News from the North
08/16/2012
It has been 9 months since my last Blog … just the right amount of time to give birth to this ……
I’ve missed announcing quite a bit of news, and probably lost a bunch of funny moments, but I did keep track of a few things along the way.
I’ll run quickly through the kids with a highlight or two since the last Blog. Then I’ll share a few funny moments from our home!
Lydia – just finished her first year of college at MN State, Moorhead. She is spending the summer at school, renting an apartment, taking a couple classes, while working as a nanny. Lydia also procured two dogs against the advice of her parents. She is totally wrapped up in those two puppies. She does make her way back home to visit often.
Jake – had a successful high school basketball season. The team won the conference. Jake was named All-Conference, while leading his team in scoring, rebounding and shot-blocks. He was voted to be the team captain for next year. He played AAU basketball this spring and summer. He will begin his senior year of high school in the fall.
Isabella – won Homecoming Princess for her freshman class. She played on the high school JV basketball team. The good news, only one of the two times she received a black eye during the season actually turned out to be a concussion. Bella also played on an AAU basketball team this spring and summer. She will be a sophomore this school year.
Sophia – won student of the week at Zimmerman Middle School during her 7th grade year. She was also inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. She is very active in 4H. Her Horse Bowl Team won 1st place at the annual local contest. Sophia rides and shows a horse. She did well at the County Fair, and will participate in the State Horse Show for the 2nd year in a row. Horses are definitely her passion. Sophia is getting very tall and maturing into a young woman … a little too quickly.
Gabriella – is a good student. Her teachers tell us that she is very quiet in class. She played travel basketball during the winter and has attended a couple camps this summer. She also likes to play tennis and volleyball. Gabi seems quite popular at school, but she has very little interest in nurturing friendships. She is content being home and is definitely a mommy’s girl. Gabi will enter the 6th grade (Middle School), which is a big step and a big change.
Luke - loves sports. He played travel basketball in the winter, baseball this summer, and has just started another season of football. At the younger age groups our community football program has a weight limit in which kids over a certain amount cannot carry the ball on offense. Luke being a big and sturdy boy has never weighed low enough to be able to carry the ball. Well this year the limit was 100 lbs. He officially weighed in at 99.2 lbs. They have him playing QB! He is excited! He’ll be a 4th grader.
Eli – I can’t help but think how blessed we are to have had Eli. When we discovered that Lisa was pregnant at the age of 45 it seemed like more than we could handle. Instead, Eli has brought such tremendous joy into our lives. You’ll get a taste of that in the remainder of the Blog. Eli is 4 and will be 5 come October.
Ok … now onto some fun. I’ve written down a few of the funny things that have been said and done the last few months. The kids do not like that their moments of embarrassment are captured and placed here for all to see, but in a few years they’ll think it is funny too.
Let’s starts with Isabella, who perpetuates the dizzy blonde stereotype. Isabella had written something for class, and she showed it to her friend. Her friend read it and said, “Bella, cantaloupe don’t prance!” Isabella answer backs, “Yes they do. You know – the deer and the cantaloupe prancing?!” “Bella, cantaloupe is a melon – not an animal!”
Eli was dressed up in the cowboy outfit his MiMi and PawPaw got him for Christmas. He was playing in my office while I was trying to work. Out of the blue he says, “E-ya howdy! I have a horse in my bottom.” He hesitates a minute then says, “ I don’t have a horse in my bottom. If I had a horse in my bottom I would explode.”
Eli walked up to me and said, “Daddy - you’re not the worst Dad in the world. I don’t want you to be the worst Dad in the world.” I’m not sure if that was a compliment, or a warning …
Eli was making karate-sounding noises and falling to the floor. I asked him what he was doing and he replied, “Fighting with myself.” I then asked who was winning. Eli replied, “I am.”
I was getting ready in the bathroom and Eli was in the bedroom changing his clothes. He walked into the bathroom without any pants on and was squeezing his private parts rather hard. I asked, “Eli what are you doing?” He responded, “Trying to pop my bubbles.”
Eli likes to climb up on the window sill of our family room and walk across the window. Lisa does not like this, as it gets finger prints on the windows. One day when Lisa was not around Eli climbs up and starts to walk across the window sill. I question him in a firm voice, “Are you allowed to do that Eli?!” Eli then says, “Sometimes when I do this and Mom doesn’t see me, she doesn’t say anything.”
Moving away from Eli for a moment …
Luke sarcastically replied to his friends, “I’m not deaf! I can see you!”
Gabi is very afraid of worms. On a rainy morning during the school year, Gabi decided she couldn’t walk to the bus as a result of the large number of worms on the driveway and road. I returned from taking Isabella to school and found Gabi still home, missed the bus – trapped by the WORMS!
Isabella was talking to her sisters and explained that two people were nocturnal twins. I interjected that they could see really well at night, and then started laughing. Bella yelled, “Don’t put that on your Blog!”
I asked Luke to check my e-mail. He answered me, “I don’t know how to check e-mail. I’m not a computerist.”
Luke was looking over my shoulder as I was filling out an on-line application for his football registration. After I answered a question Luke asked, “What does ‘NA’ mean?” I answered, “Non applicable.” Luke got bothered and exclaimed, “Hey, I’m athleticable!”
As we were having a conversation about a family acquaintance, Luke stated, "He probably doesn't go on dates because of his weight." Luke is not what you would call skinny, so I told him he better be careful or he won't get dates. He shot back at me, "Look at you - your fat." I then said, "Yeah - but I already got my girl." He hesitated, then looked at Lisa and asked, "How'd he do that?"
Speaking of Luke - he was a hero this summer! Lisa and several of the kids were at a friend’s cabin. Several of the kids were standing on the dock, including Luke and Eli. Adults were watching from afar, but no one was standing close. Eli had a life jacket in his hands, but it was not yet on. A big wind whipped up and picked-up, and blew an inter-tube that was sitting on the dock. The inter-tube flew across the dock and hit Eli … knocking him in the lake. Without hesitation, Luke jumped into the lake and grabbed Eli, pulling him back to the dock. By the time adults had arrived, Luke had already brought Eli to safety!
OK - back to Eli stories and quotes …
Eli cannot fasten his own seatbelt. Trying to encourage him to make an effort I said to him, “4 year olds can fasten their own seatbelt.” Eli replied, matter of factly, “This one can’t.”
Eli belched and then made a funny face as he swallowed. He then said, “I almost blew out.”
I told Eli, “Stop jumping on the furniture.” He replied, “I’m not. I’m jumping off.”
Eli was on the phone with Lydia who was 3-1/2 hours away in Moorhead. Eli told her, "You should come over." He was talking to her and walking around the house. He then said, "I'm gonna go upstairs. You wanna come with?"
Eli didn’t want Gabi to sit beside her in the car. She did anyway. On the way Eli had some gas. He turned to Gabi and said, “That’s why you don’t want to sit beside me. I fart.”
Eli said, “I can do what I want cause I’m little.” Lisa turned and gave him a stern look and asked, “What did you say!” He hesitated and asked, “Mom, is that a bad word?”
Speaking of bad words – Eli came up with one of his own. Out of frustration for something Luke did to him, Eli yelled, “You peanut butter penie!” I punished Eli for his anger and inappropriate name-calling, and then sent him upstairs. Once he left we all quietly burst into laughter. Eli is allergic to peanuts, so adding the “peanut” adjective must have made the name seem even worse to him!
Eli was complaining about a sore in his mouth. He was kind of whining then said, “Something is broke in here.”
As we were asking Eli to name various body parts, he was quite successful until we pointed to his forehead and asked, “What is this? Eli replied, “My upside.”
Lydia does not like Eli to pick up her little puppy (Pacey). He is just too rough and squeezes a bit too tight. One time when he was attempting to pick up the dog, Lydia said, “Eli, I told you to leave Pacey alone.” Eli was disappointed and tried to reason with Lydia. He said, “But I didn’t flop him! I didn’t throw him up and punch him! I didn’t kick him! I didn’t smash him!” Now … how can you argue with that!
