First Bib

A friend of mine mentioned how her little one always pulls off his bib because the velcro doesn't work that great and I also remembered Hakan doing that as well.

She inspired me to try and make one that actually stays on.  So I used a snap instead of velcro.  I also made it drool proof.  

So here is my first ever "pull and drool proof bib."  A very very rough first version...

Double Date

Der's firm has season tickets to all the sporting events in MN...sometimes we get lucky and get to use some.:)

Unfortunately, the Twins had a HORRIBLE season, we witnessed the 100th loss for the, fortunately the stadium and seats, right behind the dugout, were awesome and the weather was wonderful...besides the occasional sprinkling.  Gotta love outdoor baseball, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Since we had four tickets, we took some good friends of ours, Kelly and Mike, and had a great time.

 Der just getting seeds out of his teeth:)

 Oh do I love this man!

In pictures like these, I love to look at the other people that happen to be in the background, sometimes pretty funny.

Sweetland

 Second time apple picking this season, you can read this post about where we go and why we love it so much:)  

It was a beautiful day!  

This time we picked some Ginger Gold and Sweet Sixteen.  If you ever pick Ginger Gold you have to stick your head in the basket and inhale, mmmmm, love em'!

I LOVE this crazy wild apple tree, so pretty!

I used to help pick apples...now I'm in charge of keeping our little diva happy.

Then Hakan was distracted with a stick he found, such a boy.

We'll be back a few more times, gotta stock up on apples for the winter.  Honeycrisp will be ready this weekend, and those are our absolute favorite!!

twelve week old adeline

My sweet baby girl...

The other day I saw a newborn baby and thought, how in the world did you go from that to this in just 12 short weeks?!

The changes in you are absolutely amazing!  

You've always had a pretty strong neck (must run in the family, Hakan was the same way), but you can hold your head up for a long time without any help.  

You LOVE to sit in the bumbo watching everyone, especially your brother.  He can make you smile so easily, you both love each other so much.  

You started smiling around six weeks and just recently really started giggling, it has to be the sweetest sound on earth.

If you're concentrating on something and one of us makes a noise or says something to you, you completely jump out of your skin, get the saddest look on your face and start crying...your daddy says you get that from me...the getting scared part, not the crying of course:)

You get really cranky when you're tired and can hit the most ear piercing notes while crying...something we're not quite used to yet.

You hate your car seat and only fall asleep in it if we are in continuous constant motion, one red light and you're awake and crying.

You're still sleeping in our room because you still wake up 2-3 times at night...and we don't want you waking your brother up...and I kind of like having you close to me:)

It took a while, but you love your pacifier, now I wish you'd be able to keep it in your mouth.

You don't like to wear pants...just happier without them.

You love to be standing up or upright, you'll have none of the cradling.

Your first tooth started poking through at 11 weeks, so early, but just like your brother.

You are able to bring your hands to your mouth to suck...just in time for that tooth.

When we say your name, you look at us.

More spit up comes out of you then I ever thought possible of a baby, sometimes going through multiple outfits and 5 or more burp rags a day...me included.

You could swing and swing forever.

You like to be swaddled, but need to have one arm left free or you get pretty disgruntled trying to get it out.

Everyday you're changing.  It's bitter sweet.  I know how fast it goes and before I know it, you'll be 1.  I want to make sure I don't miss anything and spend all the time I can cuddling with you and your brother.  I want to remember everything. 

I love you my sweet baby.

Junk Bonanza 2011!

I had not heard of this until Friday night when a friend of mine said she was going the next morning and I thought it sounded interesting, interesting is an understatement....COOLEST EVENT EVER!!

What is this Junk Bonanza you ask, this is what their website says, "The Bonanza hosts more than 130 juried "junk" vendors of vintage finds, beautiful antiques, one-of-a-kind and artisan-repurposed pieces."  Seriously, 130 vendors!  I follow an awesome blog called "IHeart Organizing" and she also made the trip and blogged about it with lots of adorable pictures and ideas here.

