can't put my book down...

My mom has often lamented that she wished she would have read to us kids more when we were little. It's one of the guilts she harbors as a mom, which I find a bit hilarious because all three of her kids were honor students and all three of us got our masters degrees. Clearly we could read and write. And reading comprehension was always my best score on standardized tests. But for so long I dreaded reading. Hated it. And I absolutely know why: because for 25 years of my life, it was all assigned.

Assigned Reading! Gross!

I remember teachers making bookmarks with the reading schedule and what chapter we should be on by what date. And I was always behind. Always. And not because I was a slow reader. But because the book was assigned. It just never felt like a pleasure.

My best friend growing up used to read books under her sheets at night with a flashlight. I remember a few times she was grounded because her mom caught her reading so late at night. Ha! I couldn't even fathom what that would be like. (Mostly because at the same time I was army crawling into my parents bedroom at 10:30 each night to watch M.A.S.H. with them, without them knowing I was there.)

Anyway, this whole thing with me and books has sort of continued. Every so often I read a book I adore and it gets me excited, but I have trouble starting books.

This has all changed, however. I have read six books in the last six weeks, and I don't know what has gotten into me. I remember my own mom getting lost in books all during my childhood and knowing on family vacations that "we had lost her" while she read in the car. And I think I'm turning into my mom. Some of those books I read in two days. One week I read 2 1/2 book. I actually haven't read anything in the last seven days because I thought my family deserved a bit more eye contact from me. :)

A few things that have changed:
1) I used to read a lot of non-fiction memoir or topical books. But I'm onto fiction, and I love it.
2) I try to read the first 100 pages as fast as I can. And if I don't like the book by then, I return it to the library. This month I started two books this way and felt no guilt returning them, unfinished.
3) I am choosing to read books that come highly recommended. After basically a lifetime of not reading for pleasure, I feel I have many options! (I'm also trying to read through this list. So far not one book has let me down!)
4) We currently don't have a tv in our house. Which is obviously great motivation to read for entertainment!
5) I have found that reading outside is one of my favorite things. The combination is perfection. Add an icy drink, and life is really, really grand.

And you? Do you have a favorite fiction book you'd love to share?!! I'm all ears! (I'm about to start that book pictured above, just as soon as I put the kids into Quiet Play Time. Hooray!)

pregnancy pillows

I've been waking up between 3 and 4 each morning unable to sleep. I toss and turn and try and then give up and eventually end up downstairs wide awake. This has led to some productive moments, like Saturday when I ordered my blog in book form for the year 2011 and then packed our 4th of July picnic to be eaten later that day at the parade. It has also been informative, like this morning when in the midst of flashing lightening I saw the silhouettes of five enormous raccoons waddling towards the garden. And it has been beautiful as I've watched the sun rise over the grove and slowly the shapes of our outdoors become visible.

But mostly it has been frustrating. Because I know I need to be sleeping. I'll want to have been sleeping come 9 am. And that's the problem. So I've been using these wee hours (it's currently 3:57) for a bit of research. Today it was pregnancy pillows and a little google image search came up with the above photo spread. I remember blogging about these when I was pregnant with Ivar and wondering who in their right mind would order such a thing. Mostly my concern was where to store such a beast after the baby comes. Today I looked into a few of them, but then I remembered my other concern with these from five years ago. Do you notice anything missing in these pictures? Or anyone? Where is the husband? It seems to me that if you order a pregnancy pillow, which appears to be the size of two additional human bodies, there is no longer room in your bed for your spouse. Which might be problematic if your husband enjoys sleeping in his bed too.

So I've put together my own special set of pillows that seem to help, but mostly my problem isn't so much with the pillows, it's just that I'm wide awake. I am assuming 3 am will become a feeding time and all of this is simply preparation for what is to come.

Now I'm off to pick out pictures to print from the year 2014...

(and Rory has a new garden update up at The Grovestead!)

the pre-party panic attack

Thursday night we had our neighborhood over for a potluck. I love my neighbors, knew everyone coming and told myself all week long that I didn't need to fret over this gathering. It was casual, everyone was bringing something, I know these people, it would go fine. My folks came over the day before and helped get the yard ready and spiff up the place. They did so much! They weed whipped every tree and raised bed and around every building. They cut down dead branches and trimmed trees, planted and transplanted, pruned the raspberries and weeded the garden a bit. Mom even folded my laundry. It was incredible.

