Squealing

When Sam gets excited, he becomes quite the squealer. Here he is playing and laughing with Elena.

And for the record, I do dress my children. Several times a day. They just don't like to stay that way.

White Christmas

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Ours was a little hectic with all the snow, but we managed to get through it this year without having to go to the ER so that was nice. (Elena did grab a pan just after it came out of the oven on Christmas Eve, but I grabbed her hand and she let go right away so a little water took care of it).

We celebrated with Seth's family Christmas Eve and had a delicious Italian meal in the new dining room (above). Christmas morning, we planned to go to my parents for brunch, changed our minds due to the weather and then changed them back again. So we made it (in Seth's parents' van) and had a 1:00 brunch. That afternoon we celebrated with Seth's extended family and Sunday we celebrated with his other side.

The kids had a great time, but they were pretty worn out by the end. We didn't get around to opening our gifts until te 26th and we actually had to do a litle convincing to get Elena to open hers. I love that our kids are still young enough that they will be happy with a few simple gifts. One of Elena's favorite gifts this year was a box of band-aids that I got her. She has been busy patching up the whole family. Another favorite was a box of fairy dress-up clothes from Jason and Tina. Here she is in her new clothes.

Here are a few more highlights:

The Myhre cousins - I managed to catch them all looking forward!

Elena in her Christmas dress with a new jacket from Aunt Maria.

Without older cousins to help out, it was more difficult getting a picture of the 3 little cousins at my parents' house than all14 on the other side. I tried, anyway.

Opening gifts

Sam, near the end of the 3rd celebration in 2 days. He looks a little like Seth after a few drinks ;)

Enjoying the snow with Daddy

Living on the Edge

I decided to take a risk and wrapped the Christmas gifts 5 days before Christmas. So far they have remained under the tree without being smashed or unwrapped for 2 1/2 hours. I'm pretty impressed by that. We'll see how the next 5 days go....

Swing Dancing

Yay! Seth's aunt was able to get a few pictures of Elena swing dancing with her cousin, Faith. Thanks, Denise!

Here they are:

Winter Wonderland

There's nothing like playing out in the snow and then coming in with bright, rosy cheeks for hot cocoa! Ana came over to play with Elena out in the first substantial snowfall of the season.

It's great having the girls be big enough that they can play outside on their own, while the Mommies and babies stay inside and watch through the window. I only had to run out twice - once to remind them to stay away from the street and once to rescue Ana when she got caught in the neighbor's lilac bush.

Dance Mania

I've been getting behind on my blogging, but I just wanted to share a few pictures from last weekend. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and the kids partied hard at Seth's cousin's wedding. they were still dancing at 11pm! (they didn't sleep in, of course, the next morning).

Sam absolutely loved dancing - if a group formed a circle, he would walk out into the middle and dance for them (he basically does little squats).

We were also extremely impressed by Elena. A week before the wedding, Seth and I had gone to the high school to help teach the kids how to dance for their upcoming play, Grease. The kids came along and watched. At the wedding dance a week later, we were amazed to see that Elena was grabbing other kids her size to dance with and started busting out some of our swing moves on the dance floor. That kid is so observant!

Sam, Papi and Alex - all in Thanksgiving plaid:

Elena with my cousin Frank and my Grandma. She celebrated her 99th birthday the day after thanksgiving!

Having a tickle fight with Frank (about 5 minutes after he told us that kids don't like him)

Sam looking dapper at Katie and Brian's wedding (he loved the stair railings)

This was the best shot we could get of the whole family.

Elena and Sam dancing with 2nd cousin, Maddy

You can see a little sampling of Sam's dance moves here, but it's not the best.

Look Who's 1!

Sammy turns 1 today! We managed to squeeze in a birthday party for him this weekend in addition to Thanksgiving, the Minneota football team winning the state championship and a wedding.
It turns out Sam is a much bigger fan of cake than Elena.
Happy Birthday, Sam!

OK. Now I'm ready.

Seth and Elena went to watch the Minneota Vikings football game in the Metrodome on Saturday. It sounds like it was a great game - the boys won and will play for the state championship on Friday.

