We're at the point in winter when people start going crazy. Everyone is posting throw-backs to last summer and starting to act a little insane from being cooped up in their houses for months on end. Not I. I welcome winter. Granted, I don't love the cold or the sickness that seems to run rampant this time of year, but I will sign up for winter every year. My husband is home for lunch AND supper. We spend endless hours in front of our wood stove. I almost always have a puzzle going. We get to be homebodies for as long as we'd like. That sounds like a dream come true for me. I will not wish winter away like the rest of you Vitamin D deprived humans. Every year I love winter a little more. I'm all about it and you can't drag me down into your spiraling vat of negativity. Winter is my friend, so please don't say mean things about it. I will meet you in Spring when you can smile at me again.
We're jumping back to Christmas. I don't even feel bad about it, because I know that some of your trees are still up...
Christmas
The annual traditions kept us buzzing the whole month of December. Christmas program, caroling, family celebrations, stomach flu.. Oh wait, that's not supposed to make the list. I guess no one gave our immune systems a heads up.
This was Myla's first Christmas program. It was sweet to see her on the stage doing the actions.
Caroling - something I remember doing as a kid and now my kids are joining in!
We spent a day with my family celebrating Christmas. Myla received a ballerina doll and by coincidence got a matching ballet costume. Couldn't have planned it better if we tried. She was tickled pink. (Pun is always intended. You should know that by now.)
Trevin got some roller blades and for a solid week he just wore them around the house like shoes. I was sure we'd end up in the ER. We're so grateful for a heated shop where the kids can spend time running off energy and trying out their new "wheels."
Night-shift guy can't hang.
This was the second year in a row that we had both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home to ourselves. It's becoming one of my favorite times of the year, two solid days at home together. We had abelskievers on Christmas Eve and planned for homemade donuts on Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve was wonderful. We had a great day of laughter, memories, games, stories, and exchanging gifts. James wanted to start a new tradition of us all sleeping under the tree on Christmas Eve. We all cozied into our sleeping bags and slept well - that is until I woke up to the sound of James throwing up. Merry Christmas. Just like that our Christmas plans went out the window. No greasy donuts for us that day.
He was under the weather all day. The rest of us felt fine and tried our best to keep our distance. That was Tuesday. James felt a little better by Wednesday and went out for part of the day to get some work done. Wednesday night it hit Myla. Thursday I went down, and James got knocked out again. By Friday we were feeling better. We were supposed to have James's family Christmas on Saturday and we had planned to leave for Chicago on Sunday. Saturday morning Trevin went down and James still wasn't out of the woods at that point. Sunday morning we woke up and Trevin told us he had thrown up in his bed. "Like, right now?" I asked. Nope. He had woke up in the night and thrown up into his bucket and went back to sleep. With the bucket still on his bed. Full of vomit. (Some things are really really great about having a 6-year-old. He was an easy-peasy, flu-stricken kid.) The rest of Sunday was better, just a lot of moping around. We had missed Christmas with James's family and we had canceled our Chicago trip. I think everyone was in a state of depression as a result of how the week played out. Trevin's entire Christmas break had been ransacked by the stomach flu. New Year's Eve (Monday) came around and of course we had no plans because we were supposed to be in Chicago, but we also couldn't make plans because we were hosts of nuclear destruction. Monday morning (New Year's Eve) Myla threw up again. We shouldn't have even been surprised, but I kept saying, "This has got to be the end of it." That night Trevin asked if he could sleep in our bed. Since it was New Year's Eve, and he had had the most lame Christmas break ever, we said yes. James and I spent some time in the basement trying our best to ring in the New Year at home, alone, after being quarantined for what felt like an eternity. Around 10 PM, Trevin came down the stairs crying. He had thrown up. In our bed. At this point, we were in a state of delirium. I didn't know what was a dream and what was reality. James and I cleaned Trevin up and sent him back to his own bed. We then "attempted" to clean up our bed. Thank heavens, he only got it on the duvet. James and I each grabbed two corners of the comforter to try and take it to the sink. The gagging ensued. You guys, I can't. Once I start gagging, there is no redemption. I CAN'T STOP. (You might remember the PepperJax bathroom incident, or any moment of my pregnancies...) James was the one attempting to clean up the duvet, while I was on the floor a room away gagging into the carpet. This might paint a dire picture, but we were both laughing uncontrollably. It was the week from hell and this was the climax. The point of complete loss of sanity. Through the gags and giggles, James asked me how expensive the duvet was. It was cheap, so I told him to throw it in the trash. There was no chance I was going to be able to come within 5 yards of it and our washing machine wasn't going to be able to handle this mess. Happy New Year. Needless to say, we didn't bother staying up til midnight. We had had enough of 2018. See ya.
