Summer 2009

Well it has been forever since I have done a blog which is terrible I know! We have had a very busy summer. To start the summer off we went on our annual fishing trip up to the cabin in Northern Minnesota unfortunately we only were able to go for a long weekend over Memorial Day because Isaac had to get back to finish up 1st grade due to them starting so late at the beginning of the year. We had tons of fun and caught lots of walleye in the short time we were there. The boys also enjoyed looking for tadpoles and snails off the dock. They both became pretty good and driving Grandpy Spoo's (aka Spooby's) boat. We also enjoyed breakfast at the Logging Camp and got to take lots of good pictures by the river!

After school was over for the year we moved right into t-ball with the boys. Isaac really didn't want to take part in it this year but since his little brother was going to do it for the first time he decided he would do it with him. The boys seemed to enjoy it but it was hard to sit through 2 nights of it a week for a month. But we all made it through it!

After t-ball we moved right into baseball with Isaac. This was his first year doing real baseball and he really enjoyed it. There were times I had a hard time watching him like the one time he was playing 3rd base and the ball was getting ready to be pitched and his glove was on the ground and he was fixing his hat. After awhile he got the hang of everything and actually did quite well and learned the ropes of baseball. He is very excited to go back and do it again next summer. He has decided his favorite evening activity with the family is playing catch and baseball. Which is just fine so he will have more of a hang of it next year and Eli is learning right along! Isaac's team was so successful this year that they played in the Championship game but came out 2nd. But the boys played really good and still got a medal which they were all happy about!

During baseball season the boys started swimming lessons! This is the first time we have actually signed them up for swimming lessons. Isaac had swimming lessons in school but that was it. We decided since the boys enjoy swimming and we spend about everyday there it was time they actually learned how to swim and swim good. They both passed their Levels and will move up to the next levels this fall or next summer! Fortunately the weather was actually pretty warm in the morning so the boys didn't freeze in the water! Durning swimming lessons they got to go off the diving board. Isaac went off the first day with a life jacket but after that he went without one. Eli had a lifejacket on everytime and was a little scared the first time with the board being above the water a ways. But they both did a fantastic job and love the diving board!

This weekend we went out to Sioux Falls with my parents to the Airshow they had out there and saw a lot of amazing planes. The highlight of the afternoon was the F-22 Raptor & the Blue Angels. They all put on a fantastic show. They had a bunch of inflatable toys for the boys to go on and we got to walk through a passenger airline jet which was nice since the boys nor my parents have ever been on one. They all feel more comfortable that they may actually be able to fly now. Mom and I have been talking about taking a mother/daughter trip somewhere warm in the future. We had a very funfilled day with my parents!

Hopefully we will be able to do a few more fun things this summer. I will do better at updating my blog!

Completed Remodel Project

Everyone keeps asking for some pictures of the completed project. Well we finally have it all done and it is in order THANK GOD!! Here are a lot of pictures so bare with me. Hope you enjoy them! I don't think the pictures do it justice but we LOVE IT! Can't wait for all of you to come and check it out! The first set of pictures are Nick and my bedroom way upstairs, then the dining room/sitting room (used to be living room), Isaac's spiderman bedroom, Eli's batman bedroom and then the kitchen!

The next set of pictures are more kitchen, downstairs living room, laundry closet, bathroom, Nick's office & bar area!

Fun in the Snow

Well it has been a very long time since I have posted anything. We have been so busy with the remodeling project that it has consumed us! The boys and I did get a chance to head outside one day it was really nice and we still had snow and we made snowmen! Each of us made our own snow man. I made the daddy, Isaac made the mommy, and Eli made the baby! We had tons of fun. We had a huge snowball fight and ended the day with a huge snowfight against dad! It was so nice to get outside and play! I have added some pictures of our day outside!

Kitchen Update

Remodeling Project

Well has some of you know we are remodeling our house. In the basement half of it was finished with a living room and a kitchen and the other half was pretty much a junk room. We decided it was time for a change. The project entails moving our front door up and taking away the steps up to our kitchen and instead moving the steps to outside the door instead. We redid our basement steps too and tore out the kitchen and a wall downstairs. The finished project will have an office, living room, bar, laundry room/closet, and a nice big bathroom. Next we are getting a whole new kitchen. We had a half wall removed in the kitchen plus everything else. Here are a couple of pics to see the progress. I will update this again with pictures of the finished product.

This is a picture of our kitchen from the living room.

Here is a picture of the kitchen from the front door.

This is a picture of Nick's office.

This is a picture of our living room with the fireplace.

This is a picture of our bathroom.

This is a picture of our bar area with the laundry closet that don't have the door on it yet. There will be counter top were all the stuff is sitting on the ledge.

Christmas 2008

Well it has been a very long time since I have blogged and thought it was a perfect day to do it. Our Christmas season has been very busy this year. It started off with Isaac's Christmas program at school. This year they did little skits and were either suppose to dress like a student or a teacher. Isaac decided he would just go as a student that way he could wear jeans to the program. It was very cute and he did a fantastic job. It is always hard for me to sit there and watch him up there it brings tears to my eyes to think he is growing so fast.

We then were scheduled to have Eli's program later that week but that got cancelled do to a snow storm which everyone especially Eli was disappointed but he still gets to have it it just got rescheduled for January. I am hoping that him and all his friends remember their parts and songs when we have the program. We plan on practicing with them the first couple of days of school.

The boys were then scheduled to have their church Christmas program on the Sunday before Christmas but that too got postponed due to the big storm. Luckily they moved it to Christmas Eve night. Which really worked out great because originally the only ones that were going to be able to see it were us, my mom & Nick's mom cause my dad was going to stay out in Sioux Falls to babysit my brothers dogs and Nick's dad was heading to Nevada to watch Aubrey's Christmas program at their church which was schedule the same day. The fantastic thing about them moving it to Christmas Eve was not only did Nick & I get to be there but so wasn't my mom and dad, my brother Joe & Chrissy, Nick's mom and dad, his brother Jeremy, Kristin, Aubrey & Imrie, Liz & Jeremy, and Grandma Sabby. So it actually worked out alright for all of us. The boys were so excited to do their parts and sing their songs in front of both families!

Then the celebrations began. We went after church service to Nick's parents house and ate supper and opened up gifts there. The next morning we opened up presents at our house with the 4 of us. We then went to my mom & dad's later that morning and did gifts there and ate lunch. We stayed the whole day which was so nice and played games together. It was a nice relaxing day. The next two days we were at Nick's parents house which was great. We loved being able to see Liz & Jeremy, Jeremy, Kristin, Aubrey & Imrie so much. In fact Isaac spent every night over there and we didn't see him until Sunday night when he finally decided to come home.

On Sunday Jeremy & Kristin and the girls headed home and we said goodbye to Liz & Jeremy that night when we headed home since they were flying out on Monday morning. That was a really tough time for the boys especially Eli. He has a very special bond with his aunt Lizzie and hated the fact that she had to go. He is always sad about her leaving but for some reason this time was extra hard. He cried and cried and it took him a couple of days to adjust to the fact that Lizzie had to go back to Las Vegas. Needless to say he is waiting for the day she flies back and is hoping that it is sooner than later!! :)

We had a fantastic Christmas 2008 and hope that all of you did as well. I wish that the New Year will find all of you Safe & Healthy.