Dedication Sunday

This past Sunday we had the wonderful privilege of dedicating Callie and Sadie. Due to all of Callie's medical issues in the past, we had to wait a couple of years before we were able to do so, but it was a great celebration to bring her, along with her little sister, to publically present before God.

Callie and Sadie Medders Dedication from Prairie Heights Community Church on Vimeo.

Summer Stories

I have a few things in mind to write about but for now my time to write is short. Just so you know we are still around and doing well, I will leave you with some Wyatt comments from the past few days.

We are well into summer here in Fargo and the weather has been quite lovely - in the 70's and 80's. The other morning Wyatt came downstairs dressed for his day, in shorts and longsleeves. I told him that he would probably get hot in long sleeves and he told me not to worry because he had short sleeves on too so he would be fine.

Wyatt somehow got a circular scratch above his right eyebrow which he was pretty excited about. He said, "Mom, I look like I am from China now! You know how those people from China have dots on their forehead?"

At least he pays attention (somewhat) to his "People of the World" book. I guess we just need to differentiate a little better between China and India.

The Boy

I just asked Wyatt to clean everything off the floor of his room - toys, pajamas, dirty clothes, etc. The end result was not what I expected.

The part that gets me is he was not doing this for spite. He just thought it was a creative way to do what I asked him. He was kind of sad he wasn't able to pick up the heavy furniture as well.

Pictures

We took the kids for some photos recently. That was quite the adventure. Wyatt was well behaved and did just fine. Sadie was her usual laid back self and was quite content no matter how she was posed. She wasn't much for smiles, but she never got sad or fussy. Callie, on the other hand, was a wild child. She didn't want to be in the same room as the camera equipment, let alone sit still or cooperate in any way, and she was sure to let her feelings about the subject be known. Fortunately, the photographers were very patient and we ended up with some nice shots.

Sadie was the first child to ever use this basket. She liked it.

Still just hanging out in the basket.

Our one picture of all three kids together - each doing their own thing.

"Ta" made a surprise appearance at the photo shoot. Callie didn't care for the rocking chair but Ta enjoyed rocking.

Once we told Callie she could dance, she decided pictures would be fun. This is my absolute favorite picture. Even though I can't see Callie's face very well, it just captures the essence of Callie. It also just reminds me of the other girls, though I am not quite sure why.


This is the handsome 5 year old, looking older than five.

Girl with the Green Thumb

I wish I had a green thumb. I really do. Especially since most of the homeowners on our block have been blessed with the ability to have immaculate lawns and landscaped flower beds. I, however, do not have either of the above. But I also have three children who are pretty time consuming, so that is my excuse for now. Instead of pulling weeds and picking flowers and tending to my yard, I referee children who are pulling ears (seriously, not sure why they do this) and picking on each other. But this weekend, I finally decided that something needed to be done to our front yard to make it a little more appealing. So I purchased about every shade-loving plant I could find and attempted to make some kind of appealing flower planting arrangement. But wouldn't you know, as I was working hard to figure out what to do, I realized that Callie might be my child with the green thumb, as long as it involves wearing planters for hats, relocating dirt to various and sundry places and playing with any worms you might come across in the process.

Trying on the hat.

Hat fits, now we work. Move dirt from one location to another.

Move more dirt.

Find a worm to play with, and life is good!

Breakfast on the Farm

Today we spent the morning at Breakfast on the Farm. This required us to get up at 6:10 AM to head out to the country for a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage and strawberries. I was not thrilled with the incredibly early wakeup time and wasn't sure how the kids would do. But they did surprisingly well. Callie was thrilled to be going somewhere and Wyatt was pretty excited about going to a farm. Sadie was her usual laid back self and slept until late morning.

The breakfast was held at the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, MN. It was a beautiful drive to get there and there was so much to see and do once we were there. Wyatt participated in the kid's pedal tractor pull. He won a terrific door prize. We were able to see many steam tractors, old engines, and a variety of farm animals. The two older kids had a great time (as did their parents). I suppose next year I will be reminding myself of how much fun it is when I have a hard time rolling out of bed in the wee hours of the morning.

Oh, for something fun, I am including a picture of our breakfast last year so you can see how Callie has changed in one year. It is absolutely amazing!

Wyatt pedaling hard.

He didn't get a trophy, but he won a door prize - a die cast metal Ford 8N tractor with a flare box wagon.

Our family - Jason, Kelli, Wyatt, Callie, Sadie, (and Shika the dog) - and an Allis Chalmers WD45 tractor (the first Allis Chalmers tractor available with power steering, you know)

2010 - we've come a long way in a year

Breakfast on the Farm 2009.

The Boy

Wyatt: Mom, my houseshoes are FREEZING!

Me: Wyatt, why are your houseshoes freezing?

Wyatt: Because I had them in the fridge!! My feet feel good now!

Do you think I should have explained that on 80 degree days, we could just take off our fleece slippers instead of placing them in the fridge to cool off before we wear them?

Brave or Insane?

Brave or insane? People couldn't figure out which of these we were when we told them we were going camping for the weekend. In a tent. With all three kids. And a dog. To be honest, I didn't know how it was going to turn out but we love camping so we thought we would give it a shot. Since Minnesota and its 10,000 lakes is right next door, we had plenty of options to choose from that kept us close to home just in case things went sour.

Things did not go sour, though. We had an incredibly great time. All three children were wonderful. Our campsite was about 75 feet from a playground so Wyatt had plenty to do. Callie would wander down to the playground then come up to see us and play with some toys and then wander around some more. Sadie just hung out and was content wherever we were - in the tent, out of the tent, in her stroller, or on a blanket on the lake shore.

Early on we did realize that we would have to keep a very close eye on Callie when we realized she wandered across the street to see how other campers were doing. She also managed to quickly climb a picnic table without us noticing. We caught her proudly standing on the top singing to herself.

The weather was beautiful and we spent our days by the lake, fishing and playing in the sand. We also took a walk into town for a visit to the candy shop. Both kids were able to pick out one piece of candy. Wyatt enjoyed his much more than Callie, but at least she tried.

The kids played so hard during the day that nighttime was not a problem. They slept as well as they do at home.

So all in all, our first camping trip was a success and we hope to do it many more times this summer.

Helping put up the tent.

My little southern girl - white dress and a dump truck!

She got some dirt on her hand and couldn't figure out how to get it off. She problem-solved by using her white dress as a napkin!

Callie working hard with the wagon.

Sadie being charming as ever.

Callie's sleeping accomodations. She actually loves the pack n play.

The man, the dog, the fish.

Callie wasn't much for the lake, but she thoroughly enjoyed standing in a pail of water.

Wyatt devoured his lollipop.

Callie liked her candy best with the wrapper still on.

Icecream

What is summer without a visit from the icecream truck, even if the truck used to be an ambulance? Wyatt was thrilled about buying icecream and Callie wasn't sure what to think. She did taste a little of a popsicle, so I was pleased with that.