Healthy (finally!!) and 4th annual party

Knock on wood...but I think we might finally be healthy.  Well, except for a nagging cough for Claire, but other than that.  It's been a really rough two full weeks.  First both kids had a nasty cold for an entire week.  On the week anniversary of his cold, Max got croup (and he gets bad cases of croup).  As croup runs its course, it turns into a nasty cold.  Meanwhile, Claire maintained her nasty cold.  Then, last Thursday Max got a stomach bug.  On Friday I got the same thing and also came down with a fever.  I had to go to work for a few hours on Friday, and I tried to not tell anyone I was there with a nearly 101 degree fever because surely they would kill me.  I would, if I were them.  I pretty much broke the golden rule of don't-you-dare-go-to-work-sick-and-get-me-sick-too, but sometimes duty calls! So it's been a very sleepless two full weeks in our household and I'm praying we're finally over it!

In other news, Max decided he wasn't quite tall enough on the stool so he went on his tippy toes too.



This evening I hosted the 4th annual family (including spouses and children!) get together for my "mom and baby class" friends.  Over 3 1/2 years ago, our babies looked like this.


And now they, and their siblings, look like this!!  Sadly, three of the seven moms couldn't make it tonight, so below are only 8 of the 14 children we have combined.


In 2009 we looked like this...


And now we (at least four of us) look like this!  A little more tired, seasoned, and happy.


You've heard me say it before, but I am so very thankful for these ladies and their children.  I am thankful that we continue to get together on a monthly basis to talk motherhood, family, marriage, and the Bachelor.  Life is good.

Busy times

Whew, it's been a busy last week and a half.  Last week we had something going on in the evening every night, which is partially why I was so glad to have Friday off from work.  The kids and I met up with Ashley and Melissa and their children at the zoo.  We were supposed to go to Ami's for a playdate and pizza dinner after nap but poor Briggsy had to go to the doctor to get stitches instead!

Friday night Josh left at bedtime to go to a bar to see his cousin Scott (Ami's husband) play with his band.  Saturday I spent a large portion of the day at a photography editing class in Albertville.  Last night we woke up around 2:00AM hearing the all-too-familiar seal bark coming from Max's room.

I didn't fall back asleep after that and was up with him (and Claire woke up too, of course) at 5:00AM in the bathroom downstairs with the water running as hot as it could in the shower (that felt less torturous than bringing him outside in the below zero weather, although the cold air is more effective at opening up the airway than the hot).  I took him to urgent care later in the morning and he got a shot of steroids.  Hopefully he will sleep much better tonight!  After rushing home from urgent care, I picked up Claire and we went to Minnetonka for a 1 year old's birthday party.  We got home by 4:00PM and went to get groceries.  Whew.  This coming week we only have one obligation in the evening (gymnastics on Tuesday) and I am excited to have time at home so I can feel more caught up with life!

So I typed all of that while I was waiting for my photos to upload into Photobucket. Just to kill time.  Hopefully I didn't bore you in the process. :)

Tonight Max made me dinner.



As I took this photo, he handed me the dish (containing a hotdog bun and half a kiwi) and said, "Mommy, I made you SOUP. Be nummy! Be nummy!"


Get-caught-up-on-life, exhibit A, below.


They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I think it's just par for the course for a three year old girl.  Claire tries to copy EVERYTHING I do.  That means putting dinner on the table and trying to get as close as she can to what I served (one of those play dishes has a pear in it and I also served a pear with dinner tonight).  She gets so excited to cook her dinner at her play kitchen.  She constantly yells at me and asks which step I am on and then excitedly says she's doing the same thing too ("I'm cooking my hamburger TOO!").


When we got home from the birthday party, I changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Claire immediately ran to her room and found a sweatshirt, that also had a hood and zipper, just like me.  After dinner was cleaned up, I had to do some work in preparation for tomorrow. Claire got out her calculator and said, "I'm texting and doing my work emails too, Mommy".


Have a good week!

The start of January

It was tough to go back to work. The first morning Claire said to me, "Do you have to start going to work EVERY DAY again?!".  Now I'm looking forward to a week off with the kids in February.  Omi, the Parks and the Hebels will all have warm vacations and we'll have a super fun staycation!

