Elyana

Here is Elyana on career day...our chef/scientist:

Elyana attended a fun Minion event out our new HyVee store with her friend Zoe. She finally got another wear out of her Halloween costume!

In January my mom injured her back and was in the hospital for a bit.  She needed a walker when she got home until her back got stronger. Elyana couldn't wait to play with it and was eager to use it in the spring when she will practice roller skating.

In early March, Elyana got her braces off!  She had them on for 10 months total. There are now room for the other teeth to come in.  We will have to wait until middle school to determine if she will need braces again.  After much debate between the orthodontist and the dentist, we decided to not put braces on Mikayla. It didn't seem as much as a necessity as Elyana's teeth.

Ellie is still having a great year. She has had a rough time at school though as her favorite teacher, Mrs. Leppert broke her leg and has been out for the rest of the school year.  Not only is she greatly missed, but the class does not seem to be adjusting well to the new teacher.  I think mostly because this is her first time teaching and it is hard to come into a class in the middle of the year. 

Mikayla

Mikayla had her winter choir concert. She was part of a small group ensemble with her friend Kaitlyn. I enjoyed all of their song choices!

I'm not sure if I posted this yet but she now has glasses:

Winter Break

Sophia got to stay with us for Winter Break. We had a lot of fun as usual. Our highlight was checking out a new sled hill.

We also had a lot of snuggle time!

2015 Photos and Year Recap

This has been a wonderful year. The girls are thriving at their schools. Nate has switched jobs and is really happy at his new Mayo location. He is still close to our house which is nice.  I am really enjoying being a substitute para professional.  I spend most of the time working at Gibbs, Elyana's school. It's so nice to drive her into school, work, and drive her home.  I am getting to know the other paras and a few of them will text or email me personally to request me as their sub.  I'm glad to be getting to know many of the students too, even though it is a big school.

The only downer we've had this year is that Nate is struggling with an ongoing shoulder injury and I am still struggling with plantar fasciitis. I have tried 2 cortisone injections, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, and even ionophorisis (spelling?).  I am most of all missing going for walks and running.  I have gotten bored with a stationary bike in our basement. I have been so proud of Nate though. He has been consistent with running on the treadmill and counting calories.  He is at his goal weight and looks amazing.  I'm hoping to kick things up a notch in 2016 and join him in reaching my goal weight too.  I am so thankful for family, and our many friends here. I am thankful for our church and our awesome new home. I super appreciate Midwest Lifeshots Photography to help us capture memories of our ever growing girls.

Next year's photos will be different too as Elyana gets her braces off and Mikayla will get braces on. Also, next year, we have more home improvement projects planned. We are scheduled for a new roof and we will be missing one tree as it is badly damaged and must be cut down.  Our front and back decks also need a little T.L.C.  This spring we plan on heading to Madison to Comic con to see a few beloved Dr. Who characters.  I look forward to a few short road trips here and there with the family.

Christmas!

This Christmas we stayed in Rochester for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We had a beautiful Christmas lunch at mom's house.  Due to weather, we headed out a night early to Joanne and Babe's home for the Jones Christmas. The girls always have such a fun time with their cousins. I came down with a bad cold on Christmas.  I feel bad but I napped a lot of the time at their home.  We picked up Sophia and brought her back home with us for the rest of Christmas break.  My dad and Sarah came up on New Year's Eve to ring in the New Year with us.

My real Elf on the Shelf!

This is the candy cane I made from the iron hooks I found on the abandoned railroad.

Elyana wanted monkey bars for Christmas. With a shoulder injury, Nate really pulled through and she has been so busy on the monkey bars and has multiple blisters to prove it!  Her other favorite gift is a Nancy Drew book collection. She has been alternating between monkey bars and reading.  My mom gave the girls a large beautiful doll house. Joanne gave them some doll house items and a little family for the house.  They have been busy making furniture for it and decorating it.

Here are photos of our time at Nate's parents house.  The whole family was there. We made the traditional Swiss Doobas and cream. We enjoyed listening to Ryan on the piano and Tom on the saxophone.

Sophia blended in perfectly with the cousins.