60 Years Young

I am blessed beyond measure by my family-in-law. All of those connotations that go along with the phrase "in-law" do not apply in my case. My mother-in-law and I have spoken on several occasions about the shock and surprise we both encounter when we tell people about how well we get along. Really, sometimes I get along with her better than I get along with her son! (I love you, honey. All in fun, all in fun)

This October, Maureen was set to celebrate her 60th birthday, and her daughters hatched a plan to surprise her. Not just any old surprise, but a surprise that would bring the entire family home from all corners of the country at the same time! No small feat, but miraculously everyone was able to make the timing work. Even more miraculously, she never had a clue until we were sitting on her back deck on a Thursday evening. There's no way we could have pulled it off without Paul- he played it straight even as he was cooking food for the surprise party the following night, and even up to the moment he called her downstairs to look at something on the computer as we all crept through the alley and up the back steps to the deck. The timing was great. She was shocked. It was absolutely perfect. 

We had all arranged to stay in the hotel near the house, so besides the fact that Maureen didn't have to host us all out of the blue, she even got to enjoy the hotel pool and complimentary breakfasts with us every morning! Every night we were there, we put the grandkids (seven now!) to bed in our rooms and hooked up baby monitors down to the lobby so we could gather to play games after bedtime. Worked like a charm! (Don't worry, it was a small hotel... we weren't too far away)

On Friday, the surprises continued with the appearance of Maureen's two sisters and a party in the evening. Then Saturday we got up and prepared for Maureen's birthday gift from everyone: a family picture! She had been trying desperately to make sure we would all be around at Christmas so we could snap a picture of everyone together, and I think she may have been getting a bit frustrated with how nonchalant we all were about our arrival times. Little did she know that we already had a photo shoot scheduled with a great photographer and friend of the family, Daniel Photography and Design. They did an absolutely beautiful job! Bonus: we were all smiling at the end. I think that's the sign of a truly successful photo shoot. Later on Saturday, the Halloween preparations took over. Pumpkins were carved, costumes were donned, and off we went to collect some candy! 

The rest of the long weekend was a bit of a whirlwind, visiting all the old haunts (Dinosaur Park, the YMCA pool, various parks and playgrounds) and even managing to snag an adults-only lunch, thanks to Maureen's incredible friends who babysat all seven grandkids and made it look easy! Too soon it was time to say goodbye, but parting was made a little easier by the fact that we will all be together again for Christmas... just around the corner! 

When I first met Paul, I have to say that my future family-in-law was about the furthest thing from my mind. When we fell in love, I would have married him regardless of who else came along in the package deal. But oh man did I hit the jackpot! I married into a family that gained me not one but three amazing sisters, and two new brothers who aren't half bad (just kidding, they're wonderful too!) a father-in-law who is an amazing spiritual leader of his family, and a mother-in-law who gets her own whole paragraph:

I am an intensely sensitive person. I take things personally, I worry about what people think of me, and I want to please everyone. If I even get the slightest whiff that someone doesn't approve of what I'm doing, it eats away at me and shuts me down. In the nearly ten years that I have been married to her son, not once have I ever felt judged, put down, or disapproved of by my mother-in-law. We have an open and honest relationship, and she speaks her mind, but I know that every word comes from a place of love and caring. She is supportive, kind, and just plain fun! I can't say it enough, she is one-of-a-kind. 

Happy birthday, Maureen. Many, many more!

All photos by Daniel Photography and Design (besides the Halloween ones, of course)

One Room Schoolhouse

When I first stepped foot into what would become our new home, I immediately fell in love with the huge, bright, wide-open room behind the garage. I instantly dubbed it the "school room" before we even knew if we would put an offer on the property. An entire wall of windows opposite a full blank wall just bursting with possibilities, four built-in bookshelves and an opening directly into the kitchen... the purpose of the room was so clear to me it was almost humorous!

