Times. They Are A-Changin'

Their love doesn't change!

Don't be fooled by the quiet on the blog front this week. It's has been an incredibly busy week for us in so many ways. Lots of churn in our world. And you guys, I don't like churn. Status quo and I - we're good pals. Except when status quo is teething. Then I'm ready for change.

An example of my change management skills: We own two TVs. One upstairs in the living room. One downstairs in the family room. They are, for all intents and purposes, the same. Except the one in the living room (where 95% of our TV watching occurs) is a bit possessed when you try to turn it off - to the point where Mike essentially rigged a kill switch. To turn the thing on or off was a series of sequential button pushes, akin to nuclear launch codes. But (after a rigorous training class) I knew the codes, so was totally good. 

Then one day, out of nowhere, Mike switched the TVs! He brought the TV (that we already owned) from the basement to the upstairs and brought the upstairs TV (that we already owned) down. You know, the "almost the same" TVs that have lived with us for years. Gasp! It took me a week to stop being twitchy about it ...

Now that you all are feeling sorry for Mike, imagine our world on Sunday night, when our amazing A - our day care provider whom we have been with for over 5 years - called and told us she got a job. And would be closing in three weeks! 

So, we've been searching, calling, emailing, texting, skywriting, smoke-signaling, and miscellaneous other forms of communication with the day care community in S-town to try to find a new home for Q and D ... preferably one that can also take (and cath) Fiona for the summer. We've had one good interview and have a couple more meetings set up. With any luck, we'll be locked in by this time next week. 

So we are moving ahead as a team to define our new normal. And even the most change-averse of us (Q and me) seem to be on board and doing well.

Swimming Lessons

We have now arrived at the Stage of Three Swimming Lessons. On Saturday morning, we gathered up the troops, dusted off the swim bag, did a quick verification of swimsuit sizing (yep, still need to size down for the girls), and drove five blocks down the road for our morning of lessons. While lessons take up our Saturday mornings for the foreseeable future, all three kids get in during the same hour. That felt way more reasonable than 2-3 rushed weeknights!

Fiona's lessons were first and she proudly headed off to class and had a blast. I had friends in town from Tennessee, who came with us to the lessons. So Fiona often looked up to make sure we were all watching and admiring her sweet skills. She is such a ham! It is amazing to see how much her confidence has increased in the pool since her last set of lessons. She's becoming quite the swimmer.

Quinn was doing great until it got really close to her lesson time (she and Dec are in the pool at the same time). This is her first set of lessons without a parent (can I get an AMEN!?!?! serious parties here when we age out of parent/child lessons!) and she got really nervous. We compromised on me walking over to the pool edge with her. Then her teacher started doing fun stuff and singing songs - and she promptly forgot about me and was all in! She did so great and we were really proud of her.

Mike and Declan hung out in the baby swim class. Dec was happy and then decided he wasn't entirely sure about this swim class thing. So Mike did the only obvious thing ... started blowing bubbles and splashing him. Which made D laugh. And then he was totally happy and ready to swim. The boys looked like they were having a good time - other than it being really cold in the water. 

Overall, the start of the Three Swimming Lessons has gone well. (And we sure didn't mind having two extra sets of hands this week. We will miss them next Saturday!)

Dec Talks

Seriously too big!

Declan is at one of my favorite ages - when it is totally unpredictable what will come out of that little baby's (I'm trying to pretend he's still a baby. he's not cooperating!) mouth. But it's almost always funny!

Dec is a total parrot and will happily repeat anything. As toddlers do, many of his words sound the same (snowman, no want, careful normally all sound alike ... right?) so we pray for context - or one of the girls to translate. His favorite words tell you everything about this sweet guy: hockey, ball, Nona (Fiona), Kinny (Quinny), Gogi, mine, cookie (pacifier), and cookie (cookie).

