Sarah the Social Butterfly

Sarah got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Gordon over this past weekend, and on Monday night they took her to a reunion at her great-aunt Sue and great-uncle Gary's cabin near Remer, MN. Here Sarah and her Grandma Wynne watch her cousins Peyton and Zane play in the sandbox.



Sarah with both of her grandmas. They don't spoil her AT ALL!



Sarah with both of her loving grandpas.



Aunt Libby feeds Sarah a snack. Mmmm-mmmm good!


Sarah is pushing the envelope on height! At her 15-month checkup last month, she stood 33 inches tall and is in the 98th percentile for height.

Erin's 20-year reunion

We drove to Jamestown a couple of weekends ago for the festivities surrounding Erin's 20-year class reunion, and Rich finally got to meet many of Erin's friends from her high school days. Here, Robyn, Lara, Sonja, Erin and Rich hang out at The Brass Rail.



If only we had met in high school...


Classmates brought their children to the family picnic on Sunday, and Erin rented an inflatable jumping gym for the kids to play in. Here, it looks like she's breaking up a fight between Sarah and another kid! On the right, Rich eagerly waits for his turn. :)

Summer scenes

After dropping Sarah off at the sitter's and visiting our financial planner, Erin and I ate pizza at Fat Lorenzo's Restaurant and then took in a view of downtown Minneapolis at a water tower known as "The Witch's Hat."



Sarah has been sharing her new new froggy sandbox with our neighbor kids, whose parents came from Belarus a few years ago. From left are Mark, Daniel, Erin, Karina and Janet. The neighbor kids speak Russian and English, and Karina (who will be going into third grade with Caleb and Lucas) helps translate a bit when we speak with her parents.



Another shot.
It's been slow going for Rich in painting our backyard fence, but it will be worth it when it's finished. Painting with a brush is the way to go ... the sprayer doesn't get the paint into the wood nearly as well.

Jaunt with Jim 2007

Rich just got back from the 33rd annual "Jaunt with Jim Klobuchar" bike ride. This year we rode 400 miles around the Iron Range in northern Minnesota, starting and ending in Beaver Bay on the North Shore. Here's Rich atop the Skibo Overlook with the eastern Iron Range behind him.



At a rest stop in Tower, Minn., Rich climbed on an old steam locomotive with friends Al and Mary.



This year's trip was HOT! We dealt with practically no rain. Here a bunch of us relaxed after lunching on sloppy joes in Cook, Minn.



Here's Rich with old friend Bob Lincoln at the Hull-Rust Mine Pit near Hibbing, Minn. This mine is the largest open-pit mine in the world, and is nearly two miles wide!



A beautiful sunset on the last night of our ride in Hoyt Lakes, Minn.

House gets a facelift

This past week we've had five college kids crawling around our house, giving it a new exterior paint job. We went away from the old "beach sand" yellow and chose a green and white paint scheme Erin saw on a new house in Brooklyn Park. Last Friday we took the whole family over to that house to see it, and Erin even got out and asked the owner if we could use our paint swatches to "borrow" their scheme. This picture shows the completed job, minus the shutters, which will be a dark gray-green.

A walk in the park (front yard)

Sarah has turned into a walking SUPERSTAR!!! Here she takes a spin in the front yard on a beautiful sunny day. Look at that determination ... her tongue's out!



For a daddy, there's nothing like holding your daughter's hand while she walks!



Gettin' cuter every day!

Bo the Bunny goes home

Erin came home from work this morning, checked on Bo the Bunny, and found him to be lively enough to be released. So she and the boys let him go in our backyard today, after a free night's stay in our garage.

Bunny visitor

We have a new bunny friend! Erin went out to the garage this morning to get Max some more dog food, and she scooped up this little guy! He must have hopped through the doggy door in the garage. He's a little weak, but pretty docile, so Erin decided we have to keep him in a cage we have and nurse him back to health.



Sarah is enthralled with the bunny! We asked her what his name should be, and she said something like "Bo." So Bo the Bunny is staying for a week or two...

Rich takes the kids to an airshow

Last Sunday while Erin slept, Rich took all four kids to Anoka County/Blaine Airport to see the small airshow that's put on there each year. Here the kids are posing in front of a small Hughes helicopter.


It was kind of cold and windy outside, so we went into one of the two museums that are on the airfield and saw many restored planes while we warmed up. I don't know what kind of plane the boys are posing in front of here, but they're sure cute!



Lucas wanted a picture in front of this airplane, and it was a fine choice! This is a Ford Tri-Motor from the 1920s and '30s, and this particular airplane even flew Mrs. Charles Lindbergh on a trip to Mexico and back.



We stuck around long enough to see this flight of four North American AT-6 Texans fly past a couple of times.

Bikers' BBQ

Last Saturday we had many of our bicycling friends and their family members join us for the day. Nine of us went on a 26-mile bike ride through Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove and Dayton. When we got back to the house, we showered and enjoyed a barbeque with hamburgers, bratwurst and lots of great dishes our guests brought to share. A special thanks to Bob Lincoln for manning the grill, and thanks to everyone who was able to attend! Such good company!



Sarah didn't much care to wear her sun hat and baby sunglasses, so daddy put them on for a spell!



Of course, Uncle John had to get in on the fun!

Snuggy and Captain Nerdo meet Princess Sarah

Caleb (Snuggy) and Noah (Captain Nerdo) were feeling frisky after their showers a couple of nights ago, and decided to hike their boxers up as high as they would go. We're going to have to monitor their sugar intake a little more closely! On the other hand, this will make a great blackmail photo for when they're old enough to bring home their girlfriends!



Sarah's new thing is putting her shoes on her hands and clapping them together. She's worn them on her hands for half an hour at a time!

Sleeping sweetie

This was a photo op that was too cute to pass up! It's amazing how fast Sarah falls asleep sometimes. One minute she was playing her game where she passes me her plastic balls and then takes them back, and the next minute she's out!

New bed for the twins

Erin and I spent this past weekend doing some furniture shopping to replace some of the items that were damaged in "the flood." In addition, we bought the twins a new bed at IKEA to replace their aging, decrepit bunk bed. Noah helped Rich assemble the bed, and Caleb and Lucas actually MADE THEIR OWN BEDS (!!!) with the new linens we bought them. They might actually want to go to sleep early this next week, until the thrill wears off!

Sarah takes her first steps!

Sarah took her first steps on her own on Wednesday, May 9th! She took advantage of our new floor and some help from mommy and Grandma Gordon to shuffle the three or four steps between them. Yay, Sarah!



Our cutie takes a break from walking to chow down some grub!



Grandpa Gordon was on hand to witness the big event, too!

Spring, and things are growing

Brains and bodies are getting bigger around here lately! Here, it's homework time.



Sarah still isn't walking on her own, but she loves to climb! Last night she got up onto the dining room table, which contained only Max's water bowl and a half-eaten container of applesauce, and made her own "applesauce stew." Before that, she had just taken a bath, so we got to dry her off again and change her clothes.



Big girl standing tall!

Geocaching, North Dakota style!

Rich went out looking for geocaches in and around Jamestown while we visited the Wynnes in Jamestown last weekend. Here's Noah holding one of the two caches he helped Rich find near the Pipestem Dam northwest of Jamestown.



A view overlooking Jamestown.



On the way to a cache near Ypsilanti, N.D. ...



Rich found a cache at the end of this point created by a sharp bend in the James River, which flows south from Jamestown through Ypsilanti. At 710 miles long, the James River is the longest unnavigable river in the world!


A couple of Ypsilanti residents graze near the James River.

A wonderful birthday gift

Rich turned 41 a couple of weeks ago, and for his birthday, Erin went out and bought him a new Trek Madone 5.0 carbon-fiber bicycle to replace his 15-year-old Trek 2100, which was getting a little long in the sprockets! Thanks, honey!



Daddy shows Sarah how to get into the aero position.

Easter in Jamestown, N.D.

The Gordons spent this past Easter weekend with Erin's family in Jamestown, N.D.! Here, the sleeping beauties grab a few winks on our way to Moorhead to pick up the boys, who spent the week with their father.



We stayed with Erin's parents, Lloyd and Kathy, at their house in Jamestown. Here we're having a pizza supper! Going clockwise around the table and starting at the front left are Caleb, Lucas, Noah, Peyton (Libby's daugher), Libby (Erin's sister), Sarah, Erin, and Zane (Libby's son).



Sarah with her great-grandma Myrtle, who lives in Minot, N.D., and was able to visit for Easter thanks to a lift from Lloyd and Kathy. Sarah loves her Nanny!


Myrtle (in center) with her two grand-daughters and her six great-grandkids.

A quiet week at home

The boys have spring break from school this week, and they're spending it with their father in Moorhead. So Sarah has been getting some quality time with mom and dad! This Friday we're driving up to Jamestown for Easter Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Wynne, Aunt Libby and Uncle Brian, cousins Peyton and Zane, and Sarah's great-grandma Myrtle! We'll pick up the boys on the way through Fargo-Moorhead. Happy Easter, everyone!