The Amazing Race

Last year I took on a new role in my life.  I became a youth counselor for the senior high youth in our church.  I have always wanted to work with kids in some way, but didn't know exactly what I would be doing, where it would be or when.  So, when I got the letter that I had been a person they were considering to work with the youth of our church, I knew I was meant to be there!

Yesterday we had our fall kick-off to begin a new year with the senior high youth.  I wanted it to be something big.  Something different.  Something fun.  Something to get the youth excited for the year.  Something amazing.  What better than our very own Amazing Race!  I knew this would be a challenge and take a lot of planning, but was totally up for it!

I met with our Pastor and we mapped out a plan of locations we could go to.  We wanted to be respectful of places and people, but also wanted the youth to have fun.  We worked on writing clues to 8 different places around town that everyone would know.  We have some pretty great landmarks in our town, so we used them.  They included: Noonan's Park, the YMCA, the Maritime Museum, Big Ole, Zion Lutheran Church (our sister church), City Park, Le Homme Dieu Beach, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (our church), the Runestone Replica and then ended back at our Pastor's house for pizza and games.

We picked our teams by picking out different colored Starbursts from a bag.  Even the adult drivers picked their color so no one knew who their driver would be.  We thought it would be safest to have an adult drive each team around so no one would speed or get in an accident.  We took off and each team received their first clue in the vehicle from their driver.  It was up to the youth to direct their driver to the location.  Once they arrived at their location, they were given their challenge envelope.  Each location had challenges that incorporated the place we were.  There were two choices and as a team they had to decide which challenge they wanted to perform together as a team.  The driver also acted as a judge to make sure the challenge was completed.  They were also responsible for documenting it with pictures/videos.

Partway through the race, we had a person for our church waiting at Big Ole.  The first team there got to pick which way their team would go by choosing "Envelopes #1" or "Envelopes #2".  Each envelope would send you to a different location.  The second team to arrive would get the opposite and the third team got a choice.  So we split and then met up again.  It was really fun and you didn't know who was ahead at the time.  We all finished at the same location and the grand prize: 100 grand!  Yep, quite the generous prize, wouldn't you say?  We told the kids they were playing for a prize worth a lot.  And it was...I mean 100 grand!?!  I think they may have been a little disappointed when it was a 100 grand candy bar, because they honestly thought they were playing for  money.  But we all had a good laugh and a lot of fun.

If anyone in the area would like to do this with a group, let me know.  I would love to share some of our clues and challenges with you.  It would be great to put them to use again.

We had an amazing day at the Amazing Race.  I think everyone had fun, there were no broken bones and people got to meet people they don't know as well.  I look forward to an amazing year with some amazing youth.  We have a busy and fun year planned and I am so excited to get to know each of them more and help guide them in their walk with God and build on their faith.  I pray that God will use me in teaching them and being a person they can trust and go to with anything that may be happening in their lives.  I am so excited for an amazing year!!

Now, here are some pictures from our Amazing Race:

 

 This was my team, Team Red.  They chose the challenge of running around the duck pond at Noonan's park while quacking.  Their other option was to waddle across the bridge and through the yellow house.  Since we parked on the opposite side of the pond from the house, they decided it would be easier to run around.

 Here they are completing 50 jumping jacks outside of the Y.  They got some looks from people inside.  Their other choice was to sing YMCA with the hand motions.

 Team Red at City Park.

 This was Team Pink who made a sign at the Runestone trying to get 20 people to honk at their sign.  It said "Honk if you love Jesus!"  I think they needed to make their sign darker because it took them awhile to get their honks.

 And the winners are: TEAM RED!!!  We came back from behind to win it all!

 Team Pink

 The prizes: 100 Grand!

2013-2014 Fall Kick-off for Good Shepherd's Sr. LYF

What a great group!



