ritterfest in lakeville

Today our family headed out to Ritter Farm park here in Lakeville for Ritterfest. Ritter Farm is a nature preserve with hiking trails and picnic areas on the western edge of Lakeville. Today the weather was absolutely beautiful- sunny and almost 40 degrees. A perfect day for an outdoor festival.

There were sled dog rides, a bonfire with s'mores and hot chocolate, crafts for kids, and even snowshoeing and hiking. We had signed the girls up for a sled dog ride months ago, so they have been talking about it for a while. They even got to ride with their best friend Natalie.

The huskies were SO excited to start pulling the sled. Barking, jumping, yipping, whining and then once the girls were all safely in the sled- whoosh they were off! The sled dog driver said he couldn't tell if the girls were laughing and giggling or screaming and crying all the way. Kate and Annika both said they were laughing like crazy. Kate even said, "Those dogs went SUPER fast momma!"

What fun!

snow much fun!

Last weekend we headed up north to Two Harbors, my hometown. Before we left I called my mom and asked if we needed to bring along our sled and snowshoes. Even though southern Minnesota has been blasted with snow this winter, northern Minnesota hardly has any snow. Instead they have ice glaciers. So we left the snowshoes at home, but luckily we brought the sled. Because thanks to us, I do believe, Two Harbors was graced with three to four inches of fresh powdery snow on Saturday and Sunday. The girls had such a great time sledding on the hill that mommy and Uncle Marc used to sled on. We even got across to the big water, otherwise known as Lake Superior and hiked on my parent's 40 acres. It was a little strange picking agates in February, but we found some nice ones. There's nothing like a little getaway to God's country to perk up the soul- even in the midst of winter.

blessed

Why is it so easy to forget just how much I should be grateful for? Why do I so easily feel sorry for myself some days? Why is it that some days I wish I could have the one thing that everyone else has. Whether it be a new car. A new computer. Those fashionable boats everyone is wearing. New furniture. Just one more room in our house (not very realistic, I know.) It might be a small thing or a big thing, or maybe a thing that I wish would happen and it never does.......whatever it may be.....it's not really that important in the grand scheme of things. Not compared to the things, no..... blessings, that I already have. My husband and two beautiful girls. Our lovely home (a little small, but just perfect for our family of four.) This is the way God planned it. We are meant to be a family of four. We are meant to have a nice warm cozy house, as the girls call it during our prayers each night.

Tonight on the evening news they were doing several features on the orphans of Haiti. After the devastation of the earthquake, so many children of all different ages are now without mothers and fathers. It breaks my heart.

Jason and I have always talked about adoption. That was going to be our path if our tries at invitro didn't work. Part of me still wonders if our little family of four would have room for another one. Could we be a blessing to someone who needs a family. Who knows. Maybe God will tell us one day that we are supposed to open our home to another child. It's something to pray about and ponder. Not that I don't already have my hands full with two little almost four year olds who are itching to start kindergarten.

I was reading another blog tonight and she had this picture posted on her site.

I wanted to share it, because if you are looking for a way to give to the people in Haiti, check out The Rusted Chain at www.etsy.com. I purchased a blessed necklace tonight. I think it is absolutely beautiful. And a great reminder of how blessed I am. The seller, Beki, is donating $10 from every "Blessed" necklace sold to an organization called Compassion International to help with disaster relief in Haiti. She has raised over $2000 already!

Maybe you can be a blessing to someone else, or maybe you are just like me and need a little reminder of how blessed your life already is and how you shouldn't let a moment pass without thanking God for the way your life has turned out- just perfect and blessed beyond measure.

my girls

I just thought I would post some newer pictures of my girls. In just a few months they will turn four years old. Which seems impossible. Wasn't I just gigantic pregnant?

The girls have their early childhood screening in a few weeks. Which means that kindergarten is just around the corner. I did the math, in 18 months they will be starting kindergarten at Cherryview Elementary, our neighborhood school.

It can't be!

It just makes me think how much more I need to cherish each and every moment with my little girls. Before they are not little girls anymore.

prayers for baby meschke

Our friends Andy and Anne need your prayers. Anne is pregnant with their third child and they just found out that their unborn baby has a heart defect. They are in Boston today undergoing tests and preparing for surgery tomorrow. Their story is on a Caring Bridge site. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

our christmas

Well....where do I begin?

Christmas was wonderful. It was full of family, friends and faith.

As I write this, it's actually been a whole month since Christmas. Don't pay attention to that published date. I started this blog entry a very long time ago. That is sad. Not sad because I am going to start crying. Sad because life has been so busy this past month I haven't blogged. I haven't even had time to think about blogging. Sorry. I know that you are all totally bummed about it, so you'll be happy to know I'm back on track. Pictures included.

This year we spent Christmas in Jason's hometown of Westbrook, Minnesota. We arrived at Grandma Great's farm just as a giant snowstorm was starting. From December 23-December 27 it snowed. Every day, all day it snowed. It had already snowed so much by Christmas Eve that we had come to the conclusion that there was no way we could get out of the farm and into town. That also meant, no one would be coming for Christmas Eve. By 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve the power was out and it wasn't coming back on.

Jason and I, Kate and Annika, Grandma Bakke, Grandma Great along with Uncle Chad and Aunt Jenny spent Christmas Eve together, in the dark. We even had our own little church service. I played the piano by candlelight and we read from the Bible. It was a Christmas Eve to remember. Thank goodness Grandma Great has a gas powered oven in the basement. That pizza hot dish never tasted so good! (We saved the Christmas pork roast for another night.)

One thing I learned about living on a farm- when it snows and blows and snows some more, you don't go anywhere. We were snowed in until Sunday. Thankfully we all love snow and the girls love being outside, no matter what the weather. We enjoyed many days of making snow forts, having snowball fights and sledding. My favorite time was taking pictures of the farm during the entire snowstorm. In the ten years that Jason and I have been together, I have never seen that much snow in southwest Minnesota.




Thanks to Grandma Great's wonderful neighbor and friend, Russell Gunderman, we finally got power back on, thanks to a generator, and we finally got plowed out. I may be a country girl who grew up in God's great northwoods of Minnesota, but I certainly love being a city girl when it comes to snowstorms.

We made it home safely from the farm just in time to enjoy a few days with my parents in Lakeville. It felt good to be home. But it feels even better to know that every bit of our Christmas season was spent with family and friends.

a merry christmas letter

A year with the Bakke Family.... A Dog's Perspective

Hello all and Merry Christmas! It’s Ginger here, you know, the family dog. I know that people have pretty much forgotten about me, especially since those two little girls came into the world. But, I’m still here. A little grayer, a little older, a little slower, but still living life to its fullest. Eat. Sleep. Play. Sleep. You get the picture. Well, it’s my turn to write the Christmas letter. I figured it would be fair to tell it like it is, according to me...

This past year was filled with a lot of travel, even for me! We spent many weekends up north with Grandma and Grandpa Cloutier in Two Harbors, MN. They have this huge hill that I love to hike on. Even Kate and Annika got into the hiking this year. I have to say, they are pretty good hikers for only having two legs. We also did a lot of splashing in Lake Superior. Boy does that cool water feel good! We also spent a lot of time on Grandma Great and Grandma Bakke’s farm in Avoca, MN. Kate and Annika love playing with the barn kitties, feeding the sheep and playing in the dirt. Grandma Great always sneaks me some pretty yummy treats, too- shhhh! Don’t tell mom and dad!

Other adventures for the year included a trip to Texas for Jason, a trip to Washington D.C. for Aimee, a road trip to Michigan, a marathon weekend in Appleton, Wisconsin and a football getaway to Lincoln, Nebraska. I unfortunately was not included on any of these trips...major bummer! I may have overheard the family talking about future trips to fun destinations like Phoenix, Arizona for Jason’s next marathon, Jacksonville, Florida for spring break, Seattle, Washington for the AFT National convention, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for Jason’s first ever canoe trip and maybe even Grand Forks, North Dakota. North Dakota?! (Been there, done that... come on people!

My favorite part of the whole year was our family vacation to Agate Lake near Crosby, Minnesota. I could not believe it when the family loaded everything in the truck and then they had me jump in, too. What? I get to go? That’s right, I finally got to take part in the cabin fun and boy oh boy it was awesome! I went swimming with Kate and Annika, took naps on the dock, chased the paddleboat, and watched the girls go fishing. By the way, Kate caught her first fish! Life was good! I’m already looking forward to next summer.

Speaking of life being good- Kate and Annika are growing like crazy and they love playing with me. We make forts, pretend to go camping, play with legos, practice writing our names and sing princess songs. However...even though I’m a girl, I don’t do dress-up! Kate and Annika can keep their high heels and feather boas. Can you believe the girls will be four years old in April? It seems like only yesterday that Jason and Aimee brought those little noisy bundles of joy home.

It sure sounds like we lead a pretty busy life, but really it’s not all that bad. During the day I get the whole house to myself, ahhh! Peace and quiet. Kate and Annika are busy with preschool, Sunday school and swimming lessons. Aimee keeps busy teaching first grade...she got off easy this fall...she had a student teacher). And well, Jason keeps the middle school world in control in between his marathon training sessions of course.

One of our favorite times of the year is coming up, Christmas! The house is festive in red and green, twinkling lights cover the trees, treats are baking in the oven and the gingerbread train is decorated. No treats for me though, I got put on diet doggie food this year. ARGH! But the most important part of Christmas should not be forgotten. It’s almost time to celebrate a special birthday- the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, born in Bethlehem. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9::6:. Wherever you and your loved ones are this Christmas. We pray that you will enjoy every moment of this special season. Live. Laugh. Love. Rejoice. Cherish. And love some more.

Love,
Ginger, Jason, Aimee, Kate and Annika