, newly ruptured edge that his left tooth has, and will likely have to be redone in a few years. Right before they shot him with Novocain I realized I did not have any picture. He's good and high on laughing gas in this picture - taken with my phone - hence the quality. The picture does not quite do the damage justice, to be honest. The injured tooth was his longer one. Isak took some comfort in the fact that Joseph Smith also was missing part of one of his front teeth - an injury sustained at an attempt on his life one night when he was tarred and feathered in 1832. Joseph Smith was known to speak with a bit of a "whistle" because of his missing half front tooth. He had it repaired in 1843 just a short time before his death in 1844. Isak had his repaired less than 24 hours after his injury, and presumably by more advanced technology.
The Novocain had his lip still swollen a bit today, but on the bottom here you can see the "new" Isak. First two pictures of his old self, and then his "high on gas," broken tooth picture, and then the new tooth (also taken by the phone, (this time because my uploading cord to the camera is giving me issues). You can see that the repair is not a long as the original tooth, so if the left tooth keeps growing we will likely redo it before the filling actually needs replaced. Still, I am so grateful for modern dentistry and for dental insurance!!
Love, love, love my little man
Our neighbors were emptying their pool via under-lawn pipes that leave water on our side of the yard on the sidewalk and lawn both, before reaching the drain at the end of the cul de sac. Isak had ridden his bike through it - and fallen. His mouth was bleeding and against the dark background of his open mouth I saw a huge missing piece of his right front tooth (as seen from my perspective) - a jagged diagonal line beginning high up on the right side of the right tooth and ending at the left corner next to the left front tooth. 30% of the tooth was gone. Isak has big front teeth - or had. Especially his right one, which was the first one to erupt. It is the one awkward feature in an otherwise perfect face (Mamma knows!). On our camping trip last week Mark and I each had a turn at saying once, "Isak you don't have to smile quite so big..." when photographing him. I just kick myself for ever letting such a thought enter my brain. What awkward feature? Those teeth were perfect. Mark was working one of his 16 hours shifts, but he came home immediately (after 'only' 11).
We don't know exactly the extent of the damage just yet. But from both the emergency consultation yesterday and the x-rays and exam today it looks good, all things considering. The tooth did not appear displaced nor did the other other appear loose. And the blood flow looks good. We still have to watch for changes in the gums and the tooth itself for a while.
The dentist repaired his tooth with regular composite filling today in the office. It looks great - just lacks that jagged, newly ruptured edge that his left tooth has, and will likely have to be redone in a few years. Right before they shot him with Novocain I realized I did not have any picture. He's good and high on laughing gas in this picture - taken with my phone - hence the quality. The picture does not quite do the damage justice, to be honest. The injured tooth was his longer one. Isak took some comfort in the fact that Joseph Smith also was missing part of one of his front teeth - an injury sustained at an attempt on his life one night when he was tarred and feathered in 1832. Joseph Smith was known to speak with a bit of a "whistle" because of his missing half front tooth. He had it repaired in 1843 just a short time before his death in 1844. Isak had his repaired less than 24 hours after his injury, and presumably by more advanced technology.
The Novocain had his lip still swollen a bit today, but on the bottom here you can see the "new" Isak. First two pictures of his old self, and then his "high on gas," broken tooth picture, and then the new tooth (also taken by the phone, (this time because my uploading cord to the camera is giving me issues). You can see that the repair is not a long as the original tooth, so if the left tooth keeps growing we will likely redo it before the filling actually needs replaced. Still, I am so grateful for modern dentistry and for dental insurance!!
Love, love, love my little man
20 March 2010
Spring Break at Robber's Cave
Slightly different trip than the one we took to San Antonio for Thanksgiving (didn't blog about our adventures there, but it was a great time). We had not one, but two 2-bedroom condos in San Antonio, (three baths in each), and a pool on the premises and went to the Alamo, the zoo and spent several days at Sea World. Mark and I both love roller coasters but it was the FIRST time we went on a roller coaster together - tells you how much of our ten years of marriage has been spent doing recreational activities.
Another first was going camping together and it happened this spring break. We've each been camping as leaders for church since we've been married, but never together. And we found out that even though we've both very much enjoyed camping in our 'former' lives, only one of us still enjoys it - at least until all kids are over 5. So until then the kids and I will go alone, it seems, or the youngest ones will go spend a few days with friends. Still, we had a great time. We went horseback riding, explored the caves a bit, played a lot, made campsite friends, fed catfish, went canoeing and paddle boating, and made a pine cone bird feeder. I pride myself in being a light packer (except when going to and from Sweden), but with four kids even the bare minimum ends up being a lot. And food for 6 people - I am just not used to this. The car was packed. I wanted to tent camp the whole time, but Mark required a warm-up stay in a cabin the first night. It was great, too.
Heard on the trip:
Elina: "What town is this?"
Mom: "McAlester"
Elina: "It looks different. What do they speak here?"
Mom: "Um, a local variety of English."
Boy on the playground (apx 9): "Move out of the way, girl. I am going down the slide."