Grandpa's Boys

My boys love their Grandpa Al to pieces.  They love all of the adventures they have with him at his house that include hiking back to the river, visiting the cows, splashing in puddles, playing on Hunter and Brody Mountain, getting lawn mower rides, climbing trees, eating cinnamon rolls or other goodies Grandpa has at his house and that is just the beginning of the list.
My dad lives just five minutes away from our place and it is the biggest blessing.  He is my back-up whenever I need a break or need a baby sitter.  Because of him it allows me to go into town and get my shopping done without having to wrangle all three kiddos.  I drop the boys off on my way into town and they have fun playing!  I know I couldn't handle things on my own with Craig being on the road all the time without my dad.
I love that the boys are able to make so many memories with him.  And my dad loves it too.  My dad's father passed away when my dad was only two years old.  He never had that "father figure" in his life, but based on the way he is with my kids and was raising me, you would never guess it.  He is so patient, loving, understanding and kind.  And I am so glad my boys have a grandpa in their life they can go to.  I never really had that and didn't know my other grandpa a whole lot.
So, thank you dad for always taking the time for my boys and being the man they need in their life while their daddy is away working.  Thank you for always listening to my frustrations, my cries, and helping me whenever I need it.  And thank you for being a fun grandpa!!  The boys love you so much and I know that Finley will grow to love you too.  They are having so much fun making precious memories with you.

Two Months

I don't know where the time has gone the past two months, but we have a beautiful little girl who is growing and changing so much!  What is Finley up to now? 

She is finally starting to smile!  It is the best reward a parent can get-your child's face lighting up when you are talking to them.  Seeing that they know you and care about you and love you so much they will squeeze out a little smile for you.  As each day goes by, Finley becomes a lot more expressive which is so fun.  She is a rather serious little girl still who seems to be taking in every little thing this big world has to offer.

This little girl is also becoming quite a little chatter box.  We have lots of conversations during the day.  Only she knows what she is saying, but each day she has more to tell you.  It is so fun listening to her coo's and having her try to tell you all she has to say.

She is an amazing sleeper!  Since six weeks on, Finley has been sleeping through the night.  Yep!  I told you she was amazing.  It took me a little bit to brag about this.  The first night it happened I thought it was a complete fluke.  But then it happened again and again and again.  And it has continued since.  I didn't want to brag because I didn't want to jinx it, but finally I knew we were in a routine.  And it's a good one to be in!  This is truly a gift from God.  Most babies who nurse continue to get up in the night.  I know with Hunter it took us until 10 months to get him to sleep through the night.  I know God has my back by blessing me with this while Craig is away in Texas.  This mama needs her sleep in order to keep up with three kids (which is why I still stay up way too late in order to get up early....will I ever learn?).  She goes down around 8:00-9:00 at night and will sleep until 6:30-7:30 in the morning.  The other night we did do a twelve hour streak.  Yep, she's pretty amazing!

This girl likes to eat!!  In the morning she is famished.  But, I cut her off because if I let her eat until she can't eat anymore, she can't keep it all in.  She will eat about 5 oz. in a feeding no problem.  And when you have a girl who likes to eat, you get a chubby baby with lots of rolls and creases!  But they're so cute on her!  We call her our little Michelin baby. :)

She is playing more and more with toys and swinging at the toys on her play mat and bouncy seat.  It is fun to see her get so excited and sometimes shocked when she bats at a toy and it moves.

She is seriously the happiest and quietest baby I have ever met.  I have been accused of drugging my baby by many people.  (They're not serious...I think.)  She is super mellow and rarely cries.  Even when she wakes up in the morning feeling starved she kind of just kicks around and talks in her crib.  She just watches everything and takes it all in.

We went to the doctor for her two month check-up and found out how much she has grown.  Finley is now up to 13 pounds 8 ounces and 23 1/4 inches.  That means since birth she has put on over 4 1/2 pounds and has grown over 3 inches!!  Can't she stay little forever?  Please?  Ok, I know that will never happen, but she's my last one-I'm serious this time-and I just want to snuggle her forever!  Plus, we are moving out of our 0-3 month clothes and into our 3-6 month cloths.  :(  It's always sad when we start packing away our favorite outfits.  But I know we will quickly find new ones that we love.

The boys are still in love with their baby sister.  The love talking to her, giving her her paci, bringing toys to her, holding her, hugging her, kissing her-you name it!  I am so glad they haven't completely rebelled about having a new baby in the house and they have been really understanding about me not being able to do things for them right away.  My little boys are growing into little men.

It has been so much fun to watch Finley grow and change the past two months.  I know the next two months she will change even more.

Our Little Preschooler

To say Brody was excited for preschool to begin is an understatement.  This little guy has been talking about going to preschool ever since last March when we went to the preschool round-up to sign him up.  Every time we drove by his school, he would point it out saying "There's my school!"  Well, the day came for preschool orientation and he was convinced it was his first day and that he was going to meet all of his classmates.  I informed him it was just orientation and his friends wouldn't be there.  He was ok with that, but it was still his "first day" in his mind.  You learn very quickly that you don't argue some things with a four year old because it's not worth the time or energy and you just need to go with the flow.  It makes for a happier mama and a happier four year old.

