On Golden Pond

Over Fathers Day weekend, we went with my parents to visit my grandparents in Marshall. It was a fabulous weekend, and we packed in a full vacation's worth of activities in just two days. My grandparents own some land that has, until now, been known as The Pit. I've written about it before, but it is a little paradise that boasts two beautiful ponds that are chock full of fish. We decided to re-christen the spot Golden Pond, because a name like The Pit just didn't do it justice.

 
The day before our arrival, my grandpa finished building the road to the pond, built and painted a little deck with a shade umbrella for the ladies and babies. What a spot! I felt like I was on the set of a Target photo shoot! Check out these ladies:

All the dads got in their fair share of fishing, as did the boys. There isn't a single small fish in the whole pond, so every catch was enormous and exciting! Max and Lucian each got to reel in a couple, with the help of Grandpa and Dad. Audrey was kept happy with a fistful of snacks and a cooler at her disposal, and I spent the majority of the day in the shade watching the boys bounce from the dock to the sandpile and back.

The next day, the kids were in for another treat! Grandpa brought everyone out to his shop to ride a real live loader! Max got to try this a couple years ago, but for Lucian it was a first. He spent the entire ride saying "This is fun! This is fun! This is fun!" 

 

This trip was one that the boys will not soon forget, and neither will I. Happy Fathers' Day to all of the wonderful fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers in my life! It was a joy to spend this Fathers' Day with three generations of fathers.

Messy

I crack myself up sometimes. As I set about cleaning and organizing a counter top in our kitchen that has gone untouched for at least a month, I unearthed this beauty:

In case you can't read it, that's a Real Simple magazine with the headline "Ingenious Organizing Systems to Clear the Clutter for Good". I received this magazine in the mail about a month ago and promptly lost it under a pile of clutter, including but not limited to: a duplo tree, a snack container of raisins and cheerios, an American flag (likely from last 4th of July), an empty tealight candle holder, a tube of sunscreen face lotion, a cardboard treasure chest, and various works of art, bits of paper and electronic cords.

I just had to laugh (to keep from crying...) at the irony. I invest in this beautiful, inspiring magazine that speaks right to everything I want to improve in my life, and it gets devoured by the exact thing it is supposed to help me eradicate. Yeesh. For some people it comes so naturally, keeping a clean house. For me, it is as if there is an invisible teenager leaving a wake of destruction in every room I am not currently occupying. I have intermittent bursts of energy and I whip around in a frenzy trying to keep up with my unwelcome guest, but the moment I turn my back, the paper is stacked to the ceiling again. The countertops are buried. The clothes are heaped in a jumbled mess and I don't know what's clean and what's dirty. 

For my own sanity, I decided that my messiness is slightly out if my control. I am cut from a different cloth than my über-organized peers, and that's ok. I have my strengths elsewhere. But I still need to be careful to not make too many excuses for myself... I have a house to keep up and I don't want to lose Audrey forever in a pile of unfolded laundry. You laugh, but it is ever a real danger for the small people in my house. Left unattended for too long, they may sink into the quicksand of my clutter. 

Graduations and Other Celebrations

Wow, we've already checked off the first of our three trips for the summer! We were looking forward to our week in Rapid City for so long, I can't believe it's already behind us. But we jam-packed the week with everything we planned... and several exciting things that we didn't plan! 

On Friday night, we arrived at Lisa's house- a neighbor and friend of the family who took us in for the weekend so that the graduation party at Grandma and Grandpa's was more manageable. (It's beyond me why Grandma thought she couldn't keep the house clean with five extra adults, four children, and their stuff around... ha ha.) Monica, Glenn, Megan and Nathaniel were back as well, so it was almost a complete family reunion!  Audrey enjoyed seeing her Auntie Megan again, and Megan was relieved to know that Audrey didn't hold a grudge after being abandoned. They picked up right where they left off!

Lisa treated us like family, bringing out all of her kids' old toys, making us breakfast and telling us to help ourselves to anything in the house. We really can't thank her enough! I can't imagine being more comfortable and cared-for anywhere else in town.

The main events of our visit were on Saturday and Sunday; for Patrick's high school graduation we celebrated with a party on Saturday and the Mass and ceremony on Sunday. It's pretty amazing to think about how much Patrick has changed since I first met him, and it's a little scary how much he looks like his older brother! Patrick, we are so proud of your accomplishments, and your nephews and niece simply adore you. You will do great in college, we can't wait to see where God leads you next!

Lucian with his Uncle Peej

Patrick played in the State baseball tournament Monday, so he, Paul, and Paul Sr. literally left directly from the grad ceremony to drive to Sioux Falls. That left the rest of us to chillax and have a movie night in watching Les Miserables. We put the kids to bed before the movie started, but poor Max could hear the amazing music coming from the next room and couldn't seem to keep himself in bed! He had to "use the bathroom" at least three times before he dropped all pretense and asked me directly if he could listen to one of the songs. Good timing on his part- I was willing to let him watch On My Own before tucking him in for the final time.

Monday was a quiet, rainy day. The Chicago crew had hit the road at an ungodly early hour, so the rest of us hunkered down and made the best of a sunless day. We built forts with Liam and Grandma, went "fishing" in a blue blanket "lake", read stories and ate snacks. Just as our creativity was about to run out, Lisa showed up with an armful of games! Then things cleared up enough to take a walk to the park; we were all really glad to get some fresh air. Later, I visited with my dear friend Talia and got to catch up on life over a cup of coffee. So awesome to see her. Then I went back and watched an online live broadcast of the Cavs winning the state championship! Patrick pitched the entire semi-final game, and boy did he pitch it. Mad skills, I say, mad skills.

The big boys returned at about 3am Tuesday, but they were troopers and didn't sleep the whole day away. We got a slow start and then spent the rest of the day at Reptile Gardens. I wish we could have stayed longer. Sadly, I only remembered to take one picture the whole day. I call it "Improvisation":

Yes, I forgot to pack her an extra set of clothes. No, I didn't want to go back to the house to change her after she made a mess of her only outfit. So yes, she is wearing my nursing cover as a dress. But hey, she's so cute, she'd look good in a paper bag! (Now that's an idea for next time...)

Max watched the bird show, the alligator show and the snake show, all in succession. He saw poisonous frogs, humongous bugs and (terrifying, disgusting) really cool spiders! He was like a sponge... and I regret to say that his next school unit is unequivocally Snakes and Bugs. Lucian spent most of the day playing on the playground and in the sandbox. He's not quite as interested in creatures as his big brother, but he had a great day nonetheless.

Later in the week, we made our annual trip to Storybook Island, one of the highlights of every Rapid City visit. I gave the camera to Paul, a sure way to actually get the day documented. Max has grown leaps and bounds in his climbing ability since our last visit; he didn't meet a structure he wouldn't climb. He wanted to be on the top of everything! Lucian sure did his share of climbing as well, but his highlight was the real live train that drove them around the park. He asked to ride it the moment we got there, and it's always the first thing he mentions when we ask him about his visit. I'll save the Storybook pictures til the end, since I had trouble paring down the number.

We got to spend an evening out with our good friends the Daniels before they jetted off to CA, and the boys and I spent a windy, cloudy afternoon with Bridget and her kids at a McDonalds play area (perfect: the kids were contained and we could talk.)

The big surprise of the week was that we were able to attend the diaconate ordination of Grant and Jonathan! We didn't know when we scheduled the trip that the ordination would fall smack in the middle of our week in South Dakota. How awesome! And what a blessing to our church these two men are. My heart felt so full during the ordination Mass; with all of the mess in the world, there are still people willing to give up everything for God. Alleluia, praise the Lord.

We also met up with Paul's high school friend Sam and his wife Joan, another couple that we wish lived several hundred miles closer to us. They are expecting their first baby in August, and I even got to crash her baby shower before we left!

We spent the remainder of the week relaxing and enjoying ourselves, but as always, Saturday came before we were ready. It was another wonderful visit to the Black Hills, our home-away-from-home.

Audrey and Grandpa

Sky High

Our last official unit of the school year was Buildings and Architecture. We learned about all kinds of buildings: pyramids, castles, houses. But mostly we learned about skyscrapers! We read books about how skyscrapers were built, we built our own skyscrapers out of everything we could find, and we learned about the skyscrapers right in our own neighborhood. When my grandma (Max's great-grandma) heard what we were studying, she had a genius idea. Why not take a tour of the tall buildings right in her neighborhood? She and my grandpa live in a 16-story condo in downtown Minneapolis, so we had the perfect starting place. We met my mom there on Friday morning and we set out to see the city from up high!

First we took the elevator to the top floor of my Grandma's building, then up a few steps to a door leading onto the roof. It was windy and cold but Max ran from end to end oblivious of the chill, pointing out the tiny trees below and claiming to see the Statue of Liberty off in the distance!

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa's tall building

Since the weather threatened rain any moment, we took the skyway route to our next stop, Macy's 12th floor. The skyway trip was an equally exciting part of the day; Max stopped to sip from every drinking fountain and examine each piece of artwork he passed. He had an endless stream of questions for Great Grandma and she fielded them like a pro... I was sure glad to pass the buck for a day! Instead of answering incessant questions I just got to push a stroller and enjoy the walk.

The top floor of Macy's houses a cafeteria-style restaurant called the Sky Room. Its walls were painted blue with clouds, and it had huge windows on three sides for a great view of the city. We ate lunch while we checked out the sights. (though I think for most of the workers on lunch break, my kids were the sights during that hour)

Macy's Department Store

On our way to lunch, my mom had called my uncle who works on the 42nd floor of the IDS Tower in downtown to see if he was around. Sadly he wasn't in that day, but he gave us the name of his secretary and told us to go on up and she would show us around. So after lunch we got to walk right past the sign saying "Private offices- no viewing beyond this point" and hop into an elevator bound for the floor Forty Two!

Ho--lee--cow. Forty-two floors is really, really, really high!! I felt a little woozy the whole time we were up there, but Max wasn't fazed. To give you some perspective, in the photo below you can see the Foshay Tower, 607 ft tall and formerly the tallest building in Minneapolis. Doesn't it look kinda shrimpy? 

Max and Great Grandma looking down on the Foshay Tower

We even got to see the St. Paul Cathedral far off, and we pointed to the general area of our neighborhood, although Max didn't quite understand why we couldn't actually see our house. When we had gotten our fill of dizzying heights, we squeezed back into the elevator (pretty sure they didn't build it with a double stroller in mind) and onto firm ground again. Since the rain had never come, we took the outdoor route back to Great Grandma's condo, taking a pit stop at some cool big rocks outside one of the buildings on Nicollet Mall. I mean, what kid can pass up the chance to climb onto a big rock?

We took a snack break at Great Grandma's before heading out. As soon as we were all in the car, the downpour started! The timing couldn't have been better. It rained pretty much the rest of the day, but we had gotten clear views and a nice walk outside before the storm. What an adventure, and what a perfect day. What other kid gets to take a tour of Minneapolis with his Great Grandma?? Thanks for showing us around Grandma; Max will not soon forget it.

Max and the IDS building 

View of the IDS from the sidewalk

Max and his Great Grandma

Brothers on an adventure!

Llama Llama Duck

We have just introduced our children to a mainstay from our college days... the Llama Song! (Listen at your own risk, it's quite catchy and incredibly annoying)

We brought it on ourselves, we really did. Max really likes llamas, especially since watching The Emperor's New Groove. What with all the llama talk around the house, both of us have been sporadically breaking out in song,

  Half a llama, twice a llama
  Not a llama, farmer, llama 
  llama in a car, alarm a llama, llama, duck!

The kids have their own version, which goes something like this:

LLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMA
LLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMA
LLAMALLAMALLAMALLAMA
LLAMALLAMADUCK!!!!

At dinner last night, this refrain was getting to be too much for us. Over and over and over and over again, at the top of their lungs, they would sing it. They even started making up their own verses. "Lion, lion, lion, lion, zebra!" "fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy, whale!" "apple, apple, apple, apple, chair!" My head was about to explode, and I think even Audrey wanted to crawl under the table. Paul finally put the kibosh on it, threatening a time out to the next person who sang the Llama Song at the dinner table. This quieted things down quite quickly, and we moved onto other topics of conversation.

