Our Newest Addition, Sadie

We picked up Sadie yesterday morning. She's been really scared. She prefers the rug in the living room. She has started to walk on the tile floor in the kitchen and learned to go up the front steps. We got our first snow last night, so it was a little cold during the potty sessions. But she seems to be getting the house training, no accidents so far. We visit the vet today. I ended up sleeping next to her crate in the living room because she wasn't used to our bedroom yet and would not stop whining. I was hoping to have Bret get some sleep since he has his board exams tomorrow. Maren came down to sleep with us about 4am. We'll be taking naps over the next couples of weeks. Enjoy!




Our beautiful, new puppy, Sadie
(She doesn't really have blue pupils, but I can't figure out how to fix them.)




Sadie hanging out with the kids


Sadie in her kennel with Maren close by.

Brendan, Sadie and Maren

Sadie already is giving Maren kisses.

Sadie's first bath

Playing in the Leaves

While I was away in Vegas, Bret and the kids made a huge leaves pile. Keep in mind that it's nearly impossible to get all 3 kids to smile naturally at the same time. :>)


Rock on dude!

Old Baseball Pictures

Since now we have 2 cameras, I found some old pictures. These were taken after Connor got back from his trip to Chicago, hence the Cubs gear. Enjoy!

Ying and Yang

So, I was supposed to be thinking about whether to get a dog on vacation in Vegas, but honestly, I was too busy. After getting back, I had decided that yes, I wanted to get a dog. It was just a question of what kind, how old, etc. After trying to balance the wants of the kids and Bret, I decided to get what I had originally wanted--a English Springer Spaniel female. We're supposed to go and pick her up on Sunday. I'll post pictures once we get her (assuming all goes well).

Here are some pictures that I took before I left on vacation:


The puppies at 7 weeks


The girl that I had picked out

A Horrible Day!

On Thursday, I found my cat Rocky (the best cat ever, who thought he was a dog) dead in the woods. I had seen a white fluff in the woods the day before, but didn't realize that he was missing (major guilt!). On Thursday morning, the kids and I couldn't find him and I assured them that he was fine. After taking Brendan to school, I went back to investigate the "white fluff". Unfortunately, as I neared the area, I realized one, it was an animal; two, I saw the tail had gray stripes (like Rocky); and three, I saw his collar--it was Rocky. He had a significant wound on his left hip and his femur was exposed. He also had a wound on his left front leg and his lower left tooth was hanging out of his mouth. I can only assume that he was attacked by something wild and tried to fight back. Horribly, he lost the fight.

I'm trying really hard not to blame myself--if I would have only found him sooner, why did I let him out, etc. Guilt is a typical feeling along journey of grief, right?

We plan to bury him tomorrow on our land.

He will be sorely missed!
Good-bye, buddy!

Love you!

Vegas, Baby!

I made it back, alive and in one piece. So, although it was supposed to be a full week of relaxation, I didn't do much relaxing. I guess that I took a page from Bret's vacation book and kept myself so busy that I need time to recuperate from the vacation.

I stayed at Red Rock Resort from Monday to Friday. It was amazingly beautiful and my time to enjoy the good life (without kids). I spent some time in the spa and only got about an hour by the pool. The rest of the time I spent at the golf course, TPC Summerlin to be exact. I was a little worried that I would be bored going to a golf tournament, but I was pleasantly surprised--I loved it! I ended up walking more than 27 holes over each of 5 days. I saw many PGA golfers and a few celebrities, and of course, JT. He is an amazing golfer and fun to watch. He also played with Fred Couples (an old favorite of mine) on the pro-am day. Also, I met a PGA player at dinner one night, and I think that it was even more fun to cheer for him. Following his rounds, I got to meet his parents as well and what nice people. I was really lucky to meet them! I also met someone that graduated from BU (my Alma Mater), someone else from West Chester, PA (Bret's home town) and other fellow JT fans.

I went to JT's charity concert on Friday and it was amazing! Star packed and amazing music were compiled into a 3 hour concert. The concert was a ball--what can I say, I love to dance! I was up until 3:30a. I haven't been up that late since college. Boy, am I getting old!

My only true disappointment during my trip was on the pro-am day (Wednesday). I had gotten to the course early (about 6:15a) and followed several groups around the course. JT's group teed off at 11:30a and I followed them through their entire round. After the round, I waited patiently to get an autograph (I had told my kids that I was going to try to get it for them) and a picture. After waiting for over an hour, JT came out to sign stuff. After about 50 people, JT stopped. It just so happened that I was person #51. Granted, there were people behind me, but I was devastated. Maybe it was because I'd been in the sun for almost 12 hours, or because I had walked 27 plus holes, or because I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, I lost it. OK, it really sucked! Luckily, I called my family and they instantly put things into perspective. It didn't help, though, that every time after that when I talked to the kids, they asked if I had gotten his autograph yet. I felt like a failure as a parent, at least initially. Let's just say that it definitely wasn't my lucky day. I did try to remember that I had gotten to see his round of golf. OK, really, I'm a very normal person (usually!).

