School Talent Show

Last night, our school had their annual Talent and Art Show. We will make sure to post the kids' art creations on a separate post because their drawings are spectacular. This post is dedicated to 3 talented and beautiful angels and their sweet friends who shared their gifts with us and brought huge smiles to our faces. It takes a lot of courage to get up on a stage and shine in front of your peers, teachers and parents. We are so proud and commend LTD and their friends on their hard work and bravery! BRAVO!!! Below are 4 short videos for your viewing pleasure (Girls' Ballet, Taylor's Piano Solo, Dylan break dancing and Lindsey hula hooping):

Dramatic Apology Note

If there is one thing that irks me is when I go for my cell phone (which I typically keep in one place at home) and it is MIA. This usually means a child has gotten a hold of it and is playing games. Because of this, I laid down the law a few months ago that the kids must ask if they want to use my phone, just like they must ask before using the computer. This way we can monitor how much screen time they are getting AND the battery is not dead when I need my phone most. 

Last weekend, I was doing laundry and walked into Dylan's room and heard him "playing" in his closet. I asked what he was doing in there and he told me he was playing pinball.  10 minutes later as I was searching for my phone, I realized it was missing from it's spot. When I discovered that Dylan had it with him in his closet, I was very disappointed in him for taking it without asking but most importantly, for lying to me. Needless to say, he was disciplined.

Later that day, Dylan delivered a note to me with his head held low and said, "I am so sorry, mom. I hope you can find room in your heart to forgive me." It was so heartfelt and sincere and I truly admired his repentant heart.  Here is what the note had to say (see photos below):

I did find room in my heart to forgive him and this note will be a keepsake for many years to come. Someday we will all get a good laugh from it.

The Toots Update #2

Drum roll please........we are pleased to announce that The Toots is officially potty trained!!! Yep, it has been over 2 weeks since Tootsie has had an accident in the house. Better yet, she has learned to ring the bell sitting at the door to let us know when she has to go outside. Good thing is the bell travels so when we visit others, it will come in handy. We are very proud of our little white furball!

Goodbye Skis, Hello Snowboarding!

Yesterday was Family Value Days at Afton Alps and they were offering $4 one-hour private lessons. SO, Dylan jumped right on that and took his first snowboarding lesson  Let's just say he has the fever in a big way and I don't think we will ever see him on downhill skis again. He absolutely loves it!! His instructor said he is a "true natural" and we are so proud of how quickly he picked it up. He graduated from the bunny hills and was going down the blue runs with us in no time and kept right up with us. Taylor said, "now that Dylan has 'conquered' Afton Alps, I think he is ready to take on Lutsen!". Good try - maybe next season :) Until then, Dylan is eager and keeps asking when we are going again. Let's hope this snow holds out just a little longer for his sake. Spring is definitely knocking on the door. 

Pine Derby Races

Last week Dave and Dylan raced their latest creation in the Cub Scouts Pine Derby races. This year their car was called "The Wing". Dave being Dave, it was precision-engineered to the Nth degree and he spent several very late nights (including the night before the big race) perfecting their creation. The day of weigh-ins and the big race, Dylan had his last day of basketball and a big tournament he couldn't miss so Dave went to the race with "their" car. Unfortunately  Dylan never even got to see his car race due to the timing conflict but on the bright side, his team did AWESOME at the basketball tournament. Although the car didn't fare as well as last year's car (placed 3rd in the den), they won "Overall Best Paint Job" and are most likely moving forward into the division finals for the appearance of the car. 

Dave is kicking himself and told us  "it's all in the wheels and perfect alignment of them". The Wing had slight issues supposedly due to the design featuring inset wheels. Let's just say he is already working on ideas for next year :)