Flash forward a few months, and we are now settled into that house and are slowly making it our own. The room I claimed for our school room is becoming what I envisioned that very first day. We set up our computer in one corner, a perfect central location for use by everyone in the family. We found a perfect table to put in the middle of the room: used and slightly battered, with a shiny lacquered top for easy cleaning. The speckled carpet hides everything. The bookshelves are bursting with all of our children's books, so many of which were packed away or inaccessibly high in our old house due to lack of shelf space. I even have shelves left for display! I bought an old globe for $5 at Goodwill (I have a total soft spot for globes) and added it to a shelf with my ancient dictionary and some binoculars. The saint dolls even have two shelves just the right size for them. In the back of the room, between the bookshelves, is a small bathroom and a closet. Moving from our old house (with one small bathroom upstairs and no closets) to this space, I can't help but feel a bit spoiled.

And just last weekend, my dear husband broke out the chalkboard paint to officially turn it into my dream room. We painted an entire wall and made a gigantic chalk board! In the few days we have been able to use it, it has already transformed our school time. Instead of scrambling for scraps of paper to write on, or constantly erasing our small white board, we can fit an entire day's worth of learning on our wall! I love looking back at the end of the day to see the amalgamation of scribbles, artwork, and schoolwork... it is a great reminder that we really did learn something that day, even if I felt like nothing happened.

I still want to put the finishing touches on the room; I want to add art to the walls, maybe change the paint color (the current tan/peach color is my personal definition of drab), and add something comfy to sit on for read-alouds, but we are well on our way to completion! My goal for educating my children is to inspire them to develop a love of learning. In our new space, we have an inspiring space to spread out and explore while still remaining in the heart of our home. That's exactly where I want to be. 

Generation Gap

Audrey and her great grandpa have a tradition every time he comes to visit. He pulls out his camera and says, "Audrey, let's take a selfie!" She climbs up next to him and they put their heads together and smile. People talk about the older generation learning all of their tech skills from the younger, but my grandpa can proudly claim to be the one who taught his three-year-old great-granddaughter the meaning of the word "selfie". 

Sure, she's taken thousands of self-portraits on my phone over the last couple of years, but now she has a word for it... and most often these days, she doesn't turn the camera on herself unless Great Grandpa is around. Sometimes her brothers hop in on the photo as well, but I can tell it's really just a special thing between Grandpa and Audrey. I hope they take a selfie together at her high school graduation! 

Say What?

Edith said her first phrase today, "Mo nana" (more banana). I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone, since her love of food is a well-known fact. It got me thinking about the first phrases of each of my children, and I realized that they are all perfect little capsules of their personalities. Now, I'm not saying that Edith is defined by her love of food, but it sure is central to her life right now! Here are the others, to the best of my knowledge. But remember, I'm a mother of four... if these aren't accurate, I claim Mommy Brain.

Max: "Macky wanna run!" My former little-ball-of-energy has turned into a big-ball-of-energy! He has learned how to channel his constant motion a little bit, and as he learns to read he is spending more and more time with his nose in a book. But even when at rest, he seems to nearly vibrate with excess energy!

Lucian: "I did it!" Results-oriented from the beginning, the older he gets the more I see how driven and focused my second-born is. He wants to be given tasks, and he will not rest until the tasks are complete. Part of our daily routine is a checklist of things to do, such as "make bed" and "do something creative". He jumps out of bed each day and completes his list before his older brother has even thought about his.

Audrey: "Audrey do it!" I'm not certain that this was her very first phrase, but it was definitely an early one. Unlike her older brother who enjoyed proclaiming his success, Audrey was more interested in demanding to be allowed to do things on her own. Whether she was able to complete the task or not was irrelevant. She did NOT want any help! This trait has faded a little bit lately; I think she realized that it's nice to have people do things for you sometimes. But her independence and refusal to be told what to do is staying strong. Look out world!

