Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Career Exploration

The following is a true story . . . .
Five years ago, I had an almost 4 year old and almost 2 year old and was expecting our third child.  As I was watching my rough and tumble boys wrestle day after day, I had one fear.  If God never gave our family a girl, I was afraid I would have to spend family vacations at Monster Truck--yes, specifically monster truck--rallies for the rest of my life.  I prayed for a girl, if only to avoid that testosterone driven fate.  We all know how that turned out--we were blessed with not one, but eventually 2 girls to add to our boys!

Well, guess what David and I took the boys to on Saturday night??
MONSTER TRUCKS!
And here's the funny part--I was SO very excited to go! When we ask the boys what they want to be when they grow up, Landen says "farmer" and Nathan says, "Monster truck driver." I couldn't wait to take him on a little trip to explore his future career!
Nathan's favorite truck was Reptoid.  He was my favorite, too.  He blew smoke out of his "mouth."
Right before intermission, we got to see a firetruck burning up a car.  It even made the stands shake. 
David and I decided that we will allow Nathan to follow his career goals.  A monster truck is safer than a race car and, but gauging by the ticket prices, he will make some pretty good money, too. :o)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Horsing Around

Yesterday the kids and I took a trip up my uncle Melvin & aunt Marian's farm.  Our mission was to bring home some kittens, but the highlight was meeting their horses--Bob and Daisy.  We got to pet them and learned a little bit about them, too.  Bob is currently on a diet and Daisy is 37 years old! 


 Rachel thinks, "Why the long face?"  Ha!  She is SUCH a funny baby! 
 We came home with a mama Cat, Oreo, and two kittens, Scamper and Black Toe (pictured with Teresa).  We're all enjoying our new farm pets!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

You & Me Goin' Fishin' in the Creek


Our big 3 are always wanting to go fishing.  I have no problem with that.  I happen to really like fishing and haven't gone since I was a kid, but I kinda have my hands a bit full right now and fishing doesn't really fit in to the schedule! 
No worries.
The boys discovered their own fishin' hole this week.  There is a pool of water left from the last time our creek ran through the culverts. 
We walked down that way and Nathan saw a few dead fish around the water on Monday.  Where there are dead fish, there must be alive fish--right????  He and Teresa headed home to make fishing poles out of sticks, yarn, and a paper clips.
We all went back down yesterday morning.  Nathan tried his fishing pole, but only caught a fish that was already dead (with his hands).  It was still exciting, so we brought it home to show our dog Callie.  I thought that would be the end of the fishing excursions. 

 Then we had a little lunch.  Some of us wore our bananas and berries more than others . . . .

 After lunch, I gave them permission to head back out.  If Nathan was content picking up dead fish from a mud puddle, I really had no problem with that.  Not too long after he headed out, Landen came back and reported that Nathan had another fish.  I got him a bucket of water (as we had done for the morning's fish).  I couldn't believe it, but as soon as he put it in the water, that fish started SWIMMING!  He caught a real live bullhead with his bare hands AND it survived the 1/4 mile walk back to our house.  He named him Flipper.
This morning we went back out and I couldn't believe how many baby bullheads are swimming around in the water!  It looks like a lot of water in this picture, but it really is very shallow and not very big in diameter.  The little fish were too quick for Nathan's hands, so we came home and got the butterfly/fishing net.  He brought home a bucketful and couldn't have been prouder.  Sure, they didn't all survive the afternoon, but . . .
that just means there's more fishin' to do tomorrow!

Monday, July 23, 2012

The Domestic Can Be The Monastic

I have often thought, "I could really do this stay at home mom gig much better if I wasn't interrupted every five minutes with a MOOOOMMMM!"  If there's anything that can drive me CRAZY within 15 minutes of waking up, it is the MOOOOMMM! which is now sometimes coming from five different directions.  (Well, one of them calls me Laura, and one expresses disapproval by fussing, but it's all the same.)  :o)
One of the Catholic Moms in our Facebook group shared this last week and I absolutely love it. 
I'm not going to lie.  There are days (especially this time of year) that living as a hermit in the Sahara Desert like Carlo Carretto sounds like winning the lottery.  But, that is not where God put me.
He wants me here--smack dab in the middle of all of these "bells" which definitely show me that time is not my own!
I'm thankful for all of these "bells," I really am.  I just wish they weren't quite so loud right away in the morning. :o)
We all have these calls to work, service, or other responsibilities in our lives.  Let's all try to look at these as opportunities answer these calls with a little more (genuine) enthusiasm.
I'll try if you will. :o)


The Domestic Can Be The Monastic

Carlo Carretto, one of the leading spiritual writers of the past half
century, lived for more than a dozen years as a hermit in the Sahara
Desert, alone with the Blessed Sacrament for company, milking a goat
for his food, and translating the Bible into the local Bedouin
language. He prayed for long hours by himself.

Returning to Italy one day to visit his mother, he came to a
startling realization. His mother, who for more than 30 years of her
life had been so busy raising a family that she scarcely ever had a
private minute for herself, was more contemplative than he was.