Friday night I went out to dinner with Sarah and Amy, at a nice restaurant with a professional staff.  Sarah and I both ordered a glass of wine and he didn't ask for either of our IDs.  He returned a couple minutes later, looked at both of us, looked back at Sarah and said, "I need to see your ID".  What?!  We laughed so hard and couldn't believe he'd single her out and not ask for MY ID.  I don't think I easily look over 35! (right?!)

On Saturday we had Bailey's baptism. Josh and I are honored to be her Godparents.  Max got a cold the night before and was so sleepy during the service that he actually fell asleep!  It was sweet for this mama's heart to cuddle with him in church.  Hosanna baptized 36 children that morning!














Saturday night my dad and his new puppy, Scout, came over to watch the Vikings playoff game.  I love, love watching football games with my dad. And Scout is beyond adorable.



The kids were so pumped up for the game too! We practiced our celebration dance before kickoff, to make sure we were prepared to SKOL!



Ever since I could talk, "42" has been my absolute favorite number.  I was so excited when a Vikings player with the number 42 was FINALLY good enough to have a jersey made.  And then I found a child's 42 jersey at Marshall's for $4.99.  Score! Now I have my own little mini-me Viking fan in matching 42 jerseys.  Could life get any better?

2012 Annual Photobook- it's complete!!

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Our Christmas in pictures (and some words)

Wow, are we exhausted or what.  All four of us.  We have had a beautiful and blessed several days and are ready to recuperate.  I keep saying, "NEXT year" will be easier, more relaxing, less stressful, more rested, etc.  Finally, I do think it will be next year.  Even though we are all wiped out, we are so, so thankful for the family time and joy we experienced this Christmas.  You can see it through these pictures. I felt so grateful for my healthy and joyous family.  I am so thankful we all truly enjoy being together and that there is no family drama.  As I lay in bed trying to sleep last night, I kept thanking Jesus that my children (and Josh and I) were healthy on Christmas.  That has been my prayer for a long time and I am so thankful He answered it.

On Friday Josh and I took a vacation day and had a date day to celebrate our birthdays.


Grandpa came into town from Florida on Saturday.  We had pizza at Mom's house that night and then Grandpa, my dad, mom, Chris and Bailey came over Sunday morning for brunch.


Because of a scheduling conflict on Christmas, Santa came to our house early!  We left him cookies and he ate them, with just a few crumbs left behind!  Max keeps randomly saying, "Santa ate all the cookies!".


On Christmas Eve morning Claire woke up early screaming, "Is Santa here?!?!".  I checked downstairs and gave her the all clear.  Then she said, "Maybe Santa is in the basement listening to records!!".  Here they are admiring the presents that Santa brought, that coincidentally were wrapped in the SAME paper that they picked out at Target.  Next year Mama's gotta be more savvy.


As we were opening Santa presents before 7:00AM, I noticed that it was snowing outside.  Magical.  I tried to capture the moment, which is hard to see in this picture, but I remember it in my heart.


Claire loves her new baby doll.


After a relaxing morning, Grandpa Leroy, Uncle Chris, Aunt Becky and Bailey came over for brunch and presents.


Auntie Whitney and Bailey.







After Josh and the kids napped (and I did a boatload of dishes, packed the diaper bag, ran to the liquor store for wine, charged and packed up the camcorder and camera and loaded the presents into the car), we went to church.  Our church had over 20,000 people come on Christmas Eve!!


After church, we went to Nana's for lasagna dinner and presents.  She is the most amazing cook ever.  We're so thankful to have my Grandpa here from Florida.


Celebrating our 12th Christmas together! We're old!


Max got a lot of "Buzz! Woody!" stuff and was so happy.


Christmas morning we left the house bright and early to go to Northfield for Mara's baptism.


Papa and Omi watching the baptism, with Claire and Max.


I love this picture of Josh's family!


We had lunch at Omi and Papa's house and opened stocking gifts (we have Christmas with Josh's family again this Saturday!). Claire looked SO darling in her Christmas outfits this year!


