Homecoming

Homecoming is a big event in Randolph. The bleachers are packed and standing room is snug for whatever side of the field the ball is at. All of the kids are free to run with their friends. As a parent, you are constantly looking over your shoulders to see where your child is. It is a hopeless effort with all of the spectators standing around. We are fortunate because Seth and Sam run in front of us or stop to say hi every couple minutes.

During half-time, the elemenatry classes march on the field carrying their banners and showing their Rocket Pride off to the spectators.

Moments

I absolutely

LOVE

watching my kids be so...

Carefree

Young

Energetic

Happy

Inquisitive

Entirely Innocent

I think about how they will one day be teenagers then adults, and starting a family of their own. How these moments won't last forever and how it seems not so long ago, they were in diapers and starting to say their first words. I'd love for those days to be back again. Where I can hold them close to my heart, and sit there and stare at their precious faces so full of wonder. Yet, I'm excited to see how my babies will grow and mature on their own.

Being a parent is so bittersweet.



The Number of Seth is 18

(The Perfect Title)

Written & Typed By: Samantha Brunner

Age 6 years, 3 months; 1st Grade

seth is a prfeckd (perfect) litl (little) boy ho (who) is 20 yers (years) old. seth is a man ho (who) wil (will) be a strong man and his sistr (sister) is 16. he is a man he has a frend (friend) hr (her) name is johana (JoHanna) is a nis (nice) frend (friend) and his athr (other) frend (friend) namd (named) josh

josh and johana (JoHanna) seth and samantha

I wanna help!

We have lived in our house in Randolph for two and a half years. Shortly after moving in, we purchased Screen/Storm windows for the bedrooms and a few key windows in the house since the only window we could open in the entire house was the one in the kitchen; no screen doors or any other means to let fresh air into our house. So far we have installed one window per year (measuring, cutting new window to fit, scraping old paint & glaze off, re-glazing, painting and sealing included). This year we decided to speed track the window installation and just put the windows up until we could come back to them to do the scraping & re-glazing.

I am proud to say that with the window shown to the right, we have made it to two windows this summer! I know! Record breaking!! Four down and only seven more windows to go.

What makes it difficult is that four of the windows will require a high scaffolding from Nick's dad. The scaffolding that they are standing on now has been perched outside of our bedroom window since August. Thankfully there haven't been any signs of Peeping Tom's perched outside.

This couldn't have been done though without Seth's help. Whenever there is a construction or household project (that doesn't involve cleaning), Seth is eager to jump in and help. Nick kept him plenty busy with all the screws he kept dropping.

Those That Give it Their All

Watching their children play their sporting event...

Enjoying a meal with their family...

Celebrating a happy occasion with their friends and family...

Finally sitting down from a long day of work...

Snuggled into their warm beds, catching up on some much needed sleep...

"Beep BEEP Beep Beep BEEP Beep BEEP Beep Beep BEEP Beep BEEP Beep Beep BEEP"

"Paging Randolph/Hampton Station 1 on a {Delta Medical Level A}/{Fire} call at "fill in the blank""

No matter what you are doing, it isn't as important as rushing to the aide of someone in need.

Since Nick joined the Randolph/Hampton Volunteer Fire Department last year, the pager has gone off at all times of the day and night; and at times that aren't very convenient for us.

But really, was it convenient for the person needing help?

Not likely, so it is hard to be frustrated that duty calls.

Just last Wednesday the pager went off around 11pm with Hastings Fire Department requesting Tenders of water to be brought to a shed full of hay on fire. Those who made the call, didn't get home until 5:30am, and then they needed to go about their normal lives and get to work on-time.

Just today the pager went off at 6:30am with the report of an accident with injuries in Hampton.

I looked at Nick saying I planned on leaving for work at 7am, but go, and I'll leave when you get back.

Later to find out that the woman was struck by a car and was killed.

I am proud to know the volunteers and live in a community where the volunteers, every day people like you and me, freely give their time to help others who are in need of assistance, no matter what their need may be. It isn't only calls that they are available for, but a minimum of three meetings/trainings per month along with additional trainings on weekends.

Thank you!

Starting the Morning off Right

Seth's favorite breakfast is pancakes. He could eat pancakes every day, every meal, if he had it his way. This morning I thought I'd make some fun pancakes for the kids.

Seth also at a whale and snake, and Sam ate a butterfly. Oh, let's not forget Nick, I made him a heart.

"Wait Momma, we need the syrup in the picture."

Elko Speedway

The Prairie Lake Scout District held a special night for Scouts and their families. All of the Scouts were asked to meet at Victory Lane to walk out on the track for pictures and be a part of the National Anthem. We had hot dogs, french fries and a pop with admittance to the track. Seth and Sam were pretty happy that their Dad was able to make it for the night as well.

I heard how they were looking for kids under 10 years old to participate in scooter races by Victory Lane. About 20 minutes after they raced, we heard over the intercom "Would brother's Seth & Sam Brunner return to Victory Lane for the scooter finals." I suppose the announcer didn't know that Sam was short for Samantha. We made our way back to Victory Lane for Seth to race Sam for a Cars2 scooter. Seth cheated and took off on "Ready", while Sam waited for the "Go". He had a slight advantage with stronger and longer legs then his sister. The top two kids that were older than 10 years old competed and the girl won the scooter that didn't have a loose handle. We then had to calm Seth & Sam down because Seth thought he'd have to give his new scooter to his sister because he already has a big boy scooter in the shed, and Sam was crying because she knew Seth wouldn't share his new scooter with him. It almost seemed easier to give the scooter to the other 10 year old who got 2nd place.

We hung out and watched all of the races except for the final 40 lap race. At that point, Seth had a headache and said the cars were being too loud. We headed down to the pit entrance to meet our friends Melanie and Dan who were in the pits with their neighbor who was racing. He even let them sign their name on his race car. Sam had about enough and decided to snuggle up on the ground until it was time to be carried to the car. It wasn't her first time passing out. She was out cold during the second to last race.

Belly Hugs

I have noticed over the past month that when Sam runs to me, it isn't necessarily to hug me, but to hug the baby too.

She'll rub her hands on my belly, slides her hands to my upper abdomen, and then rests her head next to her hands. Occassionally she'll put her arms all the way around me.

She has even started inviting her friends to come over and feel my belly when I pick her up from school.

When we snuggle, she rubs my belly and watches for the baby kicking.

When she catches that moment, I hear a little giggle and she places her hand in the area in hopes to feel the kick.

Our snuggling time has definately increased. I hope that doesn't change after the baby is born.

It Wasn't Me

Out of my two children, we luckily only have one who raids the cupboards without permission.

Sometimes Sam will come ask us if she can have a snack.

When we say no, she sneaks (or thinks she sneaks) off to the kitchen to find something to eat.

She is like a little mouse.

You rarely hear or see them, but find the evidence of their mischief later.

Today, it was the physical proof on her face!

Both the puppy dog eyes and the smeared chocolate coating her lips.

Who could ever be mad at a face as cute as hers?!

Mrs. Lori, teacher

St. Mark's Church School is now in session. Since I coached Sam's soccer team, I decided I would volunteer to co-teach Seth's church school class. We have about 14 first graders in our class and more than half of the kids had to ask me if I had a baby in my belly. Good thing I do, otherwise that may have been my last day teaching if I didn't.

The lesson plan for this week was 10 pages. I glanced over them and let Mrs. Kelly lead the path. Next week I'll be a little more prepared. Although, she will still have the video to watch first which will give her an advantage.

Some of Seth's friends in his class are: Josh & JoJo Taylor (twins), Nathan & Jacob Weckop (twins), Mason Nielson, Grace Burlage (fighting cancer) and Samantha (?) his next-desk neighbor at school.

