Whew! I have officially finished all of the Christmas shopping. Yes, I braved the stores on the weekend before Christmas. Am I crazy? Well, I would have been had I went to the Town Center, but I chickened out and settled for good ol' Bi-Mart and the Dollar Tree here in Damascus. They were busy enough, but most of the fellow procrastinators were in a fairly good mood so it was kind of fun.
I finished wrapping the presents in less than two hours and managed to keep the boys from peeking, though I enjoyed quite a bit of giggling and whispering on the other side of the door. They then helped me put candy canes on all the presents and transported them to the wood stove, where all the presents are being displayed. Of course I let them have a candy cane for all their help. I didn't realize how much sugar went into those innocent looking, cheery little hooks of hyperness, but let me tell you... there's a lot. Just a little fyi.
I find that I am actually enjoying this year's Christmas quite a lot. A good part of that is because the boys are older and are really starting to grasp what the holiday is all about. It's fun to relate the story on a child's level and try to be as creative as possible when discussing it with them. When going through the story of Jesus' birth, they learned about him having to sleep out in a barn where the cows eat. Kristopher was a little concerned that He would be eaten by mistake.
A lot of us just don't have oodles of money lying around to spend on everyone this year, so there's kind of a laid back feeling. More of a focus on family and the simple things. We've been having fun celebrating and decorating in honor of Christ's upcoming birthday in a variety of ways I have to say. For example, decoratively themed table cloths are thrown over the extra boxes that we haven't found room for yet from our moving in with Dad and Mom. Also, we took all the lights we could find and decorated the maple tree and the tulip tree (which I climbed late at night to do so...but Jacob caught me and made me come down). They look sooooo pretty and cheerful. We've dug out other decor from years past including a wreath which served to hang the ornaments upon. There just isn't room for a Christmas tree haha... By the way, Dad wants to get one now. So, Monday we're going hunting for one.
Also, since this is the first Christmas we've spent with my family in a number of years, there's an extra excitement. I can tell the boys feel it too. They are loving being with family. They have a confidence and security about them that Jacob and I find priceless. They feel right at home here at Dad and Mom's and feel it is their home too. Even Kolbein. He's always toddling (or should I say running with gusto?) around helping himself to this or that. "This" or "that" include anything from the pans in the cupboard, opening his brothers' dressers, to of course, his favorite, the bathroom toilet.
So, until the next post, Merry, merry Christmas and a bright, fresh Happy New Year!!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Kolbein's First Birthday
This was the morning of July 29th before we headed back to Idaho. 
Out of order, but he was cautious at first about the piece of cake. It was a leftover piece of Great Grandpa's cake. Due to everything going on, there was no time to bake him one of his own.
Great Grandpa's 80th back in July
Kris got stung by a bee that day. "Right on my freckle!"
Kolbein loves Great Grandma!
They boys love hanging out together. They couldn't wait for the cake.
Well, we TRIED to get all the great grandchildren in there. I think just Kristopher and Kolbein were missing, and of course the three "Howell girls" Katie, Reagan and Georgie who were in Texas of course. :)
Kolbein has officially got Mom wrapped around his little finger.The Big Move
As many of you know, we have moved back to Oregon. We are currently residing at my parents' home in Happy Valley which truly feels like it's living up to its name. :)
Yes, we miss our home up North in the mountains, and we both agree that we will DEFINITELY miss all the wonderful cold, cold weather and snow. (I wish I could bring it down here. Life would be perfect! Don't you agree, Noelle?) It is good to be around all the family again, however. I can't even begin to describe how much we missed everyone. We also both agree that it was a wonderful experience that has done wonders for our marriage! If nothing else, it was the grandest of adventures.
Now, about the boys. They, to put it mildly, are drunk with attention. They absolutely LOVE being with their grandparents! They are surrounded by a lot of cousins and aunties and uncles. Riding their bikes outside and climbing the apple trees are their top favorite things to do, and they have discovered several new parks close by us. Jared is insistent we visit the zoo soon, and he heard there's an ocean near by too. It's all very exciting and new to them. I guess they don't remember as much from a few years ago. They were just little, little guys. I forget that. I have spent most of my life in this state. To them it's all new.
Every morning they eat breakfast at the kitchen table with Grandpa, Grandma and myself after a rousing rendition of O, the Lord is Good to Me. If you don't know that table prayer song, call them. They would be happy to sing it at the top of their lungs. I am happy to report that they are learning to sing it all in the same key together. lol It's so stinkin' cute! (sigh... Mom moment...) Anyway, the song goes like this:
O, the Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me
The things I need
The sun and the rain and the apple seed
The Lord is good to me.
(and then some table thumping/clapping)
*Bum Bum Bump Bump Bump!*
Then we all clear the table and chores are commenced. The boys head out to check the chicken eggs, (Very serious business for them), in which they have learned that chickens in a nest are going to cackle when finished laying. And cackle LOUD! They aren't too scared about that anymore. They just refuse to go in till the hen is finished with her business. They help feed and water them as well. Oh, and next time you talk to me, ask me how the conversation went when they questioned how the egg came out. Take a wild guess and you're probably right.
Once Kolbein goes down for his morning nap, we do some school. They are both doing really well. I am so excited that Jared is really learning to read. He's very self motivated which helps tremendously. Kristopher is doing really well also. He has his own workbooks that he loves to do along side Jared. All in all, the quality time together is priceless.
So, we've settled in pretty well finally. Only took us a few weeks. Poor Mom and Dad, though. Their stuff is being shuffled all over the place! They are being so gracious about the whole thing. I think they might just be a little happy to have us all back. It will probably take us a few more months to get everything where we all have it planned. So we are all trying to be very patient with each other and give each other space. Auntie Tessa has been a great help as well. They love it when she's home. Auntie Tiffani has been a great babysitter. They love playing with Charlie and Sydney so much that they usually don't want to leave. I always have to promise we'll come back.
I will mention the boys asked me yesterday when they could go play with Nathan and William, their cousins in Idaho. They said they missed them. Kristopher asked about Kayla and Patrick. (We already miss them too!) I know that some part of them hasn't quite connected how far we've moved. I don't think they grasp what a paramountal change has happened in our family. (We're going to try hard to keep that relationship strong!) They did have a LOT of fun up there and remember a lot about it of course; however, Jared told me in the car today, "It's nice down here in Oregon, isn't it, Mom?"
Yes, we miss our home up North in the mountains, and we both agree that we will DEFINITELY miss all the wonderful cold, cold weather and snow. (I wish I could bring it down here. Life would be perfect! Don't you agree, Noelle?) It is good to be around all the family again, however. I can't even begin to describe how much we missed everyone. We also both agree that it was a wonderful experience that has done wonders for our marriage! If nothing else, it was the grandest of adventures.
Now, about the boys. They, to put it mildly, are drunk with attention. They absolutely LOVE being with their grandparents! They are surrounded by a lot of cousins and aunties and uncles. Riding their bikes outside and climbing the apple trees are their top favorite things to do, and they have discovered several new parks close by us. Jared is insistent we visit the zoo soon, and he heard there's an ocean near by too. It's all very exciting and new to them. I guess they don't remember as much from a few years ago. They were just little, little guys. I forget that. I have spent most of my life in this state. To them it's all new.
Every morning they eat breakfast at the kitchen table with Grandpa, Grandma and myself after a rousing rendition of O, the Lord is Good to Me. If you don't know that table prayer song, call them. They would be happy to sing it at the top of their lungs. I am happy to report that they are learning to sing it all in the same key together. lol It's so stinkin' cute! (sigh... Mom moment...) Anyway, the song goes like this:
O, the Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me
The things I need
The sun and the rain and the apple seed
The Lord is good to me.
