Sledding Hill

Our previous Tennessee homes had wonderful hills but little snow - typically only 2 snowfalls each season with enough for sledding.  Our Minnesota has plenty of snow but no hills.
Thankfully we found a sledding hill at a park close to home.  We waited for a warm afternoon (the temperature rose to 30 degrees!) to try our sleds in Minnesota :)

Our New Home

We've been in our new northern home for two months (with snow for two months) and we're feeling fairly settled.  We are so thankful!

We have walls painted, pictures hung, bookcases organized . . . the house is feeling like home.
Our new home fits us well.  We live next to a city park.  Even in snow, the kids have enjoyed this extra play space.  We live close to the quaint downtown and just two blocks from Mike's work - he's walked to work every day, even in 20 degree below zero temperatures!

We are getting plugged in at a new church, new dance studio, new boy scout pack, and a homeschool group.  We've shared dinners with several new friends!

We're learning our way around our new small town (adding 13 to the population of 3,000).  We've enjoyed the community center with the pool (with awesome climbing wall and water slide!), work out facilities, gym, and rollerskating.  We've found the best coffee shop, the best local diner, the best pizza, and the best open-late gourmet burger place.  We've found the local ice rink and sledding hill.  We're all fascinated by the ice fishing huts and frozen lake parking and the magical ice palace.  

We're looking forward to the summer season in this lakes vacation region: walking downtown, ice cream shops, miles of interconnected bike trails, swimming at the lake, fishing, and kayaking, and playgrounds.
We're looking forward to getting to know our neighbors and building relationships with new friends. 

We miss our home in Tennessee.  We miss our neighbors and friends and church and weekly outings (library, bakery donuts, coffee, dance, Target, antique shops).  It's was hard to leave.  There is much to miss.

But we're feeling very blessed by this new location and new opportunities.
We're really loving this new home.
:) 

FOURTEEN

"My name is Hendrick.  I am fourteen years old and the oldest of eleven children.  I like animals.  I am excited to move to Minnesota and explore the local wildlife in this area. This is the second time we've moved in two years."

Hendrick is our first-born, leader of the pack; animal and critter lover, laid back, voracious reader; mumbler, researcher, trivia master; Lego builder, baseball card collector, poker player; lawn care business starter, money-making business man; pajama pant wearing, barefoot galumphing - with very large size 14 feet; thinker, baby whisperer, poppyseed chicken cook; finger tapper, Boy Scout, Frogs and Toads of North America guide book writer, organizer and hobbyist (pack rat), snow shoveler, coffee drinker, outdoorsman . . . and he's 14!

Happy Golden Birthday Hendrick!

(Hendrick is very tall for his age.  He easily passed mama in height and is closing in on dad - at 14, he is 5'-11" and wears a size 14 shoe)  

Favorites:

food:  buffalo chicken wings

drink:  Dr. Pepper

dessert:  mint chocolate chip ice cream

restaurant:  East Coast Wings

sport:  baseball

team:  Cincinnati Reds

color:  green

animal:  American Toad

school subject: science

book:  R.A. Salvatore books

car:  Ford Raptor

movie:  Mrs. Doubtfire

indoor activity:  reading

outdoor activity:  exploring at the lake or any body of water

with brothers:  playing poker

with sisters:  I don't know, playing a board game

with dad:  going to a sports game

with mom:  going shopping

outing:  reptile convention

vacation destination:  Outer Banks, NC

career aspiration:  herpetology

my life in 25 years:  Successfully retired early after winning the lottery.  No really, I'd like to be working in a National Park in herpetology.  I will have a Ford Raptor truck and a big house with a lot of pets.  I don't want to get married or have kids.  I would like to travel around the southern hemisphere for field herpetology. 

dislikes:  crying babies, onions, peppers, cucumbers, dirty diapers, throw up, annoying people, a messy house, drama movies

top favorites:  action movies, good books, animals, pizza, nice soft bed, conventions (reptile, home school, coin, rock and mineral), babies, graphic tees, hoodies, cookie dough, chess, baseball cards, using impressive vocabulary

This year, our Valentine's boys birthday fell on Ash Wednesday.  We celebrated with birthday food a day early so we could observe an Ash Wednesday Lent fast: french toast casserole, deli sandwiches, Zorbaz wings and pizza, cookie cake and ice cream, Valentine's candy, and Nest coffee.  On his birthday, we found a great sledding hill, Hendrick went to Ash Wednesday mass with youth, opened birthday gifts, watched the 2018 Winter Olympics, and shared lots of family memories of Hendrick.

. . . R.A. Salvatore books, Twins apparel, baseball cards, Legos. . .

I can't believe we are parents to a fourteen-year-old!  We are so proud of our boy. 

Emmy

Emory has gotten to be quite a good communicator (at 22-months-old).  She's talking and chattering a lot - obviously sharing all sorts of important thoughts, information, advice, and commands.  Once she adds a few more consonants, we'll catch a lot more - she's such a cutie!

*She also tends to stick her tongue out when in deep thought.  ha!

Emmy's most common words and phrases:

"Mama wap" (lap)
"nan" (again)
"moh" (more)
"abble nana" (apple banana) - when asking for a banana
"boo" (book)
"no! dah my!" (no that's mine)
"pee-ah" (please)
"waa wat?" (what's that?)
"uh nah" (up now) - to be picked up
"yee" (yes)
"loo ih" (look (at) it)
"hal me" (help me)
"uh oh"
"too me uh" (too me up) - to be picked up too :)
"bo he" (boys here)
"me ba-he" (baby)- making sure we know it's her baby doll :)
"me who" (me too)
"bye-bye"
"aye some" (I have some)
"hane who" (thank you)
"dop" (stop)

Emmy loves dancing (she'll break into dance on command or whenever music is playing), climbing (and walking) up on the kitchen counter, tucking books in her crib, hiding (and giggling) with Addy in the closet before bedtime, sitting on a lap during story time, drawing on her feet with markers (and drawing on the walls with pencil - eek!), following Addy, playing peek-a-boo, organizing toys, singing to herself, snuggling . . .
She is a joy!