Paul Bunyon

Paul Bunyon was HUGE in Minnesota, not just in size. Almost every city we visited had there own version of these huge statues of Paul Bunyon and sometimes the big blue ox too. Every town would have there own version of the story too. The kids just loved it!

These were at Paul Bunyon days, and Rodee found a new love. Rock climbing! We haven't found anywhere he can do it here, but he still talks about it!

The many Lakes..

We spend so many days at the many different lakes in Minnesota. They are all so beautiful. We loved just hanging out on the beach, especially when Daddy could be with us on the weekends.

The kids

We ended up staying in hotels the whole almost 8 weeks. We really did have a good time amazingly! Good thing we like each other! Here a few of the kids at the hotel.

More....

More of our summer!

While we were in Minot we also went to the zoo! It was sad that most of the kids didn't even remember that while in Portland we went almost weekly for a while while we lived there! It was so much fun though. We also visited this beautiful Scandanavian Park. The tour people loved all of our families names! It was so great to talk with the kids about why daddy thinks it is so great to be Norwiegen! It was such a great day, one of our favorites of the trip. We also found out that day, that we would not be going home as planned that we would have at least 6 more weeks of trip!

Summer 2007

I thought I would post some pictures from our 8 week adventure following Joe around with work this summer. We really did have such a great time!

I will start with our trip that we thought would last a week to Minot North Dakota. While we were ther we were able to stay at a great hotel with this awesome water park. That was the purpose of going.

Travel Updates

The crew that Joe has been watching took the rest of the 4th of July week off, so we are going to try to enjoy this slowing down of the process. We decided to drive over to Wisconsin to meet Joe's Grandma Anne who we have never met. We left Grand Rapids yesterday. After about 3 hours, we were about and hour out of St. Paul area and Joe remembered they had a temple there. So after makeing a few phone calls and last minute changes to hotel reservations, which isn't easy the week of the fourth, we decided to stay the night here. I was able to go do initatories and a session! It was wonderful. I miss so badley having a temple close by. Joe took the kids to the Mall of America. I wasn't sad to miss out, the temple was exactly what I needed to gain peace again in the craziness of hotel living.
When we got back to the room last night, Sam could hardly walk on his feet, and we noticed they were all red and swollen and had an odd rash. He had said a few days ago, his ankle hurt, but I assumed that he twisted it in the sand at the beach, then yesterday morning he said both hurt, but by last night he could hardly walk. I called out Pediatrician who told me to give him some Motrin and ice it he didn't seem as worried as Joe and I were, and that is odd, we are usually pretty relaxed about this stuff. Joe gave him a blessing of comfort while I was out on the cell phone with Dr Garver, and by the time I got back, Sam was smilling and watching the OLD version of the Bridge to Tarabithia we had bought. So I gave him the meds and we will see what he looks like when he wakes up. I couldn't sleep much last night. I had such a wonderful experience at the temple, and then to worry about Sam. I am sure it will all be alright. I will try to keep posting how it goes!

Nykreim Travels!

I just thought I would journal a bit to let some of you know of the current adventures of the Nykreim Family!! We spend the weekend in Daluth MN, Our hotel looked out over Lake Superior! It was soooo beautiful!! It felt like you were at the Ocean! Both Joe and I were saying we need to find work here! I would totally love it!. I feel like I have given up on my dream to move back to Idaho, so at this point a beautiful place would be great. It was such a great town too! Lots of beautiful historical buildings!

We are back in Grand Rapids Minnisota for the week again. The boys are getting too use to this hotel, they think they run the place. They are really nice here though.

OH, the hotel we stayed at in Daluth had a huge water park! It was all Tiki themed! I will post pictures later if I can figure out how to do that on the hotel computer! We got some great ones.

I will try to post later. Any great Microwave meals pass them on! I have actually become quite the pro! Our favorite, is a Chinese meal. I use some round steak and cut it in strips, cook it for about 3 minutes, in a bit of soy sauce, then I steamed some broccoli, carrot, and snow peas and mixed them all together, seasoned with a bit of butter and soy sauce, and then I steamed some rice and we just ate it over the rice! It is sooo good! And done in about 20 minutes! I am sure we will make this at home too!

Of course we have found different wards, or sometimes branches to attend here. It is so confirming to me, everytime I walk in to a church building and the same spirit is there, as in all buidings. The Gospel is true. It is true everywhere. This has been the best thing for the kids to see. The further East we go, you can see changes in the people, maybe they run things a bit different, but the spirit doesn't change.

Shelly's Wedding

I had so much fun takeing the pictures at Shelly's wedding, I am still compiling them all for her, I feel awful about that, but I thought I would post some of my favorites for you all to admire! Hee hee! I really need more practice but I love it!

