weather woes

Holy buckets how the time flies. Talk about dropping the ball. Quick a bit has happened since we last posted.

For starters, Ella has grown and grown. She is working on potting training. She tends to me more successful in attempts at daycare. But we digress! She has made the transition from her "little girl room" to her "big girl room". It got to the point where she just couldn't stand her crib, so we made the move. Unforntunately, she likes her big girl room too much. There are too many books, babies and toys to keep her in bed. So her bedtime has extended a bit, but we are glad she likes it. She does still loved to be rocked at night though!

She talks about everything, repeats everything you say in question format, and is in the "what's that?" mode. It is sure precious to hear all the sentences coming out. Between her talkin and Gage's barking, the house has gotten quite loud! She has also grown up in intellect too. She demands to pick out her own shoes (even if it means wearing mom's high-feels). If she doesn't like a certain shirt, she tells us. We did get her ear's pierced! She was a friggin' champ. She didn't cry a bit. And since that day, she makes sure that everyone see's her new earings. She loves everything fruit. Banannas, apples, grapes, you name it. She will always take a bowl full and eat them right up. She has had weeks/months were she would only let daddy do everything with her, and the reverse with mommy. Recently, her and Gage restle for about a half-hour every day. As I mention below, the winter was long and she knows it. Whenever we go outside now, its a screamfest to get her back in. And she sure can spin her wheels. If she gets away from us, she runs and runs fast. Sometimes its hard to catch her. Her favorite things to watch on TV: "toys" (Toy Story 3), Tangled, Dora and Jungle Junction.

Side projects have taken up our time when Ella is asleep. Dawn continues to broaden her skillset. Purses, day bags, dresses etc. etc. She can do anything with some fabric and her sewing machine. She did find a little gem down the street called Mill End Textiles. A great little shop with all the fabric she will ever need! As Spring draws near, she did start her vegetables early for her garden. They are already getting big. As for me, the house has taken some of my time. I got a little weather crazy a few months ago and decided to demolition the basement. Our hope is that we can eventualy put a storage room and a bedroom in half of the unfinished space down there. So the demo came and went. Since then I haven't been able to do much until I fix some landscaping outside to prevent some minor water issues. So that one is on hold for now. Since then, on a whim, we decided to redo our kitchen floor. It is something we wanted to do since we moved in, we just couldn't find the time. So on a Saturday afternoon we ripped out the old flooring (2 layers of flooring and 2 layers of subfloor). By around 1am, we had 90% of the new floor installed. Tiring as well, but well worth it. I also did some landscaping to make up for some unfinished business from last fall as well as building Dawn a raised garden for those vegetables (just in time for our first 60 degree day). I also bought a new sliding door some time ago and was finally able to instal that this last weekend. Soon I will finish resurfacing that wall and paint the outside patio. I can't wait!

As for that crappy weather...It actually snowed a week ago. YES, in the middle of April. That goes to show how bad the winter was this year. Even after the bad storm that made our ND trip so rough (see last post), we had at least 2 more storms that dumbed around 12 inches of snow. And after a broken snowblower, my back sure didn't appreciate it. Whether or not I am ready for mowing the grass is another thing. Speaking of the nice weather, we are looking forward to lots of time at the cabin this summmer. We have to make it a good one!

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but my Dad did get a new job. He now works in Neenah Wi. He has a nice 2 bedroom apartment there. He comes back to Burnsville once every other week to see all of us. It is sure nice when he is home. With all the house projects, he has been my on the phone handy-man. We look forward to spending time at the cabin with him and Mom this Summer!

As you can tell, we haven't done much traveling during the recent months. With new babies VerDouw and Dalske, that will quickly change. We can't wait for more babies! We plan on making a trip to Bismarck for the baptism of the little Verd. Because it has been so long, it will be nice to see everyone in the western land. Seeing John and the new addition on his home, seeing Charm and having Ell get another precious harcut and seeing how big Mr. Eli has gotten. Heck, I will travel to ND any weekend when there isn't snow on the interstate!

How about that, since originally starting this post, those cute babies were born...and on the same day! On Tuesday, April 26th, Charles "Chuck" VerDouw was born around noon and Emmett Miles Dalske was born around 10pm. They are both adorable little guys. Like I mentioned above, we will meet Chuck. We were able to run up to the hospital and see Emmett the day after he was born.

All in all, there have been ups and downs during the last phew months. And the next few months will probably be tough. Future posts will speak to that!

Song: Since a few killer tunes have come across the 8-track recently, I had to share at least a few. Lady Gaga - Born This Way (cover), Hanson - Give it All & Sara Bareilles - Yellow (cover)

Memory: Since the weather has been crappy recently, I will have to speak to that. Since about a month ago, I also remember playing stop and go (yes, that classic game) in the driveway of our Richfield home on my golden birthday and it was snowing. Hard to believe, snowing in April. Well, this year, mother nature put that memory to rest this year with plenty of snow far into the month of April.

a treturous drive

The holidays have come and past. It was a relaxing, stressful, exciting and quick...really everything! The weather has been about the same. Continued dumps of snow and cold air, and it's only January! Man the flip-flps and shorts can't come soon enough. I will mow the lawn any day over this shoveling crap.

