Ten years

On April 6th 2001 Jon and I went on our first date. I was a junior in high school and jon had recently returned home from his mission to Germany. We went on a double date with my friend Jenna and Jon's cousin Josh. We went out to dinner at TGI Friday's and then we went to Trafalga to miniature golf and then to see the movie What Women Want at the dollar theater. It was a really fun first date and Jon and I both new it was the start of something special.

Well it has been 10 years and it has been quite the journey since that first date. I wanted to do something special on that day so I came up with a little treasure hunt for the kids that gave them clues about this special day. And then we took them to Trafalga for the day to celebrate. It was a great day. And it is amazing to me how much life can change in ten years all because of a first date!

Kindy 500

Calvin's school did a really fun activity called the Kindy 500. All of the kindergarteners had to make a box car at home and bring it to school to travel around the United States (the gym) and see some historical sites. It was a really fun activity. There were a lot of really cool cars butI loved Calvin's. Jon wired lights that Calvin could turn on and off, he put big tires and a steering wheel on it. It is a cool car and we all had fun painting pirate ships and castles on the sides.

Our adorable little nephew

This is our new nephew Cole Joseph Nielson. He was born on March 10th. I was lucky enough to get to take some pictures of him and make an announcement. Joe and Jaime didn't find out what they were having and Calvin was the only grandson up until this point, so everyone was really excited for a little boy to join the family.

Calvin's Kindergarten Glory Story

Calvin made this picture poster for his week of recognition in Kindergarten. As part of the week the class made up this glory story about Calvin. I love that Calvin put one of his drawings on his picture poster and that he drew a picture at the bottom of his glory story.

This is White the Dog, ya!

This is Lily's little pet, she named him White the dog. He was 50 cents at IKEA and she loves this little thing. She takes him everywhere. In this picture he is getting a Nerd candy bath. A couple of things we love about Lily these days: She names everything with a descriptive word, the, and then what it is. Examples are White the Dog, pink the dog, yellow the shirt, pink the bike, etc. I don't know where she came up with this but it is really funny. She takes pink the dog on a walk on a leash almost everyday. She loves her stuffed animals and she is so sweet with them. She is such a good helper with Ava too. She is really loving and kind.

The other thing I absolutely love about Lily these days is she end every sentence with a ya or a no. As if she is agreeing or disagreeing with herself. It is hilarious. Examples: I want toast, ya. I don't like yogurt, no. I want a bath, ya. School was fun today with Miss Janae and Mia and White the dog, ya. I don't like when it rains and it's cold, no.

Belt tests

Calvin has loved karate and he is doing so great. He has been a white, orange stripe, green stripe and now a purple stripe belt. It has taught him some great things like: Stranger danger, how to be assertive, respecting adults, listening the first time. We have really loved Omega.