4/3/07

Just thought I would add a few more pics on here that I have taken lately. I have not practiced nearly enough and don't feel ready for Shelly's wedding but it will come soon so I need to be!
We take off tomorrow for Idaho. Joe is already down there, he left Monday.
Lightning went in for another minor surgery today, another little boil, long story but I hate surgens I will have to tell it when I am not so tired!

3/30/07

Just thought I would write again today while I have a second. Rodee and Sam are down at the park with Sam's primary class, flying kites, Lightning is riding bikes on the ramp they built in our driveway with our nieghbor boy, and Sophie is sleeping! It is a gorgous day out today! Just beautiful!! Joe's friend Peter made it in today. He ran with Joe to UPS, he had to drop something off. Joe and I actually got a lunch date today! My friend Holly needed me to babysit this morning and when she came back, I ran to a doctors apt that I had, and Joe called me up on my cell phone and said he was done for the day. I told him that Holly was home with the kids so he said we should go to lunch and we did! It was nice.

We are going to the Fairhurst for dinner, a group of people from our ward will be there it should be fun. Jadie and Jordanne are coming to watch the kids. I havn't thought of what I am going to do to feed them yet! I guess I better do that!

Well that little break was nice! It is conferance weekend. I guess we will be huddled around the computer again at least for Saturday! I forgot we have a donut breakfast tradition on the saturday morning of conferance I guess I need to get some tonight! I am so about the food at all events! Not good!

3/28/07

Just thought I would start using this again. I am going to start journaling on this more for those who care and just for me. So much goes on in our lives all along the day to day sameness, it is nice to have it down in print to remember.
Joe has been recently promoted to the Sales Rep for Idaho and Montana. He is doing AWESOME. He is also still managing the 8 guys he has hired in the past year and will continue to do that too. So technicly he will be working two jobs since as the full time tech rep he works for WTI and as the Sales Rep he works for Tremco. So it will be nice, two checks too!! Everyone that knows Joe knows he can do it!! I think he is really enjoying it too. I guess I should have figured after going to school full time, working full time and wrestling and still managing to pull off a high GPA, and raise a family and keep a marriage happy that he does his best when he is busy!! I really am grateful for such a wonderful man!!
Ok so if you haven't guessed he has been gone for since Sunday, they had a training for his guys in LA, so I guess I miss him!! He is on his way home right now, Kathiann is picking him and Jade up so that I wouldn't have to wake the kids up.
I had a great party tonight!! It is so frustrating, one day I am complaining that I am too busy and I am never doing another party again and then I go and have a great one like tonight and can't give it up!! Everyone loved the clothes tonight and I got two bookings. I do love that I just played dress up with a bunch of girls and made $200!! Can't beat that! But I now I have to process the order which is no big deal, but it just seems like so much work sometimes, but I guess that is how it is suppose to be, you can't really get money for nothing I guess.
We got a Gym membership last week and I love it. We got it at Gold's. They have free child care, and Lightning is in Heaven. The lady is so sweet that works there, she does little art projects with them, and if there aren't too many babies in there she will take them over to a court and let them play ball and run. He thinks it is his little school. The kid is dying to go to school, it is so sad that he has another year before he can begin!!! I just don't know if preschool is going to be enough for him!!
Rodee and Sam are doing great in school, but definatly ready for summer and so am I! Our sprin break is a joke, they get a thursday and Friday then a Monday and Tuesday!! I am takeing them out the last three days of that week anyway, we are going to Idaho. My friend Shelly is getting married and I am doing the photo's! It will be my first "real" job I guess you could say for my budding amature career!! hee hee!
I finally got my dream camera last week and I am dying to see just exactly I can do with it then. When Joe finally shows me how to get my pictures off my camera safely with out ruining my card like I did on my last camera I will have to post some that I have been playing with. Of course I have the most beautiful subject. Sophie has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen!! They are like Violet blue! No idea where they came from, Joe has light almost grey blue eyes, and my are hazel. She is so fun!!
Well, Joe just made it home so I am going to run! I will write more soon!

The Kids

Update

Hey everyone! Thought I should add to this it has been a while, these are pictures from our house! There is so much to do, but it will beautiful when it is done. We painted all day Saturday! In the pictures the room isn't put all back together and I noticed blue tape still up, and the dots on are on the camera lens, but it give you an idea! I love the color!
I also threw some pics of the kids in here! I am not proud or anything, but I do have pretty cute kids!

Back to School

We put the boys back in school this year and they had a great first day!! Aren't they so handsome!! :)

Sophie

Announcing (a little late!)
Our new baby girl!! Email me if you want all the info on her! She is so fun!! The boys love having her around and are a HUGE help!