School is....IN SESSION!!!

September 14, 2010

Yep, school's back. Here are some photos. We got thru the school bus issues and first day of school just fine. All is well...I hope the year goes great!

The Summer...is pretty much done.

August 31, 2010

I'll get right to it. :)

In July, we went and celebrated my 33rd birthday (I think that's what it was...I can't keep track anymore...let's see 7-14-2010 minus 7-14-1977 = 33. Yep.) back to the update...we went bowling and out for Godfather's pizza for my birthday the weekend before the actual day and we had a blast. Chloe had so much fun...her first time bowling. And Godfather's pizza...YUM!

Chloe was jumping up and down here..she did that after every throw. :)

Back in June, the road construction finally started. It's been fun. the best part (sarcasm) is that they then started construction on all 3 of the detour route roads. Smart thinkin' on their part. that was awesome. You pretty much had an issue getting anywhere this summer. Currently we can get out one way so that's good. It'll be so nice when everything is done. It'll look really nice out here and they can leave it all alone for a while. :) And the workers have been really accommodating for the most part.



July was pretty busy...I can't remember what with though. There was a weekend filled with all of Lincoln's family at the end of that month and that was pretty fun. It was a good weekend, I thought. the kids started swimming lessons in July and they loved it and did great. Luke and Ashlyn passed to go onto the next level for next summer, Chloe did not, but I expected that. She was a little young for her class. But she isn't as scared of the water and she will let go of me now and she will also jump in from the side with or without a life jacket...you just gotta watch her and catch her if she's not wearing one. We also went to the Cannon Valley Fair and the 4th of July Parade...and fireworks.

All three kids spent a week at my dad and step-mom's house and I have to say, that was awesome although we missed the kids. It was quiet around here. They enjoyed themselves, but I think they missed home too...Chloe is still clingy toward me. Ashlyn attended summer school to prepare her for 1st grade. That was two weeks long which brings us to this week. Tonight was open house at school so we met teachers, checked out the classrooms, paid for everything that needs it...which is not cheap in my opinion.
I am excited for this year, but i am so nervous. I am having a hard time letting go and a hard time not thinking about how Luke is going to learn this or that or get it right and the same goes for Ashlyn....especially her. Ugh, parenthood. Thank goodness for teachers. This will be a good year. And next year...Chloe in preschool. Wow. So, 7 days and they will be getting on a bus...2 of them all day, every day. Whew. LOL

I suppose that's all for now. Linc and I are headed to the MN State Fair tomorrow...alone. Date day. I can't wait. :)
Until next time.....

We have another...NEPHEW!!!! (and more stuff)

June 19, 2010

There is yet one more boy in our family! Clinton, Bonnie & Sophie welcomed Harrison Clinton into their lives on Tuesday, June 15 at 7:33 am. He weighed 9 lbs. 10 oz. and was 21" long. Big boy. Everyone is doing great and Sophie seems to be a proud big sister. We are so happy for them and so excited. (and I have to get this in there...Bonnie took her nursing boards on Friday, found out she passed them over the weekend and went in to the hospital at 12:30 am Tuesday...way to go, girlie!)

Summer vacation has begun! The kids are bored. Figures. We are trying to keep them busy though. Luke is leaving tomorrow afternoon for Good Earth Village Camp through church. He stays for 2 nights. Weird for mom. He is also signed up for a couple other things this summer like a track & field camp type thing and a LEGO activity class for a few days.

I haven't written in a while. May turned out to be very busy for us for a while. Unfortunately, we attended quite a few funerals last month. Our neighbor lost his battle with cancer and a few days after that, Lincoln's grandma Betty passed away at the age of 90. 90, wow. It was a very sad couple days and she passed away on Mother's Day night. Appropriate, I think...for the Matriarch of the Sjoquist family to go see her Savior on Mother's Day. Her visitation and her funeral were both at Spring Garden...again, appropriate, I thought. She touched a lot of lives. I am very thankful that I was lead to meet my husband and to marry into his incredible family. We ended the two days over at my in-laws house with almost the whole Sjoquist family and I thought, again...how appropriate that everyone was together...and we had a great game of baseball going on that day. What a woman she must have been in her days. 90. What a life...a good and hard and rewarding life. I hope that she continued to be proud of the kids she raised and the kids that her kids have raised and the kids that her grandkids are raising. :)

May continued with dance performances and school programs. And eventually a couple field trips and the end of a school year the first week of June. My little sister graduated on June 10th from Elk River High School. Then when she went off to her all-night party, the rest of us went to eat...it was a great night.