Time will tell what Edith's first phrase really says about her. Maybe it is an early indicator of a love of cooking, or maybe she'll study monkeys in their original habitats. Who knows? But I can't wait to see how her little personality develops!

A Bushel and a Peck

Traditions, traditions! What is there to write about the apple orchard that I haven't already written? With our whirlwind summer and fall, we still made it a priority to visit our orchard, and this time even Uncle Tony and cousin Isaac could join us! Sadly, Alexander wasn't well so the rest of the family stayed home. But our kids loved being able to share the fun with their cousin this year! Apple cider donuts, a wagon ride, lots of picking and tasting and examining to find the best apples to fill our bag. My dad built his apple towers again, and the kids got a huge kick out of his "pine-apple" tree. Then they wandered the rows and ate a bite or two of a countless number of apples. They know well by now that the orchard is the one place I won't lecture them about wasting food. 

We rode the wagon back to the lodge, and the kids got a quick ride on the kiddie wagon. The sunflower maze was a sad sight this year, but that didn't stop the kids from running and hiding amidst the tall, dead stalks for a good half hour! Lunch was followed by a visit to the animals, and then we left to make our traditional stop at the Big Yellow Barn for a candy treat. This building... there is pretty much nothing I like about it, but the kids think it's heaven! Row after crowded row of candy treats, and each year- only once a year- they get to enter and pick a treat from Grandma and Grandpa. It's a ridiculous place, and the contrast between its chaos and the peace of the orchard struck me especially hard this year. Oh the things we do for our children!

Surprisingly I only made one apple pie and one apple crisp with our take this year. The rest were munched down as snacks before I could blink an eye! I guess four kids who love apples will burn through a peck pretty darn quick. Maybe we'll spring for two next year? 

All in all, it was a fun, successful, exhausting day... I wouldn't change a thing!

 I love these two photos next to each other!

Cousins, and good buddies

The Move, conclusion

Our last walk to the coffee shop down the street from our old house

What goes up must come down; our stairway was too narrow for the boxspring

Living room, dining room... empty! What a feeling!

 After all of the chaos, I awoke the first morning in our new house ready to sit around and do nothing for the rest of my life. But the kids were still out of town and I had limited time to get anything done so I had my mom come over and help me with some unpacking while her friend Deb came to paint our walls. Oh. My. Word. What a Godsend! Paul and I both strongly dislike painting, but we also strongly disliked almost every color of paint that the previous owners had chosen for our walls... so Deb offered to paint whatever we wanted painted! All we had to do was buy the paint! Below are before-and-after shots of the girls' bedroom, but she also painted the boys room, our room, and the upstairs hallway. She's like a fairy godmother!

Thursday I spent decompressing with two good friends while Deb painted away upstairs. I had a hard time not working while someone else was working in my house, but I forced myself to sit and drink a cup of coffee to restore some physical, mental, and emotional balance.

Then Friday came, and we drove back to North Dakota to pick up the kids and to watch Paul and Ryan run their second half-marathon, this time with Patrick joining them! The kids got to run a 'mini-marathon' the night before, and they got t-shirts and medals for their efforts. Then we were able to watch the race from a beautiful park where the kids could run and play until they saw the runners start to pass. They then lined themselves up for high-fives and cheered for everyone they saw.

We did some exploring of Mandan the rest of the day, and then said goodbye to the Norrells, Grandma, and Patrick on Sunday. The kids were finally coming home! We pulled into our house early in the evening, and we were greeted by more grandparents! They had come and set up the kids bedrooms after the painting was all done. Thanks Mom and Dad!

The kids were super excited to see the whole house, and they settled in right away. They explored every nook and cranny and then claimed their beds and made themselves at home. Audrey got a beautiful new big-girl bed, and she demonstrated how to climb in and out of it as long as someone would watch her. The boys are no longer sharing a twin bed... and it's about time. Max takes up three-fourths of the bed himself! Bedtime was quick and easy for the first time in months!

