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We've had a great couple of weeks here in Minneapolis. Spring has arrived early (for this part of the world), and we have been enjoying beautiful days. Daffodils and tulips are coming up, trees are blossoming, and I am LOVING the general greenness all around.

We had a great visit with my parents, who were here for a week and spent Easter with us. Trips to the zoo and to the park were highlights for the kids, and I especially enjoyed our fantastic Easter feast together. Here are some pictures of our times enjoying the sun . . . and a short video of Corrie's very first attempt at riding her bike without training wheels. I think she's got the hang of it, and she's looking forward to a lot of riding this summer.

My handsome guy, on a stroll.

The Easter 2010 shot

Grandma and Jack at the zoo

Cheeeeeeese!

Violin Recital Time

Here is the video from Corrie's violin recital, which took place this evening. It was our fourth recital of this school year, and was a little bit more challenging for Corrie than others have been. She was upset because a couple of girls teased her by telling her there was a spider in her hair right before the recital started. Being deathly afraid of spiders, she did not take this joke very well. Then, she was frustrated because the accompanist played her piece too slowly. But, all in all, she survived and made it through the song. Oh, and you'll be happy to know that the teasing girls apologized to her during the post-recital cookie and punch time, so all is right with the world.

Here is a link to our usual poor quality video. Someday, I shall purchase a new camera . . .

Corrie's Performance

Kansas City

We arrived home yesterday from a short trip to Kansas City, MO. Joel's parents were there in order to cheer on our ol' alma mater, Biola, at the national basketball tournament. So, we made plans to meet up and spend a few days together. The kids did amazingly well with the driving portion of the trip. As long as we kept their favorite CD's playing, and the snacks coming, they were quite content. Wes had a couple of minor meltdowns when he just couldn't take it anymore, but other than that, the 7 hour drive went smoothly.

Upon arrival in Kansas City, we settled into the Residence Inn, where we shared a nice, spacious suite with Joel's parents. It was perfect for our family. It was perfect for the adults because the children could be enclosed in their own room, and we didn't all have to go to bed at 8 o'clock. It was perfect for the children because of the free breakfast buffet that was included with the room price. I don't know about other kiddos, but mine can (and do) eat a serious quantity of food at breakfast time. Perhaps this is because they are often less than thrilled with my attempt-at-healthy dinner offerings, and therefore hold out until the good stuff comes out at breakfast. In any event, our kids felt that this breakfast buffet was truly nirvana, because they could eat, and eat, and eat cereal and yogurt and oatmeal and fruit until stuffed. Every morning.

The kids also enjoyed our trips to the art museum, the zoo, and the Crayola Cafe, where we celebrated Corrie's 7th birthday. She was thrilled with the special day, and capped it off by attending the Biola basketball game that evening. I was not with her, as I stayed back at the hotel to put the boys to bed, but Joel reported that she loved her first basketball game and cheered with exceeding loudness for Biola throughout the entire game.

The excitement for the adults mostly centered around food. Kansas City is known for it's barbecue, and massive quantities of it were ingested within a three day period. I think I'll eat salads forever from now on. Joel and I also had the rare opportunity to go out on a date, and we had a great time exploring the city a bit.

Unfortunately, the trip was very short, but it was great to get some bonus Grandma and Grandad time.

A sort of strange looking picture taken at the Albert Lea, MN gas station/gift shop/McDonalds. Jack, pull your shirt down, please.Running toward the giant shuttlecocks at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.

Me 'n' Joel

Awwww. Aren't they cute?We left our stroller at home. Not good with a rambunctious two year old in tow. Thank goodness for those stroller rentals at the zoo. Love this kid.Corrie and her Grandad.With Grandma on the big birthday.Wes and Corrie.

And, the big birthday celebration. She did share this with her brothers, after exclaiming, "Oh, I couldn't POSSIBLY manage it all!" Good times.

Posted on my Basement Wall

Upon further investigation, I determined that they were looking for a shirt for one of their stuffed animals. Because they were playing house, and they "don't want naked children."

Co-Op Day

Today is a busy day in our little world. Homeschool co-op, library, group violin lesson, dentist appointment. Listing all of this reminds me that I need to stop for gas in our van. But . . . anyhow . . . the kids love days like this, especially because it is a "co-op day." Our little co-op has been a great thing in our lives since moving here and beginning homeschooling. It meets right down the street (we could walk if I was inspired to walk through the sort-of-spring-melting-slush). Jack goes to a preschool class, and Corrie goes to art, PE, and science classes. They have a great time hanging out with the other kids and they get to learn all kinds of fascinating things that I would never cover at home. For example, Jack gets to use a lot of glitter, glue, and other mess-making craft stuff that I avoid like the plague. A highlight (or was it a lowlight?) for Corrie recently was learning about the anatomy of a fish in science class, by watching the teacher gut a fish right before her concerned eyes.