"Sam Bwoona"

The Brochman's live in our neighborhood and have two kids; Owen is 6, and Kyra is 3, I think. They stop over at our house when they go to City Park which is across the street from our house. Kyra doesn't call Sam by Sam or Samantha ever. To Kyra, Sam is known as "Sam Bwoona". I have never once heard Kyra call Sam anything but "Sam Bwoona" it is the cutest thing ever to hear her calling for Sam across the playground, football field, or even in the hallways at school.

Isn't she adorable! And... look at how long her hair is!

He's Gonna Go Pro

It's Flag Football time again!

Today the players were practicing running five yards, turning, and catching the football. As I watched through my camera phone to snap a picture of his upcoming catch, I see the ball hit one hand and thought he missed it. At the same time I heard a few parents say "He caught it!", "One handed even!" The other parents were impressed, and I was one proud mother!

Need a closer look!

After the game was over, Seth showed me how he moved his fingers to keep the ball stable!

Awesome job Seth!

Puzzled

What to do on a chilly day in Nisswa...

Play on Grandma Loken's iPad.

She was able to get most of them on her own too!

She is definatley a problem solver!

Boys will Always be Boys!

Nick, upper right on top of grain bin.

Or... Men who Work Hard, Play Hard

The Randolph/Hampton Fire Department had a full day of grain bin training. They met at Triple O Dairy Farm just outside of Randolph to practice their extraction skills in case someone becomes trapped in their grain bins. Corn and other grains act as quick sand. The more you struggle, the faster you will sink.

The three pictures below were taken at their spring training behind our house at the Co-Op.

The picture to the left shows a man sunk to his waist, Nick, Chris Opelt and Glenn Staudt placing the extraction tube around the victim. This keeps additional corn/grain from falling on top of the victim as they try to rescue him.

After a long day of training we went to Reed Kosir's house to pick up a push mower from their garage sale and ended up visiting with him, Dale Hallcock, Chris Opelt and Jake Toledo.Nick and I finally headed home to get back to the baby's room and heard Reed and Dale say they will see us in a while. Not taking them seriously, we went home and made some dinner.

Knock knock

I was soon volunteered to watch Reed's two kids, Riggs-4, and Piper-2. After saying I'd watch them I found out that I would be watching them at the Kosir house, while the three boys go to the bar for an hour.

About an hour and 15 minutes later the boys got back to Reed's house. Reed's wife was having a garage sale this weekend so the boys took advantage of their play-time before the toys would be sold.

From Left:

Reed on a toy car

Dale on a race car

Nick on a motorcycle

Luckily Cooter was never ran over on their many trips down the driveway.

Boys will always be Boys!

Cruise Night

Tousley Ford was celebrating the honor of receiving "Triple Crown" once again. This years celebration was a dinner cruise on the St. Croix River aboard the Majestic Star.

At 6pm we boarded the boat and were welcomed by smiling faces, lavish couches, fire place, and a big screen tv. We ventured to the 2nd floor to find the dinning area with tables from bow to stearn. As we continued up to the 3rd floor we were not half exposed to the chilly breeze, where the dance floor was being setup. A few more tables surrounded the first of two bars as well as some appetizers. The 4th and top floor was fully open. What a beautiful view! The wind was so strong up there, that we didn't stay out there for long.

We departed at 7pm and started heading south. Our trip would take us from Stillwater to the I-94 bridge in Hudson. We were one of the first tables to start the buffet line. Steak, Lemon Chicken, Seasoned Potatoes, Salad, an array of fruit and cakes. It was 8:30pm and we were done eating. We hadn't yet turned around to head back north and we were ready to get off of the boat. Nick's co-workers in his department gradually seperated to go explore the boat. As we made our way back into Stillwater, we made our way to the exit and patiently waited with a handful of others. As we exited the boat we looked back to see the dance floor still hopping with those who weren't quite ready to call it a night.

