Snow bunny

Apparently, Mother-Nature forgot to consult her calendar and notice the season has changed to Spring 'cause she delivered Winter instead {{BIG SIGH}}. I would say we have around 16 inches of fresh, heavy snow.

Look at this crazy drift which is hanging over the porch. Looks like we will have an avalanche soon!
Needless to say, it was another snow day for Steve and the girls today. When it finally stopped snowing this afternoon, it was time for the clean up. The girls decided to make a snow bunny since the snow was so sticky.
Abby was in charge of rolling the bottom and the middle, while Kippy rolled the bunny head.

Pretty cute!

A new smile for Kippy

On Friday afternoon, Kippy got her new upper and lower expanding retainers.
The upper retainer is removed when she eats, but otherwise worn day and night. Kippy got to pick the design on her retainer and she choose this one because it looks like a doggy paw print.
The lower retainer is cemented in place. There are special keys to turn twice a week to expand both her upper and lower palate and make more room for her permanent teeth. She has done really well (meaning she hasn't lost it yet). An unexpected bonus of having the retainers is Kippy discovered she can no longer chew her finger nails! Hopefully by the time her teeth are fixed, that nasty nail-biting habit will be gone too.
She had one problem with a wire on the lower retainer popping off last night, but Dr. Kelly Schroeder fixed it up for us.

In another year or so, she will have a brand new smile!

Tribute to Steve

Happy Birthday to Steve!

Please join me in wishing Steve a very WONDERFUL birthday! Call him or text him at 218.731.2795 to wish him a happy 40th birthday.

I can't say enough about this man. He is AMAZING and he is very LOVED. Here are just 40 reasons why I love him.

40. He handles all the excess estrogen in our house with ease.
39. He knows something about everything and is a great partner to have in Trivial Pursuit.
38. He can fix almost anything; plumbing, electrical, broken toys... you name it!
37. He loves adrenalin rushes as much as me!
36. He drives a Harley and looks good doing it.
35. He can certainly take teasing... just ask my family 'cause we never let him forget "Birthday!" or his recent trip to the ER while hanging up Christmas lights.
34. He can sooth even the fussiest baby to sleep and not just his own children, Nixin will agree too.
33. He is a very hard worker, not just physically (he moved 5 yards of pea rock with a shovel and wheel barrow), but mentally as well. He worked full-time while completing his Master's degree; and continues working on his PHD in Psychology while teaching full-time at MSCTC.
32. He is very hard to embarrass. Believe me, I try frequently and I have given up.
31. He can dance - he even won a dance contest in Jamaica!
30. He is an excellent chef and his family is very happy that he actually loves to be our personal chef.
29. He is very secure in his masculinity. He isn't phased a bit by all the glitter, sparkles and pink in his life.
28. He is not judgmental. He is very accepting of everyone's differences.
27. He is patient with others, especially with me, but doesn't let our kids get away with anything they shouldn't. He is a firm disciplinarian when it comes to them.
26. He is generous. He would do anything for anyone; give up anything for others; he rarely if ever says no to anyone's request.
25. He is genuine and doesn't try to be something he isn't. What you see is what you get.
24. He is an awesome teacher - just ask any of his students.
23. He is thorough, which can sometimes bug me 'cause it slows him down, but 9 times out of 10, it is a very good thing.
22. He is an outdoors kind of guy.
21. He is awesome at video games.
20. He does all the snow removal in winter and all the mowing in the summer without complaint. Thank you so much, honey!!
19. He will watch a chick flick with me.
18. He is not a picky eater and will eat anything that the kids and I make.
17. He is an awesome story-teller.
16. He gives the best hugs in the world!
15. He lets me put my COLD feet on him every night to warm them up.
14. He chauffeurs his family every where and does so willingly.
13. He gives the best massages.
12. He is calm in a crisis. He doesn't lose his head, he just goes into action.
11. He is a man of his word. He does what he says he is going to do.
10. He is hilarious! OMG he makes me laugh so hard I frequently cry and/or have an asthma attack.
9. He loves his family unconditionally.
8. He is protective & supportive of his family and friends.
7. He is very intelligent.
6. He is tall, dark and handsome.
5. He is a great listener.
4. He is my best friend.
3. He is romantic. Enough said!
2. He is the greatest dad in the world! Abby & Angelique are two very lucky girls.
1. He makes my heart go pitter-patter; he rocks my world!

