Happy Trails...

Brett's good friend retired this week. I can't even believe it.  Brett was asked to MC the Retirement Party. It was a lot of fun! There was an amazing turnout of people to wish Gary well. It was both funny and emotional.  He will be missed around work for sure. For Brett's part, he had put together a few funny powerpoint presentations and a nice musical slideshow. I helped Brett doctor up a few funny photos. They turned out hilarious! A few people told Brett he should be a Stand-up Comedian. He did a great job!

The office got together and got some pretty awesome gifts for Gary. This painting was one of my favorites. They had someone paint a picture of  Gary on his bike. Isn't it amazing?

Good Luck to Gary & his family. He will be missed but we're so excited he gets to spend more time with his family!!!

Work, Learn, Play, & Have Fun!

I do love the Summer! I love the laid back schedule, the late night parties, the sunshine, the sleeping in and doing fun things with the kids. However, long free days can produce bored, unproductive kids if not channeled a bit. Hence... every Summer, we come up with a way to schedule our time and be a bit productive along the way. Last Summer we did Attitude Change. It worked great because the kids wanted to be at the TV or Computer a lot but this year they haven't really been too bad of couch potatoes so we wanted to try something new.

For Summer 2011, with the help from Kristen'sKrafts, the kids made buttons to track our week. The buttons turned out way fun and the kids loved helping make them!!!

So here's how our Summer Schedule 2011:

Work, Learn, Play & Have Fun works:

There are things that we do DAILY like piano practice, prayer, scriptures, and a chore. [M-bedrooms, T-laundry, W-bathrooms, R-kitchen, F-basement] They put up the magnet and move it each day they do it.

Then, they have to pick one HOMEWORK thing to do each day. Things like reading, math, computer, art, or writing. They make their choice and put up their magnet on the day they do it.

Finally, they have a HOUSEHOLD thing to help with each week. These include setting the table, helping make dinner, washing dishes, and doing a job.  

I love it when they take the initiative to do there stuff!

We've been a little more slacky than I had planned (too many late nights and sleeping in til 11, I guess) but we are for sure enjoying our Summer. And I have some amazing helpers at my house. What would I do without them?!!!

Artic Swimmers

It was NOT swimming temps today but the kids have had their heart set on swimming together so whatever, right? Just don't make me get in!!! The Cudneys and us were invited over to do a bit of Artic Swimming at the Larsens tonight. The kids LOVED it! At least until they froze their hineys when they got out! LOL Thanks for the fun night, guys!

We got to warm ourselves by the fire. And they even treated us to some roasted marshmallows! Yummy!

Enough Already!

Will the rains EVER stop??????

Dutch Oven @ the Park

We decided to try something new with our Dutch Oven Cooking Parties. We moved them to the Park. We figure it'll cut down the craziness (and need for the before-cleaning process) at one person's home. I was a little nervous at the idea at first. Especially cuz most of the free parks in town do not have bathrooms or running water. A little bit nerve racking for the Mommas but it turned out perfect. It was a smaller group than usual this time but that just meant more food for me!!!
I think the reason for the smaller group was... Most people are taking off for the month of July so they think they need the whole week to get ready or something! ;o) All the more reason people should come to everything before they abandon us for the Summer but... that's just my opinion! And it seems it doesn't count for a lot round here these days! LOL
The food was amazing as usual! We had Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken with Veggies, Jambalaya, Pink salad, butterscotch cookies, Apple crisp and a Blueberry/other fruit cobbler. Delicious!

We brought Sabrina with us this time. We also had the new Gill family to play with as well. All the kids enjoyed playing on the playground and swings. Funny thing...The entire playground surface felt like it was floating (because of the rains this week). Whenever you jumped off the equipment , it felt  like you were gonna sink into some kind of quick sand. Luckily most of the kids came away without too much mud on them!

 After dinner, the Z boys, Jared Gill and Brett got together a game of Kickball for the kids. They loved it!!!

