All About Her: Beth

This post is not about me.  Or my kids.  Or my husband.  It is about my friend Beth.

Beth first introduced herself to me on this very blog in August of 2010 – around the time of our EP approvals.  I am so glad she did!!  She is so witty, funny, and smart.  She is beautiful.  She has two adorable kids.  And, she has become one of those people that I’ve been fortunate to have met in this blog world, yet cannot believe I have not yet met in person because it totally feels like I’ve known her for a long time.  We actually almost met in person once…inSeoul, a couple weeks after our introduction.  It seriously would have been GREAT to have met her and her newly minted family of four while we were all in Seoul.  But unfortunately, we past each other in the night - as we landed in Seoul and got settled into our hotel and prepared to meet Leo in to morning…Beth (her husband and daughter) were spending their first night as a family with Sam, preparing to board a big beautiful blue plane and fly home.  I will be forever grateful for her updates from Seoul while I was still here in MN going crazy packing for Seoul (and wondering if we were nuts to bring Drew).  Those updates were so insightful; they made me so happy and excited for her family…and even more anxious to get over to Korea to meet Leo and complete my family.

Beth and I have past each other in the night quite a few more times since then – as All Accounted Four has driven through the night on our way to Michigan.  Will 2012 be the year we stop passing each other in the night?  I certainly hope so!!

Without further ado, Beth’s All About Me Award…not because her bog is great (she doesn’t have one), but because her friendship and comments on other people’s blogs are totally fantastic!

Thank you for nominating me, a non-blogger-lurker, to participate in "Seven Things". Of course I have practiced for this day many times, but am struggling to come up with seven, interesting facts about myself.

1. Early bird gets the worm: Most days I wake up at 4:30 either to run, or to have my peaceful time before the kids wake up. Friends know that I will not respond to texts or calls past 8:30. My eyes usually slam shut in front of an open book by 9:30.

2. Early bird also gets the husband: I met my husband in a marathon training group that met at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings. It was love at first sight, but I refused to go out on a date with him until after the marathon because I didn't want to have to spend three hours on a run with him if the date the night before had turned awkward.

3. Pretty in Pink: I learned to sew when I was 12 years old and made my junior and senior prom dresses, one of which was an iridescent pink confection. It was hot. Hot pink, anyway.

4. Chocolat: This is so cliche, but I eat chocolate every. single. day. I keep a secret stash of semi-sweet, bittersweet and dark chocolates tucked in the back of a cabinet and have a nibble after lunch and dinner. I am a chocolate snob - only expensive chocolates, please - and my husband is more of a Snickers dude, so he doesn't usually disturb my stash.

5. Tall drink of water: I was 5'7" in seventh grade and only grew another inch to reach my current height of 5'8". And no, I wasn't a good basketball player. My job was to plant my feet, raise my arms and draw the charging foul.

6. Blanket (not Michael Jackson's son): I still have my baby blanket and only weaned myself from sleeping with it when I got married ; I thought it was a natural breaking point. But, nobody puts blankie in the corner. I keep it front and center in my closet and rub the silky corner before I go to bed.

7. What Not To Wear: I (not so secretly) hope to be ambushed by Clinton and Stacy (even though I hate their show) and have them revamp my wardrobe which has taken a decided turn for the worse in my new career as a SAHM. Nordstrom and Banana Republic apparel has been replaced by stretch-wear from Target and Old Navy. I will have hit rock bottom when I order my first pair of PajamaJeans (...looks like denim...but feels like PJs...)

Thanks for the guest blogging spot. You've made me feel like a superstar and less like a blog stalker.

No, thank you Beth!!

Until next time…be happy. have fun.

lessons learned

what i learned on my memorial day vacation
by sue krekelberg
age 37

1. when traveling 10+ hours by car with two boys under the age of five, bring lots of snacks, take time to play soccer at rest stops and utilize the portable dvd player (not matter how much you're against it)

2. no matter how hard you try, you will never NEVER be able to maintain your children's nap/sleep schedule; nor can you contain their excitement and enthusiasm for being somewhere super-duper fun and exciting...both are things that can/do make toddlers and pre-schoolers highly sensitive, emotional, and 100% unpredictable - you just gotta cut them some slack (and yourself) and sometimes just ignore the whining and screaming and crying and go with the flow

3. always...always...take the time to goof off with your kid - and once in awhile capture it all on 'film' (even if it's just with the camera on your phone).

4. never question the opportunity for a date night...leave as quickly as you can - do not pass go, do not collect $200 and do not say you'll close the garage door on your way out

5. avoid big, heavy, falling 4x4 boards at all costs...or you'll end up with an egg the size of a racquetball on your forehead, weeks worth of totally disgusting black(purple/green/yellow) eyes and a swollen face and the missed opportunity of a much needed date night ('cause the trip to urgent care & the pharmacy for codeine & anti-nausea medicine surely does not count as a 'date')

gross, gross, gross - and it spread to the other eye and down my cheek. how dare it!