Elena loves going to football games and, after coming home, she got out her football to play with Seth. As he was about to throw her the ball, she said, "Just wait!" She then went over to her toys and dug out a "helmet" - she couldn't catch the ball without it.

Lounging

Don't let him deceive you. Sam's about as opposite from "couch potato" as a kid can get. I just happened to catch him during one of his occasional 5-second breaks.

Thank Goodness for Grandmas!

The kids both got sick on Friday. Much like last summer, they both puked for about 6-8 hours and we have 5 loads of laundry to do the next day. After 2 days, Seth and I thought we had managed to miss catching whatever they had.

And then my stomach started to rumble. "No problem," we thought. As long as Seth can watch the kids, I can spend the evening with the toilet.

And then Seth's stomach started to grumble. And that's when we had to call in reinforcements.

Fortunately, Grandma Myhre was able to come and take the kids for the evening so Seth and I could have a nice "romantic" evening lying immobile in the living room, taking turns puking in the bathroom. At least our aim was much better than the kids so we didn't generate as much laundry.

Hats off to all of you who are raising kids without family nearby to come in and rescue you at times like this!

Is it really November?

I'm having a little trouble believing that we are currently 1/3 of the way through November. We have been having no-jacket-weather on a regular basis for the past 2 weeks. Considering it snowed the first week of October, this comes as a pleasant surprise! The kids and I have been soaking up as much fun in the sun as we can before the cold hits. Here they are playing in a leaf-pile with a few of the neighbor kids.

First Steps

Sammy took his first steps Saturday night to Aunt Tina! At 11 months, he's walking a full 7 months sooner than Elena did and it makes a big difference. By the time Elena walked, she was coordinated enough that she rarely fell. Sam is very determined to walk (half the time he's trying to run) and now that he's getting the hang of it, he practices all the time. Which means he's also falling all the time. He gets pretty proud of himself though when he does it and starts clapping whenever he manages to walk a few steps.

Tomorrow! tomorrow!

I hear they're doing Annie next summer at the community theater in Marshall. It's too bad Elena's not just a few years older - she's already practicing the song "Tomorrow."

The phrase "Bet your bottom dollar" is a little abstract, however, so she replaces that with "Fetch a pail of water." The funniest part is that she knows it's not right so she always stops as soon as she says it, but she isn't sure how to fix it.

Happy Halloween!

It's great getting to a point where the kids can be actively involved in the holiday celebrations. Elena helped me scoop out pumpkins (Sam did his best) and then helped Seth make our first jack-o-lanterns (she picked out the shapes for the eyes and noses).

Then she sang "happy birthday" when we put the candles in the jack-o-lanterns.


Here are a few pictures from a "pumkin hunt" a friend of my Mom's had for the kids in her back yard. Elena found the pumkins, Alex threw them in the wheelbarrow and Sam was just happy to be there.

Only When You're 2

I'm sometimes struck by the things little kids can do that are considered cute - while an adult doing the same thing would be just plain old creepy.

I had one such moment today when we were leaving a bridal shower. After saying goodbye to a woman we had just met that day, Elena lifted her shirt and asked, "Do you like my belly?"

The woman kindly replied, "Yes. I do like your belly!"

Pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten the same response.

Officially a Lady

Seth recently became a 4th degree Knight of Columbus - which not only means that he is now officially a Sir Knight of the Church and I, his Lady, but he also gets to wear a funny hat & cape and carry a sword. It's every inner boy's dream come true. So feel free to greet us as Sir Seth and Lady Teresa from now on.
Here we are at the 4th degree banquet:

Minneota's newest 4th degrees and their wives (and Father Jeremy with his godson, Ian)

(By the way, you don't really have to greet us like that. It would actually be kind of awkward.)

What we do for fun around here

Advice, please.

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. In my defense, I've once again started teaching Spanish to the local home-schooled families and teaching 10th grade religious ed. I'm also in a weekly bible study, a bi-monthly mom's group/papal encyclical study, and a monthly study group with some local couples.

