Grad Party 2024

With school over and a busy softball season on the horizon that will take us out of state more times than we can count, we hosted Regan's high school graduation party just a few days prior to her commencement ceremony. 

It was a lovely (WINDY) day, but the rain stayed at bay. It was great to see so many family and friends come out to support this new graduate and wish her well as she continues her studies and softball career at St. Kate's. 

Notice our hair?, it was so windy! 

Grandma Jan fretted and stressed for nearly a year while she created the best T-Shirt blanket a kid could ask for. It is soft and fuzzy and heavy, just like she enjoys. 

She opened it the morning of her party and agrees, it's perfect :) 

We were blessed that Ben and Jon flew into town for the celebration, true saints in our books! They did all the behind-the-scenes work, helping from the prep through the party and into the clean-up. AMAZING family we have! 

 Though the wind did a number on the decorations, can't say we didn't try. 

The TV originally sat on a small stand and blew over before the party. 

The frames all took more than one tumble in the 25+ mph gusts of winds.

The flowers on the tables spilled just minutes before guests arrived, creating quite the scene as we whipped them off, into the dryer and were thrilled that polyester dries fast. 

And mid-morning, Grandma Jan was directed to the local church to light candles, praying the rain would stay away. And wouldn't you know it, at exactly 5:01pm (one minute after the party officially ended, I felt the first sprinkle of rain). It was perfect, and thankfully wasn't more than a few drops because the party was still going strong.  

The set up was great and food even better. 
From Cosetta's pasta and bread to a Shirley Temple bar, it was all Regan wanted and more.

 

Hunter made the cutest graduation cookies, and they taste great too! 

Given Regan's love of softball, we had an entire section dedicated to that game. Although my original plan was to hang her jerseys, the wind wasn't going to allow and so we improvised and made do. 

The true heros of the day were most definitely Ben and Jon. When something needed refilling, they made it happen. And when something spilled, they came running to the rescue. Can't thank them enough!

We all might have forgotten to set out the salad dressing during the ENTIRE party and it might have been crazy windy, but it was an amazing day and we are so happy for our graduate. 

Congrats Regan!! We are so proud of you!

Fargo Squirt International 2024

Lincoln's Squirt team headed north to play in the Fargo Squirt International tournament this winter. And boy did they play! But before we played, he participated in the Opening Ceremony and the Squirt Olympics. The Scheels Arena was flooded with a sea of hockey players; hundred of boys gathered together for a picture and opening skate. It was complete chaos and so much fun! 

His team played hard through their 5 games of play and ended up taking 2nd place in their bracket. Between pin trading, pool time, hockey and dinners, we all had a great weekend with some great families. 

Lincoln played his heart out, taking the Hard Hat for his grit and determination after one particular game. He was all smiles to know his hard work is paying off. 

We were blessed to have Kari and Natalie come watch on Saturday afternoon as they took a 5-3 win. We cheered loud and had fun watching him play with a great group of friends. 

The boys played so great in their final game: Championship Sunday, but came up one goal short and lost 4-5 to take home second place. It was a heartbreaker since they were up the whole game until just 4 minutes left of the 3rd period. Although sad and disappointed at the outcome, I was so very proud of all of them. They really did play a great game and it was so fun to watch. 

 We made countless memories on his first big hockey tournament; more than we ever dreamed. I think the boys would say their favorite part was pin-trading, and boy was it intense! The parents would probably say evenings poolside created the most memories :) But watching them come together and play hard, day after day, was really the most amazing experience.