Patrick Harrington

Our prayers go out to my friend, Dan.  He lost his dad to a terrible farm accident on Monday.  Here's the article:
Corn bin incident claims El Paso area farmer
A 75-year-old rural Ellsworth man died Monday afternoon after he became trapped inside a corn bin while it was being unloaded. The victim was identified as Patrick H. Harrington.
Authorities were notified of the accident at the Patrick and Margaret Harrington farm, W3593 610th Ave., town of El Paso, at 1:55 p.m. The farm is located about a mile east of CTH BB and five miles south of Hwy. 29.
Ellsworth firefighters and EMS personnel "worked tirelessly to empty the corn bin and locate the missing man" for nearly 90 minutes before he was located, according to Pierce sheriff's deputy Robin Kivel.
Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead by Medical Examiner Sue Dzubay.
A medical helicopter from Life Link was also summoned to the scene and its staff assisted with the rescue attempt.
Dzubay said Harrington had been working with several semi-drivers, unloading the 18,000 bushel bin throughout the day. A driver had just repositioned his truck and exited the cab to discover Harrington missing. After a short search around the farm, workers discovered a pole inside bin, leading them to speculate that Harrington may have gone inside in an attempt to free a blockage near the bin's base.
There was about 4,000 bushels of corn remaining in the 36-foot bin when the accident occurred.
The incident remains under investigation, Kivel stated in a press release.

  It was a terrible accident and one that will likely be very difficult for Pat's wife, 8 children, 17 grandchildren, and, I think, 4 great grandchildren, to come to terms with.  I attended the funeral on Friday.  One of Pat's daughters got up to speak about him and made everyone laugh and cry.  She did an amazing job of portraying the man he was.  One of the grandsons, when asked what he'll miss most about his grandpa, answered - "Well, just everything..."

Orange Papa got a new hot rod!

Let's just name him "Pinky" for now...
But papa has plans to overhaul him and make him a bit less fruity looking.
Natalie, Kenzie, and Mommy are excited that Papa has a new hobby - his garage was full of furniture and it had nowhere to go. 

Here he is!

BTW - as I'm writing this, Jorey is talking to her baby...
"Get in your bed right now..."
"I'll lay with you for just a minute"
"Take your shirt off..."
" 'Cause you pooped..."
"...ya, you pooped..."
"You're naked...That's why you have your jammies on...you have to take a bath, 'cause you pooped..."
"You get in your bed right now.  This is the last time I'm telling you...."
       I'm wondering if this came from yesterday, when we had to discuss how this was going to go down about 38 times in 2 hours...could it be?

Today, they were lucky they're my most loved goyles...

"You're gonna miss this.  You're gonna want this back.  You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast...these are the good times.  So, take a good look around.  You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."   --That song is perfect for today...listen as you read...great stuff and I'm sure it's true because I'm already missing them as I write this.  It's hard to have to be the one that teaches them lessons and tries to keep them from being brats...all the time. ;)
Here's how today went for me...

6am - Jorey arrives in our room - wants to sleep in our bed.  After 30 minutes of digging her toes into my stomach...must love the squishy toy?...she falls asleep.
7:40am - Macy arrives to join our bed.
8:00am - Cartoons come on in hopes of 30 minutes of silence...no can do.
8:20am - Fighting over everything in a toy bin - Jorey touching Macy - Macy punching Jorey - Jorey punching back - both screaming and crying that it was each other.
9:00am - Mary Ann asks me to join at the Farmer's Market
             We discuss going next time - I would have to bring girls - in Jammies - Decide they will wait for us
              to join.
10:00am - running quite late - grab some cash - Macy and Jorey are fighting over water...it's water...it's not worthy of a fight, but I guess it's probably necessary to fight over it because that's the kind of day we're going to have.
10:45am - Arrive at Minneapolis Farmer's Market - it's not a farmers market like anything I know - rather, a compact zoo of tight twists and turns...I have my double stroller + 2 goyles...slight anxiety.
11:00am - Hit the bathrooms - get many dirty looks and nearly take out appx. 20 people with stroller trying to get it up the ramp and park it to get in 3 stall bathroom.
11:15am - Make it into potty - Tell Macy and Jorey 32 times each - 'Do not open the door', while I'm going potty...they both unlock it one time.
11:30am - Find Sr. - he has mini donuts...sweet.  We finish his and have one order of our own + fresh squeezed OJ...spill donuts one time into the bottom of the stroller - that was partly my fault.
Noon - start wandering - wander a couple places trying to keep up with Mary Ann's hunt for the perfect Mums. - Lose her 2x - then, gather the girls and try to take a short walk through.  Get another 8 dirty looks, topped off with a woman who wanted to walk past us and had to wait the .0817 second for us to pass...loudly she says, "Damn Stroller!" - I feel like I want to start a fight with her, but that would be wrong...but would feel so right.
12:30pm - I decide there's not much I need and really should get my ginormous stroller out of the maze, so we head out to our car - that is parked on a curb because it's the only parking spot I could find.
1:00pm - finally have my sugar & cinnamon dunked goyles cleaned up and put in the car.
1:30pm - see Jorey falling asleep - ask her if she's sleepy.  "No, I am NOT sleepy!"
1:40pm - Jorey's sleeping in her car seat.
2:00pm - Arrive Home - Put kids to bed.
2:10pm - Go remind girls that they're supposed to be napping.
2:20pm - Go remind them again - Macy tells me she has to poop.  - OK, go.
2:25pm - Come to help Macy wipe, see brown stuff on carpet - ask what it is - Informant tells me "Jorey wiped her poop on the floor".  Jorey confirms that this is true. 
2:26pm - Change Jorey's Diaper - Get Carpet Cleaner - Clean Carpet - Discuss that we don't dig in our pants and wipe poop on the floor.
2:30pm - Put both girls back to bed.
2:45pm - Remove Jorey from Macy's room - warn of pending spanking
2:50pm - Remove again - apply light spanking
2:55pm - Remove again - apply 3 spankings -
3:10pm - Go to [still screaming] Jorey's room and calm her down - share with her that when I say it's nap time, it's nap time.  Rub her back a little bit, and give her hugs...let her know that I love her and that it's not OK to go in Macy's room when it's nap time.
3:30pm - take lounger chair on the deck and try to close my eyes for 20 minutes.

3:50pm - hear Jorey screaming 'Mommy' from the top of the stairs - tell her to come down - get told that she can't come down because she has too much stuff - baby, blankie, lion, etc.  Tell her, again, to come down.

4:15pm - Macy's up and wants to play in the pool - way too late for that.  Have discussion about how we could have played in the pool if they listened, but they didn't, so we just can't.

5:00pm - Take babies and strollers for a walk around the neighborhood.  Argue most of the time about whether or not they should or should not crash into one another - sometimes fun, sometimes not.

6:00pm - Put Mighty Joe Young in the DVD Player and relax with a nice TV Dinner. 

7:00pm - Dinner's done, talk about snacks - Macy says she wants to pick first, then Jorey wants to be first...sort it out.

7:30pm - Jorey wants to watch movie on the couch with Macy, but Macy says she can't because she stinks.  I ask Jorey if she pooped - 'No, I did not!', so who knows...maybe she does stink, but I thought she smelled fine.

8:30pm - Dad's finally home and I'm loving the silence as he puts them to bed.

9:15 - I'm going to take a bath!

Oh, I do love them, but today was a tough day for all of us!

Rewinding just a bit - Macy got some make-up kits for her birthday and she invited auntie Natalie and auntie Kenzie over for some make overs...here are a few shots of their unwavering beauty.  :)  Mackenzie had a large clump of orange 'sauce' on her eyelid for about 20 minutes...so funny.  

A Night Away

I scheduled myself a night away for Saturday night, up to my friend Melissa's house.  Ken was at his national softball tournament in Oklahoma (where they took 2nd place!  Woo Hoo).  The girls had 2 babysitters.  Auntie Natalie and Auntie Amy.  Natalie came over on Saturday, while the girls were napping and then had them outside, playing in the pool for much of the afternoon.  When I checked in on their status the next day, I was informed that Macy offered a standoff outside.  She was NOT coming in the house, so auntie had to carry her in.  I can only imagine that scene and the standoff by my sassy 4-year-old!  ha ha.  Following that, Amy came over on Sunday just in time for Macy to get a sliver in her foot.  Yellow Papa and Gramma came pulling in shortly after this sliver went into her foot, in order to assist in getting it out. 
Sometimes, I feel bad that our babysitters are tortured, but mostly I just giggle to myself at what it must have been like to argue these points with them.
I'm so thankful that we have these adult and stable babysitters that are willing to help out - for free - I'm not sure a 12-year-old would survive the madness.

Speaking of madness, I never did put any of the pictures of Macy's birthday party festivities on here.  We invited her entire class of 26 kids over to the house, + a few friends and a couple cousins.  We ended up with 24 kids under the age of 5!  We started with the madness in the jumper, tried a water-balloon toss - they didn't get the concept - was I really thinking they would?  Yes - but, clearly that was just one of those moments that I need to pull my head out of my a$$.  After that futile attempt at the organized toss, though, we did offer an all-out assault on Ken.  The kids had a blast throwing the balloons at him and then if he caught it, he'd throw it back at him...craziness.  We had pizza, ice cream, Mary Ann's fab cupcakes, and then played pin the slipper on Cinderella, which also resulted in many kids wondering why Macy's crazy mom was putting a towel over their face so they couldn't see...good times.  Here are some photos of the event.  We had a blast and Macy and her friends sure did, too. 

I think all the little kids in her class are going to want to conduct an all-out assault on Ken next time they see him in a vulnerable situation!

