Dance, Dance, Dance

Dave and Katie had a lively dance session in the kitchen the other night. Dave is such a fun dad and the kids absolutely adore him. Katie is a real "Daddy's girl." :-) He spends special time with both Grant and Katie together and with each of them separately. He and Grant had built a race car together for the AWANA Grand Prix race the same day that these pictures were taken. Dave is really building strong relationships with the kids, which will hopefully translate into good relationships as they grow into the teen years and beyond.

Excellent Movie

Yesterday, Dave and I went to see the movie, "The Great Debaters." It was excellent. We thought it was really well done and very moving. I highly recommend it!

Here is a peek if you're interested:

Girl Time

Oh, I love my girl. Today, Katie and I had a whole day of, "girl time," which is what we call any time we do something with just the two of us. No boys. Well, today we went shopping and out to lunch, and we had a grand time. We shopped. We laughed. We ate. We went to Barnes and Noble to read and rest up for more shopping.

Katie is fun to be with. She is silly and sings songs all day long in "opera" style. She skips from store to store. She wants to try on every fancy, floaty dress in the store, but is a good sport about trying on all the boring jeans her mom wants her to try on. She shares her chocolate chip cookie. She endures the cold (4 degrees below zero!) on the way to the car at the end of the day. And she laughs and chatters happily all the way home. I can't think of a better way to stay warm on a freezing~cold day like today, than having girl time with Katie.

Co-op Nature Class

The homeschool co-op we are part of met today. One of the classes my kids are in is a nature class taught by a woman who works at a local nature center. She has done such a great job of teaching the class about animals and their homes this semester. Part of the class period is always spent outdoors. Today, the class went snowshoeing, and, since I am a parent- helper in the class, I got to go, too. We went on an hour-long hike in the snow. Fourteen 2nd and 3rd graders and 3 adults, traipsing around in the snow. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Lots of falling down and getting back up. Crunch, crunch, crunch. It was a fun, frosty-cold hike. :-)

This picture is of Krystal, Ellie and Kate during nature class.

Am I Old Enough?

Grant has wanted a pocketknife for awhile now, but we have told him that he wasn't ready for one yet. This Christmas we decided that he had shown himself responsible enough that we could trust him with one. On Christmas morning, he found a pocketknife in his stocking and exclaimed, "A pocketknife! I'm old enough for a pocketknife!" And then he looked at us and asked, "Am I old enough?" Ha~ha! You can tell what Katie thought of the whole thing by her expression of disbelief! :-)


A couple more favorite gifts that the kids received this year are The Dangerous Book For Boys for Grant and a bridesmaid outfit for Katie's Samantha doll, both from Grandma Dar. :-)

15 Years

Today is Dave’s and my 15^th wedding anniversary. Last March I answered the questions for this wedding meme on another blog and I thought that today would be the perfect time to post them here.

The Wedding Meme

1. Where and how did you meet?
We met when Dave volunteered with the youth ministry I worked for.

2. How long after you met did you start dating?
We were friends for six months before we started dating.

3. How long did you date before you were engaged?
We dated for a year before getting engaged.

4. How long was your engagement?
Our engagement was six months long.

5. What is your anniversary?
Our anniversary is January 2nd.

6. Describe your wedding dress:
White taffeta long-sleeved gown with some beading on the bodice and a medium-length train.

7. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?
White roses with baby's breath and evergreens.

8. Are your wedding bands engraved?
Our bands are not engraved, but I STILL plan to do this!

9. How many people came to your wedding reception?
There were about 130 at the wedding & reception.

10. What did you serve for your meal?
We served hors d'oeuvres and a delicious cake ~

11. What kind of cake did you serve?
I can't remember the exact flavors ~each layer was different~ but the top was chocolate with chocolate mousse filling.

12. Where was your wedding?
We were married in Boulder, CO.

13. How many people were in your wedding party?
Three bridesmaids, three groomsmen, two (child) candlelighters and a ringbearer.

14. Are you still friends with them all?
We are still friends with everyone. :-)

15. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?
Yes, Dave cried when everyone sang, "Praise To The Lord, The Almighty." (I did not cry, although I've cried at every other wedding I have ever been to! I was so happy & peaceful.)

16. Most special moment of your wedding day?
The most special time was when we got to our room at an English style B & B and slow danced all alone, still in our wedding clothes.

17. Any funny moments?
Funny moment was when Dave interrupted the ceremony to tell the pastor not to forget the kiss! He said, "The kiss, the kiss! Don't forget the kiss!" The pastor replied, "I'm getting to that!" :-)

18. Any big disasters?
The only "disaster" was that the ring bearer got a bloody nose that stopped right before he had to walk down the aisle.

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Four days in Estes Park, CO. (It's quiet in winter) Then four days at Disneyworld.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you do differently?
There are a few details I would change, but nothing really important.

21. Greatest strength as a couple?
I think our greatest strength is our commitment to Christ and each other. We also laugh a lot. :-)

22. Greatest challenge as a couple?
My husband is laid-back and I want to make plans and get things done, so that causes some tension now and then. :-)

23. How old were you when you got married?
I was 33 when I got married and he was definitely worth the wait! :-)