Here are my favorite recent incidents of toddler talk:

Crazy hat hair

• He was at day care and A was cleaning him up after a meal. There was something stuck particularly well near his eye. A unintentionally said out loud, "hmm, I wonder what this is ..." and Dec looked at her and said, "my eye."
• On Sunday, the girls were really tired and ready for bed, but because of a long nap, Dec was all about having a party in his crib. After a couple trips back to the bedroom (one to help Q with the back-up flashlight as Dad needs to fix hers - that sucker could land an airplane - and one to remind Dec that his mattress was actually not a trampoline), I headed back one more time to do a final flashlight check. Dec was finally lying down in his bed, but I could tell he wasn't asleep yet. I was leaving the room and heard a robot baby voice from the crib (I think he was trying to whisper), "Declan. sleeping." It was seriously all I could do to not burst out laughing.
• When we got home from Christmas in GR, we opened the presents from Santa. Bugs opened the Magic Box of Seven Princess Barbies and because she embraces her emotions, the neighbors were probably aware of her level of excitement at the "BARRRRRRRBBIEEES!" When Dec opened his box of hockey gear next, he got really excited and shrieked "Barbies!" And then quickly changed to yelling "hockey."

Reading his farm book

Yogi Turns 9

Yogi's sleeping on the floor at my feet, dreaming of a summer birthday. Or at least a birthday that didn't fall on a hella cold weekend where we are almost literally frozen inside our house. He's debating whether peeing is worth the subzero jaunt outside. 

Despite the cold, we celebrated our favorite furry dude in style yesterday as he hit the last milestone number before double digits. Quinn and I went to Target a few days before and got him some wet dog food (chicken stew) and all three kids showered him in hugs and ear scratches. He got a few extra snuggles from Mike and me as well - and a promise for a lovely long walk once we see above zero again. 

Mike took him to the vet last weekend for his annual check up (and a couple shots). Mike had found a lump in Yogi's abdomen a while ago, but we've noticed it growing in the last few months. So we had them check that out while they were in. We got great news that it is a fatty tumor and not anything scarier. He still needs to have it removed - as well as some work done on his teeth, so we'll be scheduling a surgery day at the vet soon. 

Other than those minor issues, he's doing well. When we head outside with him, it's only the extra white around the edges that shows his age. He can still run around like a puppy when he wants to. Although like some of the rest of us, that puppy behavior may mean he moves a little slower later that day. His joy clearly shows that it is totally worth it!

And a Miley Song was On ...

I so wish that I could have had a secret camera to catch these two at dinner a few nights ago. They were totally rocking out (in unison) to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." By the time I not so discreetly ran to get my phone and got all set up, they were acutely aware that I was taping them. It's still fantastic, but the real deal was even better. These two. They just make me happy.

**also notice Quinn's hair. She got almost 6 inches cut off on Saturday. Everyone is good with it but me. She looks as cute as can be, but I just LOVED her long hair. She (and her dad) wore me down. Something about her head, her choice ... blah blah blah ***

Sliding to the End of Break

Action shot

While we didn't fully "break" during the holidays as the kids went to day care and we went to work some of the days, it was still a much slower pace for those two weeks. We thoroughly enjoyed that pace and the extra time together. So we decided to really pack it in during our final two days of break. It may have been our attempt to delay the reality of Monday! 

On Saturday, we headed up to a hotel to meet Gma and Gpa J and Auntie (and a bunch of Gma and Gpa's friends). After the blondes tricked Grandpa into taking us to their favorite restaurant for lunch, we did a quick (failed) attempt at nap that resulted in the girls and I sitting in the hall outside the room reading magazines and Declan sobbing and messing with the blinds in the room. After I sprung everyone from the torture, we suited up for the pool. 

"Look at me swim, Dad!"

Declan and Fiona were ALL IN for the pool time. Fiona swam everywhere and was having a blast. She even came to the shallow end and swam without her life jacket for a while. She did great (I was terrified!) and was super proud. Dec flashed his grin at Auntie and convinced her to help him navigate the pool. He was kicking away, moving his arms, blowing bubbles, and generally wiggling his way into Auntie's heart. We brought a couple life jackets for him, but he preferred the "it's hard to have sisters" pink option. 

Quinn braving the water

Quinn was content to play in the water on the stairs where she was plenty close to the pool exit. I convinced her to come in and float with me once in the deep end, but that was enough for her. She had fun, but needed it to be her way. She lasted about 40 minutes, which is really good for her, but was well before her siblings were done, so Grandma helped her get dressed and get a snack. Dry, warm clothes and food. That plan was just fine with her!

