Wow. I need to try and catch up here. Well, we made it to a family reunion/my mom's 60th birthday celebration in Ashland, OR. We stayed up on a mountain in a small trailer (AKA scooner) at Howard Prairie. One of the great things that came out of that experience was that I learned our whole family could sleep in a one bedroom trailer if needs be. Not an ideal situation in my eyes but possible. Highlights: Jack learned how to cast a fishing pole, Jack threw up all over Jude and Ezra while on the trailer bed (Jude was irate!), we made it to the Ashland 4th of July parade and watched the jets fly over from the field in the back of Aunt Fern's backyard, we made it up on the hill where we visited my mom's relatives who live entirely off the grid (my dream), and we got to surprise my mom with a birthday celebration.

 Here is a picture of the trailer we lived in for 3 days. More impressive was the forest we got to explore.

 Grampa teaching Jack to cast. Funny, he never actually casted into the water. He just tied pine cones on to his line and did some land casting. Didn't matter. He still loved it.

 This is my mom's Uncle Billy. He has been in Ashland forever where he drove truck hauling trees. He was also a jockey at one point in his life! He is a great representation of all the fun people that make up my mom's side of the family--especially those still living in Oregon.

 Here is our new little home. We finally moved in and I think we have officially closed (Not sure. Should probably know that detail but things got complicated). Anyway, it is good to be in a home and out of student family housing. We had forgotten the difference a garbage disposal makes, along with a washer and drier that are actually under your roof. Having more than one toilet is also a major bonus. As for me, I think the first time I got to mow the lawn made me feel like I had accomplished everything I needed to accomplish in life.

 Here is the hill I had put in the backyard. I tried to have it "tucked" back in the corner as much as possible. Couldn't resist putting it in. Our builder was excavating the lot next to us and I basically had him move one of his piles of dirt into our backyard. Will be a huge pain in the butt if we ever decide to get rid of it but the boys enjoy it for now.

Ezra turned 1 on the 9th! He is already walking which makes him our earliest walker. He has a "farmers tan" where his arms bunch up from his chubbyness, and he is very vocal when trying to get what he wants or does not want (Like when I steam rolled him on the tramp today). All around, he has been a huge blessing in our lives. For those who don't know, Lindsey and I said we weren't going to have a baby while in grad school. Then Lindsey got the impression that our plan was all wrong and along came Ezra. We are so glad he is with us!

Well, those were a few highlights from the last few weeks. I left out about a million awesome memories, so I'll try and be more diligent with my posting.

Today is day 18 of Lindsey and the boys being away from me. They took off shortly after we arrived in Fargo for a family reunion in Utah. The reunion has ended but they have been staying at Lindsey’s parent’s home waiting for me to fly out to Vegas, so we can all go to my family reunion in southern Oregon. Needless to say, we have been away from each other for way to long and I really miss my family. I missed Jude waking up in the morning and telling me he got lots of good sleep. I miss Jack’s obsession with cereal. I missed Ezra’s happy smile and determination to be in everything. I miss Jack’s references to garbage and Jude’s feisty attitude. I missed sitting down with Lindsey at the end of the day to talk about the good and the bad and how we are going to tackle the next day.

So, what does a guy do without his family? Initially I spent my time reading, packing so we can move into our home that is being built, cleaning, and working long hours. This left me burnt out and feeling sick. The fact that Lindsey wasn’t feeding me healthy food probably added to my weakening condition. At one point, I actually went to sleep in the corner of a bathroom at work for 15 minutes, because I thought I was going to pass out in a meeting. (Hopefully my boss doesn’t read this! Don’t worry though—I’m not hourly.) As I stepped back and realized how poorly I was taking care of myself, I started to slow down so as not to self-destruct. The rest of my time was filled with some extremely lazy moments of playing on my iPhone, as well as some moments were I actually took advantage of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had with my family home.

Unique things I did:

1.       The first night I slept from 5:45pm to 4:30am

2.       Traveled to and attended the Bismarck temple

3.       Saw the largest sandhill crane in the world and possibly the universe!

4.       Attended different churches on Sunday (Lutheran, Presbeterian, Catholic, and Baptist)

5.       Called old friends

6.       Took up running

7.       Repeated #1 above

Okay. My list isn’t that long. Maybe I could have taken better advantage of being a bachelor and done more cool things.

 Who would have thought the world's largest sandhill crane would be located in Steele, ND. I spotted this guy driving back from the temple and had to stop. Who wouldn't?  I think this bird feels the void I was feeling as a result of no longer living close to Barstow, CA which is home to the largest thermometer in the world (not pictured).

I had to take this picture because it represents the one true meal I cooked since my family left. (I mostly stuck to sandwhiches.) It was supposed to be a pot pie, but I didn't have enough canned potato soup. So, I substituted a can of clam chowder for the potato soup and called it good. It didn't turn out to be the most amazing meal I've ever had but it did the trick. Can you still call it pot pie when it has seafood inside? I think this might be a new Thanksgiving tradition!

Happy Father's Day Dad

Now that I'm a father I've started to appreciate what my Dad did and continues to do for me. When I step back and think about the responsibility parenting brings I often think, "Crap! This is really hard. Where did these three kids come from." Then I think of my Dad and am amazed by all he has accomplished in his life given the five children he had to support and raise.

My fondest memories of my dad are mostly associated with all the fun places he has taken our family. He loves the water and fishing which resulted in us spending many hours on Lake Mead and the Colorado River. I'm not sure if the story is true but I heard he bought a boat before he furnished his house. He is Lake Powell as far as I'm concerned and I don't have much interest in going there unless he comes along. My dad is also a pilot at heart and has had his license to fly as long as I can remember. He's had enough hours in the sky that I even trusted him to take Jack and I up in the air. I guess you could say he is also a mountain man of sorts as long as he has skiis on his feet or a gun in his hand. By that I mean he was always taking us to a ski resort where every one of us eventually took off on snowboards. He also got all of his boys into hunting which served to bring us closer together.

Aside from the play, I am grateful for my Dad for his dedication to provide for his family. Having recently completed a graduate degree, I appreciate more the work my Dad must have put into graduating from dental school. But even more amazing are all the years he spent working as a dentist only to come home and ice his back because of the nature of his work. He continued to do this until he couldn't practice dentistry anymore because his back bacame "worn out".

I also can't thank my Dad enough for living a righteous life. He served a mission which inspired me to then serve a mission. He attends the temple regularly and is always doing genealogy work. Other than a few toys, he has been modest in the way he spends his money, never giving into the temptation to buy the luxury items he could afford. He has opened his house up to many people who others would turn away. This meant that we had--as I saw it--strange people living in our home or visiting for up to months at a time. This he did because he is a loving man who desires to give people a chance. Most important to me is probably the fact that he has never given up on this children. We have all needed his love and support and he has been there for us.


I'm afraid this post fell short of really describing how great my Dad is so just trust me when I say He is a remarkable person. I don't have any recent picks of him on my computer but I've got some oldies!

We had family pictures taken before we left Minneapolis. We figured it was an important time in our lives, so we chose one of Minneapolis's most respected and creative photographers. Check out Jaci Udy's site here: http://u-pix-photography.blogspot.com/2012/05/o-family-minneapolis-family-photography.html

 

I’m not sure where to start with this post. It has been a while since I last wrote and a lot has happened. Our world has been turned upside down recently with our move to Fargo. It was an emotional move for Lindsey and I. It started by watching many of our friends move away before us. Many people from my graduating class lived in our student housing complex, and they took off to different parts of the U.S. There were others as well who graduated and moved on—non-MHAers—which made COMO feel very empty. Then it was time for us to pack up which caused me to really think about those who had left and those I’d leave behind.

It has definitely been the trend the last 6 years for our family to pick up and move but this move was extremely hard. There is something to be said about being transplanted hundreds of miles from everything you’re comfortable with and finding yourself in an environment where you have to make friends that you will rely on because you want to and need to. That is exactly what we did in Minnesota. We made friends who we absolutely trusted and loved. We have a lot of great memories camping, hanging out by the local lakes, cooking big dinners on the holidays, celebrating birthdays, having people over for scones, etc., but we probably had most of our fun hanging out at the COMO playgrounds or cooped up inside together during the winter.

In thinking about how I usually deal with these situations, I realized that I tend to cope with leaving people I’ve become close with by not making much of an effort to keep in contact with them. I did this when I said goodbye to the people I served on my mission. (I basically said goodbye and then stopped all contact with them.) I’ve done the same as we’ve moved around while in school. I know that sounds horrible but I get really attached to people so to think about them but be removed from them makes me depressed. Just writing this post and reflecting on life in MN makes me sad. We’ve been in ND now for 12 days and my coping mechanism has been to stay really busy. Now, I’ve got time to think about what I’ve left and want to stop writing this so I can fill my mind with other things. But I’ve decided that would be a horrible thing to do because there are just too many great memories that are not worth loosing, and there are too many great people who I can’t afford to lose contact with.

I have to give a special shout out to the Nelson family for being awesome friends and for helping us move (Am I even spelling your last name correctly?). Erik was always willing to fix my junker car, paint bikes, and joke about things we shouldn’t have joked about. Jenny became our permanent sitter there towards the end, introduced us to the most amazing burritos, and was quick to shout a "turtleman call" from across the parking lotl. Darla was Jack’s first girlfriend! Bennett was amazing because of his passion to wear certain types of clothes, not wear shoes, and do things his way. And Tate is the "miracle" boy.

 We were basically able to retire Jude's blanket before leaving. We cut it down to its current state which is a little square. Jude will hold it up now and look at it as if it has lost all value.

 Jack and Jude finished up their swimming classes at the YMCA. They both graduated!

Jack and Darla at COMOs spring celebration. 

 These pictures are of our last get together at Ann Lake. The women stayed behind with the babies and left the men to wrangle all these kids. We were close to a lake and caught a lot of sunfish. Jude was in charge of the worms and deferred having his picture taken.

 This is what our couch tends to look like when friends come to build "forts".

 I love getting Ezra up from naps. He has four teeth now and is already standing his ground when he doesn't like the way things are going. Mostly just a smiling, happy kid.

I'm not a huge sports fan (that may be an understatement) but I thought it was cool that the company I now work for sent my family tickets to the Twins game. Had to leave before it ended because the kids weren't to into it. They probably thought they were on another planet since I've never had them watch sports.

 

 We took one last trip to the Natural History museum. This museum was great because their was a large room dedicated to hands on learning.

Ezra skinned this raccoon all by himself? Maybe this is why he came home sick. Are you supposed to let your baby play with animal skins?

Jack was a little upset he didn't find any boogers.

Jude and Tate.

 This is how Jack dresses when he wants to impress his friends!

 I finally graduated. This is me walking out after the graduation ceremony ended. I'm yelling up at Jude who was too busy playing my iPhone to pay any attention to my grand accomplishment. I don't blame him.

 And here are my truck driving buddies. We took off for Fargo in the U-Haul but started off by making a major mistake which was to give Jack and Jude lemonade from Wendy's. Jude drank and drank and it wasn't five minutes into the trip that I had to pull off the side of the road to let him relieve himself. We then got back on the road only to have him request another stop. I couldn't pull off fast enough in our large truck so he ended up having an accident. I eventually got him out of the truck after which he went pee three times before I eventually got him all cleaned up. I guess we will be cutting back on the beverages next road trip. You can google how long it takes to drive from Minneapolis to Fargo and then tack on 3 hours for all the stops we had to make.

Yeah! We made it to Fargo. I'll post more of what we've been up to shortly.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Lindsey!!! Wow! Doesn't she look amazing!

The boys and I tried to make Mother's Day special for Lindsey. Jack insisted that we make her crepes for breakfast, and he also chose the dinner that we threw together. All in all, it turned out a lot better than the year I actually forgot Mother's Day. That happened only a couple years ago. It took going to church for me to realize what was going on and by that time it was to late.

Lindsey simply deserves the best. She has worked so hard ever since we were married to get the most out of life and help other people. She worked through her undergrad at BYU while raising two children. She actually completed a lot of my application materials for grad school and helped me get into the program I just graduated from. Lindsey has been extremely supportive on the nights and weekends where I've had to put hours into school. Lindsey is always watching someones children or making a meal to give away. She pays the bills and handles the finances. In a couple weeks we will be moving to Fargo, and she has been the one to work out all the details and make all the arrangements for us to move into a great home. She "pumps" religiously (about 3 hours a day) in order to feed Ezra and is also using her milk to feed another baby in our ward. She is okay with her children rocking mullets. Recently, she has taught Jack to read and potty trained Jude. It's true that Lindsey receives all the inspiration for our family; thanks to her, we were able to realize that we should have a child while in grad school and now we get to enjoy Ezra every day. She makes sure we provide our children with great experiences like soccer and swimming lessons. Costco trips just wouldn't be the same without her. She responds to my stupid comments when they should be ignored. In December, I bailed on her last minute to interview for a job, leaving her to fly by herself with three boys to Vegas which she handled extremely well. She is optimistic and has proven time and time and again that she will make the most out of any situation. Lindsey is always quick to give Jude his "mommy love" when he asks for it. She makes sure that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are cut into fun shapes. She recognizes the importance of family and was the stimulus for planning our trips out west this year for family reunions. Lindsey is just amazing.     

May 11 2012

For about the past 10 days our family has been dealing with the effects of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. All three of our children came down with it. At first, they get a fever which can last for more than 24 hours. Then they get sores in their throat and mouth. The sores then move to other parts of the body. The above picture and the one following are of Ezra's hands. He got it the worst and ended up with sores all over his body. The poor kid was miserable for about 3 days, after which he seemed to become his normal self again.

With being sick comes "special privileges". This is Jack and Jude crashing in our bed. Lindsey and I start to put all sorts of fun options on the table when their sick in hopes that it will make things more pleasant in the home. Since Hand, Foot, and Mouth is so contagious, we have been avoiding all friends, making it more necessary to find new, fun ways to pass the time.

Jack and Jude are best friends. Lately, they have been setting up their cars in the bookshelf, reenacting scenes from the movie Cars2. It is great to have them only 18 months apart. Lindsey and I are so glad we made it through those initial hard months where they both needed so much time and attention because now they will sit and play and entertain each other.

This is what happens every time Jude starts to paint. He is a pro at making "muddy swamps"--both on paper and up his arms.

 Based on what I said previously, you should be able to figure out which of these are Jude's and which are Jack's.

 Jack's hair 3 days ago. Way to long! What were his parents thinking!

 Jack's hair currently! Yes, I finally got to cut Jack a sweet mullet! Business on top, party in the back! Lindsey reluctantly let me do this and I still can't believe she did. Usually she does a really good job of protecting our family from any crazy ideas I might have (like when I tried to convince her to live in a tent in the mountains shortly after we were married) but she really let her guard down this time. As it goes, the deal was to cut the mullet and then shave the rest of it off the next day. Why does he still have it? Well, I don't really know but he loves it! The downside to the mullet is that it is causing Lindsey a lot of anxiety. Not sure why. The plan going forward is to let him keep it through Sunday and then wack it off.

The boys and I started digging outside our apartment in search of worms for our fishing trip on the Mississippi. Surprisingly, it is not hard to find worms here. Jack and Jude loved this part of the fishing process. Since we had to wait some time between digging up the worms and actually going fishing, Jude kept asking, "Dad, can we take the worms fishing". I think he thought they were our new friends and didn't realize they were actually the bait.

The trip ended up being a lot of fun. I pulled Jack and Jude in our bike trailer down to the river. The University of Minnesota is located right on the river, so we rode through my campus and down the hill to the water. We found a sandy beach and fished a little with no success. Most of the time was spent playing with trucks in the sand and sitting on a log eating Wheat Thins. Jack's favorite part was watching a hug barge go down the river; Jude's was eating Wheat Thins.

Ezra is a happy little baby. He is all over the place, wanting to do whatever Jack and Jude are doing. He can sit himself up now and prefers to ride on turtles where ever he goes.

Jack and Jude watched Sid the Science Kid today. The episode was on "pulleys" and how they are used. So, Lindsey picked up a $5 pulley at Home Depot and we rigged it up in the tree outside our apartment. We started out by hoisting up a bucket filled with sticks and then a small bike. Then we got out one of the boys rings and started lifting people. Maybe this is an example of bad parenting but they had a good time.

We checked out a drawing book from the library which Jack took a liking to. I thought he did a great job with this picture. (Sorry this picture was taken before the mullet!)