The Great Minnesota Get Together

Before school started, we took our annual trip to the Minnesota State Fair. We all had a fabulous time, despite a few rain clouds. We saw the big pig, ate a giant pickle, meet Miss Minnesota, had our pronto pups and fried cheese on a stick, listened to music, ate cotton candy, saw some family and friends, and got rained on a bit. The big kids rode the Old Mill ride with Mommy and the Space Needle with Daddy. Ella enjoyed getting her hair done up in a "fair do" and eating deep fried bacon. James went on the Sky Ride with daddy. A delighted Claranna rode the carousal and ate a bunch of french fries. All of my kids went down the giant slide. Mark got to ride extra times because of little Claranna. It was a great day for everyone!

My boys are ready for the game tonight!

Little Dancer

A New Niece & Valley Fair

In the middle of August we took a day trip to go see our new baby niece, Lucy, and take the kids for the their very first visit to Valley Fair. Both stops were a bit hit with the kids. Ella and James were very happy to see their Aunt Jenny and the sweet new baby. Claranna thought Lucy was pretty cute and even called her, "baby". Ella was pretty good at holding little Lucy, who was just a day and half old in this picture.

After out stop at the hospital we jumped back in the car and headed south to Vally Fair. The weather was perfect, not too hot, but warm enough to still enjoy the water park. We knew Ella would like all the roller coasters. I think she went on all the big coasters more than once. Mark and I took turns riding the big rides with her and taking James and Claranna on the smaller rides. All the kids had a huge amount of fun. We were surprised at how many little rides that Claranna was allowed to go on. She is going to be a daredevil like her sister as she showed no fear. James was very excited when we caught up with cousins Trenton, Trista and Mikayla and Greg & Amy. He really wanted to go on lots of rides with Trista...and he did!


Claranna took a little snooze on the way to Valley Fair and another nap in her stroller. Because she slept so good, we were able to stay at the park into evening hours.


Ella and Mark are somewhere on the ship upside down.



Claranna loved the music shows that we stopped to see. She was even invited up to dance on stage.




Fun with cousins!


Our family on the Valley Fair train.
Click on the movie to watch Ella and me on the Corkscrew!

Sesame Street Live

Sesame Street Live returned to town and we thought it was only fitting that Claranna share in all the fun that her big sister and brother have been able experience. All the kids had a great time at the show. With all the lights, music, singing, dancing and the bright-eyed smiles on the little kids' faces, it's hard not to get caught up in the magic of the moments. We really enjoyed our afternoon with the Sesame Street gang!

A Swing Set, a Lawnmower and the ER

Friday evening was a bit eventful around here. Mark was gearing up for a barbecue with friends by mowing the lawn. As he was mowing under the swing set, the middle swing became hooked on the lever that engages the mowing blades on the lawnmower. In hindsight, Mark will tell you that he should have stopped right away instead of quickly trying to free the swing. Suddenly the swing set flipped over on Mark, striking him right on the back of the head. He began bleeding right away and ran up the deck stairs and into the house as fast as he could. I didn't see the accident happen, but fortunately, I was right there to help him when he came into the house. Those of you who know Mark well should remember that he can't handle the sight of blood and becomes faint very easily. Mark was really lucky that he didn't get knocked out or pass out while on the lawnmower.

When Mark came rushing into the house with a handful of blood and more blood running down his neck, I didn't know what happened right away and Mark was freaking out a bit. He said the swing hit him. I thought maybe he was injured by a swing chain while he was driving underneath the swing set. I know that head wounds can bleed a lot, so I wasn't too worried about the amount of blood and was more concerned with trying to figure out if the cut was deep enough for stitches once we got the bleeding stopped. I called my RN neighbor to come over and take a look. While we were waiting for her to come down, I looked out the window and saw this:
A swing had not hit Mark, the entire swing set had!! Seeing the swing set on top of Mark's lawnmower changed the game a little bit and I knew we were headed for the ER. By the time my RN neighbor was here, I already had another neighbor on the way to watch James and Claranna. Ella was at the farm "helping" Grandma Judy, who had her knee replaced the week before. Mark and I set off for the ER. He made it into the car okay, but the ride to the hospital was pretty exciting.

Mark started acting goofy, breathing funny and getting sleepy-- all of which are signs of head trauma. I really wasn't sure if he was goofy because he was about to pass out or if his behavior was a result of his injury. I had to make him keep talking to me by asking him questions for our entire trip. After rolling down the windows and getting a lot of air, he seemed to be a little better. Still, I knew that he wouldn't be walking into the ER. I drove up and helped him into a wheelchair. Inside the ER he was okay until after they took his BP and put him in a collar. Then his fingers started tingling and he got very faint again. This little near fainting episode earned him an opportunity to upgrade from a wheelchair to a stretcher. He took a ride down the hall on the cart and was roomed quickly. Fortunately, by the time we were settled into the ER most of the bleeding on Mark's head had subsided. He was a given a neurological and physical exam and after a little bit of time, the neck brace was removed. The doctor offered to staple Mark's head closed, but I think that nearly caused another fainting episode! So, Mark opted to have a bigger scar and not get the wound closed. Instead, we instructed to wrap it so it wouldn't open up again while he was sleeping.

Here's a pic of Mark when he was feeling better in the ER. I conveniently had my camera in my purse. : ) Mark was told he would have a big headache and a lot of soreness in his neck and shoulders. Luckily, he hasn't felt too bad considering what landed on him.

On Saturday, Mark was able to finish mowing the lawn with our slightly damaged lawn tractor. Our funny and caring neighbor brought Mark a little head gear to make the job safer! We are so thankful that Mark will be okay. Luckily he was wearing his trusty Twins cap when the swing set hit him. He clearly would have had a larger blow and a bigger gash if not for the protection of that cap. Now that our big worries of the accident are behind us, we have found a little humor in the event. Though, thinking of the "what if's" is pretty humbling and we are counting our blessings that we have a funny story to tell.

James

Mommy: "James, how come you're sleeping on the floor tonight?"

James: "Because Daddy let me!"