We've been having a lot of fun at The Works, a hands-on engineering museum for kids. Here are some Facebook pictures you can see even if you aren't on Facebook.
It's been such a particularly cold, snowy winter this year - and this is the point where it always hits me that we still have a couple of months to go before it gets all that much better. This week, it's barely been above zero. Ugh. So we really appreciate these cheery indoor places where we can use our minds and our bodies!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
indoor fun
As our winters are about 5 months long in Minn*sota, we always have to find lots to do indoors. In addition to our usual repertoire of crafting and doorway-climbing, here's some of what's been keeping the boys busy after school:
Puzzles, of course.
Every year for the last several years, we've put our tree outside still in the stand after Christmas (and after removing the ornaments), then create ornaments for the birds. We've done garlands, and pine-cones covered in lard and birdseed. It's a nice way to enjoy the tree and share it without all the pine needles in the living room!
Puzzles, of course.
Every year for the last several years, we've put our tree outside still in the stand after Christmas (and after removing the ornaments), then create ornaments for the birds. We've done garlands, and pine-cones covered in lard and birdseed. It's a nice way to enjoy the tree and share it without all the pine needles in the living room!
The boys have ways of spending time with grandparents too. Grandma often stops by first thing in the morning and walks the boys to the bus on her way to walk at the YWCA. The boys also visit there, and it's so nice that they're only a couple of miles away. To visit with Omie and Opa beyond traveling to see them, the boys Skype and get read to through Readeo - which I highly recommend if you have young kids with far-away relatives that want to keep in touch. The picture of them above is of them being read to by Omie. She reads the book aloud and turns the pages, just as she would if she were sitting right with them. The boys can see her face as she's reading, and she can see them too. Grandma is a better bet for sitting on their cold feet, though.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Christmas 2010 (continued)
A few more pictures from our NYC visit. Jo*el took the boys to church camp for the whole weekend, and in addition to lots of laundry and a bit of sleeping in, I finally had a chance to sort pictures.
Rockefel*er Center
Reading to Omie and Opa--the boys are getting to be good readers and are having lots of fun with it.
Noa*h's "stuffies" are as big a part of his play as ever.
Museum of Nat*ral History. I loved the mushroom display.
Noa*h always seems happy with a clipboard in his hand. He's a rather studious sort, it seems. The boys loved the Touch and See room.
And horsing around with Oom (uncle) Ke*an.
Rockefel*er Center
Reading to Omie and Opa--the boys are getting to be good readers and are having lots of fun with it.
Noa*h's "stuffies" are as big a part of his play as ever.
Museum of Nat*ral History. I loved the mushroom display.
Noa*h always seems happy with a clipboard in his hand. He's a rather studious sort, it seems. The boys loved the Touch and See room.
And horsing around with Oom (uncle) Ke*an.
Christmas 2010
Happy New Year! We went to visit my family in New Yo*rk City for Christmas this year - here are a few videos to share.
Apparently, the boys still remember the Dutch word "lekker". This is a video of them watching a video of Oma - kind of a funny transcontinental happening if you think about it. Do you notice any similarities between what Omie and No*ah do with their tongues? Is it genetic, maybe?
The boys made up a song and tried to sing it to us, but apparently, Oliv*er didn't quite do it right, according to No*ah. Pretty typical stuff, you see here.
The boys had a great time with their Oom K*ean too.
We stopped by Opa's office and picked him up on the way to Rocke*feller Center to see the tree, and No*ah demonstrated that he can count. He almost got the job, but he was a little too short yet.
Apparently, the boys still remember the Dutch word "lekker". This is a video of them watching a video of Oma - kind of a funny transcontinental happening if you think about it. Do you notice any similarities between what Omie and No*ah do with their tongues? Is it genetic, maybe?
The boys made up a song and tried to sing it to us, but apparently, Oliv*er didn't quite do it right, according to No*ah. Pretty typical stuff, you see here.
The boys had a great time with their Oom K*ean too.
We stopped by Opa's office and picked him up on the way to Rocke*feller Center to see the tree, and No*ah demonstrated that he can count. He almost got the job, but he was a little too short yet.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
better
What a couple of weeks! After recovering from flu, No*ah contracted a tummy virus and threw up for a few days, and then, as Ollie was getting better, we were terrified that he'd get that too. His doc was prepared to admit Oliv*er right away if he started throwing up --we had to work so hard to barely keep him properly hydrated. I spent hours spoon-feeding him water that he would only swallow one sip at a time with time in between. It wasn't easy on No^ah either, who'd also been recovering from the flu - he's lost almost 5 pounds, and we're really trying to fatten the little string bean back up. We separated them for a couple of days (that was fun - a sick, needy kid on each floor!) and No&ah thought it was pretty great getting to watch movies in his bed. Lots of people lent us DVD's to get through the time after the surgery. We didn't think we'd need them for 2 whole weeks!