Well, since it was his "first day" he insisted on pictures being taken.  This little guy was hamming up the camera:

 

 And since when does he look like he's a teenager?  Well, we had a great time at orientation.  He was super comfortable with his teacher, the aide and the classroom because Hunter went to the same preschool for two years and we love it there.  Honestly, we can't say enough about how perfect of a fit it is and we know our kids are loved there. 

 

Well, the "second day" came and I wanted my "first day" pictures.  So, Brody got out the ol' trusty chalkboard and wrote his name.  He wants to be just like Hunter.  I started the chalkboard for Hunter in kindergarten, but I'm glad Brody wanted it for preschool too.  It will be so fun watching his handwriting progress over the years.

 

 Gotta love the backwards D and the three lines for a "Y"

 It's hard to tell if he is excited, isn't it?

 Our little preschooler!

 Brody outside of his school.

Brody in front of his locker.

 

The first day was a success and so have the days following.  He loves school and can't get enough.  He only goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 1/2 hours each day.  I think he wishes he could go everyday, but we can't have our little boy grow up too fast.  It will be a fun year for him to build up relationships with other kids and learn to trust more adults-although he already loves the two there already and feels like he knows them oh so well.  Oh, and the best part!  The trains are set up in his classroom.  This boy is in train heaven!

Seven Weeks

How is it possible that this little lady is already seven weeks old?  Time is flying by and I am trying my best at soaking up every moment of baby time since she will be our last one.  Yes, I know we said that before, but this time, it's for real.  I just wish she would stop growing so fast and stay little, but as you can see from the rolls on her arm, she is growing really fast.
Last week at Brody's 4 year preschool physical I asked the nurse if we could put her on the scale too because I was curious how much she weighed.  At birth she was 8# 13 oz.  When we left the hospital she was 8# 7 oz.  A home health nurse came to our house when she was six days old and she weighed 8# 11 oz. and at her 2 week check-up that happened when she was 2 weeks 5 days she was up to 10# even.  Well, at 6 weeks 1 day, she tipped/ the scale at 12#!  Baby girl, slow down just a little!  But really, her chubby cheeks, chubby arms, chubby thighs and round tummy are so cute!!  But, I'm not ready to move up to the next size of clothing, but we are getting close as some of her 0-3 month clothes are getting a little snug.
Finley is pretty much a perfect baby.  She is already sleeping anywhere from 7 to 9.5 hours in the night and after being up for about a half an hour for a diaper change and feeding, she is down for another 2-4 hours.  (Sorry to all those mommy's out there who are still struggling with this!)  But really, I think God knows I need this with Craig being gone and having to have the energy with two busy boys as well.  She rarely cries.  When she wakes up in the early morning, it is little squeaks I hear on the monitor.  When I look to see her on the monitor (video monitors are amazing!), she is just wiggling her arms and kicking her legs.  We have taken her to Duluth, Fargo and Bemidji and she does amazing in the car!  She is a great shopper right now.  Seriously, no complaints with this little girl.
One of the questions we get all of the time: Do the boys like her?  Absolutely.  They are in love with their baby sister.  Brody calls her his little cutie pie.  I have caught Hunter talking to her when she is playing on the floor or waking up from a nap and he makes it to her before I do.  I have caught him holding her hand while she is in her crib-it is so sweet.  There is no doubt in my mind that these two boys will protect her from any harm in the world and will love her forever.  We will see if my thoughts on that change once she starts moving around and stealing their toys. :)
It is so fun watching Finley change and grow every week.  I know the weeks are going to fly by and before we know it she will be a year old.  It only takes 52 weeks and we're past seven already.  But for now, I will just enjoy her being little and getting in as much snuggle time as possible.

We have ourselves a first grader!

 

Yep, it's official!  Hunter's a first grader!  This picture doesn't show this little man's true feelings, but he was not looking forward to his first day of school.  He did not enjoy his time in kindergarten, so why would he want to go back?  After many chats of how this year would be completely different than last year, we convinced him it was worth giving it a try (what he didn't know was that he had no choice).

