Finishing up June

Luke and Liam played their first 18 holes of golf with Kevin Weigel and his son on Father's Day

Father's Day Golf with Jack and Kevin

Luke got to play in his first game since early March when regular season hockey ended and COVID began

Fishing

Luke and his entire team wore glasses that belong to another player on their team for the Youth Hockey Hub pictures


It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of June already!  We finished school on June 5th and we are enjoying Summer.  John and Luke and Liam enjoyed Father's Day on the golf course.  John took Luke and Liam to play 18 holes with Kevin Weigel and his son, Jack.  It was a nice day and they had a great time.  The rest of us headed to the neighborhood pool for a swim.  Aiden and Finn enjoy golf but 18 holes would definitely be about 9 holes too many!  

John's biggest gift this year was obviously the Jeep and we are really enjoying the nice summer weather in MN and driving with the top off.   It feels a bit like we are on vacation.  The boys love riding in it and its been a fun change.  

We are enjoying summer and thankful that our pool was able to open this year.  There was a lot of back and forth on whether or not it could open due to COVID.  Thankfully, the decision was a YES and we have enjoyed getting to go despite some of the new rules and restrictions.  Luke and Liam are enjoying the hockey camp they are doing this summer.  Its 2-3 times per week and includes ice, workouts, and dryland training.  Aiden is also doing a hockey camp and a basketball camp at the end of the summer.  Soccer (for Aiden and Finn) and lacrosse (for Luke and Liam) were both cancelled this summer, but we have managed to do some pick up scrimmages and a few socially distanced practices that the boys have enjoyed.  

Remembering George Floyd

The infamous Minnehaha Liquor Store that burned to the ground

Minnehaha Liquor Store

More destruction on Lake Street

Lots of cool graffiti

Minneapolis Police Department that burned 

More cool Graffiti

This is walking up Chicago towards the area where George Floyd died.  There are names of various individuals who have also died in a manner similar to George Floyd.  

Cup Foods where Floyd was killed. 

On the day we visited, there was an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence which is the amount of time Floyd was pinned down by the police officer.   

Standing at the corner of Chicago and 38th

Chicago was renamed George Floyd Avenue

Moment of silence

Graffiti on the side of Cup Foods 

We took the boys to see the area where George Floyd was pinned down by a Minneapolis police officer and later died on May 25.  The destruction of the stores and buildings where the riots took place on Lake Street was unreal.  There was damage and destruction everywhere.  We parked and walked around to see the damage.  Many stores were closed and boarded up, but there were still many people walking around and biking on the streets.  After viewing the area where the riots occurred, we drove down to the area where George Floyd died.  It was a somber and peaceful experience.  There was a church group having a peaceful protest outside Cup Foods.  They observed a very moving 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence in honor of Floyd and the time he was pinned down by the police officer.  There was praying and singing to honor Floyd.  It was an amazing site to see and one I won't forget.  While I don't have the answers as to what needs to change, we can't deny that something must be done.  I hope that seeing the destruction, devastation, and sadness over Floyd's death will make an impact on the next generation (our boys) and the change can begin now.

John's Jeep

John's Subaru that we purchased when Aiden was born

The new Firecracker Red Jeep!

John with the boys in their first ride in the new Jeep

                                                         Playing at the beach with friends 

                                                                           Finn at the beach

Charlie and Luke...very close in height!

                                                                   Finn with Charlie and Jack

                                                                                Aiden 

                                                    

                                 Enjoying ice cream inside a restaurant for the first time in 3 months

Birthday party Golf!  

The biggest event for us this week and perhaps for the entire summer happened this week.  John has discussed for many years that it would be fun to have a Jeep.  We have had pretty practical cars to fit our needs up until this point in time.  We purchase his extremely reliable, gas efficient, and safe Subaru when Aiden was born.  We decided on the Subaru because it was the only mid size vehicle that got great gas mileage and could hold all three of our carseats across the back seat.  We loved the car, but John was ready for a change.  We put his car on Facebook marketplace on Thursday afternoon and it sold within 4 hours for full price of what we asked for it.  It had 103,000 miles and we had at least four legit people interested.  It was crazy and it happened so fast.  

On Friday, we made an appointment to look at a few used Jeeps that we had been checking out online.  We had already narrowed down the style, color (or so we thought), acceptable number of miles, amenities, price, etc...We picked out a charcoal gray Jeep that we really liked and went to take a look.  When we got there, it wasn't exactly what we had in mind for a couple reasons.  The main reason was that the roof would not come off, it was only retractable.  So, we asked the guy if he had any others we could look at.  He took us back and we checked out several more Jeeps at various prices and mileage and some with amenities we wanted, but several without things we wanted.  As we looked, we saw a red Jeep and asked to look inside.  The Jeep looked brand new but was listed as a used vehicle and only had 14 miles on it!!  Not 14,000....only 14 miles.  Crazy.  It was a brand new car.  We quickly shifted from wanting a black or gray Jeep to convincing the boys we were getting a red Jeep!  We took the boys on a test drive and loved it.  So far, it has been such a fun purchase and we are loving the change.  Happy early Father's Day John!

