Walking in a Frozen Farmland

Christmas at home

We opened gifts together as a family this year a few nights before we headed off to Crookston. The agenda for the evening was 1. Open Gifts, 2. Eat Christmas dinner, and 3. Watch the movie The Nativity Story.

This year, gift opening was a very rewarding experience. Satisfying for the kids and affirming for the parents. You know it is NOT always this way, so we savoured the experience :).

We gave Esther and Hope a wooden dollhouse, and Esther opened the matching dolls with Eva's expert assistance.

Eva had a very specific list of desires for Christmas this year, including jewelry, make-up, and an American Girl doll. From us, she received a pretty little necklace and her American Girl doll, Josephina. The doll has been on her wish list for several years, but we always said she had to wait until she was five years old. It is sort of a rite of passage, one that she has been dreaming about for a long time! She actually saved her money since last summer when we told her that she would be able to get her doll this Christmas. I paid her one penny for each weed she pulled from our yard, garden, and flower beds. After the summer of weeding and a few other odd jobs, she ended up with $24.70. That is a lot of weeds!!!

Her response to opening the doll was a crazy arms flailing, high-knees dance with lots of screaming and overall elation. (makes parents feel falsely affirmed...good parents buy their children expensive dolls :) So far, she has done a good job caring for her and protecting her from Hope and Esther.

The necklace was also well received, and well protected in a musical jewelry box that came as a gift from Grandma Patenaude.Esther-P totally lived it up during the gift opening. She loves tearing through the paper, with plenty of high pitched squeals and laughter!
Hope was overjoyed by the dollhouse gift, which she demonstrated by hugging and kissing the box over and over again. I am also in love with the doll house (I've wanted to buy one since Eva was a baby), and I'm sure it will be one toy purchase I won't regret. Grandma and Grandpa Patenaude gifted Esther and Hope with much of the furniture for the house when we got up to Crookston, so hours of fun will be coming our way!
We snapped one family picture in front of the tree before all the craziness began, and for once everyone looked at the picture. Not all smiling, but pretty good for us!
Merry Christmas from our little family!

I'm having CARDiac arrest!

So, there is a big fat awesome deal available to anyone out there with a blog. Shutterfly.com is offering 50 free holiday photo cards to any blogger who blogs about their amazing products. I have in fact used Shutterfly a few times to print photos, and I have been perfectly pleased with the quality, timeliness, and price. I would use them again! And now, because of this super deal, I will for sure be using them again. Here are some of the cards I'm considering...

because we just might get a great photo of each of the girls AND the whole family unit...
because we probably won't end up with a photo of all 5 of us that is worth sending out, but the girls are always cute...
because these two girls are so stinkin' cute it doesn't matter that a picture of us wouldn't have the same effect...because I love this font and the retro feel.

So, now you see some of the Christmas card options at Shutterfly, and actually there were 803 choices. You're sure to find something that fits your fancy.

I am also considering two other orders from Shutterfly this year. First, the photo calendars. I used to scrapbook these cute little calendars for my mom each Christmas. I think I had a solid run of three years in a row, which is pretty good for me! Then, last year I was bored with scrap booking. Also, I was busy. Also, I was uninspired. Also, it takes many steps to complete the whole thing. So, I gave my dad a calendar of vintage tractors instead (true story), which hangs on the wall in the sacred grandkids-calendar spot now. I am pretty sure that was a let down under the tree :). Perhaps it will be a Shutterfly calendar this year!

Second, the canvas wall art photos. Doesn't that sound like a cute way to decorate, especially a kid's room or a space that might get a lot of traffic??? No frame and glass to get bumped and fall to the floor and break (as happened in the girls' room last week), no deliberation over which frame and the time spent framing a photo. I like it.

Now, Shutterfly isn't paying me to jabber on about their great products, but they are offering 50 free photo cards. Pretty much worth it, I'd say! And like I said, I have been utterly satisfied with everything I've ordered in the past.

If you have a blog and would like to participate in this promotion, click here.

Colorado Christmas: Hodgepodge

This is just a jumble of photos from our Christmas vacation in Colorado. We visited my mom's side of the family, and were plenty busy with a very eclectic collection of activities, as you'll soon see.

Here's my Grandma, Jane Knudtsen (I'm forgoing all Internet privacy concerns here, obviously. I wonder where I would get if I googled her name. Hmmm, now I'm curious!). This is one rugged lady. She is out at the tubing run with us here, but she decided not to tube since she had already been to the pool and cross country skiing that day. Or maybe she decided against tubing because she's almost 80 years old and has earned every bit of wisdom that is hers!These little people went tubing though. This is Eva and my youngest cousin, Drew (their birthdays are less than a week apart). They wedged their bums together in one tube while Kathrine Rachel (9 yrs.) held onto their feet to make a train. Wahoo!

Esther spent the week being held by many loving arms. She was in a I'm-not-napping-in-my-bed-on-vacation mood, but happy for her, there were plenty of people who wanted to cuddle a snoozing babe. This is Aunt Nancy, intense lover of all babies.
Esther also was held by my dad, her Grandpa.Uncle Andy got to hold Esther too. Back at the tubing run, Eva and I took a few turns together. It was fun! But my tailbone and groin really hurt the next day. Eva is hiding behind her mittens here, but don't worry, her courage built through the afternoon and she did peek out once or twice. There is my fearless (read: reckless) sister, "willing to sacrifice Levi's lunch" (as Grandma observed). After her crash landing at the bottom, I'm surprised Levi has any lunch left! "Yep," Grandma says, "There goes Levi's lunch."
Oh, look! There's my beautiful sister. And proof that Levi's lunch survived. Back at the ranch, there were many board games to be played. A few favorites were Chinese Checkers, Apples to Apples, Scrabble, and Settlers of Catan.

(L-R) Dalton, Anna Grace, Peter, Jon, Jonathan, and David. I told you there was an eclectic mix of activities. In this picture, a group of my relatives are singing Russian Orthodox chants, which is a new addition to our family gatherings.
(L-R) Grandma, Mom, Aunt Mary, Anna Grace, Uncle Steve, Eric, Dad, and Jonathan.
With this cold-blooded family (I'm not kidding... you've never seen so many Scandinavians layered in wool, polar fleece, and slippers before!), I was surprised to see the outdoor hot tub get so much attention. Then, even more surprising, the kids were able to goad the grandparents into doing Polar Bear runs. (FYI: Polar Bear runs involve hopping out of a sauna or hot tub and rolling in the snow.) It is electrifying and makes a person happy. Not kidding.

The kids started it, except for Hope (because she's too little) and Kathrine Jane (because she is wise). Soon, they were chanting for my mom and her brother (the most cold-blooded of them all) to make the run. Sure enough, they did, with lots of hooting and hollaring to go along with it. Eva and I also made a special mommy-daughter run to make snow angels. I don't reccomend running around when you're three months postpardum and wearing your high school speedo, but I'll do anything for a little fun with my girl, even galavant in my three sizes too small swim suit.

(L-R) Mom, Hope (2), James (7), Eva (4), Drew (4), Becca, Kathrine Jane (7), Uncle Andy, Kathrine Rachel (9).

This concludes my series of Colorado Christmas pictures and stories. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be back with another installment in two years!

Colorado Christmas: Skiing

My mom's whole entire family (minus one sickie) settled in at a lodge at the base of Pike's Peak for three days between Christmas and New Year's. We are so blessed by the generosity of my grandparents who provided the whole experience, and golly did we enjoy ourselves!

There was much snow fun to be found, but the thing I had looked forward to the most was skiing with Eva. She's at that magical age of four and a half, when most Knudtsen descendants begin their love-hate relationship with skinny skis. Cross country skiing is the cheapest form of skiing, and it allows you to really savour some of the high, remote places that downhill skiing doesn't. Plus, there are no lift lines, no crowds, and no near-fatal injuries (usually). Even though, as a kid, I much preferred adrenaline-packed downhill skiing, we all learn to cross country ski, and by the time we're adults I think most probably prefer it. Though, they're so different, it's hard to judge which is more fun.

Anyway. In the bazaar way that all things in life are cyclical and amazingly repetitive, we arrived in Colorado at the exact time that Eva was four and a half, that my uncle Steve (former CSU ski team member) was without a small child of his own (first time in 20 years), and that there was good snow. Just like 24 years ago when the stars aligned in the exact same way, allowing me my first skiing experience. I still remember the drudgery of attempting to make those skinny, slippery, extra long feet go somewhere. And the relief and joy of being perfectly clutched between my uncle's long legs while he did all the work. He would ski with me between his legs, allowing me to work on only the basics: getting the skis on and balancing on them.