So, he laced up his new tennis shoes, put on his outfit and got ready for the day.  He still was not convinced he was going to like it.  After snapping a few pictures, he went to the bus stop with his neighborhood friends.  There was no fighting getting on the bus, thankfully.  I was a little worried that he would refuse to get on.  Especially when he was pouting that morning because he did not want to go to school.

Well, after a day of wondering how he was enjoying school, the wait was over when he got off the bus.  I couldn't read his expression.  Finally he made it across the street and I gave him a hug and asked him how his day was.  His face lit up and he said, "Awesome!"  Phew!!  It looks like his first grade jitters are gone and so far he is loving school.  We are excited to see what this year holds with a new teacher and learning new things.  And the best thing-he's excited now too!

On the Road Again

"On the road again.  Just can't wait to get on the road again." -Willie Nelson

 

My husband may somewhat agree with the lyrics to this famous song.  He likes being on the road working and taking on the challenges of new work projects and seeing new scenery, but I was not agreeing with Willie on Tuesday morning.  My husband was leaving to Texas.  Do you know how far away it is?  Really far!  To be exact, it is just over 1,000 miles depending on which route you take to the little Texas town of Panhandle.

 

Since the last time we were in Texas, which was almost 4 years ago, we have been very blessed by having Craig on projects close to home.  So far, since buying our home, the furthest he has been away is 8 hours.  But this time, it is completely across the country and it will take me more than a days drive to go and see him if I choose to.  Or if there is some sort of emergency, he can't just drop everything at the drop of a hat and be here in a short amount of time.  Even if he were to fly, the closest airport with a direct flight to the cities is a 4 hour drive, plus a 2 hour flight, plus a 2 hour drive home from the airport in the cities.  So it would take a minimum of 8+ hours if everything went smoothly and a flight was leaving the exact moment he arrived at the airport.  Slight panic mode!  Ahhh!

 

This project has been a long time coming and we have a lot of emotions invested in it already.  Shortly after finding out we were expecting a baby, Craig received his project assignment to go to Texas.  Now I can't remember exactly when he received it because my pregnancy was awful, always feeling sick, super tired...you know, all that fun stuff, but we were told he would be heading down May 6th.  Now to the average person, this would be ok, but hello!  I was pregnant!  My husband was leaving, I was sick, would he make it back for labor/delivery, etc.  And of course emotions were every which way on the chart.  So there were a lot of tears and sleepless nights.  But, I prayed, because what else is there to do and who else to trust than God.  He has it all planned out, right?  Right!  Well, as that start date inched closer, it changed.  He was then going to leave the first week of June.  Perfect!  Well, kind of.

 

If it was the first week of June, Hunter would be out of school for the year and we could just move down with the boys bringing air mattresses, clothing, a few toys (boys need their toys), the pack and play and just kind of rough it.  That would give us the summer together, he could be at the hospital when our little girl arrived, we would have another month together after she was born and we would head back to MN once school began.  Yes, I realize this was a little crazy and not sure if I would have gone through with it, but in my mind I was thinking we would have two little Texans.  But then, plans changed.  Good grief, quit playing with my emotions and plans!  I'm a planner!!!

 

So, the start day moved to just after the 4th of July.  Ummmm...I'm pretty sure his boss forgot I was due July 23rd!  So what, go to Texas for a couple weeks only to come home for me to have a baby (if we were lucky) and Craig was planning on staying home for 2 weeks once Finley was born.  I made Craig remind his boss (who has no wife or kids as of yet) of our situation.  Not that it really mattered.  He kind of laughed it off when Craig would remind him.  Craig told me that he told him that if the project was pushed back that late then he wasn't going to Texas until our daughter was born.  I reminded Craig that it wasn't up to him to call the shots, but he assured me it would be ok.  So, I continued to pray that God would work everything out time wise and that Craig would get his way. 

 

Well, the 4th came and went and the project wasn't going to begin until August 1st.  Woohoo!  We kept buying ourselves sweet, sweet time.  But his boss told him we needed to have the baby July 17th so Craig could take his two weeks off and return to work the 1st of August.  Hey buddy, you can't just plan like that unless you're having a C-section.  But guess what, he got his way!  On July 17th, we welcomed our beautiful little girl, Finley Kaisa, into the world.  I was a little upset that he got his way, but was so happy to be done with  my pregnancy and have my daughter in my arms. 

