Minnesota May Be Beautiful

We had a lovely time in the yard at Bridle Ridge today...Eric, Annika, and Irene played in the beautiful spring breeze.










Baby Ice Cream loved laughing at Nana.
















Annika loved playing outside with her cousin.
















Irene teasing Annika
















Eric The Camel (watch out, he spits.)

May has been a busy busy month. With the warm weather we've been able to play outside and even tried planting some seeds. We got to see a few of our favorite cousins and are looking forward to a Very Memorable Memorial Weekend.

Here's some more pictures of our fun.

May 2009

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself.

CJ's Grandma Irene passed away on Wednesday Morning. She enjoyed a long and meaningful life and had recently told us that she was "ready to go home to see Jesus and Chet" (her husband). We will miss her and mourn with her kids, but are so glad to have known her and love the idea of her being in HEAVEN!! It has already been a blessing to gather with extended family and share stories about the wise and feisty matriarch of this clan. We anticipate a poignant celebration full of laughter, tears, hugs, and frozen Snickers bars.

We had just been to visit her on Monday evening. She was clearly uncomfortable and confused, but rallied her spirits and was absolutely charming for her great-grandchildren. They hugged her and sang songs and told her stories, and she was able to impart some wisdom in her own way. It was a perfect chance to tell her we love her. And Annika also told her, "Grandma, you're old." Only a tiny girl with a mullet could get away with reporting such blunt news. Grandma replied, "Yes. I'm old. And someday you will...vote."

CJ told the kids about her passing away on Wednesday. As they pondered his news thoughtfully, he asserted, "...we can be sad because we will miss her, but we can be happy because we know she is in heaven!"

Annika excitedly replied, "And she is ALL NEW! And she will never die again."

Amen.

Stand Still or I'll squeeze your arm.

I heard some rude words (see title) from my son's mouth this morning...
and tuned in to learn what the kids were up to in Annika's room.
I had to wonder whether Eric has heard me talk like this. Of course I wouldn't threaten to squeeze arms, but I probably use that ugly tone. I cringed at the thought. What do they learn from me when I'm being crabby??! oh.
All was quiet, until I heard a sweet singsong voice cajole, "This would be so much easier if you would stand still..."
I had to figure out what they were doing.

this is what I found:

Eric informed me that he was doing Annika's hair and would leave them in while her hair got longer.
Since he appeared to have things well in hand, I returned to the kitchen with a smile in my heart.

Annika and Grandma celebrate their first race

Okay I'm a blogger now,,,I guess

I decided that facebook is too lame to waste my time on anymore. I like the idea of connecting with friends but it's not the forum on which to share the goings-on of our life. I'm tired of the quizzes and the random requests. I'm not interested in which 90210 character I most resemble, even if it is SCARILY accurate!

Today we ran a 5k. It was a family affair... Go Team Eichenjogger! Even the kids got in on the fun. Eric and Annika ran their first official race. It was a 1/4 mile kids run. They both were awesome. Annika announced herself the winner and will not give up her title despite repeated reminders by Eric that he actually came in before her.

I ran my race in 26 minutes, which is a Personal Record for me. Brian beat us all, finishing in 24 minutes. CJ and Rebecca stayed together for most of the race, crossing around 30 minutes. Mom surprised us all by finishing way before her estimated time. It was her first race EVER and she did amazing.