Weekend in the Pines

Beware of some serious photo-overload ahead! We had such a nice weekend up at my parents' cabin. We haven't traveled much since Collin was born, so it was especially nice to get away from our schedules and responsibilities and just relax (well, as much as you can relax with two little ones). The kids absolutely love my parents, so they were happy to spend so much time with them. It is fun to see my kids getting their own memories there, since I grew up going to that same cabin. The cabin used to belong to my dad's side of the family, so I have many memories of my own grandparents there. I remember when we all met up there, and somehow crammed about 12 people into the 2 bedrooms and family room. It was like one huge slumber party with my siblings, our cousins and my grandparents all sleeping in the family room. I don't think I will ever forget just how loud my grandparents could snore. Between their snoring and all of us kids talking, we never really got much sleep. The next morning, both of my grandparents would always insist that they didn't snore. I remember my grandma putting together little boxes of craft items or games to keep the grandkids entertained. I love occasionally finding something at the cabin that still has her handwriting on it. I remember sliding down the neighbor's steep driveway on sleds in the wintertime. (I was a little sad to see that neighbor's little place being replaced this weekend by a new, much bigger home and that driveway gone.) As a child, I used to complain about having to leave my friends and home and go spend time at the cabin where there was "nothing to do". Now I appreciate the quiet and the time where there is "nothing to do" but be together as a family.


My dad in the hammock with Collin. Both of my kids love swinging in the hammock with their grandpa. It's my dad's secret weapon for a fussy baby, and it works almost every time.



Brynn taught Collin how to dance this weekend. They spent many hours perfecting their moves, and even added some singing to their routines. (Aren't C's pajamas the cutest? Dave calls them his "Hugh Hefners".)




Brynn loved having TWO dogs to play with (ours and my parents'). She was so excited when we told her that we were bringing them both to our house for the next week (we're dog-sitting for my parents). This picture is horrible from a technical aspect, but look at that smile on her face--sheer happiness.



My mom had fingerpuppets for the kids to play with. After some serious concentration, C figured out how to make it move by himself.


Laughing with his grandma.



My dad with his little buddy.



Story time with their grandma. All weekend, they would bring books to my mom to read to them.



Peek-a-boo!

Brynn appreciated having a few moments to herself.

Of course, moments all to yourself never last long in our family. Good thing these two love each other so much!

Yet another Brynn-ism

During one of our several visits to the doctor last week, I lifted Brynn out of the car and into the parking lot. As she got outside and the wind blew against her bare arms, she exclaimed "It's freakin' cold!" I promptly told her that we don't say that word. She said OK, and then without missing a beat, corrected herself with "It's freakin'!" Yeah, wrong word, sweetie! Sometimes I feel like living with kids is like living in an Amelia Bidelia story (does anyone remember those books, or am I just dating myself here?). They take things so literally, and are so innocent when they misunderstand what seems obvious.

Saturday Happenings

Today has been such a fun day! We met my parents for breakfast this morning at a little place we hadn't been to in awhile. The kids did well, the food was delicious, and we always have fun with my parents. After breakfast, I took Brynn with me for pedicures. She has been so well-behaved lately and going to bed without crying and screaming, so I thought I'd reinforce that with a fun "big girl" activity. She was a little overwhelmed by all the people at the nail salon and the funny chairs there, so she ended up on my lap the whole time. Not quite as relaxing for me as I had anticipated, but that's OK. She loved picking a nail polish out of the 100+ choices and then giggled in delight when the guy painted a little white flower on her big toes. I could tell she felt like a grown up when we were sitting at the nail drying station reading magazines. It's fun having a girl!!

After getting our feet sandal-ready, Brynn and I headed back home for awhile. For lunch, we went to our favorite pizza place, a Saturday tradition. We ran into some friends from church, so it was great chatting with them a bit. Then, it was home for some quiet time. When I checked in on Collin during his nap, this is what I found:

I guess he wasn't as uncomfortable as he looked, because he was actually asleep. Brynn and I ran a couple errands in the afternoon. In the evening, we met Dave's sister Cyn and her husband Mike at the Cheesecake Factory. I hadn't seen them in a long time, so we had a fun visit over our mounds of food and dessert. Um, yeah, I think it will take me all of next week to work off all the food I ate today. After we said goodbye to Cyn and Mike, we took the kids to ride the carousel at the mall. Collin enjoyed the carousel much more than he did last time (remember that picture of him from a previous post with his look of absolute terror?). Brynn was smiling during the entire ride, and as soon as she got off, she kept chanting "Thanks for the carouself, thanks for the carouself..." to Dave and I. (Who is this child these days? I am certainly hoping that all her extra sweetness signals an end to the terrible twos phase that seemed to have lingered a bit too long... Did I just jinx myself by writing that down?).