By the end of the week, I was really missing my husband and kids. Every time that I called home, I felt the wave of love travelling over the phone. The whole week emphasized how blessed I truly am. And, my stupendous husband had the house spotless when I got home. What more can a girl ask for?

I'm only sorry that none of my girls could join me!
Love to you all! Enjoy the pics!


JT after his swing.


Ellen Degeneres joined Justin for the first hole of the pro-am. It was comical!


Me with David Duval on the practice green.

Hunting Season Has Begun.

Bret is venturing into the deer hunting thing. And Connor is eager to follow, at least with small game. Bret and Connor had gone shopping for the traditional flame orange gear. After which, Brendan could not be left out!


Look at me, mom!


Stick 'em up!

Boys Texas Fishing Trip

Bret and Connor along with Bret's brother, Josh, and his son, Nolan, just got back from N Padre Island, Texas. They had great weather, but the fishing was a little slow. Enjoy the pictures!


Connor at the pier


Connor, again, at the pier


Nolan and Josh with a blue fish


Connor with a skip jack double


Nolan with his mahi-mahi and Connor with his shark


Nolan and Connor with angel wing shells with anemone's in the shells


An angel wing shell with an anemone, which has been fed a minnow (by the boys)

Visit to the Apple Orchard with Grandma Ellyn's

This past weekend, the kids and I headed back to Rochester to celebrate my mom's birthday. My mom and the kids were ready for a full day at 8:20a, while I was struggling to get moving. We first headed to the farmer's market. After that on the way to the apple orchard, Grandma offered some sweets at Daube's bakery. So, we all stopped for donuts, except for Maren, who had an Obama cookie. With full bellies, we headed up to the orchard for a wagon ride, 2 corn mazes, apple, grape and pumpkin picking, and kitten holding.

After the orchard, we were supposed to head home for lunch, then to Oxbow zoo. After eating lunch, Grandma and me were pooped. We spent the afternoon relaxing and picking raspberries. We then picked up Grandma's birthday cake, dropped Connor off at his friend's Austin's for a reunion with his old classmates and then headed over to the Isaak's for good company and food. Brendan and Maren got to play with their friend, Jacob and his little brother, Jeepers (aka Grant). Grandma enjoyed a plethora of sports with Jim and Louise got to catch up with Carolyn. Fun was had by all. Then we headed home to crash!

Enjoy the pictures from the apple orchard. I have some from the birthday celebration coming!

Winter's Not Far Away

I ordered winter stuff for the kids this past week. Go to sierratradingpost.com for great deals! The boots and Brendan's snow pants came, so the kids were practicing for their first snow day. Brendan keeps asking me how many days until it snows and about how the leaves will fall off of the trees before it snows. What a smart (and cute) kid!


Maren and Brendan ready to face the elements!

My cute baby

Maren and her girl, Annie

(our mouse/bird/rabbit killer)

Brendan's First Day of Preschool in Duluth

Brendan has been counting down the days until his school started and it finally came. He was so excited that he packed his new green backpack full of "school supplies" and his Webkinz. It was almost bigger than him.

Brendan's New Preschool Teacher

Although Brendan hasn't started preschool yet here in Duluth, he did get a home visit from his new teacher. He, of course, was thrilled. He'll start next Tuesday and go 3 days a week (Tuesday thru Thursday). We both can't wait! We're working on him remembering her name. She also gave him homework, which he thought was really cool. He's got his homework, school supplies and backpack all ready to go for next week. The count down started last Tuesday (the day of the home visit).

Brendan and Mrs. Jennifer Sundahl

Another Knife River Outing

Well, a new adventure destination for us is the Knife River. It's just a few minutes north of us along Lake Superior and it's a great place to go exploring, swimming, minnow and crawfish catching, etc. We had been once with just us (see earlier blog), but over Labor Day weekend, Josh, Bridget and their kids joined us. Josh, me and the kids all enjoyed jumping off the rocks into a pool. Enjoy!


Louise, Maren, Bailey (cousin) and Brendan


Nolan (cousin) sunbathing







Josh jumping off the rocks with Bret cheering him on.











Then Connor's turn.




Then Nolan (above) and Maren (on the left).









And finally mom; who says that you can't walk on water?