FHE-Great Weather Style

Growing up, we never ate the "butts" of the bread. Come to think of it, I still don't. Having clever parents who never wasted anything, they saved the bread butts and stored them in the freezer until we went to feed the ducks. I loved feeding the ducks.

The weather was great this Monday and our FHE activity was going to feed the ducks. All three of us enjoy feeding the ducks. However, Everett is the most directive with the ducks, encouraging them to eat, making sure that the "out" duck get some of the grub, "GO! GO!" In fact, at one point, we weren't fast enough in portioning out the bread, and he stared helping himself to the loaf in order to get it out in a timely fashion.

Our treat was a yummy strawberries and cream frappuccino. TASTY!

Weekend in Baltimore

Sjolseths and Moores arrived in Baltimore on Friday ready to see all the sights. We bought Harbor Passes and were very satisfied with everything that we were able to gain entrance with the passes.

We started our tour with a trip to Top of the Tower.




Everett outright laughed whenever he caught a view of himself in the mirrors.

We enjoyed dinner outside overlooking the port. Evy enjoyed his first taste of rice pudding. Well, until he actually tasted it, he fed Mom and Dad the pudding. Once he got a lick of it, it was all his!

The ending entertainment was watching a traffic cop manipulate traffic with his very loud and nonstop whistle as we waited for rush hour traffic to disperse before going back to the hotel. The guy must go home exhausted because he put all of his mind and might into moving traffic through that one intersection.

Early Saturday morning, we arrived at the aquarium ready to see it ALL! And we did.

This is a bird Everett spotted in their Rainforest habitat. I don't know what kind it is, but Everett was equally fascinated by a parrot show that he saw while we were there. This kid continues to be fascinated by our feathered friends.

One of the more memorable moments for me was being one of the first people to walk through the dolphin and frog exhibits. Particularly the dolphins, it was so peaceful sitting and watching the dolphins speed through the tank in the low-light room. Well worth the effort of getting there as the room opens.



Out of all the aquatic creatures, these lionfish held the most interest for Everett. He loved it when there were "TWO" in view at the same time.

We walked the short distance to Baltimore's Discovery Children's Museum for the afternoon and FELL IN LOVE! With as much hype as the aquarium gets, the children's museum blew it away, totally. There was something for the littlest to the biggest of kids (including robotic enthusiast Phillip). Though we were there for several hours, we would have stayed longer if Everett didn't need a nap so badly (fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel).

Hello, Heaven!

In the water-room. (They provided the crocs.)

Brave Evy coming down a tunnel that was at least 25 feet long and 3 stories in the air. Supportive Dad is right behind him.

Overtired and put off by the sunlight, Everett built himself a tent in the back so that he could get a nap before our next adventure.

Back at the hotel room, Evy took some time to relax with a movie and a frosty. Doesn't he look cozy!

One of our last major stops was the Science Museum. Everett had a great time. Many of the exhibits do need to be upgraded as they are defunct or just not as "hands-on" as they could be. That being said, I think that the boys had a great time exploring.

In with the Dinos

In the Kids' Room

Outside the Museum

On the Way Back Home

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Baltimore and felt so lucky the day that we found $5 parking! BTW, Everett loved exploring the hotel. The hallways were like runways to this little boy, and he would scream with delight while running down them being chased by a parent.

Chills and Thrills

Comparatively speaking, this week was one of the easier weeks we've had in awhile. We just arrived home from spending the weekend in Baltimore with the Moores. We had a ton-o-fun!

Erik: I was able to finish the deck and keep a tree from destroying it. I also enjoyed time to be with my family and Everett at the pool.

Sheila: My thrill was that the sonogram went well. The baby continues to be growing well, and I am physically doing well. The chill is that it is hard to NOT do things for myself and for Everett, especially knowing I'll need more help by the end of this pregnancy. I hate needing help, but I am managing it. I officially completed all my paperwork for my resignation late on Monday. (gotta have lots of bureaucratic paperwork until the bitter end) I had my first four consecutive workdays unemployed and was amazed at the ease of life (at least for those four days).

Everett: I AM RUNNING! Dad had to bust out the "monkey backpack" and use the tail as the leash. I didn't mind too much as I was able to go anywhere I liked. With my new-found speed, I have taken a couple of spills--all in a day's work for a toddler.

Blog to Book

So, I am trying to put the salient posts on this blog into a book. Mainly, a book for Everett since most of my journal about him has occurred online. After a disappointing start several months ago, I now have the time to get back to it and see if it will work. I think it will.

I am hoping to have his first book finished by the end of August. If it turns out well, I'll let you know what publisher I used. In the meantime, you can take a look at these screenshots to get a sense of it. (You basically download the blog entries into the program and then format the text and pictures to your liking.)

Dogwood Save Continued

Day 2

Erik started calling the cluster association at 8:30. At 12:30 we were told that the tree would be removed by the end of the afternoon.

By 3:30, the dogwood hammock was removed. The offending tree was sliced and slid from our rooftop. Three men and Erik removed the tree with one chainsaw and one tree cutter. They mulched the trunk right there and carted all the debris off the property. The only area of damage that we see so far is that a gutter is bent. Not bad!

