Tea Party

My mom and I took my cousins to a wonderful tea party when they were visiting Rockford last month. The girls had so much fun- they had been pumped up for days beforehand. We had lots of lovely food- who knew you could get so full at a tea party? The girls were especially thrilled to have a little bell at their table to ring if they needed anything. They "needed" something several times- more tea, more sugar........they used a lot of sugar! We had a such a great time- definitely not something we will forget!

Annika has more to say.........

Last night I was cooking dinner for the kids. Annika was in the kitchen with me. She had placed pillows on two of the chairs and was using them as a bed while she waited for her dinner. We were listening to Christmas music. At the end of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" she had a question.

"What is 'tidings of peppermint joy'?"

This led to a discussion of the word "comfort". I told her that comforting someone was cheering him up or trying to make him feel happier.

"Well, sometimes I try to make Marta happy when she is crying, but she just keeps crying."

I responded by saying that sometimes people are just grouchy, but we can still be nice to them.

"Well, I just get kinda.......disgusted if she's grouchy."

There you have it. Grouchy people must be disgusting to a 5 year old!
As for "tidings of peppermint joy".......that should be the name of a special holiday tea or hot chocolate, don't you think?

Another Bedtime Story

The girls were sitting on Annika's bed for a bedtime story- reading to them both at the same time is a good technique if you want bedtime to go a little faster. Anyway, after the story (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom- great book!) we turned out the light to say our prayers. And then it was song time.

Mel: "What song should we sing?"
Annika: "Twinkle, Twinkle"

I started singing, but Annika interrupted me.
"And I bet you know what we should sing after that."

Of course I knew. I always had to sing the "Tinkerbell Song" to end the bedtime routine. Well, Annika calls it the Tinkerbell Song, but it's really from Pinocchio- "When You Wish Upon A Star." She loves that song.

I named the song, and she smiled.
"You are a smart duck, " she said.
I laughed. Then Marta piped up with her own comment.
"Yeah, you are a little quack."
I laughed even harder!
"Did you call me a quack?"
"No." Then she repeated her comment. It definitely sounded like "quack". Either that or "crack". Who wants to be called a "crack"?

My Trip To California

Happy Halloween!

Here are some pictures from the Halloween party. We all had a good time walking around and asking people for candy!

Goodnight

I have the privilege of putting Nils to bed a few nights each week. Each night is an experience. We have a whole routine- brush your teeth, put your pajamas on, go potty, read a book, say your prayers, sing- finally, sleep! I always sing until he goes to sleep. If I try to sneak out of the room early, he cries.
Most of the time he is tired. He has busy days, and once the light is out and I'm singing, it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep. But every once in awhile, he gets a little nap in the car on the way home from Chicago. Those nights are insane! He'll just talk and talk or pray and pray the same thing over and over. He can say the funniest out of the blue things; sometimes in the middle of praying. Just the other night we were praying, and he grabbed my hand and asked, "How many fingers do you have?" Great question. He probably heard it at school. He remembers things so well- you just never know when something is going to pop out of his mouth. Then he tried to stick his finger up my nose! I don't know where that came from, but I couldn't help laughing while I told him not to do that. Then he started laughing, and I had to tell him to stop laughing and go to sleep. Then he laughed more just because I had told him to stop.
And I was thinking, "is this kid ever going to go to sleep?"
I love listening to him say his prayers. I always help out, but he gets his same little sentences in there each time. This particular night he said something like this: "Help Nils to keep safe. Help Nils to keep good......and to the republic for which it stands, one nation........" He didn't get much farther because I laughed out loud! It was a classic moment. He has been saying the Pledge of Allegiance lately, but when he mixed it with his prayer it was just too funny!

Dry Shirt: $14.99 Dry Shorts: $ 19.99 Watching Nils: Priceless


I spent last week in Chicago with Nils. On Tuesday afternoon, we took the train downtown. My plan was a field trip to Shedd Aquarium. Once we got off the train, however, I couldn't find the right bus. One bus dropped us off at Millenium Park- the driver said we could get the right bus from there. As I was looking for the right bus, Nils noticed Crown Fountain and pulled me in that direction. I had never been there before so we walked over there to check it out. We took off our shoes to walk in the water. Next thing I know, Nils is under the fountain and absolutely loving it! At first I was trying to stop him from getting soaked, but I soon gave up because he was having so much fun. He ran back and forth for a long time, laughing and splashing, then sitting in the water and laughing some more. People were watching him and getting a good laugh, too. Needless to say, we never did make it to the aquarium, but we had a great time!

