I Love a Parade

Our fourth of July began with a trip to nearby Mayville, New York where we attended their annual Independence Day parade...us and every other fire truck in about a 100 mile radius. This parade, though humble in its presentation, is NOT lacking in fire engines of every kind and from every county! Seriously, if your child likes fire trucks you won't be disappointed.


Jessica and I painted some festive shirts for the kiddos who would be in attendance at the parade so that they could show their holiday spirit. A 5-pack of Hanes t-shirts and some paint can give you the American shirt you're looking for without paying much for it!
It's also not lacking in CANDY! Sawyer and cousin Calvin made out like bandits on the candy front, especially Calvin who is a man on the move! When Sawyer wasn't chilling in his camp chair or shielding his ears from the fire truck horns, I think he actually enjoyed himself. What can I say, he's never been a fan of loud noises.



The parade also had its disturbing fair share of displays espousing Tea Party politics as well as a healthy dose of church "floats" who inadvertently professed their inseparable and simultaneous allegiance to the US of A and God, but that's a blog post for another day so I won't go there.

After the parade we enjoyed some back yard relaxing Ondrey style and ended the day with sparklers and a few fireworks.

Aside from totally ruining my pulled pork that was planned for dinner, all in all it was a great day spent with family. My brother Taylor and his family arrived Friday night and we all spent the weekend enjoying the outdoors, watching the kids and babies do their thing, and taking it easy.

Letter to My Three-Year-Old

Since I've been so bad at keeping a baby book, I've tried to write an occasional letter to Sawyer to keep for him to read some day. Here's my letter for his three-year birthday that happened over the weekend.

My Sweet Sawyer,
Today you are three! I can't believe how fast you have grown from a helpless baby into a little boy who does and says and knows so much. I'm so proud of you every day and I can't imagine our life without you in it. I remember when you were born and I wondered what kind of person you would be...who you would become. It's amazing that some of that is already revealed to us in such a small person. Here are some things I know about you that I hope you'll continue to grow into and hold onto in your life.


You are empathetic. You have such an empathy for people, and that's not something a lot of three-year-olds possess. Even when you were a baby you seemed to sense when someone was sad or just not right...and your expressions gave away your emotions. I think kids getting scolded or others being sad or worried breaks your heart more than it does anyone else in a given situation. You're a sensitive soul and I don't want you to lose that awareness of people's feelings. In life you will need to balance your care for others with care for yourself and your own feelings, and I'll do my best to help you learn how and when to do that.


You are active. I believe you are an extremely calm, manageable boy, and I thank my lucky stars every day for that...you've made parenting seem easy to me. What's great though is when you have the opportunity to play and be free, you relish in it. To see your toddler arms and legs move and go brings me such joy! Not every child is blessed with physical strength and capability, so I want you to not take movement and play for granted. I hope you'll continue to take care of your body by using it as much as you can.

You are handsome. Now I know every mom thinks her children are the cutest, but really, you ARE! Sometimes I am struck by what a charmer you can be...your big green eyes and your small, perfect chin make me melt. To me you are physically perfect in every way. Remember though, that what makes you the most handsome is your kindness and love. I've met many attractive people who were jerks and they very quickly lose their appeal. For all I know, you'll end up turning into an awkward, nerdy teenager who is below-average looking, but I doubt it. Don't ever think you are better than anyone or more special because of your looks because that is not true.

You are silly. I love when you laugh and don't hold anything back. I can't think of many things that are better than tickling a little boy who is just beside himself with laughter! I love when you do a funny dance or make a funny face and look up at me or your dad with a look that says you know what you're doing is hilarious. I know - to a certain extent - that the coming years will see a loss of your inhibitions as you develop an awareness of yourself that will inevitably be influenced by your peers, but I hope you will practice feeling free to be silly and uninhibited. Experiencing joy without being self-conscious is priceless and I would think nearly impossible to get back once lost.

