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!

Dahl kid photo update

Spring brings a new sense to the word busy, so a photo update will be this week's post!

Doodle and two of his favorite things: Football and Mattie.




Queen Bella (the "crown" is the insert to a construction helmet! Oh, the power of imagination!):




The annual egg-dye at Great-Grandma's!

Off to Celebrate!

We've been enjoying BE-A-U-tiful weather in the northwoods and EVERYONE in the Dahl house is lovin' it! The kids have been out as soon as the books close in the morning. Noah suddenly has an urge to be homeschooled again, as "you get to play more!" This from a kid with two recesses! TWO! I swear I grew up in the dark ages. one measly recess...
This morning I dug through my freezer madly trying to figure out what I could bring along to Easter at mom and dad's this weekend. NOT because of pressure of what to contribute, but rather a gentle reminder from my husband that the 1/2 a pig we ordered is coming next week! AHHH! So, Grammy Bird is going to be the lucky recipient of some frozen zucchini (I come from a long line of zucchini bread eaters), and a frozen ham bone (in a long-looked-for rubbermaid container). Not being a fan of pea soup, I'm not real sure why I saved it (except that I was raised very German and the thought of throwing away something that would cause a depression-era German to gasp ... I just felt the pressure to throw it in the freezer).

So, we're just awaiting the arrival of DH. The van is packed and ready and the children are snacking on non-chocolate things (we've had bad experiences with chocolate, the car and vomit. ugh). We're off to have a good old-fashioned holiday with the extended family. Easter is a very big deal in my family. My siblings, as well as the 3 cousins and now our spouses (as 20-somethings, anyway, I'm not sure if it crosses into 30-somethings) have had basket hunts to end all basket hunts... Hid 15 miles away, crawlspaces, open fields... We're talking hard core. Oh- the TRUE reason of the season is celebrated as well. :)

Happy Easter everyone!

My life... in fours

I've done one similar to this, but I'm game! (I'll try to give some new answers)

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Mommy
2. server at a Relais and Chateau property
3. CNA in a nursing home
4. Office Assistant in the Student Senate office inn College

4 Movies/Shows I've Been Addicted To:
1. ER (Used to be)
2. Dateline
3. Law and Order
4. Jeopardy

4 Places I've Lived:
1. Small town in east-central Wisconsin
2. Small town in north-westren Wisconsin
3. Medium sized town in northren Wisconsin
4. a summer camp cabin (ya know, for a couple weeks at a time!)

4 Countries I'd like To Visit:
1. Brazil
2. Yap (Micronesia- we have friends that are missionaries there)
3. Ireland
4. Scotland (return visit)

4 Popular False Assumptions About Me:
1. I am confident
2. I have this organization thing down (closet and cupboard doors hide a lot)
3. I have led a pristine life
4. I have a storybook marriage (does anyone?)
(the last two are in agreement to Ruby...)

4 People I Look Like:
1. RG from church!
2. a boy from Green Bay, WI (funny story... I attended the Shopko fireworks in Green Bay with friends in early college and as we were slowly leaving we were behind this truck and the boy sitting on the tailgate looked like he could have been my brother. At the time my friends and I were convinced he was, as I was adopted! I have a photo of me and the poor kid.)
3. ???
4. ???

4 Things I Hope To Do Before I Die:
1. Instill in my children joy and love of the Lord, and watch them walk with Him
2. Hike the AT (right, Jaker?)- OK, probably only a portion af it.
3. Travel round the world with my husband (kids, too if they're in!)
4. Spend time with short(long?)-term foreign missions

There, now it's your turn Laura!

Stain season

It is upon us again... grass stained knees and ground in dirt. I need to go out and load up on some sort of stain treater. I love Biz for soaking, but I'm searching for a good spot cleaner. I've never used Oxyclean (that's for soaking or adding to a load, right?). I've tried Spray and Wash with mixed results. One thing I do like and have had success with (especially on grease-based stains) is Goop Hand Cleaner. What do you use?

