Ordinary Life or a Fairy Tale?

Our Fairy Tale Family by Emily

Bedtime at our house has been like a fairy tale.

The eldest princess has been so busy that she doesn't have to be reminded to go to bed. She plops into bed like Sleeping Beauty and waits for her precious prince...I mean phone to wake her.

Our princess with the golden locks sleeps propped up on piles of pillows, blankets, books and toys. Just like the sleepy crown wearer in the Princess and the Pea, she must be a real princess because she isn't bothered by the books and tiny toys that get wedged underneath her.

The porcelain princess with the innocent blue eyes has been scampering about the house like a little mouse. I woke one morning to find the kitchen light on and the bread box open. I had my suspicions but last night I caught her sitting at the kitchen table nibbling bread. I didn't give her any broth and I didn't whip her soundly. I just let her finish the bread and sent her to bed.

Finally, the littlest princess has been fighting sleep until midnight or later. I think we’ll quit reading Cinderella. Maybe she’s terrified of turning into a pumpkin.  

Hands on Painting

The girls received a bunch of crafty stuff from Nana at Christmas. We've spent the last 2 days playing with paint and brushes. Since they had so much fun, we're going to try to paint at least once a week. We need to create a gallery wall for all their creations.

Don't worry it's washable.

Annie's first painting

Annie had fun getting messy and we were impressed that she didn't try to eat any paint.

Emily has lots of ideas and loves to paint.

Emily Elephant

Purple Pony

Pink Bird Flying

Livi is so patient and selective with her paint.

Livi spent 2 days on her handprint pony. 

She wanted to make a momma and baby bird.

Handprint birdies

Olivia Octopus

Lexi sketched and painted this horse in less than an hour.

One Little Girl, One Big Year

One Little Girl, One Big Year

Annie is turning 1 year old on Saturday, August 18th! Where has the time gone? Good times go fast, huh?

She has many nicknames: Annie, Annie Ann Ann, Anna, Anna Banana, Anna Banana Lise, Annalisie, Annalisie-uh, Ann Ann Anderson, Itsy Bitsy, Tiny Hiney, Punkin' Baby, Baby Girl and Lil' Chub Chub Baby (retired due to loss of baby chub). Also, it should be noted that the above nicknames are regularly used; however, her intermediate and extended family often create new ones by mixing them all up. 

Some of Annie's present day activities are: attempting to climb into the dishwasher, attempting to open all locked and unlocked cabinets, hanging onto furniture and walking, climbing into child-sized chairs and standing, dumping toys, dumping food from bowls, spilling open containers, standing confidently then taking 2 steps and slowly lowering herself to the floor, mischievously smiling when we marvel at her walking, exploring food like a champ (She loves everything we've given her except baby food! She whines for bananas, black beans, watermelon and cherry tomatoes), reading books and playing toys with her sisters, giving hugs, pats, kisses and high-fives, mimicking faces (pooching lips, nodding yes and no, panting like a doggie), watching "dawg-dawgs," resting with her sisters while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and pointing and whining until she gets what she wants.

Her first words are listed in chronological order: punba (Spongebob), hi, papa, dada, mama, sis-sis and dawg-dawg. The list will continue to grow just as she is.

This past year has been filled with hugs, kisses, laughs, smiles, pouts and tears. We are amazed at what a precious person she's become. Happy Birthday to our Annie! 

Rita Rita Runken

Gigi Keller sings a sweet little Norsk rhyme to her great-grandchildren. As best as I know, it's about 2 small doggies. Paul recorded her reciting it and I asked her to help me copy it down. Enjoy!

RITA RITA RUNKEN

Rita rita runken

Hessen needa brunken

Sawda vada silka peada 

Da peada vor da nesta vee

Da vadamen hamen

Two small hoona

Ana seida bo...

Ana seida bo...

A bo wo wo!

