They found his stash

Gus stumbled upon a few boxes in the storage room and decided to dig in.  He found Ross's stash of trophies.  A result of playing basketball for 12 years.  Go, Dad!

Thanks, Grandma Vickie for packaging them up and sending them down to Fargo.  It's provided hours of entertainment for the kiddos.

Moving Day

Josh, Christy, Will and Hunter the dog have everything packed up and it's time for them to make the trek to their new home in Sandpoint, ID.  The next time we see them they will be a family of 4!  Christy is due October 9.

We miss you guys already.

Pack your bags!

Nora loved her first overnight stay at Grandma Debi and Grandpa Steve's.  Infact, she asked us to leave so they could start having fun.  All she said was, "bye mom, bye dad."

She will be the child who never gets homesick.

 Like her bag?  That's ours from when we were kids.  It's still in 1 piece!

While she hung out with Grandma Debi, we took Gus to a RedHawks baseball game.  Great fun was had by all!

His first major injury

It was bound to happen, we're just happy it didn't happy during hockey season. 

Yep, poor Gus broke his arm.

We were home from our 4th of July lake trip for almost 1 hour when we heard him and his buddy Caleb come running into the front yard from the backyard.  Gus was crying and Caleb was saying,
'he jumped!, he did.'  And so he did.  From the highest point of the swing while swinging. 

He's usually pretty tough, but you could tell that this one just wasn't right.  We went in for x-rays and sure enough, the doctor said it was what they call a buckle fracture.  His poor radius bone crumpled up like a straw (like if you stand it up on end and squish it - ouch). 


They sent him home with a brace until the swelling went down.  Then back we went to the Orthopedic doctor to be checked out again, and fitted for a cast. 

The trooper didn't complain once!

They told him 4 weeks in a cast and he should be good as new!

We were surprised to learn they don't create plaster casts anymore.  She warmed up this black brace, and then fitted it to his little arm.

After it was molded, she tightened up the tension wires, and away we went.  The best part is that is it waterproof, and he can swim with it on.  It's removable so we were trained on how to take it off so he could itch his arm, apply lotion and most importantly - wash it so it doesn't stink.

So his first broken arm was a breeze.  I hope this is last one.

Another ND 4th of July

Since we've been living in ND, we have started a tradition of heading west to Lake Sakakawea for the 4th of July week.  We love camping with my parents, and enjoy having Grandpa Dave and Grandma Vickie come down to the lake, too.  Because we've been so lucky to have both sets of family so close by, the kids think all 4 grandparents automatically come with every trip to the lake.

It was a beautiful week with the most gorgeous weather I've ever seen for an extended period of time in North Dakota.

Nora packed her own suitcase and was ready to go first thing Monday morning.  

Patriotic cookies, check.

Matching t-shirts for the whole family from the $5 bin at Scheels, check.

S'mores pop tarts to save some serious time in the evenings around the campfire, check.

We even drove into Garrison one day and hit up the pool.

 Yum, mud pies!

 We're already looking forward to next year's 4th of July lake trip.

Boston Trip

I took a quick weekend trip to Boston to hang out with Steph, Mike, and our precious nieces, Hava and baby Soli.  I can't believe Soli is already 5 months old! 

I was lucky to be there for a special event that took place that weekend - Soli's naming.  It was Friday evening at their synagogue, so I flew in just in time to witness this special ceremony!  It was so neat.  I had never been to one before so it was extra special and fun.  She smiled at everyone while the rabbi spoke, and of course everyone gushed at how cute she was (obviously).

On Saturday we spent time outside, took a few snoozers (mostly Soli), and caught up with some of Steph's pals for a BBQ. 

Everytime I'm there I wish we lived closer.  But for now, these quick weekend trips do the trick!

Here's a few shots of Hava and Soli. 

 Hava is quite the chef!  For real.  She's a better cook than I am and she's 4.

 This is portrait of me, by Hava. 

Soli fell asleep in my arms at the park while Hava played just a few hours before I had to leave.  It was perfect ending to a lovely weekend.