Joe's first turkey

My sweet hunter has been turkey hunting a lot and has never come home with the "elusive" bird...until this morning.  He shot an approximately 25 pounder.  He said the beard is 11inches.  And he says it tastes like pheasant.  (Funny how I thought it would taste like turkey...)  Here are some shots of the bird and my awesome hunting hubby...

Spring is coming

I spent pretty much the entire weekend either in my bed or on the couch except when I ventured out on Saturday morning to get the diagnosis of strep throat from the doctor.  So when the penicillin finally kicked in and I saw the sun shining this afternoon, I decided that I needed to get out of the house.  So we all went for a very mild hike in the woods.  With the warmth of the sun, I think I expected a lush, green woods to walk in.  So I was a little disappointed to find that the woods still looked overwhelmed by winter.  However, ever now and then you would step over a hill or glance across a valley and see glimpses of spring.  I took my camera to have a little fun.

Even though I am ready for spring, I still find that there is something beautiful about winter.

Spring Break Part 2

About midweek I decided that we all needed a break from our decluttering so we had a "family" sleepover night.  Each kid got to invite a friend over to spend the night.  Joe escaped to a meeting to it was me and the kids hanging out.  Each of the kids made a snack to share with everyone and each kid made a personal pizza for supper.  It went so well that I think we may try it again a couple of times this summer.

John and his buddy in lego and playmobil heaven

Nate enjoying his pizza with his friend

All the girls stayed in the basement pretty much the whole night.  Their friends loved Ticket to Ride!

Our "spy guys" of the night

Spring Break Part 1

We decided not to do much traveling during spring break this year.  I hadn't had much time off this school year and the house was taking the brunt of the it.  The closets and storage area in the basement were out of control.  I hadn't really had any time off at home to work on them since we traveled at both Thanksgiving and most of Christmas break this year.  Plus, I was just ready to be home and sleep in a few mornings in my bed.  However, I didn't want the kids to feel like they didn't get to do anything over break so we planned a couple of special events.  So the first Saturday we loaded up the car with a picnic and headed to St. Louis for a visit to the zoo.  We hadn't been in a couple of years and it is one of our favorite zoos.  We thought it was suppose to be a little warmer then it ended up being, but despite the cold we still had a great time and saw every animal in the zoo.

Our van turned 100,000 miles on our way to the zoo.  Sigh...still hoping it lasts until the kids start turning 16.

One of the reasons I love zoos is because it such an example of God's unbelievable creativity

amazing....

they were all having fun...I promise!

love the butterfly house in St. Louis and bonus..it was heated!

The best letter ever written to the Tooth Fairy...

or perhaps I am biased. ;)  Ashley recently lost her last baby tooth.  We pretty much stop visiting as the tooth fairy when they start losing molars (or before!).  Hey, it can get to be an expensive venture when you have four kids all losing teeth at the same time.  But we do one more stop when they lose their last tooth.  This was the letter Ashley left us for the last visit.

Dear Tooth Fairy,

This was a big day for me because I lost my last molar (or any tooth).  This is a letter in recognition of your faithful service to me as a child.  I salute you to bringing joy and hope to people of any age.  I want you to know I admire you.  Even though you won't make any more stops to my room, you will always be an important memory of my childhood.  If you want to, of course, you may stop by my room again.  Thanks for everything, but I guess this is goodbye.

Always yours and still smiling,
Ashley

Spring Concert

John had his school spring concert last night.  He had the opportunity to try out for some parts this year and got the longest speaking part of the program.  He was so excited that he had it memorized the first day he received it.  This was a bittersweet program as this was his last South School concert.  Our big guy is growing up....

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Last week Ashley turned 11.  She was recovering from some upper respiratory junk so she wasn't feeling her absolute best on her birthday, but she made the best of it and had a great day.  Some stats from her birthday:

Birthday cake: German Chocolate
Birthday supper:  steak, potatoes, broccoli (she LOVES steak!)
Birthday gifts:  Clothes, new boots, and gear for her guinea pig....she has a guinea pig named Angel
Her current loves:  books, her guinea pig, playing outside, shopping with mom

She was honored this past week by the local Optimist Club with an  "Unsung Youth Hero" award for participating in her school's "Buddy Program".  She is paired up with one of the students that struggles and spends time with that student at lunch, recess and other times to help make him/her to feel a little bit more normal.  Here are some pics from her awards night:

Ashley and her friend Chase who was also honored.  Chase is moving the end of this year and Ashley will really miss her.

Earning Rank

Both of the boys accomplished earning their rank in Cub Scouts for the past year of activities.  We had a great time celebrating it at the Blue and Gold Banquet.

John receiving his Bear rank from his dad who is his den leader

Nathan reenacting receiving the Tiger rank.  This is what happens when your mom is your den leader and also operates the camera. 

Winter

Winter finally decided to come to our house at the end of February and beginning of March.  In fact, as with most of you, winter is still here.  As Joe said, if spring has sprung, it needed to jump a little higher.  The snows we had have been perfect for the kids though...perfect sledding and perfect for building. Here's some pics from the past month on the sled slopes....

The Twelfth of February

The beautiful flutist below turned 12 this past February.  I love that my little girl still treasures little girl things as she approaches her teens.  Here's the highlights of Sara's birthday:

Cake:  Carrot Cake
Presents:  clothes, Polly Pockets ( :) ), Amazon cards, a warm, fuzzy blanket for her bed, a special ring from her daddy
Favorite foods:  pizza, mac & cheese (the girl LOVES mac & cheese like no other)

She recently participated in her first solo and ensemble contest which I think is incredible for a sixth grader who has been playing a flute for only 1 1/2 years