The Fargo Fiskins

Better late than never

2011-12-28T20:13:00.001-06:00

~~Merry Christmas~~ Happy New Year? (At least I am early for that one!)

I promised to hold the boys down with force if necessary, trick them into looking in the general direction of the camera and sitting next to each other without punching, pushing or elbowing each other. It’s getting tougher to accomplish each year-bribes and “please do it for mom” don’t work anymore. It’s so much easier to take pictures of other people’s kids.

Now only the mothers here will care but I have to share a mom frustration. I could tell you “please ignore the tear in Braxton’s shirt” but most moms have already seen it and everyone else would never notice it. It’s a mom curse I guess. Neither of my boys will EVER wear a collared shirt. The minute you suggest it they writhe on the floor as if in pain. I warned them weeks in advance that they would be expected to wear one on Christmas because Steve’s parents were coming and we would be taking pictures. It really is akin to being set afire to them. So imagine my surprise when Braxton BEGS to wear his brand new red collared shirt to school the Friday before Christmas break. This is the same boy who has ruined most of his shirts with paint and markers but he just keeps begging and promising that there are no crafts scheduled that day and in a moment of weakness I give in. He comes home PROUDLY that afternoon and shows me that there is no paint on his shirt, only a tiny hole! I could have strangled him. So now as an outsider looking at this picture I see two pretty handsome men but as a mom all I will ever notice is that stinking hole in Braxton’s shirt! :(

Store bought Christmas goodness

2011-12-19T19:08:00.001-06:00

I love these

do you?

we love homemade cookies in our house too

but there is just something about these!

A birthday Celebration

2011-12-11T22:39:00.001-06:00

In honor of Braxton’s 12th birthday we spent part of our weekend at the Waterpark of America in Minneapolis, MN. It is the largest indoor waterpark in the U.S. It is 70,000 sq. ft in size and one of its slide towers is nearly 10 stories tall. As a parent all you need to know is that it is very loud. There are three body slides, two tube slides and a family slide.

As you can see, the slides all curve in and out of the building.

There is a wave pool and a lazy river (which believe it or not, is where the boys spent a heck of a lot of time).

here is the birthday boy

here is Cayden and Brandon (Brandon is a good friend of both Braxton and Cayden and we invited him to join us this weekend.)

here is a view of some of the smaller slides

I think the coolest ride at the park is the Flowrider…here it is empty.

The flow rider is a shallow but very fast moving sheet of water, moving from 30–35 miles per hour, that you surf or boogie board/knee board on.

Here is Cayden trying it out. It is just like the waves-you never know which way you are going to be tossed.

The object is to get to your knees and ride. This is just about when he decided to try and push up…

almost there…up on one knee…

WIPEOUT!

Here is Braxton giving it the college try.

Braxton wasn’t nearly committed to actually getting to his knees. He just had a lot of fun riding the waves on his stomach.

Well we had a ton of fun and I wish I had the pictures to prove it but the lighting was terrible and my subjects were even worse (especially Braxton). The minute I picked up my camera the boys disappeared under the water or around a corner every time. You’ll just have to trust me, he is another year handsome and another year ornery.

Dallas Family Photos

2011-07-19T18:06:00.001-05:00

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

and this is mine.

This is my gorgeous, brilliant, sweet sister Melanie and my handsome, equally brilliant brother Matt. It honestly seems like just yesterday that Matt was a sweet, cuddly, cute kid and now he is so good with my own kids. Don’t get me wrong though, Cayden and Braxton love Aunt Mel too-especially Braxton.

Here are Melanie and her boyfriend David- If David plays his cards right maybe he can be part of our crazy family someday.

Here are Matt and his wife Angie. She is so sweet and makes Matt so happy. She is also going to make Matt a daddy! I guess I am allowed to say that she is pregnant-if not, sorry!

Last but not least, here are Matt, Mel and Donna (otherwise known as Nana and otherwise known as the Mom who raised me). I am not sure how I managed to not get any pictures of my sister Jenny and her family this trip (other than how fast and hectic and a little unplanned this trip to Dallas was).

We miss you guys a lot and it sucks to never see y’all. Love you.

Water, Heat and Dallas (otherwise known as “Uncle Matt is the best thing since sliced bread”)

2011-07-15T21:52:00.001-05:00

friendly warning: there are a lot of pictures in here…lots of fun=lots of pictures :)

We were recently blessed to spend several weeks in Texas catching up with family and friends, melting in the heat we have become so unaccustomed to and eating enough Bahama Buck’s snowcones to replace a glacier. Part of our time in Texas was spent in Dallas with my family. We were invited to stay with my brother (Uncle Matt) and his wife Angie in their beautiful new house. (We may have been a tornado they won’t soon reinvite!) As background information, Uncle Matt is already deemed the bee’s knees, the ultimate in fun who can act like a bigger kid than my own kids. He has a large pool with a diving board in his backyard and we spent 97% of our visit in the pool I think…we almost had to since you could have fried an egg on the pavement. We have definitely become acclimated to North Dakota temperatures but even a Texan had to admit it was “warm”. On our drive between Dallas and Amarillo we passed through Childress, TX where it was a “warm” 117 degrees!

Here are a handful of snapshots of the boys soaking up the sun (and sneaking in a nap on the water).

And here is my brother Matt teaching the boys a new trick…and the boys trying their hand at it.

More fun from our trip to share soon…

and hey Matt and Angie- Thanks so much guys for your hospitality. We had an AWESOME time. Come see us in North Dakota!

Practice makes perfect (someday maybe)

2011-05-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

I love to practice on flowers-they are beautiful of course but they also don’t move when I say “hold still” and they don’t complain!

Still stalking the family

2011-05-26T17:05:00.001-05:00

With the boys at school today, I set my ~~sights~~ camera on Max. Here are two shots from today, both SOOC (straight out of camera) and edited just a bit for fun.

Here is Max on his normal, back of the couch perch waiting for the school bus to come.

(SOOC)

Today had been a very busy day though for Max, full of chasing birds and UPS trucks and he just couldn’t keep his eyes open long enough to greet the bus. It is a rough life after all.

(SOOC)

I took a bunch of flower pictures. I will sort through them soon and share anything worth sharing.

Mamarazzi

2011-05-23T20:43:00.001-05:00

I learned a new term the other day-mamarazzi. It basically means “mom who stalks child with camera”. That definitely describes me well these days. A fellow mom blogger told me about a place that rents cameras and lenses. You reserve what you want and they ship it by FedEx. Return shipping is part of the rental fee. I rented a Canon 50mm 1.4 lens. Steve told me that renting would not help me make a future purchase choice, it would only make me want one now…and he is SO right. I really, really, really want one…but I digress.

I have stalked the boys and the dog for the last few days, taking a ton of pictures at a ton of settings. I think I am even going to rent one again when we go to Texas in June so I can take some pictures of my best friend Tina’s kiddos. The minute I pick up the camera my boys turn on their heels and head the other way, maybe it will take John a day or two to learn that.

I haven’t posted in awhile so I thought I would throw up a picture of each of the boys real quick. I can tell that this lens is nice because I didn’t edit these at all (and I wouldn’t want to).

They both look so old-especially Cayden. He will be 14 in a few short weeks. Where does time go???

(yes, as you can see, their allegiance no longer belongs to Texas teams)

Checking off boxes with little red X’s

2011-04-09T13:15:00.001-05:00

There are 66 days until we go back home to Amarillo for a visit. Notice I said “home”— it will always be my home. We are counting down the days on the calendar.

This morning I found myself making a mental list of all the things I was looking forward to. Here it is:

Cherry Limeades from Hud’s (no such thing as a Cherry Limeade in ND)
Wild Cherry snow cones (again, no real snow cones here either)
Sonic Ice –- the best ice cubes ever (and it does make a difference)
Chicken fried rice from My Thai – my favorite restaurant ever. I ate there 3 times a week, every week when I was pregnant with Cayden. Funny, it’s his favorite too.
Blue Bell Pecan Praline and Cream Ice cream
Watching the boys ride the roller coasters at Wonderland Amusement Park – they have such a great time, you can’t help but have fun too
Chicken fried steak – from somewhere, anywhere would be better than ND. ND puts brown gravy all over theirs!
Riding around in the car with my BFF Tina, acting like teenage girls, catching up on the latest, pretending we see each other every week instead of once or twice a year
Worshipping at “my” church, Trinity Fellowship – I miss it so much. There is nothing like it and I will always consider it my home church even if I have to listen to podcasts of Pastor Jimmy instead of watch him in person

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO, OF COURSE, IS GETTING TO SPEND 3 GLORIOUS WEEKS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Laura

Getting our ducks in a row

2011-03-29T21:49:00.001-05:00

where does that saying come from?

We are thrilled that Braxton was accepted into the same middle school that Cayden currently attends. It is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math school. We have had nothing to complain about thus far, in fact we feel blessed that Cayden has been able to attend and even more richly blessed that Braxton will join him next year. The approval process was based on many things such as grades, state achievement test scores in math, and teacher recommendations, but he did receive points in his favor for having a sibling at the school.

So, schedules are being made for next year’s classes. Braxton decided to take band. We are very excited for him and we hope that it will help him make friends and find his niche in middle school. We went to band orientation night and he tried out many instruments, got a feel for what he liked, and got recommendations from the band teachers.

We will soon be investing in one of these

and one of these!

By the way, keep voting for Fargo. We are up against Juneau, Alaska. It might seem obvious to vote for them because of their bitter winters but we have extremes in other categories too. Take a second and click below to vote. :)

http://wwworigin.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/americas-toughest-weather-city-final4_2011-03-24

UPDATE: We made it to the final two. We are now against Bradford, PA in the final match.

Laura

For the love of Pete!

2011-03-23T14:32:00.001-05:00

It’s almost April and today was a snow day!! The boys are home from school, cussin’ and discussin’ so I sent them outside. I tried to convince them to go out by telling them that it might be the last big snow of the season and they should enjoy it. Cayden just rolled his eyes at me and said “sure it will” (dripping in sarcasm of course).

The funny thing is that Fargo has been making sandbags for weeks in flood preparation and was all set to start delivering them to the neighborhoods but that is all on hold thanks to this latest storm.

In the past 24 hours we have had rain, sleet, snow, ice, thunder sleet and graupel. I will give a prize (ok, an imaginary pat on the back) to anyone who knows what that is. I never knew the name for the type of precipitation until today. According to Wikipedia:

Graupel (also called soft hail or snow pellets; refers to precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water condense on a snowflake, forming a 2–5 mm ball of rime; the snowflake acts as a nucleus of condensation in this process. The term graupel is the German word for this meteorological phenomenon.

They said we got about 8 new inches of snow (although that doesn’t count the other forms of precipitation). We were lucky, several towns nearby got 12-18 inches. In the end, though, it only matters how much moisture was present since it all eventually ends up in the Red River. You can kind of judge how much snow we got based on Cayden’s height in this picture. I think we got more than 8 inches.

you can see how thrilled he is to be outside :)

Now the drift between the houses is halfway to the roof and the mailboxes are nearly buried again.

Thankfully in North Dakota the snow plows come fairly quickly.

Max hates the snow. He tries to find any way, an excuse to not go outside to go potty. I think that a lot of times he would rather go on the floor and take the punishment he knows will come. For some inexplicable reason today, Max loved the snow. He ran all around the yard with snow up to his armpits and then proceeded to roll all around in the snow, caking his entire coat with snow and ice.

Cayden even put a new twist on one of Max’s favorite games—snow ball catch and fetch. If you look closely you can see the snow ball in the middle of the picture. There was so much moisture in the snow that the balls stayed intact and Max was able to bring them back to Cayden.

The Weather Channel is running a contest called America's Toughest Weather City Tournament. You vote online on their website. You can use this link http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/americas-toughest-weather-city-tournament_2011-03-12. Please vote for Fargo. I don’t think we actually win anything other than recognition and sympathy but I figure if we have to live in these conditions, we deserve to win. We are down to the final 8 cities and recently beat out International Falls, MN. They take our flooding into account and certainly days like yesterday and today factor in. So, as a favor to me, please vote.

As you can see, the sun is out today, the snow has stopped, the snow plow has come. For the love of Pete, I sure hope school is back in session tomorrow!

Who is this Pete character? I’ve got a few things to say to him :)

Laura

Hocus Pocus Bogus?

2011-03-19T14:12:00.001-05:00

Recently Max has been sporting a new shirt.

It’s called a Thundershirt. I am curious if any of you have ever heard of them. Before I go any further I will tell you that the whole premise is ridiculous! Any sound minded individual would agree. But, I first noticed the ad in the Readers Digest (and anything you find in the Readers Digest is true, right? Kind of like, anything you read on the internet is the God’s honest truth, right?). I laughed it off and thought anyone who would pay $36 for that was a sucker.

But Max has been having a lot of trouble lately. It started with the snowplow and the UPS truck. He could hear them coming for miles it seemed. He would run from window to window, door to door, barking and shaking. He would continue his “fit” long after they were gone. Over time he started reacting this way to pick up trucks, then vans, then cars. Now he begins his ritual in response to nothing. It seems like he wants to stop but can’t. He cries as he is running but you can’t catch him to console him. He barks until he gets hoarse. All in response to nothing.