I have to roar "NIXIN IS FOUR!"

So hard to believe my nephew is already 4 years old! We love this kid so much and hope he has a spectacular day filled with everything and everyone he loves!! Looking forward to squeezing him up this Friday when he gets to our house!

It seems SO LONG AGO when we could just snuggle up on the couch with him. This kid had my heart from the beginning.

Put it in writing.

Steve added the Lindgren family crest to his right shoulder along with his three favorite girls.

The list

It is pretty challenging to work out of my home office when the kids are home. Luckily, I have found a fairly successful coping strategy - the list. The list is generally a quickly jotted down list of chores for each girl to complete before moving on to entertainment items (i.e. watching T.V or movie, playing wii or using the computer). The list has a couple of purposes: 1) chores get completed much quicker. 2) prevents arguments because each girl knows what they need to do. 3) keeps the kids occupied so I can work without interruptions. 4) they love to cross out items they complete.

The list is not without its own problems. Apparently, I have handwriting that is difficult to read. Go figure! The ease of reading my handwriting is directly correlated to the speed in which I composed the list. Take Tuesday (March 10th), for instance, which was an unexpected snow day. I hastily wrote a quick list to keep the kids occupied and left it on the counter for them to see when they ate breakfast. Abby was confused by a couple items on the list. I had written "dust downstairs and up". My shorthand meaning dust both downstairs and upstairs. Abby thought it was only downstairs. After reading it, I could see where the confusion was. I had also written "swiffer mom & dad's bedroom & office." Abby thought that 'swiffer' meant to dust, but I had meant for her to use the swiffer floor duster on the floors. Hum, I could see a theme emerging and the problem all points to me. I guess I know what I mean, but I have failed to note it clearly.

My favorite confusing moment that day came from Kippy. She burst into my office, "Mom, none of the vacuums work! I can't get the big vacuum to work or the little vacuum." This was about the 5th interruption of the morning and I wasn't too happy to know our trusty Dyson (a.k.a. big vacuum) had apparently perished. I already had indications that the little vacuum (a.k.a. cordless Dirt Devil) was acting up because it will randomly turn-on by itself. So... I tramped upstairs right behind Kippy to check things out. As soon as I saw the big vacuum, I burst out laughing. I said, "Kippy, I know exactly what is wrong with the vacuum. You don't have it plugged in!" Kippy started laughing too and exclaimed, "Oh - I forgot!" Crisis averted!! Now, I just have to work on my handwriting and I'll be set.

Committed.

I am putting this in writing. I am committed to running the Fargo Half Marathon on May 9th. Thirteen point one miles, baby! And to think that when I was in High School track, I would sometimes skip out on the required 4 mile warm up. I remember hanging out at my friend Bob's house for about the time I should have been running and then going to track practice. Those days are long gone and nearly forgotten (LOL). I have done a 5K race, a 10K race and a sprint triathlon, but never thought I would even want to do a half marathon. Call me crazy, but it actually sounds like a lot of fun! I talked to someone this past weekend who has been in the Fargo 5K and she was really enthusiastic about how well run the races are. So, actually participating in a race that is well supported will be a completely new experience for me. None of my previous events were very well organized. My BFF, Kathy, is also planning to do a half marathon in May, so I feel like we are going to be doing it together (sort of). I'm following Kathy's recommended novice training schedule which makes the race seem doable. I'm in week 6... wish me luck!

Escaping.

My hubby and I are escaping to St. Cloud for a mini-vacation on Saturday. Ok, so it isn't an exotic spring break location, but it is WAY better than nothing! Steve's mom is taking charge of the girls and we will be foot-loose-and-fancy-free for more than 24 hours. Woot-Woot!

We are staying at a bed & breakfast called the Heritage House. Check out the room description - pure heaven! Plus a delicious gourmet breakfast - can't beat that! We stayed at this B&B six years ago when we celebrated our 11th anniversary and have always talked about going back. We are very much looking forward to escaping, even for a short time.