Fall Pictures

Tradition

We would go to the Pumpkin Patch every year when I was a kid. Actually, I still go every year. My brother, Mike, just finished law school and has not been home in the fall for 7 years. So, we made a special trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Unfortunately, William is in his first year of college, so he missed out. We did have fun, though- as the only full family of grown-ups there that day!

So they say........

In the car the other day-
Annika: "Roll down the window some more, Melody."
Melody: "More? You are going to blow away!"
Annika (after a slight pause): "No, we won't - we have our seat belts on!"

Playing with Marta-
Melody: "Marta, you are funny."
Marta (with a very serious face): "No, Melody. I not funny. I Marta."

River Adventure

It was such a beautiful day. I was outside with the kids, and Nils wanted to go on a boat ride. So we talked to mommy and daddy, and soon we were all on the boat. Nils was pressing buttons on the radio, Annika was eating cheese and crackers , and Marta was crying because she hates her life jacket. It was starting out well- we were still docked at this point. As we headed out, there were strange noises coming from the boat.......and we weren't really going anywhere.....we made it about 2 houses down the river and were stuck. Thankfully we were stuck pretty close to the shore- Kendall jumped out with a rope, and Diane took a big board that was floating in the water, and between the two of them, they got us as close to the shore as possible without hurting the bottom of the boat. I started rolling up my pant legs- I knew I was going to have to walk through the nasty water. As I stood at the edge of the boat, Diane said to Kendall,
"Can't you just carry her over there?"
Though I knew she was trying to save me from getting all wet, I was horrified, and quickly shouted, "No!"
I could walk. The water was only knee deep, but it was rather chilly! I would much rather be knee deep in the water then have Kendall drop me in the water! Not that he would have done that........
After I was out of the river, he carried the kids over one by one. With the 3 of them, I had to tromp through the neighbor's yard. I was carrying the still crying Marta and holding onto Nils' hand so that he wouldn't try to run back to the river. Annika was walking beside me complaining that her bare feet were hurting. Marta may have stopped crying if I had taken her life jacket off, but I couldn't take it off and hold onto Nils at the same time. We were a very loud procession, but we finally made it back to the house. And the boat made it back, too, thanks to the help of some neighbors who happened to see us in the midst of our evacuation.
By the time Kendall and Diane came into the house, the kids were eating dinner. Marta was still a little weepy, but once everybody had some food, everything was o.k.
And the boat diagnosis? There was a large...very large...stick or log....something..... stuck in the rotor. I think- is it called the rotor? I don't know much about boats. Anyway, Kendall came into the house quoting Scripture: "make sure the stick is out of your own boat before you try to remove one from someone else's," ( that 's definitely a paraphrase).

A Classic Photo




Barb called me yesterday to tell me that her wedding photos were ready to view on line. She had been looking through them and came to this picture- she wanted me to see it right away. I can't believe this moment was captured on camera. I laughed so hard when I saw it! This was at the barbecue at Barb's parent's house after the wedding. Barb and Paul were telling everyone goodbye before they headed to Oklahoma City. I had been crying most of the day, so when it came time to tell her goodbye, I tried to lighten the moment with a poochy lip face. Barb did the same, and Chris, the photographer, just happened to be standing right there and snapped the picture! It really is a classic Barb and Mel moment!

Photo Shoot at Anderson Gardens

*pictures taken by Joy- aren't they beautiful?

"Walking" with Nils

Last night I decided that Marta and Nils and I should take a walk. It was a beautiful evening, and it was just the 3 of us. As I was putting Marta in the stroller, Nils walked over to his 3 wheeler.
"No, Nils. We are going to walk tonight. You can help me push the stroller."

Obviously he didn't like that idea. He jumped on the bike and started riding. I began to follow him, calling for him to wait for me. He flew out of the driveway and looked back at me with that scary smile of his. I started walking faster. I was sure he would stop at any moment and wait for us to catch up. I was very wrong. He just zoomed along- and he can go seriously fast on that little bike. I began to despise the lovely evening and my stupid idea. I kept yelling for him to stop, but he was completely ignoring me. As I saw him nearing the end of the block, I thought maybe he would stop and wait for me before he crossed the street. We have practiced that. He must have forgotten all that practice. He went right across the street.

