So much to tell...

Wow, it has been so long since I have updated my blog. I feel like I have so much to share...

First of all, Jim and I had the honor of being our new little nephew's Godparents. We enjoyed a weekend in Milwaukee, meeting Edward and celebrating in his Baptism! He sure is one cute baby!









Edward's Baptism

We've also been really busy with the kids sports! Lauryn played for 2 different softball teams. Her school team was slow pitch & that has finished up now. They ended up taking 3rd place for the season. Now she is still busy playing on the city league's fast pitch team. She is really doing well! Zach made the AAA traveling baseball team. So we are traveling all over for his games during the week and on weekends. They've qualified for State already, taking 3rd place at one of the tournaments. He's also busy playing 3 on 3 basketball one night a week as well. Sean is also playing baseball on the house league for the city. He sure enjoys the time with his friends and wants so badly to do good every time he is up to hit or a ball gets hit his way. It's all about having fun though, isn't it!?!?

Jim & I have also been busy with multiple races. We both ran the Maple Grove half marathon together. Then I just ran the Minneapolis full marathon a few weeks ago. That makes 7 marathons completed for me. It was such an amazing experience, running it with one of my dearest friends. It was her first marathon and so we had a fun time, training together & finishing together as well. Jim just finished his first half Iron Man! He had a blast and plans to do it again next summer! That man never ceases to amaze me. The doctor keeps telling him he NEEDS to be done and give those knees some rest, but Jim keeps pushing on. It's hard to give up the things you love doing, I guess? We both have quite a few more things on our calendar for the summer and fall. So training will keep right on going...










Maple Grove finish & Mpls Marathon



Jen & I at Mpls & some more friends and family at the finish line

Jim's swim... (1.2 miles) The bike.... (56 miles)

The run... (13.1 miles)



The finish! 70.3 miles!

We are also VERY happy that summer is here & school is out. Every year I take a picture of the kids on the first day of school & on the last. It's always fun to see how much they have grown in one school year:

First day.... Last day....

And I have to post this picture because it is our tradition that after taking the pictures that I want to get, I let the kids make their silly faces. This one is priceless... As the boys go all out with the silly face, Lauryn rolls her eyes and asks why we have to do this!

We also have celebrated 3 big birthday's at our house in June. Libby turned 2 years old on the 7th. Howie turned 1 year old on the 8th. We celebrated with some canned food and new toys. But most importantly, Lauryn turned 12 years old on the 13th! We had a surprise birthday party for Lauryn this year with just a few girls. She had a good time, tie-dying softball socks, doing a scavenger hunt, swimming in the pool, and having a sleep over.













Libby & Howie

Lauryn, being surprised & The gang

St. Lucia

We just had the most amazing family vacation! 10 days of tropical weather & family bonding. What more could you ask for?

We started off by flying in to Miami & staying one night there. We spent the day at South Beach & it was absolutely beautiful. It must be a popular spring break destination because it was busy. The boys even spent some time playing football on the beach. At one point, Sean accidentally de-pants Zach while he was going for a "Hail Mary" touchdown. He was pretty embarrassed. But while eating dinner there, we noticed outside 20+ cop cars all surrounding the area. A bunch of people were going out to see what was going on. So of course I asked & it turns out they stopped someone for a traffic violation & he ended up having someone in his trunk that was tied up with duck tape & he was trying to kidnap him. You just don't see things like that!?!?!

The next morning we flew bright & early in to St. Lucia. While there we did a number of excursions. First we went on a whale watching excursion. We didn't see any whales, but saw a ton of dolphins. It was pretty cool because they swim right along the boat (& faster). Another day we took an island tour, where we got to see a fish market, a light house, waterfalls, snorkeling, a black-sand beach, & the inside of a volcano. (Bachelor Fans - we even saw the spot where Vienna wrote "I Love You" on Jake's chest) We were offered to take the mud bath, but we opted out. While in the volcano, it smelt just like sulfa. We laughed at Sean, telling Jim, "Dad, even when you don't shower you smell better than this!"

Another day we enjoyed horseback riding. Part of it was on top of a cliff & the view was amazing. Another part was along the beach. This was Lauryn's favorite thing. But I tell you, after 2 hours on a horse... my bottom was ready to be done!

We all loved the zip lining though. We got to do 11 cable lines, with the longest being 950 ft. & the highest being 450 ft. over the Rain Forest. All the kids had quite a good time experiencing this. At one point Sean said, "This is the bestest thing I have ever done in my whole life!" (you know, the whole 7 years of it!)

Besides excursions, we had a blast just laying out in the sun, playing on the beach, enjoying the water park at the resort (& lazy river), the entertainment, and most of all, the time we spent together!

***The music comes straight from the island. This song was played constantly & the people there love it. Couldn't have our blog posted without it!***

Wrapping it up...