Looking like a pro

Then Sunday after nap, the weather was so glorious that we decided to hit the hill by our house with sleds, saucers, and skis. After a couple saucer runs, Fiona put on the skis and tried to go down the hill. The snow was so packed that she was going really fast and Mike was having a hard time keeping up with her. Once she got down, she worked on the flat surface to get her "ski legs" and did a really good job. More importantly, she worked really hard at it and didn't get too frustrated! Eventually, the blue saucer and the shrieks of her sibs were too much and she wanted to go back to sledding.

Once Bugs was done, Quinn put the skis on and tried the flat surface. She was a natural and was even able to get herself back up a few times after she fell. In typical Quinn (and 3 year old) fashion, she had limited attention for it and wanted to return to the sleds. I couldn't blame her as the sleds were flying down that packed snow! Plus Yogi would chase her sled.

It was a great way to end the holiday break, including fresh air that helped induce an early bedtime for all.

Helmets for all

Happy 2016!

Midnight kiss

First resolution in 2016 – be more timely on blog updates. So, anyway … We welcomed in the new year with some of our favorite people. After I got home from work, we headed over to B&C’s so our kids could help Jack and Coop trash the basement and I could finally get my hands on sweet baby Hannah. She is just as tiny and delicious as expected and the three small Vs are totally in love. The smallest V was especially taken with her and continues to say, “Hannah. Pretty.” Heart.Melted.

We had dinner together and after we cleaned up, the big people realized that Hannah was sleeping in her bouncer and the five other kids were down in the basement playing. It was just tall people talking and finishing sentences. Weird.

Mike set his timer for 7:30, we poured sparkling beverages into cups for everyone, and counted down to an early new year. Fiona desperately wanted to kiss someone at “midnight” and as Cooper seemed uninterested (or terrified – running across the room saying “no. no. no.”), she laid a sweet Buggy kiss on Uncle Brad’s cheek. He didn’t seem to mind.

I can't figure out why our New Years
celebrations have been so tame for
the last 6 years ... SIX KIDS since 2010!

We let the kids stay up later than normal as they were having so much fun, but we still packed it up before it got too late. Mike and I watched the ball drop in New York City and called it a night. In addition to partying it up with our friends, we again made a few family goals for the new year.

• Declan: his response is “hockey.” I’m interpreting that as he wants to attend a hockey game.
• Quinn: Learn to ice skate.
• Fiona: Build a snowman. And go to the Ice Castle. (she’s strategic and wants to ensure we go back to the ice castle this year!)
• Sara: Go on a weekend family trip (going to GR doesn’t count. An actual mini-trip).
• Mike: Go camping with friends (Pilchers – we’re looking at you!).

It looks to be a rather big year for the V family. Fiona will be having a couple surgeries in the next few months to get her out of pull-ups and will start Kindergarten in the fall. We will add a second school kid in September as Quinn heads to preschool full-time. Declan will hit the pool for formal swim lessons and will do all things that two-year-olds do. I am hoping to run a 5k or two and Mike and I have a few house projects on our agenda.

Overall, it sounds like there will be plenty of blog fodder. Keep reading to see how we do on our family goals – and what other craziness we find ourselves in.

Something Completely Different

I'm finishing up the Christmas break posts (as the new year posts are stacking up ... yikes!), but it's totally newsworthy. The day after Christmas, while we were up in GR, Mike and I went on a date in the evening. And even got the pleasure of having my sister as company (no joke. she's awesome).

We headed over to a small town bar in Coleraine to watch four of my buddies from high school play together. I played in jazz band, jazz combo - and was in band and choir - with all of them. They played together in high school as Something Completely Different. They've gone their separate ways since high school ... Tim plays bass for Trampled by Turtles (if you have never listened to them, do yourself a favor and check them out immediately), Eric is in California and performs as "Actual Wolf" (check him out too), and Mike and Russ play around the Duluth and GR area. When they are all home, the band gets back together.

It's been years since I've seen them play together and it was so much fun to head out for the evening with two of my favorite people. And watch some of my favorite guys! It must have been a fun night because Mike even agreed when Em insisted on a selfie!

Mike was teasing me at the bar as I caught up with the parents of the band members. I seriously grew up with all of them, so know their families well. But yes, my love, my coolness knows no bounds!

Big thanks to my parents who braved two sleeping children and one very sad Quinn while we went out. Luckily, Grandma has good snuggles and was able to convince sweet Q that it was okay to go to sleep ... even if mom and dad weren't home yet.