things to remember

The kids used to devour any fruits I put on their plates but lately they haven't been eating fruit very well.  Last night I tried a new approach.  Instead of making each child a plate I gave them each their individual bowls of lasagna but a made communal fruit and veggie plate to put in the middle of the table.  Will it work??  Will it??

It worked!!  They thought it was fun to share the plate and there was even some competition over who got the last strawberry.  In fact, Timber just saw the picture of the fruit plate on my computer and started asking for more.  Yay! 

Give a kid a map and send them to Pony Land!  Haha, the kids were talking about maps so I gave them each a map page out of an old atlas and sent them outside.  They studied their maps and slowly made their way to "Pony Land."  It was so funny eavesdropping on their map pretend play! 

flora's first day of preschool

Flora woke up ready to go!  Preschool doesn't start until 9:30 though so she had to wait a while.

First Day of School tradition (starting today) -- Handprints and writing her own name.

First Day of School tradition (starting today) -- answer all of these "favorites" questions.

Picture with Daddy before going to school!

Supposed to be a pic with Mommy before going to school but the boys crashed our photo.

More pics before school.  Scout was so excited for Flora!

There's a picture with Mommy!

And a silly one for good measure!

Classic kid-on-front-step-with-backpack-and-lunchbox pose.  Can't believe she's old enough to do this already! 

Her backpack is huge.  She's supposed to take a sheet and blanket to school for naptime so it had to be big.  I guess she'll be able to use it in kindergarten next year.

This pose was her idea.  She positioned the lunchbox and backpack.  

I was really impressed with her lunchbox choice.  I thought we would come home with Dora or Hello Kitty.  I picked out the backpack though.  Last minute dash to Target last night when I realized that all of her stuff wasn't going to fit in the little Strawberry Shortcake backpack she already had.

Being so brave!  She was excited until she actually got into the classroom with all the kids and parents.  Then she was overwhelmed and "scared."  But she didn't cry!  That's better than I expected!

Flora and her teacher, Ms. Lyla.  Flora says she's "fancy" which is the highest compliment she knows how to give.

The boys and I went to Walmart after we dropped Flora off.  I told them they could pick out a "Happy First Day of School" present for Flora.  Scout's first choice was a can of diced rutabagas (not kidding!) . . . he did much better on his second attempt.  She's really into My Little Pony right now.

Hooray for smiles after school!!!  She said she had a good day and wants to go back!!  I'm SO glad!  She also told me that she cried in her pillow a little bit during naptime though. 

Very happy with her My Little Pony present!

 Uh....I forgot to turn this before I uploaded it.  I think it will be easier for you to turn your head than for me to go back and upload it again.  :-)

Playing with her new pony.

Yep, she's still my little girl. 















Thank you to everyone who said a prayer for us today.  Flora had a great day at school, the boys played together SO well all day, Timber napped in his toddler bed for the first time, and I even took a little nap while he was sleeping and Scout was busy playing on the Kindle.  Oh, and the boys did not ask to watch tv at all while Flora was gone.  I guess I know who the tv instigator is now!!  

my olympic journey

The Olympics are over.  And I have a few things to get off my chest.  Bear with me in this melancholy post and I'll try to post a fun "Flora Goes to Preschool" blog tomorrow.

This was a very emotional Olympics for me.  I think this is the first time I've watched the Olympics and actually "got it."  These athletes pour everything into their sport for four years and it all comes down to a hundredth of a second or a fraction of an inch.  The victories were just as tear-jerking as the defeats. 

It was also an emotional Olympics because I realized that I will never be the best in the world at anything.  I won't be a world champion.  Ever.  I like to be the best.  It's frustrating to know that I'll never be the best.  Doesn't that sound vain and just awful?  It's true though.  How amazing for those athletes to be deemed the BEST in the WORLD!?  The FASTEST in the WORLD?  Wow.  It's going to take me a while to be okay with never being the best.  And you can't placate me by offering extremely specific scenarios.  Yes, I am the BEST mom to Flora, Scout, and Timber . . . but I'm also the WORST mom to Flora, Scout, and Timber.  I may be the BEST Stefanie Janelle Borkert in the world, but I'm also the WORST Stefanie Janelle Borkert.  No worries though.  I'm not slipping into a depression over it or anything.  It's probably part of getting older -- realizing there are some things that you will never do and learning to be okay with that.

