And Unto Us a Child Is Born

When a baby enters, the atmosphere in the room changes.

And all within exhale and inhale with the breath of the child.

Awareness of a majestic universe is felt through the tiny child.

And in his eyes is the depth of love only our souls can reach.

Matt and Megan meet Nolan Conry Goedken.

7 lbs. 4 oz., 20 in.

December 24, 2011

Mother and child.

Auntie Becca and Uncle Ryan love their new Christmas present.

Can you feel the love tonight?

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Dressed for his first party.

Am I having fun?

And then there were three!

Welcome to Twins' Friday.  We'll take good care of you, Nolan. 

Elvis Goedken

What a difference a year makes.  The box still reigns as a great gift, but it is now more exciting to unwrap the box.  The boys understand that so well, they tried to open some of the presents their parents were planning to give their cousins.  But they learned and felt bad when Daddy explained their cousins would be disappointed if they didn't have any presents to open.  They were so polite to ask each person opening their present, "Would you like me to help you open your present?" 

It's funny how they don't really know what a scooter is, but only need to see it has wheels to know it's a great new toy.

 

Scooter technique takes a bit of trial and error practice, but also provides a Koshy lesson in life... "We never give up!"  I do have a plaque in the office that says, "Never, never, ever give up."  I'll have to teach the boys to read it, soon.

After four boys of their own, Jim and Andrea know what a boy likes for a gift.  Nathan was so excited about getting his guitar, he almost skipped dessert, rather than put it down.  Of course, putting it down would mean Andrew might pick it up.  Mommy warned toys get put in a Time Out, if they're not shared.  To be sure this didn't happen, Nathan picked up the guitar after dessert and offered it to Andrew first.  This is a boy who sees the bottom line and knows how to get what he wants.  In this regard, he is very similar to his Auntie Becca.  His cheeks were bright red from his playing and dancing.  He may wish to follow his cousin, Danny in learning hip-hop dancing. 

Friday Field Trip to CC's

Grampa is on vacation, so it's time for a Friday Field Trip.  We hoped for snow, but since there's no sign of a White Christmas, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese.  Chuck E. Cheese is like childbirth.  After years, you forget what it's really like.  A child's mind is obviously overwhelmed by the electro-magnetic radiation upon entering.  They get a glazed look and their heads turn in slow motion; as if they've entered an alternative reality.  It doesn't matter that they only serve faux-food.  You're not there for nutrition.  You're there to see how far the senses can be stretched and loaded.

The boys could rarely focus on the actrual game they were playing.  Their heads were busy spinning exorcist style to look at the flashing lights, the dancing puppets, and the clanging sounds of excitement.

There are levers, pedals, dials and steering wheels, that future engineers find overwhelming.

But with their testosterone in evidence, they give it a try.

There are caroussels that go around a total of four times.  It doesn't matter, because there are so many other games and rides demanding their time.

There are horses to be ridden and races to be won.

Did Chuck E. Cheese pay to ride with us?

A return for another couple of spins on the caroussel, because those four rotations go quickly.

Can you believe this ferris wheel?  I'm glad there's a seat belt.  Where did I leave my shoes?

Did you see the guy behind me?

I think he eats little boys' shoes.

The driver on the bus says, "Move on back."

Time to change drivers.  I'll be the co-pilot.

I always knew I would enjoy riding a motorcycle.

I'm getting the hang of this place.

It doesn't even matter that I can't reach the pedals.

All jockeys are little guys.

I'm ready for the Arlington Race Track.

When you see him stick his head up, give him a whack.  Grampa says it's training for the mouse in his house.

They let you feed coins to the hungry machines.

Guitar Hero, here I come.  Just call me, Andrew Jagger.

Isn't he wonderful?  He's so animated.

I didn't notice it at the time, but Terry said Andrew stopped another family's game.  He didn't mean to, but he was attracted to the big red stop button lit up. It's hard to learn proper etiquette at Chuck E. Cheese.  Instead of teaching Andrew how to apologize, Terry just rushed him away from the scene of the crime.

Nathan, did enjoy using the big boy bathroom and seems to be ready to cross another one of life's bridges.

Frosty, the Snowman

On the way down, we dusted the wood on the steps.  On the way back up, we used the dirt devil to vacuum the carpet on each step.  I reflected that our quality of cleaning was very high, but unfortunately our speed was so slow we'd be swallowed up by dirt.  The boys took turns with the dirt devil.  Two steps from the top, Nathan managed to release something on the dirt devil and it came apart.  I reflexively responded, "Oh, no!"  Nathan looked anxiously into my face.  I quickly recovered and told him we'd need to get the dust pan and Grampa could fix the dirt devil.  Grampa came to the rescue and showed the boys all the parts inside the dirt devil.  We then started all over and Gramma brought out the big vacuum.

I put the boys' step stool in fromt of the buffet, so they could feel free to look at the manger scene.  Grampa found Andrew taking a close look and asked him if Baby Jesus was there, yet.  Andrew told him, "No, Gramma's got him in the drawer."  Later, I found him there and told him we're also waiting for Auntie Megan's baby.  Andrew told me, "I want to see him when he comes out of the drawer."  I paused a moment to consider how I could explain birth better, and then told him, "I do too."

The boys love the Eric Carle book From Head to Toe.  Here Andrew is demonstrating that he can kick his legs like a donkey.  Gramma can do it, too, but there are no pictures available.

Andrew intently tries to copy Frosty's act. 

And Nathan enjoys Frosty singing in his ear.  Perhaps he's being tickled by the carrot nose.

Frosty practices his piano.

Frosty has a cool hat.

Andrew told me the toilet paper was playing Follow the Leader.  I think that's the best description I've ever heard for unwinding the TP.  Andrew spends most of his day with a monkey on his back.  The monkey on Gramma's back can't be seen.

Why?

The boys stayed overninght. In the middle of the night, I heard Nathan calling for me. I moved quickly, before he would wake his brother. When I scooped him up, he told me he needed "Mousie" who sleeps with him. I checked his blankets, under his pillow and finally got on the floor to check under the bed. No Mousie! I repeated a search of all of the above, when I realized that Nathan was holding Mousie.

Nathan has entered the World of Why.  His "why?" has three or four different pitches; like a short tune.  He asks "why?" at the strangest times.  It's difficult to figure out, "Why, what?"  An answer is  usually followed by five or six more "why's?"  My parents used to get exhausted by Becky's and my "why's?"  Their response was "because" or sometimes an exasperated, "Why, why, why?"  I hated that and knew I would never use that with my children.  I don't think I ever did.  When Nathan began his series of "why's" I thought, you have no idea how patient I can be.  No more how many times it came up, I always answered the question with as much information as I could.  After two days, he actually seemed to be wearing out, listening to my long dissertations that served as answers.  I think he was having trouble remembering what the question was by the end of the answer.  It occurred to me that the persistent question might be more problematic coming from two little boys. 

Mousie learns to pluck the strings.

I was trying to get the boys upstairs for their naps.  I was carrying Nathan, the boys' monkeys, books and my ipod.  Andrew finished what he was doing and came running down the hall, yelling, "Wait for me."  When he caught up to us, he said, "Pick me up,"  I explained that my hands were full.  He checked my hands and said, "Yes, you can.  You have two hands."  It's empowering to realize your grandchildren think you have super powers.  I carried Nathan to the top of the steps and then returned for Andrew.

When our new baby comes, he's going to need some training in the swing.  How did I ever fit in here?

A monkey on your back isn't always a bad thing.

The magic happens when I hammer on the couch, while the sun is shining on it.  The fuzzies fly in the sunbeam.

If I swing the hammer at the fuzzies, they move away.  Perhaps we should be dusting with a hammer.

It's time for me to learn how to play Jingle Bells.

A Goedken Advent

Gramma says we look just like Grampa.

I think it's because we're wearing our "Grampa" shirts.

The boys are so good at entertaining themselves.  Their minds are always working.  Their creativite energy is compounded by their collaberation. 

The boys helped put the ornaments on the lower branches of the tree.  They have their favorite ornaments; the birdhouse with chimes attached, the violin (with no bow), Santa on ice skates and the ornaments with their pictures on them.  I find I enjoy my ornaments more sharing them and their stories with the boys. 

We share the story of Jesus' birth at the wooden creche Grampa made.  The boys know where Baby Jesus will be placed.  But for now, we're waiting.  We also talk about the new baby Matt and Megan will have soon.  This is a special Advent for the Goedkens.

Decorating the Christmas tree can be messy work.  Good thing Grampa has me to help.

Minnesota Safari

We had just gotten out of Ivanhoe, on our Minnesota Safari trip, when the boys started to ask if we were in Minnesooota.  How do you explain it's going to take eight hours to get to Minnesota?  We played CDs of sing-along music most of the way.  If they knew the song they told us, "That's my favorite."  And they sang along, as if it was.  We got over half way, before they told Gramma to stop singing.  My own children used to say the same thing.  I never understood.  I think the twins wanted to be able to hear the CDs.  It's amazing that we had over seventy songs on CDs and still had to hear each one at least three times.  We borrowed Jeni's car, which had enough room for Rebecca to sit in the back next to the luggage.  She's used to it after travelling with Jim, Andrea and us in Ireland.  At least this time, she didn't have to keep yelling, "Dad, the left side."

We stopped for lunch at McDonald's.  Even I thought it was a good idea, since they have a Playland.  The boys were a little apprehensive about climbing something three levels high, but were reassured when Auntie Becca and I agreed we could go with them.  We were careful to check the age limit and found parents were welcome, too.  It is not so easy for an adult to twist and squirm their way through an opening meant for a two-year-old.  The easiest part is coming down the spiral slide.  When Grampa arrived in the Playland section with our lunches, he couldn't find any of us.  He looked around and really wondered when he saw our coats at a table, but none of us.  Finally, he located us at the top of the structure.  Fortunately, it didn't take the boys long to make friends with children a little bigger than themselves.  Soon, we watched at the bottom and saw a train coming down the slide, led by Andrew. 

