Saturday May 9th

We enjoyed a beautiful day at home. Some cleaning got done and then Jeff and the boys spent most of the morning outside. Cut down some more dead trees in the grove and placed them on the fire that is still smoldering since last weekend. No need to worry, it has been under dirt all week. I was paying some bills and doing some paperwork. Uggg. Jeff and the boys made a wonderful lunch on the grill. Steaks and shrimp! We have not eaten so good for a long time! The kids inhaled all their lunch. We just need to feed them good I guess! We then went for a bike ride together, as Zach has been asking for a few days. Jeff had all our bikes ready to go, Yea Jeff! I realized how dirty my bike has gotten and remembered back to all the summers (before cars, kids, jobs,phones) I spent shining my bike up. We would have "bike washes." Dad was always "anal" over clean cars and I always had a clean bike!
After the bike ride, Jeff got the kids cleaned up and they headed into town to pick up flowers for me and Gr Linda. After making a stop to her house, they headed back to the farm and off to church we went. Jeff and I were in charge of the Catholic Aid Associations "Take mom out for desert and coffee" after church. We got the coffee started, and deserts cut and on plates. The kids got to go up to church before us and sit with Gr & Gr Turbes. Jeff and I got up there right before it started and sat 2 pews behind them. We thoroughly enjoyed watching out well behaved children sit with their grandparents all through mass. Zach went out to children's liturgy like a big boy and Michael refused as usual. After mass we all enjoyed homemade deserts, coffee and juice. Visited with the locals and had a really enjoyable day. When it was all done, we came home, got on PJ's and watched some of our favorite show's on "PVR." Gotta love it! Soon it was off to bed.

Fun Weekend!

What a fun spring weekend we had. Saturday was spent starting the morning off with a pancake and scrambled egg breakfast. 4-H fruit arrived so after cleaning a bit, we delivered the wonderful fruit to some. Visited for a few hours with our friends Deb and Dan Salfer while the boys played with Aldon. Zach barefoot for the first day of the season. The played on the tramp, examined the semi, played hide and seek in the yard, examined around other buildings on the yard all while we visited outside. It was beautiful weather! Snow is almost all gone on the snow hill. The boys rode on the 4 wheeler allot. Saturday night after putting the kids to bed, (Andrew babysat) Jeff and I picked up our neighbors Jim and Jennifer Zollner and headed to Redwood to the VFW to listen to our favorite home town band "Bus Nine." They are wonderful! You can check them out, Bus Nine on myspace. listen to their music. We love it! Today was layed back. Up early for 8am church, Catholic Aid Meeting - I'm VP. Brunch at the Roadhouse for a 4-H livestock fundraiser. That was wonderful. Home and more laundry. Jeff cleaned the gutters on the house and fixed on on the 2ND story. That was scary to watch as it was very windy today. I had to hold the ladder. Nap for me and Zach, Wildlife practice for Jeff and Andrew. That's what they get when they win. Keep studying. To end the night we had steaks on the grill for the first time this season. Wonderful!
Of course I can't forget about the big car races the boys had in the kitchen with about 50 of their favorite matchbox cars. It is so fun watching them play and get along together. Andrew is working on being patient with Zach which is a good thing.
Ahhhhh.... the sound of the rain drops and my boys sleeping after a fun weekend.

Beautiful Sunday!

What a beautiful day it was today! I don't know if it reached the predicted 60 degrees or not but we won't complain. The morning started out very relaxing. Jeff worked at the Lucan Lions egg breakfast, while the kids slept in. Everyone but Zach. He's up at the crack of dawn. Later in the morning we met Jeff and all ate together. We next walked to the fire station and helped some of the fire fighters wash the fire trucks and First Responder rig for the St Patricks Day parade that was to start after lunch. The kids had a blast. Andrew was on windows, Zachary on tires, and Michael was on whatever he could find. After they were all washed, we went for a walk to kill a little time and enjoy the beautiful day. We ran into some friends and visited. Soon it was time for Jeff to get ready to drive a Rescue rig in the parade. Zachary, Michael, Lindsey and Justin Bernardy joined him very excited to ride in an old ambulance and throw out candy. They parade was a whole 2 blocks long, but it did make a u-turn at the end of main street and you got to see it again! Everyone was dressed in green. There was fire trucks, tractors, old cars, a boat, truck with daycare kids in the back, bag pipe players, horses and a 4 wheeler. Usually the weather is very cold, sleeting or snowing and windy so this was a beautiful day for a parade. After, we all head over to the Community Center for cake and ice cream and a short program. We listened to a couple that played the bagpipes and a large family who each played an instrument and sang. Of course there were jokes also. A fun day. We returned home and worked on Michaels social project on landforms. He wanted to do something "hard". We choose Oahu island. That was a great example of many different kinds of landforms. Now it is time to get the crew ready for bed. Good night!

