Our Week In Pictures

Boy Scout Campout (in 20 degree weather!)

Goofy boys making soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

 Ben mastered his Recorder Karate and received all belt colors and necklace. 

We'll all miss his practice sessions ;)

I made monkey bread just because..

Sweet sibling snuggle time (although Sadie's giving him the evil eye).

 Hands down, her favorite spot!

Spring Has Sprung!

I'm over the moon for the warmer temperatures! Finally, I won't cringe when I open the electric bill this month :)

The boys took a mini-vacay over Spring Break to a ski resort in Sioux Falls called Great Bear. They had a really good time and fit a lot of activity into just a few days. They skied, ate, went to a hockey game, ate, swam, ate, went to the movies, and ate.

Sadie and I hung out around the house and did a lot of snuggling and outside time.

Grandma Deb came for the day so I could go to the movies! I saw "Non-Stop". Sooo good!

We've had a great Spring kick-off and I'm counting down the days 'til summer!

Table Makeover

Before

After (minus the leaf)

Greg sanded the table and leaf down to the raw wood. I had him leave the perimeter black. I cleaned the table thoroughly, then applied 2 coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue. The drying time between coats is super fast. Once dry, I distressed a few points around the table with sandpaper, allowing the black to show through. A few hours later, I applied the Annie Sloan Clear Wax, allowed it to dry, then buffed it with a clean cloth.

I absolutely love the results! It has a very "farmhouse' feel, the color is exactly what I wanted, and the process could not have been simpler!

Sign Me Up!

Friday was a BIG day in the Jacobs' household. I registered Sadie for kindergarten! The strange part ..I'm not that anxious about it. She will attend Lost Creek, which is a hop, skip, and jump from our house, the school therapists she has now will follow her there, and I've been told their special education department is great. The "team" and I will soon meet to have a preliminary discussion about her needs and goals.  Sadie loves school and I know she will transition nicely.

On the same day, I signed Ben up for a fun summer camp: 5 days/4 nights building robots and learning about GPS systems and other stuff I know very little about ;) He'll also get to do some normal outdoorsy camp stuff. I feel like his summer is pretty full now. Cousins Miles and Julian will visit at the beginning of summer, he will have camp mid-summer, and we will go to the beach towards the end of summer.  Lots of trips to the zoo, museums, and Pawnee Plunge will fit in between.

In other news, swim season has come to an end, with the state meet this past Saturday. Ben did a great job and set two personal records for himself on the 200 freestyle and the 50 freestyle.

Only a 3 day week for the little ones, then Ben and Greg are off on a Spring Break ski trip!

Mid-Week Mayhem!

Not really, but it's such a catchy title! It has been a busy couple of days, though. Ben attended his first Boy Scout meeting on Monday and to say there are a lot of "to do"s for Scouts is an understatement. We are on our way, though. Both Ben and I can tell you many facts about this badge

 Next week is a cake auction at Scouts, so today I did a test run on a black forest cake. Good golly, this was labor intensive!

So worth the lbs!

We are also gearing up for Ben's last swim meet of the season this Saturday :)  I have LOVED swim for him. It takes a lot of discipline and he has stuck with it and wants to continue. He has also gained a lot of muscle this season. I need to go ahead and buy the next size up of jeans (12!) to get him through the rest of winter. We already went up a size in his swim jammers.  We are about to see some rising temps this week, though. Hallelujah! I told Greg I was going to lay out! I am dying to feel the warm sun on my face.

In other news, I'm re-painting our dining room table. We painted it black many years ago, but the coats of paint and poly didn't dry properly and it was an uneven mess. I've kept a tablecloth on it FOREVER, but Ms. Sadie has decided she does not like tablecloths on surfaces (or towels on surfaces or clothes on the dresser-you get the picture). Greg has kindly sanded it down to a smooth surface and I'm just waiting on the paint to come in :)

The "Before"

And the dogs have a new dog bed. They are loving it, but wouldn't pose for a picture.

Tonight, Ben and I attended Ash Wednesday services. I love the energy of a night service! Greg stayed back with Sadie because she's a bit under the weather :(

Here's a silly one from a few days before her cold hit :) The crazier, the better in Sadie's eyes!

Sledding!

The boys went sledding on Saturday afternoon! It began snowing hard Friday afternoon and we had a nice blanket by Saturday morning. When life gives you lemons...

My favorite ;)