Colton's catch.

Colton's "big" catch yesterday was first mom's and then dad's complete attention. It was pretty clear to us by about 6:30 last night that Nolan needed the attention of his bed and off he went, although not by choice. I don't often realize how little time we get with just Colton on his own. It wasn't what we had planned for the evening but we have figured out with having kids sometimes your plans get made for you. But we ended up with a very pleasant evening with perfect weather, and while we listened to the Spuds get clobbered in their football season opener, I took pictures while dad and Colton played catch and we enjoyed each other's company. I apologize in advance for the wobbly video!

Buckets of...

tears! Both boys had their share of owies yesterday. Colton's front tooth has been dangling the past few days. With the hint of the new tooth poking through the old tooth didn't have much room left. It took a lot of convincing... we talked about the promise of the tooth fairy... and how impressed his friends would be... but finally it was mom's story of how Grandma Mary Ann flicked her tooth down her stomach in her efforts to pull her tooth and mommy ended up swallowing her tooth... Colton gave in. It took a few tries and a few tears... but the smile says it all!

Nolan, not to be outdone, took a hard fall from his bike yesterday. He held it together until he got home and saw the blood. Why does the sight of blood instantly trigger tears? Perhaps, I think his pride and feelings were hurt more than his knee. Besides, his cousin Mackenzie had fallen the night before and gotten her first owie and he liked how his Aunt Julie had propped her up on the pillows in mom and dad's bed... there is just always that little twinkle in Nolan's eye that makes you wonder.

I have to say, it isn't lost on me that the kinds of things that are making my children cry are loose teeth and falling off their bike... and I feel really lucky those very small things are what their tears are for.

Fish tales.

From all accounts, Nolan caught a whopper today! He even reeled it in all by himself. And when Rick told me it was almost as big as Colton... well that was no joke. We could be eating Northern filets for months to come. Rick said the fish gave Nolan a run for his money, twice, but Nolan prevailed. The boys came home looking a little wind burned but the red in their cheeks was from pure excitement. Thank you grandpa Jim for the use of your boat and agreeing to spend the day with us! Oh, and Colton says thanks for cleaning the fish as well!

*** UPDATE *** Nolan just talked to Grandpa this morning for the offical report on his fish. It weighed 7 pounds and was 31 inches long!!!

Signs of Fall...

We woke up to a cool blast of air today that sent me in search of LONG PANTS... and it was a tough search. It seems that both boys have grown so much over the summer that even jeans they wore last spring left their ankles showing. Of course in true "boy" mode they would have both been perfectly fine with wearing them that way. I was undeterred and they appeased me with wearing sweatpants that will do for today.

Rick and the boys are packing the car to go and meet grandpa in Detroit Lakes to go fishing for the day as I write this. They are going in search of muskies and even had to go and buy a "cowgirl" lure.

We almost lost Nolan however. On the way back from haircuts this morning he noticed the Cobber football team scrimmaging. He was convinced it was a game and he should really be there. I am fairly certain we could have dropped him off and gone to find him several hours later transfixed in the same exact place we left him. But the call of the fish was just a little more persuasive today.

And I am off on a quest for all things canning related. Our tomatoes are ripening and that means one thing... it's salsa making time!

Strikingly good fun.

What do you do on a 90 degree day in August when the pools have closed already for the season... you go bowling! Nolan invited his friend Jaxson and Colton came along too. Nolan and Jaxson have been best buds since Kindergarten and were a little disappointed when they found out they had different teachers this year. Nolan will be in Mrs. Morlock's class and Colton will have Mrs. Henning. We've heard good things about both teachers and are really excited for back to school night next week. In the meantime Nolan has started football and Rick got talked into assistant coaching along with one other parent. And Colton is skating in hockey camp and was so pleased when Nolan's friends included him in their locker room chat.

Change of Heart

Colton decided to take swimming lessons! After three classes of parent and child he decided to go it on his own and take beginners. I would even say he improved. He will ever so cautiously dip an ear in the water and sometimes his hair even gets wet... in places that is. He still would rather cling to his teacher (who was so darn cute who wouldn't want to hang on!)and floating on his back doesn't involve much of his back. But he was happy to be out there. He didn't even care that he didn't pass, the promised treat from the vending machine was sweet enough reward for him!

Nolan, most inspired from watching the Summer Olympics, really worked on his Phelps-like strokes. To my delight he was put in level III with one other overly eager 8 year old boy and a wonderful teacher who told me they were both advanced and so she would just keep challenging them. Not only did they both pass level III but she introduced them to half of level IV and they passed everything she introduced to them.