I looked on their site before I went on Saturday and saw it cost $8 to get in...I wasn't sure about that, and then also read that you can get a three day pass for $25.  "Why would you want to go all three days?" I asked myself...because you literally find something new around every corner every time you walk by it, no matter how many times you walk by it.  Next year, I will definitely be making another trip and I might make it all three days, totally worth it!

There was the most amazing stuff!  We're lucky we have a small house where we can't put too much stuff, because I would have come home with a lot more:)  So many cute furniture pieces!  I had to use so much self control...it was not easy.  This is what I came home with, all for $40, which I think is pretty good:)

I got this adorable little crate, not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, books, hats and mittens...we shall see.  Hooks for the wall in our entry way, I may paint them.  I bucket to hide all our pens in the kitchen.  And last but not least, some antique binding that I am going to use to make some flowers, so excited, I love the colors!

I brought little miss Adeline with and she was fussy for about half the time...I will be going alone next year:)  I think I will be making a wish list this whole next year for when I go.  Can't wait!!

Today's Season

It's hard being a parent, there are so many challenges that come with being one.  These are the current challenges I'm dealing with, which I know will change next week, month, year, always changing.


Teething
Apparently our babies get their teeth early, Adeline is 12 weeks and her first one is starting to pop through on the bottom.  Hakan was the same age and had all the teeth he was supposed to have after age two way before that at around 20 months.  Our poor baby is not herself, not being able to soothe her while crying, not napping very well, she's in pain, and it breaks my heart.  I don't know what it feels like, but it must be pretty terrible, and this is only the first one. I just pray she doesn't bite hard.  On the bright side, we've had 3 months of no teeth, she could've been born with them.

This is where her hands are when she can get them there...she doesn't have a lot of control yet:)

Noise
This being neighbor noise, Hakan's crying, yelling, laughing, loud toys, Adeline's crying, our cat, etc.  It seems that whenever one or the other is sleeping, the other one will be noisy, it never fails.  I think it's absolutely impossible to teach a two year old to whisper or be quiet, it's a never ending battle. And our cat chooses the quiet times to knock things in the bathroom sink or scratch the pads of her paws on something (she's declawed in the front).  Ugh, and the neighbors, loud tv's, loud music, loud yelling, slamming doors, it would be nice to not have connecting walls (we're in a town house).  Loud toys kind of drive me nuts...crazy nuts.  I don't know if toy makers think babies/kids are deaf, but the decibal of some of our toys has to be like that of a chain saw, seriously.


Hakan's Emotions
Oh man, Hakan is a roller coaster of emotions these days.  Just today he cried seven times within 30 minutes of waking up from his nap.  One minute he's laughing and having fun, the next he's having a melt down.  He gets super frustrated when he can't do something (no idea where he gets that) and immediately freaks out.  He's been learning what time outs are lately...even though I'm not sure they do anything.  I'm sure all these emotions are a combination of being two and having a new sister.  Of course along with the melt downs is our sweet, helpful, cuddly, I want to kiss and hug everyone all the time, including the cat Hakan.

Sleep
Or lack of sleep.  I know this isn't the case, but it feels like our babies are the only ones that have problems sleeping.  I feel like I talk to other moms and their babies were "sleeping through the night" at six weeks...Hakan was 18 months and Adeline wakes up two to four times a night.  It's wearing me down.  I think I have a three month breaking point, I'm beat.  I don't even try to take a nap anymore, I can't shut my mind off and usually they're not sleeping at the same time or over lap just a small bit, and it doesn't pay for me to try.

One of the most beautiful things for me is seeing my babies' smiles:)

All of this said, I know it's just a season.  I know that just like the leaves changing color on the trees, the weather getting cooler and soon....snow, we have seasons in our lives that will just keep on changing. Every season will have challenges that we will just have to learn to deal with and adapt to.  But every season also has it's beauty and that is what I look forward to.