UPDATE: Gigi asked Keith Halverson for his help in translating the above. He stated via email,"The nursery rhyme you ask about must be what is called Ride, rider ranke (the toddler sitting on his/her mother’s/father’s knee like riding). It comes in different versions, and I have not succeeded in finding the one which corresponds to the version you give me in a very odd Norwegian translation. Here is a link to some of the versions that exist. A friend from Norway helped me with the song. I hope this is some help."

http://barnesanger.wikispaces.com/Ride,+ride+ranke

Another Perfect Wonder

Another perfect wonder joined our family August 18th. Annalise Joy Keller graces our family with more love, beauty and joy, which always amazes me. I (and ALL our family) was so anxious for her to arrive that I experimented with every old wive's tale to bring on labor. No amount of walking or castor oil was going to convince Annie. She was only 2 days past her due date, but it seemed infinitely longer at the time. Now that she's here and I get to gaze adoringly into her face, I have forgotten how miserable I made myself (and Paul) those last few days of my pregnancy.


There's something about a baby that words fail to express. I'll attempt to explain my thoughts, but words won't completely express my meaning. Holding a new baby is as if finally you have found something perfect. I'm not talking only about outer beauty but what lies behind their eyes. I never tired of looking at a baby's sweet face and suddenly the past, present and future seem to be one thing. The past, of course, is seen in identifiable shared traits such as eyes, hair or a smile. The present is in the way a baby grasps your finger or clings to your chest. The future lies in the knowing look in their eyes or the light behind their eyes is how I often describe it. Babies are a perfect wonder to me. I marvel at how such a tiny body holds so much biological and spiritual wonder.


I'm also in awe at how a baby can take plans and turn them on its head. I have learned this 4 times over. I make plans with some flexibility because you can count on this: If you continue to cling to a set of specific expectations about how life should happen, then you miss out celebrating the real thing. My goal is to liberate myself from the oppressive fantasy of a perfect life and enjoy life's perfect wonders -- my family.

Lexi, Emmi, Livi and Annie

That's Life

I had one of those emotional moments today that brought my vapid little brain to a screeching halt then careening into the infinite possibilities that is life.

   

It snuck up on me. I simply walked to the front door and peered out at Lexi waiting for the bus.  The morning fog enveloped the whole yard and framed the scene like a dream sequence. Chalk it up to hormones or my imaginative nature but her lithe form patiently waiting at the end of our gravel drive created a picturesque metaphor for life. I had to turn away and started softly crying into my hands as I realized that I was responsible for guiding her down her path and helping her understand what lies beyond the fog.

Then I look over at the end of the sofa and see Emmi asleep in a tangle of blankets and down at my swollen belly and become conscious that I have 2 (soon 3) other little girls that I have to guide through life. I couldn’t bring myself to go peek in on Livi curled up in her bed.

How am I going to manage to nurture and guide these girls? I have to constantly remember to love them maternally and forgive them and myself for selfishness. All relationships are flawed with selfishness and a multitude of sins. I just pray that they forgive my mistakes (past, present & future) as I forgive them.

Paul and I are blessed with 3 beautiful girls and we have to remember though they are our children more notably they are God’s gifts. Though we want to say, “This is our daughter.” The truth is children are God’s gifts to give. I battle with thinking of our girls possessively and lately it’s been especially difficult. We have an independent 12 year old, 2 stubborn toddlers and an overdue pregnancy. Why does it seem I pose a challenge to God each time I make a plan? Thank God for my adaptiveness (He certainly shaped it with His own hands) and for His forgiveness as I struggle to put our children's welfare above my own.

That's life.
I tell ya, I can't deny it,
I thought of quitting baby,
But my heart just ain't gonna buy it.
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try,
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly…

Parental Advisory

Warning: Parental advice is for mature audiences only.

With # 4 on the way, we’re anticipating the arrival of this little girl to see how different she’ll be from her sisters. Each kid is special and we’re wondering how one more little girl is going to change our family.  So I’ve started thinking about how we fulfill our parental duties. As parents, we know that no one else can supply the basics, love them and provide a secure home like we can. We bear in mind that our kids absorb everything that we expose them to in life. We do our best to love and support our children and know that is our joy to relish in their successes and to guide them through their failures.

The most basic foundation from our perspective on parenting is attitude. Often we have to remind each other to have a positive attitude so our children will also have a positive attitude. When we have adult concerns about anything in life, we’re very careful how we voice our concerns in front of the children. Kids pick up on your attitudes and beliefs, adopt it as their own and take it to heart. Dealing with the normal stress of life, we have to remember that a child’s job is to be a child. We don’t unnecessarily involve our children in adult concerns.  Being a kid is tough enough. We don’t want them to worry or become too involved in adult problems then likely develop negative or apathetic attitudes. Bad attitudes can certainly contribute to discipline problems. With Paul’s insane schedule, it takes some effort to find the proper time to discuss things but we think it’s worth it.

