Baptism

We made a quick trip to St. Cloud to attend our nephew/Godson's baptism over the weekend. It was so good to get some cuddle time in with baby Jason! The kids LOVE holding him.

We thought he'd be down for the night by the time we got there Saturday evening, but Isaac was able to sneak in some time with Jason.


Not sure what Eddy's doing with is arm in this one!


The next morning Piper got her turn.


The baptism was really nice. Jason was so quiet during church and didn't cry when his head was blessed with holy water!





My parents have the rest of the pictures on their camera, so I'll have to wait for them to see more!

The trip wasn't long enough, but it there was good quality time together, so that's a good compromise!

Wed-Fri Fun

We've gotten some great pictures from my parents the past few days. No doubt Isaac and Piper are having a blast with their grandparents!

Wednesday they drove to the Cities to see my grandparents. Lindsey and Jason met them there. Wish we could have joined them!


After 5 hours with their great grandparents, they headed back. Mom said that Piper fell asleep almost instantly!





When they got back, Dad and Isaac went sledding. I guess the "super fast" slide couldn't stand up to the wear and tear...


At one point they had more "hot chocolate tea".


Dad took this picture at 5:45 this morning when the kids woke up!


We told them tonight that they couldn't get out of bed tomorrow until Grandma and Grandpa came to get them (I sure have enjoyed sleeping until 7 every morning)!

Piper got to lick frosting off the beaters today!





My parents were going to come up tonight to bring the kids back. But the weather was pretty bad, so we'll meet halfway in between tomorrow. Another night without kids! Eddy and I have taken advantage--date nights every night! BUT, we are missing our kiddos and anxious to see them!

Tuesday Fun

I decided to take the kids to my parents' house for the day. I put two sleds, snow shoes, and skis in the back, and off we went.

Isaac had SO MUCH fun sledding down my parents' driveway! And he beat me every time...





And then we went skiing in the back yard...


While Piper and Grandma Becky made "hot chocolate tea"...


She helped make some brownies too!


The kids had fun playing games...





And playing under the new beach umbrella!


They had so much fun, they are staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house until Friday!

Monday Fun

It's winter break for Duluth schools, so I rallied the troops (two friends in the neighborhood) and we all met at The Depot--the train museum in town was having some extra kid activities for Presidents Day.

Three 6 year olds...


Three 3 year olds...


And Isaac and B got to blow the horns of the model train set!


It was fun being there with friends!

Valentines

Thanks to Pinterest, I felt guilted into doing something clever for Isaac's class for Valentines Day. I decided to be THAT mom and NOT give treats. So, thanks to some Dollar Spot pencils at Target and supplies we had a home, this is what we made...


I also wanted to do something for his teacher and our daycare provider. I'm sure neither of these women need any more trinkets, so I saw this idea, and went with it...


And last but not least, this year at work each employee had a bag and we were encouraged to share treats. With 52 bags, some co-workers and I were joking about what we would give...pens (stolen from the supply room) and I thought about giving each person ONE Starburst. Ha! When I saw this idea, I had to do it...


As for the actual holiday, Isaac's school had a family night--free dinner and activities like drumming, paper flower making, jewelry making, and cooking decorating. It was a great way to spend an evening! I think the best part was watching Isaac say hi to ALL the people he knows. Such a great community!

Here he is, practicing his drumming!

Snow Day!

Duluth schools were closed today. Other than roads that weren't plowed, there wasn't much of a reason to cancel, in my opinion. But, we took advantage. Two different sets of neighbors came over to play this morning. That meant that there were three 6 year olds and three 3 years in our yard!
All the kids...








The boys...




Piper was pretty proud of herself for going up "on the mountain"!




When Piper was napping, Isaac and I played his favorite game and had hot chocolate (he had marshmallows AND whipped cream on top)!




And while Eddy had baseball tonight, the kids entertained me with some puppet shows!


















It turned out to be a fun day!

Blizzard!

We had been hearing weather reports that a blizzard was coming and going to dump 4-8 inches of heavy snow this weekend. We went to church this morning, thinking "where is the snow?". We decided to take the kids out for lunch and as we ate, the snow and wind started. Fast-forward a couple of hours and I saw a neighbor post on Facebook that she and her family were going to head outside. So Isaac and I decided to try and find them!
Here we are, ready for an adventure...


We rounded the corner, walked a block, and followed what looked like a path from a sled down a dead-end road. Isaac and I thought we saw people off in the distance, but we weren't sure. But we kept walking, and we ran into the R family! Their son is in Isaac's class. I love the picture I was able to snap of them...


Isaac hitched a ride on M's sled, while M's dad pulled them. We were walking into the wind and snow.


This picture shows the decreased visibility in the background.


The kids played at the end of our driveway for quite a while. After the R family headed back to their house, we walked over to another neighbor's house to drop off an early Valentine's Day card. Their son W came over to play for a while.


All in all, Isaac and I were outside for two hours. True Minnesotans!

A Good Try

Eddy had to do Saturday morning admission visits this morning. So I decided to play outside with the kids. I got out the sled my grandfather made, and they took turns pulling each other.


Then I got their cross-country skis on.





And then there were no pictures. Isaac made it 3/4 the way around the yard and got mad at me because one of his skis came off. Piper went about 20 feet, then started throwing a fit because she wanted me to carry her to the other side of the yard. Ugh. And the best part, my neighbors watched the whole meltdown. That's what I get for trying, right?!

Last Weekend

We were so excited to be hosting my sister, hubby, and Jason for their first overnight away from home as a family of three! They came Friday night and left Saturday evening. Unfortunately my sister wasn't feeling well and the overnight didn't go so great with Jason. BUT, we are so grateful for the time we had with them! Lots of cuddling with Jason and my parents came so we could celebrate my dad's birthday. A few of my favorite pictures...


Showing off their original artwork as their presents to Grandpa J


Isaac ADORES his cousin! He really wanted to hold Jason this way!


Piper loves him too...and has always had a special place in her heart for Uncle Paul.


The shirt we gave Jason, "My Uncle Rocks"!


Godparents!


Snapping a quick pic before the grandparents left...


Isaac took this one!


Lovin' him up!