Life is good.

Yes, it is this warm in the Northwoods. Eighty one as I type. The shrieks and squeals coming through the screens are what summer is all about. Life is good.

(and if I was all schmancy I'd be able to share video of Noah's "waving flag" dance as he hummed the Star Spangled Banner-- I think Jake and I both peed a little bit as we rolled on the lawn in laughter... He is so going to hate that footage.)


  

A clean cut

Noah has taken an interest in his hair over the past year. He wanted it longer. He wanted blond highlights. Things that really weren't a huge deal. However, with our impending trip to FL and the humidity that is to be taking the Northwoods by storm this weekend, Mama decided it was time for a cut.

So the before...



















And the after...





He wasn't overjoyed, but I assured him he would thank me in the days to come. I hope it's a non-issue in school today!

Please pray...

For months now we have been following the life of Ed Horn, a friend of a friend, who has been battling cancer. He is at a new phase now- preparing for a Bone Marrow Transplant. His wife, Kelley, is wonderful at updating the details of each phase of treatment, as well as the spiritual highs and lows their family has faced- always giving God the glory for carrying them through. Would you please pray as he prepares for the transplant on June 2nd? There are so many risks and variables leading up to the transplant itself. So many of us will be faced with cancer... Kelley and Ed's faith story is a true inspiration.

In Pictures

Bella and my beloved Grammy Bird.




Noah's first Piano recital... doesn't he look relaxed? :) He did Oh-so-well!



Those eyes make a mama's heart melt- and yes, he's as sweet as he looks.
I love you, Doodle.

  

Treasures Galore! (including an update)

As promised, I am here to reveal the goods pillaged from the fine folks of Woodbury.

Remember that list? Well most years it's a starting point, but I really don't tend to get a lot of things checked off of it. This year I did much better... and a few items SHOULD have been on the written list, as they had meandered through my brain over the past year as things we need to pick up.

So... here are the list items I got:

1. A bike for Noah (Whoo Hoo!)
2. A bike for Bella (A girl bike very similar to her current bike and only 50 cents!!!)
3. Purple shorts for Bella
4. 2 prs. of jeans for Doodle
5. White dress shoes for Bella
6. A spring coat for Noah with liner and hood (I like it even more now at home!)
7. A long denim skirt for myself
8. Dress clothes for myself (and a LOT of it)
9. A bedside table
10. A snow shovel
11. Snowshoes (which I looked up online- the brand I got retails for $159- $229!! I paid $10! They were used once, if that!)
12. A silverware tray
13. An office chair (Which my back and butt are really liking at the moment! No more "near-tip-overs")
14. Clothes for my nephew (Just a little, Laura- I didn't do so hot for him. Boy clothes was a rarity to find this year)
15. Clothes for a friend's daughter (a very fun find!)

Things I found that should have been on my list:

1. A paper shredder
2. A work light for Jake
3. Brown dress shoes for me
4. A new "list center" for the kitchen (white board/bulletin board)

I also got a fun free find- When Doodle broke his leg he got to choose a Bennie Baby in the ER for himself and both Noah and Bella. Bella got a Siamese cat (Snip) who has since become MIA. At one sale they said, "You get a free BB with each purchase" and do you know who was in the bin? SNIP! She'll be so excited!

**EDIT, 1 hour later***
I just got finished settling the new bedside table. While I was at it I decided to vacuum under the edges of our bed. Guess who I just found after 6 months? yeah. The original Snip.

Twas a successful, fun trip despite the driving rain and 40 degree weather. Yes- we're diehards. Only 364 days until next time.

Can she get much cuter?

According to Bella we had tortilla chips and "walk-a-milky" for lunch.

Tee hee.

I'll give you a hint: it's made with avocados...

5,4,3,2,1, Happy Garage Sale Day!!!!

The day I've long been waiting for has arrived!

Every year two faithful friends and I brave the crowds (and weather) and head to the big city to the west for city-wide garage sales. We're talking 700 sales, people! It's a blast and we always come home with a vanful. Most of it is things we didn't realize we needed, but often a precious item gets scooped up that actually made it to our list. The list isn't poured over and held in fist (just fanny pack, right MH? Well, MINE- Yours will have to be wadded up in your pocket without a fine fanny pack to keep it close. Jeez...) but we read them to one another on the way and have a mental strategy in place (OK, household items... Dolly needed blue bowls, Marti needed a pizza cutter... Nope, nope- ONWARD!)

It's just a blast. My top items of interest this year are :
1. A bike for Noah (His was recently stolen from the school bike rack)
2. skirts/dress clothes for me
3. an office chair
4. brown shoes for Bella for fall
5. jeans for the boys (a staple)
6. a high voltage Dustbuster
7. a portable DVD player (wishful thinking)
8. a bedside table

Really- as I look at my 45 item list- I don't NEED any of it. I am so blessed. Above and beyond what I could ever imagine or need. If it wern't for the unbelievable deals we get and the fun of sharing the day with great friends- I sure wouldn't have to go. God is so good. I am so thankful. I will, however, keep you updated on the treasures upon my return. Happy weekend!

Profound Thoughts

On the way home from grocery shopping this morning Doodle and Bella saw a field that was covered with dandelions. They were amazed at how many there were, so I said, "You know, God knows exactly how many dandelions there are in that field."

They replied, "Yeah."

So I continued, "And look at all these trees. God knows exactly how many leaves are on each one of these trees."

Dawson said, "yep."

To which Bella replied, "And God even knows how many toes I have on my foot."

The Countdown

We are counting at the Dahl House. Counting down to our summer vacation.

We're heading to Disneyworld.

After reading Shannon's account of Disneyworld with her family I so longed to go. Not so much for me, but to see the excitement and joy on my kids' faces. They are at great ages right now- Not too cool to look like they might be enjoying it, and not in need of a daily nap.

