The Long Winter

One of my all-time favorite series is The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I remember reading These Happy Golden Years, set in De Smet, North Dakota, and thinking how hard it would be to be stuck in a place so cold that you could say "The sun was shining and it was only twenty degrees below zero" with a straight face.
This winter in Minnesota has made me feel like I'm starring in those books.  I have honestly had days where I was just grateful that the high of the day wasn't a negative number.  I've been told that this winter has been unusually cold, and that "polar vortex" isn't something that I should hear every year, nor should I be able to tell people that Plymouth, Minnesota reached temperatures that were colder than the surface of Mars all that often.   But man, people, how do you do this every year?!?  My hat is off to all of you!
Now that I've started this post with a little drama and "woe is me", I have to be honest and say that this winter has had lots of fun moments and that with a newborn, I wasn't going to be outside that much whether it was -35 or +35 degrees, so the cold didn't cramp our style a whole lot.

 The first weekend in February Todd and Jeannette came to visit us for Claire's baby blessing. We took them to the Fire and Ice Festival in Plymouth.  It's this cool festival that's held on a frozen lake.  While there, we roasted marshmallows, Mckay got pulled in a sled, we saw some ice sculptures, and we slipped and slid a lot.  It was really cold, but we had a great time with them and they were good sports!

It was so nice to have Grandma and Grandpa England at the blessing.  They were only able to be in Minnesota for about 48 hours, but we had such a great visit. Claire was so beautiful!  She wore the same outfit I wore when I was blessed, and made me feel like even though my parents weren't able to come, they played a part in the blessing anyway.

We also celebrated Chase's birthday with his parents in town.  The crown made him officially King of the Day, and his two little princes fulfilled their royal duties by helping him blow out his birthday candles.

 This shot is just a typical scene from our house.  Every afternoon around 1:00, they get to watch a movie if they've helped pick up their toys.  I'm not sure who needs this routine more, them or me!

 The last week of February Aunt Rachel came to visit us.  We took her to downtown Minneapolis to where Chase worked, and we met him there for lunch.  We stuck out like sore thumbs with our stroller and kids, but it was fun to see the hustle and bustle of downtown Minneapolis where Chase works.

 No first time trip to Minneapolis would be complete without a trip to Mall of America.  Aunt Rachel was a good sport and went on lots of rides with these two boys.  They're starting to remember this place well enough that they have their favorite rides, and they get so excited.

 We had preschool field trip the week Rachel was here.  We went to a Nature Conservatory and got to watch a puppet show about what different animals do in the winter.  The kids were pretty enthralled.  I like this picture because it shows a lot of the wonderful kids and families that we spend time with here in Plymouth.  We've been blessed with lots of wonderful friends and ward members who have helped us feel welcome and at home here.

 Here's little Claire bear the day she rolled over for the first time.  I feel like time goes by faster and faster with each child.  I can't believe she's already rolling over!  I love her sweet little spirit and her general happiness.  Even though I think I'm supposed to sooth and comfort her, I think she does that for me just by looking at her and holding her.  She's a great little addition to our family.

Terrific Two's

 As I am writing this post, my little Logan is sitting on my lap snuggling.  He does have the flu, but I'd like to think that he would be here even if he was feeling better.  This little guy loves his Mommy, and I love him.  I meant to write a special post just for him when he turned two years old, but of course, I'm only getting around to it a month later.  The pictures I posted below are snapshots not only of an event, but they capture the essence of Logan's likes and interests at this age.

 Logan is my tactile learner, which means he learns and explores through touching and feeling.  I can pretty much leave him with peanut butter, crayons, sand, paint, play dough, etc. and know that he will be occupied for hours . . . and the mess will be huge!

Logan also loves to dress up.  If there's a hat to be had, he wants it on his head.

 He went through a phase where he only wanted to wear other people's shoes, especially Mckay's. He would complain that his shoes were "too small" (even though they definitely weren't).  I think he loved the fact that he could put really big shoes on by himself, and that definitely fits his independent nature.  He also loves Mom's iphone.  He has a frightening knowledge of how to use it.  I think he's watched Peter Pan at least 20 times.