With the Jeep, we did several other firsts this week including going to a restaurant for the first time in three months, attending a birthday party, and meeting with friends at a park.  It was fun to do some relatively normal things that we have all missed so much.  

School's OUT for SUMMER!!

Very fun end of the school year parade at Aiden and Finn's elementary school

First Day (left) and Last Day (right) of School

When you have a very important face to face meeting from home and you are sitting at a desk!

End of year gifts!!  

Aiden's teacher came to visit him at the end of the school year

Finn's teacher delivered donuts to every child in her class so they could all eat them during their last morning meeting of the year!

This was a final week of school and what a school year this has been!!  If someone told me at the beginning of school that by March we would have all four boys doing school at home and John working from home, I would not have believed it....Fast forward three months later and John is still working from home and the boys have graduated to first, fifth, and seventh grades.  Our summer doesn't look like previous summers, but we are all thankful to be healthy and we enjoyed our time together to reset over the last three months.

The final week of school was quite different from most years, but it was quite memorable.  Aiden and Finn's teachers both visited them at the end of the year.  Finn's teacher even surprised each child with a donut for the final morning meeting.  The elementary school had a fun parade and the entire staff was outside cheering the cars along as we waved goodbye to our teachers.  It is truly amazing to see how people have learned to live with COVID and improvise to make things work.  We were also able to see friends that we haven't visited with in three months and it was so good to catch up and feel like things were somewhat normal again.

Although I never actually wanted to be a school teacher, I can say that it was fun and I learned a lot.  I am still hoping and praying that they can go to school in person in the fall (and I won't be their teacher), but I enjoyed the challenge.  The boys (courtesy of John) surprised me with some end of year gifts that we have talked about getting for a long time.  We purchased an instant fryer and a new blender.  We are actually pretty excited about both of these.  The boys love smoothies and milkshakes and our old blender was barely functional.  The new blender is amazing. We are still learning how to use the fryer so send recipes if you have any.  I have heard they can be very helpful so we are excited to figure it out.  

Happy Summer!!!!  Hoping that the pool open soon for us!

COVID-Week #11

Finn is getting ready for his Virtual Decathlon for school

Social distancing Croquet in the yard with a neighbor

Aiden getting ready for his Virtual Decathlon for school

Working on his school assignment

I thought we would give a brief recap of the previous nearly three months that we have been mostly at home and in quarantine together.

Most Frequently Requested Game of any type:  Family Basketball

Favorite Dinner:   Beef and Noodles (a new recipe we received from a recipe exchange during the quarantine)

Favorite Saying:  "Two Claps for...."fill in the name (when someone does something good) and everyone claps!

Favorite Workout:  Peloton workouts with Olivia for Luke, Liam, and Mom; Finn enjoyed hikes and Aiden enjoyed basketball.  Bike Rides outside for Mom and Dad were also fun.

Favorite Movie:  "Greater", a movie on the life of Brandon Burlsworth.  We also liked the Fred Rogers movie called "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Favorite Show to watch at Night:  Brain Games on Disney+

Favorite Weekly Show:  Michael Jordan Dream Team on ESPN

Favorite Breakfast:  Luke's blueberry coffee cake

Favorite Hike:  Taylor Falls glacial potholes and waterfall

Favorite Board Game:  Clue

Number of 1000 Piece Puzzles completed (mostly by Luke and John):  5

Activity we are most excited to do again:  Hockey!

Favorite take out meal:  Pizza

Favorite Book:  Front Desk (Mom and Finn read this together and loved it)

Things the boys did to stay in shape and active:  Hill Repeats on the side of the house, Basketball, Ladder work in basement, shooting hockey pucks, bike rides

New Sport the Boys tried:  Mountain Biking

Number of Bikes purchased or changed during quarantine:  FOUR!  Luke and Liam both got new bikes, Aiden got Liam's relatively new bike from last summer, Finn got Aiden's bike

House Projects Completed:  Too many to count but they include...taking down and storing the boards for the hockey rink, cleaning out the basement and making an exercise area with a t.v. for workouts, cleaning out the garage, one bag picked up for dumpster, refinishing swing set, window cleaning, mulching, closet and room organization and cleaning, office cleaning.

Most hours spent in the office working:  John!

