Nadermann Family Reunion

Last Sunday we ventured down to Farley, Iowa, my dad's hometown, for a family reunion. This was a first for my dad's family as it was just his sister, her children, and his brother's children. You may not think there would be many, but his one and only sister has 9 kids (I think)....So you throw in the fact that they now have their own kids, there were many little ones to say the least, and half of my cousins and their kids weren't even there! It was a gorgeous day, and nice to see cousins that we really only see at sad occassions. We had a nice picnic and then my dad and his nephew, Mark, my brother-in-law, Derek, and Wayne took the younger boys down to the baseball field to hit some balls. I have to admit, I could see a sparkle in my dad's eye as all these young, little boys playing baseball....as well as his grandsons and son-in-laws. I think he was very proud. Of course Graham had to play as you can see in the pictures. The whole time, he was carrying a stick so Wayne thinks he is going to be a golfer as the first time he chased a ball, Graham put it down and thought he should hit it like a golf ball. So cute! Of course, Alex loved batting and hitting them out to his Papa. Treasured moment for me watching as it was priceless!

It was a wonderful day, although short as we needed to get so I could go work at school. Although I don't see my dad's family a lot, it was so nice to touch base with my aunt LuAnne, her kids, and uncle's family. They are wonderful, caring people whom I regret not seeing more often. Fun family day together to end the summer!

The Kerian Kids

One last photo from the wedding this weekend! I love my kids!

They are Getting Older Right in Front of My Eyes

We had a great weekend (besides Wayne's big golf win) as the first of Kirstin's high schools friends got married. Hard to believe that her friends and classmates are old enough now to walking down the aisle and saying "I do" with boys! I can remember most of their "first dates", girly sleepovers, and graduations.......again, time goes so fast. Kirstin looked beautiful and we are so proud of her! Amidst her tears after the bride's father read a poem he wrote for his daughter, which was both funny and emotional, Kirstin came "marching" towards her father and stated, "That's it, when I get married let's just face it that I am going to cry a lot and Dad, you are going to make a speech! I don't care if it is a poem like his, but you better have something to say......and I am just going to keep crying!" It was so cute! Wayne's only response was, "Well, alright then." and smiled.

It was a beautiful wedding as Courtney married her sweetheart Tim. The dresses were colorful and fun to go with the great summer day! You can see in one picture Kirstin is being "carried" in for the wedding party entrance....fun? Yes! Everyone had a wonderful time way into the late hours of the evening, including Alex who was a "dancing machine". Elyse left early to go to a friend's house for the evening but the rest of us had a spectacular night! It is so much fun to hang out with Kirstin's friends and just have a good time with them as they are so adults now! And oh.....the memories we created that night!!!!! You would never have guessed that I taught some of them years ago....(sshhhhhh! don't let that get out....I really am not THAT old!)

So, congratulations to Courtney and Tim! It was a beautiful day!

Wayne - Country Club Champion Again! 2010

Wayne came home very excited from his latest golf venture, the Club Championship at our local Country Club. He came behind by 2 to win by 2 in the final round of 27 holds. He is very proud and we are of him as well!!!! He played a lot of golf the last few days as he had friends here from out of state (and they played ALOT of golf!) so his "practicing" paid off! Way to go Wayne!

"This is the life" according to Cody

Last week was a fun week for us as I spent a day in Minneapolis with my nephews, Graham and Connor, and Wayne's nephews, Justin and Cody, spent Sunday til Monday morning at our house. It was fun all around as I spent the day holding Connor and catching up with my sister then playing with Graham that evening singing songs and running around outside. Connor is growing and smiles/coos. Adorable! I could spend all day hugging both of them! Oh yeah....isn't Connor's shirt so cute? hehehe Go Cyclones!

