Snow & McFarren Christmas

We finally got some snow and it made for a memorable McFarren family Christmas in Park Rapids.   We all gathered at Vacationaire  Lodge in Park Rapids for a weekend of Family celebration.  It was great seeing all my relatives and having all the kids get together for some festive fun.    The Snow came Saturday night and the winds followed causing road closures and no travel advised.  We got to stay an extra night and enjoy each others company and many more beers along with it.  

With the snow piled up Monday morning it was time to head for home.   Not being able to get into our driveway,  my brother Mike made a swing by on plow duty and cleaned us out.  Thanks Mikey!   Record lows follow with -25 below this morning.   With our new ICF constructed home and radiant floor heat we are snug and toasty and loving it!

New iMac & Video Editing

Well we finally are back online at home. We got a new iMac on Saturday and internet was hooked up on Monday. I've been busy editing video from a Dual Sport Motorcycle trip to the Black Hills and back that I went on with some friends this past June. 1400 miles on a Dual Sport.. Now that's an Adventure. They have been on my case to get the video done and now with this new computer I'm finally able to do it. I've got about 20 hours into as of now so hopefully it gets good reviews on it's debut screening.

Flurries in the Air.

Eleni on our "pond" in the back yard.

Some snow on the ground this morning, wondering when the measurable stuff will arrive?
Got out on the ice fishing last week over the Thanksgiving Holiday. A 24" and 15" walleye were iced with the 24" being release and the 15" to the grease. Eleni made it out with me and it was fun entertaining her as she entertained me with all her silly comments. We got our Christmas Tree up and after a few attempts and getting it stand up straight, I think we finally got it. Eleni was the queen of decorating, she did a good job, but maybe the reason it kept leaning to the one direction is that most of the ornaments ended up in the same spot. Last night she came up to Nicole and I with a Christmas decoration out of the box and said, "Where should we put this bad boy?" I started laughing, she's a nut. Marlo is little miss pissy pants these days. Likes attention and is a busy body. She's getting close to crawling, but has not quite got past the face plants yet. Need to get a video posted of her.
Swinging in the the heart of the Holiday Season. Hope all are doing well, Happy Holidays!

Welcome Hannah Schmitz!

My Brother Mike and Amy and Big brother Brett welcomed a new baby girl yesterday!
Born C-section at 4:35pm at Innovis Hospital in Fargo.

Hannah Elizabeth Schmitz
November 19th, 2008
7lbs 13oz 20.5" long


Welcome little Hannah!

Quick update...

Just a quick update. WE ARE MOVED IN!

We closed on our new home Wednesday November 12 at 2:45pm. That night we unloaded the Semi trailer with the help of a few of my Rhino Hockey Teammates, and got the furnace going. Thursday we had the plumber get the water and floor heat rolling along with getting our new appliances delivered, I spent the day getting the beds set up, trying to locate stuff I needed and changing 14 burnt out light bulbs.
That evening with some help from Nicole's Mom, who did the major cleaning of the bathrooms, woodwork and cabinets and her Sister Katie we got most of the kitchen stuff unpacked and put into what we think will be it's new home. Thanks to everyone for the help!
Eleni and Marlo took to the new place well. Eleni is super excited about her new big room and the fact that she found all of her barbies and stuff that has been packed up for 3 weeks. We then spent our first night there, it was great! I'll try to post some photos once we actually take some.

A Bump in the Road...

The buyer of our house ran into some lender issues and tomorrow's closing had to be pushed back. We are hoping for Friday with all luck. With only enough clothes for 3 days packed and everything we need buried in a semi trailer it better not go past the weekend...........

2 Teeth, Food, Shots, Poop & Moving!

The Schmitz house has been a wild and crazy place the last few weeks.
Marlo, now 6 months popped 2 bottom teeth through in the same day. That mixed with her introduction to squash, carrots and peas has tweaked her stomach and caused some issues. Next came her first shots (we are taking an alternative schedule in the shot world) which she took well but mixed with all the "new stuff happening" next came the prunes. She had a great day yesterday and things started flowing again. We eliminated the solids for a few days trying to get her dialed and we are hoping we are back on track. The night life is another story.... Not much quality sleep happening for Mom, Dad or Marlo. All this plus feeling the stress and change happening with the packing for the big move I'm sure has been felt by both the girls, but we are down to a week til' closing on both places (29th) and I feel we are sitting in pretty good shape.
Last weekend the weather finally cooperated to get some outside stuff accomplished. Saturday I got some painting and trim work done while Nicole mulched some leaves, Sunday Nicole's sister Katie came over and boxed up Eleni's Room and some other rooms and I got the shed and garage loaded up in a covered trailer. Now the garage is our box staging area for the Semi trailer that arrives tomorrow. After Katie and Eric just boxed up their life to move last week, I think Katie got a little excited when packing as she left us only 3 plate 2 bowls and one of each utensil to use for this week so that has been interesting. But we are down to the final days with hopes to have everything in the trailer Sunday. We will then be staying at my parents for a couple of nights as we wait to move in on the 29th. Here's a couple photos of our new Digs.

