Ready...Set...Learning How to Relax

Somewhere in the middle of sipping sun tea in a lounge chair on the beach while eating a fresh cut pineapple I realized something.  It's something about myself that I think had always known but must have kept so buried in the back of my mind that I did not have to face it.  Here it is...
I am completely incapable of relaxing.

I think I've learned to trick myself into thinking I can relax but when I really started to think about what relaxation means I'm pretty sure I fall short of it's true definition. 

All year I daydream of coming up to Michigan.  I close my eyes and can almost hear the waves and smell the fresh air when I'm stuck in burbs.  It's calming and even in mid-February it's looking forward to going to Crystal Lake that gets me through the day.  Up north I don't have to make any phone calls, return any emails, pay the bills (okay, I do actually have to pay the bills but it's much easier now that I can do it all online;), run from school to after school activities or even make dinner.  It's not that I let my family starve but James and I have worked it out over the years that vacation he does all the cooking, well, grilling.  We bring all of our meat from home and he turns our trip into the great vacation grill-off.  I'm thankful and blessed BUT  that's not the point.

The point is (while I try to avoid it once again) that I seem to be completely unable to relax.  Sure I can pretend to lay lifeless on the sandy shore while soaking up some vitamin D but who am I kidding?  It's August.  As I "relax" on the beach all that is going through my mind is the four completely different school supply lists that await my attention as soon as we get back home.  I find myself fighting those little voices telling me to just go inside and order them online, make new lists of all the extras the kids will need or even just find myself wondering if any of my kids will get put in the dreaded "peanut free environment" classroom.   That means no peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and on a day when lunch meat is no more I go for the quick pb&j sandwich, pb&crackers or even pb& apples, granola bars, a fam favorite of peanuts & raisins, etc, etc. etc.

I left the house 100% spotless when we left. I knew a house even in slight disarray would have me going crazy on vacation but somehow in my demented state I'm already plotting & planning on how I will unpack and get everything put away. Sick....I know.

So, as I sit back and try to relax this evening I can't help but grab my laptop to process.  I apologize if you are reading this and rolling your eyes but get ready to roll some more because I did think about just typing away my thoughts and not posting but then I'd be leaving something unfinished.  Not going to happen.  Good night, Crystal Lake.  Tomorrow I will begin a new book.  Here's to hoping Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman is a good distraction from my "relaxation."

Why can't I just turn my brain off for a few? Please don't get me wrong. I'm having one of the most amazing times here filled with so much fun & family but something about my alone time is just not right. Maybe I need some new music on my ipod or maybe that's God's way of telling me to use that time to talk to Him. As I sit and think about it now it's quite possible that all the confusion and noise in my brain is really God yelling, not whispering, for me to listen. I hear Him.

Ready...Set...Relax!

Today is the end of day four of our family vacation.  It's everything a vacation should be.  The weather has been an absolute perfect 80 degrees and a slight constant breeze cools the house perfectly.  I imagine that this is what Aruba feels like...I've never been, but it's pretty close to perfection.

We've only been up here in Michigan on beautiful Crystal Lake for a few days but with all we've done it feels like weeks.  Between the beach, tubing, bbq's, campfires complete with smores, homemade ice cream, water skiing, evenings w/ friends on the front porch watching the sunsets, a trip to Frankfort and mini golf, this family of seven could not be having a better time anywhere else on earth. 

On the agenda for tomorrow?  We honestly never know and I love it! When we are up at the Lake time seems to stand still.  I can almost hear Tim Allen whispering in my ear a sweet narration of our time.  The sandy beaches and gentle rolling waves make for a natural stress reliever...and that's exactly what we needed.  Between the camps, VBS, parties & picnics this summer has been busy but fun.  The kids are growing up so quickly and the activity level doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Speaking of kids growing too quickly...  Yesterday as we spent some time with friends up here and it was bittersweet.  They also have a set of boy/girl twins only their blessings are 18 years old and heading off to college in a few weeks.  Their parents stepped away from the campfire to tell me how much fun the last few days had been and to cherish this time with my own kids up here because it really does go too fast.  As she stood there with tears in her eyes I couldn't help but give her a big hug.  I too had tears in my eyes just putting myself in her shoes 12 years down the road. I knew what an amazing time we have here on Crystal Lake and as I watched their family have one last bonfire complete with smores I knew what must be in her heart.  She was truly treasuring that moment.