I woke up on Thursday morning certain that I could accomplish what needed to get done without stressing about the party. I went grocery shopping right away, put the pork in the crock pots, took the kids to get haircuts and fed everyone lunch. During quiet play time I swept and mopped my kitchen and cleaned off the counters (hooray!) and cleaned the bathroom and garage a bit. 

And then it was 3:00 and I saw that the big crock pot was actually set for Warm and not on 4 hour cook (ahh!) and I still had the following on my list: buy ice, set up tables and chairs, gather dishes and place settings, make lemonade and ice tea, shred the pork, make the salad, and shower and look presentable. And that was when the panic set in. I had two hours until everyone was to arrive at 5, and two kids who seemed to be just as needy as their mama. 

The irony of the whole day was that it was supposed to be a quiet day. The barn is completed and the builders had packed up the day before. But the inspector showed up first thing in the morning, found three things he wanted reinforced, so the builders came back by 10 and stayed all day to make the changes. And the water guy showed up and started digging the trench and tearing out trees to make way for the water line from the well house to the barn. And at one point our neighbor came by to chop the hay in our field (but was unable to get to the field because of the six foot trench running through our yard.

So much for spiffing up the place! Trees were falling and dirt was everywhere!

At 3:00 I didn't cry. I didn't yell. But on the inside I was freaking out. And I proceeded to freak out towards my husband anytime he showed his face. Which became less and less and the party drew near and I was getting more and more panicked. Funny how that works.

So it makes a girl wonder. Can a person host a large group gathering without having the pre-party panic attack? My guess is that it is probably possible. I bet I might even host a gathering at some point where everything goes smoothly and no water guys are ripping my land apart and I prepare with grace and a smile. But I decided last night that having people over is the goal. The goal is to build community. And if it is stressful, it is still worthwhile. The worst thing would be to throw in the towel and say, "we don't entertain." Because the party was awesome and I love our neighbors and it was worth every minute of work and panic to have everyone here.

It also made me think that when a man marries a woman he should know what he is signing up for. A fitting vow would be, "I promise to take you, Becca, even when you're a hot mess before company is coming over. I promise to act as a landing pad, no matter how unwarranted, for all of your anxiety, perfectionism and social stress that comes along with party planning. And I promise to forgive you of all of your pre-party intensity once the party is over and we both recognize it was a worthwhile success of a gathering."

And it was a worthwhile success of a gathering. We ate well, gave barn tours and got all caught up with the friends we wave to each day as they drive by. More pictures to come.

goldilocks

On Saturday night we met up at Troy and Sara's bus after worship. We were there to listen to Sara's new album that is coming out in the fall and I need you to know I ADORE this one. I love it so much. Just like I've loved ever other of her records. But get excited. I cannot wait for it to be released so I can tell you about each song. It's so, so, so good.

It meant we didn't get back to our own room until a little before midnight. I was pokey brushing my teeth in the black room by the light of my cell phone (our kids had been sleeping in our room with Mimi while we were gone) and Madison and Rory had already gotten into their own beds a while earlier. And then there was a knock at the door.

I opened the door and found a mom, asking if I had seen her 8-year-old son. She said they had just been to fireworks and Perkins and she knew he came in the building, but didn't make it up to her room. I assured her I hadn't seen him, but that if she was going to look outside I'd join her. She said she wanted to try the other rooms first, to be sure he didn't go into the wrong room.

I shut the door, and stood scrolling through instagram. And then with the light of my cell phone, walked over to my bed and in the dim light saw an eight-year-old boy sound asleep and spread out on my bed. I was so shocked! I flew to the door looking up and down the hallway for the mom. She was knocking on another door a few rooms over and I whisper-yelled, "Mam! He's in my bed! I had no idea!"

She came and scooped him up and said he had been getting our rooms confused all day long. She left with her son and then I was left with a room full of sleeping family and no one to tell, "There was a boy asleep in my bed!"

The next day I saw the family at the cafeteria and met the kid who had crawled into my lower bunk and made himself at home. He didn't remember any of it, but I will never forget. Also, he had blonde hair. Which pretty much makes him my personal Goldilocks.

family camp at lake geneva christian center

We just got back from a weekend up at Family Camp. Rory and his family grew up going to Lake Geneva for kids camp and family camp, while I was a few lakes over on Lake Carlos at Mount Carmel. This was my first time sleeping over at Lake Geneva and I was so excited to get to experience Rory's camp.

