Updates and more updates......

July 13, 2011

Once again...it's been a while. Oops.

School has been out for over a month...and it seems that we are busier now in the summer that when the kids were going to school. Run, run, run...I hope I get used to this because this summer I actually am disliking living in the country away from everywhere I need to be. I drive in and out of town 2-3 times a day for 2-3 days a week. Part of me, in all seriousness, wants to sell this house and move into town. For real. But I don't think my husband would ever go for it. Of course not, because he isn't the one doing the running. LOL :)

Luke started playing on a 3rd grade traveling baseball team this spring and it's been fun to watch. Lincoln is one of the coaches. Those boys play like a real team and they are all great together. We've only traveled to Goodhue and Red Wing and they have done pretty good. They were in a tournament in June and got second place. Luke is also playing ball for Community Ed. It's been okay. The weather and camp have been interfering with practices and it's just no the same feel as the traveling team, but I think he has fun. I am ready for a break, but it is fun.

The kids signed up for the Summer Reading Program at the library and we've gone twice a week pretty much for 2 months now. they each get anywhere from 5-8 book every time we go. They are readying like crazy. It's awesome. They have so much fun picking out books too. It's funny....at Ashlyn's conference this past spring, her teacher who I really, really loved asked if we go to the library and I told here that we have never been there. The look on her face told me she may have been a little shocked. LOL I vowed to myself that we would be visiting there very soon after. I never thought about it. We have boxes of books here at home and Ashlyn just started reading so we were getting there. The end of the reading program is this week.

Luke went to Good Earth Village for camp again this summer. He had fun, but not as much as he did last year. No one else from our church signed up so he only knew a couple people from school that went through other churches and he isn't friend with them. Next year he would have to go for a while week...not sure we can do that. With baseball and the fact that it is a lot more expensive I am not sure, but we'll see. He has been 'working' on the farm here and there this summer usually mowing and he even gets a little cash for it.

Lincoln and I became uncle and aunt for the 6th time! His sister, Serene and her husband, Daryn had a beautiful little girl in June. Her name is Sianna (see-onna) Rebecca. We haven't seen her in person yet, but we will in a week and we can't wait! And we'll be going out there to Colorado in August to hang out with them for the week and we are so excited! the kids just cannot wait to stay and Uncle Daryn's and Aunt Serene's.

And....we will be uncle and aunt for a 7th time this winter when my youngest brother and his beautiful girlfriend have a baby!

On June 16th, we celebrated our 10th anniversary. We took in a Twins game on that beautiful day. It was nice being kidless on a weekday in the middle of the week. I did indeed say weekday. That is a rare thing. :) We are gearing up to go somewhere bigger this winter like...HAWAII. I am so excited. We are going to be broke forever, but life is too short anyway, right?? Ugh. LOL

4th of July....one of my two favorite holidays...we spent the afternoon in the Cannon Falls Parade and then ate some lunch over at my in-laws. Later that evening we went and saw the fair fireworks from our friends' house. It's the Independence holiday, but to me growing up as a young girl, it was just my grandma's birthday. So, to me, watching fireworks is like celebrating who she was. I miss her dearly. I take firework watching very seriously. :)

In a couple weeks the kids will starts their two weeks of swimming lessons, we'll go to Colorado, come back and start getting ready for school. I am having panic attacks and the thought of having to buy new stuff. Luke will be in 4th grade, Ashlyn in 2nd grade and Chloe will be going to preschool. She is in the same class as her cousin, Sophie, and she's so excited.

I suppose I can end this post with more good baby news. One of my closest friends had a baby girl just over a week ago. Hannah Elizabeth. I am so happy for them! She is just a little peanut.

'Till next time.....whenever that'll be. :)

Why?

