What Babies Do

Emily got to bring and 'share' her baby sister for show-n-tell at school this week.  When the teacher asked "And what does your baby sister like to do?"  Emily replied "eat scrounge off the floor."  Guess we should have done some prepping beforehand.

9 Months

Been having problems with my computer...was supposed to post this a couple weeks ago...
My baby's 9 months old.  Where does the time go?  (Sniff sniff.)  And the shirt she's wearing...Abby wore the same one on her 9 month birthday over 8 years ago.

Waffling

Made waffles today for lunch.  Burned them a bit.  Nathan's response:  "Ma-ommmm!  I don't wike dem rusty on da bottom!"  Me neither, Bud.

No Waste

I try to teach my children not to waste...you know--you can still color on a piece of paper with a bent corner; you can wear jeans several times before washing, and you can make a meal out of leftovers, etc. 
Today during Courtney's diaper change I discovered a muticolored, shiny treasure of sorts and Nathan thought the principles of resourcefulness and frugality should apply here as well.  I had him bring me a Q-tip just so I could see what it was that she had ingested.  "Huh, it's just a puffy letter sticker...she ate a sticker, Nathan!"  I then proceeded to wrap up the diaper holding the poo, the dirty Q-tip, and the petty treasure we'd discovered.  I then saw the alligator tears forming..."But Mom!  Aren't you going to save it?...I thought we could wash it off!"  I tried to explain why it was unnecessary to save a digested, poop-covered letter 'J' sticker, but some things are just hard to understand when you're 3.  I did remind Nathan that when he was a baby, he swallowed several Polly Pocket shoes--and we didn't save those either.  That brought a tiny bit of comfort.

And now onto lunch...

A Day Off

During cleanup time the other day Abby voiced an all too common complaint:  "I'm sick of  picking up!"  I told her I get sick of picking up after everyone all the time too.  To that she said "But Mom, that's why there's Mother's Day."  Oh phew--that's a relief.  She's right, what do I have to complain about when I get a break once every 365 days?

Plugged

My little peanut's got a plugged up pooper...peaches, pears, peas, and prunes...and maybe a little glycerin suppository--but that doesn't start with "p."  Poor little pumpkin!  What a way to celebrate your 7 month birthday!

Rags to Riches?

As the girls were getting ready for school, Emily asked innocently, "Mom, when you were little, what did you wear...rags?"  Where do they come up with this stuff?

Farmin'

Grandpa Prestrud with all 13 grandkids.  Prairie Farm, WI.  Labor Day weekend.  A photographer from a farming calendar also came out to take pictures...so you may see one like this in a 2010 calendar a year from now.  The Case Tractor (if I've got my facts straight) was originally purchased by Wade's Great Grandfather, sold several times, then many years later tracked down, purchased again, and restored by Wade's Dad, who still farms on this century old farm. 

Sometimes I Just Shake My Head

Over the weekend I cleaned out the art supply cupboard.  In doing so, I found this lovely note.

It reads:  "Emily, you have to clean up my clothes if you want a hug & kiss.  I love you so much.  Love, Abby Prestrud."

Nothin' like a little unconditional sisterly love. 

Hugs

Came in the room to find Nathan giving Courtney a big bear hug.  Knowing he doesn't know his own strength when it comes to babies, I cautioned him to "not hug the heck out of her."

"Yeah, I won't hug the neck off of her," he replied.  Well, that works too.

Where Do Babies Come From?

 

Conversation between the girls today as they came home from school and loved on their baby sister...

Abby:  Ooooooh wejustloveyourbabychub...justlovethatchub...ourlittlechubbers...

Abby again:  All that chub comes from Mama's milk!

Emily:  Naw-aw...her chub comes from dirt.  Daddy says we all come from dirt. 

1st Day

1st day of 1st grade for miss Emily Gracia, and 1st day of 3rd grade for Abba-do. Before the bus picked them up, the 3 of us prayed together over their school year. Afterward I looked at Abby and she had tears in her eyes. "That was just touching," she told me with sincerity. And then she offered up a spontaneous prayer of her own. Oh, my heart. Love those girls.

Praying that God gives them a good year--of good friends, good teachers, and good learning. Praying His protection over them over all that they are exposed to and need to filter through. And praying above all that they grow in their relationship with Him, and share His love and truth with those around them. Lord, may they influence more than they are influenced.

Joy and Pain

It's strange how you can have joy, and yet your heart can be heavy at the same time...but that's how I feel. My heart hurts for my sweet mom who has been dealing with daily pain, and often nausea from the cancer her body is fighting. I just want her to feel better and be able to enjoy life with us again. And yet, as we wait and pray and long for healing, I am also overcome with a joy and peace that only come from God. I am so convinced that He is good, despite how circumstances look. And I know in the depths of my being that He can be trusted with whatever He is up to.