Wow, so that was upbeat.  Maybe we should tone things down some.... *sarcasm*

The Olympics always make me reflect on where I've been in my life during previous Olympic games (and by "Olympics" I mean the Summer Olympics -- the Winter games don't really count in my book). 

So here's my Olympic journey:


1996 -- The Olympics probably happened but I was a teenager.  Since they didn't directly affect me I'm sure I paid them no mind.  Plus there was no internet and NBC was probably one of the channels that we didn't get on our tv.  I think we got a total of 3 channels.  I have no memory of any Olympic games prior to 1996 either (although Bob Costas has done a good job of filling me in on the details over the years).

2000 -- The 2000 Olympics kicked off in September of my Freshmen year of college.  Such a big transitional year for me!  And such fun!  I remember watching the Olympics between classes.  My roommate and I were keeping a medal count on our wall.  Good times!

2004 -- The Olympics welcomed us to our new home in Kansas City.  I'll always remember being in a new city, a new state, a new apartment watching the Olympics.  It was a very nice distraction during a very chaotic time.  And I was married this time so Chris and I were able to share our first Olympics together.  I'm glad he's a fan.  We kept each other up-to-date on the medal counts.

2008 -- What a difference four years makes!  I watched part of the 2008 Olympics in a hotel in Branson, MO (we had met my parents and Shane to go to Silver Dollar City!  Yay!).  Flora was about 9 months old and I was about five months pregnant with Scout and working full-time.  Probably the most exhausting year of my life.  I remember thinking that Flora would be 4-years-old the next time the Olympics were played and the baby-in-my-belly would be 3-years-old.  It seemed SOOOO far away.  Almost impossible.

2012 -- Another transitional time for us.  New people, new things, new places.  Saying goodbye to the baby phase and hello to three silly kids who try to imitate every Olympic event they see.  Flora's new goal in life is to be in the Olympics because she's good at "gymnastic-ing."  As the Olympics end I prepare to send my oldest baby off to preschool.  It's just two days a week, but I know it's the first little nudge of the long process of pushing her out of the nest.  Preschool today, college tomorrow.  I won't think about that when I drop her off tomorrow though.   

2016 -- Life will be SO different.  Flora will be 8-yrs-old, Scout will be 7-yrs-old, and Timber will be 5-yrs-old (but getting very close to being 9, 8, and 6-yrs).  I'll be sending Timber off to Kindergarten just as the 2016 Olympics draw to a close.  I can't even image how weird that will be.

I assume time flies for the aspiring Olympic athletes just as fast as it flies for me.  One day you're hoping to make the team and the next you're standing on the podium trying to soak in the moment.  And yet it probably seems to drag on endlessly during grueling training sessions in those in-between years. 

The longest days, the shortest years . . .2016 will be here before we know it. 

my pinterest obsession spills over

Pinterest -- it's not just for Mommies!  Flora and Scout (with a little bit of help from Timber) spent about 20 minutes perusing kids' rooms on Pinterest this evening.  Every few minutes I heard, "Oh, MOMMY!  Come look at this bee-autiful bed!"  Or "Mommy, this pillow is SO COOL!"  They were totally digging it. 

After taking great care to examine each room and discuss the pros and cons of the various decor schemes, they finally chose a room for Scout.  I was across the room but I heard them reach their decision -- the "Treehouse Room" won.  Flora then told Scout, "Now I will click on it and Mommy will buy it when it's on sale." 

This is the room I'm supposed to buy "on sale" --

After their Pinterest time it was time for bed.  I told them they could talk about all the rooms they saw while they were in bed and maybe they could even do some decorating in their own room.  "Maybe you can make YOUR room look like the Treehouse Room," I suggested. 

