Connor and Carson's first sleepover

To celebrate Connor and Carson's 8th birthday this year we decided it might be time to try a sleepover.  They have never had one before so as soon as we pitched the idea to them, The excitement started to build.  They each got to invite two friends for a total of 6 boys.  Kaelynn was going to have Emma sleep over too, but plans changed and she ended up sleeping at Emma's place instead.  That worked out quite well!!!! 
This was one of the best ideas for a birthday party- all of the noise and mess were outside.  I highly recommend it for a boys birthday party!  Loved it!!!!!!   

Sam, Micah, Ryan, Oliver, Carson, and Connor

The evening went very well!  The boys arrived at 6:00pm with much anticipation.  It was the first sleepover for three of the boys who came.  Here they are getting set up in the tent:

I love our backyard!!!!  There was plenty of room to have the tent, fire, and chairs, food/eating area, and room to play football, ladder golf, and tag.   

We roasted hot dogs for dinner....

and then opened presents....


Carson and Ryan with a Nerf gun!

 

Sam and Connor with Doodle books (I loved these and they are perfect for Connor's love for drawing and creativity.)

 

Carson and Oliver with a new basketball for our new basketball hoop from Grandpa and Grandma.



Micah and Connor- He came through with some new Lego sets!!!



Carson and Micah- Gotta love those Legos!  Especially police sets!

Connor and Ryan- Bring on the Nerf wars!

After presents they had a water balloon toss and water balloon fight.

We made s'mores and they played football and tag in the dark until 10:00 when it was quiet time. 

Sleep was a bit of an issue.  Most of them didn't fall asleep until 11:00pm or so.  Some were awake until 12:00am.  Sleeping in a neighborhood is not quite as peaceful as sleeping in the woods of northern MN.  At 1:00am Andy received a phone call from one of the boys' dad (who is a Fargo police officer and was on duty) stating that severe thunderstorms were headed for Fargo.  Andy watched the radar on his phone for a while and decided at 2:15am to bring everyone in.  It didn't take too long to get them settled in and they were able to sleep until about 7:30am. 

Breakfast was served at 8:00am- chocolate chip and sprinkles pancakes and bacon.

Parents picked up some tired but happy little boys at 9:00am.  It was a very positive, fun experience.  One that I'm sure we will do again!      

Camping with friends

We went camping with 5 other families Sunday-Tuesday at Maplewood State Park in MN.  There were 24 of us all together.  The families make up Andy's staff team and we love hanging out with them.  We named each camp: Kvernenville, Shay Lucht, The Hood, Rogers Neighborhood, Williams Retreat, and the Honeymoon Suite.  There were 12 kids and they are very close in ages.  They had a great time together!

This hammock provided hours of happy swinging.  You could choose to be pushed in regular speed, super speed, or warp speed.  Most of them chose warp speed and the adults were amazed there were no injuries from it :)

Our campsite was right by the lake and there was plenty of fishing going on.  They caught a few crappies, sunnies, and a couple of bullheads.  It was pretty wooded and there were quite a few rods in a small area, so we did hear a lot of "I need help, my line is snagged."  

This is our second year camping as a group although we added a few members from last year.  The entertainment last year was a big game of softball.  This year fishing was the main source of entertainment, but we did get in another game of softball.  

Lauren and Emma are two months apart and provided many hours of entertainment for the moms.  They were hilarious together and sweet, sweet little girls.  Lauren (left) has a special liking for Andy.  She loves to say his name and be around him.  It was very cute!  

On Sunday evening we did a potluck.  We enjoyed beef brisket, chicken kabobs, fruit kabobs, roasted corn on the cob, pasta salad, cookie pops and cookie bars.  

We had a s'mores smorgesboard.  We brought lots of different toppings including, toffee bits, Andes mints, frostings, peanut butter cups, cookies or banana bread instead of graham crackers, almond joys, strawberry marshmallows or giant marshmallows.  I prefer the good old-fashioned kind of s'more, but it was fun to see the creativity. 

These girls love playing together.  Zoe is a sweet, sweet girl and she and Kaelynn loved running around and looking for pieces of nature to treasure.  

We had a great time and are looking forward to next year already.  We love these families and feel so blessed to have them in our lives.  Thanks for the memories! 

Minnesota fun!

We retreated to Minneapolis for a little mini-vacation with my family last Wednesday.  We drove from Fargo straight to the Mall of America.  Kaelynn and I really wanted to go to the American Girl store and Connor and Carson really wanted to go to the Lego store.  Both were accomplished as well as some lunch and a special treat.  

I was given the American girl Samantha when I was in high school and have now passed her on to Kaelynn.  She is very responsible with her and I love that we have both shared her.  She just had to bring her with.  We found out that she was retired in 2008.   



 At the Lego store there are statues made out of Legos of course.  Here are the kids with Woody from Toy Story.  This was one of the smaller statues.  On top of the store is a huge 50 ft. or more Transformer.  It was amazing!

 Here is one reaction in the American Girl store.........

And here is the other.........

On Thursday we went to Valleyfair.  As a kid I grew up going to Valleyfair every summer.  It has changed some since my growing up years, but it always brings back great memories.  Memories which I am grateful to be able to pass on to my children.  The kids love most of the rides.  We went on a perfect day when it was a little overcast and a little cool.  It was a little too cool for the waterpark so we weren't able to enjoy that, but it didn't stop our fun.  Here are the boys on Thuder Canyon.  If it would have been about 15-20 degress warmer, Kaelynn and I would have joined them.   

Getting our Cotton Candy fix.

There is a ride there called the Mad Mouse.  It is a mini version of a roller coaster, but in some ways, just as thrilling.  There are several turns right away where you feel that you are going to go right off the track.
The kids loved this ride!!!!  We lost track of how many times the boys went on it and Kaelynn went at least 6-8 times.  She was amazing!

I used to love roller coasters, but after I had kids something changed inside me and I'm not so much about rides that involve risk.  I went on it with her to show my bravery and she took me through the whole ride.  I did not care for the sharp turns at the top of the ride, and I told her that I was going to close my eyes until we got through that part.  She just giggled and said, "It's okay mommy, we're almost through it.  Just a couple more turns.  Only one more now, you can do it."  She was so cute.  It wasn't her screams you heard throughout the ride, it was mine.  I took a video of Kaelynn, Andy, Connor, and Carson going on the ride, but it is not uploading very well, so I will have to have Andy downsize it and get it on later.     

 

We got to spend lots of time with Katie and Declan.  He is now 9 months old and is the sweetest little boy.  He is very laid back- he hardly fussed.  He is also very relational.  He loves to sit and look at people and touch your face.  He was really fun to be around.  He even brought me some birthday balloons and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 

On Saturday we went to the Bunker Hills waterpark.  It is a huge waterpark with lots of waterslides, a kids play area, lazy river, huge wave pool, water basketball and rock climbing, and a sand area.  We spent several hours there and had a wonderful time!   

Saturday evening we celebrated most of the July birthdays in our family.  We were missing my nephew Brendan whose birthday is July 12th.  Katie made a delicious cake for us and even got all of our names on it.  Thank you Katie!!!!

The boys received Twins jerseys from grandma and grandpa and Katie and Rusty and Declan.  They have been wearing them with pride.  Connor quickly picked up on the phrase "I'm a twin wearing a Twins jersey."  They look pretty handsome if you ask me.....

We had a great time in Minneapolis!  Thank you to grandma and grandpa for hosting us and loving on us!  

8 is great!!!!!!

The boys turned 8 today!!!! 

Connor- He is a boy who loves to learn.  He reads very well and one of his favorite things to do is read his Bible before he goes to bed.  He really likes food although he would much prefer anything sweet over anything healthy.  We try to balance him as much as possible.  He loves his friends and is a great big brother to Kaelynn.  He is loyal, responsible, truthful, caring, friendly, funny, and witty.  He has found a new love of fishing this summer.  In fact, his rod broke a week ago, so we got him a new spinning rod for his birthday.  He cried when he saw it.  He really did! 

Carson- He is a boy who is passionate about much.  Things he is passionate about include football, fishing, and hunting.  He also loves to read and has very much enjoyed the Hardy Boys series.  He also loves food, but he likes to savor his.  He loves to play trucks, hunting, legos and would prefer to play them by himself.  He is sweet, loyal, responsible, inquisitive, friendly, and funny.  He has a question in his brain at all times and loves to be in the center of it all. 

We love these boys so much and cannot imagine our family without them.  They bring so much joy to our lives!  Happy Birthday Connor!  Happy Birthday Carson!  We love you!

Cousins

This summer my sister Karrie and I have taken the opportunity to do a little exchange each week.  She takes my kids for an afternoon so I can do errands on my own, and I do the same for her.  The cousins love playing together twice a week and it's great for our hearts and minds to be able to go to the grocery store by ourselves :)  Yesterday we spent a lot of the afternoon at the park.  It was a hot day so we found some great shade to eat our popcorn snack in.  

Ava, Connor, Carson, and Kaelynn on the merry-go-round

 There is a great hill at this park that is used for sledding in the winter and rolling down or running down in the summer. 

Emma and Kaelynn are two peas in a pod.  They both love wearing dresses, purses, and shoes.  They love to play wedding or house together and are very good moms to their babies. 


Enjoying a snack!  Ava of course has her mouth full of popcorn.



Happy July 4th! (5 year-old style)

Happy 4th of July!!!!!



Lake week 2011

One of the highlights of every year is our "week at the lake" with Jan and Luther.  This year was no exception!  This year was a bit different in that it was marked with many "firsts".  The first "first" is that it was the first year that it was just Jan and Luther and our family.  We didn't particularlly like this first as we would have loved to have more cousins and aunts and uncles with us.  Matt and Laura and Krisanne and Paul- we reminisced a lot about last year and talked A LOT about what it will be like the next time we are all together again!  

Another "first" was the location.  We tried Eagle Beach resort this year on Eagle Beach.  It is aptly named as we saw many bald eagles soaring above us.  The resort was great with many activities for the whole family and a great pool and wading pool.  They also had awesome ice cream cones!!!!!  

Carson experienced a "first" in the pool.  He was able to swim in water over his head without his life jacket on!  He's the first one of our kids to be able to accomplish this.  He's in 9 ft. of water in the above picture. 

The resort had a high ropes challenge course attached to it.  Jan and Luther convinced Andy and I to try it.   This was definetly going to be a "first" for either of us.  The course was about 30 feet off the ground and was made up of 4 challenges.  On all but one of them we were walking on a cable- like a tight rope.  My heart was beating so fast.  The pics below are what Connor, Carson, and Kaelynn took of us.   I think Jan and Luther got some better ones, so when I get them I'll put them on here. 

To say my heart was beating fast was an understatement.  I think the hardest part of each challenge was the first step off the platform.  It was definetly a lesson in faith and trust!  We were very safe with many harnesses and caribeaners (sp???).  The reward for making it through the challenges was a 100 yd (?) zip line ride through the evergreen trees.  Now that was fun!  I know Jan and Luther got video of that so I'll get it on when I can.   

To start, we had to climb up a large ladder and then climb up ten or so clips in a tree to get to the first platform.  One of the people in front of me had trouble getting connected to the cable so I had to assume this position for quite some time.  You can't see it, but my knuckles were white from holding on so tightly. 

This was the last challenge and the one I thought was the most challenging.  There were no ropes to hold on to except the one right above us.  Those steps were pretty far apart and it was not easy to hold your balance.

Andy went behind me and was a great encouragement.  He did really well throughout the whole course. 

Another "first"- Kaelynn held a fish for the first time.  



One thing we loved about Eagle Beach was the kayaking.  There was a channel that connected Eagle Lake to Potato Lake and it was a beautiful 15-20 minute kayak ride through typical MN lake country scenery.  It was peaceful and beautiful.  

We went to the Logging Camp for dinner one evening.  A "first" for the kids. 

We always go to Itasca  State Park and were able to get there before the MN governement shut down the parks.  It was a perfect day and we had a great time.  Another "first"- We all made it to Douglas Lodge on our bike ride! 

 Oh how I love those bright eyes and sweet smile!

One of the activities the kids participated in at the resort was the scavenger hunt.  Kaelynn and I were on a team together and Connor joined another team.  Kaelynn got 3rd place and Connor's team got 2nd.  We had to find things such as 40 pinecones, a Dorito, a four-leaf clover, an Eagle Beach t-shirt, a Lifesaver, and much more.  It was a lot of fun and the kids were very proud of their ribbons. 

There was a family staying in the cabin closest to us that are on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ in the MPLS. area and we had many connections with them.  They worked with or knew quite a few people whom we knew from our days involved with Crusade.  It was really fun to get to know the Brun family.  They had children similar to our kids ages and they had a great time together.  They kind of filled in for the missing cousins.  They even played the watermelon toss game with us (the pic below).  Did you know watermelons float in water?   

Carson, Connor, and Everret Brun

(Yes, that is part of the broken watermelon on Connor's head!) 

It was a great week!  We are already dreaming of next year :)