It's not something I usually do, posting on the blog here while vacation but tonight everyone is in bed little earlier and this Mama just needed some extra time to relax, unwind and process.

Pure Joy

From the day she was born Mackenzie Kate has been the perfect addition to our family.  On July 16th 2009 we were blessed with a 9 lb. 11oz. baby girl and I'm finding a little difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that she is turning TWO!
What can I say about my baby girl?  Well, that she is no longer a baby.  Does that make me sad? Yes.  Will I be having any more babies?  Only if God chooses.  Are WE planning to?  Absolutely not.
I have loved every moment of watching my precious little girl grow up.  Mackenzie is our big, brown-eyed beauty who is always smiling.  She lights up the room just by being in it.  She giggles with her sister, laughs uncontrollably while being tickled by her older brothers and laughter is never in short supply as we watch her explore this world. 

Pretty sure she could polish off a watermelon all by herself.

Mackenzie is definitely the "baby" of the family, getting just about whatever she wants, whenever she wants it from her siblings.  As a mother I hate this on so many levels but on the other hand, the way her older siblings are so caring and attentive to her makes my heart happy.  (By the way and for the record I do not give in, which I've been told by my children makes me a very not nice mom.  I'll deal.)
Mackenzie loves to play with baby dolls, naming them each "Kenzie" or "Ray"...her favorite little 8 month old.  She loves to read, sing & dance, color, ride her scooter and right now, most importanly, she loves Dora the Explorer.

Our baby girl can be heard over the monitor most nights an hour past her bedtime, singing Dora's theme song or a version of Diego's.  Her spanish vocabulary has grown to point where when she wants certain things she asks for them in spanish.  Speaking of her vocabulary...

Mackenzie starting talking around a year just like all the other children but somewhere around 18 months it really took off.  There is nothing she cannot communicate to us and the words and phrases she chooses to do so sometimes catch me of guard.  The other night at dinner she asked me if it her garlic bread was too hot.  I told her 'no' but said she might want to blow on it.  She came back at me with this "if I boe too hard I might boe the house down."  She often  asks to have things that are hers by saying "I have my long'ins now?"  That's 'belongings' if you don't speak toddler.  It took me a while to figure it out but now there's no mistaking what she says.  There have been many times where she has gotten in trouble and she's already learned from her sibs to make up a story about it.  So, James and I have all we can do to not start rolling on the floor laughing while hearing them as we try to effectively discipline her.

Last night at dinner she was the last one at the table because she wouldn't eat her dinner.  Brett whispered to her that it would be so yummy to eat her zuccini and Mackenzie said "I not like the flavors in here."  When hearing her talk you must see the hand guestures and facial expressions she makes.  She's a real character!

This is a pretty typical MK face

Our sweet girl is just that, sweet.  Mackenzie Kate loves to cuddle, kiss & hug.  My new personal favorite is when, completely unannouced & unprovoked she will come up beside you and softly say "I yuv you" followed by the most gentle kiss and hug you can imagine.  It really melts you heart.  Mackenzie is the first one up in the morning.  Every morning she wakes up calling for me (loudly) or I can hear her singing one of her many songs as I race to get her before she wakes up the whole neighborhood.  When I scoop her up she is always smiling and I can't tell you how amazing it feels to have her little arms wrapped tightly around my neck as we make our way downstairs.

When I look at our little Miss Mackenzie Kate all I see is pure joy.  Not only is she so full of joy but she also seems to create it while entertaining those around her.  We can't help but giggle along with her when she's telling stories. 

I'm afraid the only part of her that's slightly "baby" that I have to hold on to is some of her baby rolls.  As the days go on I see them slimming away as she turns into a beautiful little toddler while she races around her big, wide world.  Every day Mackenzie makes our lives a little better.  I can't imagine our family without her. 

