School's out for summer!

The girls wrapped up a great year at their new school, Falcon Ridge Elementary, the Thursday before Memorial weekend.  Both girls came home with great report cards, and Abby was even "Student of the Month" for her class.  She was very sad to say goodbye to her friends and teacher for the summer.  Norah had a great year, too, but I think she was pretty excited to be home and have a break from the long days. 

Dave was able to attend some of the girls' end of the year events--Abby had an egg drop experiment that parents were invited to, and Norah had a kindergarten celebration.

Dad's 60th birthday

We had fun surprising my dad for his 60th birthday in Rochester!  We met up at the Loop for lunch with my parents' neighbors, Claudia and Dave, and my dad was so surprised to see us all.  He was even more surprised when Greg and Jenny walked in a few minutes later, especially since Greg had just come home for Erin's wedding the weekend before. 

In the afternoon, we had another surprise--an escape room adventure.  The six of us (Greg, Jenny, Dave, Abby, my dad, and I) had a blast and exited the room in almost record time (the fastest time for the month of April).

That night, we enjoyed playing at the park, grilling out, and having a little birthday party with cake and presents.  My siblings and I had gone together on getting my dad tickets to Elton John's final tour.  He was touched and was even a little choked up. 

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to try another escape room, and were once again successful (fastest time for the month for that room, too!). 

It was a fun family weekend celebrating my dad!

Erin & Tim's wedding

Norah was asked to be a flower girl in my cousin Erin's wedding, so she was excited to get out of school for a day to head down to the rehearsal with my parents and Greg.  Dave, Abby, and I left after school Friday night, and had an interesting time getting down to Story City with the crazy hailstorms.  We had to pull off of the interstate to wait it out for a few minutes, and then later again at a rest area for about half an hour.  We were happy to finally make it to the hotel!

Saturday morning, we enjoyed a visit from Miriam, Keith, Gavin, and Caleb.  It was fun to swim and have a little belated birthday party for the girls.  We loved meeting baby Caleb!

Norah was great for pictures at the church, and pretty good during the wedding...you could tell she was getting a little restless during the ceremony at times, though! 

The reception was at a nearby winery and we had fun catching up with family at the dinner and dance.  Unfortunately, the weather was cold, rainy/snowy/sleety, but the wedding was still beautiful and fun.  And on the plus side, we avoided being at home stuck in a huge blizzard back in MN!

Grandparent's Day

Both my parents and Dave's parents were able to make it up for Abby's Grandparent's Day concert at school this year.  She had been so excited about the songs and practicing in the shower for several weeks...  After the concert, they spent some time in Abby's classroom with treats and some time to show off their classroom.

Abby's 10-year interview

Abby's 10-year stats:  weight-55 pounds (6th percentile); height-54 inches (45th percentile)

Favorite color:  turquoise
Least favorite color:  brown
Favorite book:  Harry Potter
Favorite fruit:  canteloupe
Favorite vegetable:  broccoli
Favorite TV show:  Full House
Favorite movie:  The Greatest Showman
Favorite food:  pizza
Favorite school lunch:  shrimp poppers
Favorite thing to wear:  dresses
Favoring snack:  Goldfish
Favorite zoo animal:  zebra
Best friend:  Avery
Favorite cereal:  Frosted Flakes
Favorite drink:  lemonade
Favorite thing to do with Mommy:  read
Favorite thing to do with Daddy:  wrestle
Favorite thing to do with Norah:  play Barbies
Favorite thing to do with Sadie:  snuggle
Favorite store:  American Girl
Favorite toy:  American Girl doll
Favorite game:  Life
Favorite restaurant:  Pizzeria 201
Favorite school subject:  reading
Favorite thing to do outside:  gymnastics
Favorite song:  Whatever it Takes by Imagine Dragons
Favorite holiday:  Christmas
What I want to be when I grow up:  daycare lady
What makes me happy:  when I'm playing
What makes me sad:  when I get hurt
What I like about Daddy:  he's funny
What I like about Mommy:  she reads to me
What I like about Norah:  she has a funny attitude
What I like about Sadie:  she's cuddly
Now that I'm 10:  sometimes I get to sit without a carseat

Easter weekend

We celebrated Easter in Rochester this year.  Dave's parents came over Saturday afternoon, and we made treats, had an Easter egg hunt, and a delicious meal.  We also celebrated Abby's birthday with everyone. 

On Sunday, we had brunch after church with my parents and my dad made a treasure hunt for the girls.