Easter Recap

Happy Easter - I'm only a week behind! While Mike was in Denver, Madison and I celebrated Easter with his parents and extended family at Aunt Debi's in Byron. Madison was so excited to play with Whitney, Alli, Nick, and Ryan. Aunt Debi had cokies for the kids to decorate. I think Madison's favorite frosting was the blue. She was so excited to wear her pretty new Easter dress and ruffle socks with princess sandals! In other news, Mike returned from Denver on the Wednesday night red-eye. His trip was a big success, he is now a Microsoft Systems Engineer.

Precious Love

I just adore this photo. I was able to capture this moment a few weeks ago using my Mom's Nikon D40. I had forgotten to bring my Nikon D80 (give the girl an expensive camera and she leaves it at home!!!)

I love the photo because it captures the love and innocence of children. I love how Madison is leaning in to kiss her new baby cousin and how Mason looks like a protective big brother. It's as if his eyes are saying "I will protect you." Evan is just sleeping peacefully, knowing that he is safe and loved. My only regret is that Riley is not in the picture. If I remember correctly, he was sitting in the same chair, right next to them when I snapped this photo.

Here's to capturing life's precious moments.

It's been six months....

Do you know where your lawn is????

I can FINALLY see my lawn. We have had snow on the ground since October. After this week's warm temperatures, the snow has retreated and my lawn is now visible. Upon further inspection, this is what I found....

The plow got us pretty good this past winter. Yep - that is our grass on TOP of the snowbank. This runs along the entire front property line. So, when the snowplow's blade overshoots the road, he does things right! Looks like we'll have to buy a few rolls of sod to repair the damage to our boulevard. At least he didn't get the mailbox! As the snowbanks have receded I have noticed many mailboxes listing to one side!

This snowbank is finally starting to shrink. To put this in perspective, this privacy fence is six-feet tall. The snowbank, at it's peak, nearly cleared the top of the fence.



Here is a sure sign of spring: Madison's new tennis shoes and a cute pair of sandles for summer....alongside her boots which are completely trashed! I was hoping these boots would get her through next winter too - but they are falling apart. I've already found a new pair on clearance for next winter. (yay, bargain shopper!) Let's just hope that next fall I remember where I stashed them!


And finally.....


My sweet girl and I, having a little fun!

Happy Spring.

Oh yea - spring's appearance is fleeting...we are expecting 6-8 inches of heart attack snow tomorrow. That's the thick, heavy snow that we get during this time of year.

Some pictures - finally!

My Mom just sent me a CD full of the pictures that we took of the kids last weekend. (yea, uploading to a sharing site would be easier if she hadn't loaned her computer to Ty!)

So - here they are!

This is the whole crew. From left to right - Riley (A.K.A. TANK), Mason, Madison, and Evan.

We call Riley tank because he acts like a tank! He is short and stout - with the cutest bull legs you've ever seen! He is such a mellow child. I don't think I've ever heard him cry. He is a BIG eater too! He will clean his plate and then steal his brother's when Mason isn't looking!

Madison looks just a bit jealous in the picture of the two of us with Evan.

This is Evan when he was in Children's Hospital with pneumonia. He looks so tiny and helpless. On that note - I just read a scary article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about a ventilator shortage in Minnesota. Hospitals are having to rent extra vents because there are so many people in the hospital. Even the two Mayo Clinic hospitals rented four vetilators last week because they were short. We aren't even experiencing an epidemic right now! What would happen if there were a serious flu outbreak?

This is Evan when he was born. He looks much healthier here!

Finally, this is Mason and Riley hanging out with Daddy when Evan was born. They are sportin' some new shades - I'm sure they were courtesy of gift bags from Grandma and Grandpa.

So - that's it for now!

Lots of Updates

Whew - it's been awhile since my last post! Here is what is happening on the Lee Ranch.

1. Baby Evan is out of the hospital and doing well. I was FINALLY able to see the little guy over the weekend and he is a sweetheart. I think he looks like Trevor but everyone else says he looks like Amanda. I think he has Trevor's eyes and chin. Thank God he didn't get the Tigue ears. Sorry - no pictures as I forgot my camera. However, my mom is sending me a burned CD of all the pictures from last weekend, so I will post them soon!

2. Brett Favre retirement: Mike is finally off suicide watch after Brett's announcement. Just kidding - he never really was on suicide watch, but he was pretty bummed out about it. On the night of the announcement we went to Brother's Bar and Grill for dinner and one last toast to our idol. All of us wore our Packer's jerseys. Madison even has a Brett Favre jersey! Many people stopped by our table to offer their sympathies. Surprisingly enough, many Vikings fans were sad to see Brett go. That night, my father in law swore that he is retiring his Brett Favre jersey. Maybe for father's day we'll have to buy him a wooden display case so he can retire it in style!

3. SE MN has been warm this week. The snowbanks are shrinking quickly! Spring is near!

4. The Easter Bunny visited our house over the weekend. Since Daddy is going to be away becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, the 'ole bunny had to visit a few weeks early.

This is Madison with a mouthful of jelly beans:

There is a funny thing about Easter baskets - unless you put absolutely no candy in them, there is no way to avoid a breakfast of jellybeans and peeps. The consequence: a kid that is so hyped up, you'll wonder if someone gave them an espresso and a puppy. The Easter Bunny put jelly beans in all the eggs. For some reason, Madison felt that she had to eat all the jelly beans in an egg before she could find the next hidden egg. Good thing the Easter Bunny only hid seven eggs!

The Easter Bunny put a Disney Princess doll in her Easter basket. The doll was a big hit! She carries this doll everywhere now!

Prayers

My newborn nephew, Evan, is in children's hospital with pneumonia. He has been there since Saturday. My parents were there to see him yesterday and he seems to be doing well. They hope that he will be released today. He is only 2 1/2 weeks old, so prayers are appreciated. I haven't even been able to see the little guy yet - I can't wait until he is healthy and home!

In other news - Fox sports is saying that Brett Favre is retiring. It's a sad sad day in the Lee household.