Easter

We had a quick Easter morning before Brent left for early morning church meetings. The kids found their eggs in record time and loved the special treats the Easter bunny left for them! We enjoyed attending church and especially listening to the beautiful ward choir. Brent and Jamie love singing in the choir and they did a marvelous job. We came home and did some quick dinner preparations and then rested for a couple hours before our big Easter dinner. Our cousins the DeLay family and our close family friends the Martins came over for dinner and we feasted on sweet honey ham, funeral potatoes, rolls, corn, pineapple, spinach salad, lemonade and strawberry shortcake! The kids entertained us with a 5 minute mini-movie that they scripted, rehearsed and recorded in about 20 minutes...it was very funny and creative. Then we finished off the night with some family games. We had a great evening and are so thankful for family and friends to spend it with!

Playing the Wii

We have really enjoyed playing Grandma and Papa's Wii. They brought it with them from Michigan and since Grandma has stayed longer....so has the Wii!!

Grandma's Favorite Game: Bowling
Brent's Favorite Game: Tiger Woods Golf
Riley's Favorite Game: Mario Party 8
Jamie and Sidney's Favorite Game: Hannan Montana

This is proof of Grandma's High Bowling Score!This is proof that Brent played Hannah Montana on the Wii!This is proof that Riley played Hannah Montana on the Wii too!

Another Update on Stacey

I am so appreciative of all the well wishes and sincere concern I have felt from so many of you! It is a huge blessing to me to have such loving family and friends who call, come by and help out during my recovery period. It has been a tremendous blessing to have Mom here and have her help! I love her so much and can never express my gratitude to her! She drives us where we need to go and keeps our home running smoothly. And, she takes great care of me and still makes sure that I get a little extra rest each day.

I am still struggling to get past some of the effects of the accident. I think my foot is healing. I am continuing to wear the boot cast and have to elevate and ice it frequently during the day, it especially hurts by the end of the night and getting comfortable while sleeping is difficult. I am hoping that I can start walking on it with the next week or so. Even more troubling is the fact that I still have a headache....it never really goes away! Because the CT scan was normal, the doctor is recommending that I do some physical/massage therapy to work out the tension in my back, neck and shoulders which will hopefully ease the headache. I will start going this week and hope it will do the trick. I was reminded by a friend this week that I am no longer a 'young doe' and will need to give my body time to heal from the traumatic experience it endured. So.....I will continue to try and be patient, get lots of rest when I can, and pray for improvement!

2 Days of Skiing

Spring Break started on Friday and as is Minnesota tradition we had our March snow storm! But, the kids were excited to get in 2 more days of skiing with Brent! Riley, Jamie and Brent went night skiing at Buck Hill on Friday night and they could not have asked for a more clear, beautiful night to enjoy the spring skiing. Then, Saturday Brent took all 3 kids to Welch Village. They skied till closing and were some of the last skiers on the lift. They had a marvelous time and especially enjoyed laughing at their crashes and sharing their stories with Mom and Grandma!

Spring Break??!??!

With Spring Break quickly approaching, the kids were excited to see some warm temperatures and really enjoyed seeing the snow melt enough that they could get their bikes out! On Wednesday, they were out with the rest of the neighborhood enjoying the warm weather!
Spring was not here for long...it started snowing Thursday night and didn't really stop until Sunday morning. We probably received about 6-8 inches of new, very wet, heavy Spring Snow. These are some of the trees looking out our patio window.

Brent's New Wheels!

Brent purchased his Trailblazer replacement! It will not pull a boat, does not have a V8 and is about half the size of the Trailblazer.....but, he is very pleased with the car and will be even happier when our gas budget gets cut in half! It does have alloy wheels and all season mats....two things Brent insisted on! Sidney calls it the 'sweet' car and we have all loved riding in it. I have yet to drive it....probably be a couple weeks before I can try out driving again.

Here are a few pictures....it is a used 2005 Nissan Altima.

Movie and Play Review

We saw the new release Horton Hears a Who on Saturday and all loved it! It was very funny for the adults and the kids. The voices were very recognizable and prefect for the parts they played.

Brent and I also went to the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and saw Jane Eyre. We loved it and thought it was amazing. I meant to have the book finished before we went and that didn't happen in my current circumstance, but I will finish it now and love the story!