It had been an entire week of stomach flu and it seemed to just keep circling around. This is when you all ask if we were simply spitting in each other's mouths and living in filth. That was not the case. I was washing bedding, blankets, toys, counters, sinks, toilets.. We were using essential oils, vitamins, medicine, probiotics, epsom salt baths... You name it, we were doing it. This sickness was in beast-mode and it wasn't going down without a war. Typically, I would welcome a week-long staycation with nothing to do and no where to go, but missing out on some really special memories was difficult. We still haven't rescheduled our Chicago trip and it's eating away at my insides. We had planned to see our favorite IL residents - our Helms family and our Nuss friends. Hopefully soon.
We did manage to make donuts in the meanwhile. Trevin was so proud of the massive donut he made. It was as solid as a rock. He for sure didn't eat the whole thing. But we did devour the other ones! If nothing else, we at least had lots of time together and managed to make a lot of good memories too, regardless of the stomach flu.
Pizza Parties
We were able to host a couple pizza parties at James's parents' house this winter.
So many toppings, so much laughter. We even sent through the first ever calzone. All of you Ben Wyatt fans out there just gasped.
James and I love having a full house, even if it's not our own. There's something so life-giving about a room packed full of friends.
Did I forget to mention all of the children?? We love this crew.
We let the kids stay up and party with their friends, and for the first time ever, they both crashed on the couch while we cleaned up.
Renley
Some of you knew that my brother and sister-in-law were expecting their first baby. You guys, I found out that I really can't handle the adrenaline of a new baby niece. I was checking my phone like a crazy person for weeks before her birth. I turned my phone on loud - I've had it on vibrate for the past 6 years. Every time I made plans, I caveated with "but if my sister-in-law goes into labor, I might have to reschedule." I was like a kid waiting for Christmas Day. I have two nephews, but they were born when I was a 12 and 14. It was awesome to be an aunt in middles school and high school, but I couldn't spoil them appropriately because I, myself, was a child. Now that I'm an adult, I have the ability, nay, the responsibility to be completely and ridiculously obsessed with my nieces and nephews.
Myla was so excited to finally meet her "baby cousin." She'd been praying for her for months, the same words every time, "Thank you for my baby cousin. And she's in Kristin's tummy. Amen!"
Myla and I went to Lincoln with my parents and my sister, Ashton, when Kristin went into labor. Before getting to the hospital, we stopped to drop off some food and gifts at Ryan and Kristin's house. I hadn't seen the nursery since I helped paint it several months ago, so I popped in to check out the finished project. Much to my surprise, they had her name hung up above her crib. They knew we were going to be stopping at the house, and they had told us we could hang out there as long as we needed, so I wasn't expecting to have the family "secret" on display right in front of my eyes. I quickly closed the door and told my parents and my sister that they couldn't see the nursery. I had accidentally found out her name just hours before her birth, and I wasn't going to let anyone else spoil the surprise. I don't think they had ever been more envious of me in my entire life.
We finally got to meet sweet Renley Rayne Kliewer on January 24, 2019. She is absolutely stunning and she's the perfect addition to our family.
I grabbed my camera and snapped a few "first moment" pics. I loved watching my brother become a dad and my sister-in-law a mom. There's something so tender about those first hours and I tear up every time I look at them.
Myla with her first Kliewer girl cousin!
Since this dear one has entered the fam, we've found it hard to stay away. Suddenly, I have all sorts of trips to Lincoln for "errands" and a quick stop for a baby-fix. Myla is visiting her right now with my mom. Myla talks about Renley, who she still calls "baby cousin" a lot of the time, every single day. Her prayer has shifted slightly since Renley's been born, "Thank you for my baby cousin. And she's not in Kristin's tummy anymore. Amen!"