Max looked pretty cute too.


The five Docken grandkids.


Max loves him some Mara.


While the kids napped at the farm, the adults played Catchphrase.  Later that afternoon, we went back to Nana's house for dinner with the usual gang, plus Brad's kids and their kids.  Claire and Cambrie had a blast together, as usual.


I am so glad to be off work the rest of the week.  We're taking it easy today and going back to my mom's for dinner tonight with grandpa (We're having leftovers! Oh, I forgot to mention the amazing meal she made last night- cornish hens, swedish meatballs, roasted broccoli, mashed potatoes and gravy, amazing cooked carrots, bread, and molten chocolate lava cakes.  Mom and Grandpa were in the kitchen cooking from 9:00AM until 5:30PM STRAIGHT!  What a blessing this meal was.  They cooked for 8 1/2 hours and we devoured it in like 15 minutes!).

Tomorrow we don't have any plans and I think I'll take the kids to the mall to see if we can score any clearance deals. Friday we have a playdate with Ami and her crew, and then Saturday is Christmas again!

I hope your Christmas was magical and blessed as well!

My thoughts on Sandy Hook (and others who say it much better)

I have been profoundly affected by the horror that took place at Sandy Hook, like any other parent, I'm sure.  The worst for me is at night.  I can't look at the pictures of those precious children anymore. They look so familiar.  I imagine, with just the very limited ability that I can, what it would feel like to be the mother of Emilie or Jessica or Dylan.  The grief gives me physical pain and I realize this is just one billionth of the pain that those parents feel.

To me, the most common themes since the massacre appear to be:

1) Gun control
2) Mental illness
3) God

I agree we need to address gun control.  I think we need better gun control, but that is just part of the problem, or the solution, as it should be.   That's pretty much the extent of the Democrat in me. :)

I also agree that we need to address the lack of resources for those individuals and families struggling with mental illnesses.  This article, titled, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" was so chilling, it kept me awake for part of last night.  Jail is not the answer to mental illness.

Third, and not surprisingly, the topic of God continues to be at the forefront. Did God abandon those children?  Did God cause this?  Did God not stop the attack because we have shut him out of our schools? Is there even a God, because what kind of God would allow for 20 little souls to be stripped from their parents days before Christmas?

The question of "why bad things happen to good people" is a tough one, to say the least.  I have always struggled with my own perspective on this and with having thoughts to share with others. This post, "The Gospel and Newton", is the best biblically-based explanation I have ever read.  I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this blog post.  I learned more theology in the 10-15 minutes I spent carefully digesting the post than I have in several years.  I highly encourage you read it.

I also thoroughly enjoyed this article, "God can't be kept out".  Worth your read. She said it a hundred times better than I could.

I believe God's tears were the first that were shed. His heart is shattered.  He didn't will for that massacre to occur.  God didn't just need more angels in Heaven.  Those children need to be with their parents.  Probably more so, those parents need to be with their children.  Parents should never bury their children, but God knows what that feels like too.

I pray that this is a turning point in our history.

What she says

This is Claire early in the morning on December 6th, when she first spotted the gifts that Saint Nicholas left for them.  How beautiful is she?!  I just love her.

The other day when I was getting ready for work, I said, "Do NOT give me a hug!" so she gave me a hug. Then I said, "do NOT give me a kiss!" so she laughed and gave me a kiss.  Then she smiled and said, "Mom, do NOT give me a graham cracker!!"  How fast they pick up on reverse psychology!




This cheese face has to go.  Claire is wearing new size 4T jammies in this picture and they are MASSIVE on her.  Tonight Claire got (yet another) injury.  Max sat next to her and said, "Care, feel better. I want Care feel better".




She's a good baking helper.  And she insists on helping me wrap presents (by placing the tape ever so carefully) which makes it take 3x as long but I try my best to be patient with her.

Today Omi put an outfit on Claire's paper doll and Claire said she looked like a "hot mess"!

Yesterday morning I was getting ready for work, while Claire laid sweetly at my feet. She looked at me thoughtfully and said, "Mom, you sound so beautiful when you talk.  I wish I sounded beautiful like you when I talk".