I know you can medicate dogs for anxiety but I really didn’t want to do that…and giving Max medicine is kind of what you’d imagine giving a cat a bubble bath would be like.

So, the Thundershirt was starting to sound like maybe it might be worth a try. They offer a 100% guarantee and as you can see below, they also offer two of the absolute cheesiest commercials ever!

I kind of understand the theory that it works in the same way positive pressure works on autistic kids and swaddling works on newborns. Other than that, it all seems like hocus pocus bogus to me.

The things is, for Max it works!!! When we start to see him “winding up” we put it on him and almost instantly he relaxes. His body tension releases and his barking stops. He stops running his race track pattern from window to window, door to door, and lies down on the couch with a rawhide or toy and you can just tell he is so much happier.

In a situation that we know might be stressful, we put it on ahead of time and while Max notices the noise or distraction, it doesn’t make him a half-crazed, neurotic canine.

Bottom line…he is happier, we are happier. Even if it sounds ridiculous and I have no idea why or how it works. If you have similar problems, let us be your testimonial! Try it out.

Laura

By the way, thanks Tina for helping me figure out how to add videos. It’s much easier than I was trying to make it!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

2011-03-01T20:38:00.001-06:00

Life has been busy and I haven’t updated this in a bit so I thought that I would touch base. I hope you can keep up with my scatterbrained conversational whiplash…lol

Cayden had food poisoning from a local fast food burger place. He was extremely sick. He wasn’t keeping anything down and was losing weight. They thought it was just a virus at first and told us to just “keep an eye on it” but it just seemed to get worse. A second doctor’s appointment yielded the food poisoning diagnosis. By then they said the worst was over and the residual discomfort (why do they always call it “discomfort” when they mean “oh my God kind of pain”?) was due to the intestinal tract being so inflamed and irritated. A full 10 days later, he seems well on the road to normal. We all ate there that night and no one else got sick but unfortunately Cayden’s immune system will always be a little weaker than most people’s.
I have decided that I do in fact hate economics…no I mean I really HATE economics. Of all my courses this semester it is the one I work the hardest at and enjoy the least. On the bright side, today I decided that maybe this accounting program is where I should be. I thought it was but today I decided it was. Today I started payroll and I just really love calculating federal income tax withholding, FICA etc. It gives me hope that I will enjoy an accounting job someday soon.
I need some new recipes! Does anyone have any quick, fairly easy dinner recipes? We eat the same 6 things over and over. I guess most people do but maybe your 6 things aren’t my 6 things. So all of you chefs out there, will you share with me?
It seems like the winter will never end here. It will be 15 below tonight and the wind chill all day has been in the 20s below. Weather like this is perfectly fine for January… but for March??? In the relatively near future, however, the Red River in Fargo will flood. 2009 was a particularly bad flood and they predict this year’s will be similar. They can’t say for sure this early of course but early predictions aren’t good. Two weeks ago the city set up “Sandbag central” again. It runs 6 days a week and is staffed by volunteers. Their goal this year is 3 million sandbags by March 19th. I am hopeful that our family can find a time to go down and help out. Cayden’s school will be going soon. Here are two pictures from Sandbag central that I found on Minnesota Public Radio’s website.

We recently took a quick trip to Sabin, MN (less than an hour from Fargo) to check out the Old 52 General Store. It has an old fashioned soda fountain and over 300 different flavors of glass-bottled soda pop. We came home with 9 different sodas and shared them all. Some were good…some were oh so bad. Braxton loved this chocolate soda (and it was SO BAD) and the Jack Black was one of Cayden’s favorites. The chocolate was so bad that I swore I could still smell it in my kitchen days later!

And now, just because it seems wrong to write a blog that doesn’t have a picture of at least one of the boys…

I think this is my oldest son…of course, I can’t be sure since that one eye is all I ever get to see. I am fairly sure that, underneath that mop of hair, lies my handsome son. He thinks his hair looks “just fine” and “just like all the guys”. Funny thing is, I was walking through the hallways at his school yesterday and he’s right…75% of all the boys I passed had long hair and one eye showing. I am not sure how they all don’t just run into each other all day.

Braxton doesn’t subscribe to the same hair beliefs yet thank God. But he does march to his own drummer that’s for sure. Here he is tonight in his VERY orange, WAY too big soccer socks. They are definitely a fashion statement!

Whew! My fingers are tired and I am out of entertaining (ok…semi-entertaining) things to share. I hope this finds everyone well. Don’t forget to share your favorite recipe (no fish/seafood since Brax is allergic).

Laura

I have learned a valuable lesson

2011-01-29T20:41:00.001-06:00

When your son wants to grow his hair long and wants you to love it as much as he does, tell him you do. Tell him it looks good on him even if you can’t see his eyes (because it really doesn’t look too bad) and because he wants you to love it and needs you to love it.

And because he might come up to you Saturday morning and say “you know, I think I need my hair cut today”. At which point you say “are you sure?” as you grab the car keys before he changes his mind.

So, this was Brax a few days ago…

and this is Brax today…

Funny story…everyone kept telling him how much his hair looked like Justin Bieber and that apparently isn’t a good thing to an 11 year old boy (hmmm…perhaps that is why he suddenly needed a haircut). When he came to tell me he needed a haircut this morning he also told me it needed to look like Michael J. Fox. It caught me off guard for a minute but he has been watching all the old “Back to the Future” movies and a few “Family Ties” reruns on satellite lately. He said his hair looked “cool” and since any mother from my generation would certainly agree that Michael J. Fox was definitely cool, I helped him print out a picture to take along. Between you and me, I’m not so sure she captured the “Michael J. Fox” but he loves it and it is out of those beautiful eyes!

And for some reason (maybe God just thought I needed a smile) Cayden walked up and asked to have his picture taken too. That never happens so I always take advantage of it.

I might be biased but I am pretty sure I have two of the most handsome young men ever!

And now, from the people who brought you pummelos

2011-01-26T18:06:00.001-06:00

Remember these?

About a year ago Cayden and I tried pummelos for the first time. That turned out so well we decided to venture outside our comfort zone again.

Fargo isn’t known for its selection of exotic fruit but this week at the grocery store I found these.

It’s an ugli fruit! And, yeah it’s ugly. Here is what we learned about ugli fruit:

it’s a citrus fruit that is a hybrid of pummelos, oranges, and tangerines

slightly larger than a grapefruit but has fewer seeds

the name comes from the unsightly appearance of its green, rough, wrinkled skin

Here is the inside. They are very fragrant. We thought they might be a little bitter, like a grapefruit but they were very sweet. Like the pummelo, Cayden and I fought over the ugli fruit. If you see one, you really have to try it.

Every January, Steve’s parents send us a box of Cushman honeybells. We look forward to it all year. You can only get them in January and February. They certainly don’t have them in Fargo so we get them shipped to us. If you haven’t had a honeybell before, you ABSOLUTELY have to try one. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

seems like I am on the ugli fruit/honeybell marketing team : )

honeybells are a hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit

they are about the size of your fist, have loose skin, and are very easy to peel

they are incredibly juicy-they provide DELICIOUS and plentiful juice

We eat a heck of a lot of honeybells but the juice is so good that we often just pop a sipper like this one directly into the honeybell and squeeze out the juice instead.

Cayden and I LOVE LOVE fruit-any kind of fruit. I guess you can tell that by the carnage we left behind!

My baby

2011-01-24T15:20:00.001-06:00

who certainly isn’t a baby anymore

Lately Braxton has been as camera shy as Cayden is. I caught this as he ran through the kitchen last night. He is starting to look like a teenager which shouldn’t surprise me, he has been acting like one for quite awhile.

A little winter math

2011-01-20T21:33:00.001-06:00

Minus 22 degrees isn’t a lot of fun (ok, let’s be honest… it sucks) but now that we’ve lived in North Dakota a few years I have learned to accept that there are days when the sliding glass door freezes shut (and the dog stands with his legs crossed, glaring at you, wondering why you won’t just open the door and let him out) and days when the frost is so thick on the inside of the car windows that you have to use the ice scraper as you drive.

But today it hit me…22 below is actually 54 degrees below freezing! That’s 54 degrees below the temperature at which water turns to ice…which means that we are 54 degrees away from any of this wonderful (can you hear the sarcasm?) winter assortment of snow and ice thawing!

Sorry about the fuzzy picture but it was darn c-c-c-cold in the car when I took it :)

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…When life gives you snow…

2011-01-06T21:05:00.001-06:00

make igloos!

(would you just look at how grown up my “baby” is!)

By the way, I am going back to school this semester. I haven’t been in school for more than 15 years and I am SO nervous. I hope I still have enough functioning brain cells left.

I am looking for a few ~~suckers~~ scholars to do some of my homework…

Wish me luck : )

What a difference a day makes

2010-12-30T19:43:00.003-06:00

I’ve a feeling we’re not in ~~Kansas~~ Texas anymore!

(if you squint just right, you can see the house across the street)

We spent the holidays in Amarillo this year and had a wonderful time. Santa was good to everyone and we spent lots of time with family. The weather was gorgeous when measured on the Fargo scale-40s and 50s mostly. It’s always a bittersweet trip for me though because I still truly deeply miss Texas. In my heart it’s still home. Our air travel experience was about what you would expect during the holidays-crowded planes and airports and delayed flights. I shouldn’t complain though since we saw firsthand the results of the northeastern US snowstorms. There were a hundred or more passengers gathered around gates, hoping to land a standby seat that would take them home before Christmas.

As inconvenient as our blizzard today is, at least we are now all safe and snuggled in a warm house. We needed groceries and we will have to be “creative” with meals for the next few days. Max absolutely refuses to go outside and eventually that could get messy. All interstates in the region are closed…but the heat is still on, the satellite and internet are still working and a little togetherness never hurt anyone, right? Besides, it gives me a chance to sit down and watch the Vikings-Eagles game. We were flying while it was being played so I recorded it. Figures, the one game we play well, I miss!

Our weather isn’t supposed to improve until Saturday afternoon so we will be holed up here. I hope everyone is able to ring in the New Year surrounded by loved ones, looking forward to what 2011 will bring. I will say a prayer for all of you on that night. As you say your prayers I ask you to remember my very best friend Tina who is on bed rest and waits impatiently to deliver her baby girl.

Love you all

Christmas cookies

2010-12-19T18:25:00.001-06:00

Braxton made Christmas cookies this afternoon. Usually I would say “Braxton and I made cookies” but this afternoon Braxton did everything by himself. Ok, maybe not everything because he sure didn’t clean up after himself!

In order to make things a little easier I bought this frosting at the grocery store. Have you tried this? Braxton correctly described it as frosting in an easy cheese can. They even sell additional tips. The shade of green was not what I would call a Christmas color but it was easy.

This is pretty much what he does with a can of easy cheese too so I wasn’t too surprised.

I am still cleaning up the kitchen but the cookies are delicious!

To Braxton

2010-12-10T15:21:00.001-06:00

my smart, surprising, silly, special, strong, superlative, self confident, sociable, stubborn, spirited, smiling son

the world is a better place with you in it!

Happy Birthday!!

Warm holiday jammies for the cold North Dakota nights

2010-11-26T21:25:00.001-06:00

Just wondering (and complaining)

2010-11-23T20:08:00.001-06:00

Ok, I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

Just another day in paradise

2010-11-22T16:27:00.001-06:00

This is what I woke up to today. Big beautiful fluffy soft white snowflakes. This is our first real snow of the season which is very unusual for Fargo. It was so peaceful and picturesque this morning when I took Max out for his morning “business”.

It was beautiful at 6:30am…decidedly less so now. It is 2:00pm and we have received 11.5 inches of snow…AND IT’S STILL SNOWING. It is coming down at the rate of 1 inch per hour and if it doesn’t stop soon I will never be able to open my front door again!

In a twist of fate so typical of my life, Steve is out of town. Something always happens when he goes out of town…ALWAYS. Last time he left Braxton got a horrible case of strep throat. You can almost guarantee that one of the boys gets sick or something happens with the house or a vehicle when Steve leaves. As we speak the van is stuck in a huge drift in the driveway, the plows have yet to come by, you can’t tell where the yard ends and the street begins, I don’t know how to use our snowblower and even if I did it doesn’t have any gas. On a positive note, Steve is due home late tonight and Braxton just agreed to shovel the sidewalk and front porch in exchange for candy…sounded like a good deal to me!

We don’t have any plans for Thanksgiving thank goodness. It should be a quiet day here. The weather is supposed to turn nasty Wednesday night so I am glad we aren’t trying to leave town.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. It’s easy to get down (I know that for sure) but we all have to remember how blessed we are individually as children of God, as families and as a country. Let us never take that for granted.

What money can’t buy

2010-11-12T22:03:00.001-06:00

Removal of current shunt… $8,220

CT scan… $1,097

Private room at Mayo Clinic… $1,530

New (and improved) shunt… $9,658

Complete surgical success, an end to months of mind numbing pain, being blessed with many great friends and teachers who prayed and saw their prayers answered and a miraculous healing and new life given by an awesome and loving God…

PRICELESS!!!

