Hi-Yah!

Last time wearing the white belt to class. They have to get 3 stripes before they can test for the next belt.

About a month ago Syd started taking Tae Kwon Do classes. She fell in love with it immediatley. It's been kind of hard to fit it in around her swimming schedule, but we've made it work. This last week she took the test and was awarded her orange belt. If she keeps working at this pace, she will have her black belt in less than two years.

Showing off a kick

Ken and I were taking pictures at the same time. She didn't know where to look

Giving a serious Tae Kwon Do face

The Harlem Globe Trotters

This weekend we had the chance to see the Harlem Globe Trotters in Grand Rapids. Ken got us great seats right on the floor. We were up close and personal with everyone in the game. For the most part we liked the show. Parts of it were silly and repetitive, but the tricks and ball handling skills they did were very cool.

Ken and I love the Amazing Race, and Syd even got into it toward the end of this season. One team on the Race was a couple of guys on the Globe Trotters. We went into the game already knowing two of their faces and names. They must have had a day off for this game because they weren't there, or even mentioned at all. Their pictures were in the program, tho, so we know they are still around. Everyone needs some time off I guess.

Syd and I hanging out before the game started.

This guy was dribbling the ball around, then caught it on his head like a hacky sack. I'd never seen anyone do that with a basketball.

This guy was so tall I don't know how he found socks that long.

There was a lot of dunking, which is the best part of basketball :)

After the game all the players came to the edge of the floor to sign autographs. Syd got 4 or 5 different players to sign her souvenier ball.

Tubing at Five Pines

There's a great place close to us that has groomed tube runs. They even provide the tubes. Yesterday was the first time this winter we've gone. Since the snow has melted some, the runs were super icy and fast. It was a good time, and Syd did good hiking back up the hill over and over.

The tubes have awesome pull straps that make it so easy to pull behind you back up to the top.

The workers at the top give you a push to get started and sometimes add a spin in there. You never know which direction you'll end up as you come down.

Ken starting down the run.

Ken and Syd at the top getting set to go.

Idaho Trip #3

This time I had double the reason to go to Idaho for a visit. Jared will be leaving for his mission in Peoria, Illinois in a while, so I needed to go out to spend some time with him. And we have a new addition to the family I needed to meet. My brother Brian and his wife, Celia, had their son Maden on December 5. Even with travel delays and headaches, I'm glad I was able to make it out to support everyone and get to have some Christmas time with the family.

My dad and I in the best spot in the house -- right in front of the fire.

The babies all dressed up in their church clothes. Maden is on the left in his man pants and tie. Celia made the iron on tie on her computer and put it on a onsie. My cousin Beckie's baby, Porter, is on the left in his man suit. He is 3 months older than Maden and looks so huge next to him!

Brian and Celia having a baby-free moment. There were lots of people wanting a turn with him after church.

Jared the soon-to-be-missionary

Gramma Purcell and I.

Brian broke out his trumpet, much to everyone's dismay. It's not that he plays bad, just really LOUD.

Of course we had to play Nertz.

One of Jared's favorite things to do is go snowmobiling. Being the cold hater that I am, I had never gone. I'd never even been in the mountains in the winter. All 4 of us kids, and Courtney and Danae were able to go to Island Park for the day. My cousins Beckie and Jodi saved my life with their willingness to let me borrow everything from the coat, to the boots, to all the layers underneath. I decided that snowmobiling is just the same as 4 wheelering, except you freeze instead of get dirty. It's not my favorite thing to do, but now I can say I've been.

Beckie told me I'd look like a "homeless lesbian" but at least I'd be warm. I didn't care what I looked like, and for the most part I was warm(ish).

All of us before we hit the trails. Me, Randy, Jared, Brian, Courtney and Danae

In the summer there are always huge fish around this bridge. They were hiding this time, but there were lots of ducks swimming around. I wanted to jump in there with them. The sign said the water is always 52 degrees, which sounded a lot warmer than 10.

Before we left, my mom requested a picture of the 4 kids. We stopped at a warming hut (that was freezing inside!) and snapped this picture. Doesn't everyone look so thrilled to be there?

Everyone had a chance to hang out with the baby for a while. He's pretty mellow right now. Not fussy or mean. Just hangs out and looks around when he's awake.

Sometimes he has really big eyes, like he just needs to see everything he possibly can.

Jared loves snuggling him. He'll be a lot bigger, and a lot wigglier in 2 years when he sees him again.

All my brothers and my dad are really into bowling. So much so that they all have their own ball and shoes. They know of a bowling place that has half price games on Wednesday. So the 4 of us bowled for an hour straight. I got to borrow Celia's shoes while she ran some errands and be one of the cool kids.

Maden even came bowling. He didn't care about the noise at all -- just slept right through everything. My mom made the cover for his carseat. I think I need one of those, so I never have to be out in the cold.

I have cat withdrawals when I'm away from home, so I got my fix by loving on Brian's monster of a cat. He even slept under the covers with me :)

Jared and Brian playing Wii. The cat was very intrigued by what they were doing and sat and watched them for a long time.

I made this trip by myself because the timing was so close to Christmas. It was the longest Ken and I have been apart. He had these flowers delivered to my parents house as a surprise and just to say he was missing me. They were so pretty and unexpected.

Even when I'm home, Ken has a hard time not having something to do. He's good at finding little projects to occupy his time. I knew he planned to take our Christmas decorations down while I was gone. I don't love that part of Christmas, so I was glad he was willing to take that on by himself. I came home to so much more than that, though. Not only was the Christmas down and the house put back together, but he had gotten out the paint and touched up all the scuffs and dings in our walls. He also totally cleaned out the utility room where the litter boxes are. (That was a huge job and a big sacrifice on his part because it was NASTY in there). But he had one more surprise for me.

Last year for Christmas, I ordered a bunch of photo prints from a very cool website I found. I had this great plan to buy frames, and arrange them in a diamond pattern on a huge blank wall we have above our stairs. Ordering the prints was the easy part, and the rest of it just kept getting put off and put off. I needed Ken's help to get them hung, and I didn't want to buy the frames just to have them sit in a box somewhere. I never forgot about my wonderful collage idea, but didn't push for it to get done, either. This year for Christmas I told Ken I wanted the frames for a present, and I would help him hang them. He didn't really have much to say about that, so I just let it go once again.

I came home last night to the completed project! And it's exactly how I envisioned it. Everything is perfect, from the frames he picked, to the placement on the wall, to the spacing between the pictures. Ken did such a good job. I know it wasn't an easy or fun project for him, but he knew how much I wanted it, so he worked hard and got it done just right.

The picture can't do it justice. It really is a scary location to stand on a ladder and hang pictures. It looks awesome!