Minnesota 2013

Our Minnesota trip began in the wee hours of the morning.  Although the parents were dragging to get up and moving, the kids couldn't have been more excited. 

First thing's first...jump in the water!

Fish Gazing

The fish hunt begins.

Determined to catch the fish with their hands.

No such luck.

Let's ride the paddle boat again!

Blake lost amongst the weeds.

Dragonfly Kisses

Blake was excited to hold the fish.

That is, until it stuck him with its fin.

But he gets back to it and tries it again with better luck.  He became pretty good at chucking them into the water.

Worm Hands

Flying Kites

Unbeknownst to them, Uncle Bret told Brock and Ethan that the marbles they found were pearls.  They thought they had struck gold!

"Jump in, Brock!"

Ya, okay!

Ethan's Turn

"Let's both go at the same time."

Payback

Down time with video games.

First Morning Fish

During this vacation, Ella was brave enough to begin taking fish off of the hooks.

Net Fishing

Carter vs The Water

The big kids helping Blake

Battle Lake

Now that's vacation!

Making a river to the lake...like animals trying to clean their backsides.

A friendly game of horseshoes with the fellow park-goers.

Angry bird that laid her eggs right by the swing set.

Grandma's first catch of the trip!

Life jacket turned straight jacket.  Huh...why didn't I think of that sooner.  ;)

Tie-Dye Shirts

I think the kids were more dyed than the shirts.

Heading to the Farm

Homemade Icecream

Shake It!

They'd shake it a time or two and then slide it on the table back and forth to each other to take turns.

Oreos!

Turtle Pee

Friendly Wanderer

Ella guided the nature walk with her homemade map.

Explaining the rules of the road.

 

Following the Leader

Spotted two deer on our hike.

"I can lift all of the big rocks!"

While running down the hill, Ella slipped and fell, and it was cute to see Carter purposely fall right beside her to make her feel better.

Then they scooch down the rest of the way.

Snack Break

Although the Daily's pouches were delicious, they gave me nightmares every night that I drank them.  They were good, though!

Amanda liked them, too! ;)

Washers

Uncle Chad

 

 

Sophie waiting amidst the chaos to play catch with Daddy.

Granny's Pantry

 

The. Best. Store. Ever.

We have our fair share of Sassy Taffy.  Thanks, though.

Grandma Double-Fistin'

Arm and Leg Flatulence

Family Vacation 2013

Me: Dailyz

Chad: K.P.

Grandpa: Ouch

Grandma: Slow Rider

Amanda: Mommy!

Bret: OK

Blake: Moose

Ethan: Bowin

Brock: Heusy

Ella: Diva!

Carter: Carter

Sophie: Suny

 

Turtle Hunt on the Paddle Boat

What a wonderful vacation full of family, fun, laughter. and love.  So thankful that everyone could come along.  It was a vacation we will never forget!

Life in the "Farm" Lane

My classes are officially over, which means I have some additional time on my hands.  It is weird logging into my classroom and getting this message: "Our records indicate that you are not in a class at this time."  No class?  What is that like?  Three and a half years of continual classes coming to a close.  Am I sick to be sort of sad that school is ending?  Can I take some extra credit courses?  Something?  Anything?  Graduate school can't come soon enough!  No, it is a much-needed break away from school for before I start student teaching.  I am very excited to meet all of the 2nd-grade students that I will be working with this fall!  Ella and Brock had hoped that I would be in their classroom, but unfortunately, it's against the rules.

So what to do now that school is done for time being?  Work.  Labor.  Sweat.  Blood.  Tears.  It is no longer life is the fast lane; it is life in the farm lane.  Although we don't necessarily have a farm, we I hope to get some goats, chickens, maybe a cow, a pig, and a duck (for Carter, of course).  All things needed for a well-rounded meal of meat.  Chad has agreed to the chickens and possibly a cow, so I am really working on a goat and pig.  I will have a goat and name it Clyde.  Oh, and did I mention that I have found seven (YES, SEVEN!!!) mulberry trees??  Childhood friends, welcome.  Enter the land of mulberries.  Chad keeps trying to cut them down saying something about birds and messes, but I try not to listen. =)

Anyways, life in the farm lane has produced a colorful array of work and chores to be done.  Holy cow is it a lot of work!  So much for 5 a.m. workouts.  You will find me in the garden shoveling horse manure all day.  Nope, no horses.  Just their manure, and in the eyes of a gardener, it is gold and we are saving all of it (insert picture of me doing snow angels in the manure piles).  

So although school is out for me, hard work still remains, but it's the fun kind, and the kids have fun with it, too.      I guess now would be a good time to catch up on my emails.  Heidi - you are probably reading this thinking WRITE ME BACK!, so I will do that now.

Father's Day 2013

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father and husband.  You get an A+ in our book, you hunka hunka burnin' love! Although there are countless reasons in which we love and admire you, here are just a few of the most important ones.  ;)

Gifts for Daddy!

Among the gifts, I had the kids fill out a survey about Daddy in which they had to answer some serious questions.  It was very entertaining to hear what they came up with.

Brock's

Sophie's 

Ella's

The kids' choice for Daddy's supper: ribs and corn on the cob.  One of his favorites!

The day was spent cutting trees, mowing, weed eating and doing some much-needed mosquito and tick control (fun fun!).  Seems like that is all we do anymore!  Ha!  To end the evening, Brock and Daddy went to the Crete legion game and finished the night watching the Heat vs Spurs game.  All in all, a wonderful day! 

Mother's Day 2013 and Others

In looking through my phone, I found some pretty old pics, so I figure now is as good of time as any to post them!

For Mother's Day, Ella made me breakfast in bed with my favorite things (peanut butter banana oatmeal, yogurt, an apple, and tea).

The plethora of gifts from the kids.  So thoughtful!

 These two are quite the pair.

"Move over, Big Mama."  "Move over, Big Daddy."

Ice Cream Break (at the smallest table ever!)

Playing Chess 

(one of our favorite past-times)

Grabbing Clouds

With the windows down, the kids say that it feels like they are grabbing clouds when they try and squeeze the air while traveling.

First Lost Tooth!

And four days later, her second tooth came out!