It is very difficult to run while pushing a big stroller. Plus the sidewalks are rather bumpy. Poor Marta. She had to listen to me yelling and be bumped around. Then she started yelling at Nils. We were getting close to Steve and Susan's house- some favorite neighbors. Nils always stops at their house to see if they're home. He flew right past their driveway. That really made me mad- I started running again, then went back to walking-it really is horrible to run with that stroller. Plus it looks really stupid to any observers. Of course, the fact that the woman pushing the stroller is yelling at the boy on the bike is pretty noticeable, anyway. We were almost to the end of the street. I started getting nervous, wondering if Nils was going to go out into the street and continue around the corner. He did- the little child sped right into the street even as I yelled at him and for a moment disappeared from my line of vision. That pushed me over the edge. I stopped and left the stroller and ran as fast as I could after him. I think as soon as he had realized that he couldn't see me, he had stopped because he was looking back and getting off of the bike when I saw him. He saw me coming and the smile on his face quickly faded. I grabbed him by the hand and picked up his bike. He got a serious talking to, and I could tell that he knew I was mad. He always gets a very solemn look on his face when he knows I'm really mad. I told him he had to walk back because he was not obeying.

Marta was patiently waiting for us in her stroller. I stuck the bike on the back of the stroller and made Nils walk right beside me. As we headed back down the sidewalk towards home, I was still talking to him about his inappropriate behavior. He knew I was still not happy so he was being pretty quiet. When I finally paused from my lecturing, he put one of his hands in the air and said,
"Well.....um.......I was doing something."

At that very appropriate sentence used at a very appropriate time, I almost lost my serious face. I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching. I really wanted to laugh out loud. The anger was gone, and the cuteness of the boy was getting to me! I managed to hold it together....for a little while longer. I told him that he had been disobeying, and that it was dangerous to go into the street without an adult. Then he said,
"My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do," (all in one breath- this is his favorite song at the moment). I think I did smile then, although I also brought God into the conversation- we are suppose to obey God, etc.

At that moment, neighbor Steve came driving by and rolled down the window to talk to us.
"Where you were 5 minutes ago?" I said. He looked at me, then at Nils and asked if the bike was broken. I explained the situation and he gave Nils another little talk and went on his way. Then Nils broke out into "My God is so Big" again.

We finally made it home. I was exhausted, Marta was stinky, and Nils... he was fine. We went inside and sat down and ate brownies- a very good remedy for that kind of walk!

Home Improvement

Last week was a big week for us. We had our kitchen painted, which was highly exciting! We've actually had the can of paint for months, but didn't want to do it ourselves. So a couple from our church, who have a painting business, did it for us. It's beautiful! It's bright and cheery and makes us feel happy ( it's yellow). Thanks to the Frayne's for their hard work.

Our other big project was the refrigerator. It's had......problems lately. For several months it has been leaking. Big pools of water were forming under the drawers and then leaking out onto the floor. It was very distressing, and we had no idea what to do about it- besides putting towels on the floor everyday to soak up the water. We were convinced that it was not fixable, but then a man from our church told us that it was probably the drain hole in the freezer that was clogged up and causing the problem. So, Karyn decided that we were going to unclog it ourselves. The problem was we didn't know where this drain hole was.

So, we looked up our fridge model online, then proceeded to take ours apart. First we had to find the right tool to use. Not a screwdriver, or pliers, or anything else that we knew the name of. We finally found this thing in the basement that looked like it would work......and it did, but we still don't know what it was. We are, however, extremely thankful that we found it! After taking the panel off of the back and bottom of the freezer, we saw lots and lots of ice. We were taking huge chunks out and throwing them in the sink. We then heated water in the teakettle to pour on the ice that we couldn't get out. Under all the ice, we found the drain hole. We then found an old toothbrush and cleaned for awhile- it was rather disgusting. The hole was definitely clogged and a little moldy. Then we got out a wire coat hanger and dug around some more. Though we were disgusted, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves......until Karyn stuck her finger in the drain hole.
"Oh no, " she said.
And I said, " No way, Karyn."
And she looked at me with a horrified look on her face, as she tried to pull her finger out. "What should I do?" I asked her.
"Pray, " she responded.
She then yanked really hard, and her finger came out with a big cut on it. But at least it was out. All she could think of was some girl at college that had her arm stuck in a pop machine-they had to cut her out of it because of the swelling. So Karyn pulled her finger out before it swelled.
Then we put the freezer back together. And for 4 days, we have had no leaking, no big puddles on the floor, no sopping wet towels to pick up off the floor. Just a slightly hurting finger.....and 2 girls who are very proud of themselves!