We started school the next morning and life picked right up where it left off, in our new home. And boy do we feel at home.

The Move, part II

Once all of the initial paperwork was signed, the tough stuff really started. Inspection! Our old house was built in 1923, and we knew there was work that would need to be done ... one major project in particular. Shortly before we put our house on the market, we began to see holes in our front yard. Paul called an exterminator, who determined that the critters were likely coming up from a broken sewer line in our front yard. What perfect timing. A sewer inspection revealed that our main sewer line was in shambles and would need to be fully replaced. So we set aside what we believed we would need for the job and moved ahead with everything.

Our buyers' inspector then came and found several other projects he felt needed to be done, and their realtor brought us a list. We agreed to fix as many as we could, but as I started calling for quotes, the dollar signs just kept piling up. What had sounded like a few simple projects turned out to be much more complex when the pipes being worked on are nearing 100 years old. The first few quotes for our sewer line were double what we had been expecting! The other projects also seemed to be spiraling out of control. I was on the phone with contractors every day, trying to get better estimates and deals, seeing if there was a less expensive way to fix things while still doing it well.

Finally we settled on a contractor who gave us a very reasonable quote on our sewer and threw in the basement drain fix for free. One major project checked off. I was still on the phone constantly trying to work out the rest of the projects, trying to find out exactly what the inspector expected us to do and then explain that to the contractors, and then turn around and describe the contractor's plan back to the realtor. Chimney cap vs. mortar cap, black pipe vs. copper pipe, repair vs. replace vs. install. It was like an extended game of telephone in a foreign language. Looking back, I think the constant calling had me in a mild state of panic for a straight two weeks.

In the meantime, we took a break to bring the kids to North Dakota for our newest Godson's baptism, and then to Rapid City to spend almost two weeks with Grandma and Grandpa while we packed up our house and completed the move. We took Edith with us and got down to real business. I am so thankful that my three oldest were not there during those crazy days! I was able to keep focused on the work that needed to be done, without having to worry about whether my kids were getting enough attention or whether I would snap at them after a stressful phone conversation. It was amazing. They had a super fun time, and I ... well ... I was very productive.

I sent this selfie to the kids to show them what they were missing

Paul and I packed like maniacs in the days leading up to closing, and our realtor was able to negotiate a move-in agreement, in which we could move our belongings into the garage several days before we actually closed. We bought drinks and rented a moving van and asked all of our friends and family to help us move on Sunday so that we wouldn't have to move all of our belongings in between closings on Tuesday. Thank goodness! Then at the last minute, the buyers' realtor scheduled their final walk through for Sunday morning, while the house was in shambles. We disappeared to the coffee shop down the street, praying that seeing the house in that state wouldn't scare them off. We did later hear that their realtor contacted ours to ask if we knew that we had to take everything with us. Ha!

 Closing day arrived, and just to keep us on our toes we found out that the sellers were having some difficulties with paperwork and might not be able to close on schedule... But everything was arranged and both closings went off without a hitch. We drove directly from the sale of our home to the purchase of our new home then met my mom and brother at our NEW HOUSE to start moving in!

Tons of friends and family came to help us move our belongings from the garage into the house, organize our kitchen, move furniture, and do whatever we asked them to do. I was so relieved to finally be in our home, I could barely function. After most everyone cleared out, Paul went to smoke a celebratory cigar with two of his friends while I fell into bed and took a celebratory snooze. All night.

I slept well.

The Move, part I

Who in their right mind would go through the hassle of a move with four young kids at home? If you said no one, you're absolutely right. Deciding to take on this endeavor meant that we had to take a little break from sanity, but after Edith was born we knew. Our sweet little home on Smith wouldn't hold up to our growing family any longer. We found a beautiful 30 day St. Joseph novena and began to pray it every day to cover the entire process... We didn't keep count but I'm fairly certain we were well over 30 days. I truly credit his intercession for allowing me to keep my wits during many stressful, trying moments.

The first step was getting the house ready to show. We packed away 70% of our belongings, using any available basement or garage space graciously lent to us by our friends. I mean, even if our potential buyers knew that six humans occupied this teeny three-bed, one-bath home, it sure couldn't look like it! Homeschooling basically disappeared for the summer, replaced with life lessons like "How many books can you fit in this box without breaking your back when lifting it?" and "How do you flip pancakes when you accidentally packed away the good spatula?"

Once the house was ship-shape, we took our photos (which made our house look beautiful, by the way!) and waited for the showings to start rolling in. My parents were gracious enough to let us crash at their house for two whole weeks so our house could stay spotless and available at a moment's notice. The first week was packed with showings, and our spirits were high! We would have a buyer at any moment, we just knew it! But no bites, and then the initial flow slowed to a trickle. Then not a single showing for five days. Ugh. We decided to move back home. I mean, what was the point of taking up space at my parents' house when there was nothing going on at our own home? We readied ourselves to settle in for the long haul.

On a Wednesday, the kids and I packed everything up to head home after lunch. But early that morning we received a notice for a showing! A slight change in plans, and we would get home late afternoon instead. An hour later, another showing! This one for early evening, so we decided to do dinner out and stick to our plan. Then a THIRD showing was scheduled between the first and second, meaning we couldn't get into our house until after 7:00. Wow! So we made a family evening of it, heading to the library and then to bike and have a picnic at Harriet Island. As we got ready to leave the library, we got a call from our realtor with the great news... two offers were coming in on our home! We were giddy with excitement and relief. We headed to the park with light hearts to wait out the third showing.

Thursday we met with our realtor and accepted an offer, the first of many signatures we would put on paper over the next few months. The couple buying our house was engaged but would be married before they moved in, and they wrote us a letter to tell us how excited they were to start their life together in this house. That same evening we went to two showings, one of which was the house I am now sitting in to write this post! The moment we walked in, I fell in love with the open layout, the natural light, the room behind the garage that just screamed "school room!" We talked it over and then went back for a second showing and decided to put in an offer.

I had been under the impression that the showing of our house would be the most difficult part of the move, but ohhh was I wrong. My first emotional breakdown came during negotiations with the sellers of our new house. The house was in the top of our price range and we had hoped they would come down a bit. We negotiated back and forth for days! Each time we countered, we had to wait for what felt like years to hear a response, and they eventually refused what we had decided was our best offer, raising it by what amounted to $300! We were floored. We started wondering... Is this a sign? Are we not supposed to buy this house, even though it's only going to be $300 more than we were planning for? Do we have to walk away? It just seemed so strange and surreal.

But then a wise friend told me, "Just keep walking forward until God closes the door." God was not the one who chose our upper limit, so after praying about it we didn't feel like He was closing a door, but instead asking us to choose whether to keep walking or not. So we kept walking, and we signed the final purchase agreement. The beautiful home I had been trying not to dream about was really going to be ours!

To be continued...

Sneak Peak

It seems that some of you have been waiting with baited breath to get a glimpse of the inside of our new house! Sorry for the delay on posting any photos, it has only recently reached any level of cleanliness that I feel comfortable publishing photos of it. In the interest of full disclosure, on the off-chance that you think my house actually looks like this in the midst of homeschooling four littles, I shamelessly used the old real-estate trick, "Hide the Mess out of the Frame". When all else fails, and the mess is unbeatable, just don't include that room! So without further ado, here is some of our new house!

Here is our living room, photo taken from the top of the stairs leading to the bedroom hallway. The window looks out to the front yard, the kitchen is behind the partial wall on the left side of the frame. Beneath me (down two half-flights of stairs) is our front entry, garage, and school room. Our house is a four-level-split style that you might be familiar with, but I think one unique thing about it is that the main entrance doesn't come into the living room but into the level below it. I've been enjoying the ability to keep our living room completely clear of shoes and coats so far!

