Happy Halloween!

I was actually prepared this year for Halloween, who knew!!  In years past, I've been shamefully unprepared and putting together last minute costumes or dashing out to get candy at the last second.  Well not this year!  Costume?  Done last week.  Candy?  Bought last week.  Plans?  Foiled by a teething baby boy :(

Marin decided she wanted to be a ghost this year, so I was about to hunt for a cute costume online to sew her one...and my friend saved me from any trouble.  She found a great ghost costume on Pinterest and showed it to me, I loved it!  So I recreated it.

Isn't she cute?!  It's a little white tutu, a white shirt that I've ironed black patches onto, and a knit white cap with a black bow sewn onto it.  SUPER easy and WAY cute!

 Making her spooky ghost sound...Ooooooooooh!

 Oh, our little buddy.  He just struggles with *every* tooth he cuts, and today was no exception.  Red cheeks, fever, runny nose, super sleepy, irritable.  Poor guy.  He's cutting his top left front tooth now...yikes, I can't wait for the molars....  ANYWAY, he was in his froggy costume for about half and hour until he decided he was ready for bed.

 Awww, my little froggy and my man.  Kristoffer loves his little guy, and Owen LOVES daddy :)

 Ready to head out the door!

 And she's off!  Mama stayed home with froggy.

 Spooky ghostie face comin' you're way!!

 Look at my big girl doing that all by herself!

Hmmm, that door looks familiar....

 "Trick or Treat, mamaaaaa!"   Oh yeah, that's US! 





Marin LOVE Trick-or-Treating.  She told daddy when they were out that this was her favorite day this year.  Wow! 

We had grand plans to do our gym visit, have lunch and naps and head to GG's and then down to Bestemor's to trick-or-treat there, but Owen had other plans.  He slept for about 10 minutes until Marin went down for her nap.  Then complained in his crib while I ate my lunch, so I finally pulled him out so Marin could sleep and the poor fella looked like death warmed over :(  crusty nose, big black circles under his eyes, red cheekers....he was a pretty sad sight.  I doctored him up with some tylenol and wiped his crusties away and fed him and snuggled, and finally put him down for a nap long enough to take a shower.  Marin was tinkering around in the room when I was done, so I pulled her out and we played a little together.  And of course dinner must be made and by that point we were HOURS behind schedule.  I've learned with kids to just....go with it.  Grand plans mean *nothing* to children, so I have to let it go and be ok with that.  We will go visit GG tomorrow and see Bestemor very soon, so all will be well.

Conversations

I was driving the kids to Bestemor's house today and Marin was a little chatterbox in the backseat.  Here is a little of what she had to say:

Marin:  "Mommy, I'm going to be married in the temple for I can be a mommy someday!"

Me:  "Yes, Marin that's right!  You will be married in the temple so you can be a mommy."

Marin:  "Yes!  Mommy, you get married in the temple?  You have a sparkly ring on your finger 'cause daddy said yes and you marry him in the temple!!"

Me:  "Yes, Daddy asked mommy to marry him, and he gave mommy a pretty ring and we got married in the temple."

Marin:  "I have a shiny ring for my finger too someday, for I can be a mommy and get married in the temple!"

Me:  "We get a ring and THEN get married and then we can be a mommy, ok?"

Marin:  "Yes."

My heart just smiled.  My sweet girl is only three years old and yet the awakenings of her 'mother-heart' are already apparent.  She desires to be married in the temple and to become a mommy.  To create her own forever-family.  An innocent, untainted child is the purest window to the true desires of our spiritual fore-ordination. The blessed roles that she, at only three years of age, embraces and hopes to one day have.  This is when we know what our heart truly desires, when the world has not yet clouded our judgement and fooled our conscience into thinking we need something different.  The Lord has created an innate desire for good things in our hearts!

I am so happy to have such a sweet, innocent little child of God (well, TWO!), in my home.  She gives me a better glimpse of how I *should* be looking at life. 

And a HUGE hug to any and all of Marin's nursery leaders.  Thank you for teaching my daughter the things of God of Sunday's.  She will say things that I don't remember teaching her, and I smile in appreciation for these sweet nursery leaders.  They are awesome.  As a parent, I need all the help I can get teaching my daughter the things that will truly give her a happy life.  I am up against the world and the world will teach her so many awful, awful things.  I am grateful to wonderful leaders who reinforce to my daughter that someday...she too will be married in the temple for time and all eternity and then become a mommy.



