Hey, that isn’t so bad!

School pictures seem to be notorious for being “not the best”, but that is why they are so fantastic!

They have for decades been a thorn in mother’s sides (why do we ever think they are going to be more than “not the best”?!*)…

“Why didn’t the photographer straighten your collar?”

“Why didn’t the photographer straighten your glasses?”

“Darn photographer, that is not your smile.”

School pictures 2013-14

Hey Caleb, that isn’t so bad!

Hey Luke, that isn’t so bad!

Hey Jayne, that isn’t so bad!

Hey Mark…“Why did the photographer brush out your hockey hair? Don’t they know it is supposed to look messy?  No, instead they brush it out and make it look like a bad toupee!”  

School pictures seem to be notorious for being “not the best”, and that is why they are so fantastic!

When Life Hands You Rain, Go Paint!

It’s raining, it’s pouring…cancel soccer.

It’s raining, it’s pouring…go to Clay Your Way…Hooray!

 

The kids had a GREAT time painting their masterpieces. 

Caleb and Luke worked diligently and diligence takes time.  The little four worked quicker…they were able to add layer after layer of paint on their masterpieces to Caleb and Luke’s one layer.

   

In the end, lots of rain, an afternoon at Clay Your Way, 6 masterpieces…7 if you count Brynn’s dragon’s body separately from his head (CRASH! The head broke off IN the studio…Oops!).  The kids keep asking when we will go back…bring on the rain!

I Give Up

Yep, I give up…

These kids just keep getting big and there is nothing I can do to slow it down :)

Bye, Bye toddler bed…Hello big girl bed for Brynn!

ZzZzzzZzzz…Sweet dreams big girl!

How do you spell EXCITING?

We Fargo spells it:

E-S-P-N   G-A-M-E-D-A-Y

“The Bus”

“Celebs” everywhere!

  

And then our luck turned from great to greatER!

Some fans forgot their signs…we were happy to pick them up and give them a home.

And then,

we stumbled upon a foot long corn dog vendor.  Hot dog + breading + deep frying x 12 inches = Genius!

        

How do you spell EXCITING?

Espn GameDay in Fargo ND, seas of green and gold, celebs, free “souvenirs” and eating every last crumb of a foot long corn dog!

Excitement at its best!

A Mom with a Secret

I have a secret…

I secretly hope that one of the kids is a runner.

I would love a running partner, and I would love to cheer at track meets and cross country meets.

Never have I hoped for TWO runners!

Longfellow Cross Country Team

I spy Caleb and Luke!

~Half Mile Run~  

Caleb overall 1st place! Luke 8th place in the fourth grade division!

Fingers crossed that this kind of fun continues!

The Proof is in the Pudding

When we picked out Remi, the breeder told us that we were picking between Ferraris not between a Volkswagen and a Ferrari.

Well, the proof is in the pudding on the tailgate!

Remi, the Ferraris, 1st Hunt!

 

Vroom, Vroom!

The Forecast for Fall Sports

Signing the kids up for fall sports, is like signing up for six weeks of punishment.  The weather NEVER cooperates for fall sports!  Knowing the weather will NOT cooperate, this mom always tries to take pictures at the first game of the season (she may be in a snowsuit after game one)!

~Luke Fall Soccer~

Yes, our soccer dude picked a pink soccer ball and purple spikes!

 

 

 

~Mark Fall Flag Football~

Game #1, TOUCHDOWN Mark Yokom!

Coach Dad strategizes with the team…

Mark and his QB Liam execute!

  

Good news is that we can probably skip the remaining flag football games because staying true to Mark…he “strikes” early in the season with a “big move”, and then he tires out, loses all momentum and never “strikes” again!

~Caleb Fall Soccer~

Mental picture…50 degrees, brisk north wind, hard rain…Caleb playing soccer, spectators in several layers and with umbrellas (spectators pretending to not be miserable)…Mom spent the entire game trying to prevent children with umbrellas from poking out self’s eyes, Mom’s eyes or innocent bystander’s eyes.  No pictures due to dampness and umbrella vs eye duty.

“I’m going to Gramma’s preschool.”

“I’m going to Gramma’s preschool…Jayne’s not going to Gramma’s preschool, Mark’s not going to Gramma’s preschool, Luke’s not going to Gramma’s preschool, Caleb’s not going to Gramma’s preschool.”

Yes, our princess, Brynn, was super pumped (and super vocal) about her first day of preschool!

A toast to the first day of school and to Daddy’s birthday!

 

When Mark found out that Brynn was going to Gramma’s preschool, he said, “Brynn, I have a really big secret for you.  Do you know the best thing about going to Gramma’s preschool?  Sometimes you and Gramma get to go out for lunch after preschool.”  Melt my heart!

A great first day to what is guaranteed to be a great year…definitely worth shouting from the rooftops (aka bragging),

“I’m going to Gramma’s preschool!”

Traffic Jam

“Gackle PD, Gackle PD…I would like to report a traffic jam at Uncle Zube and Auntie Sarah’s house!”

We (Papa, Gramma, Oma, Uncle Andy, Trey, Jorie and our whole crew) spent the last official day of summer in Gackle!

It was a FULL day of fun!

Dove hunting, parks, reminiscing at moms old swimming pool stomping grounds…

The pool rules are new…still unsure that 3/4 of the “rules” really needed to be stated in paint?!*

The Oriole is not new…when the kids get a little bigger, Mom will let them ride the Oriole as Mom used to do.  No rules were posted back then and no rules are posted now suggesting that riding the Oriole is wrong :)

   Only in Gackle would we run into Brynn’s North Fargo friend, Lydia!  Lydia was happy to go to the parks with us!

A trip to Gackle without a Tastee Freeze footlong and without a ride in the back end of a pickup truck…I think not!

Golfing, catching snakes and frogs at the golf course and a little fishing at Hehn Schaffer!

 

The lucky fisherman was Jorie…Jorie and Uncle Zube snagged a really big northern with an ice fishing rod!

Gackle never disappoints…we always have a super fun time!

Such a fun time today that we are considering sending summer 2014 out in the same fashion!

There should be a rule against having this much fun!