Sock Hop @ Holy Spirit

February's parent day in the classroom at Holy Spirit brought a Sock Hop. I wasn't able to attend the dance so Jeremy videoed them for me. The kids learned the Hokey Pokey, The Twist, YMCA, and the Chicken Dance. Each one was adorable and I included the cutest here. I also included the Zoophonics song that Abbie is learning to teach her phonic sounds for school next year.

Zoophonics Song

Chicken Dance

Hokey Pokey


YMCA




Sharing a snack with her sister

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year and instead of going out to a fancy dinner somewhere we had one of the most memorable Valentine's right in our own houses. Jeremy worked the night before and came home first thing in the morning with great big stuffed dogs for both girls. They loved them so much so each dog got great big hugs...

After big dog hugs and breakfast we headed to the grocery store to embark on a seafood adventure. We had decided why go out for a crab dinner when we could make it at home ourselves so we bellied right up to the counter and told the lady we wanted some of the big crab legs. The lady asked how many we wanted. Jeremy's response, "Let's start with 3 apiece." After stacking 6 crab legs up on the scale her response was, "That makes $74.39." Holy poop with that total that's where we'll end too. Then all I could think of was what if we wasted $74 worth of crab. But what do you do...seize the day or put it back. We seized the day! You only live once!

I was responsible for steaming the crab and making the salad, while Jeremy made the twice-baked potatoes. We dressed for dinner and sat down to try our attempt at a delicious dinner. And wow........it turned out amazing if I do say so myself!

Big Sky

Jeremy accompanied me to Big Sky again this year for the annual Sports Medicine conference. We always have such a wonderful time. Staying in an expensive hotel, relaxing in the hot tub, and taking in some skiing...who wouldn't have a wonderful time??? The conference itself is a great time too since it's filled with NCAA trainers and professional sport doctors/trainers who come to Big Sky to enjoy the skiing.

This year we decided to try something different. Instead of downhill skiing we decided to try cross-country skiing. We had no idea what to do and the resort offered little to no direction. It was only after 1 hour of skiing that we finally figured out the tracks on the left of the groomed trail were for us to actually ski in. That should have been our clue to know this wasn't going to turn out well.

We also each had a couple of good crashes while we tried to master our heels not being secured to the ski. Jeremy's crash was a great one. We started down the biggest incline we had encountered and I was leading the way. Jeremy, competitive by nature, decided to try to "race" me down the hill. He skied past me, tucked his poles, and leaned forward smiling as he passed me....and then crashed to the ground so fast he didn't even have time to stick out his arms as his chest hit first. As I tried to stop I couldn't stop laughing. This was so unlike Jeremy. With his athleticism he always does everything so well while I struggle to be halfway coordinated. He laughed right along with me mentioning he hit so hard that it knocked the snot right out of his nose. By evening Jeremy was super sore so it wasn't as funny anymore...no more cross-country skiing.

This year we also tried a sleigh ride dinner. We had been reading the sign about it each time we visited Big Sky but never considered it. This year we had made friends with a few couples at the ATC conference. One couple had done the sleigh ride and told us it was one of the most romantic things they had ever done. That sealed the deal for me and Jeremy was good sport about it. It was a ton of fun. The sleigh ride was romantic, the dinner was delicious (even though it was prime rib we opted for the end pieces and the potatoes and veggies were unbelieveable), and the entertainment was amazing. The entertainment was a singer/story teller who has miles and miles of walking across the US as his storyline. We also sat at the table and met some fun people. It was a memorable week of new adventures.

This is the storyteller/singer

Nope not pregnant, just filled the front pocket with lots of clothes to stay warm.

