Polar Bear Plunge

Apparently one of J's bucket list items has been to take a plunge into the ice cold water of a frozen lake, aka the "Polar Bear Plunge/Challenge".  When he found out that Dartmouth's undergraduate Winter Carnival was hosting one of those parties he had it penned on the calendar, not to be forgotten.  As February approached it got unseasonably warm for a week or two and essentially melted most of the snow on the ground.  Lucky for J that Friday evening of the Carnival it cooled right off and we got a fresh pile of snow. The kids and I decided it would be too windy and cold to watch him freeze his #$%& off and elected to see photos afterwards.  One word to describe this crazy experience from the pictures......COLD.

Apparently it's an "amazing" experience to go through.  Too bad I'm not looking for any amazing life changing experiences like this, so I clearly don't have to worry that I am missing out.

Good Job Babe!

I promise to still love you even if you have permanent frost bite on your fingers and toes :)

Skiing with Daddy

Maddie and Robby had a great Saturday skiing with their Daddy.  I was a proud Mom to see them all pack up their ski equipment and head out the door together.  It was officially the first trip Robby has taken without me tagging along.  It shows that they are both finally big enough to ski completely independently while Jesse snowboarded next to them.  They had a great time together at the Skiway and already can't wait to do it again!

Sunday

This is what a Sunday afternoon looks like at our house now.

We are loving 9 am church

Family Pictures

This post is WAY overdue. My good friend in our neighborhood, Jen, took these fantastic family pictures for us at Joe's Farm Grill back in JUNE. They turned out so cute, despite both my kids inability to hold still for one second. Jen was game to chase them around and have the camera out to catch the moment when they would decide to cooperate. I just fell in love with so many pictures and had a difficult time narrowing down. Robby at 18 months old (roughly)
Madison at 2 years old (almost three)

Father & Sons

A few weeks back, Jesse took Robby on the fun Father and Sons campout with our ward. Jesse's Dad and brother, Brett, also joined in on to be a part of Robby's first camping trip (Maddie has never actually been on a camping trip either :). It sounds like they had a good time and Robby slept good--which is always a worry when you bring a one year old with you! Maddie and Mommy had fun at home as well. We bought Panda Express and then ate popcorn and watched a movie on my bed. Then Saturday morning we got up and went to several garage sales in our neighborhood. Afterwards we headed over to my parents house and played with Grandma! I sure did miss my little buddy and so it was nice to have them come back home on Saturday afternoon (even if they smelled like a camp!)

Uncle Brett and "Papa" Toronto
Robby chilling by the fire

Happy Birthday Jesse

I just wanted to wish my sweetheart a Happy 29th Birthday! Enjoy it while it lasts honey...because it is your last birthday in your 20's! :)

I am seriously so grateful for my sweet husband, I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. I originally started this post out with the idea that I would find some pictures from when he was a boy...but a few hours later I couldn't seem to find those pictures anywhere. These will have to do for now... This was taken the summer we were dating. Jesse is wearing an ice pack after dislocating his shoulder in my parents swimming pool. He even managed a tiny smile for the camera, despite the pain he was in.
One of my favorites taken with Maddie the summer before her first birthday.
Taken when Jesse and I went to Nauvoo, Illinois.
I hope you had a great birthday.....