I absolutely love Saturdays. I feel so blessed to have a husband who loves to spend time with his family. I love watching our family build memories together. I love having the opportunity to catch up with family and friends. And I love having time where I don't have to focus so much on my to-do list, so I can better enjoy the fun parts of being a mom and wife.

Awwww...

I couldn't believe it, but after my last post Collin ended up with pink eye too and Brynn got sick with a fever and tummy ache. I just had to laugh at the bad luck we've been having with all these random little sicknesses and things. If you know Brynn, you know this girl has crazy energy. It can be a challenge to keep up with her because of that. By the time she goes to bed at night, I practically collapse from exhaustion (only slightly exaggerating here). B quit napping months ago, so when I found her asleep on the chair like that yesterday, I was very surprised. One of the first signs that she was sick was that she kept falling asleep during the day. She has been so sweet though! Sickness doesn't usually do that to people, B included, but I have been grateful for it after a rough few weeks. When I've taken a moment to lay down, she has taken her little minkee blanket and covered me with it. She also told me today that I'm a great "cooker" when I made them lunch (leftovers, pbj sandwiches, and mangoes--don't you love how easy kids can be to please sometimes). She's also been calling us all "Sweetie". Everything is "sweetie.." this and "sweetie..." that. She has really made this past week not only bareable, but enjoyable. I am glad she is finally feeling better, and I am grateful for the things (even temporary illness) that make you set aside the housework and errands and just spend time together.

Happy Birthday Natacha!

Today is my sister-in-law's birthday, so I hope she is having a good day! We don't live nearby, so I don't see her often, but I am looking forward to her next visit. She's been so fun to have in our family. She has a great sense of humor, and cracks us up on a regular basis. She is a great mom and a fabulous cook! Happy Birthday Natacha!

We made it!

So we made it through the weekend just fine. Dave was helpful with the kids, and he let me get out of the house for a little me-time on Saturday too. I even got a nap on Sunday morning. Brynn has been especially sweet the past few days also. Several times a day, she says, "Mommy....I love you SOOO much!" She has been giving lots of sweet hugs and kisses too, and when she isn't trying to wrestle her brother, she has been so cute with him too. She has several nicknames for him, so instead of "Collin", she usually refers to him as Buddy, Brother, Muffin Man, or ChunkaMonk. It is so sweet, and definitely gets me through the more difficult parts of being a mom. OK, so when Collin fell the other day and started crying, Brynn was quick to tell me that we need to get a new brother, but they do love each other. And Collin's rash never got very bad, and is already gone. Weird.

Speaking of making it through the weekend, Brynn has been having a tough time going to bed the past few weeks. I have literally had to pry her little hands off of my neck to put her in bed, and then she screams for at least 20 minutes until she falls asleep. Well, the other night, we had a talk about it. She was never able to communicate to me why she was doing this, but she finally told me that she is scared of things getting her in her bed. I guess she has been having nightmares, and now she thinks frogs or alligators or whatever will bite her in her sleep. Poor thing! She tends to be pretty dramatic, so I still wasn't sure how scared she was versus how much she was trying to manipulate me into staying up late. We had a talk about how she's safe in her bed, and nothing is going to bite her in her sleep. She still wasn't convinced, so I suggested she say a prayer whenever she gets scared, so Heavenly Father can help her feel safe. She immediately wanted me to say a prayer with her right then. In fact, we ended up saying two prayers. Then, she layed down and went to sleep without any crying. The same thing happened again last night. It is so sweet to see the faith and trust of a child. I hope she will always hang onto that faith, and know that her Heavenly Father loves her and is always watching over her.

You've GOT to be kidding me!

I spoke too soon. Apparently, we are not yet immune to everything out there. We ended up going to the doctor again today, because Collin got a weird rash. Of course, it didn't start showing up until after we left the doctor's office yesterday. Its not really a big deal, because it doesn't seem to be bothering him or causing him to be sick. It just means that we don't get to go out all weekend, since it might be contagious. Oh well. Maybe I will finally get around to those same projects that never seem to get crossed off the to-do list.