Our Kids Are Home!!!

Yesterday afternoon I was filled with nervous energy and excitement in anticipation of seeing my children for the first time in exactly three weeks since I kissed them goodbye and drove away from their tears and sad faces. Tears and sad faces which were quickly ditched for other fun activities like eating rice crispy bars, playing softball, planning picnics on the boat and swimming in the pool or riding in kayaks. Or so I was told. I know that the tears were genuine. At the time. But c'mon. The kids are 4 and 6 and sadnesses are short lived (oh, if only those quick recoveries carried into adulthood).

The three weeks spread out before us like the ocean, seemingly going on forever when we first arrived home. I stayed busy for the first two weeks cleaning out, re-painting and re-organizing Owen's and Chloe's rooms. But each day passed faster than the one before until I was standing at the gate waiting for my kids to walk off the plane (hugs to the ticket counter agent who gave me a pass through security so I could see my kids that much sooner to smother them in smooches!) and surprise Todd, who believed I was waiting in baggage claim...just like I told him moments before when he called me after landing in Atlanta. :) Yes, I can be sneaky.

So here is the video of their reactions walking into their rooms when we got home from the airport. Gone is my anxiety over the tears and stomping feet yelling "This isn't what I WAAAANTED!" As you can see, I had nothing to worry about.



Do you think the right word for this is nonchalance?

BIG THANKS go to Grandma Sharon and Papa Wenzel for taking care of my children for the past three weeks. There may have been some overindulgence going on (doughnuts for breakfast, cake for lunch, rice crispy treats in the afternoon and pie with dinner for example. yes, there was a security breach, so what happened at Grandma's did not stay at Grandma's....much to her chagrin), but I couldn't be happier about my kids getting to spend so much time Up North in Minnesota with their grandparents and getting filled up on their love.

What awesome memories they will have of these times when they are older. I know some of the snippets I remember of my own childhood with my grandparents bring such a warm feeling of complete and total love. With them, I knew I was safe. They loved me no matter what, even when I was six or seven and ruined my Mom's $300 coffee table with fingernail polish remover when she was napping. My Grandparents were there for me on the phone reassuring me that no matter how angry Mom would be, she WOULD allow me to live.

And that they loved me. So much.

Kid's Room Makeovers: Part 2 - Owen's room

This was the view from our hallway into Owen's room. The double window is just to the left of the bookshelves back in the corner. His cool bunk bed took up half the wall.




For most of the three years he has had this bed, Owen slept in the top bunk. It was this past spring that he moved down to the bottom bunk. I suspect he found it easier to sneak out of bed to play with his toys or read books in the sunlight creeping in from the hallway. Yes, I said sunlight. We are wretched parents who kiss the kids goodnight by 8pm so we can have a couple of hours to ourselves.




And a shot of the armoire between the closet & hallway doors. See? Sunlight. This pic was taken close to 8pm the other night. Just wretched!




And looking in again from the hallway to blue walls with red curtains and bedspread. I had not originally planned on painting Owen's room, but thought he'd feel left out if they came home to find Chloe's room painted and his...not. So I pushed and needled him until he broke down from saying he liked his khaki walls to, "Well, maybe I'd like blue with red and black. Maybe. I dunno." And somehow, his room got re-arranged and the bed flipped over so it is no longer a bunk.




The bookshelves flipped over to the opposite wall and the quilt that my Mom made for Owen when he was a baby just shifted over a few feet.




I pulled my old rolltop desk out of his closet since the bed is not sucking up wallspace like before. Now he has a place to do homework, as well as a Pokemon card storage facility.




I like this picture wall, but need to get one added that includes my Dad with Owen (since he's got pictures with all the other grandparents). I bought new frames at IKEA so all the family pics would look better hung together. Not sure if he's too old for the other pictures of the rabbit, rocket ship and dinosaur, but I painted those a few years ago and admit I'm not ready to let go of him being my little boy yet.



I think Owen got the cooler room between the new color and furniture re-arrangement. I like all the pictures on his walls better now that the frames match and are hung in a spot that's easier to see. He also got a new little bedside light and table with two drawers. Very big boy stuff. I hope he loves his new room.

I have had way too much fun these past two weeks painting the kids rooms and thinking about their reactions when they come home. This will be a big surprise to both of them. I had planned to spend much more time on the torch during this quiet time with them away, but ended up spending the majority of my free time in their rooms.

It made me feel closer to them, the things they love and the smell of their hair on their pillows. It almost helped me to not miss them so much.

Almost.

In four days, they will be home again. I can not wait to throw my arms around them and smooch their little faces until they push me away. And then pull them back for more.