Carretto, though was careful to draw the right lesson from this. What
this taught was not that there was anything wrong with what he had
been doing living as a hermit. The lesson was rather that there was
something wonderfully right about what his mother was doing all these
years as she lived the interrupted life amid the noise and incessant
demands of small children. He had been in a monastery, but so had
she.

What is a monastery? A monastery is not so much a place set apart for
monks and nuns as it is a place set apart (period). It is also a
place to learn the value of powerlessness and a place to learn that
time is not ours, but God's.

Our home and our duties can, just like a monastery teach us those
things. For example, the mother who stays home with small children
experiences a very real withdrawal from the world. Her existence is
definitely monastic. Her tasks and preoccupations remove her from the
centers of power and social importance. And she feels it.

Moreover, the demands of young children also provide her with what
St. Bernard, one of the great architects of monasticism, called
the "monastic bell". All monasteries have a bell. Bernard, in
writing his rules for monasticism told his monks that whenever the
monastic bell rang they were to drop whatever they were doing and go
immediately to the particular activity (prayer, meals, work, study,
sleep) to which the bell was summoning them. He was adamant that they
respond immediately, stating that if they were writing a letter they
were to stop in mid-sentence when the bell rang. The idea in his mind
was that when the bell called, it called you to the next task and you
were to respond immediately, not because you want to, but because
it's time, it's God's time. For him, the monastic bell was intended
as a discipline to stretch the heart by always taking you beyond your
own agenda to God's agenda.

Hence, a mother rearing children, perhaps in a more privileged way
even than a professional contemplative is forced, almost against her
will, to constantly stretch her heart. For years, while rearing
children, her time is never her own, her own needs have to be kept in
second place and every time she turns around a hand is reaching out
and demanding something. She hears the monastic bell many times
during the day and she has to drop things in mid-sentence and
respond, not because she wants to, but because it's time for that
activity and time isn't her time, but God's time.

The rest of us experience the monastic bell each morning when our
alarm clock rings and we get out of bed and ready ourselves for the
day, not because we want to, but because it's time. Response to duty
can be monastic prayer, a needy hand can be a monastic bell, and
working without status and power can constitute a withdrawal into a
monastery where God can meet us. The domestic can be the monastic.

By Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, Seattle, WA

The Catholic Northwest Progress,
Jan. 18, 2001

Friday, July 20, 2012

Losing Less Sleep, Anyway!

We heard from the plastic surgeon's office on Tuesday night and decided on November 14 for Rachel's "pi procedure" on her skull.  They call it that because the cuts they make resemble the Greek letter "pi".  As I said, we saw an actual picture of this procedure at Dr. Wetjen's office.  The plastic surgeon, Dr. Bite, has a few other plans for the operation, like basically turning the front part of her head into a sort of jigsaw puzzle and putting it back together.  (As we waited for him to arrive, his nurse told us, "It sounds bad, but . . .", described what was going to happen and how great Rachel will look after she heals with a huge smile on her face the whole time.) 

David wanted to watch.
 I wanted to throw up. 
I am probably more likely to get my wish. :o)

As you can tell, I am in a much better state of mind since our consult at Mayo.  It was clear after our appointment with Dr. Bite that this is really a plastic surgery.  Dr. Wetjen is there to protect the brain and cut where Dr. Bite tells him to.  As long as everyone shows up and does their jobs, risk of any complications is "way below 1%."  Dr. Bite says not to "lose any sleep" over this.  Whenever I feel my sense of peace start to wane, I pull up my favorite verse, "Why are you terrified?  Have you not yet found faith?'', I remind myself of these most welcome quotes from our doctors and, of course, Dr. Wetjen's "she'll be fine." 

More than anything, this experience has been an exercise in trusting God and giving up the illusion of control.  I really like that feeling of being in control, even if it isn't real.  Until now, I could pretty much always say, "Just give me the baby," and make everything all right.  Getting the courage to trust these doctors has been huge step for me.  It's not like I  want to do the surgery, (give me an X-Acto knife and some super glue STAT!), but I before our appointment just couldn't imagine handing my daughter over to another person for four hours.   That, and I kept having this nagging feeling like they were going to say, "Well, we can operate on very intricate brain tumors and facial abnormalities, but we can't help you.  Sorry."  Yeah, sometimes my worries aren't quite in touch with reality. :o) 

Now that I've met these very smart men, I can.  I am so glad God has given people such gifts of knowledge to assist Him in healing His people.  I was looking up some background on our doctors the other night and I could barely understand half of Dr. Wetjen's research in pediatric brain tumors and brain disorders.  These people are crazy smart. 
Awesome.




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Season 3, Episode 3

If you are a fan of The Middle, you must not miss the "Major Changes" episode from Season 3. 
I had it on the DVR for several weeks and decided to watch it last evening.  It was laugh out loud funny and WAAYYY too close to real life. 
(Well, I thankfully haven't had a toenail incident like Frankie, but my kids are not yet teenagers either.) 
It has made me smile all morning, especially since Landen has been very "Brick-like" today, following me around and telling me all about Great Lakes ships. :o)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

One More Quasi Post

 Nathan was picked to assist at the ventriloquist show on Saturday.
The carnival was LOTS of fun!
 



I was experimenting with my camera as we waited for the fireworks to start.  The boys were playing by the water with their friend Spencer.
 Oooohhh!  Ahhhhhh!

There is so much more from the weekend that I didn't photograph--the 5K Walk/Run, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band concert, and some of my bestest high school friends.  (Somehow we didn't manage to get a photo together at all.)  It was fun to see old faces and meet new ones.

There's truly no place like home!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Better Late Than Never!

I TRIED to take Rachel's 6 month photos before today (the last day she is technically 6 months old,) but I always had too much "help" around here during photo shoot time.  :o)  Of the many, many I took a few weeks ago while her siblings bounced around the room, I did get one cute one in her dress.
Today, with just Teresa here to "help," we captured some more cute photos to finish off our 6 month photo project.  I won't bore you with all of them (although I will happily send albums by request) :o), but here's my favorite. 
Yesterday Rachel started eating Gerber puffs and today's new food was graham crackers.  I have to admit I'm pretty sure our other babies had these foods before almost 7 months. 
Oh, well. 
I'm sure it won't be the first time I am accused of babying my baby! 

We Love a Parade!

 We had a gorgeous day for Eureka's 125th Parade last Saturday morning!  There were almost 250 entries, but here are just a few highlights.  The orange VW Bug is owned by my friend Rachel's parents, Rueben and Kathy.  I went to Kathy's daycare as a child and she would take us to the grocery store or park in this bug sometimes.  Even as kids, we thought it was one awesome car.  I was so excited to see it be resurrected for the parade!  :o) 
 My dad built this birthday cake for his company's float entry.  Isnt' it pretty?
 Here's one happy girl!
 Is there any such thing as TOO much parade candy?  Mom says YES.  The kids say NO!!!  Rachel was thankful for her siblings' hard work so she could share in the reward.
Great Grandma Olivia and Rachel watched the parade together.
Happy 125th, Eureka!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Let's Back It Up a Little . . .

to the 4th of July!  We spent our 4th of July in Faulkton again this year.  The boys were able to help Grandpa and Grandma Melius drive the antique tractors in the parade.
 
 It was a hot day, but we can always count on the lifeguards to squirt us with water when they come by!
First, the "Big 3" and dad went to the Melius Reunion in Faulkton.  I had to stay behind with Rachel who was napping.  Hey, I know it was a hard job, but someone had to do it!  After everyone got back to Uncle Orin and Aunt Phylis' house, it was time for some slipping and sliding!

 Even the baby girls, Brooklyn and Rachel, got to have some water fun.  Aunt Phylis set them up with their own water stations to cool off, too.
 Here's the lineup to watch fireworks.  The city of Faulkton also has a beautiful display each year.
After dark, it was time for sparklers!
We hope you had a fun 4th of July, too!
Next time . . . pictures from Eureka's 125th Celebration!!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

"She'll Be Fine."

This is what I have needed to hear from a surgeon for 6 weeks. 
Of course, Rachel's surgery is all in God's hands and He will determine the outcome, but to hear these words from Dr. Wetjen today was a bucket of water on a wildfire of fear. 
I admit the news that she was too old for endoscopic surgery was not welcome, but he quickly assured me that it was not the worst thing that could happen.  The procedure she will have (probably sometime in November) will take care of everything at once.  No helmet or future surgeries.  And when the tears still came (even though I apologized for being too emotional,) he told me she'd be fine.  He has done many, many of these and they have been done for many, many years.
Alright.  He had my vote.
On a side note, did you know the covering of the brain looks like a reptile egg?
I saw a picture of it today and, strangely, it made me feel a whole lot better, too.
The unknown and "what-if's" were all so much worse than the actual appointment, which was actually quite pleasant (except for having to use a Mayo Clinic tissue or two).
I'm not saying I won't have a few freak-out days before the surgery, but I really hope they will be less often.
A couple of weeks ago, we heard Jesus say in the Gospel, "Do not be afraid.  Just have faith."
I'm trying, Lord, I really am!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Celebrate Good Times . . .

. . . come on! 
(You know you are going to have that song in your head for the rest of the day! 
You're welcome.)
 We had a most fabulous time celebrating the wedding of my cousin Sarah and Shawn on Saturday evening! We had a good representation of the Kallas family. Above are the "old" people (some of THEM are older than others). :o) 

 Here are the little cousins who came to celebrate the occasion.

 Teresa told me, "This is the best night I ever goed to!"  They danced and danced until they couldn't dance anymore!

 Nathan showed us the moves that he thinks will take him to Vegas on America's Got Talent. 

Landen had a few break dancing moves of his own!

I always love a good Kallas family wedding.  Next up is Eureka's 125th Celebration this weekend!  I am so very excited--there are some very special people in my life that I haven't seen in waaaaayyyy too long!  It's time to catch up and laugh so hard it hurts.  I can't wait!