Fry Family Fun Weekend

Following a cold and windy KFFW, we went on another adventure up at the Leyk cabin.  (uncle Dave's wife's family) for some Fry Family Fun.  Kara was in town from California, so she got to join in the 100934875th game of Lightning...We played that game for about 3 hours before playing 3-on-3.  We were low on activities in the cold, so that's just what happened.  I'm so out of shape I nearly perished 3x...OK, not really, but it seemed that I may! 

Macy and Daddy had so much fun on the jet ski.  Every time he took off, you could hear the loudest giggle out of Macy.  She just loved being out there.  (sharp contrast to 2 years ago when she screamed and cried the whole time he took her;) 

Jorey and Macy both loved being on the pontoon.  They would sit right along the sides with their lifejackets on and just watch the water and eat snacks.  Surprisingly, they both ate lots of beef sticks and beef jerkey...who knew they'd eat that.  Macy also ate a ton of walleye and northern...who knew?!  I'd whipped up the EZ Mac so they would eat...no need. 

They both loved sleeping in their sleeping bags.  Jorey even made auntie Heidi take a nap in our room with her when Heidi volunteered, because she 'needed' to sleep in her sleeping bag.  They were so cute, I had to take a picture. 

Macy also surprised the heck out of me when she held the leach and was happy to do so!  I'm thinking this crazy face was taken before that --otherwise, she has leach in her mouth and eyes because she had a series of dorky faces.  What a nerd.

Auntie Kara was brave enough to volunteer for the first tube ride...though, she got on the tube from the boat and was not too keen on getting wet...funny...it was rather chilly that day.  She succeeded in staying on the tube the entire time!  Ken, then, threw me off 2x and I just about lost a portion of my swimsuit both times, so I had to give up.  It was quite a rush, though. 

It was a lot of fun had by all the Frys...especially the two youngest!  Thanks Sara, Dave, Dona, and Jim for hosting!

Happy 4th Birthday, Macy! You're my big girl!

Ah, Macy. My little turkey. I can't believe you're 4 years old! I've had so much fun watching you grow up and become the little lady you finally are. Now, I could do without some of the emotional meltdowns, but I am amazed at your level of kindness and maturity. Sometimes, I wonder how we raised such a nice little girl who likes everybody, listens, and is pretty darn respectful. Heck - you won an award at daycare for Kindness and Generosity! (I'm going to have to dig into my archives from when I was little to see if, in all of my naughty adventures, I mixed in any kindness and generosity... You're also great at trying to help Jorey (most of the time). Today, she was riding her bike in the street, arguing with me heavily about whether she should come up on the driveway or not, when you offered to let her play with one of your chopsticks that you got at daycare today. (by the way, let's not forget that she keeps calling them chapsticks;) When you offered that, I said 'Thank You' and winked at you. You winked back at me and nodded and just looked like such a big girl! I couldn't believe it. Sometimes at night, after I tuck you into bed, I just smile to myself and feel so lucky that you are awesome and fun. I hope you have a great birthday and enjoy your parties.


You'll always be my big girl and one of my favorite ladies in the whole world! I love you, Macy Girl!

Kath Family Fun Weekend

We love Bacation! (as Macy and Jorey would say).
The girls can't get enough of "stay at home days", so Ken and I decided to take off a night early and head up to The Lodge for some waterpark fun the night before arriving at Breezy Point to join in another festive Kath Family Fun Weekend.
The weather was a bit chilly and the sun sure didn't shine much, but between Jeff's fires, uncle Steve's secrets, and a number of other entertaining events, we had a great time. When you pack 35 people into one house, you're bound to have some entertainment.
Macy really wanted some goggles, so I bought her a pair. When I first put them on, they were so tight that one eye was pointing up and out...and another was smashed shut. This is when she was still being a good sport...before she realized I was taking pictures of her struggles.

She went down the big slide with thunder and lightning with Mom and Dad. She thought it was pretty cool. The first time down, she got to the top and threw a fit and cried...leave it to mean ole mom to just throw her in the tube and say, "There's no going back, now." She covered her eyes the whole way down and then laughed like crazy when we were done, saying how much fun it was.

Jorey, on the other hand, wasn't so into the water park and just likes to dip her toes in. After a while, she got brave and walked in. We were playing ball and splashing when all of the sudden, her feet went out from under her and she flipped forward into the water...we suffered quite a set back on that. "I want you to carry me" was repeated incessantly after that. She's a bit stubborn...no idea where that came from.


After arriving up at Breezy Point, we had to play a little pfeffer...and Orange Papa had to teach Macy, Jorey, and Norah how to play a little game of war...they did great and I don't think they fought at all! It was amazing.


Orange Gramma and Macy really enjoyed the Elvis show. He was a hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin' love! We all had a good time dancing on the beach and listening to him sing all of Elvis' greatest songs.

On the final day, we finally took a second to get a nice family photo...complete with the girls wearing their 'pack-packs'.

Following Kath Family Fun Weekend, we went up to Lake Osakis for Fry Family Fun Weekend. It was a good time and none of us wanted to go back to work or daycare!
I'll get those photos up, soon, but the Fry photos are updated on our shutterfly site through KFFW at http://fryswiththat.shutterfly.com/