Rodeo

We were invited to go to the Horse Expo at the State Fair Grounds where they have booths, free pony rides and a rodeo. We got there at 6:30pm, grabbed a bite to eat and then were informed that all the booths were closing. So instead we hit the rodeo. Nick was going to take Adelynn home since it was already 7:30pm and her bedtime. She did great. She walked the row across the four of us (Luke, Jenna, myself and Nick) throwing her arms around Luke and Nick over and over again. She'd sit and watch the rodeo then clap when everyone else clapped.

Not so Super Mario Brothers

Seth had Josh over for the night and they decided to break out the Wii for some good ole Super Mario Brothers. They stink at it too! In this game you play together and are supposed to work together to get further in the game. If one dies the other can continue playing while the one who just died comes floating onto the screen in a bubble. They never watched where they were going, often running into an enemy or jumping into a hole or lava. I gave up giving them pointers and just watched quietly as they laughed away at each mistake they made.

Adelynn wanted to be a part of the fun so she'd come sit on his lap or beside the boys and just stare at them.

The next morning, they were at it again!

It wasn't about being their best. It was about having fun!

Minnesota Zoo

We purchased a membership to the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley so while on maternity leave the kids and I could do something fun with our day and I could get some exercise.

The five of us loaded up and headed to the zoo to see the Farm Babies. It was a pretty nice day today. A little chilly but still a great day for walking the zoo. This was Adelynn's first trip to the zoo. She wasn't too interested in anything besides the cute penguins and the rainforest aquarium. We skipped past the Russia exhibit to hurry to the shark feeding. Maybe next time she'll see the big brown bears swimming around.

Is it really April?

I love the snow and how it makes everything look so pretty outside. I also love spring with the blossoming flowers and trees turning green. I'm not sure if we'll make it to that point. We might jump right from winter to summer and then before we know it winter will be back.

Epic Meals

This is my third trip to the Madison/Verona/Fitchburg area for my Epic training. Each night we have the tough decision of where to eat. One of our team members said we needed to try Eno Vino's which is a wine bar and bistro. If I wasn't pregnant the wine bar would have been all I needed to hear to say, ok, I'll go!

I looked at the menu online and found NOT A THING that looked edible. Really, not a thing. This restaurant is the type where you share your plates with your table. Amy said we should go for the Sausage & Mushroom Flatbread and some chicken skewers. Sure, they sound normal but it's the ingredients that make you wonder. The chicken without any sauce was good. The flatbread was like a floppy pizza. Ann had Amy taste the muscles she ordered, then Amy made me try a bite too. Not something I'ill have again. Nor do I see myself eating there again.

Comfort Measures

I brought Adelynn into the doctors office because her eye has been getting more and more pink over the last two days. She grabbed one of her Dahdee's shirts to bring with. "Wait, what about puppy?" I asked. She turned around, walked into her room and came back with both. It's like she knew she'd be needing some comfort.

More eye drops and her three shots that she missed out on at her last well child check were the outcome. She held both puppy and Dahdee's shirt close to her chest. If she can't have her dad at least she can have his clothes.

Out with a yank

Sam has had a loose tooth since September and has been messing with it since. She's attempted to tie a string to it, convince her dentist to pull it out and eat apples using her front teeth just to name a few.

I was washing dishes and heard a scream that I've never heard before. My first reaction was that something was very wrong. Then I heard "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!!" and her little feet running across the house. She stopped in the kitchen and screamed again followed by jumping up and down. This was a much larger reaction that seeing and touching Taylor Swift.

She quickly ran outside hollering "Nicky". Then off to call her dad and FaceTime him so he and her grandparents could see. She tried to call Grandma Loken and Aunt Sommer but neither were available.

Now that it fell out she misses her tooth and talked about putting it back in.

How do I brush my teeth now?

Uncle Time

Junior has been home for a week and has hung out at our house a few days already. Adelynn hasn't seen him much so she isn't too sure about what to think. I usually hand her over to him when he first stops by at each break that he's home. She wasn't too happy with me this time. Slowly that night she opened up. Now she walks up to him, raises her arms signifying she wants up. Together they killed a few zombies.

