Easter weekend 2022

And WE'RE BACK!! After spending 2 Easter's in isolation, minimizing risk and exposures, we finally decided to once again hold an Easter celebration. They aren't big, just adding 4 people to our home, but we also got to add one special 4 legged friend for the day...and night! 

My good friend from work always joins us for Easter and she was delighted to be back this year. It was our first Easter celebration with her newest service dog-Pepper. And boy does she love our kiddos. 

She was happy to roam the house, hoping for any dropped food, and eager to play ball in the backyard. She's so well-behaved and we loved having her. So much that she even stayed the night for a sleepover! 

I think Grandma Jan was pretty happy to not spend another Easter alone too; and boy do we love her too! She and Sidney have been exchanging books throughout the pandemic and it was time for another book exchange and a quick "book club" gathering. Such a fun memory for the two of them to share.

Although we held Lincoln off until 10am so the girls could join in on the Easter egg hunt, he still was the only one who participated. Despite a bribe of money, they still declined gathering up any eggs. 

Their loss 

No one was pleased to take this picture, but they took it nonetheless and someday will be happy I forced family photos 

And although he won't admit it, even Ryan enjoys Pepper's company. She really is a super sweet dog and the kiddos wore her out she slept the entire next day! 

 Here's hoping to future Easter celebrations! 

May 2021 recap

Things are starting to feel a little more normal, despite the pandemic and the ongoing difficulties it has created. The kids are getting back into their activities and spent the spring in-person classes, all of which has been incredible for them! 

Lincoln was so excited in 2020 to sign up for Flag Football. Unfortunately it was cancelled along with many other activities. Of course he was so eager to sign up again this year and thrilled when we learned they would be holding the season! 

He's played his heart out, learning to throw passes and make running plays. He has a lot to learn, and he's not the most aggressive at ripping off those flags. But he loves to play and is having a great time. 

We headed down to Quad City for another tournament with Sidney's team. Unfortunately for us, day 1 of the tournament was completely rained out so the tournament turned into round-robin games. We salvaged the weekend with a lot of team bonding and some extra indoor practices. Gotta love Mother Nature! 

Lincoln also signed up to play for baseball this summer; he always told us there was absolutely no way he wanted to play baseball. And suddenly this spring, he changed his mind and insisted he wanted to play. 

He admits that he loves hockey better, but he's learning about baseball and giving it a try. And he was sooooo very excited to play catcher like his big sister! 

Our neighbors headed out of town one weekend and asked us to keep Quinn. She is a sweetheart and such a well behaved one-year old 'puppy'. I loved watching her just hope and beg that Lincoln would share his snack. ha! 

Unfortunately, Regan broke her hand this spring, landing in an unfortunate manner while doing some conditioning drills. Although she and her coach heard the crack, we weren't convinced it was broken. And she insisted that she would catch the next day's game and only then, would we head to the doctor. 

See?, she was smiling the night of the fall. 

 

Well, she didn't make it to the next night's game. I brought her in around noon the next day because the swelling and bruising was getting pretty intense. 

And darn it, that middle bone, in the middle of her hand, had a displaced spiral fracture. 

Although the urgent care doc painted a grim picture, he sent us to an amazing specialist immediately the next day. She listened carefully to Regan's goal (get back on the field as quickly as possible) and we're on our way to achieving her goal. 

Unfortunately, she missed the rest of her high school season as a result. 

To help lift her spirits, my dear friend and UMD softball alum, invited us to attend alumni weekend. We got to hang out and have dinner with the current UMD coach and then take in some games. Regan was more than delighted that she got to also hang with her own coach (also UMD alum).  

Lincoln has spent nearly every waking moment cruising around on his electric bike. Grandma Jan gifted this to him for Christmas and he has been so in love with it ever since. We bring it along to all of the softball fields (even Quad City!) and he darts in/out of people and all over the complexes. 

It's hilarious to hear everyone comment about how cool he is on his bike; and grown men saying they wish they could take a spin! 

Sideline conversations with a 16U coach during one of Sidney's many games this spring. Regan loves learning from these experts, and I love that she is mature enough to hold conversations with them. 

