Risen!

Happy Easter!

Easter Weekend

Saturday morning was egg dying (and finger dying) morning at our house. The boys were up for the challenge. Two dozen eggs, two boys, six bowls of food coloring, one newspaper.... let it begin! Quentin is an old pro at decorating eggs, I think this may have been Lars first egg extravaganza!

(A little tip- foamy shaving cream works wonders for cleaning the table and fingers after a project like this!)

Wonderful Monday

What a wonderful day! Lars and I spent some time with Grandma today. We visited her new apartment, played outside and had lunch. Grandma and Lars really enjoyed eachother outside. Lars rode his bike on the sidewalk and stretched his legs a good bit. We enjoyed lunch with Grandma in the common lunch area. Lars poking at the baked apple with cinnamon may have been the best entertainment of the morning. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun.

Spring

Sorry it has been so very long. We are all feeling refreshed since spring arrived in Wisconsin. It feels a bit early, but we aren't complaining. The winter has kept us busy. Quentin is two thirds of the way through Kindergarten and doing well. Lars has started attending daycare a few days a week. He enjoys playing with the other children, but does not enjoy being away from his Momma. We are glad he has started this transition now, or it could have been tough for him as school started. He is actually registered for preschool in the fall, and tells us he is excited to be in school too. He'll have the same preschool teacher Quentin did. Mrs. N is made for being a preschool teacher. If God has a mold he uses to create a wonderful early childhood teacher, she was definately created with it!

Quentin is riding his "two wheeler" these days. He still prefers the grass and going straight to hard surfaces and turning, however we are extremely proud of him for making the leap. Lars is riding his tricycle very well, and has actually begun to ride the small bike with training wheels too. He has a bit too much of the fearless Norse Viking blood in his veins. I have stopped him from riding down the stairs more than one time already!
The boys have been enjoying the batting tee and wiffle balls tremendously this spring also. Bryson has also been enjoying the game of chasing the balls. He is not so great at bringing them back to the kids, but there is a reason we buy them by the bucketload.

The spring bulbs have begun surfacing in the past week, a few crocuses are blooming this week already. It would be lovely to have a few more in time for Easter. We are hoping the bunny comes to our house this year. The kids have been doing a wonderful job eating their fruits and vegetables lately, they heard that the bunny is extra kind to children who eat healthy, especially carrots.

one year ago

Grandpa & Grandma at Lars baptism.

Mmmm, chocolate cake!

Sitting peacefully at Aunt Jan & Uncle Wes house.

Quentin's Christmas program 2007.

Two peas in a pod.

This was taken in the midst of a tickle fight.

We've been thinking a lot about our dear Grandpa Ole this month. It was Election Day last year that Ole was called home. I've wondered many times over the past year how he is spending time in heaven. No doubt none of us will know until we are there. I imagine he is able to play cribbage nonstop and is enjoying a good arguement with his sister about what the proper blood sugar level really ought to be. With Wisconsin Deer seson sneaking up on us quickly, I find myself thinking about him a lot. I'll keep sharing stories of fun memories with my kids. Quentin asks me about Grandpa Ole a lot and remembers his love of sharing a handful of Tootsie Rolls. We miss him. With God's grace and mercy, when my time comes we'll share a round of cribbage, a saltine full of limburger cheese, and a Johnny Cash song together.

Fun

Once again, I am astounded by the blessings we enjoy as a family. Quentin had a classroom party for Halloween. Lars and I were invited to join the class to help with Bingo, we brought an enourmous pan of rice crispy pars that were laced with gummy worms. The kids had a wonderful time. It was a fun morning, Lars felt special to pretend to be in Kindergarten while Quentin had fun sharing his brother with his classmates. We even joined the kids for school lunch!

Quentin enjoyed his Luke Skywalker costume! Seeing a smile like that makes the fun of the season a treat to share with them. Lars was a soldier this year. It was a special treat to be able to bring his toy gun along with him for his adventures. Until Quentin explained what Trick-or-Treating was about, he was not interested in joining his big brother. However, once he discovered how to ring a door bell and get candy he found the evening a lot of fun. This was the first year we haven't had the stroller along for a while. Lars walked for about an hour before he was exhausted and happy to be home!

Jamie and I are making some preparations to enjoy the WI Deer Hunting Season at the end of November. Lists are being made and blaze orange is coming out of storage. It won't be long we'll be enjoying a nice week of vacation time!

We've used the last of our garden squash this week. I always wish we had a few more when they are gone. The following recipe was in a flyer from our local co-op, yummy!

Three Sisters Soup

4 lbs acorn squash

4 quarts broth or water

2 small yellow onions

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup garlic

2 teaspons thyme leaf, dried

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound corn

2 15oz cans of cannellini beans

1 bunch green onion

1/2 cup white wine

1 large bay leaf

Prep-

Half the squash, scoop the seeds and roast in crockpot with 1/2 the broth. (around 1 hour on high) The liquid from the squash automatically stays in the pot. When soft, remove squash, allow to cool enough to scoop out the flesh. Smash with a fork. Return to the crock pot along with the rest of the broth and other ingredients. Allow to continue cooking on low for at least another hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.

October

The month of October has been as full as all the rest. The closer we get to Winter the more quickly they seem to be passing. Our family spent a couple of days at Grandpa and Nana's cabin in Northern Wisconsin at the beginning of the month. The colors were absolutely spectalar. The boys enjoyed spending time with Grandpa, they played outside, and picked apples. We returned home and had a great visit with a bunch of our family who live in Montana. It was wonderful to have a long weekend to spend so much time playing and visiting.

Quentin's class had a field trip to a local apple orchard a week ago. We had a good coating of snow and slush for the trip. The kids had a blast. Quentin picked apples, threw snowballs and picked a pumpkin out of a field of snow coated pumpkins. I was glad his snow gear from the year before still fit him that morning!

Our other great adventures this month have focused around the kids sports and lessons. Quentin has been playing Flag Football at the YMCA one night a week. He enjoys learning the about the game and has announced that the Vikings are his favorite team. He even watched part of a game with his brother and Dad this afternoon. Lars has been taking swimming lessons. He is a little fish, much like his brother. Lars is going underwater and kicking his little legs to retrieve brightly colored rings, and starting to enjoy floating. Quentin is amazing, he loves swimming the length of the pool. Having the blessing of watching them grow and being able to provide them with these experiences is amazing.

We finished up in the garden for the winter this past weekend. The plants are out, leaves mulched in along with compost and hoses are packed away for the winter. Quentin and Lars love digging in the garden boxes this time of year. They are able to dig and dig without anyone telling them to be careful for the vegetables. The boxes are essentially giant sandboxes, but with garden soil instead of sand. The worms never seem to get away quickly enough.

We've been using the CrockPot often to keep a meal ready and waiting with all the swimming, football and outdoor playtime this fall. One of our favorites, the kids even like the vegetables uses chicken.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Makes: 6 servings Prep: 15 minutes Slow Cook: 3-1/2 hours on HIGH or 5 hours on LOW
Ingredients
1 package chicken pieces (about 4-1/2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place flour on a plate. Coat chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 12 minutes or until browned, turning halfway.
2. Remove chicken from skillet and place in slow cooker bowl. Place mushrooms in skillet; cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes.
3. Place mushrooms in slow cooker, and add green pepper, onion, carrot, tomatoes, wine and Italian seasoning. Cook on HIGH for 31/2 hours or LOW for 5 hours. Stir in basil, pepper and salt and serve immediately.