Number of teeth Lost and Visits from the tooth fairy:  3 (for Finn)


While I planned to do a recap on the blog this week of the things we have done over the last three months in quarantine, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the unrest in Minneapolis over the last week.

On Monday, an African American, George Floyd, was killed by a Caucasian police officer in Minneapolis when Floyd refused to get into a law enforcement vehicle after being apprehended for forging a $20 check.  This was the spark that lit the fire (literally and figuratively).  Since Monday, there have been both peaceful and not so peaceful protests downtown.

On Wednesday, the protests escalated to riots and portions of downtown Minneapolis were completely destroyed by fire and vandalism.  These are areas we have been to many times and have friends who live in these areas.  People had to be evacuated from homes, businesses were burned to the ground, windows were shattered on stores, all MN Target stores were closed for the entire weekend after looting and rioting inside, and so on.  It was beyond scary to see the destructive and violent behavior of many people.

A curfew was enforced by Friday evening as the rioting continued.  Interstates, restaurants, shops, etc... were shut down on Saturday evening by 7:00 pm.  We received a governor initiated phone call from our school district requesting that parents keep their children inside after 8:00 pm.  The National Guard, Red Cross, Minnesota Department of Safety, and others were organized by Saturday and the rioting and looting was thankfully stopped.  Law enforcement made several arrests, seized weapons, narcotics, handguns, and knives.

What have we learned from this?  I hope we have a greater appreciation and tolerance for others no matter what the color of their skin may be.  We have had many conversations over race and violence and the difference between a protest and a riot.  I hope we teach our kids to love and accept others despite our differences.  And I hope we can change the conditions in our society that continue to exist and allow an African American person to be treated differently than a Caucasian.  It's been quite a week here and one I will never forget.

“…I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”

MLK 1967

COVID-Week #10

Luke mowed the yard for the first time this week.  Flowers are blooming, we have had lots of rain, and we hope to plant the garden soon.

Finn's picture of himself for part of his distance learning

We finished Front Desk.  It was a great book that I would highly recommend for elementary age kids.  We just started "Auggie and Me" which is the backstory to Wonder.  We read Wonder and went to see the movie a few years ago.  

Luke got a new bike!  We have all gotten into biking over the quarantine.  

And less than an hour after they purchased the bike, this happened!  Muddy mountain biking on some trails nearby.  

Just a little muddy

But lots of fun

Every time I sit down to update the blog, I am amazed at how much things have changed for us in the last nearly three months due to the COVID pandemic.  It has definitely been a time of regrouping and refocusing.  A chance to find some clarity in what is really important and where we place our priorities.

The restrictions loosened a bit for us this week.  The stay at home order was lifted.  Restaurants opened for outdoor dining only or take out.  Churches, gyms, and hair salons, and pools are still closed.  We don't know about sports yet.  There is still some discussion about what to do.  At this point, we can have gatherings of less than 10 people and they have requested people wear masks and stand 6 feet apart.  We have 9 days of school left and we are all ready to be done!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

COVID-Week #9

A picture from my sister of myself (red life jacket), my Grandfather holding my sister, and my cousin Wesley on my grandfather's boat at his lake house.

My grandfather with Aiden in August 2010

My grandfather with Luke and Liam (July 2008)

Finn, Luke, and John playing hotbox in the backyard

Dance Party Friday for Finn's morning meeting "at school"

Goodbye Butterfly!

This one sat on Luke's hand for awhile

Fly Butterfly!

We finished Week #9 of quarantine this week.  It has been two months since we physically left the house for school.  63 days!?  Things are beginning to loosen a bit for Minnesota.  The boys were able to see a a few friends this week.  It was brief and they did outdoor socially distanced activities, but it was still awesome to see friends.  John is still working from home and the boys are still doing e-learning with school.  Aiden and Finn usually work from 9:00 am until 12:30-1:00 pm while Luke and Liam usually finish around 2:00 pm.

The butterflies were able to be released this week.  We had five monarch butterflies that the Easter bunny brought us in the form of teeny tiny caterpillars.  They grew and formed a chrysalis and we have been waiting for the weather to warm up enough to release them.  We finally hit 70 degrees on Thursday and let the butterflies go.  We are watching for them in the backyard!

My grandfather passed away on Mother's Day, May 10th.  He was 95 years old.  He was living in Texas near my Aunt Barbara and her family who were caring for him at the time of his death.  He was an entrepreneur, a well respected businessman, and a renowned dentist.    I spent a lot of time with he and my grandmother growing up and have many fond memories of time spent at their lake house learning to water ski and fish, and many Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners at their house with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Due to the pandemic issues, he had a very small graveside with only a few family members.  I am thankful for his impact on my life and the love and support he showed his family.