4-H Wildlife Project Bowl 2009

What a big day. It started very early for us (for a Sat)! Alarms going off before 7am and me hitting snooze a few too many times. I get Andrew up and hop in the shower only to find Andrew back in bed when I get out. Now Jeff wanted to drop off Zach and Michael at G & G Turbes' at 7:30am. Jeff tries to get Andrew up and dressed, hops in the shower, while I get dressed. I find out Andrew can't find his camouflage shirt! Yes the Redwood County teams are all wearing Camo shirts and Bright Orange caps. (Nobody will miss us!) So, I am looking everywhere. In Michael's clothes, Andrew's clothes and even in Zachary's clothes, back to Michael's and to Andrew's. Nothing! I check under beds, in toy bins, up in the attic, (maybe it got sent up with the summer clothes) still nothing. I check Michael's room once more and find his. Luckily Michael is almost as big as Andrew as far as shirts go so this will work. OK, everyone is ready to go but me. Remember I just got dressed and had to look for my 6Th graders shirt! I throw some powder on my face, spritz some hair spray in my wet hair, eye liner, grab a yogurt and out the door we are. Oh, back in the house, I forgot my cell phone! (can't miss that important call even though it will be off during the competition). We race to G & G Turbes', open the doors, let the boys out and leave. Poor Michael is carrying the WII, steps out the van door and BOOM, slips on his butt on the icy cement. At least the WII was OK.... Just kidding! I jump out and console my big guy. He is so cool about it. He just gets up and says, "man it is slippery there!" I'm glad he didn't hurt himself. Back in the car, we didn't even go in and let them know they were there. Race to Redwood Falls. Jeff and I are each coaches of teams and we made it very clear to be there and not be late! Yup! That's us! Late! We did get there by 8:15 so I think we did pretty good for how our morning is starting. We find everyone there, another coach grabbed our packets and we are off to a good start. Now it is waiting for it to start at 9am. Our club took 2 Sr Teams and 3 Jr teams. Lots of kids to corral. We pass out books and study questions, pop is spilled, the usual. The competition is starting. They have orientation so everyone knows what to do and what is expected. We get to listen to the Sr teams pair off between themselves first. This is only the second year of Wildlife so there are not many other counties there. It is double elimination. These kids are learning stuff I learned or should have learned in High School if ever! Biomes, do you know what that is or how many are in MN???? They do! Finally after a long morning and into the afternoon of Knowledge Bowl, we have a winner. The Redwood Raccoon's (Jeff's team) won! Undefeated!!! Andrew was on that team so he is super pumped!! It was cool. The kids were so excited. They had tough competition! They received metals and now qualify for the State Competition in Foley MN on April 18Th. The day before Michaels 1st Communion. UGGGG
We picked up the kids, said Hello, and returned home only to get refreshed quick and go to church so we can sleep in in the morning. When we got home from church, Zach and Michael quickly put on their snow pants and rubber boots to go out and play. Yes have a snowball fight with each other. They play until they are soaken wet. Andrew received uninterrupted time on the WII. No little brothers to bug him!!!
Finally- to bed early!
We are all exhausted! Good night.

Snow again!

Last night, Andrew participated in the Showcase of Bands. It was the elementary, Jr High and Concert Bands. They all did such a great job. Jeff and I were so proud watching Andrew play the trumpet. He was dressed so nice and looked very poised. He is playing the trumpet that Uncle Tim gave him. He has really taken to it. I love to hear him practice, but unfortunately he doesn't practice as much as he should.

While we were in the concert, we started getting freezing rain. It was so slippery. Today we were getting quite a bit of wind and some snow. We figured they would get out of school early so Jeff and I went into town to get his hair cut by Bean the Barber, then pick up Zachay from Preschool, stopped at the library and picked up some movies. We then took Zachary out to eat at the Roadhouse while waiting for the kids to get out early at 12:10pm. We got home and they were so excited, until I had them do there homework. After getting that all done, they got to play and watch the movies Jeff surprised them with. A night together. Our other plans canceled (firemens training and FRED - fathers reading every day event). It continues to blow and snow.....

Just me and my boys minus 2

Tonight it is just Zachary, Michael and I. Jeff took Andrew to Marshall to cheer on the Wabasso Girls Basketball team in section play. Michael doesn't like to watch games. I don't think he can sit that long. The only time he can sit is if he is sleeping or watching NCIS. He has started getting hooked on the old time Western movies with G. Linda. Anyway, Zach thought he should go with, but he just likes the snacks. No snacks for him tonight as Jeff and I signed up today to crew in the Breast Cancer 3-Day event in August. We spent his snack $. We are enjoying our evening together. We played "memory" with Michael's subtraction facts. That was different! We just got done having popcorn and watching Diners, Drivins and Dives. Zachary is asleep on the couch and so it is now me and Michael.

Andrew did great on his science fair project. He received a 1st place (1 of 7 1st place awards). He now has the chance to go to MSU in Mankato to be judged. I think we will take him. It will be good experience. He loves science stuff. He made fruit powered batteries.