29 October 2010

1. We spent MEA weekend at the farm/cabin/Hector. We got to see both sets of grandparents and got a lot of good relaxing time.

I love these pics from the lake of the kids racing E to a huge pile of leaves...

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I also love these of the kids in the Studebaker at Grandma & Grandpa Newman's house...

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2. Tate made Grandma Sandy this picture at the farm this weekend and it cracked me up. She is a pretty "rocin" grandma!

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3. Kara also happened to spend Friday night with us on a break home from Duluth. Avery and Beckett had a ball on her new computer with a photo session. I had to pick one that didn't make my children look like there was something wrong with them...you can do some fun and funky things on a Mac!

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4. I have to say I wasn't ready for snow this week. Or the cold. Or the wind. But I figured since it was time to break out my sweaters I might as well teach Beckett how to remove dog hair from them.

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5. My nephew Jackson made my week.

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Rachel said to Jack, "Jackson, you're awesome."

Jack replies, "Mom, you're awesome, too, but not as awesome as Jessi."

Yes.

22 October 2010

1. Beckett has been asking when he would get to ride in the combine since my dad planted the corn in April. Our intention was to go last weekend. Due to E having to work and a few things we needed to get done around the house, my mom and Rach offered to watch them at the farm for us.

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The kids had such a great time and Rach took some amazing photos. Here are some of my faves...

Beckett has pretend texted Gpa a million times asking about the combine...finally his chance!

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This is why we have "Corn Chaff Days" in Hector...

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The kids taking turns waiting for a ride...you can see Beckett in with Grandpa if you look really closely...

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I remember taking pics like this when I was little, too!

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And quite possibly my favorite of the day...Tate has obviously mastered the art of discreetly peeing in the field {a field next to the highway, no less!} a little better than Jacks... =)

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Thanks Mom, Dad, R, & B...we got so much done while you had the kiddos!

2. When the kids got back on Sunday afternoon we decided to head to the park. Huber Park is their favorite in town...

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3. Because I mentioned last week I was dying to see our family pics, I thought it would be only right to say that they were definitely worth the wait! Kristi from Dolce sent us the link on Wednesday to our online gallery and MAN that girl never disappoints. She has gotten to know our family over the past 5 years and knows who we are and what we love and it shows in the pics. Now I just can't wait to get the CD so I can share a few with you and get going on my Christmas cards!


4. Tate has been on our neighbor Kerry's waiting list for quite some time to take piano lessons. She emailed us last weekend to say she has a spot opening at the beginning of November. We don't currently have a place for a piano, so we decided to invest in a keyboard. We found a good deal on Craig's List from a nice family in Eden Prairie. The kids couldn't wait to play it when they got home.

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The next morning Beckett came into our room at 6 o'clock and asked if the "piano" was still downstairs. The minute they heard the word, all three kiddos were downstairs playing. At 6:15 AM. I'm talking Avery Elaine Newman up at 6:15 AM. Not normal. But she's the one who has already taught herself "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I hope they always have this enthusiasm for playing!

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5. Three letters...

M

E

A

So excited to have a couple of days off! I worked full time this week while my partner Angie was with her family in Florida, but it was fun to be with my school kids all day and I knew I would have Thursday/Friday at home. I am not attending any workshops this year, which I know to some people doesn't make sense, but in our district we actually don't get paid and aren't required to go. I am looking forward to a few days off with the kiddos at the farm and the lake before long nights of conferences start next week!

15 October 2010

It's TATE week on the five...

1. I finally brought my camera to one of his football games on Saturday. One problem: Kasey came to the game so the two times that T ran the ball I was talking and didn't have the camera up to my face so I missed the really good shot when he was right in front of me. Thank goodness E got it on video.

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2. On Wednesday E got a message on his phone that the nurse at school had been trying to get a hold of us because Tate was sick. They had my cell phone number in the system incorrectly...so when E called me I rushed to school to pick him up. She said he'd been doubled over in pain for about an hour. He walked with Beckett and I to the car saying how horrible his stomach and head felt. As soon as I opened the door to the van he flopped onto the floor of the van and proceeded to puke everywhere.

I had been at my own school for Grandparent's Breakfast that morning so E had put him on the bus. I asked Tate if he felt sick when Dad sent him to school. He said, "No Mom, I felt fine until Max and I were playing tag on the playground and I ran into the pole by the monkey bars." Needless to say, we had a concussion on our hands, not the stomach flu!

He is fine but needs to be careful for a while and has to be done with football. Good thing there was only one game left. I love that he is getting a sense of humor about himself...I have been calling him Ralph all week and he loves it. LOVE that kid. =)

3. While he was home from school recovering from the concussion, E gave him the rubber band gun from when E was little. He got lots of practice and is unfortunately for my butt getting to be a pretty good shot.

Load...aim...OOPS.

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I told him for the picture he couldn't shoot it at me, so he shot it on top of our roof. I love his expression when he saw he really got it stuck up there. E will have to take it down when he puts Christmas lights up!

4. We had his conference with his teacher last night. We are always happy to hear what a nice kid he is and how nice he is to others in class. He is kind of a daydreamer, so he has some things to work on, too, but overall we are so blessed that he likes school and is doing well.

5. Most of you know that Tate has some figures of speech that make us chuckle. He kind of talks like a 40 year old...or at least like his 33 year old dad. Right now my favorite phrase of his is "just a touch".

"Mom, I think I like tarantulas just a touch more than a daddy long legs."

or

"Dad, could I get just a touch more grapefruit juice?"

Cracks. Me. Up.

There are many other ones, too. But I can barely stand it when he says this one. He puts the right emphasis on it and it is hilarious.


8 October 2010

1. Its Friday night at 8:03 and I am just starting to write this post. E wrote a blog post over at his NEW BLOG/WEBSITE this week that said I posted at 12:01 am every Friday morning...which is USUALLY true because I write the post on Thursday and schedule it for 12:01 Friday morning...except for when our modem completely goes wack and leaves us without home phone and internet for two days.

It amazes me how much we use the internet for quick info these days {you know...for looking up really important things...like "what tv show has the hot chick from the movie we watched last night been in before?} and how much it stinks not to have it, especially when I am checking my email every 5 minutes because I am patiently waiting for the proofs from our family pics! Without further ado...this week's five...

2. Last Saturday we took my Dad to the Gopher Homecoming game as his Father's Day gift. It was actually funny because without consulting each other what-so-ever, Rach & B and E & I both decided we would love to take my Gopher alum dad to a game at the new TCF Stadium. We didn't find out we had written almost the EXACT same thing in his cards that we sent him until he told us. So funny!

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Besides being a bit chilly {which I will take over the heat we had at the Twins games this summer any day!} it was SO fun. I love outdoor football and fall in MN.

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3. Beckett has had a new obsession for the past few weeks. As he helps me get ready for work, he might ask me..."Mom, are you wearing UP shoes today or DOWN shoes?"...or as I walk him to Patti's he might say "Oh Mom, you're wearing DOWN shoes today!" UP shoes = high heels/wedges...DOWN shoes = flats/flip flops. Boy cracks me up.

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4. After I was taking pics of Beckett with the UP and DOWN shoes, he asked if I would take his picture with Wrigley. Why, of course I will, Mr. Beckers...

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He told me Wrigley makes a "really nice pillow."

5. It was actually quite a stressful and busy week. E was gone a lot. We had something going on pretty much every night. Not necessarily exciting stuff, but church meetings, showings, dance class, practices, ECFE, kid clothes shopping, etc.

I decided that this momma needs to put a half an hour time back into the schedule each week for me, too, so I signed up to start taking guitar lessons again. I also starting practicing again this week and I am really feeling the fact that those calloused fingers went away over my summer hiatus. I love this version of one of my favorite hymns and have worn my fingers out playing it. Every key stroke kind of feels like I'm ripping my fingerprints off as I type this!

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{Yes, I put the wrong word in the title of the song when I printed and labeled it...I told you it was quite the week! Please read "Now" as "Thou"...I'm too tired to re-print, re-snap, re-upload, or photoshop. Another reason I need "Thy grace".}

Modem willing, I'll be back next week at 12:01 AM. =)

1 October 2010

1. We left Friday night after a long day of work/school {read: crabby yet excited kids} for Fargo.

Borrowed portable DVD player + Wheat Thins = LIFESAVER.

2. Kasey was diagnosed with a partially collapsed lung on Friday afternoon, so we decided to lay a bit low. Friday night after our 9:30 arrival we basically just hung out with her...she stayed at the hotel with us. Saturday morning Kasey watched as we went for a swim at the pirate themed pool/slide area.

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After a morning of swimming, we got cleaned up and headed out for a pizza lunch. The food was delicious but it was quite possibly the worst service we've ever had. So bad that we were laughing and every single thing that happened. Then we headed over to campus to take a few pics.

At first we were going to take pictures in front of the NDSU flowers, until we realized it was the end of September and they were all dead...

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...so we settled on the rock wall/sign instead.

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Then Newman spotted this sign and decided he needed his pic by it...

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...and heck while we're at it, a family pic, too!

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Then it was off to Kasey's apartment to show they kids where she lived. They were most impressed with the long hallway in her building...

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When we finally got them to stay in the apartment, Beckett was so excited to find Kas had baked him a birthday cake. What a good auntie!

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Kasey's BFF from high school, Kayla, was even in town for the NDSU/USD football game. It is always great catching up with her, and I promised her she'd be in this week's five since she is a loyal reader. Now Kayla, you have to leave a comment...it is a requirement. =)

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Then we had a little time to kill before supper, so we decided to take the kids bowling, which they've only done a few times but they LOVE. Probably not Kasey's best move with a collapsed lung, but she broke 100.

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My favorite pic is Beckett's bowl. It rolled so slowly every time that he and Aves would lay down to watch it. Ha!

We rounded out the weekend with a delicious dinner Saturday night, a swim before bed {including the kids first try at a hot tub}, breakfast Sunday morning, and a fairly quiet and uneventful ride home {thanks again Stacy for borrowing us the DVD player. We owe you!}.

3. Monday was Beckett's REAL birthday. Since we had his party over a month ago it has kind of seemed like the never ending birthday. Although I dread age three {has notoriously not been my favorite age...I don't know where they came up with terrible twos, but whoever wrote that wasn't a parent} he really is a funny, charming, strong-willed, independent, lovable little guy.

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4. All Beckett wanted to do for his birthday was go to Lion's Tap. As I've told you in other posts, when he gets something in his head, he tells EVERYONE he sees about it. Its one of his cutest traits at this point in time. Every single person who called B for his birthday heard how he was "going to Lion's Tap and they were going to put a candle in his burger." I even brought a candle with just in case they didn't do that anymore.

They did not disappoint him. They not only had a candle in his burger, but announced his name and age to the whole restaurant and everyone sang to him. He was in heaven. Thank goodness Rach brought her camera to catch his face...by the time she took the pic he'd gone from beaming to the embarrassed face. =)

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5. At Beckett's 3 year check up on Wednesday, I had promised him that three year olds don't have to get shots. When we got there they told us he was behind on three shots. There were no shot records from when he was two. I didn't think much past the fact that I was a bad mom for telling him he didn't have to get shots when he did. But when I got home, I started thinking...in all my stress last fall did I not bring him to a 2 year appointment? Was he sick and just couldn't get shots at his appointment? I seriously don't remember.

In any case, one more mom FAIL to add to the list. E chalks it up to him being the third child and says that if he were in charge none of them would have gone to the doctor in the last 3 years. So funny, but so true! Thank God he is healthy and happy and that we can laugh about the fact that somehow we screwed this one up! Sorry Beckers...I promise that there are no shots at your 4 year old appointment...I think. =)