We had been gone since 8am and neither of us thought about calling Nick's mom to see if she could let the dogs out for us around 6pm. Chloe and Indy were in their kennels, Muska was roaming the house, and Squirt is never a concern. Luckily, Chloe just peed in her kennel, which is a quick clean-up, and Indy won the prize with a clean kennel. Muska smiled at us, which meant that he was admitting to his wrong doings. He peed in the basement. Oh well... it's all part of owning pets.

Shirt Thief!

For the past few weeks, Sam has been sneaking into our bedroom and stealing Nick's shirts from his dresser to wear to bed at night.

Until one night...

the drawer was empty...

Now what is Sam going to do!

"Wait, I know where one is!"

She runs...

...to Nick, unbutton his shirt

two big jumps to get the shirt off his shoulders

then the next task was to get his t-shirt off him.

She chased Nick around the house until he forfeited his shirt on his own.

It's My Treat

Seth had an idea!

Let's take a dixie cup, sink some grapes in water and freeze it to make a frozen treat.

What I questioned was...

"Why not just freeze the grapes and leave the ice out of it?"

"It wouldn't be as fun then Mom!"

ok then - freeze away!

And the Renovation Starts Now!

Our guest bedroom (aka my walk-in-closet) days have been numbered since we found out that our family of four will be turning into a family of five this December. When we moved into this house we talked about repainting the guest room, but never got around to it. Now that it is time to change the theme from feathered paint and flowers to baby, we wished we would have taken this project on well before my 6th month of pregnancy. The wallpaper trim that boarders the ceiling requires two seperate steam passes. One to take the decorative layer off, and the other to take the glued layer off. Thankfully we bought a handheld Shark Steamer with our wedding money. The prior owners painted all of the nice hardwood doors and trim. I flicked my thumb nail over the painted trim and noticed that a piece of rubbery paint lifted off of the trim. I grabbed that paint and pulled a nice 4 foot long rubbery strand all the way to the top of the door. Great! Now we have to peel/chip away the paint on the trim.

Much of the room has been emptied and our living room became a mess with the totes of newborn clothes, changing table, crib, highchair and other baby things I got back from my sister.

Hopefully I can get our couches back. At least I can still sit in the recliner. 

A Friendly Gesture

One of the girls in Sam's class lost her earing at recess today.

"Momma, I'd like to give her a pair of my earring so she isn't sad."

We went home and picked out a pair for Sam to bring to school the next day. Even though the little girl's mom didn't want her daughter wearing someone else's used earrings, it was still the thought that counted. Giving is a reward in itself!

I had to take a picture to show how Sam hooked the two earrings together. She slid the top one through the back of the bottom one and secured it with the back for itself. Now that is problem solving!

Jacob's First Birthday

A trip to Litchfield to celebrate Aunt Sommer's 35th Birthday and Jacob's 1st Birthday.

We don't see them much since we live so far apart. I can't believe how big he has gotten!

It is Stafford tradition to share the joy of beer with their children at young ages.

Jacob seemed to enjoy Sam's Pillow Pet so we bought him one for his birthday and a fun activity box with lots of little pieces that would shortly become lost.

His right arm is a blur with the excitement of patting his new toy!

Night at the Drive-in

To celebrate the first week of school we decided to treat the kids to dinner out at a restaurant. But then... Drive-in was mentioned and the kids quickly switched their celebration event.

About two hours before we needed to leave, we received a phone call from Grandpa Jim with a dinner invite. We'd love to join you at the Green Mill for dinner! See you soon!

Those lucky kids got their celebration dinner (with Grandpa Jim as a bonus) and they got their movie at the drive-in. How lucky was that!! We were even happy to find out that dinner was Jim's treat!

Mr. Popper's Penguins was playing at the Cottage View Drive-in in Cottage Grove. Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey) is given a penguin as a present. In an effort to return the penguin he was mistakenly sent five more penguins. His son came over to celebrate his birthday and accidently saw one of the penguins. In a jam, Mr. Popper told him it was his birthday present. In an effort to not let his son down (who lives with his mother) he keeps the penguins and turns his high-rise condo into an artic wonderland. It was a very cute movie and the kids laughed through it all. We decided to only stay for one movie since Rise of the Planet of the Apes was on next, and wouldn't be suitable for Seth and Sam to watch.

I miss my brother...

Seth and Nick were gone for almost two hours for the Cub Scout Registration Night at school.

Sam and I had a little girl time and then I tucked her in.

One hour later I hear creaking at the top of the stairs.

"I can't sleep... I miss my brother."

How Sweet!

(Picture taken at our Wedding Reception, April 23, 2011.)

(Seth 7yrs 3mo; Sam 5yrs 10mo)

I just want to jump in that picture and squeeze my grown babies!

 

Our First Secretary

 

We need to make a grocery list.

I got it!

Ohh... Is Cub Foods even open today?

I'll call them!

Counting Quarters

One quarter is worth? .25 cents

.25 cents + .25 cents = .50 cents

.50 cents + .25 cents = .75 cents

.75 cents + .25 cents = $1.00

How many quarters = $1.00?

Four

Here are 46 quarters

How many dollars do you have?

Awe man!

$11.50?

You got it boy!

Whose Ready for 1st and 2nd Grade?!

It is that time of year again! Seth's first day of 2nd Grade, and Sam's first day of 1st Grade.

I don't know if it was because my babies were starting a new school year or if it was the my youngest was now in 1st Grade, but I felt sad leaving them at school this morning. How will I ever be ready to move Seth into a college dorm in 10 years?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth has Mrs. Lindahl who will be on maternity leave until October, so his substitute teacher is Ms. Johnson. Seth was sitting front and center, with JoHanna sitting further to the back of the classroom. The teacher must have heard about their inability to leave one another's side.

While picking them up today after school I was bombarded by JoHanna begging to come home with us for the day. Welcome back to school!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to 1st Grade

Samantha!

Sam has been waiting for this day for the past year. She loves school and is ready to conquor the year.

She got to class 10 minutes early and decided to wait right at her desk until 8:05am when class starts.

Sam's teacher is Mr. Schmidt. He has an orange cat named Buddy.

Three Boys & a Girl

We spent the weekend in Nisswa with Grandma & Grandpa Loken, Aunt Sommer, Ethan and Jacob. This was the first time all of us have been together for the Summer, including all four of us as a family.

It was a pretty chilly for being Labor Day Weekend, so swimming was brief (67 degrees). Seth caught three frogs and wanted to bring them home for pets. Thankfully, Nick convinced Seth that they would die and to let them go where their family is. Seth, Sam and Ethan were constantly on their bikes. Ethan was proud of himself because his training wheels were off! Quick, line up so I can get your picture. Don't forget Jacob!

Jacob was being a little cutie! He wanted to be like the cats and sit in their bed. If it is so comfortable for the cats, it must be one nice place to get cozy for a 12 month old.

Nick was getting the fire nice and hot for some classic S'Mores. Of course, I burnt mine, but it was still tasty! Prior to the fire, he took Seth and Ethan to Brainerd International Raceway to check out the Muscle Car Show and Race. They loved it!

Passing Time

It's quiet outside... What are you two up to?

I walk outside to see if there is a parade coming down the road or tractors. Nothing...

Just Seth and Sam sitting in the grass eating their sunflower seeds and talking.

It's the little moments that make me the proudest!

A Cut Like Momma's

It's time for a haircut! Everytime we go to get her hair cut she asks to have it short like mine. By the time she gets into the chair, she decides to go with just a trim.

 Not this time. She got about chin length in the front and shorter in the back. Sam loves it! I think it's pretty darn cute too! We are also excited for having all those tangles tamed with shorter hair too.

As a back to school treat, Sam and I got pedicures. As a bonus she got her finger nails painted too.

We got fushia with sparkles! It's a little different for me, but Sam loves that we got the same colors. She even got flowers painted on her big toe and all of her fingers.

Careful, I tell her. Within a hour of getting home, her right pointer finger is chipped. Darn! Oh well...