Oh Renley-girl. You are so loved. Welcome to the family.
Farm
This winter has brought a lot of shop hours for James. He's busy assembling flamers, five machines ordered this year so far. With the increase in production, we needed some extra hands. We were able to contract out some things and we even hired some part-time help. Thomas has been a huge blessing and we love having him around! There's still some kinks we're working out in regards to owning, running, and building a business, but overall it's been really cool to see James's natural gifts be brought to light in such a tangible way. He's an expert in his field, not that he'd ever admit it, but I'm willing to label him as such.
I was able to join James at a cover crop meeting that he helps host each year. It was so interesting listening to different perspectives on farming and the trial-and-error of the cover crop world. It made me realize just how much work Paul and James have put into their system of farming to make it what it is today.
We delivered our popcorn last month and were pumped to see where it was going! James was lucky enough to snag a couple bags right after they were packaged. Find Huenefeld popcorn at Trader Joe's! How cool is that?!
Trevin
+We spent a lot of time preparing for his Social Studies Fair at the end of January. He chose to do his presentation on Alaska. It might have been like pulling teeth to get him to help research and design the poster, but when it came down to learning the facts and reciting the information he was a rockstar. I couldn't believe how much information he had memorized. If you get the chance, ask him to tell you about Alaska. I bet that he'll be able to tell you something that you didn't know. He had to present to a panel of judges, as well as at an open house for the public, and for grandparents day. I was so proud of him. He even won a "Teacher's Choice" award for his exhibit.
+Trevin played an instrument for one of their songs during the program. He did a great job! It's incredible to see him coming out of his shell and finding and using his strengths.
+We were playing The Game of Things at our friends' house. The topic card was "Things that you have to do but don't want to" Trevin piped up from the other side of the room. "I know! Parent your kids." Normally I would have felt horrible, thinking we viewed parenting that way, but his sly grin told another story. Trevin for sure got every ounce of sarcasm and over-the-line humor from me. James is too nice; he's going to have a long life in this family as the outlier.
+His reading ability impresses us every single day. We love having a reader in the house!
+He got his first ever big-kid haircut! Meaning this was the first time I intentionally cut it short. (Let's not bring up the chop of 2013.) I tried styling it the first couple days after the cut and quickly realized that it was a waste of time in stocking hat season. By the time Trevin got home from school, his hair was um.. concerning.
There have been approximately two precious moments between Trevin and Myla since my last post. This was one of them. You better believe I sat there with the camera and watched the entire time. Things like this don't happen in real life. I'm telling you, this is not a photoshopped photo. It was real, happening in real time to my real kids. I was in awe. But then I was jolted back to reality by the crying and screaming a few minutes later. It's ok. I will cling to these photos until they graduate. And I will say that there was one day, with one moment, that they were sweet to each other.
The photo below may have been the second sweet moment between the two of them.
Myla
+Oh this girl is pure sugar. She's super care-free and loves to make us laugh. Just last week, I brought home some new overalls for her. Her response was, "Oh thanks mom! Now I can be a farmer!" The farming stereotypes are innately strong in humans. Also, for reference, James has never wore overalls to work, so I'm not even sure where that came from.
+I think we're nearing the end of the nap stage with her. So that's probably why I have taken so many pictures of her sleeping lately.
+ Last week, James told the kids, "I'm going to take you guys to Cabala's!" Myla squealed, "Cabela's?!" James grinned and asked, "Do you know what Cabela's is?" In the sweetest, excited voice she said, "Is she a princess?!" We we were concerned she'd be fairly disappointed when she got to Cabela's but she managed to find the Frozen fishing pole. So she did find a princess after all.
+She does this frequently - she'll get into her sock drawer and put as many socks onto one foot as she can. She came up to me and said, "Mom! I'm missing a sock!" She had 11 socks on that day and when I took them off her poor little feet had zero circulation. Kids are so odd and hilarious.
+You guys should be so proud. We are kind of potty trained. I just buckled down and did it. We've had some accidents, but overall she's done great. But as soon as I put her back in pull-ups for a day, all bets are off. On Monday (my birthday), she went #2 all by herself. Greatest present ever. And I realize what that says about my life right now. Since she was successful she finally got to have her princess Lego set.
