Fabulous February and March Madness

More updating...

And They're Off!

Haley finished Phase 1 of her braces on Feb. 24, 2014.  She got the top braces off and her extender removed.  Haley has a very small mouth and had to have an extender "appliance" put it and nightly she'd turn a "key" to expand the roof of her mouth.    Haley has also had 12 teeth pulled thus far to make room for all of her teeth.  One permanent tooth takes the place of 2 baby teeth.  She is always thanking Nathan and I for her unfortunate mouth circumstances.  A week after her braces were taken off, Haley got a retainer for her top teeth.  She thinks that it's worse than the extender because she always has to take it out to eat!  Oh well!  You just can't win.  But just imagine how absolutely beautiful her smile will be when it's all done!

 Before.  

Sorry these pictures were taken with my phone, so they are not the best.

 After.

Alina had to get in on the action as well.

And He's Off!

March 25, 2014, Andy had his Cub Scout Pinewood Derby.  Andy and Nathan worked on his car together but Nathan did not get to see the fruit of his labors as he was on his was to San Francisco for a medical conference.  I have always been content to let Pinewood Derbys be Nathan's realm, so I was out of sorts when I had to be the one to help Andy weigh the car and graphite his wheels.  Thank goodness for Nathan Jacobson, who helped at one point to straighten out a crooked wheel!

 Sister Haas, the Wolf Den Leader, handed out paper flags to those who one first place on each race.  Andy's car was not very consistent and came in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in various races.  But here he is showing 2 1st place flags.  He then was very kind and let Michael and Alina play with the flags.

 We were so excited when Andy took 2nd in his Bear Den and then 2nd overall!  The top picture shows the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Bear Den.  Zach Jacobson took 1st, Andy 2nd, and Cameron Nelson took 3rd.  They are all from our ward!  Our cub dens are comprised of boys from 3 wards, so it was neat to see that our ward swept the Bear's Den.  Andy is pictured above with his Den leader, Lex Hokansen.

The overall winners!  Zach Jacobson took 1st overall, Andy took 2nd, and we can't remember the boy who took 3rd overall (he's not in our ward).  The boys are pictured with Lex again and with Sister Haas, the Wolf Den leader.

 One happy little boy!

That's Wacky!

The week before Spring Break is always Spirit Week in the Rochester schools.  On Wednesday of that week they had a "Wacky Day".  Here's Haley's version of wackiness!  She loves getting involved with school stuff!  Again this shot was taken with my phone, I think the focus is off on it.

Would You Look at That!

It's a house!  This picture was taken on March 27, 2014, so it's now out of date, but it's the most recent that we have of the outside.  Our efforts have been concentrated on the inside, so we have more pics of that, which I will have to add later.  Denny, our builder, says that it won't be done until the end of June/first of July.  We don't know a closing or move in date at this point, but it's moving along rapidly, so we are hoping it will be within that timeline!

Don't worry, we'll have a real door put in!

Takin' the Plunge (2/8/14)

Nathan participated in the "Polar Bear Plunge" last year.  It's a fund raiser that law enforcement agencies hold several places in Minnesota to raise money for the Special Olympics.  One of Nathan's colleagues got a group of them together last year and it was really fun to watch.  They break through the ice at Foster Arend park which is basically a small lake.  A lot of people participate and dress up.  Andy and Haley both said that they wanted to do it this year with Nathan.  Again his colleague, Jay Homme, got their group together and they all met up to take the plunge.  Nathan, Haley, and Andy dressed up as the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2.  We didn't get a picture of them beforehand because, of course, we were running late and it was too cold to put on their costumes outside.  Haley and Andy both raised $75 each and Nathan raised over $200!  Thanks to those who gave donations!  Nathan kept telling the kids that it wouldn't be as cold as they thought, but as it turns out, it was colder than he remembered!  They all survived and want to do it again next year!  In the video, watch Andy hang on Nathan's arm after they jumped!

Birthday Bash

So it's April and the last time I blogged was months ago!  Here's some catch-up.

Alina turns 3!

Jan. 5, 2014

 Haley made Alina's small baby a "Belle" outfit by hand.  You can't see the whole thing because Alina is covering some of it.  It was very sweet of Haley and Alina loved it.  She also made them matching necklaces.

Michael and Andy went through their toys and chose Alina a gift.  Andy gave her his "Bullseye" stuffed animal and Michael gave Alina his remote control car.  Michael does this every time it's someone's birthday and it warms my hear that he so willingly parts with toys, even those he really likes.  Andy caught on that it feels good to give and so he was really excited to give Alina his horse.