But last Wednesday evening, No*ah was a mite better, and we went and bought a little Christmas tree together. I wasn't even going to get a tree because we're going to Manhatten for Christmas, but it was the one thing the boys seemed excited about. I was so very tired and so worried that day - Oliv&er just didn't seem to do anything but sleep and cry, and it was 10 days post-surgery. The nurse I checked in with over the phone seemed concerned, and suggested that he might need to come back to the hospital if he didn't perk up a little and eat more. No^ah, who can take quite a long time to make a decision about something, picked our little tree with an uncharacteristic singularity - a $15 understory tree that we had cut down to make it even smaller. He even asked the saleswoman where we should bring our car. He also picked out a couple of ornaments for Oliver that he wanted to hang in the living room windows so that Ollie would "have something lovely to look at". That boy can be such a stinker at times (especially with his parents - we hear nothing but good things from his teacher!), but sometimes his loving empathy is so beautiful to witness. When we got back home, No*ah completely lost his energy and asked to go to bed. His brother, meanwhile, was drinking on his own, and eating a bit, and had some color in his cheeks. After No@ah went to bed (at 5:30!), Ollie got up and helped me decorate the whole tree. I don't think I'll ever forget that evening - being with my sweet boy who politely picked out the tree and a gift for this brother and then with the other boy as he revived and helped create a thing of such beauty to help us to wait for Christmas.
I pretty much let him decorate it however he liked, being both so grateful for that moment and of the belief that a tree in a house with children ought to look like it. He's been steadily better ever since, though he's still up at night a lot. The steroids he was on so he could breathe he cause lingering insomnia (and impulsiveness and restlessness - fun when you're recovering from a tonsillectomy and the flu, and for your parents too!) . On Friday, he even went to school for just a couple of hours, and he'll go to a full day (with no gym) tomorrow. It was a messy, difficult couple of weeks, but we're just about through it now. Friends and family were really supportive and kind - sending little things for the kids, helping out No^ah while Ollie was in the hospital, bringing food. It made everything so much easier and more bearable.
As you can see, we had a snowstorm the other day. It was really hard to get my suddenly couch-potato, movie-watching kids back outside, but we did it, and we had a great time. (See how the boys switched the hoods on their jackets?)
The boys made a beautiful "snow lady".
Now I'm off to see how much butter I can sneak into the boys' dinner, because the wrong half of the family is losing weight before the holidays...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
flu
Oh, for Heaven's sake - according to the on-call ENT, the boy has the FLU. Actually both boys, (though No*ah was getting a lot better by the time we figured it out). Relatively mild case, as they did get shots, but still not what Oliv*er needs. He's miserable, aching inside and out when he's not asleep. Really wishing we could just fast-forward a week.
Friday, November 26, 2010
recovering
Ol*iver has had quite the couple of weeks. He had a bad cold that kept him home for days, during which he learned a few new tricks.
Then this past Monday, we showed up at the hospital for his tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. After many, many cases of strep, it was time to get rid of the "extra body parts", as Ollie put it. He spent the first half hour of waiting examining the mechanics of the bed, as he spent much of the hospital tour doing the week before. The nice tour lady kept trying to explain to him about the surgery and where everything was, and he just wanted to know all about the interesting bed. Very typical Oliv*er!
Every person who checked on Ollie that morning got a slightly different story about how he was feeling, from " REALLY nervous" to "not even a little bit nervous. I don't even care about the surgery. " Then he'd look at me and smile slightly in our own little inside joke. He watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when we had to wait longer than expected.
He was so calm and trusting, and didn't even need the customary sedative going into the anesthesia. Jo*el and I went to the family waiting area and the minutes ticked by. And ticked by. And. Ticked. By. And the time range we'd been given to expect came, and then went, and then doubled. It was pretty terrifying, and when we were finally led back, we found out that while the surgery itself went OK, Ollie had a laryngial spasm in the post-op area and needed to be "re-tubed" and given epi to open up his seriously blocked airway, all while awake. It was asthma-related, and related to the unfortunate timing of yet another cold setting in just then.
