HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Colleen, Uncle Jon, Aunt Judy and Great Grandma Bulthaus!!! Busy day for birthdays in our family! Hope you all have a great day!

SCRAP WEEKEND AT "NOT THE KNOB"

Last weekend was our bi-annual girls scrapbooking weekend. We went to a new place this time (a/k/a "not the Knob") since Walnut Knob was having some financial troubles and we weren't sure if they would be open in February. Turns out this new place was actually pretty awesome, and although it doesn't have all the amenities of Walnut Knob, it will be a good replacement if it does eventually close its doors.

The front The back
Tammy, Janet, Vicki
Amy and Angie

Jen & Jori

The kitchen areaCricut station/snacks area

Everyone hard at work!

The dining area

One of the bedroom wings

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

A video message for Grandma Bulthaus who is at her condo in Hobe Sound, FL, from her three favorite Valentines!

SHS POM CAMP

Emily participated in the Springfield High School (SHS) Scarlet Line Pom Camp on Friday. They learned two dance routines and then performed at halftime of the JV boys basketball game last night. She had a ball and wanted to do it again today!

Testing out the pom poms

Em's favorite pose!

Emily and her "big sister" Abby

Kylie, Melanie, Emily and Brooke, along with the two big sisters! Dress Rehearsal
Show time!

Running off the court after a great performance! Halftime performance

A fun dance the girls learned called "Sally Walker". I dare you to watch it and then try to get the tune out of your head!!!

LMS PREVIEW NIGHT!

Tuesday night was preview night for all District 186 middle schools. Adam was very excited to go back to Lincoln this time knowing that's where he will be attending 6th grade. Although I'm still not sure how my little baby is old enough to be in 6th grade!!! These years are absolutely flying by and there is just no way to stop it...or even slow it down. I guess we just hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride, every minute! We are very happy that Adam will be going to Lincoln Magnet School because the school is based on technology. Every student will have their own laptop, with their school books pre-loaded on it. While it is considered a District 186 school, it is not funded with state dollars. LMS gets their funds by writing grants, and therefore they are able to purchase laptops, and have more specialized programs. We are still learning about LMS, but have liked everything we've seen so far!

Watching a science project demonstration on a laptop.
Adam placed in the 66 honors classes for ALL subjects!
Adam and Ryan filling out their scavenger hunt worksheets in the West Wing.

The Language Arts room is so cozy it makes you want to sit down in there and learn something!

Adam's favorite part...checking out the lockers in the lower level.

Cafe de Lincoln (aka the cafeteria)

Adam's friend Ben Turner also will be going to LMS next year (note they both already have their spirit wear!)

WEEKEND IN MT. CARROLL

This weekend we visited our friends the Roiland's and the Bochat's in Mt. Carroll. They recently purchased the towns bowling alley that had been foreclosed on and are in the process of renovating it. Rob taught everyone how to make pizzas so they can sell them at the bowling alley. There was definitely more flour on the floor than in the pizzas!

The kids each got to take home a bowling pin.

One of the 8 pizzas we made Saturday night! Karen Anne tries to toss the pizza like Uncle Robbie does!
Now it was Karen's turn! Emily rolling a dough ball

Ken got the hang of it!

The Bochat's

The Roiland's
Betsy's almost as tall as Uncle Robbie!

But Joey's taller!!!

Rob giving a pizza lesson to the teenagers

Besty and Emily

Karen, Betsy, Jen and Karen Anne

Alex giving Emily a lift

Kicking around the soccer ball and having fun on the lanes

Another shot of the bowling alley

Very cool

Adam and his idol Alex

Joey, Betsy, Emily, Alex, Corey and Adam

Karen, Jeanine, Bill, Rob, Jen, Karen Anne and Ken

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

On Saturday January 2, mom and I headed to her condo in Hobe Sound, Florida, just north of West Palm Beach and the town next to Jupiter Island where a lot of celebrities have homes. She didn't want to make the trip alone, so I volunteered to go with her. It was a long drive, but we had a good time just chatting and making fun of the navigation lady!!

The famous Jupiter Island lighthouse.

Inside of her condo...

Hobe Sound Beach

The outside of her condo...