"Wellllll," Scout said, "I think we're going to need a lot of stickers for that." 

Haha, stickers it is then!

silly sayings

Scout played PeeWee Flag Football and made a little friend on the team.  I realized that we needed to start using different words to describe the kids when Scout said, "Mommy, Chase is my new friend.  He's SOOO CUTE!" 

I overheard Flora and Scout playing.  Scout said, "Flora, let's play Daddy and Mommy!  I'll be Daddy and you be Honey."

I was teaching Scout the "Ladies First" rule.  He politely let Flora take her turn first and then said, "Ok, now it's MY turn to be the lady!!" 

The kids were playing on some jungle gym equipment inside on of the churches we visited in South Dakota.  Chris and I were talking to a college-age guy nearby.  After watching them play for a while he said, "So......uh, they all seem to be about the same age....??"  Haha, I'm sure to a 20-yr-old guy they do! 

Flora came to find me with a guilty look on her face.  "What's wrong?" I asked.  "Ummm," she said, "I kinda colored on Scout's face just a little bit."  Uh-huh -- just a little bit!!

Highs and Lows -- South Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas 2012

So, we're back.  Home.  And it's nice.  Very, very nice.  There are so many things that I appreciate more about home now than I did 9 weeks ago.  Home is nice.

I had a little debriefing session with the kids and Chris after we had been home for a couple days.  We talked about what we liked best and what we didn't like at each of our travel destinations (South Dakota, Colorado Springs, and NW Arkansas).  Their answers were so amusing that I decided to make notes so I could write this blog later.  And now here I am -- writing this blog.  Good for me!

So now, without further ado (except to say that I did NOT influence or prompt any of these answers), here's a quick "highs and lows" synopsis of our travels.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Chris' favorite part:  the slower pace and being able to set a nice daily routine
Chris' least favorite part:  some frustrations that I won't detail on here

Stefanie's favorite part:  the big storms and the screened porch (with the lake view!)
Stefanie's least favorite part:  living in someone else's house and trying to keep 3 little tornadoes from permanently destroying anything

Flora's favorite part:  the three boat rides
Flora's least favorite part:  getting her first bee sting

Scout's favorite part:  the trains, the bunk beds, and the boat rides
Scout's least favorite part:  the loud train whistle

Timber's favorite part:  BA
Timber's least favorite part:  DOH

COLORADO SPRINGS (with Granny, Grandpa, Uncle Nate, Aunt Mel, Uncle Shane, Aunt Joy, and cousins Callie, Elliott, Toby, and William)
Chris' favorite part:  fishing with his dad
Chris' least favorite part:  the busyness of trying to fit so much into one visit

Stefanie's favorite part:  fun evenings with Nate and Mel after the kids went to bed
Steanie's least favorite part:  trying to get the kids (mainly Timber) to eat dinner

Flora's favorite part:  going to the ice cream shop, playing with Callie & Ellie, and feeding the fish
Flora's least favorite part:  Timber splashing too much in the pond

Scout's favorite part:  fish, Granny, Grandpa, William, and the cars
Scout's least favorite part:  when Aunt Mel asked if he wanted braids in his hair too (HA!!)

Timber's favorite part:  MA
Timber's least favorite part:  OY

 

ARKANSAS (at a lake house with Poppy, Gigi, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Sara, and Uncle Shane)
Chris' favorite part:  getting to spend time with Bryan and Shane while they fished
Chris' least favorite part:  feeling ready to go home near the end of the week

Stefanie's favorite part:  sitting by the lake (WITHOUT kids) and getting to meet cousin Waylon
Stefanie's least favorite part:  Timber.  Lunch.  Dinner.  GRRRRR!!!!

Flora's favorite part:  swimming at the sand beach, waves, and puzzles
Flora's least favorite part:  she did NOT like playing the matching game with Bryan and Amanda when she was on the red team -- only when she was on the blue team (???)

