Spring is Here! (or Is It?)

We had a blast of winter weather this weekend. We woke up on Saturday morning to 10 inches of snow on the ground! The snow continued throughout the morning and the wind picked up. To make matters worse, I had to play for a wedding that day. Todd plowed us out and then drove the tractor over to his sister's and plowed her out. I was told that the last time NW Minnesota had this much snow, this late in the season, was in April 1904. This is MN weather at its best!

The wedding was beautiful and everything ran smoothly. I am sure the new couple will use this experience to weather the storms of life that may come their way. Congratulations Katie and Shayne!

Happy Easter

We had a wonderful Easter as we celebrated our Lord's resurrection. Our sunrise service was beautiful as we truly saw the sun rising toward the end of the service through the stain glass windows. The Wielands came over to our house for dinner - 11 adults, 1 "tweenager" and 7 kids! It was crowded but fun. We ate, had an Easter egg hunt, snowball fight and sled rides! Only in northern MN can you have fun with winter activities during an Easter celebration. The next time Easter is this early will be in 2160. Todd and I joked that we should write a letter to our great-grandchildren to tell them what Easter was like in 2008. We hope you enjoyed your Easter Celebrations as much as we did. Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs Galore!

We spent Good Friday afternoon making centerpieces for our

table and dyeing easter eggs. The girls had a blast and we managed not to get too much dye on clothes or the floor. Egg salad here we come!

Oh no! Hannah Montanta is in the House!

The girls are into "Hannah Montanta" aka Miley Cyrus. For those of you familiar with the song "Achy-Breaky Heart, " Miley Cyrus is Billy Ray's daughter. Rachel got a Hannah Montanta wig for her birthday which she LOVES! She also got her ears piereced. Our little girl is growing up so fast!

Winter Blast - Not a great weekend.

The first blizzard of the winter season. Here are a few pictures taken from inside the house. In the first picture, we can normally see the neighbor's farm a mile away. We couldn't even see past the grain bins.
This one is taken from the front door. You can't see past the tractor or the barn.
We are having trouble seeing Todd's field just past the trees.

Not only are we having trouble with the wind blowing the snow and terrible wind chills, we have no water! Our water went out early Friday night so Todd called the local plummer for help. It looks like the guys will have to pull out the well and fix a wire that has shorted out. Due to the terrible weather, they can't work outside very well. We went to the neighbors down the road to get drinking water. Usually Saturdays are reserved for laundry and cleaning the house. What a day to have a blizzard and no water!

Birthdays in January

We celebrated both Jordan's and Rachel's birthdays this month with a family party. The kids had a fun time with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. It is always nice to visit with family!







Rachel had a friend party at McDonalds this year. That was quite the experience! Mom brought the two younger ones while I drove the party of 6 to our destination. We weren't even there 10 minutes before Jordan threw-up in the play place. No - not on the floor - in the actual playland! So I squeezed in and tried to clean up the mess as best as I could before a young McDonald's staff member finished the job. So Mom hauled the sick toddler home and I was left with 7 children on my own. Good thing I am a teacher so I know how to handle a big crowd of kids! The 15 year old party host was great! He brought everything to our table in a timely manner, cleaned-up throw-up, was polite and friendly. Let's just say he got a BIG tip from this lucky mom! Birthdays are always quite interesting.

Hoops Fever - Catch It!

Rachel and Sarah started basketball in January. They "practice" every Saturday morning for 45 min and the Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball players are the coaches. The girls will show off their skills during half-time at a Girls J-V and Varisty Basketball game at the end of the month. They love to play! I just hope they have more of Todd's athletic ability than mine :)