Sunday at home!!!

Today has turned into a great day at home! We have gutted 2 rooms in our home so far....taking out countless bags to the garbage can...which I might add is full along with the recycle bin..which is also full! We had a late lunch and Jerry will be dazzling us with grilled pork chops and chicken wings later this evening! Gabe and Mette have been playing with the kids who live next door and are having a blast...until they had to walk home! They were almost blown away with the gusty winds we have!! Poor Gabe took a nasty fall and has a pretty big raspberry on his butt! :-) He saved his sister from falling...what a good big brother! We are looking forward to having a week off from work and school! Spring break in February was really not my idea of good timing as "spring" is still far away (especially with the huge snow storm that is moving towards us - they say we might get a foot of snow- I will believe that when I see it!). No matter what time of year, having a week off from work is ALWAYS a good thing! We have only a couple things planned other than staying home and being complete loafs! It's gonna be AWESOME!!!! I hope everyone has as wonderful of a Sunday as we have had so far!

Updates...sleeping, eating, playing....busy family!

It is not often for the Severson family to have a more laid back, not running all over heck weekend but this weekend is looking good!! EVERYONE slept through the night last night....this is NOT a normal occurrence in the Severson home! Our youngest has battled with going to bed, staying in bed, and sleeping for a LONG time now! She must be growing as she is beginning to eat us out of house and home...which also means she is SO TIRED all the time! She has only gotten up once in the night for the last couple nights and last night...NOTHING! It was BEAUTIFUL! She has been very pleasant and happy this morning too...even eating eggs with ham..."I LOVE HAM" she said when I put it on her plate. Let's hope this is the beginning of a new trend for her! Lord knows we needed it BAD!
As for Gabe...this also meant he did not get awakened by her which makes him easier to be around too! You know the pre teen stage...REALLY is all I have to say! Thank god we will only have one kid going through it at a time! He has been pretty grumpy and on edge lately but he too has been sleeping more and also eating us out of house and home! Example...he ate more than his dad did for breakfast! 3 helpings of eggs, toast, all the grapes in the house, countless glasses of juice, apple turnover....he has NEVER eaten more than Jerry- no one has! ;-)
Gabe has his last tourney for the season in Basketball tomorrow! It is in Becker- could not be closer if we tried! We are very excited to watch him play one last time! I know they have been working so hard lately and are on a 6 game winning streak! (2 first place trophies too!) My parents will be joining us and my aunt and uncle too! They love to watch Gabe play ball!
Jerry and I are going to get to see our newest family member later today- our niece Elin. She was a preemie and came home this past Monday. We will drop off some lunch for the new parents and maybe even get a little peak at her! We will not stay long as I know they are tired...remember that feeling of bringing home your first child....your emotions are on a non stop roller coaster...you are tired, hungry, tired, happy, tired, need a shower, tired, need to brush your teeth, tired.....see the repeating tired! I know they are doing well and loving her up! We can't wait until she is a little bigger so we can cuddle her too! Our kids can't wait to meet their new cousin- we have to wait until she is bigger and stronger and that is not easy for Mette (Gabe gets it!).
We will enjoy a family movie night on our new system downstairs- for those who have seen it...know it is pretty cool and LOUD! (just ask Clair A. she was not a fan during the super bowl when it got too loud!) Popcorn, M&M's, Jr. Mints, blankets, pillows, a new blue ray movie...we will be set!
I hope everyone else has an equally amazing weekend and enjoys their families and the WARMER WEATHER!

Great weekend!