The kids. Luke will be off to 3rd grade in a couple months and Ashlyn will be in 1st. Wow. We already know their teachers which is awesome. I love that. With May also came Chloe turning 3. She sometimes acts like she's 5. :) I am going to be signing the kids all up for swimming lessons in town and with that comes a season pass so I plan on hanging at the pool a lot the rest of this summer. They are excited that I am finally getting on this. Luke has been helping out on the farm too and I think he's been a big help. He is also now heavy enough to keep the lawn mower going when he sits on it so he learned to mow and now helped his dad mow the yard and it actually cuts the mowing time for Lincoln in half. LOVE IT! I know he expects to be paid....we'll have to work something out. :)

Us...well, Lincoln and I just had our 9th wedding anniversary come and go. Eventually this summer we will go out and eat or something. Our nephews birth took precedence to us and we love it! I love that everyone else is adding to the family now. :) (And I'm not the one getting up in the middle of the night feeding and changing...although, I wouldn't mind doing it once in a while and an overnight sitter!)

We don't really have a vacation planned this summer. Lincoln will take a few days off probably and I am going out-of-town with my mom next weekend, but we aren't going on a week long trip again like last summer. Maybe a couple long weekend trips or something...if we can get them fit in. Too bad before we know it it'll be school time again and I won't lie, I am half excited for that, but yet I love summer so....well, it is what it is. :)

Easter 2010

April 18, 2010

I hope everyone had a great Easter celebration!! We had a great day. Very, very busy, but great. I got up early, sang at the 6:30 am service, ran home, helped get kids ready, saw what the Easter bunny got them, ran back to church with the family, had breakfast there, sang in the 10:00 am service, ran home, changed clothes, got to my grandma & grandpas for lunch, did an egg hunt there, at around 4:30 we ran to Lincoln's parents for dinner (if we were hungry), hung out there a little bit and finally got back home by about 7:30ish. Whew. What a day! It was awesome though. Next year, however, I think I am going to skip out on the choir for the 6:30 am service. I miss getting to watch the kids look for their baskets and I love seeing their faces when they are surprised. We shall see. :)

Here is a photo of my Easter kiddos. Luke was so excited to be wearing a tie! :) Grandma Chris made Ashlyn's dress this year...sooooo cute! Chloe's dress was actually one that I bought 2 years ago for Ashlyn, but then Chris made dresses so it never got worn.


We are loving the spring-like weather. I do, however, like that it is still a little cool out. I don't need it to be hot yet. :) It is a little hard to believe that it is only April with the weather. There are farmers out planting already. I am so excited for the early season, but sooooo hoping for their sake that it doesn't backfire on them. So, here's to hoping we don't get any freezing weather anymore until after harvest.
You can tell that spring is here as the kids are kicking off the spring program season this week. Luke has a concert on Tuesday, Ashlyn has a small performance at the nursing home for dance on Friday. The spring field trips have started and there will be more performances for dance and school soon. Wow. And once school is out I will officially have a 3rd grader and a 1st graders. 2 kids in school full-time. I also will have another child eligible for 3-year old preschool, but we are going to wait until she is 4. Speaking of Chloe....she is going to be 3...in less than a month. So exciting and so sad all at the same time.

I better close this and get some stuff done before bed. Another Monday tomorrow.

Myspace Graphics- At Myspacejunks.com

Can't Help It...

March 29, 2010

I couldn't help it. I had to watch this movie. I recorded the 11 pm show, but I started watching it and couldn't stop to go to bed. Stupid probably. It was a great showing on the Amish message of forgiveness....not so good on the media story about the Amish school shooting...not that I was looking for details or anything because that shooting was unforgivable...for us. The Amish...that is what they do. I admire that and wish it came more easily to us. I kind of think forgiveness is easy, but at that same point...no one has ever done anything unforgivable to me directly.