 Logan loves "baby Claire".  He likes to rub his head on her tummy and say, "soft". He also will give her kisses all day long.  I have to monitor his loves to make sure they're not too rough, but I'm so grateful that he takes such an interest in his siblings and wants to spend time with them.

Another hat and a chocolate ice cream cone goatee = heaven.  And of course, why sit on the couch the normal way?

"Buzz Lightyear" jammies and his favorite blankie.  Logan drags this blankie with us everywhere we go.  I call it the "Linus syndrome."  He loves how soft it is, and likes to snuggle it against his face.

This little boy is my pride and joy.  I wish I had the perfect picture to capture his mischievous smile, his funny laugh, and the mad dash he employs every time he thinks I want to change his diaper.  It's probably good (for my sake) that I don't have pictures of him running as fast as he can away from me everytime he's not strapped down in a store or a public place.  He likes to be free and independent, and reminds me of this every time we brave the world outside our house.
He speaks very clearly and deliberately.  It seems like each and every day he picks up ten more words, and he's using 4-8 word sentences regularly.  He is Mckay's little shadow, and doggedly strives to prove he can keep up with his big brother.
He's my delightful little two-year-old boy, and I'm so glad he's a part of our family!

My ferroequinologist

I think The Big Bang Theory is really funny, and have watched the show on and off during the past few years.  One of my favorite characters is Sheldon, the self-proclaimed "ferroequinologist" . . . aka a train lover for those of you who aren't up to snuff on your latin translations.  I remember watching the show, hearing the term, and thinking, "I can't believe there's actually a word for someone who likes trains!"

Well . . .

I have a bona fide ferroequinologist in my home, and have for years.  Three and a half years, to be precise.

No matter where we go (or if we stay home!) it's always about the trains.  This winter Mckay has literally spent 2 hours a day or more playing with his trains.  He never gets tired of them.  They're never one of the toys I rotate out because there would be a serious mutiny if I did.  He has created whole worlds around these "iron horses", and I believe one of his best friends is literally Thomas the train.

I love that he has a passion.  I love that he builds with them and creates stories with them.  I love my ferroequinologist.

Working out vs. working hard

I have many memories of my mission.  One that's been on my mind an extra lot lately, however, is a seemingly unimportant conversation I had with one of the senior sisters.  She and her husband had all the missionaries over for a dinner one evening, and while we were there, she showed us a picture of her 21-year-old grandson.  This was a candid shot of her grandson rope swinging into a pond somewhere in rural Idaho.  Because he was swimming, he wore nothing but swim trunks, giving my companion and I a good look at probably one of the most in shape and muscular people I've ever seen . . . and I'm including all of the gym rats in every season of the Bachelorette.
I remember being slightly amused at the sister's blatant matchmaking attempt, but I will never forget one comment she made.
"He looks like he works out a ton, but he actually doesn't exercise or lift weights.  He's an Idaho farm boy, and instead of working out, he works hard."
Fast forward 5 years of marriage and 3 years later, and I am juggling finding the time to work out.  It's January, after all, and I, like so many Americans, have the goal to eat healthier and exercise.  I even bought the latest and greatest workout DVD, T-25, which I love.  However, the daily exercise routine is only 25 minutes long, and it's still a challenge for me to get a good workout!  With a 3-year-old, 2-year-old, and 2 month old baby, I barely have ten minutes, much less 25-50 minutes I wish I had.
Today I didn't get to do my full workout, because instead of using my very limited free time I have when both Claire and Logan are asleep and Mckay is watching a movie to exercise, I decided to shovel our driveway.  Feeling somewhat cranky and over-burdened, I went outside and began the laborious task of ridding our long driveway of the six inches of powder and ice that has accumulated over the past few days and was starting to cramp our style.  It didn't help that my next door neighbor decided to shovel her walkway at the exact same time with her nice snowblower, effectively doing the work twice as well and in half the time.
As I slowly lifted one shovelful of snow after another, the muscles in my back arms, and legs began to get really, really tired.  I found that I no longer needed my coat, and that 30 degrees was feeling a little too warm for me.  Little by little, I found my cranky mood lifting, and I began thinking things like, "Well, at least I'm getting a really good upper body workout today!"  I started adding up other things I do that sometimes substitute as a workout, like lugging heavy loads of laundry up three flights of stairs, chasing kids, holding Claire, scrubbing the bathroom, cleaning the kitchen, mopping the floor, hauling groceries from the car into the kitchen, the list could go on and on!  No wonder I'm tired every night, I thought to myself, wiping a sweaty piece of hair from my "glistening" forehead.
I may not get to "work out" every day for as much as time as I'd like to, but maybe, just maybe, I'll lose my baby weight and Christmas weight this year the good old fashioned way, the way people used to do it before the treadmill, the gym, and the cute workout clothes I love.  Maybe this year I'll just have to do it by working hard.