I'm also very thankful for our home, even though it's tiny, we have a roof over our heads and that's all that matters.  God is providing for us and I thank Him for that.


Thanks for listening:)

Trustworthy

I really try to be someone who is trustworthy.  When I say I'm going to do something, you can trust me to do it.


When I tell someone that I'll watch their kids anytime, I truly mean I'll watch their kids. 


When I tell someone I'm praying for them, I'm not just saying it to say it, they are included in my prayers daily.


When someone calls, texts or emails me, I get back to them...maybe not right away or even the same day, but I get back to them.


When I volunteer for things I make sure I show up and  give it my everything.


I want people to feel they can come to me for help and a good friend.


Obviously I won't say "always" or "never" because I'm not perfect and will occasionally not be available or forget to call someone back, but it's rare.


I love these verses about being trustworthy:

"Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right." Proverbs 8:5-7

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret." Proverbs 11:13

"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy." Proverbs 12:23

Lineage of Grace

I absolutely LOVE historical nonfiction books, kind of a junkie for history, but then adding a story behind it, so fascinating! 

Der asks me all the time, "You do know it's not ALL true right?"  Of course I know, but there's nothing wrong with loving it anyway:)

So my most recent book I read is "A Lineage of Grace."  I think the Bible is one of the craziest, most awesome books ever, and the ancestral line of Jesus is so interesting.  I'll be totally honest and say I have not read the whole Bible cover to cover, it's on my list.

Anyway, this book actually contains 5 different books, each story about five different women of the Bible God chose, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary .  So it's nice if you don't have ton of time to read because each story isn't that long.

I just love that she puts thoughts and feelings behind all the people, which you don't always get in the Bible.  She made me look at the stories and gave me a different perspective for each woman.  I want to me like each of those women in different ways.  Tamar for her hope, Rahab for her faith, Ruth for her love, Bathsheba who got unlimited grace, and Mary for her obedience.  They inspire me to be a better woman, and I thank them and God for their presence in my life.

The best part of this book is the Bible study at the end of each woman's story.  Loved it! 

I recommend reading it if you have time, such a great reminder that God is in control and everything happens for a reason. 

"Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

owl clip

I found a blog with this adorable DIY owl hair clips, so I made one for my niece for her birthday.  For my first one it turned out pretty cute:)  I'll probably try some more.

just a little produce, pizza and pasta

We went to the St. Paul Farmer's Market, it.is.ginormous!  Holy moly, so many people, vendors and produce. 

I should've taken some pics when we were there, but completely forgot, being totally overwhelmed and all, maybe next time.

It was so much fun seeing all the beautiful colors and smelling the aromas of tons of different things, including flowers, so pretty!  

I so wish I could have a garden of my own to try and grow some of these veggies.  I can only grow some cherry tomatoes in a pot and one lone red pepper...still good though.  There was a vendor with just herbs, so many herbs!  I didn't think I'd find tarragon there, but she had it.

I have an exciting week full of new recipes to try which include lots of wonderful veggies (I've been really lagging in the supper department as of late, I need to redeem myself).

 We got spinach, green onion, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, tarragon, rosemary, basil, cilantro, red peppers, and onions.  Putting the herbs in some water in the fridge helps them last so much longer, they smell so good!

I also purchased 4 dozen corn the other day...the lady gave me a weird look.  It's SOOOOO delicious this time of year, I like to freeze it for the winter when you can't find it.  So today I blanched it, cut it off and froze it...we now have 14 lbs of corn in our freezer, yep, that's a lot of corn:)

 

Then we stopped at Cossetta's, one of our favorite restaurants, to eat some pizza and pasta.  It was Hakan's first time eating there...I think he likes it too:)

Happy Saturday!

Apples in a Skillet

I kept it simple for our first apples of the season, peeled and sliced up some Vikings, melted some butter in our new cast iron skillet (we've wanted one for so long and finally got one, yay!), added some cinnamon and brown sugar and sauteed them.  Can't you just smell the wonderful aroma of apples and cinnamon, yum!

