Bikers invade Bowstring

Rich and Roger did the annual Jaunt with Jim Klobuchar bike ride this year. During the day off in Grand Rapids, we invited five fellow rider to the cabin for some lunch, bocce ball and relaxing.

Front row: John, Mary, Steve and Rhonda. Back row: Roger, Rich, Erin, Curt and Grandma Myrtle.

Four-generation photo

Sarah at the Bowstring Cabin with her mommy, Grandma Gloria and Great-Granny Myrtle.

Grandma and Grandpa Wynne

Sarah got to see her Grandma and Grandpa Wynne a couple of weekends ago. They brought Nanny over from Minot to visit Gary and Sue's cabin in Remer, then came to visit the Gordon cabin on Bowstring Lake.

As you can see, Sarah took it all in stride ... she loves everyone!

First taste of candy

When babies get their mitts on their first piece of candy...

... it's generally followed by the inevitable sugar crash.

Sarah "saw" her second movie today with Erin and I. We all went to "Mission: Impossible 3," and Sarah slept through nearly the whole thing, even the noisy explosion parts. A few weeks ago, her mom took her and her brothers to see "Over the Hedge."

Daddy daycare

Sarah and daddy got to spend a nice day together today. With the boys in Florida and mommy sleeping upstairs after working the night shift, we had some nice quiet time together. We worked on chatting together (Daddy: "Goo goo?" Sarah: "A-goooo ... gooo ... oooo.").

Here, Sarah is enjoying one of her favorite pastimes ... laying on top of the dining room table and watching her hermit crab toy (pictured) swing back and forth over her head.

Summer vacation begins!

Today was the last day of school for Noah, Lucas and Caleb. They rode home on the bus, then their dad picked them up for his first two-week stint with them this summer. Tomorrow they're all getting on an airliner and going to FLORIDA for about 10 days!

Caleb worried he would miss his mom, so he asked her to attach a picture of her to one of his stuffed animals so he could take it along. Erin will also be talking to the boys every night while they're away.

So it's suddenly QUIET around here! Erin is working her night shift at the hospital, and Sarah and Daddy are getting some quality time together. Tomorrow Daddy's going to start cleaning the house ... and this time, it might actually STAY clean for more than a day or two!

Sarah's great-grandma Myrtle

In April, Erin and I took a road trip to Bowstring, and Jamestown, N.D. so Sarah could see her grandparents. We also made it all the way up to Minot, N.D., for a couple of days so Sarah could meet her great-grandma Myrtle and great aunt Betty for the first time, and so Rich could see Minot for the first time.

Here's Sarah and her great-grandma Myrtle.

Sarah's great-aunt Betty

Sarah and her great-aunt Betty in Minot. It was Betty's birthday that weekend!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Betty!

Proud grandparents

Sarah's paternal grandma and grandpa, who love to spoil her rotten!

Sarah's first barrette

Sarah is 10 weeks old tomorrow! Yesterday she wore her first barrette, and here it is!

She had been getting up twice a night to eat, but just recently decided to cut back to once a night.

Her biggest pet peeve? BOOGIES!!!!

Erin and Max

Here's my favorite picture of Erin (with Max) from our first weekend together in July 2003. Max was about 1 year old then, and I took Max into the lake with me for his first time swimming. He seemed to really latch on to me after that, and maybe that had something to do with his "mommy" liking me, too!

"Hmmm, my dog likes this guy, so ... "

Our first date

Well, here's the day our lives changed forever ... for the better! This is Erin and Rich on their first "date," a drive to the Lost 40 park in northern Minnesota for a hike through the woods.

After we met online and communicated via computer and telephone for a while, I invited Erin to meet me at the Gordon Cabin on Bowstring Lake on July 4, 2003. She agreed, and this cute nurse from Fargo drove through the night (with Max the Lab along for protection) to meet me at the scary rest stop in Cass Lake. From there, I led Erin along the back roads to the cabin, where we arrived after midnight.

We chatted around the campfire, and the next day Erin and Max met Mom and Dad Gordon. We spent a great weekend getting to know each other better, and Erin and I found we got along great and had a lot of the same interests. We sailed, water-skied, boated and spent time in the sunshine. A great beginning!

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Greetings to all who might be interested in a peek into the chaos that is the Gordon Mob. Yes, there's never a dull moment at our house, whether it's Lucas and Caleb competing over who gets to "call a friend" next, Noah playing his recorder or singing at the top of his lungs, or baby Sarah informing us she's ready for her next bottle. Throw in Max the co-dependent chocolate lab and Moby the acrobatic kitty, and you've got all the makings for busy days for Erin and Rich. Anyhow, welcome, and we hope to keep you up to date about our family goings-on with pictures and words!