(and then some table thumping/clapping)
*Bum Bum Bump Bump Bump!*
Then we all clear the table and chores are commenced. The boys head out to check the chicken eggs, (Very serious business for them), in which they have learned that chickens in a nest are going to cackle when finished laying. And cackle LOUD! They aren't too scared about that anymore. They just refuse to go in till the hen is finished with her business. They help feed and water them as well. Oh, and next time you talk to me, ask me how the conversation went when they questioned how the egg came out. Take a wild guess and you're probably right.
Once Kolbein goes down for his morning nap, we do some school. They are both doing really well. I am so excited that Jared is really learning to read. He's very self motivated which helps tremendously. Kristopher is doing really well also. He has his own workbooks that he loves to do along side Jared. All in all, the quality time together is priceless.
So, we've settled in pretty well finally. Only took us a few weeks. Poor Mom and Dad, though. Their stuff is being shuffled all over the place! They are being so gracious about the whole thing. I think they might just be a little happy to have us all back. It will probably take us a few more months to get everything where we all have it planned. So we are all trying to be very patient with each other and give each other space. Auntie Tessa has been a great help as well. They love it when she's home. Auntie Tiffani has been a great babysitter. They love playing with Charlie and Sydney so much that they usually don't want to leave. I always have to promise we'll come back.
I will mention the boys asked me yesterday when they could go play with Nathan and William, their cousins in Idaho. They said they missed them. Kristopher asked about Kayla and Patrick. (We already miss them too!) I know that some part of them hasn't quite connected how far we've moved. I don't think they grasp what a paramountal change has happened in our family. (We're going to try hard to keep that relationship strong!) They did have a LOT of fun up there and remember a lot about it of course; however, Jared told me in the car today, "It's nice down here in Oregon, isn't it, Mom?"
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Silence
As many of you know, about two weeks ago, we, our whole family, came down to Oregon to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. We saw a lot of people and got to stay at a few different places. All in all, we had a marvelous time!
Last Wednesday, July 29th, we headed back for home. It was also Kolbein's first birthday! We really didn't do too much for his first birthday, except a few people were nice enough to give him a couple presents to open. (Thank you!!) Then we decided to have some fun and put a candle in a slice of leftover cake from Grandpa's birthday. He really didn't know what to think of it at first and then... well, let's just say that he LOVED it. He almost put his whole face in it. lol
At home, I quickly went back to work and tried to spend as much time as I could with Jacob and the boys since they were turning right back around Saturday morning and heading for Oregon again. This time without me.
Jacob's dad, Richard, went in for open heart surgery the following Monday morning on the third. It was successful, and he just got out of the hospital yesterday. Just in time for his own birthday today! Happy birthday, Pops! So, Jacob and all three boys are down there helping out with his recovery etc...
Meanwhile, for the first time in our marriage, I've been by myself. Completely. Oh, I've enjoyed the average afternoon off, but not for this amount of time. It's been very weird. Of course I cried a little when I saw them drive off with there little manly-boy voices yelling, "See you later, Mom!" and "We'll miss you!" (OK, I cried a lot.) But then I focused on the novelty of it all. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted for the most part.
I put in a lot of hours at work the first few days to try to make up for a little of the time when I was gone. I also re-poisoned the perimeter of our house for carpenter ants. (I was waking up and stepping on them in the middle of the night, fishing them out of my coffee, having them drop into my hair AND waking up in the middle of the night to them crawling on me more than once! In fact, one even bit me!! The nerve!!) I caught up on all my recordings of TLC's What Not to Wear, read a book all the way through, embroidered a little, played some computer games and painted my toenails blue. I even took my cousin's dog, Cupcake, for a walk.
By Wednesday it was time to catch up on some chores. I think that's when it really hit me that they were gone. Any mother knows how - what's the right word? - "interesting" it is to try to get everyday chores done with a houseful of little children. To accomplish the simplest of tasks usually requires creative, premeditated planning and organization on our part. Get them distracted or busy with certain tasks if they're old enough, or figure out a way to contain them if they're little babies... without crying.
