The Donut Race

This weekend we participated in the Black Lake Loppet just outside of Bemidji. It's a very kid friendly race and is meant to be a fun event instead of a serious ski event. The entrance fee is a donation tot the food shelf. People came in costumes, some only wore their underwear... you get the idea. It's fondly referred to as the "donut race" because halfway through the race you have to stop and eat a donut before you can continue. The race is staggered in hopes of a mass finish at the end. The big winner is the person who comes in 13th and everyone brings trophy's and ribbons from other events as prizes. It truly is a blast and the kids got into the spirit of the event.
Here they are at the starting line:

The kids needed some assistance down the first big hill:

It was a beautiful day:

Sadie needed help getting up some of the hills. I think she could have done it herself, but she preferred the ride over the work:

Going down is always more fun than going up:

Taking off skis at the finish line:

Most of the kids only did half of the race (and we took all of the short-cuts on that half so we probably only did a little more than a quarter of the 11K race) so we enjoying our reward at the end of our ski:

Sadie and her first crush Louie ("But mom, He's just so nice to me!"-- believe me, all the girls love Louie):

The Sadies hanging out by the fire:

Picking their prize:

A Sperle Update...

The kids have been celebrating Dr. Seuss all week at school. Monday was crazy hair day. Sadie's hair couldn't be too crazy because we go straight from school to gymnastics. But, Missy, my friend who does Clara's hair to the nines and my hair-inspiration did Clara up as Cindy Lou-Who. It was too cute.

Speaking of gymnastics, Sadie has been going 4 hours a week for over a month now and it is going pretty well. She complains sometimes, but once she's there she's in hog-heaven. It's amazing how much better she's gotten this past month.

Eli's behavior has really turned around this last month and he's a much less grumpy kid. Maybe he just got used to being at school all day, everyday. But, he's much more fun to be around.

Speaking of school, we just received notice that Sadie and Eli both got into the charter school, Schoolcraft, that we were hoping to get into. We are very excited to make this change and I can't wait to give you reports.

Dennis enjoyed his 40th birthday. We went to eat Mexican food and the kids were disappointed that they brought him a shot of tequila instead of fried icecream. Dennis got a beer brewing kit and is currently taking a beer brewing class. He also got books to teach himself how to play the piano. He is not quite a concert pianist, but he is improving!

Dennis also got a promotion at work. He is now assistant chief pharmacist, not to be confused with assistant to the chief pharmacist.

No new news from me. I've just been working on some house projects and playing Martha Stewart, which is quite enjoyable. Next year, I've been informed that I should look for a job as my current job as Stay at Home Mom is coming to a close. I was thinking Housewife might be a good new job, but "teacher" pays more!

What's new with you?

Sadie and Mom (everyday) Date: Doing Sadie's Hair

Sadie's BFF from school has very long princess hair that Sadie has admired from day 1. As Sadie's hair has gotten longer, we've gotten a bit more creative with her hair than just doing a basic french braid, 2 braids or a pony. Thank goodness for youtube videos and for the fact that braids are all the rage right now, because I wouldn't be able to do any of these without it. My general requirement is that they don't take more than 5 minutes to do after combing out beacause that can take forever! Here are some of the highlights:

Two-strand crown to a twisty side braid:

Pretzel knotted buns:

Two braids, pretzel crossed in the back:

Single french braid, low and to the side:

Braided bun pony:

Side fishtail braid:

Waterfall braid to pony:

I'll post more pics as we continue to play with her hair. Her hair, while in the mid-back still needs to grow about 2-3 more inches for me to do all of the things that I want to do with her hair. She loves getting her hair done up and loves getting compliments from strangers.

Barnelopet

Sadie participated in the "Sons of Norway" Barnelopet (which means kids race). Sadie would tell you that "it isn't a race, everyone wins!" Which is true, everyone does, in fact, get a medal. But, it is a race in the fact that you get a racing bib, they say "go!" at the beginning and there is a finish line.

Sadie, by the way, puked all the previous day, but she did not want to miss the big race. Eli missed it because he threw a tantrum about skis and then decided he didn't want to go, which was fine with me because I was home sick with tonsillitis.

Back to the race, you can tell it was a balmy day as a lot of the kids were just skiing in their snowbibs. Dennis said that as soon as they said go, Sadie got a determined look on her face and took off like a rocket.

The race is about a kilometer in the trees so the parents couldn't see how the race was going, but Dennis said as soon as she came around the corner and could see the finish line, she picked up speed to pass 3 more kids at the end. She crossed the finish line and said, "Dad, I'm too tired to go any further..." They celebrated with a pizza party.
She was happy with her performance and said that she "is really starting to get good at gliding."
We also just bought a used pair of skis from a friend so they'll be able to go anytime they want!!
Way to go Sadie! We're really proud of you!!

Happy 40th Birthday Dennis

40 looks good on you. Hope the next 40 are just as good as the first...

Festival Recital 2012

It was recital time once again for Eli and Sadie. This was the "festival recital" and all of the students played duets or as a group. Eli and Sadie's ability group played Frere Jacque on the xylophone, hence Sadie's beret. I think it was great for them to play as a group because it really helped their listening skills and the importance of a steady beat and timing. This was actually the best that they played it as a group so they were happy with their performance. Enjoy!

Ski School 2012

Bemidji is a great place to live if you love playing in the outdoors. Winter activities are just as plentiful as summer activities as long as you dress for it. There is a saying, "there's no such thing as cold weather only poor clothing choices" and I have to agree (well, kind of, 50 below is cold no matter what you wear!). Luckily, the area has tons of things to do at a reasonable price or for free.
The Bemidji Cross-Country Ski Club hosts a ski school every winter. The kids attended last year and were excited to join again this year. For the low low price of $65 we all signed up for ski school. They provide the skis for kids. Dennis wanted to try skate ski lessons, so he rented his skis (he has classical skis) for $5 from the college. I signed up for classical nordic skiing just to get some pointers like how to turn at the bottom of a steep hill so I don't hit a tree which is my biggest issue! Not that I've ever hit a tree, but I've been very close, I just wipe out first!

The kids learn the basics: how to fall, how to get up after you fall, how to go downhill, how to get back up the hill, how to push and glide, how to pass, etc.

They love ski school but really I think they just go outside so they can have hot chocolate when they come in!

Only 2 more weeks of ski school then the following week is the Barnelopet which is a children's x-country ski race that's just for fun! I can't wait to see them in their racing bibs!

Gymnastics Fun Meet!

This was the second year that Sadie participated in the Gym Bin's Fun Meet which is for all class levels that are "non-competitive". It gives the girls an opportunity to show off their skills, practice in front of a crowd and have fun. And truly, from the smile on Sadie's face during the whole meet she was obviously having a blast.

Sadie was in all of the events: floor, beam, vault and bars. I put 2 videos on, one with her best score and one with her worst. Really I have no idea how they score, but they do and the girls get a different colored ribbon based on their score.
The floor routine is what she did the worst in, but I think the blue ribbon that she had around her neck was distracting her! Plus, I love hearing Eli and Sadie's classmate Jack in the background giving commentary.



The beam is the event she scored the highest in and I have to agree that it was her best event. Though, as I've mentioned I can't really tell you why.


The other big gymnastics news is that starting tomorrow Sadie will be moving up to a new level. She'll be a "Rising Star" which means that she will be a part of the "gymnastics club" and will be in the ASAG pre-competitive Level 2. Really, it's a really big way of saying that she'll be practicing 2 times a week for 2 hours each time and that I will have more work to do as a gymnastics mom. It's a big step but she's super-excited about her move. Let's hope she still enjoys it after tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Paul Bunyan!

Bemidji's very own Paul Bunyan turned 75 this week. To celebrate, the students at Paul Bunyan Kindergarten celebrated him and Minnesota in lots of ways. But, the highlight was a visit from Paul Bunyan himself who came to the school for an assembly. But, before I get to those pictures, let's take a walk down memory lane.

This is the Zeman family who rendezvoused in Bemidiji back in 1981 (?). My mom is holding Paul's hand, I'm holding my cousin Kelly so you can hardly see me, my dad is looking a little like Tom Selleck in Magnum PI and my brother is behind the stroller.

Here is another photo of our family with Paul. This was taken in 2007 before we moved here. We were passing through from International Falls to Fargo after my brother's wedding.

The kids were supposed to dress up like Paul Bunyan by wearing red, plaid, or flannel and a black hat.

Look at Paul!! He really is a giant. The kids wrote tall tales and read them to Paul and they gave him a present!

Here are some students fitting inside Paul's Belt. I think 21 kids fit inside!!

Big Dreams

Eli had his pal Ryan over for a sleepover. The boys were talking in their sleeping bags on the livingroom floor while I laid on the couch and enjoyed their 6 year old conversation which went something like this.

Eli: My dad said that when I get good at shooting my bow and arrow, I can shoot rabbits with it. (sidenote: I'm pretty sure Dennis never said this.)

Ryan: Yeah. My dad said that when I get good at shooting my BB gun I can hunt rabbits too. Then I can shoot deer, buck, elk, antelope, black bear, grizzly bear, gophers, owls, eagles...

Eli: You can't shoot eagles.

Ryan: Why not?

Eli: I don't know you just can't.

Ryan: And I can shoot foxes, coyotes, wolves...

Eli: You can't shoot wolves there's only 7 of those left.

Ryan: Ok, I won't shoot wolves. But, I can go out west when I get bigger and shoot rattlesnakes.

Well, I don't know about rabbits, but haybales are a great place to start.

After hitting the haybale Eli said, "Am I ready to hunt rabbits yet?"

I think he needs to work on being able to pull the bow back himself before he can move on to hunting rabbits... Where do these kids come up with these things?

I Need To Write This Down

Lately, my kids have really been making me laugh and every time I think, "I need to write this down." So tonight I'm going to do just that. Eli just got a new student teacher. Here was our conversation about him.

Me: Eli, how do you like your new teacher?
Eli: I don't know. He's weird.
Me: What do you mean by weird?
Eli: He has floppy hair.
Me: You shouldn't decide if you like someone by their hair. You should judge them by...
Sadie (interrupting): Their body!

After laughing so hard we cried...

Dennis: I think what Mom wanted to say is that we should judge them by how well they treat you.

New Years 2012!

It's become a tradition for us to head to Napoleon, ND to visit Dennis' family over New Years. It has also been tradition for us to get snowed in, but not this year. This year there was no snow and mild 40 degree weather. It was odd seeing ND so brown this time of year. We all had a blast playing lots and lots of games (Qwirkle, Dicecapades, Pinochle, Blokus, Rummikub, not to mention 3 ipads, a kindle, a laptop and a PC--grandma and great-(great) aunt Carolyn even learned how to play Angry Birds!) with all of our favorite Sperles (Terri, Paula, Pat, Grams and Gramps, Greg, Michele and Jack, Megan and Andrew, The Meyers minus Emily and Carl, the Gees minus Adam and Kyle, Carolyn, and Christine and Tony). We even managed to go iceskating and we visited our favorite store, Nita's. We ate about 3000 cookies and somehow still managed to eat our meals with icecream for dessert.
We did not make it until midnight to bring in the New Year. Instead we said happy new year and good night at about 10:00. Can you believe that I didn't take any pictures? Argh. I need to get better at this. Anyways, Jack is 18 months and looks so much like Eli did at that age which means he is deadly cute!! Take a look back at Eli at that age and you'll see what I mean!

Too Many Presents!

I forgot to post the kids' ornaments from us this year. They're chicken ornaments that I made to represent their favorite chickens, Annie and Brownie. I made them from recycled sweaters. They turned out pretty cute, if I do say so.

Eli has been begging for a wii and Santa pulled through. The kids were pretty excited. Eli also got tons of legos, a mini pool table, a bow and arrow and hockey skates.

Sadie got squinkies, new earrings, a Barbie, some craft things, and this outfit from her Uncle Greg. She rocks it!

She also got these cute calico critters that I think are so cute. I found 50 pictures like this on the camera when I was putting them onto the computer!

Sadie and Eli gave each other homemade gifts this year. Sadie made Eli a tooth pouch that he can put his tooth in when he loses his tooth so the tooth fairy can find it. Eli made Sadie this pink flower barrett.

We went skating after Christmas to try out Eli's and Dennis' new iceskates. It was a perfectly wonderful time.

Some other present highlights:

:: Dennis got a Kindle Fire
:: Sadie picked out Grandma and Grandpa ornaments and paid for them with her own money!
:: I got 3 different levels of wool socks from Dennis. He must be tired of hearing "My feet are cold!"
:: Eli got me an alligator looking oven mit and garlic crusher. Sadie got me a jewelry box.
:: Dennis and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on Dec. 28. I bought him a cheap picture from Etsy. He bought me a painting from a local artist. I'm spoiled!

The Obligatory Pictures In Front of the Tree

We had a very relaxing Christmas at home. I love staying at home for Christmas and declared to my family that we weren't going anywhere, but everyone was welcome. And so they came. We celebrated early with Darren's family as they were going to International Falls to have Christmas with the in-laws. My parents stayed the longest ever arriving on Friday and leaving the afternoon of Christmas Day. We did family Christmas on Friday night. Reid and Anissa are at fun ages. Anissa just wanted paper and boxes and Reid loved everything and squeeled with delight after opeing every gift. Except the gift we gave him, which was a perfect Reid-sized backpack that he declared as being "just a little bit too big!" Eli and Sadie loved having their cousins over and were excited to watch them open their presents because for the whole month of December the kids have been finding toys and books that they declared they'd outgrown and wrapped them up for Reid and Anissa. Reid and Anissa had a lot of presents to open mostly because my kids loved wrapping up presents!

We spent Christmas Eve Day over at a friends house iceskating. I still can't get over how wonderful the ice is and how much I love iceskating. We let Eli open up one of his gifts early as he had a new pair of skates under the tree. Little did Dennis know that he also had a brand new pair of skates wrapped under the tree, but we made him wait. We went to Mass and both of my children fell asleep during the service which was at 5PM. We came home and had tacos for supper, which may sound a bit untraditional but it was perfect. Fast, tasty and my kids didn't complain! Then we opened presents and promptly went to bed as NORAD was telling us that Santa was in Illinois so we figured we'd better hurry!!

Christmas morning came early with the sounds of "Santa was here! Santa was here!" The kids opened presents and Sadie declared it a pajama day. We had Swedish Meatballs for lunch and watched the kids play wii which is what Santa brought for the kids. It was a nice relaxing, no stress kind of Christmas. Just the way it should be.

What I Got For Christmas

A local artist, Alice Blessing, painted this portrait of Eli and Sadie. The cool thing about Alice's technique is that she paints with her fingers! I'm so excited about how it turned out. I'm so happy with it. It's even better than I imagined. She captured Eli perfectly. She did give Sadie blue eyes, which she is going to redo into the melt your heart chocolate that they are. Then, I think Sadie will look perfect too. It's weird, I almost feel like they're teenagers or something.

Christmas Letter 2011

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Pond Skating

Growing up in ND, we would strap on our skates and walk down the gravel road to the coulee to skate. If we were lucky a dad had come and shoveled away the snow. The ice was always rough and the coulee small which left hardly any room for the girls to "figure skate" because the boys were hogging all the ice playing hockey. Not quite perfect but it was fun and it was all we knew.



When we first moved to MN, I'd heard on the local radio station about how rare perfect ice is on the lakes for skating. Usually because it's either windy when the ice freezes which makes the ice rough or because there's too much snow on the ice making it impossible to skate on. Well, this year the stars aligned and we have been given the gift of perfect ice for "pond skating" and we are so grateful. The ice is awesome: glassy, smooth and singing! We've been trying to take advantage of mother's nature gift and get on the ice as much as we can before it snows. It's actually quite nerve-racking. I know that the ice is a good 4-5 inches thick, but the ice is so glassy, it looks like at any moment you're going to skate right into the water. The kids are having a blast seeing through the ice and seeing the bottom of the lake along with frozen fish and all!

Sadie's Christmas Concert

The students at TLC pre-school put on a short Christmas program for their families on Wednesday night. It was funny and chaotic and cute. All of the things a Christmas Program should be. Sadie was very excited and wanted to wear her fanciest dress and have her hair done up like a princess. She wasn't feeling 100%, but I'd say she was way more involved than Eli was at his first Christmas program!! Here's a little hint of how the concert went:

Here is a cute picture of Sadie with one of her newest BFFs, Clara. Those girls have so much fun together. Not to mention that I love Clara's whole family. Clara's mom, Missy and I have become good friends this year. We spend a lot of time drinking coffee while the girls are at school!