I*KEA

I have a strange relationship with I*KEA. I most often go strictly for the cinnamon rolls, as I did today. With my Swedish background, I always hope I will find red candlesticks with hand painted white flowers, or some Dalarna hesta - painted toy horses. Instead, I find very functional and modern home goods.



I occasionally buy something. I think I have a stool, some plastic food containers, a salad bowl, and we did get some of their bookcases, but other than that, I lack the vision for putting their items together to look cute. I find myself looking at the giant murals of Smaland and Dalarna with Swedes dressed in traditional costumes and thinking to myself, WHY can't they just sell some things that remind me of that! Where is the Carl Larsson section? Why don't they sell the wooden Swedish flags that decorate the tables where we eat our smothered meatballs? I sigh with a homesickness for my family, precious traditions, and a father-land I lived in but don't remember.

On most visits, I ususally shop for about ten minutes before I begin getting a tension headache and have to try not to curse at my children because I am hopelessly lost and trapped in a maze of brightly colored plastic and low thread count linens. I can't find the check out fast enough for my wildly screaming children who hate the sensory overload of the downstairs Marketplace.

Today, I wanted to look at some curtains for our family room and thought it would be nice to get the boys a snack at the same time - the cinnamon rolls! It's hot today and they both wanted ice cream cones when they saw the pictures hanging above the cash register. While they've had plenty of ice cream in their short lives, they've never eaten it on a cone. I didn't know what kind of a mess they might make but I had a full case of baby wipes in my purse, and plenty of time to burn.

I handed them the cones with more than a little skepticism. I imagined them covered in melted stickiness in no time. They were thrilled with their first licks. I think they actually prefered it over trying to cut ice cream into bites with a spoon. They were covered with a few drips, but I tried to wipe off their chins and lick the cones clean once in a while for them.

You should have seen the priceless look on Michael's face when I said, "Yes, you can eat the cone." It was the same look as when I explained Halloween to him. An enormous smile, wide eyes, and giggeling! I laughed outloud it was so cute. What joy to discover an edible ice cream dish.

Just then, a woman who had been sitting at a nearby table walked up to me and handed me two dollars. She said she had been enjoying watching us and that she was happy to see well behaved children enjoying a treat instead of misbehaving children being rewarded with a treat. (Good thing she didn't see them in the car on the way to the store!) She wouldn't take the money back and insisted I use it to buy them another treat another time when we're out together.

In that small act, she gave me a huge boost in my mothering self confidence! What a simple thing to give a mother a compliment, but it made my day.

So , I didn't find any traditional Swedish folk art, or curtains, but I did find a renewed determination to actually be the kind of mom she thinks I am. That came in handy just now when I had to clean up the world's most disgusting potty training mess to date.

Thank you, kind stranger!

BTW, I found this website with some fun Swedish things for sale.

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot

When we moved to Sacramento in January we were ecstatic about the sunshine and mild temperatures. Then the rain and fog moved in until April and we got moody and were promised that once it ended we would have blue skies until November. We were told it would be hot this summer. We were skeptical. How hot could it be without humidity?

Hot. It turns out that even without humidity, 106 degrees is too hot to go outside. So, what do we do?
Slumber party pre-bedtime fun watching "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" courtesy of Aunt Becky. Now if I could just get Sam to go to sleep in his room at night. I guess it's not nearly as fun as pretending to sleep in a sleeping bag. Honk shhh!

101 missions to space in the rocket ship. 3-2-1! Ignition! Blastoff!
101 races around the world in the ship. Ahoy, Matey! Aye, Cap'in!
(This bin comes in handy. It's main function is actually their bathtub in the tub-less shower stall).

And, of course, a little water.

Or, a lot of water.

Ahoy, Sharkey!

Sam ran through every sprinkler serpentine style and got soaking wet, wiping out occasionally on the slippery mat. Michael actually managed to run around like a maniac without getting wet. He hates baths and avoids water at all costs, even drinking it. He wore one diaper all day today and it wasn't very wet at bedtime. We have serious issues. I guess I'll be giving in to Gatorade tomorrow as he hates Pedialyte!

Then, there was my birthday. I haven't had so much fun in a long time. The boys were giddy with the idea of it being my birthday and started the day singing "Happy Birthday" to me in my bed. Sam sang, "Happy Birthday, dear Kristina" instead of Mommy and we laughed so hard.

After breakfast the boys made my birthday cake with Daddy.

Nothing like a little cake batter after a breakfast of pancakes and syrup . . .
. . . even for Dad.They made it so fun. We got a sitter and went out to see Harry Potter. I love having a summer birthday. So we're keeping cool and trying to keep the boys busy when we can't go to the playground without burning our skin on the hot equipment. We'll just keep it up. I hear it cools off in November!

Quilting USA

I've been busy. The boys still sleep in cribs, but when they move into twin sized beds, I wanted them to have something special from me. Since I didn't make them anything before they were born, I wanted them to have something meaningful to take to their new beds. They have beautiful baby blankets from so many friends who lovingly made them before they were born. Josh's mom hand quilted them each their own baby blanket (she does one for each grandchild). Each night when I tuck them in, I put Grandma's quilt on them and say it's full of her love and so they're all snuggled up in her love. When they move into their new beds, they can still snuggle in Grandma's love, but my love will be there too in these quilts.

I have never quilted before. That's why these are made up of squares and not some complicated design. I did make up the patterns myself on Excel and planned out how much fabric I would need of each color using an equation I came up with. It kind of hurt my brain a little, but my algebra teacher, and my mother, should be proud.

I'm thinking of turning them into duvet covers instead of actually binding and quilting them together. I hope it turns out alright. That will require I learn how to do button holes. They're made of mostly the same fabrics, but in two different designs so if they're in the same room they'll match, but still be unique, just like them.

The boys have been good sports while I've been cutting and sewing. I've been sneaking it in during Sesame Street and after they're in bed at night. Once I put on "Anne of G*reen Gables" and they watched some of it while I sewed. Michael even began pretending he was Gilbert Blithe.

Once I have side borders and backs sewn on, I'll need a new project, maybe I'll try parenting!

Los Angeles

Late on the night of Wednesday, July 2 Josh and I decided to take the boys on a trip to see his sister Mary and her husband Eddie in LA for the holiday weekend. I packed while Josh was at work the next day and we left after dinner that night. We drove about two hours and stopped to spend the night in a Best W*estern. We brought the Pack n' Plays and prayed the boys would stay in them long enough to fall asleep. We turned out the lights and Michael and Sam started talking. (Brookie Cookie is Brooke, Uncle Shawn's daughter, who they met and loved at our recent family reunion).

Michael: Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: Macow, it's night. Go to sleep.
Michael: Hey! Where'd Mommy go?
Sam: We're, we're, we're, we're sleeping in a hotel. (He tends to stutter when he's tired).
Michael: Um, Uncle Shawn? Shawn?
Sam: Oh, Brookie Cookie?
Michael: Oh yes! Brookie Cookie!
Sam: Macow, go to sleep.
Michael: Ok. I go sleep now.I was dying laughing and tried so hard to keep quiet. Josh had already fallen asleep and missed the whole thing. It's making me think they would like to sleep in the same room at home. We're looking into bunk beds and will experiment with putting them in the same room once they stop napping.
The drive was fun and LA was different. It was fun to be somewhere new. It was all blue skies and palm trees and cement. We stopped at Mary's to let the boys take a nap, then drove in to Hollywood. It took us forever to find a parking spot and we had a good chance to drive around and see the strange people wandering the tourist spots. This is some outdoor mall.

We saw the Chinese Theater and the hand prints in the sidewalk. The newest one is Hugh Jackman, put in this last April. It was fun to see Betty Graebel's leg imprint, Gary Cooper and John Waynes hand prints, but I never did find Cary Grant's. Bummer. We saw the Walk of Fame with all of the stars in the sidewalk and a huge gathering of people were around Michael Jackson's star. There were so many names I've never heard of! I think fame is fleeting, even with your name on a famous sidewalk.
There were street performers and people in costumes who would take a picture with you for a tip. We saw Darth Vadar. He came up to the stroller and gave Michael a high-five. Then he tried giving one to Sam, but he SCREAMED no and started crying. I had to take him out of the stroller and hold him the rest of the time. He was absolutely SHAKING with fear. It was awful. We saw Elmo on the way back to the car who took this picture with us for free to help Sam be happy. Poor Sammy. He's been having nightmares about Darth Vadar ever since. I guess he doesn't believe us now that Darth Vadar isn't real! He keeps telling the story: "I saw Darth Vadar in Hollywood and I said, "No five!" and I was crying."
That night we went to dinner with Mary and Eddie at an Italian place near their apartment in Burbank. It was tricky to eat with the overtired boys, but the food was awesome. Can't beat those family owned places. It reminded me of The Hill in St. Louis. We put the boys down and stayed up watching 2 episodes of LOST with Mary and Eddie. We've passed on our obsession to them and they have been catching up on seasons 1-5. We drove by the Disney studios where Eddie is working right now. It is very cool. We really hope they keep him on when his internship is over in September.The next day, on July 4th, we went to Santa Monica Beach. I had forgotten that my dad lived very near there for a while when he was little. It was the best beach I've ever been to. The water was warm, the beach was deep, the sand soft, there were restrooms and play ground equipment, a bike path, and tons of families. Maybe it was special because it was a holiday, but we had so much fun. Sam wouldn't go into the water and spent the entire time playing out his Darth Vadar fears with that green bucket on his head and making a deep breathing sound. Michael buried our feet in the sand over and over again and fed me fresh strawberries. This was so much more fun than our attempt at the beach last summer. We actually got to sit down and enjoy ourselves while the boys played instead of keeping them from running into the ocean the entire time!


Parting shot of the beach out the van window.

We drove all the way back up to Sacramento - 5 hours - that night and made it to see fireworks. When the first one went off, both boys started crying so we watched the show from the car as we drove the tired little guys home. It was a great weekend and we hope to be able to see Mary and Eddie again soon!

And to finish off, here's one for the grandma's. Michael being his adorable self. Don't worry, we'll kiss him for you!

Mr. Sunshine

Last week when we got back from the family reunion it was time to re-stock the cupboards so I made a trip to the local Super Wal-Ma*rt with a list a mile long. Motivated by a strong drive to feel a sense of accomplishment by planting a garden this summer , I started in the garden center and picked out a couple of tomato plants. While I was picking them out I heard a horrible, terrifying sound. Michael had fallen off of the side of the shopping cart where I didn't realize he was perched and landed on his head. On the cement. It sounded like a watermellon hitting the ground and I was too afraid to look for half a second. There was no blood and he was conscious so I threw the tomato plants into the cart and scooped him carefully off the ground.

With one hand I pushed the cart, with Sam still sitting in it, over to the cashier and handed her the plants, told her I couldn't get them right then because my son had just fallen out of the cart. She called the manager who brought ice and a clip board with accident clarifying anti-law suit paperwork for me to sign, and suggested I take Michael to the emergency room.

Since I had just hit my head the week before, I was very worried about him and decided that's what I should do. But, three problems existed. 1- I didn't know where the emergency room was. We're still new here and haven't seen the nearest hospital because it's essentially in the hood. 2- I didn't want to take Sam with me and keep track of the two of them in an emergency room with no lunch during their naptime. 3- My cell phone battery was dead so I couldn't call anyone for help.

I said a prayer and realized I was close to Josh's office, so I drove there and ran into the lobby asking the concierge to call Josh and ask him to come out front immedieately. Realizing it was lunch time, I worried Josh would be away from his desk, but he got the call and came out a minute later. He took Sam into his office with him and gave me directions to the hospital. He gave Michael a blessing right there in his car seat and Sam wanted to help. Sam was upset and didn't understand that he is too young to help, but we were so touched by his concern and testimony of the power of the priesthood.

Off to the hospital I went. Michael started singing in the car and I calmed down considerably when he started moving his head from side to side and talking to me. We checked into the ER, they asked him to step onto the scale, and they gave him lots of stickers. The first nurse we saw told me she thought he needed to be admitted and observed for a while so we hung out in a curtained-off area while the nurses monitored his blood oxygen levels and his cognitive responsiveness. He got apple juice and was only disappointed that he didn't get to see any ambulances like I had promised him.

They put a monitor on his toe with a red light that made his entire toe red. I played "This little piggy" and he had forgotten all about it and laughed and asked me to do it over and over again. I had to keep him on the bed and keep the light on his toe at all costs, so we were doing lots of toddler tricks when I heard the lady on the bed next to us ask the nurse about "that sweet little boy over there." This woman was being treated for difficulty breathing and she said that Michael's little voice was helping her calm down and feel better.

I was so worried about him when I heard his head hit the ground. I thought it had broken. I felt so helpless without a phone and not knowing where to go. I am so grateful he is ok and that I knew where to go for help. An exhausted neighbor of mine ended up watching Sam for the afternoon, along with her own three kids. Michael has been bringing people comfort and hope since he was a baby. His infectious smile, heavenly blue eyes, and hearty laugh cheer up people in shopping malls, grocery stores, and now emergency rooms.

He is our butterball. Our baby bear. Our potato bug (because of the way her curls up when tickled). I sing him "My Girl" with "Michael" in it because he (and Sam) are my sunshine on a cloudy day. We are so greatful that he is ok! I guess the warnings on shopping carts are there for a reason. I went back to Wal-Ma*rt late that night to do the shopping. Since then, I've gone back to putting the boys in the double stroller and getting only as much as I can fit in the basket underneath. I hope that works for a while. In the meantime, he is so prone to head injuries, that we're considering getting him a real Luke Skywalker helmet to prevent future incidents!

We Are Family!, or World's Longest Travelog

Last week was the Champion Family reunion in Heber City, Utah. Every single member of the family, all 49, were in attendance for some portion of the four day event. Our shirts say, "Champion, it's in my blood!" Michael and Sam loved having the same shirt as everyone else and have wanted to wear it several times since we've been home.

I was so proud of the way I prepared for the trip. I had been sick but still managed to pack every conceivably needed item and clean the house before we left, only 20 minutes after our goal departure time.
It was so exciting to see all of Josh's family. Since our last family picture four years ago there have been six new grand children born. Ben and Kristy's baby Rowyn was only 3 weeks old at the reunion. They were so tough to drive down from Rexburg, ID and be in a noisy place with a newborn but we were all so greatful they came to be with us.
This is how we spent our time in the van during the 10-hour drive there and back. Eating! . . . but not each other.

On Friday moring we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. I got Michael into the car by telling him, "Moroni's waiting for you!" He was so excited. We passed the Jordan River temple on the way there and he and Sam were upset when we didn't stop there. They couldn't understand having two temples so close together. When we left to drive down to Provo we passed two more temples. Michael then made up a new song called "Seven Temples." He was singing it to himself that whole afternoon. Inside, he found a nice chair, sat down in it, and refused to leave. He wanted to stay in there forever. He waved at all of the statues of Moroni on every temple we passed.
Sam was excited about the temple too. His favorite part were the "oxes" in the baptistry. There are twelve oxen statues underneath the baptisimal font, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. In the temple, faithful members of the Church can be baptised by proxy for relatives and others who have died without recieving this ordinance.
Here we are with Josh's sister Sarah and her family, Shawn, Rachel, Brooke, Kristina, and our cousin's daughter Elisa.
Hungry for lunch, we debated going up to the restaurant in Little America or down to Provo to Brick Oven. We called my nephew Andrew to see if he and his new wife Ericka could meet us for some pizza. The boys were so excited to see Andrew. They are in love with him, even though they don't see him very often. They both wanted to sit by him and talk his ear off.
Up at the cabin in Heber City, we spent the time visiting and keeping an eye on the boys. There were 11 kids under the age of three, so things were busy! The boys slept well in pack n' plays in our bedroom. We listened to them on the nursery monitor and heard adorable things like, "Don't get out, Michael! We're stuck in here!" One moring a crying baby woke us up and Michael shouted out, "Sam! Are you okay?" He thougt it was Sam crying and was worried about him. We have really seen their relationship blossoming lately. They've started ganging up on me and saying what THEY want to do. It's plural instead of singlar. "WE want to watch a movie," "WE don't want to go to bed, " "That's OURS!" they always tell me, one at a time.
Here's Michael with his great Grandpa Gail. They both performed on the harmonica at the talent show!
Outside on the rocks. Little boys were meant to live in places like this. They were up on the hillside with sticks "hunting." Sam got poked just under his eye, but hey, hunting wolves is dangerous business.
Josh and his dad had a great, long talk on the front porch one afternoon. A thunderstorm came and went and they watched the whole thing and visited. We really miss living near them and the time difference even makes phone calls difficult.

Here's Michael's harmonica solo in the talent show. Sam sang a family folk song, but he sang so softly the camera didn't really pick it up.

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All of you Oscarson's will appreciate this. I practised it while pushing the boys in swings at the playground and they picked it up.

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More togetherness.

Michael with his cousin "Baby Kristina." The first couple of days I was thrown off hearing "Kristina!" in warning and baby-tones, but I got used to hearing people call for this little cutie pie who shares my name and Michael's cheeks. Josh's Aunt Brenda made I don't know how many of those stuffed frogs and had her grandchildren put on a puppet show about the princess and the frog.
Shifting gears, we went to spend Sunday night with my sister Becky. Sam and Michael found action figure knights in the toyroom and soon Uncle Brent surprised them with their very own helmets! They segwayed into Star Wars and spent a good hour and a half wearing these ski helmets that made them a little top heavy and chasing Uncle Brent, a.k.a. Chewbaka.
John and Katharine stopped by and played for a minute and we ate a refreshing dinner of roasted chicken and vegetables with peach cobbler for dessert!
The next morning, Becky and Brent entertained the boys outside while Josh and I packed up the van. They picked strawberries in the garden and jumped on the trampoline until we thought they would fall over with exhaustion. At home the next morning, Michael was disappointed when we couldn't pick fresh strawberries in OUR backyard. Maybe next year, or next house, Michael.
Our drive through Nevada was long but beautiful. I wanted to watch a Western movie when we got home. That will have to wait until I catch up on my sleep and chores, though.
The state line between California and Nevada is where the green stops abrubtly and the stone and dust begin. Somebody was thinkin' when they drew that line!

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The boys did pretty well without naps and going to bed later than usual. Here is the only meltdown on the way home, just to give you a little taste. We hope to be making the drive again in August to welcome Matt Lowe home from his mission and we want to plan a GR Oscarson reunion somewhere similar for next summer. Bring on the family!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Today this is what I heard at lunch. In reference to the beautiful toddler-friendly lunch below complete with homemade mac and cheese, I heard Michael say, "I don't want to eat that scary lunch. I want to eat yogurt." Then I heard him say, "You're Cinderella, I'm the Prince." So I promptly forgave the offense of refusing the meal. What's so scary about this food, I'll never know. I guess it just looks different but I thought it was so funny he would call it scary. Do you hear reasoning like that from your kids?Last week I heard Michael in his crib calling out, "Belle! Belle! Belle, where are you?" He was up from his nap and wanted me, Belle, to come get the Beast/ Handsome Prince out of his crib. He said "I'm a beast. I need to get out!" Sometimes he puts on Josh's church shoes and makes me put on my high heels and dance with him while I sing, "So This is Love" from Cinderella. Then he says "Bong! Bong! Now you run away! It's midnight!" Sam has joined in and asks me to do it too. This is what happens when you have your first boys. I only have princess movies on hand and have make an investment and get some that are more masculine. They do also play Star Wars and wave around anything that can be used as a light saber, so I guess they're well-balanced.
In other news, we have our first hole in the drywall. It was only a matter of time with two boys and their toys, but it was actually me who made this whole in the wall. I had the stomach flu and fainted while, uh, sitting on the, uh, structure on the right. I fell and I'm guessing I made that hole with my shoulder. I have whiplash and hurt my jaw and cheekbone. Now the pain is gone and I'm just a little stiff. It was a little scary waking up on the bathroom floor and not knowing where I was for a little while. I did get a nice little break from housework for a couple of days though!

***Clarifications***
Ok. So I will add some more info about passing out. Josh was home reading books to Michael in the other room and Sam was asleep. I felt it coming on and dried to dive for the floor but I passed out before I got to the floor and hit my head. I don't know how long I was out but when I woke up I couldn't open my eyes for a while and had no idea where I was or what had happened. I soon remembered and opened my eyes and was able to get right up. I don't know if I was just dehydrated or if it was from the pain. I have endometriosis and have had similar feelings of lightheadedness in the past, but have never actually blacked out until the other day. I spent the rest of the day in bed and a sweet neighbor brought us some soup and rolls so my family and I could eat dinner. It was hard to sleep because my neck and shoulders and face hurt so much, but ibuprofen helped with that and I'm only left with a little tightness in my back now. I called the after hours nurses line and they asked me to go into the emergency room, but I prefered getting a good night's sleep so I didn't go and I'm doing fine now. It was scarry and I was surprised when I saw that hole in the wall, but I'm ok and have a cool story to share about my most embarrassing moment now! When I called the nurses' line and told them what happened the nurse started laughing at me. I laughed too because it just sounds so funny, in a I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself worse kind of way!