In my opinion, she's way too cocky about it. I mean, she says, "I'll never ever poop in my undies again!" And I just don't know that I can trust her. I mean, just look at how smug she is.
I finally got around to canning jam in December, strawberry-peach and strawberry-blueberry. I also took a swing at my first batch of kimchi! Kimchi is like an asian sauerkraut. My mother-in-law is the master of all things fermented, minus moonshine, so I used her like Google that day and it paid off.
10 days in the crock and I was able to jar up my hard work. Kimchi is great, we love it, and we eat it often, but it will make your entire house smell like bad feet. (I'm serious, our Schwans man came over the lunch-hour last week and we had it out. Before he even stepped in the door he asked if we were eating kimchi. He knows what it is, and loves it, thanks to my MIL.) If you ever want to sabotage someone, just leave an open jar of kimchi in the back of their cupboard. It might be worse than a dead fish in the vent. So just remember my kimchi catch-phrase, "smells like bad feet, but it's quite the treat!"
Now who wants to try it??
Last week, I was able to have breakfast with James's mom and sisters. We celebrated birthdays and had a sweet time of fellowship. I was so sad to have missed them on Christmas while we were down with the flu, but this made up for it. Gracia even joined me the rest of the day shopping in the freezing cold. So lucky to have these gals as a bonus family!
We're still adding finishing touches to some spaces in our house. My map finally got hung in the basement! I love how this room came together. Still a few more pieces to the puzzle, but in time it will be officially checked off the list.
Speaking of house things... we've committed to a deck! A sliding glass door has been ordered for our living room and as soon as the weather warms up, they'll start pouring footings. We'll finally have access to our backyard from the house, without having to walk all the way around. If you've been in our home, the door will go right where the large picture window is in our living room. We'll be rearranging our dining/living area slightly for the time being until we tackle our main floor renovation in... the future... (Honestly, James talks about updating the kitchen more often than I do. I don't love cooking or dishes, so I'm really not that dire for a new kitchen. Don't get me wrong, it'd be wonderful and I'd be thrilled, but I'm cool with what we've got for now.)
Do you see that random wishbone necklace hanging on our sconce light? Forgive me if I've told this story, but it's a good one. About four years ago, Ashton and I were grocery shopping in Walmart with Trevin who was probably 2 at the time. An old man walked up to us and crouched down in front of Trevin. He referred to Trevin as a girl and then handed him a quarter and an odd wishbone necklace. It was one of the strangest encounters I've ever witnessed, but we thanked him and went on our way. It didn't take long until Ashton and I started hiding the necklace back and forth in each other's spaces. She lived with us at the time so I was certainly at an unfair advantage. She had my entire house to hide the necklace in; I only had her bedroom. After she moved out, it's gone to her house and back several times. Embarrassingly it takes me awhile to find it, because I don't dust very often. The best time to plant the necklace at the other person's house is right before a big event. She's done this many times to me. People are usually just left wondering why it's there and don't ever bring it up. So here's the explanation for all of you. Also, she's way better at this than I am, so if you see it at my house some time, help a girl out and show me. Thanks.
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| All dressed up for the Gala at church! |
I finished my term on the music committee at our church, but before my exit, I helped host the Valentine's Banquet last week. I was the emcee for the evening. James was nervous. I embarrass him always. It will always be our thing. He's great and wonderful and respected, and I burst through the door and am uhh.. different things.
A couple things that happened:
+I had to ask the audience if the " mark was inches or feet. - James was embarrassed from the start
+My uncle Tom fulfilled "his" lifelong dream of becoming a priest. - For sure my fave moment of the night
+I started singing Kokomo on stage - James a little more embarrassed
+I didn't know how to pronounce haight-ashbury - To clarify, I was born in 1993.
+Memories were shared about a kissing booth, faking blindness, a bee-filled camper, the church on fire, a dead calf in the vehicle, and wearing trash bags.
I also celebrated 26 years on Monday. We had some plans for the day, but an ice storm led to a snow day and nasty roads, so instead I stayed home by the fire, drank coffee, and did a puzzle. It might have been the most perfect birthday yet. Thank you to everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday! Your messages made me smile.
We're looking forward to seeing the Florida sunshine in March! Tune in next time and I'll tell you all about it.
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