The Plague

When you think of the Plague you think you need to stay away...well that is what it was like at our house this past week. No one wanted to come near us for fear of getting sick!

Emmit started out the illnesses with a short bout of the flu Thurs. night. I stayed home with him on Friday due to a nasty cold I had. Even though Emmit seemed fine, I was suffering! He did play in bed with me while I rested - I could hardly keep my head up it was so full. I slept it off and things seemed to be getting better until Sat. night when Gerrit had the flu. Sunday was our little family Christmas before the Christmas program at church - well, we didn't make it to the program thanks to the flu. It was not worth trying to fight the crowd for a seat if Gerrit wasn't going to sing so we stayed home. Gerrit wasn't too disappointed as singing is not his thing - I think I was more bummed than anyone. Emmit enjoyed playing with his new toys while Gerrit laid on the couch and watched. I stayed home with him on Monday to make sure he no longer was ridding fluids at either end of his body. It gave me another day to nurse my nasty cold.

Tuesday we were all back to our normal routine and watching the weather closely. A major blizzard was predicted to hit WI on Wed. night and Thursday...Thursday we were to leave for MI! Emmit ends up with the flu again on Tuesday at daycare so our plans were set - we would leave Friday (and based on the snow Madison is getting, it was a good move regardless of illnesses).

It is now Thursday and Emmit is home from daycare still. He is starting to keep food down and play with his toys. He has been very cuddly the past 2 days which has been nice but it is great to see him start to show signs of himself again. I think we are all on the mends, my cold included.

We ended up getting about 5" of snow out of the major snow that is hitting Wisconsin. This hit at the right time to call of school for Gerrit. Luckily I was home anyways so the 3 of us hung out. We are waiting for dad to come home to snow blow the driveway so we can start loading the car. Our plan is to head out first thing in the morning and give the Subi a good test. Blowing snow is what is expected which we can handle. Hopefully the roads will be cleared by the time we hit Wisconsin in the morning. Once we make it through Wisconsin, it should be smooth sailing...we shall see!

Good thing I finished my class a week ago as it would have been a nightmare trying to take care of sick kids and finish a class! I am enjoying some extra time until mid January when the semester starts up again.

Q Bear Visits E. 4th Street

The weekend before you are star of the week in kindergarden, you get to take Q Bear home*. I am not sure why it is a bear with a Q or what the reason behind the tradition either. I know it has been going on for a long time because Luke, who is now in 7th grade, also had a bear for the weekend when he was in kindergarden. So, we went along with the tradition and noted the things we did this weekend that involved Q Bear.

• He went to the basektball game Friday night where Gerrit met up with a few friends from school and stopped running long enough for a quick picture. 
• He hung out with Cylde, our elf, at night - snuggling on the couch and playing Legos.
• He accompanied Gerrit and I to Rochester, and made it through a shopping trip to Target.
• Elf was showing for free across the street so we took Q Bear to see Elf. We only stayed for half (and seeing we saw it earlier in the week at home, it was not a big deal). {Apparently, Gerrit doesn't like with Finch comes to help out with brainstorming new book iddeas.}
• Gerrit was brave enough to take Q to see Santa and stayed long enough to get a picture too!
• And finally, with the snow falling, Q made a trip up Sugarloaf Hill today. (I took Rockne's Christmas card pic and that as the destination - behind their house. A beautiful hike up a hill that overlooks Z-town.)

And there you have our weekend in a nutshell as well as Q's. Gerrit will take Q back to school tomorrow with pictures of their adventures together! A great way to start off Star of the Week!

*Q bear almost didn't come home with us this weekend. Mrs. Boyum, Gerrit's teacher emailed me and said Q smelled so bad like smoke (from the previous home) that she was too embarrassed to send him home with Gerrit. She planned to take him home and wash him and Gerrit would get him next weekend instead. I quickly emailed back and said I would wash him as Gerrit was really looking forward to having Q this weekend - the bball game and visiting Santa. So, she made a trip back to school (I think a special trip just for us) and found a non-smoky smelling Q bear for Gerrit. So a big thanks to Mrs. Boyum for making this weekend extra special for Gerrit!

Not Much has Changed in a Year

I love that Santa visits Zumbrota. We can walk to visit him, rarely have to wait in line and we can take our own pictures. Plus, there are snacks and treats to enjoy thanks to the Telephone Co. annual Holiday open house.

I would hate to stand in line only to find out my kids are still afraid of Santa and refuse to go near him. Making the short walk is not a huge investment if the situation goes bad.

Gerrit whispered to me at breakfast he didn't want to see him but we convinced him to go for the snacks and possibility of seeing some friends.

Plus, Q Bear is visiting this weekend and wanted to see Santa (more on that later this weekend).

So he agreed to go and look how close he got!

He even told Santa what he wanted for Christmas: a dirt bike race track.

He wouldn't sit on his lap but did get closer and posed for a picture.

Emmit is still a bit shy. We thought he was going to walk up to Santa but no such luck. 

And again, dad is in the photo..maybe next year??

A Hunting We will Go...

We made our annual trip to Menomonie Wi to get our tree. We went a week later than normal thanks to a nasty cold Adam had during Thanksgiving. Turned out to be a blessing - the weather was much nicer when we went compared to when we were suppose to go.

The annual wagon ride out to find the perfect tree:

Gerrit did a great job carrying the measuring pole and double checking to make sure the tree wasn't too tall (we still have a mark on the ceiling from a tree that was a wee bit too tall!).

A family was near us when we found our tree so we actually got a family photo by the tree this year - first time ever?!

Emmit getting down near the action, checking things out - really he wanted to use the saw (and hold it as we were walking around).

Everyone was hard at work - the boys carrying the measuring pole to the wagon pick up area:

Gerrit was a huge help with the lights and putting ornaments on the tree. Although many ornaments were bunched by topic, it was still nice to have company (even if I had to move a few ornaments). Gerrit insisted that the MSU ornament was near the Gopher one and that the MSU football was near the MSU ornament because they won the game. Make sense, right?

Emmit tried to help but is not quite there yet. He went and brought his own chair over to get higher like his big brother.

And now the house is officially decorated for Christmas. Both boys remind us to turn the lights on the tree and the other areas we have lights in the house. Gerrit is doing a pretty good job of behaving himself seeing Clyde the elf is visiting again. And mornings are great - Gerrit usually is not an easy one to wake up in the morning but seeing the advent calendar is up and running he has to be the first one down to open the door! 

MSU - Gopher game

A cold day did not stop us from enjoying a MSU football game. We decided to leave Emmit behind due to the cold temps (22 degrees). 

We were invited to the game back in Sept by friends who have season tickets. We jumped at the opportunity and have waited all season for this day to come. Unfortunatly, it was a bit colder than we would've liked, but we embraced the whole experience.

Here is our tailgating spot - yep - 2 tents and thankfully the sides and a heater were included!

Dan, our host and chef. I think we will just tailgate in the future - who needs to see the game when you can have a meal prepared by Dan! We had Philly steak sandwiches and numerous adult beverage choices to keep us warm:

I was a bit nervous when this is what I saw shortly after we arrived to tailgate. We still had 2+ hours till kick off! No, that is not Goldy, its Gerrit in there!

 Shortly I saw this face which made me feel better:

 A little entertainment and learning experience: "shot ski" - something we don't have in MI. A nearby tailgating party had the ski and we supplied the beverage. The funniest part....the song that is sung before the shot is taken: "Jesus hates Wisconsin" - no joke. They sing this little phrase before you can partake. A little harsh, but funny if you understand the boarder battle.

Here they go!

Adam did say it warmed him up - dual purpose!

 A little pregame work out...

Finally, game time!

Goldy, struttin his stuff before the game:

Typical site in November - a pile of snow! The cities got a bit of snow Thanksgiving...Goldy snowboarded down it near the end of the game.

Sparty! Gerrit spotted him first.

Coach Dan...the man!

One of the plays...

Still smiling and warm!

Gerrit did great. He didn't complain about being cold or hungry. We stayed for the whole game too. Emmit had a blast at John and Deb's (Dan, our hosts inlaws) and we are ready for another game next season (although we'd choose earlier in the season when its a bit warmer). 

Best quotes of the day from Gerrit:

Mom, I want to go to a game where there are more Spartan fans...

Why did the Gophers get more kicking practice?

I guess we'll have to take a road trip to East Lansing to get a game with more Spartan fans.

If you watched the game, you'll know Gerrit's observation is true - the Gophers had a few too many 3 and outs and had to kick more than MSU did!

Even though Gerrit had his Goldy hat on, he was sporting his Spartan jersey underneath and was cheering for them. He wanted me to bring his Sparty hat along but I figured the camera and a few blankets were enough for me to carry! 

Loved the game and experience and the cold was not too bad! It was all worth it.

Oh, and the stadium is awesome. I had not been to the new one yet (Adam and my dad went last year). Watching college football outside is so much better than in a dome, cold and all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sneaky Pete

Last night when I was tucking Gerrit in bed, he was reflecting on the night. 

He said: I was pretty good tonight, wasn't I mom?

I responded: It was a pretty good night, I just wish you wouldn't sneak snacks. (He had opened a box of football shaped brownies after dinner w/o permission and later told me about it.)

Gerrit responded: I didn't like the brownie anyways - it tasted like a frozen brownie and I couldn't get Emmit's open for him to eat.

I asked where the brownie was and he said in his room. When I asked where it was specifically, he said in his cubby. I made him get out of bed and find it before I forgot about it and found it in the spring! He came back with it and says he couldn't get it open because Emmit had made such a mess of it, it was too hard to open! 

I guess I will have to do a better job of putting the treats out of reach. I'm running out of room because the boys can reach quite high in our kitchen!

Homework

Gerrit came home with homework last week. He needed to make some sort of transportation for class. They are studying modes of transportation and could build any kind they wanted to build. 

First, Gerrit wanted to build a rocket and we started planning out what we needed...

Then, he switched to a golf cart....

The whole time I'm assisting on the building of this project, I was taken back to when I had to build a rubber band car in high school. I should say, my brother built it for me and I assisted...kind of like Gerrit assisting me...brought back some great memories and at times I wished Uncle Jeff lived closer because I'm sure he'd build a cooler golf cart than what I came up with!

Skimpy Halloween

Monday night before Halloween, Sue came for dinner to visit with my parents. Little did she know, we were also going to do pumpkins! Neither boy liked to do the cleaning, they left that part up to Sue and mom.

Gerrit was into designing his face as well as cutting it out:

Emmit was just as into it - he's just a wee bit small for the knives! Sue let him 'draw' his face which consisted of coloring on the pumpkin:

Emmit and that smile (sporting a fat lip from a fall earlier in the day).

Opa lending a hand with Gerrit's pumpkin:

Attempting to get both boys to look at the camera with a normal smile was not going to happen tonight:

Sad but this is the best looking pumpkin we grew this summer. I have not had to buy a pumpkin in 6 years until this year. We will start over with growing our own from the previous year's seeds:

Gerrit wanted a Spartan S on the little pumpkin...

Another attempt at a picture of the boys and their pumpkins outside.

And where are the pictures from the actual evening....nonexistent.

This is the best I can do - halloween at the BMX park 2 weeks ago...

Halloween was a tough night - Gerrit had a melt down that almost prevented him from going out that night.

I was stuck in night class so Adam was on his own (with Oma and Opa's help).

They were lucky to get the boys fed and dressed without any serious issues....

So, here's hoping for a few more pictures next year when I am not in class and the boys are a bit older!!

Adam said Emmit got into it running up to the houses because he knew it meant candy. He didn't quite get the 'trick or treat' saying but nailed down 'thank you' which is more important anyways!

Red Barn

Last week was a busy week. Oma and Opa came for a visit. We started the week off by heading north to another bike race. 

Here are the boys lined up for the kids race (we did not do costumes as that was optional).

 Gerrit had a slight issue during the race - his pant leg got caught in his chain...after a few tears and some help from dad, he hopped back on his bike and finished the race.

 Gerrit and Emmit were the only 2 who did the barrier...made their dad proud!

Emmit knocked the barrier over but insisted he do it himself. 

The best shot I could get of the four boys. Luke is on the left, Paul is on the right.

Here is Adam in action - no that is not fire, it is orange cob web decoration on the course to help aid in the Halloween theme of the race.

Oma and Opa are always good sports no matter what the weather is like! 

The race was at a Christmas tree farm - can you tell?

Opa taking in the action. It really was a nice day - not too cold when the sun was out and little wind.

Emmit copying a racer who had just come across the finish line and won.

Not sure what they are discussing, I'm guessing Emmit was getting help with his gloves.

Reaching His Goal

In school, Gerrit takes tests throughout the year to monitor his progress in various reading and math topics. We saw his scores from September and he'll be officially tested again in January. Until then, he does practice tests at school each month and we were given some to do at home. He sat down with his teacher this week to set goals for this winter regarding his scores....

Last night Gerrit asks: what we will do if I meet my goals, mom?

Mom: what would you like to do?

Gerrit: how about have a cake and friends over...he proceeds to describe his Lego birthday party and asks me if I can make a Lego army dude cake!

Mom: why not something with just our family - like DQ blizzards????

Gerrit: Ya, I guess that will work, maybe a game or 2 as a family? Like a running game and I'll give Emmit a head start seeing I'm faster than him.

Mom: sounds good to me....we'll see how much of this he'll remember come January!

Hudson at the Y

Last week was the family's first official cyclocross race of the year. I wrote a little about it before but here are a few more pictures of Paul and the boys' race.



We are off to another race tomorrow - it should be a bit warmer and definitely drier than last week! 

Hooked

Yesterday we spent the day at another bike race.

It was not as warm as we thought but luckily I packed warm clothes for the boys. We watched Paul race and then the big event:

the kids' race!

Emmit barely could contain himself he was so excited to race. Gerrit was sure he was going to take first place. They did part of the course and even had their own barrier (shorter than regulation height). All 5 kids received medals and Gerrit ended up 2nd if you really want to know. 

This is what Gerrit spend the better part of a 1/2 hour doing today after church. 

It was his idea, he just needed a little help from dad setting up the barriers. If Emmit had seen this, he would have been out there too! At least he's outside getting exercise (and practicing up for next week's race).

The Big E just got Bigger

A few new milestones at our house these last few weeks:


Yes, Emmit is potty trained (90%). I didn't take many pictures of him during his 'training' days and thought I should have a few. This is my favorite when he sits backwards on the toilet. He rarely does this now as he's a big boy and stands up (I prefer sitting - less of a mess).  Needless to say, we took the changing table down this weekend (bittersweet for me, not for Adam). Emmit's room is starting to look like a big boy room - finally. It won't be done until summer (I have some furniture to paint), but I'm excited to get the finishing touches done.

Another 'milestone' - Emmit can sit and watch a movie for a long period of time. Actually, I wouldn't call it a milestone, rather funny that he always asks for headphones and its always the same movie: The Lorax. He pretty much owns this DVD player and movie but when I need time to get stuff done and now worry about him - I am more than happy to turn this on!

 

My baby is getting big and definitely has a different personality than his brother. It is fun watching them play together (nicely) as well as grow into their own person.