Oh Sawy, I'm so hopeful for your future! I'm excited to see the boy, teenager, and young man you will become in the years that will pass all too quickly. I pray that I will do my best to teach, guide, and encourage you in life...through both joys and adversity...so that when you leave the comfort and shelter of our home you will trust who you are and thrive! I think that's the best gift I can give you in life.


And even though I know that it will just get better and better to know you more fully, it breaks my heart that you are no longer two. Time has gone too fast and I can't stand that it doesn't stop sometimes. I just want to pause you where you are right now, but I know that won't work.

When I was growing up, my parents had a picture on their wall with a mom rocking her baby with this poem. It never mattered much to me, but now its words ring truer than ever to me.

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow.
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep,
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

I love you so much,
Your Mama

Over the River and Through the Woods

Over the last several days we've been enjoying a whirlwind tour through our old Midwest stomping grounds and loving every minute of it. Right now we're at TK's parent's home in Princeton and we took a little trip yesterday to Bishop Hill, an historic Swedish settlement in western Illinois. I've been wanting to go for a visit ever since I heard about it's existence to check out the gift shops and bakeries full of Scandinavian goods.
It of course didn't disappoint! Our first stop was the Colony Store which I'll gladly accept a gift certificate to at any time. Just feast your eyes on all the Swedish food, tomtes, and linens!



We had a scrumptious lunch of Swedish meatballs and lingonberries at one of the old restaurants in town...true to form, Sawyer enjoyed sucking on his water's lemon as an appetizer. The local bakery wasn't too shabby either!




We picked up at few items from the store for the kiddos (one still en utero with an undetermined gender)...a Christmas tree ornament for Sawyer and an awesome bib from Grandma for the baby. I'll admit that  unashamedly love Scandinavian anything, so for me our visit was a real treat. I can't wait to head back to Bishop Hill this summer for their Midsummer festival in the end of June!

Crock Pot Ham Sandwiches

I'm falling in love hard and fast with my Crock Pot. I've always been a fan, but lately, it's showing me new wonders I've never beheld. You think I'm exaggerating, but this is for real. We all know the standard fare for slow cookers...pot roast, chilis, delicious things of that nature. But I'm on a new kick of making anything and everything in the old girl. I'll start with something a little more "normal."

HONEY GLAZED HAM! Last month for Easter Sunday, I was faced with what I'm sure is an age-old dilemma: too many hot dishes and not enough oven space (#firstworldproblems). Even if I could have used our first-floor neighbor's oven (he was joining us for our meal), I didn't want to keep coming back through our church service next door to keep glazing the pig. TK suggested we use the Crock Pot and I was sure some genius out there had already figured out the details.

I hit the jackpot with a recipe from this website. To. Die. For....and I'm seriously not even a ham person. It was beyond simple and tasted like Easter perfection. My husband raved about it for over a week in April so I made it again this past weekend for some gourmet ham sandwiches he wanted to make. It worked again like magic.

Here's what you do: stuff that ham (bone in, ready-to-eat) into your crock pot...depending on your slow cooker's size, you won't want to get a ham that is over 8 pounds. It's a snug fit...and I mean snug. Mix up 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons thyme and pour it over the ham into the slow cooker.




Set your Crock Pot to low and leave it be for 6 hours. That's it. THAT'S IT for a perfect ham. Look at that meat fall off the bone. Even though it slides right off, it stays relatively intact so that you can traditionally slice it and dice it.




We served ours up on a pretzel role, with provolone cheese and a special mayo/ranch/mustard concoction. Like I said, I'm not that much of a ham person...but now I might be. Enjoy! Little dudesicle liked it too...

Potted Christmas Tree

I don't have one, but I want one. Our Christmas tree this year is a bit of a wreck, so I'm not even going to bother posting about it...it's uninspired, rather bare, and a bit ragged. Undoubtedly, any Christmas tree is a wonderful, soul-soothing site to behold, but this year's tree has got me to thinking about what kind of tree I really want. (All images from Martha Stewart.com)

I'm not ready to give up the traditional tree for the holidays, but I've become enamored with the idea of a living, potted Christmas tree. I'm sure it's been all the rage, but I just didn't know about them until now.

Imagine a small tree or two spaced throughout your house, decorated with love, and smelling up the place with an evergreen, perfect scent of Christmas. Imagine with me after the season is over, planting your Christmas tree(s) in the old backyard instead of throwing it out with the wrapping paper and other holiday waste. It's kind of ludicrous to think that every year we discard such a symbol of the season with the rest of the trash.

What I need is a backyard though. For now, this city slicker will have to settle for a rosemary plant to scratch my living Christmas tree itch. Anyway, aren't they pretty?

Baked Oatmeal

I say there's nothing like an easy, delicious solution to feeding breakfast to a large group, especially around the holidays when you want to soak up every moment you can with your loved ones rather than slaving in the kitchen. Who's with me?!

Here's a tasty option for the next couple weeks when breakfasting with extended family or if you want some yummy leftovers ready-to-go for a morning meal. It's cheap too...Baked Oatmeal!!! All you need to do is combine the ingredients, plop them in a casserole dish, and bake. Little kitchen helpers will also enjoy mixing.

Combine the following:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 TBSP brown sugar
3 eggs
4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 TBSP baking powder
1 TBSP salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes in a greased dish, uncovered. Serve with juice, honey, yogurt, or fresh fruit. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Weekend

What Thanksgiving is complete without a little football on a lovely fall day?! We spent our holiday with TK's family in Princeton, Illinois and enjoyed lots of time outside with Sawyer's cousins. A wagon, a football, and a few sticks are all a boy his age needs for a grand old time in the backyard!

All this merriment was of course before a 24-hour flu came with a vengeance and wreaked havoc on children and adults alike. We brought an apple pie as well as nasty contagion from Chicago that stopped everyone in their tracks by Friday night. I've apparently got a legendary immune system though, so was the only one who wasn't knocked over by this cruel, holiday-ending illness.

Now I've got the tiniest most miniscule fraction of a clue how some pilgrim woman (or Native American I should say) felt when her family dropped like flies right and left to a horrible, unknown disease. All's well that ends well and everyone is on the mend. Sick or not, there's no better way to spend the most important days of the year than with the ones you love!

Now to put up some Christmas decorations...haul out the holly!

Viking Boy

In the past, I've droned on about the Swedish heritage I've inherited through marriage, friends, and associates. It's a love/love relationship, really, even if it might not sound like it. I've also talked about my hate/hate relationship with Halloween. It's a holiday I've always avoided, but with a kiddo in the mix, you just can't be a Halloween scrooge, as much as you'd like to be.

Last year, I committed to making kids' costumes so that I would be prepared and enjoy the holiday. Sawyer as a mummy was a success last year...and a cheap one at that. This year, we upgraded to something actually sewn and preconceived.

My little half-Swede was a VIKING!

As the base layer, I used a white undershirt, brown shoes, and brown leggings. I bought a plastic viking helmet for $3 on Amazon which I figure will grace a dress-up box for years to come. At JoAnn Fabrics, I bought some faux fur for his tunic and boots (sewn onto the base layers), some canvas ribbon to "wrap up" the boots, some black suede for a belt, and some Nordic buttons to add to the belt.

Keeping the helmet on was obviously some pie-in-the-sky, rookie mom idea, but he kept it on for about ten seconds at a time, so we got a few pictures in his full-on gear.

He and his bunny friend "trunk-or-treated" and had a grand old time. He had to get used to the action first, so looks a little unsure of things/miserable.

After a round of bags, he warmed up to the idea.

Once he realized candy was involved, he was intrigued.

Worn out after an evening of pillaging!

Poolside

All I wanted to do on Memorial Day was to plop my lawn chair next to a good old-fashioned kiddie pool and sit outside all the live-long day...and I got what my little heart wanted!

Sawyer's a water-boy at heart and pretty much jumped into the ice-cold water and chilled for two hours straight.

He also ate a decent amount of soggy cracker crumbs...yuuum!

Oh, a boy in summer is a wonderful sight to behold! I think the next three months are going to be a glorious thing...