Claire's 5th Birthday

We traveled to Grand Rapids, MI to celebrate our niece's birthday.  My parents and our family stayed at the JW Marriott, a very nice hotel downtown.  We went for a little swim Friday afternoon and then went over to the Sackett's house for dinner.  On Saturday the Sacketts came over for a pool party and lunch.  Leah was having so much fun that she skipped her morning nap.  She finally ran out of steam at lunch and fell asleep while trying to get food to her mouth.  It was adorable!  That evening we went back to the Sackett's for the official birthday party.  Claire loved her balloon, flowers, birthday cake, and gifts- especially her new bike.  Jadon thought that bike was totally awesome and he's still talking about it.  It was a fun weekend and it wore the kids out.  Leah slept for almost 4 hours straight on the way home.   

Superbowl Party

We had the Johnson Family, Attig Family, and Jeff and Charity over for the Superbowl.  We enjoyed lots of yummy food and it was cute to see all the kids eating at our coffee table.  It was like a child size dining table.  We were all shocked by how nicely the kids played together.  The adults were actually able to talk and enjoy the game- and what a game it was!

Look who's walking!!!

Finally a Nice Day to Play Outside

It was worth the wait.  This was the most beautiful Winter day I can remember.  It was 44 degrees and the sun was shining brilliantly.  We took the kids out to play and had a lot of fun.   

It's Alive!

Back in September we found a little caterpillar while we were camping.  We took him home and named him Mr. Fuzzy.  Just a few days after bringing him home, he made a cocoon.  We didn' t know if he was dead or alive, but the other night we noticed he had emerged from the cocoon.  Now Mr. Fuzzy is a little moth.  Hopefully we can keep him alive for a few more months and release him back into the wild.

Ice Cream

Our new year is off to a good start.  After the busy holidays, we've been enjoying a more low-key month.  Leah has started walking.  It's so cute to see her taking steps.  She also likes to climb and often gets herself in precarious situations.  Jadon is glad to be back at preschool and into his normal routines.  He's in a phase now where he only wants to wear pj's.  He's fully potty trained now, too.  We have had some family get-togethers.  My parents came to Sterling on January 10th.  It had been a while since they came to our house and we wanted to treat my Dad to a birthday dinner.  On January 19th, Brant, Kylie, and Dylan came out for the day.  Brant and Brian worked on their mom's house while Deb and I watched the kids.  They had fun playing with all Jadon's new toys.  Here you can see them playing Ice Cream Stand.  This past weekend Brian and I took the kids up to Dubuque to visit Grandma, Sue, and Les.  Afterwards we went to Jeff and Charity's house in Galena where we celebrated Charity's birthday and spent the night.  The last picture here shows Brian and Jadon enjoying some ice cream sundaes with my Dad's homemade caramel and hot fudge.    

Happy New Year

We rang in the New Year (well, almost) with the Petersons.  Jadon , Leah, and Brecken had fun playing with trains, planes, and automobiles while Brian and I caught up with Erik and Krista.  They are expecting their second baby and we are so happy for them.  At 8:00pm we watched a ball drop on YouTube and wished each other a Happy New Year.  I think it is going to be a great year.  On a side note, the picture of Jadon and Leah shows them in their new sweaters made by their Great-Grandma Jones.