Justin and Cody came over Sunday around noon. Alex had some friends over the night before and they were playing poker at the time the boys arrived. (Yes, I know. . . but it is harmless). Anyway, before the afternoon was over Justin had jumped in to play and beat them all!!!! The boys were in awe. I enclosed a picture of them playing....think this was the second game after Justin had "given them a lesson or two". So funny! Cody spent his time hanging with Wayne, helping clean his kites, and me, playing legos. Later in the afternoon, Wayne and Cody decided to crawl up in the hammock with the dogs. As they were lying there, Cody calmly states, "Wayne, this is the life!". Wayne just started laughing. They were telling stories and everything. So funny. Of course the night ended with the reading of "The Ghost Eye Tree. That has been a favorite of Wayne's to read to the kids...and he always reads it to Cody, but this time....Alex read it to him at bedtime. It was precious.

So it was a fun week spending time with family. The Kerian clan, most of us, did meet and go out Saturday. Carol, Kayla and Peter were down from Rochester. It is rare for all of us to go out together so it was fun. Decided that we need to do it more often. Thanks to Wayne's brother Randy for celebrating his birthday with us! I think that is enough said about the evening.....from what I heard, some of the family members weren't feeling very well the morning after and might not remember everything.....hahahaha. Good times!

That evening I also ran into a lot of my "first homeroom" class teaching. It was a group of students I "floated up" teaching as 4th, then 5th and 6th grade. It was awesome to see so many of them (in town for a wedding). At one point, when one of them asked to buy me a drink, I did feel a little old. But that feeling soon went away. Kind of reinforced my love for my job.....not the drinking, of course....the teaching! It's great to know you have a bond with some students even after they move on in life. Fun night!

Enjoy the pictures. I can't take credit for taking them all. Thanks Sara for sharing!

Elyse Survived Snow Valley Basketball Camp/School Again!

My little girl returned home late Monday afternoon after 4 days of intense basketball camp (school as they call it) tired and hungry. The last time she went to Snow Vally Basketball Camp was when she was going in 5th grade - an excellent experience but too intense at that point. Before returning this year, her friends were calling it "Death Camp" but afterwards, she realized it was not all that bad....Her return to this camp was successful and beneficial....plus she met some more new "facebook friends" along the way (the priorities of a 14 year old). hehehehe Anyway, they put in LONG days, getting up at 5:30 to get ready to play by 6:15 and then going sometimes until after 10 PM at night. Not a lot of "down time" but that is not what they were there for. Wayne and I are VERY proud of her (as well as our niece Miranda who also went and the 7 other Crestwood freshmen who also went). It is an intense camp, recognized by Sports Illustrated, but well worth it in the long run. Elyse's only "little" disappointment. . . .four years ago her and her friend Hannah won this competition called "Cut Throat".....not this year......oh well....can't win them all Elyse....And I don't think she will be running for a few days. I included a picture of the back of her heels that were broken, open blisters. Her toes were covered as well. Ouch! Other pictures are just during game times and during the "Cut Throat Competition".

Oh yeah....one final comment.....at her physical Tuesday Elyse measured 6' on the dot! She thinks she shrunk as she was measured almost 6'1" at school. I told her maybe the scales were off...she just chuckled! We do know that she is officially taller than her father, who continues to claim he is taller than her coming in at a whopping 5'10". Go Wayne!

Happy Birthday Ken!

My last post is to wish my brother Ken happy birthday! Today is his birthday and I hope he is having one hell of a party up there. Even though he is not here with me physically, I know he is with me in spirit (and that I am crying now as he thinks I am a bit emotional) :) Yes....so true...there were many tears shed during our vacation. I couldn't help think while driving the last few weeks how Ken has pulled so many family and friends together over the past. I also realized that he is the reason my family first went to the Outer Banks years ago (Sara, Derek, Kim and Wayne-had a blast with Ken) as well as the reason we ventured to Fripp in South Carolina as we loved the beach so much. Ken was the one who first invited us to the Outer Banks for a few days before Deanne and Darbys' wedding. If it weren't for that moment...my family wouldn't have all the wonderful memories we have had over the past years....9 to be exact as Deanne reminded me....or all the great friendships that have developed over the years. Deanne, Wayne and I sat on her deck one night with the sky full of stars and the waves crashing talking about all the people and friendships Ken helped create. I have so many wonderful memories and new friendships because of him. In a way, I guess that is how he will live on in us. Even so, I miss him a lot and wish he were here. I only hope that as I sat on the beach in the Outer Banks the last few weeks, he was sitting on the beach too or watching the same stars at night.