Eleni Turns 5!

Eleni Celebrated her 5th Birthday Tuesday September 23rd along with Grandma Trish, my Aunt Lynette and my cousin Benny. Happy Belated Birthday for those extended family members. Eleni got her ears pierced and had a little celebration to ring in the big day.

We've got big news! Our house has Sold... We'll there's a purchase agreement on it and closing date is set for October 29th. We also put an offer on a place today that we were interested in, and there were 4 offers tossed at it today, as it was on Foreclosure and ..... They accepted OUR offer! Our closing date is set the same day (Oct. 29th) Looks like we'll be out of our place just in time for Halloween and miss out on Trick or Treat Central. Last year we had 475 kids... (that's just the ones I counted) Crazy! It will be a busy Month....

Colorado Trip

We just got back from a trip out to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit our friends Scott & Jessie and their two boys Brodie (almost 3) and Lachlan (4.5 months). We left Wednesday Sept 10th after work and got into Denver at 8:00pm their time. Scott and Brodie picked us up at the airport for the ride up to Fort Collins. Eleni was excited for the plane ride, not remembering her first time as she was only a little over a year old. She didn't really like looking out the window too much as it made her "dizzy" she said. Marlo thankfully fell asleep and actually slept most of the flight, (odd for little Miss Cat napper.) Thursday was spent letting the kids adjust and with overcast skies we just spent the day relaxing and hanging out. Friday (my Birthday) Nicole, Eleni, Marlo and I went to Old Town for lunch and bummed around town shopping in the misty rain, then it cleared up as we were heading back to Scott and Jessie's and Scott and I went for a bike ride checking out the Fort Collins trail system as the dirt trails we were going to bike were too muddy to ride with the earlier days rain. It was then a night out on the town for the adults to celebrate Jessie and I's birthdays. We all rode bikes downtown and went out for Sushi and drinks. A great time for sure!
Saturday we were slow at getting going from the previous night activities, but once we got rolling we headed up the Poudre River Canyon for a hike. Eleni and Brodie were excited to see the "Snowy Mountains" Those two entertained each other well and after getting home today says she wishes Brodie was her brother and after looking at the pictures on the computer said, "I wish I could jump into the computer and go back there like they do on Blues Clues." But look at the pictures.. who could blam her?
Sunday it was up to Rocky Mountain National Park. With a drive up to 11,000 and some odd feet on Trail Ridge Road, with the kids getting wet playing in some snow and some great photos it was back down to lower and warmer elevations for some more hiking.
Eleni and Brodie did exceptionally well putting on some miles, making it most of the way by them selves before jumping into the packs. This will be the last time I carry Eleni though as she is way too big for it but it sure is a good work out for me. Marlo and Lachlan did really well too riding in their Ergo Baby Carriers with their Mommies.
It was a fun and scenic hike and when we were done it was down to Estes Park for some dinner and ice cream. With the kids sugared up and a full moon coming up over the mountains it was a chattery ride with Eleni and Brodie singing before they hit the wall and crashed as we were heading back to S&J's.
Monday Jessie and Nicole took the kids to the park and with Scott working I rode bike down town, hit up the O'Dell Brewery for a few samples. The New Belgium Brewery is closed on Mondays so I didn't get to wet my taste buds there this time around. . . I guess we'll just have to go back again... Scott and I did a short bike ride on some single track then that evening prior to a great dinner of grilled Salmon, a bonfire, Smores and a hot tub to close out the trip. We had a great time and want to thank Scott, Jessie, Brodie and Lachlan for their great hospitality and like Eleni says, " I want to go back."

Weekend Recap.

Photo courtesy of Skinnyski.com
Windy was the word for the weekend, with a south wind gusting at 30mph for most the weekend our on the water time was cut short but we did get out Saturday for a little while. With summer like temps pushing the near 90 degree mark it was beautiful other than the wind. Wind and Winded was the word at the mountain bike race at Maplelag Sunday. Getting a side ache early on had me at a crawling pace for a majority of the race trying to recover, but I was able to suck it up enough to come in 12th overall out of 37 riders in the Citizen Class and finished 3rd in my age group. I guess the lack of riding for the summer showed and my lack of "setting the pace" experience didn't help either, but over all it was a great time and I'm looking forward to next year with hopefully some better preparation prior to it. Eleni starts her second year of preschool tomorrow and she's excited to get back into it and seeing her teacher. Marlo is continuing to grow and starting to fill out more and more every day. She loves to smile and the majority of the time holds a big grin on her face that melts a Daddy and Mommy's heart.

Pre-Labor Day Weekend.

Well it's approaching the Finale Weekend prior to back to school, or PreSchool in Eleni's case. Plans of on water action and activities are on the agenda this weekend along with hanging out with Friends and Family. I'm also planning on doing the Laddies Loppet Mtn Bike Race this weekend at Maplelag. Uncle Brent and I made the trip up there last Sunday to ride the course, it was in great shape as always but I couldn't convince him to join me in the race. For not much biking this summer other than the lazy commuting to work, it felt good getting out on the trails and getting the blood flowing, so I'm looking forward to the weekend festivities...
*Last Years Spring Opener at Maplelag*

Marlo's 1st Camping Trip!

We just got back from Marlo's 1st camping trip up on the North Shore of Lake Superior!

Marlo did great and Eleni is an "old veteran" now being her 3rd trip, as she became trail hike leader this year! She had us line up space out and we were told to be careful and watch our step in some sections were it was rocky or rutted from tree roots. She was loving it.

We left Friday afternoon and spent the night at Hanging Horn Lake at the Lundmark Family cabin with Eric, Katie, Clara and Keifer. With a nice dinner and a bonfire on the beach it was a great start to the weekend with Eric and I witnessing a short display of Northern Lights later that night.

Saturday we made the rest of the trek up the shore to our campsite at Tettegouche State Park on the Baptism River. After setting up camp we did a short hike to Two Step Falls and Upper Falls and then back to camp to for dinner, bonfire and of course smores!

Sunday - Up for breakfast and a hike out to Shovel Point (where Nicole and I were engaged!) This is where Eleni's trail leader skills took over. It was a beautiful morning, with a stop down on the beach of Superior for Eleni's first swim in the "Sea" as she says, and it was back to camp for lunch and a hike back down to Two Step Falls for a swim and waterfall shower/rinse. Then it was short drive up to Lutsen Mtns for Dinner at Papa Charlie's but first a stop at Temperance River for a short trek to the beach, then it was back on the road in hopes to get in a Gondola ride to the top at Lutsen, but we didn't make it in time as the ride was closed for the day. After a great dinner, back to camp for...you know it, SMORES!

Monday - Breakfast, Break down camp, a quick Swim at the Falls and back in the car towards Duluth for a picnic lunch at Brighton Beach where a seagull stole Eleni's sandwich and freaked her out. A stop at the Fitger's Brewery complex to Check out a couple of shops and refill our Growler with Beer to take home. We also saw Brett Hull (former Pro Hockey Player) at the Trailfitters Store and he was actually looking at the Lakeshirts sweashirts we sell to them wanting to get one. Back in the car, with a stop in Walker for Dinner at Benson's and to feed Marlo (most stops are in relation to feeding Marlo) then home.

It was a great Trip, It went by fast as they always do, would have been fun to have another full day. (make note). Marlo Did Awesome and she's now an official camper!

Quiet Paddle. . .

Nicole had the day off, so her and the girls spent the day on the pontoon with Grandma Trish. I joined them after work and brought the canoe out and Eleni and I enjoyed a nice adventure together paddling around looking for fish in the shallow bays. Eleni even caught a few nice Sunfish and this nice one off the pontoon while parked at Grandma's. We chilled, grilled and had a pontoon picnic and a quick swim before heading home for bed. It was a beautiful relaxing evening..

SUMMER DAYS...

Eleni got her early Birthday present this past Friday, a new wakeboard and gave it her best shot on Saturday. She had the hang of it after practicing in the living room that morning. She got up and made it a little ways, before her first face plant. few more sessions and I think she will have it down! Daddy was very proud! Cousin Ava also made an attempt too... Gotta love the fearlessness in these little girls. Marlo took her first swim in Floyd Lake on Sunday now that the water has warmed up enough. She seemed to really liked it.

Hard to believe it's the end of July already.... Hope all is well

Tony&Girlz

PHOTOS..Photos...photos!

Thanks to Ashley Danielson for taking some photos of the Girls.... Enjoy!