A fun week with friends from Minnesota

Mike, Renee, Elizabeth, and Cody came to visit last week. We were blessed with wonderful weather and had a wonderful time together! We had to get in some play time at the park.

 The crazy kids braved the cold pool and were in it every day!

We were all able to go to the zoo last Sunday. The kids had fun feeding the giraffes. 

 It is always fun to crawl through the tunnel below the piranhas!

 We all thought the jelly fish were pretty amazing to watch.

 Jeff and his mini-me...

 A fun family picture where Claire was giving us both a head lock!

 We can't go to the zoo without getting a picture of Claire on the sea lion!

 We had a great time and hope the Massingham family will come to visit again soon!

Some fun family photos

The day we arrived, we all crawled into bed with Ellie!

 This is one of my absolute favorite pictures! It was so fun watching Claire enjoy time in the snow with her cousins!

 I got to take Ellie outside for a bit in her wheelchair. It was one wild ride...we got stuck a few times and I smashed my finger, but it was worth it. She really enjoyed being part of the action for a little bit! It was a ride I am sure she will remember for a long time! We definitely had lots of laughs!

 Some of my favorite peeps! I know Dad was watching us and is very proud of how close we have remained. God sure has blessed us with an amazing family!

 G-Ma with all of her grandkids! Love this picture!!!

Time with the Streich and Hlavka families

We got to spend most of spring break with Ellie and her family. Since Ellie had surgery and wasn't able to leave the house, we did lots of fun stuff indoors.

 Ellie taught Claire and I how to make a tie blanket.

 The girls made Ellie's famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

 Claire got to be pro on the extra crutches Ellie had from her last surgery!

Claire spent her entire vacation on crutches when she wasn't outside in the snow!

 Claire and her cousins (except Ellie) having fun in the snow!

 Bargain Hunter became the game of the week. It was my favorite game when I was growing up and it was so fun to play it again (many, many times) with our family. By the way, I beat Ellie 3 times in a row!!!

 The cousins being treated to french toast and Uncle Brandon's famous omlets!

 We had the kids do a blind taste test and it was a blast! Watching their reactions to each item was priceless! We had such a wonderful time together and we miss everyone already!

Building a snowman with Grandpa Naustdal

We had perfect weather to build a snowman when we went up to MN over spring break!

Grandpa Naustdal didn't hesitate to get his hands wet and help Claire make an awesome snowman!

 They worked together to get the body rolled and shaped.

The snow was very heavy and sticky so they had to work together to get the body made. 

 Then they had to be creative and find objects to use for the face.

The finished product! It is just as tall as Claire!

 Thank you Grandpa Naustdal for the wonderful memories!

Last few days with Grandma

We got to have one more lunch with Claire at school before Grandma leaves. We had to get a few silly pictures!

Claire and Grandma worked at making some Easter Egg cookies yesterday.

 They had to color the dough and roll it into strips before cutting them into egg shapes

 The finished product! Guess we made them a little big!

 We even got Grandma on a bike for a nice ride around the neighborhood before she heads home to the snow and cold!

A fun unicorn birthday party!

Claire went to her friend Addison's birthday party this afternoon and had a blast. The theme was unicorns and carnival activities. First she got her face painted and of course she wanted a donut!

 Claire and her friends after face painting.

 Claire was in heaven when she saw the cotton candy machine! She was fascinated with how it was made!

 Anyone need some sugar?!

 Claire with a few of the friends from the party

 Claire with the birthday girl! Saying goodbye to the single digits and moving on up to the double digits....

Car making day

Wednesday night at church, the girls have a "drive in". The kids get to make a car out of a cardboard box to use in a parade and then sit in while watching a movie. This year the girls decided to each make their own car. We went to the dollar store to stock up on supplies. Claire chose an Easter theme and Karsen chose St Patrick's Day.

 The girls work very hard for over 2 and a half hours to create their "cars"

 It was fun to watch them think through their ideas and then to offer suggestions to each other and help each other when needed.

 Claire's finished "car", all done with minimal help from Mom!

 The girls did an awesome job creating very unique cars this year! Wednesday they will get to display them at church!