What you do when Church is cancelled

Today church was cancelled.  I didn't know that they did that, but when the wind-chill factored temperature outside is below -35 fahrenheit, I guess that's reason enough for anyone.  I am certainly not complaining.  So instead of church today, we had a little lesson with the boys, we colored a picture of the family, and I am getting a rare opportunity to sit down, sift through my pictures, and catch up on my version of family history: this blog.
Having Claire right in the thick of the holiday season was actually a wonderful blessing.  It forced our family to slow down and choose wisely how we spent our time and energy, focusing on what we most wanted to do.

Mckay and Logan built a snowman during the first "real" snow of the season (back when the temperature was about 20 degrees, not -20.)  Apparently, they thought the going outside in the snow was something you only did once, because although they absolutely loved doing it, they haven't wanted to go back out ever since!

Our friends the Taylors invited us to Thanksgiving with them and a few other friends who were home for the holiday.  I am grateful for good friends.  I think I would have struggled being away from family so much this holiday season, were it not for the kindness love we were shown by our friends, our ward family, and our neighbors.  We are truly blessed.

One of my favorite Christmas discoveries was visiting Santa's village in the Macy's in downtown Minneapolis.  It was basically a glorified line to see Santa Clause, but I actually liked looking at Santa's workshop, Mrs. Claus' kitchen, etc. more than I thought, and have no regrets going, even though we never actually made it to Santa himself.  This is a tradition we will definitely keep.

When we finally got a chance to visit Santa (at the Home Depot in Plymouth, of all places!), Mckay turned shy and silent, two states of being I've rarely seen him in.  He wouldn't look at St. Nick, but did allow me to sit with him and take one picture for posterity.

The biggest hit of Home Depot was getting a chance to ride in Santa's sleigh and pet an actual reindeer.

Christmas morning aftermath.  The boys are old enough to get it, which makes it so much fun.

We celebrated Logan's 2-year-old birthday, and this year I actually remembered to get a picture of the event!  Contrary to what this picture may suggest, Logan did get to blow out his own candles, even though Mckay was very happy to help him.  We love our sweet little 2-year-old.

Claire continues to grow faster than what I would like.  She is so sweet and a very easy baby, perfect for baby #3, I always think.  She smiles at anyone who talks to her now, and loves to look at the lights. She is happiest when she is being held, and gives lots of good snuggles.  We love her!

Claire Melanee England

 The night before our little Claire was born, I went to bed feeling just fine.  Three hours after I went to bed, I woke up with very painful contractions.  Normally the doctors tell you to wait at home until you have contractions every five minutes apart or less for an hour, but I felt really strongly that I just needed to get to the hospital.  So I woke up Chase and about half an hour later, we were off to Maple Grove hospital.  It's a good thing we left when we did, because about half an hour after I was admitted, given an epidural, and was hooked up to those heart monitors that measure baby's heart rate, Claire's heart rate dropped dangerously low.  It was hit and miss for about 1 1/2 hours as to whether or not I could deliver on my own or if I needed to have an emergency C-section.  Luckily, I was able to deliver little Claire at 5:58 a.m. without incident, and we had a healthy little addition to our family!
Claire weighed 7 lbs 9 oz, and was 21 inches long.  She was healthy, happy, and an excellent eater and pooper from the very beginning.  She's only been in our family for 1 1/2 weeks, but already I can't imagine life without her.

 Mckay is a proud older brother.  The first time he met Claire, he told me, "Oh, Mommy, she's so wonderful!"  I couldn't agree more.

 Chase's first time holding little Claire.  He looks pretty good for someone who got less than three hours of sleep!

 Grandma and Grandpa Sainsbury watched Mckay and Logan while we were in the hospital.  We looked forward to their visits every day, and they loved getting to spend a little time with grandchild #9

 Claire's first picture with her eyes open.

