Farewell, Grandpa, and thanks for the motor!

This June, my family lost a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather after a short series of strokes. It hasn't been the same to be at the farm without him, and going into the house is just too quiet. The good news is that he's with Grandma again, arguing up a storm over a game of cards, to be sure.

A while back, when Grandpa was still alive, my dad had been cleaning some things out of his garage with his supervision. Curt was there at the time, and he noticed an old boat motor sitting around that looked like it hadn't been used in years. When he asked Grandpa if he could have it, Grandpa gave some usual response, like, "Oh, shit! That old piece of shit? Sure, you can take the God-damned thing, but good luck getting it to work! It's yours if you want it!" So for the next long while, it sat in our pole barn, untouched. Then, this spring, Curt finally obtained an old boat that had been sitting at his grandpa's place, also unused for years. He was beyond excited at this point and immediately got my grandpa's old motor to a shop to get it repaired. We had forgotten about it for a while, and then Grandpa had his first stroke and went into the hospital. On the same day that he died, Curt got a call from the shop, saying the motor was fixed and ready to go. Curt shared the story at Grandpa's funeral, which was very moving.

Unfortunately, things didn't go so smoothly after that. When we brought the boat out to the lake for a first run, it was leaky, and the motor wouldn't work. We were so disappointed, most of all Curt, who had already put a lot of time and effort into this project. But he's ambitious and a hard worker, so he got right back to it. After taking more time to affix some new benches and seats, cleaning, painting, and working on the motor till he figured out the problem and solved it, we were finally able to go out for a cruise on the lake last week. The boys had a good time, and it was so special to be in the boat that used to belong to Curt's grandpa, using the motor that used to belong to my grandpa to run it. Of course I cried for the first few minutes while we cruised around the lake, thanking Grandpa for what ended up being this gift to our family. It seemed to be a fitting farewell.

Goofing Off

The boys on the hood of Daddy's truck. Climbing the windshield was

fun, too, until Mommy made them stop when they got too high.

I don't usually allow rudeness at the table, but Jackson was
really in the mood to make funny faces this particular morning.

Wrestling together has already become a favorite past-time

Eating

We are lucky to have two (usually) good eaters at our house. Neither is super picky yet, so I like to put new or unusual-looking things on their plates and tell them to try it when they're ready. That way they've had a chance to enjoy the familiar things they like first, then might feel more adventurous with weird things if they feel they have some control over when to put it in their mouths, since we don't force it. Some days it works, some days those foods remain untouched, but it's worth a try.

You wouldn't believe how many kids come into our preschool program with food/eating issues (often, it's that they've been allowed to be extremely picky or given crap so that they won't even touch fruits/veggies). That's why our program is required to put a small amount of each item on each plate, too. They'll never try it if it's not in front of them! Of course, my kids like all that good-tasting-but-super-bad-for-you stuff, so we just try to limit their intake. I have found that I allow more of that than I ever thought I would before I was a parent, though. I am more strict on the beverages, because all that sugar really adds up fast, and they never want to be done drinking it! No matter what they're eating, most of it still ends up either on their faces or on the floor. Oh, the joy of indeveloped social awareness!

Reading

My kids love, love, love to read - looking at books, "reading" themselves, and especially being read to. Carter brings books up to us and says "book," then throws them at us - still working on that part - before climbing into our laps. I am thrilled to have passed this love of books and reading on to my kids, and I hope it only grows as they age.

5K & visiting

When you sign up to run a 5K in Duluth on April 16th, you know it's going to be cold. You just hope it's not snowing. We got both. Once we started running, the temperature wasn't actually so bad - it helped to keep us at a comfortable body heat level while exerting ourselves. The snow turning into sludge as it fell on the heated streets on which we ran, though, was another story. By the time we were through, we were soaking wet to nearly mid-calf. Not so much fun when you had to dress in layers in the first place. Still, it was an awesome experience, and it was so much fun to share it with all Curt's siblings and their spouses/significant others. We all had a really good time, and I was proud of myself for completing my first-ever 5K (which is 3.1 miles).

My goal was to come in at 30 minutes, and I finished at almost 32. I hadn't run outdoors much during training because the weather was so crappy, so I was proud of my time despite not reaching my goal. When Sheila proposed back in the fall that we all do this together, I immediately said, "No. I hate running." I really did at the time, and I always thought running was something I would never do. But Curt and I later committed to it, both wanted to do our best, and began to enjoy training. More importantly, Curt and I have both continued to run for exercise at home. We're not as consistent and hard-core as we were during training, but we make an effort to fit it in a least a couple times a week, and we feel good about it. His sister had done one earlier in the spring, has continued to do them this summer, and even completed a half marathon! That is surely something I know I will never do (but Curt says he'll do it with her next summer). 5Ks are good enough for me! There are many, many 5Ks in the summer, and they are always run/walk, so I encourage you to check one out! Maybe fitting more activity into your life will become a habit for you as well.

The next day, we went to visit Cody, Sarah, and Kennadi on our way home from Sheila's in Duluth. Carter and Kennadi are about 4.5 months apart, so it's fun to watch them together.

Cody goofing off with the boys

Me and Kennadi, the smiliest kid ever! I used to think that was Carter, but she's definitely got him beat. This kid is constantly grinning, I swear.

Easter

Yes, I know how late this is! The photos are still cute, though, so better late than never, right?! Other than an egg hunt, I can barely remember what we did on the actual day, but it's clear that my parents were up at some point that weekend to do eggs with the kids. That's all I got.

Coloring - and tasting - eggs with Grandma Paula

Finding and enjoying their bountiful Easter baskets