April 17, 2011

So, I was randomly thinking today about what I was doing 10 years ago. 10 years ago at this time I was in the middle of planning my wedding. We were picking the photographer that I decided after the fact I DID NOT like. (they weren't as neat as today's photographers) We were ordering flowers from Glassing Florist...the best place in the state. I was trying on the practice dress that was hand made by my soon-to-be mother-in-law. I was addressing wedding invitation and announcements to get them in the mail as our wedding was only 2 months away.
Why is it that this is really the first time since we got married that I have thought this way prior to an anniversary? Just because it's going to be the tenth? Is it because there are many days that I wish we could go back to the easier days when were weren't in debt or we weren't making bad financial decisions? It is because I wish I maybe would have gone back to school before the wedding or before kids?
I don't regret anything. I love my husband, his family and our life. Did I think we'd be in a better place with certain things? Yep. BUT, we have a great family. We have a great marriage and our kids.....we'll, I think they are pretty great. I am proud, so far at how we've raised them. Yeah, we're going to be in some debt for awhile. That's life.

10 years ago this very day....I was planning my wedding. And here we are....I've been a farmer's wife for 10 years. We have 3 awesome kids. I have some pretty great parents-in-law, some really great brothers & sisters-in-law and some cute, adorable and fun nieces and nephews.
I have a pretty great set of families myself! :)

March Madness...in February...kinda.

March 24, 2011

Lincoln coached 3rd grade basketball this year. Luke played. The only games they played this year were 3 games in a 4th grade tournament held here in Cannon. (they played all 4th graders) They got 5th place (lost their first game, won their next 2). Awesome.

LOVE this photo (thanks to Katie for all these photos)
This one will probably make it to print and a frame.

#25 - just like his father.

I was a very proud mom on this day. He played well as did the rest of the team and they had fun! I can't wait until next season!

Old familiar...warm fuzzies.

March 19, 2011

Lincoln and I went on a double date last night with some friends of ours. Our babysitters were my mom and step-dad and they came down to the house and stayed overnight. THAT WAS SO NICE! Anyway, they brought their own coffee maker because we don't drink coffee (and the only pot we have is the 30-cup one). This morning at 6 am it started brewing and the smell was so familiar. It wasn't the usual coffee smell that I usually don't like to smell, but it was a smell I remember from living in Kansas. It reminded me of when my parent's came down to stay with me after I had Luke and then again after I had Ashlyn. I had them for a week each time and it was awesome. I woke up to or at least spent the morning smelling that smell every day they were there. I remember when they left my house in Kansas, I went back in the house and just cried and cried. And the smell I wasn't necessarily fond of was the smell that I was hoping wouldn't go away for a few days. It was a rough couple of days after they left each time. The smell at 6 am this morning brought me back to those days and back to my house in Kansas. There are some things I miss about living in Scott City....the group of ladies I learned my scrapbooking from, the couple that we got to know first because of the farm and the people we met through them, the weather....I bet it'll be in the 80's there tomorrow. Our neighbors would be watering their lawns in January the first year we were there....3 weeks later we drove back to MN to -20 degrees. :) But, I missed ALL of my family and friends horribly. It really brought me down a lot, although I tried to get through it as best I could. It was rough not having mom there for the births of my first 2 babies and to help me the first few days. She was there for the 3rd though and that is actually when I needed her most. We were back in MN and she was there. She got to see Chloe being born and she was there the first day back to make supper. Turns out the third child would put me into postpartum depression.....thank God I was back in MN for that. I don't know what I would have done if I wouldn't have been here.
Anyway...warm fuzzies this morning, having the smell of something I really don't like bring me back to 9 years ago. Ironically, it was this same week that they came and met Luke for the first time. Funny how things work out.

What? It's only been 6 months...

March 13, 2011

It's a whole new year! Can't believe we've hit 2011. With 2011 came a new niece we like to call Jillian Marie. She was born on January 11th to Grant & Tiffany. Se was 7 pounds and was 10-11 days late. Jealous. :) So cute. Lincoln's sister is expecting a baby in June. So exciting.
Christmas was great as usual this year. New years....came and is here. This winter has been crazy with the snow. the cold and then the warmer weather has been really hard on our outdoors....the sidewalks are all a mess and I just hope that they all go back to normal during the thaw. We are expecting close to 50 this next week. Whew. The snow has been crazy this winter.

Luke just turned 9 last week. 9. Wow. He celebrated by having a ton of his friends come to the roller rink close to our place. Then our family came over this past Friday night. I love having every one over. Luke is doing really well in school. It's hard to get home to want to read, but he does it because he has to. His spelling is excellent and he is really improving on grammer and English. His math is pretty good too. This is the first year he was able to actually play basketball. Lincoln coached. His 3rd grade team played their very first games in their very first tournament against 4th graders and they ended up getting 5th place. So proud. He LOVES his basketball.

Ashlyn turned 7 in December. She celebrated by having a few of her friend over to the house and her grandma Sharon and grandpa Paul along with auntie Victoria and Josh came to help celebrate. She got an American Girl doll, Kit, for her birthday from her grandma Chris. She loves that doll! :) She is still really into drawing and coloring...crafting. She is doing pretty good in school. She needed to go to a class for extra reading help at the beginning of the year and we just got word on Friday that she can be done with that now because she is where she needs to be. Awesome. We are having some really big issues with math right now. She is supposed to be learning and have some knowledge on money, mainly coins. She just doesn't get it. It'll be some work, but eventually she'll get it. I hope. Ashlyn is in Girl Scouts this year as well. She is a Daisy. I am an assistant leader. And I would just like to vent here quick by saying that the girl scout cookie event this year was really not fun. There. I'm done. She's been enjoying it.

Chloe is growing so fast. We've been spending our Monday mornings by going to ECFE and meeting new friends. She had her preschool screening in February and is all ready to go. We signed her up for next year. She is sure she is going to ride the bus with her siblings...not yet, babe! :) She is very quiet and sweet. She is getting along a lot better with her cousins and she loves coming with me everywhere. She loves her cartoons too. I've been trying to set limits on that, but, she usually wins. She loves doing puzzles and coloring. LOVES stickers. She is also very excited that she gets to go to Sunday School in the fall. She talks about it all the time.

The farm is still going and I and still working at the church. Lincoln's basketball season is coming to an end next weekend and the Gophers...well, they are done and Lincoln is not happy about it. Not to fear though.....March madness is going to be in full swing this week. Get those brackets ready! Lincoln and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage on June 16th. We think we are going to go somewhere...and that is as far as we have gotten with it. Obviously, it's not easy getting away when you are farmers with 3 children. Especially when those children are in school (because we won't go anywhere until next spring).

I'll leave you with some photos from the past several months........take care!

Halloween: Pumpkin Spice Girl, Luke Skywalker & Princess Leia

She was supposed to be stuffing bulletins for me while at work one day...it got quiet and this is what I found. Chloe was sleeping on the job. She's too cute to fire though.

Ahhhhh, December 11th....the day with all the snow. 20+ inches. It was blowing too much to send the kids out in it so I took an idea from a friend and filled a tote full of snow and let them play in our kitchen. (the idea giver put hers in the bathtub, but I didn't want to go to the basement or the upper level.) This is the night that it got so bad, Lincoln didn't get home and stayed in town at a friend's house.

This is the day after that storm. The first plowing of it. I kept up with the snow out on the deck byu shoveling every couple hours, but I just couldn't keep up with the rest and I didn't know how to start and run the blower so it waited for Lincoln to finally get home.

Ashlyn in her party dress from grandma Sharon. This was at her friend party.

With her Kit American Girl doll.

Her cake.

My Christmas dressed kids. this was actually taken a week before on our way out the door to our carols service at church one Sunday morning. This is the only time they get all dressed for Christmas. Luke got a hair cut shortly after this photo...because that is what made me realize that he really needed one.