I am currently the "room mom" helper in Corrie's PE class. Though here in the frozen north they call it Phy Ed. Weird. They also call duck-duck-goose, "duck-duck-grey duck." Double weird. But the mild mannered Scandinavians will fight you to the death if you tell them that these names are wrong. Just a warning. What was I saying? Oh, yes, I am working in Corrie's Phy Ed class and am having a great time watching her learn the important things of which she is deprived while homeschooling, like how to play kickball and dodge ball.

Meanwhile, when I'm not helping out in some way or another, I get some time to sit and talk with the other moms. This has been a great resource for me, as a non-native to the area, because I hear about all kinds of fun ideas for family outings, lessons, activities, etc.

Now, we'll work on being just as thankful for the dentist.

Bedhead

Weekend Excitement

We kicked off this weekend with fresh haircuts. This picture pretty much captures the attitudes of our children regarding this activity:

On Friday (day 1 of Joel's weekend) we decided to explore a bit of Minnesota that we haven't yet seen. We drove for about an hour down the Minnesota River to the town of St. Peter. It was a pretty drive, even across the snow covered landscape, and we had a good time spotting farm animals and bald eagles circling overhead. St. Peter was a cute little town, and is home to Gustavus Adolphus college. I enjoyed the trip, though I was sorely disappointed that we were unable to locate the cheesy tourist attraction of "St. Peter's Pearly Gates." The city's website declares that authentic appearance of the gates will actually make you pinch yourself in order to confirm that you haven't reached the great beyond. Perhaps next time.

Ballet

For months, or perhaps years, Corrie has been asking to take a ballet class. She loves to dance at home, and would earnestly tell me, "Mom, I just really, really admire people who do ballet." We were hesitant, however, to pursue this interest because of the time and money involved. I had always heard that dance classes were very expensive, especially when considering the cost of costumes for performances. I looked into our local park and recreation options, but they only offered classes for wee little preschoolers. Finally, I happened upon a great option. A local dance studio started offering ballet classes during the daytime for home schoolers. The price was reasonable, there are no formal performances, just an hour per week to dance, dance, dance with a great teacher and a few other little girls. Since Corrie's birthday is coming up this month, it became her birthday present, and she is overjoyed.

Her first class was this week, and it was pretty fun to watch her having such a great time. I truly don't think she ever stopped smiling.

How a Minnesota Kid Eats Breakfast

Goodbye, Olympics

Olympic Fever has overtaken our household for the past two weeks. The kids have loved catching some of the action every night. They love to chant U-S-A at annoyingly loud decibel levels. Even Wes gets in on the action. When walking into the room and seeing the Olympics on TV, he immediately looks at Joel or I and asks "This guy USA?" If we say no, he walks away as if he can't be bothered. Corrie was troubled by the absence of team USA from some of the sports, and so set about making a list of the countries she deemed worthy of support. In true Corrie fashion, she decided on each country based on whether or not it has spawned one of her favorite composers or literary characters.

We also have a new appreciation for winter sports because we live in the land of snow and ice. Joel was nearly mowed down, while walking through our neighborhood last week, by cross country skiers coming out of their driveway. People ski, snow shoe, ice fish, go tubing, and play hockey here like crazy. Rather than retreat from the insane cold, everyone just gets out in it and has fun. Someday, perhaps, we will join their ranks. Joel is eager to take Corrie for a cross country skiing lesson. Watch out world.

And so, we are sad to see the Olympics go. But not sad to see the commercials go. We had to cover the kids eyes umpteen million times to avoid nightmare inducing ads for 'Shutter Island' and 'Clash of the Titans.' If we had seen one more P&G "up with moms" ad, I would have had to cover Joel's eyes as well. "You'll neeeeever waaallk aloooooone."

Mouse Trap

What to do on Daddy's weekend, when we all have disgusting colds and its freezing outside?? Play Mouse Trap, of course. Here is a video of Jack's special technique for rolling dice. I like his form.

A New Violin

After almost two years of playing violin, Corrie finally grew enough to move up to a larger sized instrument. As of today, she is now the proud owner of a 1/8 violin, versus the 1/10 she had before. It is a big improvement in terms of the sound of the instrument. This excites me greatly, as I am privileged to be her practice coach at home. In other words, I get to listed to a whole lotta 6 year old style violin playin', and I'm thrilled that it will now sound a bit better.

The violin shop has a great statue of 'Concerto Charlie Brown' out front, and seeing him is always a highlight for Corrie.