I think I got ALL my chores done in two hours flat. I couldn't believe it. I folded laundry and it stayed folded. I put things away in the cupboards, and they stayed where I put them. (Kolbein likes to take things out of the cupboards for fun.) I cleaned up the toys and they stayed in the toy box. I cleaned Jared and Kristopher's room (at Jared's request), and it stayed clean. It's still clean. I finished their laundry and there's still not a single dirty sock in the basket yet days later.
I have slept all the way through the night for days on end. I wake up and actually eat breakfast at breakfast time. Usually by the time I feed them and clean them up and get them going for the day, it's almost lunch before I remember to eat. There are no toys to clean out of the tub. No sippee cups to wash or baby bottles to sterilize. No diapers to change and the lid on the toilet stays down.
So, I go to work, come home, and talk to them on the phone as much as I can. I look at photos of the years past and realize how fast they're growing. Yes, I feel sentimental tonight, but for the last few years, they've been the first thing I wake up to in the morning, and I've been able to kiss them goodnight every night since they were born. I've clocked my days by them. I feel as if I'm missing the sun and the moon. I can't wait till they come back!!
PS
How much I miss Jacob too would take another page!
Last Wednesday, July 29th, we headed back for home. It was also Kolbein's first birthday! We really didn't do too much for his first birthday, except a few people were nice enough to give him a couple presents to open. (Thank you!!) Then we decided to have some fun and put a candle in a slice of leftover cake from Grandpa's birthday. He really didn't know what to think of it at first and then... well, let's just say that he LOVED it. He almost put his whole face in it. lol
At home, I quickly went back to work and tried to spend as much time as I could with Jacob and the boys since they were turning right back around Saturday morning and heading for Oregon again. This time without me.
Jacob's dad, Richard, went in for open heart surgery the following Monday morning on the third. It was successful, and he just got out of the hospital yesterday. Just in time for his own birthday today! Happy birthday, Pops! So, Jacob and all three boys are down there helping out with his recovery etc...
Meanwhile, for the first time in our marriage, I've been by myself. Completely. Oh, I've enjoyed the average afternoon off, but not for this amount of time. It's been very weird. Of course I cried a little when I saw them drive off with there little manly-boy voices yelling, "See you later, Mom!" and "We'll miss you!" (OK, I cried a lot.) But then I focused on the novelty of it all. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted for the most part.
I put in a lot of hours at work the first few days to try to make up for a little of the time when I was gone. I also re-poisoned the perimeter of our house for carpenter ants. (I was waking up and stepping on them in the middle of the night, fishing them out of my coffee, having them drop into my hair AND waking up in the middle of the night to them crawling on me more than once! In fact, one even bit me!! The nerve!!) I caught up on all my recordings of TLC's What Not to Wear, read a book all the way through, embroidered a little, played some computer games and painted my toenails blue. I even took my cousin's dog, Cupcake, for a walk.
By Wednesday it was time to catch up on some chores. I think that's when it really hit me that they were gone. Any mother knows how - what's the right word? - "interesting" it is to try to get everyday chores done with a houseful of little children. To accomplish the simplest of tasks usually requires creative, premeditated planning and organization on our part. Get them distracted or busy with certain tasks if they're old enough, or figure out a way to contain them if they're little babies... without crying.
I think I got ALL my chores done in two hours flat. I couldn't believe it. I folded laundry and it stayed folded. I put things away in the cupboards, and they stayed where I put them. (Kolbein likes to take things out of the cupboards for fun.) I cleaned up the toys and they stayed in the toy box. I cleaned Jared and Kristopher's room (at Jared's request), and it stayed clean. It's still clean. I finished their laundry and there's still not a single dirty sock in the basket yet days later.
I have slept all the way through the night for days on end. I wake up and actually eat breakfast at breakfast time. Usually by the time I feed them and clean them up and get them going for the day, it's almost lunch before I remember to eat. There are no toys to clean out of the tub. No sippee cups to wash or baby bottles to sterilize. No diapers to change and the lid on the toilet stays down.