Bathtub Babies

Ok, every parent has to have a few of these pictures to show future boyfriends/girlfriends, right?   I figured these pics were safe, everything is pretty well covered.  And they are my sweet babies, all clean and cute, awwwww!

Ok, if this picture doesn't show parental resemblance, I don't know any other picture that will!  Marin has so many of Kris's features and Owen is totally my boy....Owens family features for sure (so glad we named him accordingly!).

 Marin splashing her little brother, of course.  Owen had his fair share of splashing, too.

 Owen just *loves* his big sister.  He thinks she is just the cats meow.  And he is always looking upon her with wonder and awe and anticipation.  She doesn't disappoint, she loves her little bro just as much!

 Those two, they are just HAM'S together!  I have no idea what Marin is doing in this picture, but Owen is responding accordingly I suppose.  They are so silly together.

*Sigh*, my sweet babies are getting so big! 

New Fall Wreath!

So, two years ago I made myself an *adorable* little wreath, and I LOVE it.  I used a grapevine wreath and some of the super nice fake flowers in perfect fall colors and just stuffed 'em in there!  You may remember it...

 This year, I went to Enrichment Night and had signed up to make this corn husk wreath.  It took about an hour or so to put together, and I think it is super cute!  I wanted a perfect burnt orange ribbon to tie on it, and went to JoAnn fabrics with *no* luck (blah).  BUT....I did find some perfect burnt orange chiffon fabric, bought a yard of it and made my own!  I am so happy with the wreath, and it looks FABULOUS on our front door....it's just so festive!!! 



If you want to make this wreath, buy a big 'ol package of dried cornhusks and put them in a big bowl of warm water to soften for about 5 minutes.  Take each husk and rip them into about 1 inch wide strips (measured at the bottom) and use three together, fan them out and secure them to a foam wreath with special craft pins (they look like a flat "U").  It's really pretty easy when you get into a rhythym, and I was told: "More is Less"...yes.  It will be wet and gross when you're done, and it won't look very "fluffy" and pretty.  Let it dry overnight and it will perk right up!

I recommend using a simple, plain fabric...only since there is so much detail in the corn husks, but use something that's got some reflective shimmer in there, since the cornhusks are not shimmery, you need some shine!  It's all about balance here!

Just a Glimpse

I have a great family.  I really do!  I also work *so* hard to do what every mom does every day (or should be doing!), and there are many days when it seems like it's just too hard.  And then there are the moments, very small moments that make up for everything...and I am SO grateful for those moments that make it all worth it.

Our little Owen.  He is just adorable and makes me smile.  It's so hard for me to stay mad at this little guy when he crawls 10 feet into the bathroom to find me and grabs at my legs, and when I pick him up, he nuzzles his face into me.  He brings me so much joy! 

 And Marin...she is becoming so very very observant, and it amazes me!  She tries so hard every day to be such a good girl and she loves to have a conversation with me.  About anything.  She will say the funniest little things and it just cracks me up!  But today, at lunch, she said "I want a baby for I can be a mommy."  So cute!



And my husband.  I don't have a picture of him right now, but I am just as blessed to have him, and I could not do it without him.  He keeps me grounded.  He talks me down from the highest ledges...the ledges I work myself up to on the very roughest of days.  He takes me on dates and loves love loves me for who I am now as I try *so* hard to look like the person I used to be.  He works so hard every day for our little family.  Especially as of late, he has been pushing himself to the limit.  Work starts at 6:30am and then at 3pm he bunkers down for a 3 hour study session, then home to eat with us and tuck children into bed and a few minutes with me and bed at 9:30.  I love how focused he his!  I love being his wife.

So, I have to make sure I document these moments when they come upon me...I don't ever want to forget my moments of gratitude!

Marin's Crazy Hair

Some days, I put cute little piggy-tail twists in Marin's hair, which I do NOT have a picture of.  What I DO have pictures of are what I do to Marin's hair right before I put the hair ties in. 

Her hair is so fine and slippery, that I *almost* douse her hair in hair spray to make it workable.  So, I tousel her hair and make it all "crazy".  And this is what it looks like!