Dining room/kitchen view. Behind me is a sliding glass door to our deck, which Paul has been painstakingly cleaning, staining, and painting. The dining room has room for our table with all its leaves without feeling crowded at all!

The photo below is taken from the dining room looking through the kitchen. The small table is where we usually eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks. There is a sliding door behind that table that leads to our three-season porch, or "smoking room", as Paul has dubbed it. Past the table you can see an opening in the wall. That's the closest look you'll get right now at our school room...I am going to save that project for another day. There is a door in that room that leads directly into the backyard, and it is on the same level as our garage and main entrance. 

Then there is the girls' room! My mom's amazing friend painted the bedrooms and they look beautiful. I'm so excited to actually decorate instead of simply shoving stuff (and kids) into any available space. My parents set up the kids rooms while we were in North Dakota picking them up from Grandma, so they got to come home to their new rooms all ready to go! 

The boys room I am also saving for another day... I want to do it justice, but it rarely lives up to its potential, with a constant carpet of clothes and legos. Our room also needs a lot of work... it, along with our basement, has become the dumping ground for things without a home. If you're curious about the rest, come and visit and I won't be able to selectively hide the mess from you!

It's Official

"Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, abounding in mercy."
 -Psalm 103:8, our quote of the year

This is the year we've all been waiting for... the year where I fill out my official Letter of Intent to Homeschool in the state of Minnesota! Up until now, we have had no requirements, no paperwork, no nothing. For all our school district knew, Max didn't exist. But now he's registered at Merciful Heart of Jesus Academy, i.e. "home". The others are still unofficial, but this was a big step for me! I've made a real commitment, signed a piece of paper and turned it in. We are a homeschooling family for real.

Following Pope Francis' lead, we have chosen the theme of mercy, with St. Faustina as our Saint of the Year. As always, the kids were greeted with crowns bearing their grade level and were forced to pose for pictures. This year, although they weren't happy about it, you sure can't tell by looking at them! We then had pancakes with whipped cream and raspberries from our neighbor's garden, prayed a Chaplet of Divine Mercy made out of chocolate chips, decorated our quote poster for the year, and painted a simplified Divine Mercy image. If any of you remember my experience at the start of last year, you'll be glad to hear that this year has kicked off on the exact opposite foot. I am pumped to start exploring and learning with my kids, I have a clearer understanding of my goals, and it sure doesn't hurt that we actually have space to create an inspiring and organized environment.

Our day of traditions continued when we went out for pizza with Grandma at our favorite joint, Tommy Chicago's. The kids always receive a picture book as a first day of school gift, and after dinner Grandma brought them to the fountain outside the restaurant to read all of their books to them. They loved it! But it started getting a bit chilly so Paul and I grabbed hot chocolates for them from the Caribou Coffee nearby. Then they really loved it!

I can't say enough how excited I am for this year. Last year was a tough one, with lots of burnout, lots of long and difficult stretches, but we powered through and stayed strong. I'm so glad we did! This year is already looking to be joy-filled, jam-packed with learning and peace and love!

Max, Grade 2

This year Max wants to learn: Cursive, Ancient History, how to paint like Leonardo DaVinci
His goals are: To read a chapter book, to craft a diamond sword in Minecraft
Important moments: Beginning First Reconciliation and First Communion prep! WOW!
First Day of School book: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, by Tomie DePaola

Lucian, Kindergarten

This year, Lucian wants to learn: Math, anything involving patterns and numbers, Science (especially experiments), cooking
His goals are: To learn how to pump on a swing, to beat Daddy in Chess
Important moments: Being in a different class from Max at co-op and doing great!
First Day of School book: The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Audrey, Preschool

This year, Audrey wants to learn: Painting, coloring, reading, everything her brothers are doing.
Her goals are: To teach her baby sister to walk, to jump higher than Daddy
Important moments: Starting Good Shepherd (no more nursery for this girl!)
First Day of School book: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman