Happy Anniversary to Us

So, yesterday we were at dinner with my family--GreatGrandpa Albritton made a stop in Dallas.

And, my family wished us a happy anniversary. Erik and I looked at each other and were like, "oh, yeah! tomorrow is our wedding anniversary." What can I say? It has been an exhausting year and exhausting couple of months.


Happy Anniversary, Erik! We couldn't have predicted what a ride the past 13 years would have been.

Snow Flurries

We had a bit of the white stuff last week. Evy was so eager to help his dad get ready for work.

"You go to work?" is the first question Everett asks his dad every morning.

Chills and Thrills . . . in short spurts, slurred speech, and choppy comments

Colder weather . . . no more yellow jackets in our fireplace!

Gas leak--oh, yeah, that was fun. We figured out it is in our fireplace. Capped but not fixed yet. Bet that fact makes you want to come over and breathe our air. Whheee awwe okkkahhhy rrreawwwy.

Broken computer, broken printer, broken camera, and broken DVD player. Posting a reward for information that leads to the apprehension of elf/demon/wicked entity that is causing all this ruckus.

Christmas Celebration at church. I'm in charge. Was told to plan for 150 (they thought that would be on the high end). I didn't think more than 80-100 would come. Over 200! Yes, 200 people, were at our celebration. Thrillingly, exhaustingly busy with a positive result.

All of us having been battling colds. Boys are better now.

Merritt added, "Evy" to his words . . . sounds like,"Ewwy." He is one boy demolition crew. Good thing he is so cute when he does it.

We are looking forward to Erik taking some time off before the New Year. It is about time. I am sure we will be working on projects we haven't had time to tackle. Boring things like organizing the office and hanging hooks. We are going to love it! (plenty of doughnut runs in the process)

First Trip to Austin with Merritt

We had a wonderful time in Austin a couple of weeks ago. It was our first trip back to Austin since we moved back to Texas and it was well overdue.

Merritt turned one while we were there. We still have yet to have his party. But, he didn't care. And, for his birthday presents . . . skillets. He is in love!

We had the great opportunity to meet our new cousins and witness the "legal" part of their adoption finalization--they were family way before this ceremony happened. It was a wonderful experience, and one I will always remember.

We visited with Pa and Nana and enjoyed breakfast while the boys cruised the house and Evy fished off the pier.

A stop at the Children's Museum allowed Evy to play with some of his favorites . . . tools!

For Merritt's birthday lunch, we had spaghetti in a train! Awesome!

Merritt loved facing forward in his carseat! (love our swarthy baby doll?)

They enjoyed staying at the hotel. Or at least trying to convince the parents to let them ride!

Other noteworthy aspects:

• My sister fed us during our pitstop in Waco. Gotta love my sisters!
• Trunk lock mechanism "broke" on the way to Waco. Good thing I listened to the prompting to bring both sets of keys. We found only one key would work to open the trunk.
• Though we tried to get together with friends while in Austin, Sheila was too sick.
• Ken's Donuts still rock!
• We realized we need to get out of McKinney more often.
• Though Austin has changed over the time we've been gone, we still love that town!
  

Other pictures we loved:

For P'Real!

(We've been discussing things that are "pretent and p'real" for several months now with Everett. I love some of the verbal quirks that young children have.)

And our schedule is so over-packed, FOR P'REAL!

I am eager to journal the details of some of the amazing experiences we have had. But, I just can't get a moment. Between Erik's calling and my calling in our church, there is just not time. The danger of waiting to journal is you lose the details, and the details are what brings the experience to life. We have had a meeting with a group or individual almost every night for the past 8 weeks. Tonight, we have nothing scheduled but the house needs attention, etc.

I think we are going to watch a movie.

I do want to share with you how humbling it is to work alongside Erik as he strives to fulfill duties as Ward Employment Specialist. The employment needs of right now are particularly overwhelming. It is absolutely insane some of the qualifications that these unemployed and underemployed have and the effort that they are putting into their job search with results coming months and months and sometimes over a year into being unemployed. In short, it hurts, in a sense, to experience their frustration, pain, shame, loss of confidence, and powerlessness.

We feel blessed to be employed. We feel blessed to have health insurance. We feel blessed to have a house (I guess we talk so much about people losing their homes that Evy will ask several times a day,"Do they have a home?" as he points to a person walking on the sidewalk or driving a car).

We feel blessed to have supportive family and friends. And we feel blessed to have the Gospel in our lives. Neither one of us would have the time to accomplish the work, the chutzpah to believe that we can do this work, or insight we desperately need to (1) fulfill our callings and (2)be parents without direction and blessings from our Heavenly Father.

So, if you are unemployed or underemployed you are in our prayers. If you are gainfully employed, take a moment and be grateful.

Chills and Thrills . . . Just a List

Family Adoption Celebration in Austin

Merritt Turns One

Sheila Coughs Up a Lung

Erik and Sheila teach the employment class.

Christmas Shopping

One DayPlanner with Credit Card Lost

One Flat Tire

Lots of time dedicated to our callings.

One DayPlanner with Credit Card Found

Albritton Family Reunion . . . Ancestor Quest: Camping Style

Thanksgiving

Bee Sting

Overpacked Car

Oddles of pictures to post later

Helps the Medicine Go Down

We have prevailed against the anti-medicine/sensitive gag reflux terror.

Step One: Describe Hercules as a wildly great medicine taking hero that would have died without intervention from purple/white/red sugar laced bitterness as thick as sludge.

Step Two: Introduce "Medicine Dino" who helps you take medicine. (Though he suspiciously looks like a stegosaurus.)

Step Three: Pray that there is enough "extra" antibiotic in the bottle to cover, allow for, several losses due to vomit.

Step Four: Plan for 20 minutes for each medicine administration.

Step Five: High fives and praise should be given liberally to parents and child at each "small squirt" of medicine that is taken and not "given" right back.

Step Six: Just pray that something sticks. Be willing to try various spoons, injectors, and like tools.

Result: DONE with antibiotic.

Thank goodness for Hercules and prayer.

The Sjolseths on NPR: National Adoption Day

Hear Erik's brother, Brent, and family as they talk about adoption.

NPR

Morning Edition

Thursday, the 19th

National Adoption Day

AND

Merritt's First Birthday

Chills and Thrills

My Dad beat the big ol' Cancer. Go, Dad, and Mom, and everyone who visited and prayed for him! And, my sister Mandy has the best taste in cards. If I can scan it for you, I will.

We all got sick with a cold. Yeah, sensitive gag reflux visited our home, too. Then the ear infection dude came along to stay.

But I got to go to Target by myself this morning. And, I got to go to the podiatrist by myself today. (Thanks, Erik). My heels are adorned with plantar fasciitis. And, no, the heal spur is not "grissle"--I thought it was a great guess since I was hoping it wasn't bone.

My sister and her family came to visit this weekend without minding our hacking selves too much. We had an EXCELLENT time!

We finally figured out what was wrong with our car. $1,000 later it almost works as good as new.

Cold weather is kicking in, just in time for our Thanksgiving camping trip.

Because of some of the previously mentioned items, my Boston Marathon has taken a huge pause (okay "huge" in exaggeration means "2 week"). Doc says maybe I can start back up in a couple of days. Registration for the 2010 marathon has closed. Doesn't make me cry cause I didn't think I could manage getting my time up and financing a qualifying run in a certified marathon in time. So, 2011, here I come. (Or I'll just "run" it the next time I am in town. Say, when Uncle Greg graduates with his doctorate!!)

Why the Boston Marathon? I told Erik long ago that if I got into Harvard, I would run it. It is time to make good on that statement (next on the list is: karate--"Everybody is kungfu fighting" sing it with me . . . (can you see a 6 foot lady learning karate with 4 year olds?) . . . and then finally getting around to find my story to put onto paper).

Merritt turns ONE this week!

We visit family during their adoption finalization in Austin!

Erik and I are teaching the employment class again on Sunday!

Did It Again

I am pretty well aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Really, I am. And, if I ever forget, something happens through the course of the day of being a parent to remind me; really, it does.

One of my areas to work on is: I expect adults to act adult. And when they don't I get irritated or disappointed with the interaction.

Kids, I get. Though, I am not saying I never get impatient with the repetition of a 3 year old or the dawdling of said child, my expectations of what can be and will be done by children are pretty reasonable.

Not so with adults. Each time I start a new interaction with a group of adults that I am getting to know, I forget. I forget that there really is no such thing as acting like an adult. There is just a spectrum of respect and maturity that we are all on, and I wrongly assume age to be corresponded with an increase in illustrating respect and maturity.

Never fear, I've been reminded.

And, then, I am surprised when someone rises above it all and exemplifies what it means to be respectful, be mature, and it impresses me.

So, cheers to being impressed! (And I am really trying to be heartfelt here and not sarcastic.)

Just Another Day

Today was blissfully normal.

Mom went to a baby shower while Dad went to Lowe's with the boys.

Merritt managed to chew through half of a decent-sized foam football on the drive to the store.

AWESOME dinner with some new friends. Banana pillows and apple-pear compote for dessert, delicious!

The floors are mopped. Lawn mowed. Laundry waiting to be folded.

Erik has leadership meetings tomorrow.

Merritt can say and wave "bye-bye."

Learning at Home

I've been asked several time what I do with Everett at home. He isn't in preschool for a variety of reasons; yet, we do things that might be considered preschool activities.

I am a big fan of teaching skills in context. Meaning, we talk about the color red in the context of why colors might be important . . . observing things as we walk or as we read a book. I do have a couple of "books" that he sometimes colors and cuts. On the whole, though, I've found that I get bored with them.

So, I've been using literature as springboards to what we talk about and learn through with each other. We've just completed a huge time period (so it seemed) in learning and reading about dinosaurs. I am not too concerned that he can read the word "dinosaur" or even recognize the letter "d" at this point. I want him excited about reading books, excited about learning new things, learning how to ask good questions, and beginning to understand how he can find answers to his questions. (Right now we are back on alligators.)

I do provide specific instruction when it comes to drawing shapes. I show, provide a model for him to use, he traces, and then he works on doing it on his own. We use the chalkboard and crayons. I've found that I am more excited about teaching him when we go a more creative route and use pudding, cereal, rice, and sand to practice shapes, too.

For the past couple of months, he has started to show interest in games (games other than Twister which we used to talk about colors and left and right). There are tons of cool movement games out there that he seems really drawn to right now.

I'm also a big fan of free play. I don't want to structure his whole day. I want him to be able to come up with play and games on his own. Oftentimes, that means I am asked to play "cars" more often that I would like, but he is learning how to structure play and use his imagination (though I do show him new scenarios to play-out that don't include a 10 car pileup caused by Chick Hicks).

He does have a favorite TV show "Dinosaur Train." I think it is a pretty cool show, too. And, it is just long enough to let me get a shower in for the day.

One thing I have been trying to get centered in is going places that directly relates to what we've been discussing. I guess I need to find an alligator farm next.

That is about it, I guess. I figure we'll have plenty of time for alphabet practice as he shows more interest and I have more interest in teaching it. We do count and develop number sense all the time as we explore what we see.

We have until Fall of 2012 before he goes to Kinder. Lots of play to be had before then.

Today's Inspiration

When I Can't Think Of What To Do Next

Whimsy On My Mind

I have several goals running right now.

One I've had since we moved in is to paint a mural of

whimsy

right on the large wall on the second story landing in our home

to do so, I need to study it, imagine it, taste it, smell it, and see it

What is whimsy?

Do you define it to experience it?

Do you experience it to define it?

also n., pl., -sies, also -seys.
An odd or fanciful idea; a whim.
A quaint or fanciful quality: stories full of whimsy.
[Probably from whim-wham, fanciful object.] http://www.answers.com/topic/whimsy

Inflected Form(s): plural whimsies also whimseys
Etymology: irregular from whim-wham
Date: 1605
1 : whim, caprice2 : the quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful 3 : a fanciful or fantastic device, object, or creation especially in writing or art http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whimsy

noun, plural -sies.
1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression: a play with lots of whimsy.
2. an odd or fanciful notion.
3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy: a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.
Also, whimsey. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whimsy

Why whimsy?

Because the past couple of years haven't been super whimsical.

For a mom of children ready to experience the world I need tons in my arsenal.

Why not whimsy?

What color should I start with?

maybe a metallic color?

and, yeah, until I get it sketched, the idea is freaking Erik out.

and, I see oodles of whimsy here and here (aptly named)

All Hallow's Weekend

Holy Celtic Holiday, we had a great time!

(Evy the Pirate on the run.)

The Moores came to town and that is always a great time.

We went to the Heard museum and saw the moving and roaring dinos.

The first pics are just cute.

Bowling with the apples down the ramp. Then we throw them over the railing.

Evy has a love hate relationship with the life-size, moving dinos that roar.

(he is holding his hand up so that he can "see but not see" the T-Rex at once--filtering the fright so to speak)

The Spooky House (yeah, that is our house and it is as spooky as we have ever made it)

Erik and I had our costumes ready since we started the fun a week earlier.

Here are some foods I tried this season. The biscuit eyeballs looked great, tasted so-so. The spiderweb fritters were AWESOME! Like crispy funnelcakes.

We had mummydogs, witches brooms, and more for our Halloween dinner.

Trick or Treating

Everett was the first to go home.

We have an awesome neighborhood!

Games to wind down the festivity high.

The End

(evidence found the morning after Halloween, yeah, that reads "Toe Tag"--wish I saw that costume)

First Steps

Last night while Mom was cleaning getting ready for a church meeting and the boys were dancing, Merritt took his first steps. We are pretty sure that full biped motion is quickly coming up on the horizon.

He was so excited and so cute!

p.s. he loves to chase the vacuum cleaner.