Friday at the Dakota Zoo

Ben and Grace and I have been searching for things to do this summer.  Preferably things that are free :).  Since we have a Zoo Pass and haven't been to the zoo yet this year (it's been closed until a few weeks ago because of the floods), we had to make a trip on Friday.  It was a perfect zoo day, not too warm and not too crowded.  We rode the train, had cotton candy and got to see Zebras and Gibbons that were on loan from the Minot Zoo, which is closed because of the floods. 

A Gibbon ...they were really cool.  The monkeys are my favorites.

Hello Scary Raccoon, please don't claw my eyes out.  Grace said "Does someone need a hug?" like Buddy the Elf does on 'Elf' LOL.  I thought he was going to attack us right about then.

We got most of the entryway painted.  Pictures of that to come...we still have to get new laminate and a hall tree.  Oh, and frames for the Grant Wood prints I got for the wall.  So maybe not pictures too soon LOL.

Tyler may get to come home for a few days before we take him down to college!  We're excited to see him, we all miss our brother. 

Happy 14th Birthday Matt!!

Our little Matthew is 14 today!  He bought a new TV for his room with all of his birthday cash...a big Thank You to everyone for his cards!  His birthday dinner of choice was Applebee's, where he gorged himself on his favorite food...buffalo wings.  We came home and sang Happy Birthday and had cake, now he's back to doing what 14 year olds do best:  playing XBox 360 :).  We love our crazy, witty, smart 14 year old kid!

Painted garage door

We got the garage door and the side entry garage door painted last week.  It looks really nice!  Much better than it was, I think.  I also put some black numbers on the front door.

This is the half-dead pathetic Locust tree that needs to be removed in our front yard.  2 big branches blew down in a storm the other day...too bad the whole thing didn't blow away!

Hello? Is this thing on?

I'm a slacker, I admit it.  I won't even give excuses, I'll just make a new post and that's it (Ok Tyler??).  We have had a busy, busy summer so far.  Lots of traveling and swimming and playing with friends and going to camp.  Last week, Matt went to camp over in Medora.  It was Night Life camp again, so they slept during the day and stayed up at night.  He had lots of fun...he had a couple of friends there too.  He was super tired this weekend though!  Of course he wouldn't allow pics.  We came over to Jim's on Friday, it was New England's 125th anniversary and they had a lot of stuff going on.  Friday evening we went on a bus tour to the top of the East Rainy Butte.  It was really interesting, lots of indian lore and artifacts.  The tour guide was an archeologist and has studied the Rainy Buttes for many years.  Grace was terrified that the bus was going to go over the side of the butte (I have to admit, a few times I was too :) ).  I have pics to put on here, but for now it'll just have to be narrative because it's really hard to upload pics on Grandpa's computer :).  Saturday we went to the New England parade.  Grace saw her friend Paige there, Paige's grandparent live in New England.  It's funny because she just lives around the corner from us on Laredo Dr., and she was in Grace's class last year.  Small world!  Another small world...there were about 20 people on the bus tour, and 2 of them were college students from the University of Iowa. 

I took the kids to the pool Saturday afternoon, and Matt met up with his camp friend Connor.  Rich & Grace and Ben set up the tent in the afternoon too, and they all slept there last night.  G & B woke up and came inside at 5:15 am and plopped on the couch like they were all set to watch TV for the day.  Um, NO!  I made them go back to bed and I had to wake them up at 9:40 :).  Today Rich and Matt headed back East...Rich took Matt to his next camp 45 miles NW of Jamestown.  After a crazy event-filled trip (tornado warnings, guy whose car started smoking in front of Rich...R gave him a ride back to Bismarck, more tornado warnings), Rich got back home this evening.  Grandpa and I took Ben and Grace over to Medora camp this afternoon too.  They were SO excited, especially Grace!  She seriously couldn't wait to get there.  No separation anxiety there!  I'm staying at Jim's until Tuesday, when we go back to Medora to pick Grace up.  Ben's camp goes until Friday....Grandpa will pick him up and Grace and I will go pick Matt up on the other side of the state :).  Then I think we're done for awhile.  We'll go to Iowa City to take Tyler to college on August 18th, then Grace starts cheerleading practice on Aug. 23rd and school starts Aug 25th!  The summer has flown by. 

Busy busy week!

Yesterday was a crazy day.  Ben had his 5th grade all elementary school track meet at the Bismarck Community Bowl, which is where the high schools play football.  Rich and I went out for a little bit and saw him do the long jump.  Or foot jump in his case :) .  Oh well, he had fun!  He also ran the 400 relay and did the shotput.

After that, Ben had his final Guitar Club, and they did a little show for the parents.  I took a couple of videos with my camera, but so far I haven't figured out how to upload them.  You don't want to miss Ode To Joy :)!

Then in the evening, Matt had a choir concert.  It was a really long day!  Today Grace came out of school carrying a spruce tree.  Her Fire Prevention poster won for 2nd grade, and the tree was her prize!  Now to figure out where to plant it.

Rich and I got the accent wall painted this week.  I think it turned out really well!  Although Matt, Tyler, and Rich all mentioned how they thought it looked like Iowa State colors :P,

And while watering my flower boxes, I noticed this huge dragonfly clinging on for dear life.  It's body is so big...I've never seen one this big.  It almost looks like a small bird :).

I'm positive that next week will be much calmer, what with getting ready for graduation and all.....HAHAHA!

Tyler's Art Show

Tyler has some of his art in 2 art shows in town.  The first in the Juried Art Show at the Bismarck Art Center, which is where different pieces of art are hand selected from local high schools and are judged by an art professor from Minnesota State University in Moorhead.  There were about 100 different drawings, paintings, & sculpture on display at the Art Center.  Tyler's didn't win there, but it was a huge honor to even have something selected for the show.  His drawing is charcoal, and is titled "Emptiness".

The second show was at his high school.  It's the Bismarck Public Schools Spring Art Exhibit, and featured pieces from the public middle schools and high schools (there are 2 of them).  Tyler entered 3 of his things.  Art 1 and the middle school pieces were judged separately from the Art 2 & 3 pieces.  There were 3 big glass cases of Art 2 & 3 pieces, with probably 20 or so things in each case.  So out of 60-70 pieces of art maybe 8 won an Artistic Merit Award, and one of Tyler's won!!!!  He was so excited!  Here is his winning drawing...it's a charcoal drawing on pieced newspaper.  This one is called "Lies of Republicans"   :) .

These are the other two he had entered.  The first is a coffee painting...they used different strengths of coffee to paint with.  It's Gandhi.

And this one is of a mountain goat:

He also got a Presidential Education Award:

We're very proud!  And Kudos to Matthew Joseph for holding down the fort and making his brother and sister dinner....French Toast Sticks and Ramen, the dinner of champions!  :)

Matt's confirmation & the Blizzard Prom

We had a blizzard yesterday, Saturday April 30th.  It was so awful.  And Tyler's girlfriend Rachel and her Dad drove up from Iowa in it!  Bismarck's prom was yesterday.  The poor girls in their nice dresses and pretty hair!  It had stopped snowing by the time they left, but the wind was terrible.  Rachel didn't feel very well, but I think they still had a good time!

We told them to make a cold face LOL.  You can see the snow in the background!

Let's see your breath!  :)

And Matt got confirmed this morning in church.  He has a great mentor named Don who has been to every Wednesday evening Confirmation class to be with Matt.  He keeps a journal and writes about Matt often.  He's a really nice guy, and Matt was lucky to have him as a mentor this year.  This pic is from the Confirmation Banquet on Tuesday.

Rich and his goofy face :)

This morning before church

Don and Matt standing in front of the congregation being introduced

All of the kids

and the whole gang :)

Had to get a pic in the yard with the snow on May 1st :)