Just normal . . .

Ok now I'm remembering why I fell so far behind on this blog - there's not much to post about when life is just normal!  :)  But us Roisums have learned to be SO THANKFUL for "just normal."  So thankful for routine, the comings and goings, for laundry, a house to clean, food to prepare, dogs to chase around, the carpooling, bible studies, the church activities . . .  We know people who would give anything for "normal" right now, so it's not something I will ever take for granted again.

We did manage to get the house decorated for Christmas (pictures later) and did a major downsize on Christmas stuff.  When we moved we realized we had WAY TOO MUCH.  I have a small problem with Christmas decor.  Yikes.  Something along the lines of 15 Rubbermaid totes.  We got rid of about 1/2 of that - the Cornerstone Rescue Mission was happy to see it.  :)  And it felt good to get rid of stuff.  But then wouldn't you know, I bought a few more Christmas decorations last week.  See?  I have a problem.

The kids are preparing for their roles in their upcoming school musical - but they don't share much with us ahead of time.  Jack is quite cagey about his part, so we don't know anything there - but we do know that Noah is King Herod.  This has been the subject of much joking around here because King Herod was hideously egotistical, mean and horrible ~~ all of which Noah is NOT.  :)  It's hard for him to even ACT that way, so this role will be a bit of a struggle for him (but funny at the same time!).  Can't wait to see how it all plays out.

Our sweet King Herod also has his last piano recital next weekend - he's decided to drop piano for now.  It breaks my heart because he's SO GOOD, but he's ready for a break and we can respect that.  I hope he goes back to it someday . . .

Now off to do some more of my NORMAL stuff - take the dogs out, do my bible study (which really, meeting with God on the pages of is word is anything but normal!!), make supper . . . and being thankful all the while!

The Great Blog Revival

It's been over a year since I last posted here . . . and oh, what a year it was.  I'm determined to get this blog back up and running, posting on a regular basis, mainly because the history that is preserved here is so important to our kids.  They have spent HOURS reading through the previous books I've had made from this blog - something I never anticipated when I set this up to keep distant family and friends up-to-date on our lives.  Obviously, they are still important :), and another good reason to keep this tradition alive . . . but my main drive behind this now is a family record for Jack and Noah.

In short, we spent much of the past year of our lives dealing with medical conditions - such a strange season! I had posted last year about my inner-ear trouble . . . once we finally got that to a managable state, then another chronic condition reared it's ugly head and we went through many struggles trying to get that diagnosed and under control. A few weeks after I started to feel better and get my life back, Mark was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.  At age 41.  That kicked off a whole new round of research and doctors and decisions, and landed us at Mayo Clinic with Mark having surgery in May.

Recovery was slow going, but went smoothly and ushered us into an amazing summer.  Probably the best we've ever had.  I decided it was purely a gift from God, after all we had endured the previous several months.  This was finally the summer we did everything we intended to do, and then some.  We both felt great, were able to camp (alot!), relax, play, spend time with many precious friends, had lots of time with extended family, went on vacation, and MOVED. 

Yes, moved.  Kindof on a whim.  Kindof as a fresh start.  Partly because our new house is directly across the street from two families who are very good friends (and two of Jack and Noah's best buddies).  Partly because this house is in the woods and turkey and deer visit us daily.  The peace and beauty we've found out here in the woods was something our souls needed.

SO, I figured an appropriate way to "start over" again would be to do an iPhone dump!  (Which makes this the longest blog post you will ever hope to read!  Eeeek.  Sorry.)

Let's go way back to January - this was really my first social outing after being laid up at home for a couple months - a few families took all our boys to Star Wars The Phantom Menace 3D - was a total blast for all of us.

In February, we took a week long trip to visit Mark's brother and his family (suburb of Mpls), my sister and her family (Iowa), and a stop in Minneapolis in between!

 My sweet niece Amelia . . .

 While at my sister's in Iowa, the kids got to attend their cousin's bowling birthday party . . .

 And I got to go to Panera. :)

On our way home from that trip, we stopped in Sioux Falls so Mark could have a biopsy (or 11, but who's counting?) done on his prostate (before his diagnosis).  A couple days after arriving home, he developed a NASTY infection from the procedure and ended up in the hospital.  His sweet parents hit the road immediately and helped us through it.  One morning at the hospital, someone brought a llama.  ?!??!  I have no idea - don't ask.  We just took our picture with it.

 Here's an interesting thought from Noah on Pearl Harbor.  :)

 And here's Mark minutes after surgery.  Poor guy.

 30 hrs after surgery - checking out and leaving his trademark (the Vikings helmet).

The 4th grade class did a big musical at the end of the year - Jack and the Beanstalk - and guess who played the part of Jack?  :)  We were so proud of him - his part included 4 solos which he NAILED!   Noah was a very cute/funny cow and townsperson.  This was definitely a highlight of the year.

With Mark still recovering, my mom and I took Jack to his soccer tournament in Sheridan, WY.  It was mother's day weekend, so I was really happy to have her as a traveling companion.  And the weather was GORGEOUS.

 Another soccer tournament - this time in Rapid City.  They won!

