"It's pitch white out there!" -Nina

We had this unexpected arctic blast this week! Freezing temperatures...almost single digits at night and lots of snow. We  talked about the possibility of snow all last week. The kids hoped and prayed for it. Sunday we had flurries and Monday it stuck, much to the everyone's delight. Tuesday school was canceled and I was just as thrilled as the kids. We slept in, played board games, did lots of sledding, hot chocolate, movies and Nina and I braved the roads to get some last minute Thanksgiving groceries. It was a long, wonderful day. Did I mention sunny? I absolutely love the look of the trees and yard with a fresh blanket of white. I had a prayer of thanksgiving in my heart all day long for this gorgeous afternoon.

food & kids & friends & blood (a random update)

I feel like I'm at the beginning of a marathon that ends on December 28th (Nina's Birthday). Everyone's busy, it's just that time of year, but I wanted to do a quick update because the longer I wait to post on my blog, the less motivation I have. We had a pretty routine week this week. Zig was supposed to be in Hawaii all week taking care of business, but that was postponed. He was here with us all week so I took advantage of having him around in the evenings and got together with friends one evening, played tennis the next, attended an awesome cooking class, and went to book club. This weekend we took care of lots of loose ends and annoying little house projects. Little people can really do some damage to a house :) Zig spent more hours than he would like to admit searching all over kingdom come to find a new toilet lid to replace the one that Evan broke. Doesn't everyone want to drive around strip malls on a rainy Saturday looking for a supplier of a special kind of toilet lid? Didn't think so. Zig was a little cranky when he came home and I had to remind myself to cut him some slack before I banished him to the outdoors to cheer up.

My favorite part of the week was having a 4 day weekend!! Yeah for Veteran's Day. Gosh I love when the kids are home. They have been bickering more than usual recently, but still I love having them here. Lots of lego building, art projects, story-writing, memory playing, and reading (and screaming and crying). We took it easy during the day and tried to really give them a break from their normal schedules. I had to take Rollin and Nina to the open gym at gymnastics both days though  because it was rainy and Rollin has to move and exert himself every day or he will go nuts and kick a ball through one of my chandeliers. He has so much energy!

Sophie and Sam came to play over the weekend and Nina and Rollin had such a great time. Rollin and Sam took off outside despite the crummy weather, and the girls had a tea party and played inside. We made Lisa's citrus butter kettle corn and it was sooo good.


Nina and Sophie

kettle corn and raspberries

 Evan was a little sweet pea several days this week. He is my moodiest little baby for sure. The moment he wakes up, I can pretty much tell whether he will be a kisser and snuggler or the opposite. Lots of kissy days this week. Midweek he came down with a fever and felt pretty crummy for a couple of days. I hate to admit it, but it was kind of nice. This was one of those  sicknesses where he was just very mellow and lethargic, but not to a worrisome degree. He just kind of sat on the couch and would not eat a thing. He got better quickly and the fever was never high. Now it sure seems like his ears are bothering him though. I may have to take him in this week for a look.


Little sicky


Gotta strengthen that immune system somehow...oh boy.

This is a happy guy!

My old church does some fabulous cooking classes and thankfully they have kept me on the invite list. I taught one in the Spring and we had a blast. I figure if I contribute then they can never take me off the list! :) This month the class was on Sweet and Savory Fall Roasting.  They have some seriously talented cooks and foodies so the classes are top notch. They are held in peoples homes and everyone pays a small fee to cover the food which is always a total bargain given the fantastic menus.The one they had this week was better than most of the other professional type cooking classes I've taken at PCC or other places. I took  Lisa  and we loved everything so much we are going to try and make some of the recipes for some friends this week when we get together for lunch. The menu was Beef Tenderloin (Lisa and I, both non red meat eaters, partook), Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Buttermilk, Roasted Tomato and Caramelized Onion Towers, Greek Salad with Fig Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, and Triple Chocolate Brownies with Caramelized Bananas and Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce.

I had to make that Greek Salad tonight. I couldn't get that fig dressing out of my head. The dressing was divine! I love the twist of adding figs to the greek salad and the dressing. I'll post the recipe as soon as I have time to type it up.


I also made the Lemon Thyme Chicken out of the new Barefoot Contessa and some Butternut Squash Soup.



