Look What We Made!

My husband seriously amazes me. He found Sadie's first scooter. It was the perfect mobility device for her at the time. As she's grown, he has taken it apart, tweaked it and rebuilt it many times.  So many others have benefited from his "find". This little jewel has been a blessing for Sadie for many years.

But now she is outgrowing it. She has toppled over a few times. We added weights. The seat broke recently. Greg built a new one. Now she only wants to stand in it. It is just too small for this big girl.

We've looked for options, but none "fit the bill". So he's building her a new one. Right now, the prototype is PVC pipe and uncovered wood. Greg plans to pad and cover the wood, put on some "mega", all-terrain casters, and seal everything. If all works out, he will paint it or maybe even have another final version made by a welder. It is very spacious and provides excellent support for her to "walk" in it if she chooses.

I can't wait until she can start using it!

And on a much smaller scale, I made this wreath ;)

A Big Week for Ben

Ben completed his communion class at Trinity Lutheran and took his first communion at service on Sunday.

He had his first middle school experience at CMS on Monday night. It was open house band night and he loved trying out all of the instruments.

He chose sax as his first pick and trumpet as a runner-up!

Seriously, how can we already have a middle-schooler? Greg and I are still spring chicks ;)!

And last night, our little Webelo became a Boy Scout. He has been in scouts for 5 years now and loves it!

Pre-ceremony

Post-ceremony

How cute is this cake?!

Sadie feels left out of this post..so..

Miss Priss

Weekend

We had a FABULOUS Valentine's day! We all open our presents in the morning (who wants to wait?), eat chocolate/candy all day, and have a yummy dinner :)

Ben received footed Superman jammies and a Halo keychain for his swim backpack, chocolates, and cotton candy. Sadie received a Mrs. Potato Head and chocolates.

I was very surprised by a Keurig coffee maker. I have wanted to purchase one for about 6 months now, but Greg was undecided, so I was waiting him out. He is the main coffee drinker of the house, so the final decision was his. I really thought I was getting a massage gift certificate! And he bought red! Very pleased on this end! He also brought home flowers and dessert at the end of his shift. Swoon..

I gifted him with a wool peacoat, chocolate, and a book with 50 reasons I love him. He like the coat and chocolates and LOVED the book :)

Ben accompanied me to the grocery store and set the menu for our Valentine dinner.

Filet Mignon

Four Cheese Ravioli

Marinara and Alfredo Sauce

Broccoli

Clearly, I'm no food photographer and this pic will not post upright, but it was very tasty.

Saturday, we head to Omaha because WE ALL NEEDED TO ESCAPE THESE FOUR WALLS and the weather was decent. There was a KidzExplore event going on, so we decided to check it out. 

Looks like someone got that massage ;) ! 

Hump Day

Whew! Long time, no blog. Greg was out of town for a few days helping his mom install wood floors, so it was just me and the kiddos and not a lot of extra time.

Today is another snow day, so Ben is busy scooping the drive and sidewalks. He is out of school for the rest of the week. It seems like he is out of school more than he is in school..

He brought home some recent work and I just really love this one assignment. It's called the "I am poem".

I am: smart.
I wonder: if we will ever find other intelligent life.
I hear: talking, writing, typing.
I see: papers, computer screens, televisions.
I want: world peace.
I am: creative.
I pretend: to fly helicopters high above the ground.
I feel: laminated wood, plastic, and silicone.
I touch: fur, blankets, and more fur.
I worry: the world will crack in half under my feet.
I cry: not very often.
I am: normal.
I understand: feelings of younger children.
I say: my own opinions, without fear.
I dream: the world will be a tranquil place.
I try: to exercise, but my so called "abs" aren't to be tampered with,
I hope: the same as I dream.
I am: me.

Love, love, love it!

I also served Ben his first "Egg in a Hole" the other morning and have made it for him three times since ;) He's a fan.

Ms. Sadie is partying it up at school in celebration of Valentine's day.

She wasn't feeling photogenic this morning, despite her super cute outfit.

And I bought our plane tickets for Gulf Shores last night. WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Happenings

Sadie is learning to dress herself :)

with her OT, Tricha

Ben is working on a poster contest, "Bring Our Children Home".

I made a Valentine-y cake yesterday. It's half gone. Strawberry is a favorite in this house.

The boys are watching this right now. Ben has been waiting a sweet forever for this to come out. Promoting a Feb. movie in Dec. is a cruel marketing tactic. And ouch! 3-D tickets are expensive!

This will be my home away from home in about 5 months. If you hear me muttering the word "beach" over and over again as I struggle to get from point A to point B in negative temperatures, you'll know why :)

CANNOT. WAIT.

The Blizzard of 2014

It's not exactly a blizzard (says Greg), but it's a heck of a lot of hard, blowing snow in a very short amount of time.  It started around noon and hasn't really let up.

In the car after Sadie's afternoon therapy

                                                

The boys getting busy after dinner. Not great pictures, but the garage was as far as I was going. Unfortunately, that will be be me shoveling tomorrow :(

In other news, Ms. Sadie continues to impress us this week. We have started "hiding" her scooter. We all love the mobility it has afforded her, but also know she is capable of so much more. 

Here she is in a tall kneel position to reach her snack. She can now motor plan well enough to do this on her own. She will also tall kneel at the window sill and we are working on a transition from tall kneel to stand. Exciting times!

We are Valentine ready at our house. We purchased/printed Ben's Minecraft cards from Etsy.

I made Sadie's class some V-day cups with these goodies :)

 Scratch and Sniff Stickers

And the latest, greatest news of all!!! Greg and I will be going to see the oh-so-talented Bruno Mars this summer for our 12th anniversary. We were able to get seats on the floor in the first section!!!

Here is Sadie with Bruno on Super Bowl Sunday :)