 One week old.  She is a bright-eyed little girl who loves to stare into your face.  I always feel like she is older and wiser than I am when we have our little talks.  I'm pretty sure if she could speak, she'd have some marvelous things to say!

 Grandma and Grandpa England and Cole came to visit us and help us out for a few days.  We were so glad that they were able to come and meet their first granddaughter/niece!

I took this picture this afternoon.  It's amazing how much little babies change after just 1 1/12 weeks.  We are so grateful to have little "Claire-Bear" in our family!

Fall has Fallen

Fall has always been our family's favorite time of year.  I love everything from the spicy warm smells to the cute scarves and layers you wear.  I love that I can put apples and pumpkin in everything, and that so many vegetables and fruits are in season.  Chase loves that it's football season, and even Mckay and Logan love all the fun activities, including harvest farms/festivals, Halloween, and playing outside enjoying nature's (in my opinion) most beautiful season.

 We finally took Chase to the Mall of America.  The train ride was his favorite.  No, really, it was, because all the other rides made both of us kind of sick! We are getting old . . .

 Me and my sweet boys enjoying one last carousel ride at Mall of America.

 One September afternoon we went to Apple Jacks, an orchard/farm festival type place.  While there, we got to pick our own apples.  Logan loved doing this, and may or may not have eaten one while we picked.

 Mckay is our little animal lover.  His favorite part of Apple Jack's was the petting zoo.  The goats loved him too!

 The last weekend in September we got a visit from Grandma and Grandpa England.  We were so excited to see them and show them our new stomping grounds.  One day, while Chase was at work, we took them to the Children's Museum in St. Paul.  I'd heard so many good things about this place, and it did not disappoint!

 This fall was absolutely gorgeous, with perfect temperatures.  The boys and I practically lived outside whenever we could.  We spent many a day at Schmidt Lake Park.  Mckay loved to ride his scooter to the park.  He has become a scooting master this fall, and rarely wanted to go outside without his new favorite toy.

 One Monday night for Family Home Evening, we went to Komo Zoo.  It's a small (but free!) zoo in St. Paul.  We were surprised just how large and nice it was.  The boys had never seen a zebra before, so this was one of their favorite exhibits.

 This fall has been so wonderful, but in some ways it was also kind of hard.  With my growing belly has come some growing aches and pains.  I have had a lot of back pain this last trimester, and have been forced to slow down in many ways.  I am grateful that Chase and so many friends and ward members here have been helpful and understanding.  I truly am so blessed.  Here I am at 7 1/2 months.

Every Sunday afternoon this past month we've taken the boys to French Park, a big, beautiful park/lake/reserve only five minutes from our house.  They have a small paved trail that goes around the park and leads to Medicine Lake.  Mckay loves to scoot on his scooter, and Logan rides his 4-wheeled zebra (pulled by Dad) each Sunday.  We always end at the lake and practice throwing rocks in the water.  It is so beautiful there, and has become one of my favorite activities of the week.

Here is Mckay with some of his preschool buddies at Minnetonka Orchards.  As you can see, Mckay will still not pose for the camera for me!  Both Mckay and I really enjoyed going to (and teaching) preschool this year.  I think we've both learned a lot, and are grateful for the good kids and parents that we participate with.

 For Halloween this year Logan went as a Dragon and Mckay went as Mickey Mouse.  Both of them are old enough to get the concept of this candy-collecting tradition, but neither of them yet have that killer instinct to run as fast as they can and get more more more, so it was a very chill, relaxing night of trick-or-treating for both of them.  We also got to go to a great ward Halloween party and trunk-or-treat as well as a preschool party, which was super fun, and gave them both excuses to wear their costumes a few times.  Chase and I enjoyed levying a "candy tax" from each of our boys.  I think I may have taken all of their Reeses (and feel kind of bad about that!)

I love these boys, and I love our life together as a family.  Mckay and Logan make me see the world through more curious, innocent eyes.  Even though so much of our lives hinge around mundane tasks and routines, there are jeweled moments in every day.  I love the ages and stages the boys are in, I love that Chase is enjoying his job and learning new things every day.  I love that we have new and exciting things to look forward to, including the arrival of baby #3!