The Severson family had a great weekend! It was one of the rare ones that you have some things to do...and you also get to spend some LONG OVER DUE time at home! On Saturday, Gabe had a basketball tourney in Monticello and his team played AWESOME! They took 1st place!! We were very proud! Gabe plays his heart out and we understand why he is so tired when all is said and done! We spent the morning and most of the afternoon with his God father Matt and his wife Tam. We had not seen them in WAY too long! It was great they were able to come see him play. Gabe loves when Matt is around! Saturday night, Jer and I went to his work Christmas party that was moved due to weather back in December! We had dinner in St. Cloud...it was AMAZING! We were home early enough to tuck Gabe into bed...Mette was already passed out! Then today, we slept in...at least for the Severson family it was sleeping in! I didn't hear Mette until almost 7:30! Best thing EVER! Then we cleaned up the house...organized some big messes...and had our neighbors Ryan and Erin over for dinner with their daughter Vivi! Great food and friends...now on to being complete slugs on the sofa for the rest of the night...watching TV on the newest addition to our home! Should be wonderful! I hope everyone else had equally as good of a weekend as we did!

Christmas Blessings

Christmas came and went very quickly so it seems....It is soon going to be the new year! Boy how times really does fly when you are having fun! Quick recap of the events since I finished working on Dec. 23rd. Friday, Dec. 24- Christmas Eve- we had a yummy breakfast at home relaxed a bit and then got ready for church. We went to the 3:00 service with my parents in Monticello where we saw good friends and family- great start to the celebrations still to come! Then it was off to Sarah and Dana's house to see the JUST finished basement (LOVE THE MAN CAVE!!!!) and enjoy our traditional Fondue dinner....we at until we were barely able to leave the table....then came the smashing of the Peppermint Pig after we all shared what we were thankful for- then it was off for home we go...we still had some things to do when we got home if you know what I mean....The kids were in bed by 10:00 and boy were they tired...that didn't stop them from rising at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning...as every good little girl and boy should to see if Santa came to visit them while they slept! There was a lot of hooting and hollering when they saw their stockings full of treats and toys. After we took time to enjoy just the four of us at home we headed to Nana and Papa's house to open gifts there and have the traditional brunch dish with cheesy potatoes....again...stuffing our selves until we were almost unable to move...we enjoyed watching everyone open their gifts and the excitement of the "AUNTIE BONNIE" trick... (wrapping a bunch of small presents inside a big one....BEST TRICK EVER!!!!) We then became slugs on the couches and watched a new movie on Nana and Papa's new Blue Ray player....we gotta get one of those! It was great....then off for home we went for a few short hours as the next day we were off to Arrowwood in Alexandria for 2 nights and 3 days of cards, games, swimming, sledding, sleigh rides, more good food, and lots of family time! We had a blast!!! It was always nice to get home too...yesterday was spent caring for our much neglected home as we were to have guests later that night! It was so wonderful to have a clean home and to be able to see my dresser top, counter tops, and my children's bedroom floors again! Then we had an AMAZING get together with friends from back in the day....elementary and high school. It had been WAAAAYYYY too long since I was able to spend time with these friends and I look forward to seeing them all again in the near future! (well ....Chani may be hard to see as she lives in California....we'll see what we can do!) My friend Kristy and her husband Ryan and their 2 beautiful little boys were over, my friend Dara and her girls, my friend Holly came solo....no kids...no hubby (we'll catch them next time!), and of course Chanteil!!! It was a great night with lots of catching up and laughs about the good old days! I was sad to see them all go home...but we will do it again soon I hope!
As for today....I may not even get out of my PJ's...and that is equally as awesome! :-) With the rain outside it is a good day to cuddle up on the couch with my kids...watch a movie with popcorn and m&m's and then take a NAP! I will post pictures later when I have more energy...maybe after my nap! I hope all of my family and friends had great a Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Bedtime updates...and more!

Well...it has been a while since I wrote about our bedtime worries...since then we found out Mette was "medically speaking" full of shit! Poor little girl...she was seriously backed up! This may have been part of the problem as her tummy was hurting at night when she laid down. Now that she has been "cleaned out" after copious amounts of miralax and a different laxative...things should be all better....WHO AM I KIDDING! OK..so seriously things are a little better but still very much a work in progress. Every night is a battle royal and at times a full on knock down drag out but at some point she will just pass out from exhaustion!!

