There is a first time for everything...

We are not in a frantic pace anymore. We have settled in with Andoni and he is seeing the real Northrup family. The fights, the yelling, the laughing, the crying, etc. So things have been at a slower pace the last day or so.

Friday, for example, was more swimming. Andoni was very sweet to Shelby. She was jumping into his arms and he was carrying her around in the pool. He is very gentle and kind with Shelby. We can tell that his likes little kids. In the evening Aubrey had her tryouts for fall soccer. Andoni got to see Phil again, the first coach he played for here in the US. After a quick dinner, we went on a nature walk at a nearby park. We were deep in the woods and the trails intersected countless times in this park. I let the kids decide which direction we would go at each intersection in order: youngest to oldest. After each kid had picked 3 or 4 times, we had gotten no where. We had gone back and forth on similar trails and were, by most standards, lost. It was a good lesson in how not to make decisions. I then let them take votes on what paths to take and, after some treacherous swamp routes, we ended up on a paved road. I then showed them what it is like when just one person (me) makes the decisions, and we made it back to the car very quickly.

On Saturday, Quinn had a playoff game (which she won). Andoni was on Spanish time and slept in. So after Quinn's game, I drove back home and picked up Andoni, Gillian, Shelby, and Aubrey. We went to a Barber shop and I got my hair cut. Then we piled into the car (without Janna) and drove out to a friend's house who has a house on Lake Minnetonka. Their we ate lunch and swam in the lake. But then our friends took us out on the lake in their boat where we went tubing. Tubing is like water skiing, but you are not on skis, you are on a tube. All the kids went, including Andoni. He loved it. (the picture on the right is NOT of Andoni. It is just a picture from the internet)

We then went to Quinn's next playoff game. She lost, so her season is now over until autumn. After a dinner of hamburgers with a fried egg on it (Andoni's idea), I took Andoni outside and taught him lacrosse. Lacrosse is a sport that the American Indians taught the early settlers in America. I only just learned it myself. Andoni, of course, picked up on it quickly. I didn't take a picture, but here is a picture from the internet.

Then we went inside and I found an old American Football game on TV. It was the Super Bowl from 1989. Andoni has been asking to watch a game, so I taught him the rules of Football right there.