When we took the Osakis exit on Friday afternoon, it just happened that we caught up to Troy and Sara's bus that held both their and Kyle and Lisa's families for the weekend. I swear to you I turned into a fifth grader when I saw that bus. I was so excited to be going to camp and to run into family on the way made me a bit ecstatic.

I think the very best part about attending a family camp is all of the downtime to catch up and have meaningful conversations. I talked so much in the last three days, always switching it up depending on who I sat next to at mealtimes or found in the coffee shop or ran into on my way to the next thing. I got caught up with nieces and nephews this way too, which is always a joy. We ate most meals in the cafeteria and the only things scheduled each day were morning worship and evening worship, powerful times when the camp gathers together in the worship center.

Going to family camp with your extended family is basically like planning a family reunion where you don't have to plan much of anything. You just plan to play and laugh and talk and read and nap a lot. I can't recommend it enough. In a few weeks we'll head up to Mount Carmel for more family camp with my side of the family. We can't wait for more!

feeling fancy free

We have a sweet ritual to hit up the DQ right after my midwife appointments. The kids enjoy coming to my appointments and playing with the toys in the room, and then they love getting DQ mini strawberry sundaes and eating them outside at the umbrella tables. If we're lucky, a train goes by and blows its whistle.

I think I've named this three other times this month, but I'm going to do it again. We are in a sweet spot right now. I feel like I am getting a little vacation in motherhood this summer and it's awesome. My kids can get in the car and buckle up on their own (Ivar helping Elsie) now. They can dress themselves and put on their crocs. Everyone is out of diapers and naps are rare. More than being pregnant with either of them, I am so fully aware with this pregnancy of the goodness of this pocket of time and how everything will change come October. Then we'll be back to naps, diapers, heavy infant carriers, diaper bags, scheduled feedings and a very dependent little baby. And I'll be ready for it and in some ways eager to hunker down again with a tiny baby for the winter.

But in the meantime, I am savoring this summer and all the ways we are footloose and fancy free.

morning make-over update

At the beginning of June I wrote out my summer goals, one of which was to do the e-course to make-over my mornings. I have had a few friends ask how it is going, and this morning I finally wrote the following out to a dear friend in an email. And then I thought, "I should just put that on the blog!" So here it is, first written to Julie, now to you. :)

***

Funny you should ask about the morning make-over course, since I'm up right now at 6:30. That would make it seem like I'm really seizing the day! But this early email has more to do with funny sleep stuff from pregnancy and not falling back asleep too easily. The course itself was helpful for a while...I had a lot of take-aways more to do with my evening routine...things I can do to set myself up for a better morning. Like setting out my own clothes (age 34, and still drama), deciding on breakfast for everyone (a constant frustration, short order cook...) and trying to at least have the kitchen table cleared off before I go to bed. Those are my evening goals. In the morning I try to get dinner prepped (mostly just in my head...to think about what I'll need to get done before 5:00) and those few little tweaks have helped me a lot.

That said, the girl who does the videos strikes me as quite put together, and as the days passed her intensity overwhelmed me with her personal wake-up time of 5 am, morning run, daily to-do list and ambitious daily goals. I've written about how I have finally let myself off of the hook this year of motherhood, letting myself "just be a mom." Everything out there would encourage every woman to have a side job or to build a platform or have an etsy shop, and someday I very well may have something else going on the side. But right now, when they're little, I'm just tired of feeling like I should be doing something more. So while the instructors suggestions were to have a passion and goals and something you're working towards that will get you out of bed each day, I sort of let myself off the hook thinking, "just get meals on the table and enjoy the kids..."

Also, I have been reading books this summer like never before. And late night reading really wrecks any hopes for an early and productive morning! But man these books have become a highlight of my summer.

***

I'll add this too: The course really ended up being more about goal setting and follow through, which are always fascinating topics to me. I even bought a new planner at one point. But in the end, I am left feeling quite fine with knowing my "big rocks" in this season are to feed my family, tend to the house and celebrate my kids. And I'd even add in, to nurture my own friendships. That's a big rock too. Building friendships and community is a huge deal to me, and a worthy goal to name.

a midsummer party

On Saturday we were invited to a friend's 5th birthday party. We met these friends at the library just weeks after we had moved to town. The mom and I bonded quickly because we had both just had a baby, both had just moved to town, and both were always twenty minutes late to library rhyme and time. We would chat in the back and congratulate each other on just getting out of the house that day. 

The mom threw this party with all of her knowledge from leading 9 years at the Swedish Concordia Language Camps. We learned a song in Swedish, collected flowers to decorate the May pole, made flower wreaths to wear on our heads and miniature May poles. And then we got strawberry cake. It was so charming and fun. 

At the party the mom explained that on Midsommer, everyone puts seven different flowers under their pillow, in hopes that they will have good dreams about the person they will marry. Ivar had been up for an hour that night before with a terrible nightmare. So when he heard that seven flowers under your pillow will bring you good dreams, he was thrilled. We saw my mom later that day and she gave him seven flowers. We told him he could set them next to his pillow on his nightstand and it would work just the same. And sure enough, Sunday morning he woke up and announced that had no bad dreams!

buttered corn and good fathers

butterhead from Becca Groves on Vimeo.

I was raised hearing a story that my sister when she was really little sat next to Great Grandma Anders at a family picnic and Great Grandma kept buttering Annika's corn, and Annika kept licking it off. They did this for the entire meal and Great Grandma was so patient sneaking in her own bites from her plate between butterings.

Last night we watched a similar storyline, one generation later. Oh we laughed so hard. I wrote on instagram that I have a dream that one day my daughter will have her head carved in butter at the Minnesota State Fair. And that this surely puts us on the right track.

We had a great Father's Day. We went to church and the dad's were asked to stand and then the church was supposed to surround the fathers and pray for them. The way it worked out (thank goodness!), I was the only one who stood by Rory and when I went to pray I just cried and cried. I married Rory because I loved him and knew he was good stuff. But I hadn't really thought through to how he'd be as a dad. I was overwhelmed yesterday with how grateful and glad I feel that I married a guy who takes fatherhood so seriously. He is fully involved, his kids adore him, he keeps behavior boundaries in check and adds so much sanity and structure to our home. He is taking this responsibility seriously, teaching, guiding, loving and leading. And I just cried a wet mess onto his shoulder as my prayer of thanksgiving for this good guy. And he liked that prayer.

My mom and dad and Annika, Jedd, Mara, Sonna and Svea came for a picnic dinner and it was lovely. It was steamy when everyone arrived at 4, but continued to cool down into the evening. That's such a nice part of the day. We had a picnic, got out the bubble machine (the kid's picked out as Rory's father's day gift... greatly encouraged by their mom), ate two homemade strawberry pies, held kittens, gave garden tours and barn tours and played a few rounds of family kick ball.

I'm so grateful for my own father. I was telling him about how I was at a kid's birthday party on Saturday and knew everyone there with just one degree of separation. Either I knew them or we quickly found mutual friends from college or bible camp or my family. Dad is a connector, always meeting people, finding things (friends, home towns, cabin locations) in common and helping introduce new acquaintances to old. That's what he did every Sunday at church. He'd find the fun fact and then tell the visiting family, "Oh, you have to meet the Johnsons, they have a cabin in Spooner too!" and then introduce the families and move on to the next family. Even on Saturday night at my sister's huge summer party in her backyard, Rory commented that Dad just worked his way around the perimeter of the yard, visiting everyone, making sure he knew how they knew Annika. It really is a gift, and so important. He's a community builder and I love that about him and how I get to reap so much relationally from all the connections he has made throughout his life.

In light of all that we see on the news and read in the paper, it seems to me our greatest hope would be for more Rory's and Paul's, leading their families with intention, creating community and building relationships wherever they go.

silkey's strawberries

This was our forth year strawberry picking at Silkey Gardens and man I love this annual tradition. I first went when I was pregnant with Elsie, then when she was almost one, then almost two and now almost three. My kids are getting increasingly helpful, putting a berries into their baskets as well as their berries. But the best part is that the Silkey family is incredibly gracious and generous encouraging "the future berry pickers" in their strawberry snacking. Ivar was on a quest to find the "winning strawberry" always looking for the biggest one. And Elsie didn't start stuffing her face until check out when I was talking for a while with the owners. I think she had 25 strawberries while she stood and waited.

Tonight we ate our first strawberry pie of the season and plan on going back tomorrow for more berries for another pie for Father's Day. Nothing beats a fresh strawberry pie. 

Firmoo Eyeglasses

Whew. That's a close up head shot, isn't it? But I'm about to tell you about those there specs on my face, so a picture seemed in order. Before I tell you all about these glasses, I want to throw out a little disclaimer. I have never tried to monetize my blog. Rory has encouraged me, telling me if I'm pouring this much time and effort into these posts I might as well get some sort of kick back. And there are enough of you reading that I probably could do something with ad space or giveaways.

But here's the thing. I have read lots of blogs that have gone that direction and first I'd like to say, more power to them. Truly. There is nothing wrong in finding a little reward for all the words and images poured onto these pages. But I have noticed two things often happen when a blogger transitions from personal to promotional. The first is that you can sniff it out real fast. It's easy to know when someone is trying to sell you something. Second, I have found that bloggers can lose their voice in the process. They struggle with what to write about, thinking it needs to always fit into their advertisers niche. And it seems to tie up their tongues.

I love this blog space because I feel beholden to absolutely no one. If I fancy it, I write it. Lots of times I don't even read through a post before I hit publish. I feel free and uninhibited and for that reason I don't think I'll ever go the route of ads or sponsored blog posts. But never say never and time will tell, I suppose.

All that said, have I got a deal for you! Step right up ladies and gentleman, step right up for the best deal of your eye glasses lives!

So I have this long and emotional tale with eye glasses. Mostly that I have been wearing eye glasses without the anti-reflective coating for three awful, glaring years. It had something to do with the deal at America's Best and how you could get an eye exam and two pair of eye glasses for some serious deal, but as a result, your glasses were the basic, no frills specs you'd expect from a deal like that. About a year ago one of the lenses popped out of the first pair, and a few months ago one of the nose pads fell off so that I've had a screw digging into my schnozer whenever I go without contacts.

You can then imagine my delight when I got an email from Firmoo Online Eyeglass Store asking if I'd like to try their site and order a pair of glasses in exchange for a review. I was thrilled because I still drive 45 minutes to my old eye place, and because my prescription was still current...all I needed were glasses that didn't leave a dent on my face every time I wore them.

So I got on their site and looked at all of my choices. Glasses shopping always gives me a little identity crisis. I have no idea who I am when I am trying on glasses or sunglasses. So I went with a pair that I thought might be a fun change, a pair that looked sort of like what I see other people wearing lately, a pair that frankly felt a little out of my comfort zone. I plugged in my prescription that my eye doctor, after a phone call, had gladly mailed to my house and I ordered my specs.

They came and I really like them. They're totally different, I laugh a bit at their size, but again, this seems to be what people are wearing. And as I told Rory, the size of lens is actually awesome. There is no frame blocking my view in any direction!

I am pleased as punch to write all of this about Firmoo because it was truly that easy, and I really am that pleased and as one who hates making appointments with two kids along for the ride, this was so slick! And the real reason I can promote them is because the prices are awesome. Frames all range from $20-$40. Everyday they add new frames to choose from. And if you click here, they have sent me a link so that you can get 15% off your order.

Again, I'm not usually peddling anything on this blog, but folks, I got a pair of free eye glasses out of the deal, I didn't have to go sit in a lobby and try on fifty pair and wonder who I really am, and I am pleased to pass this site along to you.

a special reset button

Look at those pictures! That was all yesterday, another epic summer day. We went to a beach, had a picnic, played at two different parks, stopped by the Dairy Inn for strawberry malts and ended up driving by an airfield and watching all sorts of little airplanes and gliders land and take off just feet in front of us. The day was stunning and I was a happy mama.

But the day didn't start out that way. My whole crew was a moody mess when we woke up, including me. I tried to get us out of the house for almost two hours. I threatened all sorts of things that I never followed through on. I gave Elsie a choice of swimsuits and she screamed, "both of them!" Which was fine with me. I told her she could wear both. And then she screamed even more because I think she was looking for a fight, and I wasn't giving it to her. She did end up fitting both of her bottoms on and wore them proudly all day long.

We had nothing in the house for a picnic (mayonaise on hotdog buns, anyone?) So I gathered an odd mix of prunes, graham crackers and a brown banana that made me feel better but I knew no one would actually eat. I was loading sand toys, camping chairs and beach towels into the back of the jeep, listening to my daughter cry about something in the garage when I found a bag of bread Oma Zina had given to me to give to the chickens. I took a loaf over to the chicken yard, breaking it into bits, and was thinking about calling it quits on the whole outing, sending the kids to their rooms to regroup and staying put for the day.

And then Ivar shouted, "Patsy's here!" I continued to feed the chickens, took a deep breath and then turned around with a forced smile and welcome on my face and walked over to Patsy's car. Patsy is our neighbor who lives at the end of the road and seems to only stop in on the days when I am about to give every member of my family a spanking. She catches me right before I'm about to loose my mind (or have already) and then stays and talks for a long while. Her timing is so uncanny that just yesterday I saw quite clearly that Patsy is the way God helps me press the reset button on my day. Because after fifteen minutes of catching up on her kids, her grandbaby, our barn, the kittens and the volatile morning we were living through, I seem to be breathing normal again and can continue my day back in my right mind.

She left and I loaded the kids up. I filed up water bottles and we put on their favorite kids cd and took off for a 45 minute drive through the country to a beautiful county park that has this incredible playground and huge beach.

When we were all back home I was looking through the pictures of our stunning, epic, summer day. And I thought about Patsy and how glad I was that she showed up right at the wrong time and got me on my feet again.

north house folk school

Last fall we had our friends David and Jenny over and they told us all about a folk school up in Grand Marais. They showed us the webpage and we got on their mailing list and started reading about all of the courses they offer. The variety of workshops was astonishing and really inspiring.

So this past Wednesday, Rory loaded up his truck to head up for four days to North House Folk School to take a course on blacksmithing. He got a camp site that was walking distance to the folk school and right on Lake Superior. And then he was taught how to heat and hammer metal into useful things. (That's his classroom up above.)

I was so excited for him to go. He was so excited to get to go. And based on pictures he sent to my phone, texts and late night conversations, he really enjoyed the entire experience. He got home at 11:30 Saturday night and we stayed up talking and he showed me everything he made. Then tonight we had a family slide show, showing us the campus, the station where he worked most of the time, and a few of the other classes and projects in progress while he was there.

There are so many workshops offered throughout the year and now we're trying to figure out if there is anything we can go back and learn together before baby comes. The North Shore is my favorite destination and I'm so thrilled to have one more awesome reason to make the drive up to that beautiful part of Minnesota.

The Yearling book review, with NO spoilers

I finished The Yearling late last night and I wish I was in a book club to discuss every part of it. Now I'm not going to give a thing away (you know how I hate that!) But there are a few things I wish I actually had known going into it.  I wish I had known this whole books is mostly about character development and setting. I kept waiting for the plot to start, but similar to Jayber Crow, this is just a calm, lovely read. I wish I could have let go of the expectation of conflict or struggle earlier on and just soaked up the scenery and people along the way.

My mom told me it was made into a movie, and I cannot fathom how this story would work on the screen. So much of it is descriptive setting and interpersonal growth, I just don't know how the heart of this book would translate. But maybe some day I'll watch it.

I told Rory this book was so descriptive that quite likely in a few months I'm going to say, "I'm so glad we took that trip to inland Florida this summer" even though we didn't actually go. But I have this whole world in my head and heart now, and I was swept up. And the people. Oh the main characters in this book are lovable and upright. Sometimes when Rory and I are watching a movie he'll say, "There's not one character I'm rooting for right now. I'm done watching this." And it's so true...modern stories seem void of good, solid, moral people. But this book follows a father and son, two of the best.

It's a sweet read. Enjoyable all the way through. But now after reading a 500 page WW2 book, and a 500 page Coming of Age book, I'm going for something super light. Next up: a recommendation from my friend Amanda, The Rosie Project.

we are pool people!

I have a friend who has kids that are now both on the swim team. She was telling me recently how crazy it is that her kids are so capable in the water and how much her pool days have changed since they were my kids' age. I told her with enthusiasm, "you're a magazine mom! you could actually bring a magazine to the pool and read it!" ***

Last night I brought my kids to the community pool for the evening rate and felt my own sort of graduation into a new season of motherhood. The past two years we haven't hardly ventured to the pool. We just were too little and the whole scene was too overwhelming for one mama to take two wiggly toddlers. We went one time last year, with Rory. But last night, equipped with puddle jumper life jackets (that I found at Aldi Grocery Store for $12 each!) I also graduated into another season of motherhood. The one where I can safely and sanely bring my kids to the pool and enjoy it!

Now these pictures don't show it, but I was in the water the whole time with them (well, not the toddler pool in the last picture.) But every time they were in the big pool I was right there, guiding their arms as they floated and hopped around. I recently read Ali Edwards' summer manifesto to simply get in the pool with her kids where she linked to Jessica Turner's article encouraging mom's to put on that swimsuit. I loved every word of it...be sure to click on that link.

So last night I took my six month pregnant self and celebrated my two puddle jumping kids. Next summer will likely be completely different again with a baby and we'll likely have a summer or two where it feels too overwhelming. But this summer we're going to be pool people!

(***obviously still keeping an eye on her kids! I'm all about pool safety here, people!)

Elsie goes to High School

Today Elsie and I got to go and talk to a Family and Consumer Science class that my niece Josie is in. We were there to talk about what it is like to have a two year old and what it is like to be a two year old. Elsie was thrilled at the invitation. It was very special that it was just her thing.

It wasn't until this morning when I was getting dressed to go back to the high school I graduated from that it all hit me. I graduated sixteen years ago. I am pregnant with my third baby. I am walking back through the doors as a...panelist. What in the world. Life and age is a funny thing and much of the time I think of myself as much younger than I actually am. Today as I carried my two year old in over my baby bump in my front, I realized there is no denying it. I am not in high school any more.

The panel was fun. There were two other mom's there, one who had just had her first baby at age 40. The baby was two weeks old and she was in the overwhelmed stage. The other mom had grown children and brought her daycare kids along. The students asked questions the whole hour about discipline and sleep habits and the hardest part and best part of motherhood. The three of us moms enjoyed ourselves...at one point Josie whispered to me, "do you know these other mom's? It's like you're best friends." But that's because moms have a tight bond. We've all been there, or are going there...

It was a fun day at the high school. Tomorrow is their last day before summer vacation. And perhaps the most important thing we learned today is that the Apple Valley Waterpark is now open for the season!

annika's granola

I wake up in the morning excited to go eat my breakfast. My sister Annika shared this recipe with me, and I have no idea where she found it. But since she's the one who shared it, I'll call it Annika's Granola. It's really simple to prepare and after making it one time, I will for sure double the recipe when I make it in the future. I ate it up so fast!

Annika's Granola:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1-1.5 cups coarsely chopped nuts (I used pecans and slivered almonds)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used more because I love cinnamon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried cherries (or craisins, blueberries or raisins)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix everything all together and spread on a sprayed or parchment lined cookie sheet. Toss every 8 minutes, bake 24-26 minutes).

It's so good and crunchy, great with yogurt and I like how "clean" the recipe is compared to the store-bought granola. Enjoy!

happy sabbath

Could I love a little boy anymore than I love this one? I am often struck by how much my love can grow for my kids. Just when I think I could certainly love them no more than I already do, more time passes and my love and affection deepens and it makes me wonder what it will feel like when they are 50 and I am 80.

I worked in the church nursery today and loved it. My kids were thrilled that I was the nursery worker. All week long they kept asking when it would be Sunday so that I could play with them in the church nursery. Somehow the fact that I am with them 24 hours a day isn't quite enough. Elsie woke up aware of the day and told me gladly, "you're the worker today!" And we had so much fun with all of the kids. We played restaurant and colored and played circle games and sang songs. And then I was spent and out of ideas and we still had thirty more minutes to fill. I made a mental note that next time I'll save my tricks for the last thirty minutes...

And now we're home and I'm finishing up The Yearling and loving every sweet minute of it. Some of my family is napping and one little girl is making up very sing-songy dialogue with her my little ponies. Rory got this shot of Ivar a few days ago and when we showed Ivar he laughed and laughed. He thought it was so funny he fell asleep in a chair. His dad had moved him so that when he woke up he was in his own bed. But this picture cracked him up. And it melted our hearts.

Summer Goals

(See my teeny kids at the bottom of this picture?)