How's this post for a random ramble? :)

We spent the day yesterday in West Salem, WI...coincidentally on the way there we saw an Amish buggy by Rushford, MN. Hmmm. You know, I guess the Amish only have church every other week and they hold it at each other's houses. I wonder if they were going to their church service yesterday. I also wonder if they were, then were they celebrating Easter?

Anyway...as I was saying...we went to West Salem to celebrate the first birthday of our godson, Graham. He actually turns 1 on Wednesday. It was a fun and beautiful day. I love this family I married into. The kids had a blast, the food was great and it's always laughs when we are with Lincoln's family. Lincoln took pictures on his phone...I have to figure out how to get them onto the computer now. Those will probably come after Easter though as this Holy Week will be busy, busy.

Tuesday, as part of the Christian Education board and committee I am going to be helping prepare for the Seder Meal that will take place on Wednesday for our 5th graders and their families in preparation for their first communion that they will take during the Maundy Thursday service. Seder Meal is kinda like the last supper. It looks weird, but is is actually all soooo good. (Lamb, by-the-way, smells horrid while being prepared for this particular dinner...not sure if it just because of this particular prep or if lamb smells like that all the time).

Wednesday evening I will, as part of that same Christian Ed board, be helping serve the meal and I am hoping that I will have some help. Thursday is the Maundy Thursday service and the choir sings...and the 5th graders as I said take their first communion. Good Friday service....then Saturday is like a day of rest for me...I hope, because then there is Easter. I have 4 bulletins to get prepared and copied at church this week along with being gone every night but 1 this week. 1 night this week...tonight...that I will be home. 1 night. Ugh. Not that I don't enjoy church and stuff, but 1 night. I welcome the Easter season and the meaning of Easter is kind of hard not to love...and I love hanging out with family, but every Easter I am just so exhausted I don't have the social capabilities in me. How do our Pastor's do it I wonder. Seriously. (and with the post-Easter week...well, let's just say Holy Week makes it hard to want to go back to the church on Monday and start working again...at least it will be a quiet week, hopefully...) I love Spring Garden. :)

Enough rambling for now. I gotta get the girls ready to go to the farm for breakfast and payroll. I'll post some pictures probably after Easter seeing as I won't be around much this week. Maybe. With Easter brings back face book for me...I may be busy for a couple days. HA! After 40 days, most people probably forgot about me anyway. Ha-ha!

Happy Easter everyone! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

March 2010

March 25, 2010

9 more days until Easter. Which means I will be hanging out on facebook again that evening. Ha-ha. I'm pathetic. I miss conversing with people.

I can't believe that March is just about over. This winter has actually flown by for me. It was a good winter. It wasn't over-powered with days and days of -20's and we got a TON of snow...now this was a Minnesota winter. And all that snow was gone in 2 weeks. I think we still had 4 feet in the front yard and it is completely gone now. And our 8-12 foot piles of snow are finally completely gone. Now we just have to rake the gravel back onto the driveway....our very long driveway. The best part...knock on wood...is that we didn't get teased with nice weather and then have it snow 3 inches after we saw 60's. Luke's birthday was even decent this year...usually we are worrying about snow and ice. Hopefully, spring will stay.

With March and Spring comes March Madness. I am pretty sure you all know what that means in this house. (Does anyone read this blog even?) It's all about the basketball. :) And all the upsets this year are killing everyone's brackets. Oh-well.

We are preparing for the inconvenience of road construction this summer. Our county road will be ripped up this summer and left to be gravel for the winter. They are widening the road and redirecting parts of it. Then next spring they will finish fixing it and tar it. I am excited for the end result, but man is it going to be a pain. We'll deal though...what else can we do? Hopefully they aren't at the height of the mess when my sister-in-law, Bonnie, is ready to go have her baby. By-the-way, Bonnie, I am secretly hoping that you go into labor at a really odd time at night so maybe I get to take Sophie while you go and then I'll know you went which mean I hope you go early because I will be out-of-town that weekend :) )

Chloe started dance class last week. She is in there with her cousin, Sophie, and a couple other little girls we know. She LOVES it as does her cousin. It's really cute. She wears some old stuff of Ashlyn's and talks about dance all day long before she goes. Lincoln doesn't mind that his girls are dancing, but he hopes that they grow out of that and into other sports like...Basketball of course, or volleyball or whatever else...anything but dance. :) Summer sports forms are starting to come home from school. Ashlyn says she wants to do soccer again. I am not so sure. Last year wasn't convincing to me...I am thinking we should stick to one sport. T-ball. We shall see.

