Sad Good-Bye to Hannah

Fred and I made the decision to put Hannah down this week. It is a terrible thing to have to decide for your dog, but it came time to say good-bye. We told the boys before so they could say their good-byes. I hope we haven't scarred Jacob with his ever soft heart. Coming home to a dog-free home is very quiet and strange after 14 years with dogs. We'll take our time grieving and try to enjoy the new freedom. Maybe we'll look for some dog sitting opportunities.

Found this photo of Hannah and a 2 year old Wyatt, so cute.

Gavin's Golden Birthday

Gavin was very excited about his "Golden" birthday, very fun to turn 8 on the 8th. He started his birthday month with a celebration with the Middendorf cousins, Grandma & Grandpa and aunts and uncles at the Paynesville hotel. Pizza, cake, and swimming.

Jordan -12, Gavin - 8, Riley - 7

Gavin turned 8 on a Friday. He stared the day with presents and then headed off to school. I had the day off (as I was leaving on a girls getaway), so I went and had lunch with him and read a book to his class. 

Gavin with his large Lego set from mom and dad.

Birthday collage from Adrea.

To celebrate with friends, Gavin invited some friends to Chuck E Cheeses. They had pizza, cake, and played a bunch of games. 

Super Gav

Gavin w Wyatt, Preston, Brody & Jackson

Gavin & Preston

Girls Getaway

I got to get away with Becky, Jolene and Kim for a long weekend Palm Springs, California.  Kim planned the  getaway for us and we learned where we were headed when we checked in at the ticket counter. 'Where are you headed?', my reply 'I don't know, you tell me.' It was such a fun time with my girls. We did a lot of hanging out and some exploring. The only bummer of the weekend was the Vikings loss to the Seahawks in the playoffs. I get to plan next year's trip.

Christmas 2015

Christmas Shows

Wyatt started out the Christmas show season with his Preschool Place concert. He announced each of the songs they performed and was by far the loudest singer of the bunch. He loved it. He's even been performing for those that missed the actual performance.

Wyatt smiling before the show.

Afterwards, he got to tell Santa he wanted a "blue light up gun, green light up gun, blue light up sword, ...."

Jacob was Merv the Shepherd in "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen" at church. He had a good time learning all the songs and hanging out with the cast. He was worried about a friend forgetting his lines, but when it came to performance time it was Jacob that had a blank moment, he recovered and recited his line. The second performance was flawless. 

Jacob during a song.

Jacob with some fellow shepherds.

Gavin & Wyatt were part of the children's nativity at church. Gavin was a wise man and Wyatt was a cow. They both learned their lines the day before the show and did great.

Gavin and Wyatt

Here the animals are singing "Away in a Manger"

Gavin amongst the other wise men, shepherds and angels.

Taking 3 Boys to Well Checks is like a 3 Ring Circus

Yes, I thought it would be efficient to take all the boys to the doctor for well checks at the same time. I thought I would just get it done and all would go well. I didn't think about being locked in a small room with 3 boys for about an hour and a half and then having the nurse and doctor come in to see the spectacle that is my life. But, we survived the visit including a blood draw to check Jacob's cholesterol (routine),Wyatt's shots, and Gavin's antics.

Here are their stats:
Wyatt - Age 5 years and 2 months
Height: 43.5 inches (54th percentile)
Weight: 49.75 pounds (90th percentile)
They were slightly concerned about his weight until she looked at him. You can see the kids ribs, but he's got thighs from all the jumping around he's been doing for years.

Gavin - Age 7 years and 11 months
Height: 51.5 inches (72nd percentile)
Weight: 70.25 pounds (90th percentile)
She was concerned about his impulse control (which I talked about) and his respect for authority, amen.

Jacob - Age 10 years and 7 months
Height: 50.25 inches (91st percentile)
Weight: 93.75 pounds (86th percentile)
Jacob had his blood drawn for the first time since he was a tiny baby. He watched and was pretty calm (seemingly) about it, but afterwards he got dizzy and nauseous, so he got a can of Coke and some time to recover on the exam room table. They tested his cholesterol and all was normal.

Visit to the Holiday Train

We made a quick trip to Waseca to see the Holiday Train. It was a balmy night for December in Minnesota, so there were a lot of people there. We did end up finding my cousin Bob and his family and then went to their house for hot chocolate.