A bit later, Max started talking about llamas, not an unusual occurrence. Suddenly next to me, I heard the familiar refrain quietly coming from the mouth of my beloved. "llama, llama, llama, llama, llama, llama, duck..." Lucian's head snapped up and he pointed accusingly across the table.

"Daddy! You get a time out!!"

Smarty Pants

Lucianese, part three

My oh my, he's three years old and he is still going strong on the one-liners. I'll do my best to write them phonetically, but there are some doozies! I'm not even going to make you guess them, because let's face it, you wouldn't stand a chance with half of them!

1. Offie - Lucian's pronunciation of his dear sister Audrey's name. "I yuv you, baby Offie!" is a common refrain, as is "NO, Offie! That's MINE!"

2. Didi duh-dee-um - Lucian's rendition of "Children's Museum". We have a pass to the Children's Museum in St. Paul, so we try to go as often as we can. When Lucian tells me he wants to go to the didi duh-dee-um, I stare at him blankly for several minutes before the lightbulb finally clicks on.

3. Roskeeta Bug Bug - The ever-popular Okee Dokee Brothers have a song about Rosita the Skeeta, and Lucian's version of the chorus sounds something like this: "Roskeeta a skeeta/ ay no skeeta fweeta/ but she's a nameeta/ Roskeeta Bug Bug!" (I'll let you guess the original lyrics!)

4. Paypus! - Each night during prayers, we say a litany of our family's patron saints. After each name, we all say "Pray for us!" Lucian is enthusiastic and energetic in his responses; I hope the saints can understand his language!

5. Das a bumma- He hears "That's a bummer" all the time, and like any child, he repeats what he hears. It's way cuter coming from him than from me.

6. You are ba-dem ba-det! - During Lent, the boys took up acting out the Stations of the Cross. Most often, Max plays Jesus and Lucian plays Pontius Pilate and the soldiers. I fill in as Mary, Veronica, Simon of Cyrene, the Women of Jerusalem, and I announce the stations. When I announce the first station, Jesus is Condemned to Death, Lucian/Pilate points a finger at Max/Jesus and shouts, "You are ba-dem ba-det!"

I don't know how much longer we will be able to enjoy these Lucianisms, because his language is getting clearer by the day! His mannerisms are much older than his age, so I am thankful he has a baby face and a baby voice... it makes it seem like he's not growing up quite as fast as he is.

Saying Adios to Megan

Dear Megan,

I would say it's been quiet around here without you... but that's not the case at all! It seems that having one less adult around the house has amped up the volume and the craziness. Our first Sunday Mass without you was an hour of acrobatics, and believe it or not I think it was Lucian that had the toughest time that first day. No matter how many times he yelled "NO, Auntie!" at you, he always loved you so much. He just had a passive-aggressive way of showing it. (Now where on Earth did he get that??)

It is so hard to believe that you moved in before Audrey was born, and that this has been her longest stretch without you! You were there at the hospital when she came into the world, the very first family member to meet her. You guys became the best of buds, especially every day from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. If you could be a fly on the wall, you'd see that my kitchen is one big disaster since you left because Paul and I got so used to you swooping in to hold a baby while we cleaned up after dinner.

I don't know if I ever told you this while you were here, but I'm so thankful that my mood swings during the last few weeks of pregnancy and the first few months of Audrey's life didn't affect your opinion of me too much! You got to see me cry, lose my temper, and (my personal favorite) sit in stony silence when I got upset about something trivial. It was probably hard for you to live with a couple of introverts, but it was amazing for us to have someone full of life and energy to jump in when we needed a break from our Energizer Bunny children.

Life is going to be different without you here. We will survive- we're starting to get into a routine with just the five of us- but I still expect to see your car parked outside when I glance out the window. I still assume the boys are waking you up when they stomp around the living room at 7 am. I miss the constant supply of heavy whipping cream in the fridge, because I never think to buy it! But most of all, I miss seeing you spending time with the kiddos... they so adore you.

We miss you, Megs. It was a great year, but you have greater things yet to come!