Then we put them over some vanilla bean icecream...we have a slight obsession with vanilla bean icecream:)  Have I also mentioned before how much we LOVE apples?

Beautiful and delicious!

More apple recipes to come!

Cookies for Mama's

I discovered this recipe, I can't find the original Housepoet to give credit though.  This cookie recipe increases your milk supply, for real, it really works, personal experience:) 

They are so yummy!  They taste just like monster cookies, I substitute M&M's instead of chocolate chips and I add peanut butter.  I got the brewer's yeast in the natural/organic section at the grocery store. I love that there's flaxseed in it to add some omega-3, I ground mine up in my magic bullet (love it).  You can't even taste the yeast or flaxseed.  I also keep them in the freezer to keep them fresh...and I just really like frozen cookies:)

"Oatmeal and brewers yeast are galactogogues, which have been linked to increased milk production. There is no scientific study on the ingredients used, that does not mean that they don’t help with milk production."


Housepoet’s Famous Lactation Boosting Oatmeal Chocolate Chip & Flaxseed cookies ™
Ingredients:
* 1 cup butter or marg
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats, thick cut if you can get them
* 1 cup or more chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous)


Directions:
Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream (beat well) margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine mix. Beat until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips. Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats then chips. Scoop or drop onto baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment or silpat. The dough is a little crumbly, so it helps to use a scoop.


Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.


Serves: 4 dozen cookies
Preparation time: 15 minutes

 A good friend of mine got this ADORABLE apron for Hakan, he loves it, and I love it because it keeps him semi clean:)

Sometimes...

I forget that I’m a grown up.

Like when I’m…

finally at the last and final Harry Potter movie and feel as giddy as I did 10 years ago when the first one came out.

having a girls weekend with three of my FAVORITE ladies from high school and we talk forever and eat the most wonderfully delicious foods…things we probably shouldn’t be eating now that some of us have kids and our metabolism is starting to slow down.

going to the zoo and getting super excited to ride the tractor with my babies to the farm.

shopping and I see something that I just have to have so I buy it, cause’ I can…then I feel guilty and return it the next day because I really don’t need it.

on a date with my husband and he says or does something (like give me a look that says I love you more than life itself, sigh) that takes my breath away or gives me butterflies like 10 years ago when we first started hanging out.

having more fun blowing bubbles and chasing them than my two year old.

watching Gilmore Girls, LOVE that show!

riding bike and letting the wind blow through my helmet covered hair and feeling slightly embarrassed to be wearing a helmet (I used to take it off and hang it from my handle bars when my mom made me wear it), safety first though, we’ve got some crazy drivers here.

Then I’m hit smack in the face with the fact that, yes, I am indeed a grown up, when I’m…

at the store with my two littles, trying to decipher my shopping list at the same time as flipping through my coupons, juggling a fussy baby, digging in the diaper bag for a snack for my disgruntled 2 year old and pushing a cart.  I may or may not have run into someone before.

figuring out what our budget should be…we spend how much on groceries?!

not getting a hair cut for over six months because I either don’t have time or I’m just too cheap to spend money on it…ok, it’s both…who needs hair cuts anyways?

doing loads and loads of laundry and looking online to see how you get breast milk baby poo out of clothes (soak it in warm water with detergent), we’ve had more than a couple blowouts.

at the auto mechanic and he tells me my transmission is going out, not cheap.

cleaning up something that looks like a soggy cheerio off the carpet…at least I hope it’s a cheerio.

However, it’s not all bad being a grown up…

getting to share my life with a wonderful, caring, and handsome husband.

being the mom to an incredibly cute and sensitive two year old boy, Hakan, and a sweet, smiley, adorable baby girl, Adeline. 

and there’s all the little things, the sound of Hakan giggling, Adeline smiling and cooing back at me, mine and Derek’s conversations before we go to sleep, a hot cup of coffee (with delicious creamer of course), a good book, a beautiful fall day picking apples, smelling the air after it rains, holding a baby kitten (baby anything really), dancing with Hakan, cuddling with Adeline.

