Three's a Crowd!?! Poppycock!

The other night Ava had a fun night where she got to go stay the night with Andrea's parents. She used to spend every day with Andrea's mom, but now that she is in Kindergarten, she doesn't get to see her as much. So while Ava was gone, the three of us went on a little date... to the grocery store. Ryan was so excited about the grocery store, he slept the entire time. When he woke up, we decided to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner and some fun. I asked Ryan to take a picture with his mom at the restaurant. The following is the sequence of his close up with mom:

Pretty much what you would expect from an ornery three year old! With that said, we had such a good time out with Ryan while Ava was with her grandparents. It is a good change of pace to get the kids on their own, because their little personalities start to come out unfiltered by their sibling. Between eating chips and beans and talking about Ninja Turtles, we left the restaurant with full bellies and happy hearts for the fun that we got to be a part of. And all of us were so excited to see Ava the next morning!!

Lefse

Traditions! I love this time of year because of all of my family's traditions! Jayson's family traditions usually fall during the spring and summer months. We go jet skiing, camping, car shows and all of those fun things while the weather is warm. It works out well!

 

My mom's family is of Norwegian decent and there are a few food items that we all enjoy making together. So on Saturday we all gathered at my Aunt Lisa's to make lefse (pronounced "lef-suh"). It is sort of like a tortilla but it is made out of potatoes. They are fairly simple to make, but time consuming.

 

The first step in the process is to peel your potatoes. We use 10 lbs. of Russet potatoes.

 

 

 

 

After dicing them and boiling them until soft (think mashed potatoes), you push them through a tool called a ricer. It makes the potato look like rice. Here are Jess and Grady modeling the ricer. After you do that, you add a few other ingredients and mix it all up and then chill it. Lucky for us, it's like an arctic wonderland outside so we just stuck our bowls out in the snow.

 

 

 

After your dough is cooled to the touch, you use a special lefse rolling pin and roll it out into a really thin round. No one could make it as perfectly round as Aunt Susan, she was quite proud!



 

 

 

Here is my grandma (G-G to the great grandkids) monitoring them on the special round lefse grill. That stick she has is also a special lefse tool that is kind of like the Holy Grail of lefse making. I am not sure why but I remember several debates and arguments between my mom and aunts over this tool. :)

...Also, you should notice Jessie's hair in the back ground. I think I caught her mid spin! He he he.

 

 

 

Once they are done you smooth butter over them, sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon if you like, roll it up and enjoy!



 

 

 

 

The kids joined in on the fun too and were playing in the snow and then warming up in the house and playing with toys. They are so cute!!



The First Snow

Typically I hate the snow... and all things cold. I am a summer girl. I like the beach, and the sunshine, and when it's so hot it's hard to breath. Ok that may be a bit of an exaggeration. But you get my point.

When it is cold, I like tea and blankets and a fire place. We had a fire place in the house that I grew up in. I remember my dad cutting wood and stacking it nice and neat along the fence line of our driveway. I remember the way the fire would crackle and pop at night; I would sit next to the wood stove and just listen. My grandpa (my dad's dad) worked in a saw mill and that is where he was when he passed away. I was five when he passed away. I remember as a kid looking at the trees that were pressed into the metal of the wood stove door and thinking of my grandpa.

Even though I hate the snow most of time, I do like the first snow. It brings up memories of when I was a kid with my dad and the wood stove, with my mom and her wonderful Christmas decorations, with my sisters playing and romping through the snow. Today is no different.

But now I get new enjoyment out of it. While Ava was getting ready for school this morning, she spotted the snow. "Mom! You have to get down here right now! I can't wait!" I dropped my curling iron and headed down the stairs. "Mom! Snow is falling from the sky onto the ground!" She was so excited! Ryan couldn't wait to get dressed and head out into the cold stuff.

When Jayson and I got married, we started new traditions with the family that we had created together. We took a little of his and a little of mine, and created something new. The illustration that the agency used about adoption being similar to two people getting married and starting new traditions really stuck with me. I guess because traditions are important to me. We do a study of how families celebrate the holidays each year with my class and I love hearing the things that my students do. Now that we are waiting to adopt, I wonder if our newest little love will come from a family that does similar traditions to the ones I hear my students talk about. I imagine how we will take a little of them and a little of us and create something new.

Last year at this time, we were just starting our home study process. Driving in the snow reminded me of all of the trips to the agency we took in the snow and the anxious excited feelings I always felt on the way.

I guess you could say that the first snow makes me feel nostalgic. It makes me think of the times that have passed and look forward to the times that are to come and the new people who will be in our lives to love and be loved by.

Bursting into the Holiday season

Its amazing how quickly the Holiday season approaches! The last time we blogged, we were still in the month of September, with sunny, warm weather, and now we sit in the midst of a cold front. Lots of things have happened in the last month or so, so I will try to provide you with a brief recap:

#1 - Travels to New York City!

Andrea and Ava had the privilege to go and visit Andrea's sister, who lives in the Big Apple.

The trio got to spend some time at the American Girl store, the Bronx Zoo, and they took in Cinderella on Broadway! Ava even got to The Starry Night, the painting by Van Gogh that she has been learning about in her art class!

#2 - The Mighty Fisherman!

Ryan got to go fishing with his poppa. He caught his first fish! He was so excited, he had to stop everybody walking by to show them his fish. Its a pretty good sized fish, depending on what kind of angle of picture you are looking at.

#3 - Pumpkin Patch!

Every year, our family goes to the local pumpkin patch to go on wagon rides, bouncy houses, petting zoos, and maybe even to find the perfect pumpkin. It is one of our favorite annual family traditions.

#4 - The Holidays, they Come!

We love the Holidays in our family. For Halloween, we had a sweet little Tweedle Dee from Alice in Wonderland, and Leonardo, the Ninja Turtle. I wish I had a picture to post right now, but I will try to add one later today! For November, we are excited for Thanksgiving, and the opportunity to get together with the extended family. So many cousins, uncles and aunts, faces to see, people to hug! It can be a little overwhelming getting that many people in one confined space, but it truly is a joy. We have much to be thankful for. Finally, the holiday of Christmas is on the horizon, with less than 50 days. I have always loved Christmas, so much that I found myself in October resisting the temptation to put Christmas music on. There is a sense of wonder that comes from engaging in the Christmas Spirit, from being able to celebrate the great act of love of God coming down to be among us, to provide us the means to be reconciled with him through the birth of Jesus. What a great thing to celebrate.

Here is wishing you a warm and happy holiday season.

-Jayson