Xmas Sweaters

Smile....Mom wanted a picture of us in our Xmas sweaters.

Trick or Treat

The Pirate and the Skeleton had a good time trick or treating. Fell asleep on the way home.

Pumpkin Heads

Gabe helped clean out the pumpkins and Chance just watched. About 1/2 way through the process, Chance figured out it was a face on the pumpkin and said RAHHHHHHH!

We're Home

Pat and I... "tired" after our trip to South Dakota.
We had a blast, kids were well behaved, the scenery was awesome.
Long Drive, but well worth it. Unpacking or beer first?? Hmmm.

Mount Rushmore Close Up

We stayed in a hotel at the foot of Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills. Our hotel room was very large. Kids had a blast. See picts below.

Bear Country

Our first stop in our trip to S.D. was Bear Country. The boys' favorite part was all the baby bears wrestling. The two grizzly's were cool too.

I Spy a Buffalo

A mom buffalo and her baby we saw along the road in Custer State Park. We also saw some antelope. We went to Crazy Horse Memorial later that day.

Badlands Nat'l Park

The Badlands were beautiful....and hot. We drove through the park and the boys got out and ran around over the hills for awhile. They loved it. Ryan and Tristan said it was their favorite part of the S. Dakota trip. Although the boys were looking for rattlesnakes, with no luck, we did see prairie dogs and a mule deer here.

Mount Rushmore

Mt Rushmore was really cool, I was surprised how much it has changed, we got to walk along a trail under the monument. Boys liked it and Gabe now calls them "the faces".

Father's Day

Pat and the boys on Father's Day. Yes, all FIVE!
The boys got him a new battery powered awesome weed whip that he wanted, he was happy! We went swimming in the pool then Pat took a nap and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. For supper we took Pat out for cheeseburgers at Randy's.

Naked Baby Alert

Chance trying to reach the door after swimming in the pool. He was adamant that he was going to open that door after I took his trunks off. He didn't, but it made a hilarious photo.

Prank on Ryan

Ryan fell asleep and David took a marker to him. Pranksters, it was funny, not for poor Ryan, but the rest of us had a good chuckle.

Paintball

The boys did some paintballing over Memorial Day in Laura/Terry's woods. Tristan took a hit to his lower back this weekend. Ouch. Pat loves to get out there and hunt the boys also, camoflage...yes!! They had a blast. It was a fun holiday... over the campfire.

Birthday Boys!

Gabriel turned four on May 26th and Ryan turned thirteen on May 30th. They had a nice birthday party, lots of gifts and cake. We got Ryan a soccer goal and Gabriel a bike, they loved their gifts.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year Gabriel sang in church. Chance is sick with hand/foot/mouth and cried the entire day. Pat and I were ready to scream after a few hours of this, but I enjoyed my hanging basket and new bracelet from all the boys.

Baseball Already!

Tristan has started baseball with the 10 year old traveling team. The Red Wing Raptors. He is a great catcher and also pitched the first couple innings. He hit a double and did score a run, but the team lost. Better luck next game. David and Ryan commented on how Tristan is a much better ball player they they were at ten. They have taught Gabe to hit the ball, it's neat watching all the boys play catch in the yard. Chance is the ball....j/k :)

Ryan's Soccer Season

Ryan's soccer season has started. He had a tournament last weekend in Cottage Grove, with 11 soccer fields going simultaneously. Ryan's one of the smallest on his team, but he sure does seems to be the most fit. He seems to always be where the ball is. It's fun to watch.

Back from Florida

Finally, my Mom and Dad are back from their winter hide-away in Florida. Beside's looking rested and "tan", they brought back oranges and grapefruit and lots of pictures. Now to the lawnwork they have to do up here, certainly different from the palm trees of Florida. The boys were glad to go see them Sunday.

Tristan's Birthday

Happy 10th B-day Tristan (April 3rd). We got him a new baseball glove and a pitching net. Thanks to everyone for all the gifts, he really enjoyed the clothes and cash and gift cards. Below he is with a couple friends who slept over on Friday night and then went to the YMCA.

David's New Car

His 1st car. David got a deal on a 1995 Ford Escort. High miles but...
very nice stereo, drives good. It's a stick shift.....and from what Pat says, David needs lots of practice.

David has his license

Yes it's true. It freaked Pat and I out last weekend when he wanted to use the van. Pat and David are currently looking for David's first car.

Gabriel in school

Gabriel has been doing good in preschool and has it every Wednesday at Goodhue school. Today he went to school with me and saw some hula hoops for my first hour History class, they were having a hula hoop contest as part of their unit on the 1950's. Gabe knew what they were because I have one at home, so he started to hula hoop and is really good. It's hilarious.
Otherwise Gabe is learning his letters and wishing for his birthday to get here along with warmer weather to play outside with his trucks.

Chance is Walking

Chance has been practicing walking for the last month now. It's funny to see him "wobble" around the house. He giggles the whole time that he's walking.