Valley Vignettes

Off to School

2012-02-11T11:49:00.000-08:00

Once we visited Sunny Hill, the local preschool I chose for Teddy, he couldn't wait for the three weeks to pass before he could start. Finally, January 31 arrived and we prepared for school. Teddy packed his new backpack, two days early, with all the necessities - markers, his stuffed puppy, and some toys. When I picked him up from daycare at noon, he bounded out the door, backpack on his back and a smile on his face.

Teddy was so excited about preschool that he even posed for a picture. Usually he refuses.

The excitement continued as we drove to Sunny Hill, housed inside the Methodist Church. Teddy eagerly hung his coat on a hook, put his shoes on and walked into his classroom. He barely had time to turn around and wave goodbye to his mama.

Just two weeks into the experience, Teddy already has had lots of fun moments. He loved making a Clifford art project earlier this week. The sledding party on his second day turned out to just be time outside due to lack of snow, but it was fun anyway. Yesterday they ate popcorn and had a pajama party while working on the letter P. Teddy also counts playing in the "hayloft," a lofted space in his main room, as one of his favorite activities. Happily, I can already see improvements in name writing. His first projects had the right letters but in his very own order. Yesterday's giant heart for Mommy had all the letters in the right order with both a capital T and lowercase letters. Kindergarten here we come!

Teddy's very first preschool project.

Feb 10 project with only a little help writing the "e".

Meanwhile, a small, sad Emmett asks everyday "I go preschool too?" The first day I had to carry him out crying. Yesterday he wore his jammies all day, just like Teddy. He begged and begged to stay at preschool declaring "Teddy said I could." We left, crying, again. Trips to the library and to run errands have mostly appeased him so far, but I'm not sure how many weeks that will last. It's hard to be the little one.

A Step Behind

2012-01-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

It's tough being a little brother. You always have to trail along behind your big, bossy brother. You get the back seat on the fire truck. You get the second choice in fire helmets. You are always second in command on the emergency calls, and you always walk a few steps behind. You eagerly declare "I go to school, too" when Mommy talks to Big Brother about starting preschool next week or kindergarten in the fall. When Mommy says you have to wait until you are bigger, you firmly declare "I BIG!" Or, you cry. At two and a half, knowing that someday you'll step from that big brother's shadow and make your own way in the world is small comfort.

Family Fun

2012-01-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Our recent Christmas season stretched across three full weekends. However that allowed us to focus on and enjoy one family at a time. Here are some photo highlights of the extended family gatherings that bookended our Christmas season.

We had our Valley gathering on Saturday, December 17 at Auntie Net's house.

For the first time in about six years, the whole family joined in the celebration.

Emmett thoroughly enjoyed the spaghetti dinner.

The afternoon included the usual time for talking.

Plus, three rambunctious kids meant plenty of play time, too.

One fun game was everybody pile on Grandpa.

The kids dug into their presents as soon as the adults said it was okay.

We also took advantage of the extra people around to snap a family photo of the four of us.

We had our Schueler gathering on the farm on New Year's Day.

All the kids eagerly awaited the distribution of gifts.

Even two-year-olds can show patience sometimes.

Happy faces prove that simple gifts are the best.

While the new toys offered momentary excitement, the true gift was the time we spent talking and playing together.

We Love Our Library!

2012-01-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

How do you get exercise, fresh air, afternoon entertainment and a date night all for free? A walk to the library of course! After lunch we took a wintry walk to enjoy one of our small town gems. An old inn houses our public library. Inside the lovely brick building a warm fire invites readers into the periodical room while shelves of books, movies, Cd's and even puzzles entice young and old into the main space. I'm convinced that libraries such as ours serve as one of the great bastions of our American democracy. Young or old, rich or poor, all can access the wide variety of print materials necessary to maintain a literate society.

Today Teddy and Emmett headed for their favorite spots. First they chose movies to bring home. Then, Emmett headed to the shelf where he could find all the books on machines. He quickly grabbed some perennial favorites like Cranes and Forklifts. I helped Teddy choose a book on dinosaurs since they have lately piqued his interest due to a Land Before Time movie he received for Christmas. Even Mom and Dad got to pick a movie this time for later evening entertainment.

To complete the quintessential Bayport experience, Ray's pager sounded on our walk home. Lucky for him, we were just a block and a half from the station. He jogged there to easily be the first responder to arrive. By the time the boys and I had walked that same block and a half, the rescue truck with three responders had pulled from the station with lights flashing and sirens sounding.

We set off on our trek to the library.

Daddy and Teddy are in the lead.

Teddy and Emmett immediately chose a Bob the Builder movie we've seen dozens of times.

Next Emmett headed for the book Cranes which we have read countless times.

The boys sat down to read a book while I sought a movie for our cheap date night.

The ground sported a light covering of snow by the time we walked home.
Emmett found the snow and a stick to be an irresistible combination.

"Just follow my trail so you don't get lost," says Teddy.

Our little library adventure resulted in a bounty of books and more.

Really January?

2012-01-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today tiny bits of snow whirl through the chilly air. It feels like winter in Minnesota. And yet, just days ago, January 10 to be exact, we saw temperatures rise to the mid 50's. Winter coats felt optional in the bright afternoon sun as we headed out for a walk and a chance to revel in this strangest of winters. As usual, we Minnesotans could speak of nothing but the weather. Yes, I heard consistent grumbles about "winter in Kansas" at home and my psyche felt confused by the days that teased of spring, but I admit that I have enjoyed our shockingly mild and snow free start to 2012.

Teddy dressed himself for the weather.

Our temperature gauge still registered absurdly warm as the sun began to set.

January resembles spring with the bare ground and mild temperatures.

The Hazards of Technology

2012-01-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Striking that balance between raising tech-savvy but not tech-obsessed kids is one of the challenges of modern parenting. With only the desktop computer to tempt our young ones, we had no struggle. However, in the fall Ray joined the throngs who swear by their iPhones, and Christmas brought a slim little iPad to our house. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that these sleek gadgets have us all enamored. That means that in those minutes between supper and bedtime you may witness a scene like that of last night where I read email on the computer while all my boys busied themselves with the other available gadgets.

Emmett played Angry Birds on the iPhone. It's amazing how quickly a 2-1/2 year-old masters the touch screen.

Teddy and Daddy practiced letters on the iPad.

This is fun!

In our defense, Teddy requested time to snuggle with Mommy and read stories before bedtime tonight. Well, until we'd finished his three chosen books. Then we played a few rounds of Angry Birds before the bedtime bell sounded.

The Treasure of Time

2011-12-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

After a fall that somehow seemed more hectic than usual with unexpected staffing changes added to the usual stress of too many papers to grade and too many lessons to plan in too little time, this post-Christmas week has given me the much needed gift of time. I've uploaded and sorted hundreds of photos. I've caught up on this blog after eight posts in four days. I've put together and sent our electronic holiday greeting and even an extra anniversary one just for Ray. I've graded the essays that have been hanging over my head for a month. I've done lots of dishes, swept lots of floors, cleaned the bathroom, attempted (unsuccessfully) to potty train Emmett, and done the laundry resulting from a 12-hour flu bug that passed through the whole family in the past two days. I've even attempted to explain to Teddy, many times, why he can't do whatever he wants to do. And of course, liberally mixed in among all these tasks, I've refereed countless minor battles and I've snuggled and snuggled boys who seem to always end up on my lap whenever I want to work on the computer. Yes, this (supposedly part-time) working Mama needed these days of unstructured time.

Ready with potty training necessities

A very hesitant boy tries on his big boy undies. Mostly, he wants the treats.

Thursday's campfire with apple cider and marshmallows. (Teddy's idea)

Friday's campfire with coffee and roasted marshmallows. (Again, Teddy's idea.)

Friday's picnic lunch in the basement. (Also Teddy's idea.)

Christmas Joy

2011-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'm certain that people always say to see through the eyes of a child because of the magic present in that perspective. Teddy and Emmett are at the ages now where the magic really lives.

The seasonal magic began just after Thanksgiving. We arrived home to see our neighbor's outdoor tree lit up for the season. Teddy instantly needed a tree, too. Fortunately, I have a small tree left from my apartment days that we could pull out right away. My sweet boys decorated it themselves with our new ornaments from Auntie Susie.

The next weekend we got our real Christmas tree and put up all our decorations. Teddy and Emmett were in bed before I finished the transformation. The next morning they came downstairs and oohed and aahed. Emmett's declaration of "Oh! It's beautiful!" made all the work instantly worthwhile.

Finally, Christmas morning dawned. The day before we had placed Baby Jesus onto our Advent calendar, so they boys knew the long-awaited day had finally arrived. As soon as they awoke they shouted "It's Christmas!" Then, they descended the stairs and the magic of presents began.

Teddy immediately noticed the present-filled stockings, but Emmett only had eyes for the "Big Firetruck!"

Two excited boys hurried to see the big box that Santa had left.

They couldn't wait to open it.

After peering at their new vehicle, they dug into the stockings.

Even after seeing the giant new vehicle, Santa's other rather simple gifts of socks and small farm vehicles excited them.

Next they opened the presents under the tree from Mom and Dad.

Teddy's new gun and Emmett's new chainsaw proved so exciting that they didn't bother with their other presents until after breakfast.

Finally, we all sat down to our Christmas breakfast in the dining room.

This year's menu included caramel apple french toast bake and broiled grapefruit with coffee to drink.

Nourished, Daddy set to work to put the fire truck together. The boys helped and Mommy only had to step in and read the instructions now and then.

Our dining room now has a new piece of furniture, at least until spring. The boys can respond to emergencies even faster!

Christmas Past

2011-12-29T06:56:00.000-08:00

A simple Ladies' Home Journal suggestion inspired me to create a different holiday table centerpiece that appealed to my sense of history and nostalgia. So, I have searched and searched to find some cute and sweet photos of Christmases when Ray and I were children to mix with my favorites of the past few years in order to create a memory display. To be fair, Christmas photos are hard to take in the dim lighting with children who are too excited to sit still for any decent shots, but in my search I have come to two conclusions. First, photos taken in the 70s and 80s were really lousy. Blurry, faded, out of focus, off-center, and cut-off heads describes most of what I found. Second, our families were lousy (or lazy) photographers. All in all I only found a few blurry photos with no clear subjects for each of us. Reality did not match my idyllic vision of nostalgic childhood photos, but I did what I could. Our basic 21st century editing tools certainly do help. Now, cropped appropriately, enhanced and turned to sepia tones for unity, the photos don't look too bad. So, here is my Christmas nostalgia for the year.

My new photo display

Andrea and Mitchell - 1987

Schuelers 1997 or 1998 with our cool pitchfork that Dad bought in Spain.

Schuelers - 2000, I think. It was easier to find decent photos from recent years.

Valleys - 1976 with small Ray and baby Trinette.

Ray and Dad - 1977

Ray - 1992 or 1993

Too Much Frosty

2011-12-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago a mild December Sunday afternoon combined with a light snow from earlier in the week meant snowmen! Teddy eagerly joined the other neighbor boys to shovel some snow. Then he and Emmett decided to come home and make their very own snowman (with lots of help from Daddy). Before he even started, Teddy asked "Mommy, how will we make the snowman move?" Then he lamented that they couldn't make the snowman talk without Daddy hiding behind it. We tried telling Teddy to use his imagination and to dream the snowman to life, but to no avail. He spent the next days asking me how come his snowman wouldn't talk. Maybe we have read Frosty the Snowman one too many times!

The neighbors set to work on a snowman while Emmett observes tentatively.

Teddy and Emmett set to work rolling snow balls.

Teddy didn't want his picture taken. Can you tell?

Our snowman featured rocks for eyes and buttons, a scarf, a hat, stick arms with old garden gloves for hands and a sand toy nose.

Music to Mama's Ears!

2011-12-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's first attempts to potty train Emmett combined with him throwing up all over his bed this morning prompted extra loads of laundry for today. When I went down to the basement to take Emmett's comforter out of the dryer, I found Teddy already in charge. He and Emmett moved the wet clothes to the dryer while I took the comforter upstairs. I returned and got them started on loading the next pile of clothes into the washer. Teddy quickly dismissed me. "You can go do something else Mom. We can handle this. We make a good team."

Bye Bye Nuky!

