Snowshoeing at Dowling

Gus' class went snowshoeing on Friday. It was a warm day and it was fun to be outside and explore the Dowling school grounds. We even got to stop by the principal's office! Mr. Rossow popped out of his window to say hello. The kids enjoyed hot chocolate after the hike and only 5 of the students spilled! Listed below, you will see a list showing what that students liked about snowshoeing.

He's back

Kip had some fun with the clippers and now he's back to his usual look! He enjoyed having hair for a while and was really hoping for a ponytail, but he gave up. We all enjoyed seeing how he looked with hair! Here's one more "before" just for fun!

i heart faces: January 24 - Innocent Wonder

Innocent wonder....I went back to a favorite from last spring for this theme. It is hard to believe she is now 2-1/2 years old!

If you are "wondering" how others interpret this theme, head over to www.iheartfaces.com

Anja at 2.5

I headed to the Walker with Andrea to take some pictures of Anja in some clothes Andrea designed. It was so much fun and Anja loved the attention. It was a great afternoon!

i heart faces - week 3: Winter Wonderland

I took this photo of my boys after our first Minnesota snow. It was my favorite type of snow that sticks to the trees and makes everything white and beautiful. Since that time, our total is up to 52 inches this winter (and, that's a lot of snow!). When you live in Minnesota, you have to embrace the snow or you go absolutely crazy. So far, we've gone sledding, skiing, skating and of course we spend lots of time shoveling! We're trying to make the most out of these winter months....even if the predicted high temperature for Wednesday is 6 degrees. Brrrr.....!

Check out the other winter wonderland photos at www.iheartfaces.com

The Science Museum

We headed to the Science Museum today with my parents and nieces/nephew. We got to see the Rainforest show at the Omni. The kids enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs and checking out all of the cool stuff at the exhibits. Tons o' fun! I love the picture of my dad on the phone with the kids. My parents are such great sports!

Sweet Girl

I have the privilege of taking care of my friend's daughter every Thursday. Anja is with her crew on Mondays, so they spend lot of time together. At first, she struggled because she missed her mom so much, but now she has settled in with us. She has such a sweet smile. I took this picture of her in the snow last Thursday.

Downhill skiing with Gus

My dad organized a ski outing for Gus and Addy and I was the fortunate "chaperone." We had a great time. Both Gus and Addy did amazingly well and they both enjoyed the afternoon. My dad and I were able to go out on some steeper slopes while Gus and Addy took lessons. It went so well they are headed back to Welch Village sometime soon. My sister gets to go along for the second round!

The Bus Stop

We have a great group of neighborhood kids that we get to hang out at the bus stop with each morning. They all seem to really enjoy each other and they are very nice to Gus, Johan and Anja.

i heart faces - week 2: Smiles

The theme for this week is smiles - smiles that bring you joy. I found this photo in my folders from this past summer. This photo was taken at the cabin this past summer when Anja turned 2 years old. She does indeed bring our whole family so much JOY!

Check out all of the other SMILES this week at www.iheartfaces.com

Anja sings

Anja spends a lot of time singing around the house. You can get a sampling of two of her favorites here (Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and Twinkle, Twinkle). Just the other day, Anja was singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain." She sings with a smile!

Heathly Christmas.....Sick January

We are so thankful for a healthy Christmas this year. We had missed the last two Christmas eves with my extended family. The above video shows all of the cousins (Sarah's kids and Becky's kids) from Christmas eve this year. I had a great time with my aunts, uncle, parents and cousins and the kids had a blast together.

Since that time, we've had a lot of coughs and colds. Earlier this week, Anja got a double ear infection (which was the first ear infection in our family). Last night, Gus got a stomach bug -- the one we wanted to avoid at Christmas. He's already feeling a little better and hopefully the rest of us won't get it. But, I know I'm going to be feeling green until this passes.

i heart faces - week 1: best face photo 2010

I chose this photo of my niece for my favorite photo. She is so sweet and fearless on a sled! Look out! I love this little girl. :)

Check out (and vote for) your favorite face photos on www.iheartfaces.com

Grand Rapids Snow

We spent New Years at the cabin with my folks and my sister's family. We did lots of sledding on the cabin hill. The kids loved it and they had a blast being together. Here are some B&W pictures of the fun times in the snow.