Ian turns 3 years old!!!!

Our precious little boy turns 3. I can't believe that a little over 2 years ago we brought this little boy home to be with us forever. What a joy it has been to raise him so far. He is full of silliness! We can't imagine our family without him in it.

At Ben's Upward basketball game

Grandma Sandy made a VERY special train cake for Ian's birthday

Ian is very proud of his cake

Trying out the cake

Talking to Uncle Mike and Aunt Allison

Who needs other presents when you have a truck and a car?

Froggy backpack from Cami and Ben

Who wants to have a snowball fight?

Sledding fun

Aunt Keri pulling Cami around on the sled

I bet Natalie is strong enough to push grandpa and Cami

Daddy and Cami are headed down the hill

Grandma and Grandpa are burying Ben in the snow

Fun in the Snow

Another snowy day. While Ian and mommy stayed inside again today to try to help him recover from being sick, Justin, Ben, and Cami headed to the sledding hill. With the fresh snow, they had a great time cruising down the hill. Ben said he felt like he was in a bobsled (one of his favorite Olympic sports).

Cami on her sled

Ben and Cami at the sledding hill. Another successful day of sledding.

As much as we love the snow, we are all ready for spring. We are ready to say good bye to the snow and hello to warmer weather.

RSV

It has been a tough week so far. Justin, Ian, and Cami were up north for the weekend and came back Sunday evening. We celebrated Valentine's Day with a special meal that Ben and I made. Ian had come down with a cough on Saturday night, which made for a long night for Justin. Ian was up most of the night on Sunday coughing and again on Monday night. The coughing fits were so bad that we went through several pairs of pajamas and sheets due to the mucus he was vomiting up (sorry for the blunt description). Today I tried to get him into our new clinic (Dean), but had no luck. I considered Urgent Care, but finally called our pediatrician (UW). They fit him in at 11:30am. I had just enough time to pick up Cami, drop her off at the house with our friend Marcia, who came to watch the kids, and get to our appointment. I feel such comfort with our doctor. He knows the kids, knows their medical history, and always knows to tell us when to be concerned and when not to be. I learned a lot about RSV and learned that it is rapidly spreading now. Most of their appointments were due to the same symptoms as Ian. RSV is something to be be careful of, but in most cases, it is not serious. For Ian, he has a history of asthma and had pneumonia in both lungs last year and was almost hospitalized. My instruction was to keep a close eye on him and come right back in if there are any changes. Last year his pneumonia started as a really bad cough and within a few days it had turned into pneumonia.

For us, we are tired, tired and really tired. I would love a nap, but I don't see that happening for a few days. For now, we are just praying that he gets better quickly!

Our Valentines

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Student of the Week

This week Cami was Student of the Week. Since her birthday is in August, the teacher tries to have the student be star/student of the week around their half birthday. Cami was very excited to be able to do show and tell everyday. She brought her American Girl doll, her frog, her bear, and a few other things to show each day. She picked out a special treat of cupcakes to make with daddy and bring in to her class.

It was a week of treats as Cami got to bring her treat on Wednesday and they celebrated Valentine's Day on Thursday.

On Thursday, I came in and read one of Cami's favorite books, Bibimbop. The kids all joined along with each time the rhyme said BI BIM BOP. It was enjoyable for the kids and made me happy that the kids enjoyed the time I read and talked to them about Korean food.

Cami in front of her Student of the Week board

After the story, the kids exchanged valentines and most had candy to drop in the bags and boxes as well. The kids enjoyed their Valentine party with extra snacks and juice. The kids burned off energy and some of the sugar at recess, which immediately followed the party.

The kids were excited to finish up their short week with the party since Friday was a teacher in service day.

Cami showing her Valentine's bag

He shoots, He scores!!!!

For the last year and a half Ben has been asking to play basketball. This summer he attended a basketball themed Vacation Bible School at Lake City Church and LOVED it! This winter we signed him up for Upward basketball through Door Creek Church. It is a league of kids from 1st-6th grade who are learning to play basketball. Each practice and game focuses on teaching the kids about the sport and also having a lesson tied to it. They learn the sport, teamwork, and it is God focused.

Today was Ben's 4th basketball game. He is getting better at getting the ball, passing, and today he made his first basket! We are so proud of him. He shot the last basket of the game. Even though they don't keep score, one of the parents (who obviously was keeping count) said that Ben made the winning shot! He was so proud of himself for shooting and making his very first basket. Unfortunately I missed getting a picture of him shooting the basket, but I did get a shot of him right before he threw it...

Ben's Upward Team - The Hawks