Happy Anniversary, Heidi and Corey!

Heidi and Corey are celebrating their 4th anniversary on the 29th! Wow, how time flies. They've actually been together for 11 years, so it's been fun to watch them grow up together.

First big date and Prom - April 1997. Note Corey's signature tennis shoes. He refused to rent those uncomfortable dress shoes, so he bought a new pair of tennies for each of the three proms they attended.
Wedding - May 29th, 2004 (no tennies for the wedding).

Maddox's first birthday, October 2007.

Congratulations, guys! You have a ways to go to catch up to our 35 years, but you're well on your way!

Swimming Lessons

I had some shopping to do in Apple Valley on Monday night, so I stopped by the Wise Swim School to watch Maddox and Corey at swimming lessons. What fun! Maddox is turning into a little fish - he's really advanced since I watched about 6 months ago. It's obvious that he loves every minute of his time in the water, and it looks like Corey is having a good time, too.

Maddox is great at his "scoopers" and kicks.

Pouring water on the tummy really tickles!

One, two, three....

Jump!

They have a family changing room since may dads are there with their little girls, as well as moms with their boys. Corey's method of hair-drying worked really well!

Belated Mother's Day

Since we were up at the lake for the fishing opener last weekend, we got together on Wednesday night at Jenna and Andy's house for a belated Mother's Day dinner.

Maddox spent a lot of time practicing going up and down the steps by the side door.

He didn't sit still for long, but a little cheese snack slowed him down for a minute or two.

These steps are pretty big for a little guy!

It was a beautiful night, so after grilling hamburgers and actually eating outside (no snow!), we took a walk to the park. Look - green grass!
Maddox loves all of the playground equipment, and he has no fear of the slides. He went down frontwards, then on his tummy, and once he got turned around on a curve and ended up backwards. He just laughed!
The swings were fun, too!
The tire swing was a new experience. Jenna and Heidi discovered that they didn't fit quite as well as when they were kids!

Thanks, everyone, for the food, cards, and gifts!

Fishing Opener at Beacon Shores

We headed up north on Friday afternoon to Beacon Shores on Whitefish Lake for the fishing opener. The weather forecast was for rain all weekend, but it was just grey and very calm Saturday morning. The guys were on the lake by about 9:00, while Sandy and I took a long walk. The rain held off until about noon, and then it really let loose. Since the ice just went out of the lake a few days ago, the docks weren't in yet and the water was VERY cold, so guess what? No fish!

Sunday morning dawned clear and cool. We stayed in a 4 bedroom townhome, which was very comfortable, although we sure didn't need all the beds!

They had a lot of dock damage last weekend.The ice had gone out, and then the wind came up and blew the ice back in and up on the shore, crumpling some of the sections of the dock. A whole crew of guys in hip boots were working all day Saturday, even in the rain, putting in the boat lifts and trying to get the beach area cleaned up. What a job!

There was still ice on some of the rocks - unbelieveable for mid-May!

We finally were able to soak up a little cool sunshine before we left Sunday afternoon.

It was great to get away for the weekend, but I really missed seeing the kids for Mother's Day. They called, though, and we'll be together on Wednesday for a belated celebration at Jenna and Andy's house.

No More Snow!!

Look - blue sky, open water, and no sweatshirt! Could summer be almost here?? We took our boat out to Lake Byllesby on Sunday to make sure everything is working OK before the big fishing opener next week. It was a little cool (I was wrapped in a blanket as we skimmed across the lake), but everything worked great - the motor started, we got the depth finder operating, and we saw lots of fish on the little screen. Now if all the ice is out of the lake up north, we'll be all set! We have a cabin rented on Whitefish Lake, so I'm actually going along this year. No fishing for me, though - the shops are calling my name!

I bought Chuck a new Tilley hat for fishing, so he had to try it out - no more sunburned ears!

He is so ready for summer that tonight he....

put on his shorts and got out the lawn mower! Only in Minnesota - from snow shoveling to grass cutting in two short weeks!