A Success

Grandma Loken is all about potty training. Not only babies, but also cats. She got Jacob started on the potty and said it's time for Adelynn to start learning. I was potty trained at 9 months from what I'm told.

I sat her on the potty chair but no luck. A few days late I tried again.

I asked her if she had to potty and she said her famous "noooooo".

A moment later she stood and left a little surprise. Yeah Addy!!

Happenstance or not, she went potty.

Crazy Hair '09

Yup, here is where it all started. Soon after she created the "poodle-doo".

Catching butterflies '09

We were at Como Zoo with Meredith, Travis and Allie. One of the exhibits was the butterfly garden. Seth & Sam were so awe-struck at all the butterflies. I'll need to watch for when they come back.

Seth's Big Pull '09

We brought the kids to the Dakota County Fair in Farmington and came across a free pedal pull competition. We missed Seth's age group so they added him in with the 6 year old class instead. (5 yrs old at the time). He did great! 3rd place and an invitation to the state competition in Hutchinson. It was a great opportunity for us to visit the Stafford's as well. Grandma & Grandpa Loken came to cheer him on. I was astonished in how packed the massive barn was. He had so much fun there. Even if he didn't make the top for Nationals.

Every summer since we've watched to see when Kid Power Pedal Pulls returns to the local fairs so Seth can give it a go again. Unfortunately, Seth has either been with his dad or out of town each year.

Sam's 4!! '09

We had a little birthday party for Sam's 4th birthday. Her Great Grandma/pa Williams drove down from Bone Lake, Grandma/pa Loken, Grandpa Williams and The Stafford's all came to celebrate.

She is so tiny. So adorable. Seth is sporting one if his last summer buzz cuts.

Where on Earth does time go? I love looking back yet it's so depressing to see how time has flown by. You know that you're there but it just seems like its impossible to remember everything. Another reason this blog will be a blessing. Especially since I feel like my memory is escaping me already.

Out with the old, in with the new

That is what they say about starting the new year. We did just that. The 2005 Explorer came home with us in 2009 because of the roominess and third row feature allowing us to seat seven people. Last weekend with Jacob with us, we had a taste of what our travels would look like when our baby arrives. There wasn't much room for luggage and what we pit next to Seth kept falling on him. How would we get Seth or Sam into the third row without climbing over seats? We couldn't easily put each little one by a door, nor have them side by side with the seat being able to pass the car seat to allow one of the big kids into the back.

There had to be a better solution. We went up to Tousley Ford to check out a few vehicles. I found a 2010 F150 with bench seat in the front for Seth to sit and there is enough room for Sam to walk around a car seat to get to the middle.

Bikes? Battery powered truck? Luggage for travel? Towing my parents boat again? We got it covered!

Perks: Sync to allow me to speak actions about music, and phone calls to make. I have some playing to do so I can figure out what all Sync will offer me.

Sam's BIG Fail

Sam loves learning how to spell new words and read. I've never had to work with her on her spelling words. I'd quiz her and she'd get them all right on Monday during their pre-test. This year, I haven't even really looked at her words. Each Friday she brings home an 'A' on her spelling.

Well, until today...

Obviously something's up!!

It'll be my life

HealthEast has been going through a re-organization over the past few months in preparation for our transition to Epic. We've been told a handful of stories, none being the same story from the last. We knew that our training would be roughly the second week of February. Today we found out when and how often.

Looks like my life will be consumed for a month of traveling to Verona, Wisconsin for a week each time.

Nick will manage, I know he can. He'll be ready for a nap when I return those Fridays.

See you in four months

Grandma is heading back to Florida after a two week trip back home.

Last night Grandma, Seth and Sam snuggled into Seth's twin bed together. Sam told me how she was snuggling Seth thinking he was Grandma. I'm not sure how they did it without one falling out of bed. I should have snuck upstairs to snap a picture.

Grandma snapped a few pictures of the tarmac and her taking off.

Her leaving is sad for two reasons: I'll miss her being around and second because I wanna go with. Next year we'll visit. I hope.

