Blasts from the Past

Grampa Barry sent me these pictures from several years ago! How fun to reminisce and reflect on Riley and the girls when they were little...sure wish I had owned a digital camera back then.

Riley and his cousin Natasha on the beach at Bear Lake.
I am guessing Riley is a little over 2 and Tasha is 1 1/2.

Jamie and Sidney all dressed up for their dance recital.

Jamie was 5, Sidney was 3.

Is it still winter?

YES!

This is what it looked like out our front door on Friday
after our 7-8 inches of snow the night before.



But, this is what the girls wore to school on Friday:


It was Tropical Vacation Day at their school.

I laughed when I was at school volunteering that morning
and they made the announcement on the loud speaker
that it was an 'inside recess' day
because the wind chill was below zero!

We will do anything to escape winter in Minnesota,
even pretending you are having a tropical day makes us all feel better!

3rd Place in Basketball Tournament

After their very disappointing game last week, Riley's team played an awesome game to win 3rd place in the basketball championship. They were thrilled! It was a great ending to a great season. Riley had some great coaches and they really learned how to play fundamental basketball.

Wish I had that much Money!

Sidney is a very crafty girl!
She has a great affinity for paper and
often turns it into great creations.
Give her a stack of plain paper
along with tape and/or staples and the sky is endless.
I found this little creation when we cleaned up the basement today.

A little paper purse complete with flowered pockets.
This is the wallet that was inside.
This is the first bill I pulled out.
This is the second bill I pulled out.

Apparently, Sidney has a total of $110,000!

Our new favorite place

Rosemount now has its own Dakota County Library and we love it!
It is new and filled with new books.
We have already been there twice this week!

A Touch of Spring to Brighten My Day

While recuperating last week from a quick outpatient surgery to have my gall bladder removed, I was so grateful for the many friends that checked up on me, brought me flowers, fed my family and took care of my children. I am happy to be returning to normal! I seem to be able to eat an almost normal diet and am grateful to be rid of the stomach pain that has been plaguing me the past few months. Thanks to all of you that helped, brightened my day and showed concern! One especially timely visit came from 2 friends that brought me this little touch of Spring!

A Tearful Goodbye and A Loving Welcome

After a couple trips to the vet, several shots and some antibiotics, we said goodbye to Chips last Thursday. He had been plagued with mites for awhile and his little body could not fight them any longer. There were many tears shed and lots of reassurance that Chips would be blissfully happy in Hamster Heaven. He was a great pet for us and we miss him!

For Valentine's Day, we ventured out to a couple pet stores with a surprise for the kids, a new hamster to join our family. We found the perfect one, a light tan colored teddy bear hamster. We purchased new supplies for her and headed home with her in a little box. After about 10 minutes of discussion, Jamie came up with the perfect name for her: Sandy. She is very soft, doesn't nip and we have enjoyed playing with her. She has finally explored all of her cage and seems to be adjusting very well. Now she just needs the kids to go back to school tomorrow so she can sleep all day without being disturbed!

My Valentine

Brent and I escaped for a last minute movie on Valentine's evening. We snuck our sub sandwiches into the theater and enjoyed our dinner and treats even though the movie was horrible. When we returned home and ensured that all the kids were tucked in for the night, we reminisced about Valentine's Day 14 years ago when Brent officially proposed to me and surprised we with my ring. It was a wonderful day and has led to 14 wonderful years together.

I am so thankful for Brent and his love.

• I love sharing our life together as best friends.
  
• I love that we seem to finish each other's thoughts.
  
• I love that we have 3 beautiful children.
  
• I love that sometimes we can drive for hours and not say anything.
  
• I love that sometimes we can drive for hours and need a few more hours to finish our conversation.
  
• I love that we have the same goals and dreams.
  
• I love that Brent has recently discovered he actually might enjoy reading.
  
• I love that Brent works very hard to provide a wonderful home for us.
  
• I love that Brent notices when I get a hair cut.
  
• I love that Brent plays hard with our kids.
• I love that Brent still has a spark of little boy left in him.
• I love that Brent is obsessed with BYU football.
• I love that we have forever to be together!

The BB Championship at their fingertips!

Riley's basketball team (The Spurs) had an amazing season...they were undefeated and the team that all the kids considered 'the one to beat'. During their semifinal round game this Saturday....the championship just barely slipped away. They played their hearts out and almost made a last second shot to tie the game, but it ended 13-15 and they will be playing for 3rd place next week.Riley has really enjoyed playing basketball this year and can't wait for our ground to unfreeze so that Dad can install his new hoop next to our driveway. I am sure it will be well used!

11 yr old Playdate

Riley had a couple of his friends, Sam and Austin, over on Saturday to 'play' after the primary activity on Saturday. They had a quick lunch and were anxious to get done so they could play the wii. They quickly became engrossed in a heated discussion about which of our several wii games they wanted to play. Jamie, Brent and I died laughing when we walked in and saw what they had decided on: Hannah Montana. It was hilarious to watch and they had a great time competing at this 'challenging' game of dance and rythm skills. If you watch and listen closely on the videos below, you can tell that they were really into the game!! (I think these pictures and videos will be great ammunition some day.)

Same Foot, Different Story

Jamie tripped on the way home from school last Wednesday,
and re injured the same appendage.
She has a bad sprain and was on crutches for a few days.
She will be wearing an aircast and can't dance for a couple weeks....
her dance group is getting ready for competitions,
so this will be interesting!