Tag: weekend

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Mother’s Day 2023

5/14/23

Today is sandwiched between a day I remember as a painfully low day and one that brought immense joy. Three years ago on 5/13/20, we found out that Astrid had died. Tomorrow is her older brother’s birthday. And though it will get its own post, I will briefly mention that Astrid’s birth day is the next day, 5/16.

Next year it looks like I will be spared the aligning of her non-heartbeat day with Mother’s Day. I’m grateful for that. As the parent of a child who died before they “should” have, these Hallmark holidays can be especially difficult. It’s a fine line to walk being excited to have kids around and yet recognizing things are not complete. Someone is missing. (Two someones, actually.) And while I do want to be upbeat and cheery for my four Shecklets, my melancholic self tends to notice who is missing. And that makes me sad.

I can’t believe it has been three years since we lost Astrid. The times I imagine her as the age she “should” be are fewer than in the past, but I do tend to picture her as an almost three year old around this time of year. I see my four kids getting older, growing in independence, and I enjoy each one of the so much. And yet, when I stop and look, I realize my picture is not complete. Someone is missing.

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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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Come Holy Spirit!

Shecklet #2 received the sacrament of Confirmation this morning at the Cathedral of St. Paul. It was a cool, rainy day but beautiful I’m spite of the weather.

I am so proud of this kid and how he has taken this next step in his faith. His sponsor, a young man from the parish who he has connected with over the years thanks to frisbee and his overall involvement with teens at church, has been a positive role model for #2 in many ways.

Grandma Patti and Grandpa Dave joined us along with Michelle (#2’s godmother). We celebrated after mass by gathering at the Rusty Taco.

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U of MN bball game

Jake and I took Shecklet #3 and Shecklet #4 to a Gopher Women’s basketball game this afternoon. The league the girls played in partnered with the Gophers to offer discounted tickets. The Gophers didn’t end up with a win, but it was still fun to be back in The Barn to watch the game. Afterwards, the girls got to go onto the court and have their picture taken with teammates who attended. We had friends capture a picture for us in our maroon and gold.

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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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End of the basketball season 🏀

Shecklet# #3 and Shecklet #4 both had end of the season bball tournaments this weekend. Saturday they played at different locations, so Jake and I had to divide and conquer. He went to #4’s games and I went to #3’s. Both girls won both of their games, so we headed back to the gym (this time at the same location) on Sunday.

Shecklet #4 played first and her team played so hard! They put up numerous more shots than their competition, but the ball just didn’t want to go in! They ended up with a third place finish!

Shecklet #3’s team came into the tournament undefeated and ended undefeated! Their final game was very physical, but they played their game (good sportsmanship and great defense) and pulled away from the other team in the second half. Shecklet #3 earned four fouls! (Mrs. King from #2’s bball days would have been proud!)

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Summer Saturday

We went back to Carver Lake for an afternoon of riding.

And then went to visit Aunt Kari. The guys dismantled a pallet and we did a little yard work for fun 😊.

We burned the pallet wood and had s’mores, too.