no mommy, no!

Those are Ella's famous words now. And the conversations she shares have been entertaining us over the past few months. Again, like the last post, I will try to remember all the excursions we went on!

Chris and Keli visited us in early August and took us to a Twins game at Target field. We ate great food and had even better seats. Cousin Josh and Shena treated the biggest fans in the family, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Joan, to a Twins game the next weekend. It was great to have them in the cities. We had a great steak dinner and caught up over drinks. A great time!

Also in August, we met Brian, Darcy and Madeline in Fargo to visit Grand Forks for UND Homecoming. Because hotels were booked, we stayed at a hotel in Fargo. We headed to Grand Forks around 11 that morning. We visited campus and stopped at a few stores to stock up on Sioux gear. Then we headed to the Alerus Center for tailgating and for the football game. It was great to be back in the Forks! We drove back to Fargo around 6 and the girls swam in the hotel pool and played in the hotel rooms. Hopefully we can make that a yearly event.

The past two months we have experienced many ups and downs. We are excited about the babies that are expected in our families. And we hope for more!! We have also been stricken with death. Two coworkers past away suddenly. That was definitely hard.

Halloween has come and past. Ella was a little witch for her daycare party. It was great to see all the other kids and parents. We had a few more tricker-treaters in the neighborhood than last year. The weather has been pretty good, aside from a few windy days here ad there. She continues color pictures with crayons and loves it. She is starting to put Gage in his place when he deserves it. And whenever she can, she is either watching Wonder Pets or Sesame Street.

All for now. Tons of pictures and stories soon.

if you pluck it

Our readers have spoken and here we are. A month and a half, holy crap, I will try to remember it all.

The biggest news recently was Dawn's promotion at Northern. She remains in the same department, but is now a project manager in the call center at NTE. It is so great that she is finally getting recognized for the hard work and effort she has put in. In other job news, after a very strong interview process of Cargill, Grandpa Hugh is still job seeking. We really hope he gets one soon. We continue to be amazed with his strength and positiveness during this long stretch. Rose got a full-time teaching job for the fall. We are very excited for her. And my cousin, Kyle "XY" Metzger made the decision to become a priest. He left his teaching job, is living with his folks in Fargo and will depart to Maryland in September for seminary school.

Ella has gotten so much bigger in recent weeks. And her hair is soooo long. She is talking a bit more, and we are working everyday to broaden her horizon's. She absolutely loves reading books on the chair next to you. She had a stretch of time where she hated the bath. Overtime, she has learned to like it again. As before, she is still a total shoe girl. Taking off and putting on every shoe in site. And she prefers to be outside. The weather has been alright recently. Very warm, but a lot of rain on the weekends, which makes it hard to play outside. She had her 18 month appointment and she is off the charts for height. Along with reading, dancing is her favorite pastime.

Shortly after the last post, the River Hills Garage sales took place. Although we probably went to 20 or 30 sales (only a fraction of how many there actually are), we really didn't find any great deals. We did learn that our neighbors (Scott & Kara) across the street are big salers. Every year they have a garage sale. They almost treat it like a vacation. So we spent a few nights in a row over at their bonfire trading stories and meeting a bunch of neighbors. One of the couples is Dan and Robin Pintozzi. I will chat about them later.

After playing Rock Band at Mike and Erin Inveen's, we couldn't resist. We broke down and bought Guitar Hero for the Wii. Actually, it's Band Hero, since it comes with two guitars, a microphone and a (gasp!) drumset! Since then, we have spent most Friday and Saturday nights jammin. We have had a number of friends over to be our roadies. Not Billboard hits yet. Give it time. Wasn't there a great actor that once said, if you pluck it, they will come.

Gage had an eventful visit to the vet in the later part of June. He had to get his shots that were overdue. After an hour of getting back, his face swelled up like a basketball and he could barely keep his eyes open. We had to rush him back to the vet for more shots to take care of his allergic reaction. A pretty traumatic event. Because he will be staying in a doggy daycare during our trip to North Dakota, he has to get a few more shots this weekend. Let's hope for the best.

We connected with some old North Dakota friends who now live in Shakopee. Mark and Rachel have a 1 yr old son named Noah. We were fortunate enough to watch him two times before the fourth. He is a cutie and Ella loved having a play partner. Although, because she is the queen at daycare, she may have to work on sharing a bit more :)

The Fourth of July was a fun filled weekend at the cabin. Pat & Glenn Metzger joined our fam at the cabin. Hugh Jr. unveiled his custom made, floating beer pong table which was a hit at the sand bar...it was a hit. More importantly, Ella LOVED the sand bar. She loved swimming and playing in the water. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Springer or Bye family did not travel to Wisconsin to buy fireworks. The neighbors made up for it and Gage was scared all weekend. After getting to the cabin on Friday night, we took off on the fifth to head home.