Happy Birthday Ken! Love and miss you!

Fripp Island, South Carolina - Fun in the Sun!

The last week of our adventure was we enjoyed some time on Fripp Island, a familiar place to our family. Kirstin and Nate arrived with Elyse's friends, Megan and Molly, as they flew into Atlanta and drove from there. Everyone adjusted and got settled for a week of fun in the sun. The weather was beautiful, 90s all week, rained a few nights later in the evening, which was fine as it was so humid. Everyone had a fabulous time. The house we rented was from the same owner as last year, just different house, and it was beautiful! Everyone was sad to leave yesterday and can't wait until next year.

Here are the highlights of Fripp:
* Kids loved high tide as they tried to "jump" the waves and ride them out. This was usually in the evening, towards dark, which was kind of nerve wracking as we couldn't see each other after a while. Kids thought it was "way cool"!
* Spent the days on the beach....boogie boarding, swimming, etc. Kim and Kirstin read some and "people watched" of course. The ocean was perfect and the beach was not too crowded. We usually had our own little area so it was perfect. There were also many "bocci ball" games during the week.... Wayne and Nate appear to be the partner champs as they usually came out winning.
* Evenings were wonderful as the adults sat out on the front porch chatting and enjoying a few drinks while the kids played cards and games until midnight or later. They also made milkshakes every night and enjoyed tons of laughs while blasting the music. This of course, was after the golf cart rides around the island. The girls thought it was cool they could drive with their permits (with an adult of course) and wanted to drive as much as possible.
* Wayne and I saw an alligator in the canal that was over 12 foot!!!! It was so large that it was kind of freaky! I think it was the alligator that Justin and Cody call "Mean". If it was, he moved spots because the alligator in the pond was much smaller than in the past.
* I took all the kids and teenagers to Hunting Island one afternoon. We loved shell hunting, swimming in ocean, and going up the lighthouse.
* Wayne rented a boat the last day - spent all of Friday out venturing to Bull's Point, which is a great place to shell. He had to make two trips, and of course, got lost once or twice, but it was great. He also had to manage the boat around clam beds, which was interesting. While we were at Bull's Point, the girls looked for shells, went swimming, and hunt out. We took our time going back as we watched dolphin swimming and feeding. Alex and Wayne tried fishing (Molly too) at Bull's Point. Alex caught two sharks - one a hammerhead that everyone thought was cool. You will see pictures of it below in the slide show. When we dropped the kids off at the marina, Wayne and I went back out and trolled around following dolphin and fishing. Great way to end the week.
* Elyse's friend, Molly, turned 15 while on vacation with us so of course we had to take her to the local "Johnson Creek Tavern". It was a fun night for all of us. We then walked into "Barefoot Bubbas", which is the local t-shirt/souvenier shop. When we walked in, the guy behind the cashregister goes, "Hey, you guys have been here before!". We just laughed. Yes.....a few times over the past years!
* Wayne, Nate, and Alex did get a few rounds of golf in. Not as much as the past, but they did enjoy themselves.

So, once again, Fripp has left us with great memories with family and friends. It is always sad to leave.....but exciting to know we will hopefully be back next year.

Next Stop - Outer Banks. . . .Old Memories and New

From Washington DC, we went to the beaches of the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We were anxious to get to the Outer Banks as we have many fond memories from the past...there were some tears along the way. . .good chats. . . new memories created. We stayed with Deanne and the girls at Darby's family beach house. It was a beautiful place. . .ocean to the right and the sound to the left. During the day, we sat on the beach as well as used the pool at Darby's stepmom's home, which is right on the beach.

