I'd have to say that she had more of a birthday weekend, rather than day. On Saturday, after football, we went to Rice Lake to pick up her saxophone. I got very lucky and it didn't need anything other than a little readjusting, polishing and cleaning. So what was an anticipated $200 bill turned out to be $35! Whew! Thank you Lord. But getting back to the story... I had let Taylor open all her presents Saturday morning before we left, in case she got any gift cards or money, then she could use them right away and I wouldn't have to make a second trip back to Rice Lake. Well she did get some, so after we picked up the sax, off to the mall we went. It was a blast hitting all the stores, shopping with my girl. Well, it was fun for us anyway. Poor Nick tried so hard to be patient and would wait for us on a bench outside the stores. I just couldn't relax with him out there, so our trip didn't last too long. Which is ok I guess, as I'm not too much of a shopper anyway. We hit a few sporting goods stores to appease Nick, and actually had a blast playing with all sports/workout equipment at Dunham's.
On Sunday the birthday girl picked what she wanted to do and we ended up shopping in Hayward and mini-golfing. I will get those pictures on the website as soon as I can. For her birthday dinner she picked hamburgers, tater tots and corn. Yum. She topped it all off by being able to con her Daddy into buying her an ice cream cake, and she received a birthday call from her big brother. It's really amazing to me how they are really starting to bond. Mike is so great with the two of them, and whenever he calls, takes the time to really talk with them, not at them. They both absolutely adore him. So all-in-all, it was a good day with our wonderful little family. (Even though the Packers lost.)
Monday brought the Chai Vang trial. I won't go into great detail, as it one an incredibly long week for me and everyone else here at the courthouse. Very draining. The security was extreme and we couldn't move out of our offices a lot. Chai Vang used the bathroom only 10 feet from our office and I tell you, it was an incredibly eery feeling when he'd go by. And the victims families were very emotional, so I am not missing hearing the tormented cries in the hall. Or the bathrooms. Or anywhere else for that matter. On a somewhat brighter note, Nick thought the whole security thing was awesome. He loved being searched and scanned with the wand every day, and the deputies kind of took him under their wing. One day he even got a tour of the whole behind-the-scenes. The lieutenant took him back to Chai's holding cell (when he wasn't there of course), showed him the jury room, let him go in by the Court TV crew, and watched the trial on tv for a little bit. It was a very exciting thing for a 10 year old boy and of course his friends were quite jealous when he was bragging the next day. :-) He loved the attention. But with that being said, I will end once again saying how glad I am that its over and feel very sad for all the families on both sides.
This weekend our 4-H Shooting Sports group once again volunteered at the beginning of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, an area mountain bike race. We were in charge of parking and it was a blast - besides, we earned $250! My friend Liz helped me, along with my wonderful hubby, and all the kids. (Pics on the web) After we were done, we headed to Nick's game and I finally got pics of Nick playing and Michael coaching. We played Barron and Shell Lake, but unfortunately lost one and tied 2, 0-0. But the kids learned a lot and we rematch this coming weekend. Nick is very excited that Uncle Dan, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Joe and Aunt Clare will all be here to watch. He's asked me several times over the week to make sure they haven't cancelled or anything.
Taylor had her first game last Thursday and her team won 3 out of 5 games. She was very excited, and I promise I will get pictures on the web this week.
Sunday we had the 4-H Awards Day at the Fairgrounds, and the kids received their medals and prizes from their project leaders. And guess what? I have pictures on the website! :-) It was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor luncheon, and what made it even better was that the Vikings lost during it! (insert evil laugh here) Unfortunately we went home and watched the Pack lose too, but at least they gave it a better effort than the Vikes!
The kids were thrilled to see that our neighbors down the road were up visiting their cabin, so Michael and I had the entire afternoon to ourselves once we got home. It was really nice.
But now it's Monday again, work has calmed down and we are back to the old routine. After taking the weekend off, Michael is back to working his side job again all week, and the kids are back with their noses in the books. I hope to finish another quilt this week, and maybe start my fall cleaning. Lord knows the house needs it. Besides, we are eagerly anticipating visits from my brother Dan and sister-in-law Bonnie, and my sister Clare and brother-in-law Joe and the house needs to be tip-top.
From our house to yours, God bless and enjoy the Autumn coolness.
