Goodbye to Our Favorite Place

For a number of years we have had a place that we truely loved to visit. The cost was very very reasonable, and there was plenty of room for our large family. A 3,200 sq. ft. home on Little Rock Lake, in Minnesota. Grandma's house.

We have built up many memories there with Cousins, Uncles and Aunties, Grandma, Great Grandfather, and Great Auntie. Birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Vacations. Grandmas house has been a place where FUN is expected and Love is abundant.

The pontoon boat was always always a summer certainty. We caught fish. We jumped from it to swim at distant parts of the lake. The kids loved being towed behind in inflateable towables. The summer weeks seemed long and rich. The sunsets rarely disappointed.

All good things must come to an end at some point. We are sad to admit that Grandma is selling her home - but are happy that it is because she has found love of a different kind. Grandma is getting married. They are both selling their Lake Homes, buying an RV and a town home, and are creating a new life togther. Congrats Grandma.

Day Trip to the Country

Sometimes our schedules are just so jammed packed that we have very little time to just enjoy life, or each other. Like any family - the big family needs some down time. We recommend a day trip. Recently we took a Sunday to just hang out together. The only definite plan was that we would visit a little one room school that had been converted into a Gallery/Gift Shop, located about 1/2 an hour south of Valley City, North Dakota. Hey it was a fun and refreshing day.

We hugged the dog; held hands; frolicked; explored; looked at cows; wondered about abandoned farm homes; stopped at a cafe in a very tiny town - Kathryn. We had FUN!!

Our kids and dog Nigel loved the whole day. We drove a lot, and played outside for hours. It was great - it reminded me of a Sunday afternoon from the '70's - when I was a kid... no electronics, wooden swings, family fun, barefoot kids, hanging out with no rushed schedule, rickety teeter-totters. It was "PURE" fun.

I recommend that you take the afternoon off, fill your gas tank and just drive. See where it brings you.

Meet the Cast

As we prepare for our next trip we thought we should introduce the Cast/Family. We have seven beautiful kids, and we are so-o-o in love with them. They each have their own unique style, sense of humor and personality.

Hey we love to travel with these kids - nothing better than spending hours locked together in our 15 passenger van. It is not always peaceful, however who would we rather spend time with? No one. Our family is our life.

The next trip that we take will be long and will include long hours driving to Canada and across a couple of provinces. We are excited to be able to make our way to Banff Alberta - simply breath-taking. Wow!! It is so beautiful there.

The last time that Kristi and visited Calgary and Banff, was 10 years ago - we had just 3 kids. Things always change - we now have these 7 - from a 1 year old to a 14 year old. Wow - what a difference.

We will be staying at a resort in Banff - the name will be revealed in a later post. We'll post some Video, Photos and our impressions. If this turns out to be Big family Friendly - we will let you know.

I am in a hotel in Aberdeen, South Dakota. I hear some annoying cat meowing - what's up with that? I HOPE it shuts up soon - I need sleep.

Tune in - we take you to Banff.

Chicago FUN

This past week was one filled with both fun and intense STRESS!
Our family traveled to Chicago for a little business and a lot of FUN!

The drive there was probably the absolute worst driving experience of my adult life. We left Wednesday morning, at about 8:00. Our goal had been to leave at 6:30 - but winter often determines departure times for those of us in Northern Climates. The van was covered with solid ICE, as were all the roads and our driveway. It took about 40 minutes of the defrost set to full blast to melt the windshield enough to start our trip.

Because we travel in a 15 passenger rear wheel drive van, icy roads are not a nice experience.
The first 2 1/2 hours of our trip was very slippery... leading of course to very sore arms and a stiff neck, sore back, and achy legs for me the official driver.

We made it most of the way into Wisconsin, when it started snowing very heavily. It was dark and windy, so we stopped and got a room at a resort with a modest indoor water park. The kids loved that! As did Kristi & I. it felt good to be out of the van and playing with the kids in a big pool, eating Pizza and watching Animal Planet.

The next morning after swimming 'til 10:00, we loaded up the van, checked out and made our way east. It had snowed all night and the roads were treacherous! What should have been a 3.5 hour trip was closer to 6.5.

Never have I seen as many wrecked Cars, Pick-ups, SUVs, Semis. There were rescue vehicles of every shape, size and description every few miles! WOW! It was like being in a war zone, destruction was every where. Stress was high - thank God that we had 3 DVD players for the kids to keep them occupied. Arriving in St. Charles, Illinois was a real relief and felt so-o-o very good.

While in the Chicago are we decided to give the kids a little tourist action. My brother-in-law Rob & I drove down to Chicago with 8 kids and spent the day at the Field Museum. What a place!

My two youngest girls that were with us were not very thrilled by all the "dead people" (mummy's) on display - in fact they were in a hurry to just get through the Ancient Egypt display. The older kids loved it.

The little girls were fascinated by the dead animals. There were fish bigger than both of them put together.

I was amazed at the sheer size of most of the animals that I had only seen on TV or at the ZOO. They're much larger up close. We saw SUE!

We were ALL exhausted by the end of the day and ready for the long drive through Chicago's heavy traffic in our 15 passenger van!

Big Family - Defined

When you hear the term "Big Family" - different things pop into your head. Depending on your point of reference. To some of you, a big family consists of 3 kids and 2 adults. To others it takes double digits to constitute a big family.

Kristi & I have 7 kids - which in most circles makes us the amazingly brave/crazy parents who have to deal with what must be insanity. We hear it from strangers - EVERY day. We hear it from family - every once in a while - mostly when we announce that we have been blessed with another one growing in the womb. That always sends out shock waves. My siblings with no kids simply can't understand. My mother in-law tries to rationalize with us and explain that it is dangerous to keep on having so-o-o-o many babies. She is educated in the birthing arena as a Labor & Delivery nurse - so she does have a basis for her concerns.

We have met and are aware of families with as many as 17 kids. To them we are mere rookies - novices at procreation. We actually believe that we are quite accomplished at it and really enjoy the process.

So what exactly is a BIG Family? How do you know if you have a BIG Family or if you want one?

For us there are a few indicators that our family is larger than average, that people think we are overly populating the planet

Whenever we are in a public place, such as a grocery store, a mall, an airport or even a church - we get stares, looks, pointed at and more often than not comments from complete strangers.
"Are they ALL Yours?"
"Boy you've got your hands full"
"I bet your house is really busy"
"Did you know that there is a cure for that now-a-days?"
"I've been watching your family eat - I just wanted to say that I am so impressed, they are so well behaved!"

Yes siree bob, when you have a BIG Family you never go unnoticed in public. It's kinda like being an (unknown) celebrity - people notice you, watch you, whisper about you, and often come up to talk to you.

When you have more than the average number of progeny, there are some logistical issues as well. Staying at a hotel is never easy. Hotel planners and owners rarely acknowledge that there are many families with more than 2.5 kids. You are penalized for having even as few as 3 kids. You usually have to smuggle in a few or pay for another room that you won't even use, if they even have the room at all.

Government carseat laws make it nearly impossible to travel as God intended large families to; piled on top of each other. Now to travel as a substantive family you need at least a mini-van, a large SUV or a 15 passenger like we drive, everyone in his or her own seat with their own seat belt.

These are just a few of the indicators that you have a big family. There are many positive ones as well - but I'll touch on those over time.

Watch Me Go Ahead & Jump

Daddy Look at me I can do Extreme Sports!