Love,
JR
08/16/2012
It has been 9 months since my last Blog … just the right amount of time to give birth to this ……
I’ve missed announcing quite a bit of news, and probably lost a bunch of funny moments, but I did keep track of a few things along the way.
I’ll run quickly through the kids with a highlight or two since the last Blog. Then I’ll share a few funny moments from our home!
Lydia – just finished her first year of college at MN State, Moorhead. She is spending the summer at school, renting an apartment, taking a couple classes, while working as a nanny. Lydia also procured two dogs against the advice of her parents. She is totally wrapped up in those two puppies. She does make her way back home to visit often.
Jake – had a successful high school basketball season. The team won the conference. Jake was named All-Conference, while leading his team in scoring, rebounding and shot-blocks. He was voted to be the team captain for next year. He played AAU basketball this spring and summer. He will begin his senior year of high school in the fall.
Isabella – won Homecoming Princess for her freshman class. She played on the high school JV basketball team. The good news, only one of the two times she received a black eye during the season actually turned out to be a concussion. Bella also played on an AAU basketball team this spring and summer. She will be a sophomore this school year.
Sophia – won student of the week at Zimmerman Middle School during her 7th grade year. She was also inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. She is very active in 4H. Her Horse Bowl Team won 1st place at the annual local contest. Sophia rides and shows a horse. She did well at the County Fair, and will participate in the State Horse Show for the 2nd year in a row. Horses are definitely her passion. Sophia is getting very tall and maturing into a young woman … a little too quickly.
Gabriella – is a good student. Her teachers tell us that she is very quiet in class. She played travel basketball during the winter and has attended a couple camps this summer. She also likes to play tennis and volleyball. Gabi seems quite popular at school, but she has very little interest in nurturing friendships. She is content being home and is definitely a mommy’s girl. Gabi will enter the 6th grade (Middle School), which is a big step and a big change.
Luke - loves sports. He played travel basketball in the winter, baseball this summer, and has just started another season of football. At the younger age groups our community football program has a weight limit in which kids over a certain amount cannot carry the ball on offense. Luke being a big and sturdy boy has never weighed low enough to be able to carry the ball. Well this year the limit was 100 lbs. He officially weighed in at 99.2 lbs. They have him playing QB! He is excited! He’ll be a 4th grader.
Eli – I can’t help but think how blessed we are to have had Eli. When we discovered that Lisa was pregnant at the age of 45 it seemed like more than we could handle. Instead, Eli has brought such tremendous joy into our lives. You’ll get a taste of that in the remainder of the Blog. Eli is 4 and will be 5 come October.
Ok … now onto some fun. I’ve written down a few of the funny things that have been said and done the last few months. The kids do not like that their moments of embarrassment are captured and placed here for all to see, but in a few years they’ll think it is funny too.
Let’s starts with Isabella, who perpetuates the dizzy blonde stereotype. Isabella had written something for class, and she showed it to her friend. Her friend read it and said, “Bella, cantaloupe don’t prance!” Isabella answer backs, “Yes they do. You know – the deer and the cantaloupe prancing?!” “Bella, cantaloupe is a melon – not an animal!”
Eli was dressed up in the cowboy outfit his MiMi and PawPaw got him for Christmas. He was playing in my office while I was trying to work. Out of the blue he says, “E-ya howdy! I have a horse in my bottom.” He hesitates a minute then says, “ I don’t have a horse in my bottom. If I had a horse in my bottom I would explode.”
Eli walked up to me and said, “Daddy - you’re not the worst Dad in the world. I don’t want you to be the worst Dad in the world.” I’m not sure if that was a compliment, or a warning …
Eli was making karate-sounding noises and falling to the floor. I asked him what he was doing and he replied, “Fighting with myself.” I then asked who was winning. Eli replied, “I am.”
I was getting ready in the bathroom and Eli was in the bedroom changing his clothes. He walked into the bathroom without any pants on and was squeezing his private parts rather hard. I asked, “Eli what are you doing?” He responded, “Trying to pop my bubbles.”