This last weekend we visited the Como zoo. It wasn't too busy because we went so early. The best part was visiting the Conservatory afterwords. Ella loved the flowers and the coy fish pond. We did get a chance to see the seal show for the first time. It was pretty entertaining.

We are looking forward to two big weekends in the next month. In a week and a half, we are heading to North Dakota for a Satermo Reunion. We hope to see tons of family and maybe even escape on Grandpa John's house boat. Then in August, the VerDouws are vacationing here. We will go to Target field for the first time to see a Twins game and then head up to the cabin for a weekend away. Can't wait!!

As I mentioned earlier, we have become good friends with the Pintozzi's. They happen to live a few blocks away from us. Dan's father, Bob, was the dean of boys at Trinity School back in the day. He was a hardass back then, but have grown to admire him. Bob & Claire (his wife) live with their daughter, her husband and children. Both the Pintozzi parents and the Maslows are in the People of Praise. Their oldest son, Alex, was in a horrible car accident in the early morning hours of the 4th of July. Unfortunately, at the age of 16, he did not survive. Alex was a very energetic and fun kid. I had him as a camper at Servant Camp when he was younger. We stay very close to his story through CaringBridge. He was a donor and saved many lives because of his thoughtfulness. It was a very moving time for everyone involved.

song: Coldplay - Fix You

memory: With a few wool rugs in the house and all the hard wood floors, a part time job that Dawn has taken on is keeping the floors clean. Growing up, my mom worked as a house cleaner. Back then, although they may be mediocre homes now, she cleaned mansions. When I was off from school or was "sick" I would go with her to these houses. While she worked like a dog, I would watch Sportscenter in their theatre rooms. So now when we clean any hard wood service and use Murphy's Oil, it brings me right back. Those were the days! Sure wish I could be sick all the time and crash in other people's theatre rooms now a days!

Plan to write soon. Hope to upload some videos to YouTube for the next post so you can see Ella shake it!

traveling about

The weather recently has been off and on. Some really warm, sunny days, and quite a few rainy days. All in all, we have been able to enjoy the backyard with some grilling, gardening and playing. I't looking like Dawn's green thumb has quickly come back. We hope to put in a full blown garden before the summer is out. One of many projects we want to accomplish!

The first big thing we did since the last post was visit Centennial Lakes. I frequented there back in high school and Bob Cunningham took our engagement photos there, but hadn't been back since. Since the weather was nice, we headed that was on Saturday. It's a very pleasant place and a great place to walk. Ella really enjoyed herself, as she always does when she is outside! At CL and every place, Ella is talking more than ever. Saying uh-oh, thank you, ready, okay, etc...it seems like a new word every day...so precious!

A week and a half ego we visited Grand Forks for the first time since moving down to the Twin Cities. It was pretty surreal to see old restaurants, apartment buildings and of course campus that we used to frequent. We lucked out and saw one of our old Thompson friends, Bert, at the Columbia Mall. She used to work with Dawn at Riddles and still works at UND. The reason for our visit was Tim and Kaley's wedding. It was pretty cool to see lots of old college friends, including Erik and his fiance Leisha, Mike Kinney, Will, Scott, Eric Leach, and Brady. It was a short Lutheran service at Sheran Lutheran followed by a reception of the Ramada. We ended up "partying" until about 10pm until calling it a night.

Before leaving GF for home, we visited campus for a short stint. We let Ella cruise around campus by the fountain and the celebrated sign. Dawn's dream came true when Gamble's doors were open (where Dawn took most of her classes when at UND). So we took Ella around and gave her a tour of the classrooms where we once wasted time. We didn't get a chance to escape away to our favorite watering hole, Parrot's Cay. Maybe on the next trip!

The following week we mainly got accustomed to being back in the cities and at work. However, once we came home, we were already looking forward to getting back out of the cities for Memorial Weekend in Merrifield. BUT, before I forget, we were fortunate enough see Josh and Shena. They were in town for a Twins baseball game and to see Knickelback in concert. We picked them up from the Mall of America after they took a short trip on the light rail. We had some 'za for dinner and had a few drinks. They both are excited for their new house to be completed where they have a good amount of land for Shena's horses and a big barn for all of Josh's toys.