2011-12-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

Emmett has loved his nuky since he was tiny baby. Other than his buppy (blue blankie) it has been his most constant comfort companion. However, at 2 1/2, I knew he needed to move on. In fact, we've been working on this transition for at least a year. (Obviously, Mommy wasn't so ready for it either.) First, we limited him to having his pacifier only at nap or bed time. Then, I decided to take it away all together last spring when he moved to his big boy bed at age two. I realized my bad timing in a manner of minutes the first night we tried the bed; he had absolutely no incentive to stay in bed since the crib meant the possibility of the nuk. So, the nuky moved to his bed with him. After he lost a few pacifiers and chewed through another, Emmett had just his one yellow nuky left. I told him that once he chewed through that one, it would go in the garbage and he wouldn't get any more. Well, the sneaky boy has held onto that one little pacifier for over six months. Finally, I resorted to more desperate measures to set a firm deadline - I told Emmett that he would leave his nuk for Santa at Christmas Eve along with the traditional cookies. We talked about it over and over for at least a month. We said Santa would leave him a special present. We even talked about Santa taking his nuk to the North Pole and giving it to someone who really needed it. As Christmas Eve drew closer, Emmett would sneak upstairs to "rest" or claim to be "sleeping" while watching a movie on the couch so that he could have extra time with his beloved. He knew that the end neared.

Saturday night we set two cookies out for Santa on the new plate Grandma got us just for that purpose. Then, Emmett added his prized possession to the plate. He looked at it a long time before heading to bed, and we heard little footsteps descending the stairs twice more to look at the nuk after we'd said prayers and tucked him in. Finally, without tears and surrounded by the extra buddies that Teddy brought him, he fell asleep.

Christmas morning Emmett proudly announced "I sleep without my nuky!" After the excitement of a giant fire truck and stocking presents, Emmett opened a little gift with a ball and a chocolate Santa sitting right next to the plate on which only a few crumbs remained. We have an official big boy.

Now, the true test begins since the yellow piece of plastic has gone to a place from which it won't return. Again this morning Emmett proudly said "I sleep without my nuky!" That is true. However, he woke up crying twice in 45 minutes last night and Mommy ended up sleeping most of the night in his bed to comfort him. We will see what this third night brings.

Moments for a Mommy to Remember

2011-11-29T18:44:00.001-08:00

Some days I wish I could bottle up our moments to save for whatever rough times may lie ahead. In some ways, this blog serves as that vessel. Yesterday afternoon Teddy headed upstairs for his nap and I settled down with my laptop to try and get some school emails sent and answered. Ten minutes later Teddy reappeared by my side. Instead of napping he decided to join me for some "brown coffee" (mixed with cream and some cocoa) to do work. He pulled a dining room chair right next to mine and sat down to watch me type. Moments later he said "I need to sit on your lap" as he climbed over. Then came "I want to push some buttons." I let him click the mouse to send an email and then helped him type his name. (I'm hoping that can take the place of writing for kindergarten entrance since he shows no interest in that skill whatsoever.) As we sat there, "working" Teddy said, "Do you know why I have to work by you? It's just because I like to be by you so much." My sweet baby told me the same thing several more times as we worked together.

Later in the evening Teddy found the book I'll Love You Forever and decided we should read it. I've had that book on our bookshelf since before he was born, but I never choose it because I know I won't make it to the end without crying. I told Teddy the problem, but he really wanted to read it. So, we snuggled onto the couch and Emmett climbed up beside me, too. I did well through the first several pages, but as the boy in the story grows older I start to think ahead to how he will cuddle his old mama and I start to cry. Teddy looked up at me as my voice choked up and said, "Don't cry. I know! I'll get you my baptism blankie." He ran upstairs to get his second favorite blankie so that it could comfort me. Emmett, watching his brother's concern, snuggled closer and hugged my arm to comfort me, too. Teddy returned with the blankie. With its help, I read all the way to the end of the story, hugging my babies tight to me.

Halloween Potpourri

2011-11-26T19:12:00.001-08:00

Holidays become more and more fun as the boys age. Their excitement and enthusiasm for the fun ahead can't help but rub off on their parents. And so, in early October, Mom swallowed her imagined need to create a unique, homemade costume, and we let the boys pick out what they really wanted: mass-produced superheroes (or scary guys, as they call them). Teddy picked a transformer, something he knew nothing about, because he thought it looked scary. Emmett chose Spiderman, one of Teddy's favorites for some reason this past year.
Our Halloween celebration began on October 22 (see above) when we tried the costumes on (again) and "practiced" trick or treating. Little boys knocked on the front door, shouted "trick or treat" and received a candy for their efforts. They loved the game! Our Halloween fun continued over the next nine days until I put two tired boys to bed, still asking for one more treat, on Halloween night. Now, Teddy wants to know if we could go trick or treating again. Now. Really, a year is a long time to wait.

Tuesday, October 25 we headed to Croixdale, the local Senior Living facility, for their annual costume parade and treats every step of the way. We saw no less than six Emmett-sized spidermans!

The day before Halloween we finally carved our pumpkin. The boys wanted a scary one.

Teddy prepared to "help" Daddy while Emmett observed.

All the boys were proud of their scary pumpkin to match their scary costumes.

We even managed a family photo with the carved pumpkin.

As soon as we arrived home on Halloween Monday, Teddy and Emmett needed to put on their costumes. Then, the street sweeper swished down our street. Super heroes and street sweepers = little boy heaven.

Halloween afternoon proved to be perfect fall weather as we headed off with neighbors Elliot and Sophia to begin the trick-or-treating rounds.

Like last year, Auntie Net joined us for the Halloween fun.

We started at the Bayport Fire Hall for the annual open house, a chance to say hi to Daddy, and a supper of hot dogs, popcorn, and candy.

A perfect crescent moon lit our way on the trick-or-treating route as we headed out from the fire station.

We wove our way through hordes of trick-or-treaters along the streets nearest the fire station. Emmett remembered to say "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" most of the time, even with the added stress of lots and lots and lots of people. (Next year we'll try a different route.)

After about 6 blocks and a dozen houses, the boys were ready to call it a night. Their buckets were full enough to keep them happy for days.

Teddy picked a "Fun Dip" for his first treat and Auntie Net tried to explain to him how to eat this flashback (for us!) candy.

Emmett decided to try his hand at the fun dip, too. Both boys were too eager to eat the dipping stick to take full advantage of the packet of colored sugar. (It's probably better that way!)

Class of 2025

2011-11-26T19:03:00.001-08:00

How can this be? In our mailbox yesterday we received a big white envelope filled with welcome letters to Andersen Elementary, details about the kindergarten teachers, and invitations to tour the school (next week!). This morning I filled out the kindergarten enrollment form for my baby. I'm so excited to enter the school phase of our lives, and yet I find myself nostalgic and a little nervous. Even after fourteen years in this school district, I wonder what it will be like to become a parent of a district student. I give constant advice on searching for colleges, choosing majors, applying for scholarships, studying abroad and more, but I don't know how to help a small boy learn to read or navigate the inevitable friendship struggles of school. And so, a new phase of learning is about to begin for us all: In Monday's mail I will send Teddy's enrollment into the Stillwater class of 2025. (It's impossible not to shed a few tears as I write this.)

A Perfect Day

2011-11-13T13:47:00.001-08:00

Early autumn offered dream weather - bright, sunny days with warmer than average temperatures. We made the most of the weather with an early October Sunday afternoon visit to Warner Nature Center's Fall Color Blast. Not only did we delight in the weather, but we also received an introduction to another natural gem of the St. Croix Valley. In fact, as we drove home from our afternoon adventure I reflected that I had just lived an afternoon to match my adolescent dreams of the perfect family outing. Stunning natural beauty. Happy, inquisitive small beings. Content and proud parents delighting in their children's eagerness. Yes, we are blessed. Wander with us through the beauty of Minnesota's woods and lakes.

Teddy and Emmett eagerly explored Warner's wooded paths.

One path led us out onto the bog that glowed golden in the fall sun.

Cottony plants in the bog looked ready to burst.

Down at the lake the boys took a turn at fishing out plants and bugs with water nets.

When Daddy is a biologist, you learn at an early age that those "weeds" are really aquatic plants that help to maintain a healthy lake system.

Daddy identified a...(he can't remember).

Emmett loved investigating at the lake.

All my scientists take turns identifying the different water bugs that others found throughout the afternoon.

Mama even got a chance to step out from behind the camera.

The return walk from the lake proved a long one, so Emmett hitched a ride.

The interpretive center offered interesting hands-on exhibits including this look inside a giant tree. We even got to enjoy a bit of apple pie and ice cream to cap off our lovely afternoon.

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

2011-11-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Even though I now live in the city (okay, it's a small town, but close enough) I'm still a country mouse at heart. So I admit that participating in some of the favorite fall traditions of the city can prove to be an inner struggle. On a gorgeous September morning, Teddy, Emmett and I visited Aamodt's, our local apple orchard, along with Auntie Net. The parking lot, already packed at 10:30 in the morning, proved that an apple orchard visit sits firmly on the must-do list for many city families wanting to have a "country" experience. We participated in all the fun activities: apple picking, tractor rides, apple brats for lunch, petting zoo, play space and more. The boys loved it, but my inner country mouse struggled with the city practice of paying to pick apples or ride a tractor when abundant, and free!, opportunities for such activities dominated our farm visit just two weeks later. However, I'm learning to swallow my own biases as my two small mice have no city-country conflict. They will happily go to the apple orchard, or the farm, or most anywhere with people who love them, especially if it involves tractors.

~$6 - Enjoying hot cider with Auntie Net at the apple orchard before picking our $4 1/4 peck of Haralson's (about 9 apples).

Free - Picking apples country-style: the loader lifted us high enough to reach the ones hanging in the tree top. We picked five grocery bags full (hundreds!) of Haralsons to freeze and give away.

$1 - the boys got to try out all sorts of tractor scooters and trikes at the orchard.

$1 - With so many kids running about Emmett resorted to scooting on the trike with missing pedals.

Free - The farm's wide-open spaces plus tractors (and trucks) to play with

$2 / person tractor ride lasting about 4 minutes - yes, they were adorable in those little barrels and Emmett, surprisingly, wasn't too scared.

Free - Teddy "worked" in the tractor with Grandpa for almost four hours (Emmett is still too scared.)

In Search of the Perfect Shot

2011-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Digital photography has real advantages. With the ability to instantly view the captured moment and the freedom to take one hundred photos and delete ninety-nine of them, even a casual, point-and-shoot photographer like me can capture that elusive, perfect shot. On this warm and lovely October day we walked along a wooded path at Warner Nature Center. I snapped a shot of Teddy and Emmett walking ahead of Ray and me along the path. Very nice.

Then I began to envision an idyllic shot of two small boys, walking hand-in-hand down the wooded path glowing in the afternoon sun. I tried again. Not bad, but not quite right.

Of course, I took several more shots to try and get it right. As I downloaded and sorted these photos earlier this week, I nearly deleted my other attempts at the perfect shot that I never did capture. And then, I couldn't delete them. I laughed as I watched the scene from three weeks ago unfold again in the out-takes. As you'll see, real life lies in these not quite idyllic shots.

Yes, a brotherly relationship really is a walk in the woods. Sometimes you walk along side by side, enjoying the view, and at others a mostly well-meaning older brother tries to bend your will to his. Then there are the times when the only recourse is to tackle that brother.

After all, maybe I did capture more than one perfect shot that day.

Development Underway

2011-10-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of parenthood is to watch your children progress through developmental milestones that you may never have considered before. Both my little boys have shown such evidence to me of late.

Developing Empathy
In church on Sunday a coughing fit struck me. (Yes, cold season has exacted a heavy toll on me thus far.) Desperately trying not to cough, I searched through my purse for a Kleenex to help with the runny nose and teary-eye situation. Meanwhile, Teddy noted my distress and found my cough drops for me. As he handed one to me he assured me "I know what you need when you are sick."

Developing Identity

Emmett took his own sweet time in learning to say his name. In fact, it was sometime this summer when he first started to actually say it. Now, however, he has a firm grasp of his identity. Whenever I call him "Sweet Baby" or some other endearment he corrects me. "No. Emmett." Originally I thought he was just showing me that he wasn't a baby until Saturday when I called him "Big Boy." Again, he corrected me. "Emmett."