We had a candlelight Sunday dinner and Zig kept saying we might have a hard time topping this for Thanksgiving. I always have to bring Evan home early from church because something about setting foot in that building turns him into a crazy little animal. I can only handle an hour with a tired toddler so we head home. The nice thing is we are able to have a nice dinner right at 5 because I am able to prepare while everyone else is gone. Then we  have family home evening, watch a documentary and get the kids in bed early.

We made it thru the documentary by 7:30 tonight and then Rollin and Nina ran downstairs and started horsing around while they were putting away their bean bags. Zig, Sela and I were talking in the living room and then we heard the shriek. He's BLEEDING, Nina yelled! I covered my face and told Zig to run down there. Rollin had jumped from the stairs into a cement wall and was bleeding all over the place. I heard Sela say "it's squirting out" and I just froze. I could not look and kept sending the girls back to check on him. Zig got him cleaned up and the cut on his head did not need stitches. We both felt like he should be seen though so they went to the ER. He's fine. Once I saw the stunt that got him into this predicament, I told Zig the doctor may still need to further examine his head . Unbelievable. This has not been Rollin's week. He pulled a Foosball table over on himself and cut his eye and almost broke his nose at the gym childcare on Monday (Foosball table was gone by Tuesday!) I need a first aid refresher course because I do not do well in crisis situations. When I don't have a choice, I can handle the situation, but with Zig here today I just wanted to hide my head until I knew everything was okay.

The girls prayed for Rollin and remembered how much they love him tonight. Now everyone is home and safe so I'm off to rest up for another busy week.

summer in full swing

I looked at the calendar last night and almost had a panic attach. Only 6 more weeks of summer. How could that possibly be? My heart sank to the floor.





At the end of the school year, I had all sorts of ideas and summer plans...hikes and "museum days," day trips, etc. I had all my little guide books out and dog-eared...best hikes with kids, best outings in Seattle, the local parent magazines, etc.  But I never set those things in motion for one reason or another. I think the main reason being I was so totally done with any sort of schedule. I couldn't bring myself to have to do a particular activity, even if I came up with the idea in the first place.

The other reason we are rather homebound is my kids are very protective of their summer. Like me, they want to savor it and often ask me how many more weeks left, and then frown. They just want to be home. They do not want to get in the car; they have rarely asked for playdates and have actually declined a few times when asked by others.

Fruits and veggies are starting to come off in the garden...the berries alone kept me homebound for a week. In the evenings when it cools down, we all have fun going out to the garden together and picking rasberries or strawberries. Zig devises all sorts of contests to get the kids going. There is no waiting when the berries are ripe so everything else must be put on the back burner. I froze a ton and canned about 30 jars of jam so far. I am cooking a lot and just having fun being with my children. As I was thinking about all the other stuff that is out there we could be doing (and in the northwest in the summertime, that is A LOT!)  I realized that this is a precious moment in time and I should embrace it. We moved to this place primarily so our kids could have this sort of lifestyle. The kids want to be home, they want to play together, and they are happy. Sadly, they won't be content making fairy houses and climbing trees forever. They are getting dirty, being creative, having downtime, and reading like crazy trying to earn various library awards and such.  We are doing a few things outside of our backyard, but any outings we take are spur of the moment. We keep our schedules open and if things come up that work, then wonderful. Somehow the kids can be persuaded to hop into the car for Thenos Cantaloupe Ice cream! But not much else.




I've been most impressed at what the kids actually come up with on their own, and their ability to create gives me the freedom to step back and let them lead. I don't always need to provide an activity or direction. So much good has come out of the occasional boredom. Some of the things they've been up to are farm stands (of course!), a village of fairy houses, bird watching/listening, playing with their animals, creating a farm/neighborhood newspaper to pass around to the neighbors, berry picking and eating, playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath, a big art show, the biggest hopscotch you've ever seen, campfires, homes in the trees, and all manner of pretending. I see them zooming around the yard all day on their bikes. I have no idea what they are doing several hours a day and I love that too.

As a family, we've been mountain biking twice in the past couple weeks and it's awesome now that we can  ALL go. Evan bounces around in the Burley and everyone else can ride well. There are some wide trails near our house so we don't even have to load the bikes. We took the older kids to St. Edwards to ride there one day and left Evan with Rachel, our babysitter for the summer. It was so fun to see Rollin ride over roots and rocks and fly down the hills. He is crazy and just as good of a rider as I am.