We'll have to see if we stay with the Park Dutch Oven Plan but for now.. we'll count it as a success!

Joseph in Technicolor!

We have some of the most awesome friends ever! When I was out VTing at the beginning of this month and Faith told me that Katie was going to be in the Enderlin Production of Joseph, I knew we had to make it out there. We love to adopt ourselves into the Lueck family anyway we can. They are awesome! They spoil us when we go out (not that that this the reason we go but it sure makes us feel special)!

We went out a bit early to eat dinner. Micki is a fabulous cook and the food was excellent. We totally made pigs of ourselves but it really was soooo good! She made us ribs, the best potato salad ever, fruit pizza, baked beans, chips, and the BIGGEST hotdogs you have ever seen in your life!!! Our kids love the big hill and playing with Katie & Ellie (and now they love to hold baby Scout)! Brett and I love visiting with Micki, Faith and Steve. (We missed Chet cuz he was out of town) They are so easy to laugh & visit with. Thanks so much for dinner, Micki! Yummmy!

Enderlin is such a cute little community where everyone knows everyone. [It's about 50 minutes SW of our home] They did a fabulous job at the production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. The set was awesome, costumes were amazing and they sounded great! A perfect performance for our kids to experience Joseph for the first time. Way to go, Katie! You did an awesome job!

Remember the spoiling part??? Well after the play, we walked to the local Ice Cream Shop where Micki treated us to dessert. So yummy! It was a bit chilly cuz the wonderful ND breeze picked up but it was delicious!

Thanks for letting us come out guys! You are awesome!

Fargo Favorites #39

1. Health Care Reform

I grew up where the Major Health Care Company in the area had always been the same. I was born in an IHC Hospital, was always taken care of in IHC Hospitals/ InstaCares and even gave birth to my first & second child in an IHC Hospital. IHC (Intermountain Health Care) was started in 1975 and is still growing in Utah and Idaho areas today. Needless to say, it's been a bit of a shocker to have BOTH major Health Care Companies in Fargo completely change (one of them 2 times) into a completely different companies in less than 6 years.  I've learned a lot about letting the little things go when it comes to doctors and hospitals since we've come to Fargo.

 to

2. Empty Parking Lots

You know it's Summer here in Fargo when the best time to go grocery shopping or to the movies is Friday night or Saturday. Sometimes we have to do a double-take when we pull into a parking lot and are the only (or almost only) ones there. Everyone (and I mean almost everyone!!!) heads out to the "lake" for the weekend which leaves Fargo a bit of a GhostTown. But hey- since the Seamons are LakeHouse-less- it works out in our favor!!! LOL

3. Rummage Sales

Fargo is one of the best places in the United States to find great deals on second-hand stuff. Back home, we called them Garage Sales but here they are more often referred to as Rummage Sales. It's a serious business here, people! They start as soon as the snow melts and go til the first snowfall. Most of them run their sales on Thursday night, Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday. Seriously freaky!! But I do hear from those that are actually up before 10 am on Saturday that they find amazing deals!!!

4. Dandelion Fields
If I had been more motivated the last month this one would have been posted mid-May but I will mention it here. After the snow melted and things thawed enough to begin to grow, huge dandelion fields popped up everywhere!!! A little kid's paradise for picking flowers for Mommy!

5. Friendly People

Some may wonder why people live in Fargo (or any of North Dakota for that matter) at all. Believe me- I am one of those people thinking that! But I have to say that Fargo has some of the most friendliest people in the world. Such nice, hard-working, down-to-Earth people you'll ever meet. Fargonians are awesome!!!

What are YOU Grateful for this week?

Justice's Egg Drop

Oh, the things that are possible with a pair of pantyhose, a pair of baby rings, a box, and an egg!!! LOL

At Justice's Scout Day Camp this month, they were supposed to do an Egg Drop Experiment. So, Brett & Justice prepared something. Then, they didn't so it. Bummer! So they decided to put it to the test tonight.

3,2,1... Droooooooooooooooooooop! And guess what? The egg survived! Wahoo!

Backyard Swim

I know I have made it out to seem as if we never have good days in Fargo lately but there have been some WaterFun-worthy days here and there. Over the years, we have collected some fun stuff for the backyard and we are putting them to good use. We had the Larsens over today to play for a bit. The kids had a blast!

Also over the past week...

We finally broke out our slipNslide. We never even used it last year. Hopefully, we can get some really hot days so that everyone will want to try it. The water is way too cold for most of them to do it more than once or twice. 

Then...

My creative kids thought it would be fun to have a Water slide. They hauled the hose over, tied it up and Wheee! An instant waterslide! Unfortunately, the landing can be a little rough so it didn't last too long.

And...

This past week, our neighbors, the Rays have torn down the fence between us. Literally not figuratively! LOL [They are repairing the whole thing with new posts since part of it fell over after the last storm] So whenever either of our kids are outside- it turns into a bit of a Party!

Here's to more SUNny days ahead!

1st Pack Meeting

Justice had his 1st Scout Pack Meeting tonight! We were supposed to go swim and have dinner at Buffalo River but it rained so we went to the Church instead. Justice has worked hard and earned his Bobcat Award along with a few Belt loops this past month. Yeah! He got his awards, the scouts played with & popped balloons and there were friends and lots treats & pop. A Scout-perfect night!!!

Things Justice earned this time:

Way to go, Bobcat!!!

Blessings in Disguise

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops...
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise!

One of my favorite songs lately and which I hear EVERY time I get in the car is a song called Blessings by Laura Story. Obviously I haven't let it sink into my heart enough because today I really got the picture! I was taking Victoria to Safety Town and we were running late. (as usual)  It was downpouring rain!!! The kind where you look up to see if someone is above you with a bucket. Even running to the van, we got wet. As we approached Main, I remembered that I had forgotten my cell phone. Victoria thought we should go back and get it but we were already gonna be late. I told her we'd be fine for today. We'd only made it down two or three blocks just past Bonanzaville when something on the road made a terrible sound. What was it, you wonder? US! The van had a flat tire! You gotta be kidding me??????? Pouring rain, and remember... NO cell phone. Seriously? I decided that I at least had to get off Main. We pulled up to the next turn onto the frontage road. By then I thought, we have to try to make it to Bonanzaville and pray that they are open. We luckily made it to their parking lot and ran for the door. Soaked but so grateful that their door was unlocked, we went in. Needless to say, they were a bit shocked someone was there on a day like this. We used their phone to call Brett for our rescue. Thanks heavens he was in town! While we waited, the older gentleman working that day, visited with us and spoiled us with treats and souvenirs. Victoria and I got to spend some time together and talk about her concerns about Safety Town and going to school in the Fall. We had a great time! Brett did come, brought us the other car, and even stayed in the pouring rain to change the tire and get it fixed. Isn't he awesome!!!!?
The whole adventure was not exactly what was in our plans today! So why would I title this "blessings in disguise" and mention Laura Story's song?? Well, we certainly had raindrops today and there were certainly blessings in disguise!!! 1- We could have made it to the freeway before it went flat. Can you imagine? 2-Bonanzaville could have been closed and 3-Brett could have been out of town. BUT... we didn't, they weren't and he wasn't. How lucky are we!!!

So a few lessons I learned today...

1. Don't forget your cell phone! Especially when it's pouring rain!

2. Listen to your kids. They have things to say and are a lot smarter than we give them credit.

3. Hubby's are awesome! 'Nough said!

4. Take time to play in the rain. It's made up of the stuff that makes us clean anyways!

5. Be friendly with people. You might just make someone's day!

Green Thumb: Part 1

I have to admit I'm not too stoked about gardening this year. What is my problem?? Perhaps it's because the weather has been cold, wet and gloomy or I'm just whiny and have a bad attitude. Whatever the case may be, Brett & the kids have come to the "Green Thumb" Rescue. We have lots of fun things growing and I do love to see the growing progress so I will buck up and do what I do best... document!
I did however, buy flowers for the front flower bed. Granted--- I went to a Couponing Class and left the fam to plant them but I am taking a bit of credit as the supplier at least! So pretty! I love flowers! (One of these days I'm going to do a fancy ALL perennial garden so I can just sit back and watch it grow. Since I was a slacker, that'll happen another year I guess.)

