Record-Breaking Breaststroke

This past weekend was the State Swimming & Diving competitions at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.  My nephew, Tyler, qualified to swim during three events at State - The 200 Yard Medley Relay Team, the 200 Individual Medley & the 100 Yard Breaststroke.

On Friday, the medley team did awesome and actually broke the previous Monte High School record, but they unfortunately got disqualified at the very end due to one of the swimmers diving into the pool too early.  That was a real bummer.  They didn't get to advance to the final round during that event.  

Next was the 200 Individual Medley.  Tyler gave it his all - it's not one of his favorite events.  He finished 21st out of 26.  They only take the top 16 to qualify for the final event.  He still did very well.

His third & strongest event was one of the last events of the day - The 100 Yard Breaststroke.  To say we were excited, anxious and nervous would be an understatement.  After all, this would be one of Tyler's last events of his high school career.  We've watched him grow and work to achieve his goals since middle school.

His goal was to break the school record of 100.81 (which has been held since 2005) and he was very determined to get there.  We all had faith in him that he could do it.  As the buzzer went off to start the race, we were all cheering, "Go Tyler, Push Tyler, You Can Do It Tyler, Come On Tyler!"
He stayed with the group during the whole race and then on the last lap he just broke away from the pack and took off.  As soon as he touched the edge of the pool, we looked up at the scoreboard to see his time...OMG, OMG, OMG it said, 59.66!!  For a split second I thought "That can't be right?"  And then it hit me...HE BROKE THE SCHOOL RECORD!!!!!!!  My mom was video taping the whole thing with my camera!  It was such an emotional experience witnessing him achieve his goal!  All his hard work and determination paid off.

He advanced to the final rounds on Saturday for the 100 Yard Breaststroke.  We were all watching with pure excitement and holding our breaths as this was his final swim of the season.  He dove into the pool and on his second pull, his goggles broke in half.  He had to give it his all and push through it.  Even with broken goggles he finished in 6th place and still beat the old Monte record with a 100.21.

We are all so very proud of you Tyler!  His plan is to swim at the college level, but he hasn't made his final decision on where he will be going to school just yet.  I think he has narrowed it down to SDSU or Gustavus.  Wherever it will be, we will be there to cheer you on!  His next goal is to make it to the national level and I have no doubt that he can & WILL do this.

Their awards banquet was held on Monday night at the high school.  Tyler received a plaque for his record-breaking time, earned All-State Honors, as well as half of the "Coaches" award.  It's an award that is voted on by all of the coaches to the best member of the team.  He tied with his teammate Andrew.

Here is a link to the record-breaking video from this weekend.  He is in lane 5 with the yellow cap...stretching his arms and jumping up & down before the race.  At the end you can hear one very CRAZY, excited, proud aunt!!!!

 Broken Goggles

 Just found out he broke the school record.  His teammate Jack Spaeth gave him a congratulatory pat on the head!  AWE!

 Tyler's Fan Club

 6th Place Medal

Look Who's 3

Miss Erin Lynn turned three years old on Friday, February 22nd.  She came into this world on her own schedule and has been a ball of energy ever since. 

On Friday, Erin and I had a little mommy and me day.  We ran a few errands & then we got lunch at Noodles and Company.  She requested her favorite food, Macaroni & Cheese.  I love how she says it, "Mac-roni-n-Cheeeeese."  After lunch we headed over to Nadia Cakes to get a little birthday cupcake.  She must have been full from eating all of her Mac-n-cheese because she only took one bite of her cupcake.  I could tell she was getting tired, so we headed for home to take a nap. 

That night we had her open one of the gifts from us.  She has been asking for a Minnie Mouse kitchen ever since she saw a picture of it from the Target Christmas Toy Catalog.  Man, did she light up like a Christmas tree when she ripped open the package.  It's so much fun to see her so happy!  She was jumping up and down and screaming in pure excitement!  Brad put it together that night and the girls were having a blast making us all kinds of pretend food.

