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. 

Happy Golden Regan!

Fifteen years ago, on a bitterly cold morning (much like today!), I went into labor with our firstborn. She surprised us, ready to come nearly 4 weeks ahead of schedule. But she was ready to greet the world and we are so proud to be her parents! 

She's grown into such a beautiful teenager and it is so fun to watch her find her place in this world. As much as she tells me she's no longer in love with going to dance classes every week, she sure shines on stage and loves being in that spotlight. 

I love looking back at where she came from.
Up on stage, begging for a Hippopotamus for Christmas in a pink and black dress! 

And seeing her debut as catcher, just cracks me up! Sitting in the dirt. Not a care in the world as to how she is actually supposed to squat. 
My guess is she was actually playing in the dirt, and probably dodged every ball that came her way :) 

She's come a long way, playing this game she loves so much. In fact, when the pandemic shut down her club for a few months, we installed a heater in the garage so she (both girls actually) could continue working on their game. She holds a record for most recorded swings in the whole organization (they use some pretty awesome bat technology to track swings and provide feedback)! And all that practicing paid off when she hit her first dinger this winter! 

We scored a pretty awesome impromptu photo shoot recently. She was doing her thing, having a catching lesson with her club. Nearby a professional photographer was finishing up taking headshots for the website. He told her to remove her covid facemask for a quick picture, and then later sent her this image. 

I love it! 

Her golden birthday is not exactly how she planned it would be, pandemic and all. Little did she know, her best high school buds had a surprise up their sleeves. And with a little mom-coordinating of schedules, I managed to convince her to run outside in the -10F weather to grab the mail (for the record, it’s Presidents’ Day, there was no mail)! And out from no where jumped her two besties with silly string and gold balloons, hats and presents! She’s picked some pretty amazing friends (bonus: they have amazing parents too!)! 

So alas, her pandemic Golden wasn’t completely a bust. And her bright personality shines on, just like in this photo below. 

We love watching her grow up. She's loud and outgoing, friendly and an extrovert. 

Happy 15th Regan! 

15 things I love about her: 

-she makes friends wherever she goes

-she is dedicated and driven

-she does her homework, without reminders 

-...and her grades show it! 

-she can easily talk with adults 

-we jam out to music on our daily drives to softball 

-she willingly tries new activities 

-she knows what she likes, ...and what she doesn’t 

-she works hard 

-she has a passion for animals, even tho we don’t have one

-she has a giant heart 

-she loves a MN summer 

-she’s a great traveler! 

-she loves to explore whatever I come up with when we travel 

-she has a beautiful smile! 

Love you sweet girl!