Birthday Girl

Last Friday was Kacia's 6th Birthday! Honestly where does the time go?

We had a very fun day, and it was so fun watching her the week before do her countdown every night and put a big X on the calendar.

Our first visit with Uncle James in a year and it happened to fall on the birthday weekend.

So fun!

Our baby is 6!

Lincoln had to try out the new rollerblades before big sister could even open them, I'm telling you anything to get him a few inches off the ground!

The shoes she has been wanting for 2 months. Man this girl is scary in a shoe store already!

Kacia and her giant Birthday card

Enjoying their gelato and getting sillier by the second!

Brooklyn and Rylin decorating and shaping their cookie dough.

Sawyer didn't look too miserable at this very girlie party, afterall their was plenty of sugar to enjoy, he just stayed away from the pink and purple cookie dough and frosting. So fun how my "all-girl" daughter and our very "all-boy" friend can be the best of buddies!

We had her friend party at a super cute shop called sweetspot. They sell cute cupcakes, gelato and other yummy treats. Anyhow, they set up a little table for the kids and 9 little girls and 1 little boy (Sawyer was such a trooper!) decorated cookies and cupcakes and ate ice cream and colored and had fun together. It was so much fun to not have too much set up or clean up, and to be able to really enjoy the party with her!

After that we did pizza with the Goldens, Bonnins, and James & Samantha. Kacia loved being the center of attention for the day, and just beamed the whole day through! And although it really seems like a lifetime ago that I used to rock and sing her to sleep, it also somehow feels like just yesterday we were in that hospital room staring in utter amazement at this beautiful, tiny and precious gift God had entrusted to us!

Our Monkey

So this is my beautiful, fun, and totally crazy 14 month old Lincoln who has decided that he is no longer content with just walking and running, but needs to climb. And he climbs on everything, and he is super fast! His speed and skill make keeping a constant eye on him a must, but this is nothing new really, just the reasons have changed. He is no longer attracted to toilets like a magnet (still attracted to, but more to climb on top of so that he can get on the counter instead of eating the toilet paper that is floating in it) and he also doesn't seem to find every tiny thing on the floor and put it in his mouth, thus making choking a constant scare. Now, the fear has been switched to a major head injury from our wood floor or brick hearth. Seriously, come to my house for 10 minutes and I guarantee you will see him climb on at least 5 different things, the couch, coffee table, recliner, dining room chair & table, dollhouse, etc. The list just keeps going...

It doesn't seem like enough to climb on the couch and run from one end to the other, he also has to scale the back so he can get higher- always higher!

Here it wasn't enough to be on the table, he had to attempt to stand on the coloring box on top of the table, after all 4 more inches is 4 inches higher!

He has this routine down perfectly. He climbs on to the toychest at the end of Rylin's bed and then does a somersault/handstand onto her bed.

Then he runs to the head of her bed to get onto the dresser.

So I couldn't justify letting him stand on top of the dresser just so I could get a photo, but I'm guessing you get the point- this boy has me on my toes- from the minute he wakes up until he's snug in bed. Oh how I love bedtime!

Snowstorm in August

Last night I was standing at the kitchen sink, feeling defeated as I looked out at the yard. It was after 8 o’clock, the kids were finally in bed, not all were asleep yet, but they were in bed and that was half the battle. I was doing dinner dishes from 2 hours earlier and thinking of all of the things I had wanted to get done throughout the day and hadn’t yet done, but also feeling the sense of exhaustion that somehow always finds me and diffuses my plans of anything productive after bedtime. I scanned the yard while telling myself to remember the details of what I saw today because someday I just might miss what I was looking at...