In spite of all the work involved for both of us, we are definitely seeing the benefits of studying an instrument. Corrie has had to learn a lot of discipline and has really had to stretch herself to master each piece. She is less than thrilled with practicing, but she loves to perform, and she loves to play with other kids. We were just at a group lesson today where she performed a Bach minuet with four other little girls. It actually sounded quite good! As with most everything in life, it is amazing to see the progress that happens from steady, daily work.

Welcome to the family, Jesse the Violin and Louise the Bow (yes, she names them). Farewell, Judy and Betty. We'll never forget you.

Back to Blogging

I'm going to make an effort to return to regular blogging. I thought that the new blog design would give me inspiration. I'm still not sure if I like it, or if it hurts my eyes. I think that I am also in desperate need of some color in my life because of the frozen white landscape that has surrounded me for the past 3 months. As we approach March, the longing for spring is definitely kicking in. I am struck by just how different our life is in the winter as compared to the summer. I look at pictures from the State Fair, below, and can hardly believe that we are living in the same city. All of the pictures we take now look like this:





I will admit, though, that the kids love the snow. Soon, they will be old enough to completely dress themselves for the outdoor experience. Soon, they will also be able to shovel the sidewalks.

Sate Fair Fun

Today we made our annual sojourn to the Minnesota State Fair. We soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed a quantity of tasty fair food, all within about 4-5 hours, by which time Wes was officially sick and tired of being strapped into a stroller. Corrie and Jack love the "Little Farm Hands" exhibit every year, as well as the "Miracle of Birth" center, where they get to touch and admire baby farm animals. Wes was very excited by the various animal barns, and used the opportunity to rehearse all of his animal noises. This year was the first time that we attended on the fair's opening day, and so that led to a few interesting sightings as exhibitors were still moving their animals into their proper places. In fact, we were caught in a minor pig stampede in the swine barn, as some poor souls were trying to herd their pigs into the proper pens while observers with giant strollers (like us) stood in their way.

My favorite fair food continues to be the very tasty and very fresh Sweet Martha's chocolate chip cookies. The kids continued to love the best bargain at the fair -- all-you-can-drink-for-$1-milk. As an added bonus, our very own Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar served the milk to Joel. What more could we ask for, really? Though, then again, we got to witness Al Franken kissing babies last year. We'll have to contemplate which one ranks highest on our scale of political excitement.

It was a good day.

Cow Crossing

Daddy and Daughter

Can't believe I have to wait another year for these . .

Wes looking less than thrilled about the Swine Barn

Corrie looks a bit crazed in this picture . . . maybe it's the excitement!

Hotdish on a stick. With gravy for dipping.

Tattoos

Having Fun

Farm Girl

Sportin' the John Deere Hat

Little Farm Hands

Excitement Abounds

The curriculum has arrived.

The Bascom Children Recommend . . .

1. The Music Man

I grew up with plenty of exposure to this classic, thanks to my mom's family and their over-the-top obsession with this film. As an adult, however, it had been many years since I'd seen it until I stumbled across it whilst perusing the instant viewing options on Netflix. I played it for the kiddos on family movie night, and the rest is history. They *love* this movie. They sing the songs (loudly) all of the time - and I do mean *all* of the time, including the times that we are trying to pick up toothpaste and note cards at Target. I did get a few strange looks as Jack was belting out the line " . . . I have my standards where men are concerned . . ."

2. The Adventures of Robin Hood

Starring Errol Flynn, this old version of Robin Hood is perfect for Corrie and Jack. The plot is easy to follow, and there are a lot of fight scenes and corny laughs. It has inspired a lot of Robin Hood and Maid Marion play around the house, along with Corrie's new burning desire to become an Olympic archer. Watch out world.

I Know

I know, I know, I know, I know, I *know*. I haven't blogged for 5 months, and therefore am the biggest blog slacker that every blogged. I also know that this means that no one even checks this site for updates anymore, except for maybe my parents (hi mom and dad!). Here is the Reader's Digest version of the last months: we had several wonderful visits with family and friends, Jack turned 4 (in June), Wes turned 2 (this week), and life is good. The kids are growing, eating a lot, learning, enjoying summer, and generally thriving.

We are now gearing up for the homeschool year with Corrie entering 1st grade, and Jack starting to learn some of the basics. I have placed giant orders for curriculum, and am eagerly awaiting the beautiful rumbly sound of the UPS truck. Joel has been promoted and will be opening a new store, which means we will probably not see much of him until after the holiday season. This is obviously a bummer for the short-term, but a great thing for him (and all of us) for the long term. To top it all off, we have enjoyed a beautiful, cooler-than-usual summer, with a lot of time spent outside and around various lakes. We are thankful. Here are a few snapshots of our days, in no particular order: