Hawaiian

You can take the boy out of Hawaii but you can't take Hawaii out of the Boy. I took this picture of David this morning. He was taking a little nap in the sun. OK, so it was 25 degrees outside but that didn't stop him from soaking up a few rays. He actually even got a little color.

Friends

Today, our friends the Salfranks, came over for a snow play day! We went over to the snow hill in our neighborhood but couldn't get the tow rope working. The kids...and the dads, still had a great time but it sure is a long walk up that hill!!!Here is David and Paul after helping all the kids and the sleds to the top of the hill. Dads are awesome!
I think the kids had as much fun playing King of the Mountain on the snow drifts as they did sledding.... and the climb to the top is a lot easier. When we got back to the house, Deanna and Rohnda got to go for a little trek through the woods. The snow was up to our thighs in some spots. I know that we are both short but it is still a lot of snow.

Snow Storms

As you may have seen on the news, we got hit with a couple of snow storms this week!

So First we watch it fall.... And it is beautiful to watch
Next we shovel it..... and it is a really good workout
Then we play in it.... and it is lots of fun.

Siri's Birthday

It is so amazing to think that it has been 7 years since the day that God brought Sara~Ashley Monroy (aka Siri) into our Family. I think she cried for the first two months of her life but after that she was delightful.... well except for those "terrible two's" which we dealt with appropriately and, well ....look at her now!!! A 7 year old little lady. Her birthday started out this morning with a fun surprise. We have been meaning to fix up her room for a while, you know, get some girly curtains and bed linens and such. So last night, after she went to sleep (she sleeps in Josiah's room) we put up new curtains and a bed ensemble and a new mosquito net canopy. When she got up this morning we took her into her room. She loved it!!!! I think I enjoyed the whole thing as much as she did. I also enjoyed the fact that I got everything at Clearance Sale Prices. The canopy was only $9.00 at Target, marked down from $29.00. Everything else was at Khols.

We are having a snow storm (more on that later) so our neighbors came by and the kids went sledding and played in the snow. They had lots of fun.

She also got a couple fun dresses, which she really needs, from Daddy and Josiah picked out a video game for her...Typical boy, but she liked it. He also got her a Snow Board. Thanks to everyone who called and e-mail and sent gifts to make her b-day so special. She had a great day. We invited a couple families over tomorrow night for a little Birthday Celebration, Monroy Family Style!

We are so thankful and praise God for our sweet girl. I remember when I was young and used to dream about having a little girl. She is everything I ever hoped for and more. We are so excited to experience her life unfolding before our eyes and pray that Our Father in Heaven gives us wisdom to raise her to be all that he has called her to.

Snow Hill

The neighborhood where we live has a community owned Ski Hill. It even has the power tow rope to pull you back to the top..... Unfortunately it is broken right now which means you have to walk back up to the top. A couple weeks ago, we got an inch or two of fresh snow so we decided to do P.E. that morning on the hill. It is a good long run down. We used the sleds and snow board.... But is sure is a long walk back to the top. We only made it down twice because the walk back up is a little daunting. It was also FREEZING!!!! But here are some pics of us all bundled up and one of Daddy coming down on the snow board. It was fun, but I don't think we will do it again until the tow rope is fixed.

Birthday Blessings

I had a birthday last week...37!! My kids now think I am getting really old. My friend Deanna and her family brought me these beautiful flowers. They smell so nice and brighten up the winter a little.
A bunch of

my friends back home in Hawaii pitched in and bought me a bread maker as well as a bread knife, a bread slicer, some fancy bread flours and 2 gorgeous necklaces. Thanks so much Gisele, Kris, Kristi, Lillian, Penny, Trisha, and Wendy. And thanks Becky for organizing it and getting it all sent to me. Wendy also sent me a fun book and my Dad sent me a really unique clock to add to my clock collection. My mom sent me $100.00....Whoo Hoo! Samantha sent me a beautiful necklace and I also got an Aveda gift certificate from Chuck and Kathi. I also got another gift certificate for a pedicure from my friend Rachel Bruekner and her family. David and the kids got me some fun clothes from J.jill. (my favorite clothing store).

All in all, I felt so loved and blessed by everyone's thoughtfulness and generosity. I have so much love to celebrate in my life. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day.... You all know how I love birthdays!!!!

Winter

Here are some fun pictures of Josiah and Siri sledding down the hill in our back yard. They were using teamwork to get to the top and then slide down. They had so much fun. But Siri had on the wrong gloves. Hers were not water proof and when she came it her hands were numb and red. She could not even unzip her coat. We soaked them in warm water and had some hot chocolate and that seemed to cure them. Then, dad came home from work and shoveled the walk and put out salt.... It helps to melt the ice. What an adventure.