Because we had already traveled alot last weekend, we waited until Saturday morning to drive to the cabin. Plus, memorial weekend traffic is never easy. Hugh and Joni had already been up at the cabin for a week, but they had come back down to the cities for a funeral and a wedding (not the same person). But, when we arrvied on Saturday about 10, Rose and Chas, Jr. and XY were there to welcome us. It was a beautiful sunny day and we spent all of it outside down by the lake. We stopped by the Bye's cabin that afternoon to see Steph, Kyle and Keli, Derek and the girls, and the parents and grandparents. John and Cyndi had traveled to Iowa to see her mother. On their way back, they stopped in the Brainerd area for the evening. It just so happened that Steve and Connie we in the area visiting Connie's sister (who also lives in Merrifield). The four joined us for dinner at the cabin. We enjoyed a few beers, told stories and enjoyed eachother's company. We were all very happy that they stopped by (although Ella was very shy with everyone)!

We had a fire that night where enjoyable drinks were had. Sunday the weather was a bit gloomy. So we spent most of the day relaxing and even had a fire midday. Monday was also very awesome in terms of weather. We ended up taking off about 4pm after spending more time on the lake. Ella still isn't quite used to the boat yet, but I imagine she will get there soon! Granted, she did drive the boat a bit a loved every minute of it.

We, thankfully, don't have any plans for the coming weekends. We do have a big Satermo family reunion to look forward to at the end of July. I would like to get back to ND before then.

song: One Eskimo - Kandi

memory: As Ella is getting bigger, it brings back memories of all the little things we did as kids to keep ourselves entertained while in Merrifield. One of the memorable festivities was going on rock walks. We would walks for miles to find the coolest looking rocks. And let me tell you, you would be suprised to see what we would find. Mother informed me this weekend that the rocks ended up contributing to the landscaping once we got back to the cabin. She has yet to thank us that. Unfortunately, the road since has been tared. So rock walks may be a thing of the past. But a memory nonetheless.

All for now...

they're famous

After a little vacation from the old blog, we are back. And man, there has been alot going on.

First and for most, Ella Claire. She is running everywhere now. She loves to be chased by Mommy or Daddy and loves to read Mommy stories before bedtime. She also spends lots of time having tea parties and stirring the sugar in her coffee! She also brings Gage his toys whever she has the chance. Unfortunately, the weather has been pretty chilly and rainy recently. If it wasn't, she would be outside every second!

We have been pretty busy in the last couple of weeks. We had dinner with Mike and Erin Inveen and their place in Eagan a few weeks ago. Dinner was delicious and playing Band Hero at the end of the night. The following Friday we had dinner at Tom and Nancy Caneffs. Grilled Salmon and great convo, a fun night!

In the coming weeks, we are looking forward to going back to Grand Forks for the first time since we moved for Tim and Kaley Ireland's wedding, a possible Twin's game with Josh and Shena, and our first trip to the cabin this Summer. We are also planning a Twin's game with the VerDouws in August. A killer weekend in the making!

We are all about Carpooling now that we are both at Northern Tool. And, we are hoping to start a few house projects this Summer now too! Tiling the entryway and kitchen, putting in a new dishwasher and microwave, and more yardwork!

Song: Jack Johnson - You and Your Heart

Lastly, Ella and Madeline are now famous with a feature in the UND Alumni magazine. Check it out on page 38 of the mag:

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

This weather can't get any better. It seems that every night we are outside enjoying the backyard with Ella and Gage, doing yard work and day dreaming about projects we want to do! The only we aren't looking forward to is mowing and raking!

Ella is telling more stories and saying more words. "Ouch" and "Hi" are frequenters and an occasional "Gage". Nodding yes usually follows any question you ask her. Although she does rely on the crawling quite a bit, she is walking more and more. She likes to try and wear Mom's jewelry. And if she has her hands full, she will hold things in her mouth or under her chin.

I don't want to dwell on it, but I did accept a new position at Northern Tool and will be starting their in their marketing department as an Ecommerce Web Designer. It will be swell to work at the same place as Dawnzer and with that stellar people she works with. But with that said, a full time gig for my Dad, Brother Hugh and Rose are still in need!

song: Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris - Baby (Don't hate You Bieber, You Brought Her)

memory: Planting new plants in the backyard and attempting to grow grass in bear spots reminded me of the many Summers in Merrifield at the cabin. My father, being the perfectionist that he is, was always worried about planting new shrubs and making sure fresh, green blades of grasss were visible on every square inch of the lot. What this meant? Always filling a 5 gallon bucket of blue Miracle Grow water. It seems every time I turned around I was filling another damn bucket. But hey, it was a cool, blue color. Oh those Summer days. I realize now how much my rents worked at the cabin when they should have been playing!

