The Skate Date

I have a love-hate relationship with Iowa winters.

I cannot complain about the 55 degree days we had last week. My kids had so much fun outside with fewer layers on. We saw our neighbor girls for the first time in forever.

But there's something about the freeze/thaw of the Iowa winter that makes it a little more miserable than that of a just-plain-cold Minnesota winter. People mostly stay inside in Iowa, whereas in Minnesota, people make the most of the frozen tundra. Usually people snowmobile, ski, snowshoe, play hockey or ice skate. And even some sit on a frozen lake and stare at a hole waiting for a fish to bite their line. Whatever it may be, people have some sort of hobby to make winter special.

So, one of my goals in parenting is to instill a love of winter in my children. Mostly I want my kids to be proficient ice skaters. I learned to walk and ice skate about the same time growing up. By the time kids are in elementary school in Minnesota, they can skate well. In Iowa, it is hilarious to watch the teenage and adult novice ice skaters.

My friend Sarah, a fellow Minnesota native, and I talked about taking our girls on an ice skating date. There is a skating rink that opened on the river across from downtown a few years ago, and it's actually the only outdoor ice I know of in Central Iowa. I was so excited about this because Penelope and I haven't done anything just the two of us since August was born.

We started the date with lunch at Scenic Drive Bakery, a hip new place in the East Village.

Did I mention that Penelope and Lainey have literally been friends forever? They are three weeks apart, and Sarah and I spent a lot of time together while we were pregnant, so they practically knew each other in the womb.

After lunch, we went skating.

Penelope was so brave.

These little walker things are great. At first she was moving her feet trying the get the skating down, but then we realized that if she just held on to the front and kept her feet in position, I could push her and we could go really fast. (Note the Iowa ice skaters holding hands in the background. That's what I'm talking about.)

She loved going fast.

Lainey was a little more cautious than Penelope. But eventually, she got on the ice. And then got off.

I was nervous that it would be hard to get out of there. Penelope was having so much fun. But it had started raining, and there were quite a few people skating and the ice was turning to slush. Penelope had become dissatisfied with the speed of our skating. She wanted to go faster, but it was impossible.

When we got home, she told Tim all about the fun. She told him how everyone else kept falling, but she didn't fall. She was really impressed with herself, not recognizing the power of the blue walker.

To complete our winter weekend, there is little snow storm that is dumping 10 inches on Des Moines right now. Ice skating and snow? A perfect combination. We will be outside again tomorrow.

It Goes Fast Even When It's Standing Still

Whenever I'm at the mall with my little kids, strangers always come up to me and tell me the same nugget of advice, "Enjoy your kids; it goes fast." These strangers are always in their late 40s, and most likely have high school kids. I always appreciate these interactions and need the encouragement to enjoy this. I need it. 

I especially need to remember it right now. 

Last week was dangerously cold, so we stayed at home. I was doing pretty well despite the fact that I usually need to be out and about on play dates with friends. I was all in all content. But just as the wind chills crept above zero, my kids got sick. Just colds, but I have a couple of the drooliest, slimiest kids on the planet, so if we went anywhere, we would infect many. 

All this to say that it's been another week at home. My patience is wearing thin, and I feel sorry for myself. So, I make some cookie dough and feel better about life for a little bit. But then I get discontent again.

But I can choose to be thankful. I can choose to embrace my kids' little lives, because it will go fast. This week feels eternal, but next week will come. 

This is a really encouraging verse that I need to memorize, "God has also given riches and wealth to every man, and He has allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart." Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

Those strangers, they don't remember the water all over the bathroom floor, toys in the toilet, or the three-year-old freaking out because she can't quite communicate what she's thinking. They remember the tickling, the jumping on the bed, and the forts. 

I'm sure I won't remember these last two weeks when I'm 48, but I can also approach these sick winter days with joy and enjoy my kids.

Look at that poor sick kiddo! Going to the clinic to see Brett was the only time we got to see a friend in the midst of our sickness. It's nice to have a familiar face when my kids have sick visits. 

Nine Days of Christmas

I feel like I have just recovered from all of the holiday craziness enough to be able to write about it. Our Christmas tree is down (again), and my house is sparsely decorated, which is all very refreshing. But Christmas was great. We were so blessed to spend so much time with our family. We were showered with gifts, and the kids did extremely well being out of any sort of routine for well over a week.

We started Christmas early, going up to Minnesota on the 21st, staying for the big Whaley shindig on the 23rd, and heading back to Iowa on Christmas Eve.

It was so great to have extended family time in Minnesota. All of the Bouskas were home, including Julie from London—who graciously slept on my parents' couch and was woken up by my kids every morning. And of course, Cousin Bennett was there. My kids love Bennett—especially August who is obsessed with babies.

Isn't this the best photo ever?

The Bouska Christmas is a sacred event. Emails discussing Christmas plans begin in October. This year, our official Christmas celebration included a trip to Macy's in downtown Minneapolis for the "Day in the Life of an Elf" display. It was so fun to watch Penelope love it. The displays have scenes of elves preparing for Christmas, making toys and candy, receiving letters to Santa. And everything moves. It's really magical.

Penelope thought it would be good to pose with all of the mannequins at Macy's.

That event was followed by a big Chirstmas dinner by my Mom, and presents.

The rest of my family worked on Monday, so we went to the Mall of America. I have a special affection for the MOA because I practically lived there in high school. I wasn't in many sports of extra-curricular activities, and I pretty much just remember spending a lot of time at the mall. I didn't realize the monstrosity of the place because that was my normal. But I hadn't been there in years, and it was so fun to take my own family there.

Penelope and Tim got to go on some pretty fun rides:

And August wanted to get in on the fun, so he got to ride with Dad and Penelope on this truck!

Penelope loved playing at Lego Land.

On the 23rd, we celebrate Christmas with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was such a great time catching up with everyone. And my kids looked super cute, too!

We have an epic white elephant gift exchange at this party. As Julie said, "Dad won Christmas," after getting the Jolly Green Giant so his grandkids could play with him when they visit (mom was not quite as excited about that), and he was regifted the pig that my mom tried to get rid of as her white elephant. My dad loves this pig. He's a funny guy.

After our kids were thoroughly worn out from my family, we drove to Grinnell, Iowa on Christmas Eve for the Laehn Christmas. Unfortunately, I don't think there were any photos of this event, except this one from the drive down:

At the Laehns', we ate great meals, lots of Christmas cookies, and cheese (the Swiss are serious about cheese). And the kids had tons of fun playing with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Tom. We went to Christmas Eve church as a family and sang every Christmas hymn possible. We were spoiled with gifts on Christmas morning. And we played a few hands of poker, which I lost miserably.

We finally returned home late Christmas evening and started unpacking and reorganizing all of the stuff we had accumulated on our travels.

But family time was not quite over. Beth, Brandon, and Bennett came down the next day, planning on attending the Faithwalkers conference that was held in Des Moines. We had tons of fun with them, most noteably at Bass Pro Shop, and also got to meet a couple of their friends from their church in Bloomington.

In total, it was nine intense days of family, and that's what the holidays are for.