I can't tell you how amazed and inspired I am by Nolan and his athletic abiltiy. And it isn't because he is my son. Its because its safe to say he doesn't get that from me! And while there are always aspects of my relationship with Nolan that frustrate me I am so thrilled we have this common ground to share... love of the water. There really is something magical that happens when you see a love for something grow in your child. Now if he could only grow some love for schoolwork!

I'll post some (dark) pictures hopefully soon. My Javascript isn't working for some reason and my computer tech (Rick) has been holed up at the office. He came home at 10 pm last night and was gone by 7 this morning and its a Saturday...

**** Its only taken until Tuesday for Rick to discover that Colton had turned on the firewall protection... yea! We are back in business...

Christopher

In high school my best friend and I always joked about how someday she would have kids and I would take care of them. Sometimes we are more prophetic than we know! Its been a long time since we've had a toddler running around here. Again, I knew there was a reason I've clung to some of the boy's older toys. Wow! Did they get a work out. In fact, by the end of the morning with our friend Christopher he wasn't the only one ready for a bottle and a nap! I am in awe of his good-natured charm. He has a way of quietly observing and then finding a way to fit right in. You would think he came here every day by the way he interacted with all of us. He even bestowed his own special names for us... So come back again Christopher. We loved having you! Your friends,

Ick, Icky, Colton, No, and Arf

Bill and Carol's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party

Are you Marlene's daughter?

"No. Marlene has 3 boys. I am Mary Ann's daughter." If only I had a dollar for every time I have been asked that over the years. But the family resemblances were quite prominent this weekend at my Uncle Bill and Aunt Carol's 5oth wedding anniversary party. I would say the Brainerds, Byes, and of course the Krogens were well represented! The "cool" part for me is that while my boys are growing up with only 4 first cousins (so far) they have quickly grown accustomed to my cousins kids (their second cousins) and include them in the term "my cousins." And there are a lot! Considering I have 19 first cousins on my mother's side... well you get the idea.

If you've ever moved away and been unable to attend family gatherings you really lose a piece of connectedness. I am beginning to feel grounded again. Happy 50th Anniversary to my Godparents, Bill and Carol, who have been the foundation of many happy family celebrations and an inspiration in their marriage, and in the way they have raised their family, and in the way they live their lives!

Changing

I'm well known for rearranging things. Like furniture and accessories. So it follows naturally that I would want to change the look of the blog from time to time. I still have to figure out some elements of it but for now this is a good start! More later.

Bloggie break

We're heading off to the cities for a few jam packed days. We love going to Minneapolis where there is truly something for all of us. We will be going to baseball games, shopping, going to a waterpark, shopping, going to the Nickleodeon amusement park inside the Mall of America, and yes probably shopping! We will be back soon with all kinds of fun things to blog about.

An unexpected turn of events.

We went to watch the Moorhead Blues play in the Distirct 9 championship game yesterday in Fergus Falls. Nolan got one last chance to be bat boy for the season. Much to our surprise we played a young Dertroit Lakes team that we have beaten before. The bats came out swinging and with the threat of black clouds rolling in the Blues managed to capture the title in 7 innings by a score of 10-0. This is a team that came from a season low of a 21-0 loss to Fargo and rose to the challenge of the district tournament to earn a spot in the state championship. The rules of the state tournament prohibit bat boys under the age of 12 from participating. But Nolan feels dedicated to his team and we are thinking about heading to the Minneapolis area for the first day of the tournament at least. Congratulations Moorhead Blues!

Blueberry Heaven

I've had a craving for something made with blueberries and I finally decided on muffins. I was a little discouraged at the lack of recipes initially but the Food Network site did not let me down. If you are looking for an idea for summer blueberries I would highly recommend the "Blueberry coffee cake muffins" from the show "The Barefoot Contessa" on the Food Network website... or give me a shout and I'll email you a copy from my recipe box.


Just to let everyone know... Alex was doing well after her surgery on Wednesday. Hopefully the cards we sent will get there soon! Feel better soon Alex!

Nolan was pleasantly surprised to find out last night that he passed his swimming class. He has in fact decided to sign up for the last summer swim session and see what level 3 is all about. They swim for 50 minutes and they stay in the medium deep end and he can't wait to start.

And Colton says "maybe next year" anytime we mention swimming lessons. Hmmm. We'll see. Although he is excited to start AB hockey camp next week. It will be his very first camp and as long as it won't interfere with his golf schedule he is excited.

Happy August everyone!