So, I go to work, come home, and talk to them on the phone as much as I can. I look at photos of the years past and realize how fast they're growing. Yes, I feel sentimental tonight, but for the last few years, they've been the first thing I wake up to in the morning, and I've been able to kiss them goodnight every night since they were born. I've clocked my days by them. I feel as if I'm missing the sun and the moon. I can't wait till they come back!!
PS
How much I miss Jacob too would take another page!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gross. Just Gross.
"Mom, yuck this is dis-GUS-ting!" announced Kristopher.
"What is, Honey?" I asked as I was chasing Kolbein out of the bathroom...again. I had just gotten home from work yesterday and was trying to settle in with Jacob and the kids for the evening.
"There's a booger in my mouth! Doesn't taste very good."
I just about dropped Kolbein.
"What?!?"
He just looked at me with a screwed up expression and declared, "Yeah, it's gross."
"I bet it is," I agreed solemnly secretly trying not to throw up.
"It's yucky."
"Yes. Very. Let's not do that again, okay?" Then, I'm not sure why I asked, but I did, "Why did you have a booger in your mouth? It's --"
Then he looked at me as if amazed I didn't already know and interrupted, "Cause it was in my nose, and I needed it out."
I know this was probably not the greatest opening without warning for a blog post, but that's exactly the point of this posting. Usually, I'm completely taken by surprise. Perhaps it's just with boys. A MOBO perk. Moms of girls, you'll have to let me know.
Meanwhile, being at work for the good part of the day, I miss these little stories (even the booger ones). Bless Jacob! He has been so faithful to share as many as he can remember daily.
Some of today's included Kolbein being caught playing in the toilet then having to be scrubbed down. (And he was NOT happy at all about that either.) Kris learning more efficient ways of using the potty. Sharing toys, even though Kolbein wants to be the tornado. They also were really excited that Dad found the old school original Nintendo console. So, they get to have it set up in their room. And of course Jared is continuing to learn to read. Jacob includes all the details of what they ate for the day. Pancakes were a hit for dinner I hear. Pancakes. I would love to eat pancakes with them.
Well. It's one in the morning. I suppose I should sign off. The grammar is terrible. Forgive me. I had to write while I had time though. I miss you all. Take care. :)
PS
Kristopher, I'm happy to say, has a new found respect for the invention of tissue.
"What is, Honey?" I asked as I was chasing Kolbein out of the bathroom...again. I had just gotten home from work yesterday and was trying to settle in with Jacob and the kids for the evening.
"There's a booger in my mouth! Doesn't taste very good."
I just about dropped Kolbein.
"What?!?"
He just looked at me with a screwed up expression and declared, "Yeah, it's gross."
"I bet it is," I agreed solemnly secretly trying not to throw up.
"It's yucky."
"Yes. Very. Let's not do that again, okay?" Then, I'm not sure why I asked, but I did, "Why did you have a booger in your mouth? It's --"
Then he looked at me as if amazed I didn't already know and interrupted, "Cause it was in my nose, and I needed it out."
I know this was probably not the greatest opening without warning for a blog post, but that's exactly the point of this posting. Usually, I'm completely taken by surprise. Perhaps it's just with boys. A MOBO perk. Moms of girls, you'll have to let me know.
Meanwhile, being at work for the good part of the day, I miss these little stories (even the booger ones). Bless Jacob! He has been so faithful to share as many as he can remember daily.
Some of today's included Kolbein being caught playing in the toilet then having to be scrubbed down. (And he was NOT happy at all about that either.) Kris learning more efficient ways of using the potty. Sharing toys, even though Kolbein wants to be the tornado. They also were really excited that Dad found the old school original Nintendo console. So, they get to have it set up in their room. And of course Jared is continuing to learn to read. Jacob includes all the details of what they ate for the day. Pancakes were a hit for dinner I hear. Pancakes. I would love to eat pancakes with them.
Well. It's one in the morning. I suppose I should sign off. The grammar is terrible. Forgive me. I had to write while I had time though. I miss you all. Take care. :)
PS
Kristopher, I'm happy to say, has a new found respect for the invention of tissue.
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