May Joy Always Find You

Please pardon this excessive blog entry & photos.  It’s what happens when I leave my blog blank for an entire year.

Spring Break in San Francisco

In March we headed West to California for Spring Break.  A vacation in San Francisco seemed great to us…a chance to meet up with my oldest sister Cristy and her family, a weather warm-up compared to Minneapolis, a combination of the city and beaches, etc.  We knew we wanted to rent a house rather than stay in a hotel, but we weren’t sure exactly which part of the city to call home for our week.  After scouring AirBNB and finding a few neighborhoods that appealed to us, we landed on this amazing place https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1353028

For anyone headed to San Francisco, I highly recommend this house!  It was so welcoming, calm, beautifully designed.  Right on Golden Gate Park, a quick drive to several different beaches, easy to get downtown SF and just as easy to head out to Napa. 

Our vacation consisted of hanging out at our rental house (there was a trampoline! In a fenced in backyard!! That the kitchen overlooked!!!) and exploring the city and beaches.

Around the city we visited The Exploratorium, Wharf, Ferry Building, Chinatown and the Academy of Sciences – among other sites & landmarks.  My sister Jamie joined us from Minneapolis and my sister Cristy and her family came to the city for our 1^st weekend there and then we visited them in Napa later in the week.  We got the chance to meet up with my friend Lauren from high school and her two sons – all the kids became fast friends and enjoyed playing and jumping in the trampoline! 

We hit up several beaches within San Francisco, including Crissy Field at the Presidio, China Beach and Ocean Beach, as well as San Gregorio State Beach down Hwy 1 past Half Moon Bay.  Of course it’s not that warm in northern California, particularly in March, but that didn’t stop Joe and I from enjoying ourselves (what’s cozier than fleece and windbreakers along the ocean; except possibly UGGs and warm woolens in snowy Minnesota!), or the kids from stripping down to their skivvies and running wild in the water.  The beaches were all unique and equally exciting. 

The front of our rental home

Backyard Trampoline

Inside Rental House

Hyde Pier

Riding the Cable Car

Outside the Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown

Ocean Beach

Walking through the caves at Ocean Beach at low tide

San Gregorio State Beach tidal pools

Building with driftwood at San Gregorio State Beach

San Gregorio State Beach - storm approaching

Golden Gate Park Windmill

Early Birthday celebration for Cousin Lily at her house in Napa

Auntie Jamie with the kids looking out over the ocean

Giant rocks to climb on, mansions to ogle and views of the Bridge at China Beach

China Beach

The greatest slide ever!  Dolores Park

Crissy Field at the Presidio

The Great Outdoors

When I asked the kids where they found joy and happiness this year, they were pretty decisive.  It was riding their new big bikes from Grandma and Papa, camping, swimming and jumping off the diving board at Grandma and Papa’s pool, going to the Boundary Waters, playing at the park, etc.  Not too surprising (lots of studies have found that people are happiest when they’re outside), they rattled off the fun they have in the Great Outdoors.  Here’s to a mild yet snowy winter that keeps us outside til an early Spring comes!

One weekend we took the training wheels off Otto's tiny bike...

...And the next weekend Otto was on bike with wheels the size of his previous tiny bike

 Biking the trails (because the sidewalks were so boring;) shortly after getting their new bikes (that have gears and hand brakes!)

Joe and his friend John have taken each of their oldest kids to the Boundary Waters (BWCA) for the past couple years.  This year they had gorgeous weather, the kids had a better idea what to do when in came to canoeing, portaging, fishing, etc.  One of the greatest times joy found me this year was when Joe and John got drunk one night and wound up going on and on about how awesome their BWCA trip with the kids was.  Looking forward to having the moms and 2nd oldest kids join in...hopefully this coming summer.

Fishing was plentiful this BWCA trip!

Back at Camp

Otto is a fish and our family's resident pool-boy.  If he's not in the water he's cleaning the water and taking care of the pool.  For Thanksgiving he was thankful for "jumping off the diving board and swimming without a life jacket at my papa's pool."

Boy oh boy, these boys...

...and this girl.  Who's at an age, and has a personality, that doesn't have much fear.  Need to keep a life jacket on her because jumping and water are perhaps her two favorite things.

Swimming and Playing at the parks

Fall camping. It's the best kind of camping.  Bugs gone. Warm days, cool nights.  Early sunsets, later sunrises.  Max who decides at 6:45pm, as soon as the sun set and it was dark, that we was "going to make the smart choice (maturity, 1st grade!!) and go to bed now."  And then proceed to sleep til after 7am.  So much better camping in the Fall than Summer with 10pm sunsets and 6am sunrises.

Pitching the tent, collecting fire wood

Gone Fishin'

Summer Road Trip through Michigan

For our summer vacation this year the kids talked us into renting an RV to go on a little road trip.  We drove to Green Bay to visit my dad, and that's also where we picked up our RV.  With the RV towed behind my car, we drove through Upper Michigan and down into Lower Michigan (taking the ferry to Mackinac Island for half a day) to a few little towns (Petosky, Harbor Springs, etc) and camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The novelty of the RV did not wear off over the course of the week, and we've also been tent camping post-RV trip, so hopefully the kids haven't been "spoiled" and will still want to tent camp!

Our week was spent exploring small towns throughout Michigan and playing in the Lake, Dunes and Playgrounds.  One afternoon while at the playground overlooking the Dunes, our family of five was swinging on the big 6-person swing set...one seat open.  As I took in this sight I suddenly and immediately had "mother's intuition."  I was nearly certain that the empty 6th swing wouldn't be vacant next time we visited this park.  I was right, and what our hearts always wanted, my mind and body is getting used to...a 4th baby to complete our family in 2015.  I'm just entering my third trimester, and have plenty of thoughts and mental notes I've been keeping track of about this pregnancy and the final addition to our family.  I'll dedicate a future blog post to sharing so many more baby details...

Visiting the NEW Zoo, with Papa Mark, outside Green Bay

Going to pick up our RV rental

Slide races in Manistique in Upper Michigan

Exploring the Pier and Light House in Manistique, Michigan

Playing with Max's new boomerang on Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island Bridge behind us

One night in this wide-open campsite (it felt like what I imagine the infield of a NASCAR race would be), and then we got to move to a more wooded one.  Although the campsites weren't the prettiest we've been to, the access to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes was unbelievable! 

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Empire, Michigan

Lake Michigan & Sleeping Bear Dunes

Beach Babes

H2Otto

Typical tourists...shopping for Lake Michigan gear

Final leg of the road trip.  Whatever it takes...we're almost home.

Our Blue Door

We’ve been in our house over 13 years. Throughout this time we’ve almost always had a pretty sizeable project in the works.  And of course, by we, I mean mostly Joe.  Sure, I do lots of the vision and design work, but Joe makes.it.happen. Every.time.  I still don’t know how!!  Turning our attached garage into a remodeled kitchen, building a new garage in the alley, front and back yard landscaping, designing nurseries and putting in new windows and doors and crown molding and base boards.  Finishing off the basement.  Building furniture for nearly every room in the house.  

We’re damn near out of projects – and room - in our house and yet we can’t get ourselves to make a “rash” decision (exactly what I’d call 13 years and counting in our “3-5 year starter home”…) on what to do (add-on, build up, buy a house to tear down and build from scratch, move, etc).  We love our house.  We love our neighbors and neighborhood. It’s filled with memories that never seem to slow up.  Our house has always been new-enough and big-enough to us, probably partly because of the constant state of flux it’s been in. But I sure could use a mud room and laundry room (not to mention a 2^nd bathroom that’s off limits to anyone under 4’ tall).   

So what did 2014 bring?  Refreshingly, no big house projects!  Just a can of paint and a couple hours of time.  I had a whim to paint our front door blue, so while on a date one night, Joe and I swung into Home Depot and picked out a quart of paint.  The next morning Joe painted our front door and by sunset that evening we had a little extra curb appeal.  Add in a new house number plate and I’ve got a refreshed outlook on our house. 

House in Summer

House in Fall

Moose Mountain Marathon

In early Spring Joe and I decided we wanted to run a marathon in the Fall. Neither of us had run a full marathon the previous year and we were itching to train for and run the longer distance again.  We decided to challenge ourselves and choose a trail race rather than a road race and picked the Moose Mountain Marathon on the Superior Hiking Trail near Grand Marais, Minnesota (a familiar and favorite family summer vacation spot). 

My training started out well in mid-Spring. I had done next.to.nothing during the winter – for some reason the extreme cold hit me hard that winter - and I had some serious ground to make up in terms of strength and endurance.  I hit the pavement, trails, hills, etc.  It was fun to train differently for this trail race.  One weekend, a couple months into training, Joe and I enjoyed the Afton Alps 25K and ran a strong race.  And the next weekend I was down and out!

As I mentioned earlier, surprise!, I'm pregnant with our fourth baby.  I found myself sick, tired and the most physically humbled of all my pregnancies.  My training immediately stopped, and my search for spice and vinegar started.  Joe continued to train, although minimally he says.  In my head I continued to think I could somehow still run the race in lieu of training.  I figured a good music mix, good weather and a little determination could get me through a mountainous marathon.

The night before race day Joe picked up his race bib, and I picked up mine.  I really still thought I could do it. I’d walk it.  It’s OK if it took all day. I was doing it purely for enjoyment anyway.  But knowing there were only four aid/water stops and limited cell service along the entire course (and knowing I was not trained), Joe began talking sense into me.  I should not attempt the race this year.  The morning of the race I wrote “Did Not Start. Will Not Finish” on my bib and gave it to Joe to hand into the race director letting them know I wouldn’t start, I wouldn’t finish, and not to think I’d gone missing someplace along the course when I didn’t cross the finish line later that afternoon. 

Not running the race allowed me to cheer Joe on while he ran.  He had no idea what to expect from the course and from himself.  He had a wide estimate on how long it would take to run the race, so catching him at the spectator spots could be challenging.  We got to the 1^st stop (~ 8 miles into the race) very early and, literally, right as we were walking up to the stop we saw Joe running back into the woods and continuing on the course.  I shouted so loud to make sure he knew we caught a glimpse of him, and we got back in the car and headed to the next spectator spot to get there very, very early to make sure we didn’t miss him again. 

The 2^nd (and last) spectator spot was about 7 miles from the finish line.  When Joe got there he said he was in rough shape; cramping big time, stung by a dozen bees, shoes being suctioned into the muddy trail, etc.  He still looked really strong, and I tried to be optimistic – 7 miles is like running around the two closest lakes to our house; he does it easy peasy all the time.  He continued running and we drove to the finish line. 

When he crossed the finish line he looked great, he did great!  I was so thrilled for him.  And you know what he said to me?  …I know you wanted to do this. Next year I’ll watch the kids so you can train, and I’ll run the race with you if you want to run it. 

I have no idea what races are in store for 2015, but I know Joe's who I want along side me.

26.2 miles of mountain behind him

Grandma, Papa & the kids on Lake Superior

They're getting so big!!!  And there's a little on the way!!!

Max (6), Wren (3), Otto (4)...and Baby Brother due March 2015

* Christmas card illustrations designed by Bailey Sears www.BaileyTSears.com 

* Christmas Tree Farm photos by Joe Dickie  http://www.generationphotography.com 

Things Wren Says

Leaving our house for school one morning I pointed out the white shadow of the almost full moon that hung in the bright blue sky.   Ten minutes and a few miles later, after we got into a wide opening after weaving through city streets with tree cover that had blocked the sky, Wren looked out her window and happily exclaimed,

"Oh look! The moon's going to school too!"


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We were driving home from Grand Marais in early September and there were just a few trees here and there that were starting to change colors.  The great majority were still green, but the ones that were changing had some tiny fire red spots on them that were very noticeable.

Wren pointed and said "They're turning into flowers!!" about the bright red patches.

Yippee!! Fall was arriving and yes, it is when the trees turn into gorgeous flowers here. Particularly this year, which had spectacular color that hung on the trees for months, across Minnesota!

Happy 4th Birthday Otto!

Otto, you keep getting taller (although the morning of your Birthday you did seem a little disappointed, even a bit worried, as you looked over your body, looked at me, and said "But I'm not any bigger.")  You continue to be quite lean and slim.  Your teeth are as crooked as ever, which is so great because your two front teeth are damn cute when you smile. And smirk. And roar.  And gnash. And talk. And sing.  I think of your teeth and silly faces as your trademark.  Here are my two favorite pictures that daycare captured over the past 6 months: Silly and Sweet!

Otto being silly.  I love his "growling" face, which, when Otto does it, is a great term of endearment.  Really, it's how he and his best friends affectionately greet each other - by growling and roaring at each other and then collapsing into giggling heaps.

Otto being sweet.  Then there's this picture, which happens to be the ONE photo his teachers said they caught without Otto making a silly face.  One of his teachers is a photographer and they had to work in tandem to have Otto make silly faces and then quickly capture a "serious" face in a non-silly moment.  

Otto, you have so much to say.  While your enunciation is improving vastly, many times I still need to ask you to slow down that little staccato voice of yours so I can decipher what it is you're so excited to tell me about.  Actually, your speech is in need of enough help, that this Fall you started speech class through the Minneapolis schools.  You have two of the most wonderful, caring teachers helping you learn how to pronounce your words.  And when you practice at home, I can visibly see you working so hard, exerting so much effort, to say your words correctly. I can see that you really have to think about how to say your words - where to place your lips or tongue and how to listen for the correct sounds coming out of your mouth.  Otto, I hope you know how proud I am of your hard work and how impressed I am with your bravery as you head into class alone to improve on one of your biggest weaknesses.  Your teachers say you are a model student and that your confidence is soaring.  They also say you're sweet.  

Everyone says you're sweet:)

And everyone is right.  

For me, one of the ways I describe you is that you are incredibly genuine.  When you say something or do something, you mean it.  You will notice something on the ground, and then look to me while pointing to what you see, saying "Isn't this very ("berry" - still working on your "v's") beautiful Mom? It's so pretty."

I say "I love you so much," and you say "I love you too so so so so sooooo much! I love you this much!" with your arms as wide as you can reach them.

All day long you're making silly faces.  Just because you like to make silly faces. I think it's genuinely how you feel and you're always getting a little of your sillies out.  

You have a lot of self-control. I may be way off with this one, but I kind of envision you as a surgeon some day.  You're often lost (focused) entirely in what you're doing.  You definitely like music and I envision you having a sound track to the "work" you're doing all day.  And you use precision in your writing.  On your 2nd Birthday you dotted with the marker dotters and dabbed the dots neatly in the spots where they belonged on the coloring sheet.  Now you draw pictures or "write" notes with a pen and they're in perfect rows of small squiggles and dots.  

You love to do "work" on the computer.  You've got your own Excel spreadsheet and you'll declare "I have to do my work," and pull up your spreadsheet and start typing in it.  This can keep you busy for quite a while.  The other day you asked if you could do your work, so while you worked I prepped lunches and dinners. Later that day I noticed that somehow you had sent a note of gibberish to your daycare teachers (you got our daycare Daily Notes website open and sent your teachers an email you had typed).  We all got a good laugh at this one.

Your 4th Birthday party was such a great party.  Turning four years old is the age Joe and I decided we'd begin hosting true "friends" party (where we invite your class rather than our close friends, neighbors and family) for each of you kids.  When we asked who you wanted to invite, you said "I want all'a my friends.  My whole class!"  Which leads me to this...

Otto, you and your school friends are perhaps the cutest group of 16 kids ever.  You each have such unique personalities, and each individual shines, even when you're all together.  You get along well (for the most part) and notice when someone's missing.  Three friends couldn't make it to your party and within moments of everyone arriving you asked me why the two Sofie's and Reese weren't there.  I look ahead a year and a half to kindergarden and I'm already sad because I think there's only one friend in your entire class who will be at our elementary school.  

So, your party!  You wanted it at the Nature Center, which worked out beautifully because we just needed to edit Wren's party invitation from last fall, given the woodland animals on it.  Without discussion, you told me you wanted three things on your cake, (1) a rainbow, (2) a mountain, and (3) a tree.  This was s.m.o.o.t.h.  You, knowingly or unknowingly, were playing along with the nature theme.  

When it came time to get paper ware for the party, I was in full clean-out-my-cupboards mode post Holidays.  I decided we'd use up a mish-mosh of paper plates, bowls, cups, napkins, etc.  Again, kind-of naturey in a reduce/reuse way.  And the kids LOVED drinking apple juice out of plastic champagne glasses.  And didn't notice the rest of the mismatched items.

At your party we started inside the Nature Center where everyone had the opportunity to hold a baby snake.  You ended up deciding not to hold it, as well as a few other friends.  But most gave it a try.

Then we went outside for a nature walk, looking for owls and other nature things.  The timing was perfect to get outside.  For the entire week leading up to your party it had been below zero temps here.  But the day of your party it was nearly 40 degrees.  It made for really happy parents and kids getting outside and enjoying the heat wave.

Holding the baby snake

Nature Walk

Max holding the snake

Otto & Max holding worms, to be fed to the turtle

On your actual Birthday it was a home day for me, you and Wren, so we headed to the Children's Museum (which remains one of your favorite places to go) to play for a couple hours while Max was at school.  

That afternoon I surprised you with the cake I made you and then that night the five of us enjoyed eating it after we sang Happy Birthday to you.

Wren had received a Barbie doll for Christmas, and Otto asked why he didn't get one because he really wanted one.  I jumped at the opportunity to surprise him with a home-made Barbie cake.  

Otto's 4 Years Old!

As usual, I write my annual post before going back and re-reading past posts.  There are definite themes that continue for Otto now, that I also wrote about in year's past...  Here are some links if you want to take a stroll down Otto's memory lane.

Otto's Name Recap

Otto's 3rd Birthday 

Otto's 2nd Birthday

2013

What you didn't see on FB & IG this past year.  Our "second string" family photos.  365 days condensed into a 7 minute photo slide show.    

Some highlights from 2013...


POP MUSIC
Our family photo slideshow is set to 1D this year, and that's purposeful. When I asked Joe for his input on what our "song of the year" was, he didn't pause for a moment before confirming One Direction (or Taylor Swift as a close 2nd).  

This year the boys (especially Max) have strong opinions on what music to listen to, and 1D and Taylor Swift always top the list (what can I say...I've introduced them to some great tunes in the car!). All three kids have started singing along to pop music. Even Wren, not-quite-two-years-old at the time, singing "Stay" by T. Swift.

Speaking of Taylor, I went to her concert this past fall with a super fun friend and colleague, and throughout the show all I kept thinking was how I can't wait to take the boys (Joe included, and probably Wren if it's in a few years) to see her the next time she comes through Minneapolis.  Such a fun sing-along concert, I know I'd have even more fun with my whole family.


SPRING BREAK
Since Wren was born in late 2011, 2013 was the year all five of us took a flight together for the 1st time.  We headed to Mexico for vacation in March and had a great time.  Max showed us that he was 100% independently swimming, which helped me and Joe out tremendously so each of only needed to be holding one other kid at a time. The kids had a blast and still talk about going to Mexico.  We've booked Spring Break for 2014 and will be headed West, but staying domestic in California.  


HAIR CUTS
June brought significant hair cuts for Max and Otto.  And now it's January and I'm thinking perhaps it's time again...


Wishing you Happiness in 2014!


https://vimeo.com/83121157

Home for the Holidays

As I work on one of my least favorite things ever - taking down our Christmas trees and all the holiday decorations - here's a little photo recap of our decked halls.  

It's going to feel so empty once everything's all put away.  But it will be a nice blank canvas to get our house the way I want it for Spring and Summer!

Me & Joe before heading out to dinner with his parents and siblings.

Homemade Granola that I gave to teachers as part of their gift.  The antique Ball lids (garage sale find this summer) were the perfect touch.

Cousin Lily said Wren looks like she's caroling here. If she was, she was definitely singing Frosty or Rudolph, which she loves!

Following last Christmas, Joe made a built-in book case in the other corner of our living room, so after many years, we put the tree up in this corner. For the 1st time I taped Christmas cards around the archway between the kitchen and living room.

For the 2nd year in a row this wooden tree Joe made has been in the play room (instead of one of the boy's room) and I lit it up.

Our buffet in the kitchen.  While I'm loving our living room and play room of late, I am disenchanted with our kitchen and trying to think of simple ways to liven up the aesthetic of it.  Ideas welcome.

Our living room, which I always love so much at the Holidays.  The garland above the windows was a bit more challenging to work with this year.  I placed lights in them, which was a nice addition at night time.  

The play room is also now a pseudo mud room with basket, hooks and cubby for each kid.  Our measly front entry is a land mine and hazard with the amount of snowy gear dropped there every afternoon.  

Our Christmas tree, which looks very, very, very similar year after year.  I'm thinking of trying something a bit different next year.  Since everyone asks, yes, we did string the popcorn.  Joe and I.  Before kids. A full five years before we had any kids. That makes those strings of popcorn a decade old.  It's PopSecret butter flavor, and apparently has a shelf life of eternity.

After five years without putting my Old World Christmas ornaments up (because they're super special to me and very breakable), my mom suggested this pre-lit white berry tree when shopping one day. I squeezed it into a corner in mine and Joe's bedroom.  One day when only Max was home, he carefully helped me unwrap every ornament, tally them up (~150) and place the on the tree.   

Wren's Holiday bed.  Otto walked into her room after I had made her bed and he giggled excitedly..."It's a hotel bed!!!"  I translate that to mean all the sheets and pillow cases coordinate - thus it reminds him of when we stay at a hotel.

I played around with some fresh greenery, red berries and mercury glass for little displays throughout the house.

Joe finally hung his deer heads on the wall downstairs.  To which I promptly hung a Christmas ball ornament from one of the antlers (not pictured).

It was nice to have a white Christmas.  It was a bit too cold, too fast, this December, but the snow was much welcomed.

A little tough to see given the snow cover, but I bought the potted greenery at Costco and then added some birch bark and more berries from our back yard.  Then I placed the pot in a burlap sack.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!  

Otto's Favorite Toy

#TBT

(~6 months ago, but still 100% relevant today)

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As a mom you're asked what your kid likes to play with.  "What is his favorite toy?"

I've written before about Otto's love of computers.  And they don't even have to be turned on or in working condition.  He just wants to pretend to press the buttons and pretend he's doing stuff. Even better if he has a couple computers out at once, all lined up, ready for work.  Over the moon happy if he has power cords to accompany the computers.  Often times it looks like he's in the thick of coding, and other times I swear he's writing music/DJing because he's so absorbed in his work and often humming or singing.

The other morning he woke up (early as usual), crept to my side of the bed and loudly whispered "Mama, you want to play electricity with me?"

That was the best wake up I've had in a long time.  So precious and entirely Otto.  He was so excited for me to go out to the play room and "play electricity," which just means taking a half dozen computer power cords, hairdryer & flat irons and the like and tucking the cords and plugs into tiny nooks and crannies of drawers, wrapping them around furniture legs, etc.  

Seriously.  THIS is his favorite toy.  Otto and his "electricity" (aka, power cords & plugs)


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