Tag: cousins

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NDSU visit

Trying to learn from my mistakes growing up, I want my kids to visit different colleges to help figure out what the best fit is for them.

Jake’s youngest cousin and her fiancé were open to Lincoln and me visiting them at NDSU this weekend. (Unfortunately, Jake wasn’t feeling well, so he didn’t make the trip.)

S&J gave us a personal tour, we saw the engineering buildings, the union, the health complex, one of the dining halls, and the main dorms for freshmen and sophomores. The first hand knowledge they were willing to share about their experiences was fantastic. Mom and Dad can tell their kids about how things were 20 years ago when they were in school, but to have someone closer in age share has a different impact.

After our tour, we went back to S’s apartment and chatted before heading downtown for dinner at Pounds and dessert at T and Crepe. Both were delicious!

We ended our Fargo tour with a stop at Scheels and a drive by the mall and shopping of West Fargo.

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Christmas 2022

Our plans for Christmas break changed from road trip to homebound thanks to snow, sub-zero wind chills, and poor road conditions.

We had originally planned on traveling to STL on 12/23 to visit Shecklet #3’s godfather, then on to GA to visit family, and finally to FL to visit friends. On 12/21, the house was minimally decorated for Christmas, I was caught up on laundry, and we had minimal items left in the fridge.

If you’re wondering why there is an “M” on the tree on the right, Shecklet #4 asked if we could get an ornament for the baby we lost between Shecklet #2 and Shecklet #3. (I had a very early miscarriage in August of 2009.) We never named the baby until #4 started referring to him as the “microscopic baby.” That turned into the formal name, Mike. So the “M” on the tree is in honor of our other little saint in heaven, Mike.

School ended up being cancelled for Shecklet #2 on 12/22, so we we considered getting on the road a day early. However, IA looked like this:

We made the adult decision to stay safe and not risk the stress or potential car trouble while in a “towing not recommended” zone. Our cancelled plans meant we were able to play games as a family, decorate sugar cookies, and shovel lots of snow.

We were also able to attend Christmas Eve Mass at our parish.

Jake shopped for heavy appetizers earlier in the day for our after-mass Christmas Eve meal.

Christmas morning we opened gifts and relaxed for a few hours. Shecklet #1 assembled his LEGO set, we hung Shecklet #4’s new cork board, and Shecklet #3 got to work figuring out classic rock melodies on her guitar. Shecklet #2 had to wait to try his new goggles.

We headed to Jake’s parents house around 3pm for dinner and opening gifts. The Shecklets enjoyed getting to see their cousins.

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Taking out the dock

September is a busy month this year, so the annual dock removal and Nissedalen cleanup took place today. We had beautiful weather and had a lot of fun while working together.

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HBD Kari 2022

We gathered in Hastings to celebrate Kari’s birthday (a day early.) The weather was gorgeous, so we spent most of the evening outside. The Shecklets enjoyed seeing their little cousins ❤️

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Easter 2022

We attended 8:30 mass this morning to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The church was full – it was great to see! Shecklet #1 ran the cameras for the livestream and we sat in the pew directly in front of him (at the back of the church.)

After coming home, the kids got changed and hunted for their Easter baskets. Shecklet #4 found hers before mass. We then headed to Grandma Lois’ house to join a few other family members for Easter lunch/dinner. The kids had fun playing with one of their littlest cousins – hunting for eggs, going to the park, and just making her giggle.

The egg hunt this year was full of laughs. Some of the plastic eggs that were hidden in the backyard were found by squirrels who managed to gnaw their way through the plastic and eat the chocolate candy inside!

We even got to see one of Jake’s younger cousins (who was our flower girl almost 20 years ago.) Yes, 2022 is the year of our 20th anniversary! It doesn’t seem possible.)

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Airsoft Ready

A surprise package arrived for Shecklet #2 from one of Jake’s cousins. This kid was pretty excited to find out what was inside!

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HBD Grandma Patti!

We hosted a birthday dinner for Grandma Patti tonight. Jake and the boys grilled salmon for the adults and we made mac-n-cheese for the kids. Larissa and the girls made cupcakes and they decorated them with green frosting (since it’s March.)

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HBD #9 to #4! 🎉

Our Shecklet #4 had her final single-digit birthday today! She requested mini hamburgers on Hawaiian rolls. We had a few family members over to celebrate with us on the 19th and then she skied on her actual birthday. Year #9 seems to be off to a great start!