A Day With Grandma Sharon

Alexis and I enjoyed a day with Grandma Sharon yesterday!  Of course, I enjoyed taking pictures of the smiles, hugs, and kisses! What a fun day it was!!

                         Ted E. Bear                                       Classic Toy!

 

① Alexis took her traveling school bear to visit Grandma.

② Playing with my old etch a sketch = a great time!

③ The end of a kiss...darn, missed a good one!

④ Tacos for supper...Yumm-O!

A little game of he said // she said

She Said...

1. What did we give each other for our most recent anniversary?
Oh boy, this category of remembering special things believe it or not, does not happen with me. I'm going to guess that we decided to forego small gifts for each other and we pooled our money for a vet visit for Molly.

2. When was the last time you were up past midnight together outside of the house?
Bahaha..I can't even remember when the last time I was up past midnight inside the house! I'm guessing in our college years over 7 years ago.


3. What would your ideal vacation look like?
Taking a family vacation to Disney World. I want to see Alexis and Brynn with big smiles on their faces on the Dumbo ride or screaming on the teacups to go faster! I want to eat breakfast with Mickey and the gang....now, that would be a dream vacation!


4. What is one thing that Cindy does that is just like her mother?
I am caught left and right saying things that are exactly what she would say.


5. If we won the lottery, what would be the first thing you spend the money on?
The smart thing would be to pay off all of our bills and then I'd like to pay off all of my mom's bills and medical expenses.


He Said...

1. What did we give each other for our most recent anniversary?
 We never do anniversary presents. Talcum powder for the 7 year itch!

2. When was the last time you were up past midnight together outside of the house?
Not even outside of the house I couldn't tell you. Cindy always goes to bed early. Probably Cindy's 21st birthday.

3. What would your ideal vacation look like?
A Hawaiian vacation would be ideal...attend a luau, visit Pearl Harbor, and hang out on the beach. With the girls, of course!

4. What is one thing that Cindy does that is just like her mother?
An occasional saying.

5. If we won the lottery, what would be the first thing you spend the money on?
On me haha! Not Cindy...me!

Wait for it....

Playin' in the snow!

It's crazy that one of best snowfalls of the year happened to be on January 22nd! By now, we should have piles of snow around our yard. Instead, it is just now layering our yard with the beautiful fluffy stuff. The kind that I think will stick around for awhile, but with this crazy winter, who knows!

The freshness of the snowfall beckoned me to make a snow angel. Call me dork or a nerd, but it was peaceful!

rule #578

When baking a cake, the rule is to always lick the bowl even though mom talks about this salmonella stuff!

Saturday Morning: Basketball

I've always asked Alexis if she would like to participate in activities. Now that she is in Kindergarten it opens up a variety of activities to participate in. When we got the slip for Dance, I had asked her (numerous times) if she would like to do that and she responded with a "No." I asked a few more times and every answer was "No."  I finally stopped and respected her answer.

Then, we got information on basketball. Without hesitation, she responded with "YES!" Now, every Saturday through February, Alexis is learning the fundamentals of basketball and she is lovin' every minute of it.

I am reminded of myself when I watch her and how proud Grandpa Ed would be of her. I hope she is able to find what she enjoys throughout her school years. Maybe she will stick with basketball maybe she will not. Either way, I will always be there cheering her on!

A changing world

As I entered the living room this morning, I didn't see my little girls playing with dolls, Barbies, or even all the Hotwheel cars that we have strewn around the house. Instead, this is what I saw. A picture of modern America as we now know it. Although all of these devices like the iPad/iPod are nice, I can assure you that I still enjoy the good old fashion way to read a book, play a board game, and teach abcs and 123s.

Zander Award Ceremony

With award shows like the Emmys and Oscars fast approaching, I'd like to take some time to highlight our own Zander family winners this year.

And the winners are....

Best background for a photo goes to... Red Lodge random garage

The loudest cheerleaders at races goes to... Alexis and Brynn

The best cook...me, of course!

Award for the best cuddler...papa Zander

The most adventurous...Alexis

The horse whisperer...Alexis (Brynn lost big)

Most beautiful Molly picture!

Craziest motorcycle winner

The cheesiest smile, but making the most out of Brynn's crying goes to...CHAD!!

The cleanest eater goes to none other than Brynn!

Mr. Zander wins the laziest...(it's actually me, but he doesn't have a picture of it to prove it!)

Most memorable car and pizza goes to Moose Jaw Pizza in Wisconsin Dells!

Messiest smore eater...Alexis!

The award for the most mischievious goes to...Brynn!

The award for the greatest accomplishment by far is...Alexis

The award for the best pig racing face goes to none other than Brynn!

And the winner for the most scared at parades...Brynn

 Award for the most special and teary eyed photo of the year...how could this one not win an award?!

Award for the proudest girl...Alexis on her first day of school

 And the winner for the shove food into mouth at the best time goes to...Brynn! Look Close!!

The best summer memory goes to...Zorbaz Pizza!

The award for the why are the kids so quiet?

 Goes to this memorable moment... 

 The award for the worst self portrait goes to this quick snap...

I announce with pride the last award for the night...

The most dramatic performance goes to this cute little bug!

Until next year...

My mom, my hero!

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."  Eleanor Roosevelt

Many of you may already know that my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She's had a successful surgery to remove the tumor already, but now she is looking chemo in the face. She will soon undergo a long series of chemo and radiation appointments. The battle continues for a while longer unfortunately.

I am still going through a roller coaster of emotions. One day I am feeling sad that my mom has to be going through all of this after all that she has had to deal with in her life already.

Another day I am frustrated that nobody has yet figured out how to cure cancer and another minute, I am simply mad at cancer itself (cancer took my dad away from me when I was 17).

I also find myself scared...I cannot deny this.  I'm scared for all of her treatments and the unknown of how her body will react. I'm scared that she may get too sick and miss out on important memories.

I find myself relatively okay through all of this though because I know what a fighter my mom is and always has been. She has a long road ahead of her, but I know that she will get through this. She has three wonderful and caring daughters, not to mention a huge extended family that are in this fight with her...Go Team Sharon!!

My mom with my daughter, Alexis

I thank Connie for taking the lead with all of my mom's medical appointments!

My mom and her three girls

My mom with Brynn shortly after she was born

My mom walked me down the aisle...what a blessing!

A whole lot of inspiration going on!!

Here we come Fargo marathon!! My mom is really inspired to walk the 5K this year at the Fargo marathon. We hope that she has enough strength and energy in May to do this. If not, many of us will be walking it in honor of her breast cancer fight...you can guarantee a fun crew wearing pink will be showing up to walk it for her!

My husband has decided that he will be running his next marathon for charity! His next marathon happens to be the Fargo marathon. All of his proceeds will be going to the American Cancer Society!! What an awesome son-in-law huh?! More information on how you can sponsor his race will be coming soon...PLEASE think about helping Chad raise money for a great cause!

And me; well, I'm planning on running a half marathon for my mom! I have a race in mind in early fall (summer is my best training time). Every step and mile will be for her! I have started my running/training already and when my mind thinks about stopping, I get inspired to keep going because of her!

Here's to the next chapter of kicking cancer in the butt!!