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I fi

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I figured the best time to make that happen would be during the 3 weeks they stayed behind in Minnesota to get spoiled by the Grandparents. That would eliminate any crying or stomping of feet over color selection and guarantee we wouldn't have Pepto Bismol Pink fighting with Vikings Purple on her walls. As a child, my Mom gave me the Pepto Bismol walls that I chose on a paint swatch, God love her. But as an adult, I vowed to myself I would not let that happen. So here are the before and after shots of Chloe's room.

Before, Chloe's room had green walls. All were a light green, with the exception of the window wall off to the right that does not like to be photographed because the lighting screws up my pictures every time. But it is the same green as the bookshelves/headboard I built for her at the head of her bed.


That is her closet door to the right of the dresser and the door to the hallway is to the left just out of view.



There is the rocker/recliner I love. It is so comfy and brings back good memories of Chloe when she was a baby, when I nursed her, and when she wasn't old enough to talk back. And also the quilt my Mom made for me when I graduated from high school. It is not safe from messy cats on a horizontal surface. I love that I could hang it up and still be able to see it every day. Mom put so much time, effort and love into making that quilt for me!




Now two walls are a pale lavender and two are a pale pink. I think the purple really makes the green shelves and her cool IKEA leaf canopies stand out better. There is a rainbow windsock hanging in the far right corner. She picked that out in a shop in Walker when we were Up North. The Cabbage Patch Kids on the left side of the shelves were my first and favorite two dolls as a child. I loved Lavinia and Laura to no end. I still think they are pretty cool and have learned to live with the fact that they will never be clothed again.


The purple matches one of the homes on the quilt. Not visible in this picture, but only due to distance is Chloe's artwork with a ball point pen just next to the calendar by the door. Her handiwork bled through a good EIGHT coats of lavender. Next time I will just use a little KILZ at the start and be done with it!


And a better view of the pink, which is also on the opposite wall with her two windows.

Back from Vacation & Kidless

We had a WONDERFUL vacation where we took a week and a half off from the world of telecom to drive 1000 miles up to Minnesota to visit Todd's folks in Rochester and Up North (any place North of the half-way mark in the state). We relaxed. We ate. We fished. We relaxed a little more. And then we drove home kidless to enjoy peace, quiet and no whining for a whole 3 weeks. And no kisses or sweet little hugs or soft whispers in the ear at bedtime that "I love you more than pancakes and Pokemon."

I haven't spent as much time on my torch as I had planned. But I'm not going to complain. I have re-painted BOTH of the kids bedrooms, spent much time cleaning out closets and dressers. But the most fun has been spending many evenings at the tennis courts watching my honeys do what he loves. When the kids are here, I NEVER get to see Todd play tennis. But now I can go watch him anytime he's playing. I can join in the guy humor and give teammates grief for wearing pink shoes. I can have a couple of beers with them after they're done playing. And then give them more grief for wearing pink shoes. They are fun & good group of guys, most of them married with kids, but ranging in age from mid 20s to late 50s/early 60s. These are my husbands friends. And I like them. All of them. And that feels good.

Up North 3

The largest dandelions I have ever seen were along the running trail in Nevis/Dorset.




Kids playing along the shore. Chloe had to take her top off to be like her brother. This was around 7:30/8pm and was getting cooler, but the kids didn't seem to notice.




Our little fish just loves swimming in the pool.



Such an awful view/way to spend vacation, don't you think? Wretched skies, ugly water and a chauffeur to find the perfect fishing spots.



Parental & baby loons.



Todd caught a bass!

Up North 2

Owen is such a good big, brother pushing his sister. He volunteered all on his own.







The girl child needs to protect her ears from sparklers



Sparklers leave fun smokey trails behind running kids.




Protected, man-made Loon nest



I just love all the lily pads

4th of July 2009

Up North1

8th Crow Wing fishing




Outside of the Dorset House, Owen was goofing around behind this large leaf



Kelley met her friend Heather of Sentimental Journey and Cool Zebras at a little ice cream shop in Walker, MN. Heather lives in Rochester, but was Up North on her summer family vacation at the same time we were Up North. It worked out great!



Owen squeezing a blueberry in between his teeth. Silly boy



That's our Beanarina being a siller



Yes, we drove all the way to Minnesota and then Up North so the kids could ride the rides in Wal-Mart.



Sharon and I ate lunch on this outdoor patio overlooking Leech Lake in Walker, MN. Talk about GORGEOUS! Lunch was delicious, too. Crazy big bugs and mutant drangonflies were all over the sidewalks at this hotel/restaurant.