And another...

The winter is a busy time for our house. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries... it's pure craziness! Had McOlsen lived his birthday would have been between Mia and Maddox's already close birthdays. So it was Maddox's day. He is 6 years old! He wanted the lego theme party. I thought it would be easy but goodness was I wrong! You cannot buy plain lego party stuff so it must all be made. Earlier in the week I was having serious doubts but it really worked out and he had fun. I have to remind myself, that is all that matters.Everyone got their own lego cake. These were made out of a mini loaf pan then marshmallows that were cut in half. Then frosted. Time consuming but I think so worth it! Then below are the lego sugar cookies. I might have eaten one or ten of these but hey...I'm the mom of the birthday boy!





Once again I must apologize for my lack of computer skills. If my kindergartner wasn't in bed he could probably do it for me. I just wanted to show some of the decorations. I took cheap tablecloths and hung them on the wall then added matching plates to look like legos. Then I filled a hurricane with Maddox's actual legos. We liked it so much we left them for about two weeks! In the first picture above, I wrapped boxes and added circles for decorations. The possibilities are endless with this party theme.

Eight is great!

December 31st I became a little older....I became the mother of an 8 year old! It seems so old. This year her birthday fell on a Saturday so we party hard on her actual day. We had a house full of family. Some drove for hours to be here, which means the world to this momma's heart. I feel so bad for her having a birthday so close to Christmas. I hope that she always feels special especially on her birthday.

That night my parents and my brother's family joined us for our New Year's Eve tradition of going to Chuck E Cheese. I got not one picture. What is wrong with me this year? I have not been in the picture taking mood I guess! We had a really great time as always but by midnight I was extremely tired!


On a different day, Mia and I got to continue our new tradition of a birthday girl's day. She looks forward to it all year. We go to Starbucks, shopping at Justice, and her pick for lunch which both years has been Ruby Tuesday. I love that she has things to look forward to. It's fun to spend the day with just her. I hope that it is something that we can continue forever.





These were Mia's birthday treats to take to her class when school was back in session. She was really excited about them and I think they turned out really cute!

It's D Day....

Today is the day. Once so highly anticipated turned much dreaded. Today had been McOlsen's expected due date. I have thought of this day with much sorrow ever since that horrible morning in August. Those that were expecting babies the same time as me have started having their babies.

Is it possible to be so truly heartbroken and yet so blessed at one time? I am the mom of the most precious angel ever. My son had the privilege of meeting his Savior 100% pure and sinless. He will never know the hurts and pains of this world. And yet the earthly side of me wants him here. To know the fun he would have had with his siblings. To learn to swim or ride a bike. To eat his first birthday cake and lick an ice cream cone. I would have loved to know him and his personality. To hear his laugh and even his cry.

My hope after today is that I can move towards the time when I feel much more blessed and a lot less hurt.



There's no footprint too small to not leave an imprint on this earth.........

Christmas...It's never too late!

It's January and I am finally getting around to posting about our Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at Matt's parents in Tulsa then headed for a late night drive to my parents house. I wish I would have taken a picture of our vehicle. We were so loaded that the beverly hillbillies have nothing on us. I believe at one point I suggested putting the kids in the car and then putting presents and luggage all around them. Some of my favorite memories are the same thing year after year! We got to my parent's around midnight then proceeded to stay up talking in the the morning until we couldn't stay awake any longer. Christmas morning included the usual stockings, presents, food, oh the tradition of fondue, and more food. Matt had taken off time from work so we ended up staying most of the week. It was nice and relaxing. I even got to play a game of bunko with my mom and the ladies from her church. We missed our McOlsen but know the celebration he was experiencing is like nothing we can ever imagine.





Karber tradition of Christmas fondue. Tilt your head to get the full effect :)


Another one of our traditions is to make Jesus a birthday cake.


I had to throw this one in. Maxi had his Christmas program at preschool. He had a special guest in the audience!

Thankful?

I must admit. I really struggled this Thanksgiving. How are you supposed to think about what you have to be thankful for when your just trying to keep your head afloat the sea of grief? If it were up to me, we would have done away with November through January this year. Since it's not up to me, I had to find a smile once again and carry on.

We decided circumstances as they are, we needed a break from the norm this year. My parent's came up Thanksgiving day. We really enjoyed the day together. The guys even got in on the cooking action by frying our turkey. It was relaxed and so nice to spend the day with the ones we love the most. It was also mom and dad's anniversary! Us crazy people who get married around holidays!!

Then it was time to get a plan of action for our black Friday shopping. Should it really be called that since we started at 10pm on Thursday? Anyway, we had a blast laughing at people. It was just pure crazy and bizarre what people were willing to give their life for. I'm talking about cheap towels that more than likely disintegrated with one washing. Seriously! They would have taken you down if you even thought of swiping one. We even waited in a huge line outside Target, not really needing anything. Just in it for the fun. The best part was Starbucks at 12:30 am and the fun times spent with my mom! After a couple more stops we were headed to bed. We were a little sad though because breakfast at chick-fil-a sounded so good and so well deserved but they didn't open for a couple more hours.


That night we headed to the Christmas Train at Dry Gulch. Such a great way to start the Christmas season. The best weather we have ever had there and so much fun that mom and dad went with us. I'm not sure my words can do it justice but it is an old western town. People are dressed up in costume. Some are caroling, others are working at the train depot, restaurants, others even open every door for you. You can go on a wagon or stage coach ride, shop in stores, eat tons of food, ride go carts and bumpers cars, a carousel. I could go on and on. It's a blast and great family fun.

Then we were off for the first family Christmas of the season on Saturday and Sunday. We really had a great time with family and what was much dreaded turned into such a great few days.

Where The Heart Is

Last month I randomly purchased a book in the airport. It was called 52 Things Children Need From Their Mother by Angela Thomas. Now I am not a reader whatsoever but I read this book in one day. Some of the things I already do but also gave me some really great ideas.

Angela talks about making your home comfortable for your family and for friends that may come over. This has kind of been my mission in the past but now has become very important to me. Thought I would share some of the things I like to do.

* I like my house to be clean and orderly. I truly believe that you are much more comfortable in clean than filth and chaos. I am not talking perfection here but we aren't falling over stuff laying everywhere.

* On days I am home, I like to have a special snack waiting for the kids when they get home from school. When it's cold I like to have something fresh out of the oven. I can still remember getting home from school back in the day and smelling fresh bread baking. A favorite treat at our house is a cup of hot chocolate.

*I try to remember to turn the outside and garage lights on before my husband gets home. It seem much more inviting and reminds you that you're arrival is being anticipated.

*When it gets dark outside, I like to turn lamps on in the bedrooms and around the house. It gives the house that cozy feel.

*I turn the scentsy on and make the house smell good and inviting.

*Nothing says comfort better than a fire going in the fireplace...Ahh!

*I like to turn the heaters on in the bathrooms (when I can remember) in the winter before bath time. Much better to get out of the bath into a warm bathroom.

*A new one I learned from the book was to turn the beds down so that when the kids are ready for bed, all they have to do is slide in.

They are little things but to me the little things mean the most. I want my family to want to be home and know that whatever the world has thrown at them that day, they can find peace, rest, and love here.

I love Oregon!

While we were in the hospital in labor with McOlsen, we already started planning a trip. We new that after going through this tragedy we would need a getaway. Originally we thought we would take the entire family somewhere over the holidays but then decided it would be best for Matt and I to have some time alone. Fall break turned out to work best and we just happened to have wonderful parents who opened up camp GG and Pop for the kids. After getting the kids all packed and on their way, we were off. No reservations other than with the car rental company. As soon as we got to Portland, we got our vehicle and the adventure began. We first drove to the Multnomah Falls and had lunch/dinner in the lodge that was just below the falls. We hiked a couple of waterfalls then head for the coast.


We made our way to seaside for the night. Did some more hiking and toured another town then headed up to Astoria. This area is amazing. We found the cutest hotel ever! It was on a pier and every room was looking at the water and Washington. They had adorable bikes you could check out, old restored cars that would drive you to dinner, afternoon wine and appetizers, freshly baked cookies for night time snack, and wonderful rooms that had every little detail perfectly taken care of. Someday we will be back!




The next day we headed into Washington to say we have been there and then we were on our way to Roloff Farms in Helvetia. They are the ones on TLC's Little People Big World. We didn't think we would see any of the family members but right off saw the mom, dad, their son Zach, and the twins friend who has also been on the show. It was beautiful there as well! The pumpkin patch was right next to their house. We also did two tours that went all through their land. Really cool! We had lunch there and bought our pumpkins. We had a blast and everyone was so nice.

Of course we had to work in some shopping. The little coastal towns had some of the cutest shops. We even found a hat store and if you know me well, you know I love my hats! Right by where we were staying the last night there was an Ikea and Home Goods. I found tons of things that I wanted to buy but couldn't figure out how to get them all home. We did have a carry on from Ikea and our suitcases came back much fuller than they were coming.

And let us not forget the food. We had some of the best food ever! It makes my mouth water and my fat cells get excited just thinking of the goodness we had. We like to venture out and eat at local places. We went off of some recommendations from locals and other times just got lucky. Oh and then there was Starbucks. Don't even want to know how much we spent on that but hey, it's vacation. We were trying to fit in. There are little espresso shacks everywhere!

I could go on and on about this trip. It was what these hurting souls needed. We laughed, relaxed, and enjoyed the views and the company. The thrill of just getting in the car and driving is something that we hadn't done in forever. We decided we will move there some day. one of the most beautiful places I have ever been!