Isak: "Hey, that's my sister Anja you're talking to! You better treat her with respect or I'll punch you into the next universe."
Another first was going camping together and it happened this spring break. We've each been camping as leaders for church since we've been married, but never together. And we found out that even though we've both very much enjoyed camping in our 'former' lives, only one of us still enjoys it - at least until all kids are over 5. So until then the kids and I will go alone, it seems, or the youngest ones will go spend a few days with friends. Still, we had a great time. We went horseback riding, explored the caves a bit, played a lot, made campsite friends, fed catfish, went canoeing and paddle boating, and made a pine cone bird feeder. I pride myself in being a light packer (except when going to and from Sweden), but with four kids even the bare minimum ends up being a lot. And food for 6 people - I am just not used to this. The car was packed. I wanted to tent camp the whole time, but Mark required a warm-up stay in a cabin the first night. It was great, too.
Heard on the trip:
Elina: "What town is this?"
Mom: "McAlester"
Elina: "It looks different. What do they speak here?"
Mom: "Um, a local variety of English."
Boy on the playground (apx 9): "Move out of the way, girl. I am going down the slide."
Isak: "Hey, that's my sister Anja you're talking to! You better treat her with respect or I'll punch you into the next universe."
26 February 2010
To Be the Youngest...
15 February 2010
To Be Blessed
When driving near our good friends' house the other day Elina, almost 6, sighed and in a lamenting voice complained, "How come they are so blessed and we are not?"
"Well, what exactly do you mean?" I asked back, bracing myself. I was not able to anticipate the answer. Our friends do not have a bigger house than we, and I honestly prefer our location near the woods and the park. It is true they earn more money and are able to take frequent trips to various destinations throughout the year and can more easily afford fun activities. The parents are also very involved with their children and often take on projects that take up space and time and create more messes than I am patient with. They also only have 2 children, compared to our 4. But none of that was on her mind.
"Well, we only have a big Labrador and they have a really cute small dog that is calm," she began. (Truth be told their dog is old and arthritic.) "And they have two cats and two rabbits and we have none of that." The discussion that followed I tried to point out that one of their cats is crazy (evil) and that the cats have to be separated from the dog or they kill each other and that the rabbits have to be separated from both cats and dog. The 7 year old chimed in that it costs money to feed and immunize these pets, etc. None of this had any power over Elina's outlook.
One of her Kindergarten friends' mother came to the classroom the first day of school after Christmas with the Christmas puppy to show off. That should be firmly against the rules of any school and punishment ought to be severe for breaking it. Elina was in tears that day after school. "I did not even get to hold it! And he gets to have a tiny puppy all his own!"
But we are blessed, too. We have neighbors on our cul de sac. One is a single woman, no kids and two cats. And Elina is over there frequently to play. Another neighbor has two small dogs. Only one day after the comment about not being very blessed that neighbor extended the invite that kids were welcome over there to play with these dogs a n y t i m e. That, along with the promise that when our Lab Sadie does die, we'll get a small, short haired, non-shedding dog seemed to calm the sadness a bit.
At the utterance of that promise, Mark looked at me like, "Don't you make that promise!" But I replied, "Really? With three daughters you think you can get away with your relationship to your children intact without any sort of pet?"
"Well, what exactly do you mean?" I asked back, bracing myself. I was not able to anticipate the answer. Our friends do not have a bigger house than we, and I honestly prefer our location near the woods and the park. It is true they earn more money and are able to take frequent trips to various destinations throughout the year and can more easily afford fun activities. The parents are also very involved with their children and often take on projects that take up space and time and create more messes than I am patient with. They also only have 2 children, compared to our 4. But none of that was on her mind.
"Well, we only have a big Labrador and they have a really cute small dog that is calm," she began. (Truth be told their dog is old and arthritic.) "And they have two cats and two rabbits and we have none of that." The discussion that followed I tried to point out that one of their cats is crazy (evil) and that the cats have to be separated from the dog or they kill each other and that the rabbits have to be separated from both cats and dog. The 7 year old chimed in that it costs money to feed and immunize these pets, etc. None of this had any power over Elina's outlook.
One of her Kindergarten friends' mother came to the classroom the first day of school after Christmas with the Christmas puppy to show off. That should be firmly against the rules of any school and punishment ought to be severe for breaking it. Elina was in tears that day after school. "I did not even get to hold it! And he gets to have a tiny puppy all his own!"
But we are blessed, too. We have neighbors on our cul de sac. One is a single woman, no kids and two cats. And Elina is over there frequently to play. Another neighbor has two small dogs. Only one day after the comment about not being very blessed that neighbor extended the invite that kids were welcome over there to play with these dogs a n y t i m e. That, along with the promise that when our Lab Sadie does die, we'll get a small, short haired, non-shedding dog seemed to calm the sadness a bit.
At the utterance of that promise, Mark looked at me like, "Don't you make that promise!" But I replied, "Really? With three daughters you think you can get away with your relationship to your children intact without any sort of pet?"
Happy with the neighbor's dog
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