With vaccines on board and sufficient PPE, I've been heading back into the hospital to work. And I'm lucky enough to get to see my BFF's service dog when I'm there. Sometimes I even get to dog-sit :) Pepper has a thing for giving me unprompted hugs, and will jump up on my lap and place her paws on my shoulder. She's even done this in the middle of a meeting!

Seeing her may be the best part about being back on campus.....

When I went to Lincoln's first game this spring, I noticed he was given #4. 

Which is ironic because Sidney is #5

And Regan is #6

It's been a very busy May, and likely a glimpse of what our upcoming summer is going to look like! We are so excited to have a busy calendar again :)  

 

February wrap up and into March

I'm a little behind, trying to catch up on February (just before March ends). 

A bunch of random updates coming up:

We spent the month cautiously starting to venture out more, while still keeping our distance and staying safe. As we nearly approached the year mark of the pandemic, the girls were still in distance learning, but thankfully enjoying their softball winter training. Ryan and I were still working from home and Lincoln had thankfully gone back to school full-time. 

Ben and Jon sent us this hilarious mask. We all took turns with it and the laughter was contagious! We needed this laugh! 

Regan, Lincoln and I went tubing at Buck Hill. Regan laid in this position and said "if you close your eyes and let the sun hit your face, it almost feels like you're in Hawaii". 

Almost kiddo. 
Almost. 

We busted out the Just Dance on the Wii and did some family dance offs. Regan is usually our winner but Lincoln and I are never far behind!  

Regan hit her first, and second home runs during dome ball. Fans weren't allowed at the fist game but I was lucky enough to be there to see the second one :) 
So excited for the summer! 
Photobomb courtesy of her BFF-Syd. 

We got to spend some extra time with our favorite 4 legged friend, Pepper while helping get her to a couple vet appointments. 
These kids adore Angie's dog(s) and we love our sleepovers and playdates. 

Thanks to vaccinations, Grandma Jan made a trek to visit one spring-like day. And lucky for us, she brought with her Regan's favorite: sauerkraut balls and ALL of our favorites: Happy Joe's taco pizza! YUM! 

Thanks mom :) 

We continued on with some house projects; this one a little more disruptive than we had planned. What started out as adding a couple of lights and changing out a light fixture turned into an all-day ordeal and a giant mess. 

Needless to say, I had to move my home "office" for the day as the mess developed. They did a great job and we are so happy to have it done. 

Sidney spends FAR too much time on screens, particularly Netflix. She's gotten into a show that is on regular TV and simply could not understand the single episode a week programming. She's so used to binge watching that it didn't make sense to wait 7 days between episodes!
But now, to watch her anticipation each week, it's so great to see her get excited for something!  

We purchased all new furniture back in November, and still anxiously awaiting it's arrival. 

However, we opted out of a new dining room table until Lincoln is a little older. Sadly, our chairs needed a facelift so I pulled up good old Pinterest and I got to work. 

Happy to say they look great! 

This girl wants a dog so so bad. She loves having a 4 legged friend to snuggle up with and keep her company. 

That's a wrap as we end winter 20-21. Ready for spring! 

 

A long winter

 This COVID winter has been a long one. We're packing in some fun, but the days get long sometimes. Trying not to feel like ground hog's day. Or spend hours on end on screens. True confession: we spend way too much time on screens right now. So when Angie asked me to urgently pick up Pepper and take her to the Emergency vet, I had PLENTY of helpers! 

And not to worry, Pepper was completely fine. I think she just wanted to hang out with Auntie Liz for a few hours :) 

Thankfully there is softball, hockey and more softball to help break up the days. 

Lincoln's hockey season is at the point where he has been playing regular scrimmages and learning so much about the game. This week we gathered with 2 other teams and did a super fun adult vs kiddo game. Lincoln went to bed that night and said it was his most favorite night of hockey EVER! 

While Sidney is only able to practice right now (her dome season was cancelled due to Covid), Regan is having a blast hitting homers during her dome games! We're so proud of her hard work. 

Regan took to the slopes last weekend one evening. It's been tough to get out skiing this year, between softball and having to fight to get a lift ticket/rentals. Seems like everyone has the same idea. 

