Christmas...Finally?

Mom and dad's Christmas card

all the kids Christmas morning

After a silly string fight in the front yard (yearly tradition)

the boys getting their new 360 and kinnect

Halloween at the Gerdon House

 Nick mowing the lawn in his costume

 Randy, Nick and Addison

this is how we handed out candy...and scared everyone!

Addison's Birthday

Last weekend we went down to the cities to celebrate Addi's birthday with a trip to the American Girl Doll Store in the Mall of America. It was an experience I know I will never forget. It's a full two floors of dolls and for anyone who knows me know I'm NOT a doll person. But, Addison has been wanting one for a few years now and when daddy finally cracked and said yes we planned the trip. The boys also had fun at Legoland and just hanging at the hotel and swimming. We got together with Donna (my birth mom) and she offered us tickets to a Minnesota game this weekend. So back we went to Minneapolis for the second time in a week. We decided to take Nick and Morgan along (found them cheap tickets online) a VERY good time was had by all.

 Addison with her birthday gifts

 The boys with Vikings cheerleaders

 Nick and Morgan outside the stadium

 Nick and Morgan with the car from "Back to the Future"

 inside the stadium

It's not Memorial Stadium but it was a beautiful night for football

 We had the kids' pictures taken yesterday for Christmas.  They turned out even better than I expected. I would love to hear your thoughts on which ones to choose. Here is a link to view them. Password is gerds125
http://online.portrait-pictures.com/SC/index.cfm?fuseaction=Vendor&vid=586&fn=LeMarPhotography

We are so proud of Randy's mom. She organized an effort to get fresh onions, potatoes and beans to a local food bank. It was  covered by the local news. Here is the link to watch the story. It's very moving.

http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/39479/publisher_ID/29/

Husker Game!

For Randy's 40th birthday I bought him Husker tickets on the 50 yard line. We went down this past weekend. It was so fun to see all the floats (homecoming) and all the people in red. We fit in great down there since red and purple (Huskies) make up most of our wardrobe. We went downtown around noon (game started at 6) and walked around, hit some shops and had lunch. We checked out the tailgaters and Randy fantasized about living their and tailgating at every home game. We are trying to find a time to go down again.

outside Memorial Sadium

 30' waterfall in the trophy room

 1of 3 Heisman trophies

 entering the field through the tunnel

 

view of part of the band from our seats

Grape stomping...

Last Saturday Randy and I and a group of friends from the lake went to Carlos Creek Winery for a grape stomping festival. Becky and I entered the stomping contest.(team name: stomp your "wine"ing) We didn't win but have our strategy ready for next year. There were 150 vendors and of course wine tasting. We spent about 8 hours there and had a great time. I highly recommend it to everyone. The area is beautiful and the festival is a lot of fun.

Senior Pictures

Nick had his senior pictures taken yesterday. Here is a link to look at them http://online.portrait-pictures.com/lemarphotographyweb/  Click on "Your Images"  then the password is PrchN944

State Baseball

This weekend we went up to Grand Forks for State Baseball. Matt played on Friday (lost) then again Saturday morning (lost) so it was back home. While they didn't win I think a fun time was had by all. Back at the hotel the team swam for almost 5 hours. Nobody had trouble sleeping that night. (parents either) It was a very good experience for all involved.

The 4th of July

As usual the 4th of July was spent at the lake. The kids took part in the parade and Randy, Nick, Butch and Slim put on a fireworks display that was watched by the whole resort.

Addi road in the parade with her "boyfriends" Boden and Landon. Matt walked Snickers and for the first year Jake watched with the adults. A fun weekend was had by all.

It's D-day!!!

At least that is what dad is calling it. He is coming home this morning. He has been in very good spirits but I think is ready to be home. We got them a bath seat and new shower attachment. We also made some other changes around the house so it's easier for dad to move around. The home health people are coming in today to give mom some tips and tricks on helping dad get around.

I think Addison may miss the hospital a bit, she loved looking at the babies in the window. Dad's room was right across the hall from the nursery. He said there have been some screamers over the past week. I'm sure he won't miss that when he's home.

Dad Update and etc.

Dad continues to be in the hospital today, but he will be coming home soon.  He has been working with both a Physical and Occupational Therapist.  Nope, we don't know what the difference is either.  His spirits have been up, but he knows that he has work to do to in order to be able to go home. 

On another front, Jake and Matt are off to their Dad's for 2 weeks.  They are heading to Kansas City for a week.  Matt was a little bummed that he was missing out on his World Series in Twin Town Baseball, but he is going to be able to attend 10 yr old State Baseball in Grand Forks.  It sure does get quiet when they go...........don't like it at all.

The Fourth was happy and safe, something I didn't realize I would be so thankful for, but 3 boys and fireworks scares me.

Dad's in the Hospital....

On Sunday Mom and Dad were able to go to church and out to lunch.  By Tuesday he was having difficulty getting out of bed and getting around.  His spirits were fine, he was just having a lot of swelling in his feet.  He even told us how the 1950 Ford pickup that has become a bit of a money pit to repair only cost him $125 to buy.  Crazy.

But, by Thursday we were at the hospital where Dad was admitted.  He has had many tests run and is resting comfortably and seems to be enjoying the nurses.  Lord knows he devoured his lunch in no time, so his appetite seems good.  As of Friday morning they haven't found much, just lots of little things.  They are continuing to test today.

Addison spent some of her time there looking for the doctor that tells the monkeys "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Summer So Far...

 We started out again going to to the lake. It's been mostly cold and rainy but we manage to have fun anyway. We have been working on landscaping projects around the house (YUCK) and are getting ready to put in a fence. Nick is busy with a football work-out schedule and is playing in the Fargo North passing league one night a week (the knee is doing great). This week he is staying at NDSCS the site of Boys State here in North Dakota. He checked in yesterday and will be home Friday just in time to leave Saturday for football camp at NDSU. He will be well versed in dorm etiquette by the time he's home. Jake had a week of wrestling camp and is now free to hang with friends and help me with my daycare business and all the house projects. He and Matt are gone until the 21st at their dad's house. That really makes our house quiet. I hate it! Matt is playing baseball 3 nights a week and also did a short wrestling camp. We had Randy's mom's 70th birthday here the beginning of June. The whole family came and a good time was had by all. It was nice to see everyone. We spend nearly every weekend at the lake so if your in the area please stop by, we always have a cold beer for a friend.

Daycare at the Zoo

Nick's knee cont.

Nick's surgery went very well. They removed a tear in his Meniscus and cleaned out some other areas as well. He felt pretty good but was quite nauseous from the anesthesia. He is looking at about a 2-3 week recovery and then should be good to go. If today is any indication he is going to be a stubborn patient. His will is strong but I guarantee mine is stronger!

Nick's knee

As some of you may remember Nick injured his knee during a football game last fall. As with most kids he didn't take nearly enough time letting it heal and has had lingering pain ever since. We saw a specialist this spring and after x-rays and an MRI he decided Nick needed the knee scoped to see just what the problem is.  Well tomorrow is the day...They will be doing the scope and fixing the problem all in one shot.  We're told best case scenario his off it 2-3 weeks, worst case 4-6 months.  This has been hard for Nick to think about since football is so important to him and if it's the "worst case" he'll miss the start of the season. We are hoping for the best and will keep you all posted.

Telephone Remake

Fred is back and he brought a friend

This is what I saw when I looked out the window this morning. They spent about half an hour waddling around our backyard.