The only organized sport we are doing is tennis. All the kids are taking lessons most of the summer. The courts are four minutes away and while one has a lesson, the rest of us play on the outdoor court. Everyone is improving and enjoying it more and more. Sela is on a team and is going to a University of Washington camp next week. I'm excited for her. Nina is about to be moved up to the class Sela was put in when she was 8. She's improved tremendously this year and is quick as a jack rabbit. One day when I was inside watching Rollin's lesson, Sela tried to work with Nina and they were hitting back and forth when I came back. Sela was so excited and Nina was BEAMING!





Evan just waddles around the court kicking balls and chasing the "pink ball."



May the next 6 weeks pass by oh so slowly. I love the lazy days of summer!

a break

We have a four day weekend beginning tomorrow and I couldn't be happier. I needed a breather and the timing is perfect. I'm counting down the days till life slows to a crawl. We've been in what feels like a sprint for the past few weeks. The end of school is both exciting and exhausting. I thought it might be time for a little update on a few of the happenings of the past couple weeks.

Nina and Rollin are really playing so well together. Several days this week, they kept each other entertained for 4-5 hours, mostly outside. I try not to interrupt them because they really get into their own little world. I love the days when we have that luxury of not having to be anywhere. Wish we had more, but they're coming.





I was shocked when instead of fighting over the one towel in their bathroom, they came up with this compromise all on their own after getting out of the bathtub!


Kona is still taking his job of chicken protector very seriously. He had another opossum under arrest on the fence this week. It's quite the stand-off and great entertainment during breakfast.







Evan is trying so hard to walk. He has taken several steps and the best thing about it is how excited the other three are. It's like a pep rally every time he makes another attempt. He is used to getting applause so he claps for himself every time. He is also determined to play in the dirt every single day and ruin all his clothes. There might be a lot of diaper pictures this summer!














Sela has been running track. She won two first place ribbons in relay and 440.


Rollin entertaining himself during the track meet.




I've spent lots of time going through my recipes preparing for a cooking class. Aside from creating the menu for the class, I found lots of old favorites to revisit. We've been having soup weather, unfortunately, but the Wild Rice Cherry Soup recipe from Lisa brought a little sunshine to our table. I actually thought the kids would be lukewarm on this one because of the textures and some new flavors, but boy wasI wrong. Everyone cleaned their bowls and Zig said it was his favorite soup ever.

Wild Rice Cherry Soup

Lemon Chicken Salad


Lisa and I have been walking with Rollin, Evan and Sofie on Thursday mornings. We meet around 9, walk along the trail, stop by Hillcrest Bakery, head to the park, feed the ducks, and head back to where we started and to play at the other park. We stop lots along the way to rescue snails and worms and, of course, for snacks. We get back around noon. Rollin rides his bike so he keeps us walking fast. I look forward to this time so much each week for the sunshine (sometimes) and the hours of visiting with Lisa.



And this post is getting too long. I haven't really even mentioned what we've been up to. But it's a start.

The Egg

This "egg" is further confirmation that we do not need so many toys. Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better about tossing so many this week. Rollin and Nina have played with their dinosaur egg all week long. I bought it to make some watermelon smoothies, but now that there is a dinosaur baby growing in there, I can't exactly hack into it. They've made it a bed of hay, they take turns trying to hatch it, they fight over it (lots of sibling rivalry lately between these two), they make up all kinds of stories about it, and they roll this egg all over the house.

Can you imagine how much fun they would have if I brought home TWO watermelons. I think I would be elevated to Superstar Mommy status. It wouldn't be hard to improve my job approval rating around here lately. The creative juices aren't flowing so well since the sleep deprivation is kicking in. But I think I could manage two watermelons. Stay tuned.

This looks like a good spot

Yesterday I turned the corner to find Nina and Rollin enjoying their books and a little bit of the morning sun. Is it summer yet? We are counting down over here at the Serafin abode!

Life with baby...

You'd think time would slow down with a new baby at home. Our pace has slowed but for some reason, the last three weeks just flew. I haven't left home too much and have enjoyed just loving on this baby and not having to be anywhere. But I can't believe our baby boy is three weeks old this Saturday. And I really can't believe Mom is leaving tomorrow. I'm not ready for real life yet.