Before we were married, Paul and I discussed and agreed upon fundamental discipline guidelines. Of course, Lexi was a large part of our parenting discussion. During our engagement, Lexi was doing her best to push her boundaries and we only had one unpleasant incident that Paul still jokingly refers to as, “The Great Cookie Incident of 2006.”

Late one night after readying herself for bed, Lexi asked me if she could have a chocolate chip cookie. I said no because it was bedtime and thought that was the end of it. Well, Lexi didn’t think so and skipped over to Paul to ask him for a chocolate chip cookie (I bet she even fluttered her eyelashes).  Paul was blindsided with his first parent vs. child battle.  He happened to be nibbling on aforementioned chocolate chip cookie and even worse he wasn’t fully prepared to handle Lexi’s arsenal of parental weapons. She hit him with her best shot – the guilt grenade.  Paul, of course, felt accountable for her wanting a cookie so his first thought was to give her a cookie.  He attempted to convince me in front of Lexi to let her have a cookie (Big mistake, buddy).  He thought it wasn’t a big deal and she could brush her teeth again before bed.  I listened quietly but inside I was heatedly piecing together my argument and rehashing our past parental conversations.  The silent fury underneath managed to make its presence known in my response, “I said no.”  That was that. When Lexi finally did go to bed, we discussed how we were going to have to support each other in order to not fall victim to wimpy parenting. We both made a parental vow to always put on a unified front even when we think the other is wronger than wrong. In a one parent vs. kid situation, we agreed to support each others' decisions (even if we disagree) then if needed discuss it away from little ears.  Later, we could regroup and come to a more agreeable decision. Support and encourage each other as parents because you cannot do it alone. Raising children is as hellish as war. Promise each other to never let your children see the tiniest chink in your armor, otherwise, you’re as good as dead.

The toughest part about being a parent is maintaining strength. Parenting isn't a popularity contest. Your kids will not like you sometimes. So what. Think of all the other people who also have to deal with your kid. This is a shout out to all the grandparents, extended family members, teachers, daycare workers, church workers, sports parents and carpool drivers. These people can only do so much. It is your job as parents to turn out a good kid!  Don’t expect society to fill in the gaps you missed. This would be a good time to apologize for being soap-boxy but I have more to say.  I’d like others to learn from my life experience. Perhaps it’s a bit preachy but I’m compelled to share just the same.

Overworked, overstressed or indecisive parents tend to be more concerned about their child’s feelings than behavior. Children’s feelings are obviously important but the rest of the world reasonably judges us by our behavior. Don’t give in to manipulative crying, don’t excessively praise your child or over explain EVERYTHING.  Parent up and be tough. Wimpy parents are terrified of their child being uncomfortable (I gathered this knowledge personally). I remember the time in my life when I first realized, “My sanity is at stake. I can’t be a wimpy parent!”  Lexi, was a precocious toddler and able to express herself and understand clearly at an early age. When she was 2 1/2, I went back to work and school full-time. Quickly, she picked up on the fact that I dreaded leaving her every morning. Not only had I said so in front of her but it was all over my face (Well, mascara was all over my face. I soon opted to ditch eye makeup altogether).  Soon, she started crying or throwing fits when I needed to go anywhere, including the bathroom. My anxious reactions to her tantrums fueled her controlling behavior. I had no one to blame but myself.  I’m the parent here. Am I so insecure in my parenting abilities that I’m letting a toddler manipulate me?   Eventually, I regained my confidence and despite the less than favorable circumstances, I quit feeling like I was at fault for working or like I was purposely hurting her by depriving her of the privilege of spending all day together. Our life was a bit chaotic for awhile but we both survived.  Today, I have a BBA in my back pocket, no longer hold down a mediocre job (thanks to Paul) and stay at home with all 3 of our girlies.  Lexi, on the other hand, is one independent, adventurous, well-adjusted kid.  By learning to conform to new situations, she actually grew into the awesome kid she is today.

Even if your time with your children is limited due to work and school, make sure your personal and/or marital needs don’t fall to the lowest daily priority. It will be tough and take some time. However, it’ll be worth all your effort because it’s far too exhausting and impractical to let your children rule your household with an unrealistic sense of importance (Stepping down from soap box). 

