Bye Bye January!

   We did it we closed out January and prepared for the snow to kick of February. We survived so far, we are on day 2 of no school because of the storm. We can do it (I can do it)!
    As we are getting closer to leaving for vacation and I was doing more exercise I hurt my right knee somehow so I decided to take the week off Jazzercise. I really miss that time with friends and Alec has been asking to go to Jazzercise but I really didn't want to make my knee worse so this week I just took it easy at home with walking on the treadmill, yoga, and some lifting.
   Monday Rachel had school and we just came home. Becca and Alec played out in the snow a little and when Rachel got home from school she made a snow man all by herself and then even took pictures of it for me! She is growing so fast, and becoming so independent. First grade is a year for change and that she has. She is growing out of the little girl stage and into the independent girl stage.

Big Snow Ball

Happy Chef Snowman

Happy Face

   Tuesday both girls had school and Alec and I enjoyed a slow morning at Walmart buying groceries and playing. Mike was on call all week so we didn't get to see much of him. Wednesday Rachel had her 100th day of school. She was so excited to do all the 100 day activities. Jensyn came home with us after school. The girls had CCD and we had a meeting at Kate and Justin's to get ready for our Grand Cayman trip. The boys had a great time playing without the girls around and the girls were so excited to play at Hanna's after CCD and stay up late on a school night.

Rachel's class

  Thursday while Becca and Rachel were at school Alec and I had coffee with Gwen. Alec loves his one on one time with me and my friends. He loves to ham it up and show off his singing and dancing skills. Rachel got out of school at 2:45 for parent teacher conferences. Johanna Gifford came out and watched the kids while I ran some errands in town and Mike and I attended Rachel's conference. Mrs. Johanson said that Rachel is doing very well in school. We are working hard on her reading and it is showing as she was reading 16 words per minute at the beginning of the year and is up to 50 words per minute now. They would like her to be at 61 words by the end of the year so we still have some work to do but we are getting there.

   Friday Rachel did not have school. We stayed home in our pajamas most the day. Mike got home Friday evening and we decided to head to McCook to watch Nathan wrestle. We made it in time to watch 2 of his 4 matches. He did pretty good and the kids actually watched him. After the meet we stopped to eat at the brewery and then came home.

  Saturday Mike had to round at the hospital then we headed to Alma were I dropped off Mike and the kids before going to Kearney to shop and see Tammy. I got my shopping done early and headed out to Tammy's mom and dad's. We enjoyed a couple drinks and some snacks before heading to the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. It was a great concert and night with a great friend.

   Sunday I stopped and had breakfast with Andi, Taylar, Macy, Kyan, and Bill before going back to Alma to pick up the kids and Mike. Mike helped Nick and Aaron put up doors in the basement. They were not quite done working when I got to town so the kids and I went to the park to play and enjoy the last nice day before the snow storm came. We had a great weekend and made it home in time to have a movie night before bed.

Kelcee and Alec

Tucker and Becca

Memory Journal January 26-31
  26: Relate an experience or memory of a cousin. I have many babysitting memories of my cousins. I love that we are all close and get along. Most memorial will probably always be when I was at Worlds of Fun with Cindy and Kent and knocked out my front tooth, or when Laura got a black eye from Kelly's swing while I was watching them.
   27: Did your mother work outside the home? She did book work for Gary Olberding's Milk Trucks and for Grandma Tielke when we were young then started as owner/manager/head of Tielke Sandwiches.
    28:What did you and your brothers or sisters fight about the most? Life! I can't remember any one fight just remember fighting and calling mom.
    29: What was the dumbest stunt ever pulled by you and a brother or sister? I can't remember any.
    30: Tell about the worst winter storm that you can remember as a child. We had lots of snow growing up. Only remember a few without power. Whenever we had bad weather mom would either make us clean the basement (our play area) or sit and do puzzles.
    31: What did you use to go sledding down a hill in the snow? We had a wooden sled when I was really young, then the best sled was a plastic one that rolled up. We loved to use it on our lane when it would ice over.