Ballerina Girl

Ella's still taking ballet class once a week from Miss Peggy, and she's moved up to the 5-7 year old class. It's cool to see how she's improved and see her doing some real ballet movements. I really love Peggy's class...and love the pic of her and Ella below. One of the cool things about class is that one of Ella's friends, Lilly has now joined too! 

 

 

Our Valentines

What a great Valentine's Day! Our church hosted a Parents' Night Out, which allowed for us to drop the kids at the church for some dinner and fun crafts and play while Seth and I went to dinner. We tried Casper Fry, a new restaurant in South Perry. Seth's been dying to go there for a long time, so it was our chance! Thanks Manito Presbyterian, mainly Pam and Darla!

Time to make sausage!



My brother Zac, and his wife Kristen have started a cool family tradition for all of us - making German sausage. It was definitely a traditional thing to know how to make growing up in Endicott, where so many people in town had German heritage. My Mom and Dad used to get together with friends to make sausage in the winter, and we remember helping out a couple times, and definitely remember eating it year round! It's garlicky, peppery, smoked and SO GOOD. Any other kind of sausage to me just isn't the same.

 

 

And yes, it is funny to talk so much about sausage! Imagine making the stuff! It's impossible not to laugh when you're working with meat, and stuffing it....and, you get the picture....lots of immature jokes were flying around all day weekend when we got together at Z & K's in February and made our yummy sausuage. It was great! The Conklins were all there, and the Storments too! Gabe and Jameson drove over from Bellevue, so the kids all got to play while the adults were in the garage hard at work.

 

Thanks Zac & Kristen for getting us all together for such a cool thing! I know it's a lot of work, especially for you guys, but it's so great to get everyone together, not to mention the sausage we get to bring home when we're all done. You're amazing! Lots of memories being made, and we'll continue to make in the years to come. (See, now it's expected, so no getting out of this "tradition" now!) :)

 

Zac getting ready to get started - his "new" old-timey stuffer,
and a bowl of casings. Yum! ;)

Kristen and I, seasoning and mixing the meat!

The Papas! Papa Tom and Papa Jim

Awesome Abby hanging out with the kids

Jameson and Luke sharing a cold one

Sometimes they do get along

A great combo....snow and sun!

More snow in January.....and the kids were happy to have it! This picture cracks me up....like they're training for their future in ice dancing. In unison!

Calvin Klein may be calling

I'm sure these pictures will torture Luke one day, but I can't resist. That's what every mother says, and I know it's not a good excuse....but it's all I've got. Ever since Christmas, Luke has decided that he's done with diapers and is a big boy in big boy undies....with Cars and Toy Story characters to boot! When I took these pics I was about to get him dressed and he seemed to be feeling pretty good about himself and his new big boy status, so the shots I got are kind of model-esque.....no? With no coaxing from me I swear! Love this kid!

 

That water's changing color!

One of the coolest things Santa brought this year was a bottle of magic color tablets for the bath! The kids loved the water changing from one color to the next depending on the night. I was worried it would make dye the kids and the bathtub, not just the water, but nope. Just fun, no clean up after....aside from the usual mess after bathtime.