The weekend before Christmas we spent in Fargo for the extended family get-together at the Metzgers. We drove up on Saturday morning and checked-in to our hotel. Gage stayed in the cities. We went Pat and Glenn's around 3pm. Most of the extended family was there and it was so great to see everyone. We caught up with all of those that hadn't seen us in a while and Ella played alot with Grandma! We headed back to our hotel around 8pm and crashed hard. Ella ended up sleeping in bed with us last night and a trend started (more on that later). We stopped by Pat's on the way out of town for a nice breakfast, said our goodbyes and made the treak back home.

We spent Christmas Eve here at home. It was fantastic. I finished my Christmas shopping that morning while the girls stayed and played at home. We made a fantastic spread for a meal and relaxed all night. We opened presents that night after dinner. On Christmas Day, I did a bit of shoveling and Ella played with a new toys (a new kitchenette, a vacuum cleaner, some books, clothes and a doll house). Early that afternoon we headed over to Hugh and Joni's for a big meal and more presents. Hugh Jr., Rose and Chas and Auntie Debbie we're all there. We had a great meal and enjoyed each others company.

Because Christmas fell on a Saturday, we only had Friday off. We headed back to work on Monday. But we took a few days off the following week to take a little vacation. On Weds. morning, we headed off to North Dakota. Because most of the state was supposed to be slammed with snow and freezing rain, we borrow the Pilot to make the trip. Gage also joined us on the trip. We way out there went swimmingly and we arrived around 3pm that afternoon. Over the next few days, we watched alot of TV and let the girls play (and fit over toys). Because of the poor road conditions, we never made the last leg of the trip to New Town to see the rest of the family. We shipped their presents the rest of the way! New Years eve we drank champaigne/beer and watched the ball drop. Saturday we went to visit Grandma Rita at her new home in Bismarck. It was so great to see her in healthy and happy. The girls played and entertained us. We had another great home-cooked meal by Darc that night. We took of from Bismarck on Sunday morning around 8am. Most of the interstate was closed all weekend because of the poor driving conditions. They were opening as we were driving (for good or bad). We ended up driving about 20 miles an hour for about half of the drive because there was so much ice on the drive. We saw cars rolled-over every few miles and had a hard time keeping the car on the road. BUT, we got home safe and were glad to be there!

As I mentioned, we weren't able to make it home to New Town. Bummed but really blessed the following week when we were mailed all of our presents. So after Christmas, we had a second Christmas. Ella recevied lots and lots of Dora (which she loves). Dawn and I also got some really good gifts. It was so nice!

Before Christmas arrvied, we finally got the news our family has been waiting for two years. My dad got a long awaited job. He is now a marketing manager at TIDI Products. It is based in Neenah, WI, five hours away from the cities. Based on all that he told me during the interview process, it is a company with a very bright future and one that he can make a major impact at in a short amount of time. We are very excited for him. It will mean some time away from us and from Mom, but in the long run, it's worth it so he is happy and life can go on. To give you an idea, any gown, tissue or fabric that you have used in a hospital, doctors or dentist office most likely was manufactured by TIDI.

Enough about holidays and traveling. Ella is growing like a weed, in more ways than one. One example, she can open bedroom doors now and turn off light switches (scray). Now that the pacifier is toast, she is talking more and more. And learning words we never expected from daycare (in a good way). More than ever she is putting Gage in his place, which he needs. She has grown effectionite to Dora and Diego, don't tell her, but almost more than Ming-Ming and the Wonder Pets. Point is, along with Walgreens, I should have invested in Nick Jr. She is back into the bath sensation. She will spend all night in there if she could. There are even a few gifts and toys she got last year that she is now realy using! Coloring is also a big fad that continues. But mainly, we can't go to bed without reading many books. And with that, she has become clingy too. Always wanting to be held, which we don't mind at all. Potty training is still in the works, which we are cool with. One thing at a time.

Although 2010 was busy for us and plenty of exciting things happened, I was disappointed that it ended. Yes, it means that I will be one year older, but its not that. Recently I have reflecting alot on how quicly time goes by. Because of it I have been spending as much time awake and doing the things I want to do. At any rate, a few weeks before she passed, Elizabeth Edwards posted this message on her Facebook wall. I don't mean to write to jump on any bandwagon, but her words are so true. In the time we do have, whether we go tomorrow or live to 100, we need to really, really, cherish those we have in our lives. Our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers and those around us on a daily basis. After all, they make our days worth living. Cherish them and be grateful.

The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one project I have started during those late nights in moving all of my mom's hand written notes onto the web. Since my parents bought their cabin in Merrifield, MN, my mom has written a page or two of stories recounting all that happened every weekend. Well, now you can see that online. Check out www.sunrise-shores.com/. It's not complete (as I have only gotten through 1994) and the design/template will most likely change (and photos will be uploaded soon), but it's a good start. Ah, memories!

Music: Brad Paisley - This Is Country Music