2022 Winter Olympics

Can you tell we've been watching just a bit of the winter olympics?? Matt and I absolutely love the olympics, especially the winter olympics, and have forced the kids to watch them with us just about every night. (Their slippers have now become their speed skates.....but each night it's a different sport we're practicing.)


Pretty good form, if I do say so myself!

Inspiring

I am amazed at some of the things that can motivate my kids. This entire month at church, we are focusing on Micah 6:8, "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." There have been numerous volunteer opportunities to bring justice to those around us who are less fortunate than we are. But to get the kids involved, they handed these M&M containers out to each kid one sunday. Of course, my kids were thrilled because they were filled with those mini M&Ms. But then we read what the sticker on the side said...

"Fill this container with quarters and you will feed 82 kids for a day". I read it and said to Matt, "Are you kidding me??" That seemed so crazy. But it is indeed true. Through the organization Feed My Starving Children, this container full of quarters ($14) will feed 82 kids. So my kids have been working extra hard around the house doing extra chores, being kind to each other, and helping out--all in the name of getting a quarter to give away! And they do know they'll be giving them away. But they are so excited and I am so thankful for what it is teaching them. We will definitely keep these and be working on this year round and sending our donations directly to FMSC.

out of order....

I did it again----I finally posted about Wyatt's birthday party, but since I had started that post before a few others, you'll have to scroll down to see it! Sorry

The perfect day

How could looking out your window to see this......






....not be the beginning of a perfect winter day??? It helps that Matt wasn't on-call and we had NO plans for the weekend!! So Saturday became a picture of a perfect day for us. Relax in the morning (no sleeping in with little ones!), then Matt and Wyatt and Sadie headed to the rink just down the road from our house. Sadie has really gotten good at skating and loves to go out with the boys, although she usually gets cold much earlier than Wyatt and Matt since she can't move as fast as they can. But she's skating really well for only be 2 years old (almost 3yrs).

I guess the day would have been more perfect if I had been able to join them....maybe next winter when I can wear Blake on me and skate with them. But since I couldn't skate with them, I ran a few errands and then made use of my telephoto lens on my way home, taking all these pictures. They had no idea I was there and I loved just watching them. It was also perfect timing when I let them know I was there because I was able to bring Sadie home with me to get lunch ready and Matt and Wyatt were able to play some hockey, just the two of them.

More pictures I took on our way home from the rink.......beauty abounding!


After naps, the kids headed back outside with Matt and they went sledding for about 2 hours. They loved it and I hope they always love being active in the winter---Matt and I love being outside and hope to pass this along to our kids! I especially can't wait until next winter when I can again ski, skate, sled, etc!

(I just love the rosy cheeks from playing hard outside!)

One man's trash is another's treasure...

Well I don't suppose most people would call snow 'trash' ,but there are many who don't like it. In this family, however, we love it!! Can't get enough of it! And it just keeps coming down this winter, which we are so thankful for. The beauty in a snowfall is unparalleled (in my opinion) and is an amazing gift from our Creator. No man could make anything so beautiful--its simply breathtaking. And always so quiet.....I love the quiet that comes over a neighborhood/city during a snowstorm. It's so peaceful....




The kids and I have been shovelling just about everyday after Wyatt gets home from school or after their afternoon rest time/naps. But on one occasion, we waited until Matt got home and the kids stayed out there with him for hours...building forts, digging tunnels, having snowball fights, and making slides. These first pictures are a bit blurry since I turned the flash off and the shutter required a longer time to capture enough light, but I still think they are amazing!
Doesn't the light from the homes in the background look cool?
They really were having fun....just not liking the fact that I asked them to stop playing for long enough to get a good picture! And my husband's hideous hat.....he loves that thing and I can't stand it, but there is no arguing over the warmth of it!



And how can you not love the rosy cheeks after playing outside for so long that your entire body is sweating but your cheeks get a bit cold? Great memories of growing up in the upper midwest! So thankful to be back here again!

The much-anticipated party

Wyatt had his first 'official' birthday party this year for his 5th birthday. I say first 'official' because it was the first time he had a party with his buddies and not just family and 'adult' friends. He was so excited and could hardly sleep the night before. He had been asking to go to Chuck E Cheese, which we found hilarious because he had never even been before! But he invited his two best friends from school, Justin and Sammy, to come to Chuck E Cheese and they were all so excited.

He woke up bright and early, unable to contain his excitement! He was also very excited to see the cake I had made him--a hockey cake, at his request.

Matt and I made a few funny observations during our time at Chuck E Cheese. Other than being entertained by some of the odd people you see there, we couldn't help but notice how different Wyatt's 5-yr old experience was than what we remembered from going as a kid. Matt and I both used to play 'ski-ball' the entire time, not only because it was the most fun game but largely due to the number of tickets you could get from playing it. Wyatt and his friends, on the other hand, cared less about the tickets and more about the enjoyment of the games. In fact, they played in the 'playland' thing for most of their time and when it was just about time to leave, we had to make them use up the rest of their tokens and trade in their tickets. As a result, Matt and I were able to utilize our rusty bowling skills and play a few rounds of ski-ball ourselves!

Wyatt's party was on the saturday before his birthday and his patience was at the breaking point by the time Monday rolled around---he couldn't wait to open his presents! He had gotten one in the mail from my parents that just sat by our fireplace for a few days on top of the ones he got from us. And he LOVES opening presents. He enjoys playing with the presents as well, but I think he would be content to unwrap boxes all day long. He's a bit like his mother--loving surprises!

I don't usually write much on here about what we get our kids for their birthdays, but this gift was pretty perfect for him. Wyatt has always loved playing with his little cars (hot wheels-type) and any other figurine things. So when a friend of mine told me about this set called "Hockey Guys", I knew it was perfect for Wyatt. I had put a few of the guys from the set on his cake, so when he opened this up, he immediately recognized them and was so excited to have a full set. (He loved the figurines on this cake and had wanted to give one to Sammy and one to Justin--which was so sweet--but I couldn't let him since they were part of this set. He really didn't understand why I wouldn't let him give them to his friends until Monday when he opened this up!)

He kept saying, "Mom and Dad, how did you know I wanted this?" (Keep in mind he'd never seen it before.)

"This is the best give I have ever gotten"

"Thank you so much for getting this---I always wanted this!"

It was a great 5th birthday and Wyatt had a blast! It was low-key (which I love) and he felt very special on his big day!

p.s. You may notice the Colorado Avalanche jersey Wyatt is wearing in most of these pictures. It was given to him by his BSF teacher, Mrs. Erickson. She has 3 sons who all played or are still playing hockey and they used to collect these NHL jerseys. She asked me if she could give one to Wyatt for his birthday. I told her that was very sweet, but told her she could keep them since I assumed they held special memories for her and her sons. Her response just touched my heart and exemplified many of the women I've met this year at BSF..."Yes, it is special to me. But what good does it do just sitting in a closet at my house when it could bring so much joy to Wyatt?" What a great perspective! And it has brought him so much joy--he absolutely loves it!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

Five years ago, God blessed Matt and I with an amazing gift in Wyatt......
What a joy these past five years have been! We've learned a lot about being parents and are so proud of the young man Wyatt is becoming. He is in his first year of school this year at preschool and is just loving it. He is learning so much, making great friends, and continues to amaze us with his incredible memory. We love being his parents and look forward to what God has in store for his future. "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Phil. 1:6
Love you bud!