 And my babies turned 11.  With a laser-tag/sleepover party.  It was wild.  But we survived. :)

Camping in Custer State Park with the Rossons - the kids found a turtle.  And wanted to keep him.  Ummm, NO.

 Murphy did the natural thing and sniffed his rear end.  ???  Couldn't believe it.

A super hot day.  Wish I could say this was the only time it got that hot.  It was the first of MANY.

4th of July - spent a few days camping in Spearfish with the Gordons.  Had a ton of fun.   Waiting for the parade in Belle Fourche to start.

The fun part about this parade is there is an on-going squirt-gun fight between spectators and people on the floats.  To say these boys had the time of their lives would be an understatement. :)

Murphy hanging out in a swing chair at Grandma and Grandpa's.  Is he cute or what?

This is a good summary picture of our summer - laughing, sweaty boys.

In July, we were blessed to have my sister and her kids come for two weeks.  The boys got to bond with cousin Amelia.

 Mini golfing at Pirate's Cove.

Tubing at the lake with Grandpa, Uncle Lane and Kyle.  The boys got to spend a lot of time this summer tubing - a constant battle between them and grandpa - them trying to stay on and him trying to dump them off.  :) Noah was a master by the end of the summer.  Grandpa's going to have to learn some new tricks.

 An afternoon at Spearfish water park

 Teaching Amelia how to SHOP!  She's a natural.

Hills Alive - waiting for Tobymac to start.  We've been listening to him DAILY ever since.

 And the next night - Mercy Me - with Josh, Marcy and Cayel.  AMAZING concert.

 In August, we spent a week on a lake in Alexandria, MN with BOTH grandmas and grandpas and Betsy and Lane and their kids.  So many great memories!!

Just seeing these pictures again makes my heart hurt - miss these guys so much!  Why do cousins have to grow up so far apart?  Uggh.

After Alexandria, we made a quick stop in Willmar and had a photo session. :)  This is Mark and his brother Todd - can you tell they are brothers??  Such cuties. 

 Mark's parents and their grandkids.  Such a cute bunch.

ALL SUMMER long, Noah kept asking for a breakfast burrito from Taco John's - his favorite restaurant.  I told him I'd let him get one ONCE - for obvious reasons.  :)  This day he finally got it and was a happy camper. :)  It surpassed his expectations.

The fair.  At said fair, the boys won 3 goldfish.  Our journey with these fish didn't end well.  One ended up down the kitchen sink drain on accident, one flopped out of the bowl onto the floor and died, and one just died.  Who knew fish could be so complicated to take care of?

My 40th birthday weekend.  We spent 3 nights and days having a "staycation" - doing all sorts of fun things - it was awesome.

5th grade started with a bang with some field trips.  The first was to the city admin building, where the mayor held a mock city council meeting with the kids.

Then we went to the SDGFP Outdoor Campus where they searched for and studied water bugs and went canoeing.

Mark brought back the pickle-canning tradition (we've missed the past couple years).  Got several done - HIS turn to be a happy camper!

While Jack's been busy with soccer (8 months straight!!), Noah stuck with football.  His team went undefeated and won the Super Bowl!  Extra fun because he plays the same position Grandpa did in college.  :)

Another field trip - to Mt. Rushmore.  How cool is that, that these kids get to go to Mt. Rushmore for a field trip?!?  I love where we live!!

At a soccer tournament in Denver.  We FROZE all weekend. 

But got to eat at Smashburger which was a highlight!!  Thanks Nathan Gordon for the recommendation!

 This is my dad at our house on squirrel duty - with Jack supervising.  :)

Jack (in gray) and Noah (in maroon) helping the neighbors out, hauling wood.  Funny how hard work can be the BEST TIME when you are doing it with friends.

In October, we headed back to MN again - this time for a Vikings game, and another stop in Willmar.  While there, we went past the house that I lived in from 7th - 12th grade.  Wow, it was weird to see it again.  So many memories here!

GO VIKES!

 

(The end is in sight!)  Just a couple weeks ago, we welcomed a new puppy into our family - a golden retriever named Tucker.  He came to us from North Carolina.  Mark says he was bred to be a model, not a hunter. :)  (His mommy and daddy are show dogs).

The day after he arrived, the kids conveniently had "Pet Day" at school and had fun showing him off (along with Murphy!)

This is Noah helping prepare food for a dinner we served to the homeless at the mission.  It was a breathtaking/heart-changing experience for all of us.  We are hooked and hope to do it again soon.  And often.

We just finished an ENORMOUS school project - each of the kids were assigned a South American country, and had to write a research paper on the country, make their flag, design a float for a parade with things representing their country, AND provide 150 servings of food from their country (for the whole school and all the parents that came).  I was ready to throw a party for the parents by the time it was all over.
 
This past weekend, we had our annual Operation Christmas Child box-packing day at my mom and dad's.  They collect various items all year and then we get together with my brother's family to pack boxes all day.  It's so much fun, and interesting to see the kids get into it.  The gift is really for us - being able to participate in such an amazing ministry.

And now you are up to speed!  One year in one post.  :)  Thankful to be back in action and thankful for all these awesome moments God has blessed us with!