The main culprit, though, is lack of sleep. Here's a sample of what my average night is like (this was last night):
11:30-12:00 go to bed after getting done whatever I couldn't do while the kids were awake
1:30 feed Sam
3:00 - 3:20 up with Elena, followed by Sam
4:30 feed Sam
5:05 feed Sam
5:15 - 6:00 up with Elena
6:30 awake with Elena
7:30 feed Sam
8:00 up with Sam (we got to sleep in today!)

Needless to say, I've been running on fumes around here. As example of my absent-mindedness, here are some cookies I recently baked.

Mmmmmm...hockey pucks.

Anyway, I'm open to suggestions on getting the kids to sleep through the night.

We did the whole crying it out thing with Elena. Several times. It works for a few weeks and then we're right back where we started from. Also, it's quite painful to do as she's so stubborn, she will scream bloody murder for up to 2 hours straight. Not to mention she wakes up Sam.

Seth could get up with them, but they both just cry for him, waking the other up. And then I have to get up anyway.

Lest I scare anyone away from ever wanting children, it's still totally worth it. And from talking to other parents, our children do seem to be exceptionally stubborn and difficult with sleeping.

Sam doesn't care to eat unless he's feeding himself. It makes for a lot of clean-up afterward, but it sure makes him happy.

Deep Thoughts

Seth: Ties are funny.

Me: They are?

Seth: Yeah. You just tie a piece of cloth around your neck and let it dangle there.
And that's the standard for looking nice.

Good point. Ties are funny.

$2!

That's all it cost to make our baby the handsomest little boy I've ever seen (even if he does look a little like Daddy Warbucks).
I love garage sales.

I'm gonna get you!

Did you know that world-wide this is the most common game played with children? Sam just loves it!

Blessings in Disguise

Have you ever noticed how God sometimes answers prayers in unexpected (and sometimes even annoying) ways? I just love watching something that I can't possibly imagine being good turn out to be the very answer I was waiting for.

For example: about a month ago, Elena started waking up (and staying up) around 5:45am. I have trouble rolling out of bed within an hour after sunrise, much less 1 1/2 hours before sunrise. Ugh. Combine that with the fact that we are often up until 11 or 12 because of Seth's work schedule (not to mention Sam still wakes up every few hours during the night) and you've got one tired mama.

We tried everything we could think of to change her schedule. We cut out naps, we put her to bed later, we put her to bed earlier; nothing worked. So I decided to pray for a little Divine Intervention.

Within a few days, Sam got sick with a fever and ear infection. That was just terrific because now, in addition to staying up with a fussy baby until 11:00 and waking up with an energetic toddler long before dawn, I was getting up with Sam about every half hour in between.


But wait, it gets better: once Sam was on the mend, Elena woke us up at 1:00 am by puking in her bed. I know at first glance this doesn't seem all that great, but.....ta da! Due to the sickness, Elena started sleeping in until 8:00 or 9:00. We have now had 6 days of sleeping in until at least 7:45. And voila! My prayers have been answered. ....for now.

By the way, today is the first day in 9 days one of the kids hasn't been sick or recuperating, which is why I have neglected the blog. It's good to be back.

As Promised...

Here are the pictures from the Kiddie Parade at Bug Days

Happy Days

We celebrated Boxelder Bug Days here in Minneota last weekend and had a lot of fun. Elena was in the kiddie parade wearing a thrift-store/dollar store costume I threw together at the last minute for about $4. The outfit was a big hit - she even made it in the paper (pictures to come). She also got up on stage and danced with the cloggers!

Sam wasn't interested in dressing up, but he enjoyed seeing all the animals and people. We ran into one of Seth's old baby-sitters, which frequently happens during bug days. Every time I meet one of his old sitters, I ask how he was as a kid and they always respond, "Seth was the good one." (I'm sure his brothers would beg to differ).

I think Sam will have a personality very similar to Seth's. He is very happy and smiley with an easy laugh. The few times he really cries are:

1. When we change him - I'm going to have to start duct-taping him to the floor soon, he's so squirmy.

2. When we take him out of the bath (he LOVES the water).

3. When he gets hurt (either by Elena or self-inflicted)

4. and of course, when he just really needs his Mommy

Other than that, he is pretty much always happy. Here's a picture of Sam and Elena enjoying their bath.

 

Fun on the Farm

On labor day we brought Elena and Sam out to our friends' farm to do some horseback riding. Emily, one of the kids' babysitters, has a 23 year old horse perfect for riding.

Elena had a great time riding horse (with her friend, Ana, who was also there) and eating apples off the tree and grapes off the vine. She had so much fun that she kept refering to the farm as a "fair." Sam especially enjoyed playing with their piglets.

That's all I can write. I can't keep Sam off the stairs these days and he is too brave for his own good. Enjoy the pics. Gotta go!

Sam has learned how to dance...

I love summer food.

I just love eating this time of the year. Last night we had fresh tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers straight from the garden (along with locally raised beef) followed by watermelon for dessert...and strawberries & cream for dessert #2. Yum!

Elena insisted I take a picture of her meal, too. Half-eaten yogurt and meat isn't quite so aesthetically pleasing.

Photo Shoot

Sam had his first professional photos taken yesterday. He was a little more difficult than Elena at this age since he can get away. Elena just sat there. All I really wanted was one good shot, though, and we got it.

Check them out here!

She'll probably hate me for this in 10 years....

Our kids have never been the type to sleep when we want them to sleep. They are great at tag-teaming (one stays up until midnight and the other wakes up at 6:00 am). They are also great at refusing to nap and then conking out late in the day making bedtime horrendous.

Elena has been skipping naps altogether lately, which makes for a crazy day, but at least gets her to bed early and helps her sleep in later. Here she is after losing a long battle with naptime, finally falling asleep on my shoulder. With her finger up her nose. (In her defense, I will say she's normally not much of a nose-picker, but I think all the crying had her a bit stuffed up)



Sam loves to take an evening snooze and then party hard until 11:00 or so. (Right now for example, at 10:10pm, he is currently busy trying to pull all of the cords out of my computer as I type.) We try not to let him nap past 5:00 so he will go to bed at a decent time, but it just doesn't seem to work. If he wants to sleep, he's going to sleep. Here he is at suppertime last night - not an ideal naptime.

I blame the Myhres for Sam's problem. Mainly the men. To prove it's their fault, here is a classic photo of Seth's brother, good ol' Uncle Craig, asleep in a seemingly impossible position.

Why?

It has begun. Elena figured out that dreaded word.

We had the following conversation as we left the park:

Mom: Come on, Elena. We need to go home.
Elena: Why?
Mom: Because you need a nap.
Elena: Why?
Mom: Because you're tired.
Elena: Why?
Mom: Because you woke up at 6:30 this morning after staying up late last night.
Elena: Why?
Mom: Funny - I found myself asking the same question when you woke me up this morning.

Oh joy. On the upside, she also often answers herself so I don't have to. I'll hear her saying "Why?....Because....Oh, ok."

On the move

I don't have time to write, but here's a video of Sam crawling after his cousin, Laney.

Last year this was a garage

Last summer Seth helped his parents convert their office into a dining room (pictured below) and their attached garage into a sitting room (above). Believe it or not, he actually installed those ceiling trusses by himself one day last summer - and he only put one hole in the wall. I seriously mean that last part as a compliment, by the way.

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This summer he built pillars and colums to divide the two rooms and he just finished installing them last Saturday. As you can see, they turned out beautifully. Good job, Seth!

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Now he's ready for the next project....I hope it's at our house this time:)

Like I said...all the time

I swear these are not posed.

If you missed the first 2 pictures, they are here and here.

"It's not working."

Every 2 years, Seth's parents and siblings all get together for a weekend at a lake cabin. Below are a few pictures, and here is the funny quote of the weekend:

While talking with Seth's mom, Elena happened to pass gas.
So of course, she commented, "I tooted!"
She then proceeded to toot a second time and exclaimed, "I tooted again!"
After going for a third time without success, she looked at Grandma and said, "It's not working."

On to the pics:


Ian and Sam - can you tell they're cousins?


Madison, Seth and Elena on the jet-ski.

Elena and Riley, reading books

All 14 grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa!

The girl cousins (minus little Kelly)