Snow Snow Snow

I know a lot of people can't help but think about the weather when we mention Minneapolis, so here is the weather report. Saturday Minneapolis was hit with a huge snow storm. From what I gathered, they haven't seen a storm like this since 1854. As a result, the Metrodome stadium collapsed, UofM shut down, and our church was cancelled. But the most interesting part has been watching the ongoing circus in our parking lot. We have a great view and have watched our neighbors all day as they attempted to free their cars (see pic below).
This in my friends bike. Snow depth varied with location.

This all came down in one day.

This is what people were dealing with in the parking lot. What most people did was move the snow behind their own cars to the adjacent cars, leaving some with twice as much snow to shovel.

This is Jude getting into Christmas. I swear he did this to himself.

Jack was also excited to be a Christmas tree. This year he is getting into Christmas and has asked for a Handy Manny motorcycle.

These kids don't last long outside, but it has been below 20 degrees consistently for the past few weeks.

Thanksgiving

There are a lot of things to be grateful for and I just want to mention a few. First, I’m thankful for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. God is very much involved in my life. He has granted me opportunity after opportunity to do whatever I’ve aspired to do or become. I give God all credit for anything good that has happened to me. Second, I’m grateful for my wife and children. They become my greatest asset when I find myself on campus struggling with the demands of graduate school. During these moments, I think of how great life will be when I come home at 5pm. The simple act of thinking about my family helps me deal with the stress of life. I then go home at five to be greeted by two kids that make me believe there is no one greater in the world than their dad. And Lindsey has proven time and time again that she is as dedicated to me as I am to her. Third, I have to give a shout out to my parents. They want nothing more than for me to be happy. Having children myself has made me realize what they must have done for me. I’m blown away by their love and willingness to give all that they have for their children. Last, I’m grateful for the great friends we’ve made here in Minnesota. Friends make a world of difference when you find yourself in a new place. The people in my program and those here living with us in student housing have made our experience so enjoyable. I was especially thankful for the good friends that surrounded us this thanksgiving.


Here are a few random pictures.

Jack and Jude are growing up. Jack can now dress himself and Jude is starting to put words together. We love how Jude's feet are still far from touching the ground in this picture. He is a little guy.

This is a couple of my classmates and our boys at a Timberwolves game. You know its guys night out when there are diaper bags involved. Jack loved his $4 pretzel and hiking up to the top row of seats.

This is a classic Jude moment. Jude likes to headbutt everything. He usually does it when he is frustrated and it might be the stairs or your head that he is trying to connect with. In this case, he is actually in a great mood but can't resist the opportunity to try his headbutting skills out on the door.

Bilateral Hernia Repair

Jack had to have an operation this past Wednesday to repair a hernia on his right side. It had been noticeably bulging since July and we have been working with the doctors to have it repaired since August. Everything went well and Jack did phenomenal. He ended up having a small hernia on his left side that needed to be repaired as well, so he had two small incisions. The hospital where we had the surgery was brand new and they have made everything to cater to the families. Jack didn't have any discomfort and they had lots of things to entertain him while we waited for the operation (which was delayed 1 1/2 hours). He didn't have any reactions to the anesthesia and actually woke up normal, just a little tired. He ended up lying on the couch for a day and a half and then he was back to jumping off the couch, running around , riding his bike, and doing all of the other crazy stunts Jordan has taught him. Thankfully everything went really well and we are just happy to have it taken care of. My pictures are out of order but here was our little trooper!

This is after the procedure when he was waking up from the anesthesia. It was a little nerve-wracking waiting for them to bring him to us after the surgeon had let us know that the surgery went well.

Because Jack's surgery was delayed we had plenty of time to play and call friends. Here Jack is talking on the phone to his cousin Leah. I was freezing and wearing two sweaters and Jordan and Jack were hot, thus Jack stripped off his cool hospital pjs.

Jordan has been so busy with school lately, that Jack was glad to have all the one-on-one time with his dad. He hardly made a peep as long as Jordan was by him.

These are the awesome purple pjs that Jack got at the hospital and have since made it home to our house! Jack was really awesome and has been amazing through it all. The staff at the hospital all fell in love with him and who could resist?

More "happy" pics

I don't have much to say this week, but I thought I should post something so that our scary Halloween picture wasn't front and center. And I'll apologize in advance for this posts formating. The layout is horrible.

This is an older picture of Jude when we were still in Provo.

The boys are ready for a bike ride. Don't let Jack fool you with the goggles. Jack and Jude look like they are dressed for snow but the weather hasn't been that cold here in MN. Taking a ride on the bike is probably one of our favorite activities.

Jude at the park.

After reading all of Waldo's books, we finally met Waldo at my MHA Halloween party.

I thought Jack's PJs were appropriate for this picture.

Jack on his bike.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Don't we look like happy parents? Here we are at a friend's Halloween party a couple nights ago. The scary thing about our costumes was that almost everyone said they thought we could pull this look off on a daily basis. Maybe well dress up again just for fun one night if we ever make it out on another date. I'll at least make a habit of wearing the awesome military boots I picked up at Savers for the costume (I also found a one-piece "blizzard proof, snowmobile suit" at Savers but will save that for another post.)
This picture also reminds me of my mom. She came home one day from work to find out that I had ditched school and permanently died my hair black. It took her about 2 seconds to say, "OK, lets go buy some bleach".

And in case you couldn't guess, Jack and Jude were basketball players for Halloween. I don't know where the idea came from, but Jack just wanted to be a baller I guess. He is actually supposed to be Lebron James and Jude is Micheal Jordan.

Here are all the kids at the party (minus Jude who wasn't cooperating). We also went to a pumpkin patch this weekend with friends. We had to make up for last year because we didn't even get the boys pumpkins last Halloween.