 

Let me tell you, two weeks flies by.  It is gone in the blink of an eye.  A few days before the 1st, Craig called his boss to nail down his return date.  I overheard the conversation and Craig told his boss I was having a hard time about him going back to work (I was actually ok with it and ready to take on the challenge) so was wondering if he could just stay home over the rest of the week (the 1st was a Wednesday) and start the next Monday, the 5th.  His boss was ok with that since during Craig's time away from the office, the project had been pushed back once again (the owner was having troubles getting all the financing in order).  Woohoo!  We bought ourselves more time together.

 

Well, the 4th came and he went back to the cities not knowing when he would head to Texas.  It could be in the next couple of days or it could be the following week.  Still so many unknowns.  Seriously, some days his job is worse than the military in that sense.  Waiting, waiting and then boom!  You have to move in a day or two.  Anyways, he went back to the office and still waited.  In the meantime, they gave him a raise and a promotion and a company vehicle, so we can't complain too much, but still didn't know.  Finally it was decided he would leave MN on September 3rd and begin work on the 5th.

 

Leading up until the day, I was struggling.  I knew it was real this time.  We had been blessed with many extra days together.  Everything worked out perfectly and we knew that he would eventually head to Texas.  But really, the first day of school AND my post-baby Dr. appointment day?  I guess it could have been worse, but I knew emotions would be high that day!  The weekend before was really busy, but really fun.  We spent time with friends and enjoying our family.

 

The 3rd came.  We got our 1st grader ready for school and sent him off on the bus.  He wasn't eager to go, but thankfully had a great first day!  Then after sending him off, it was time to say good-bye.  Ugh.  I will be honest and say I was very emotional, begged him to stay (which I always do), but in the end, let him go.  But not without a picture in is fancy cowboy hat and new truck.  After all, he was going to Texas!  Yee-haw!  He got into his truck after one last hug and kiss and I told him how proud I was of him.  I said good-bye and went inside with two kids waiting for me.  I quickly put on the game face shortly after we waved good-bye.  Honestly, it's not going to do me or my family much good to sit here and dwell on the fact that Craig is not at home with us.  Instead, we need to be thankful that he has a job.  A job that pays well, has great perks and benefits and most importantly, allows me to stay home with the kids.

 

Life on the road is not easy on any of us.  The boys struggle-especially Hunter.  He knows how life used to be having Craig around all the time.  But, Craig has prepped him and Hunter goes into a mode where he acts as if he is the man of the house.  He helps, he takes care of either Brody or Finley if I'm tending the other.  He has had to make supper, especially when I was super sick with the pregnancy.  The kid can make a mean Eggo waffle. ;)  And even with all that, he remains super sweet and loving and is so thankful for everything he has. Brody doesn't like it, but tolerates it because this is what we have done his entire life.  He doesn't know it any other way.  There have been times where he has punished Craig for being gone and won't give him the time of day, but right now that little boy loves his daddy more than you will ever know!  He is all over him when Craig's around and is constantly giving hugs, love and "too many kisses" (his version of a kiss attack).  Finley, well she doesn't notice yet.  We now have iPhones so our hopes are to FaceTime and for her to see Daddy while he is on the road so she doesn't forget him or his voice.  It will kill me and I'm sure Craig, if he comes home for a rotation and she doesn't want him or his scared of him.  And me, well I don't like it, but I tolerate it.  I put on this tough girl act but inside my heart aches and I miss him more than words could ever describe.  He knows it too, but I need to stay strong and to the outside world, I am, but to him, I'm real.  But in the end, I'm proud of him and thankful to have a husband who is willing to sacrifice time away from the family in order to provide.  Thankful for being able to stay home with our three kids and not miss out on their lives because trust me, they grow fast.  In the end, I think Craig has the short end of the stick.  He's not the one having fun with the kids.  Instead he is working long hours.  He's missing out on the little things that add up to the big things.  But for now, this is what we're doing and it works.  It's not easy, but it works.  And that's ok for now.  Ideally, we would love to be together, but for now we will make it work the best we can and enjoy every ounce of our time together. 

 

So in the end, we are living life apart again.  He is "on the road again".  His trip down went great, he's excited to be there and we are excited to see the project through pictures and hear about all of his adventures.  And the plus side, he will fly home next week. :)  I'm starting up this blog again to try my best to put the "little moments" on here in case I forget to tell him during our conversations in the evening.  So get ready for more updates on three adorable kiddos as we experience life on the road again.

 

Here are a couple pictures of Craig before hitting the road:

 

 Don't Mess with Texas.

Away he goes!