Night 1

*Eleven hour work day, pick Logan up from daycare. Answer the question, "where Emma? where Daddy? where Tyler?" 5 times each. I think he realized something was amuck.

*Dinner of chicken nuggets and french fries on the living room floor watching Dora. Forced to do the chicken dance with Logan, Dora and Boots.

*Trip to Walmart for milk. Come home with milk and a plastic wheel barrel toddler size.

*Phone call from Daddy, pj's, ice cream cone and bedtime for Logan AND the wheel barrel.

*........alone time, total control of the remote and a sleeping dog at my feet.

It was a good first day.

Time alone with Mommy......

This week is Kirby's annual Canadian fishing trip with his college pals. He leaves on Wednesday and this year he is leaving me with just one child. Yep-that's right, one child.

Tyler AND Emma are going up to Warroad to spend a few days with Papa Tom and Grandma Rose and Uncle Tator Head. Emma is so excited she can hardly keep counting down the correct number of days.

Kirby asked me, "What are you going to do with all your free time?"

I think Logan is going to be a little nervous about being the only child. He's only been in this situation for one night before and now he's facing 5 days without any siblings around.

What will I do with my all my free time? Most likely spoil him rotten with one on one attention, quiet dinners for two and endless trips to the playground.

Oh, and I bet even Gunner will get some attention more than he's used to this week also. :)

Crayfish for dinner.

Tyler invited his good pal Ryan to come up to Pine City to spend a few days last week. The boys spent lots of time playing video games, watching movies, riding bikes, and well, being 12 year old boys. It's amazing how the addition of one child can increase the noise volume in your house. :)

Ryan and Tyler have been friends since they were 3 and have endured the first day of school, Elementary School, lots of football and basketball seasons and their recent accomplishment was finishing the first year of middle school together. It's fun to watch them interact and beat up on each other.

We took the whole gang down to the St. Croix River one night and Tyler and Ryan had big plans to be finding as many crayfish as they could. We came home with a huge pail of them.........of course, the next question was: What do we do with them?

Kirby, aka Mr. Chef Boyardee suggested they boil them up and eat them.

So, peeking the interest of two 12 year old boys.....that's what they did!

Can you believe they actually ate them? Yuck!

Ryan- a little tentative but eventually gave in.
Tyler-no fear for this boy.

I think Logan and Emma even had a bite.........umm, no thanks for me!

Happy Birthday!

Last Tuesday was Kirby's 34th birthday. During the day I texted him and asked him how it felt to be middle aged......he didn't appreciate my humor. (I thought I was pretty funny)

It was a low key birthday for him. He worked at the pool, I worked and then Emma, Logan and I (Tyler was at basketball camp) took him out for supper at Applebee's. He requested that I didn't have the staff sing to him- see how old and grumpy he's getting all ready?

Afterwards we took a loop around Target and then headed home for some singing and cupcakes and presents of course. (thanks for the tip Brent)

Happy Birthday Honey! We love ya lots! Here's to another awesome year together.

Please Take a Moment....

Please take a moment to   * Count your Blessings.

Please take a moment to  * Hug your Children.

Please take a moment to * Tell someone you love them.

Seriously - 

Please take a moment to * to say a prayer for someone you care about.

Please take a moment to * Compliment a stranger.

Please take a moment to * Realize all the good things one person can do in a day.

If you didn't know, I am one of the managers of the Rush City Aquatic Center. My kids love "Daddy's Pool" and I appreciate the money, put in my hours and relish in the time our family can be together there whether I'm working or not. 

It's a big place. 210,000+ gallons of water... a tall "curly" slide... diving board and drop slide...kiddie pool with Zero Depth entry and all the "bells and whistles".

The Rush City Pool has been open for 13 years. I have worked there for 6 of those years now. Yesterday, we had our first serious emergency. An unattended, 2 year old girl went into the pool in 3'9" of water on the east end of our lap swim area. It's unknown how long she was under water but a family member pulled her out. Our Emergency Response was initiated by me blowing the 3 sharp whistle blasts that I had hoped I wouldn't ever have to do. I was the 1st staff member to the child and with the help of some wonderful people that God put in the right place at the right time, we were able to keep the little girl conscious and breathing on her own while she vomited multiple times. 911 was called. EMTs and Sheriff's Deputies responded. One of the "good Samaritans" that was at the pool was a North Branch Firefighter. - I won't go into any more details other than - as far as I know now... the Child is O.K. She was squirming and crying in her father's arms when I turned everything over to emergency personnel.

The young staff at "Daddy's Pool" did their jobs and did them as well as can be expected. Their lives are forever affected by what we endured together. Michele and the kids were at the pool as I was working a long Saturday shift. As a matter of fact, I was watching Tyler play with Logan in the kiddie pool just 20 feet from where the little girl went in - perhaps one of the reasons I was able to respond so quickly. I truly saw God's work yesterday. I have tears in my eyes as I type this - witness to the awesome power of good people doing good things. 

The Kirby Krew stayed up past the little one's bed times last night, roasting marshmallows and making some of the best S'mores a fella ever tasted. I couldn't stay in bed any longer as I've got the whole scenario replaying in my mind - however I just heard the most wonderful sound in the world..... besides the birds calling in a beautiful Sunday morning outside my window, I hear the scampering of tiny feet upstairs. Emma and Logan are awake and playing together quietly..... Please let me take a Moment.

Up North.....

One of my favorite (guilty) pleasures is to corner folks on where their definition of 'going up north' for a few days is. If you listen to people talk about their trips to the cabin or their jaunts up 'north,' most will define it as Brainerd and around that area. Because for those folks living in the 7 county metro area-that is north! I'm sure at one time, yes, I was in that group but now that I have married a Warroad Warrior, my definition of going up 'north' for a few days has changed (and this is coming from the gal that went to college in Bemidji.) Warroad is as far 'north' as you can get. Heck, some people even tell me that Pine City is up 'north.' Um, no, it's not. If you want to go up 'north' for a few days.....let me know, I'll show you exactly where that is and it's not the Brainerd Lakes area. :)

So, speaking of being up 'north,' we had a WONDERFUL time.

Here were a few key benefits for me:

1. I lost track of what day is was, what time is was and what the date was.
2. I didn't have to sign my name a hundred times a day.
3. I realized that fishing AND sun tanning is a good combination. It's almost like multi-tasking.
4. I miss being around my kids and hearing everything they say throughout the day.
5. I was able to watch my husband get excited, over and over and over again at every stinking fish he caught or I caught or Tyler caught or whoever pulled one in. He's like a kid in the candy store.

On to the pictures and stories!
First thing we did when we got there was unpack and then head down the point to do some exploring.
Here are the kids making sure the lake is still there.
Logan just loves to be on his own watch sometimes......

Emma leading the way down at the walk way.

Emma standing for a pose at the look out tower.

Logie bear and Big Brother Tyler.

Tyler drinking his smoothie on his new jet ski across the lake.

I think the first day/night we were there, Kirby caught 3 really nice size walleye's off the wall in his Dad's backyard. He's one of them.
(see, it looks like he just ate a bag of M&M's doesn't it?)

Another pose and fish this time with Logan.

Emma loves Zippel Bay State Park. She always asks to go there whenever we talk about going to Warroad. So our 2nd day there we packed up some sandwiches and spent a few hours playing around.

Here are my toes on the beach. Not my ideal beach, but better than no beach right?

Logan having fun!

Tyler taking Emma out in the cold water.

She decided a piggy back ride was the better way to go.

Logan and I taking a break on the rock.

All of us on the rock!

Here's Grandma Judy with all the kids.

Thanks to some babysitting by Papa Tom, we were able to go out for a few hours with Tyler and do some fishing. Here is Tyler being oh so patient.

staying positive.....hoping for that big bite.

Got it!

Here is me fishing with my new pink rod and reel. I had just said to Kirby, "Hey, take a picture of me and Gunner with my new pole." when I got a bite and pulled in this little walleye. It's an even better picture of my new rod holding a fish.

Papa Tom and Grandma Rose took the kids out for ride in their new paddleboat. They loved it and are still talking about it. In fact we went to Walmart today and Logan saw one sitting out and said, "Papa Tom's boat!"

We went to a flea market in Roosevelt one morning and Logan picked out a pop gun. He was so proud to be carrying it around and shooting wild animals. Here's Emma taking her turn.

The point in Warroad has lots of activities going on. Kid runs, food, blow ups for the kids to jump on and a paper plate drop. For the paper plate drop, local business' put a coupon for a discount or something free on a paper plate and then an airplane flies over the point, dropping the plates out to those of us waiting below. Tyler was all geared up that he was going to get a plate. We waited and the plane fly over and then pandemonium hit! It was crazy! Tyler took off and I grabbed Logan and Emma and held on for dear life! People were running everywhere and were fighting and jumping in groups for the lazy plate floating down. Sure enough, 5 minutes later a sweaty Tyler comes back with a paper plate. He's such a competitor. Then the plane comes around again and he's off! 5 minutes later, he he comes walking back with another plate! The plane came around a third time and dropped some right in front of us, I watched him run out, jump up with a group of adults/kids (and the whole time I'm thinking about his $300 new glasses on top of his nose) and see him take an elbow to the cheek, watch the glasses fall off..... at this point I closed my eyes. I opened them up to see him walking towards us with his glasses back on his head and his comment was... "I'm done."

Emma and Logan got their faces painted. Emma got some stars and Logan went with the flag. Could there be a cuter cheek to put the American flag on? I don't think so...

The parade is always a good time. Lots of candy and lots of fun floats.

Logan working on his candy tactics.

The kids running out for the candy.

All of us!

On the last day we went up to the community pool and did a little swimming. This is a pretty cool pool as it has a sand bottom but is chlorinated.

Logan helping Daddy build a sand castle.

Later that day, Kirby and I went out for some last minute fishing. Here's my biggest catch. Take note of the rod and reel.

All in all, it was another great trip to Warroad. Lots of family time, good meals, great conversations and relaxing days. Thanks to Grandma Judy and Joe for letting us invade their space and for feeding us. Thanks to Papa Tom and Grandma Rose for the use of the wall for fishing, keeping an 'eye' on Tyler, playing with Emma and Logan and spinning them around and around and feeding all of us too. And of course, thanks to Tim and Janelle for sharing their boat with us. :)

We're back.........

with mosquito bites, sunburns/suntans, fish stories and relaxing smiles on our faces. Stories and pictures soon to follow!