(this is a recent/post surgery picture! the long shaggy hair that drives me crazy actually covers all of his scars. they only shaved a small section and you can’t tell at all—he was sooo happy about that)

Many, many thanks to everyone who lifted up Cayden and our family in prayers. It was such a comfort. Cayden was once again given the chance to witness the power of prayer and that may be one of the best and most lasting lessons of all.

Update on Cayden

2010-10-30T21:22:00.001-05:00

I took this with my cell phone…sorry, not the best photo :(

We had hoped that only part of Cayden’s shunt would need to be replaced but unfortunately that was not the case. Maybe I shouldn’t say UNfortunately because they replaced the entire shunt with a newer, completely different model. They were also able to determine for sure that Cayden’s headaches were caused by his shunt and not the hydrocephalus that required the shunt. Spinal fluid collects in the brain in ventricles. Picture the ventricles as cups…Normally those cups stay completely full but don’t overflow. In people with hydrocephalus the cups overflow constantly. In people with shunts (that are working as they should) the cups should look just like a normal person’s. Cayden’s old shunt was actually draining too much fluid…essentially emptying the cup completely and causing the walls of the cup to collapse and rub against each other. They were able to actually see this in surgery. Cayden’s new shunt should keep this from happening because it has a valve to control the amount of drainage. His body is having to relearn what “normal” spinal fluid pressure feels like. Cayden can feel the fluid draining now in places he isn’t used to and it feels “wrong” to him. Right now Cayden can feel a big difference in pressure when he is standing vs. sitting vs. lying down. Eventually things will even out.

The doctors at Mayo called Cayden a “champion healer” and an “over achiever”. He was walking short distances just 4 hours after surgery and eating and drinking soon after. He was (and IS) in a lot of pain and ran a fever the whole time in the hospital but the doctors felt he would be more comfortable at home so they dismissed him from the hospital just 36 hours after surgery-days before we figured they would. Rochester, MN is about 5 1/2 hours from Fargo and I am sure it was a long ride home for Cayden.

Since getting home Cayden’s fever finally broke (Thank God!), his stamina is increasing a little each day and his pain has become a little more manageable. He has 4 incisions and those areas hurt of course. His shunt and the area around it are major areas of pain too. The worst I think is his neck. The doctors were able to feed most of the new tubing through the same tunnel-except in his neck. They had to create a new pathway through his neck tissue for the tubing and it is swollen and bruised and probably the source of most of Cayden’s pain complaints now.

Cayden is out of school for at least a week (which hardly seems long enough to me) and out of PE class for 6 weeks but otherwise his activity is basically only limited by what he feels comfortable with. He is frustrated by the pain and fatigue but he is doing so much better than expected. He has handled this challenge with more strength, courage and faith than you could imagine. I am so proud of him.

On a side note…

This was the view from Cayden’s hospital room. The room looks out onto part of the Mayo campus. Our experience at Mayo was 100% positive. Everyone we came into contact with was friendly and professional. The nurses went out of their way to not only take care of Cayden, but also me. I felt completely comfortable there, knowing they were giving excellent care. I would wholeheartedly recommend Mayo.

Hurry up and wait

2010-10-13T20:15:00.001-05:00

If any of you ever need to visit the Mayo Clinic (and I pray you don’t), I highly recommend it. The facility is beautiful and the staff and physicians were so nice, helpful and professional. It is a first class facility. It is located in Rochester, MN. It employs 31,000 people and covers 15 million square feet!!!

We were in Rochester for 3 days of testing and office visits. Cayden was seen by a pediatric Neurologist and a pediatric Neurosurgeon. The Neurosurgeon’s name is Dr. Wetjen and he decided that Cayden will need to have surgery. Surgery is scheduled for 2 weeks from today, Oct. 27th. Cayden’s shunt is intermittently failing; however, Dr. Wetjen thinks that the cause of the failures is the tubing, not the portion embedded in his skull. The plan, the hope, is to replace all of the tubing but leave rest. He may even be able to feed the new tubing through the original canal, alleviating the need to re-tunnel a new canal through the side of his neck, through the chest wall and into the abdomen. However, a lot is unknown, and won’t be decided until he opens Cayden’s shunt tract. Cayden’s shunt has lasted much longer than average and because it is 13 years old there is the possibility that the Doctor won’t be able to “meld” a new system with the older one. In that case, the entire shunt will have to be replaced. Newer shunts also have a siphon device on the end of the tubing in the abdomen. Cayden’s does not. Cayden’s is not draining spinal fluid off his brain and into his abdomen quite as well as it should. As most of you know, Cayden’s growth rate this past year was phenomenal. This growth, plus the absence of a siphon to assist drainage, seem to be the cause of the lackluster peformance of his shunt. Cayden’s shunt is working strictly off of gravity right now so regardless of how much of the shunt needs to be replaced, a siphon will be added.

We feel blessed that we ended up at the Mayo Clinic and blessed with the Doctors caring for Cayden. Cayden knows that God is in charge, always but he is still anxious of course. For now, I am trying to keep him busy, keep his mind otherwise occupied, while we hurry up and wait for Oct. 27th.

By the way, for anyone who wondered, this is what the actual shunt looks like. The ventricular catheter is the end actually fed through a burr hole into the brain. The shunt valve is just under the scalp, at the top of the burr hole. It is the only part you can see and feel on Cayden.

Maplewood State Park, Minnesota

2010-10-02T20:21:00.001-05:00

Proof God Loves Us

2010-10-01T22:14:00.001-05:00

Don’t you

just

LOVE

Fall?

Yep, I am quite sure that we need only to look outside right now to know God loves us. The weather is gorgeous, the leaves are changing and it is still warm enough and light enough for the boys to spend their evenings outside. God has a sense of humor though…we have a frost/freeze warning tonight with a forecast low of 35. However, the weatherman assures us that we still have plenty of sunny, 60 degree afternoons to come (and you know they are always right).

Steve and I took a day trip to a state park in Minnesota recently to photograph the fall foliage. We had a nice quiet afternoon (the boys were with friends) and I took a ton of pictures. 98% of them were horrid but I think I have a few worth sharing…I will try to put some up here soon.

Have map, will travel

2010-09-05T22:24:00.001-05:00

Our family spent Sunday exploring the countryside of North Dakota. Steve and I have always loved getting in the car and driving with no particular plan or direction. I am not sure the boys have discovered our love for exploring the roads but they are forced to participate…lol. Today we drove about 200 miles…little of it on the highway, most of it in the middle of nowhere. We found towns like Marion, ND (population 146) and Verona,ND (population 108) and dozens of farmhouses that have likely seen many generations.

It was a great afternoon…we only had one problem…

the sunflowers in the field were not the cause…

the soybeans yet to harvest were not the cause…

even the corn was not at fault…

this was definitely the culprit

Hay bales in the afternoon certainly mean Benadryl, eye drops and breathing treatments for bedtime.

Looking back, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea…lol

Before

2010-09-04T22:47:00.001-05:00

I have the best Dad. He knows how much I love flowers. This week (just for no reason-see, he is the best Dad) he sent me these flowers.

He also sent me a link to an article about how to dry flowers at home. Most of you know that I can kill any plant (even the ones people give you and say “oh this one is so hardy even you can’t kill it”) but I figure maybe that talent will come in handy for this project.

Speaking of projects…you know I can’t have flowers and not take pictures. My kids run in terror when they see the camera but flowers can’t do that. They sit there patiently while I take 20 shots of each flower from every angle only to decide that none of those shots are any good. I decided to use this opportunity to take before and after pictures of my flowers. I thought it would be fun to compare them later. When the winds turn cold and everything green in North Dakota is buried under a foot of new fallen snow, I will be enjoying my summer flowers…and I will photograph them once again.

A Heckuva good night

2010-09-01T22:39:00.001-05:00

Last night Steve’s IT department had a cookout/potluck at one of the nicest parks in Fargo. The weather was gorgeous (lately we have had too many days in the 90s with humidity so high that your glasses fog over). The mosquitoes are still a horrible nuisance but there was enough breeze to slow them down a bit. The park rents out various types of bikes and surreys and the boys have always wanted to try one. It seemed like a perfect night (and school had started that day) so I let them try. They each took a “banana peel” bike and explored the park via bike path. They had a blast and I just love this picture of them.

Fried, mashed, baked or au gratin

2010-08-28T22:35:00.001-05:00

We spent a very hot afternoon in Barnesville, MN at Potato Days. I didn’t realize it but the Barnesville area is touted as one of the best potato producing areas in the country. The festival dates back to the 1930s and includes potato picking and peeling contests, horse drawn wagon rides, a strong man competition and even a pageant called Little Miss Tator Tot. It’s definitely small town America! They serve potatoes in any way you could imagine-potato dumplings, potato soup, potato pancakes and lefse. Lefse (for all of you non-North Dakotans) is a Norwegian pastry made of potatoes, flour, butter and cream. It is delicious with butter and sugar.

There was also a mashed potato eating contest for the kids. Most of them decided to use their hands.

I love this boy’s expression… “what have I done?” I am not sure if he wanted to give up or throw up.

They also had a mashed potato sculpting contest for kids and adults. They had 30 minutes to complete their sculptures. The kids’ table had a lot of snowmen at the end of the 30 minutes but the adults were pretty creative.

Pretty amazing what you can do with potatoes!

A tribute to the fading summer

2010-08-21T20:54:00.001-05:00

Summers in Fargo probably come to an end earlier than your summers. While the afternoon sun is still hot and the winds were calm I wanted to take a few pictures that will brighten my days during the winter ahead. I love to photograph flowers but it seems to be equal parts inspiration and talent-and I’m still lacking in one of those. I was pretty happy with how these turned out though.

A beautiful garden

2010-08-17T20:58:00.001-05:00

The temperature this past weekend was so nice we decided to take an afternoon trip. Recently I saw a story on the news about Rainbow Garden in Mayville, ND. Mayville is less than 2 hours from Fargo and I am always looking for a place to take some pictures so we decided to check it out.

The garden has 7 themes (like English garden and Children’s Playhouse), volunteers tend to the garden and they encourage visitors to cut and take flowers home with them.

Tons of butterflies everywhere!

There were rocking chairs, swings and hammocks for anyone who wanted to stop and enjoy the surroundings.

Tic tac toe on the lawn.

There were sculptures throughout the gardens.

Some colors were very vibrant….

and some were more muted…

but this picture is my favorite!

Oh, what a glorious day

2010-08-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

Today was Braxton’s school registration day. You know, find out who your teacher is, fill out reams of forms, say hi to the guys you haven’t seen since school let out. The (wonderful) PTA here pre buys all the school supplies, boxes them up and you pay them a fixed (and reduced) price for everything. It saves you from having to visit 4 stores to find the exact 32 box of crayons listed…lol. I do actually love to shop for school supplies but I still get to do that for Cayden.

I got off track a bit…the glorious part of the day was when I got to LABEL ALL OF THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!!!

I lovingly took her out of the drawer, dusted her off and put her to work!

( my good and faithful friend)

I didn’t think my day could get any better until I read a class memo that said each and every marker, pen, pencil and crayon needed to be labeled.

Boy was I blessed or what?!

Brothers and Friends (more Texas fun)

2010-07-14T21:22:00.003-05:00

Cayden and Braxton are completely different kids. They have completely different interests and spend most of their time either playing separately or trying to convince each other to do what they want them to do…leads to a fair amount of arguing…lol.

I was a little concerned how this would all play out in Texas. They only had each other so I knew it would go really good or really bad. I must say that they did really well. They found ways to have fun together…however, when you combine the hot Texas sun and a water hose you really can’t go wrong.

(this one is for you Tina…this moment is why John needs a brother)

we miss y’all :)

“B” for Brax

2010-07-10T21:24:00.001-05:00

Getting along…for once

2010-07-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

Fun with textures

2010-07-06T21:50:00.001-05:00

I have seen some really cool pictures where textures have been added to achieve a desired effect. Here are my first attempts. It’s harder than it would seem…lol

I tried to achieve an old photo effect here.

This one is an attempt at something resembling an oil painting.

I’ll keep working on…you guys try your hand at it and share with me.

The Fourth of July

2010-07-05T15:51:00.001-05:00

I love, love fireworks. I love the beautiful colors, the deafening sound and the way the ground vibrates. But every year when the fireworks stop and all around is a curtain of smoke, my thoughts wander.

Is this what a battlefield must have looked like when our soldiers of long ago tried to seek cover from canon fire? As gunfire crackles today are our soldiers surrounded by similar plumes of smoke?

How can a mother, a father, a son or daughter step between the enemy and me? How can they risk their life to save the lives of people they don’t know and probably never will? I will never understand it I guess but I sure as Hell appreciate it.

Today I heard a song that many of you have probably already heard but I wanted to post some lyrics. It is a song by Toby Keith and it makes me cry every time.

