In Lock-Down

This morning, Jack called me up to his room for some help.

"My Lightning McQueen is stuck under my bed, Mommy.  I can't get him."

As I bent low to see where it was, I realized this wasn't a quick "reach-and-grab" kind of rescue.

I was going to have to move the bed to get to his precious toy car.

I started by moving the footboard, then shuffling his bedding to the side, then moving the footboard again.  Tummy crawling under the bed, I inched my way to the car...almost there...GOT IT!

"Jack!  I got your car!" I cried out, only to discover that during my retreival operation, Jack had left the room...shutting and locking the door behind him.

In most situations, this wouldn't be a problem, just unlock the door from the inside and get out, right?

Well, if you know Jack, he tends to wander, which is why we had to put a special lock on the outside of his door to ensure that he doesn't sneak out of his room in the middle of the night.

I found myself locked inside my 3-year-old's room.

I was at the mercy of Jack...our mischievious and percocious toddler.

My pleas started out sweetly, "Jack, will you please open the door for Mommy?"

No answer.

"Jack, unlock the door please."

Jiggle...Jiggle...Jiggle.

"I locked the door, Mommy.  Can't get it open."

Ugh!

"Jack, please go get Sophia so she can unlock the door."

"Phia...Mommy's door locked.  Can't get out."

No answer.

"Phia not coming, Mommy.  I go get candy."

Silence.

After several minutes of me yelling for help and pounding on the door, Sophia finally did figure out that her help was needed and rescued me...with Jack by her side.

I realized during my time in lock-down, that I could either fret about the time being wasted, or worry about what the kids would do if I wasn't there to save or stop them.  Those were my first thoughts, believe me!  But then I decided to listen to the way Jack & Sophia talked out the problem.

Jack asked nicely for Sophia's help.

He asked if I was OK in there.

When Sophia finally came to my aid, she showed Jack how to unlock the door (Heaven-forbid it happen again).

And Jack apologized for locking me in.

I found myself sitting on the locked-side of the door, with a huge grin on my face as my kids worked together to get me out.  They were kind and tender to one another.  No panic.  No yelling.  No blaming.  A job needed to get done and they did it.

I guess I could learn a lesson from these 2.  Sometimes, you get locked-out in life.  Sometimes, what you want or need is on the other side of a locked door and you've got to pull all your resources to get it.

Sometimes you need to ask for help.  Sometimes you need a candy break.

But be persistent, be kind, and NEVER lock the door unless Mom is on the outside with you!

SKOL Vikings!

With Craig traveling so much lately, he's been trying to have more 1-on-1 time with the kids when he's home.  Last Saturday, he scored some tickets to the Vikings game, so decided to take Jacob and invite Jeremy & Dylan along too.

They had great seats and made sure to arrive extra early so they could see the players warming up ahead of time.  Much to our surprise, the Vikings actually won!  BONUS!

The Windy City

What a fun weekend in Chicago!

Our good friends, Steve and Genna, invited us to join them as part of a birthday celebration weekend.

We had a great time walking downtown Chicago, seeing all the tourist sights, along with some non-so-tourist-sites (we may have gotten lost while trying to navigate without directions).

We ate some great food, did some AMAZING shopping, and had blast with some great friends.

Trick-or-Treat

As a chubby kid growing up, Halloween was one of my favorite "holidays". 

Pillowcases FULL of candy?

Let's be serious...that's a fat kid's dream come true.

As I've gotten older, and a little more slender, Halloween has lost it's luster.  I don't even consider it a holiday anymore...just another day that comes once a year where we have to spend a bunch of money on costumes and candy.

If I had to have a favorite part to this day...it'd be this:

What isn't there to love about seeing these 3 cuties dressed up?

Captain America (yes, it is the same costume Jacob wore last year)

A Monster (because, let's face it, Jack is one at heart!)

Princess Ariel (Sophia has this costume recur every other year)

Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

Is it so?  How can it be!?!

Our little man just turned 3!!

*******

That's right...Jack is 3.

This once mild-tempered baby is now a curious, mischeivious cutie who knows how to use those big, blue eyes to his advantage.  He is boisterous, energetic and doesn't know the meaning of the word "NO" (no matter how loud you say it!).

He loves any kind of candy, but suckers and M&Ms are his favorite, and he'll climb to the highest heights to get them...even if they're on the top of the refrigerator.

Cars, trucks and tractors are his toys of choice.

Mazy is his best friend and his worst enemy.

He'll drop everything to be with his daddy, but when he needs some loving, he's a momma's boy.

He has a smile that lights up the room...how can it not with those dimples!?!

And he gives the most wonderful hugs and kisses.

We sure love you, Jack.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Touchdowns and Goal Posts

The weekends this fall were jam-packed with football and soccer practices and games.

I mean, JAM-PACKED!!!

Between Jacob & Sophia, we had a practice or game every night of the week and at least 3-4 games each weekend.  We've decided to wait to enroll Jack in sports...until Jacob graduates!

Jacob decided he wanted to try football this year...flag football.

It was so fun to watch him finally apply all those moves he's been practicing with Craig in our living room for the past 3 years.  Here's a video of Jacob's first big play of the season: 

In addition to football, Sophia & Jacob both played fall soccer too.  With Craig as one of their coaches, they were bound to have a lot of fun!  Sophia's team was really great, and only lost 1 game.  Sophia, who wasn't really interested in playing this summer, went from a timid player who preferred the sidelines, to a smart, quick player with no fear.  She played with so much heart in every game that by the time she scored her first goal, the entire parents' section stood up and cheered for her!  The next game, she scored another 2 goals.  She was so fun to watch!

 Jacob's team has played together for the past few seasons.  These boys are rock stars!  Each one of them brings a unique talent to the team and it was so fun to watch them play together this season.  With the amount of talent, it was no surprise that they were undefeated!!

Jacob has really grown as a smart player who positions himself well and thinks "big picture" on the field.  He definitely plays to his strengths and is a great encourager on the team as well.

The boys are already talking about wanting to play in a travel league next year...oh boy!



Calvin Christian 5K Fun Run

Every year, Calvin holds a 5K and bike-a-thon to raise money for the school.  This year, because of the crazy sports schedule, we were only able to participate in the 5K.  Since Jacob and I are seasoned pros at running 5Ks (ok, I'm using the term "pros" loosely...very loosely), we thought it would be fun to run it together.  Jacob worked hard to raise nearly $300 for the event, and we had a great time running around Lake Harriet together.

I wonder which 5K we'll run together next??