October

We didn't put up any decorations until the 20th. We didn't get a pumpkin until the 27th. The only one who had a Halloween costume before Halloween was Cole - and that's only because we have friends who take good care of us (thank you Guay family for the adorable gift). Despite the last minute-ness of it all, we had a fun Halloween. Ethan decided he is too old to trick-or-treat so he answered the door and passed out candy. Dana took Avery trick-or-treating. Cole and I supervised.

September

This month was a hard one - lots of transitions. Ethan started 6th grade in a new school, Avery started his first year of school without his big brother around, Dana added Director of the MPA program to his list of job duties and I had to head back to work.

Despite some tears (mostly mine), everyone one is adjusting pretty well. Ethan loves his new school and the independence of middle school life. Avery is learning how to speak up for himself without his older brother having his back. Dana is enjoying his new role - despite all the extra meetings that came with it. I am happy to see my colleagues and students again but ..... dang I miss that baby!

The only thing making it remotely bearable is that my "day care" is hands down the best in the world.

August

 Summer is coming to a close and we are already thinking about school starting up again. We made a summer bucket list so that we can make sure we get our favorite activities in one last time before summer ends. Here are some highlights.....

Eat a watermelon from our garden

 

Get ice cream from the ice cream truck

 

Eat at Kegs

Have a family swim

 

Go to Turtle River State Park

 

Cole, as usual, is along for the ride and providing entertainment along the way. This month we have seen him enjoy some toys and his new swing and he shared his first smile.

 

 

July

July was filled with a lot of crazy and wonderful!

Dana installed a pool and put up a tramp in our backyard. The idea is that we can have all our fun at our house and not have to lug the baby to  a lot of activities..... it seems to be working.

My sister made the trek from Portland to meet Cole. We spent quality time eating and visiting and hardly left the couch all week..... it was great!

 Cole took his first road trip. He (and grandma-D) accompanied me to Minneapolis so I could attend my last classes at UM. It was the first bath that he didn't hate.

Friends from Wisconsin came for a quick visit.

 

 

The older brothers continue with their summer activities....

 

  and Cole is adjusting to the chaos of our house.

 

 

June

We brought Cole home on June 15th. Everyone is settling in and getting used to having a baby in the house. Ethan and Avery have been amazing helpers and we are so proud of them!

 

Aside from having a beautiful baby, there are lots of other summer activities going on here.

Ethan is on the traveling soccer team, playing baseball and taking swimming lessons.

Avery is playing baseball and taking tennis and swimming lessons.

 

 

 We even got to celebrate Dana's birthday....

Our New Addition

Cole Henry Harsell was born today at 7:57 am.
He weighed in at 7 lbs., 12.5 oz. and measured 21.5 inches.
Everyone is happy and healthy.

A Much Needed Update!

Holy Cow it's been a long time since I posted anything! There is much to catch up on in the last 2 1/2 years!

2010

Another wild year at the Harsell house.... I committed to 2 years of doctoral studies, Dana works his behind off with his job at the University and helping maintain things at home. Ethan continues to love music and sports. He loves 4th grade and his buddies at St. Mike's. Avery has a fantastic year in first grade with a teacher from the East coast - we instantly all bond.

Highlights: It was a year of travel with trips to San Francisco, Yellowstone, Seattle, Portland and the ocean. We got a family trip in to San Francisco to see Dana's sister and family. The boys are so completely fascinated by their cousin - it's very fun to watch. We traveled to Yellowstone to visit good friends from our days in Syracuse. The kids had such fun re-connecting and exploring this amazing park (as did the grown ups) Finally, we traveled to Missoula and the Pacific Northwest to see siblings and nieces/nephews. In addition to quality family time, camping and playing in the ocean were so much fun for us! The biggest surprise of 2010 is that my parents moved to Fargo, ND - just 70 miles from us. It is so great to have family close by. The boys are thoroughly enjoy visits to and sleepovers at Grandma-D and Poppa's house.

2011

I continue graduate work at University of Minnesota. This requires 2+ trips to Minneapolis per semester and much sacrifice from the boys. Dana continues to be amazing with holding it all together while I am often holed up studying or writing. Ethan starts his last year at St. Mike's and we are faced with the reality that we swill soon have a middle school student in our house. Avery starts second grade and, as always is just easy going and happy about life.

Highlights:  Aside from two amazing trips this year - one to New York and the other to Washington, DC, this year will be hard to top for two reasons...
                            1. You're not going to believe this one - we find out we are expecting.
                            2. Dana earns tenure

2012

 We spent a bulk of the beginning of 2012 preparing for our new son. Adding rooms, moving furniture, trying to remember what it is like to have a newborn in the house. We stick close to home and nest. Ethan and Avery are so excited to welcome a baby. Dana keeps doing depressing math about how old we will be when the baby starts school, goes to college etc...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly .... and Beautiful?

During one of our road trips this last year, Ethan was reading from a "Time for Kids" magazine he brought home from school. It had various Top 5 lists.  The idea of holding a record or being ranked in some way really appeals to Ethan's competitive nature.

As we were driving through the vast plains of North Dakota, Ethan shared with us that North Dakota is listed on both the Top 5 hottest and Top 5 coldest temperature lists. It's hard to believe isn't it? Apparently Steele, ND once recorded a temperature of 121 and (less hard to believe) Parshall, ND has a temperature of -60 on record.

I've been thinking about those lists a lot these last few days as we rode out a blizzard and are dealing with the aftermath - namely the cold, the shoveling,  the snow plowing and utter inconvenience of it all. Living in the north pole really is about learning to deal with extremes and maybe learning to find the good in what at first seems to be bad.

This most recent snowstorm shut down the state - quite literally. The major North- South and East-West highways were closed for nearly 2 days. People either stayed home, stayed at work or stayed away from us all together. The North Pole was closed.

As the storm approached, locals began to prepare. Friends with travel plans either canceled or got out of town ahead of the storm knowing that they likely would be snowed out of their houses (and the state) for awhile.

As 20+ inches of snow fell and then was blown around by 30+ mph winds, we sat in our house listening to Christmas music, watching videos, eating cookies, drinking wine and unwrapping gifts. We read books, played games and checked the window occasionally -  but mostly spent time together.

Once the storm passed, the boys were so excited to venture outside and play in all the new snow. As adults, we were dreading the clean-up. It's amazing what 20 years will do to your perspective on 2 feet of snow. When our boys look at this...

  they see endless possibilities of  sledding, forts, caves and  fun. 

When Dana and I saw it, all we thought of was this...

I prefer the kids' perspective.

Perhaps it's because I'm on Christmas break and don't have to be anywhere this week, or perhaps, like the Grinch, my heart has grown to three times its size; but I have been trying to have a different perspective these last few days and you know what ?

20+ inches of snow and 30+ mph winds can also do this..

and this...

and this...

come on - that's cool.

Would the North Pole be my first choice of places to live? Absolutely not. Am I miserable? Not a chance.

I've got this...

 

and this...

We are happy and having fun. We are growing and thriving in the dead of winter.  The North Pole might actually be making me a better person. You should come check it out  ... I'll let you know when we're open.