I love you, Mackenzie Kate.  The joy you bring to our lives is something to be treasured.  You are a blessing and I can't put into words just how much I love you.  You are one of a kind and the laughter you bring is contagious.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

For My Dad

There is no man on earth more special to me than my Dad.I was four days old when my parents brought me home from Hinsdale Hospital.  It was a matter of days before they were able to take me home that they found out they were going to be parents for the first time  I'm adopted.  There are many different ideas or meanings behind an adoption but the one I grew up with was that John & Grace were chosen by God to be my parents.  I was born to a single mother who could not care for an infant and she loved me so much that she gave me to an amazing couple who could.  It couldn't have been a better "fit."

I can't tell you how many times over the years I would get "you look just like your mom and dad."  I was always proud and often hid that little smile in that wanted to tell them why that would be silly.  One of my very first memories I can remember, baggy of carrots in hand, was going to my dad's softball games.  I remember playing at the park during the games and cheering when I saw my daddy at bat.  My dad worked for my Grandpa's garbage business and I remember some days we would find where my dad was working and go have a small picnic lunch with him or bring him something cold to drink on a hot day.  When the weather was nice he would ride his bike to work and back in the day he would have Saturdays off. 

I always loved Saturdays as a little girl.  My mom worked on the weekend and we would get to spend the whole day with my dad.  We would get the oil changed in the car, go to the pet store, visit my mom at work and we would often go out for lunch.  I grew up watching my dad wear many hats. He seemed to know how to do or fix just about anything.  My dad was always better than the other dads.

As I got older my dad seemed goofy.  He would do his very best to embarrass me.  He would always sing loud in a store, the car or public place and I can still remember every year for the Calvinettes Square Dance feeling tortured.  My dad was joyful, never caring what anyone else thought of him...but as a tween that's all that mattered to me.  I love my dad but somewhere deep down he enjoyed to torture me. 

He was a little girls dream dad.  He would let us do his hair for what seemed like hours on a Saturday afternoon.  He would sit and watch those movies where they spoke English over Chinese and their lips never matched with what was being said all while we put hair ties and headbands in.  My dad would get out in the driveway and play basketball with me, we would work in the garden together and even go on bike rides in the forrest preserve.  Whatever we wanted or needed him to do he was always there, front and center.  My dad never disappointed.

As I grew up we had a special bond.  I lived and breathed soccer and it was something my dad and I were able to share.  He took me to all my games and I'm pretty sure everyone knew he was my dad.  He was the loudest one there cheering me on.  I can't explain the feeling but I'm sure professional athletes feel the same thing deep in their core when a crowd of 22,000 cheer them on as they take the field, court or ice.  I can still hear him yelling, clear as day if I close my eyes "Go get 'em Hide!"  There was really nothing better than hearing all his joy and pride screamed for the world to hear.

The older I got the more I realized just what an amazing man he was.  He would get up for work around 2 a.m. and some days wouldn't get home until 5 p.m.  He always does his best to provide for his family and even my exhausted Dad will make the time to come to our programs, concerts, games and sometimes two weekly Bible Studies.  He is a special man, respected by his family and truly loved by all his girls and his grand kids. 

When I was in my twenties we had a chance to spend a few sweet times together.  When the World Cup came to Chicago my Dad got us amazing seats to some of the games.  I'll be honest sitting next to him when I wasn't playing hearing his cheer was startling but I loved it just the same.  He never holds back.  I certainly would have never admitted it when I was younger but MAN was I spoiled.  Nothing over the top but my Dad has a way of making a little girls dreams come true;)

Shortly after those games I remember traveling to Florida for a week all by myself.  It was first solo trip and my flight was at 6 a.m.  I got to the airport  a little after 4 a.m. and after I checked in and settled in a my gate with a book my phone rang.  It was my dad.  I wondered who else would be up at that hour.  My Dad isn't much of a phone person but he stayed on the line and chatted with me for a while.  It was a couple weeks after September 11th, 2001 and he must have known I was slightly nervous about the flight.  Again...special Dad.

A few years later my dad & I went on a mission trip that was close to both our hearts in Honduras.  We spent a little over a week having breakfast and devotions together, working at the orphanage and farm and taking in the sights & smells of a country very foreign to us.  We had an amazing time and I was able to see first hand just how hard of a worker my dad really was.  It was my first time actually out of the country and it was neat to experience that with my dad.  What a sweet time we had together.

Not only is my Dad possibly the best Dad but now he's also a great Poppa.  Our children adore him.  Grandma get a pretty good reaction when she pulls up to our house but if Poppa steps out the whole crowd erupts with cheers and pure silliness.  I've had the amazing privilege and blessing of calling this man my Dad.  I thank God for him and who he is and I hope that I have made him proud. 

"The glory of young men is in their strength but the splendor of old men is their gray hair."
Proverbs 20:29

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  (Oh, and you would say your hair is blond, not gray.)

What's Been Going On...

Life here in Lasloland has been quite busy. I believe I'm still in a fog from the blizzard this winter. Life seemed to sort of fast forward from that point until now. I almost can't believe it's already June because somewhere in my mind we just celebrated Christmas.

It's certainly been an eventful start to the summer.  Last week the kids finished school.  The week ended with an amazing dinner at my in-laws.  Our dinner included fresh spinach, lettuce, rhubarb, radishes, onions and asparagus all from their garden.  What a treat!  That night the oldest little lady in our family spent the night at my parents for a sleepover and the next morning she and I went to a new spa that opened up a few blocks from our house to get mani/pedis.  She LOVED it!  It was her first time going with me and she grinned from ear to ear the whole time.  That afternoon we had a surprise guest. Elissa came over for a few hours and relaxed w/ James & I as the kids rode bikes and swam away the afternoon.

After our first weekend of summer vacation...(which was in the high 90's by the way) we spent Monday the way we spend just about every other day of our lives, outside.  It was about quarter to four in the afternoon and the kids were all happily and safely riding their bikes when tragedy struck.  I ran inside to grab the sunscreen and Noah came to the front door in a panic. He told me Dylan crashed and was bleeding.  I of course told him to tell Dylan he'd be okay, but he then said he couldn't because too much blood was everywhere.

I ran two houses down only to see it was true.  Poor Dylan had somehow fallen off his bike and the force sent his face straight into the concrete.  His lip was cut open and there was so much blood that it was pooling and clotting right on his swim trunks.  I quickly scooped him up and ran to the house.  There was so much blood I almost couldn't see into his mouth.  When I tried to look I almost passed out.  I have been hurt a lot over my life & seen and heard my own surgeries and can handle it, but the sight of other people's blood gets me every time. 

I quickly called James to come home and help me because I knew that by the looks of Dylan's other front tooth that was dangling, he needed to be seen by a professional. Dylan already lost a front tooth last fall from an accident. I posted about his experience here.  So, James rushed home, changed and he and Dylan were off to the doctor.  I waited for what seemed like years to hear any word on what was going on.  Finally I received the call that they had to pull Dylan's other from tooth that seemed to be dangling in his tiny mouth and that we'd have to make a return visit in a month to check on another tooth that he knocked loose to see if tightened back up on it's own. 

After a few hours my little guy was home with quite possibly the fattest lip I have ever seen.  It was frightening, really.  We considered taking him into the ER because even after he returned home his poor little lip was still bleeding but stopped just before bedtime.  After all he'd been through that day as we were putting the kids to bed Dylan said "I'm glad I could teach Madison & Noah a good lesson of how NOT to ride with no hands."  We had been wondering the whole time what exactly happened.  What an ordeal, what a kid...glad that was behind us!  Or was it?

This is the next day & about half the size!

The very next day Noah was riding his bike and managed to skid and take a chunk out of his knee, his elbow and wrist, get complete road rash all along his left arm and somehow managed to scrape his pelvic bone.  Noah was a mess.  Physically and emotionally.  It was a long couple days with little boys on the injured list.