Goober Girl

Little miss Addy woke with a sad little face. Her eyes were swollen and crusted shut with green gunkily gook. She looked as sad as could be.

I brought her in to HealthEast and we left with a prescription for amoxicillin.

Chain of events:

Cough & congestion manifested into double ear infection which then led upwards to developing pink eye in both of her precious little eyes.

While at the doctors she explored the large waiting area by walking into every area possible. She made a lot of new friends and was told at least six times how cute of a baby she is.

I missed them!

My three kidlets spent Friday thru Monday at their Aunt Sommer's house with Grandma while Nick and I celebrated our anniversary on the North Shore.

 

They were off-the-wall from the sounds of it.

 

But, they had fun!

Ethan 6, Sam 7, Seth 9
Jacob 2, Taylor 1wk, Adelynn 13mo



Anniversary: Heading Home

Our weekends up north never seem long enough. Friday is spent driving, Saturday exploring and Sunday driving back home with some stops on the way.

Our cabin was hugged by Lake Superior on two sides. We sat at the base of the peninsula, were behind us was a large bay and out front was the wide open waters.

Three nights will now be our normal. We could have taken Monday off of work but then I'd have to use up some of my precious paid time off at work that I need for maternity leave in roughly 18 weeks.

We were packed up by 9am, headed to the main lodge to check-out, grab our $1.99 breakfast (4 Deuces: 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of toast) and spend our complimentary daily $20 at the casino. After walking out with an extra $38 dollars we called it good. Breakfast, Lunch and half of dinner of the day before were paid for. I would have gambled more, had Nick not forgotten to grab my cash out of the truck. I think he did that on purpose. He doesn't like to gamble. Me, I enjoy a little of it once a year, or longer at times. By 10:45am we braved the blowing winds (20 below) and headed south.

Around 1pm we reached Gooseberry Falls where we walked to the middle falls to see the frozen force of the river and then stopped at the fireplace to reflect on our wedding day. I have this picture that my manager/photographer had taken on our wedding day as a covering on the back of my iPhone 4s. We sat on this very bench and listened to the wood crackle from the hot fire. I pulled out my phone and we looked at the back. What a perfect place for a wedding. How many people return to the church they were married at for their anniversary and sit at the pew and remember that day? Not many I'm sure. For as long as this building exists we will return annually, sit on this very bench and embrace our love for one another. The day we became a family of four.

Anniversary: The Moose Hunt

I have been on a moose hunt since we started our annual North Shore getaway in 2008.

Five years and six trips without seeing a single moose. Their population is dwindling from what the DNR is saying, but not enough to put them on the endangered list.

We stopped at Judge C.R. Magney State Park a few miles north of Grand Marais, where we camped with the kids during the summer of 2010. We attempted to hike the 2.5 mile round trip path to Devil's Kettle, where the Brule River splits around a volcanic rock dropping 50 feet into a pool, and the other dropping into a 'pothole' that nobody knows where it leads to. There were a few other tracks in the snow besides our own. We spotted where a rabbit was slowly hopping and then took off as if it had been spotted by prey. We didn't see much for wildlife on our walk but it was very peaceful. We hiked uphill for most of the mile and stopped to overlook the river below whenever we'd hear water raging under the ice. After descending roughly 60 of the 179 stairs, we decided to turn back. My leg was bothering me and we worried that I might not be able to climb the stairs. Although we didn't make our destination, we had seen it before, and knew we'd see it again.

After a bite of pizza at Sven & Ole's we headed up the Gunflint Trail. We were given a few routes which during the summer months can lead to spotting moose but chose not to go those routes since they would take 2-4 hours and my leg wouldn't have tolerated that length of time sitting in the vehicle.

No luck - but we will continue to hunt. Maybe a summer boundary water expedition is in order. Or, a trip back to Hollow Rock with the family this summer for a long weekend.

Anniversary: Northbound

I picked Nick up from work at 4:30pm. Mom and the kids headed west to Sommer's for the weekend.

By 7:30 we reached Duluth and there was evidence of freshly fallen snow. A few short miles north of Two Harbors the roads transitioned to white, and we started slowing down. Passing zones held more cars than the northbound lane. Nobody wanted to be stuck behind cars doing 20 miles under the limit. By the time we got to Lutsen we were the only ones in sight.

We arrived at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino at 11:36pm. Grabbed our keys and headed three miles south to Hollow Rock Resort where our cozy cabin, Goose Down, awaited us. A one-room open concept design where the bed, kitchen, and living room all are together. Thankfully, the bathroom remained as a separate room. We attempted to start up a fire but decided sleep was more important. Our front yard is Lake Superior. Beautiful to say the least. Snow is falling at a good pace, I'm sure the Explorer will be covered by morning.

Today Nick was able to feel the baby kicking pretty good for the first time. It is always fun when he can share in this experience.

Mess Maker

I think it's time to lock down some of those cupboards! It's hard to clean when she is insisting on rearranging my cupboards.

Happy Birthday Seth!

My baby boy
So sweet
So snuggly
So full of love

He's growing into a little man.
Soon he'll sprout up and I'll have to look up to see his eyes.

I love every little thing about him.

Happy Birthday my lil' man.

I love you oh so much!

Early Birthday!

Seth turns 9 tomorrow and we won't see him much at home before he heads off to his dad's for the night. So tonight we told him we wouldn't be able to celebrate his birthday. Instead, he was treated with Benihana's and easing my car in a self- service bay.

When we got home from Sam's dance we kept him busy outside with the dogs. Nick lit the candles and I wrapped his present.

I yelled at Seth to get in here now and how I wasn't very happy with him. The moment he opened the dining room door we started singing. He was so happy.

Oreo ice cream cake, Nintendo 3DS and a few games. Yup, he loves us. I think I got somewhere around six hugs within the next 10 minutes.

My Lil' Mexicana '09

Grandma Loken bought Sam a dress from Mexico. The first day she got her hands on it she put it on. Look at her! Love her look!

House Burn

Living in a small town or maybe moreso out in the country, house burns are becoming quite common for us. Since Nick is on the fire department he is given the oportunity to improve his skills in a safe and somewhat more controlled environment. A homeowner typically builds a new house on their property when their old 'farm house' is no longer suitable. This house was forclosed on and the neighbor bought the house and property to build a large shed on. The fire department received notification that a house was being donated to the fire department for training purposes.

The kids have always been with their dad when a house burn in scheduled. This time, they were home with us. We loaded up into the Explorer drove a few blocks away and watched them do their work for approximately three hours. They would fill the house with smoke from within and run drills of how to move through a house without seeing where you are going. They'd clear out the smoke and then create a positive pressure drill which would entail flames shooting out of windows upstairs, then put it out after their drill was run. The final step was filling the house with bails of hay and lighting it on fire one last time. They mainly stand guard with hoses spraying nearby structures and trees to help keep them from catching fire. If flames were shooting too far out of a window, they'd spray that window to get the flames to maintain their boundaries.

It was pretty neat to watch. The kids were bored between drills so they began to break the ice and expose the cold water beneath. Their snowpants were getting pretty wet, so I'd have them hop in the truck to warm up every so often.
This spring, we'll have another burn a mile away.

Benihana Birthday

On Saturday after meeting Taylor we headed to Benihana's for a special dinner. Seth and I ordered Hibachi Chicken, Sam ordered Hibachi Shrimp, and Nick ordered Steak. Addy ate a little bit of everything. She takes after her momma with her love of shrimp sauce. As soon as our chef came out to our table and began his show, Addy became captivated with him. It is an expensive dinner for a family of five but worth the smiles that continue to grow upon the faces of my kids.

Welcome Taylor!

We've been waiting 9 months to find out if Sommer was having a boy or girl.

Today we found out! It's a Girl!

Taylor Ann Stafford
7 lbs 11 oz

She's such a cutie! Sommer is thrilled that she finally got a girl.

I'm excited to have my first niece.

National Cookie Sleepover

Mackenzie, Sam and Isabel singing their self written song.
Cookies Cookies we love you, how nummy when we chew
Cookies Cookies we spread love by you.

