Our Family News

Hunter turns 10!

2009-01-29T21:43:00.000-06:00

We had a brief birthday 'gathering' this morning before school. The kids are with their mom tonight and tomorrow night, so we let him open the cards and gifts that had arrived so far. He loves his new 'video game' chair. It's like a low to the ground rocker, plus he can plug his MP3 player into it and listen to music through speakers. More partying to come on Saturday when he gets home. He's having a sleepover complete with pizza, cake, and I'm sure plenty of video games.

Happy 12th Holden!

2009-01-19T22:15:00.002-06:00

Holden turned 12 today! I returned from Nashville around 4. At 5:30 we all went to Taste of Saigon for dinner and then back to the house for some DQ cake. An 'easy way out' for me, I suppose, but I'm beat and he's been asking about going to Taste of Saigon anyway. : ) Off to bed. This old body has put on a lot of miles the past few days!

E'Hawks WON!

2008-11-22T17:49:00.002-06:00

The Emmetsburg E'Hawks won another state championship today, defeating West Lyon 3-0. Phew! Jim, Josh, Jake and I were there to see the semi final victory last week. Josh was the only one there today. Lucky him. What a game! Jim & I watched it online and it was pretty exciting. Note Josh in the crowd, cheering...when I talked to him after the game, he was losing his voice. Too much screaming!

Josh's Birthday Weekend/Halloween

2008-11-03T21:13:00.004-06:00

This past weekend, Josh turned 18! We headed down for conferences on Thursday, trick or treating on Friday, birthday party on Saturday and watching Josh perform in "South Pacific" on Saturday night. We had a nice weekend, enjoyed seeing everyone, and spending some quiet time at the lake. The days always go too quickly.

Trip to Bayfield

2008-10-26T20:55:00.005-05:00

Jim & I were in Bayfield, WI for the weekend. While I would recommend going to Bayfield either in the summertime or the winter....we had a very nice weekend. All we really cared about was some time to ourselves. We did a lot of relaxing. A lot of eating. And a little shopping. The "Steak Pit" was one of the highlights of the trip. Jim's prime rib was close to the size of the one on their sign outside! They had wonderful food and the decor and furnishings were straight out of the 70's. Fun.

2008-10-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

Abby's 7th Birthday

2008-10-21T16:27:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Abby's 7th birthday in Minneapolis on October 4 & 5. It just so happened that Grandpa Mike and Grandma Pam were in Emmetsburg for the few days prior, and could meet us there Saturday. We played at the Waterpark of America, and had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. We had a small party in the hotel room with cake and gifts and Abby was just thrilled with it all. Sunday morning we had breakfast and looked around at IKEA. That's got to be the only place you can feed 9 people eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, drinks, and more....for $35. Plus, it's really cool to look around at IKEA. Grandpa and Grandma had to leave after that....it was so great we got to spend time with them. But we went back to the hotel and played in the water and the arcade for awhile. Then it was off to the Mall of America. Lots of looking there too...although I can't say we got out of there without spending our share!

Fall Activities

2008-10-03T15:17:00.004-05:00

We are well into football season. Of course, Jake is playing 9th grade football, as number 31. Unfortunately, someone else got Jake's favorite '33'. Hunter is playing on the 3rd/4th grade tackle team this year and is loving every minute. He got to pick his number, '4'.

Holden is taking TaeKwonDo for the first time and seems to be enjoying it. Abby is taking gymnastics for the first time and can't wait until she's old enough to be on the 'team'.

Josh's fall activity (on top of his normally busy life) is the school play. They're doing South Pacific. We plan to go to Emmetsburg for opening weekend, which conveniently, is also Josh's birthday weekend.

The five of us in Superior are heading to Minneapolis tomorrow after Hunter's game to meet up with Josh and Jake. We're going to stay at the Water Park of America hotel and have some water fun. We'll celebrate Abby's birthday while we're there....she turned 7 on Wednesday!

First Day of School 2008

2008-09-14T21:20:00.006-05:00

We are almost two weeks into the school year for the four youngest. Jake, Hunter, & Abby started the day after Labor Day. Holden the next day. Josh started first, on August 19. School seems to be going well for all. Changes abound in our family. Josh is now back in Emmetsburg to finish his Senior year as an E'Hawk with his bestest friends. Jake is living with Rod in Woodbury and started 9th grade. He made friends very quickly. And as he says, the girls think he's 'hot'. Oh boy. ; ) I miss them both every single day. Holden started middle school this year. Big changes for him--five elementary schools come together to one middle school. He's doing well though. And I know that soon, that 3 minute passing time will be plenty so he won't stress so much any more. We moved to a different area of town in August, so Hunter and Abby started the year at a new elementary school. It is much smaller than the one they were at before, so I'm happy with that. They are both adjusting very well and seem to be liking their new school. Well, that's a wrap on the 'back to school' story. Hopefully, more to come in the next few days to let you know what else is going on. Busy, busy.

