Feed My Starving Children

Last Saturday we celebrated my Mom's 50th birthday by packaging meals for children in third world countries at Feed My Starving Children. It was a lot of fun and a blessing to my mom and the children who will receive the food. We brought Grace along with us, she did really well and was quite proud of herself for helping alongside "all the grown-ups"!

Here she is with Grandma (the birthday girl!) Ryan - looking good in an apron!

Anna's "do"

Anna's hair-do after a bath, she wasn't quite satisfied with the job Daddy did so, as you can see, she took matters into her own hands!"how does it look on the side?"

Lindgren Cousins

March 18, some of Ryan's Lindgren cousins came to Willmar and we were able to visit with them which was really nice since they don't live nearby and so we don't get to see them very often. Here's Ryan with Jesse. Jesse, his two boys, Ryan & Grace, Michelle, and Angie.

Ice Skating

On March 11, our Sunday School class had a family skating party that we all went to. This was the first time that the kids had been skating and they had a blast! Daddy helping Grace find her legs and Micah "skating" in his shoes!

Fun in the snow

We finally got enough snow to play in and then it was so cold all of last week that the kids really couldn't be out there - they were so disappointed! On Sunday we had a little heat-wave (of 20 degrees) so we bundled everyone up and went out to have some snow fun. This was actually Anna's first time being out in the snow too. She was curious and she loved riding around the back yard in the

Daddy-powered sled with Micah!
The pink marshmallow!

I'm a Doll!

Anna loves her new doll bed that the kids gave her for her birthday. She doesn't quite understand that it's supposed to be for baby dolls yet though - but she thinks it's a perfect princess perch for her

Daddy's Little Helper

Micah "helping" Daddy! He loves his little tools, especially his drill with its cool light and sound effects.Mr. Fix-it

Anna's 1st Birthday

On January 31st Anna turned a year old. I can't believe how fast it's gone! She is such a joy, growing and learning by leaps and bounds, she is mostly walking now with an occasional relapse to crawling. ;) Here she is... big girl on her birthday! She wasn't quite sure what to think about her birthday cake at first, but then she decided it tasted pretty good!

What is this stuff? It's kind of sticky...

but it tastes pretty good...

Mmm! I could get used to this!

We celebrated her birthday on January 28th. We had a lot of fun and were blessed to have so many of the special people in Anna's (and ours too!) life there to celebrate her. In typical one-year-old fashion, she enjoyed the paper and packaging more than what actually came inside all of her fun gifts.

Look at this nice card for me! How cute & fun!

I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks?

Here's Anna & Daddy with Grandpa Steve, Grandma Barb, Uncle Jason and Ella.

Baby in the buff!

Anna enjoying her freedom after her bath!
Such fun and see what a cute little baby bum I have?!

5 going on 15

Here is our 5 year old Grace, after the Christmas Program, on her actual birthday. She's talking on the phone with my mom and the kids who had called to wish her a happy birthday. I was watching her on the phone, and I couldn't help but think of how grown up she's looking and getting to be. (Sniff, sniff!) I love her legs crossed and the bouncing of her little feet!

Let me explain this photo...

Last night (Dec. 17th) was the Sunday School Christmas Program at our church. When we got to church I dropped Grace off at her class and Ryan dropped Micah off at, what we thought was, the nursery (they had child care last year). So, we are all settled in to watch the program which starts out with the 2 year old class, and they're all so cute... and then Ryan says "Oh! Micah's up there!" He's not actually in the 2 year old SS yet since he wasn't 2 at the beginning of the school year. Turns out, there wasn't any child care, and the teacher's weren't quite sure what to do with him, but he lined up with the other kids and walked up on the stage so they figured they'd leave him be! Here he is just sitting on the front step (by the boy in the red vest). Who's kid is that?! Oh sure, we're good parents!

Look at that Cutie!

Our happy girl smiling at her cute self in the bathroom mirror after her bath!

She LOVES her bath time! So much so infact, that this is the first good picture I could snap of her - when she's already out of the tub - she just won't stay still long enough otherwise!

Grace's Castle

Grace had been saving her money to buy this Dora Castle since this last summer. With the money she saved and the addition of her birthday money she was able to buy it the other night, along with a couple of accessories. She is so thrilled to finally be able to play with it! We are so proud of how dilligent she was in saving her money for that long, 7 months is a long time for a 4(now 5) year old. Way to go Honey-Girl!

Grace's Birthday Party

This past weekend (Dec. 9 & 10) we had an exciting weekend. On Saturday evening we hosted our first annual Christmas Caroling Party, which was well attended and a lot of fun. And, then on Sunday afternoon, we had Grace's 5th birthday party, which was also a lot of fun!

Here are some of the birthday party photos:

Four generations - Great Grandma Rose, Grandma Barb, Ryan, and Grace & Anna Anna with Grandma Jeanne
Grandpa Steve decorated Grace with birthday balloons,
and then she decorated him too!
Grace and Grandma Jeanne putting the sprinkles on her birthday cake
and Micah did his part to help with the cake too!

Angel of Mine

Daddy helping our biggest little angel to put the angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Something Fun and New

While we were at my parent's for Thanksgiving, Granty Kathy and Gruncle Jim stopped by for a visit, and they brought a fun little Christmas "toy" for the kids. It is a couple little penguins and a snowman singing Hallmark's version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and they dance and wiggle around too. The kids all think it is great and they just love playing it over, and over, and over again! In fact, we already have to replace the batteries in it. They all want to be right close up front to it.

Grace & Grandpa

The morning after Thanksgiving, Grace reading a story with Grandpa Guy.

Sweet Dreams Baby Boy...

This is the way we found Micah one night when we checked on him before we went to bed. He had taken his pajamas off and had fallen asleep on his "Big Book of Trucks" (his favorite!) He was sleeping so sweetly, he didn't even wake up when we took the picture and put him back in his pj's.

A girls' got to do what a girls' got to do!

Anna just couldn't wait for Mommy to sit down to feed her here! I got the bottle ready, went to the kitchen to grab the phone and she just toddled her way over there, tipped it over and started drinking on her own. She looked kind of like a little gerbil! Too cute!

Holidaze Parade

November 18th we took the kids to see Willmar's "Holidaze Parade." We ended up running into some friends of our there with their kids, so we were able to watch the parade with them. The kids had a lot of fun! Here they are, Grace and her friend Douglas... Micah and Phillip
and the babies, Anna and Evan!