Bronze

Our Neighbor Jeremy Lade just got back from the London Paralympics for Wheelchair Basketball! He won a bronze medal! We were all so excited for him. He was so nice to show us his medal and let us try it on...the kids were so excited they had to print their pictures out to show their classes! Tanner is going to get an autograph from his new hero! We are lucky to have such great neighbors!

Packers Family Night

We met some friends for family night in Green Bay! As we walked into the stadium you could feel the energy, and as the players ran out onto the field the stadium erupted. The kids highlight of the night was doing the wave and they were glad to have friend there to hangout with. Barry had to work the following morning at 8am, so we cut the night short and headed home before the fireworks for the three hour drive home.

The Snow Fortress

About a week and a half ago we had the biggest snow storm of the year. It was blizzard like conditions and it just kept coming down. Barry happened to be home from work early that day and when the kids got home from school they all had to play. They made that biggest snow fort ever. You may not be able to tell from the pictures but all the kids in the group picture could fit inside the fort, and it was taller than Kendra. Tanner was convinced that he was going to light a candle and sleep in the fort one night. Good thing the snow fort melted away two days following the storm :( (we didn't have to burst Tanner's bubble that we would never let him sleep out there).





It's hard to believe that this was only two days after the snow hit!

Rollerskating

The kids have a four day weekend, so we needed to come up with something fun to do. We decided to make the gym a roller rink. We played red light, green light and the limbo and skated to music. My friend Naomi painted faces too! It turned out to be a fun day!

Snow!

Finally a good snow day! Tanner has been complaining that this has been the worst winter ever (I think it has been great) because of the lack of snow. The kids were so happy to see snow and be able to play in it before it melted away. We made a mound of snow that Tanner and Josh made into a snow fort with a sign that said, "Josh and Tanners fort stay out!", and the girls both made snowmen. Everyone kept busy for a few hours before they wanted to come in for some hot chocolate!

Tanner's Season

Tanner has had a great season this year! It has been so much fun to watch him play...every year he just keeps getting better! He always plays hard and is a good team player! I can't believe that the season is almost over, just two more weeks of all this basketball fun!

We Like Each Other

Today we had to remind each other that we actually really do like each other. We each took turns telling every person in the family what we liked about them. This is what we liked:

Tanner- Is fun to play with, he leg wrestles well, his is nice to talk with and very helpful and is a good friend. He is always quick to say that he is sorry if he has done something wrong or has hurt someones feelings.

Kara- Reads to her sister, is a good helper with Jaxson and has a heart of gold and is always concerned about others. She is fun to be around and can be aggressive in her play (a quality only a brother could love), and she is determined, when she puts her mind to it, she can do anything.

Kendra- helps her sister clean up, is sweet and makes people feel good if they are feeling sad, she has a good sense of humor is fun and caring. He likes making people feel happy and always likes to play (anything) and she is very social.

Jaxson- plays with his sister, he is cute and is fun to play with. He brings joy to us and is sweet and precious. He loves us all the time, and makes us feel needed.

Jodie- gives good hugs and kisses, is always willing to help around the house and with homework, cooks for us, is Barry's best friend.

Barry- does tick, tock with Kendra, takes Kara on fishing trips, is always so much fun with Tanner, and cares about me and how I feel Jodie.


I noticed that the kids brought up all the fun things their dad is to them, and I guess they think I am a ton of fun to be around! Why is it that dad's always get to be the fun ones? I really try to be fun, but I guess the kids must remember the everyday stuff I do. I guess their list could be worse for me, I should be grateful!

Valentines Dance

Our ward had a family Valentines Dance. Part of the fun was getting ready for the dance. The kids had their own ideas of what they should wear to the dance and they knew that they needed to actually comb their hair for such an event. It was cute just watching them get ready and anticipate the evening. The kids had a blast at the dance! Their favorite part was the limbo, I think they played the limbo song 5 times because everyone was having so much fun with it.

My kids are at such fun ages right now and I wish I could just freeze time. They are still young and innocent and can have fun just goofing around, and don't feel self conscious about having fun even with friends!