Wind Chill

This morning when we got up, we checked our weather page, http://www.wunderground.com/US/MN/Elk_River.html, as we do every morning. This mornings readings listed the current temp at -14 degrees .... Did you get that? 14 degrees below zero. The "wind chill factor", which we have learned means "how cold it is really going to feel on your skin when the wind blows" is 31 degrees below zero. On the news, they were warning people that, at those temperatures, frost bite can set in after about 9-13 minutes of exposure. They also have to go around and round up the homeless people and force them into shelters or else...Well you get the idea.... The clean up would not be too much fun. So, needless to say, we are going to deny the dogs food and water today because who wants to stand around outside waiting for them to "find the right spot"....... Oh yeah, I guess that would be inhumane, we will just have to bundle up good and pray that no one turns into an ice sculpture.

Stomach Flu

I know, most of our post are about all the fun adventures....Well this week, we had the adventure of the Stomach Flu. Jonah, Daddy, Josiah and Mom, in that order, all got a nasty case of this virus. Thankfully, it was a short one....36 hours of misery and then you're done. Well, we are all much better now and getting back to normal life, which in Minnesota in January, means COLD!!! Tonight they are forecasting a wind chill factor of 30 Below Zero. David and I agreed that we should go outside just to see how it feels.

Kaukahi

Some dear friends, Dean and Michele Wilhelm, sent us a copy of a new CD by Kaukahi. This is the group that Dean is a part of. The CD is called "Life In These Islands". We are sitting here in our cozy warm house in front of the fire place while it is about 9 degrees outside. But we are finding our hearts transported by the music and I can almost feel the tradewinds on my face and the sound of the waves in the background. It is a beautiful offering, rich with the Aloha Spirit. If you haven't heard it yet, we highly recommend it. You can find more information on their website at www.kaukahi.com We are sure you will enjoy it.

Big Drummer Boy

After being here for 6 months, David Finally got to play some drums. He was asked to play for a joint worship and baptism service at our Church. I have never seen anyone have so much fun during worship. Of course he did a great job and sounded great. There is a lot of talent on the team so he fit right in. It was fun for us to watch our Daddy get to do what he loves again.

Christmas Eve

I know we are going backwards here, but we just got these pictures from Chuck of our Christmas Eve visit to their house. They live on a lake that, of course, is frozen. So we went Ice Fishing, Ice Skating and some other fun ice activities. Here are some pics of Kathi and I and also the kids with Alexis, Chuck and Kathi's grand daughter. It was lots of fun.

Snow Princess

Here are some fun pictures of Siri. She absolutely loves to be out in the snow. Can you blame her. Look how beautiful the landscape is. She just shines when she is outside...Our little Snow Princess.

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve we got about a foot of snow. It took us about an hour and a half to clear the driveway....we have a long one! The kids and I went for a walk in our woods. It was so beautiful, like walking through Narnia. The next day played outside for hours. Mommy tried to snow board down the driveway and took a nasty spill....got the bruise to prove it. We did miss having all our friends around for New Years, we would have loved to share it with everyone but God blessed us with a fun family time.

Sledding

Last night, Daddy ran to Walmart to get us some sliding gear. He came home with a sled, something that looks like a skim board with handles, and a beginners snow board. After we got the kids to bed he decided to go try them out on our hill. Then the kids went out first thing this morning and played. Siri loves the snow best of all. I think she would stay out there all day if her stomach didn't call her home. Josiah has a great time but once he gets cold.... he's done. Jonah is still not quite sure what to make of it all....he just keeps saying, "it's White."

Our House in the Snow

It's Going to Be a White Christmas

We are finally getting some snow. When Daddy left for work today it was brown everywhere. Here is the picture from when he came home. It is so exciting for the kids....and I confess, the adults are getting quite a kick out of it too. When I looked out of the window, David was trying to catch the snowflakes on his tongue.

Siri's Christmas Song

Tonight, Siri sang in her first Christmas Pagent. She got dressed in her Sunday Best...a dress we bought special for the occasion, and got up with her class to perform "Away in a Manger" and a few other songs. She was so beautiful and did a great job. We were all so proud of her. After the show we all went to the Gym where they had a Pinata and cookies. It was such a fun evening.

Maiya

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Monroy Household. Yesterday we drove to St. Paul...In the snow, I might add. (A first for me) We brought home a beautiful new Dog who we named Maiya. She is a 5 month old puppy. Half German Shepherd and half something else, they think, maybe yellow lab. She is quite calm and obedient for her age. Jake is not too excited about the new addition but he is slowly adjusting. His tail has been tucked under since she got here. She is dying to play with him but he is still a little too nervous about the whole situation. We see signs of progress, though, and are hopeful that she will become a permanent member of our family.

Jake

Well it is about 9 degrees outside and Jake needs to go out so we put one one Jonah's sweaters on him...here is how it turned out. He seems to be handling the cold well for a dog that is usually pretty wimpy. His favorite pastime is sleeping in front of the Fire place....it's a dog's life.