Thankfully, he remembers none of this, though it's hard just knowing he went through all that while awake. He had some trauma to the inside of his mouth and a very swollen tongue from when they had to put the tube back in, so he's now dealing with recovering from the surgery, asthma, another bad cold with a high fever, and some extra trauma to the inside of his mouth and the surgery site. Fun times. Given all that, though, he's doing OK. He spent the night in the hospital, and came home later the next afternoon. Jo*el was a daddy superhero and spent the night with Oliver cradled in his arms, the position he most wanted to be in. The staff was great - very kind and attentive to his emotional and physical well-being.
He was clearly glad to be home. No*ah was glad to have him back too (and is giving him a kiss here). On the way home, No*ah said, "Ollie, if they had wanted a bunch of money to let you come home, I would have given them all my money!" Not sure where he got that from, but it was very sweet. Right after we got to him after the surgery, Ollie was asking about No*ah - "How will No*ah know what is happening to me? How will No*ah know how I am doing?"
No*ah misses his wrestling partner quite a bit, but they're bonding over the suddenly unlimited movies and popsicles around here.
Ollie is still very tired and intermittently quite feverish, and spent most of the next day sleeping.
We had some pre-Thanksgiving snow for No*ah and Jo*el to play with.
We did actually make it to Thanksgiving at Steve and Kathy's.
Some of the grown-ups played games, a wonderful meal was eaten by most of us, and No*ah got to release some pent up energy with his buddy Zo*e.
and Oliv*er got lots of love and hugs.
And this sweet baby was a delight, as usual.
Obviously, there is much to be thankful for, even amidst the stress and chaos of the last week. On the short list this year are:
Then this past Monday, we showed up at the hospital for his tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. After many, many cases of strep, it was time to get rid of the "extra body parts", as Ollie put it. He spent the first half hour of waiting examining the mechanics of the bed, as he spent much of the hospital tour doing the week before. The nice tour lady kept trying to explain to him about the surgery and where everything was, and he just wanted to know all about the interesting bed. Very typical Oliv*er!
Every person who checked on Ollie that morning got a slightly different story about how he was feeling, from " REALLY nervous" to "not even a little bit nervous. I don't even care about the surgery. " Then he'd look at me and smile slightly in our own little inside joke. He watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when we had to wait longer than expected.
He was so calm and trusting, and didn't even need the customary sedative going into the anesthesia. Jo*el and I went to the family waiting area and the minutes ticked by. And ticked by. And. Ticked. By. And the time range we'd been given to expect came, and then went, and then doubled. It was pretty terrifying, and when we were finally led back, we found out that while the surgery itself went OK, Ollie had a laryngial spasm in the post-op area and needed to be "re-tubed" and given epi to open up his seriously blocked airway, all while awake. It was asthma-related, and related to the unfortunate timing of yet another cold setting in just then.
Thankfully, he remembers none of this, though it's hard just knowing he went through all that while awake. He had some trauma to the inside of his mouth and a very swollen tongue from when they had to put the tube back in, so he's now dealing with recovering from the surgery, asthma, another bad cold with a high fever, and some extra trauma to the inside of his mouth and the surgery site. Fun times. Given all that, though, he's doing OK. He spent the night in the hospital, and came home later the next afternoon. Jo*el was a daddy superhero and spent the night with Oliver cradled in his arms, the position he most wanted to be in. The staff was great - very kind and attentive to his emotional and physical well-being.
He was clearly glad to be home. No*ah was glad to have him back too (and is giving him a kiss here). On the way home, No*ah said, "Ollie, if they had wanted a bunch of money to let you come home, I would have given them all my money!" Not sure where he got that from, but it was very sweet. Right after we got to him after the surgery, Ollie was asking about No*ah - "How will No*ah know what is happening to me? How will No*ah know how I am doing?"
No*ah misses his wrestling partner quite a bit, but they're bonding over the suddenly unlimited movies and popsicles around here.
Ollie is still very tired and intermittently quite feverish, and spent most of the next day sleeping.
We had some pre-Thanksgiving snow for No*ah and Jo*el to play with.
We did actually make it to Thanksgiving at Steve and Kathy's.
Some of the grown-ups played games, a wonderful meal was eaten by most of us, and No*ah got to release some pent up energy with his buddy Zo*e.
and Oliv*er got lots of love and hugs.
And this sweet baby was a delight, as usual.
Obviously, there is much to be thankful for, even amidst the stress and chaos of the last week. On the short list this year are:
- Good health
- Healing
- Family
- Friends
- Medical Insurance
- Employment
- 2 loving church families
- The laughter of children
- Good teachers
- God's love
- Sunshine in an often dreary MN November
- The opportunity to use talents and gifts
- The time to appreciate all of the above.
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