Report Card Day

The kids received their report cards yesterday and we are very proud of their accomplishments.
Our district uses 'mark code descriptions' instead of letter grades.
(As defined by the district...."Mark code descriptions are designed to describe your child’s performance in each area compared to district grade-level expectations and standards at designated times throughout the school year. They are used to identify skills demonstrated, and they are also helpful in clarifying skills not yet mastered".)
Now that I have clarified that....The kids receive the following codes: 1-Limited, 2-Developing, 3-Proficient, and 4-Exemplary.
(According to the district again...."a child who receives a 3 is performing at grade level and is meeting district expectations and standards for his/her grade level in the given marking period" and "A 4 is attainable....this means that a child has met all grade-level expectations and standards and applies related skills consistently".)

Riley:
In 5th grade Riley received a 3 in almost all areas with a 4 in the following:

• Language Arts: Reading Habits
  
• Language Arts: Speaking and Listening
  
• Mathematics: Data Content and Applications
• Social Studies
• Music: Music Skills
• Music: Active Participation
• Work Habits and Social Skills: Completes Assignments on Time
• Work Habits and Social Skills: Demonstrates Organizational Skills

Some Comments from his teacher:

• Riley continues to choose above grade level books for his own independent reading.
• Good participation in Social Studies.
• Riley continues to be a positive, enthusiastic learner.

Riley was also just selected to be on the Math Master team for Shannon Park Elementary. The 5th graders were tested and Riley was 1 on 10 students selected for the 2 teams. He will participate in the competition in May! Great Work Riley!

Jamie:
In 3rd grade Jamie received a 3 in almost all areas with a 4 in the following:

• Music: Active Participation
• Work Habits and Social Skills: Works Independently
  
• Work Habits and Social Skills: Follows School/Classroom Rules
  

Some Comments from her teacher:

• Jamie's reading skills are improving and she is able to write for a sustained period of time
• Jamie has really become vocal during math, sharing her understanding of geometry and computation
• Jamie is productive and engaged in music class
  
• I have really enjoyed seeing Jamie develop academically and socially
• Her delightful personality contributes to our positive classroom atmosphere

We are very proud of Jamie! She loves school, professes to love writing and continues to work very hard!

Sidney:
In kindergarten, Sidney received a in all areas! Some comments from her teacher:

• Sidney is becoming confident in using reading strategies to problem-solve new words
• Sidney continues to work on adding details and organizing her story more
• Sidney shows strong skills in her abilities to decompose numbers and uses inventive strategies when solving multi-digit problems
• Sidney shows good growth and is becoming more self-confident in her abilities
  
• Sidney is an enthusiastic participant!

Sidney's teacher loves having Sidney in her class and shares some wonderful stories with us about Sidney's interactions in the classroom. Sidney has really enjoyed all the places her kindergarten class has 'traveled' to, especially England, where she got to pretend to be a palace guard and have tea with the queen. Now, they are off on a make-believe plane to somewhere warm....Sidney thinks it is Africa because she knows that it started and ended with a 'A'.

Grandma and Papa Jim Come to Visit!

The second miracle that coincided with Stacey's accident is that Grandma and Papa Jim had already scheduled a visit and arrived 2 days after the accident. They have been life-savers!!! They always seem to be coming to my rescue and I do not know how I would have survived the past 2 weeks without their help. They are the most self-less, caring, loving parents I could have ever wished for. I love them more than I can express!

Just to list a few things they have done....
Papa spent a whole day getting my van into good working order (a necessity since the trailblazer was declared totaled and the van will once again be our family vehicle!)
Grandma has done lots of laundry, cleaned all the bathrooms several times, washed hundreds of dishes, made me take a nap every day, driven the kids to school activities, driven me to the store and the doctor, walked up an down the stairs a million times and maintained lots of peace between an tired, impatient mommy and her 3 kids.
Papa vacuumed and mopped my floors a couple times and fixed a few broken household items...including the all important remote controlled helicopter.Amidst all this 'work' Papa and Grandma have still managed to spoil all the grandkids. They took us to the Minnesota Science Museum where we enjoyed the Omnitheater movie The Amazon. Then, we saw The Spiderwick Chronicles at the IMAX and all loved it! Before Papa left, they also treated all the grandkids to an evening at Chuck-E-Cheese. Grandma and Papa also brought their Nintendo Wii and we have all loved playing it!!

