The weather is steadily improving and before long, we'll be complaining about how hot it is out. Unfortunately, we did not take advantage of winter like we should so we won't make that mistake again. We took the boys ice skating just once and they loved it and still ask to go again. We continue to make our house in Hibbing but we hope that changes before winter. We have been working towards building out in Chisholm and just about have all the plans in place to make it happen. Just a few more details are left to work out, such as whether the well is good, what kind of septic we need, and who exactly will do the work. I know the boys will love being at the new house, especially with all that land to roam free in. Each and every time we're out there, the boys play very nice with one another. I know they will get more and more adventurous, so much so, that we'll have to work hard to rein them in. We've even played with the idea of putting up a fence, even though they have 40 acres and complete seclusion to play in.
I've been spending a lot of time with different folks gathering up quotes and information on the construction phase. This last time I was out there, across the yard, Logan pulled his pants to his ankles to go pee. We all looked over there and just kind of laughed at this bare-butt little boy peeing right there where he was playing. A short time later, I see Logan with his pants down yelling at me that he went poop. Embarrassing because I had to ask the guys to excuse me while I went and tended to Logan. Before I got there, he pulled his pants back up but it was too late because he was full of poop inside and out. Dan arrived a short time later and we cleaned him up with wet wipes and grabbed a pair of sweats from storage and were set to go. I had to tell Logan to be sure and go potty at the edge of the woods so people wouldn't step in his pee and poop. If I told this story in person, it'd be pretty funny.
This past weekend, we went to the Split Rock Lighthouse. I must say that this was a life-changing experience for the boys. It was actually a completely spontaneous trip that went incredibly well. We arrived at the Split Rock State Park and purchased a State Park Annual Pass and headed in. The visitor's center there is incredible, brand new with some fantastic exhibits. There's weren't too many people there either because the tourist season hadn't quite hit yet. We looked at the exhibit area and the gift shop with the boys behaving pretty well. We decided to sit in on a 23 minute movie they show as requested. The move was made probably 30 years ago and described how the light house came to be as well as what it was like to manage it. Logan was very interested in this even though it was geared towards older kids and adults. After the movie, we finally headed out to see the light house. The movie helped explain everything they were about to see so actually seeing the light house just brought it all together. All the way home, that's all they could talk about. And still, Logan talks about how he wants to live in a light house. We've discussed it and I think we're going to have to build a light house play area instead.
I went sturgeon fishing for the first time up on the Rainy River. I was pretty thrilled with my catch and was so excited. I now want a boat to expose my kids to big fish fishing. How cool will that be?
Gage's potty training is still a work in progress. He has only pooped on the potty twice in the past year and will only go pee when told. I definitely need to do some research on this one. Sometimes, he looks at me as he's going in his pull-up and says, "I go pee."
Daycare has been going OK. I miss the structure Lola's daycare in Little Falls offered but I really like the flexibility this one offers. I know my boys would benefit from a different, more organized day care, but I just can't get the time to search out one that offers both the structure and flexibility. I'm fortunate right now that I am not traveling for work because otherwise, with Dan working, I'd have to try and find some nanny type to help out. When the boys first started going to this day care, they acted out, threw fits, screamed and cried, and were completely disrespectful. I see this behavior almost each time I'm there, but it's mostly because of their own son. I had to tell Logan especially that how he acts at day care is not acceptable behavior for home. It's made a difference.
Work has been going well but with the falling of the economy, things are a little scary around here. I am surrounded by layoffs of 7 to 15 weeks although I have been spared for now. That may change but I'm OK with that, as long as I still have a job to go back to.