Stay tuned for the green thumb talent our family possesses...

Father's Day Celebration

First, a shout out to all the amazing men who have touched our lives. Hope that you know how much we love you and that you have a terrific Father's Day!!

Second, Brett deserves the royal treatment way more than he gets so it makes me grateful that we have days like this. Today, the kids and I tried to make his day extra special cuz he deserves it!

First, we let him sleep in. At least as much as we could for a Sunday morning. Then we had got donuts & chocolate milk for breakfast. Turns out that plan didn't work out so well since the donuts sucked! Dang- sorry, Love! Liberty told him "Next year, we are making you a fancy home-made breakfast!" LOL

After Church (which by the way, he came back with all sorts of home-made gifts), we let him open gifts. The kids love to spoil their Daddy! They got him new slippers, a pair of shorts, and a Captain America T-shirt that he could wear for the day. We loved the card because it reminded us of Daddy's bedtime stories. Brett is always telling the kids stories about some little kids named Bonita, Guapo, Linda and Bella who are "so brave and so strong". They love his stories especially because they are about them!!! The card reads "Hey Daddy, because you're brave.. and strong and tough... and you're the BEST... at lots of stuff... Happy Daddy's Day!!" The kids added "We love you! All these things are true and you are the absoulute BEST! We love you! -The kids

Liberty requested to have a picture of them kissing him so she could make a last minute present. She made an adorable little memory book of things they love doing with their Dad. (It was so sweet! I'll make a post of how it looked soon.)

Dad played some games on the tramp with the kids. They love it when he plays anything with them! Then they all helped shuck corn. They have definitely learned how to be hard workers and helpers from their Daddy! Thanks guys!
Next, we let Daddy take a nap while we made a fancy dinner. We had some of Dad's favorite stuff- BBQ boneless ribs, real mashed potatoes & gravy, corn on the cob, a R,W&B fruit salad [strawberries, bananas & blueberries], and salad. Yummmy!
After our Sunday walk (another of Brett's favorite things), we had some mini- oreo cakes. We ate the entire star platter! So good!

Brett-

 Hope you know how fabulous you are! You work so hard for our family and keep us all together. Our life would be so boring without you! You are always making us laugh and keep us looking on the bright side of everything! You are so HOT! Thanks for being such a fabulous Daddy and Hubby! We love you! Happy Father's Day, Love!

TP Brides

This August, Brett and I will celebrate our 15th Wedding anniversary! Can you believe that? I'm not old enough to be married that long, right? OK- Don't answer that!!! LOL

Well, today I got to go to a Bridal Shower for Ashley Walen. [One of the girls I had in YW when I first moved here. AHHHH! Where does time fly?] Teri & Kaitlin did a fabulous job of hosting. They had tons of fun games  & we all had a great time. Ashley looked beautiful and so in love! We even skyped her fiance for one of the games. It was fun to see a couple all googly over each other and just starting out on their new adventure together.  I hope Brett & I keep working on keeping that lovey-dovey feeling. It's so cute!

GNO: Jane Eyre, Part 2

A while back we had a GNO (in April to be precise) to go see the new Jane Eyre movie in the theater. It took us a bit but as promised we had our "Long Version of Jane Eyre" Party tonight. We watched the 2-disk (like 4 hours! Holy Cow!) Masterpiece Theatre Version tonight. Tons more info in this one, for sure! I actually really liked both versions. Both add a different dimension to the story. And so far Mr. Rochester has been dreamy in both- a jerk in both but a dreamy one nonetheless!