More from Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

My Best Friend's Wedding


Well, I'm finally posting about the big event. It's been 3 weeks since I was in Oklahoma going crazy! It was a busy, busy time, but I'm glad I could be there to help Barb with final details for the wedding. Everything turned out beautiful- so beautiful that I cried and cried. What can I say? At the risk of sounding like a cheesy greeting card- I watched my best friend in the world walk down that aisle and marry the guy in the army uniform, and I was happy and sad at the same time. And after the ceremony was over and I followed the bride and groom out of the sanctuary on the arm of the best man, I cried even harder! I was a serious wreck. I think part of my problem was that I was really tired, but I think I looked rather pathetic! Anyway, despite the fact that I had to come home and recuperate, I had a great time in Oklahoma- it was a very memorable week. And I am truly happy for Barb and Paul.

At the Park

I took Nils and Annika and Buddy to the park the other day. We had a great time. The water fountain was a bigger hit than the playground! I was laughing so hard watching them play with the fountain. I'm glad I had my camera with me! Annika was pushing the button as hard as she could, and Nils was sticking his head in the water. I love seeing them laugh together!

A Visitor from Afar

My college friend Janna was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't seen her in 4 years, so it was nice to be able to have a short visit. She lives on the island of Guam with her husband Jay. This is the first time I had met him. I picked them up at the airport- we were there for a long time at the baggage claim, until we found out their luggage was not in Chicago. So we went to the apartment where they were staying. That also took a lot of time because we couldn't find it- even though the expedia map said it was only 8 miles from the airport. Whatever.........we finally found it, and then jumped on the Metra to go downtown and have dinner. We went to Foodlife and walked down Michigan Ave for a little while. We also experienced a scary taxi ride- I don't think I'll ever do that again. Janna grabbed my hand because the driver was going so fast! Being in Chicago traffic was a little scary for the island couple! I think Jay was scared of my driving- he kept making comments from the back seat!
Anyway, we had fun. It was nice to talk about college days and life since then. Pictures are fun too! In college Janna was a blond, so the dark hair really threw me off at first. Jay insisted that I take a picture with him- Janna says he is such a politician!

Just a house?

O.k. it's a big house- definitely not on my list of possible new homes. Perhaps I am just strange, but I think it is cool.......so cool that I had to take a picture of it. There are great houses in the Winnetka area- that's where I stay at an apartment with Nils near his school.

I know.... you are not really impressed. I do not usually take pictures of big houses just for the fun of it. So, I'll tell you the real reason I think it's cool- this is the "Home Alone" house. That's right. The house that little Macaulay Caulkin ran around screaming in- this is it. Thank you to Suzy for informing me of this very important fact. We drove around Winnetka for awhile looking for the right house. Then she called somebody and had them google it! We really wanted to ring the doorbell and ask the current residents if we could have a tour, but we restrained ourselves.

Field Trip

Nils and I went to the Kohl Children's Museum with Suzy. Suzy worked with Nils for almost a year, and we hadn't seen her for awhile. We had a lot of fun at the museum. They had a very cool grocery store- Nils just piled stuff into the cart-at least 7 bottles of syrup. The chocolate cake looks pretty good for fake cake, doesn't it?

This was a cool museum. They had a great waterworks section. In the last picture Nils is squirting water at the wall. He was supposed to be aiming for the bells and other tinkling things, but the wall was more fun, I guess.

Summertime!


Here are some beach pics from when I was with the kids in Chicago. Sand is super fun, and there was a playground on the beach- what could be better? Well, maybe another juice for Marta...

In Chicago

A few weeks ago, Joy and I went down to Navy Pier with Nils. We rode on the Metra and then took a bus. It was quite a busy field trip for the boy, but he had a great time, and he was so good! Miss Photographer Joy took lots of pictures- excellent pictures, I must say.