Highlights:
* Chats until late in evening on out deck....sharing memories and thoughts while enjoying wine.
* Intense waves of the ocean - we were thrown around a lot!
* Wayne teaching Ellie how to fly a kite. It was adorable and precious!
* Watching dolphin in the ocean as we hunt out on the deck.
* Swinging in the hammock by the beach while enjoying the view and pool

I could go on and on about the Outer Banks. It was wonderful, although there was someone missing....missed you Ken!

Washington DC - Can You Say "Hot"? Yes - But Awesome!

We returned from our trip to the East Coast last night at 2:00 AM. We drove straight through from South Carolina to my parents, picked up dogs, and drove home to Cresco. Made pretty good time considering we added an hour on due to construction/delays. I will not lie.....there were tears shed at various times throughout this wonderful trip.....tears of sadness and tears of happiness. It definitely was a memorable vacation and good for the heart!

So instead of trying to put all sorts of pictures on one post, I will be sharing three post. Within each one, I will list the highlights of the various places we visited.

Our first stop was the wonderful Washington DC. We stayed with some friends of ours, Deanne and Darby, only Darby was gone on offical "Army" business. It was great to spend some time with Deanne and the girls, Molly and Ellie as well as travel and tour Washington DC.

Highlights of the trip:
* We had the pleasure of watching amazing fireworks of Washington DC being shot over Washington Monument. Because it was over 100 degrees and utter chaos, we decided to watch them from the Potomac River, right by the monument. It was so intense as there were 29 other surrounding suburbs doing fireworks as well so it lit up the sky. A moment I know none of us will forget.
* The first night we were in DC we decided to visit the monuments and White House. As we get close to the White House, security police show up pushing everyone out of the area. They were very intense. As we started walking away, the sky because full of activity - lots of helicopters etc. Next thing we know, Air Force One is landing with the President. We did not see him, but it was pretty intense.
* Spent one day at Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. I didn't think this would be very exciting as I am not a history person, but it was very cool! I suggest it to anyone visiting Washington. Kids loved it. They even shot off "day fireworks" that were colored powder. It looked just like the real thing, only spread out like powder. Very cool.
* I loved the monuments and memorials - Last time I was there they did not have the World War II memorial, which was beautiful. The most impressive one for all of us was Arlington Cemetary as we watched the "Changing of the Guards". Good for the kids to see and learn as they had lots of questions afterwards.
* Rest of visit was full of touring and fun. Kids got really good at figuring out Metro and getting around.

So, while it was very hot.....it was a wonderful vacation and time spent together. Enjoy the pics!

A Week of Baseball, Softball, and Family

Ahh...finally some sunshine without the humidity and chance of storms/tornadoes.. I thought I would make a quick blog post in between running kids everywhere. It has been a very busy past week but very enjoyable.

Baseball and softball continue to take up our world. Alex has his last week of AAU this week. Combine that with Park and Rec and he has 9 games from today until Friday night! Busy boy! Their AAU team continues to do very well and winning the majority of their games. Alex is doing great and loving every minute of AAU. Yesterday he had a double header against Decorah, who they ended up crushing, and Alex had his own little cheering section as his grandma Janet and Papa came. They brought a special visitor along to help cheer on Alex, my brother's dog, Cal. hehehe. It was great of them to make the trip up just to see Alex play.

Elyse. . . .don't really see much of her lately in her busy schedule. She spent the last week at softball, basketball, volunteering, and babysitting the last 5 nights in a row so I didn't see her too much. Her softball team is doing very well as well and have not had many losses all season! She also had her own cheering section last week at her game as both grandmas, Sara, Graham, and Connor came to cheer her team on to a win! The laughter of the game was when my sister cheered, "Come on Blue. . . There are two duckies on the pond!". (meaning 2 girls on bases to get home as Elyse was batting). Oh Sara!!!! Good times!!! I know Elyse appreciated having everyone there! She and I did have a "girls weekend" - when she was home that is- as Wayne took Alex and some of his friends for a weekend of tubing, kneeboarding, and jet skiing at the cabin. Bonding weekend for all!

As I mentioned earlier, my sister, Sara, and her boys came down for a few days to visit and watch the kids play ball. The rain didn't cooperate with Alex's games so she only saw a little bit, but we loved having them here and miss them already! Connor is getting bigger, and it was fun to cuddle with him. Hard to believe he will be a month old this week. I found a new toy for Graham, a motorized Gator that a friend of mine was selling. He loved it! We all thought he would be scared to death of it at first, but he jumped right on and calls it his tractor! So cute!!! Alex was just bummed as he didn't fit (explains the picture).

It's another busy week of baseball (9 games) and softball (2 double-headers)before we head out for vacation in the Outer Banks, NC, and Fripp Island, SC. Lots to do before then but very excited about getting away. I have a wierd, nervous, sad feeling about going back to the Outer Banks without Ken being there but I know he would want us to have a fabulous time. We know we will be missing him and thinking about him. . .as usual. Bitter sweet return to Outer Banks I guess. The kids have friends meeting us in South Carolina who are flying in with Kirstin and Nate so we will have a full house full of laughter! A good vacation before a new school year full of big changes . . Elyse and her 2 friends, Megan and Molly, will be going to high school, Alex and his friend Spencer will be going to middle school, and Kirstin will student teach and graduate from UNI. Tear. . . tear. . .Life goes so fast.

Enjoy the sunshine and great weather!

Happy Golden Birthday Alex!

My little boy is not so little anymore. . .even though he will always be "my baby". He would give me quite the look right now if her knew I wrote that.

Yesterday was Alex's 12th birthday - his "Golden Birthday". After 7 years of celebrating his birthday in either North or South Carlina, he finally had a birthday in Iowa and had a party with some of his friends. He wasn't sure which was better - bday in the Carolinas or bday in Iowa with friends - although he thought it would be great to combine the two. Anyway, he had a bday party Friday night with his friends, complete with a Minnesota Twins bday cake made by our friend, Kelly Sorensons (who has turned into quite the cake maker! Yummy!)to go along with his new Mauer's jersey. His uncle Ken would be "giving him the look" right now as Alex has slipped from the dedicated "St. Louis Cardinal's fan" to a "Minnesota Twins" fan. . . .don't worry Ken, the rest of the family are still Cardinals fans! The boys spent hours playing baseball behind the house with a tennis ball - mainly a homerun derby. It kills me that we have a big baseball park right behind our house, but they choice to play on a field that combined our yard with our neighbor's. They played until they couldn't see the ball anymore and then retired to the house for cake and fun inside. I think they finally went to bed around 3:00 AM.

For once, it was not raining and turned out to be a beautiful night Friday night. Wayne, Elyse, and I sat on the deck enjoying the clear sky and looking for various star constellations. Kirstin and Nate (yes, they are back together) joined us as well for a few adult beverages (not Elyse on that part). It was nice to all hang out and relax for once. It's great to have Kirstin back home and spend some time with her as well.. . . .she is a busy lady this summer working to save money for the fall when she is student teaching. Anyway, turned out to be a beautiful night!

Saturday, everyone slept in as it was raining again. . . .even the boys from the party. Spent the day cleaning up. Alex chose to have his family birthday dinner that evening at the Old World Inn in Spilleville that recently reopened. It was delicious and great atmosphere. The tunnels in the restaurant are from the "bootlegging" period and they have been restored. So he wanted to sit down there and eat. It was great and he enjoyed it! His favorite - fillet mignon - turned out to be a hit! When we got home, Wayne and I finally watched the movie Avatar! (I know. . .we are behind. . . ) Wow. . .what an amazing moving. . . .but we should have started it before 9:15 PM as it is an extremely long movie. . . .but very good! I recommend it to all if you haven't seen it. . . intense!