Seth wanted in on the action too. He loves wrestling Junior. Often times losing. But never giving up.

La-zy

Seth is my child who will sleep in if given the opportunity. He usually wakes up around 10:30am. Not today. Lazy butt!!

Saying Goodbye

When I met Dave we spent a lot of time on his dirt bike at Brian O'Kane's family farm just south of Wanamingo, Minnesota. Each year we'd add a new trail to our miles of existing trails. It was so much fun but I wanted my own toy to ride. After our wedding we bought a Honda 300ex Sport with our wedding money. I know, signs of responsibility at its finest.

Our life became riding. Practically every weekend we'd load up the four-wheeler and dirt bike and head south. We'd ride the trails which led through ravines, rivers and tough, heart-stopping obstacles. One of those was called "The Wall" for many years I watched Dave and Brian go up it as I sat at the bottom. The thing paranoid me! Finally I tried it and was lucky it didn't end any worse. 3/4 of the way up is a lip. Silly me let of the gas to drop my front tires back to the ground. That's when I lost momentum and started sliding back. Soon my front wheels were above me and then behind me. It bounced off the tree I had just passed and tumbled to the bottom of the hill. I walked away with a lot of skin missing on my left shoulder. Still to this day, 11 years later, my scar is there. It's easy to see as it's the freckle-less part of my shoulder.

We continued to cover ourselves with mud until the fall of 2004. Spending time with my baby boy was far more important.

Since our separation in 2007 I haven't rode much. I was excited to be moving south hoping there were trails I could ride. None really as all the trails around here are in the winter through farm fields. Ditch riding is legally limited to a very short time. We can't be disturbing the pheasants who nest in the ditch. Ugh!

I've contemplated selling my four wheeler for other toys more family friendly over the years but it's hard because I have so many fond memories with my four-wheeler. When I ride, I feel so free.

Do we upgrade to a snowmobile? A four-wheeler with a plow for our driveway? A boat? Or just use the money to pay off some debt to get a nicer house? Boat!

My little trooper

I never had to have braces and I'm very thankful for that. Now having a child of my own who needs braces opens up the life of those who do have to wear them. I know my perspective is still from the outside but I get an idea.

So far Seth has had them on since December. He's popped a bracket twice and have had issues with wires twice as well.

Watching him in the chair I feel totally helpless while staff is digging in his mouth with a whole realm of new tools that I've never seen working in the medical field. Using wire cutters and pulling medal inside a mouth seems cruel. Seth only looks forward to two things. Getting his rubber band colors changed every six weeks and more importantly, day they come off.

I can only watch his feet point straight out and his stomach suck in to the point you think it has collapsed against his back so much.

"That's enough!!" Is all that runs through my mind. When he's done all I can do is hug him, give him a kiss on his forehead and hold his hand on our way to the car. He's brave!

Some days aren't so fun

Since February I have been emerged in Epic with educating myself for exams, college-like projects and now the start of lengthy meetings.

This meeting runs from 8:30am to 3:30pm. Much of it is quite technical and not really relevant to what I need to know to do my job. It also doesn't help that there is a two foot wide pillar blocking the slide-show presentation to help make things kinda make sense.

Days like today I hope I go into labor. But, that just isn't going to happen. 8 weeks to baby really means 10 weeks to baby.

Oobleck

Sam came home with a fun little experiment that only required one part water and two parts corn starch. Easy enough I thought. At school they read "Bartholomew and the Oobleck"

15 minutes later I finished mixing up two batches and acquired three stained fingers from the food coloring.

What's so fun about oobleck?
Sam: "It's gooey, kids love it and its fun."
Seth: "You can get your hands dirty in the winter."

Oobleck appears to be a wet liquid substance but when you touch it, it molds around your hand. If you pull it away from the rest it crumbles and then appears to liquefy back together.

The only mess is a dusting where the oobleck separated and dried out. The powder wipes up easily.