To say that the flowerbeds are overgrown with weeds is an extreme understatement; in fact the weeds are taller and thicker than every other plant. The grass is anything but ideal, it's patchy, with brownish dry sections and it seems that the green areas are at least fifty percent clover. It also is in need of mowing in a very bad and embarrassing way. And then there are the toys. Toys everywhere. Bikes, scooters and tricycles left wherever the driver decided to get off. Balls of varying sizes can be found under bushes and peaking through the towering grass along with the accompanying rackets and bats tossed randomly throughout the space. There is also evidence of the girls’ daily concoction; soup, stew or lemonade- wherever their imagination had taken them today it had obviously involved bowls, spoons, and cups that are now just deserted with the remnants of bark, leaves, flowers and such. And in case I needed a reminder that it was August in Redding there's the sprinkler toy sitting in the middle of the grassy section with the hose stretching out across the pathway, making tripping a high likelihood. And then there's the tiny plastic kiddie pool. There are leaves and pieces of bark floating in the small body of water that is somehow already starting to turn green- though I feel like I just cleaned it the other day. Next to the pool there are various masterpieces sketched onto the patio along with small fragments of the sidewalk chalk that landed wherever the artist had carelessly dropped them.

Why do they never clean up after themselves? Why did I even put the big plastic container out there if I never insisted that they put all of the toys back into it? Just another reminder of a brilliant idea I had for easing the constant battle of maintaining sanity in the midst of raising three small children, only to lack the follow through of actually making the idea a reality. I was once again reminded of a statement I once heard by a mother of teenagers (Bre) as she reminisced over the chore of cleaning her house with toddlers around, “it’s like shoveling snow when its still snowing.” Agreed. It almost seems futile to even attempt, but easy for her to say now I thought, it has stopped snowing in her world.

So as I stood there at the sink, lost in my own world of thoughts, I burned the image into my mind, knowing that someday the weather will change in my life as well. Soon I will be able to rely more upon assistant shovelers, and then in time the snow will inevitably stop. The thought was both simultaneously comforting and sobering. Because when the blizzard ends, I can guarantee that there will be times that I miss the disastrous sight I starred at last night. And so for today, I'm attempting to enjoy my snowstorm in August!

Okay, but just...

Rylin is what we call - The Negotiator. I don't think she is purposely trying to be argumentative, she just always has something to add and seems to always need to have the last word. This unfortunate trait seems to come out the most at bedtime. Sometimes you just can't help but laugh at the reasoning of a 3 year old...

Sunday night, in an attempt to make sure Kacia got to sleep at a decent hour for school the next day, and out of a desire for Rylin to feel special on Monday as well, Kevin told Rylin that if she went to sleep without getting out of her bed at all, they would get a donut together in the morning. Well, 3 nights later, still no donut. So last night, as I was tucking Rylin in, this was our conversation:

Me: "Is tonight the night you are going to earn your donut?"

R: "Yes!... Just don't look, okay."

Me: "Don't look where, down the hall?"

R: "Yeah, just don't look, k."

Me: "Rylin, you know that even when mommy and daddy don't see you disobey, who does?"

R: "God. I know. But just don't look for blue eyes okay."

Me: "Even if I don't see you get up, I'm going to ask you in the morning, and if you do get up you still won't get your donut, do you understand?"

R: "Yeah, I know. Just don't look for blue eyes, okay?"

At this point we sing a song and pray. She prays that she would obey and stay in bed and not wake us up. Then a hug and a kiss, a tuck of the blanket, "good night", I walk out of the door and I hear from down the hallway- "remember, don't look for blue eyes."

Oh, those blue eyes are trouble! They are too stinking cute, and way to easy to give in to at times! (Unfortunately, she did get up a few minutes later, Kevin had to discipline like promised, and tonight she will have the opportunity once again to just go to sleep without finding every excuse in the world to get up. When she will finally get her donut is anyone's guess!)

1st Grader Kacia

It's hard to believe summer is technically over (even though it's 106 today) and school is back. What might be even harder to believe is that our Kacia is a 1st grader! She has had a great first few days. She loves her teacher and the fact that there are a handful of familiar kindergarten friends in her class has assisted in the transition. The school schedule just might be the hardest for Rylin to adjust to. On Monday, by 10 o'clock, she had asked me 4 times if it was time to go and get Kacia! She attempted to play with Lincoln some of the similar things she does with Kacia, but poor Lincoln just couldn't catch on to Boggle Jr. I know in time, she'll get used to it again, but for right now, the girl talks my ear off all day long! :)

Sacramento Day Trip

Here's a few more pictures from our very full day in Sacramento.

Waiting to see Uncle Andrew

Nikki pinning on Officer Lockwood's badge

Congrats you two!

Our silly baseball fans all hyper on Jelly Belly's

A Look at the Last Ten...

Celebrating 10 years of marriage with the girls at the Rivercats game

Our 1st date, November 22, 1997 (8 years later this would become Rylin's birthday!)

The best day of my life- August 7, 1999

2000

Matt & Ali's wedding in Minnesota 2001

Fenway Park 2002 East Coast/baseball vacation

Sleep deprivation entered our lives in 2003

Celebrating 5 years in Maui 2004

Christmas at Disneyland and the beach 2005

Lake Tahoe getaway 2006

Disneyworld 2007

Rylin's b-day 2008

Kevin and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last Friday. It wasn't quite the trip to Bora Bora that we had wanted, but a family day in Sacramento is better than a day at home! Our brother-in-law Andrew graduated from the CHP academy so we were there with a big chunk of the family. At the end of the day we went to a Sacramento Rivercats (the A's AAA team) game with the girls and grandpa. We got to sit on the grass behind the outfield, so it was a really fun and relaxing way to experience a "real" game. The girls loved the 7th inning stretch (they'd been practicing the song for awhile) and Kacia's goal was to get on the big screen, so every time music came on, she was on her feet dancing. Sadly for her she has 2 parents with no rhythm, but she had fun and we enjoyed watching the girls be so silly together!

This past week I have felt so fortunate as I've reflected on my ten years of marriage! Growing up I never knew that being married could be so "easy" and peaceful. I don't really know what I expected when I got married at the wise old age of 20, but as Kevin and I have grown up together these last 10 years, I have realized over and over again what a smart choice I made in my husband :) (or rather what an incredible man God has gifted to me!) I really do feel that aside from salvation, Kevin is the greatest gift I have ever received. To think that I have a companion to go through everything with is truly an incredible blessing! Don't get me wrong, we do not have the perfect marriage, afterall our marriage is a union of 2 imperfect people, but I have learned that this union is worth investing in and is worth protecting. It is under Kevin's leadership that I have grown in my walk with the Lord, it is Kevin's arms that have held me when life has hurt, it is Kevin's voice that encourages me through difficult days, it is Kevin I get excited to share good news with, it is Kevin I rely upon to guide my family, it is Kevin that I would always pick first to spend time with. I am truly a blessed woman! In ten years of marriage, Kevin has never once raised his voice at me and has never left the toilet seat up! That's quite amazing if you ask me!

So what do you do?

So awhile back Kevin and I ran into a friend from college. As we were catching up, the normal question arose "So what do you do?" As Kevin was talking about Real Estate, he looks to me and says, "So do you get to stay home with the kids?" When I replied yes and discussed the kids' ages, he just looked at me and said, "Wow! I just stayed with my sister and her kids, and your job at this point is really just to keep them alive, right?!" As I laughed and agreed, I appreciated the fact that someone could see that this "job" does not just consist of sitting on the couch and watching Oprah. Okay, rarely during the day do I sit on the couch and I haven't watched Oprah in years (maybe a little food network :), but that benefits the fam). But after his comment I began to think about what a "stay at home mom" or "homemaker" actually consists of. So this is the list I have come up with thus far, although it is definitely not complete...

personal chef, hairdresser, clothing stylist, maid, paramedic (emergencies), nurse (longer term), devotion leader, activity cooridinator, school teacher, referee, dental assistant, Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny, Santa Claus, personal shopper, receptionist & appointment scheduler, craft coordinator, bottom wiper, bath giver, taxi driver, and personal assistant to the husband.

I think somedays it would be far easier to go to work, but then I wouldn't be allowed to share in this rewarding position and responsiblity of shaping my kids' hearts and character to the same extent. Being a "stay at home mom" is an incredible gift and I wouldn't trade it for any career with less hours and greater pay! I'm grateful that for now, God has allowed me to stay home so that I can do the things I may not love like dishes, laundry and grocery shopping while being able to do them with and for the ones I love the most!

Sur-Prise!

So Kevin pretty much works every day and was needing a break from it all, no phone, no labtop, just a break, so we had to get out of Redding to make that possible! We had been talking all summer about going to Marine World/Discovery Kingdom and it was time. But Kevin decided not to tell the girls. Kevin had remembered a time when he was kid and his mom put him in the car and they ended up at Disneyland, and he loved the surprise. So that is all he told the girls, "It's a Surprise." The car ride down was full of questions and guesses, none which were as cool as the outcome- Chuck E. Cheese, a walk, Sun Oaks (our gym where the girls love to swim), and so on. "How do you spell it?" "Starts with sur, ends with prise" and on and on the game went. And then, a few hours later, we took an exit off the freeway, the girls were looking all around for hints, and then they saw them- the towering, brightly colored roller coasters that you can't miss, and you would not believe the excitement that erupted in our car! We had an incredible day together, an incredibly hot day, but a great, fun day! Kacia has always loved rides, but we weren't sure how our cautious, "timid with anything new" Rylin would do- but she loved it! I think she was at the perfect age to comprehend that the fun would outweigh the fear!

The "scrambler" (which ended up being Kacia's favorite of the day) has somehow gotten a lot faster than it was when I was 16, how'd that happen?This picture just doesn't look complete without Lincoln, although we are very happy that Grandma and Grandpa agreed to hang out with our guy for the day since he's not a fan of car rides, strollers, or naps without his bed.

Rylin enjoying her first roller coaster with Daddy

I love that they have a ton of animals here too, so it's like getting to go the zoo without having to pay 2 separate admission tickets. However, when rides are right across from the animals, suddenly they don't look that exciting anymore.It was cool that Sawyer and Kacia were both tall enough to go on a lot of the rides without a parent because it meant that the 2 of them got to go together, which was way fun to them

Me and my little hopper

We ended the day with Shouka. This whale is pretty cool, did some neat tricks and ate a ton of fish for her "treats." The sun had finally started to go down so we could sit and watch the show without sticking to the bleachers, which was a nice bonus, since we didn't make it through the entire dolphin or tiger show due to the relentless heat! It was fun to watch my girls get such a kick out of this truly enormous animal! A great way to end a fun day!

Swim Lessons

So the girls did swim lessons the first 2 weeks of July. Kacia has always loved being in the water and can hold her breath for very long periods of time. She can get just about wherever she wants with her head under, behind in the air and feet kicking like crazy. But it was time to learn some strokes. Her class was perhaps a little too challenging for her, but she does well being pushed. They learned a bunch of different strokes, breathing techniques, and even began diving. She loved it, but was exhausted every time since they would swim the full length of the pool many times. She would often say to me, "Why does Sam work us so hard?" But he was a very kind and patient instructor and Kacia came away knowing quite a bit more than she had started with, as well as a little case of swimmer's ear!

Now Rylin has never liked the water. It has been a fairly recent thing for her to even enjoy bath time, so we knew lessons were very needed for her, but also, would not be easy! I opted to do them at 5 so that Kevin could be there with me in case my little blondie caused some problems. And she did... the first 2 lessons she cried, and sometimes even screamed through. But once she learned that her teacher, although she made her dunk her head, would not let her drown- she began to have fun! By the end of the first week she was sad we didn't have lessons on the weekend, and week 2 she had a total blast! I can now not keep her little head above water, she just wants to swim, swim, swim! And this is a very good thing since summers in Redding are best spent in water!