The reality was that we just weren't in a place to do it.

In steps the Lord.

A dear friend called a week later and to make a long story short, made it all possible- and her family is coming, too!!!

We are so excited- and so blessed. We have great friends and an Awesome God, who provides not only for our needs, but also for the longings of our heart.

For the Love of Soccer

Ahhh...
Without the coaching whistle around my neck, I have to admit I just love soccer season. Sitting outside, watching my kids interact with others, Watching them love the game (or pick dandelions, as the case may be) and knowing their little bodies are getting the fresh air and exercise they need... Mmmm... It's a mama's joy.
They are in two different age levels, but have the same jerseys [Ones that a Packer-lovin' mom doesn't mind washing :)].



  

We did it!

Doodle officially finished his kindergarten curriculum. It was with much pomp and circumstance that we headed to the Dairy Queen to celebrate. He was given a Veggie Tale DVD instead of a diploma, and the promise that though the "pages" are done, the learning is not. Tomorrow will be a break and we will continue to read, add and learn about life on Monday. :) It does feel good to have the gist of it behind us and go as we choose from here.

Ahhhh...

On another note, Noah's first piano recital is Sunday. He has grandparents coming from 3 and 4 hours away to witness the great event. :) Yes, 8 hours in the car, folks, for what is sure to be 6 minutes of performance. That's love.

Jake is taking the last of tests for his National Board Certification this Saturday... Let's all pray he does well. It would be a relief for him to get this behind him. We'll let you know in DECEMBER- as that is when we get the results. (Yeah. Makes sense to me too. Two words, people: Computer. Scoring.)

Happy Weekend. Yes, I know it's Thursday. It's also SUMMER VACATION at the Dahl school of higher education. :)

Miss Bella

"Look, Mommy, I am the letter B."

 


Quote by Bella as I was washing the outside of our "flip-in" windows:

"Mom, our windows are just incredible." (NOT a word she uses everyday. tee hee) 

The Crowns!

Here's a photo right before we got up to get autographs. What a down-to-earth bunch!


  

Don't read this unless you're ready for too much info!

OK, here's the question of the day. Can you suddenly become allergic to the deoderant you've used... I don't know, since the onset of puberty?

The past week or so I have had this embarrassing armpit itchiness. I feel like a primate! This morning I realized I don't have a rash, but red patchy spots- just in my armpit region! How weird and gross is that? I did pick up a brand of laundry detergent we haven't used before. Would a reaction to that just be in my armpit? Ugh.

I did get a new scent- "clean linen" or "fresh air" or something like that. If I have to go to "powder" scent I might just stop wearing it altogether. Oh, I dislike the baby powder stuff!

So, there it is. Too much info, I know, but we're heading into summer here folks, and I've got to resolve this dilemma. ugh.

I've come to realize that I'm not a very faithful blogger. When life speeds up, blogging is the first thing to go... Well, WRITING posts, anyway. I still read the posts of my friends and favorite bloggers. I've been on the fence the past couple weeks as to what to do- do I call it quits as I haven't contributed anything with girth to my blog in months? Do I hang in there for the family that checks it for updates on the kids? I'm not sure yet...

But for now, that update for the fam. Spring has been a wonderful change for us. The time spent outside has led to "hit-the-wall" bedtimes, and it feels good to clean and dejunk. Isn't it a blessing though how God intersperses the rainy days so that we can rest, too (Well, at least move the chores indoors)?

I had a chance this weekend to head out to the camp in town and scrapbook. I honestly haven't pulled it out for a couple months and was sure I would sit there lost for a good chunk of time. It did take a bit to get rolling, but in the end I came away with 3 completed pages and 14 pages I need to come home and journal on the computer (our trip out west last summer). A couple ladies and I are meeting out there this afternoon to try and get a bit more done, so I hope to end with a bang as I don't do much scrapping throughout the summer.

The kids are good- Noah is in the Bulldog Book Club, so we are reading "The Trumpet of the Swan" by EB White together and doing projects to go with it. Jaker is going to work on the "final"project with him tonight- a power point photo show of the Trumpeter Swan. It's been a fun undertaking. "May is Marvelous" in second grade, and they have a theme or fun activity every day this month. The countdown is on!

Doodle should finish our kindergarten curriculum this Friday. It's been a good year, and I see the progress he's made with reading and diligence- the top two priorities I had with him. We have decided to keep him home with me for one more year... For a variety of reasons. I love the one-on-one time teaching him, he and Bella will have that one last year to play pretty full time, he'll be that much more grounded in what we believe and why we believe it... And sentimentally I know once we send him we probably won't pull him home. Just extending those apron strings a little bit. :)

Bella is growing up. Situations that would have caused her heels to dig in just a year ago are manageable now (usually). Those of you who don't know her need to know that she has an iron will. She's wonderful and beautiful, and someday I hope that she's able to use that will for the Lord (and to fend off boys) but until then it's our job to help her adapt to situations and understand obedience. Two terribly exhausting tasks! She LOVES being in soccer and is doing very well despite the fact that she's the youngest (yet not smallest) on the team. I'll post photos soon.

Jaker and I got away this weekend to the Casting Crowns concert. It was wonderful. We enjoyed it thoroughly. Not being in a hurry we went to the van, got the camera and our "Lifesong" CD. By the time we got back in we were the last in the autograph line and were not rushed through- we got to chat (I just wanted to giggle when we got up to them and this lead singer that we have been listening to and memorizing words from for a couple years extends his hand and says, "I'm Mark Hall. What's your name?" Ahhhhh!). Definitely worth the 2am bedtime. hee hee. Again, check back for photos.

Well, off to check on that kindergartener of mine. He was left with a writing assignment and subtraction problems. Happy Monday!