I Told Them So

When my mother, as a child, would fight with her sister, her mother told her that one day she would grow up and live far away from her sister and miss her so much she'd wish she could see her again. My mother and aunt couldn't see that happening and thought, 'Nah."

Sure enough, years later, as adults, they did miss each other and realized their mother was right.

When I was a child, a few decades ago, and would fight with my brother and two sisters, my mother told me what her mother had told her, that one day we would grow up and live far away from each other and would miss each other and would want to see each other again. My siblings and I, as young kids, couldn't imagine that happening and thought, "Nah."

Sure enough, years later, I dearly miss my sister in California and my sister and brother in Oregon. Visits are few and far between. We haven't all been together in 19 years. We realized our mother was right.

So I tell my children when they fight (do you notice a pattern here?) what my mother told me. That one day, they will grow up and live far away from each other and will, believe it or not, miss each other and want to see each other again. In the midst of their daily, sometimes hourly squabbles, they can't imagine that happening and think, "Nah." I am tickled pink to see the prophecy already coming true.





Do they look happy to be together or what? Over spring break, Andrew went from Eastern Iowa, and Erica traveled from Northern Wisconsin to visit Kiah in Southwest Minnesota.


They are learning that I was, gasp, right. And if I could be right in this one thing, might I also be right in others? Just a thought.

Look What the Cat Dragged In

This is fact, not fiction. Erica did spend last week in Iowa and popped in at the Struckmans to love on their babies. Shauna took this picture of Erica, not me. Pinky swear. I know the deck looks a bit like ours but hers is bigger, we are currently catless, and our snow hasn't melted yet. I mean seriously...

Who would tie a jumprope around their cat? Besides a six-year-old, I mean.

Laughter is an Instant Vacation

What's more fun than a house full of girls? More girls, of course. Shannen and Shauna Struckman from Rock Rapids, Iowa, with their four daughters and one son ,blessed us with a fun visit in February. The girls really miss each other and packed as much as they could into their short time together.

Pictured above is Shania, Anna, Erica, Shaylee, Amy, Summer, and Lani having a dress-up Tea Party. Keith says tea parties must be a girl thing. You can't tell by looking at them that it's bitter cold outside. Oh to be young and always warm.

P.S. Post title is a quote from Milton Berle

The Cleaners

The family is divided evenly. Five cleaners, five messers. 

I'm in the cleaning camp, but Keith is by far the cleanest Vik. His car is usually clean and his shoes are rarely muddy. He has tidied my life for twenty-five years. He likes coffee and donuts and I like juice and muffins, but we make it work. He pastors Grace Bible Fellowship in Washburn, Wisconsin and is passionate about people and the Word of God. He enjoys reading, John Piper, war movies, drinking coffee at McDonalds, going to the beach in Cornucopia, and playing Wii Golf.

Our fifth child, Anna, is the most naturally domestic. She is a huge help as she enjoys cooking and baking. She and Kiah are sure to have fat husbands someday. Born 21, Anna takes a sensible, methodical approach to life. She likes reading, swimming, and skating.
 

What a relief. After seven tries, we finally got a child who likes to clean. Two out of seven isn't so bad. Lani (rhymes with Bonnie) loves to do laundry, organize, straighten, sweep, and pull weeds. Although she can make a royal mess when she puts her mind to it, she also doesn't mind cleaning it up. Lani enjoys making people laugh, likes to read, ski, swim, talk with a funny voice, and loves animals, especially cats.

Yay! Reinforcements. Rachel likes to clean. Hopefully she'll forgive me for raising such a messy son. She graduated in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin in LaCrosse. She works part-time as a Recreational Therapist at a nursing home. She's a great mommy and takes great care of our granddaughter.
 

The Messers

Our oldest child, Christina, ties Andrew for the title of Messiest Vik. Sometimes called Tina or T-Bone, she graduated in 2010 from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa with a degree in Political Science and International Studies. She moved back home with us and got a nursing degree. She now works as an R.N. at a local nursing home. She loves travel and adventure and hopes to visit all seven continents before she dies. So far she's been to six. She enjoys politics, trying new things, photography, and outdoor events.

Andrew takes messy to a whole new level. He also loves God and is blessed with a fun-loving, easy-going personality. He likes to make people laugh, spend time with friends, play basketball, and listen to music. Andrew works at Best Buy in LaCrosse, WI. His wife Rachel now cleans up his messes.

Our third child, Kiah, also got a nursing degree in 2013. She moved to LaCrosse, WI and works as an R.N. in a nursing home.  She has many good qualities, but alas, being clean is not one of them. Kiah (rhymes with Leah) enjoys running, cooking, drinking coffee, singing, and playing the piano.

 

Our fourth child is also messy. Do you notice a pattern here? Our first four kids' initials spell "CAKE." Andrew calls Erica an E.F. which stands for "Emotional Female." Erica graduated from college in 2013 with an Occupational Therapy Assistant degree. She lives in LaCrosse, WI five blocks from her sister.  She is good with kids, and enjoys photography, piano, reading, skiing, and listening to music.

Our sixth child, Amy, doesn't know a stranger. She's like our Golden Retriever, Tucker, in that she just enjoys being around people. Amy can clean if need be, but she definitely falls into the messy camp. Amy and Lani are called "The Cahoots (because they're partners in crime), "The Little Girls" or "Marmots." Amy enjoys meeting new people, volleyball, swimming, skiing, reading, and writing. She is artistic and loves to make things.

 

Viks Sweep Ski Awards

The girls did great at last Saturday's ski races. Erica and Anna got First, Amy got 3rd and Lani came in 5th. Now if the whole truth were known, Erica and Anna were the only competitors in their age groups, Amy had three in her age group, and poor Lani had eight girls in hers. Lani actually got a better time than Amy, but that's the way it goes.

Saturday's weather was gorgeous. The girls got hot and kept shedding layers. The middle girl pictured above is Anna Nutt, a church, homeschool, and skiing buddy.

We've been blessed with the girl's ski lessons. Their instructors have been so helpful and encouraging. We can't say enough good things about them. Erica is the fastest, Anna distinguished herself by skiing into a tree, Amy is by far the most cautious, and Lani is a daredevil and proud of it.

Amy-isms

So I (Erica) was going to write another expose on my family but then Mom suggested I do something more recent...and since we've grown into perfect little angels there really isn't many stories to tell, so I'll share some of my little 12-year-old sister Amy's quirky habits.

Amy has a little touch of dyslexia, which shouldn't be funny, but provided us with these little gems...

Driving up to Wisconsin on our move up here, we ran into a snowstorm and decided to stop in Albert Lea, MN. Amy, always the curious one, asked;

"Mom, how long till Alberly? "

"Oh, about fifteen minutes, and its Albert Lea."

Not more than five minutes later, "Mom, how long till Alberly?"

"Only ten more minutes and it AL-BERT LEA."

We could her hear muttering to herself; "Al-bert Lea, Al-bert Lea Al-bert Lea." Five minutes later, "Mom, how long till Albuquerque?"

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Amy misread a border on one of the walls in our new house. It actually said: As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. But instead Amy burst out with

"As for me and my horse we will serve the Lord!"

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Amy and Lani were reading business signs as we drove Main Street and Amy cracked us all up when she shouted out an advertisement for "mental roofs" (she meant metal roofs)

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Amy meant to tell Kiah that her phone vibrated but instead she ran into the kitchen shouting "Kiah! Kiah! Your phone just evaporated!"