I've been spoiled with Mom here because she knows just what to do and steps right in whether it be taking Sela to school, making lunches, or getting Rollin his much needed exercise outside! She's taken the kids on special outings, smoothie runs, met the bus for Sela, helped Zig get the garden planted, cleaned non-stop, tried to handle Kona, (ha!), and so much more. She's done laundry continuously since she's been here and we still have piles waiting....I think I may need to hire someone for that job alone when Mom goes. It seems like the laundry load has tripled and we only added this tiny little baby to the mix!

Anyway, aside from all the help she has given me, it's really so sad for me to see her go because I just enjoy having her here. I have someone to try and laugh with at all the craziness around us. And believe me, we've had some crazy days around here! I feel bad because I think we have totally worn her out. She will probably need to sleep for a few days when she gets home!

We'll miss you, Mom!

And here are a few details of the goings on of the past couple of weeks....

• We named our baby boy Evan. It only took a week and a half and all the kids and Zig love the name. I like the name a lot. We are still working on a middle name. Well, in theory we are. In reality, I haven't seen much of Zig the past couple of weeks.

• Zig took a new job (still with Microsoft) but he will be splitting his time between Redmond and San Francisco working in SF Monday-Thursday each week for the foreseeable future. Great opportunity, not the best timing :) But we'll have fun spending time down there with him when we can.
  

• Evan is a doll. Sweet and beautiful and sleepy.

• We rarely see his eyes open during the day at three weeks old.

• He has his days and nights 100% mixed up. This was not a huge surprise to me. I often commented to Zig when I was pregnant that we were in trouble when he was born because of his pattern of being super active beginning each night at 10pm. Almost to the minute, this is when he comes alive right now.

Here he is just before the girls go to sleep...a rare moment awake.


Pictures aren't too easy because I can't rouse him from his slumber!


More sleepy time with Nina


Getting some fresh air and a bit of sunshine outside...

• He has to sleep every minute right next to me with every part of his body touching some part of me. How dare I try to roll away from him and try to sleep! We are quite the inseparable pair right now. He's a cuddler so he picked the right family.

• He's a little peach during the day and sleeps anywhere, only waking up to nurse.

• He purrs while he nurses. I've never had one who purrs, but it's the sweetest sound!
  

• The kids are into him, but not as much as I thought. They don't smother him or get in his face much so he's had a fairly peaceful first few weeks. They all seem to really love him, but they are giving him plenty of space. This could be because he is almost never awake when they are.

• Rollin can't stand to hear him cry. Last night when they were watching a movie and Evan started to fuss a little bit, Rollin said "Quiet down, Baby!"

• Evan regained his birth weight plus 1 pound before he was two weeks old.

• My little Rollin seems so big now. I look at his hands and feet and think wow, he's such a big boy! He's had some adjusting, but I don't know how much of it is the age rather than the new baby. He wanted me to take a picture of him on Sunday after I was snapping a few of Evan.
  
  

• Mom invented a new super delicious breakfast treat. I brought her home these yummy coconut covered cashews home which turned out to be rather addicting for both of us, and she made this lovely concoction below. Greek yogurt, champagne mangos, and coconut cashews. YUM!
  

• Ben and Eric cranked on the treehouse and started building the porch railing. Lots of sawing logs made for some fun little remnants for the kids to play with.

• The girls loved having Mom french braid their hair while she was here. What I'm sure Mom didn't love is Rollin trying to "sniff" her while she was braiding. He is very into smells and always likes to cuddle up and smell Mama, but I guess I wasn't available so he added Granny to the list of acceptable people to sniff. Crazy boy! If I ever need to embarrass him when he's older, this little trait of his will most definitely come back to haunt him! Armpits smell that good, Rollin? Really??? I guess it's the Mango deodorant.
  

Feel the love, Mom!

The last of the tulips bloomed. The red and white ones below are called Rembrandts (if I remember correctly). They are stunning and remind me of a peppermint. Zig planted these around the chicken coup. I almost missed them since I haven't been out there as much lately.

• And some other new blooms this week:

• We made a trip to Farrel McWhirter park to see the 15 new baby pigs. Gosh, what am I complaining about, I just had one! There were also three newborn baby goats. All so cute!

I'm flying solo in about 8 hours so I better get back to bed. I finally have my little night owl sleeping in my lap, so it's back to bed for what will likely be my last chance to sleep in for awhile.

Goodnight.