The English Suite

The English Suite occupies the entire front of the house including the Tower where the bath is located featuring an extra deep soaking tub with hand-held shower. A favorite feature during the colder months is the European style radiators that wrap the bath in warmth and provided heated towels for extra pampering. In addition to the bedroom which includes a TV/VCR for movie viewing hidden away in the armoire, there is a sitting room with a daybed. All the rooms are highlighted in an English rose color pallet with green and gold accents.

Fancy Kippy and the Posh Puppy

Another snow day {big sigh} only this time, it wasn't just the girls who had the day off but Steve as well. So in addition to cleaning house, practicing instruments and going to the library, the girls put on a mini-production of "Fancy Kippy and the Posh Puppy" staring Kippy & Bella. Directed by Abby.
Costume design was completed by both Abby and Kippy and this was the inspiration for their lead character (Kippy).

There was a lot of bouncing and jumping around (big surprise).

There was also careful attention to details. More time was actually spent in costume than in actual rehearsal or performance.

This was the inspiration for the Posh Puppy's costume design.

It is also important to note that no animals were harmed during the production.

This production was inspired by the book "Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy" by Jane O'Connor.

Deja vu.

This morning we went to Wahpeton to watch my two nephews compete in a Pee-Wee wrestling tournament. As we walked through the gym doors, I was hit with a serious case of deja vu. The smell of the gym, the noise from the full bleachers, the sight of the competitors... wow! I turned to Steve and said, "Being here really takes me back."
In my former life, I was a wrestling cheerleader. Before that, I was a spectator at my older brother's matches. I have definitely spent hours upon hours watching kids grapple. The difference is I am now watching the next generation. There were many parents in the stands who were classmates of mine at Oakes High School, watching their kids dual it out on the mats.

There were a lot of emotions going on in that gym... the exhilaration of winning, the agony of an injury, the pain of defeat. I told Steve that I thought wrestling was good "man-training" (I'll give a shout out to the handful of girls who were competing as well). It seems that wrestling teaches these mini-men how to be confident; how to be competitive; how to control their bodies; how to be good sports; and how to suck it up when things don't go as planned.
Here is Logan, who is 7 and in first grade, winning his third match. Look at the anquish on his opponents face. It about breaks my heart!

This is Kaleb (maroon singlet) during his second match. He is 12 and in the 7th grade.

Kaleb had a quick pin and ended up in 1st place in his section. Hurray, Kaleb!

As I was watching the matches, I had cheers ('You've got to pin to win!', 'Take down for 2') running through my head. Luckily, I didn't loose my cool and start shouting and clapping like a dork! Like I said, deja vu.
Kippy was patiently waiting with Logan after his final match so he could get his trophy. Logan finished first in his section as well.

Yay Logan!

For those of you who haven't ever been to a wrestling tourney, there is a lot of bleacher time. We watched Kaleb and Logan compete in 4 matches, which totaled less than 15 minutes, but our elapsed time at the gym was almost 4 hours.

So, we needed to indulge the kids in some snacks... mmmmm yummy ice cream bars!

We had a great time watching our nephews compete. And we are so PROUD of them!

Looking for a sign...

of Spring. Is it possible that Spring is only 6 weeks away? Remember the scene from Titanic when Rose is trying to signal to the rescue boats to save her? Rose pleads, "Come back. Come back. Come back." as the rescue boat starts to pull away. Think of that same voice filled with anguish and it is me pleading for spring to "Come back... Come back".

All I can do is close my eyes and try to remember what Spring looks and feels like.

I think of newborn foals and their velvety soft noses....

Soft plush green grass under bare feet...

Apple trees in bloom...
Cute, fuzzy baby ducklings...

The fragrance from the crab apple tree at the farm...

The beauty of the "Angelique" tulip outside my office window...

Even the dandelion, which I normally detest in my lawn or garden would be a welcome sign of Spring right now!
When I open my eyes I see my office window almost completely filled up with snow. I hear my space heater running near my feet. It has been a seriously LONG winter.