Where did the month go?!

Kids are in full swing with school. Owen has been to the apple orchard; Olivia has lots of homework every day; Gloria is going to the MN Zoo soon!

Apples are done - finally!!! We have been snacking on them for a few weeks now. YUM!!!

So much to share - its easier when someone is asking me questions I guess. Either that or I am just too tired to remember what we've been so busy with - actually... Dozinky was awesome - we got our picture in the local paper. Too funny! My 9th grade volleyball team took 3rd in the conference & we beat the 10th grade in a scrimmage. 27 days & counting until season end. I'll miss it the second its done. Religion classes have started! I love it - too bad the kids don't quite as much as I do.

Tim's plans are nearly set - Devils Lake here he comes. Our freezers are full of turkey and beef! Where will the ducks & geese go?!?

Sylvia asks every day if it is her birthday yet. Why do they want to grow up so fast?!?

School days, school days. Time for golden rule days...

SUPER CUTE "first" PICTURE OF OUR SONS

FIRST GRADE HERE I COME

MIDDLE SCHOOL HERE I COME

...Reading & writing & arithmetic. Watch out for the hickory stick.

Does anyone remember that song?!!? My dad used to sing it all the time as we drug ourselves out of bed day after day years ago. Funny how I am now dragging myself & Olivia out of bed. That's right- 6:35 A.M. she's outside waiting for the bus. Owen's bus time is 8:05am. This is such a delicacy these days! Of course we had to have an eventful 1st day - Olivia managed to get on the wrong bus after school - 4 or 10 does the bus # really matter?!?! I watched bus 10 zoom by our house & never came back. Needless to say about 1 1/2 hours later Owen's school called (after calling about every other district building) to let me know Olivia would arrive home with Owen. Since I was at the high school trying to work thru all of this my volleyball team was freaking out way more than I did. Just about the same thing happened when she was a kindergartner except she made it home in a much shorter amount of time~ enough about school!!!

Labor Day weekend was another GORGEOUS WEEKEND!!!!!!!! We nearly froze in the tent Friday night but Saturday & Sunday was not so bad. No ones fingers or toes turned black. :) Just about everyone looked like they had the chicken pox (except Daren) from all the small, tricky, nearly invisible mosquitoes they have up north. Still itchy...

Labor Day can never go by without the McGregor cornfeed!!! It was a mildly off year - The Lemke family only ate about 146 cobs of corn in 5 hours this year which ties last year's number. Tim & Josh tied for the guys at 16 cobs each usually its over 20. I'm not sure where I put it but I blew everyone out of the water in the women's division (again) eating 13 cobs. I am proud of this but keep thinking I must have miscounted?! I know I wasn't that far from Tim in the last hour - he was at 14 & I at 10. I threatened to catch up & thus we both added a few more cobs before it was all over. Man it was fun!!! I even took 2 of the nieces, Syli & Glo to the dance area to polka for a little while.

I love bragging, I mean updating... since it was so beautiful I couldn't wait to go water skiing again - its been about 10 years. Tim claims he has never seen me water ski but his memory deceives him since I know I did once at the cabin. Year after year I watched him get better & better being pulled behind the boat (although he can't do one ski yet) while I sat in the boat with a child in my abdomen. :) This year it was going to be me back there!!! So finally Monday as we ignored the fact it was time to go home I jumped into the freezing cold Lake Minnewawa & slipped on those skis. It was great to be back there - no matter what Tim tells you I loved it! Maria asked if I got to go skiing & all I said is I decided I am getting older. I need to figure out how to use these muscles that are so super sore & get them back into shape before next year.

Have to throw this out there...Dozinky is only a week away!

August 24th

Where do I start?!? (I think I will regret staying up so late to update but I guess its worth it!) I don't know what it would take to end up having a nervous break down but I can honestly say with the chaos around here these days I am doing pretty well!

:)

This picture kind of sums up our weekend. No animals to show this year, but we worked the food stand for 5 hours on Sunday! What projects shall we take up for next year!?

I can't leave out the Saturday morning that we had... 2nd place in our end-of-summer volleyball tourney!!! It was awesome - why does it have to end?!?! We had another totally talented great wonderful team this year. I can't wait for next season/summer already! A total of $200 in prize money for the year - not too shabby!!! Oh and really the best accomplishment is we were voted by our peers as Most Sportmanlike Team - that is truly an honor in an adult league for any sport!!!

Work - is that something I am supposed to update you all on?!? 1 week down & about 10 to go... 9th grade volleyball that is... we scrimmage Belle Plaine Tuesday - we'll see if this year's freshmen players learned anything in the past week.

We had a huge meeting at church tonight. It is completely amazing how one little idea can turn into a meeting of 100 people. I love God.

And then there is August 24th... our beautiful daughter had a birthday today. We used to refer to her as pumpkin some time ago. Middle school here we come! If I could only share every moment we've ever had with our oldest... she didn't think it was the greatest of ideas either - I love being a mom. (Imagine what it was like giving birthday spankings - holding back 4 younger siblings waiting their turn!) Hahahahaha!

Where does the time go?!?

I can't believe it was August 4th since I posted. Sorry - too much enjoying summer - who has time for computer?! I think I'm finally catching on the options in making this better than just words! :)

LOOK AT THIS PLACE!!!!!!!

The most important thing I can update you on the the enormously pleasant time we had celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary!!! It was great pretending there was nothing to do for 2 days. I didn't realize how nice it is to give my husband all my attention. (I am trying to keep that in mind now that the weekend is long over.) What better place to go than a bed & breakfast in Duluth?! It is a Minnesotans' Hawaii, right?!?! Funny thing is on Saturday it was November-like weather. Sweatshirts, jeans, & fog - not Hawaii-like!

What a great time we had!!! (We really couldn't tell there was 12,000 extra people in town for the legendary annual Duluth Blues Festival every 2nd weekend of August. Our Inn Keeper informed of this as we checked in & asked how many reservations for meals we had. Really we never had to wait for anything & enjoyed music any where we walked!)

MID-MORNING IN DULUTH
_______________________________________

EVENING, AFTER DINNER & A NIGHT ON THE TOWN
I was amazed at how much we did in essentially 29 hours: dinner at elegant restaurant(we now know what "creme bruulA" is), walk miles around Lake Superior & Canal Park, receive a new diamond ring, tour the US Navy Museum of ships in Canal Park, lunch at Green Mill, snacks from a candy factory, elegant dinner on a scenic train ride, hang out at various places in downtown Duluth (listened to a Blues/Jazz band at a club), Sunday Mass, renew our wedding vows/ring blessing, scenic drive up-shore Lake Superior and finally hike around Gooseberry Falls.

It was absolutely perfect, sunny warm weather on Sunday...

...and life goes on...

School here we come... Olivia has 3 different days to be at school before it starts & I know Owen has an Open House we need to go to also. Backpacks are filling up with all the goodies on those dreaded school shopping lists.

Hunting season isn't too far either. Tim was gone all evening yesterday with the new work buddy shooting clay pigeons & having a beer or 6 afterwards. I think there is a few reasons beside the work why he likes his new job! (Scary thing is Ryan, the work buddy, last name is Lemke too!!!!! No relation to our Lemke family! Weird.) Tim & I are trying to figure out how to make it thru another hunting/volleyball season without getting wires crossed & keeping schedules straight for 7 people. Oughtta be interesting!!!

Not enough time

Sorry to make this short... it's like going through a tunnel. Summers coming to an end. Is the air running out in here?!?! Olivia's birthday isn't far & hey wait - mine is on Friday!!!

See- I almost forgot!

It only took 3 weeks for me to forget to post something. Things are kind of a blur right now... is summer really over?!!? There is the looming school supply list calling my name already. Nanny plans are set for starting in only 3 1/2 weeks; then it is school every day! Volleyball season here we come. I wonder how many freshmen girls will take on the great sport of volleyball this fall?

So we spent the weekend running to Montgomery & back. (Kolacky days & I didn't even have a kolacky?! Not right!) It sure is fun to dress up to show off the Czech culture. The girls did a great job dancing. There are so many people that appreciate what they do (especially mom & their dance teachers)!

I can't forget about the fun 4H meeting we had too... Sunday about 4pm almost the whole 4H group took over the state biking trail in Waterville. 6 miles to Elysian & 6 miles back... we had our monthly meeting at a rest stop in Elysian to take a nice little break. The kids would probably say the ice cream shop was the best part. There was 5 adults & 12 kids that went 12 miles; it was so fun. We used to bike a decent amount (when there was like 1 kid instead of 5) so it was just like old times again.

Summer Fun

First things first - Prayer requests please...
prayer of thanks, the doctor figured out what is wrong with my horribly sleepy brother; Kevin was diagnosed with Lyme disease but handing it quite well. Our niece Genna Lemke (1 month old on the 17th) is being treated for meningitis; she has spent way too much in the hospital for being a month old. God please guide her nurses and doctors; give Jim & Angie the strengths they need each day. Thank you very much for keeping our dear family in your thoughts.
OK, summer fun it is!!! Where did the weekend go?!? Friday night we spent at grandma & grandpa Lemke's. It's been a while & it was very nice to see them again! Needless to say we enjoyed celebrating cousin Lauren's 3rd bday again; who doesn't love having extra dairy queen treats even though you celebrated earlier?! Can't forget to mention the delicious BBQ sandwiches we had for supper from BBQ days in Belle Plaine. Saturday there was Czech dancing practice before packing for camping. We were off to the BBQ days parade & then The Steele's for a party-like-rock-star-volleyball-playing-nuts evening... the kids had fun too since I truly couldn't count how many kids were at their house!!! No giant slip-n-slide this year since the temp was only 65 degrees around 4pm. Bummer. Sunday we visited a little longer with our friends before coming home & essentially wasting an absolutely gorgeous day by watching Parent Trap to catch up with the energy we lost the night before. No question it was nice sitting & watching a movie with the kids. (No one napped of course.) I don't know what will come of it but we ended up in the plot we call a garden for an hour or so. If any veggies grow before November I'll be shocked (although the handful of peas pods I got were pretty good!). Let's see and after the little bit of weed combat we ran to Le Center to cheer on the older 4H kids in the end of the season softball tournament. Supper was a quick stop at the grocery store in town for hot dogs we threw in the microwave along with some watermelon. Time for fireworks!!!!! We settled in nicely to the blanket-city on the Belle Plaine baseball field with the rest of the Lemke group. 10pm sharp the lights went out & NOT KIDDING the best fireworks ever (for a town of about 4000) began. It was SSSOOO cool! And that was a summer fun weekend!!!

Everyone needs to pray for rain! We have been watching cloud after cloud go by & just a few drops come out. God bless our wonderful guests that were at our home for a week! May their trip back to the mountains be safe and relaxing. (Just about anything is more relaxing than our house!) :) Softball was fun tonight; the whole family came to cheer. Losing by 3 was mildly painful~ there is always next year I suppose.

Throwing in the towel

So I may actually try to keep up with this... most of you know I am anti-facebook so I am not giving out more than anyone needs to know. :)
We'll see how it goes...

PAINTING THE HOUSE

The good things that people do...
This can catch a person off guard!

Isn't weird when a person tries hard to be nice and doesn't know how to react when the kindness is returned? Being nice is just the right thing to do. When you least expect it the kindness returns through others. Why would anyone have a hard time when someone offers to do something nice?

I just don't know what to do or say.

Feb. 4th, '06

What kind of wonderful things can you see/read here about us!