Now that I've taken over as the Girl Scout Leader with for the Randolph Troop 25402 I jumped on the opportunity to take our troop to a Girl Scout event. There were around 60 girls there ranging in ages from kindergarten to sixth grade. They had a lot of fun there with the songs, skits, games, crafts and movies.

The girls settled down around 10pm to watch The Smurf Movie which lasted until 11:45pm at which point we snuggled into our sleeping bags to avoid freezing for our seven hours of sleep. At 7am we woke up for breakfast and said good-bye as parents arrived.

Mackenzie, Isabel and Sam playing Girl Scout Memory

Playing Hedband where you have to ask the group questions to figure out what you are showing on your card.

Welcome Home Grandma

This day has been counted down since Grandma and Grandpa Loken left for Florida back in September. We loaded up and headed to Bloomington to pick Grandma up from the airport. A picture of grandma arriving would have been nice, but she's still a bit camera shy.

Seth gave Adelynn a ride on the suitcase. She held tight and leaned to her left so she could see around her brother and help guide him.

School Lockdown

On December 14th a young man entered an elementary school, then shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults.

This seems to be happening more often in the past few years. On the last two weeks schools across Minnesota have been receiving threats which are putting them in lock-down to protect our children. A teacher brought a gun to her Minneapolis school which locked down the school.

There used to be a time when schools were viewed to be safe places for our children. This isn't going to happen to every school. The scary thing is that it could happen you yours or mine.

I can't imagine the pain those families have felt. I wouldn't wish that pain on any person. If it happened to one of my children I don't know how I'd go on with my life not seeing my children 's bright eyes and loving smiles. Tears well up just thinking about the what-ifs. My babies are my life. Without them is be lost.

New Fashion Statement

I love this girl! She is too cute... She was up cleaning her room and came down wearing a bracelet, her blingy sunglasses, her camo hat and a necklace. She was taking after her Grandma and wouldn't give me a good pose. So I took what I could get.

Dare Devils '09

The first two summers we owned a tube it was fairly easy to make tubing challenging behind the pontoon. Not so much anymore. Slowly we were able to convince Seth to let go and challenge himself. Finally he did it! So proud of his confidence level.

My boys '09

I love this picture. They are both so happy and so content fishing. It's moments like these that I cherish.

No Baby!!

Seth and Sam collected a ton of glow rocks from Grandma Schiller's yard. What are we supposed to do with them? So I put them in a potted plant where they would glow slightly each night.

Now I'm rethinking their location. All Adelynn wants to play with are these rocks. She grabs a few, sits down, and plays until we bust her. No baby!! She's only 12 months and she's testing her limits. She hands a rock to whoever is nearby, we say thank you, and she takes it back. If anything, I hope she's learning manners.

Such surprise '09

I was going through my Shutterfly albums and decided to grab out a few old pictures to help fill the holes of my blogging. I loved these pictures and this is a great way to preserve them.

While fishing off Grandpa Loken's pontoon Seth caught a ton of sunfish. This time he caught the fish through its eye. Poor thing! I absolutely love his facial expression. He's grown so much since the Summer of 2009. My baby is turning into such a grown boy. *sniff sniff*

Adelynn is walking!

She has been practicing hard on her walking skills. At the moment our finger would slip from her own, she'd fall to her butt.

While at her brother's ultrasound she took three steps to get to Nick. Yeah! She's getting closer.

A few hours later when we were getting settled into our hotel room she let go of the bedside and walked to her Daddy around the corner to the foot of the bed.

From that point on, there was no stopping her!

Adelynn's world has changed.

Happy New Year

Each year I try to put together a greeting card to send out to our friends and family. A little of our highlights over the year. I figured blogging that greeting would ensure we could look back on it, rather than keeping a hard copy which would probably just get lost.

We had a great year - two family vacations - one to Lake Vermillion to camp on an island and the other trip to South Dakota and Wyoming. Vacations take up a lot of energy, but are definitely worth while.

Adelynn joined our family, Sam and I attended horse camp for the first year, I took photography at Inver Hills and resumed my life as being a college student. Sam became a Brownie and Seth became a Bear within scouting.