Goodbye February and some BIG news!!

 Wahoo!! Spring is almost here and I cannot wait! This February has been dark and dreary and I am so ready for the sunshine:) We managed to finish February off with a bang though! Here's a little update...

Elsie got just a little sick.  Not too bad, thank heaven, but it still called for a jammy day and a makeover :) That always seems to make her feel better!

For the last year or so I have been watching a sweet little girl a few times a week and here and there.  But February brought our very last day with her.  We have watched her grow from a baby to a little girl, helped her get potty trained, and I have watched her and Elsie become really great friends.  We will miss her and her sweet mama very much:(

 My mom was so sweet and sent each of the kiddos their very own letter with a Valentine in it.  It was so so sweet and the kids were super excited to get some mail of their very own.

 Elsie and I visited Jane's classroom for her Valentine's party!! All the kids in her class were very sweet to Elsie and shared their treats with her :)

 Jane really gets into the fun little celebrations her school does.  I am so proud that she is able to participate without any care or fear of what other people will think.  She truly only cares about having school spirit and having some fun! During kindness week they had a crazy hair day and Jane wanted to turn her hair into a beard-hahaha! It was amazing!

 The Dick family, for the very first time,  tried out ice skating! I suppose the Olympics had us inspired and we thought a trip to the ice rink was in order!

 The kids quickly learned that ice skating is much more difficult than it looks...

 After one major bump on the head, and crying three year old and and sprained elbow we went home feeling very humbled and in awe of the ability of all the Olympians!!

 At the end of the day, the girls had a Daddy Daughter Valentines date at the community center.  The girls got all dolled up and were so thrilled!

And now for the BIG news!!  (drum roll...) We are moving to Japan...yes, I said Japan...in August and we are super excited :) We are planning on having countless amazing adventures there so watch the blog for all the exciting adventures of the Dick family :)  Happy Spring everyone!!

Bittersweet Utah Visit and a LONG January!!

 A few days after Christmas, Ryan and I packed up the kiddos and the dog into he car and drove 12 hours or so straight to Utah.  My sweet and amazing Grandma Pat passed away in December and I knew I just had to be there for her funeral.

My Grandma Pat was the most kind, thoughtful and involved grandmother and I am so grateful for the many amazing times we spent together and all the help she gave me growing up.  She was a huge part of my life and I was devastated when I heard she had passed away and I wasn't there to say a proper goodbye and thank you for all she has done for me.

Going to Utah to be with her and honor her one last time was just what I needed to help me come to terms with the sad reality that my wonderful grandma was gone.  Thankfully, I know I will see her again and I know she is looking in on us and helping us all the time :)

The day of the funeral was warm and sunny, which was lovely since my grandma had requested an outdoor ceremony.  Despite the sad circumstances it was so nice to see so many aunts, uncles,  cousins and friends who I haven't seen in years! The service was beautiful with beautiful poetry, music from family and her accordion group, and a lovely sketch of her life.

 Afterwards, we all went to a restaurant for lunch which was beautifully decorated with pictures of my grandmother when she was young and all through her life!!  She was so beautiful and talented.  It was all so lovely!! The whole evening was an amazing tribute to her life and accomplishments!  A big thanks to everyone who helped make the day so amazing!!

 Here are all my Grandma's kids!!

 A rare picture of all the grandkids...and a few great grandkids that snuck in there!

 And the Harper Family...gosh I love this group of awesome peeps!!

 Spending a little extra time with my mom and Ryan's family for a few days before we went home was so nice!!  My mom gave us all our Christmas presents and the kids were so thrilled!!

 We spent New Year's Eve with the Dick's and it was a blast!! We even did a few fireworks!

 It was so nice to be with family!!

 Once we arrived home after another straight through 12 hour drive which we had not intended...we had a few days before school started up again.  I had promised the kiddos a late night with their friends, so I whipped one up! Each of the kids invited a friend over for a pizza dinner and some fun! We did a little craft...

 And played some minute to win it games!! It was boys vs girls and the competition was fierce!!

 After the games, a good ol fashion dance party was in order!! :)

 Which the boys really took over with their awesome moves!!  We ended the night with a movie and popcorn!  It was such a fun day:)

 So, January is a SUPER long month...all gloomy and cold...however, we at least have Ryan's birthday to look forward to celebrating.

 Another fun and life changing occurrence happened in gloomy January...the kids went sledding for the very first time!! They all had a blast and loved every second!!

 We even had a few wonderful friends join us!

 Elsie went down the hill over and over again with Ryan and loved it :)

 This may actually be the first picture I have posted of our dog, Skittles!!  She is such a sweet old lady and we really do love her!

 

 Jane got a haircut that makes her look way too grown up!

And Elsie still loves dressing up as a dog :)

So, all in all this January was pretty fantastic as far as January's go.  And our trip to Utah made it a pretty special one.  But...I'm still pretty glad it's February!!