'tis true...

Yesterday was a milestone in my life as my 20's ended. I had a great day... One of the highlights being an hour and a half of football in the front yard with Doodle!

Here's an excerpt from the big game,
Doodle: Mom, you have to have a move that you do when you score.
Me: I do?
Doodle: Yeah, and mine's this (Ball spike followed by a muscle stance with a super tough face to boot), so you can't do that one.
Me: OK, can I do this (Funky Dance with thumbs up sign)?
Doodle: I guess so.

He then went on to let me know when I could or could not perform my funky dance. When I did it at an inappropriate time I was quickly chastised with a "MOOOOOOMMMMM! Not NOW!" We had a blast.

We went out for dollar burgers at the local watering hole and came home to a phone call from Mommy at Helms Deep that they had a treat to bring over. Mmmmm... Ice cream cake.... Thanks, Helms Clan :)

All in all, I'm sure this decade will bring joy. I do tear up a little to think that before this decade ends I'll have three teenagers. Two of them will be driving. My first baby will graduate from high school... I have to stop.

I'll leave you with a photo from yesterday's football frenzy:

 

THIS is true joy. 

 

Doodle's favorite spot at the "Bay of Dreams." 

 

Noah's reaction to the indoor waterpark last week! 

Week in a nutshell

So I started writing this long post about all our ramblings lately and Blogger ate it. Ugh.

I'll give you a short synopsis of our last week. We returned from the farm to our heavy quilt of snow, only to see the forecast. More snow, 6-8 inches of it, and right to our weekend travel destination. That left Wednesday last week as a unpack, launder 6 loads, repack for 5 people for four days, motel, waterpark, and food. Prep van(vacuum and wash) repack said vehicle, make supper, head to church and be on the road again (3 hours south this time) by 8pm.

We got there through little weather and enjoyed an indoor waterpark (our first experience) the entire next day as it snowed and swirled outside. AHHH...
It. was. a. BLAST!

Friday it was on to the boys State Tourney where my DH enjoyed guy time as he almost never has before. Jake, a good friend, and our BIL, unlimited basketball dawn to dusk. He so deserved some good R&R- I was thrilled for him.
The kids and I had our share of fun, too. We got to hang out with a friend and her daughter. We were on my sister's stompin' grounds and she graciously navigated us through the traffic to the Children's Museum, Noodles & Co., a HUGE Kid's Expo (thus the rock climbing). My Mom also joined us (treating us to meals out galore) and brought the kid/adult ratio to one on one- we had a lot of fun. The only bummer of the weekend was that the friends we traveled with were sick, one after another.

We got home Sunday and after two and a half whole days home are hitting the road again this afternoon- this time to a conference that just so happens to be 30 minutes from my parents house... So a short visit to mom and dad's- thanks to the school. We'll be back tomorrow night- just enough time to see the boatload of color they've doused their house with over the past few weeks!

So- the road trips continue (no complaints here!) and the Dahls will check back in over the weekend.

What kind of flower am I ?!?

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

What Flower Are You?

(And then somedays I'm a Venus Flytrap!)

  

The Quilt!

I left home Sunday night with the two little kids and headed to Jake's parents.
My Mother-in-Law, Joyce, graciously offered to make us a quilt, and it was time to begin! I have never done quilting, so I listened, then jumped in- cutting and sewing and here is (most of) the top! I brought it home to see how wide we want the remaining strips to be. (Our current quilt is sticking out from under it in the picture) Joyce and I had a LOT of fun (Despite the fact that Noah and Jake were home for TWO SNOW DAYS IN A ROW! Doesn't it figure? I leave town and THEN they get 18 inches of snow and two snow days!!!) and I don't think we did bad for a day and a half! Can't wait for it to be all the way done. I'll keep you "posted." hee hee


  

Enjoying a mild Wisconsin winter...

 













Some days I wish I could just wrap 'em up and keep them this way forever!