As for other members of the Severson family....Gabe had a basketball tourney this weekend. Saturday was canceled due to the butt whoopin snow fall we got but they were able to play on Sunday. It was great to watch him play. He sure plays with a LOT of heart and is really ALL over the court. I can't look at times when he goes down for fear he will hit his head again and we will be on concussion number 2 of the season. He was really sore and TIRED last night...he does not even remember walking down the stairs and going to bed. To be honest, I don't either!

We are looking forward to yet another VERY busy week. Between practices, meetings, band concerts (his first one EVER...we are so excited) and getting ready for Christmas in Brewster with Jerry's family this weekend- this week will FLY by! Next week is not much better I am afraid...Every night we have some sort of get together, meeting, or something with the kids! Christmas break will be very welcomed!!! oh...maybe I spoke too soon....we have many FUN things planned for this time too!

I am on my way upstairs now...hoping, wishing, praying for some sleep and that my daughter allows the whole family to get some much needed rest!!!

Bedtime worrier....

You see, miss Mette has ALWAYS been a good sleeper...as in infant we could lay her in her crib WIDE AWAKE and she would coo herself to sleep....she continued this until about a year ago when something spooked her and she has not been the same since!
Last night going to bed was a battle royal - as it usually is...in and out of her room more times than you can count, tears, EVERY light on, door WIDE open, covers tucked in SUPER TIGHT, closet doors CLOSED, the repetition of her making sure I hear every little "excuse me I tooted" and "mom when you come in again wake me up and cuddle as big as the universe ~ EVERY TIME"!
There is only some much a mommy can take- it is hard on daddy too...but in the middle of the night ....it was ALL mommy....ALL NIGHT! She started about 1 AM and the worries, meltdown, covers untucked, stuffy nose issues, and much more! I must have cuddled with her at least 6-7 times (every time I would leave with her saying it is NOT fair you get to sleep with daddy....I want to sleep with another HUMAN too!!!! (pretty cute of her to say ~ just not last night at 3:40!), blew her nose 5 times, got 2 drinks, chap stick once, and countless checks of the closet and door to make sure they are they way they should be...this kept on going strong until about 4:15 when for the first time EVER she got out of bed on her own! REALLY...when my bedroom door opened I was guessing it would be Gabe, as I am SURE he was up with all the screaming Mette was doing upstairs....NOPE it was Mette! I looked at my husband who was trying his hardest to fall back to sleep and started laughing. I could do nothing else- if it was not laughter it would have been tears! She needed to tell me she didn't like her backpack in her room and that she was moving it to the living room. FINE was my response and I told her to get back in bed, stay there and GO TO SLEEP! The chaos finally stopped at 4:30 when I realized that I had a sad 30 minutes before my alarm was to go off...I laid in bed for a short time and then the alarm went off....I would have loved nothing more than to ignore it completely and stay in bed, but the treadmill is calling....not so sure it is safe for me to be on it when I am so sleep deprived~ we'll see what happens!
As for Mette, she is SOUND asleep wrapped up in her covers with "Lamby Poo Poo Kins" and "Teddy" in a complete death grip and I am grasping at how I can function through the day at work with 19 kids, a thousand things to do, then go to my son's first school dance as a chaperon from 6-9 PM...oh yea...then come home in what is sure to be a fun drive with the snow they are predicting and get my house ready for family and friends to come over for RIBSGIVING (the Spivak's side of the family- their take on Thanksgiving!) Tell me again why I do not drink coffee....and I am NOT supposed to have pop....sugar is not good too so high doses of chocolate are out.....what can I do to stay in the up right position? Maybe the fact that Mette is having a sleep over with Nana and Papa tonight will be enough to keep me going...I KNOW I WILL SLEEP TONIGHT! :-)

So much to be THANKFUL for....I am digging deep....found it!...oh dear...Christmas is just around the corner!