We had tons of yummy treats, lots of visiting, laughing, professional hand rubs, nail painting, and even crying. (Mr. Rochester can be so mean sometimes!;) Thanks to my Sunshine, Jen for hosting! You're awesome! I got guilted into (ok by my own conscience and not the girls) borrowing the book. Figure I better find out all the other info that they keep saying isn't in the movies. Wowzers- it's a BIG book though! In fact, I think everyone checked out a book or a movie from Jen's extensive (a huge understatement) video/book Library. We are all gonna be busy in the next few weeks. Then maybe we can watch another version! Yeah!

Midwest Kidfest

Remember how it rains every time we're scheduled for some outside fun? Yeah- well today was right with that plan! We were going to go to Buffalo River but it was cold and rainy- not swimming weather, for sure! Well, we tried to make the best of it! We decided to have Dad meet us at the annual Midwest KidFest for some lunch and fun! It had rained all morning so EVERYTHING was muddy! But kids and mud and games and balloons and art and food... what a perfect combination for FUN!

Here's a look at our day:

Lunch with Dad, Ditzy the Clown and tons of things to take home:

 All the fun kid games to participate in:

 Glory's favorite was the Horsey ride:

A chance to be a Hero:

 Fun ARTsy Kid Stuff:

 Animals to touch:

And of course- muddy bouncers! How fun!

Yeah for KidFest!!!!

Fargo Favorites #38

I'm redundant, I know. But I am once again slacker on being grateful by Friday (It's really Tuesday) and I am super sick and tired of the icky weather here so I am finding it hard to be grateful this week. Holy Crap- even that sentence is redundant! Arggg! I badly need to get out of my pity party attitude! Funny thing is that I know that the faster way out of a funk is gratitude. Ironic isn't it? That the thing I find the hardest to do is the faster way to feel better. Go figure! So today I am gonna steal share some inspirational words from another blogger because 1- I just can't make myself think of things today 2- I'm way behind anyways and 3- Her things are things that I'm grateful as well. Two birds with one stone, right? So enjoy...

A Gratitude List

June 17, 2011 by nancyadavis

What is it that makes us change our perception about the way things are going in life? Could it be something as simple as gratitude for the things we have? Nah. Gotta be something way more complex right? Not really. At least, not in my case.
Whenever I have the feeling that the world is caving in, I need to stop and look around. Is there something that I can be grateful for? It really is a sad day indeed when I can’t come up with at least ten (or five) things to get me back on track.
I am grateful that I am alive
I am grateful for my feelings
I am grateful for the ability to love
I am grateful for belief
I am grateful for my memories

What is on your

Gratitude List?

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

The weather has NOT cooperated with our Outdoor Summer Schedule yet. Wednesday and Fridays are supposed to be Parks and swimming. Yet RAIN has decided it likes those days the best. So instead of running around Gooseberry Park today, the Potters invited us to join them and some other friends at the indoor McDonald's playground. So despite the change of plans, the kids have fun just being with their friends.

Still....

I am chanting "Rain, Rain, Go Away!"

Scout Day Camp

Justice got to go to his 1st Scout Day Camp today. Brett got to tag along for the morning. They did tons of stuff. Their theme was Around the World. They got a passport and collected a flag sticker for each activity they completed. Some of Justice's favorite things included archery, sling shot, BB guns, making bird houses, soccer game, tug-o-war, being with the troop and eating lunch with Dad.

F.O.E.

Last minute change of plans made for a fun FOE (Family OUT Evening instead of Family Home Evening). The school age kids have free passes to a local bowling alley. They get a free game every day for all of June & July. FREE games at Stars & Stripes? Here we come! Our entire family got to play a game with shoes for $8. Score!!!! Because of the lanes we played on- we played the whole game without bumpers so it was a bit low scoring (and maybe a bit frustrating for those who cared about their score). But hey- maybe we'll all be forced to get really good by the end of the Summer. Way to keep trying guys!!!

Then we went to enjoyed a treat at DQ. Thanks Daddy!

Yeah for Family Night!!!