First Day of School

Claire started school again today. She is officially a 4th grader! Where does the time go??

More Summer Fun!

We have enjoyed a few rainy weekends at the lake this summer. When the kids can't swim, they head out in the boat for some serious fishing expeditions! Claire and Charlie fish for the "big kid" fish with their dad while Greta just tries to keep herself entertained. Needless to say, we have lost a few fishing poles in the lake this summer. I hope the fish are enjoying their new Barbie light up fishing pole! Daddy has even had a few moments where distraction led to a pole on the bottom of the lake. With the sacrifice of some wet clothes, Grandpa's smart thinking and a HUGE fishing lure, Brett's fishing pole was retrieved from the lake! Greta's pole did not again see the light of day but I am sure the fish are enjoying it as much as Greta!

Summer Fun!

Busy, busy, busy; that would be the theme of the Peterson's summer. We have enjoyed many weekends at the lake and Claire has enjoyed bringing her friend Jaiden along for the fun. We have had many campfires, caught lots of fish, tubed. skiied, picked raspberries and 4-wheeled to our hearts desire. Despite many weekends lacking sunshine, we were never bored, always finding a way to have fun! We are so thankful that Grandma and Grandpa Kelm have the "little cabin" next door where the kids can be kids without waking up Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Greta, we love you!!

My sweet little baby "tata" (Greta's nickname, Charlie couldn't say "Greta" when he was little) turned three this week. It seems like yesterday and the past three years have flown by. Greta is our little princess, our girly girl. She insisted on a princess party complete with a castle and a crown. She was the perfect princess at her party and she made me smile all day long. I love the way she cuddles with me with her same yellow blanket that came home from the hospital with her the day she was born. She gently rubs the blanket on her hand and then, she rubs mine. Her bouncy, curly hair fits her sweet, big personality. Greta is independent; no one will ever stop her from achieving her goals, even at the young age of three. Happy Birthday Greta, we love you very much!!

A wonderful 4th of July

We were blessed with a wonderful week at the lake with family, sun and fun. We started the week with a round of mini golf and Grandma beat everyone with four holes in one! We raced turtles in Longville where Claire and Greta's turtles won their heats (Charlie was a close second!). Greta learned how to do the chicken dance, the hokeypokey and the YMCA. Claire won a hula hoop contest and Charlie mastered the basketball game. We enjoyed ice cream cones at Frosty's and smores by the campfire. Charlie and Greta loved tubing behind the boat while Claire successfully learned to waterski! Mom and Dad relived their youth by proving to Claire, Charlie and Greta that we can waterski and kneeboard; yes "we still got it!" (quote from Brett).
We ended our week spending time floating in the lake with the family and enjoying the 4th of July festitivies in Longville. We munched on Grandma's traditional Coney Island hotdogs and apple pie. What a wonderful week, I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family with which to experience these wonderful memories.

And she is up!!!!!!

Claire was determined to learn how to waterski this summer. With many attempts, motivation and sheer determination, she succeeded in her goal! Claire got up on waterskis and stayed up (for a little while!). She continued to work at her newly found sport after her success. Her strong determination has convinced me that she will be a very accomplished waterskier by the end of the summer. Way to go Claire!!!

Congratulations, I am so proud of you!

For those of you who do not know, a little over a year ago I accepted a position as a nursing instructor for Rasmussen College in St. Cloud. I left a job I desperately loved to take this position; call it a higher calling. I started at the beginning and started teaching with the first official group of nursing students. Some call them the "guinea pigs", but I call them the pioneers. Through the past year, we have had bumps in the road, lots of stress but much more laughter and friendship. Being a nursing student is unlike any experience in the world; you grow a bond with your fellow students like no other in your lifetime. I have experienced this personally while a student at St. Ben's and now I have witnessed it in this truly wonderful group of nursing students. Despite the many times I have doubted my decisions about a career change, all the stress and long days have finally left my memory and have been replaced by the pride I feel by watching this group of students graduate. They have grown before my eyes and will make fantastic nurses. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to teach them. Congratulations everyone, you have earned it!!