...home sweet home....that is what I was saying at 11:30 am when we pulled into our driveway from a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jerry's family! There is something to be said about traveling to spend precious time with your loved ones that you just do not see often enough.....there is also something to be said for coming home! Mette knew that when Thanksgiving was over and we got home it was GAME ON.....CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS GALORE!!! She must have asked at least 10 times if we were there yet and made sure to drive her point home that I was NOT to do any cleaning or decorating without her (she needed to take a LONG soak in the tub before anything else!)
We got home....unloaded the mini van that was filled with what seems like never ending "crap" :-), put away groceries, unpacked the bags of clothes both clean and dirty, got down the Christmas trees and bins from the storage above the garage....mind you Mette is repeatedly telling me NOT to do ANYTHING without her- I guess my repeated reassurance in the Van on the drive home was not enough....Gabe was out shoveling the driveway- OK he did about 3 swipes and was over his need to be outside after a long car ride. 
Fast forward....baths and showers are done for the kids, everything is cleaned up and we are ready to decorate....first up the BIG tree upstairs.....OH LORD GIVE ME PATIENCE and I MEAN NOW!!!!! Really, I know Gabe and I are a LOT alike and this can be good or it can be the end of a wonderful moment...today...it was the second of the two (at least at first). Just unpacking the damn tree was a battle between us....Mette is quietly standing by as Gabe and I go round after round ~ back and forth ~ him questioning EVERYTHING that comes out of my mouth! DRIVES ME NUTS!!!! Jerry, mind you, is steering clear of the whole mess...as he finishes the driveway job Gabe started and a few other odds and ends outside before coming in to referee the match!
I had to take many deep breaths and apologize for hooting and hollering at Gabe, but we managed to get the tree up and decorated! It looks WONDERFUL....So I think I should be done for the day! BOY WAS I WRONG...my kids had other ideas! They wanted to do THEIR tree downstairs. The family tree with all of our personal ornaments on it. They get to decorate it each year however they want! After the episode upstairs I was dreading this! We did have our moments where we could have choked each other...but when all was said and done we had a SECOND tree that was BEAUTIFUL!
By now it was dinner time....we all sat down to a wonderful and very yummy grilled feast prepared by my husband. Then it was family movie time....(I swear to God that this is Mette's most favorite thing to do!) After watching The Santa Claus and making popcorn for the kids and Jerry I was able to reflect on the day....
I have so many things to be thankful for...first and foremost my kids and husband! Each day is an adventure ~ yes we have our ups and downs because we are so much alike, but at the end of the day I would not trade any of it for all the riches in the world. I am also thankful for being able to spend time with Jerry's family. Seeing Jerry's dad for the first time with his new set of chompers was GREAT!
....So after the movie and the kids were fast asleep (which took all of 3 seconds for Gabe and well, Mette missed the last 15 minutes of the movie as she was passed out on me!) I was feeling in the festive mood still as the Christmas lights twinkled in the dark and all of our wonderful family ornaments that were hung so carefully by my children (all crammed into different sections of the tree) I decided to crack out the wrapping paper, dig out the bags hidden in my closet and put a HUGE dent into wrapping gifts! Well....lets just say that I am pretty proud of what I got done! All the gifts that have been bought ( I have been trying to be a head of the game this year...instead of impulse buying as Christmas gets closer) Gabe is DONE....Mette is very close to being done....Jerry and I are DONE....my parents are 1/2 way done....my God daughter is DONE....my sister and Dana (no frickin clue what they are going to get)...Gabe's godparents DONE...my grade level coworkers are DONE! With that said....I only have a few more left....and not only are they DONE but they are all FRICKIN' WRAPPED!!!
~ Now I am beyond exhausted and I need to go to bed....for tomorrow will for sure bring more adventures and more things to be Thankful for - and my " TO DO" list will be a little shorter after the productive day we have had....on the list for tomorrow...Christmas letter to go with the photo cards sitting on the computer table, baking cookies with Gabe and Mette (the KISS cookies),  cuddle time with Vivi (my god daughter), watching the VIKINGS...lord help us all if they do not win, and trying to enjoy every moment and remembering to be THANKFUL for all that we have...for we are VERY BLESSED!