5K & visiting

When you sign up to run a 5K in Duluth on April 16th, you know it's going to be cold. You just hope it's not snowing. We got both. Once we started running, the temperature wasn't actually so bad - it helped to keep us at a comfortable body heat level while exerting ourselves. The snow turning into sludge as it fell on the heated streets on which we ran, though, was another story. By the time we were through, we were soaking wet to nearly mid-calf. Not so much fun when you had to dress in layers in the first place. Still, it was an awesome experience, and it was so much fun to share it with all Curt's siblings and their spouses/significant others. We all had a really good time, and I was proud of myself for completing my first-ever 5K (which is 3.1 miles).

My goal was to come in at 30 minutes, and I finished at almost 32. I hadn't run outdoors much during training because the weather was so crappy, so I was proud of my time despite not reaching my goal. When Sheila proposed back in the fall that we all do this together, I immediately said, "No. I hate running." I really did at the time, and I always thought running was something I would never do. But Curt and I later committed to it, both wanted to do our best, and began to enjoy training. More importantly, Curt and I have both continued to run for exercise at home. We're not as consistent and hard-core as we were during training, but we make an effort to fit it in a least a couple times a week, and we feel good about it. His sister had done one earlier in the spring, has continued to do them this summer, and even completed a half marathon! That is surely something I know I will never do (but Curt says he'll do it with her next summer). 5Ks are good enough for me! There are many, many 5Ks in the summer, and they are always run/walk, so I encourage you to check one out! Maybe fitting more activity into your life will become a habit for you as well.

The next day, we went to visit Cody, Sarah, and Kennadi on our way home from Sheila's in Duluth. Carter and Kennadi are about 4.5 months apart, so it's fun to watch them together.

Cody goofing off with the boys

Me and Kennadi, the smiliest kid ever! I used to think that was Carter, but she's definitely got him beat. This kid is constantly grinning, I swear.

Easter

Yes, I know how late this is! The photos are still cute, though, so better late than never, right?! Other than an egg hunt, I can barely remember what we did on the actual day, but it's clear that my parents were up at some point that weekend to do eggs with the kids. That's all I got.

Coloring - and tasting - eggs with Grandma Paula

Finding and enjoying their bountiful Easter baskets

Farewell

On Thursday, February 10th, my mom's side of the family lost a husband, a father, a brother, a grandfather and great-grandfather, an uncle and great-uncle, a friend. He will be dearly missed by those who love him and remembered by many. Farewell, Dodo. We love you!

Sledding Party

Last weekend was the Beaudoin family's third annual sledding party. It was a cold, cold day (see their breath?), definitely our coldest yet, but we braved it for the fun of it all. We had a good turnout again, and the sledding hill was great! We ate our hotdogs, drank coffee and hot chocolate, and warmed up by the fire. Later, we also had a nice, hot supper of chili, pulled pork, and homemade eggrolls in the house. (Think we over-do it much when it comes to food?!) Then his sisters gave my dad a gift for his 50th birthday (an engraved pocket knife) and we sang to all the February birthday people in the family. It was a long day, and we all left exhausted, but it is always so much fun that it leaves me looking forward to the next sledding party!

Relaxing by the fire? Andrew looks relaxed, but Curt... not so much.

A group photo

Mom and Dad going down the hill on the toboggan, with a little help from Ben

College Reunion

A couple weekends ago we had our yearly winter college reunion. I call it that, but only three of the people at our house actually went to college together: Curt, Cody, and Brendon. Andrew and Brea came, and Cody brought his family, Sarah and Kennadi. We shared some good meals, a lot of laughs, played games, and played with the kids. It was great to get together, and we hadn't seen Brendon in quite a long time, so that was nice. He and I went to an Evangelical free church service on Sunday morning. The service was interesting and different, and led to a deep and thought-provoking conversation afterwards. It was a new and really good experience for me, and I appreciated him taking me.

Reading - one of our favorite things to do. I will be so proud if my kids keep their love of reading for life!

Curt and Brendon playing Cribbage - a battle of wits

The boys spent that Saturday at a snow golf tournament. Yes, it's just like it sounds: shallow holes are drilled into the ice, and they hit tennis balls into them with their clubs. Curt decided that they should make a spectacle of themselves and wear costumes, so he dug a bunch of stuff out of the basement for them to put on. They really got into it, and they said they had fun with people's comments and goofy looks. They even won some prizes, and some of the organizers said they'd try to promote costumes in the future!

The babies. Well, not mine anymore. :(

Kennadi, 9 months, and Carter, 14 months

Jackson's Third Birthday

Our little boy turned three on Friday, February 11th! It is so hard to believe that much time has gone by already! We celebrated by going out for Chinese food and taking the kids to one of the waterparks in Brainerd. Curt would have preferred to stay home, doing the same old thing we do every other night, but I forced him to do this as a family. It did end up being really fun, and even Daddy had a good time (which I will remind him of in the future as needed). It took Jackson a while to warm up to the water, but once he did, he was comfortable playing even while we weren't right there with him (which took me a while, too). Carter wasn't a huge fan of it at all, so Curt and I took turns holding him and walking with him. A bit later in the night, he did tolerate sitting in the shallowest part of the water and touching the water that came out of some jets, and both of the boys loved being in the hot tub. I was worried that it wasn't safe for them, but it wasn't nearly as hot as a personal hot tub, or even those in some hotels. It led to the outdoors, and they liked that part, too. They didn't want to get out at the end of the night! It was late by the time we got home, but I still thought it was important for Jackson to have his birthday cake on the night of his actual birthday. I learned my lesson when he started to throw fits about wanting more cake when it was way too late. He couldn't have cared less if we'd done it the next day, since he'd fallen asleep in the car and forgotten all about it by the time he woke up at home! Anyway, we did enjoy more cake the next day, and he opened his presents that morning.



See how delirious with exhaustion he looked? What was I thinking?!

One of his presents was this giant ape. I couldn't get him to take it down from his face!

Opening J's birthday presents from Auntie Sheila (yep, Christmas paper in February! You can do that with kids!)

Wojo Weekend

Unfortunately, I don't have enough pictures of our belated holiday celebration weekend with the Wojo family. We had a great time as usual, playing games, eating, and talking. We got a babysitter so the adults could go out for supper that night. It was Matt's year to choose the place, so he opted for St. Cloud, which is just over half an hour from Mom and Dad's. He'd really been looking forward to Red Lobster, so he was bummed when the first car got there and found out it was way too busy to fit in our group of twelve. I suggested Granite City, which is always delicious. We figured it'd be busy as well, but they were able to accommodate us. The boys were excited about the free beer samples, everyone enjoyed their meals, and Curt entertained us (well, most of us) with his buzzed antics. When we got home, there was more drinking and lots of games. We had some laughs at the expense of Curt, as well as some other good times. It's always fun when all of us can get together, and we're looking forward to our next adventure - a 5K in Duluth in April!

Jackson & Maddy doing puzzles with the help of Uncle Matt

Erin and Codie enjoying a card game