So, what does this week hold?  Oodles and oodles of activity.  For five days Madison, Noah & Dylan are involved in an adventure/outdoor camp.  They learn about all areas of nature, bugs, birds, animals, trees & seeds.  They all just love it!  Then, 3 evenings this week they are part of Creation Station, a VBS type program from my parents church.  All the kids are headed back over to the Laslo Grandparents for a sleep over tomorrow and Thursday we have a church picnic.  June seems to really be flying by now.

So, if you wondered why I haven't answered the phone all week and thought "what on earth is she doing?"  Now you know.

What I'm Going to Do on My Summer Vacation

Well, it's officially summer here in the Laslo household.  As of 12 p.m. on Thursday afternoon I now have one kindergartner, two first graders and a seventh grader.  Yes, I just wrote SEVENTH GRADE!!!!  Once again I feel completely caught of guard that my children are growing up so quickly.

Already today I field millions (okay, but maybe only a slight exaggeration) of questions as to what we were doing today, tomorrow, the next day, when they were going to some one's for a play date, when someone was coming to our house for a play date, when vacation was, if we could go swimming and how many days until we leave for Michigan.  Yep, these will be the very conversations that I can promise you I will have daily. 

Summer at the Laslo's means hours of playing our backyard, swimming & sprinklers, riding scooters, rollerblading and evening bike rides that sometimes include ice cream.  It's the very time of year the kids look forward to and talk about from the end of August to May. 

This year since all the kids seemed to get older on me again we decided to do something different this summer.  I personally think it's brilliant.  Now that the kids can read and have more time in the morning with no school I've made a new "LIST."  The list is great.  Now every morning when the kids wake up they simply take a look at the list.  There's no need to ask me when we are having breakfast, if they can go outside, etc...  The list lets them know exactly the order that the morning routine should happen.  It's been great so far.  The beds are being made, clothes are being put away and teeth are being brushed without me asking.  The kids also know that they can't do any of the outdoor activities until their list is done.

Right now the list may be a novelty but it's working so I'm not going to mess with it.  As the weeks get busier it may be tough but I think it's going to be a great discipline/learning tool for them now that they are old enough to do these things independently. 

In a couple weeks the boys will have soccer camp, Madison will have Poms camp, the three middles are going to be going to an outdoor adventure camp, the oldest has a few grass-cutting jobs for the summer and Mackenzie and I plan to do plenty.  Our weeks are filling up with barbeque's, picnics, sleepovers, parties, Vacation Bible School and friends but I have to say I wouldn't want it any other way.  This is what summer is all about.

Thanksgiving

I have a couple (dozen) posts fighting to be next to be posted but just like the rest of the things around here most were left unfinished. They are just going to have to keep waiting...I found this as I scrolled through this neglected blog.  I don't know why it was never posted.  It's nothing spectacular.  It's not amazing.  It just happened to be a great little reminder to me today and I thought I'd share.

Today I have so much to be thankful for. Almost 31 years ago a young woman who I have never met gave birth to me . She chose life and God chose a family for me. So, here I am reflecting on the things I am most thankful for and I can't help but think just how thankful I am to her. I have never met her, I don't know her name or where in the world she is today but I am so thankful to her.

God so carefully orchestrated my conception, birth and life and I can't help but be forever thankful to Him. Of course I'm not thankful every day. I'd love to be but I'm simply not. There were some days in my recent past when I was writhing in pain from kidney stones and wasn't very thankful. I certainly should have been but wasn't. I am thankful that my Heavenly Father loves me despite my unthankfulness if I confess those sins to him.

I have way too much to be thankful for. I have an amazing husband that works so hard to provide for our family and providing for a family of seven isn't an easy task. He loves what he does. Even on his toughest days of work he will come home and help give baths, read stories, fold laundry (that I may have let pile up throughout the day) and even helps get all five little children tucked in their beds. He is a master at baking cheesecakes and could win a Throwdown with Bobby Flay any day. 

I am thankful for so much my heart is bursting and I wanted to share it.  I'm not a writer and I know my posts have nothing to offer the world, but...I'm a wife, mom, daughter, niece, sister, friend and I'm thankful for those titles and the people I share those relationships with and I have no others words than "Thank You."  Thank you God, for all the rich blessings you have poured out to me.  I do not deserve even the least of these but am so thankful.