Because I am not able to drive and need a little more recovery time, Grandma stayed here in MN with us! We are so lucky and appreciate all she does for us. She even babysat Blake, Shawn and Lydia today....she was very tired. She is amazing and we love her very much!

Update on Stacey's Recovery

The first week after the accident I was very sore, achy and stiff. It is amazing how many parts of your body can hurt....I have felt them all. Most of the whiplash pain settled in my upper arms....weird, but painful. Luckily it has slowly subsided, but one week from the accident I was still left with a very swollen, bruised foot and a constant headache. So, I went to see my doctor to follow-up with her.

They x-rayed my foot again and after confirmation from a radiologist, they discovered that I did break my foot...it is a small 'chip-off' break. So, I am once again limited to using my right foot and am back to wearing the 'stormtrooper' boot cast that I wore several years ago when I sprained my ankle. It is not a pleasant thing to deal with, but worth it because I can now walk without intense pain. My foot is still swollen and sore, especially by night-time. But, within 2 weeks or so I will be able to start walking on it and gradually use it again.

The doctor also confirmed that I indeed had a concussion and had a CT scan done just to ensure no lingering problems. It came back completely normal, what a relief! I am still plagued with a headache...pretty much all the time, but am hopeful that it will begin to subside. I am looking forward to some good massage therapy....my neck and shoulders are still very tight from the trauma of the accident and hopefully it will help with the headaches too! I will be very grateful when my body does not need extra sleep and I can resume some normal activities.

Thanks so much to all my friends and family for your continual support, thoughts and prayers. I am so grateful for you all. I am still in awe at the miraculous outcome of the accident. I am very blessed and extremely humbled at the love of my Heavenly Father.

Weekend in Kansas City

I had a wonderful weekend visiting my girlfriend in Kansas City this weekend. Debra and I have been best friends since 7th grade. Because my family moved after that year, we have maintained our friendship across many different states and many different parts of our lives. We have not missed one year of seeing each other and love every chance we get to be together.

I arrived at Debra's house on Friday night and we spent Saturday cheering on Conor (10) and Brigham (7) at their basketball games and strolling through a beautiful new outdoor mall. Casey, Debra's husband then treated us to a wonderful dinner at Texas Roadhouse and a movie. (Vantage Point)
The boys spent the night at their Grandma's house, and with a very quiet house I slept in until 10:30! I woke up just in time to get ready for Debra's family to arrive to celebrate her birthday. It was so fun to see all of them and we had a great time visiting, eating, watching Deb open her presents and playing outside with the kids. We finished off the evening with a trip to Blockbuster, rented a few games for the boys and picked out a great movie for Deb and I to enjoy. (Martian Child)

I loved being with Deb so much and I cherish every chance we get to be together. Next time, we have vowed to get the kids together too....they love their 'cousins' in KC. I also enjoyed getting to know the new member of their family, Shadow, their new puppy. Here are a couple pictures of the boys with Shadow!

Weekend in Kansas City--The Rest of the Story

Unfortunately, my great weekend in Kansas City had a not so nice ending. On my drive back from KC on Monday, I was involved in an accident in Story City, IA. They had been hit with a blizzard/snow/ice storm Sunday evening and the remnants of the storm were evident on the freeways and off/on ramps. I stopped for lunch and as I was re-entering the freeway I faced an impossible situation: a semi-truck in the lane I was merging into and a sheet of ice on the road. As I tried to slow down, with a light tap on my brakes, I lost control of the Trailblazer and was hit by the semi. I was hit once on the front driver side corner of the trailblazer and once in the back driver side corner and landed in the ditch next to the freeway. As a precaution, they transported me to the hospital, but luckily I walked away with aches and pains and no major problems. I am recovering very slowly, but now know what it means to "feel like I have been hit by a Mac Truck"! I was very grateful when able to walk into my own home late Monday night and kiss all my children who were sleeping soundly in their beds. I am so grateful for the tremendous support and well wishes I have received from friends and family. I am very blessed and know that Heavenly Father was watching out for me.

Our New Favorite You-Tube Video

Our friend shared this you-tube video with us and we love it! It is about 1 1/2 minutes....and is a 3 year old girl's description of Star Wars: (Listen very closely). ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBM854BTGL0