Happy 2015!!!

So, basically, 3 months came and went in a blink of an eye! But, in that three months, a lot happened, so I'm going to try to do a quick recap! : )

New Year's Eve - We had plans to watch Heather and Guthrey's girls and Kim and Jon's girls. Heather's girls got sick so we just had Kim and Jon's 3 girls. After Jon and Kim went out to eat, we all hung out here together. It was a lot of fun and we were fine staying in for the night and hanging low!

Jeff and Aubree- Got Engaged! Woot Woot! We actually knew Jeff had a ring but we did not know when the proposal would take place. They went to Costa Rica on vacation and he popped the question then! We all love Aubree, and most importantly, she and Jeff seem like a perfect match. After a few weeks, we learned that the wedding would be in August of this year, in Kansas City, and would be a family-only ceremony with a big reception! Whew! I have been helping them with invitations and a few details here and there, which has been fun. I love Aubree's taste and style, so that makes it very easy, too. We are busy planning a little shower, and a small reception back in Lake City, as well. And, we got to meet Aubree's mom in Kansas City in March when we were there for basketball!

Joey's Friends and Pizza- In January, Joey had a little night "in" with his friends, and Maddox got to have one friend over, as well. We went to a gym, played lots of sports, and came home and had pizza and watched basketball. I really love Joey's friends...he seems to have stuck with the same 6-9 kids. They were so polite, respectful, and all of them played with Saylor. When it was Saylor's turn to bat, they all faked that they missed the ball, or had a terrible throw or couldn't get her out. That warmed my heart- they were good sports in putting up with the younger two. Having boys all over at the same time is a good way for us to get to know the kids' friends. And, honestly, it's easier than a birthday party- no favors, no gifts, no need to "entertain" them, etc. It's fun listening to them talk, watching them interact, watching them watch hoops on TV, seeing how Joey is around his friends....it was a fun night.

GG Coppola turned 98 years old! 

Valentine's Day and My Birthday - My mom and dad came over my birthday to help with the kids and take me out to eat and go to a concert. It was nice having a little extra help over my birthday! We had our annual special Valentine's Dinner at home on Friday, the 13th.The kids brought balloon valentines to school, and I volunteered at each of their class parties. It was a fun Friday! Then, Tony and Kelly came into town for the weekend and stayed with us. We watched basketball, went out on a group date night, played with the kids, and did a little bit of shopping. It was a lot of fun having them here. We visited them in Decorah the first weekend in January, too. The best weekends with them are the ones where we don't have a lot planned and we can just hang out and the kids can play!

Saylor- Well, Saylor has kept me the most busy during the days. She LOVES school - she could go every day all day. She loves to be busy, loves doing crafts, loves playing babies, loves helping mommy, loves any type of attention to be honest. Here's a few photos that can give you an idea of what she has been up to!

Basketball- I will save the basketball photos and updates for a separate post! But, basketball might be the reason that I have not blogged in 3 months. 

Bobbi and Joe- Visited over the weekend of February 20th. They got to watch some basketball with us, and have supper with us one night. The kids miss them a lot. 

In good news, March seems to have come in like a lamb. We have 60-70 degree weather which has been awesome. We are not going anywhere for Spring Break but we are going to Arizona for Easter. We are all looking forward to that!  Let's hope the weather is better this year in Arizona than it was last year in Florida! My parents took the kids and Grace and Maya this weekend so they could get some cousin time, we could get some alone time, and so we could go out with a Dowling crew last night. It's funny how when the kids are gone, it's almost too quiet. And, you can eat slower but you don't. And, you can slow down but you're so used to going at mock speed, it's almost as if you've forgotten how to slow down.

So, here's to Spring, more blog posts, good weather and more!