A big month for Cole

The birthday kids get a special treat at Fogo

Cole reached the ripe-old age of 17 in February (still hard to believe - he can't be *that* old!). The weekend of his birthday was a busy one, with our side of the family having a little celebration at our house and then we joined Lisa, Gene and Gene's parents in celebrating the birthdays of both Cole and his girlfriend Meagan at Cole's favorite restaurant, Fogo de Chao. We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed more than our share of so many tasty kinds of meat - yum!



The birthday pics have been added to the Jan-Feb 2012 album, along with some more pictures and videos from basketball, a cool centerpiece craft project for our Cub Scout den, and a pirate-themed birthday party for Z&A's friend, Luke.

Cole's Baptism

In March, Cole became a full-fledged Catholic, getting baptized and confirmed and receiving his first communion. We're so proud of him for making the choice to continue to grow and strengthen his faith! Pictures from the baptism, which was done before Mass, are posted in the Mar-Apr 2012 album, along with pictures and video of the beautiful new piano that we bought (can't wait to start lessons!).

Derby racing and birthday fun

Alex's and Zach's cars

Zach and Alex participated in their first Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby race in January and had a fantastic time doing it. They picked the models for their cars from their collection of Hot Wheels and then helped shape and sand them. The cars did great in the races, and both boys earned trophies and medals! Zach's car placed 3rd in Best of Show, the best looking cars out of the whole Pack, and Alex's car placed 2nd among the fastest Lion Cub racers (our den).

The pics and video clips from the race are in the Jan-Feb 2012 album, along with pictures from a recent den meeting where the scouts built models of special inventions using Legos (as you can imagine, the activity was a big hit with all the boys!).

The birthday kids

Also in January, we celebrated Zach and Alex's 6th birthday and Grandma Pat's (annual 29th?) birthday with a nice family celebration at the house. Zach and Alex also had a Lego-themed party with all their friends from school and a few old friends from New Horizons at a fun place called Jumps and Downs, which had bounce houses and inflatable play areas. Pictures from both birthday celebrations are in the Zach and Alex's 6th Birthday album.

They blinded me with science!

Exploring the Science Museum

OK, so no one was actually blinded, but it's hard to resist a headline like that when talking about a trip to the science museum. :-)

Our first photos of 2012 include Z&A's first season of basketball, which they absolutely loved, and a family trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota for some fun and learning through cool interactive experiments and exhibits. The photos are in the Jan - Feb 2012 album.

More pics coming soon, including the Pinewood Derby, Z&A's birthday and more!