Three beautiful reasons I have so much parental advice to give.

A Little Slice of Happy Chaos

Last night after dinner, The Big Sister decided to practice saxophone for an upcoming Fine Arts Fair. She hasn’t played for about a year but decided that she’d perform a few solos in mid-May. That kid can do anything. Thing 1 couldn’t be left out so she grabbed her recorder and I gave a tambourine to Thing 2 for good measure. I was scrubbing surfaces and loading the dishes and found myself smiling despite the cacophony of noise. I turned around to find Big Sister focused on her music even though Thing 1 and Thing 2 were doing their best to convince her to let them play her “insta-ment”. I led them to play in the living room so she could practice. Thing 1 decided that if she couldn’t play Big Sister’s sax then she could at least have fun playing along. She pranced (in her just her panties… FYI, pottying is done in mere seconds at our house) and screeched along to Big Sister’s tune. She is 2 (almost 3) and it wasn’t that annoying, considering she was playing a recorder. Also stripped down to just a diaper (Monkey see, Monkey do), Thing 2 played the tambourine for all of 30 seconds and tossed it to the floor. Over all the noise, she stood mesmerized in front of the TV though she couldn’t hear it.

Laughing at Big Sister’s flexibility and determination to ignore her sisters, Thing 1’s dancing and musical abilities, Thing 2’s laid back attitude and Thing 1 & 2’s state of undress, I sat back, watched it all and delighted that I had a little slice of happy chaos for dessert. 

Say YES to NO

Paul and I work under the motto, "Believe it and it is yours." We believed he was going to get a new job in a new location, so he did. In fact, I believed it so much that I began pulling myself away from my volunteer duties at church and I purposely tiptoed out of the auditorium when parents were supposed to sign up for PTA committees.

Now that we are in Brownstown, my eyes are beginning to twitch at the thought of the bazillion volunteer prospects lining up for me. After all, I stay at home so my schedule is completely open. Well, it's sort of completely open. I have two little variables that are the proverbial monkey wrenches in the majority of my plans a.k.a. Thing 1 and Thing 2. The Big Sister is very flexible and well-adjusted so I don't really consider her a variable. She's old enough now that she just busses and carpools everywhere (A harder adjustment for me than I'd ever admit. I'm used to carting her everywhere).

I will be involved in church and at Big Sister's school, however, I realize that when you say yes to something you're really saying no to another. So I only say yes to things that I can do from home or at my leisure. You need cookies? YES. You need a casserole? YES. You need me to be there at 5 and pick up two other kids along the way? Um, I'm not sure I can do that. How about I send some snacks? Yes, I realize that food is my major donation. I like to make food or things in general. Posters for the basketball tournament? I'm your girl.

Say yes to no. Remember: you want to create a better life for you. It's not worth stressing out about the next PTA meeting when you'd rather just have a decent evening at home with your family.

Meals: Not just for nutrition but adventure too!

WARNING: If you aren't interested in Family Circus-type cuteness (ok, maybe not that barfy), then you can beat it.  However, I will continually beam about how cute and smart my kids are and that my husband is a God-send.

One thing I look forward to is our meals together. When scheduling allows, we eat dinner together with the TV off.  I know amazing! We learn more details about Lexi's day when she isn't distracted from a screen (i.e. phone, laptop, TV), Paul shares stories from his day and I love to retell the funny things that Thing 1 & Thing 2 have been up to. Before meals, Thing 1 & Thing 2 have a particular interest in prayer. It's pretty darn cute to watch Thing 1 energetically interlock her fingers ready for prayer and Thing 2 follow her sister closely and attempt to match our words. Thing 2 finds it amusing when we say prayer in unison and Thing 1 loves to close the prayer with a resounding AAAAA-Men! They often remind us to pray because we get caught up in serving and preparing their plates, which makes us feel like decent parents.