6. no matter where you are in the united states on memorial day, even if you have a black eye, seek out a parade and honor all those who have served our country...i appreciate each and every service man and woman regardless of where they served, but boy did my eyes swell with tears of pride and gratitude when the korean war servicemen rode and walked by this year.

7. always remember to bring your camera and video flip cam (especially when it's leo's first time to the family cottage)...but in case you just happen to leave them at home on the kitchen island and have a complete meltdown and fit about it when you realize it after 10+ hours on the road with two little dudes, apologize to husband for said fit and be thankful for family and friends that become your personal photographers for the weekend

big huge THANK YOU to the Melville family for coming up to spend a rainy day with us at the cottage, bringing the most amazing chocolates, candy, and fudge, and taking some absolutely wonderful pictures (better sideways than not at all.  sorry, i tried and tried to fix 'em - guess i'm rusty at this blog posting thing!)

thank you. thank you.  we love you guys!!!

until next time...which i promise will NOT be another month away

another year young

What a weekend!

Thursday morning’s “I don’t think I feel so well” totally turned into a “I feel like crap” by the time I picked up the boys from school – I spent the evening and night fearing & fighting the flu while my totally awesome husband took care of dinner and the boys.  He did this all while keeping the arrival of my brother from Michigan a complete surprise.  Good job honey!!!  And, to give you a sense of how out-of-it I was…when he woke me up at 1am to tell me that he had to run out for a bit, I barely questioned his sudden departure (even after it sunk in that it was 1am).  An hour later…as I was lying on the floor of Leo’s room with a finally-back-to-sleep little night owl…the bedroom door opened and I saw Damon and then my brother’s head popped in the doorframe.  SURPRISE!

Friday was a laid back kinda day…I was still under the weather and in total shock that Mike took Amtrak all the way from Ann Arbor to see me for my birthday and meet his nephew for the first time.  (Mike was supposed to get in around 10:30pm, but Amtrak was delayed and he got in around 1:30am ~ thankfully it was not delayed due to any of the unfortunate circumstances I’ve had with rail travel in the Midwest ~ but needless to say we were all a bit tired, especially with two little human 6am alarm clocks).  Throughout the day I wasn’t feeling much better and wondered how in the world I was going to be able to go on my birthday date night (the first date night since Leo’s been home), miraculously I did feel better and we made it downtown to see a SOLD OUT Hall & Oates concert.  Thank you to my dear, dear friend for coming over with her son for a play date with my boys and my brother.  It felt so wonderful to know that we were leaving Leo in the bestest of hands for his first bedtime routine without us.  (Leo did awesome by the way everyone!!!)

The concert was fun…we particularly enjoyed hearing She’s Gone and Sara Smile, but who doesn’t love hearing Maneater?!?!  But want to know the best part of the concert?  Feeling super young!! We were definitely one of the youngest couples in the audience and feeling young on your birthday is one awesome gift. (and for all you Hall & Oates skeptics out there…check out Live From Daryl’s House…great music from Daryl Hall and a revolving door of today’s coolest and hippest musicians).

By Saturday morning, Minnesota was a snow globe again.  For the third time this season, the weather forecasters were right…it was a blizzard!! All that snow…all that wind…crazy cold temperatures and sub-zero wind chills were NOT on my birthday list.  But, I got them anyhow.  And on Saturday I vowed to spend my birthday next year someplace warm and sunny…Detroit perhaps (it was 40 there Saturday – though not sunny) or better yet, the Florida Keys.  Despite not being my ideal weather for my birthday, it did make for a more “festive” trip to City Hall to see Santa.

As a Park & Rec Commissioner for our city, I was not exactly the best volunteer for this event.  I chose Hall & Oates over decorating for Santa Day Friday night.  And, I chose to participate in the event by bringing my boys to see Santa and leave to spend time with them and my brother instead of staying for hours and hours to hand out cookies and take down decorations (there weren’t that many attendees due to the weather, I am sure they managed just fine without me).  I know I made the right decision – even if I still have guilt here on Monday.  In the eyes of my boys, the event was a success.  As soon as Leo laid eyes on Santa, he wanted to be with him.  Of course until it was our turn of course.  Drew did an excellent job talking to Santa and letting him know what he wanted AND what his brother wanted.  I was so proud of him for remembering to speak up for his little brother.  The other highlights of the event for the boys were the candy canes, cookies, juice, and the singing and dancing reindeer.  If only that’s all Santa needed to bring Christmas morning!!!

As I mentioned before, we’ve had our Christmas tree…in the house…since Thanksgiving weekend.  Thanks to Saturday naptime and my brother, the tree now has lights on it and is decorated!! [Mike and I left the all important task of angel placement to Damon…and she’s up there too watching over all of us]  Of course I had said that maybe all we’d do this year is put lights and an angel/star on it…but, come on, did you really believe me?  What did we decide to do?  Use decorations that we already have?  No, that would be too easy and not stressful enough.  Since I obviously must thrive on stress, we/I instead made a dozen or so toddler-proof pinecone decorations and bought some beautiful little toddler-proof craft store cardinals that were on sale for the tree.  Not too shabby…what do you think?

