Two Months & School Prep

Our little Sammy Sam celebrated two months yesterday! I haven't had much luck taking his picture, though. Yesterday I waited until too late in the day and had awful lighting. Today, the little guy refused to be set down without crying. I can't blame him, though. This morning he had his two month check up, which included a round of vaccinations. He's been either sleeping, eating, or cuddling ever since. Wait, isn't that just like every other day? Indeed it is, but today I could tell he was under the weather. Poor thing. So I still tried to snap a photo, hoping that the camera would capture a moment between wails, but I don't think we were quite successful. Here's what I was able to get.

See what I mean? His face was a little red but I think he was taking a breath so it doesn't look as much like he's crying. Goodness, now I feel bad for taking his picture at all with how upset he was. I didn't take long to do it, friends. I was quick about it. We'll try it again tomorrow when he's feeling better.

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Miss Ella is a mere two weeks away from starting school. Not even two weeks, actually. She starts on Monday, August 6. The school has a summer program, which is why she's starting so early. It will help her get used to things before her real preschool program starts after Labor Day. She couldn't be more excited. When we last visited, she was told they have a garden, so every time someone mentions preschool, she talks about the garden. And they get to go on picnics. Can I go?

At the beginning of the week, we made a paper chain to help with the countdown to the first day of school. Each morning Ella tears off one link and can see how close we're getting.

I've always loved school. Loved loved. Like to the point of going to summer school during my elementary years just so I could be in classes. Those poor teachers. I hope they got paid a good amount to give up their own summers to be there with us. I don't know that I could do the same. I love teaching, but when summer hits, it's time to do all things summer. And in my books, that does not include school.

I've been so excited for Ella to start school that I started looking for a backpack and lunch box weeks ago. Sometimes when she puts on a cute outfit in the morning, I make a mental note of it being school worthy. Last night I finally found the perfect backpack. Not an easy task. So many bags are made for bigger kids and I really wanted something cute and preschoolish. I'm giddy about it and can't wait to get it in the mail. I'm going to wrap it up and we'll give it to her the morning she starts school. It's even going to have her name embroidered on it! I also like to picture her wearing it through the airport on our way to Kenya. It's going to be the cutest little carry-on ever. Are you curious to see it? I'll be sure to take a photo of Ella with it the first morning of school. Until then, it's a surprise. (So don't mention it to Miss Ella, okay?)

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I can't resist sharing this little video that Pete shot while I was out the other day. (He was home long enough for me to visit my favorite antique store in Canal Park!) She's been wearing my shoes as often as I allow her to, and as you'll see in the video, her balance is amazing. She's been that way since the first time she tromped around in my heels at about 18 months.

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Have you had a cupcake this week?

Homegrown Night Out

Two weeks ago, Mama Bex & I met up downtown to see our brother Jake and his band, Dead Guys, play at Homegrown. Homegrown is a week-long music fest that happens every spring at bars and restaurants all across Duluth and Superior with about 150 local musical acts.

This was actually the first time I've seen Jake's band play live. (Jake's the lead vocalist.) I LOVED it. They are definitely a group that was made to be seen live.

Zac, Josiah, Jake

 No, it's not typical to sit on the floor of a bar at a show like this, but this mama's back needed the break. Not a whole lot of dancing going on for me.

Thankfully, Mama Bex joined me, so I wasn't sitting all alone. What a good sis.

Here's a recording of Damn & Blast that Jake wrote. (Damn & Blast is a quote from C.S. Lewis)

To check out a couple Dead Guy recordings, click here.

AVA UPDATE:
I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sent a birthday card for Ava last week. Her parents had hoped to come back home to Duluth on her birthday where a few of us had planned a quiet birthday party with her friends. Unfortunately, she was rushed back to the hospital that morning for an emergency surgery to remove fluid that had built up on her brain. She remained in the hospital over the weekend and had a surgery yesterday to place a shunt to handle the fluid that continues to put pressure on her brain. Later in the week, she may have surgery to get a feeding tube placed in her tummy as well as a trach. Jeff & Janell are really asking for healing of her throat so she regain her ability to swallow and not need the trach. And of course, we're always, always praying for a miracle.

Puddles

My mama dreams are coming true. My dear little Ella is now old enough to splash through the puddles and completely enjoy it. Last week we went on our first puddle excursion. We started in the yard and stomped through every puddle. Then we moved on to the sidewalk and down the street. We even included mud puddles!



Ella discovered a drain in the alley behind our house. She kept saying, "agua, agua" in her little voice. We spent a good amount of time just watching the water rushing down the street into the drain. Such discoveries really are exciting!



Now we've entered the adventure of trying to find rain boots that will fit Miss Ella's little feet. Not an easy task so far. Every place around here is sold out or doesn't carry a size 4. I think we'll end up ordering them online. It'll be worth it not to have soaking wet feet after each tromp through the puddles. And I know there will be many more tromps. She's been asking every day since our first.

Nana & Bapa Olsen are here to stay the night with Ella while Pete & I enjoy a night up the shore. I don't even care what we do so long as it doesn't involve talk of diapers or timeouts. We're ready for a little time away.

Daddy's Favorite Christmas Gift

the point is that she feels free. and she loves it!

A Weekend of Sledding

This past Saturday and Sunday all three of us enjoyed a little get-away in the northern Wisconsin woods for the first year residency retreat. The highlight of the weekend was our trip to the tubing hill. What is it about a hill covered in snow mixed with the whooshing of freezing wind past your ears as you fly downward on a rubber tube? It's an adventure at any age!


We bundled Ella in her pink snowsuit and boots, plopped on her hat, and tried to convince her it really was for her own good that she keep her mittens on. We weren't great examples. Neither Pete or I had hats since we had only planned for Ella to go sledding. I had pictured a gentle hill, a small ditch perhaps, for her first true sledding excursion. Instead we ended up here with a bunch of crazy docs who, in typical resident fashion, went well above and beyond the regular tubing style. (Think three tubes, one person.)


Ella absolutely loved it! She was incredibly brave as the three of us barreled down the hill, side-by-side. Then Daddy would pull her back to the top (a great reason to always go sledding with Daddy) and we would do it all over again. We kept this up until Pete & I realized how cold our ears were.

So back to the cabin we went where we cozied up to the fire and continued to relax. It was a lovely mini vacation, indeed.

Oh! I almost forgot! Here is a video of Ella's first trip down the hill. It's a bit rough in places, but I was, after all, speeding down a hill for most of the recording. If you expand it to full screen, you may be able to see it better.

Video: The Dancing Boots

Ella loves Mama's rain boots!

Dessert with Ella

Tonight Ella made her very own dessert - butterscotch pudding. I put the milk and powder into the measuring bowl, set Ella up at the breakfast nook, and let the little cook go to town. I managed to get the end of the process on video with my phone. You'll be able to figure out how it all ended up by watching, although we managed to save most of it due to quick mama reflexes. We'll be serving it after spaghetti tonight in a very pretty Disney Princess cup. How lovely!

So here's my little Ella making her very first dessert. I'm so proud of her!

Laughter

Is there anything better than a baby's laughter in the morning?

Where's Mama's String?

A Song by Uncle Jake

I caught this a couple weeks ago when my brother played open mic on a Friday night at the church. I always love catching his shows. I'm still trying to get him to record the song he wrote and played for us at our wedding. If I do get it from him, I'll post it. It was beau.ti.ful. Truly.

In the meantime, here's a snippet of a song he recently wrote. Sorry, I don't know the name of it.

Enjoy.

A Morning Conversation

I caught this conversation this morning between Ella and her friend, Bella. Ella & I made the drive down to Minneapolis yesterday to spend some time with Bella & Shauna and another very good friend, Jen. I was giddy the whole 2 1/2 hours in the car just thinking about hanging out with my girls. We had a delicious meal prepared by Shauna (Super healthy & tasty at the same time? That's talent.) Right after dinner, Shauna & I threw on our "we actually get to go out without the wee ones" dresses while Jen spent the evening with the girls. (A HUGE thank you for that, Jen!!) And off we went to The Guthrie!

I had not yet been to the new Guthrie location, so it was quite a treat. As soon as I walked in to the immense space of the theatre my heart began to pound. I miss theatre more than I even realized. Big theatre. Huge, elaborate sets with expensive, perfect costumes. Lights and movement and emotion. My heart beats faster just thinking about it. We had the good fortune of seeing the classic Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire. I've seen it on stage before, but can you really compare other productions to anything at The Guthrie? It is, without question, in a league of its own. I absolutely loved Stanley & Blanche & Stella in all their Southern...well, I wouldn't say charm. Everything about the show was incredible. What a way to spend a hot summer evening.

This morning Ella & I are going to do a little second-hand shopping (so good in Minneapolis) before meeting Shauna for coffee at our "regular" coffee shop near the University. It's so good to be in Minneapolis again. But just for the day.

Zebra Lovin'

This is especially for you, Auntie Kristin. Ella loves her zebra!
(don't mind my random comments)

Frosting

Ella moves a whole lot faster than she did a few weeks ago. I need to let this settle in my head so that I stop doing silly things. For example, don't leave a cup of water anywhere within reach. Don't set a basket of freshly folded laundry in the middle of the living room floor. And definitely do not leave the refrigerator open even for a moment without supervision!

Sunday afternoon I made that mistake. I opened the fridge, turned around to grab something off the counter, and when I turned around again, what did I see? A little girl stealing a cupcake off the second shelf and smearing frosting across her lips. How is a mama supposed to react? Probably not by grabbing the camera, but that's exactly what this mama did. Really, it was so that I could let Pete see what his little girl had done (he was on call at the hospital) but I thought you might smile while watching it as well.

So here's to sugary frosting, making a grand mess in the kitchen, and loving little moments.

Enjoy.