I wouldn’t trade my grown up life for anything:)

NASTY Nellie

It was a beautiful fall esque Labor Day, the sun was shining with bright blue skies.

We went to visit Der's coworker, Jennifer, who generously sells us her chicken's eggs.

Hakan was so excited to see the chickens.

When we got there, Jennifer warned us of one chicken, they named Nasty Nellie, because she had bitten their little girl in the face before.

When we went to find the chickens, within a matter of seconds Hakan finds the one mean chicken in the bunch, Nasty Nellie, and stares her in the face.

Before any of us could get over to him, Nasty Nellie pecked him in the face, right by his nose.

He started crying and ran to us.  Poor baby.  I felt so bad, he was so excited.

A few minutes later he was cornerd by a chicken, a nice one, but he completely freaked out, understandably of course.

I am the mom that hopes my kids will learn from their mistakes.  Like not to get up in animal's faces and stare them down...he's done that to our cat, Bear, as well, but he hasn't learned yet.  But it doesn't get easier seeing your babies get hurt.

I just hope that he doesn't develop a fear of chickens...alektorophobia, I looked it up.

Because he was pecked, Jennifer gave us some free eggs:)  They got a few new chickens that lay blue and green eggs, so pretty!  

Thanks Jennifer!!

Hakan and Nasty Nellie shall meet again I'm sure:)

The Weekend

This Labor Day weekend was spent at my great uncle Dale's lake cabin.  We left Thursday night and came back Sunday night to avoid the ridiculous traffic in and out of the cities.  It was kind of a chilly weekend, but as long as the sun wasn't covered, it was nice.

My mom came on Saturday and watched the kiddos while Der and I went out to eat.  There aren't too many options as far as "date night" stuff to do, so we ate at a delicious restaurant, "Stella's" and had ice cream at the local hot spot, "Granny's Pantry"...and then we were home in less than two hours, just in time to put Hakan to bed:)  

Yep, we're lame.

My step dad, Darold and my little little sister, Sammy came on Sunday.  She thought they were just coming for the day, but they were actually spending the night, she didn't bring anything, kind of funny.  She's 16, so "oh my gosh, I don't have clothes for the next day that I'll just be driving in the car!!!" Ha!  She lived, I love her:).

On our wonderful Labor Day, we went to pick our first apples of the season.  There aren't a whole lot yet, but some good sauce making apples, yum!  We go apple picking a lot...a lot a lot, like almost every weekend in September and October.  It might sound crazy, but we really LOVE fresh picked apples.  We make a lot of apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie, etc.  We also just love getting outside in the awesome fall weather picking apples together as a family.  It's one of our favorite things to do.

Last fall we found a great little orchard, Sweetland, that a younger couple our age purchased.  They're so nice and friendly.  We LOVE everything about this adorable orchard.  Cute house, cute barn, cute logo, cute puppy  named Fletcher that plays fetch with Hakan, cute everything!  It wasn't meant to be a pick your own, so it's wild, untamed and random, we love it!  It's so quiet and peaceful...besides our two year old that finds sticks and runs crazy with them.  Along with the apples, both the mom's of the couple make the most delicious melt in your mouth cinnamon and sugar donuts ever!  Yum! So glad we found them!

Since our apple orchard is close to our egg supplier, we decided to stop by and visit the chickens that lay the eggs we eat every week...and Der's coworker, Jennifer and her family of course:)  This deserves a separate post, so let's just say Hakan went head to head with chicken named Nasty Nellie.

We also all got a good nap in, overall a very good weekend:)

Silly Monkey

  Here is our handsome, hilarious, little 2 year old boy with a million faces.  The only way to get any good pictures is to get him in action, so he's playing at the park, Hakan style:)

He's wiping his tears away after falling, so precious.

 

 These beautiful pictures were taken by Erin Romans in Jamestown, ND.