Lately it has been so hard for me to find the time to get my blogs updated. I feel like I am never finding the time to get on facebook either. It's shocking when all of a sudden you take the time to catch up & find out so much is new with your friends! Sometimes I feel like I just rush through blogs so that I can just keep things updated. It's the times that I can really sit down & process my thoughts that I remember why I started doing this in the first place! It's fun to go back & remember special times spent together as a family. Since I never find the time to scrapbook anymore either, I imagine one day I'll use these blogs as my time table when I do scrap again. I sometimes fear that when my kids are all grown up & out of the house, I'll be hit hard with boredom! It will hit fast, that's for sure. Jim & I won't know what to do with our time, as right now we are in the lifestyle of eating quick meals & rushing out the door to get to one or multiple kids activities. Although I complain, I thoroughly enjoy this time in our lives! I love watching my kids play sports & even more so, love watching them excel at things they put their minds to. We are just in the process of wrapping up basketball. Sean finished up his season undefeated. (well, first game was tied) We're really not suppose to keep track of score, but everyone knows each kid does! Lauryn's team just finished up their season last weekend. They came in 3rd place at the State tournament. We had a blast watching them play the #1 seed team & beat them. These girls came a long way since the first game of the season. Lauryn became a rebound champion. And she has found a new love for the game. I love how sports can add so much confidence in these children. Zach also finished up basketball this weekend. He played his State tournament as well. Saturday they played a couple rough games, but ended up having a great game Sunday morning. It was nice to see them finish up the 6 month season with a win. The whole team was on today & they played really well. Here's Lauryn's team, after winning 3rd place (2 teammates were missing)

And if you click on this link, you can see Zach's 4th grade traveling basketball team that made it in the papers for winning 1st place at a tournament a couple weeks back. It was awesome because they played 5th graders & still won!

http://www.pressnews.com/articles/2010/03/04/champlin-dayton_press/sports/dc_rebel4thgradebbb.img

And the most wonderful thing about sports is that as soon as you are starting to get tired of one, it is on to the next... We have closed out the basketball seasons, but look on to softball & baseball. Lauryn is playing slow pitch through school and fast pitch through the city this year. Zach is going out for the traveling baseball team. And Sean will be playing baseball as well. My only concern right now is whether or not this weather is going to cooperate with us. I dread those cold or wet evenings, trying to watch the kids play. But we all know that baseball season means spring time is here & summer is just around the corner! And who can complain about a day like today! (Sunday)

Sean turns 7!

Well, it's already been over a week ago, but Sean turned 7. It's funny that I still think of him as being my "baby". When Lauryn & Zach turned 7, I thought they were SO grown up. I think I will always just try to hold on to their youth. Sean had a great 7 year birthday though. We had some friends go to Grand Slam to play laser tag. The next night we went to see Footloose at the Chanhassen dinner theater. It was excellent! Then we also had our family party. It was a weekend all about Sean! He had a great time, and really enjoyed spending time with friends & family. Sean, with his group of friends at Grand Slam

The kids at Footloose. We took Sean's cousin, Logan, with us.

Logan's birthday was just 11 days before Sean's. So our waitress (which was a niece of a family friend's) brought them both out Sundae's with a birthday candle.

Sean's all smiles at his family party!

Braces!

Lauryn got her braces on yesterday! She said her mouth was sore last night, but she's excited for the outcome in 2 years. She started off with pink bands which totally surprised me. She had gone through a stage of hating pink after many years of it being her favorite color as a "little girl". I guess she is growing up?!?

Welcome Edward Robert Booth!

Jim's younger sister just had her 1st baby... Edward Robert Booth was born on Wednesday... weighing 7lbs. 14 oz. & 19 3/4 in. long... Congratulations to Suzie & Jason! We can't wait to meet him.

An Eventful Night...

Well, I have to admit... I am a fair-weather Vikings Fan! I enjoyed following the wins through the season when the boys talked about the games... But for the most part, Lauryn & I had our shopping time during every game. Yet, last night we watched the game with friends & had a great time. Although the loss was a bummer, it was fun to hang out with friends & indulge in way too much food. Here is the family, all decked out in our Vikings apparel.

But the excitement during the game came when we decided it was time for Sean to lose his two front teeth that have been dangling for over a month. On Christmas break, the dentist told me he thought they would fall out within a week & yet there they still were. So, we got out the floss & talked him in to it. I think he only did it because he didn't want to back down in front of friends! So he let our friend James pull out the first tooth. Then he let our friend Jen pull out the second one. Jen got video of it & it was hilarious. Anyway, the tooth fairy was very generous since he was so brave & lost two at the same time. But he sure looks cute with his tooth-less smile!

Zach through the Years....

Boy, another lapse in blogging. It sure has been awhile. And all of a sudden it occurred to me that for Sean's birthday, I posted pictures of him through all the years. I remember it being so much fun to go through all those old pictures & reminisce about how much he has grown. So I decided to dig through Zach's old photos & post each year for him too. I know we celebrated his birthday over a month ago, but since time goes by so fast, it still just feels like yesterday to me. Anyway, it's been a blast watching this little guy grow up. So often Jim & I marvel at the little things he does. We are so proud of him & love who he has become! Enjoy the photos through the years...

Zach at 1 year... Boy he had a LOT of energy!

Zach at 2 years... Oh, those cheeks!

Zach at 3 years... Always smiling:)

Zach at 4 years... Loved to make a mess!

Zach at 5 years... Chose to go to Build a Bear for his birthday.

Zach at 6 years... Happy-go-lucky!

Zach at 7 years... Missing those 2 front teeth...

Zach at 8 years... Went to Krispy Kremes after a slumber party...

Zach at 9 years... Him & Libby are the best of friends!

Zach at 10... Perfect in every way???