Scout's favorite part: the lake, playing with toys in the waves, and Poppy & Gigi
Scout's least favorite part:  "I did NOT like the orange cucumbers!"  (HAHAHA!!!!)

Timber's favorite part:  UHN
Timber's least favorite part:  NO-NO

 

HOME!!!
Chris' favorite part:  I don't know bc I asked the kids this question after he had left.....I would guess that he really enjoys being able to cook his elaborate meals in his own large(ish) fully-stocked kitchen.

Stefanie's favorite part:  Fenced yard, dishwasher, and garbage disposal!!  (the garbage disposal quit working the first day we were back. Chris immediately went to Lowes for a new one)

Flora's favorite part:  seeing her sleeping bag and sleeping in her own room
Flora's least favorite part:  the long drive

Scout's favorite part:  the toys in the backyard
Scout's least favorite part:  the long drive

Timber's favorite part:  DA

These kids are AWESOME.  They were good travelers and adjusted quickly and easily to every place we went.  All our traveling has left an impression on Scout though -- every time we get in the car to go somewhere he asks if it's far away (TOO much driving!!!) and when we get in the car to go back home he asks if we are going "to our own home or to Poppy and Gigi's house or to the lake cabin or to Granny and Grandpa's house or to our vacation home."  Haha, poor kid.  Hopefully he'll realize soon that we're home for good.

Don't be hurt if you weren't mentioned in the "favorite parts" section (or if you WERE mentioned in the "least favorite parts" section!!!).  They had so many fun times and made tons of great memories -- I had to keep pressing to get ANY "least favorite part" answers from them (except for the orange cucumbers -- Scout was pretty adamant about disliking those!!).  These were just the first to come to mind at the time.  I'm sure I would get totally different answers if I asked again today.

Fun, fun times!  But again, it's VERY nice to be HOME!!

play ball! go fish! don't cry!

The kids and I were bored today.  It was rainy and cold outside; stuffy and dull inside.  The kids are already tired of all the toys I brought with us and all the toys we've borrowed from another family up here.  I sent Chris a text letting him know that we were all bored and that he should be prepared to entertain us when he got home.  He didn't disappoint.  We knew our day was about to get much more interesting when he came home after dinner holding a plastic baseball bat and ball and a bag full of other goodies.  Hooray! 

So we all put on sweatshirts and headed outside for a little baseball.  Scout and Flora caught on to hitting the ball fairly quickly and were actually pretty good at it -- I was surprised.  Timber was completely content to chase down all the hit balls and run them back to Chris.  I was just happy to be out of the house and not in charge of entertainment for a while.

Once the cold wind finally drove us back inside we pulled out the fishing game.  The kids were all quite amused at this one!  It's a classic!

And then it was on to a game of Go Fish.  It started out fine -- we explained the rules as best we could while trying to keep everyone's cards separate and out of Timber's grasp.  We had gone around the circle taking turns twice and it was Flora's turn again.  She asked Chris if he had a TWO, he said, "Go Fish!", and she burst into tears.  I think I've mentioned before that the drama runs strong in that one.  She cried pitifully in my lap for a moment and then ran off to cry in her bed.  Who knew Go Fish could be so traumatic?? 

We finished the game (Scout beat Chris and me) and then Chris entertained the boys while I had a talk with Flora.  She finally agreed to play another game of Go Fish with me.  We locked ourselves in the bedroom and had a lovely game of Go Fish.  She won, of course, and was excited to go tell the boys about her success.  And that was it.  She made her peace with Go Fish and was begging to play again by the end of the night. 

I'm afraid she's going to be just like me.  I think I turned out okay but I'm sure my parents can attest to the fact that new experiences, unfamiliar places or people, and any activity at which I was not proficient could bring me to tears.  I cried the first day of school until 5th grade!  Anyway, I think Flora started crying during Go Fish tonight because she didn't completely understand the game.  It's going to be a long fourteen years.....but at least her future in softball looks bright! 

just call me clyde

On Saturday, we packed up some clothes and the kids' bedtime stuff and drove to Brandon, SD to stay the night with another church planting couple.  We were going to attend their early church service Sunday morning and decided that it would be easier and more fun (and a nice change of pace) to stay with them instead of waking up early on Sunday and making the 45 minute drive to church. 