We received a form in the mail from the school for Chloe to go to the 3-year old preschool class next year. WHAT? How can she be ready for that already? She is though. I don't know if I want to pay for her to go to preschool for 2 years. I may wait and have her just go when she's 4. I don't know yet. She is totally ready though. I just can't believe that she is about to turn 3. I better get started on losing that baby weight. HA!

No pictures this time....I haven't taken any really. Oops.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Taga

March 21, 2010

I think that these would be fun.

http://www.taga.nl/default.asp?lang=eng

8 Years ago...

March 6, 2010

8 years ago, tomorrow, my first born was born. I can't believe it. It isn't like turning 8 is a milestone age, but he's my child and I guess I think every year is a milestone.

Looking back...

The announcement we sent out.

I rememeber this day very well. We used to go home for lunch everyday from the farm (we were in Kansas at the time) and on this afternoon, both boys ate and then laid on the floor. Luke was in the bean bag chair and Lincoln laid next to him and they both dozed off.


July of 2002. Luke was 4 1/2 months old. Look at that kid. :)

I am so proud of what he has become in the last 8 years. So proud to me his mom! Happy birthday, "Little Man!"

What to do, what to do...

February 26, 2010

This is what I wonder now that I gave up facebook for Lent. It's been going okay...but it is hard when you get rid of one of your main forms of communication with everyone you know. It's sad really in a way...and I feel so out of the loop now. And it is really sad that I live right across the road from my sister-in-law and I don't talk to her now...cuz I am not on facebook. Ha-ha.

You would think that I would be getting a lot of other things done. For instance, re-decorating the upstairs bathroom or spending hours in the basement looking at it trying to figure out how to decorate it (if you wanna come help me figure it out...come on over, please). I could also be reorganizing the office or figuring out where to park all my scrap booking stuff so I can get back into doing that since I am about 3 years behind...even more actually because Ashlyn's is way behind. But instead of doing all this stuff that I want to get done I am spending the time doing something way more fun...playing games with the kids, helping them do projects, laying on the floor with Ashlyn playing light-bright, sitting at a table putting Lego's together with Luke, doing puzzles with the girls...watching Olympics with Lincoln. Not that I didn't spend time with my family before because we did do stuff...just not as often as we do now and watching TV with Lincoln consisted of me watching it over the screen on the laptop. It's been fun!

On a different subject, sort of, I think I made a pretty big decision last night as I was wondering around Joanne Fabrics with my awesomely talented best friend, Amy, last night. I think I may have decided that I want to learn how to sew so I can quilt. Yep...QUILT. I said it. I also said the word sew. (I just shook a little). I have no clue what to do, but I love looking at all the fun fabric and I was looking through books and saw a ton of fun things.....ugh. I have no patience to learn it...I want to just know it. Well, hopefully I can watch Amy and learn a little. So, if you or someone you know have some extra quilting cutter things and mats and stuff that I could buy at a nice price...let me know.

Luke turns 8 next weekend. I may have touched on this before in the last post, but the child had 18 boys on his list of kids to invite. 18!!!!!!!! I let him pick 10. One can't come already so we are down to 9 plus Luke...so 10 total. that is a lot of boys in my house. Weather calls for 35 out that day though...so, I may have to have them start a basketball game outside. 5 on 5? Perfect. :)

The family is coming over the next day to celebrate. Oh, I can probably talk to my sister-in-law then. Ha-ha. I need to start planning the menu, I guess. 8. I can't believe it.

February 2010 (possibly part 1 of 2)

February 20, 2010

So, we are already on day 20 of February (which is about over). I can't believe that March is just about here. March means that my first born will turn 8. 8. Already. He has a list of friends to invite...there are 14 of them. Yeah. 14 boys in my home. I told him that he could only invite 8. Those 8 consisted of his closest friends...all the boys that came last year. He added more because he says, "...but mom, I can't leave these guys out, they invited me to their parties!" How do I say no to that...the kid actually cares that he could hurt their feelings. I don't even know these boys...never seen them before. 14 boys is a lot of energy in my house, especially if it isn't nice to go outside. And I can't afford to take 14 boys anywhere. So, I shall brace myself...and I know it'll be a ton of fun! I may need to have some of my mom friends of these boys stay and keep me sane. And the wine I break into after will taste great.

I decided to give something up for Lent this year. No, I am not Catholic. You don't have to be Catholic to give something up for Lent. I gave up...facebook. Cold turkey. Well, I can't say I haven't cheated. I received a notification on my phone that someone send a private message to my inbox and I felt that I should probably check it today to make sure it wasn't important. It wasn't (I also checked the morning after lent began just to see how many people made comments on my status even though I wasn't supposed to be on there - I don't count that as cheating). It is hard to not be on there. I didn't realize that that was my main source of communication now. And I miss my friends that I could chat with daily. I can do this though. I can. And I am getting other things done...like spending time on the computer anyway, updating this blog. I imagine that on the evening of Easter I will be sitting on my couch with the laptop after the kids go to bed catching up on everything...and I have a feeling that after 40 days there is going to be a lot to catch up on...I may need Monday off. I do hate that I feel so out of touch now though. I feel like I have no friends now. Ha-ha. Pathetic. The good news is, though, that I don't catch myself trying to get on there out of habit when I open the laptop. Whew.

With the lent season comes busier times at work at church. I will also be busier at the farm and this it the time my in0laws booked a vacation and they will be gone for 2 weeks...yeah, during lent, one of two of my busiest times at church. I am not complaining, the world does not revolve around me.....I am so happy and excited for them that they are getting away. They deserve this soooooo much. I am just so totally happy that they are going. I can't wait for the day that my husband and I can go on a vacation...just us...it seems like that time is so far our of reach.

February really hasn't been that eventful. I don't even have any pictures to post of this month yet. I am just feeling good that I caught this blog up. :)

Take care until next time.

January 2010

February 20, 2010

Wow, I am caught up to January now. Impressive.

January didn't bring too much. The kids had a bunch of birthday parties that they attended and we were just doing the usual stuff. We got more snow and more ice and more cold weather. Well, after all, it is winter and we are in Minnesota. This winter has been reminding me of how winter is supposed to be in this state. It hasn't really been too bad. It's just been more work this year than others for Lincoln to keep up with the plowing and for me to keep up with shoveling the sidewalk and front steps. We even had to (or Lincoln had to) get up on the roof and clear it off once...and then once he cleared it off, he couldn't walk back up it to the other side to get to his ladder so he had to call me in the house from the roof (thank goodness for cell phones and that he had it with) to let him in through Chloe's bedroom window. She was in bed and yelled at her dad for getting snow all over her room.

January brought the flu to our family...I am just shocked it took that long. First it hit Ashlyn on a Wednesday night right in the middle of supper. She was back to her self by Friday and no one else was getting it. I thought that was weird. I made the decision to bring the whole family out to see Lincoln play in the alumni basketball tournament. Everyone seemed fine so I only felt half guilty for bringing the kids among other people. At the last minute, after thinking I was just going to stay home, we were able to get a sitter (in-laws) and go out for a bit. The kids stayed over night at my in-laws. Lincoln called me at 6:30 the next morning from the farm (he had to work) and told me that I should go pick them up because Chloe got sick earlier that morning...ugh. I felt like the most horrible person on the planet. I was so afraid that my in-laws would end up with it. I got up and dressing and to their house within 30 minutes. That was a Sunday. So, gauging on time...Ashlyn got it on a Wednesday...Chloe 4 days later. I figured Luke would have it on or around Thursday. I sent him to school Monday. Monday night...he was sick too. 10pm and he was in the bathroom every 5 minutes after that for about 2 hours. On Tuesday, I sent Ashlyn to school and kept Luke home obviously. But...I was not feeling well. Oh, great. Here we go. Mine started very different, but eventually I was losing lunch too. I felt fine by Wednesday evening. The only one left was Lincoln. We thought for sure he was going to miss out. Not so. By Saturday afternoon he was tired and had the chills. He was in the bathroom all evening on Saturday (this is now Superbowl weekend). And he really didn't totally recover until just this past week...I think his digestive system wouldn't recover because he just could not stop drinking milk. Now we are past it and healthy for now and pray that we don't get anything else.