Since I am in the mood for more music talk, I have to mention these song lyrics. The song, Bed Rock, its quite a sick lyrical song, but this line is so fly (yep, I said it):

I love your sushi rolls, hotter then wasabi
I race for your love, shake-n-bake, ricky bobby

Lastly, I mentioned in a previous post about how Jamie Cullum was on the Concordia campus to shoot a music video. Its been released and its a pretty cool vid, especially how it features the CU sports facility. Anywho, check it out:

livin' is easy

The housewarming party has come and gone. And what fun it was. Leading up to the party, the cleaning and fixing up commenced. Surprisingly, we updated and finished everything we planned on. The master bath was finished, the kitchen hardware updated, and every inch of the main floor painted. We lucked out with awesome weather on Saturday. More on that later.

Ella got a cold in the early parts of last week. That made it hard for her to sleep at night and made the tantrums come more often. She seems to be over it by now. Because the weather has been so great, she has spent a lot of time outside at daycare, and loved every minute of it.

At some point last week, the state board of higher ed decided to officially change the Fighting Sioux name of UND sports. tear. Since moving in and especially since this news broke, neighbors have been stopping by to comment on the Sioux flag in the front. Its time to run out and snatch up the last of the Sioux gear before its gone!

Also, last Wednesday, I called in to leave my favorite musical moment on the Dave Ryan in the Morning Show hotline of KDWB. By singing a few measures of the Full House theme song, I got a call back Friday morning about 6:30. I sang the bit again on the air and won a 32GB iPod Touch. Pretty friggin' sweet if you ask me! Now its just a matter of recovering my iTunes account and start using the bad boy for what its made for!

Back to the party...I think we invited about 30 adults in total. We probably ended up seeing closer to 40 adults since more neighbors and friends showed up. We had fantastic weather and had guests spending time in the kitchen, porch, patio and the kids enjoyed the backyard. Hugh Jr. and Brady ended up closing down the party (thanks to the neighbors who borrowed us their firepit). Fun was had by all.

Song: Full House Theme Song (I sang the last 10 seconds on air)

Memory: No memory comes to mind right now. But I will say that I found more family genealogy after a few rigorous Google searches. I have surpassed 1,500 profiles added to the Springer/Satermo/Sheehan/Kuehn/Fladeland/etc. family tree. With all the people I still need to add, I am expecting to reach 4,000 when everything is said and done.

And last, a video of Madeline and Ella acting silly in the bath tub:

flip flops and board shorts

Alright, its not that warm, but this week is so awesome. It's forecasted to be in the 70's all week. And Ella can't get enough of it. She is always hanging out by the sliding door, bossing us to go outside.

After running into our neighbor Amanda on a few of our walks, she stopped by on Sunday night. She is expecting and it will be nice to have close neighbors to catch up with! It was especially night to hear after the terrible news we learned of another friend.

Before I forget, I have to quickly mention that Jamie Cullum shot a music video at Concordia a few weeks back. Nothing magnificent, but I was able to see the 'ol chap, which was neat.

For the first time since moving in (and chances are, for a long time in this house), we are able to shower in our master bathroom! And by painting the bathroom, we have paint every square inch of the main floor with new paint (both ceilings and wall). Even though its only been 6 months, its seems that every week we find another cheap fix or work around which sucks to find. Its more expensive for us to fix. But over time, we will tackle it all! If only we had more time!! Once its all said and done, we will add pictures of the remodels.

song: see below...

memory: Being that his name came to mind, I have to recall all the pets in my life thus far. 1. Tootser, technically my cousin Chrissy's dog (since my uncle Mike owned a pet store, but she resided and Grandma Evy & Grandpa Hugh's house; 2. The sole reason why I write these memories, and I can't remember this darn dog's name. Well, she was a nipper, so she didn't last long; 3. Mitzy, the Springer Spaniel we had for a number of years (as seen in a previous post) loved the cabin (she was sold to a farmer in rural MN who later told us she was blind and deaf); 4. Ulysses was a pet chipmunk I had for a few weeks while bringing him back to full health (he escaped into the Carlsbad house after gaining strength on Novartis cancer medication); 5. Eugene was a pet iguana I bought off of the Underground (UND's Craigslist)...he was alright. I sold him back on the Underground after 6 months (he never rested on my shoulder like I was hoping); 6. Macy, ahhh the beloved miniature pincher, was precious. She ended up migrating to my parents house who later sold her to a lady who worked at PetsMart; 7. and then there is Gage. He is still around.

No pictures or a song this time, but a video of NTB's last song they sang at First Ave. We were standing next to the guy who shot this video. Hugh Jr. was a few feet away from the band when they sang this acoustic version: