Horseshoe Beach weekend

Our friend, Joseph Lee, has a condo at Horseshoe Beach that he invites us to once in awhile. It's more like a fishing community rather than a beach, so we get to go out on his boat and fish, ride the golf cart around town (the kids love to do this), and swim in the pool while there. We always have a fun time when we go. This time, Marty's mom went with us too. Unfortunately Hunter got sick while we were there, and slept most of the time, but everyone else had a lot of fun (thanks Joe)!

One happy girl!

For about a week now, Grace has had a loose tooth. She wiggles it everyday...pulling at it, and threatening us that she will get a string and just "yank it out". It would bleed every now and then, but wouldn't come out....until today! It looked so loose today when she showed me, so I took her in the bathroom, got a piece of toilet paper, grabbed ahold of the tooth, and pulled! Out it came! We both screamed with excitement! :) She is sooooooo excited! She wrote the tooth fairy a note asking if she could keep the tooth since it's her 1st. :) We love you Grace!! :) You are such a sweet and precious little girl.

Last basketball game of the season

Hunter had his last "upwards" basketball game on Saturday. We were very proud of him for sticking it out through the entire season (although quitting wasn't really even an option). He is an awesome defensive player....on his man all the time! In the last game, he was passed the ball, and took a shot----the ball hit the backboard, then the rim, then---bounced out. :( But, we were soooo excited he tried and took the shot!!!! His face was glowing with excitement too! It was cool. Great job, HD! We are proud of you! Grace wants to play next year too! :)

Date day with Grace

We started a reward system with the kids....when they earn 10 checks, they can pick who they want to go on a date with (mom or dad), and where they want to go (within reason). They can earn checks by: doing their homework without complaining, doing something nice for someone else, or making good choices in the day (AKA no fighting with their sibling). Grace earned her 10 checks, so she picked me to go on a date with her to steak & shake for breakfast. She got all dressed up for it....it was fun. :)

Another weekend packed full of "fun"

OK...can the month of February get ANY busier for our family? Here is what we have:

2/13 = mom's birthday

2/14 = valentine's day

2/15 = our anniversary

2/16 = nate's birthday

Angela, her 3 kids, and Linda (my mom's cousin who now lives in the Orlando area---our kids all call her AUNT LINDA since she is just like an aunt to us) all drove up for the weekend (Randy, Ang's husband, stayed home to work on their house).

We had mom's birthday celebration on Saturday afternoon (Happy 59th birthday to mom), then the 5 of us (Me, Marty, Amber, Nate and Angela) headed out to a Japanese restaurant for dinner (for Valentine's Day). After that, we.........okay.......I'll just say it......got another tattoo. We got the same tattoo on our left wrists (a symbol that means "sisters"). It hurt SOOOOOOOOOO BAD (and still does, to be quite honest with you). Why? you ask....I don't know....we just did it. End of story. :)

Here are some pictures of the weekend events.

Our anniversary trip to Gatlinburg

Every year, if we can, we try to go somewhere to celebrate our anniversary. This year, we are celebrating our 12th anniversary (on Feb 15th)!!! We decided to rent a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN again for 4 days. We went there for our honeymoon, and loved it so much, that we go back there often now. Our friends, DJ and Diane (from Ohio) met us there too. We had a great time....relaxing and fun. We did some skiing, shopping, golfing, eating, and of course...sleeping! :) Marty's mom (nana) and my mom (grandma) watched Hunter and Grace for us.

A packed-full weekend

We had quite a busy weekend. Friday night we drove down to Orlando. Thanks to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law (Melannie & Carlos), we went to the Animal Kingdom AND Magic Kingdom for FREE on Saturday. Then Sunday morning, we saw our niece, Alayna, get dedicated to the Lord at their church, Northland.

I forgot to take my camera this weekend, but Marty was able to snap a few pictures of the kids (with his cell phone) in the Magic Kingdom. It was the 1st time the kids had been on a roller coaster. They LOVED it.....unlike their mom, who is such a wimp! :)