Swimming Lessons

The girls are enjoying their swimming lessons at Donna's Dolphins. They are excited to do some swimming at Lake Belle Taine (MN) this summer!

Tooth hole

Grace looked in the mirror and saw a piece of pepper on her tooth. She was upset about this because she thought it was a hole in her tooth!

Firestation with Mom!

Angi went on Grace's fieldtrip to the firestation. Grace didn't like it when Angi got dressed up as a firefighter. Notice in the pictures that Grace is always in the front and in the action...her personality!

Halloween!

Paige dressed up as Kit (Great Depression American Girl), and Grace was a cheerleader...

Cheese Weasel

Last night, Grace was drawing and asked me..."Dad, what does a cheese weasel look like?" Angi almost fell out of her chair laughing. I make lots of cheese weasel comments like, "we are having fried cheese weasels for dinner...or you're a little cheese weasel...or did you see that cheese weasel cross the yard?" Grace is definitely a little cheese weasel!

Pikes Peak Marathon

Grace and Paige were great cheerleaders for Angi during the Pikes Peak Ascent and for me during the Pikes Peak Marathon. We look forward to cheering them to many finishing lines in their lives!

Fun in the Black Hills!

Fun with family in the Black Hills!

New cousin (Luke)!

New cousin (Luke)!

Fun on the Farm

Fun on the farm with family!

First Time Camping

First Time Camping!

Chinese Dresses

Dresses from China...thanks to John Shannon!

Letter from Bumpa

Dear Grace:

Just a few lines to wish my sweet little granddaughter a very happy birthday. Bet you will have a lot of fun on your birthday. Sure wish I could be there and help you blow out those candles.

I wonder if you would do something for me? When I wrote to your big sister I forgot to wish her a happy birthday. Will you give her a big hug and a kiss and wish her a happy birthday and say this is from Bumpa. Then have her give you a big hug & kiss and tell her this is what Bumpa asked me to do and it is from him.

Love, Bumpa

Snuggling Sisters!

Snuggling sisters!

First Soccer Goal!

Grace scored her first goal on Saturday...and skipped all the way back down the field afterwards! She loves to win...visibly upset when the other team scores...trying to teach her sportsmanship...work at winning but being happy for the success of others when it is all over.

Family Run

We went for a family run on Friday after work. I pushed the girls in the jogging stroller. While trying to keep up with Angi going up a steep hill, Grace said, "Mommy is the stronger runner." Paige proceeded to explain to her that I was pushing the stroller while running up the hill. Grace then said, "let me out, I want to run and catch up with Mommy." When we were one block from home, we let the girls run the rest of the way home. Angi and I are proud to see them swinging their arms and racing each other home! One of these days, we are not going to be able to keep up with them...maybe even up Pikes Peak! Like our parents did for us, we will strive to equip them to chase their dreams and cheer them up and down the mountains of life...

Birthday Note

Grace wrote me a note for my birthday: "G V C L M." She interpreted this note to say, "Daddy, I love you and will do anything you say for your birthday." What a great present for a parent :)!

Bird poop on window

Grace saw bird poop on my office window and said, "what kind of bird is that (from)?" I told her that I couldn't tell. She then said, "the bird thought that (the window) was the bathroom, right?"

"I misted you, Dad!"

I had the flu at the cabin this past week. The first night I was quarantined in the Nemo trailer. When Grace came back from the cabin, she ran into my bedroom and said, "I misted you, Dad!" I "misted" her too!

"Do I look old?"

Grace said to me at dinner tonight, "do I look old?" I asked what made her think that. Then, she pointed to the wrinkles on the palm of her hand!

Ski Cooper (graduated from bunny hill)

Yesterday, at the age of four and on her third lesson with Daddy, Grace graduated from the bunny hill to greens and blues with Angi and Paige. During a short rest, on her first time down the mountain, Grace looked back up the mountain in total amazement and joy (smile) at how far she had come...and said something like "look how far, Dad." (Hopefully, we all have that same reaction when we look back at how far God has taken us up and down the mountains of life!). This was a grand moment for our family...everyone skiing together for the first time. May God bless us with skiing with our children and grandchildren!

Show and Tell (elk)

I was blessed to harvest a mature cow elk in Oct 2007. I showed the girls pictures and gave each of them one of the two ivory eye teeth (on a necklace). I told Grace she could bring her elk tooth necklace to show and tell at her daycare home. However, she told her daycare provider (Sherry) that she would bring the entire elk to show and tell! Gracie was bummed when she found out that she was just bringing an elk tooth.

Namesake

The Sunday after deciding on her name, we sang "Amazing Grace" at church. Without knowing the name we picked out, Angi's coworker's wrote "Grace from above" on the baby shower cake.

Rainbee Died

Our little beta fish, Rainbee, died after almost 3 yrs with us. Paige and Grace both cried. We flushed Rainbee down the toilet followed by a family "Amen" as a thank you for God's gift of this wonderful little creature. Based on the movie "Finding Nemo" where a fish is flushed from the toilet to the ocean, Grace figured Rainbee would be heading to the ocean. Grace remembered that Julie Weiss lives by the ocean in FL, so she said, "Julie (Weiss) can take care of Rainbee now."

When I Grow Up

Grace recently told Angi that when she grows up she would like to drive an ice cream truck and be a runner!