Circus

We got tickets for the circus from Sam's preschool, so we headed to Fargo with the Rittenour's. We enjoyed elephants, tigers, trapeze, high wire acts, unicycles, and some of us even enjoyed a little cotton candy. The kids each got a pair of crazy light up sunglasses.

Two New Holes

After the circus, Emily got her ear's pierced. She has wanted to for a long time, and we decided that after the week she had with her teeth, we would let her. I told her I could do it for free, but she didn't like that idea. She was a little nervous about it, but said it didn't hurt a bit. She thought that trading two teeth for two earings was a good deal.

Cousins In The Mud

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's on Saturday. The kids decided to go out into the field to retrieve golf balls. Guess what, the field was MUDDY. The kid's boots got stuck several times, but they did manage to get several golf balls. The mud was very sticky and the power washer worked the best for clean-up. The only kids smart enough to stay out of the mud were Alyssa and Sophie.

Supper at Grandma's

We ended the day with our normal meal at Grandma's. Macaroni and tomato hotdish, frozen applesauce, pickles and of course cookies for dessert.

Billboard Babe

Karen has been on at least three billboards for Dakota Clinic and I finally got her picture by one.

Wild Mountain

We went skiing with Joan and Wade at Wild Mountain last weekend. They are both Phy. Ed. teachers and brought their students to ski at Wild Mountain. Wild Mountain had a deal that the teachers could bring their families out to ski for free. What a deal! Thank you Joan and Wade. Unfortunately, that was when Karen and Emily had to go home to fix Em's tooth, so they couldn't join in the fun.

Rabbit River

The Rabbit has been rising, even though we haven't had much snow. I can't believe it will get much higher unless we get a lot of rain. The first picture was taken on Monday and the second today.

Great Green Party

We had the annual St. Patrick's Day party at Janet's (Karen's mom) new house. Or course, everyone wears Green!

Green Food

Everything we eat must be green. The food on the plate is bread, pork loin, jello, olives, green beans, and cheesy potatoes. Everyone loves the food (except maybe the first-timers). Maddie and Wes (Karen's sister Joan's twins) actually liked the food, even though it doesn't look like it. The cake was made by Karen's cousin Erika.

Dubbing

Karen's mom, Janet, dubs each of the kids each year. She says "I dub you 100% Irish for 24 hours, in the name of Grandpa Jack" as she taps them on each shoulder and then their head with her Dad's sword. Grandpa Jack started this tradition years ago (his picture is on the table).

Em

Emily and Karen arrived after the party was almost over. Em needed an emergency "Mini Root Canal" on a baby tooth. Karen took Em home to our dentist, then the emergency room, and then back to the party.

Iditarod Winner

The top picture is of Ella watching the winner of the Iditarod(Lance Mackey) go by us near the start at Willow. I picked Paul Gebhardt to win the race and he was fast enough to win me a pizza (see earlier post). Paul came in second, just like when I picked him in 2000!

Pinewood Derby

On Saturday, we started out in Hankinson, ND for the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. This is Alex's last year in Cub Scouts. The pictures show Alex applying graphite to the axels/wheels, his car winning a heat, and Alex with his trophy and car. Alex got 2nd in our pack, so he was excited about that.

Ranger Basketball

After the Pinewood Derby, we headed up to Grand Forks to watch Karen's cousin Stevi Seitz compete in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament. She starts for Regis University and they were playing the UND Fighting Sioux. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost to the Sioux. Congrats to Stevi and the Rangers on a great year!

Fancy Nancy

After returning from the Iditarod restart, we were in for a very pleasant surprise. We were treated to a Fancy Nancy supper. It was stupendous. That's a fancy word for great. Our meal ended with parfaits (a fancy word for ice cream sundaes).

Iditarod Restart

Today we went by snowmachine (snowmobile if you live in the lower 48), to watch the restart (actually the real start) of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. My sister Pam, her husband Tom, and Karen and I have a bet (pizza) on the race. Whoever's pick comes closest to winning gets a pizza. This is really a big stakes competition. Pam picked Robert Sorlie, Tom thinks Mitch Seavey will be first to Nome, Karen picked Ed Iten and I'm sure you would like to know the winner of the race so you can place a wager with your friends. Well, the winner will be Paul Gebhart. Sounds like a great guy doesn't he. Actually, he won me a pizza the last time I was up here and we had the same bet (in 2000).