At the time of her birthday, Alina was really into Dora the Explorer or "Dooda" as she calls her.  It was fun to make this cake for her and she got a pretty Dooda doll out of it.  Haley beautifully frosted the cupcakes.

Make a wish my Princess!  Alina is a fireball and has a very strong personality.  A lot of times she uses those powers for good, but when she chooses she can be quite the force to be reckoned with.  You know that poem, "I know a little girl with a little curl right in the middle of her forehead and when she's good, she's very very good and when she's bad, she's horrid"?  That explains Alina!  She loves her family and lets us all know by constantly telling us she loves us "too much".  She's very social and does not like to be left alone.  Alina has a very nurturing spirit and loves to take care of her babies.  She also loves to sing and dance.  Alina sure keeps us on our toes and we absolutely love her for it!

Andy turns 9!
January 26, 2014

It is Andy's year for a birthday party, so we had it on the 24th, two days before his actual birthday.  He wanted to have a "Monster's University" party where we did activities, played games, and then watched the movie in 3D (we have a 3D TV).

Shrinky Dinks

Watching "Monster's University."

I got the idea for the cake from the internet.  I thought it turned out pretty cute, although Mike's eye looks a little too puffy.

 Ready to open presents.  Andy's birthday was on a Sunday, so thus the dress shirt.  Church was canceled on Andy's birthday because of wind chill and extreme cold weather, but Andy wanted to wear his church shirt anyway.

 Michael went through his toys again for a gift and parted with some Legos (he must really love Andy to do that!)

 Haley figured out how to make Andy a "Monster's University" student ID.

Doesn't look like much, but he was really happy with what he got!  Because we have 5 kids, we alternate who is going to have birthday parties.  The birthday party counts as Mom and Dad's gift.  If it's not your turn to have a party, you get to choose a restaurant for dinner and you get gifts from Mom and Dad.  So that's why it looks like Andy didn't get a lot of gifts.

I say this every year, but it sometimes is hard for me to grasp that Andy is only 9.  He is such a smart kid that it's hard not to think that he's older.  He is a reading level above Haley and his teacher can't keep him busy, he also rarely has homework because he finishes it at school.  But when you watch Andy play or interact with his siblings, you can tell that he's only 9.  Andy always has us laughing at the things he says and does!  When I look at him, I can imagine what Nathan must have been like as a little boy.  We love our Andy and love having him in our family.

Haley turns 12!
February 13. 2014

When children in our church turn 12, they get to move up to the pre-teen/teenage group.  The boys join Young Men and the girls join Young Women.  The Young Women have a night that they call "New Beginnings" where they invite all those girls turning 12 in that calendar year.  It's a fun night where all the new girls are introduced and welcomed.  It's fun.  Our ward had their "New Beginnings" on Feb. 2nd and they made each of the new girls their own cookie.

 Haley wanted to decorate her own cake.  I thought she did a beautiful job!

 Haley's gift pile.  She had recently gone through a growth spurt and was in need of clothes, particularly church clothes.  Haley is extremely modest and likes her skirts and shorts to go to her knee, which can make buying clothes a challenge.  But I wouldn't change her modesty for anything!

 It was not Haley's year for a birthday party, so she got to choose a restaurant for her birthday dinner.  She chose "Texas Roadhouse".  They brought out a saddle for her to sit on and they sang really loud - she was a little embarrassed.

Looking at this picture, it's hard to believe that a few hours later Alina was throwing up!  She got a bad case of the stomach flu!

 These pictures are out of order, but it's hard for me to change the order (well, I just don't want to bother with it).  Haley has really been into "Frozen" and I found these books for her.

Count them, 12 candles!  I got her re-lite candles, which are always fun because you can't blow them out!  This school year has been really challenging for Haley.  She started playing the Clarinet and really wanted to quit at the beginning, but she stuck it out and now she plays beautifully.  She has quite the knack for it and even discovered notes to the song "Let it Go" just by playing around.  We are so happy she decided to stick with it!  Haley is her own person and she always surprises me with how comfortable she is being silly around other people.  Haley loves to participate in school spirit days and loves to dress up really silly.  If you've ever seen the musical, "Wicked", I can totally see Haley playing the part of Glinda. She makes friends really easily and is our "social butterfly" (always has been).  We love our Haley!