The Day the Dogwoods Saved the Sjolseth House

It is 8:15 in the evening.

Everett is going to sleep in the pack-n-play in our bedroom (I hope!). I can hear Erik outside talking with several people. Evidently, he made it off the roof safely. He is surrounded by at least an arborist, the son of a Board member, and a few neighbors. But, I also hear someone walking on the roof—who knows who that is.

We came home this afternoon at about 4:40, and while Erik was giving Everett a bath, I popped into the office only to see a tree trunk staring at me from the window. A tree had fallen on our house at 4:02 this afternoon according to our neighbor. We weren’t home.

At that point, Erik began the dozens of calls he would need to make in order to get the tree off our house. Luckily, our two beautiful dogwood trees broke the brunt of the fall. So, as far as we can tell right now, no damage to the house. However, I have heard one of the trees creaking in a desperate help-seeking way (of course several large branches from our trees have been pulled off and one dogwood tree is splitting in half under the offending tree’s weight).

Why would Erik need to make dozens of calls? Can’t Erik just get a chainsaw and hack the now deceased specimen of nature? We live in a planned community which means that there are lots of rules . . . our cluster rules-gotta call the Cluster Association-that resides in a larger association-gotta call the Reston Association—then recall everyone when noone calls back—then call everyone on the Board to find out all but one are out of town, etc. We’ve got to get the tree of our trees and house before the tree busts through our dogwood canopy and into the office and screened in porch. Also, I bet the neighbors would appreciate a lack of chainsaw noise at midnight.

It will be interesting to see how they accomplish this without messing up the structure of the house. The longer it takes, the higher the chance that the dogwoods will come down due to weight and gravity, and our newly repaired deck and home will take quite a beating.

8:37 Erik and I brought out all our portable lights and our house lamps . . . they are trying to locate a support branch from another tree so that when they start cutting, the rest of the tree just doesn’t slam down on them. The evening isn’t too hot, but it is quite buggy.

There is a guy scaling the tree climbing it with all the gear that a rock-climber uses. With the clouds, it is pretty much totally black out there.

9:30 Everyone has left. The tree is still on our house, but the arborist was able to use other trees to pull pressure of the dogwood trees and our roof. Still haven’t heard from the cluster association. Hope it isn’t windy tonight.

View from our kitchen

View from our backyard (Mom and Evy are enjoying popcorn)

Weekend of Dreams

This past weekend was a mix of dreams, extreme toddler outings, and relaxation.

The Moores came into town (YEAH!) and we all went to the Natural History Museum where everyone else in DC decided to go. Seriously, all of humanity was there taking pictures of the elephant in the entrance and if we all didn't behave so well, I am sure there would have been extreme bumper stroller car incidences.

BUT, Erik did a bit more research on his DREAM kitchen countertops.

Yes, that's right these normal looking rocks . . .

. . . glow in the dark AND Erik wants a length of that rock to adorn our cabinets to guide any midnight wanderings (really, we all know it is in effort to have interesting tidbits about the kitchen for the house tour).

Those who know Erik know he is always about possibilities. If anyone can make something happen, he can. Good luck, Erik!

Next, we visited a Field of Dreams, the Nationals Baseball Park, for a game against the Cincinnati Reds. (This was the main Extreme Toddler Outing.) Despite the nosebleed tickets, waning toddler energy, and the long walks around the field, it was so much fun to be together as a family and watch the players the size of ants play out on the field. (The stadium has a playground, Playstation area, Build a Bear and lots of other areas that we didn't take advantage of but were amazed that they had.) We made sure to leave before too many tears were shed but were able to feast on the sweeter delights of baseball food.

One of the memorable moments occurred when during one of those "participant competitions" . . . who can do the most push-ups in 30 seconds . . . one guy completed correct push-ups, another guy completed super wussy push-ups. Of course, the wussy push-ups were easier to do and took less time, so more where done. When the Wussy Push-upper was declared the Winner, the ENTIRE stadium booed him. Yeah, it was pretty funny. Poor guy had no idea why everyone wasn't cheering for his victory.

We did get some relaxation in during the weekend. The Girls went out for a bit of shopping and lunch. The Boys went to the pool and built GINORMOUS sand sculptures.

We had dinner outside as the weather was very mild.

Yes, those are Cheetoh Puff Spirals. They are delish!

And, last but not least, the boys decorated a dream vintage car for dessert. The pan is SO COOL!

The Cakes

The Decorators

Working

The Eating

Phillip's Masterpiece

Connections

Today was my first day of being unemployed in the paid sense, still being overemployed in the working sense.

I asked Everett what he wanted to do today. He said,"Phool."

After telling him we would go to the pool, I asked him what was at the pool.

He paused, looked at me, and then said,"Dada!"

Later in the day when requesting to watch Cars, he elaborated with "CHOW!" (The main character Lightning McQueen says,"Ka-chow!" in the movie.)