For Eva's first run at it, I told her we only had two goals: learning how to get up when she fell down, and balancing long enough to go forward. Simple.

As a former ski coach myself, I know that Eva had a very typical first skiing experience. This is what it looked like:

andand then
and againAnd then finally...

then, yay! You're doin' it, Eva! Keep it up! Nice job, girl! Eventually, to my relief, we saw Uncle Steve and Daddy pop up over a ridge. Steve's happy-go-lucky, infectiously optimistic voice hollered, "Yahoo, Eva! That's right!"Then, with his downright incredible sense of balance, he took over.
That is, until Eva wriggled herself free (ever the independent one...) and was plowed over by her truest aid and ally.

The entire experience lasted less than an hour, which is plenty of exposure for a first timer. For me, it was priceless to be on skis for the first time with one of my own kids. I didn't even mind the grunting, groaning, being pulled down into the snow, moaning, coaxing, and (yes) tears of the first 75% of the ordeal. I was just happy to be at 9,000 feet above sea level, lungs burning, staring at the back side of Pike's Peak. Invigorating !
And Eva says she liked skiing and wants to go again. So another generation of skinny-skiers begins...

Come on over, it's...

NOT CHRISTMAS ANYMORE! I "shouted" that part, not because I'm glad that Christmas is over, but because apparently I didn't get the memo that the month of December f-l-i-e-s by way too fast. I started this post (again) back in December, but I just haven't had time to throw it up on the board, so to speak.

Anyway, it may be the 7th of January, but my house still looks like it's Christmas. Only maybe a little more picked up and cleaner, since I'm not spending every spare moment baking, shopping, wrapping gifts, or overnighting at the hospital. :)

So, let's say it was Christmas. I would say, "Please, come hang out with us!" And this is what you would get (plus some noisy little girls running around trying to impress you and woo you to their room):
A wreath is a "must have" for me each year. And it must be real too.
Somehow along the way, we've accumulated a grand collection of over sized snowman ornaments. Of course they don't match, but they cheerfully hang from most of the interior door knobs.
The buffet is my main Christmas display, housing the nativity scene and other "seasonal" exhibits, including this flashified little gal's face.
My grandpa made these nativity sets years ago, and since I am the oldest grandchild, I was lucky enough to get one too. He loves wood working and is always looking for a new, unique project. On first glance you might think this is a pretty simple nativity scene, but on second glance, you realize that it is a puzzle that is anything but simple! And even if it weren't a tricky puzzle, it would be up front and center since my grandpa made it and it is therefore very, very special to me.The stockings (our mismatched, home style collection that they are) are hung by the buffet with care. December wouldn't feel right without the window trim and the cabinets in the kitchen covered with the greetings of friends and family. Don't Christmas cards make your heart swell with joy???I can't leave out this guy. For some reason this thrift shop find has found a special place in my heart. Sometimes I light up it's rusty frame inside, sometimes on the front stoop.
Believe it or not, we've only had a Christmas tree four times in our 8 Christmases together. The other four times we were dissuaded by little terrorizing toddlers or laziness or the fact that we would be out of town too long. This year, however, the Christmas tree was a main priority. The girls were downright stoked to get out the decorations and make the tree "pretty". I'm sure all mothers out there understand the different kinds of pretty you experience when the kiddos decorate the tree...It was so fun to have ornaments made by Eva this year! She made this angel in preschool and a star of David also. I love getting out the ornaments from my childhood. I made this adorable little cookie sheet in preschool when I was four.We have a sizable collection of antique (or maybe vintage?) ornaments that my Grandma Knudtsen's deceased neighbor gave us (from her attic) as our wedding gift. It might have been an unusual gift (especially since I never met her), but I think old ornaments are super cool, so I happily place them on the tree each year. The girls each have several special ornaments. Here's Hope's "Welcome" ornament.And Esther's.And Eva's. It is noteworthy that Eva very strategically placed that shiny candy cane by her ornament. Let no one confuse who's candy cane that is, come January when we get to eat the candy canes!This is my favorite of the vintage ornaments. They are really fragile, so it seems we lose one each year. It will be interesting to see which ones actually make it for the long haul.

That's the end of our Christmas tour. Now, we'd finish our game of Scrabble or Wii Sports Resort, feed you some thing rich and fatty, and send you out the door. As you look back to wave goodbye, you'd notice these pretty luminaries lighting up the dark walkway.The End. And Merry Christmas!