Going Private

I have been meaning to do this for a long time, but I never have gotten around to it. We are going to take our blog private, but I would love to invite anyone that wants to peek in on our life occasionally. Leave me your email address in the comments and I will send you an invite!

Jack turns three

Life in Minnesota continues to be great for our family. We just celebrated Jack's third birthday which was exciting because he was really into this one. He has since persuaded me to take off his training wheels so he could ride his bike like his older friend Anthony. To my surprise, he did great and is already riding without any help from me. Now he is obsessed with his bike--he always wants to wash it with Windex and of course ride it.

Jude is talking more and we've decided he's not the best at compromising. From the minute he wakes up, he knows what he wants and tells you what needs to be done to make his life better. To his advantage, he is a cute kid that will melt your heart. He is into kicking balls, swings, and jumping off Jack's mattress into the bean bag chair.

Lindsey and I are busy and happy. Lindsey has a handful of good friends now that she runs around with. She was also just called to be the primary chorister! For those who have heard her sing, you know this callilng is right up her alley. As for me, I'm engulfed with school work and am trying to figure out what direction I want to go in healthcare.

Jude being his cute self.

Here is Jack on day 2 of no training wheels.

Jack and his friend Abe at the museum.

Just Moved

I want to update everyone on our move out to Minneapolis (this is Jordan by the way). We have been in the city for a couple weeks now and are adjusting to the new home. It took a while to get our things from the moving company but they finally delivered them. My parents came out for the first few days and were a tremendous help. All of the LDS members in our complex have also made it easier to adjust to the big move; every time we go outside with the boys to play, we bump into another LDS family that wants to get to know us and help us.

All right. Here are a few pictures from a Lake Powell trip we took before we came out here. We had such a great time. Jack and Jude were surprisingly very content just walking up and down the houseboat. They also loved swimming, fishing, and playing on the beach. Lindsey was able to make it through the trip without any more concussions from wakeboard falls. And I got to take a few runs behind a competition wakeboard boat brought out by the scout master from my Mom and Dad's home ward. Oh yeah, did I mention he also brought the entire scout troop out. Surprisingly, they were really fun kids and we all had a good time. Most importantly, we had a nice, relaxing time with family before we moved to MN.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had family up in Salt Lake for Memorial Day Weekend. Every time I get together with my family, it makes me more nervous for the big move to Minnesota. Jack has finally gotten to the age where he really enjoys his cousins.
Visiting Grandpa Leland's grave with my grandmother, mom, and my sisters (minus one).

Jack and Parker were fast friends and they really played well together. Contrary to the look of what might appear to be pain on Jack's face, this is actually his "cheese" face.

Jude was in heaven because every day would find us at a park somewhere. He is really starting to climb and show signs of walking.

If there is one thing I love (aside from candy corn) it is M&M's. Lucky for Jack, I have passed this love on to him. He knows that I am a sucker for M&M's so he gets them probably more than he should.

Here are all the cousins, plus one random neighborhood boy (sitting to the right of Jude). We spent a lot of time at the park and the kids had so much fun.

Jack and Jude love to play hide and seek in our bathroom cupboards, which are slowly being boxed up and emptied as we try to pack up for the move.

Jack has become quite the little puzzler. He loves to complete puzzles and was really excited because he has moved into do large 25 piece puzzles.

Jude's true love: swinging!

The Fam

We had a friend take some family pictures for us recently and I thought I would upload just a few. I have a ton more that I love, but honestly I am too lazy to sift through all the thumbnails and find the ones I love the most because she did a good job. This is just where the boys are at right now.

The Big Day

Graduation has finally come- or almost for me anyways. Jordan finished up his major this semester and I have one more class to take during Spring semester and then I will be finished. So I was able to walk with Jordan even though I haven't completely finished my coursework.

Both Jordan's parents and my parents came up for the graduation. Jack came to the ceremony but we opted to keep Jude home with a babysitter so he could get a good nap. Everything went well except for the pouring rain outside.
In addition to the excitement of graduation, Jordan has been accepted to University of Minnesota's Masters of Healthcare Administration program. He is really excited because this was his first choice. I am still trying to cope with the prospect of single-digit winters, but two years isn't that long. Jack is excited for the move to Minneapolis because his Dad has been pumping him up. We will finally be leaving Provo, and I thought that I would be so excited when the day finally arrived that we left, but the faster it approaches the more anxious and nervous I become. We are just really proud of Jordan's hard work and can't wait for the next adventure.

PS- I feel like I neglected Jude in this update...so here he is swimming in Vegas!

Easter Plus a Few More

This Easter was our first true induction into the Easter Egg Hunt tradition, since Jack is finally old enough to understand the thrill of the hunt. Although, he does not really see the value in gathering a large quantity of eggs. We had an egg hunt with the other children in our complex in between conference sessions. It was really fun and the weather was nice enough thankfully.
Jude had his own patch of grass designated for little babies and he was the only one that could hunt there, but he didn't even move from that spot. He just watched all of the kids run around and gather eggs.

Jack and his friend Bryson prior to the beginning of the egg hunt.

Jude is 11 months now and can crawl anywhere he wants and create messes right alongside Jack. He is starting to cruise along things but he is still a ways from walking.

Jack got this awesome baker ensemble from his Grandma Alesa for Christmas and his preferred cooking style is in the nude. Every so often he puts on all of the garb and I can't help but laugh.

Anyways- Jordan is in the middle of interviewing for Masters of Healthcare Administration Programs. Hopefully everything goes well and we get into a program for next fall. I am still working on my undergrad and hope to be done at the end of June. 10 years later BYU will finally be rid of me. I am sure they are glad to get my outlier stats out of their system. 10 years to finish an undergrad probably doesn't help their stats.