April 10-12

Easter in Minneapolis

Wow! We had a busy, fun-filled Easter weekend! In conjunction with 'spring break' - I use the term loosely because the kiddos only had Friday, Monday and Tuesday - we decided to pack everyone up and go to the Mall of America. It was our second time going, and the foster kiddos' first time. ;) A fun time was had by all! In perfect 'Tina-ness', we did saw some other sights along the way ... it really doesn't pay to go all that way and just go to the mall, right?

Friday
After getting the car out of the shop (finally!), we left home around 1:45p - this was nearly seven hours later than I would have liked, but at least we were able to go. ;) We stayed at TLF housing at the St. Paul Air Reserve Station.

Here is a pic of the cemetery and our van ...
One of the Spanish-American War grave markers ...
Saturday
After a nice sleep, we got up early ('cuz we had tons to do!), we made our way to the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery. It was a gorgeous, sunny morning and we had an opportunity to talk to the kids about our military heroes - it reminded me a lot of Normany, France. We even saw graves from people who served in the Spanish-American War! The cemetery was large - almost 437 acres and has about 180,000 people buried there. There are wives of military members and even some sons and daughters, which I thought was interesting.

Next, we went to the Basilica of St. Mary, the first basilica in America. I must admit, going there brought me back to the cathedrals and basilicas we have seen in England and Europe. I snuck a photo inside the basilica, which I feel a little guilty about because there was a mass going on - obviously not guilty enough not to take the picture. ;)

4 out of 5 of the kiddos ...

stained glass of Mary ...

An action shot of Melissa ... she's so speedy!

A statue honoring the Belgian-priest-explorer Father Louis Hennepin ...
Onward to the Minnehaha Park and Waterfall. This is where we ate lunch - we brought our own - and fooled around a little. ;) It was cool to see the waterfall with snow and ice ... I was afraid that it would be frozen over from the winter!

Melissa - laughing/eating ...
Peel a banana upside-down ...
Nate ...
Annika ...
David ...
More fooling from M ...
Austin, trying to jump from one bench to the other ...
what they loved to do - video and text ...
Bubba ...
Annika ... she forgot her jacket ...
David ...
Annika, Nate 'n David ... ;)

The all-anticipated MOA (Mall of America) visit finally happened. I wanted to make sure we got there a little later in the day because the tickets for the rides drops after 5:00p. Melissa and I went shopping whilst Jacob sat at BABW with the other kiddos. Ah, Build-a-Bear! They all really enjoyed the whole experience there, but the line was ridiculous! Here is what the kiddos got:

Melissa - moose named Audry Inca
Austin - dog named Siliva
Nathan - dog named Budey
Annika - Hello Kitty named Hello Kitty (ha!)
David - bear named David

Then there was the rides! The kids totally enjoyed this part, except for Melissa who started a bad headache and felt feverish. I took her to the rooms and stayed with her until 10:00p when the mall closed. Poor Jacob had to deal with the four other kiddos, but he didn't complain too much because they all rode the rides. :)

Don't ask ... ;) you don't want to know what happened ... ;) MUAH HA HA HA ...
A, N & A, getting their hearts ready ...


Sunday
Our last day in Minneapolis was spent going to the zoo. It's been while since we've been to a zoo, so it was a nice time. The weather wasn't too hot or too cold and, being Easter Sunday, there weren't a whole lot of people there in the morning. :) We did stay there for 5 hours, though! The komodo dragon, the dolphins, the grizzly bears and the red panda were some of the highlights!

Here is a little posin' on the giant turtle ...
Ladybug! (or Ladybird, depending on where you are from ...)
A cloned cow named 'Lantz 2' ...
M, A 'n A, enjoying ice cream ...
D 'n N, taking a break ...
sharing means caring! ...
Annika was not impressed with this goat! ...the gizzlys ...
touching the starfish ... yes, Melissa knew I was walking around like this and didn't tell me ... :(I got a sunburn ... see?
All-in-all, we had a good time. It was nice to get out and visit something new, but it's also nice to come home!

March 14-15, 2009

Fargo, ND

I've been negligent on my blog lately - bad Tina! I admit I've been going on my Facebook a little too much ... my apologies! I'm hoping to post and journal things on my blog that are different from my FB ... let's see if I succeed!

So, Jacob had a speaking assignment in Jamestown (about 3 hours away) and being it was St. Paddy's Day weekend (couldn't find a room in the town of James), we decided to stay in Fargo. Woo Hoo! ;) I know ... it IS the biggest city in ND you know! (at least I think it is!) We stayed at a Holiday Inn and they had a cute pool area ... here are some pics to thrill you all with! ;)

We had a pretty good time there - I would recommend it, but the pool area was PACKED!

Ha - the limit on people in the hot tub was 6 ... yes, 6 - not 36! ;)

The 'Pirate Ship' at the hotel ... the kids really enjoyed it! (well, not Melissa) You can just make out Austin's face going down the slide! Weee!

Austin's smooth moves ...

March 20, 2009

Hiking - and I use the term loosely ...

Well, it had been getting warmer out there and I decided that we would all join in on a family hike! Woo Hoo! Jacob and I were the only ones impressed with this, sad to say. We motivated the kiddos and by 10:00am, we were out, walking around the base. Here are some pics of the "hike" ...

Here is everyone on "Deer Poop Alley" ...

The older housing area ...

More deer tracks - I guess they have a bad problem with the deer here on base ...

The trail is getting a little slippery ...

Everyone had wet feet by the time we arrived home, but it was nice of Jacob to 'rescue' the kids ...

A few days later, frozen rain on my windows, more snow out my door ... *sniff sniff*

March 6, 2009

Call me Ms. Edgy ...

Okay, so most have already seen my new hairs-cut. ;) Frankly speaking, I've had a very challenging week and decided to have a little pampering done.

I went to the 'beauty parlor' to get my hair done with no idea of what I wanted or what would look good. I was advised that it wasn't really a smart thing to go to a new hairdresser and say "do whatever you want", but I told Kim (my new bestie) that I wanted to be a little more stylish. She was NOT impressed with my box color dye-job (rude?) and suggested a color called 'mocha'. Hmm ... I have a naturally poop-brown boring hair color, so I was all for it. She put in some highlights, which I called 'latte' (it sounds fitting, no?) and the result was ... well, it was WOWZA!

Kim really did a good job - there was a small dog laying on the floor of the salon when it was all over ... she must have cut off 5 inches or so! :)

Anyhoo, I just wanted to share, cuz sharing means caring! :)

I kind of look like a schmuck, here ...

February 25, 2009

Blue & Gold Banquet

It's that time of year again for the Blue & Gold Banquet! This year, the theme was "the ABC's of America" - the boys celebrated places in the US they have visited. Unfortunately for Austin, we've just spent 3 years overseas and the only real places he's been to visit since we've been here are Wisconsin and the Mall of America (okay, the Old Mill State Park was nice). Our printer wasn't cooperating, so that meant he didn't have anything to show. I guess I could have had him draw a picture of something, but frankly speaking, I just don't have the energy lately. Poor Austin ...

The evening went well. There were yummy hamburgers and chips to eat and the boys played a game called "Where in the US is Carmen Santiago?". The boys enjoyed answering the questions and beating the adults! ;) Ah, and the much awaited Pinewood Derby cars were given out. Austin and Nate are really REALLY excited to do them! We've already been on the internet, looking at cars and paint jobs. :)

On a side note, Austin walked into the wall and bumped his head. :( It still is very sore to touch - he has a hard time combing his hair.

Austin and Nate are getting ready for the flag ceremony to begin ...

Austin is ready to receive some achievement beads ...

After receiving his achievement beads ...

Brother Farmer, reading off the awards for the night ...

Zoom zoom! ready for the derby!

It looked worse than this ... yeowch!

February 14, 2009

Hearts & Flowers

Well, Valentine's Day was a bit of a bust this year. Jacob had meetings in Fargo and because Melissa went to a Stake dance, she was down there, too. They both got back at 4:40pm, so I stole my children and rushed over to Dairy Queen (mmm ... peanut buster parfait) and enjoyed a little sweet treat. Jacob didn't forget - he knew he was going to be gone the entire day so he surprised me with flowers on the night before. He knows I love roses ... they smell so awesome! Isn't he great? :)

Please note: the pitcher the roses are in still have the auction tag from the Diss auction on it! Ah, good times ...

On a side note, Melissa went to school last Monday (Feb. 9) and the roads were a thick sheet of ice. Melissa's bus was in a bit of an accident - the driver lost control and hit a yield sign and a fire hydrant. The kids on that bus were given a free pass - no school! I had Melissa go and take some pictures, but the only one she took had a fire department vehicle in it ... the roads look wet, but it's all ice. Slip, slide and away they went!

February 11, 2009

BUGGY ...

I took some pictures the other day of our arrival onto the base ... through our very buggy windscreen (ha - check out the British verbiage!). It may not be too pretty, but you can get an idea of what it looks like at the front gate. I KNOW everyone will be overjoyed and ecstatic to see these! :)

the exit off Hwy. 2 ...

Misc. planes & stuff - I am assuming that they are the remnants of glory days gone by at GFAFB ...

approaching the "Avenue of Flags" ...

Flags ... need I say more?

Flags ... again. Please, curb your enthusiasm ...

January 31, 2009

Snow & Sioux
On Saturday, the weather was warming up - it said 44 degrees in our car - so we took everyone to Turtle River to go sledding. WOO HOO! When we first arrived, there was absolutely no one there. :) That didn't last long, but even at the zenith of people, it was manageable. The snowboard wasn't such a big hit as it was previously ... the snow was packed down and very slick.

Melissa, revealing her "secret weapon" signature sledding style ... she challenged me to a race and, the poor thing, lost.

Austin is skidding to a stop ...

An action shot of Austin, running into Annika ... her sled stopped in the middle of the hill and she sat there and didn't move and it was too late ... Austin had already started going ... and blam!

Our love, enjoying a trip down the hill ...

Even the dogs came ... Pirate's expressions are always ludicrous
While living here in the frozen tundra that is Grand Forks, we have found that an important part of life here is enjoying the local university's hockey teams. Seeing as I had a devilish hard time finding men's hockey tickets, I opted for the considerably cheaper and available women's hockey tickets.

A statue of Sitting Bull, one of the most famous Sioux Indians

Here are the kids, outside of the arena ... will I ever have all of them look at me at the same time?
After sledding, we rushed back home to get ready for the hockey game. When we got there, Austin really wanted a #1 fan foam finger (he has been begging for months), so I went to the Sioux store inside the arena. Did you know that everything in the store ends with 23 cents? Why? Because Ralph Englestad's number was 23. Count yourself knowledgeable in all things Ralph! ;)

Austin, enjoying his finger ...
Fooling around and picking their noses with their fingers ...

Making an "A" out of the fingers ...
What a goofball ... with the fingers! ... :)

The only decent shot of Melissa ... she's getting camera shy ...
Woo Hoo ... the kids are on the big screen!

You can make out the whole gang ... and I look like a doofus, taking a picture!

The game was really interesting ... none of us have ever been to a hockey game before. Austin said that it was "better than football" ... I think it was because we had awesome seats and really no seat is a bad seat at the Ralph! May I add that the seats are leather? Yes, nothing but the best for us Forkers! ;) muah ha ha ha ...


Ha - this lady in front of us, sporting her "modern technology" ... I haven't seen one of those in FOREVER! :)
LOOK! BC in North Dakota! more fodder for my calendar ... :)

January 23, 2009

It's frozy out there!

Yesterday was the first big frosty frozy day (so far ... haha) and I just LOVE it when it's frosty outside. It's times like this that I would really love to have a super awesome Ansel Adams camera. I was tempted to go out and brave the cold, but I had visiting teaching to do so I just took a couple of shots from around our house. Enjoy!

ON A SIDE NOTE: May I just state my "pet peeve" or "niggle" regarding people who live in base housing. Okay, so I noticed the drain in one of the bathtubs wasn't draining right. (MIND YOU, we have only been here 2 months). Jacob pulled a bunch (the picture doesn't do it any justice) and I mean A BUNCH of clogged hair from the drain and that hair just isn't my shade or length, thank you very much. It looks like hair has been piling up for quite a few months upon months. CLEAN OUT YOUR DRAIN FOR CRYING OUT LOUD PEOPLE. Okay, in the defense of the people-who-lived-here-before-us, they may have not known about it but for pete's sake, the drain wasn't working! I'm betting my bottom dollar that it was just one of those "we don't have to worry about it because we're moving" kind of situations. All I'm saying is "ew, gross". Thanks for listening. I feel better. ;)

January 20, 2009

Some Miscellaneous Fun ...

We've been having a pretty busy time over here lately and I just wanted to post some pics of the kids sledding, which seems to be the thing to do now that we have so much snow! ;) We are enjoying some warmer temps these past few days (in the 20s) but I understand that we are going back to the bitter cold soon.

Here is Austin, frozy but enjoying the mound of snow near our house (thank you snow plow peeps!) :)

An action shot of Melissa - it looks like she's falling (which wouldn't surprise me at all).
Also, I was brushing the dogs the other day and Pirate's hair just cracked me up! It was a fuzzy bunch of afro-like hair ... poor Gabby needs a haircut but I just can't seem to convince myself to do it - too cold outside! She already shakes and freezes when she goes outside. I know they (especially Gabby) are missing our walks, but it's just too bitter out there.

Here they are ... thing 1 and thing 2 ...
Poor Gabby can hardly see - hence the little ponytail after the brushing ...
Pirate and his funny faces! He must not like the flash at all ... :) muah ha ha ha!

January 10, 2009

Monster Truck Jam-o-rama!
"When in Rome, do as the Romans" ... when in Grand Forks, do as the Forkers! (huh?) Anyhoo, there was a monster truck rally at the Alerus Center (where we watch the Fighting Sioux play football) and we could not pass on the opportunity! :) The foster kids came with us and good times were had by all!

Here are most of our party - poor Melissa was cut off - awaiting the big event to begin! The fuzziness of the picture is insane ...

Here is an "action" shot of Sheer Insanity (on the left) vs. The General ... The General (looks like the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard) was quite popular with the crowd! Please note the Canadian flag - yes, we're that close! :)

Ah, the poor General having to get towed off the field - there were quite a few tows needed that night! - it was leaning dangerously to one side ... could it have been the shocks? I don't know too much about cars to know ...

Melissa said that she now wants to be a monster truck driver, and has requested that she get her driver's license early. HA! Yes, she is hilarious! She must get all of her humor from me, not her father! Muah ha ha ha ...

This is a picture of the female monster driver and her truck, TNT

This is not the first monster truck rally that Jacob and the kiddos have been to. Jacob and the kids are veteran's at this monster truck stuff When we were in New Mexico, he took them to the races there. I believe I had a previous commitment with a calling or something - Jacob said that the one in NM was better-er. We still enjoyed ourselves! I was amazed at the number of people in the crowd - nearly sold out! I guess there's not much else to do around here in the winter ... :)

They had a "wheelie" contest - it was actually kind of scary watching them!

You will have to forgive me on the quality of the pictures ... the lighting was a little too dark to have the flash off and the flash didn't do much on ... I do believe I need a new one (hint hint Jacob). :)

There was a part of the evening called "tough trucks" - it consisted of local yocals (ha, just kidding) driving their trucks around the track. This truck was the first to "bite the dust" and actually one one of the "tough trucks" ended up not having to be towed away!

Ah, I saved the best for last. The truck, Bear Foot, is a 3-time champion (if I heard correctly). This man sitting ahead of me said that the trucks cost around $200,000 - $300,000 (yeowch) and the special fuel that it costs makes this a very expensive hobby! You'll have to forgive my video skills - it's on my camera, so it's a little choppy. Enjoy!