My Sentimental Safeway Club Card

So you know how there are those things in life that you don't even realize you like until you are questioned about them? So I was in Safeway yesterday with all 3 kiddos, frantically picking up a few things before heading to a birthday party I was already late for, when I realized that I was attached to my Safeway clubcard. I have always used my mom's clubcard, and I always just punch in the old phone # without even really thinking about it. And I guess this time the # didn't register when I punched it, so the cashier asked me my #, I say it and he says "that's an invalid #" and I'm instantly puzzled then, he starts to repeat it back, "530.." "no 253..." "Oh, where is that area code?" to which I reply, "washington, it's my mom's" "well, do you want your own?" and I'm instantly struck by the fact, that no I don't want my own! I like the smile it brings to my face when I see her name printed at the bottom of the reciept, I like that the simple act of going to the grocery store reminds me of her, and yes, I know that it has been 7 years, but apparently I'm attached to my Safeway clubcard, or rather my mom's card! But how do you tell the checker all of these thoughts that are so rapidly going through my mind, so I reply "no thanks, not today, maybe sometime when I don't have all 3 kids with me." "totally understandable, thanks Miss Hetland, or rather, Miss Hetland's daughter." to which another smile is instantly brought to my face since I also like the fact that they always call me Miss Hetland, until they notice Burns from my debit card and they are confused every time, and every time I get a silent kick out of it! So there you have it, my attachment issues to a card I don't actually even have in my wallet, but a card I have no intentions of replacing any time soon, and the funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only Hetland still using it!

My Favorite Place

Me and my boy
Big sis helping her very independent brother

She's looking a little like a child from the 80's with the side ponytail (great for protecting the scalp from sunburn) and bright retro heart bathing suit!

Got to love the sand!

Enjoying some tide pools at Harris State Beach (and no I'm not pregnant, that's the camera case!!!)

Grandma and Grandpa Burns with my 3 and cousin Alayna

Kacia and Sawyer playing in the water

Wow, a mussel, you don't find many of those :)!

My sandman looking for more trouble

Our church family camp this year moved to the Oregon coast. I was thrilled with this decision as the beach is my absolute favorite place to be. It doesn't really matter which ocean or which part of the coastline, there is something totally breathtaking about standing before a body of water that is so enormous it just goes on as far as you can see. Then you add in the sound of the crashing waves and the salty air, and I find myself lost in a world of utter amazement at the enormous and powerful Creator I love and total heartache as I miss my mom. There is no other place that makes me think of her more. My mom loved the ocean. So many of my childhood memories take place in various cities along the Oregon coastline, some good, some not. But there is one constant in all of those family vacations, my mom's huge smile as she would stand ankle deep in the water with her pants rolled up and we would swing my younger siblings up to avoid the waves. She would laugh as we would do it over and over again. There is a very selfish side of me that would love to experience the ocean with her and my kids. So much of what I do with my kids, I do in memory and in honor of her, and we talk about Grandma Michele often, although its not quite the same...
Okay, so I didn't mean to go off on that tangent, I just meant to share pictures with you of our very fun trip to Brookings. Here is a brief taste of the difference in my kids. Kacia- drawn to the water, would run and play in the waves for hours. Also enjoyed the tide pools, holding the various animals. Rylin- scared by a wave the first day, refused to go in the water (by that I mean toes) again until day 3. She would play in the sand for hours, her bathing suit still has sand ingrained into the material that refuses to come out. I think she managed to touch with a starfish with one finger. Lincoln- busy one year old, ate handfuls of sand, driftwood, rocks, etc. When I tried to remove him from eating the sand, by playing in the water, he was quickly distracted, and continued to try to go into the water, further and further. Didn't want to be held, wanted to be down exploring, mostly with his mouth. He was also a big fan of all of the dogs and birds that are found at the beach.

All in all, we had a great time as a family and with our church friends. Sorry this post got so long!