Today he was to have a double header baseball game. . .but thanks to the rain. . . .it was cancelled AGAIN. So. . . his team is practicing at this time and then the family is headed to Rochester. Alex has some birthday money he can't wait to spend.

Happy Birthday Alex! Love you lots!

As Always, Proud Mom and Dad

I had to share this video I took the last day of school. . . .it is kind of fuzzy because it was fairly dark in the auditorium (not sure why) and I was far away. You may also have to turn the volume up on your computer to hear what he is saying. I would also pause it until it is all loaded otherwise it will stop at various times to "catch up".

The morning of the last day of school, the guidance counselor (the guy speaking in the video and also a coach in our high school) came to my classroom to tell me Elyse was getting an award today at the Jr. High awards assembly. I kind of looked at him because I knew they gave out lots of certificates that day for variety of things that Elyse participated in or achieved such as honor roll, sports things etc. He then said that she was getting what he would call the highest award given in jr. high as it is an award selected by the faculty based on character and involvement. He thought I would like to be there to see her receive it as she had no idea.

It was one of the last awards given, and Elyse saw me come in the auditorium wondering what the heck I was doing there (as there are not a lot of parents who attend). I watched her get a few other awards, 2nd in conference in track for high jump, high honor roll, Presidential something, etc. - very proud of her for all of them. The last award she did not know she was getting is called the Citizenship Award and Mr. Sickles, the guy in the video, explains what it is based off of and given for. Needless to say, Wayne and I were very proud of Elyse. . . .so this is our "bragging moment" so to say as all parents like to share the great things their children do. Very, very, very proud of her! Love you Elyse!

I actually got a little teary eyed. . . .very proud!

More of Connor James Johnson

See previous entry with informationa about Connor. . .

Welcome Connor James Johnson

We had an exciting Memorial Day Weekend, to say the least. Wayne went south Saturday (and north that evening) to help pack up all of Ken's things in his house to get it ready to put on the market while I went North Friday night to wait for the arrival of my new little nephew......I didn't have to wait too long as Connor James Johnson was born sometime after 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, May 29th. He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was almost 23 inches long. As you can see by the pictures, he is adorable!!!!!!

Graham was so excited to meet him that when we were at the hospital for the first time, the nurses came to take Connor for some routine things and Graham got very upset. He kept saying, "Bring him back!" It was so cute and precious! He will make a great older brother.

Besides the excitement of a new nephew, I enjoyed spending the weekend with Graham while we waited for the big moment. We had so much fun reading books, coloring, doing sidewalk chalk, playing outside, and singing/dancing that I was wore out by the time Wayne and the kids arrived Saturday night. Forgot how busy 2 years olds are, but it was so fun!

I am sure there will be lots more pictures of Connor, but here are a few. His middle name of James was also Ken's middle name. . . . .bittersweet. . . . Ken would be very proud of his new little nephew. . .I guarantee it. . . and proud of his little sister Sara too!

Congratulations Sara and Derek!

Never Forgotten. . . Carolina

As the song by James Taylor goes:

"In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina. . . ."

Those of you who know my family well know this is the time of year where we would spend 2 weeks with my brother in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (me, sometimes 1 week, but Wayne and the kids always had 2. . .lucky them!) . .Ken would be there by now. . . we would just be getting ready to head out and make the long drive to the beach. . . .priceless memories made that will forever and always be close to my heart. . . . that brought so many people together for a small moment in time.

wonderful memories. . . never forgotten. . . We will be back soon. . . .I am sure Ken is sitting by the ocean, having a beer, or running the beach up there . there has to be an Outer Banks, NC, in heaven right?

"Yes. . .I'm Goin' to Carolina in my mind." Miss and love you Ken!