Yesterday my sister, Bria, and I set up a CaringBridge website for my mom. If you are praying for her, I know she'd be encouraged if you stopped by the site to tell her so.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/judiknutson

Happy 40th Anniversary!

It's my parents' 40th Wedding Anniversary today! (If my scanner was working, I'd include a nifty wedding picture of them.)

Anyway, in talking with our children about the wonderful accomplishment of 40 years of marriage, Abby's response was "Boy, I hope you two stay together that long...or live that long." Nice.

Congratulations Mom & Dad! You are an inspiration.

Getting Old

I've been on what feels like a never-ending search for a good haircut and stylist to match. This week I tried again. The young, hip gal did a decent job on the cut itself, but slicked my hair to my head like a drowned rat, and I'm still shaking my head over a few of her comments:

"Yeah... you want something age appropriate." (Age appropriate...since when is 35 old enough to have to worry about being age appropriate?!)

"Wow, do you color your hair or is that all natural?" (I was thinking maybe she just meant I have nice natural highlights, until she added "Because you hardly have any grays." [For my age.]

"You really had what I call the 'meat loaf' going on here in the back--we've got to get rid of some that." (Huh, that was the part of my hair that I liked.)

"If you grow it out a bit, it won't look so much like a mom-style--sorry, did I offend you?"

And when I asked her to style my hair with an outward flip, her response was "Do I have to?...that was like 6 0r 7 years ago."

And lastly, from my hubby: "Hmm...it kind of makes your head look small. And it doesn't really fit with your style of clothes...try a different shirt on and see if that looks better." (What?!)

It's getting old, folks. And apparently I'm getting old, too.

Pray For My Sweet Mom!

This past week my sweet mom, Judi, was told that the cancer she'd beat over 10 years ago had returned. The week prior, we had spent our annual week up at a cabin in Bemidji with my family. My mom had been in such terrible pain that she couldn't do anything all week except try to sleep. She had a terrible muscle pain/bulge in her back that she'd been dealing with for a month or two. She'd been to her family doctor, a physical therapist, and a chiropractor. It didn't occur to any of them to check for a recurrence of the cancer.

We had to wait 3 excruciating days for her to meet with the oncologist, go over the CAT-scan and to know if they suspected the same type of cancer, as well as how advanced it might be. We got good news! The oncologist said he's 95% sure it's the same type of cancer as before--a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, one they call a "good kind." He said once again that it's very treatable. He started her on Prednisone right away on Friday to begin reducing the size of the tumor pressing on her back muscle and thus ease the pain. (She also has it in several other places). The oncologist didn't feel a biopsy was necessary, and is just starting her on chemo right away on Monday. She'll have it M-F this next week and then rests for 3 weeks. Repeat. This cycle should continue for 6 months, and hopefully no more after that.

Please pray for healing for my mom. For the tumors to shrink to nothing. Also pray for her spirits to be encouraged as she fights this disease. Above all, pray that God would be honored and glorified. Pray that we would trust Him as His ways are not like ours. He sees the big picture and we have such limited vision.

It is normal to feel scared (as, to be honest, I have been and still am) when someone you love faces cancer. But I want to trust in my God--my God Who is big, my God Who is good in all He does, even when what He does is not what or how I would choose.

Our family at White Pines Resort in Bemidji, MN, one week ago.

Finally

It's true. The seemingly impossible has happened. Nathan, my 3 and 3/4 year old has officially christened the pot. This moment was a looooooong time in coming. He's done it folks. Wonders never cease... Please humor me in the play-by-play:


1) Despite many tricks and suggestions, he'd had no interest in the big boy potty. No desire to aim at the Cheerios or dress in big boy underpants. He liked reading his potty book, but wanted no part of acting it out himself. We were starting to think he might wind up the first kindergartner ever to still be pooping in a diaper.

2) A month or two ago we began giving him 2 M&M's for at least telling us he'd gone in his diaper and needed to be changed. It was something. Baby steps.

3) Then two days ago he decided he wanted to wear underpants OVER his diaper. Fine. Great. We'll take what we can get.

4) That night he decided to sleep with his potty, along with his teddy bear. Super. He might not want to pee in it, but at least he was losing his aversion to it, right?

5) Then yesterday out of the blue he informed me that he wanted to wear his big boy underwear with no diaper at all. I didn't care how many accidents we might have--we were going for it. He let me know later that morning that he actually wanted to sit on his potty. I ran to get it. Ladies and gentlemen, you can guess what happened next! I just about peed myself, I was so excited. He went several more times during the day, no matter that 2 accidents were also in the mix.

6) Later that night I was talking to my sister on the phone, telling her of his accomplishment, and added that I had no idea when he might poop on the potty too. No sooner had I gotten those words out of my mouth, then my son walked in the room with something behind his back and a big grin on his face. He then proudly presented me with a stinky little lump of brown from his potty bowl! We had to call the whole family up to see what he'd produced. He beamed.

Alright, there's no turning back now. And I think we're on the road to victory. Only one accident today. And only one more kid left to potty train after Nater-Putt.

Pondering

Wade and I spent some time cleaning out the garage this weekend. We came across an old box with all of our wedding cards--from 13 years ago. I wanted to go through them to find & save the one from my Grandma Sallie who passed away last year. Wade wanted to go through them to see if there was any money we missed :) As we read through them, though, we were both struck by how many of the people who attended our wedding 13 years ago have now either passed away or gotten divorced. We were reminded not to take life--or marriage for granted.

My prayer...Lord, keep us faithful...to one another, and to You. Let us use our lives in such a way that we will have few regrets. And may our highest priority be to know You well, and make You known by the way that we live and love.

Honestly, so often my life falls far short of that prayer. Yet that is still my prayer.

The Things We'll Do!

Emily got a $10 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble for her birthday from her great grandma. She and I went on a special date for her to spend it and pick out a book. I wanted her to be able to pick out whatever book she wanted, within reason. Of all the books in the store, this is what she chose. Walter the Farting Dog. Ever read it? It's a national bestseller. Serious. And it was $17 with tax--so I ended up paying for almost half of it. Can't believe I let her get this book--we don't even let the girls use this word at our house. Oh the things we do to spark an interest in reading in our children!

Great Grandma is going to be thrilled when she hears the title of the book...maybe I won't tell her.

Buzz

Sometimes even Buzz, Bear, and the baseball bat need a nap.

Caption Me

Hehe

Was at the pediatrician's office the other day...(yes, I happened to have my camera with me because I needed a picture of Courtney with our wonderful pediatrician--memento for the baby book)...anyway, saw this advertisement in the hallway and got a chuckle out of it! Yes, those bears on the beach...they need this "gift that will last a lifetime." Hehe. Does anybody else find this advertisement funny, or is it just me?

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks Wade's and my 13th wedding anniversary. 13 years ago today we were married at Faith Community Church in Hudson. In that 13 years we've lived in 3 different apartments, then 3 different houses, 3 different states, and had 4 children. There have been lots of ups and downs. But I can say with gratitude that God has been good. He has been faithful through every mountain and valley.

Wade Matthew, just wanted to take a moment to thank you today...for your commitment to our marriage, for working hard to provide for our family, for the sacrifices you make, for all the millions of things you fix around here, for the home remodeling you do (ie. finishing a whole basement practically single-handed, and most recently, tiling the kitchen floor), for making me laugh with your noodle-dance-Nathan-imitation, for letting me get out by myself while you cover mom-duty, for telling me often that you love me. The list goes on...but I'll stop there and finish by telling you that I love you and am thankful for you. Love, Kara Jo

Emily, You Rock!

Happy 7th Birthday Emily! You are a gem to have in our family. I love your sweet, gentle self. I love the way to get excited about little things, and the way you are so kind and helpful with your baby sister. I love your knack for art, and your hugs that abound. I love the birthday themes you've chosen over the years...bugs, duckies, Cinderella, Bitty Babies, Scooby Doo, and this year...ROCKS! Among the festivities were rock painting, "dirt cake" with gummy worms (your idea) and a scavenger hunt for Pop Rocks. Grandpa K also gave you his rock collection from when he was a kid.

We love it when you feel special, Em...because you are!

Who?

Fortunately we've been blessed with lots of great hand-me-downs for Nathan. I hardly ever need to buy him clothes. Frequently when I get him dressed in the morning, he will ask "Mom, who'd I get dis from?" Typical answers include: "Cousin Amy," "Tami's sister," Julianne's little boy," or "Jodi's neighbor." So the other day Nathan wanted to know where his cute striped jammies came from. "Actually those came from Old Navy," I replied.

"Who's Old Navy?" Nathan wanted to know. He had never heard of her before.

Poop Happens

So we went to the zoo last weekend. My sister, Bria, myself, and the kids. It took forever to get everybody ready and out of the house. By the time we got there it was already time for lunch. Finally we got everyone fed, pottied, and washed up. Got Baby in the Baby Bjorn and we were set to hit the tropics trail. First stop, the turtles, just 10 feet away from the bench we'd been camped on. The kids were oohing and aahing when suddenly I heard a loud, wet "SPLAT." I looked down to see a huge puddle of poop on the ground, as well as spattered on my new running shoes. I immediately looked up to see what kind of animal just crapped on me from the branches above...nothing obvious, and what bird poops that much at once...

Next I hear a rumble in the Bronx...and realize that MY CHILD is the culprit. To my horror, I then see the yellow pooh oozing and squishing EVERYWHERE...down my shirt, down my shorts, all over Courtney's shirt and pants, all over the Baby Bjorn, and--as I'd mentioned, all over the floor and my new shoes. Bria, who gags at the sight of poop, helped me hoist Courtney out of the Bjorn, and there she dangled in all her poopy glory. Time froze. I said I thought I might cry; I had no idea where to begin. We were right in the aisle, too. Mothers were shooing their children to the sides to avoid the neon goo. It honestly looked like puke.

At that moment, Nathan turned away from the turtles and headed toward us. We both warned him of the poop puddle. But Nathan, seeing a great opportunity for puddle fun, STOMPED right in it, now splattering it EVERYWHERE, including on Emily's bare legs and feet. It was all I could do to restrain myself at this point.

Eventually we hauled all of us, poo and all, to the bathroom for a good long wipe down and rinse out. Finally, about 2 hours after we'd originally planned to start the zoo tour, we were on our way. I still had poop stains running in a streaming stripe all down the front of me, but oh well.

It wasn't until later that I realized I never even explained myself when I ran into an old high school classmate that I hadn't seen in 15 plus years. Again, oh well. She's got kids. She's got to understand, right?

I can look back now and find it funny. But honestly, it was not funny at the time. But hey, poop happens. We ended up having a great time, the highlight of which was feeding the giraffes! I'm going to miss our zoo membership when it expires at the end of this month.

So...humor me. Share some of your own best poop stories, please.

When I Grow Up

Abby: "Mom, when I grow up I wanna be a pastry chef...Mom, what's a pastry chef?"
Me: "I have no idea."

Where's Kara?

Can you spot me? An old high school friend sent me this photo--it was from our 6th grade choir concert. Oddly, I'm now in contact with many of these people again, through Facebook.

And here's another, just for kicks. I think this was from 7th grade. I think the shirt's back in style now, too.

You Are Good

"...When it's dark and it's cold and I can't feel my soul,
You are good
When the world has gone gray and the rain's here to stay
You are still good
So with every breath I take in, I'll tell You I'm grateful again
And the storm may swell, even then IT IS WEll
And You are good..."



This song has been ministering to me lately. Thanks Ed for helping me upload a video on my blog for the first time. And Heather, thanks for sending me this song.

Grateful

This is what I woke up to on Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed. No matter that I leaned over and spilled my own juice all over the bed.


Wade also gave me the 4th and last charm for my Mother's charm necklace.

I've mentioned this before...but I was thinking back to about 10 years ago...to the days when Wade and I were going through infertility treatments. Our hearts were longing for a baby (and honestly, very few people really seemed to understand what that ache felt like...)

Jumping ahead to today...My heart is grateful. Overflowing even. Thank You, Lord.

"For this child I prayed...and the Lord heard my cry." 1 Samuel 1:27

Send Me to the Loony Bin

Some days this is how I feel. Notice Jen in the background...I don't think she's quite feelin' my pain. She is enjoying her new Mac computer though.

Legacy

Abby: "Mom, what's a legacy?"
Me: "It's the message or example you leave behind...like the legacy I want to leave for you is to love God and love people."
Abby: "Oh yeah. Like monkey see, monkey do."

...Something like that :)

Tick Rules

We just returned from a needless trip to the pediatrician's office. Found a wood tick on Abby's scalp this past weekend. Pulled it out but only got the body...head was still stuck in there. Nasty. Daddy even tried to get it out with a sterile needle. No such luck.

In case you're wondering what the proper procedures are regarding wood ticks, per our wonderful pediatrician, they are as follows:

1.) Pull it out. Period. Use tweezers and get as close to the skin as you can. (Just like I did.) Some of you may have heard to use Vaseline to suffocate it...well, for starters, Vaseline takes hours to work if it's going to work at all. And the Doc said it's kind of pointless as Vaseline only works if the tick is not really embedded very far anyway--in which case pulling it out is still better--quicker and less messy too. (Plus, the Doc said "who wants to leave a living tick on your child's head for hours once you know it's there?")

2.) If the head is still in there, no biggie--believe it or not. (Our bodies will work it out just like a sliver.) The tick's dead and has lost the ability to do anything more. Simply put Neosporin or Bacitracin on it 2x per day for 2-3 days. The body will enclose the foreign tick part and expel it, probably along with some pus. Gross but painless.

If I can save a child from a needless needle picking session, or a mom from a needless trip to the doctor's office (and needless $20 copay) then this post was worth it.

Happy trails!

Oh, FYI the Doc also said all of the above holds true in the case of a deer tick as well, in case you're wondering.

On Second Thought...

Okay, remember I said before that these were worthless? Well maybe I was wrong. Apparently they double as screwdrivers.

Wii pod?

Me: "We really should change Courtney's diaper...she's got quite the pee wad going on.
Nathan: (shakes head)..."Yeah, quite the wee pod."
Maybe this could be an inspiration for a new invention...

Coat or No Coat, That is the Question

Emily wanted to know if she'd have to wear a coat this morning for school. She confessed that she really didn't want to have to wear one...because she'd be chasing the boys on the playground and she might get hot!

Wake Up

Both Nathan and Courtney decided to get up at 6:00 AM this morning. Fun fun. Nathan wanted the TV on. I told him no, but he could snuggle in bed with me. He objected with "but Mom, I was trying ta wake up da sun!"

Obviously no one has informed him that when the sun's not up, we shouldn't be either.

Reasons

On Saturday I had planned to take the kids to the park. All the girls had to do was put a way their laundry and be nice to each other. No such luck. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth when I informed them they had made their choices and missed their chance. After Abby calmed down, she came in and said "Mama, I think I know the reason Emily and I can't get along...I think it's because you make us put away our laundry." Right. Makes perfect sense.

Also during the aforementioned not getting along & half-hearted attempts at laundry putting-away, Emily came upstairs to whine and complain that Abby had called her a such-n-such. Upon questioning, Abby said "Oh no, I wasn't calling her that, I was saying it to satan." Another good one. (How convenient when little sister is standing next to you...say whatever you want and then excuse it by insisting you were just rebuking the enemy.) Clever. They never cease to amaze me.

Crocs

The kids have been excited to get the summer shoes out again. Abby put on her pink 'Crocs' and exclaimed "I love these crotches!" And for some reason she didn't seem to get the significance when I corrected her.

Two Months Old

I take my kids' pictures on each month birthday for their first year of life. Wade helped me with theses. Got Courtney to smile briefly...and then her mood quickly turned sour. She knows she's got a lot of picture taking to put up with as she grows up!

Comparison

So there is this blog I read...it's on my list actually. It's called Resolved 2 Worship. Beautiful title. I don't know why I read it, though. It often tempts me to compare and inevitably decide I don't measure up. I don't personally know the gal who writes it, but she seems amazing. She's younger than me, has 6 children with another on the way--and she homeschools. She's beautiful, runs marathons, and has her own photography business. Most of her blog posts could double as devotionals. She also has a degree in interior design and she and her family recently moved into a former beauty salon turned home--which she single-handedly (sp) redecorated on a budget of about $10. I'm exaggerating but not by much. She often posts these beautiful pictures of her beautiful children frolicking in the beautiful river. She shares what God is teaching her and it's always these deep amazing insights complete with Scripture alongside. Oh--and did I mention she sings and writes music, too? And that she never seems to have a bad hair day or children that fight or struggles in her marriage, or a baby that covers every outfit she owns in urp? (Oh, I forgot--she also makes her girls' clothes--and they always look amazingly cute and trendy.)

I tell myself that the image I paint in my mind of her life cannot be entirely accurate. She can't be perfect. She must have days where she feels the weight of her humanness...or maybe just gets a zit. Well, even if she doesn't, the truth is that I do. Though I love my life, I have plenty of days where I feel like I fall short, days where I not only feel frumpy & dumpy and out of style, but days where I see all my glaring faults and wonder how in the world my kids are going to turn out okay with a mom like me.

The truth though is that I am doing my best, and I am choosing to cling to Jesus and rest in Him. He doesn't judge me like I judge myself. The truth is that God holds my children in His hands. The truth is that although I can't sew a button on to save my life, I have been given gifts and I love using them to serve my God. And the truth is that in God's eyes I am beautiful every day. And as for my character, I am a work in progress and that is how it's supposed to be. He Who began a good work in me will be faithful to carry it to completion. (from Phil. 1:5-7).

Yes, it's not good to compare.

And a Few More Pics :)

Once again, photos courtesy of kelleejeandesigns.com