Happy 35th Birthday Barry!

This is the only picture that I took on Barry's birthday. It is of him opening his new ping pong paddle! He requested to have strawberry pie this year instead of cake, and we were all glad that he did, it was delicious!


I asked Kendra some questions about her dad.

How old is your dad? I don't know, he is almost a grandpa.
What is your dad's favorite food? Pizza
What does your dad like to do most? Go Fishing.
What does your dad do at work? He checks if patients are doing good.
What does dad do when he is at home? Plays with me, and he likes to rest.

The Return of Pinky Binky

Durning the summer on one of our trips we had to make a quick trip to Walgreens to get Jaxson a pacifier so we could all get some sleep in our hotel room that night. Barry grabbed the only ones there and bought them. When he handed them to me I was surprised that he had chosen a pink one. It got nick named Jaxson's Pinky Binky and for a while it was the only pacifier that we could always find. Well, we finally lost it and it was lost for a good 2 months. Then the other day Kendra had taken all of the couch cushions off of the couch and I hear her scream, "I found it, I found Pinky Binky!" So now of course it is the only pacifier that we can find and the legend of Jaxson's Pinky Binky lives on!

Milwaukee Bucks Game

About a week ago we went to a Milwaukee Bucks basketball game with some friends! Barry scored us tickets for $2 a piece so we had to go, even on a school night. All the kids had a blast cheering till they lost their voices.

Basketball

Kara has been playing basketball this winter and she really loves it! It has been fun to watch her progress and get a little more aggressive every game. She is very concerned that she is following the rules (no back court pressure, only defending within the three point line) so she hasn't been willing to take as many risks with her defense and steals. She is a good rebounder and has made quite a few shots throughout the season!

Ping Pong

Barry got a ping pong table for Christmas and he has put it to good use! At least once or twice a week Barry gets a friend to come play him and I will play with him a couple of nights a week too (he kills me every time, even when he is going easy on me). Yesterday he invited friends over for a Ping Pong tournament. Everyone stayed for three and a half hours of ping pong play! After yesterday he decided he need to give his shoulder a break, we will see how long that lasts!
Steven, Cort, Brian, Barry

Matt (and Tanzen), Cort, Barry (and Madilyn), Adam

A New Look

Tanner got glasses this week! He was amazed at how well he could see with them on. I think that he looks pretty good in glasses!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

This was Kendra and Jaxson enjoying the warm 50 degree weather just yesterday. They didn't even have to wear a jacket it was so nice!

This was Kendra and Jaxson today enjoying the snow! It was 27 degrees today. This has been one crazy winter, with this being our first real snow of the season!

This and That

We've had a lot of ping pong going on since Christmas. It has been a lot of fun!
Jaxson pulled an unbaked Papa Murphy's pizza down from off of the counter. It was quite a surprise to him to have it land on his face. He was upset that Barry wouldn't let him eat it off of the floor. Barry did salvage the pizza and Jaxson got to eat his share later on.

Barry and I finally got cell phones! Barry is asking his phone an important question.
Tanner came home on Monday with this stash. He told us that it was his days earnings. He also said that it wasn't as gross as it looked, a friend gave him a whole candy cane, another friend gave him the banana bar cookie, but he found the rest. I wonder what else he's going to be finding on the bus and on the playground?
Jaxson has free reign of one cupboard and he is about to loose his freedom. What I really need to do is take most things out of the cupboard so he can enjoy it without making such a mess!
When the kids were finished cleaning their rooms this week, I told Kendy that she needed to come in a vacuum. She said, "Me, really! Yes, yes, yes!!!!" She was super excited to help vacuum her room. While we were vacuuming she said, "This is so cool!" I guess we will see how long she thinks its cool. Unfortunately the older two don't think it is that great anymore.

Jaxson's Haircut

Jaxson's shaggy look is gone, now he looks so grown up. He didn't getting his hair cut, but it was two on one so we had the advantage. The clippers scared him a little, but as a team we got the job done, and although Jaxson does have scissors in his hands, he did not participate in the actual cutting!