Marin loves looking at her crazy hair.

 Getting a better look.

 She's so funny.

 Is my little girl posing?!  This is a first!

And, sadly, I have been a *slacker* in taking pictures of my sweet children this month.  I will do better starting tomorrow!  It's really quite shameful :(

Optional Reading

I've been wanting an opportunity to document and share my birth experience with Owen for a while, without appearing too pushy! As you may know, I had an un-medicated delivery with Owen and in the months following, I have become extremely passionate about natural childbirth. While I know that it isn't something everyone wants to read about or even agrees with, I've put my experience at the top, in the extra pages, as a separate addition to my blog. This way, I can share a few more details of my incredible experience while allowing readers to choose whether or not this is something they want to read. I do ask that if it's not something you agree with, please keep any remarks to yourself, as this page is an optional reading experience.

I'll start with Marin's medicated birth experience, and later, post Owen's unmedicated birth experience, so you may need to check back if you are interested in reading them both.

Gnocchi Gratin

Try out my new recipe for Gnocchi Gratin on

http://coolfoodiemama.blogspot.com/2011/10/gnocchi-gratin.html

Brunch at The Grand America

This past weekend, Kris's aunt invited us to brunch at The Grand America and we had a wonderful time.  It was so nice to be all together and savor the *delicious* food that they had at their impressive buffet.  Mmmm, there was so much food to try, I had a little of just about everything...sushi, crab, brie and fresh bread, caramel bread pudding, oysters, FRESH squeezed orange juice, roasted salmon, tiny corn dogs, desserts galore...you name it, they had it! 

A picture of everyone...the Norwegian family! So, here we go, starting from the left:  Barry, Trine, Oldemor 'Sister Aanensen', Samantha, Carston, Henrik, Kristoffer, Heidi, Siri, Mattias, Melodie, Marin and Sam.

 

 Uncle Sam.  Marin *loves* Sam.  She is smitten with Sam.  Sam is so obliging and spends time with her. It really is the cutest little girl crush ever.  

 Oldemor with a veeeery sleepy Owen.

Thanks Aunt Siri for getting everyone together! 

Conference at the Meganacle

Kris and I scored Saturday afternoon tickets to General Conference this past weekend, and for a New Yorker who had never been, I was pretty stoked!  We made it *just* in time, phew!  Oh, and yes, I did just call it the "Meganacle"...but for unsure readers...it's really the Tabernacle.

Kris and I in line before the show.

 Not sure about the look on my face here...I think I was in between expressions, haha!

 Lovely view through on of the glass portions of the ceiling.

 Some photo's after the session.

 This picture would be totally perfect if I didn't have that guy in the grass right by my head!

 Me and the hubs.

 A little contrast...if you please.

 So lovely.

It was really neat to be a part of the experience and see the prophet and apostles in the flesh...even if they were reeeeeeally far away.  And I still ended up watching the screen anyway, but...nonetheless!  We had a great time.

The Ironic Twist of Marriage Vows

When Kris and I were married, we vowed to spend this life and the next together.  To love each other and always work hard to keep our marriage strong.  We also later made the decision to have children.  Huh.

Today my husband left for work at 6am, and I woke up at 7:30 to hear Marin yelling "Mommmmyyyy...." hoping she wouldn't wake Owen...well, that was silly, of course he woke up.  So we rushed through breakfast as we do every morning (apparently children are frantic after 10 hours without food) and dressed and Owen napped while I did dishes and laundry.  After he woke up we dressed him and fed him and bundled up and headed to the gym for a quick workout and an overhead page to come pick up my feverish daughter so we could head home for Tylenol and juice and lunch and naps and a shower for me and more laundry and hide and seek and stories while we waited for daddy to come home at 4 so I can start dinner and feed Owen then eat dinner *inhale* and bathe children and prepare for nighttime potty training then kiss my daughter and my husband and go grocery shopping to the tune of Hoobastank and OneRepublic.  Then I can come home and eat a piece of toast with peanut butter finishing just in time to spend half an hour with my husband until Owen decides his gums hurt and he needs some attention and Marin needs to sit on the potty.  By this point, it's already 9:30 and my husband needs to go to bed, so I steal a 10 minute overage and snuggle with my hubby while I listen to my son work his very capable big-boy lungs.