You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door,
Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, hey I'm true down to the core,
And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price,
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice,
Oh, and I don't want to die for you,
But if dying's asked of me,
I'll bear that cross with an honor,
'Cause freedom don't come free.
I'm an American Soldier, an American,
Beside my Brothers and my Sisters I will proudly take a stand.
When liberty's in jeopardy I'll always do what's right.
I'm out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight.
American Soldier,
I'm an American Soldier.

I know we all probably pray for our soldiers on the 4th of July but I am asking you to remember to do it everyday.

A True Texas Cowboy

2010-07-03T17:15:00.001-05:00

Braxton begged for a new pair of cowboy boots during our recent trip. He is so picky that it was nothing short of an act of Congress to find the perfect boots. But like any good cowboy he never took them off…he wore them with his shorts, he wore them with his pajama pants and he even slept in them the first night.

Family pics

2010-07-03T14:04:00.001-05:00

(For some reason I didn’t get a picture with both of Steve’s parents. I will have to get a copy from them. As you can tell Cayden was definitely not into having pictures taken that day-maybe it’s that new teenage thing…lol. The lighting wasn’t great that day so I tried some of these in B/W and some in color. I love B/W anyway so it gave me a good excuse.)

Texas part 3 (pool party at Nana’s)

2010-06-26T22:24:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip. The boys had a great time with Uncle Matt. He is a bigger kid than they are.

(I usually have more pictures of Cayden than Braxton but for some reason Braxton was unusually willing to pose for me so I took advantage.)

No Nana pool party would be complete without a water gun fight. She even bought a new arsenal of guns just in time for our visit.

Steve had to join in the water gun fun too of course.

You can tell by the devious look he was up to no good.

The other favorite game of the day-trying to ride the beach ball. Many tried, no one succeeded.

It was so hard to leave Dallas! We love you guys!!

Texas part 2

2010-06-25T20:50:00.001-05:00

It is about 1100 miles from West Fargo to Dallas…but when you miss your family and haven’t seen them in several years, it feels like Dallas is on another planet. We were so excited to spend a weekend with my family during our trip. We ate a lot of great food, relaxed by the pool and tried to catch up with everyone.

This is my brother Matt and his wife Angie. They have been married a year already and we had not met Angie until this trip. Thanks guys for inviting us into your beautiful home and cooking us a wonderful dinner! The boys LOVE Uncle Matt and always have…he lived with us for a time when the boys were young. The funny thing is, it seems like literally yesterday that Matt was just a kid.

This is my sister Melanie and her boyfriend David. She is such a strong, independent, smart, beautiful person (inside and out) and I am so proud that she is my sister. She also just passed her CPA exam!!

This is my sister Jenny and her husband Shannon. Jenny and I are close in age. We helped each other survive high school and tried to keep each other out of trouble-no small job! Too many miles between us and too hectic lives keep us out of touch but it was good to get together and catch up.

We spent most of the weekend in Nana’s pool. I will try to wade through those pictures next and post soon.

Texas part 1

2010-06-24T22:58:00.001-05:00

Did you miss us?

We were in Texas! The boys and I spent the last two weeks in Texas. Steve spent the first week with us but had to come back to work. We spent most of our time in Amarillo but did get to spend a weekend in Dallas. I have tons of pictures to share.

I was so glad to get the chance to spend some time with my best friend Tina. It is so hard to have a long distance friendship but when we get together again it somehow seems like we have never been apart. She makes me laugh, and cry, and she encourages me, and she gives me a kick in the butt when I need it. John is so grown up, so stinkin cute. The boys loved playing big brother to John, especially Cayden. Tina and I took the boys to Wonderland Park amusement park. God blessed us with an unusually cool night and we had a blast. Cayden took John on all the kiddie rides and I am not sure who had more fun.

It’s good to be back home but looking through all the pictures I took in Texas makes me miss my “real home”. Funny, but you just can’t take the Texas out of the girl.

Texas part 2 coming soon.

Hunting and Fishing

2010-06-06T16:56:00.001-05:00

There are two new past times in our house. One involves something I swore on many occasions would never enter our house.

Air soft guns.

The guns shoot small plastic bullets. The “official” purpose of the guns is target practice…the unofficial idea of course is that the kids are the targets. Steve and I asked around and did lots of research before giving in. So far, the boys are good about wearing goggles. The neighborhood boys meet up for air soft wars but the boys swear the bullets don’t hurt when you get shot. It’s still not my favorite idea but the boys are getting older and I am attempting to “live and let go”.

The other new activity is much safer.

The boys love to fish and don’t get to do it as often as they would like. Braxton, in all his ingenuity, found a substitute. Steve and the boys often sit in the driveway and “fish” with washers not hooks. They try to see who can get the farthest or who can hit the mail box. It’s nice peaceful fun for our gorgeous Fargo evenings…and good practice casting for the next real fishing trip.

Hope you are enjoying your summer too.

Recent pictures of the boys (and Max)

2010-06-06T16:20:00.001-05:00

Braxton

2010-06-03T12:45:00.001-05:00

Braxton is feeling

a little

BLUE!

He passed his blue belt test for Taekwondo last night. It was a hard test and he had to work very hard. He is now on a definite time schedule for testing. He has 12 weeks to complete his blue level skills. Once he does he will become a purple belt…once you are a purple belt you train right beside the black belts and and I know he is looking forward to that. He will compete in his first tournament in early fall.

On a side note, we are headed for Texas soon. I am working on another post and hope to have it up soon but things are starting to get kind of crazy here.

Finally

2010-05-16T12:51:00.001-05:00

She got lost.

She took a few detours.

She was starting to make us worry.

But, Spring, well….she’s finally here!

The grass is green, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping (and unfortunately the mosquitoes are biting). It was a perfect night for our first Spring fire.

Ingredients for a night of fun:

The end result:

As you can tell, the “magic”sticks weren’t so magic after all. The effect was oh so subtle but the boys have been wanting to try them since last fire season. If you squinted just right, stood on one foot and crossed your fingers you could see blue every now and then. Of course the boys abandoned Steve with the fire before the marshmallows even had time to settle in their stomachs but at least he had some nice quiet moments to himself by the fire.

All in all, it was a nice May evening. We may even get up to 80 degrees this week!

Still Kicking Butt

2010-04-06T17:07:00.001-05:00

In my blogging absence Braxton has continued to excel at Taekwondo. He has moved to the advanced class and has started working on intermediate level skills. He still loves it and it keeps him focused and disciplined (well maybe not at home…lol).

I can’t take the “credit” or the criticism for these pictures. I know they are blurry but a friend offered to take them for me and I was grateful for the offer.

Since last update, Braxton attained the rank of yellow belt…

and then, green belt.

As part of his green belt test Braxton had to complete a series of sparring drills by throwing an adult instructor over his shoulder. He was nervous about doing it but he did it perfectly.

Braxton may be small but he is definitely powerful.

On a side note, I am starting to feel a bit better and promise to do better at keeping up the blog.

Frozen Tundra Science Fun

2010-02-24T13:43:00.001-06:00

Boil one cup of water. Go outside and toss the water up into the air away from your body.

If the temperature is cold enough (minus 20 in this case), this is what happens.

As the boiling water meets the cold air, it instantly vaporizes. Most of it is turned into a cloud of steam that drifts gently away and some of the droplets that stay together are instantly turned into small pieces of ice that can be seen streaking down towards the bottom left in this photograph.

And all you’re left with is a cloud of water vapor.

Pretty cool, huh?

Max’s new adversary

2010-02-19T15:28:00.001-06:00

A new dog moved in recently across the street. It didn’t take Max long to notice…and by notice I mean became engrossed, absorbed and completely fascinated.

The first time I let him out I didn’t pay much attention to his puffed up bravado barking…his first rival is the snowplow after all. Eventually I stepped out onto the deck to see who or what he was barking at. I didn’t notice much out of place. It was a bit hard to get him back inside but he did come in and I forgot about it. The next morning was another story. After listening to Max’s ~~ferocious~~ hyperactive yippy barking I decided to go outside and see if I could figure out what the problem could be. I found him stalking his “prey”.

Can you see his “prey’? Yep, that’s it, the Coldwell Banker sign dog! Max is furious that Coldwell dog moved into his territory and he spends a large part of his day now “telling off” Coldwell.

Today, out of desperation, I took Max on a walk to meet Coldwell. I erroneously thought that he might realized A) Coldwell was a sign or

B) Coldwell was friendly. Unfortunately, Coldwell never backed down from the confrontation, Max still isn’t too happy and I have a nice deep scratch on my foot from where I tried to come between the dogs. Jeez, I hope they sell that house soon!

Try something new

2010-02-13T23:03:00.001-06:00

Have you ever eaten one of these??

It’s not a grapefruit. Its rind is much thicker.

It is the largest citrus fruit and typically weighs about 2-3 pounds.

It tastes like a sweeter version of a grapefruit and does not have any of the grapefruit’s bitter taste.

It’s a pummelo!

The membrane around the segments is bitter and very tough but the flavor of the fruit is wonderful. Cayden and I love them. I am not sure of the availability in your area but they are seldom available in Fargo. Anytime Cayden and I see one, we grab it.

If you come across one, take it home and try it. You’ll love it!

Sun Dogs

2010-02-09T22:00:00.001-06:00

Driving home this morning after taking Braxton to school I saw the most amazing sun dogs. I see them fairly often in the winter but these were just awesome.

I am not sure I remember ever seeing sun dogs in Texas. In case you don’t see them often, they are formed when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals.

Just one of those beautiful things God gives as a consolation for living in the Frozen Tundra!

Target Practice

2010-02-07T05:46:00.001-06:00

I admit it, I hate Walmart. Yes, we still go to Walmart because many times it is really the only place that has what we need. However, just saying “Walmart” makes me tense and irritable. We even have a brand new Super Walmart close to our house. It is clean and never crowded. The experience is much nicer than most Walmarts.

But….I LOVE Target! I would rather go to Target any day. Our Target is old, kind of dingy and the aisles are way too close to each other but man I love it.

I would rather go to Target any day. Our Target is old, kind of dingy and the aisles are way too close to each other but man I love it.

Everything at Target is bright, cheerful and colorful and it makes he happy to browse in their store. You see, I have realized that I am a colorful kind of girl. For the first 38 years of my life I gravitated to black, brown and occasionally red when buying anything, especially clothes. I would have rather been burned alive on the county courthouse steps than wear orange or lime green. (I’m getting off track, bear with me) Recently I discovered that I was hiding the real me, that loves orange, lime green, yellow, and pink. Somewhere in there was a girly girl. Anyway, Target aisles seem to be just full of those colors.

Braxton and I usually go to Target every Sunday. I stock up on a few basics and spend a couple of hours with Braxton. He loves to get out of the house and will browse willingly through any store but he enjoys Target too. Braxton does know that he always gets a “reward” at the end of shopping. Every week we stop at the Target cafeteria and get an Icee (and a pretzel too).

Now if I love Target, I LOVE Icees. It takes me right back to my childhood. I used to go to Kmart with my Mom and she would also buy me an Icee. I am not a big fan of the blue or red ones (the ones that Braxton drinks/wears). I only want Coke Icees…or at least until recently. Target has had Dr. Pepper Icees lately and those are really good. I am glad Braxton and I get to share something as simple as Icees every Sunday because they truly are connected to some really happy memories in my childhood.

That being said, an Icee is no substitute for a 7-11 Slurpee. Man Oh Man do I miss Slurpees. The texture is different, better. I took 7-11s for granted when we lived in Texas. Even though there isn’t a 7-11 in Amarillo, there was one just down the street from my family’s house in Dallas.

Unfortunately the closest 7-11 to Fargo is 183.56 miles away in Mannitoba, Canada. That means you need a passport to enjoy a Slurpee! We are hoping to visit Winnipeg this spring or summer to check out the Peace Garden. You can bet I will find a Slurpee!

For what it’s worth

2010-02-07T05:18:00.001-06:00

to laugh often and much,

to win the respect of intelligent

people and the affection of children,

to earn the appreciation of honest

critics and endure the betrayal

of false friends,

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others,

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch…

to know even one life has breathed

easier because you have lived.

this is to have succeeded!

-Emerson

God Bless Dr. Spencer Silver

2010-02-04T20:05:00.001-06:00

Do you know who Dr. Spencer Silver is?

Dr. Silver was a research scientist working at 3M who developed the adhesive now used on post it notes…and thereby became practically a saint in my book.

You may have read about my passion for pens but my insane office supply obsession also includes post it notes. I am a list maker. I truly do make lists that include “make a list” just so I can cross off the first entry. Lists keep me focused, they keep me happy. The only thing better than a list written on a sheet of notebook paper is the same list written on post it notes. Instead of crossing something off my list I am able to take down one post it note, hold it in my hands and say “DONE!” and crumple it up. It’s a great feeling. Does that make me weird? Don’t answer that.

In my house the post it notes live on my kitchen cabinets. They are right where I can see them but yet out of the way. As you can see I have many colors of post it notes (organized by category of course…lol)

Recently I came across something that made me weak in the knees, giddy really. They make blog post it notes. With basically just one click you can create a post it note and post it to a blog. It combines two of my favorite things, blogging and list making.

There are actually a ton of folks in the blogging community who take part in “Post it note Tuesdays”. The post its can be lighthearted, notes to self, to do lists or even notes left for others. I spent a little time reading some that were out there and they were tons of fun. I would love to join in the fun if any of you want to play along on your blog. All you have to do is go to www.wigflip.com/superstickies. You create your post it note and save it to your computer as a jpg.

Here’s what was on my mind tonight. What’s on yours?

Let me introduce you to my new best friend

2010-02-01T22:00:00.001-06:00

That’s right, my new best friend is Alice, as in www.alice.com. If you haven’t heard about it yet you have to check it out. (Thanks Dad for the introduction)

Alice allows you to shop for household items (other than food) that you might otherwise get at Walmart. They have toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaners, over the counter medicines, dog food and TONS of other things. The first time you log in you have to create your personal shopping list and I will admit that it is a pretty arduous task (it took about 2 hours but you don’t have to do it all at once). You choose the products you use and choose the brands and sizes you usually need. It puts all of those products on a virtual store shelf like you see below. When it’s time to order you just click on the product you need and drag it over to the cart on the right.

Alice keeps track of manufacturer’s coupons too and automatically gives you any that apply to your purchase. But, the best part is that shipping is FREE.

During the winter we often order our groceries online and have them delivered. You can’t beat it when it’s 25 below and blowing snow but the grocery store doesn’t have everything I need and even if they did the prices wouldn’t be nearly as cheap as what I find on Alice. I know not everyone has to contend with horrible weather but everyone has obstacles to getting to the store…working a lot of overtime, 3 school age kids with 15 after school activities, a toddler that hates shopping and makes you hate it too, etc.

I realize that it sounds like this is a paid endorsement for Alice (it’s not) and I am usually not one to get all gushy about things like this but I haven’t found anything not to like. Check it out!

When will it ever stop??

2010-01-30T20:50:00.001-06:00

For the love of God, when will it stop??

About two weeks ago Cayden had a checkup with his endocrinologist and we were happy to share with y’all that he had grown much more than even his doctors had expected. MANY prayers have been lifted up in his name that he would respond positively to the medicine we had long felt he needed. Well God answered our prayers and continues to do so abundantly. In the two and a half weeks since that appointment Cayden has grown another 3/4”!!!! I am not even sure how it’s possible to grow that quickly. I think the only person happier than Cayden about his continued growth spurts is the seamstress who does his alterations. As you can see, about the time I get his pants hemmed we have to buy new pants and start all over again!

So, will it ever stop?…of course. For now we are just grateful for the blessings…grateful to watch things happen according to God’s plan, in God’s time and for God’s purpose.

Have you seen my puppy?

2010-01-28T11:09:00.001-06:00

He’s the CUTEST puppy in the whole world!

Feeling a bit nostalgic today

2010-01-26T20:21:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I just stop and stare at my boys and think what great kids they are. Ok, so sometimes they drive me crazy and push all my buttons but I know that’s what they are supposed to do. Today I was just struck by how grown up they are…how their faces are maturing and becoming more angular…how Cayden’s face has always been older and more soulful than his age would suggest…how Braxton’s boyish good looks are still there but his chubby cheeks are not. I spent an hour or two looking at tons of old pictures. Many of you have seen every one of these…some of you have likely seen several of them…but I know these are new to at least a few of you.

The boys hate it when I get all misty eyed, looking at old pictures and reading their baby books. Maybe I won’t show them this post…lol.

These aren’t in any particular order by the way.

With that, I’ll say goodnight.

Mom, I’m BORED

2010-01-25T18:27:00.001-06:00

School was cancelled today because of blizzard conditions. It didn’t take long for Braxton to declare he was bored. We decided (Ok, I decided) to turn off the TV, pry the video game controller from Cayden’s hands and have some old fashioned fun.

Can anyone name this game? I won, by the way!

Can you guess what this is? Better yet, do you need one? We already have more than any family will ever need.

Do me a favor, pray for sun, would ya?

Oh, the weather outside was frightful…

2010-01-24T21:35:00.001-06:00

but the game was just as frightful.

All I have to say about the Vikings game is

I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!…really…so don’t call to gloat, don’t even call to offer your condolences…I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!

fog + rain + freezing rain + sleet + snow = one big mess

On Friday our latest weather maker hit the region, overstaying its welcome through most of the weekend. Rain changed to sleet and then snow…and then all over again. Slushy roads iced over and caused tons of accidents and ice coated power lines that were tossed about in gusty winds. Numerous power outages were reported in the region but we were spared here in Fargo. Although it was an inconvenience on Saturday I don’t think anyone cared on Sunday since everyone in town probably was only interested in watching the Vikings. (oops I said I wasn’t going to talk about them) At least we are well on our way to February and the weather should begin its uphill climb in the next few weeks.

These are a few of my favorite things

2010-01-23T18:47:00.001-06:00

I’ll spare you the Sound of Music lyrics but just know that I am humming to myself as I type

This is liquid gold…nectar of the Gods…just this side of Heaven. Ok, so I do have a sweet tooth and anything that says “real sugar” has to be good but this is real good. It does remind me of my younger days, days when a cigarette and a Dr. Pepper were my breakfast of choice. My lungs are much happier these days even if my pancreas are not.

First of all, no, I am not becoming a vegetarian. However, as most of you know, I am not a big meat fan either. I don’t have any ethical problem with eating meat, I just don’t really care for it. Well, that’s not completely true…just saying White Castle makes me drool but other than that I really only eat meat because I was taught that I needed to. It’s also pretty hard to find enough vegetarian entrees in Amarillo and Fargo restaurants and the produce in Fargo can hardly even be called produce. So, my new favorite is the grilled vegetable burger. Try one, you might just like it.

These are my most favorite thing in the world (ok other than my family). I have wanted Fiesta Ware for years and years. This Christmas I got 6 plates, one in each of the colors I liked best. I love them so much I have decided to buy the bowls soon. You absolutely can’t be sad when you look at the cheerful colors on the table. Braxton has decided he must only eat on the orange one since it’s his favorite color. On a side note, please note the salt and pepper shakers and plate in the center. Braxton and I made those at a pottery store here in Fargo. We used all 6 colors from the plates so they would match. They turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.

This Christmas Steve surprised me with 6 pounds of pens. Yep, 6 pounds. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a true love affair with pens. I have surely spent close to a thousand dollars in my lifetime on pens…rollerballs, ballpoints, bic pens, expensive pens, red ones, blue ones, purples ones…well, you get the idea. Now I have so many pens that I may never use them all but I will have a wonderful time trying.

What are some of your favorite things?

Winter Web

2010-01-22T10:57:00.001-06:00

I never knew how pervasive frost could be here in the Frozen Tundra until I came across this spider web underneath our deck. It looked so lacy and delicate (yet strong enough to support the weight of the ice/frost) that I decided to share it.

And the Viking horn blows

2010-01-17T15:29:00.001-06:00

Braxton is NOT a Vikings fan. He is the anti-Vikings fan in fact. He will root for anyone playing the Vikings and since today that was the Cowboys (and it hasn’t been all that long since we were Texans) he and I were on opposite ends of the couch so to speak. He does more than his share of “trash talking” and goaded me into a bet sometime during the first quarter. He would pay up $5 if the Cowboys lost if I would pay up $5 if the Vikings lost. I reminded him that he didn’t own $5. I decided that another type of repayment would be necessary. If the Vikings won (and of course they would) he would be forced to wrap himself in my Vikings snuggie, have his picture taken and then posted for all the world to see.

Well, a bet’s a bet!

3%

2010-01-14T20:39:00.001-06:00

What do you see when you look at the picture above?

A. A little over 4 inches

B. Almost 11 centimeters

C. The unbelievable amount of growth Cayden has experienced in just

6 short months

well the answer is……

D. ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!!!!!!!

Cayden had a six month checkup with the endocrinologist today.

The endocrinologist is thrilled beyond words at the progress he has made. His growth is well beyond expected growth for a year and we are only half way through the year.

As of today Cayden also achieved another important milestone. Height (and weight) in childhood and adolescence are plotted on official growth charts. Cayden has never been on any chart. We have aspired to be on a chart, we have gazed longingly at a chart, we may have even uttered a few not so nice words at a chart. Today his height now officially puts him at the 3% line of the growth chart!!!!!

That means that he is now TALLER than 3% of his peers. Not much, you say? Well, I say, we’ll take it!

Cayden is doing so well that the doctor even decided to increase his dose of growth hormone slightly. So take a look at my son because…..

next time you see him, you may not recognize him.

Streptococcus pyogenes

2010-01-12T22:54:00.001-06:00

otherwise known as strep throat, has taken up residence in my baby’s throat.

Braxton is never sick. He has the immune system of a small nation. This, however, attacked with speed and force. Twenty four hours ago he was kicking his way through Taekwondo, six hours later he had a raging sore throat and a fever of 102 degrees.

Unfortunately for Braxton, streptococcus bacteria are a bit more problematic for Cayden as they are known for spreading to shunts and heart valves. So, any time the boys are in close contact, Braxton will have to wear the mask. Good thing they are typical brothers who don’t spend much time that close.

It’s worth noting that Steve is working in Denver this week. It never fails…weeks like this always seem to be full of more than our share of challenges. If a huge snowstorm blows in, the A/C goes out, the car won’t start or one (or both) of the boys get sick you can be sure it will happen when only one parent is home :(

I’d appreciate it if you would pray that Braxton would recover quickly with no side effects and that Cayden’s immune system would remain strong enough to fight off a possible infection.

I hope you and your families are doing well.

Hallelujah, it’s a HEAT wave

2010-01-10T16:51:00.001-06:00

Prayers must work.

Notice the car’s thermometer. That is 17 above zero for once. A heat wave like this (accompanied by a bit of sunshine even) allowed us to hit the sledding hill today to let the boys run off all their excess energy.

As expected, the sledding hill (or sliding hill as they call it) was busy. Everyone else in town had the same idea. The hill runs along the back end of the river dike.

I think crashing is at least half the fun!

OK, so maybe it got a little cold towards the end!

God I Love North Dakota!

2010-01-05T20:22:00.001-06:00

Maybe it doesn’t transmit, maybe you can’t see it but those words are just dripping in sarcasm.

We got 22 inches of snow Christmas Eve through Christmas night and it has been bitter cold many days. By bitter cold I mean highs in the teens below and lows in the low twenties below. If I am being honest, it has been a relatively mild winter thus far. HOWEVER, I just want some sun. This bank robber look is getting old on Braxton and if you look at this picture, it was taken in the middle of the afternoon….no sun! Now we have another 3-6 inches of snow coming tonight and lows forecast in the thirties below for the next few nights. The Lord is showing no mercy on this sun starved girl.

Max doesn’t like to be alone…at all. The other morning I got my coat out of the closet so I could take Braxton to school but I had to run back upstairs. When I came back Max was lying in the middle of my coat and refused to budge. This morning I was running late of course and Max upped his game. I couldn’t find my keys anywhere. I am pretty OCD so I always keep things in the same place so it was driving me crazy looking for them. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something shiny on the floor. Max had taken my keys to a place he holds near and dear, one where I wouldn’t soon look. I have an extra key, that wasn’t my problem. I was much more upset to lose my AutoStart for the car. I don’t know what I would do without it. Almost every North Dakotan has one. On any given day in January you can walk the parking lot of any grocery store or Walmart and find at least half of the vehicles running, with no one inside. Thirty below isn’t so bad when your car is nice and toasty.

After uploading this next picture I realized that it appears to be the butt end of a raw chicken. However, it is actually my hand. Worse yet, my entire body looks identical. Winters are always harsh on my skin but this year has been particularly bad. My skin is cracked, raw, and bleeding. I have tried every lotion and potion I can find. Does someone, anyone have a solution? I practically bathe in lotion. Help! I will try whatever you suggest.

Full

2009-12-01T22:32:00.001-06:00

We were lucky enough to be able to fly back to Amarillo for Thanksgiving this year. We had a wonderful trip complete with family, friends, turkey, pies and beautiful weather.

I was even more blessed to be able to spend 2 whole afternoons with my very best friend Tina. Although we talk at least once a week on the phone, we never get to see each other and that is one of the things I hate most about being across the entire United States from “home”.

Tina is the most wonderful friend and honestly a better person than I could ever aspire to be. She’s shaking her head “No” about now I would guess. One of the nicest things she has done for me though is to make me an “aunt” to John. I may be biased but I think he’s just about the third greatest kid ever (behind mine of course…lol)

The best word I could come up with to describe John is FULL. John is full of love for Tina…you can see it in every look, every breath, every smile. The only other thing I saw John more excited about than his Mom was trains. John is full of excitement and wonder about anything trains….toy trains, real trains, pictures of trains, heck, just the word train brings a smile. Like any good toddler John is also full of independence and full of energy of course. He was able to wear Braxton out at the park and that is no small feat. John is also full of praise for his Lord and it is a beautiful thing to see. John is actually so full that I wonder how any more goodness could fit…funny though how God always finds room for more.

Well buddy, Aunt Laura is full of love for you! Give your Mom a hug from me.

Promotion Day

2009-10-31T20:30:00.001-05:00

Look closely at Braxton’s shirt. It is a Northwest Martial Arts t-shirt. It can be earned, not bought. In order to get one you must do the splits during class warm ups and be completely touching the ground. (I know Braxton isn’t completely touching in this photo but he was able to do this quickly for me with no stretching beforehand. ) So far, Brax is the only person in his class to do this…in fact, no one else comes close. The idea behind being this flexible is that your kicks will be much higher.

Last week Braxton tested for his orange belt. He has been working hard during class. He also had to memorize Korean terminology for the test. He tested with his friend Jordan. They both started Taekwondo the same night and have progressed really quickly. Their instructor told me they were about 3 weeks ahead of schedule for testing but he felt they were ready.

Here is Braxton standing in the “ready stance” or “junebee” waiting for instructions.

I wasn’t able to get any pictures during the test but I was able to get a few during the board breaking. That’s really the best part anyway! Once they pass the first 3 sections of the test they have to break the board in order to earn the belt. Braxton was really nervous about this part because they don’t actually get to practice the board breaking. They are supposed to use the techniques they have learned so far to break the board using the kick the instructor directs them to use. It took 3 attempts (and me holding my breath for good measure) before he heard the snap of the wood but he was so relieved and so proud (and I was too!).

Here is Braxton receiving his orange belt from his instructors.

And here is the newly adorned orange belt. Next stop, yellow!…at least that is what Brax told me. I told him to slow down and enjoy learning. He is very good at it though and it is teaching him a lot about focus and respect so we are definitely encouraging him.

80, 70, 50, 40, 30

2009-10-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

Um…where’s 60 you ask?

I would love to know that too! I would also love to know what happened to fall. Our summer was less than impressive and now it seems that fall has come and gone. Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons…one of the biggest being the beautiful fall colors. Last year we were not able to get any great pictures of the leaves changing colors and I have been waiting 11 months to try again. God, in his infinite, indescribable humor, has other plans. The leaves here had barely started to change when the freezing temperatures arrived. Maybe next year, right?

For those of you who are able…drive with the windows down, take a walk in the park enjoying the feel of autumn sun on your face, visit a pumpkin patch or apple orchard, feel joy that you can still wear flip flops and shorts, bemoan that your A/C bills are still too high, plan a skiing trip (because that is the closest you will get to that much snow) and take a few pictures of the red, yellow and orange palette of fall foliage near you…

because….

frozen tundra forecast foretells fluffy flakes, flurries and frigid Friday.

As summer fades to fall

2009-09-20T23:11:00.001-05:00

The lazy summer afternoons have been replaced by days filled with Tae Kwon Do, guitars, and homework….

lots and lots of homework!

God provides us with 4 seasons and we have been forced to acknowledge that it is time for summer to ~~ride~~ walk off into the sunset.

We have tried to cram all the summer fun we could into the past week or two. The boys have spent every available minute at the park

or on the trampoline

The annual West Fargo parade was this weekend. We had a blast (even though it was 86 degrees—way too hot for those of us who are already acclimated to ND temps). We generally come home with garbage bags of candy but there were so many more people this year that the amount any one person could get was much less. (this of course doesn’t hurt my feelings at all….and really, how much sugar do two boys need?)

My favorite entries are always the patriotic ones. I like living in a small town—everyone immediately stands with their hand over their heart as the flags all go by and clap and say “Thank you for your service” as soldiers pass by.

Every good small town parade has to have a line of all the newest farming equipment for the famers to ooh and ahh at. OK, I admit it, we think they look pretty cool too and would love a ride.

This is my favorite entry in the parade. It is a huge grocery cart. I don’t know why I love it so but I just do. Our other favorite is the red truck you can just see behind the grocery cart. The red truck is the Old Dutch potato chip people. Their chips are the best! They hand out tons of samples each year and there is usually much pushing and shoving at the curb as the adults scramble for bags.

I saved the very best parade picture for last!!! Braxton was able to ride in the float for the Northwest Martial Arts team. It was stinking hot and he was in that hot uniform so he doesn’t look too thrilled. But he was so excited and happy to have been a part of it all. The only problem was that he got to throw candy out to the kids but never got anything for himself. Cayden offered to share half of his but as usual most floats threw out tootsie rolls….millions of tootsie rolls. No one in our house really likes them. Can I interest anyone in a plastic grocery bag full of tootsie rolls????

While Braxton looks toward the future, trying to decide what he wants to accomplish this year and how to have fun doing it…

… Cayden has decided that middle school ain’t what its cracked up to be! Being given more power to decide what and how a class or team will meet its goal = more responsibility for any failures. I do think he is settling in at the magnet school and learning to do most of his school work on computer. There are times though that he can tell me in days, hours and minutes, how long it is until Friday!

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO:

More nice evenings to enjoy our firepit. (such a ND thing!)

The boys love to ~~burn and waste~~ roast marshmallows.

Removal and hasty death of every cricket and grasshopper in the area. Max kills them and brings them in the house to play with. We have a cricket/grasshopper plague of biblical proportions. Surely they will die once the temperature gets low enough, right?

By the way, I would like to be able to say that there were no insects harmed in the filming of this blog. However, it appears that my photographer’s assistant/the only one who would touch the insects (otherwise known as Braxton) got a bit overzealous in making sure it stayed still for the picture.

There are 4 seasons here: Almost winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction. As frustrating as that sounds it seems like many major projects they have been working on may not be complete by winter…roads we use, roads that would completely change how we get places and how long the trips would take. But I am going to decide to be hopeful (optimism isn’t exactly my middle name) that I will be driving down 32nd Ave. by Christmas.

I pray that you are able to look back on summer as fondly as we do and enjoy a beautiful blessed Autumn.

Art and sport, Defense and discipline

2009-09-16T13:11:00.001-05:00

Braxton recently started taking Taekwondo and he is absolutely loving it. After just a few classes he was able to “earn” the right to wear a uniform. We believe that his instructor is doing a very good job at not only teaching Taekwondo techniques and history, but also respect for country, sport, instructor and self. A good bit of class is conducted in Korean so Braxton is learning basic phrases and numbers.

You can advance in Taekwondo at your own pace. You get out of it as much as you are willing to put into it. Braxton is learning his kicks first and these are coming easier to him than many boys because he has always been SO flexible. The more flexible you are, the higher your kicks are. Soon he will begin learning punches. Eventually he will learn to spar and can compete in sparring matches. His big goal however is getting to break a board with his feet and with his fist. We are a ways from that, Thank God!

In Taekwondo it is relatively easy to earn your first belt. Here Braxton shows off that white belt and his pride in earning it. He knows that the rest will be harder to earn and that his pride in earning them will be even greater.

Drop by drop

2009-09-11T21:54:00.001-05:00

Every night at 9pm an alarm goes off at our house. Cayden heads to the kitchen table, bares an arm or leg, grits his teeth, braces himself and receives another injection of Growth Hormone. It has already become quite routine for us. Initially Cayden was having horrible headaches from the shots but they have lessened a bit. He has been having fewer joint pains and swollen ankles too so I guess we feel blessed in that respect too.

It’s not what I would choose for my child and certainly not what he would choose but it is very empowering to know that we are doing something for him and not just wishing that we could.

So, the race is on…and we are winning it drop by drop, millimeter by millimeter. Cayden has been taking shots for 7 weeks and he has grown ONE INCH! That might not seem like much at first but remember, he had not grown AT ALL for almost 2 years. They say that during the first year a child is on Growth Hormone he should expect to grow 3-4 inches. So you can see that Cayden is already exceeding everyone’s expectations—just like he always does!

We have reached the canine equivalent of the “terrible twos”

2009-08-23T22:25:00.001-05:00

The words “NO”, “Down” and “Bad Dog” just generally cause Max to chuckle these days. We seem to be in a contest of wills…and some days I’m not sure who is winning!

A Little Historical Perspective

2009-07-26T22:53:00.001-05:00

Today we visited the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site near Cooperstown, ND. It was once operated by the 321st Missile Wing of the Grand Forks Air Force Base. A crew of 10 Air Force Officers monitored 10 nearby Minuteman III missiles and were trained to launch them if they received orders to do so. The site was in operation from 1966 to 1997. When the site was shut down in 1997 the crew packed up their personal belongings but everything else was left untouched so it really is like walking through a time capsule.

This is a view from the security officer’s desk.

If you were a visiting the facility you had to remove your ammunition clip from your weapon and then fire your weapon in here. This would ensure that no live rounds were on site. You would then hand over your weapon to the security officer who would lock it up until you left.

The security officer would give you an authorization code for entrance to the facility. You would use this phone to convey that code to the officers inside. You were not to converse with the officers, you would only give them your code.

The mascot for the site was Oscar the Grouch because their site was known as Oscar Zero. This Oscar was done by one of the officers. Notice the emblem that says “Kremlin Krushers”…this was the era of the Cold War after all.

After a tour of the above ground area we took an elevator ride down 46 feet to the underground capsule. It was here where the two missileers on duty spent their time. They worked 24 hour shifts and never left the capsule. Here is one of the two stations in the capsule.

The site closed on July 17,1997. Notice the clock. It was stopped as the last man left the station.

This bulletin board was signed by the crew of the last alert (or shift) on July 17,1997.

If the President sent the orders for a missile to be launched the officers would go to this red box to get their authorization codes. Launch required a total of 4 missileers to authenticate. Not only would the two officers at this site need to enter codes but also two officers at a second missile site would need to do the same. Those codes would allow them to access keys which would then need to be used simultaneously.

If the site was attacked the crew would have all gathered down in the capsule and closed this blast door behind them. The crew would have had about 6 weeks worth of food and water available.

Here is a look down the hallway past the blast door.

Just a bit of fun trivia…According to several “authoritative sources”, in August of 1966 three UFOs were spotted near the Minuteman Missile Site. Because there was a fear that the UFOs could disable the nuclear weapons, “immediate measures” were taken. An F-106 Interceptor was launched and a ground strike team was dispatched. One of the witnesses, a site activation team member, made a drawing of the object which resembled a “classic flying saucer shape”.

I promise, I am not making this up! Perhaps in some secret realm North Dakota is known as Area 52.

Wish you were here

2009-07-24T22:48:00.002-05:00

It was another gorgeous evening here in North Dakota. Perfect temperature, no breeze. In our family that means roasting marshmallows in the fire pit in our driveway. If you drive through our neighborhood on any given summer night you will see many fires.

Before you say it, yes that is Braxton on his bicycle (minus shirt and shoes) sitting entirely too close to the fire. I’m not sure how that happened actually. Just pretend you don’t notice that.

Flaming marshmallows in our house are for fun not food. The boys don’t like to eat them that way but they always seem to “accidentally” let them burn. Win, win situation that way-you get to watch one burn and then get to roast another to eat.

This is what cut the evening short. Braxton dropped an ooey gooey marshmallow on the ground and Max beat everyone to it. To say he loved it would be an understatement. To say he was a huge mess would be an even bigger understatement.

Y’all come visit. We’ll save some firewood.

Bad Dog

2009-07-22T10:59:00.001-05:00

We have raspberries growing on the side of the house this summer. We all really love them and because there aren’t many ready to eat on any given day there is always a discussion about who will get them.

Lately we have been finding many half eaten berries. We assumed the birds have been getting to them.

However, this morning I caught Max in the raspberry bush and it seemed like he had been there before.

I was able to stay hidden from Max (or maybe he was too busy to care) and when he turned around I finally had incontrovertible proof of his guilt.

Christmas in July-Disney Train comes to Fargo

2009-07-16T13:16:00.001-05:00

Disney’s Christmas Carol Train Tour came to Fargo this week. The train features four custom-designed vintage rail cars full of behind-the-scenes attractions, demonstrations, and activities. It was lots of fun for all of the family. It is an introduction to Disney’s Christmas Carol movie that comes out this November.

This is an inflatable movie theatre that runs 10 minute 3D previews of the movie. It is definitely a movie we want to see.

Jim Carrey plays several characters in the film. We were introduced to the “capture technology” technique they used to make the movie. Sensors were attached to Jim Carrey’s face and body and the data collected was used to create the images seen in the movie. Scrooge and Jim Carrey become one. The 3D imaging body you see here is actually only half of a body, the rest is a reflection in the mirror…the same mirror in which you can see Braxton.

My favorite part of the exhibit were the authentic artifacts on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum in London. Dickens is one of my favorite authors and has been since high school when I first read

“A Tale of Two Cities”. There were hand written excerpts from his novels, first edition books and his quill pen.

We also saw architectural models, character portraits and costumes and maquettes. Maquettes are small scale clay models and there were small full body models and life size facial models like the ones shown here.

We have been having unusually cold weather this week. It was cool, cloudy and windy with a wind chill in the 50s. If you look closely in the green area at the top of the brick you can see tiny snowflakes. Disney blew snowflakes all around the trains to give the area more of a Christmas feel. Although it was colder here than most stops along the train’s journey, I think the “ooh, ahh” factor they were going for was a bit lost on Fargo. I am sure the kids in California will think that snow is really cool.

We were even treated to entertainment by carolers. It was strange to hear Christmas songs in July but they were wonderful and it didn’t take long to get into the mood.

Perhaps it is a bit too early but our family always has to be different, to set the tone and be the example! So the boys are here to be the first to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

If the train makes a stop anywhere near you make the time to check it out. We are always looking for something new or unique to do and we had a lot of fun.

By the way…this is dedicated to my favorite buddy John….TOOT TOOT

The Heart of Cayden

2009-07-13T12:19:00.001-05:00

Cayden has had a lot of obstacles in his life already...from the VSD heart defect and hydrocephalus requiring a shunt to the ADHD and growth hormone deficiency. On a bad day he feels defeated...who wouldn't. He knows that the bible says we are never given more than we can handle but he wonders if God overestimates his ability and strength to carry his loads.

Cayden is an artist and has an artist's soul. He looks at life and doesn't feel able to change the world into what he wants it to be. So instead he draws...he shows you what he wants life to be. Sometimes he draws cartoons, sometimes animals, many times military things but they are all things that he was very passionate about at the time.

He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and in his heart. He wants to be in the military so he can save and protect our country. He knew as early as age 4 that that was what he wanted to do and he has never wavered in that choice.

You would never know that Cayden had had a huge hole in his heart because he has a huge heart. He is able to sense despair or pain or need in someone else and, without a second thought, he picks up that load from their shoulders and carries it, makes it part of his own burden. We are trying to show him that there are limits to what you can carry on your own and when to ask for help.

He doesn't make friends easily but he makes them deeply. He is honest with his mouth and his heart and he absolutely expects the same from others-even God. As I was walking down the hall the other night I heard the end of his prayers. He said "God I love you and I do believe in you but you made me mad today". I am just glad that he has the relationship with God where he is able to say that and know he will feel better afterwards.

Cayden is 12 and growing up and growing away-as he should. But there are nights when he sneaks into my room at bedtime and I know he wants to talk. It's only in the quiet, in the dark that the words come a little less hesitantly. "Mom why does this happen?... Mom it really upset me when this happened...Mom I really need this" I pray that there will always be a place and a time for our talks.

My hope is that when you see Cayden or read about him that you will not see the "alphabet soup of disorders" that he lives with...that you don't think about the imperfections but about the perfection of how God made him...not the hole in his heart but the capacity of his heart.

Braxton 101

2009-07-11T21:39:00.001-05:00

I know everyone here has read all about my 2 kids but I am not sure if everyone really knows them. I wanted to share some things from my heart about Braxton.

Even before he was born, Braxton was impatient. When I went into premature labor at 20 weeks I could almost here him saying "C'mon, let's go, I have things to do"...and he still says the same thing.

Braxton is ALL boy. He would rather be outside, creating and destroying, no matter the weather. The bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear and Braxton is a living example of that verse. Yesterday I caught Braxton jumping off of our second floor deck onto the trampoline oblivious to any danger. He LOVES roller coasters and anything that goes fast.

Braxton also has no fear in any new social situation. He was in the regional boy choir this year and never thought twice about singing in front of 100+ people in a language he didn't even know.

He is unapologetic in what he does and says...he is a lover and a fighter. He will fight to the death for what he believes (which can be quite frustrating sometimes) but he also protects and cares for his friends (and occasionally even his brother!).

Brax has always been adorable, from the chubby cheeks that everyone had to pinch to the handsome 9 year old going on 18. While he never seeks out female attention, he certainly doesn't mind it! He loves girls and they love him...that is something I am watching as he gets older!

He is an "olympic sleeper". Even as a baby I could put him in his crib and he was asleep before I got to the door. He has an 8:30pm timer somehow built in. As a toddler he would put himself to bed if we didn't notice the time...if we were at someone else's house he would gather up his blanket and curl up in a corner. I pray that we never have an actual tornado during the night because he would sleep right through it.

Braxton is always singing, always making music with whatever he has handy. His repertoire is expanding but he still loves to sing praise and worship songs...that is the way he is able to connect with God and he has been able to do that from an early age.

I am not sure where life will lead him but Braxton loves to cook. Perhaps he will be a chef. When he was younger he cooked for fun but was easily distracted. Now he has a passion for it. He used to cook only the things he wanted to eat but now he will cook just for cooking's sake. Perhaps someday you will dine at a restaurant where Brax is the chef and you can say "I knew him when...". Brax isn't one to share his feelings and desires for life very easily. You get them in pieces, pieces of a puzzle that you have to put together. Each time we cook Braxton shares a piece with me and I love that time we have together.

Next time you see a picture of my youngest son maybe you will get a glimpse at the real Braxton.

p.s. Coming soon...The Heart of Cayden

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...oh my!

2009-07-09T20:42:00.002-05:00

Ok, perhaps that title is a bit of false advertising...but I will get to that in a minute.

On the last day of Steve's vacation we decided to head to the zoo. It was 70 degrees, windy and raining and heck, what says zoo better than that?? Actually we were blessed with only a bit of drizzle while we were there. The zoo is called the Chahinkapa Zoo and it is about an hour from here. All of you city slickers can laugh all you want but it really is a very nice zoo, especially for a town so small. We were there a couple of hours and they were some of the nicest, most relaxed we have spent together in a long time.

Now on to the deception...you see, there were no lions and while there were tigers they refused to pose nicely for the camera. What follows is just an odd assortment of local and not-so-local animals you would find if you stumbled across Chahinkapa Zoo.

can you find the duck? he is hiding in a nest inside the eagle's exhibit

"Learning is the discovery that something is possible"

2009-06-28T19:53:00.003-05:00

The title of this post is actually a quote I once read and I thought it really applied to our day at the Don Harrington Discovery Center.

The Discovery Center has over 100 science exhibits, a planetarium, and tons of hands-on opportunities for kids. I have taken the boys there since they were toddlers and it's still one of their favorite places to go.

Cayden's favorite exhibits this year were all in the biology area. He learned about veterinary surgery and used a microscope to study human and animal blood cells.

Braxton learned about the surface tension in bubbles and how circuits work.

My favorite exhibit was the wind tunnel...it delivered big laughs and great photo opportunities (and you know I love those)...who could ask for more than that!

Cadillac Ranch

2009-06-26T22:34:00.003-05:00

One of the weirdest, must-see attractions in Amarillo is the Cadillac Ranch.

The Cadillac Ranch was built in 1974 by Stanley Marsh, ~~a man three fries short of a happy meal~~ a helium billionaire. Marsh and The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective, assembled used Cadillacs representing the "Golden Age" of American automobiles (1949-1963). The ten grafitti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down, facing west.

We have been to the Cadillac Ranch several times; however, we have never spray painted the cars. Many tourists spray paint the cars...in fact, Stanley Marsh encourages it. I bought three cans of spray paint for me and the boys and we got down to business. It is actually a lot of fun (that doesn't make me a delinquent, right?). The boys decided to "tag" the cars with their name and "Fargo, ND".

Here are a few pictures from the adventure. The first is a shot from the road of all 10 cars. The next is a cool shot looking down the row of cars. The last 3 are of the boys painting the cars...and yes that is Braxton on top of the car, trying to find a place where no one had painted (no such luck!)

8 Things I Forgot About Amarillo

2009-06-26T15:34:00.002-05:00

The boys and I just returned from a trip to Amarillo. In many ways it seems like yesterday that we still lived there but this trip just reminded me that three years is a long time...time marches on and things change....well maybe things don't change, we do and we forget so much about a time and place that we thought we would remember every detail. I didn't intend to keep a list about Amarillo, it just kind of wrote itself. So, what follows is the top 8 things I forgot about Amarillo.

1. Amarillo is HOT! Not just hot, but devil's spit hot. It was ~~293 degrees~~ 103 degrees during the day and 90 degrees at night. I will get back to you, but I have a sneaking suspicion North Dakota thermometers don't have a "100" on them!

2. If thunder really is God bowling in Heaven (like my mom told me when I was young) then the Texas Panhandle must host a summer long tournament. The storms there are awesome. Beautiful clouds combine with afternoon heat to form dangerous storms, complete with 60mph straight line winds, hail and tornadoes. Thankfully we saw no tornadoes this trip. Here are pictures of beautiful clouds and their eventual aftermath. The first night we were there hail ripped off most of the leaves on the tree out front of Steve's parents' house. It also made small dents in the fence. The look on the boys' faces were priceless too. When the lightning, thunder and hail started their eyes became as big as saucers...they said later they didn't even realize at first what it was! Now that the blizzards and floods are over we can finally say that North Dakota has the best weather ever!

3. The Texas Panhandle is FLAT. The North Dakotans think they have a corner on that market but they certainly do not. The Texas Panhandle may not be classically beautiful but there is something to be said about a horizon that allows you to really enjoy the skies and make you think you can see the end of the world. All of Amarillo doesn't look like this of course but this was taken just north of the hospital and I think it is a great example.

4. Driving in Amarillo is a study in human psychology. Everyone waves at each other (which I think is really nice, by the way). Whether it be a full hand wave or the "index finger raised off the steering wheel" wave, everyone waves as they pass you. On the other hand, they all stomp on the gas pedal the nanosecond the light turns green, assuming that you will too. I am not sure how there aren't more rear end collisions, at least with out of towners like myself. Drivers also go everywhere at 55mph, even if they only have 5 car lengths to travel. Steve was quick to tell me that I have lived in Fargo too long if this bothers me. It is true that Fargo travels only at 25mph. I was left wondering...did I drive like that? I guess I did.

5. There are way too many cows near Amarillo. There are feed lots all around. If you've never started your day with the smell of cow poop, you've never lived.

6. Racial diversity does exist. Not everyone has blond hair, blue eyes and Skandinavian ancestors.

7. My Thai is still my favorite restaurant of all times. (In case you were wondering I eat chicken fried rice, no tomatoes, extra egg). I ate it at least 3-4 times a week when I was pregnant with Cayden....and he loves it too.

8. Donut Stop is, was, and will always be the BEST donut place in the world. For those of you who think it is Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, come to Amarillo sometime and let me buy you a cup of coffee and a glazed donut!

There is way too much to tell you about our trip at one time. Over the next few days we will share stories and pictures of our trip. Come back and check us out.

Water+Balloons+Brothers=Trouble

2009-06-14T21:29:00.004-05:00

teamwork...

oops...

plotting...

no fair...

revenge...

goofy...

and just too cute!

Catching Up

2009-06-11T10:10:00.003-05:00

This is surely the longest post I have ever done...its quite like a novel. Make sure you have a few spare minutes, sit back, read and relax...and don't nod off to sleep!
This post may come as a surprise to some of you, and not so much for others. Cayden has had many dreams for his life and I believe that one of them is about to come true. Cayden is about to begin receiving Growth Hormone injections! We know all the pros and cons and feel blessed that he is finally being given this opportunity.
Cayden has always been short and has been very slow to grow. Growth is charted by age on a percentage basis on standardized growth charts. Most traditional charts end at 3%--meaning that at that point there are only 3% of the population shorter than you. About the time Cayden turned 6 he "fell off the chart", meaning he was lower than the 3% mark. He has generally calculated to be at or less than 1%. We thought that that would be enough to qualify for some type of treatment...but that was not to be. Both his endocrinologist in Texas and North Dakota decided to ~~ignore~~ follow him instead. Every 3 to 6 months Cayden was brought into the office and comprehensively measured (by that I mean, they measured overall height and weight, the length of arms and legs, arm span...you name it) and we were sent on our way. In a cruel (or funny) twist of fate, it seemed that Cayden would always have a small growth spurt before his visit. He did not grow AT ALL for 5 months, but would then grow 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the 2 weeks prior to the visit. We were told repeatedly that you never want to do growth hormone deficiency testing when a child is growing...so even though the normal growth rate per year is 2.5 inches and we were never remotely close to that, we were always given a pat on the back and told "See you in a few months". It has been frustrating for us but a thousand times more so for Cayden. He has tried valiantly to not let his height bother him on a day to day basis but its become harder of course as he got older.
About two months ago Cayden had another visit with the endocrinologist and we were sure it would end the same way. After measuring him and plotting his numbers the doctor turned from his computer and started to say something. I interrupted him and said "I know, see you in a few months". He chuckled and said "No, we definitely need to do something, and do it now". My eyes got misty and I made him repeat it. He said that Cayden had not grown even a millimeter during the past 16 months, making this the first good opportunity for testing.
Testing sounded easy...go to the lab, get blood drawn, wait for results. Turns out, it isn't so easy!
The test they ordered was a Growth Hormone Deficiency Stimulation Test. Cayden had to be admitted to the hospital for the day (see picture above). They put in an IV line almost immediately and explained the procedure in more detail. They would be giving 2 different stimulant drugs through the IV and would also be drawing blood every 15 minutes through the IV! Because the drugs they were giving would stimulte his overall system, and because they weren't completely sure how his heart would react to the stimulation, he was put into the Pediatric Intensive Care unit for the test. He had been unable to eat or drink anything (including water) for the 12 hours before the test so he was ready to get it over with.
The beginning of the test was a breeze. The first drug introduced was arginine and it was not supposed to have any overt side effects. For this reason, they let him have some ice water and let him order a movie to watch. The picture taken above is from this time span. He looks like he is reclining in a hotel bed...and for the most part it was. The IV was in by now and he couldn't feel anything each time she drew blood. It looked like the day might be easy...that was not the case.
The second drug they gave was insulin (which sounded fairly innocuous, but wasn't). It was then she explained that they needed to get his insulin low enough for his body to approach a "diabetic coma" without actually doing so. She said she had glucose on hand in case we had trouble but she needed his glucose to be 40 or less for the test to work. 15 minutes after giving the insulin his glucose was 19! She said she was "concerned but not worried"....I, on the other hand, was worried! His body began to react to the challenge appropriately but it was a long 2 hours. He began to sweat profusely, became disoriented, and eventually "passed out" from a combination of low glucose and exhaustion. As bad as all of that sounds, our bigger concern was his heart. His blood pressure and pulse rate skyrocketed. It brought back horrible memories of standing next to Cayden in a hospital bed, running my fingers through his hair to calm him, staring at monitors as if they were the actual lifeline, and praying. As his glucose came up the symptoms abated (his pressures and pulse were still elevated a bit when we left but they had him on activity restrictions for the next 24 hours and felt things would return to normal soon...and Thank God, they did).
The blood samples were sent to the Mayo Clinic to be run and the 2 week wait for results was agonizing. The results show a "definitive growth hormone deficiency"....music to our ears. At least someone had finally tested him and actually found something wrong, something we can fix. We also had to do an MRI to rule out structural abnormalities of the pituitary gland or tumor. We got the results this morning on the MRI and everything was normal.
What happens next is another exercise in frustration. All of his charts and results were faxed to the insurance company and the company that manufactures the type of growth hormone he needs. We need to receive approval from both of them before we can get started. The doctor's office hopes that all of this can be accomplished by the beginning of July...cross your fingers and say a prayer that this is true.
Cayden knows that he has alot to dread and look forward to...he will take daily shots (given by Mom) for up to 4 years....but he also knows that he has many inches in height and immeasurable gains in confidence to look forward to. To those of you who knew nothing of this story I apologize...its been a long road and we hesitated to talk about it much until we were fairly sure of the outcome.

Splashin' Good Time for All

2009-06-10T16:38:00.003-05:00

We spent the afternoon at the pool...the indoor pool. It hasn't even reached 70 degrees during the past 2 weeks so we gave up and headed indoors for our water fun. There are several nice outdoor pools to choose from here and I know that someday we might get to try them!

It has been awhile since the boys have been swimming so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Braxton had a few swimming lessons this spring through school but I wasn't sure how much they had helped him to feel more comfortable. I shouldn't have worried of course.

Braxton is always fearless but Cayden has always been a stronger swimmer. They both ran immediately to the diving boards. Not only did they jump from the highest board, but they quickly began to challenge each other to do tricks off the board. (I occasionally had to look the other way but I did manage to refrain from discouraging their "enthusiasm")

The pool's policy was "No Cameras Allowed" so I have no exciting pictures to share. I had to take the picture shown above outside the building.

By the way...I don't remember indoor pools being extremely loud, hot and humid. Maybe things just look rosier as time passes!

The best news I have heard in a long time

2009-06-05T19:07:00.002-05:00

Here is a much younger Cayden. I came across this picture this evening and was reminded of a time when things were so much more uncertain for Cayden, a time when everyday was filled with worries...and joy of course. I feel so grateful that most of our days now are filled with fewer worries and even more joy.

Today was Cayden's annual visit to the Pediatric Cardiologist and I really wasn't worried about what we would hear...until I checked in at the front desk and the weight of all those worries from the past hit me like a brick. I don't mean to borrow trouble but I generally do. We were told to expect them to do an EKG and maybe an echocardiogram (they generally do them each visit). A new Cardiologist walked through the door, a man Cayden and I both felt instantly comfortable with. He was an older gentleman who peppered our exam time with stories of the first VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect) surgeries and how things have changed since then. He told us of the first 50 year study done on VSD patients and how the results show that the life expectancy is now the same for VSD patients as the general public! He told us that the first surgeries done used parents as heart-lung "machines"....the blood supply was shared between parent and child, with the parent essentially keeping the child alive during surgery.

He also told us a bit more about the Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon from Children's Medical Center in Dallas that peformed Cayden's surgery....they had worked together in Minnesota many years ago. Small world! He told me that his surgeon was one of the finest men and most gifted surgeons he had ever met. I told him that our family had always felt blessed that he had done the surgery...but that it was nice to hear such nice things about him.

He listened intently to Cayden's heart for several (nerve wracking for Mom) minutes and then smiled. He said he heard NO MURMUR at all and did not even feel the need to do the EKG or echocardiogram! In fact, he said Cayden didn't need to be seen again until his senior year of high school!! He said Cayden no longer needed to receive antibiotics before dental or oral procedures (although it doesn't really matter since this is still required due to his shunt) and lifted all activity restrictions previously advised due to decreased heart function.

I know God loves us and wants everything for us...but today I was just overwhelmed and amazed at what he has done in Cayden's life!

Fire and Ice

2009-06-04T22:02:00.002-05:00

Our family (OK, our kids) decided to have a bonfire last night. It is a North Dakota tradition we have embraced. We picked up some firewood (from a neighbor's curb during Clean Up Week!) and the temperature was nice (about 65-70 degrees). We even had calm winds--isn't that actually an oxymoron?? Cayden invited a friend and the three boys scavenged the surrounding area for things that they might be allowed to add to the fire--just to watch them burn, of course. A good night was had by all. It was only when we went back inside that we heard the National Weather Service issue a Frost Warning for overnight!!! Don't they know it's June???

By the way...it was a frosty 35 degrees this morning!

Safety First

2009-06-02T10:47:00.001-05:00

For those of you who haven't read the previous post, you might want to do so...it will help explain how and why my tenacious children acquired a safe. They were riding their bikes, looking at the piles of ~~treasure~~ junk at the curbs of our neighbors. They were gone quite awhile. Brax eventually came busting throught the door screaming for help. I took off running, sure someone was in need of a LifeFlight helicopter ride to the hospital. On the way down the street, however, Brax explained that the skateboard wasn't working and they needed me to lift something really heavy (by the way, he wasn't kidding!!....that thing weighed as much as my car...ok, not really, but it seemed like it at the time). They had worked and worked, pushing with their own strength, loaded it on the skateboard and made it a full block. Unfortunately, they ran out of steam about the time it fell off the skateboard and landed in the middle of the street--with another full block to go. SuperMom was supposed to single handedly save the day....NOT! We did manage to find Steve's dolly, load it on there and muscle it home. It was only then that I thought to ask them "What in the heck do you plan to do with this?" They had heard a rattling sound inside when they first moved it and they were convinced it held some type of treasure. They tried pliers, hammers and even a bat. Brax was convinced banging on the dial was the way to go, Cayden chose the handle. They were neither safe nor effective. In the end, it took Daddy and his idea to use a crowbar before they were able to gain entry. The treasure?? A marble! Oh well, at least they found all this out in time for us to put the safe on our curb for pick up time this morning.

Dumpster Diving

2009-05-31T22:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight we drove around and surveyed other people's trash! This week is Fargo/West Fargo's Annual Clean Up Week. It is the one week during the year that you can set anything at all on your curb and have the city pick it up for free. It can best be described as a city wide, curb side ~~garbage~~ garage sale. At any given moment, half of the town can be found cruising the streets and searching for treasure...heck, we even saw people on bikes carrying their loot. Most folks only look, of course, but it is quite entertaining. We saw freezers, couches, loveseats, televisions, satellite dishes, computers, firewood, clothes and 16 toilets...nearly everything a man would need to furnish his new home (exactly what the college students had in mind I think). We have never lived anywhere else that they do this...do they have this where any of y'all live??

Elementary Accolades

2009-05-30T15:48:00.002-05:00

The end of 5th grade means the end of elementary school for Cayden...with that comes many emotions--joy, sadness, nervousness about middle school, and pride. That pride is well deserved. Cayden earned the Presidential Academic Excellence and Effort Award! He had no idea he was getting it until the awards assembly.

Here is a close up view of the award. It came with a letter from the White House. It is only given at the end of a student's 5th grade, 8th grade or senior year. According to the letter, this award encourages and rewards students who work hard and give their best effort in school, often in the face of special obstacles to their learning. Students must show tremendous educational growth, demonstrate unusual commitment to learning despite obstacles, and achieve high scores in at least one core subject (Cayden's was science-it's his favorite).

Braxton finished 3rd grade with excitement and praises of his own. He is glad to have a respite from homework but would just as soon continue going to school all summer if it meant he could see his friends everyday. He received several awards--he was on the A/B Honor Roll all year and received the National Physical Fitness Award. However, my favorite award is this classroom award. It was given to him by his teacher and, bless her heart, I am sure there were days that this quality nearly drove her crazy....there certainly is no truer statement than "Most Energetic" when it comes to Brax!

Goodbye school....Hello summer!!!

Life Lesson #101

2009-05-29T20:18:00.002-05:00

What seemed an obvious bad idea to Mom seemed less obvious to 2 over zealous boys. Today was the last day of school, which according to the boys, should automatically be celebrated as the first day of summer. What would any self respecting, Texas born boy need to do on a day such as this? Play in the sprinkler of course! All of this might still sound OK to y'all until I add in the part that they chose this activity at 8pm on an evening struggling to hold onto 72 degrees...and no amount of convincing on my part would work. So like any good Mom, I gave in!

It all started like this.........

and ended like this....with a shiver and a look that says "Mom WHY did you let us do that??"

By the way, stay tuned for more Last Day of School pictures coming soon!

Deja vu (for a few)

2009-05-25T16:34:00.003-05:00

I have been experimenting with a new photo storage and editing program this weekend. I have been adding and deleting the same group of photos all weekend long. Since some of you may have seen these (and, more importantly, since most of you haven't) I decided to post a few of them...and leave them up this time!

SundaySaturday in the Park

2009-05-17T11:24:00.006-05:00

Well OK, I guess it wasn't anything like the musical or the painting by Seurat but it was nice afternoon...if a leisurely stroll through a wind tunnel is your idea of fun. Honestly we had grown tired of waiting for the perfect day to take Max and the boys to the park so we decided to make the less than perfect day perfect .

Here is Braxton on the playground. This park and small man-made lake are behind their school. Braxton is still the adventurer and prefers climbing on anything tall enough to make me nervous.

Braxton can only be hanging from the highest bar or knee deep in something dirty, smelly and all boy. Here he is trying to dig a grave for some tiny dead fish he and Cayden found on the bank.

Well you didn't think I could get through this without making you view at least one picture of Max, did you? He is growing fast!

OK, Dad...here are the 2 best waterfall pictures. For everyone else who wonders what the heck I am talking about, there is a small waterfall just behind the elementary school. It isn't a work of art but it is nice to walk down to it and hear the rushing water...very relaxing.

And here is my favorite picture of the day...the 2 best boys any Mom could have ~~right before they tried to push each other in~~ looking like the best friends they are, enjoying the afternoon.

We look forward to seeing most of you this summer and spending days as nice as this with all of you.

The Best Day Ever

2009-05-15T21:21:00.006-05:00

Hi, its me Cayden...

All 5th grade classes get to go on an all day field trip to Bismarck. Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota and it took us 3 hours to get there. We got to ride in a big Coach bus. It was huge and there were 2 seats on each side and movie screens for each row (and a bathroom).

We went to Custer House in Fort Abraham Lincoln. Custer is a famous Army General and this was supposed to be his last house but the real one burned down. His favorite food was onions and he would eat them like apples. One of his hobbies was to catch and collect all different animals from North Dakota and he kept them in his basement. One day when his cook went downstairs to get some vegetables for dinner she was attacked by a bobcat that he had caught earlier that day (but she did survive).

Next on our trip was the capital building. It was like a skyscraper and cost 2 million dollars to build. Each chandelier in the building has 152 lights. There were lots of steps out front and revolving doors to get in but they had to close them down because of security reasons-the Governor's office is right inside the doorway. We got to go to a courtroom and the legislature and it was on the 17th floor. A long time ago it burned down but they built the new building in 1980. The janitor left the window open in a storage room that had combustible liquids in it and the sun heated them up until they exploded.

My favorite part of the trip was the North Dakota Heritage Museum. We got to see a dinosaur they found near Bismarck. It is called Edmontosaurus and it is very rare and an almost complete skeleton that is mummified (its skin was still attached). They think that the T. rex was its biggest predator. You can only see if for a few more weeks because they are sending it to Tokyo for a display.

We left at 6:30am and didn't get home until almost 8pm. It was a long day but I had a blast and I want to go again!