Ehlen/Storck/Zahl Family Reunion

Yesterday was the annual Ehlen/Storck/Zahl family reunion on my Dad's side of the family - mostly my Dad's cousins. It is always fun to see and visit with the extended relatives and even meet new family!

Olivia was disappointed that there weren't any kids her age to play with but she adopted a new Grandma, Del Swanson, my Dad's double second cousin. (Del's Grandpa and my Dad's Grandpa were half-brothers and their Grandma's were sisters.)

Fun at the Parade

We enjoyed Bemidji's annual 4th of July parade last Sunday. Our friends own some rental property on the parade route and invited us to sit with them - it was a perfect spot to view the parade from as it had lots of nice shade!

I invited my good friend, Iona, to sit with us. I think she had fun not only watching the parade but all the kids too!

Olivia had so much fun watching the parade with her friends and Joseph. She says her favorite thing about the parade was getting candy and being with her friends. Doesn't she look happy?

Camping

Last weekend we went camping with our good friends, Ron and Linda. (Or, Grandpa and Grandma, as Olivia calls them!) We went to my favorite place, Norway Beach. It was a beautiful few days to camp. We biked, played by the water, had a campfire, and played games. Olivia's favorite part of the weekend was the biking and going potty in the many different bathrooms! (She has a fascination with bathrooms and especially liked the tiny bathroom in Ron and Linda's RV.) Norway beach has beautiful trails to bike and you don't have to ever worry about traffic. Ron and Linda were so gracious and shared their RV with us so we didn't even have to pack the tent or sleeping bags!

Happy 4th of July!

We are having a pretty laid back 4th of July this year. Joey and I took a nap earlier while Rich watched Olivia and now Rich is napping while I watch the kids. We hope to make it into town later for a picnic supper and Bemidji's carnival and then may meet some friends for the fireworks at dusk. Have a great 4th!

More Fishing Pics.....

They found the perfect spot. For Olivia, that is! She out-fished Rich that night. The lake was like glass so it was fun to be out on the lake - whether they caught fish or not!

A Night of Fishing

We had a fun night of fishing last Thursday night. It was Joey's first time on the lake. He seemed to enjoy the pontoon ride the most. In the first picture, Rich and Olivia look for just the right spot to fish......

Joey is 8 months old!

Our son turned 8 months old today. As you can see, he is still a very smiley little guy. However, he is cutting two new teeth, his two top front teeth, so he is a little more fussy than usual. I can't really blame the guy as I know how even a slight tooth ache can really hurt! Joey thinks Rich and Olivia are just hilarious and it seems they can get the most giggles out of him, especially Olivia. But he has smiles for most anyone. He's pretty laid back too, except for in the middle of the night....he is still intent on getting me up at least once per night, usually around 2:30, to eat. He is not crawling yet and not even up on all fours but I don't think it will be long. He seems pretty determined to be up and about to check out the world around him.

Run For Fun

Olivia participated in the Bemidji Run for Fun yesterday. It was such a beautiful day to be out and about! She had fun running in various races as well as jumping the long jump, even though she didn't really quite get the whole concept of trying to win. Her friends Taylor and Emily were there and when running, she was more interested in holding their hands and running with them than she was trying to be fast. Oh well, that is why they call it Run for FUN! Lexi was there too and turned out to be a great babysitter for Joseph! She was not feeling well and was intent on helping me out with Joseph. It was so nice to have another pair of hands.

Yesterday morning we spent time with some friends at the newly renovated Diamond Point Park. If you haven't yet checked it out, we would highly recommend it if you're in the area.

Center of Attention

Talk about being the center of attention......Joseph didn't seem to mind though.

Family Time

Family time is the best! It is so rare that any or all of us can get together these days. I cherish every moment!

Joey Loves Uncle Tom

Joey got to meet his Uncle Tom for the first time while we were in Madison. They hit it off right away. However, Tom was tired out from a big bike ride over the weekend and valiantly tried to get Joey to nap with him with no luck - Joey just would not cooperate!

Still More Madison Photos....

Madison got a lot of rain while we were there. Sunday, while in church, it rained really hard and Beth and Ryan's sump pump was working over-time to keep the water out of their basement. The drain pipe proved to be a huge source of enterainment for the kids that afternoon. Olivia would have swam in it if she could have. We had to change her clothes a couple of times that day after she got them all wet!

My Rock Star Fantasy?

Actually, I never desired, even remotely, to be a rock star until I played this game last weekend. My brother-in-law, Greg, brought his Wii and Guitar Hero game. I hate to admit it but I am addicted! It was so fun and challenging! After several attempts, Ryan and I finally mastered one song that we had to go through several rounds before getting it and not being booed off the stage! Ryan, YOU ROCK!

More Madison Photos....

The ride on toys were a hit with the little ones. Olivia appreciated having lots of concrete to ride on and would want to ride a lot farther down the sidewalk than I was comfortable with!

On Saturday night we loaded up three cars full and we all went to a Mexican restaurant to eat. Olivia and I rode with Greg and Alicia. Those two girls in the backseat giggled the entire way. It was so fun to hear their laughter back there.!

Hanging out on the porch was a favorite for all of us....

Fun With Cousins

Olivia had so much fun playing with her cousins, mainly Johnny and Alicia as the three of them are all six months apart in age. Jacob sure loved Joseph and he proclaimed himself the "baby expert". It was so cute how he got out the baby toys within minutes of us arriving for Joseph to play with. In the second picture Olivia and even Joseph enjoy movie night with Johnny and Jacob.

Wisconsin Vacation

Last week the kids I went with my parents to visit my sister, Beth, and her family in Madison, Wisconsin. We were fortunate to be there for my nephew, Jacob's, graduation from Kindergarten. His class put on the cutest program before receiving their diplomas. Jacob did a great job!

Cousin Lindsay Visits!

My dear cousin, Lindsay, visited us while she was in town on May 30th. It was a nice way to celebrate the last day of work for me for the school year! Yea! The kids just love Lindsay....and so do we! Isn't family just great? I often complain to Rich that we don't have any family that lives nearby so it is an extra special treat when anyone comes to visit.

Olivia's Fourth Birthday

My baby girl turned 4 on the 19th. Where have the years flown? Seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. We celebrated with friends on the 18th at our home. Highlights for her were the pinata, playing with her friends, and the presents, of course! We love you, Olivia!

Happy 74th Birthday, Dad!

Today is my Dad's 74th birthday. It was many years ago that he was born on the family farm in Swan Lake Township. The story goes that it was over 100 degrees that day. I can't imagine having a baby in a farm home, let alone in extreme heat without air conditioning....or at least a fan! I don't suppose my Grandmother minded too much. They were used to hardship back then and I'm sure she was just so happy to have a healthy baby boy when it was all over. Happy Birthday, Dad! We are thinking of you today and hoping you have many, many more Happy Birthdays. (Olivia was disappointed that she wouldn't be eating birthday cake with you today. We'll have to make up for it when I see you next week.)

Mother's Day '08

I rarely get a chance to blog anymore! I am pretty behind but we'll start with Mother's Day. It was opening fishing weekend and Rich fished in the snow that Saturday. I thought he was a little crazy....I think he'll admit it was a little over the top too as he was shivering in the boat. But he and his friends had fun. (I think some peer pressure led to the fishing in the snow.) I felt so blessed that he took that Sunday off from fishing, being it was Mother's Day, to spend the day with me and the kids. He took us out to eat for lunch and then we went biking at the State Park. It was a beautiful day for biking. We finally experienced some spring-like weather here in the North. Olivia has gotten to be quite the biker. She seems to have a lot of endurance too as we tire way before she does. All in all in was a great Mother's Day.....not because of what we did on that day but because of the beautiful gift God has given me in two beautiful, healthy, children!

Happy Birthday Dear Bro!

Happy Birthday, Bob! (A day late!) You are one of the three best brothers in the world. (The other two happened to be related to me too!) Remember when we and Satoko celebrated your 27th birthday together in Vermont? That was a fun time. You golfed while Satoko and I shopped and then we went out to eat together at a fabulous restaurant. I remember ordering shrimp....
Anyway, I hope you had a great day!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

We had our third snow storm in 2 1/2 weeks last night and today. I measured about an hour ago and we have 15 inches of snow. (The first storm I measured 19 inches and the second one was only a foot.) It is rather pretty except that we are approaching May and are snowed in! It seemed weired earlier to be out sledding with Olivia and all the while hearing spring birds chirping. It has been a strange spring as far as weather goes. Earlier this past week it neared 60 degrees and Thursday morning we awoke early to thunderstorms!

Joey is 6 months old!

Our precious son turned 6 months old yesterday. What a joy he is to have in our lives. We love you, Joe!

Joseph is rolling over now. He rolled over for the first time last weekend while I was at my parents. It is so fun to watch your children grow and progress. We thank God often for blessing us with healthy children so far.

A Winter Wonderland - in April?

After spring-like temperatures this week winter returned with a vengeance today! The snow finally had melted enough by Thursday of this week for Rich to push Olivia on the swing. Today the snow covered it once again. Initially, we thought the snow would hinder our swinging but we found out that swinging in the snow is actually fun. And, sliding down the slide works better in the snow than during the summer months - the snow pants and wet slide make for a fast ride down! These pictures were taken about 4 hours ago and it is still snowing hard. We figure we have a good foot or so. So much for spring!