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!

Priorities

We have a ton to do around the house, but that didn't stop us from having a little zip-line fun in the backyard. I really can't explain why Sadie is wearing her bike helmet and her pajamas except that she's two and she has a mind of her own!

Making Friends

Well, it's official, we're Minnesotan. We closed on our house on Friday, July 10. All of our things arrived on the 16th and most of the boxes are unpacked. We are getting settled and are trying to get used to the crazy-ever-changing weather and having a bigger house, and are trying not to miss our friends in Columbus too much. I have tons of pictures I'd like to share, but until I can find my camera cord you'll have to wait.
Thankfully, I have a good friend who just happens to have two little girls (and is also an awesome photographer). They're the kids' new best friends. You'll probably be seeing a lot of them. So without further ado, meet Nile and Zoe:Superhero Sadie:
Superhero Eli:

Lazy Summer Days

We are impatiently waiting to hear when we are officially moving to Minnesota. Last we heard it was July 6, but we haven't heard anything since. Dennis has been busy studying for his boards and the rest of us have been enjoying the lazy days of summer.
Hanging with the neighbors (have I mentioned how much we're going to miss our neighbors?):
Looking at nests with Sofia and Dario: Getting a "summer" haircut:Going to free summer concerts:Walking the labyrinth at the arboretum:Going fishing. Sadie got a new Princess fishing rod for Father's Day (and dad for a new rod and reel too for all that fishing he's going to do in Northern Minnesota):

The Pharmacist

It only took 4 very fast years but here he is, Pharmacist Extraordinaire. Dennis was told he was winning a "major award." We were hoping for a leg lamp, but instead he got a plaque acknowledging that he graduated first in his class. I guess ya'll know who to call for all of your pharmacy needs. Yea for nerds!!

Yesterday was Dennis' Pharmacy hooding ceremony.
Receiving his hood:

A family photo following the ceremony:

A New Bike

Sadie got a new-to-her big-girl bike handed down from Sofia. Here's a ride and a crash:

Summer Vacation 2009: The NE Trek

We left on Sunday, May 31 for our vacation of the Northeast states. We were gone 11 days and overall had an amazing trip. The kids are at a great age for traveling. They can sleep almost anywhere, can usually go without a nap, and are excited about everything. These are most of the pictures I took, you see, I forgot to bring the battery charger and my battery light started to blink on the first day. So, I only took a few pictures at each place.
We started our trip in Lewisburg, PA visiting our great friends the Rosenbergs. We love to visit the Rosenbergs. Our kids are the same ages, the food is wonderful and the company the best ever. I hope they come and visit us when we're in MN!
Somehow, Dennis convinced me to go to NYC and I'm so glad we went. Dennis drove right into town and found us an awesome parking place. We had a busy day in Times Square: At Rockefeller Center:Playing the piano at FAO Schwartz:Eating a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's:Playing at Central Park with Chuck (while Sadie napped):Riding in a taxi:At the Empire State Building:And riding the ferry to the Statue of Liberty:Then, we headed out of town and stayed in Bennington, Vermont:The following day we drove to Hampton, NH and the kids got to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time: The weather was cold and the water was colder, but the kids had fun anyways. I got to eat my first Lobster Roll and I found my first sea glass:Then we headed back through northern New Hampshire and into Vermont. We toured the Ben and Jerry's factory:And camped several nights along the way, including a night on an island on Lake Champlain in Burlington, VT:

In Burlington, we also toured Shelburne farm which was built by the Vanderbilt's:Sadie collected eggs and managed to pull one right from under a chicken. She was tickled pink:We rode the ferry, car and all across Lake Champlain and went through the Adirondacks in upstate NY. We stopped at this not-very child proofed gorge with beautiful views of waterfalls. I was beautiful, but I was a wreck. There's something about kids overlooking a plunging waterfall with nothing keeping them back but chicken wire and plastic ties that puts a mom on edge:We took in a beautiful hike:Then we drove to Buffalo to see aunt Pat. She just moved into a new apartment and I'm sure her neighbors were excited to have two young screaming kids in their midst. On the last day of our trip, we visited Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist and got very very wet:And spent the rest of the day at Niagara Falls State Park enjoying the falls:

A Quick Update

I keep forgetting to post this picture of the kids with their cousin, Reid. The great thing is that Reid, Eli and Sadie will get to grow up together because Reid lives in Bemidji just like we're going to in a month!!Yesterday, Dennis finished up his final rotation for pharmacy school and he also had his last shift at Children's hospital. Today Dennis is at a review for his boards and tomorrow we leave on vacation. We're touring the New England states with a stop in Pennsylvania to visit the Rosenbergs, NYC to see Chuck, and Niagara Falls with a visit to see Pat. There will be some camping and hiking along the way along with some heavy duty dvd watching in the car! We should be back on June 10th. Dennis has his hooding ceremony on Saturday, June 13 and graduation is on Sunday (though, he's skipping that!).

The last we heard he should be starting his job on July 2, but really we don't have a final date on that yet. (I guess that's what happens when you take a job with the govt.) We really hope that we're there by then, because we're supposed to close on our house by July 1:Yes, we found this perfectly cute house in Bemidji while we were house hunting and hopefully it will be ours! We'll keep you updated...