To Iowa for St. Pat's weekend

2008-03-25T19:24:00.003-05:00

Spring Break was the week of St. Pat's so on Friday after school, we headed for Iowa. Saw the St. Pat's parade (as evidenced by precious Lauren Ellis, it's the ONLY picture I took at the parade!) & went to a magic show. We managed to get most the the required outings in....Woody's pizza, Sum Hing, one trip to Spencer, McNally's bakery, Hardware Hank (of course). Oh, we missed Pizza Ranch...although Josh and Jake both made it there on Saturday after the parade! Josh brought a friend with him, Jake O'Neil. It was great to have him along, he's a great kid. We played games a couple of nights (pics above from Apples to Apples, which was very fun), the kids finally found Calico, the neighborhood cat at Jim & Bettje's, the day before we were leaving. It was great to see family and friends, though there is never enough time.

Jim's Birthday

2008-03-25T19:18:00.004-05:00

On March 12, we celebrated Jim's 93rd birthday...oh wait...39th birthday at Famous Dave's! Josh didn't get to go...seems he is always working! Cake & gift opening later at the house.

Superior High School Pops Concert

2008-03-11T21:59:00.006-05:00

We attended the Superior High School Pops Concert tonight. While it was NOTHING like Emmetsburg's Pop concert, we did enjoy our evening. Josh was busy all night. He had a solo, a duet, played piano for a duet, Chamber Orchestra, Choir, Band. The video above (which is poor quality :( -taken on my regular digital camera) is a clip from the Spartan Singers portion of the show. For the first time ever, they did 'show choir' type stuff. Choreographed, taught, and led by Josh. It was QUITE the undertaking. At the beginning, before they came on stage, the director pointed out that they had a boy, Josh Hill, move here from Iowa who had been in Show Choir. He asked him in December if he'd like to do a few moves for a song for the concert. He went on to say that Josh just took it on...and ended up with a whole routine. At the end, one of the Spartan Singers members publicly thanked Josh for his hard work, sweat, and tears, etc....You could tell, the kids really 'got it'. At times, I know Josh was ready to give up. He got a taste of how frustrating working with teenagers can be. I am quite certain the experience has given him a new appreciation for all Mr. Fog does in Emmetsburg. Josh-we are SO PROUD of you!

Jake's Birthday

2008-03-05T11:08:00.004-06:00

Jake turned 14 on February 21! Being in Superior now, and not having his dad attend, it was probably his smallest birthday gathering ever. BUT, he did have a few friends over, received the Xbox 360 he's been wanting (thanks to Grandpa Mike & Grandma Pam, Adam & Casey, and Dan going in on it with us!) And the cookie cake was awesome!

2008-03-04T12:08:00.007-06:00

Pictures from the sleigh ride....

Super Bowl Party

2008-03-04T11:41:00.004-06:00

Well, obviously, I am not good at keeping up with a blog! These are pics from our Super Bowl party. Some people from church went on a sleigh ride and then back to our place to watch the game. It made for a pretty full house. We had a great time!

First Day of School!

2007-09-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of school! We had all the kids to their respective schools and were headed to work by 8:45. Josh (11th) is at the high school, Jake (8th) is at the middle school, and Holden (5th), Hunter (3rd) and Abby (kindergarten!!) are all at Northern Lights Elementary. We had a few nervous butterflies (including mom and dad!), but all went well and we eagerly the news of how the first day went!
In other news....Josh applied at Applebee's, had three interviews (who knew it was such a rigorous process to become a Host!?), and was offered the job. He had his orientation Monday night and will start work soon. He is certainly ready to have an income again.
Jake is playing football in the Superior Youth Football League. They have had a few practices, and games will start 9/12, I believe...still waiting for the official schedule. Josh and Jake have been lifting weights at the Y and Jake hurt his back last week. He sat out at practice yesterday...it's still hurting. Hoping for quick healing...
Holden got to go out of town with a friend last weekend. They stayed at a hotel, went to some races, swimming, etc...he came home very tired and sunburned, but had a great time.
It's football season, so that means Hunter's world kicks into high gear. For any of you who don't know, he is the football statistics king. (notice the choice for first day of school attire!)
And Miss Abigail.....she has entered the big girl world of kindergarten. I know she's ready and will do great. She has a loose tooth and is HOPING to loose it while at school, because "then I'll get a little case to put it in".