The warmer weather is making us all very excited for what lies ahead. We are dreaming of long summer days, filled with warm sunshine and lots of screen-free fun. 

Goodbye my fluffy friend

I still can’t type this without tears rolling down my cheeks....

We learned suddenly that my friends service dog was diagnosed at just 7 years old with a terminal cancer. Little did any of us realize, he would be gone in just 8 days. 

Sweet Lincoln had been VIP at school the week prior, listing Baylor as his "pet" on the VIP poster. Although we all know that Baylor was more than a pet, Lincoln believed he was a little bit his own.  

To say we made the most of those days is an understatement. He was spoiled and loved and snuggled and fed. 

For his entire service dog career, he would come into the office suite every day and march right into my office. He'd even open my door if it were closed, all just to come in and say hello! His last morning was no different. My door was almost closed and he stuck his nose against it and pushed, letting himself in for a good morning rub. He looked fine and sweet and almost healthy. He was gone just a few hours later.

Rest in Peace sweet boy.

A boy (and girls’) best friend

Angie and I got together and decided that Baylor was in need of another sleepover:) I kept it a secret from the whole family, only clueing Ryan in at the last minute. He wasn’t thrilled, but I knew the kiddos would be ecstatic! 

And let me just say, the look on their faces was better than Christmas morning!! 

Angie opted to quickly drop him off, so without anyone knowing, I snuck outside to get him. Sidney was the first to be greeted when we came inside and may have shrieked a little! We then found Regan who was hiding out in her room during Lincoln’s nap. She had heard something strange coming towards her room, looked up as he bolted in and she too screamed with excitement! She immediately shut her computer and hopped on the floor to play with him. My heart melted for the love these two have for him. 

Once Lincoln woke from his nap, Sidney told him to come down and a surprise was waiting for him. He was so giddy sliding down the stairs, and screamed “BAYLOR!, you didn’t tell me Baylor would be here!”  

Baylor was just as happy as the kids and begged to play fetch for what felt like hours on end. He’d stand at the door, whimper (which threw Ryan into a panic of “he’s gonna pee in the house!) and wait for the next willing person to go play with him in the frigid air. When nightfall came, we switched to ball inside which wasn’t nearly as fun. 

And as we all know, he’s a scavenger when it comes to food. He stood there with his puppy eyes, just praying ryan would feed him. Sorry buddy! 

Sadly we had to say goodbye in the morning as I brought him back to work for Angie. Let’s just say re-entry has been tough...despite being clipped to her wheelchair 2 offices down, he finds his way into my space and can often be found just like this at my feet. I’m  so happy to be his “auntie Liz”! 

Lincoln has asked no fewer than 300 times when Baylor will come back: “a different day mommy?!” Yes buddy, a different day :) 

Overnight guest

It's no secret that we have a favorite 4 legged friend around here. And when we get the opportunity to bring him over for a sleepover, we JUMP at it! This was the first time that Ryan was going to actually be home during his visit (we often try to time them when he's been traveling). But given that Angie was having surgery, it was easy to convince Ryan that I was bringing home an overnight guest :) 

I love how we stands and stares at me when we get into the truck on the drive home. I giggled as we drove along and every once in a while, I would see his head bob up and down in the rear-view mirror. 

He is such a sweet dog, and bonus....he matches our wood flooring! Baylor is a Golden Retriever, and he sheds a lot. But with his coat the same color as the flooring, at least you don't see it very much! 

Oh how we loved up on him for those 15 hours he was in our care. 

Ryan had to chuckle (Ryan is not a dog person) and asked me "does he just follow you everywhere?". Um, yep. 

I went to bathe Lincoln and turned around to see his smiling face at me. I snapped this photo and sent it to Angie who replied with "he's smiling!". 

And at the end of the night, he laid at the foot of the couch next to me. Regan had a late night of dance but hurried through her shower and homework so she could love up on Baylor before bed. If there's one of our kids who wants a dog the most, it's her. 

The next morning, as we got ready to head back to work, Baylor all dressed and obedient, Lincoln whined that he needed more time with Baylor. He stood by the door and gave him extra hugs before we headed back to the hospital for work :)

Thanks Angie for letting us keep Baylor overnight!