New Member of Virts' Family

January 24, 2010 brought more than a huge snowfall. Grandma Nate had done some classified searching since Jeremy and I had mentioned we felt Abbie was ready for a puppy and we thought that we might buy her one for her 5th birthday. Since Abbie seems to have some animal allergies, we had been doing our homework for what type of dog would be the best for us to get. Grandma Nate came across some schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle cross) puppies in the paper. As we were getting ready to head out on a sledding adventure, Jeremy called the family that was advertising them and made arrangements for us to stop by. We loaded up in the truck and as we were pulling up in front of their house we finally told Abbie we had a surprise for her. We went in a found 3 adorable, tiny 6 week old puppies. Jeremy and I immediately bent down to start petting them while Abbie just kept hiding behind my leg, not really interested in holding one or petting any of them. The lady proceeded to tell us details about the puppies including which 2 were the males and which one was the female. I immediately took a liking to the black, male puppy who was the smallest. He was black with red tips and cute as a button. Still Abbie hasn't touched a puppy yet (this wasn't the reaction Jeremy and I were expecting). Jeremy proceeds to tell Abbie she can have a puppy if she wants one as long as she promises to take care of it.
Here is how the conversation unfolded:
Dad: Which puppy do you think you want?
Abbie: The girl
Mom: Which one is that?
Abbie: I don't know...the girl.
Mom: Don't you want to see which one comes to you and cuddles with you?
Abbie: Nope, we just want the girl.

Poor Jeremy.....yet another female added to the Virts' family. I was questioning if she really wanted a puppy since she wasn't really that into touching or playing with them but as we headed to the truck with the new puppy she insisted that she hold her so she wouldn't be scared. As Abbie started talking a mile a minute about what we needed for the puppy, what the name would be, and where she would sleep it became evident she just didn't want to smother the puppy in front of strangers. Sissy Jenna Virts (that's the name that Abbie chose and for several days we were told we had to call her by her WHOLE name) hasn't been left alone since. Abbie is REALLY good with Sissy and lets her out, picks up her poop, and cuddles with her at night. Rylee, on the other hand, holds onto Sissy's tail while she pulls her down the hallway. Sissy is a great dog and allows for all the ear/tail pulling from both kids. Welcome to the family Sissy!!



Take a look at the video of Abbie's introduction of Sissy to our family


With a face like that....who couldn't love the new puppy!



Rylee liked the new puppy too....

Family Day on January 24, 2010

We woke up this morning, looked outside and thought that family day was going to be pretty low key. Jeremy instead suggested we head out to Belt so he could do some plumbing for his parents and we could enjoy the several inches of new snow. Belt had much more snow than we did...a good couple of feet for sure. We took the sled and the 4-wheeler and had a great time playing in the park.

The snow is so deep it is almost hard to see Abbie.

Where is the 4-wheeler?

Rylee is SUCH a daddy's girl. While he was doing the plumbing she sat with him and helped.

Family Day on January 17, 2009

Abbie and I have been planning on a T-shirt decoration day since before Christmas and so we finally pulled out the makings on this Sunday. I did a simple decoration with just a few colors and still lots of white on the T-shirt. Abbie's T-shirt on the other hand was COMPLETELY decorated. I also didn't realize that she was not going to finish her beautiful artwork in one afternoon. There was not a white spot on the shirt after 2 days worth of die hard drawing, writing, and gluing of jewels. She hasn't worn the T-shirt yet, but it is definitely something that will catch your eye.

Church Epiphany Program

Our Saviors elected not to do a children's Christmas program this year, instead they decided to do an Epiphany program. The little kids were angels...again. No lines, no real part just got to sing a song. Disappointing that they underestimate the little ones and assume the only thing they can do is sing Away in a Manger. Abbie has quite a memory and would certainly remember a line or two or at least a different part than last year. Abbie likes being an angel so she doesn't mind and I need to stay focused...as long as she is happy and having a good time then that is all that matters.

Rylee @ 13 months

We have celebrated another milestone with Rylee as she turned 13 months. She still demands to be heard and likes to empty the cupboards but each day she brings such joy to our lives. Abbie continues to help with Rylee and is such a blessing when I need to take a shower or fix dinner. The two of them actually play together and bring a smile to my face when they play music and dance together or begin to laugh until they have the hiccups.