A New Family Member

We'd like you to meet Jewel, our newest family member. Jewel is an 8 week old 1/2 Siamese, 1/2 domestic short hair kitten. She is still living at the Bemidji Humane Society until she is fixed (their rule) which isn't until Sept. 10. We can bring her home on Sept. 11. We have been going to visit her everyday. Playing with kittens is a great way to spend an hour. Eli and Sadie have really taken to her. They talk about her all day and can't wait until she comes home.

Luckily, Jewel is super laid-back and can tolerate the kids and their silly games. Sadie carries her around like a baby, tries to force feed her, and comes her fur constantly. Eli tries to get her to chase a jingling ball but she usually just runs and slides across the floor. She is so adorable, and cuddly. We love her already!

Down On the Farm

I'm not sure how many kids you can legally have on a tractor, but 6 fit ok along with an adult so we'll go with 7. While visiting Grandma and Grandpa S. they got the tractor running and rides were in order!!

A Little Peer Pressure Never Hurt

Eli's best buddy in Columbus, Luke, learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels last weekend. We showed the video to Eli and he said that he too wanted to ride his bike without training wheels. So, we removed them and about 5 minutes later he was riding. He still needs some work on starting himself, steering while keeping his balance and stopping, but he is staying upright as long as he's going straight. I think the other things will come pretty quickly. Nothing like a little peer pressure to motivate a four year old.

Eli's 4th Birthday

On Sunday, August 16 we celebrated Eli's 4th birthday. He had a dinosaur themed party and invited the few friends he has here in Bemidji. This is the smallest party Eli has ever had, but it is the first time that family has been able to attend a birthday event so he was tickled even if it wasn't huge.The kids decorated little pails with stickers then went on a dinosaur dig out in the sandbox.They got distracted by all of the frogs that we have in the backyard and had a frog race too.
The birthday boy opening presents. He was very pleased with his haul. He got a soccer ball and net, a wheelbarrow, a remote controlled car, tons of new matchbox cars and a beta fish that he has named "Dorfy".Grandma Z. made Eli a "meat-eater cake:Making a wish:

His actual birthday was a much much quieter day. We just went out for icecream at Coldstone. Eli got mint with M&Ms and marshmellows. I can't believe he's four. Time does go by so fast!!

Lake Bemidji

Lake Bemidji State Park is only a hop, skip and a jump for us. The kids enjoy playing in the woods, going for bike rides and playing in the sand. They're really not lake swimmers yet and really I don't blame them. It's been way too cold in the northland this summer to swim and the water is icy! Maybe it'll be warmer next year!

COUSINS!!!

In our first weeks here we went to the annual Sperle family reunion in Park Rapids, MN at Uncle Greg's and Auntie Michele's house. The kids had a blast with their cousins. Eli and Sadie went tubing behind the boat. Eli thought fishing was more his speed but you couldn't wipe the smile from Sadie's face. (I was too nervous to look.) Here is a silly picture of Eli and Sadie with their cousins. Why do they all have beards? Ask Emily and Ashley.

Saying Good-bye

Wow! Sorry I'm so hopelessly behind in posting pictures. I'll play a little catch-up today. Oh, and it is Eli's birthday today, but I didn't take any pictures of his party, a good friend did. So, as soon as I get them from her, I'll post them here.
These pictures were taken in Columbus before we left for Minnesota. Here's Eli and his good buddy, Luke making things out of pipe cleaners at our last TOPS (tour of parks) playgroup.

This picture was taken in the last minutes before we left Buckeye Village for the last time. I was a mess and had a hard time saying good-bye. Eli still talks about Sofia and Sataya daily. He still claims that he "likes our old house better because I had a lot more friends." So true. Very very good friends at that.Moving is fun when you get to put your carseat in a u-haul!