A busy, fun weekend!

Claire and I spent Friday night sleeping with the animals at the Zoo Snooze at the Duluth zoo. We enjoyed the wild, fun night with her girl scout troop. We slept at the zoo and went on a hike at midnight observing the animals in the dark. We couldn't bring flashlights so all I concentrated on was trying not to trip and fall. Thankfully, we all survived the night!
Brett took Charlie and Greta to the Children's museum while I had a mom day with Claire. They loved petting the snake, playing with the bubbles and singing along with Shrek. It was a fun day spent with daddy!!!!
On Sunday while Brett was at the museum, Claire and I had the wonderful opportunity to see the Phantom of the Opera play at the Orpheum. Claire has loved this play since she was four years old (I know, so cultured for her age!). I took Brett to see the play when I was pregnant with Charlie and Claire fell in love with the music from the soundtrack. When the movie came to theaters a few years back, Claire insisted that she see it. She loved the movie and it is still one of her favorites! I always promised her that I would take her when the play came back to Minnesota. She was quick to point out the commercials for the play on TV, but I played dumb by telling her the tickets were too expensive. OK, I told a little fib, but I wanted the day to be a surprise!! She was so surprised when Brett dropped us off in front of the Orpheum under the marquis that read "The Phantom of the Opera". She squealed in delight and now she new why she had to wear a dress to the "museum" when Greta and Charlie did not. The show was awesome and Claire loved it! What a wonderfully crazy weekend!

The need for speed....

Charlie has officially found his new passion, BMX bike racing. I signed Charlie up for a class through community ed to allow him the opportunity to do something all by himself that was totally boy stuff and outside. He loved it; he loved catching some air on the hills, racing the other children and even crashing. He believes he looked "awesome" in his racing helmet. He enjoyed it so much, we plan to take him back for more. I guess I should be thankful that I am a nurse who will be prepared to bandage the wounds, bumps, cuts and bruises from future crashes and falls. As long as he has his cute little face protected, I think mom will be to handle his new past time.

A rainy night, spiderman and a ballerina

With rainy nights comes boredom for some people, but for Charlie and Greta, it lights their creative minds. First, Charlie dressed up as batman and Greta dressed as a ballerina. Batman saved the ballerina from the haunted island (couch cushions in a heap on the floor) and challenged her to a game of basketball. The laundry basket became the hoop and the plastic ball became the basketball. The ballerina, with her independent spirit, won by default when she stole the basket and ran away. I wish I could find that much fun in a laundry basket!!!

Piano recital

Along with dancing, Claire also takes piano lessons. While she admits she HATES to practice her piano, she is always very proud of her progression on the piano at the end of each year. We enjoy watching her play during her recitals and listening to her practice throughout the year!!

End of the Year Fun

Charlie officially finished his first year of preschool. To kick off the end of the year festivities, Charlie's class went on a fieldtrip to a farm. It is amazing how exciting children find simple things like farm animals, tractors, dirt, and eating lunch outside in the grass. Brett and Greta accompanied Charlie on his fieldtrip, they all had a blast!!!

A blustery day....for running

We spent our saturday morning enjoying the sunshine, wind and cold at the Sartell 5K My way event. I ran the 5K with a horrible head and chest cold with my almost 5 month pregnant sister, we were quite a pair! Despite our challenges and the 30 mph wind gusts, I somehow managed to beat my personal best time which made me very excited! Our official time was 28:37 (despite what was posted for results, they messed up everyone's times because the papers were blown by the wind!). Many of our friends also participated in the race which made the day even more fun! Greta ran her first 1K with daddy, Claire and Charlie. She had so much fun and ran the whole time! She even managed to grab the hand of the Sartell Lion and finished the race hand in hand with daddy and the Lion. That's my Greta!! Claire and Charlie ran their little hearts out, both finishing the race toward the head of the pack. Charlie's hair flew in the wind because he will not allow mom to cut it because his teacher "likes it this way". I guess he is trying to impress the ladies at a young age. Claire was excited about winning prizes after the event but very upset when her little sister broke her new umbrella. Never a dull moment here. What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!