Willmore boys!

2007-08-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

John, James III, James II, James V, James IV, David

2007-08-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

What a great weekend at Ingham Lake! We arrived at Jim and Bettje's Friday afternoon around 2:00, and David and Jen arrived shortly after. I went to work at the office for a couple of hours, and then the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing. It was good to spend the weekend just hanging out. Little James is such a sweetheart. We are so glad he is such a happy, healthy baby. Oma, Opa, and John drove up for lunch on Sunday. Oma brought her famous butterscotch pie and pecan pie. Yummy...every bit as wonderful as I'd been told! And yes, I had a bit of BOTH!

Josh spent some time with friends over the weekend, Josh and Jake spent a little time with Grandpa and Grandma Hill, and the Morey's. There was golfing and kayaking and a squirt gun fight. Lots of oooing and ahhhing over Baby James. We visited with friends who drove out. We moved the Mustang from Graettinger to Emmetsburg...thanks once again to Stu and Leah for being such a huge help! Of course we ate at Woody's one night and the bar in Ringsted for taco night on Sunday. Some things just have to happen with each visit! Abby wanted to eat at the Pizza Ranch...maybe next time we can fit that in.

Isn't he just adorable!?!?!

2007-08-03T08:25:00.000-05:00

Friday has arrived...yeah! Several reasons for celebration today...
1. All the kids will be home today! It's been a nice, quiet week. But we sure miss them. Josh and Jake are driving up from Woodbury sometime early afternoon...in time to beat the rush. Traffic on I-35 from Minneapolis to Duluth is really quite heavy on Fridays and Sundays, especially in the summer. Holden, Hunter, and Abby will be back sometime this morning. It sounds like they have had a great time at Leech Lake.
2. The office work week will be over at 4:00! I am enjoying being at home to do my job, the 'house stuff' lurks in the background waiting to be done. I work on some things throughout the day, but I really need the weekend to dig and and focus on the house.
3. Jim was offered and has accepted a new position! He will begin his new duties as the Duluth Head End Supervisor on August 20. However, as the previous person is already gone, I have a feeling Jim will be working in two jobs for the next couple of weeks.

The weekend looks to be fairly busy for us. I think tonight we'll grill something and maybe go to the Omnimax theater to see Hurricane on the Bayou. Tomorrow night, most of us will be going to the circus. Josh and Hunter will be driving back to St. Paul to the American Idols concert. Hunter and his mom were going to attend, but she called wondering if we could take him. Works out fine, as Josh really would like to go.

Church on Sunday morning and Vacation Bible School starts at 5 Sunday night. Holden, Hunter, and Abby will attend and Jim & I are volunteering.

Next Thursday afternoon, we will be heading to Iowa....we'll try to leave here around 3:30. We are so excited to see Baby James for the first time. And we haven't seen David and Jen since Christmas. So, a great weekend with them is in store.

That's all for now!

To receive updates

2007-07-31T10:51:00.000-05:00

I added a subscription option to the blog. I'm hoping if anyone wants to sign up to receive the updates, this little 'feedblitz' box will do the trick. We'll see.

Try again

2007-07-30T14:59:00.000-05:00

I decided to try out the blog thing again. Who knows if I'll remember or take the time to keep it up. I think it would be a great way to keep family and friends updated. So, we'll see. We are slowly getting settled in and organized. Seven people tend to have a lot of 'stuff'. Well...in fairness to Jim...it really is the new three that moved in that have the majority of the 'stuff'. He hasn't complained...and is making the adjustments needed to make it work. Josh's room should be done very soon....it's been a lot of work for Jim and we sure appreciate it. Following that, I believe Jake and Jim are going to start building a loft for Jake's bed.

I am working from home now and that is going well. It's a slow time and I am grateful that Doug has encouraged me to take advantage of that and get some of my personal things taken care of as well. I hadn't quite realized how many things would have to be done following the wedding and move.

The kids are all doing quite well, I believe. Josh and Jake spent some time in Texas with Grandpa and Grandma and Daniel. They are also spending a lot of time with Rod while he is on vacation. This past weekend they were here and we went to the fair here in town, and tubing down a river about an hour away. We all had a great time. Holden, Hunter, and Abi are getting used to me being around I think. It's quite an adjustment for them, but they seem to be doing very well. They are gone this week to Leach Lake with their mom. We will be excited to have them back on Friday night.