Eli likes to climb up on the window sill of our family room and walk across the window. Lisa does not like this, as it gets finger prints on the windows. One day when Lisa was not around Eli climbs up and starts to walk across the window sill. I question him in a firm voice, “Are you allowed to do that Eli?!” Eli then says, “Sometimes when I do this and Mom doesn’t see me, she doesn’t say anything.”
Moving away from Eli for a moment …
Luke sarcastically replied to his friends, “I’m not deaf! I can see you!”
Gabi is very afraid of worms. On a rainy morning during the school year, Gabi decided she couldn’t walk to the bus as a result of the large number of worms on the driveway and road. I returned from taking Isabella to school and found Gabi still home, missed the bus – trapped by the WORMS!
Isabella was talking to her sisters and explained that two people were nocturnal twins. I interjected that they could see really well at night, and then started laughing. Bella yelled, “Don’t put that on your Blog!”
I asked Luke to check my e-mail. He answered me, “I don’t know how to check e-mail. I’m not a computerist.”
Luke was looking over my shoulder as I was filling out an on-line application for his football registration. After I answered a question Luke asked, “What does ‘NA’ mean?” I answered, “Non applicable.” Luke got bothered and exclaimed, “Hey, I’m athleticable!”
As we were having a conversation about a family acquaintance, Luke stated, "He probably doesn't go on dates because of his weight." Luke is not what you would call skinny, so I told him he better be careful or he won't get dates. He shot back at me, "Look at you - your fat." I then said, "Yeah - but I already got my girl." He hesitated, then looked at Lisa and asked, "How'd he do that?"
Speaking of Luke - he was a hero this summer! Lisa and several of the kids were at a friend’s cabin. Several of the kids were standing on the dock, including Luke and Eli. Adults were watching from afar, but no one was standing close. Eli had a life jacket in his hands, but it was not yet on. A big wind whipped up and picked-up, and blew an inter-tube that was sitting on the dock. The inter-tube flew across the dock and hit Eli … knocking him in the lake. Without hesitation, Luke jumped into the lake and grabbed Eli, pulling him back to the dock. By the time adults had arrived, Luke had already brought Eli to safety!
OK - back to Eli stories and quotes …
Eli cannot fasten his own seatbelt. Trying to encourage him to make an effort I said to him, “4 year olds can fasten their own seatbelt.” Eli replied, matter of factly, “This one can’t.”
Eli belched and then made a funny face as he swallowed. He then said, “I almost blew out.”
I told Eli, “Stop jumping on the furniture.” He replied, “I’m not. I’m jumping off.”
Eli was on the phone with Lydia who was 3-1/2 hours away in Moorhead. Eli told her, "You should come over." He was talking to her and walking around the house. He then said, "I'm gonna go upstairs. You wanna come with?"
Eli didn’t want Gabi to sit beside her in the car. She did anyway. On the way Eli had some gas. He turned to Gabi and said, “That’s why you don’t want to sit beside me. I fart.”
Eli said, “I can do what I want cause I’m little.” Lisa turned and gave him a stern look and asked, “What did you say!” He hesitated and asked, “Mom, is that a bad word?”
Speaking of bad words – Eli came up with one of his own. Out of frustration for something Luke did to him, Eli yelled, “You peanut butter penie!” I punished Eli for his anger and inappropriate name-calling, and then sent him upstairs. Once he left we all quietly burst into laughter. Eli is allergic to peanuts, so adding the “peanut” adjective must have made the name seem even worse to him!
Eli was complaining about a sore in his mouth. He was kind of whining then said, “Something is broke in here.”
As we were asking Eli to name various body parts, he was quite successful until we pointed to his forehead and asked, “What is this? Eli replied, “My upside.”
Lydia does not like Eli to pick up her little puppy (Pacey). He is just too rough and squeezes a bit too tight. One time when he was attempting to pick up the dog, Lydia said, “Eli, I told you to leave Pacey alone.” Eli was disappointed and tried to reason with Lydia. He said, “But I didn’t flop him! I didn’t throw him up and punch him! I didn’t kick him! I didn’t smash him!” Now … how can you argue with that!
Love,
JR