At 10pm I've retreated to the couch with a computer on my lap and an episode of The Office, and a realization of life's cruel irony.  After my solemn vows to spend this life and beyond with my amazing husband...I don't know as though we really get to spend much gosh darn time together!  That's right...it seems as though my very serious and eternal decision to spend our lives and eternity together has been thwarted by our decision to follow yet another commandment and ...well...have children.  Ahhh yes, true irony indeed.

This can only mean ONE thing.  It's *really* **reeeallyyyy** time for date night.  Groupon here I come.

A Little Family Update

I have just a few minutes to write a quick update on our little family, since I *really* need to go to bed!

Kristoffer:  Is working!  Yay!  He was able to get an internship at Zion's Bank on their trading floor...so, stocks and bonds, etc.  If you ask me to get a little more specific about this...I can't!  I am completely clueless as to what happens on a trading floor.  It's a totally new industry for Kris also, so he has been loving being able to learn new things everyday.  He is also studying for his series 7 license (?) so that he will be able to do this for a job should he be hired on.  I hope I got all of that right...So, he has to be there by 6:30am at the latest, but that means he's done by 3pm.  So far he's hanging in there!

Me:  Uhhhhh, well, not too exciting.  Being a mom is pretty routine, literally!  We wake up at 8am, usually go to the gym around 10:30ish, home for lunch, naps,  play, make dinner, eat, family time, baths, bed.  Seriously.  Since I've been going to the gym, I've gained 6 pounds...yes, I'm sure you can imagine my delight.  Nonetheless, I will keep going.  NEVER give up!!!

Marin:  In the past 6 weeks she has become amazing articulate.  It is incredible to talk with her and realize how much she can comprehend and respond in complete sentences.  We are working on her ABC's with some printouts from the internet I tied up into a little book for her.  Each day we try to do one letter.  We are working on counting to 15 (past 10), and she has been enjoying a puzzle/matching game she got for her birthday.  Mealtime is improving somewhat if we make a game out of it.  She likes to pretend we are going to eat her food so she'll eat so we "can't".  I would normally not be OK with this as I want to reaffirm the principle of obedience, but she understands it's a game and thinks it's funny.  Still a great sister and loves making her little brother laugh.

Owen:  Such a mama's boy...really, he is!  And, I have to admit, I kind of like it ;)  He LOVES mama and it is the sweetest thing ever.  About 6 weeks ago he sprouted his first tooth, and today I noticed a second one has joined the party!  So now he has two little pearly whites on the bottom.  All of this teething has been ROUGH.  He is very restless when he is teething and does not sleep well.  We like Tylenol around here!  Owen has also been mastering his "mama" for about 2 weeks.  It is SO...DARN...CUTE!!!  He will see me and want some attention and out it comes "Maaamammaaammmaaaa".  Oh my goodness, how can you say no to that?!  I wasn't sure if he understood what he was saying, but he waits until he see's me to let it loose.  My mom weighed him last week in NY and he weighed in at 19 pounds, which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight.  I haven't had a chance to check his length, but I will do that soon.  He is a happy, healthy, hungry boy with delicious cubby thighs, it doesn't get much better than that!

I have a few more posts backlogged, so I'll head to bed and hopefully get on the ball tomorrow!

Camping with Daddy

I have an awesome husband, just so you know.  After a ton of hard work mostly on the part of our brother in law and Kris, we have grass in our backyard...this I tell you for a reason.  Kris promised Marin that he would take her camping (in the back yard) when we got home from NY.  So, now that there is grass, we were all systems a-go! 

 Owen was our supervisor,

 Such a happy face.  Mr. Happy!

 Marin now has a sandbox to play in!

 Such a pretty yard!  The top level level is bare for a future vegetable garden and a fire pit, saweeeT!

 Just can't get enough ;)

 There she is, peeking out of the tent.

 Helping daddy.

 Funny girl.

 Enjoying a hot dog before "smarshmallows".

 Daddy and his posse. 

It was kind of a sleepless night for everyone.  Owen was up with a stuffy nose and was pretty upset, and Marin had a bad dream in the tent and then she and daddy were inside for breakfast at 7am, phew!  BUT...my little girl had a sleepover in a tent with daddy, and there is no replacement for that.