We had the chance to decorate cookies at a friend's house. We stopped by the store to buy some decorating items beforehand, and Everett was in charge of carrying two of the bags to the register. He carried this through so solemnly knowing full well the entire weight of his responsibility (if we don't pay for the M&Ms then we can't eat the M&Ms).

String of Life's Little Things

Last night Erik, in fine storytelling mode, was reminiscing about one of the first years of our marriage. As Erik very comically describes biking to Westlake Grocery at 5:15 in the morning and back home in the dead of Texas heat . . . details include bodily responses to overheating and excessive exercise that include trips to the bathroom (funny stuff, people) and as the story turns to the description of his day continuing on to slaving at an afterschool Kindergarten program refereeing between 5 year-olds . . . all in the effort of allowing Sheila to have a car to get to all of her internships . . . he then speaks of his sacrificial sale of the beloved Acura in order to pay for the newer car during graduate school . . . one of the listeners said, "I don't have any stories like that."

I've been thinking about that. Now, this person doesn't at all have a boring life or background. Quite the opposite. But, he was right, he probably doesn't have a story like that. But, he has other stories.

Just as I have my own version of the story that Erik tells. I am not as funny as Erik, but I have my own flavor of humor, my own anchor to the story that is usually slightly different from Erik's.

Switch to my church's services today. Typically, every first Sunday in my church is dedicated to Fast and Testimony meeting. A meeting that provides a chance for the congregation's members to share personal testimonies, testimonies that may include a vignette, a story, to help illustrate a deep personal spiritual understanding or feeling about a gospel principal . . . or , most importantly, about their relationship with Jesus Christ. For the testimony bearer, these stories serve as opportunities to gain greater knowledge, stronger connections, and clarity. Whether or not stories are shared, it is undoubtedly certain that life situations provided opportunity to define that understanding or relationship.

Though we each have defining moments, we are more than just what is defined in that moment. We are made up of the string of life's moments, life's little things, life's stories. It was a reminder to me that the moment that I am living in right now has the potential to be a defining moment or a learning life experience. It is my choice to maximize the moment or let it slip away . . . just as I choose whether or not to take the time to reflect on the moment . . . the evolution of the new story and learn from it.

Who knew Erik's flowing story starting with the bike ride and bodily functions would end with a reflection?

If the post title reminds you of that underrated slice of cinema Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Bravo!

Chills and Thrills

Sheila: This week signaled the end of work. I am excited about what I'll be able to accomplish bit-by-bit over the next couple of months before Baby S arrives. (Who am I kidding . . . but then again, a girl can always hope.) Baby S is active and kicking!

Everett: I had a couple of rough nights and days (could be teething) but overall I am continuing to listen better. My new words this week were "Bye, bye" and "Night, night!"

Erik: I finished on my current work project which included turning in 5 deliverables on time-under budget. Results: a very happy client!

We were finishing up watching Cars as a family this evening. During the closing credits, Everett started to climb up the toy chest and lean on the TV stand in preparation of turning it all off . . . until the music started and he started shaking his bootie. It was hysterical! The kid was totally grooving to the tunes.

SuperCervix and Gaucho Maternity Pants

The Synopsis
Despite some BraxtonHicks contractions and overall cramping for the past several weeks--sort of like earthquakes with aftershocks, I am going strong with a very long cervix.

I feel blessed. In fact, at the OB appointment today, I think he might have said "normal pregnancy." WHAT! Do I dare entertain that I can be considered normal?

Nah, not really. But I left the appointment confident in my body's abilities (for the time being) and Everett left the appointment with LegoFever. I guess we are going to have to get some of those.

For those that want more detail
"Mom, are those PANTS?" questions Little Miss B, the little girl who lives across the cluster from us.

She was asking about my very fashionable maternity gaucho pants that I bought over two years ago at Target. Yeah, you read it right, Gaucho Maternity Pants. And, no, no one ever looked as good as in the picture below. In fact, Erik didn't ever want me wearing them in public sort of like I never want him to wear his UT muscle t-shirt in public. Gotta have some standards.

They forgot to make sure that this model was 1) really pregnant and 2) wearing shoes that a pregnant off-balance person would wear. So, imagine more material in the folds (pants have to grow with you and much more sensible shoes. Imagine a larger derriere (mother nature helps you balance out the growing belly). Imagine a poochy belly . . . and you've got the reason why Little Miss B was sightly confused by my pants/skirt/dress?

Why, when I live in a place where I can get cute maternity clothes, do I offend fashionable senses by wearing my gaucho pants? (I do have them in cobalt black and spanish brown.) They are comfortable. The stretchy material is folded over at the waist and there is NO elastic.

Evidently, I have an irritable uterus. Evidently, this occurs when there is muchas cramping and BHicking (BraxtonHicks contracting for short, people) AND when that cramping doesn't effect the length of the cervix. I get the more painful cramping when I am wearing a seatbelt, sitting at the computer, driving, going up and down stairs, sitting with decent posture, and when I am wearing maternity pants with elastic in the waist band. Thus, the draw to my very out-of-style gaucho pants.