Miami Beach

In honor of our 10 year wedding anniversary Mike and I took a long weekend to Miami, FL. The actual wedding date isn't until May 15th, but who wants to leave Minnesota in May? Our hotel was right in the middle of South Beach so we were able to walk to the beach, resturants, and shopping. We found the South Beach culture diffucult to blend in with; every where we turned I think that our conservative, upper midwest roots were quite obvious.


Mike did a bunch of research before our trip as to where we should dine.

We took a boat cruize in the bay late Sunday afternoon.

Front of our hotel

Several jelly fish washed up on the beach with the high winds and large waves.

Our hotel pool

Back home we owe much thanks and love to my dear friend Jessica who stayed with the kids. The kids did great and Jessica survived.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Book Worm

Hailey has just recently just taken off with reading. She reads in the van, in bed, before school, after school, and best of all, she loves to read to Carter & Taylor. Reading, writing, and spelling has opened a whole new world for her.

Taylor and her best buds

Taylor, Jaclyn, & Kylie-- they are just best buds lately. When we are getting ready to go anywhere Taylor says "With Kylie Jaclyn?"

Creative Expression Night

Hailey had "Creative Expression Night" at school on Friday night and did a great job! She memorized the poem "For my brother, on his birthday".

For my brother, on his birthday,
I was generous and kind.
As his sister, I was glad to get
the best things I could find.

I was sure he'd want a tutu
and a purple mini-skirt,
with some ballerina slippers
and a sequin-covered shirt.

I expected he'd want lots of dolls.
I knew he'd need a bike,
so I picked a pink and sparkly one
I figured he would like.

I selected a tiara
like a princess ought to wear,
plus a bunch of bows and ribbons
and some scrunchies for his hair.

I'm aware I'm much too generous
with presents but, you see,
he deserves it. On my birthday
he bought baseball cards for me.--Kenn Nesbitt

We got a babysitter for Carter and Taylor so the night was all about Hailey.

We ended the night with some icecream. The girls were a little hyper.

On Saturday the kindergarten girls were all invited to a "Royal Birthday Party!"

Girlfriends

This winter I have been so blessed with girlfriends and the time we have been able to celebrate birthdays and babies. They are so great!

The Children's Museum

A new room at the museum: Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Hailey was concentrating on making a huge bubble.

Taylor's favorite thing to do is the water boat races. Sometime I wish that I had a water table for Carter at home; he loves it.
Friday nights are just the best at the Minnesota Children's Museum. It takes a bit more effort to make it there with Hailey being at school and the fact that we live much further away than when we lived at Como. This past Friday Grandma Miedema came for a visit and Mike was on late at the hospital, so it was the perfect set up to set the kids free to burn off some energy.

Hailey is always first to find the postal worker gear. Ant world

Wiped out

A Night Away

We decided to take a night away and check into a local hotel for a change of scenery. It was an extreme success. The kids loved the pool and had to be drug away despite pure exhaustion. Beckerings were able to join us for a couple of hours and I'm not sure how they slept, but our kids slept like rocks.