We arrived at the house, met the people we would be staying with, and started unloading our stuff from the van.  Scout carried his little pillow into their guestroom, looked around, and then asked, "Is this where we're going to live now?" 

Kinda funny, kinda sad.  It amused me that he thought we were going to live there and he was totally okay with that idea.  Kids are so resilient.  Obviously, they don't really understand why we are in South Dakota and telling them we'll be going home in "a few weeks" goes right over their heads.  All they know is that we live here now but we will be going back to our home someday.  And they're fine with that.  Sometimes they miss home but most days they just play and eat and sleep -- carrying out their little lives just like they would at home. 

Two more funny stories:

Flora was having some bathroom issues recently and called me to come into the bathroom.  This story is a little bit gross but I think we can all relate.  When I got in there she said in a confused voice, "Mommy, I thought I was just going pee-pee but then I coughed and poo-poos came out!"  Yeah, I know it's gross -- sorry about that -- but the way she described it really tickled me.

And Scout said something really random today.  He was hugging me and then he pulled back to look at me and said, "I love you, Mommy.  Sometimes I like to call you Clyde."  I asked him to repeat himself several times to make sure I was understanding him.  When I asked why he wanted to call me Clyde he just giggled.  It may always remain a mystery.... 

a tale of three sickies

I love how different all the kids are.  They've been sick again this week with some kind of fever virus.  It's a sudden, high fever that lasts about a day.  Timber was the first one to get sick.  He probably had the worst of it since he was dealing with the high fever plus some major teeth coming in, lots of snot because of the teeth, a cut on his lip that made it painful to eat, and even a random bloody nose!  He was understandably grumpy but easily distracted from his misery when Daddy started playing cars with him.

 

Flora caught the bug next.  We're in such tight quarters here that I knew it was only a matter of time before the other kids caught Timber's fever.  There's not exactly a great place to quarantine a sick kid here -- Flora and Scout's room doesn't have a door.  I guess I could put him/her on the top bunk and take away the ladder......haha, maybe next time.  So, Flora had a fever and you would have thought the world was coming to an end.  She was miserable, needy, and difficult to please.  I tried to take a picture of Flora sick on the couch today but she protested vehemently.  So much drama in that one!  She spent most of the day on the couch with her blanket and pillow.  Even now that her fever is gone she's still trying to milk her illness for all it's worth.  "Mommy," she says, "I think I'm still very sick because I have coughs."  I haven't heard a single cough out of her.  Then she said, "I don't think I can eat anything big yet.  Can you give me just one carrot."  So she ate one baby carrot for breakfast.  And then her pillow fell off the couch and she called for me to come get it for her.  She could have reached it herself but she's "sick."  And this is all today, the day AFTER she had her fever.  She wants to still be sick today so that she can pick what we watch on tv.  We watch a lot of tv on sick days.....we've watched a LOT of tv in South Dakota! 

But today is Scout's sick day.  Scout is very different when he's sick.  He prefers rolling around on the floor to lying on the couch or bed.  His reply when I ask him how he is feeling is always, "Fine" -- even though I just measured his temperature at 104 degrees and he's shivering like a puppy in a bathtub.  He prefers to be left alone when he's sick.

 

I always feel like I take better care of Flora when she's sick because I'm able to DO so much to make her feel better whereas Scout basically just needs me to give him medicine every once in a while.

I'm feeling good today because I know that we're almost through this round of sickness!  Timber is all better (except for those pesky teeth that are still trying to push through), Flora is mostly better (although she would say otherwise, I'm sure), and Scout's fever seems to be subsiding some (of course, he's been "fine" all along).  Looking forward to healthy days so we can get out of the house and find some more fun things to do in South Dakota!!!  And probably pick up more germs along the way...

 

south dakota so far....

