Mall Of America

Today, our adventures took us to the MOA.

The day was all about showing the kids a fun time.....They rode lots of rides and got a few fun treats....
The were brave and daring and got to experience the thrill of being just a little bit

scared on the log ride and the roller coaster.

...lots of kiddie rides too.

The Mommies and Daddy are quite exhausted though and hoping for an early bed time.

Ice Fishing

This afternoon we went to the Ripka's home where Tanner took us all Ice Fishing.

We walked out on to Lake Mitchel where Tanner drilled the hole in the ice for us.

It was a fun new adventure for everyone.

Joshua caught the first fish of the day.

The fun was cut short by the cold breeze across the frozen lake. The kids trickled in to the house with cold feet and frozen noses, But it was a fun adventure none the less.

Thanks, Tanner for a great afternoon.

Family Church

This morning we decided to have Church as a family. David shared some scriptures and we had a great time of worship.
It was so great to worship with friends and family.
We had a great time of dancing, singing and shouting the praises of our God.

Thank you Jesus.

Nathan & Fawna

Congratulations Nathan & Fawna Pintor!Yesterday, My Baby Brother got Married to a Beautiful gift from Heaven.

Nathan and Fawna were married yesterday in Georgia.

We are looking forward to celebrating together as a Family in a few weeks.

My kids, who like to call him "Uncle Spiderman", are excited for them too and we are all looking forward to meeting his new Bride.... Lots of love to you both.

Cooking Project

Baby Justus

"Hey gang....What's cooking"

We are having so much fun with a baby in the house. And not just any baby... one that we have longed to meet ever since he was born. He is so sweet and happy and smart and Auntie Becky is sharing so nicely.... We are really enjoying getting to know him.

Big Snow Flakes

On Thursday we had a beautiful snow fall, The kind with the big snow flakes that float down as if they are in a snow globe. The kids were so excited to go outside. They all caught snow flakes in their tongues and got their hair coated in flakes.
They thought the forest had turned into Narnia and they never wanted to come in.
What a beautiful memory.

Visitors From Afar

Yesterday, Our dear friends arrived from Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Hsis, (Becky, Joshua, Hannah, Bethany and Justus) flew the Red Eye and arrived yesterday morning.... Tired, but otherwise, safe and in good spirits....Thank you Lord!!

We feel incredibly loved that Becky would make that long journey with 4 young kids and that Mark would spare them for 2 long weeks....Thanks Mark!After a meal and a long nap, the kids couldn't wait to get out in the snow. We suited everyone up and watched with delight as they experience a winter wonderland for the first time.
Joshua declared that it was the most fun he has ever had. He was catching on quickly with the snow board and is already an expert at the Snow Ball Fight.
Even Baby Justus got in on the action..... 6 months old and already sledding down the hills. Of course he was safely tucked inside his mommies jacket like a Kangaroo in a pouch. And Bethany just couldn't wipe that smile off her face. We are having a great time and promise to update with more pictures soon.

Snow Games

Okay, so the game is...to hit daddy with snow balls while

he tries to snow board past the kids in the Back yard.It is a task that requires great strategies and perfect execution for both teams. As I sit inside blogging this adventure, the score is Dad: 2 points and kids: 12 points.
Poor dad, pressed down but not beaten, he goes up the hill for another try.

From my view in the kitchen, it looks like he is doing better but I don't think he can pull ahead.

It looks like Josiah and Siri will be the Champions today!

The Jonah Breakfast Special

One of Jonah's favorite activities is to watch me cook. He loves it when I announce what I am adding next and then mix it up. So today, While I was in the other room folding laundry, He decided to give it a go without me. He got out the big bowl, added water, cereal, crackers and organic dried cherries (that grandma brought from California.) He then added a few pistachios, some milk and some rice crackers and mixed it up well. Then he got the bag of flour down from the top shelf of the pantry and added a cup of flour. What a mess!!! He was having so much fun creating his masterpiece that I just couldn't scold him for it. ( though I would rather he picked some cheaper ingredients) I am not sure what to do with it now..... maybe if I throw it outside, the squirrels will eat it. That would be a nice a spring time treat for them!

Spring is Coming

I know that you can't really tell by all the snow, but today, it actually warmed up to about 45 degrees. We were so excited that we even opened up some windows. David took the dogs out in his shorts. It is amazing how acclimated we have become!

Counter

You may notice that I have added some new features to our blog. There is a new counter on the upper right side of the screen that shows me if anyone is actually reading this blog... Besides Samantha, who tells me that I don't update it often enough to keep loyal readers. So, anyway, if you are out there and still enjoying our post, now I will have some idea. Comments are always appreciated but not expected as I am terrible at leaving them for others. But we do hope you are enjoying the pictures and the updates as the adventure continues.

Jonah's Birthday

Today is Jonah's 5th Birthday. We spent the day celebrating Jonah as a family. He is so precious to us. We went out to lunch and had a special dessert. Jonah managed to spill some water on his clothes, which of course meant that they all had to come off. He left the restaurant in his sisters extra t-shirt...it was pink., He actually thought this was quite comical. We sang Happy Birthday and blew out candles.....several times.

His favorite part is watching the smoke float up after you blow them out.

We picked out this fun stuffed snake for Jonah. He loves it and has been playing with it all day.
Our Friends, Chuck and Kathi came over for dinner and to celebrate with us. Uncle Chuck was spinning Jonah around and he just kept asking for more until they were both about to fall over.

We prayed and thanked God for the special gift he has given us in our son Jonah. He is such a happy, sweet boy. At dinner we all shared about our favorite thing that Jonah does or says. Jonah has a habit of interjecting into situations by saying "Wonderful, Wonderful God". This is one of our favorites. I remember, when Jonah was first diagnosed with Autism, my main prayer was that he would know God's love, that he would be able to give and receive love and that he would have joy. I believe that God is answering those prayers. We continue to ask God to heal him completely and we ask that you agree with us in prayer that his full destiny will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

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.