Palm Trees in dead of winter?

If you check out this blog from time to time you may have noticed that I changed the backround to palm trees at sunset.....cabin fever?  wishful thinking?  too many below zero mornings?  well...yes, but in addition to all that, Greg and I are taking a trip to Hawaii in February.  I lived there for 3 years a lifetime ago, but Greg has never been.  When we were thinking about a winter destination, it just seemed logical to go there.  I've always said it's a place everyone should visit.  I don't want to live there again, but everyone should see it because it is so beautiful....and Greg loves the ocean....so we cashed in some miles and points . . . palm trees and sunsets, here we come!  thanks to Ami's mom, Paula, for offering to come to MN to take over my daycare with Everleigh and Andrew while we're gone, and Andrew and Everleigh for being so flexible.

lunchtime and other things....

 To help make lunch time a little more interesting, on

days when their schedules coincide Everleigh and

Andrew can eat lunch at the same time.  It really

does seem to help them both eat better.  Andrew

has always had a good appetite but Everleigh also

seems to eat more when she has company.



 It's interesting to watch how they have different styles

of play.  Everleigh walks around with cuddling her

babies and trying to feed them.  Andrew is much

more curious and wants to see how things work.

Here she is setting the table at her castle while

he tries to pull the horse apart.  Again, they are

both presented with the same set of toys to play with

yet they chose to play so differently....hmmmm

Not sure why this picture didn't turn out that well, but if

you ever see another pair of Fisher Price Little People like

this, BUY THEM!  They are the prince and princess

from Everleigh's new castle and she carries them with

her everywhere....and puts them in very obscure places!

When either of them is missing she starts calling...."Boy"

"Boy"  "Boy".  If they ever get lost I'm not sure we'll

be able to go on....We need a backup set!

Nathaniel 8.0 Jan. 20

Can't believe that this guy will be 8 years old

on Thurs, Jan. 20.  Can't tell you how much I love

you and miss you.  Can't wait to see you again, my

sweet Nathaniel....Gma

Surprise!

We surprised Ben and Jesse Saturday night

with a Surprise 30th birthday party.  Ben

turned 30 on Dec. 24 and Jesse will be 30

next Friday, Jan. 21.  They usually like to

keep a low profile and were good sports

about accepting a gathering of friends and

family surprising them with a birthday party.  Here's to the next 30 years!

A future in massage therapy?

Everleigh is so gentle with Andrew and she really likes to

just touch him so when I snapped these photos it looked

like she was massaging him.  He seemed to enjoy it.

She's also very gentle with her "babies"...likes to wrap

them in a blanket or rock them in her little rocker.

Andrew on the other hand likes to bang stuff and\make noise.

He's fascinated by anything with moving parts or can make noise.

Nature or nurture?

A Flat Stanley visit and end of year stuff....

 A friend of Nathaniel's, Flat Stanley, is visiting from Florida.

So...we've been showing him around Minnesota...here we

are on a country road and note the deer standing in the

backround. That's something he wouldn't easily see

in Florida.

And here are some photos from a gathering at Whitney's

earlier in the week with 5 little ones and GG.  FYI...Ben

joined us as well...

Happy Birthday, Ben

It was Ben, our son-in-law's, birthday on Dec. 24.

It's an event that often gets lost in the shuffle of Christmas and

he never really minds but here's a list of reasons

( by no means all inclusive) that we are glad he's in our family:

1. Go-to guy for any car questions

2. His smile

3. Likes just about anything I cook

4. No drama

5. Is a great daddy and considerate husband

6. Took me out in a snowstorm to help me replace my cell phone

when it died last week.

7. Just quietly takes care of things

8. Loves my decorating :)

......

love you, Ben