Hats and tea!

I love tea, in case you didn't know that little fact. I love tea parties, hats, necklaces and all the fuss and fun. I am pretty pleased that I have company for tea!

Preston decided it might be time for him to wear a hat too!
Here he is!

Grandma's week in Wisconsin...

One lovely evening when Josiah was only three days old we gathered around a cozy fire in Adam's backyard to relax in the evening. Josiah was resting comfortably and cozy in Grandma's arms. What could be better?

Little Miss Hannah loves being outside just like her brothers.


Timothy just loves holding and looking at Josiah. He keeps saying "isn't he cute?" It is really precious to hear him say that.

One special activity the night mommy came home from the hospital was getting to finger paint in the driveway. Imagine being allowed to make a mess!

I had to include this picture of Adam reading "Oh, What a Busy Day!" since it was THE book I read again and again and again to our sons. It is a fabulous book and we drank in every page. I think we all know the words by heart.

And finally, a picture of Daddy settling in with his little fella. (It didn't last for long though! Soon everyone else wanted to touch him too!)

Joining 190,527 others at the State Fair!

They call the Minnesota State Fair the "great Minnesota get-together" - and was it ever! We went on a beautiful warm sunny day - along with 190,527 others! It is the largest attended State Fair in the United States.

The crowd stretched as far as the eye could see!

There are some unique food items offered that you may not see elsewhere. Things like...lingonberry ice cream...

Potato lefse....

and walleye on a stick!

It was delicious! In fact, they have most everything "on a stick" at this fair. Last year the new item was "hot dish on a stick!" We didn't try everything, for instance we didn't try the...



Alligator ... or the....

Ostrich on a stick!!

We stayed from noon until quite late so we could enjoy the sights of the rides on the midway. I even went on a ride - John & Sara and I went on the "Cliff hanger" which was like riding a hang-glider. I loved it and I am NOT a ride kind of gal... and it has been years since I actually went on a ride. What has gotten over me??

The day ended with happy faces. What a great state in which to live.

The family grows

Everyone wants a good look at Josiah! The first time having supper as a family of six.

Josiah comes home

Mommy is home!

Josiah is home too!

Checking out his new "Moses" basket. Seems pretty good to Josiah.

My first look at...

Josiah Adam Berge
Will he always be this sweet?? I think so.

Update

Our 6th grandchild has arrived. His name is Josiah Adam Berge, he was born at 8:59 p.m. Central time. He is 6 lbs 12 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long. Blond hair. Happy parents. Happy grandparents.

I can't wait to see him!

Grandbaby on the way...

Sorry, no pictures with this post since the subject of the post has yet to appear for a photo -op!
Andrea is in the hospital, Adam encouragingly by her side. Today seems to be the big day for Baby Berge to join the rest of the active Berge family! I am heading to Wisconsin to be a good grandma to Timothy, Luke and Hannah while mom and dad have other things on their minds! For further updates check www.fiveberges.blogspot.com (Though it will soon be 6 Berge's in that household!)

Check out my Slide Show!

Sailing the Apostle Islands

It is hard to capture the experience of being on a 36 foot sailboat moving across Lake Superior around the Apostle Islands. It is quite a rush! Here is an attempt to show what it was like! Amazing.

Rodeo fun!

Tonight was the Third Annual PRCA Rodeo at the state-of-the-art Red Horse Ranch Arena here in Fergus Falls. It is a great family activity!

Check out my Slide Show!

What's hiding in the garden?

Here's some of our garden produce - but upon further investigation, what else is in grandma's garden? Brooklyn and I went out to check and we found....

Look carefully..... a watermelon is growing!!


And some cantaloupe is ripening....

What's orange under those big leaves, grandma? A pumpkin for halloween!

More zucchini... anyone need zucchini??

And grandpa!! Look, there are carrots in your garden!!

Chokecherry time!

Being a New Jersey gal, I didn't grow up with chokecherries. This marvelous little dark berry, often overlooked, produces the most wonderful syrup for waffles, pancakes, etc. Of course, by itself it is fairly.... chokey.... but add lots of sugar and viola! This fabulous syrup is highly esteemed in the Berge household!! How do you like my homemade label?
Here is the result of our efforts. Wally and I did the picking last Saturday and though I am not too fond of the canning process (I would much rather bake than can anything!!) here stands the proud jars, completed today! 12 quarts (and two pints) from the 2007 harvest. Yippee!!

Wally climbs the wall

Family Camp is terrific!

We enjoyed attending family camp at Inspiration Point Bible camp from Thursday evening until Sunday noon. Along with Wally and me were Daniel, Meghan and the children and Meghan's family including her Aunt Sherri & Paul and their family and Aunt Rita. Here is the main building at camp and the way many spent the warm sunny afternoon!

Brooklyn, Julia and Aunt Rita enjoy the lake!

Preston thought the sand was fun - but it didn't taste as good as it looked...

Also enjoying the lake were Wally & Lynn (Meghan's dad) on the red sailboat and Daniel on the sailboard in the center of the picture. The sailboard to the right is either Meghan's brother Patrick or her cousin Andrew.

I decided I had to try the climbing wall! I wasn't quite as good was Wally or Rae (Meghan's mom) , but at least I did it!!

Julia (in pink) and Brooklyn (in light blue) enjoyed the playground equipment.

The food at camp was outstanding. It was so great to be together and have someone else do all the cooking! We must do this every year!

Daniel and Meghan and Brooklyn and Preston pause for a picture before we all head home.

Another favorite picture

Here is one more picture I had to post today. Preston enjoys playing with this little Fisher-Price drum that had once been played with by his Daddy and his Uncles. In fact, I have most of the wonderful Fisher-Price toys we had from their era! Am I ever glad I saved them now!

The toddlers are off and running.....

There are two young ones in our mix - soon to be replaced by another two young ones (August and December). Miss Hannah is off and walking and pretty pleased with her new found freedom!
Preston, the youngest member of the Berge grandchildren (soon to change in a few weeks...) is oh-so-close to walking by himself. He is willing to take steps between people but hasn't quite mustered up the courage to try it without those willing hands waiting for him...

Girls and Boys.......

Here is a sweet picture of our two grand daughters, Brooklyn and Hannah - slightly outnumbered right now by the boys.....
And here are the two oldest grandsons having fun with Uncle Daniel! Boys are soo different then girls!!

Welcome Home Troops!!

On Sunday in Fergus Falls some of our troops arrived safely home after serving our country in Iraq. It was definitely special for many families and as a town. We were encouraged to show our support for these men and women by lining the route that the bus would be driving as it went to our local high school for them to join their families. Here I am on the main street of our town with my friend JoAnn. Our hubbies waved the flags that are laying on our chairs while JoAnn and I held this huge flag. (This flag was presented to my Aunt at the burial of my Uncle Stan, who served in the Aleutian Islands during World War II). When the bus carrying our soldiers drove down the main street there were many many people welcoming them. Preceeding the bus were lots of squad cars with their lights flashing the sirens blaring. It was wonderful and very very emotional. Also note the yellow bow on the tree to the right. There were yellow ribbons tied all over town to welcome them home.