Day 6

movie time to end the day...

Priya and the result of poison ivy or something...

tubing with Uncle Brady

volleyball...

evening round of charades...

sand castle contest...

lawn games

Day 5

Uncle Neil, the science teacher gave the directions on finding the geo-cache in Maplewood State Park.

Here  Madison is attempting to launch Priya...

into the air a little bit.

day 4

Here is where we ate supper in the cold and rain. It may have reached the mid-50s today. But for sure, it rained on and off all day. But the rain wasn't too much for the kids to do some exploring in the woods and come up with poison-something. Priya wondered why her face felt hot before bed tonight.

day 3

Amelia admires her dad's big nice fish...

and a nice collection of fish...

But most notable is the fact that today was powerfully windy. And if you take a paddle boat out on a jaunt around the lake and it is windy, chances are the wind will only be in your favor one way. Angie, Ellie, Anneka and I tried to take a trip around the lake. But it's like in a movie, when the characters are driving and you can see the scenery passing by. Except we were going backwards watching the trees go past, all the while pedaling the boat. Ellie kept peddling all the while. Anneka was a bit more concerned. We finally made it to some strangers dock and tied up the paddle boat. Then we hoofed it through their yard to the road and walked back to the resort. We wore our life jackets the whole time too, just in case. I guess it isn't too unusual for people to hike down the road in life jackets in these parts. So, no more paddle boat trips when there are white caps in the middle of the lake.

day 2

On the first full day of the Eisfeld vacation, we went to a nice church then played in the sun...

in the kayak...

and fished among other things.

lamb report

The first lambs were born at the very end of May...

and the last ones were born the middle of June.

one decade celebration

On the 27th, Priya's five classmates came over to do a project,

play dress-up,

and eat pizza. Their teacher even came to celebrate with them.

the following day, Grandma made one of her famous angel foods and decorated it with fruit,

and the kids served our 10 guests

dinner and dessert complete with menus.

basketball season in review

This is the team that had things to prove. They are wearing red. They could have proved them against a team that was more their size. But what junior higher is looking out for anyone but themselves. As you can see, the red team had a good foot in height on most of Priya's team.

This team was very big but very kind. They won the game by a good 30 points but let Priya's team play.

Chandler Christian played kindly against St. Paul's.

The average height of Priya's team is well under 5 foot. This is the first year St. Paul's has had enough girls to have a team and they range in age from 3rd grade to 7th. The boys team has been stocked for quite a few years. Girls have been just a bit more scarce.

The red team, which will remain unnamed, was scrappy and rude and awkward and definitely had something to prove. Perhaps the only explanation was that they were homeschoolers.

Here in the last game of the season against Worthington Christian, the girls played, not well, but each game is progress for them, each game is a little more familiarity with the game. Evidence: Priya has her hands up in semi-basketball form instead of in her mouth.

eight year celebration week

Grandma E stopped by a day early to celebrate with Sam...

On the 13th, we ate chicken BBQ pizza..

and apple dessert pizza...

Ellie models the snow shoes Sam got...

a package came the following day with a hat that has been taken off for school and sleep and some other things from auntie and uncle...

and the much longed-for air soft gun ...

Santa Claus

Ellie's philosophy on Santa Claus as stated tonight at the supper table: "Santa was a real guy, just not this year."

October happenings

Little Red Riding Hood, Nurse Anneka, Mark Eisfeld and Anne of Green Gables

Instead of jack-o-lanterns, we made fairy houses...

decorated them with various husks and leaves

the real question with this photo is for Grandma: did we make the costume look authentic?

We celebrated birthdays on Monday and Friday

the site of this picture: Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie didn't look like purgatory nor did any of the people we saw there.

today's biggest loser

Tonight seems so dark. Not because it is dark and the wind is blowing fiercely but because another little one is gone.  He is gone due to completely preventable circumstances.

It is no secret that football stars are no heroes of mine, in general. Many have only football success behind their name. Many are wretched losers in the areas of life that count – in the area of character. And tonight Adrian Peterson tops my biggest loser list. Oh the list is so very long. Mercifully, the guy isn’t around to listen, but this is what I would like him to know:

Adrian, you are a thief and a coward and a liar. Stealing what wasn’t yours from someone you apparently had no intention of sticking with. Bringing a child into the world that you wouldn’t even acknowledge publicly is despicable. Bringing a child into the world when you weren’t going to stick with his mama is cowardly.

If his mama wasn’t your type of gal, then it would have been wise of you, to keep your pants on and take a long cold shower.  If she did seem like a good idea at one time but in the end was all a mistake, you were responsible for making sure that little guy was in a safe place. And there is no excuse if you were too busy playing games to notice.

At two, he was too young to notice he wasn’t the prized offspring bearing your name, to be shown off in public. But you can guarantee he would have noticed when he was four or fourteen. He would have asked about his daddy. He was too precious to be treated like a transient, moving apartment to apartment, house to house while his mama tries to see what she can get from her latest fling. He bore the image of your Creator, Adrian and you are partly responsible for him getting into the hands of a unrestrained monster.

You, undoubtedly, have everything handed to you on a silver platter. Do you want for anything: food, drink, entertainment, pleasure? No doubt, you say the word and people move and things happen. While you are living on top of the pile because you know how to play a game, your little son was left to the temper of a vile man in a house that wasn’t his own.

And shouldn’t you know very well about tragedy and mistakes – you’ve seen your dad mess up, you’ve lost family members from violence. Wouldn’t this have been your big chance to make the world a better place and not be a part of the cycle? Your people are killing themselves, desperate for an honorable, loyal, loving, faithful example. One who makes good on his mistakes. One who stays for the long haul.

I want to choke at your trite words and actions. Put in a quick trip to pretend you care. Did you even know what he looked like before he had the stuffing shaken and beat out of him? Did you know if he liked ice cream at McDonalds or swinging at the park or Legos? Now it’s too late to watch him ride bike or throw a football. But you barely miss a beat in going back to your game on Sunday. I suspect the game has control of you.

Yes, his mama gets some credit for his demise. She chose poorly. Your baby mama’s boyfriend gets a chunk of credit for bringing his life to an end. He lost control one too many times.  But that little guy should have been under the care of his daddy and not a stranger.

But you brought that little one into the world. And you dropped the ball, Adrian.

and in August

the cousins at Camden (before Ellie got lost)

the cousins swimming (after Ellie was found)

hammering things out with the auctioneer

the sisters discuss the happenings

the cousins celebrate birthdays together

the sisters helps accessorize each other

practicing archery skills

honing Foosball skills