Finding Australia

2011-09-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Emmett's cold caused him to run a fever. So, Dad stayed home in the morning with two little boys while Mom went to school. When I got home at noon, Teddy eagerly showed me his new map. He'd drawn the route from our house to Australia. This past week he has been asking to visit Frank and Buster, the Koala Brothers, from his favorite movie of the same name. I tried to explain that they lived in Australia and that it was very, very, very far away. (I didn't bother to add that they are cartoons.) Apparently, Teddy remains determined to make the visit. So, he drew us a map. Maybe I should book the tickets...

Just Life

2011-09-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Other than our first colds of the season, resulting in too little sleep for all in the household, this has been an uneventful week. And yet, the tiny moments add up. Following church on Sunday Emmett showed the signs of a late Saturday night at the Derby Days fireworks. He requested the Koala Brothers movie, grabbed his "buppy" and settled in for a rest. While the loveseat is his preferred movie viewing perch, this position was a first.

Thursday Mom tried to snag a few minutes of rest while the boys watched a movie. However, they wanted snacks. So, Teddy got a chair, brought it to the counter and got an apple for him and one for Emmett. In a rare moment of sharing, they settled in to their hiding box to watch the movie (John Deere tractors) and munch on apples. They were so cute that I had to give up on my rest and grab the camera.

Tonight the boys finished their supper in a hurry so they could get outside to play with the neighbors. As an added bonus, our neighbor Lisa started a bonfire for Sophie, Elliot, Teddy and Emmett just before bath time. All four kids eagerly helped to gather the sticks to make the fire and then enjoyed gooey marshmallows, Hershey's chocolate, and graham crackers (all separate - no mixing of foods!).

The Last Harvest

2011-09-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

Apple trees prove to be both a blessing and a curse on a farm. Late summer brings the reddening apples that promise homemade apple sauce and apple crisp. Yet, with four mature trees, the harvest overwhelms on the good apple years. That means that many apples simply drop to the ground, rot, and cause an extra hour or more of work for Grandma any time the lawn needs to be mowed.
During our most recent farm visit, Grandma lamented the amount of work to come from the overladen trees. So, Grandpa told the boys that they could help him cut down a tree. As you can imagine, this provided no small amount of excitement for two boys who spend hours "cutting trees" on at least a weekly basis.
Grandpa got his chainsaw and cut the giant apple tree down branch by branch so he didn't harm the evergreens growing near it.
Ironically, cutting the tree down proved to be the easiest way to harvest the apples as even the lowest hanging fruit had hung nearly out of reach. So, as Grandpa cut, Grandma, Teddy, Emmett and I collected apples (five grocery bags in all!). We figured it was probably the most usable apples we'd harvested from that tree in years.
Of course, many apples fell from the branches as they were cut and were unusable due to bruises or pecks. Fortunately my good little helpers busily filled their shovels with apples and dumped them into the skid steer bucket to be hauled away.
After a hour or so of work, all the apples had been picked up off the ground and only a stump remained of the Mother's Day gift I'd helped to plant almost 30 years ago. Now five bags of apples sit in my freezer waiting to become apple sauce for the winter. Yes, it was a productive last harvest.

Forgiveness

2011-09-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today Teddy worked on fixing his skid steer while I cleaned the kitchen and Emmett napped. Teddy interrupted his "work," came into the kitchen and said, "Mommy can you forgive me?"

"For what, sweet buddy?"

"For when I made a bad choice about the Jeep and putting the cars in the bag."

Truthfully, I am not exactly sure which of the frustrating moments from the past week he was referring to, but clearly it was resting on his little conscious, and I cheerfully forgave him. Then I wondered if Teddy had absorbed more from our Sunday morning church service than I realized. You see, today's sermon, titled "Template for Reconciliation" focused on how we as Christians need to let others know when they've hurt us and seek forgiveness when we have been in the wrong. A few minutes after his first confession, I heard his voice from the other room, "Mommy, I'm not going to make any more bad choices about Emmett." Yes, there is something at work in his precious little heart.

Best Brother

2011-09-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

As I cleaned up the kitchen following lunch, Teddy declared from the other room, "Mommy, Emmett is my best brother."

I stepped into the family room to see the two little boys perched side by side on the arm of the couch. Emmett echoed Teddy's sentiments with "bes fwen, bes fwen" (best friend).

I rushed for the camera to capture this moment of brotherly love. These spontaneous, heartfelt expressions make up for the (much more frequent) times Teddy hits his brother for no apparent reason or Emmett does whatever he can just to frustrate his brother. Yes, there is real hope that they will grow to be good buddies.

On Vacation

2011-08-26T20:08:00.001-07:00

Sandwiched between my two international trips this summer we found time for an actual vacation. Our long July weekend at Long Lake had no agenda (other than fishing), no schedule to keep, no places to be. We simply enjoyed some time together at the lake.

The weekend started out extra soggy, and it's tough to contain two energetic boys inside a small trailer. Fortunately, the farm isn't far away! Teddy waited impatiently for the downpour to let up so we could load the boys for their visit to the farm.
Mom and Dad kept the boys overnight so Ray and I could enjoy a date. After a lovely dinner at the Spicer Castle the weather had cleared. So, we headed out onto the lake for an evening boat ride and, of course, some fishing.

I out-fished Ray this time!

We enjoyed the gorgeous evening on the lake all the way through sunset.

The next morning we enjoyed another relaxing spin around the lake complete with coffee, fishing (Ray) and reading (me). This time Ray had the lucky lure.
We brought the boys back to the lake for afternoon playtime, and they loved splashing in the water at the beach.

Then Mom and Dad joined us for a picnic dinner and another evening boat ride.

The boys always want to drive the boat with Grandpa.
We even coaxed Emmett into the water for a swim.
Teddy, however, would have no part of it. He preferred to watch from the dry safety of the boat.
Emmett (and Teddy, too) also managed to snag little sips of pop, a very rare treat, from Grandma.
Sunday morning we took the boys out for some fishing. Despite my cute photos, it didn't hold their attention very long.
Ray will have to keep working to convince them that fishing is a fun way to spend more than five minutes!

The Good Life

2011-08-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

At two, Emmett pretty well knows what is good...

an apple straight from the tree (or in his case, two or three bites of half a dozen apples)

and water fresh and cold from the well.

It's hard to beat those late summer farm treats.

While Mama's Away...

2011-08-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

The boys will play! I abandoned my sweet babies twice over the summer. Preparing to leave small children is no small task with arranging and coordinating the variety of summer activities and caregivers. Everyday the boys had a calendar to look at so they knew what would happen and when Mommy would be home. Even though I missed them and they missed me, they stayed busy with so many activities and so many helpers that it was almost like vacation for them too. It should be noted that it took 6 people to replace Mama! (Grandma & Grandpa Schueler, Grandpa Valley, Chandler, Grandma Darcy, Auntie Net)

The plan for Guatemala

June and Nicaragua
This mini-vacation included three days of fun at the farm and a weekend at the lake with Daddy, Grandpa Valley and Chandler.

Emmett practiced his balance over the farm chasms.

Teddy and Emmett helped Grandma pick (or rather, eat) strawberries.

Emmett on the boat with Chandler

Teddy drives the boat with Grandpa.

Supper at the lake.

Fishing!

Look what I caught!

August and Guatemala
This time Teddy and Emmett stayed home, but Grandma Darcy came for four days and Auntie Net came for one, too. The week was filled with fun, local summer activities.

The first day Mama was gone the boys had a special Daddy day.

They walked to the bakery for donuts and then visited Washington Square Park in Stillwater.

Teddy spent his mornings at PandaMania Vacation Bible School.

Emmett got to join the kids for the closing music, too.

While Teddy was at VBS, Emmett and Grandma visited the library where Emmett found all his favorite machine books.

The first week of August means Night to Unite at Lakeside Park.

Warm days and long nights means more fun times at the park!

Come on in, the water is great!

Afternoons were fun too with lunch in the tent.

Teddy and Emmett joined Sophie and Elliot for their lemonade stand.

Plus, there are always fun times with the neighbors in their pool!

The Gift of Guatemala

2011-08-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Mom, Dad and I posed in front of the Santo Domingo ruins on the grounds of a luxury hotel.

At least once a day while in Guatemala my mom looked at me and said "I'm so glad you are here." Amber told me the same thing more than once as we relaxed in our room after a good day's work. Their presence was a gift to me, too. In fact, I still think of all the ways this trip was an amazing gift to me.

I spent 7 days of quality time with my very cool parents. We always have such a good time on our travel adventures, but our last one was seven years ago following my graduation from Middlebury. I don't get the chance to have that much time with Mom and Dad very often anymore. Plus, they gave me the gift of the trip in the first place.
My cousin Amber and I spent more real time together than we ever have before. Oh, I've known Amber her whole life since we grew up just a mile and a half apart. However, almost seven years separate us. Besides her sister Kristi and I were only a year apart and best buds. Amber was just the little sister. As roommates in Guatemala, and the only two people in our age range, we explored together, relaxed with yoga on Amber's iPod, shared diet tips and talked for real. Just like me, Amber is working to check off lots of different adventures on her list of life experiences. We managed to make a few checks on this trip.
I traveled without being responsible for anyone and in the process I rediscovered why I love the adventure of travel. My previous two international trips involved me leading a group of 13 teenagers on a homestay travel adventure. Both Ecuador and Nicaragua proved to be wonderful experiences, but a layer of apprehension coats the whole experience when you are the leader of youngsters. This time I got to follow along instead of checking in on the health and mental states of young travelers while simultaneously verifying the day's plans and organizing details. I relaxed and just enjoyed the beauty of travel.
I added country #15 to my list. Yes, I collect countries. I'm far from my goal of 50, but this trip brought me one country closer. I loved comparing my Guatemalan experiences to my recent Nicaraguan experiences and to my months of living in Costa Rica as I developed a better sense of the similarities and differences throughout Central America. The summer downpours, the lush mountains, the steep, curvy roads reminded me of Costa Rica. Then we'd see a woman in vibrant Mayan dress or the astonishing quantity of ruins left by the 1773 quake in Antigua and I'd know this country had its very own soul.

La Merced serves as the iconic image of Antigua, Guatemala.

We happened across a wedding as we visited La Merced.

The convent ruins of La Merced provide stunning framed views of the surrounding city.

Colonial Antigua offered beautiful windows on every street.

The yellow clock arch covered a main cobblestone thoroughfare between La Merced and Parque Central.

On weekends carts of flowers decorated the street blocked off for pedestrian use.

Weekends also brought additional Mayan markets to the street to tempt tourists with vibrant textiles.

Amber snapped this shot in the Santo Domingo ruins.

La fuente de las sirenas sits in Central Park.

The cathedral sits alongside Central Park and is spectacularly lit at night.

Behind the cathedral lie its ruins from the 1773 quake. Only a small portion of the once massive building has been restored.

Volcanoes dominate the skyline.

We wait outside our hotel to begin our workday.

Our hotel seems small from the street, but inside the exterior wall lies a lovely colonial house.

Because of my firefighter husband, I try to visit fire stations in each new country.

We bookended our work week with mountain experiences.

We were relieved to reach the top of Volcán Pacaya after a strenuous two-hour hike up the supposedly easy path.

The hike brought us across terrain altered by the 2010 eruption of the volcano.

We also earned stunning views for our efforts.

After reaching the top, we headed across the desolate expanse of the lava flow from 2010.

Even amidst destruction, life returns.

Amber spent the week as the official photographer for our group.

She worked to capture just the right able as our guide roasted pastel marshmallows over a steam vent from the volcano. Best roasted marshmallow ever!

Midweek we visited the Valhalla Macademia Nut Farm with its lush gardens.

Even my point and shoot camera could capture the beauty.

We learned about the low impact ways the farm grows and processes their macademia nuts.

Then we relaxed with macademia lotion facial massages.

All week we marveled at the incredibly tall corn growing on steep hillsides.

I had to explain why I took photos of so many billboards for the upcoming presidential election. Once I explained how useful these photos can be as grammar explanations, everyone tried to help me out.

Yes Spanish teachers don't always take the standard touristy photos!

Crazy People

2011-08-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

On a sunny Friday afternoon in early August we stood in a circle to celebrate the building of a home and the foundation of a dream for a Guatemalan family. Teary-eyed I translated the words of Yoanny, the father of the family, who told us that this humble home was just the first step in building a castle for his family. Our Habitat Guatemala representative continued by telling us that we are called "la gente loca," the crazy people, by those to whom he tries to explain his work. Who, they wonder, would take vacation time from work and then pay to travel to a country far away just to spend their time building a home for a family they don't know? Let me tell you.

We were a group of nine small town Minnesotans, aged 29-66, who joined to form a team for a Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity trip in San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala during the first week of August. Together we accumulated about 320 work hours in the process of constructing a 20-foot by 20-foot cement block home.

Our head mason, Bonifacio, assigned us a variety of unskilled tasks that helped his work go faster. Frequently, especially when chipping channels in blocks, we lamented the lack of automation. However, part of our learning came in accepting different building practices and limitations given the mountainous terrain and the local culture. And learn we did. About pacing ourselves. About gratitude for what we have. About thankfulness for days without rain. About mixing cement. About the value of the proper tools. About the amazing versatility of a machete in the hands of someone accustomed to using one. About communicating despite a language barrier and about how much more we can learn when two people do share a language. About how great a shower feels after a day of a day of mixing mud. About being God's hands in the world.

And so, loca soy y con orgullo. If you ever think "I might like to try a Habitat World trip," sign-up! People may call you crazy, but you'll know the truth. You will return home saner than when you left. And you'll also know that behind the self-less front of such a trip lies the selfish part, too, because you return home with so much more than you gave.

Our work week started with the moving of a large quantity of dirt found in the middle of the foundation. Due to the tiny lot size, we would handle this dirt several more times throughout the week as we made space to lay the blocks.


We shoveled load after load of sand to bring down to the build site. Two future home-owners, Lucas and Danilo, helped Dad load the wheelbarrow. Fortunately, Dad has LOTS of experience with helpful little boys!

Some of the sand needed to be sifted to make mud for block-laying. Other loads went unsifted to make the concrete used for back-filling the layers of block that hold the rebar in place. This makes the block homes able to withstand the ever-present earthquakes of this volcanic region. The helpers this time, siblings Leslie and David, lived in the house abutting the one we were building. As the week wore on they became more and more curious about our work.

I can't even count the number of batches of concrete we mixed by hand with wheelbarrow loads of sand, others of rock, and bags of lime shoveled together with pails of water.

Bonifacio, our mason provided very patient instructions. He was only 23, but he already had several years of house-building under his belt. We also learned that stayed under a piece of tin held up by blocks at the worksite since he lived too far away to make the trek to the build site on a daily basis.

Tying the rebar to reinforce the layers of the block home proved another important task for us unskilled workers. We used a form to measure the rebar to the right length before cutting the pieces used to make the ties. It required lots of strength!

Then we placed the rebar connectors we'd cut and bent at the proper intervals to make the supports. The final step was to tie the connectors into place with wire.

A block home needs blocks. LOTS of them. We had to move them from this storage space down to the building site.

We managed to stack five blocks in a wheelbarrow at a time to make the trip to the building site. Usually, one wheelbarrow driver made the trip between storage space and narrow path.

Then another person took the wheelbarrow down the path to the build site. The path was so narrow you couldn't stick your elbows out to the sides without touching the tin on each side.

We also spent hours cutting rebar channel into the blocks. We wondered, over and over, why you couldn't just buy blocks with the rebar channels already formed. However, that didn't stop us from chopping and chopping. The worst part of this slow task was the ease with which you could break a block, especially just as you were nearing the end of the tedious task.

By the end of the week we had helped to mix numerous loads of cement, tie all the necessary rebar, haul all the block to the site, and more.

Dad even got a chance to prep a few blocks for Dennis, a volunteer from Germany who served as the mason's assistant and a great friend to us. Note the plumb lines used to keep the blocks level and the rebar that keeps the structure from collapsing in an earthquake.

We worked hard, but we rested as well. On workday 1 a roof over our heads to keep us out of the rain and a hearty bag lunch made us thankful.

By the end of the week we could enjoy our lunch outdoors. However the bag lunch, whose only variety came in the flavor of juice or granola bar, ceased to excite us. Yet, hungry workers give thanks for whatever food they receive.

One of our other light moments of the week came when Paul, our fearless leader, proved that you can put a chicken to sleep just by placing its beak on a straight line. He amazed not only us, but also Bonifacio as well as the neighbor who consented to the use of his chicken for the experiment.

At the end of work day five we gathered to celebrate the San Lucas build.

Our family brought us a snack of tostadas with guacamole to thank us for our efforts of the week.

At the end of our work week, we had five layers of block around the perimeter of the house and along the interior walls to celebrate.

And yet, the piles of blocks only came alive as the family who would inhabit these walls posed in front of their future home. Now I do my best to imagine the block walls as a home containing the foundation of their dream.

Even with the simplicity of their home, the view from their neighborhood offered more than sufficient evidence of God's masterpiece of creation.

Burning Beauty

2011-08-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Having a daddy who is a firefighter can be frustrating (six calls last Saturday, including one at every meal time), but it also offers some very unique experiences. Three weeks ago the boys and I got to watch a Bayport Fire Department training burn at a nearby farm site. The owner plans to farm the land, but no longer wants the farmstead. Earlier this year BFD burned the barn down. Now it was time for the house. However, a house to burn is a real gift to fire departments. At least four different departments were on hand to participate in training exercises before the final burn. The police department had also used it earlier for their own training.

Just at the time we were to leave our house to drive to the burn, a thunderstorm rolled in. Teddy, who had already dressed himself in his fire department T-shirt and pulled out his fire gear (helmet, fire suit, gloves, air pack (aka backpack) and more) pleaded and pleaded to go. So, despite some rain, we headed to the burn site once the storm had passed.

I managed to get the boys on site wearing only their fire helmets since the rain made the other gear cumbersome.

They watched the fire truck and all the firefighters in fascination.
After all the training burns, the firefighters had lots of hose to pull as well as other gear to move out of the way.
Then, while the hungry crews enjoyed a Buffalo Wild Wings lunch, we watched how quickly a fire can devour a structure.
Okay, it is an obvious statement, but fire is hot. We couldn't get closer than this for the photo. As the fire continued we had to move further and further back.
In fact, we stayed longer than we planned. Daddy kept checking to see if we could safely walk down the driveway, but the fire burned too hot for us to get by.

And so we watched the devastating, destructive beauty of fire.

A Budding Photographer

2011-08-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today, as Teddy was lying down for his nap...
"Hey Mommy. Do you know what?"
"What?"
"I just like taking pictures."

Really, what's not to like? You hold a little device. You push a button. And, what you see is captured on the little screen. Instant gratification.
Teddy decided that both he and I needed a camera this afternoon. Of course, he got our better camera, and I got the old one. Check out his artistic vision as captured in his first shots. (Yes, I deleted about 40 others that included blurred shots, thumbs, and headless portraits of me.)

Teddy's garden

Teddy's loader

The garden

The gate

Mommy taking a picture of Teddy taking a picture

Teddy's fire gear

The whole impetus for our photography session came from Teddy's foray into gardening. He needed to cut and "plant" several flowers today, and of course, I wanted a picture of his garden. Truthfully, it is quite striking.
Planting the garden was his ploy to delay nap time and snag a few minutes alone with Mom since Emmett was already in bed. Mama didn't mind a bit.

Child-size It!

2011-07-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Nelson's Ice Cream is a Stillwater institution. Located in a mostly residential area away from the hustle of downtown, it draws locals by the hundreds to its humble brown building. Inside, a whiteboard announces the overwhelming number of available flavors as the line of eager customers snakes its way to the counter. All the seating is outdoors. However, what really makes Nelson's infamous is its absurd portion size. "Order the child size" is the advice uttered to those obvious newcomers who debate between ordering a single or a double. I've ordered a single about twice. Trust me. Stick with the child size.
This is a "child size" at Nelson's. The young workers heap your choice of two ice cream flavors into a paper cup and charge you $3.
As you can see, Teddy and Emmett eagerly partook in this local experience last summer. We went only once or twice, yet each time we pass Nelson's, Teddy remarks "that's where we get ice cream."
Just two weeks ago we joined our daycare friends at Nelson's for our first summer treat. I ordered one child size to share between three of us. The boy who served us that day must have been in a generous mood. When I came to the table with this mound of neon-colored ice cream, Emmett's eyes just about popped out of his head. In fact, what you see here is our "child size" after I took off a scoop for Teddy.
Without fail, my young ice cream lovers choose the yellow, pink and blue Superman ice cream. It must be the neon colors that draw small boys in. As we were leaving our picnic table that day I saw another mom with a boy about Teddy's size bring out a cup with brightly colored ice cream on top and something tastier for Mom underneath.

I first visited Nelson's 13 years ago, before I officially became a Stillwater resident. Then, for a couple of years I lived dangerously close, just 5 blocks from dozens of yummy ice cream flavors. Now we treat ourselves to Nelson's just once or twice a summer but I look forward to it every year.

Nicaragua Part III: Natural Beauty

2011-07-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Nicaragua's true bounty lies in its varied landscapes from fog-shrouded cloud forest, to sulfurous volcano, to windy ocean beach. We saw it all.

Volcán Mombacho
Monday, the day after we arrived, we climbed into the back of two rugged trucks for a trip up the side of Volcán Mombacho.
Once we reached the top we hiked a trail around the crater at this National Park.
This volcano is now dormant and a lush cloud forest covers it.
We saw a natural crevice through the rock created by flowing lava.
We enjoyed panoramic vistas of Lake Nicaragua and its hundreds of small islands,
as well as the city of Granada - that is when the clouds parted enough to allow us to view the land below.
We also marveled at the lush and vibrant flowers, plants and creatures of the cloud forest.
On Saturday we returned to Mombacho for a zipline adventure through the rain forest.
With harnesses, helmets, and gloves in place, we swung through the canopy of trees.

Volcán Masaya
Late Wednesday afternoon we headed toward Managua to visit the Masaya Volcano. It is the most visited National Park in Nicaragua.
The fog behind me is actually sulfuric gases emitted from the still-active volcano. The rainy afternoon amplified the release of gases so that we couldn't visit one area of the volcano where we'd hoped to see some red lava.
Fortunately, the rain let up so that we could hike up a path to view two of the volcano's craters. The ridge in the distance represents the outer limit of a crater formed from a particularly violent eruption hundreds of years ago.
After our crater hike we prepared for our adventure into the bat caves. Everyone needed a hard hat and flashlight to enter the dark caves where the bats sleep during the day.
We hiked to the caves as the sun was setting so that we could be there as (or preferably after) the bats had left.
By the time we arrived, most of the bats had left for their night hunt. However, a few remained. They flew out without bothering us.
The cave roof had formations of stalactites that only grow centimeters a year.
At one point in the tour our guide had us turn off all flashlights and all cameras so that we could experience complete darkness. As my students commented, everything looked the same whether our eyes were opened or closed.
After our adventure into the cave, we visited another cave opening from which bats depart. I took at least twenty photos and then had to wait to download them before I could be sure if I had captured the escape of any bats or not. Lucky for me, many flew out as I snapped photos so I got a few decent shots.

Laguna de Apoyo
Thursday brought us to the Apoyo Lagoon, a crater lake. First we visited the Pueblos Blancos surrounding the crater to shop their artisan markets and enjoy this vista of the lake.
Then we headed to a small hotel where we ate lunch and enjoyed an afternoon swim in the lake. It felt like being at the cabin on any Minnesota lake and was a welcome reprieve from the tropical heat.
While we Minnesotan students and teachers enjoyed a swim, our accompanying Nicaraguan teachers stayed on shore. In response to our queries, we learned that most Nicaraguans don't learn to swim.
After an hour or so of swimming, we couldn't ignore the sound of approaching thunder anymore. Really, we'd swum long enough as most of us ended up with a sunburn anyway. Back at the beach house we watched as a curtain of heavy tropical rain made its way across the lake toward us. That rain started a 72-hour rainy period that included intermittent downpours.

Montelimar Beach
We ended our trip with two relaxing days at a Pacific Ocean beach resort. After eight tightly scheduled days, we needed some unstructured time to unwind.
Sunday, our first day, brought rough seas and rain.
However, the sun shone brightly the following day so we could wade into the ocean...
...or relax by the large pool.
The tropical sun is ferocious, so time spent in the shade was a must. Here you see the view from my hammock strung between two trees along the beach.
Our last evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the ocean as well. Little did I know as I marveled at the sun's show that the next 48 hours would prove to be a tense series of anxious waiting. Our flight out the next day was canceled due to mechanical difficulties. Then, our re-booked reservation for the day following got locked up, incomplete, in the computer system. We barely made it out of Nicaragua that day and only a delayed flight from Greece (and thus 40 open seats) allowed us to get seats on our standby flight from Atlanta to Minneapolis. Fifteen extremely relieved travelers arrived in Minnesota, just 24 hours later than we had planned.

Nicaragua Part II: We Are Blessed

2011-07-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

One unique element to our travel program included the opportunity to interact with three separate school sites. Of course, this offered the perfect chance for both cultural and language immersion. It also forced my students, I hope, to realize how extremely wealthy and fortunate we are in our community.

We first visited La Escuela Miravalle, an elementary school serving a small community outside of Granada.
The students, both mine and those of Miravalle, were shy to start. However, they began to chat after a few minutes.
Some games and singing encouraged more participation and sharing. The students there were especially excited to see the donations (soccer balls, candy, notebooks) we'd brought for them.
The school also had a special presentation of several traditional dances planned for us. Unfortunately, the morning of our visit the electricity went out. However, enthusiastic applause interrupted our games when the single bare bulb in the classroom came to life. The students were excited to have their electricity back and to see the dancing as well.
The teachers at the school told us over and over how important our visit and any support we could offer was to the school.

We visited Posintepe Community School next. This school serves the children of a small, very poor community of rural Granada.
As with our visit to Miravalle, the Posintepe students welcomed us with open arms.
We had a dual task at this school. Our Stillwater students joined local students in a game of soccer on a very hot afternoon.
We also helped to paint the exterior walls of one of their two class buildings. Notice that the windows all have bars. However, they do not have glass. The open windows allow for ventilation since it never gets cool enough to need a fully enclosed space.
The school rooms are very basic with old, worn desks. However, when not in the painting process, posters and other decor do make for a more lively environment.
This new cement latrine was constructed using funds that our travel company donated on behalf of the several student groups visiting during the summer. The old latrines had become unusable, and the school was without any type of restroom facilities for awhile. That is something my students can't even imagine.
While the students painted and played, I spoke to one of the teachers at the school. He told me how they struggle to get enough funds to buy any supplies. You'll notice his very broken whiteboard. He has to buy his own whiteboard markers. He said they can't even ask students to come to school with a notebook. Many of the families don't have enough money to purchase one, and students will simply not return to school rather than come without the needed supplies.

Our final visit brought us to a Catholic secondary school a few blocks from our language school in Granada.
Even though the students had the day off due to teacher in-service, several came to join us in some afternoon athletics.
We started with volleyball.
Then came games of soccer and football. We were especially thankful for the great covered gym space as it poured rain the whole afternoon.
While the students chatted after the games, the Phy Ed teacher and coach brought us to meet the school's director and he told us of some of their struggles. Even though it is a private school, most students attend on scholarship and the school struggles to provide the basics. We brought athletic balls and a pump to donate to this school. The coach told us that the balls we'd used to play that day had been donated by a previous group. The director personally paid to have them blown up as the school didn't have a pump prior to our bringing one.

Yes, adequate school funding remains a major issue for us in Stillwater and across the nation. However, at least in Stillwater, we can't hardly imagine not having a white board marker, a pump for athletic balls, or worse yet, not having any restroom facilities or constantly losing electricity. From that standpoint we are extremely blessed.

Nicaragua Part I: Journey Back to the Beginning

2011-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

I've always traced my Spanish-speaking roots to Nicaragua. Nearly 30 years ago my dad traveled there as a part of a 1982 Center for Global Affairs course. He spent a week in Mexico and a week touring Nicaragua to learn about the effects of that country's civil war. Before he left on his trip, he got a set of Spanish-language tapes to help himself prepare. His seven-year-old daughter, already planning to be a teacher, jumped on board, too. I remember listening to some of those tapes, planning little lessons so we could all learn Spanish (very short-lived experiment), and dreaming with my dad about the time when I could go to a language school in Mexico or somewhere else to study and learn for a few weeks. Thus, when the time came to choose a language in junior high, Spanish beat out German (my heritage) and French (what my friends chose). Now, with a full year of study abroad experience plus multiple other trips, a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and 13 years of Spanish teaching experience, the time finally has come for me to journey to this land of my language heritage. Nicaragua.
Granada
I took my fourth student trip to Granada, Nicaragua. This trip perfectly matched all the stipulations Kirsten, my co-leader, and I put on our student trips.

New country for both of us (we both are "collectors")
Language school
Homestay
A destination that families don't commonly choose for their travel

Thirteen students liked our idea of adventure and language-learning, so we were off!
This bright yellow cathedral is the iconic image of the city.
Inside, the brightly-colored walls typical of the city continue.
While visiting the cathedral, I lit a candle for my Auntie Julie. It's a practice I started several years ago on one of my trips, and it is my way to bring her to all the places she didn't get to see during her lifetime.
Outside the cathedral, the city follows the traditional Latin American design with a large park surrounding a fountain.

Our stay in Granada brought us to several other churches as well. We visited La Merced on our very first day in Nicaragua.
We climbed a narrow, winding staircase in the church's bell tower for beautiful panoramic views of the city.
The San Francisco Convent, painted a now-faded baby blue, sat just down the block from our language school.
I don't even know the name of this church, but it sits about six blocks from the cathedral and simply looks very Central American.
Of course, the city also has the standard municipal market where vendors sell absolutely everything.
It always takes me a few minutes to accept the crowded, dirty conditions inherent to the markets I've seen. Soon, I began to make my purchases including Spiderman plates, Nicaragua T-shirts, and a slingshot to give to my baby boys.
Musicians even played traditional music in the aisles of the indoor stalls.
As a tour guide explained, each family paints its house a different color giving the streets of Granada their rainbow hue.
One element of the city that surprised me was the intermingling of the contemporary and the traditional. Everyday multiple horse carts shared the city's streets with bicycles (usually carrying at least two people), buses, and all manner of cars.
I've stumbled across fire stations now on three of my international trips. From now on I'll make an effort to find them! Here is Granada's station with just two fire trucks.
A highlight of my time in Granada came when I met Josué, the boy I've sponsored through Compassion International for seven years.
Twelve-year-old Josué lives in León. However, he traveled with his mom (left) and his teacher (right) to Granada to meet me. We took a carriage ride around the city as it was the first visit to the city for everyone.
After enjoying the city tour, we had lunch together at a local KFC-style restaurant called Tip Top. (It was one of the few air-conditioned spaces that I encountered in the sweltering tropical city.) We enjoyed a wonderful couple of hours together during which we chatted and built a stronger connection than that formed through our periodic letters alone. What a blessing to actually meet Josué! I know he had a good day, too, because he wanted to know when I was coming to visit again.
Another trip highlight came at the Choco Museo. There we participated in the entire process of making chocolate. First, we roasted the cacao beans (previously fermented) over a fire for about twenty minutes until they popped and began smelling like chocolate.
Next we separated the still warm cacao nibs from the hull. We later ground the nibs into chocolate paste and we set the hulls aside for us in a chocolate husk tea.
After grinding our cacao nibs into a paste, we tasted the Mayan and Aztec versions of hot chocolate. The little bit of honey in the recipe did nothing to cover the extremely bitter taste of the cacao. Students and teachers alike agreed that the European addition of sugar to the cacao drink and to chocolate bars was absolutely necessary!

Stay tuned for visits to schools, volcanoes, and beaches of Nicargua!

End of an Era

2011-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

One week ago, and just 10 hours after I finally arrived in Minnesota after 11 days in Nicaragua, the boys and I headed to the farm to watch the 251 diary cows be auctioned off to the highest bidders. The boys loved watching all the action with Grandpa, visiting workers Humphrey and Oscar in the dairy parlor, and eating hot dogs, donuts and pop purchased by grandparents and great-aunties. I watched with a mix of sadness, nostalgia and excitement as the farm prepared to undergo another reinvention. Of course, we've walked this road before. I grew up on a hog and crop farm. Then, during college, that converted to a large dairy farm. Now, after nearly 15 years with some excellent successes and some great trials, the dairy cows have new homes and our dairy farm reimagines itself as a hay farm.
Grandpa shows Teddy and Emmett the events occurring under the auction tent on this hot, hot, final day of June.
Teddy watches as another dairy cow parades for the viewers. The auctioneers managed to sell about one cow a minute. I couldn't even distinguish the movements made by the bidders as they indicated their interest, so I worried that one of the boys or I would inadvertently purchase a cow!
Auctions are community events. Family and neighbors came to see the proceedings and buyers came from all over the state.
Farms are family affairs. Auntie Sam and Auntie Susie drove out for the day. Loreen and Anna came to witness the change on the family farm. Amber crossed the street to watch her home farm change and she even returned to her former milking job to help out with the few remaining cows in the evening.
Emmett snuggled right in by Auntie Patti to watch the swift auctioneers. He appreciated a comfortable lap in the shade of the tent.
Teddy took advantage of having lots of grandparents and great-aunties around. Even when Emmett needed to leave for a nap, Teddy wanted to stay. By the end of the afternoon he had scored a hot dog, two donuts, and some pop.
The boys also found the milking parlor to be fascinating, maybe because they could watch the cows being milked or maybe because its cooler temperature provided relief from the scorching heat outside.
And of course, nothing can be quite as interesting to small boys as a skid steer.

A Growing Season

2011-07-05T12:45:00.001-07:00

The year Teddy was born in 2007, Ray received an Arbor Day tree. We planted the tiny white pine in our front yard and watched it flourish. It has always been "Teddy's tree," so each year we take Teddy's photo by the tree to mark both his and the tree's growth. As you can see, the tree is outpacing my little Ted!

2011

2010

2009

When Emmett arrived in 2009, we knew we needed a tree for him too. Unfortunately, Emmett's first tree didn't flourish.
This little pine only lasted one year. So we have declared our Haralson Apple tree to be Emmett's tree. Lucky for us, we planted that in 2009, too!

Here is Emmett's tree getting planted in the fall of '09.
This is fall 2010.

And here is Emmett's tree in 2011. Despite some pesky winter rabbits, this tree grows stronger each year. We can't wait for its harvests to begin!

Cousins Come

2011-06-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

Last weekend two of our cousins came to play, and oh! we had fun. Mitchell, Emily, Abram, and Abbott came to stay during Mitchell's Navy Reserve weekend. We started our Saturday morning with the Big Trucks event. Garbage trucks, fire trucks, semis, skid steers, lawn tractors, mail trucks, buses and more lined the high school parking lot as a fund raiser for our Early Childhood program. It's every (or at least every vehicle-crazed) toddler and pre-schooler's dream. The three mobile boys eagerly lined up to sit in the cabs of as many vehicles as possible. We even got to have a ride on the school bus around the parking lot. This beats an amusement park any day.

Saturday evening Ray and I got to test out what it would be like to have four boys, four and under. We babysat Abram and Abbott while Mitch and Em went to their unit's annual Dining In, conveniently scheduled for one of the river boats on the St. Croix.
The boys played in the sandbox before dinner. Then we fed them all with no major obstacles.
After supper Ray bathed the three bigger ones who were covered in sand while I cleaned up and read stories to Abbott and fed him a bottle.
Then, three boys crowded onto my lap for bedtime stories. All the boys were so worn out from their busy day of play that they went to bed without protest. Four kids - no problem! (Ray and I plan to stick with two, in case you were wondering.)

What happens on a rainy day

2011-06-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Rainy days require extra energy and patience from mommies (especially when Mommy has to pack for a 10-day trip to Nicaragua). Since they can't work outside, Teddy and Emmett have hauled "trash" and "mulch" to various parts of the house. They've "rescued" several (stuffed) pets from burning buildings, they've driven tractors and skid steers, and they've helped bake cookies. They only argued over whose turn it was on the tractor or who got to haul with the trailer or who hit whom about every five minutes. Apparently the rainy day activities wore them out since Mommy is taking full advantage of their three-hour nap.

Centennial Queen

2011-06-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

During our last drive to the farm Teddy was practicing his expanding vocabulary. "Mom, you are a mother and Daddy is a father."
Then I asked "Who is my mother?"
That stumped him. He knew Grandma Schueler was my mommy, but he couldn't quite make the leap to her being my mother. As he often does when he is unsure, he said "Just tell me." After receiving the answer, he asked "Who is Grandma's mother?"
Tears sprang to my eyes as I explained "Grandma's mother was my Grandma J, and she was wonderful."
I know Grandma J will only ever be stories for my babies, but I want her to be as real as stories can make her. So, today's remembrance in honor of Grandma J's 100th birthday is for Teddy & Emmett, who I hope will one day want to know about the people who came before them.

Really, there is so much to say that I struggle to know where to begin...

Queen - One of my very favorite memories of Grandma comes toward the end of her life. As part of Anoka High School's homecoming celebration they honored past homecoming queens, and my grandma was the very first football (homecoming) queen for the school in 1927. At half-time of the Homecoming game, they recognized Grandma along with the current homecoming court. Grandma loved every single moment.

Classy - Any time I was in Anoka and I was introduced as Millie's granddaughter, people invariably told me that she was a classy lady. I still think that "classy" is one of the best adjectives to describe her combination of intelligence and well-dressed style. I remember watching her put on her "face" as a little girl. Her variety of little bottles and tubes fascinated me. I also loved trying on her beads, gloves, scarves and earrings. Now, as a grown-up, I'm privileged to wear some of her classic pieces of jewelry.

Travel - During my lifetime Grandma traveled regularly. In 1997 she decided that she wanted to make one last trip to California to visit her sister, Bunny, as well as my Auntie Susie. (In reality, that was just the first of her four "last trips" to California.) Grandma invited my cousin Melinda and me to accompany her. Grandma was thrilled that her young granddaughters wanted to travel with her, and we were thrilled to go anywhere with her. I still see my 86-year-old Grandma riding the carrousel at Disneyland where her energy outpaced that of her twenty-something granddaughters.

Cake - Grandma loved cake, and she would use any excuse to enjoy some. I think that most of the times I had dinner with her in her latter years she made cake. Invariably, she'd comment "I hardly ever have cake," and I'd smile inwardly thinking that it seemed to me we always had cake.

Teary-eyes - I never doubted how much Grandma loved us all. She'd tell us over and over how good we were to her. (It was impossible not to be good to her.) Especially in her latter years, every time any of her kids or grandkids said goodbye at the end of a visit, Grandma had teary eyes. She never said it aloud, but she knew, as did we, that each visit could be the last. Lucky us, we had many, many days of visits before the real last one arrived on November 30, 2005. As it happens, I inherited Grandma's teary eyes. In fact, I think we all did.

I could go on and on. Today, on the 100th anniversary of her birth, I simply want Teddy & Emmett (and the world) to know that Millie (Nelson) Jorgensen was my grandma. She was wonderful, and I miss her.

Parading in Style

2011-06-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

On Monday morning we continued our family tradition of attending Bayport's Memorial Day parade. All my boys dressed in their fire fighter finest for the event. This year only Emmett and I sat on the sidelines as observers. Ray and Teddy had a role to play.

We spent a couple of days preparing Teddy for his big parade debut. He decided that he needed to wear his fire fighter clothes, but he needed the red helmet because it has a mask. Of course, fire fighters also need goggles for protection. Teddy was set.

Bayport cleared the garage for their hometown parade. Every truck (except the oldest engine that wouldn't start) joined the procession. Ray drove the heavy rescue truck through the parade and greeted us with a big smile.

Teddy, on the other hand, was all business. He sat all alone in the back and just peered out. Later he told me that he smiled and waved at all the people, but he didn't talk. Firefighters don't talk during parades.
Not wanting to be left out, Emmett also got to wear a fire truck shirt for the parade. We even parked ourselves right next to a hydrant for the best viewing.

Now, in case you didn't get a chance to see a parade on Memorial Day, enjoy ours with Emmett and me.
We were excited to have friends join us. Our neighbor, Patti, found us. Plus, Mr. Dennis (the boy's daycare provider's husband) happened upon us, too.
The color guard, followed by the veterans, always begins the parade.
Then came the mounted sheriffs,
and the bagpipers.
Next came a long, long line of emergency vehicles.
As the hometown department, Bayport begins the procession.
Here's another look at Ray and Teddy!

A few bands (marching and not), the hot air balloon, some amphicars, and the Andersen school kids rounded out the parade.
An entertained Emmett showed his patriotic spirit.

Milestone Photos

2011-05-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Teddy and Emmett each got some special time with Auntie Emily this past weekend when she took their 4-year and 2-year photos. What a gift. See the amazing cuteness Emily captured.

Grandparents and aunts and uncles, let me know your pose and size preferences. Other special people, you can expect wallets of these cuties unless you prefer another size. In that case, let me know. Want to see more? Come and visit! I'm only posting about half the photos, my personal favorites.

Emmett - 2 years

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Teddy - 4 years

#10

#11

#12

An Old Fashioned Barn Dance

2011-05-26T18:43:00.001-07:00

Our visit to the farm last weekend just happened to coincide with the second annual Svea Lutheran Youth barn dance. Young and old from the Svea community gathered in the Gatewood barn for a good ol' hoe-down. Straw bales ringed the loft for the folks who preferred to watch, but most everyone joined in the dancing in the center of the floor. A real square dance caller led about eight squares of couples in the basic steps when we arrived. (Mom and Dad formed a square with some other new arrivals as soon as we entered!) The Chicken Dance, the Hokey Pokey, and more line dances followed as the revelers stomped and laughed their way around the floor. It was a community dance in the best sense of the word with toddlers to grandparents joining in the fun.
Grandma helped Emmett do the Chicken Dance. He didn't know quite what to make of the experience. He just kept looking around.
Teddy, on the other hand, had no interest in dancing. He just wanted to sit on the top of the straw stacked like stairs up to the barn window. Grandpa joined him way up high. The next day when Teddy was asked if he had danced, he simply said "farmers can't dance."

Soon we all joined Teddy and Grandpa up high. It offered the perfect vantage point from which to enjoy the fun of the dance below.

Any good Svea event includes food, and this dance didn't disappoint. Emmett got his very first taste of pop. Grandma filled a glass from the root beer keg and tried to help Emmett drink from it. After one taste, he pushed her hands away and claimed the cup for his own.

By the time we sat to eat our treats, it was probably 9pm, an hour past bed time. But, a little tiredness couldn't stop Emmett from enjoying his treats. He picked an M&M cookie from the plate of choices. Then he looked at the last treat on the plate, the one for Grandpa, and decided he needed one for each hand. It took the whole car ride home for him to finally finish all the treats, but he refused to surrender either.

I wonder if Teddy and Emmett will remember any part of this experience of Midwestern life. I have faint memories of Luther League barn dances at my Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Marlene's barn when I was not much bigger than Teddy. I'm sure they were fun events, but my memories mostly include climbing the scary hay elevator to get into the loft and being careful of the holes in the floor. I imagine that if my boys do hold onto some of these memories, sitting on top of the high straw bales and drinking root beer will be among them.

"Too!"

2011-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's tough work to get two small boys to sit still and smile for a picture. But they looked so cute, I had to try. On this particular day the street sweeper on the next block had them enthralled. Mom and the camera? Not so interesting.

Besides making them wear matching shirts, here are some of our other daily doses of fun.

Emmett loves the word "too." He wants to do anything and everything his big brother does. All day I hear "snack too," "play too," "apple too," even "poop too." Every night at bed time Teddy asks to twirl my hair. Now Emmett asks "hair too." He wants to be just like his brother, but he doesn't get hair twirling. He just messes it up.

Four-year-old minds are fascinating. Saturday morning, about 7 AM before Mommy and Daddy were fully awake, Teddy got up and dressed and headed downstairs to play. Moments later he came back up and announced "Captain Hook isn't very good at washing hands." A logical statement, but I have no idea what prompted it.

Then at supper on Monday night Teddy asked, "Mom, do you have a motor on your mouth?" I assured him I didn't. He proceeded to explain how the motor helps his mouth go so he can chew his food. Yes, the boy maintains a running commentary through much of the day, but I don't recall ever using the expressing "motor mouth" with him. Someone must have!

Between-the-Birthdays Bash

2011-05-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

The last weekend of April we headed to the farm to visit and to celebrate Teddy and Emmett's birthdays with the Willmar contingent of the family. With almost no planning on my part, we had a fun party Saturday from start to finish.

First, the boys had to help decorate their cupcakes. And by "help" I mean lick the frosting beaters. They were eager participants in that job!
Next, we had to build the tractor cupcake toppers. (Okay, this part required a little planning.) I'd found the instructions on-line and purchased the recommended bags of candy. Friday night Mom and I played with the different arrangements until we found one that would work. (Hershey nugget body, Starbust cab, Lifesaver gummy wheels, mini melt-away mint for the front - in case you were wondering!)

Teddy eyed the Case-IH and John Deere fleet with longing!

Uncle Mitchy, Auntie Emily and A-Team cousins joined Grandpa, Grandma and us for lunch. Then it was time for cake!

We sang "Happy Birthday" twice, once for each birthday boy.

Abram desperately wanted in on the action, too. He kept repeating "Happy Birthday, too. Happy Birthday, too." Once we had his candles lit, he refused to blow them out until we sang to him. So, we ran through the chorus once for him and again for Aubrey. We covered most of the year of celebrations in a span of minutes!

By the end of lunch, Emmett showed his exhaustion (and the morning nap he missed).

However, he rallied for presents. Both boys eagerly opened their new toys while Daddy wondered how he was going to fit them all in the car to go home. (We did, and it wasn't so hard.)

Then came the reason that birthdays on the farm are so great - no planned activities needed! Undeterred by howling winds or rain, the kids all bundled up to play outside.

Unfortunately for Grandma and Grandpa, the farm has experienced the roughest spring in memory with giant frost heaves and a driveway that no vehicles can navigate. However, as everyone knows, mud and puddles attract children.

They shoveled and scooped,

splashed and tramped,

and had a jolly old time in the muddy mess.

Of course, two of the preferred farm activities also formed part of the afternoon.

Emmett and Abram got a ride in the heavy-duty farm wagon.

Then all of the kids wanted a snack in the best playhouse ever - the Scamp!

Emmett, trooper that he is, refused to miss out on one second of fun, but he couldn't last forever.

By mid-afternoon his need for a nap was obvious. (Also, notice his sopping wet jeans.)

So, we said goodbye to our cousins, and then we all settled down for a nap after a busy, fun and low-stress (for Mommy) birthday party.

Easter Blessings

2011-05-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter the way we have for the past several years. First, Alexa joined us for the annual Easter Egg hunt at Barker's Alps. The three cousins set off hand-in-hand clad in rain boots. Once again, we had a chilly, rainy day for the annual event.

Hurry! We can't be late!
Emmett awaits his turn by the toddler area. Toddler egg hunts mean a small circle of ground with lots of pieces of candy in plain view.
Fill the bucket! Toddlers wandered around and grabbed one or two pieces of candy as parents tried to direct them to get more and more.

Preschoolers know what to do. They set to work filling their buckets with the candy in plain site.

Auntie Net even came to watch the mad rush for sugary sweets. The entire event lasts only 10 minutes. Literally.

Back at home we checked out the loot. It just might last until Halloween!

On Easter Saturday the Fraenkel family gathered at Fort Snelling cemetery at the grave sites of Grandpa and Grandma Fraenkel for our traditional time to share memories before heading out to a late lunch at Baker's Square.

Sunday began early for me with a 7:15 arrival at church to rehearse with bell choir. Following our triumphant and joyful service of Resurrection, we returned home to begin the next round of family gatherings.

After locating his Easter basket, Emmett put his coins from one of his eggs into his pig.

Teddy excitedly tried on his new goggles and opened an egg to find some jelly beans.

Then we headed to Grandpa Valley's house for food and fellowship with the whole clan. The littlest ones hunted for eggs in the yard.

A teenage egg hider decided that placing eggs into holes in the ground would be a good idea. Finding them required a little help from Daddy.

We all enjoyed the warmth and sunshine of the glorious spring day.

Diary of a Flood

2011-05-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last March (2010) Teddy desperately wanted to sit in the "boat" next to our garage. We humored him and then quipped that we could title it "waiting for the flood." Late this winter last year's fun and games didn't appear so funny. We feared a major, near record, flood on the St. Croix River. Ray spent days pouring over flood maps, past flood records, and more to determine whether or not we could be at risk. (Turns out that if we flood, we better all start building arks.) Sandbags were filled, homeowners were urged to consider flood insurance, and those of us living in river towns anticipated the worst. Then, the anticipated spring thaw came very, very slowly. The rains stayed away. The forecasted flood turned out to be minor. And yet, I'm mindful that our relatively minor flooding has magnified as the Mississippi has flowed south. Many people are experiencing the record flood that we escaped.

Although our overall flooding was minor, our local park did experience the worst flooding I've seen in my few years here. Still today, one month later, the river waters are above normal levels and a small pond remains in the center of the low-lying ball fields.

We first checked out the flooding on March 31.

Ray scanned the rising river that still maintained its winter ice.

I even got a rare picture of me with my boys.

Some hearty souls attempted a canoe trip on the new lake in the middle of the ball fields.

Park entrance on March 31 - the day of the first crest.
April 10 - prior to the 2nd crest, the water reaches the park entrance.
April 17 - the water on the ball fields has nearly blocked the drive into the park. The asphalt path you see in the first photo is completely under water.
The beach house - March 31
The beach house - April 10
The beach house - April 17, just after the 2nd crest. You can see the debris line that indicate the highest water point.
April 10
April 10 - approaching the park benches
April 17

Ride on, brother!

2011-05-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

As an unexpected Mother's Day gift, my little boys spontaneously showed how much fun they can have playing together. First, I looked up from my grocery list project only to discover this...

Teddy gave a thrilled Emmett a ride through the house. Any time Emmett slid off, he'd stand up and say "More! More!"

Later in the afternoon, Teddy had his turn for fun...

Our neighbors gave us a hand-me-down motorcycle this spring, and Teddy loves it. All it needs is a new battery. However, Mom and Dad discovered that it would mean a $50 investment in battery and charger to make the "free" toy work. Teddy has had to resort to alternative methods to power his ride.

Check out Emmett's amazing energy in the film clip below. He did two laps on the our driveway-to-neighbor's driveway-and back path!

P.S. - It isn't all roses. Now that they sleep in the same room, they also love to play at bedtime. Plus, Teddy had two timeouts for being mean to his brother, but we can edit that part out of the memories.

"I'm Big!"

2011-05-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

Teddy awoke this morning and asked "Am I 4 now?" Then he marched into our bedroom, stood in front of the full length mirror and proudly declared "I'm big. See? I'm really big!" Throughout the day he'd comment "my arms are really long" or "look how long my legs are." Yes, four-year-olds are big.

During the day he tried to work out how big he really is. He knows that 4 means no more diapers at night. He also asked if he could go to "the school" now. I explained that he would get to go to the school when he was five. Later he wondered if five would be big enough to drive the tractor. I tried to explain that he needed to be a little bigger than that, but he's pretty sure that 5 is about right for tractor driving.

We celebrated Teddy's special day with Grandpa Valley, Grandma Darcy and Auntie Net. They joined us for a chicken fajita dinner followed by cheesecake parfaits. (After two rounds of birthday cupcakes, I decided we needed a change.)

Besides, EVERYBODY enjoyed their yummy dessert.

Of course, the evening included some presents to open too.

Teddy had hoped for "lots of toys."

Even though his birthday didn't deliver the quantity of toys he hoped, he has enjoyed wearing his new super hero jammies and his new crane T-shirt. He has also colored with his Spiderman crayons.

At four Teddy:

Weighs 34 lbs, 10 oz. and measures 3 ft, 3 in.
LOVES accessories, particularly eyewear. He wears his Spiderman sunglasses or his safety goggles (and sometimes both at the same time) nearly everywhere he goes.
Fascinates us with his imagination. He builds tractors, skid steers, skidders, and a variety of other vehicles as the mood strikes.
Maintains his imaginary friendships. Diego usually does all the naughty things. Nicholas and Flashlight (don't ask - we don't know) also are counted among his friends.
Prefers his toddler "beep beep" push vehicles to peddled trikes or bikes.
"Works" rather than plays.
Struggles to get up many mornings. We often have dramatic tears in the process of getting out of bed, choosing clothes, or leaving the house.
Dresses himself (when he wants) and is very particular about his clothing choices. He likes elastic-waist pants or "shoulder pants" (i.e., overalls) and he has about four favorite shirts that he will wear. His concern for matching pants and shirts is not equal to that of his mother.
Delights us with his conversation that can be insightful, random, thought-provoking, funny or evidence a startling memory.

Happy 100th to Grandpa Schueler

2011-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Grandpa,
Today is May 3, 2011, the 100th anniversary of your birth. Can you believe it? A full century! I feel a little old saying that my Grandpa would be 100 today. I know you are watching us from above, but here are some of the highlights anyway.

We've celebrated lots of weddings. I've lost count of how many, but mine was one of them. I got married on the day you married Grandma, only 68 years later.
You have 15 more great-grandchildren (2 of them are mine) and even 1 great-great-grandson since you left us. Wow! The family continues to grow.
Svea has a new pastor, a woman the age of your oldest great-grandson. I think that would blow your mind on both accounts. She's great.
The farm continues to chug along. It has even gone international with intern workers from Tanzania and Nicaragua.
Dad "retired" from flying the way most farmers retire; he has two new jobs besides the farm.
Amber is living in your house. Yes, it remains in the family.
The Twins have a new ball park, Target Field. I haven't seen it yet, but Dad and Mom are going to go in two weeks.
You'd be intrigued by the winter we had - lots and lots of snow; a bitterly cold, wet spring; flooded fields. In fact a truck can't even drive through Mom and Dad's yard right now due to the mud and frost heaves. You'd have it all written down in one of your little books and you'd be able to tell us how this winter and spring (tough in my book, at least) compare to the other 99 previous to this.

Since today is your birthday, here's how I imagine the celebration. You'd take the entire clan, at least as many as we could gather since we are spread across the country, out for a Sunday buffet - your treat. Then we'd return to your house for birthday cake (and bars, too - might as well just keep eating). You might be a little overwhelmed by the size of the family now, but you'd be so proud. For your birthday evening, you'd settle into your chair and turn the radio up to hear the Twins play. Hopefully they'd win, although odds aren't so good this year.
I know this is all imaginary, but I bet that God has his own way of getting an internet connection. So, happy birthday Grandpa. I'll see you again someday.

Love,
Andrea

Emmett at 2

2011-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Amazingly my baby boy celebrated his 2nd birthday today. He has surprised and delighted us these past 24 months as his own, unique personality has blossomed.

At two Emmett:

Weighs 29 lbs, 9.6 oz and measures 35.5 inches.
Has a smile to light up an auditorium (see below). Emmett relishes all that his growing independence has to offer.
Is a very picky eater. He likes fruit, cereal, crackers, milk, ice cream and cookies. He'll also accept hot dogs, cheese, black beans, noodles and bread sometimes. Vegetables? Nope. Real meat? Not a chance. All the good meals his mama cooks? Almost never.
Remains stubbornly attached to his "gooky" (pacifier). He asks to go "nigh nigh" so he can have his nuk since his crib is the only place he gets it. At bedtime he cries without it. Mom and Dad wonder how painful (for us) the process of weaning him from it will be.
Is very attached to "buppy," his blue blankie, but vacillates between other stuffed toys, Teddy's baby doll, or nothing for other sleep companions.
Loves his big brother. Emmett wants to do everything Teddy does. Sometimes a very patient and helpful Teddy brings him toys and lets him join his make-believe world. At others, a loud and crabby Teddy wants the pesky little brother to go away.
Has a devilish twinkle in his big brown eyes. He likes to try and get Teddy to do naughty things (blowing bubbles in milk, mostly) at dinner. Actually, they egg each other on and have laughing contests, again mostly at dinner time.
Dances to all the music he hears.
Has an ever-expanding vocabulary. It seems he adds 2-10 words a day. He's starting to use word combos now to communicate full ideas.
Adores outside. We hear "Out. Out. Out. Out." repeatedly through the day and "Nooooo!" when it is time to come in. Emmett loved to shovel snow all winter and now he always wants to shovel the "dirt" in the sandbox.
Loves to read, especially any book about trucks. "Good Night Gorilla" and "Good Night Moon" are other bedtime favorites.

Now, enjoy our little birthday celebration with us.

Daddy is so funny when he sings "Happy Birthday."
Teddy helped blow out the candles.
Dig in!
My messy little show-off.
What's inside?
"Lo-er" (loader)! Emmett liked his new machine jammies.
Teddy wanted in on the action, too. He kept telling me "today is Emmett's birthday and my birthday." He also desperately wanted Emmett to share a present with him. We'll see if he's feeling as generous in two weeks when it is his birthday.
Joy! Emmett got a little plastic bat. He knew just what to do with it; he immediately started banging the ground. As you can see, it's pretty fun.

A Regular Work Day

2011-04-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my little workers have a busy day each day. Luckily, I managed to capture their little imaginations at work. Before watching them at work, you'll need to make sure you have the proper equipment.

Skid steer (rocking chair, yellow chair, canvas bin for a bucket)
Seat belt (carrying strap for computer case)
Tractor (toy shopping cart)

You'll also need protective gear, including:

Helmet (red fire truck version)
Mask (blue frisbee version)
Safety glasses (Spiderman sunglasses)
Work boots (Spiderman slippers)
Work gloves (gloves, actually)
Work coat (imaginary)

Once you have gathered the proper equipment, and explained the procedures to your brother, you may begin work.

Later this evening Emmett climbed into Teddy's skid steer. Teddy protested, but finally accepted that he would have to share. Then he explained to me "Emmett is driving the skid steer for pretend, but I drive it for real." And, that is how it is.

Exploring in the Woods

2011-04-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we spent the day in Prior Lake. After a visit with Grandpa Valley to play some catch, the boys and I left Daddy, Grandpa, and Uncle Ken working on refurbishing a trailer while we headed to visit Grandma Darcy. Just across the street from Grandma Darcy's house lies an elementary school with three different play structures and an environmental learning center - heaven for little boys spending as much time as possible outdoors now that (somewhat) warmer weather has sprung!

First Teddy and Emmett ran and ran, climbed all over the playground, and tried out the slides.
Then, Grandma Darcy suggested we all go exploring in the woods. My eager adventurers were off!
We hiked along the paths strewn with the leaves and sticks of last fall. We looked for walking sticks, gazed out toward the wetland from the observation deck, and generally enjoyed the crisp air of early spring.

I even got a rare treat. Grandma Darcy took a photo of me with the boys so there is visual proof that I exist, too.

After our outdoor adventures, we had pizza for supper and ice cream sundaes at McDonald's for dessert so we could visit Uncle Chandler at his job. Teddy summed up the day when we arrived home in the evening: "I had fun at Grandpa Valley's and Grandma Darcy's."

Easter Preparations

2011-04-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed two Easter events this morning. First we headed to our local senior living facility to meet the Easter bunny and enjoy a community breakfast. The Easter bunny must have been eating special carrots. Wow was he tall! The giant white rabbit scared Emmett. He clung to my leg and cried. Teddy was willing to talk to the bunny, but he didn't want to stand by him for a photo. So much for the cute photos I envisioned. This is what I got.

Shortly after we returned from the traumatic visit with the bunny Auntie Nette arrived with Easter cookie cutouts to bake and decorate. Preparing seasonal cookies is one of our traditions with her.

Emmett supervised the frosting of the first cookie in anticipation of a taste.

He declared the cookies fit to eat.

After the boys each ate a cookie, they decided to help decorate with the sprinkles (and continue the taste-testing).

When decorating with small boys you just have to let go of any visions of bakery-worthy decorations as they have a heavy-handed decorating style. No matter. The cookies taste good!

Only in Minnesota...

2011-04-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday we enjoyed our inaugural dinner on the deck. Grilled kabobs and honey-mustard roasted potatoes made for a perfect al fresco meal. And then, well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words...

We won't be dining on the deck today.

My gardens are growing nicely, though it may be hard to tell under their new layer of snow.

My first spring flower bloomed yesterday only to be frosted with snow overnight.

It's April 16th and we had snow on the ground that lasted to early afternoon. That makes this probably the latest snow that I can remember.

Children are Priceless

2011-04-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Teddy really wanted popcorn. So, after we put Emmett to bed, I popped a giant bowl of kettle corn. He decided that he'd share the extra large bowl with me rather than have his own small bowl. So, he climbed on my lap on the couch. We snuggled under his favorite fuzzy blanket and munched away on the salty-sweet popcorn while watching our new favorite TV show. (I had turned to PBS and found a Julia Child cooking show on bread baking. Teddy declared it our favorite.) While twirling my hair with one hand and eating popcorn with the other, Teddy said, "Oh, Mommy, I really love you. And I love Daddy. And vegetables and meat."

Cousins!

2011-03-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Because I highly value the relationships that I have with my own cousins, I love that my boys have cousins with whom to play, too. Two weeks ago we got to spend the morning with our Schueler cousins (except Ayden who is so big he is at school.) My delighted boys got to play with new toys, dress up in fun costumes, and literally run in circles behind their cousins. Grandma, Auntie Emily, and Mama watched on the sidelines (and snuggled sweet Baby Abbott).

Both the smaller and bigger versions of cousins enjoyed imagining themselves as frogs and giraffes or even princesses.

Grandma got to cuddle Abbott while the mommies helped with costumes and chased the mobile kids.
Auntie Emily enthralled all the kids by playing the rain maker. Everyone wanted to hear the Hawaiian memento over and over.

Our spring break 2011 didn't include any fantasy trips to Disney World or relaxing weeks at a Mexican beach resort. But, we did get to visit Grandma and Grandpa, play with cousins, hold new kitties, eat cookie dough, and most importantly, ride on tractors. At ages almost-2 and almost-4, that qualifies as a dream vacation.

The New Case IH Four-Wheeler

2011-03-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ask Teddy for the highlight from his spring break farm visit, and he'd eagerly tell you "I got to haul 'banure' with the new Case IH Four-Wheeler and I got to ride on the loader tractor with Grandpa." In, fact he told everyone in sight exactly this tale. The morning of his first ride he got to go the bank with Grandpa. He told everyone there, in a voice filled with excitement and wonder "I get to haul 'banure!'" Two days later, after a church meeting, Teddy started his important announcement with "Listen everybody!" and then proceeded to relay this same story. Oh yes, tractors still reign in our household.
Teddy's excitement for his tractor ride began building weeks before our visit because Grandpa had emailed him a picture of his new tractor. We looked at the new tractor everyday, so Teddy had hoped to hop on the tractor the moment we got to the farm. He had to wait, impatiently, all the way until the next morning for his ride.
Teddy prefers his tractor rides to include work. Fortunately, the farm has an abundant supply of jobs, and Grandpa is willing to shuffle his schedule in order to have a job for Teddy to do. This time there was one load of manure left to haul.

Emmett has been enthralled by the new tractor too, at least in pictures. In person it still looks too scary to ride on. However, the old back hoe parked near the tractor provided an irresistible temptation. With a pointing finger and an exclamation of "gak-goh!", Emmett made his wishes known. But when Teddy climbed right up to the driver's seat, Emmett refused to join him. It seemed this tractor was too scary as well. To our surprise, as soon as Teddy hopped down, Emmett wanted to climb aboard. He just needed his very own turn at the controls with no interference from big brothers.
Maybe next visit he'll be brave enough to try the big, red tractor, too.

A Rite of Spring

2011-03-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Despite winter's refusal to yield, signs of spring abound. Our visit to the farm last weekend offered proof of spring's approach: baby kitties! The furry, mewing baby kitties always promise warmer, brighter days to come.

Ayden, as the biggest lover of the little ones, searched them out after a tip-off from Grandpa. He found them in a straw-filled bucket inside the calf barn.

Soon five pairs of little hands (and several adult-sized sets as well) eagerly reached in to hold and stroke the tiny babes.
We have celebrated the ritual of seeking, holding, petting, and naming the newest farm residents for years. Mitchell and I used to hunt for the babies, often expertly hidden by their mamas. However, sometimes our favorite friendly kitties brought their broods up to the house where we could play with them to our heart's content. Here you see Lucy, whom we adopted from a neighboring farm as a kitten, with some of her offspring from May 1982.

Kids. A farm. And kitties. A little slice of heaven.

The Naughty Look

2011-03-23T12:44:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I had one of those lucky photographic moments, and I caught Emmett's naughty look on camera. Granted, we are beginning to see this look more and more as he prepares to bang the footstool against the wall, climb onto the back of the couch, grab the blinds, or repeat one of the other poor choices for which he has sat in timeout (several times). However, in this instance, he had no particular naughty plans. His signature look just appeared during a moment of play.

This impish boy has been a late-bloomer in the talking category. However, each day he adds new recognizable words to his Emmett language chatter. Here are some of my favorites that we now hear frequently:
Tac-tuh: tractor. Really, this qualifies as his first word.
Gak-go: backhoe. Emmett loves machines.
Loar: loader. Yep, another machine.
Bu-boh: shovel. Nearly every day for the past four months he has put one or more shovels to use. His favorite is the small, red spade which he uses to move snow.
Buppy: blankie. I hear requests for this favorite item all day long. Teddy has adopted this term to refer to Emmett's blue blankie, too.
Bum-pa: Grandpa (and also Grandma). We heard this beloved name repeated over and over during our most recent farm visit. Since our return home Teddy has remarked daily "Emmett calls Grandpa 'Bum-pa'."
Peece: please. This comes accompanied by a hastily signed please. Sometimes he uses the polite request automatically, but more often than not it takes reminding and repeating.
Tak-ah: thank you. Again, a hasty sign usually accompanies this barely recognizable English.

Childhood Imagination Exam

2011-03-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

Can you remember when the whole world served as your playground and the most mundane of objects transformed into wonders right before your eyes? I'm adult enough to have only minimal memories of those days in my past. However, I am delighted and fascinated on a daily basis as I watch Teddy's imagination flourish. I may be biased, but I'm convinced that he's intensely creative. (Okay, I'm undoubtedly biased. I'm a mom.) Take the test and see how well you would do in Teddy's world. (It's even multiple choice! I don't write these types very often.)

1. The red plastic object labeled #1 is used as:
A. a fire helmet
B. a construction hat
C. a space helmet

2. The green couch labeled #2, along with its counterpart, is really:
A. a spaceship
B. a tractor
C. a place for taking naps

3. The line of sundry toys and objects labeled #3 is used to:
A. trip Daddy as he rushes out to a fire call.
B. frustrate Mommy because the house is messy.
C. hook Mommy's spaceship to Teddy's so he can give her a ride.

4. The pillow labeled #4 is really:
A. a pillow
B. a space helmet for Mommy
C. a seat belt for the spaceship

Think you've got the right answers? Check the answer key below.

1. C - Today, in the set-up pictured, the red hat is a space helmet. However, I'd probably have to give credit to A and B also since it has served as a fire helmet (see yesterday's "barn burner" post) and a construction hat (see the "little worker" post).

2. A - Teddy watched a video that included a spaceship last night. Since then we have been playing a lot of spaceship. The loveseat is his spaceship. You'll notice the "driver" he uses to steer sitting next to his "space helmet." Mom and Dad get to take rides, too, but we have to sit on our own ship, i.e. the full couch.

3. C - This afternoon, as Teddy was stalling just before nap time, he asked me to give him a hook. The pretend one I handed him didn't cut it. He proceeded to line up a chair, a plastic bin, some toys tractors and trailers as well as a toy workbench to hook my "spaceship" to his. Then we could make our flight home for nap.

4. A - Given the answers above, this one may surprise you. As we were preparing for our space journey. Teddy instructed me to put on my space clothes (pretend ones worked). Then he said I needed a hat. Cleverly, I thought, I put a pillow on my head. Teddy responded, "No. That's a pillow." My mistake. I took off the pillow and put on a pretend hat. We were able to proceed.

So, how'd you do? If you are at 75% or less, Teddy runs study sessions on a daily basis. Stop by. He'll be glad to tell you what to do.

P.S. - In case you doubt my claim to childhood imagination, or if you are prone to nostalgia as I sometimes am, I've included a couple of old photos for fun.

Mitchell and I loved playing on our "rocket ships" (better known as old pig crates).

Kristi and I spent hours playing some version or another of princess. Here, note our nightgown "gowns," our rocking chair "thrones" and our elastic-waisted skirt "head coverings." Aren't we regal?

A Barn Burner

2011-03-21T13:08:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, the 13th, the Bayport Fire Dept. gathered to burn down a decrepit barn. Despite the chilly day, and an Emmett recovering from an ear infection, two junior firefighters needed to tend to the fire as well. When I told the boys we had to get dressed to go and see the fire, Teddy instantly requested his firefighter costume. Simply wearing the hat wouldn't be enough. He had to have the coat and pants, too. He also insisted upon wearing his favorite red fire hat. That left Emmett with the black hat from the costume to wear as his uniform.

Once we arrived at the fire Teddy refused to turn around so that his mama could snap a cute picture of her three fire fighters. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the flames.

The bigger fire fighters kept staring at the flames, and mostly smoke, too. The fire's refusal to spread along the old, dry wood frame perplexed them.

While they debated tactics, one fire fighter set to work adding fuel to the flame.

And yes, the barn did finally burn down, albeit very, very slowly.

My Little Worker

2011-03-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

My little Teddy appears to have inherited a liberal portion of the farm work ethic. Overheard recently:

"I have lots of work to do."
"I have to help Grandpa work."
"Me and Daddy have lots of work to do."
"I'm a hard worker."

In fact, when KK asked all the daycare kids what they were most excited about with the approach of spring, Teddy said "I need to help Daddy work in the garden." Yes, he is my little worker.

Some days the work looks like this:
You'll see all the important tools of work gathered here so that Teddy can "saw" the steps. This task required several days of labor and very specialized safety equipment.

And some days, work looks like this:
Yesterday, a very excited boy helped his mama paint the basement. However, three minutes of this kind of work proved enough for him. After that he watched contentedly while Mama rushed to get just a little more done before bringing the tired worker up to his bed for nap.

Whether he's hauling garbage to the (pretend) trash compactor, driving his tractor to the (pretend) dairy, or vacuuming the basement with his blue (and very real) vacuum, not a day passes without some important job to do.

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-03-10T13:49:00.001-08:00

As the nearly-spring sunshine works to melt the snow outside my window, I decided I needed to get my (hopefully!) last winter-themed post up before it became irrelevant. Join me for a trip back to the very start of this year.

We traveled home to the farm to celebrate our Schueler Christmas over New Year's weekend. As December had inundated us with snow, we arrived to snow mountains made by Grandpa's loader tractor as he cleared the yard.

One boy's eyes grew as big as saucers. He couldn't wait to build a fort.

Teddy and Emmett, mostly Emmett, found the fort process mildly intriguing too, but Ray worked with abandon.

Ray even discovered the perfect snow fort tool: a broken-handled hoe.

The next day Mitchell absorbed the boyish enthusiasm, and two busy workers spent hours outside building the perfect man cave.

The finished product required a home-brewed celebration, of course.

I should note that not only the overgrown boys enjoyed the fort. Later, with the daddies resting warmly inside after all their hard work, Ayden, Aubrey, and Teddy used the fort as the perfect home base for playing puppies and kitties. Or was it jaguars and cougars (pronounced "who - grrs" in Teddy-speak). I forget.

So You Think You Can Dance?

2011-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

I fully appreciate that only the Mom and the Dad (and possibly grandparents and aunties) may be amused by this video, but that isn't stopping me from sharing it with the world! From a very early age Emmett has shown a joy for music that he chooses to express in dance. Teddy, not to be outdone, joins him for this video, but it is Emmett who giddily pushes the button for his music day in and day out. You'll see his signature dance move/bounce over and over. Watch out toddler girls! Some day these dudes will be burning up the dance floor.

Winter Hangs On

2011-02-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

As we watched the radar and checked the weatherman's blog updates in the face of this approaching storm, I lamented that yet again a major weather event fell on the weekend. It looked like we were to endure the snowiest winter in many years without any snow days from school. Then, the storm slowed and didn't start until midday Sunday. That would have been promising if today weren't a professional development day; the students already have a holiday. And then, the unexpected happened. At 7:15 Sunday night I received my first of four phone calls telling me that all district buildings would be closed on Monday and that our professional development day had been canceled. Unbelievable! And so, this snowy Monday is a day to grade essays (lots of lots of them), to catch up on blogs (a little), and to try and keep boys from beating on each other very much.

Snow falls again as I write this, and winter hangs on and on.

At least some small beings find pleasure in the latest round of sticky snow. Emmett set to work clearing the sidewalk with his skid steer.
Teddy had no time to stop for photos. He and his red shovel were working.

Everyone returned to the house covered with the sticky newly fallen snow.

When not lamenting another snowfall or fearing what 8 or more inches of additional snow would mean for the already dire spring flood forecast, I could appreciate the gentle beauty of the world transformed from its dingy hue of rotting snow to luminous, pristine white.