INside Winter Play

Since we seem to be coming into the warmer weather of spring (although I'm sure that I'm jinxing us), I thought I would post some cute photos of the "funner" stuff we did this winter.

We have a great time putting on music and playing our instruments. Greyson actually likes it better when the toy guitar doesn't play for him. He likes it to be quiet and HE makes the guitar sounds. We would also get out the drums (Greyson's Christmas gift) and harmonicas (Ben took Madelyn out over the winter to buy herself a REAL harmonica with HER money!) and keyboards and recorders and tambourines and shaker eggs... we love having a musical family!!!

We did a lot of building in our living room - train routes, bridges, lincoln log houses, truck assembly - we love that our kids love to engineer!

Hiding under baskets are a great way to kill some time. (note the cars Greyson has.... a new favorite! Speaking of which, we recently watched the movie Cars and Greyson LOVED it!! We liked it too - good message about "loving your neighbors".)

I had a great time chaperoning one of Madelyn's Kindergarten field trips to the Children's Museum. This is my little group of four that I had fun with. They are standing on the other side of a tank full of water (and turtles).

This is our storytime. Librari-Ann (or Miss Ann) does a GREAT job of it! It has been a staple of our week (even during the summer) since I quit working.

And the following two pictures are of when good friends, Joseph and Birgitta, spent the day with us. They are so good and so sweet! Joseph and Madelyn have known each since the daycare baby room. (There are pictures of them snuggling in the baby soft pit somewhere.) And their mom and I have gotten to be BFFs along the way.... Love you, Helen!



Where are Grey and GG? Peek-a-boo!

And the dryer has no heat... Updated

Part on order... should be here in 7-10 DAYS!

Update: The part came and it still doesn't work... now to decide to be real engineers and troubleshoot and fix it ourselves or just call the service guy (that Ben swears will know just as much as we do). All I know is that the drying clothes decor we've got going in the basement is a little too eclectic for my taste. :)

New York, NY

I'm headed to Manhattan early tomorrow morning to spend the weekend with my sister. It's my first time being there... a lot to do in a weekend! See you next week!

Pets I can handle... (Updated)

...but not literally. On Saturday, Ben suggested we get some fish. I said, "As long as I don't have to take care of them." So we borrowed an aquarium and aerator from a friend and went to wallie-world to get fish and fish food.

Greyson picked out a black finned goldfish and named it "Black Boots". I guess you could said that he is living out his pirate dreams right now. He has a fascination right now with pirates and has told us that he wants to be one for Halloween. I guess I'm gonna have to start thinking on that one.

I picked a calico fantail and, with Ben's help, named it "Calista". You see, I'm the WORST about naming things. You can tell from most of the kids stuffed animals' names - Pinkie, Blue Bear, and Dollie, to name a few. Madelyn tried to encourage me by saying that I picked a great name for her, but unfortunately I can't take credit for her name either, that was all Ben too!

Madelyn picked a white goldfish with a big read dot on its head and named her "Redhead". She seems to have inherited my naming dysfunction. But she does have an eye for pretty things!

And Ben? He picked a run-of-the-mill all gold goldfish and named it Bubba. Unfortunately, Bubba didn't make it 24 hours. It is a good thing that we warned the kids on the way home that one or more of the fish may die by accident....

I have a feeling that the fish could be a source for good entertainment in the days to come!

UPDATE:
On 9/22/2009, Black Boots also passed on.... but the kids didn't even notice! Yet anyway. Note to self - get our next batch of fish from a pet store instead of wallie-world.

Your State Fair "Tord"

Greyson, isn't this a sweet picture?  You and your most beloved things - your fuzzy blanket, blue bear, and your new "tord" from the state fair.  I guess reading about a prince with a sword wasn't enough, you had to be one!

Footbridge to Happiness

My kids, especially Madelyn, has been asking to walk on a footbridge for ages. I keep saying, "we'll go soon, I promise." Then one day, I found myself saying, "we'll go before the summer is done." So, now I was on the hook. I woke up last week thinking, "this is the day", and so we packed a lunch and went to a footbridge in Minneapolis. It connects the Sculpture Gardens to Loring Park. Here are the kids going up the steps to the bridge from the Scuplture Garden side.

Cute picture of Madelyn, right? You see that speck of a kid in the background? I had to catch up with him just before he got himself in trouble on the other side of the bridge!

The side view of the footbridge.

Running back to show me the ducks (as if I hadn't seen them) during our picnic lunch. The woman there had shared her bread that she was throwing to the ducks with the kids. It was very nice of her, since we didn't bring anything extra to throw to them.

Madelyn joining the fun.

I good pic of the three of us - I love it when people offer to take a picture of me with my kids while we are out!

The Minneapolis skyline

The Basilica (taken from the footbridge)

Madelyn and Greyson loved looking out at the cars and the tunnel just to south of the footbridge (the one that they "chomp" on the way to church).

And they came home happy (albeit tired!). And I was happy to have taken them on such a beautiful day.... promise delivered.

a bea-UUUUU-tiful day!

Yesterday was just gorgeous! God really blessed us with a great day... short-sleeves were on order!

Here are the kids taking time for one of their favorite pasttimes. They LOVE to "read" (or make up stories to a book's pictures)! And they really do get along enough sometimes to do it TOGETHER!

After dinner, we made smores. And those of us that finished our dinner (unfortunately Greyson didn't) took part in this tasty treat. I tried to tell Greyson that he was going to miss out on something really good but I guess he didn't believe me until we started eating ours. It was really hard, but as a parent, I stood my ground!

The wind was starting to pick up and the cool air was returning. We noticed that the smoke from the chiminea was going up and heading straight back to ground. Ben said that Native Americans say this predicts rain. I guess they are right because the rain came in today. And boy, did the earth around us need it! Everything is looking much more green today!

Today's Science Lesson

Ever trace your shadow and then go back later to see how your shadow has changed? We did that today and the kids thought it was neat. The sun has been bright and beautiful the last couple of days. So much so that Greyson got a little pink on his head yesterday and Madelyn got some sun on her legs today. Looks like the sunblock needs to be entered back into our daily routine.

While we were waiting for the sun to move, Madelyn was playing a mean game of hopscotch. It so nice to have another "room" to play in!

I was also excited to get started on the strawberry patch today. I tilled it up to get it ready for planting, hopefully tomorrow or Sunday. I know that we won't get any strawberries this year but they will ready to go for next year! Yea!!

Sushi and an Easter dress too

Ben and I got some kidless time today! WooHoo! Not that we don't love our children, sometimes we just need some time to be able to converse and connect without them around. All you parents out there know what I mean, right? We used the excuse that Ben was taking me out for dinner for my birthday (which was almost a month ago). But since we haven't been out for a nice meal since before that, I guess it was a pretty good excuse! We went to our favorite all-you-can-eat sushi place. Such good sushi and plenty of it! [Sidenote: this made me think of Christina and Brandon's visit a couple of years ago. I think this was the last time we went to this sushi bar... we don't get out much anymore!] Anyway, before the sushi, we went shopping, specifically clothes shopping. I had asked for a business casual outfit for my birthday and I wanted a new dress for celebrating Easter too. First we went to Old Navy. Nothing seemed to catch my eye. Then we went to this great consignment stop - TurnStyle. Wow! Everywhere I turned there was something that I wanted! I got a pair of slacks (Mel's got slacks...on the boulevard), capris, a couple tops, and two church dresses for a great deal! I don't think I've ever been to a consignment shop before. I was very impressed by the layout, the selection, and the prices. I think I'll be going back when I find something else that I "need".

Now, to start thinking about an Easter egg hunt, baskets, outfits, service but most of all how to work in the REAL meaning of Easter. Maybe I feel the budding of a family tradition coming on...

Full Plate

I haven't forgotten about you guys! I'm off doing too many things in too short a time. This is my second night up past midnight just trying to get done what needs to be done. A lot of boring stuff (mostly financial stuff) but I *am* working on that dress that I mentioned a few days ago too. I think it is turning out great! Madelyn had a fitting this morning and she didn't want to take it off. I guess that is a good sign.... All I have left now is hemming the bottom and putting the ribbon on the waist. I have been amazed at how long it is has taken me though. I'm just not a throw-it-together kinda girl. I'm telling you, I've tried! It's just not in me!

Well, tomorrow I need to mail our state taxes and do some cleaning in the morning and then Ben and I are going to take in an afternoon together. I'm looking forward to that! Thanks Beth and Joel for watching the kids for us!

Oh, a funny thing Madelyn did today that I want to get down - Ben and the kids were doing "knock, knock" jokes (the really bad, "whatever comes to mind" kind) and the following happened:
Madelyn: knock, knock
Ben: who's there
Mad: banana
Ben: banana who
Mad: banana bread (long pause) MOM! We should make banana bread!

It was like she just said "bread" to finish the joke and then was struck by the fact that she needed banana bread RIGHT NOW! Okay, maybe not so funny in writing, but Ben and I laughed harder than we have in a while... Then, of course, they wanted to recreate it *over* and *over*! And Greyson was so cute saying "ba-nay-nee bed".

Okay, time to find my pillow. Night-night.

"Stay Up Day"

Madelyn has ALWAYS been an amazing napper. Heavy, long, restful naps. At 4 years old, she still takes 2-3 hour naps every day... that is until a couple of weeks ago. She was having trouble sleeping every day and I decided that maybe it was time to start weaning the naps. Most likely she will be going to every day, all day kindergarten next year and she isn't going to be able to get the same amount or quality nap in there! I guess it is time. So, she and I made a deal - she can have "stay up day" on Tuesday and Thursday and all the other days are still nap days. She happily agreed! Well, today I gave her the choice to stay up or go take a nap. Of course, she said she wanted to stay up but before I knew it she was "resting" on the couch (her words). Then while I left the room to go do something, I came back to her sleeping. I didn't mind. In fact, I applaud her for laying down when she was tired and getting some shut-eye (about 2 hours of it!). It was funny when she woke up though. She informed me, "No, mama, I was not asleep! I know because I had my eyes open!" Oh, really!

And I came across this picture of when Madelyn and I were planting our seedlings for this year's garden. She did a great job helping me get the soil moistened, filling the pots, and then adding the seeds. She loved it too. I hope that she'll love pulling the weeds too!

Easter dress, comin' right up!

I have the pattern, the ribbon, the bows, the thread... now all I need is the time to get the dress done... I hope to have WILL have it done in time! (it just might be Saturday night before Easter...) I will make sure to get a couple of pictures to share when it is done. Hopefully I can get a good one of it on the intended patron. She is excited that it is pink and has "easter eggs" on it. That's a plus. I am modifying the pattern a bit. Instead of doing a gathered skirt, I'm going to attempt a ... what would you call it... an "A-line" skirt? Oh, I don't know what it is called. Just one that isn't gathered at the waist and twirls well (one of Madelyn's favorite things in the *whole world*!). Then I'm gonna attempt 3/4 length sleeves. All of this is a gamble. I hope that it comes out okay. Really, I hope that it comes out great and Madelyn loves it! We'll see....

Spring...is it for real or just a tease?

It was 65 degrees and beautiful(!) and we just HAD to get out and enjoy it. I think every Minnesotan finds their way outside on the first spring-like day of the year. Neighbors get reacquainted, bikes get pulled out, sidewalks and street shoulders are filled with people going for walks... it is an event!


However, after 10 years of this, I KNOW that this is just the "up" on the winter/spring transition rollercoaster and that putting away the winter coats, mittens, and hats would be foolish. We must keep them out for at least a couple more weeks.... But today, today was a long-awaited, beautiful day!

the third time's a ......

Yesterday, Madelyn and I took a trip to the ER. She was playing with some friends at church before service and ended up with her face hitting a wall. I didn't see it so I don't how exactly how it (or she) went down, but I do know that it was deep enough to need some hefty stitches. So, off we went to get stitches for the THIRD time in the past year for a Rhodes child. (I'm starting to wonder if Ben and I are doing something wrong here....) We got there and Madelyn was pretty upset. I finally got out of her why - she thought that if we went to the hospital she was going to have to stay there, like overnight. I assured her "no, you don't have to stay" and she calmed down pretty well. When the doctor came in, she suggested gluing the cut located on her cheekbone instead of stitching it. I'm glad because it was much less traumatic and seems to be well put together to minimize scarring. She also said the one on her eyelid was superficial and didn't need any "stitching". This picture was taken shortly after coming home from the hospital yesterday. Today her eye has the additional hues of purple and red and some swelling. Madelyn is being such a big girl about all of this. She isn't upset about it, although she was a little shocked the first time she saw herself in the mirror after our ER trip yesterday.



Can I be honest for a second? I'm angry... I'm angry that my little girl has gotten this very prominent cut on her face and will probably have to look at a scar on her face for the rest of her life. I'm angry that I couldn't stop it from happening. I'm angry that we didn't deal with some of the issues that could have kept it from happening (like not letting Madelyn run in her sunday shoes). If it happened the way I've heard, I'm angry that she got pushed. I'm trying to confess this to God and allow him to heal this anger inside of me but I'm also having a hard time letting it go. When I really think about it, it's so petty to be angry about something so insignificant in the larger picture of life and love.

God, you are our Provider and Protector. I know, in my mind, that You are sovereign and that You know us better than we know ourselves. Lord, help me to see, in my heart, how you love us and desire to care for us despite all our shortcomings. Help me to see what is really important and not get stuck in the superficial, shallow trappings of this world. Please forgive me.

May 2008 Pics and Videos

I have new pics and video for May 2008 available. Here is the link to the pictures (the videos are below). We had a great time in May. We started the month in Grant and had a great time visiting with my family. After we got home, the kids and I were really getting into the warmer weather (albeit only in the upper 60*s to mid 70*s). We took a trip to Como Zoo and Conservatory. Both kids got something new to ride on; Greyson got a trike and Madelyn got a tag-along bike (that Ben attaches and pulls behind his bike and Madelyn absolutely loves! [Note to self: remember, "Dad, this new bike is SO FUN!"]) The flowers started blooming and the garden was planted. The Klocke Family came by to visit (thank you for stopping, Klocke's!). Madelyn discovered sprinklers and how fun they are to run in. Lastly, the kids "helped" wash the van to get it ready for our upcoming roadtrip to Petit Jean (which will have its own post soon! Promise!).

Como Conservatory - beautiful boy with beautiful flowers!

running in the sprinkler - new found fun

Madelyn's works of art - a dancer & an angel (yeah right!)

And a few videos for your viewing pleasure:

The SAHM update

Has it REALLY been 6 months?!?! I can't believe how fast it has flown by. Amazing! I had said from the start that I wouldn't reflect to hard on this new job until I was 6 months in and now here we are.... 6 months in. So, you ask, how do I feel about my new job? In a nutshell, pretty darn good! There are pros and cons (as there is with ANY job), but I'm really glad that I'm on my "journey from successful professional to stay-at-home mom" (thanks Tracy!). So, to utilize my left brain, I will make a couple of lists for you - the PROs and the CONs.

PROs:

• Seeing them grow minute by minute, hour by hour
• "Letting" my children "help me" clean the house and cook :)
• Being the one (along with my husband) to teach my children manners and how to love and learn and respect
• Teaching my children something and seeing the "oh, I get it!" expression
• The opportunity to help others/volunteer during normal work hours
• Getting to know other SAHMs in my neighborhood
• Cooking! (Who would have thought that I would end up liking to cook!)
• Having a little bit more time to work on my favorite crafts and projects
• the smiles, laughs, love, silliness, unrepeatable wonderful good times!

CONs:

• Neverending housework (On a 100% scale, this is probably 95% of my CON list!)
• Dealing with a certain 3-yr-old's independent, backtalking streak
• Dealing with a certain 18-mon-old's persistant exploratory ways
• the grumpies, fits, screaming, bickering, backtalking parts of the job!

And then if I weigh the PROs and CONs, like any good left-brainer, I think it is pretty clear! I made the BEST CHOICE! Thank you everyone that has supported me during this transition! And I thank God that He really prepared me for this change because I really feel like if I had made the switch earlier or waited longer, then I would have had regrets. It all came in His timing! Praise God!

Also, I have been known to say that I miss the technical challenges that came with being an engineer. And I do, kind of, but less than I used to. I have found some logical problem solving in my projects and that seems to fit the bill for now. I know that one day I might miss it again and then I will ahve to find another outlet, but I'll wait and see when that happens!

BTW, I know that my blog has been horribly neglected lately.... I'm sorry. I'm sure that I will get back into another upswing soon!

No! Way!

Well, Greyson (and his parents) have been SO blessed that he hasn't been very sick during his life as of yet. He gave us that one scare at about 4 months but otherwise, he has been a *very* healthy kid. Praise the Lord!! This might be why it surprised so much to hear that he has DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS! I happened to be taking him to the doctor for this weird burn-looking thing on his hands and little bumps all over his legs and arms. The doc looked him over like normal and said she wasn't really concerned about the thing on hands and that (however he got them) they were healing up and just to keep them moist with lotion. The bumps she called an "excemia-type" dry skin condition and use lotion on that too. Then she asks, "Has he been more fussy than usual?" No... And then she goes on in her calm manner, "Because he has nasty looking infections in both ears." What!?!? Ben and I had NO IDEA! We went through a number of ear infections with Madelyn and always knew that they were coming on. With Greyson, he isn't playing with his ears, not too fussy, not lethargic... seemingly nothing wrong. It threw me for a loop. Looking back, he has been sucking on hands and asking for sippy cups a lot lately.... maybe the sucking makes his ears feel better. But that is the only behavioral symptoms I can come up with. It is only by the grace of God that it was found now though, because we are flying in a little over a week to see my parents. Man, to think of how that could have turned out with a double ear infectioned kid or if we would have had to find a doctor there! Much better to find them now! Thank you, God!

On a different note, it was absolutely beautiful today, almost HOT! 70* and sunny! After the temps being in the mid-30*'s it was shock to the system. It was hard to keep from putting on jackets to go outside (since we've had to put on jackets/coats/snowsuits for the last 6 months!). It will settle out into something a little more spring-like soon! My tulips , daffodils, and irises are peeking out of the ground. I will have to take pictures and share (hopefully, I won't forget!). Right now, I'm preparing seedlings for my garden and they are doing great! It is amazing watching them grow so quickly. I can't wait to actually put them in the ground. Unfortunately I still have about 4 weeks to wait.... more about that later.

Spring is here, at least for the last couple days

Well, the forecast says that we're in for another cold snap but at least for now it is warm.... we're out enjoying it!

The seedlings spend the warm day outside.
wagon rides for everyone!

looking good!
videos for you to enjoy...