By late afternoon Saturday, we were all going a bit stir crazy from being in the house of so long.  So, Mike, Drew and I braved the snow and wind and went out to shovel and play for a bit.  It was without a doubt the best part of my day.  We had so much fun playing in the HUGE snow drifts (some were like 4 feet!) and building snow forts – another weekend activity to help me feel young, perfect.  And, believe it or not it was actually quite peaceful out there when you weren’t getting pelted by wind and snow.  (if only Damon and Leo could have joined us – at least they took some good pics from inside the warm cozy house!)

So, there you have it…how I spent my birthday, definitely one I will never forget!!  I am so thankful for the incredibly awesome family and friends that I have!!

Until next time…I cannot wait to tell you about the goodies I got in the mail ~ once the mailbox was finally dug out of the snow!!

supported

Amazing friends.

Amazing support.

A haircut. (finally)

The Cities 97 Sampler #22.

Summer Day on repeat.

Those are all things that got me through the rest of the week...and trust me, the week got a lot a little worse before it got better.  But, thanks to all those that reached out to me with encouraging words (that there's more than one worst mom in the world at any given moment - hehe-haha; that four year olds can really be tough - that's their job; that we moms are stronger than we think we are; and that the big guy upstairs has things under control and to just have faith), I know things are going to work out just fine.  Sometime.  Sometime soon, I hope.

One of the biggest mood changers for me was from a friend I met last October while in our Pre-Adoption Class.  They have been waiting eleven months to receive their referral for their daughter.  It came this week and I am so, incredibly happy and excited for them!!  Somehow, that news just put things back into perspective and reminded me of all the happiness and joy that surrounds me...and us...daily that can often get overlooked.  I look forward to their updates and supporting them during this phase of their journey.  (I think it also helped that her message also reassured me that her two boys have gone and are going through some of the exact same stuff Drew is - and she's surviving; so, I know I can survive this time too).  Thank you my friend!!

Now...to help erase my bad week, I am trying to off-load some extra pictures I have.  If anyone would like a copy of one of these in their Christmas card, just let me know.  Quantities are somewhat limited (33 of the first and 17 of the second) - so act fast.

Until next time...this week is all about being thankful!!

gift

On Tuesday Damon and I celebrated eight years of marriage...
On Tuesday we also received an incredible offer from this amazing friend

Our dear friend Michelle offered to come over with her kids on Saturday (today) to babysit these guys

i love when Drew sports my IU hat!

leo ON.THE.MOVE

We said

please!

Since this was our first time both being away from Leo at the same time, we wanted to keep our date close by and simple...just in case, you know, we were needed.  By Tuesday night Damon had already thought of the perfect date activity and refused to share the surprise all week (he's an excellent surprise keeper...i on the other-hand, am not).  Michelle and her two wonderful kids came over just after nap time. And, after just a little warming up time for Leo we were off to

 

where we grabbed some drinks and some snacks and then got to work on a little project

Yep, we spent our date working on the newspaper crossword puzzle!  And, it was the most romantic and lovely surprise.  You see, twelve years ago I moved here from Michigan for a job without knowing a soul.  And it was at that job that I met my wonderful husband...and during the day at that job we would work on the daily crossword together - passing it back and forth from cube to cube throughout the day.  Since the "days of kids", we've had less and less time to take the time to sit down and work on a crossword together.  Until today.  It was just awesome to be able to sit and think and figure things (non-kid related things) out with the man I love with all my heart.

After about an hour, we continued our date at a bit less romantic location

We were out of some essentials (namely bananas, yogurt, and nutty bars if you really want to know) and thought it would be fun to act like some newlyweds (kinda) leisurely roaming the grocery aisles.  That was fun...but the absolute best part of our quick shopping adventure was when we were checking out.  We heard a long whine followed by a loud cry...and I cannot even describe the feeling we had knowing that it was NOT one of our boys making those sounds; that we did not have to discipline or sympathize or run back into the store for another bottle of

 or  

And, want to know just how great

really is? Not only did we get this text message from her just as we sat down at the coffee shop (probably just a mere 15 minutes from when we left the house):

"All is well! Leo went right 2 M. (daughter) & gave her a hug. he is happy...so is drew...have fun!"

but when we got home there were flowers, an anniversary card, and a freshly baked chocolate cake awaiting us! And it did not stop there...Michelle cooked us an amazing meal of

 

It was delicious beef stroganoff that was enjoyed by all (even & especially Leo)...and the cake was awesome too.

We had an amazing time on our date.  

The kids had an amazing time playing together.

We had an amazing time catching up with Michelle.

It was an AMAZING gift.

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