I forgot about some of these next pictures for my December post...

I painted Luke & Ashlyn's rooms while they were way at my dad's house for Christmas break....

Ashlyn picked orange and pink.

Luke didn't pick. He told me green because that is his favorite color. Well, I couldn't do only green and I couldn't do the green he wanted so we agreed on an in between green and a bright/dark blue.


I just added this to show that I painted Chloe's too, but I did hers back this past spring. I am just missing the curtains for her room...my mother-in-law is making them for me.

Ashlyn finally lost her first tooth in January.

January and the beginning of Feb. was foggy quite often so it resulted in the fog freezing to the trees and making a think frost of snow over everything...very pretty.

December 2009

February 20, 2010

December went by so fast. It always does. We got a a lot of snow and ice in December...especially right before Christmas. I can't recall everything we did in December except for the obvious...Christmas. Christmas came way too fast for me. I absolutely hate cutting things close, but I always do and this year was no exception. thanks so some late night online shopping and a sister-in-law babysitting (Bonnie) I managed to get it all done. There are some advantaged to waiting the last minute...sales and free shipping.

Ashlyn had her 3rd ever dance show at the beginning of the month and it went great. Then she turned 6 on the 22nd and had her friends over one days and our family over the next. She had 8 girlfriends over for a party...however, she had 12 on her list of invites. HA! Yeah, right. And when Luke came home from his birthday party he was at that day. He was the little charmer. All the girls were following him around. Great. I knew he'd be a heart breaker, but so early? Ashlyn was a busy bee in December. And, my short little girl is finally getting a little height on her...she is finally wearing age appropriate clothes (size 6). She was still wearing 4t clothes this past summer. :)

Luke, in December, was involved in a Saturday morning program at school called Dribble Ball. He LOVES basketball. He is his father's child...all the way. He can't wait until next year when he is in 3rd grade and can start some actually practicing. He is doing great in school. Now I didn't say he was in love with going...I said he was doing great. :) He doesn't complain too much about going...unless he thinks there is going to be a 2-hour snow delay or a snow day and there isn't, then he gets mad. What kid doesn't?

Chloe, by the end of December, pretty much has the potty training under control. I got lucky with her. I have to admit...although I am happy that I am no longer purchasing diapers, I am sad that it is all over...every baby thing is done. I am comfortable in our decision to be done, but sometimes it is hard. I am busy enough with 3 though. She is really growing up. She will be turning 3 in May, but she is wearing 4T clothes for the most part...she is a tall girl.

During Christmas break, my dad & step-mom and sister came down to visit and we decided that after Christmas I would bring Luke & Ashlyn up to them...they stayed for 5 nights and 5 days. They loved it...missed us, but loved it. It was a nice break for Lincoln and I too. Just having Chloe here was a breeze and dare I say it, but a little boring.

Of course with every December come the end to a year. 2009 ended. I remember when I was in high school and they year that would be part of 'future' statements would be 2010. Like, "Oh, we'll laugh about this in 2010!" or "2010? that is way too far way!" Not so much. 2010 is here now...weird. In 10 years I will have a high school senior, a sophomore and a middle schooler...that is hard to think about. :) 10 years ago I was 22, single, working full-time and going to school part-time wondering where I would be in 10 years. I wasn't even anticipating I would now be married for almost 9 years with 3 kids. I never in my wildest nightmares put myself as a farmer's wife living out in the country in one of the best little towns ever! Just proves that no matter how you plan...things can just take a turn you are not expecting.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, 2010!

Ashlyn and her iCarly cake for her family party. 6 years old!

Lincoln on Christmas eve trying on his new gopher (faux leather) coat from his awesome wife!

Christmas day...cousins playing with new toys.

Our second Christmas day (Serene came in a day late due to weather)...all the cousins together.

A lot of snow...