I've got some serious enthusiasm and momentum heading into this summer. As much as I am aware that I am negatively affected by the weather in the month of February, and I just as aware by how positively affected I am by glorious days in May. And now it's a stunning, sunny June first and my kids and I just returned from a country drive to get chicken food, discovered a new park, had a nice conversation with another mom at the new park, came home and ate popsicles and now I'm about to bust open I'm so happy that it's summer!!!

While spotting my kids on every precarious thing at the park I was thinking through my summer goals. I'm not going crazy, but I think these things are good goals that will make for a well-lived summer:

1. Visit a new park every week. So far we're 2 for 2 on this one. Last week I found a park while following signs for a garage sale that I later took the kids to. They loved it. And I adored it because there weren't zillions of kids there. I think the hidden parks, tucked into subdivisions are little gems to be discovered. I'm out to find them all.

2. I just signed up for this e-course and I'm so thrilled. Any tips or tricks I could learn about better organizing my mornings for a smoother start to my day are very, very welcome in my life. For $16, I just don't think I can go wrong.

3. I've invited seven local friends to my house this summer to meet up seven times for a Bible Study. I found one at Lifeway called Why Do you Believe That? and I'm really excited about this intentional time to be with these ladies. They're friends I wish I got to see more often, and this is going to make it happen.

4. I have my first Girls Golf meeting tonight. So excited to get these six dates on the calendar. Based on my game last year, I think we're all pretty confident my belly won't hinder my score. It might even help me keep my body low through my entire swing.

5. Read books. I'd love to say one a week. I don't know if that will happen, but what a summer it if would! So far I'm on track, and I'm in love with the characters of The Yearling, just like Rory said I would be.

So those are the goals:
1. New park each week
2. Make Over my Mornings
3. Women's Bible Study
4. Girls Golf
5. A book every week or so

Fun, fun, fun. I feel the ticker with a new baby coming at the end of September. I know my life is going to greatly change again this fall. But until then I'm going to soak up this little pocket of time when my kids are so fantastically independent and I can do these things that feel downright indulgent. Ah, life is good!

(Can you tell I've had my Vitamin D today? The actual sunshine kind? I'm just a little enthused...)

And, just a friendly reminder to the incredible list my ecfe teacher gave to us last summer...if you're looking for more things to do! Click on this link for places to visit in the Twin Cities (mostly south metro) and this link for ideas of things to do at home. (A great list for ideas when you're kids need inspiration... but don't get sucked into thinking you need to be the cruise ship director of your kids summer!)

the stories we write

At church this morning we talked with a friend of ours who just had emergency surgery where it was discovered she had two cancerous tumors. It had been a scary few weeks, a hard recovery but every time I have seen her or heard word of how she's doing she has had the most incredible outlook. Today she said, "there was so much God wanted to show me through all of this. I learned and grew and saw so much..."

She continued and told us lots more, and while she talked I was so struck by how she was choosing to retell her own story. She was completely sincere, completely hopeful and completely grateful as she talked about her scary month.

I love blogging for this very reason. Blogging is a very intentional way that I literally write my own story. And I'm so aware of it. Last week I could have written a end-of-the-week post and I could have written it ten different ways, all of them true. I hold so much power in my hands when I (literally) write my own story. We all hold this power.

So I could have written about how our barn has been one week delayed because the wrong length floor boards were ordered. And elaborated on any number of opinions surrounding that delay. Or I could have written about how because the wrong boards were delivered, the builder discovered they were not what we needed anyway, and that in reordering we saved thousands of dollars on different boards. I could have written about the mud pit that our barn is sitting in because of all the rain, or I could write about how incredible the grass seed in our field has taken... because of all the rain.

Do you see what I am saying? We each hold this pen in our hands. God has literally given us the ability to write our own stories, pick our themes, pick our mood, pick our response and reaction, choose our words, and as a result, literally choose our life.

I am naturally a positive person. And I've always been a storyteller so that even in awful circumstances I am already writing the comedy-version of this tale in my mind. I get that not everyone is like this. But today at church, hearing our friend tell of a really hard season with not a hint of victim-hood, I saw this truth clear as day. She possessed all the good fruits: hope, gratitude, joy and thankfulness, even in the midst of her storm. I thought to myself, 'no matter what, no matter what, I want to write my story like that.'