Dustin's Birthday

Four short years ago Dustin joined our family and life hasn't been the same since (in a good way)! He is such a joy to have around. He is always happy and his endless energy keeps all of us on our toes, with never a dull day!

Dustin loves all things Star Wars so he got a lot of Star Wars related gifts which he entertained himself with all day long. He even had an R2D2 cake. Having a little boy is definitely different from little girls and I am glad, everyday, that we have the opportunity to experience both. We love you Dusty! Happy Birthday!

Kindergarten Graduation

Today was Lauren's kindergarten graduation. I can't believe how fast this year went by. Lauren has learned so much and she really enjoys school. She is an excellent little reader. Lately, she has been reading Junie B. Jones books with just a little help. Lauren is going to miss Mrs. Blake. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher. I wish all teachers could be as wonderful as her. All of this has me contemplating how fast our kids are growing up. Whitney will be a teenager in a few short weeks, Katelyn will be in the oldest grade in elementary next year, Lauren graduated from kindergarten and Dustin will be four on Sunday. I only have one more year left with Dustin before he goes to school too. I have to admit that when they were babies I never thought I would wish for time to slow down, but now I wish it would.

King of the Jalapenos

We have a champion among us! Todd is the reigning "King of the Jalapenos"!! Yesterday was the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown St. Paul and Todd won the jalapeno eating contest. Todd competed last year and came in second (the kids still contend that the other guy cheated). No second place this year! He was interviewed by the Pioneer Press and a local TV station. Here is the picture from the online edition of the Pioneer Press and a picture of Todd with his trophy!

Todd's 5K

Todd has had a goal to run a 5K and last week (May 1st) he ran his first race. It was a chilly and very windy day, but that didn't stop him. He ran really well and it was fun to cheer for him and watch him come across the finish line. Nothing like a cup of water in the face!

There are Todd's legs crossing the finish line at just over 26 minutes!

Skiing

In March, Todd and I decided it was time to take the whole family skiing. Dustin is finally getting old enough that we can all go skiing and we don't have to get a babysitter or have one of us stay home. Whitney learned how to ski last year and has been a couple of times. Katelyn and Lauren went to ski school. Dustin was too young for ski school so we hooked him up to a harness and he dragged Todd down the hill. Dustin was a little disturbed that Todd wouldn't just let go of him. Everyone had a great time. Lauren and Kate wanted to stay longer and Dustin cried when we took off his skiis.

Skiing in Minnesota is a lot different from skiing where there are real mountains. Whitney, a beginner, went down the black diamond. Also, Todd timed it and it took us 40 seconds to go down the run and 4 minutes to ride the chair lift up. I guess we'll take what we can get.

Spring Break 2010

Mini golfing - Dustin swings a golf club like a baseball bat so watch out!

Our birds nest treats. Aren't they cute? They sure are yummy!

S'mores anyone?

The girls had Spring Break the last week of March and we got to do some really fun things. We spent Monday and Tuesday at a Resort in Northern Minnesota that had an indoor waterpark, mini golf, bikes, kids crafts, games and S'mores every night. It was nice because we parked the car and didn't use it for the 2 days we were there. They had everything that we needed. They also had a spa there and Whitney and I got to have pedicures and get pampered a little.

On Wednesday, the day we got back, we went to see How To Train Your Dragon in 3D. The kids loved it. Katelyn said it was one of her favorite movies. Dustin was startled a few times by flying objects, but that made it even more fun for him.

Thursday we went to the Minnesota Zoo. We don't go there very often because we have a smaller, less expensive zoo closer to our house. It was a beautiful day though, almost 80 degrees. You can't ask for much nicer in April. We walked and walked and walked and walked. The kids were tired that night which I always like. The highlight was watching the dolphin training and the shark tank.

Friday, it was rainy and cold so we decided to stay home and do a little Spring cleaning followed by some fun Easter treat making. The treats were the bribery for the cleaning. Then after Dustin and Lauren went to bed the rest of us watched New Moon. Katelyn had been waiting to see it since it came to theaters. We let her watch it,but had her cover her eyes and ears a few times to avoid bad dreams and sleep walking episodes.

Twins

So I have been a blog slacker lately. I have a ton of Spring Break pictures to post, but I will do that later. Tonight we took the whole family to a Twins game at the new Target Field. Outdoor baseball is back in Minnesota and it was pretty darn cool! The new stadium was amazing. It was a little chilly, but that's because it is April in Minnesota. Also, the Twins kicked some Kansas City rear end. The final score was 10 to 3. The best part of the night was watching Katelyn's school choir singing the national anthem. They were pretty far away, but they showed Katelyn on the big screen a couple of times. I love that the school choir gets to do that. What a cool experience.