The boys enjoyed their food, with no worry about how unhealthy it was.  Happy Meals now include apple slices. Baby steps!  Gramma survived the Playland and the food.  On the road, again; Happy Meal toy in hand.

 Happy Meal Toys are a hit.

What's the smell in the car? Another stop at the nearest gas station. I had to determine which child was the Pepe de PU. Asking doesn't work, because each one tells you it's the other one. We explained they may as well confess, since we were going to find out. When the car stopped, Andrew admitted it was him. When I removed him from the car, Nathan realized only the boy with the "poopie diaper" would be ejected. He told Grampa, he too had a dirty diaper and needed a change. Grampa checked and found the confession was premature. Nathan said he wanted to use the potty. Those are words that require immediate action. Grampa got into the public restroom, with a willing boy. At least, until he took one look at the condition of the restroom. He explained he needed to use a different toilet. As it turned out, there wasn't a toilet that met his needs. On the road again.

 Nap time is so relaxing.

I think I smell Pepe de PU?

Nearly to Minnesooota, there was another odor detected in the back seat.  Another emergency stop proved that Andrew had been successful again.  With no more stops, we crossed the bridge into Minnesooota.  "Where are Kevin and Amanda?" the boys wanted to know.  Then they noticed snow on the ground. They couldn't remember if they liked snow or not.  Up close it was a lot dirtier than Nathan thought it should be.

Thanksgiving morning, Aunt Becky and Amanda were getting ready to go to church to sing and play with the choir.  When the twins found out, they begged to go to church.  Church is within walking distance from Becky's, but requires leaving early in order to arrive in time with two-year olds walking.  We sat near the choir and instrumentalists, because I knew the boys would want to see Becky and Amanda.  After the first prelude, Andrew yelled, "Yay!" as he applauded loudly.  He caught on to the fact he was the only appreciative one.  After the next song, he toned it down a bit.  After each subsequent song, he continued to get softer, but never stopped his support.  I think he had the right idea.  He's strong with his "Amens," as well.

So what do the Minnesoootans do with snowballs?

I'm going to carry this snowball all the way back to Illinois.

The boys discovered they liked cranberries and Aunt Becky's cinnamon rolls, which Andrew wasn't sure he wanted to eat.  It's a difficult decision to decide between pumpkin pie, brownies and carrot cake.  They certainly eat well in Minnesooota.

Aunt Becky reads good bedtime stories.  I think she's had lots of practice.

On Friday, the ladies wanted to go shopping.  When the boys heard about it, they begged to go along.  They are their Gramma's boys.  They love going to church and shopping.  The Mall of America has a theme park that the boys enjoyed, after repeated trips up and down the escalator.  The multi-level Christmas tree was pretty impressive to look down on, too.

 Mr. Sponge Bob Square Pants lives in Minnesooota!

I think I'm ahead of my brother.

I think my brother is behind me.

I love shopping.

I need longer legs for the legos.

They should get one of these at Costco.

Later, we went to Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob's.  Dennis, Mitch and Eric were there, too, and got to meet the boys for the first time.  It was a little tough to share Amanda with Mitch and Eric, but they managed.  Becky wiped the floor with the opposition on Apples to Apples and Bob was a close second.  This is due mainly to the fact that Eric has such wierd criteria for selecting winners in each category, butt it's worth it just to play with him.

Everyone seems to know, Eric doesn't like to pick people in Apples to Apples, if he doesn't know them.  And he's too young to know most of them. 

There was a game of 500 going on in the kitchen, but Terry can't remember who was winning in the kitchen.  I assume it was not him.

Did Eric just ask, "Who's Lucille Ball?"  I'm so old.

Nathan and Andrew have a night light that starts our like a blue moon at night.  You can set a timer to turn it into a yellow sun in the morning.  Terry set the "sun" to come up a half hour later than their usual home time.  Unfortunately, in their excitement at being in Minnesooota, they didn't check the moon/sun in the morning.  The second day we could hear them talking in the morning over the monitors their parents sent.  "Nathan, do you want to come down here?"  The boys were sleeping on trundle beds; with the second bed, lowered, so if Nathan rolled out of bed, he would just slide into the lower bed.  I got up to check and found both boys sleeping on Andrew's bed.  Later we heard, "It's yellow, it's yellow!" 

Where did Grampa's bed go?

On the way home, we put a bag of books from Aunt Becky between the boys to enjoy while the CDs played another three times.  We stopped at Cracker Barrel, because Gramma didn't think she could do McDonald's again.  And Cracker Barrel has a store for my shopping boys.  We bought sock monkeys for the boys as souvenirs.  Luckily, Pepe de PU didn't show up until five minutes before we got home.

This has been a wonderful adventure.