Well, hello!  Yes, I still have children and, yes, they are still doing and saying cute and funny things.  I'm just not writing about them.  Bad, Mommy Blogger, bad!! 

So here we are in South Dakota.  I can honestly say I never expected to be living in South Dakota!!  As lovely as it is and as comfortable as we are, I'm still glad it's only a temporary move.  (If you have no idea why we're in South Dakota, read here.) 

We drove up on a Wednesday, stopped in Omaha on the way to visit the awesome zoo, and arrived in Chester, SD at around 5:30pm.  We met our fabulous hosts and they took us out for dinner at a restaurant overlooking beautiful Lake Madison.  Timber started the meal by throwing a screaming, crying fit over his drink which caused the whole quiet place to stare at us for a while.  I calmed him down and we had a pleasant dinner until Timber capped off the evening by gagging on some food and throwing up a little on his plate.  Check please! 

The next morning (Thursday) the kids and I drove the 35 minutes to the Sioux Falls Walmart to stock up on food.  We spent too much time and too much money in the store and just as I was unloading all of our groceries into the back of the van Scout tells me he needs to go poo-poo.  I told him to wait.  It's a risky little game but I was betting that it wasn't urgent.  I preferred to take my chances on him pooping his pants than take all three kids back into Walmart to use the restroom.  This story has a happy ending.  Scout made it through playing at the mall, playing at the park, eating lunch, and driving all the way back to our house before he remembered that he had to go. 

Unfortunately, lunch wasn't exactly a lovely experience.  We met one of the local pastors that Chris will be working with and his wife at the mall food court for lunch.  There was a fountain and our first mistake was sitting next to the fountain.  I thought Flora and Scout would enjoy looking at it while they ate -- and they did -- but Timber also enjoyed looking at it and felt like he needed to really experience the fountain with all his senses.  After throwing another screaming, crying fit over his drink he spent the remainder of lunch leaning as far into the fountain as I would allow.  He was pretty soaked when we left the mall.  I didn't think Flora and Scout needed too much supervision around the fountain since I was confident they wouldn't try to get in it.  My bad.  I looked over at one point and saw them both with their drinking straws IN the fountain.  Who knows if they actually drank fountain water.  I prefer not to think about it.  Not exactly the first impression I was hoping to make on our new friends....

Thursday afternoon was fairly peaceful and calm and I was able to finally get everything unpacked into our cute little basement apartment.  Friday I got to sleep in and take care of a lot of computer stuff on my morning off (yes, my Fridays off are still enforced even in South Dakota).  I was ready for a good day and a fun weekend......and then Flora threw up.  And then Scout threw up.  And then Timber threw up.  We had at least one child throwing up Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  So much for meeting new friends, visiting new parks, and attending a new church.  Some crazy severe weather came through several times during the weekend too.  When it rains hard we have to lower the window coverings on our screened-in porch -- basically converting our house to a dark cave.  The kids and I were like little moles living underground for a few days.  Haha, it wasn't really that bad.  It felt cozy and safe and warm -- but I think if it had lasted longer than three days I would have had some cabin fever symptoms!  The silver lining to this cloud of vomit is that Chris and I avoided the bug and all of the furniture and carpets in our apartment were spared.  The bad part is that I actually took Scout to the doctor Monday afternoon because he had been throwing up for 3 days.  She took some blood to make sure it wasn't bacterial and deemed him "very viral" and told me to keep him hydrated.  And, of course, he was fine by Monday night.  The best way to cure a child is to make a doctor appointment.  Not that the doctor does anything.....it's kind of like how the best way to make it rain is to wash your car. 
 
So, now it's Tuesday and everyone seems to be feeling fine as we approach the one-week-in-South-Dakota mark.  Flora is a little bit homesick (she drew a picture of home this morning) and they're all already bored with the toy/book/puzzle selection I brought.  But right now they're dancing and twirling each other so maybe being bored will inspire them to be even more creative in their play!  We ventured out to the yard today even though it was cold and very windy.  I definitely should have packed more long-sleeve shirts and pants....