My little girl!

I took this picture of Liv last night while she was asleep.

It was her last night as a 6 year old.  Today she is seven! 

We started by opening gifts at 6:30am (that is when she woke up and requested to open gifts).  We have a fun filled day of activities and partying.  Pictures will follow in the next few days.

Bucks Game

We had a busy Saturday starting with gymnastics for 3 hours in the morning.  Liv is preparing for her first meeting this fall so she is working really hard.  Next we spent several hours spring cleaning, clearing out everyone's closets, and making a huge Goodwill pile.  We listened to conference and had Sushi for dinner, which is Shawn's conference tradition.

The kids also spent time outside forming their own soccer team, the "Black Valley".

Following dinner we headed to the BMO Harris Bradley Center, home of the Milwaukee Bucks.  The boys Tae Kwon Do Dojang did the half-time show.  The boys have been practicing for a while and were so excited.  They got to be on the jumbotron several times.

Here is a video of part of the halftime show.  

Sunshine

The sunshine came to visit this weekend.  We actually had temps in the 50's and the kids thought it was summer.  It was nice to get to spend some time outside.  

Pinewood Derby

Saturday was the Pinewood Derby.  When we arrived for the weigh-in early that morning our cars were perfect.  They weighed exactly 5 ounces, but the second stage of inspection showed that the weights on the bottom were too low and were dragging on the bottom of the track.  Fortunately, I brought my glue gun and was able to pull the weights off the bottom and glue them on the top.  It wasn't the prettiest, but it worked and both cars passed inspections.  The funny thing is that both boys won award for the most innovative design.  I am sure it was the last minute fix that helped us get this win.  Cole and Ethan's cars both were great and did well in the races.  It was a fun morning!

Hair Cuts

The boys got their first "real" haircut this weekend.  Usually I just cut their hair at home, but lately they have been whining about it so I quit.  We took them to a SportsClips and they got to watch TV while getting their hair cut.  But the best part was after they went into a dark room for a hot towel and head and neck massage.  It was so funny.  The boys had a great time and asked how soon they could come back.  Also, you'll notice both my boys are wearing shorts.  It's only about 30 degrees outside, but according to them it is warm enough for shorts.

Thaw

We actually reached 40 degrees on Friday.  It's about time.  The ice and snow are finally starting to melt.  The builders haven't even been able to work on the house lately because it has been so cold.  The kids got their bikes out Saturday afternoon and after pumping up everyone's tires we spent an hour riding around our frozen driveway.

They had fun.  So much fun that Ethan decided to run around at the end in his undies and my boots.  Cole and Liv could not stop laughing :)

We spent a few hours Saturday night at Open Gym running around.  Here is a little video recap.

Sunday evening the kids prepared a nice meal for Shawn and I.....in the basement (it was cold so we are wearing coats).  They set up a nice table, with music and mood lighting.  There was a menu and even entertainment.  We had a nice selection of food choices (from nachos, to toast, and crackers and cheese).  

Indoor Soccer

We had a long day on Saturday filled with lots of activities, but we started and finished the day with soccer games.  It started with an 8am indoor soccer game for Cole, and ended with a 6pm game watching the Milwaukee Wave professional team play.  The Wave came back for a great win.