Another thing about meals is that I have to be open-minded in my thinking. I don't really follow the 3 square meal rules. I am raising a brood of hobbits so I feed them a lot, which means I clean the floors a lot and look for orphaned food that seems to lose its way from the plate to the mouth. For example, Olivia (Thing 2) decided to have onesies (2nd lunch) and I made a pear, egg and toast. Well, Thing 1 couldn't be left out so she also had the same "lunch". While I fixed Emily a plate, Olivia ate her lunch. In those few moments, Livi's pear disappeared. I didn't hear the pear hit the floor and I searched high and low in all the usual places you would expect food to be. Paul even helped me look. I sat next to her the whole time! I was starting to wonder if she had the ability to apparate objects. Finally I removed the children from the kitchen and began sweeping up crumbs and wiping surfaces for the umpteenth time today. Still no pear. I wiped down the table and pushed in the chairs. I noticed a jacket hanging on the back of my chair, leaning heavily to the right. I found the half eaten pear in the right pocket. See! I told you I had to be open minded about meals. I'm just happy I didn't blow it off. It was Papa's jacket and I'd hate for him to find a slimey pear sometime later.

One thing I can say about my family, they're work but it's worth it. The entertainment value alone is worth it, but they mean more than that to me. It's wonderful to learn and grow together, share experiences and create memories. Sometimes all it takes is a misplaced pear.

Multitasking... schmultitasking

I've been sleeping like the dead and waking like a zombie for about a week now. I've got a bit of a cold that has been dragging me down. Waking with sleep in my eyes, and a dull ache coursing through me head-to-toe, I shuffle down to the bathroom to wash my face, a temporary fix until I can reach the coffee pot. The only comforts I have are (of course) coffee and a hot shower. I have a tendency to instantly fall asleep with cold medications. With 2 little ones, I don't like to rely on anything but extra strength Tylenol. One morning, I decided to shower with the curtain cracked while Thing 1 and Thing 2 played within arm's reach in front of the shower. You should know that the shower is near a low window, covered with a roman shade. As I walked past the window and started to enter the shower, Thing 1 (the most dexterous one) managed to pop the shade open. Oh well, aren't toddlers known for ill-timing. While Thing 1 commented on the scenery, "Oh, look! It's the backyard. There's the doggies." I scrambled out of view and wrapped up in a towel. Thing 2 was at the window now pointing and cooing at the dogs. Conveniently, a crew of men were within view preparing to unload grain at the dairy farm next door. Already in a lovely mood, I fussed at the Things to stay away from the window and to play nicely. They minded thankfully and the rest of the day I wondered if the neighbors got a free show.

You thought I would've learned my multi-tasking shower lesson but I gave it another shot tonight. Thing 1, Thing 2 and I all needed to bathe, so I thought we'd try a little adventure. In a cramped photo booth of a shower, I held Thing 2 while Thing 1 played in the bottom. It really didn't work out perfectly for any of us, but you never know until you try. For example, I found out that I could hang onto Thing 2 while showering, Thing 1 found out not to stand behind me too closely and Thing 2 found out she isn't fond of showers. Well, sometimes you gotta make mistakes so you know never to do it again.

Growing like wildflowers

As a wife and mother of three, I am assigned the unglamorous duty of being the hub of our family. Often, I slip into a rut and think of myself as the poor kid cast as the tree in the school play. My husband and children command center stage, bask in the spotlight and revel in the applause, while I stand firmly in the background. I fight my natural tendency to be a cynic and realize that things are as they should be. Would I happier with a career? Not likely. All my skills are best used as a stay-at-homer. Besides, my limited experience in the corporate world tried my patience far more than the fussiest of children. Even though I hold a BBA in Marketing, I never decided what I'd like to be when I grow up. I suppose I am grown up now and the natural course of my life chose my career for me. As a child, everyone told me I could be anything when I grew up. My brain was so addled with girl power drivel that in my mind a wife and mother was the laziest choice I could possibly make. Thank God I came around. I stand behind my choice to be a stable support for my spouse and my children to spread their wings and grow.

A recent move to the country has me searching for meaning in all things. Take wildflowers for example. Wildflowers grow in rocky soil and blossom to perfection under adverse circumstances. If given a nice little place of their own in a carefully maintained flowerbed, they may turn weedy, and produce more leaves than flowers. What a wonderful metaphor for life! Try as we might to be perfect, we can live virtually anywhere, and despite our surroundings, bloom exquisitely. So, you may find yourself in a shotgun shack, you may find yourself in another part of the world, you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile or your may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife. Where ever you find yourself, you've got once in a lifetime. So where ever you are and whatever you do, be imperfectly perfect. As for me, I may have a 24 hour job, but it's up to me to define the job. In fact, I'd like to think I am outstanding in my field.