We had a little party on Sunday at Lifetime Fitness for Erin and her friends.  The kids had fun in the bouncy house & zipping around on the gym floor with little scooters.  They really enjoyed the parachute too!  All the kids were so busy running around and having a blast. 

Erin received so many cute gifts: A Dora backpack with accessories; a Dora Costume; a coloring book with paint set & a Dora doll; a hair accessories tote & flavored chap stick; a Tinkerbell costume; a Lalaloopsy doll; a pink clip-in hair piece; play-do set; a hooded blanket; a coloring book with stamp set; a Hello Kitty night light from grandpa Brad; coloring book & luggage from grandma Linda & uncle Bob; clothes from Unkie Hoda, Rachel, Sam, Tyler & uncle Jesse; and a jewelry box filled with jewelry from mommy, daddy & Emmy.

Some of her favorite things are:

• Her favorite foods are Mac-n-cheese (of course), yogurt, black olives, ravioli, broccoli...there isn't much that she doesn't like.  She's a good eater!
• Dora, Mickey & Minnie, Tinkerbell, Toy Story, Finding Nemo & Caillou
• Brown is her favorite color
• Gymnastics
• Helping mommy
• Painting & Coloring
• Babies
• Playing with her friends Isis & Hadley
• Playing with her kitty Max
• Loves to dance & sing
• She's a daddy's girl

My sweet girl. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. This past year, your personality and preferences have really shined through. You are incredibly witty ~ especially for a three year old! There isn't a day that goes by where you don't make us belly laugh. I adore that about you.


You can hold your own with your sister. The two of you can be so angry with each other and then in the next blink of an eye you are snuggled up on the couch watching a movie.  We love you bugga-boo!

Vitamin C Overload

We received a very special package in the mail last week.  Grandma Bev sent us hand-picked oranges from her home in Arizona!  These oranges are so yummy!  We are definitely not lacking in Vitamin C. 
Thank you Grandma Bev!!

Brad's parents are currently visiting Grandma Bev for a few weeks.  While they have been away, we have been watching their cat, Snoopy!  She is so adorable and friendly.  She purrs even if you just look at her.  The girls give her so much love, I think she gets sick of the them.  They call her "Snoop Dog."  The girls also go around the house singing, "Snoopy in the Sky with Diamonds."  (A little remix of the Beatles' Song)

Our cat Max is getting along with Snoopy very well.  We've even caught Max & Snoopy napping together and hanging out in the window together!  Snoopy tries to swat at Max sometimes and he just takes it.  He's such a little gentleman.  He doesn't fight back.

I think we might try to keep her.  Just kidding.  But, I think Max would really love another permanent playmate.

Honoring Harley

My grandfather Harley passed away last week at the age of 87.  He was a kind hearted, gentle, soft spoken man.  He served in the United States Army during WWII and was awarded several medals for his bravery, courage & acts of heroism.  Among them were the Bronze Star & the Purple Heart. 

The Bronze Star was awarded to ground troops, infantry in particular, during WWII who lead miserable lives of extreme discomfort and were the ones who were the closest in personal combat with the enemy.

He was wounded one night when his troop rushed into a building that was full of heavily armed enemies.  He fought his way through the building while being shot at several times.  One of those bullets ricocheted off of the butt of his rifle and went into his heart and then into his arm.  After taking over the building from the enemy, my grandfather looked down at his chest to find that the bullet did not in fact go into his heart.  The bullet was stopped by a Zippo lighter that he had placed in his shirt pocket earlier that day. 

If it weren't for that Zippo lighter, my family wouldn't be here today. 

I will always remember camping at Kandiyohi Park 2, riding his red scooter, how he always picked up empty pop cans on the side of the road while riding his scooter, his great sense of humor and family get-togethers.

He was honored with a full military service featuring seven United States Army Honor Guards.  The firing of the rifles, sound of taps & the presentation of the flag with the words "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service" will forever remain as one of the most unforgettable, emotional days of my life. 

Thank you grandpa for your service to our country, your bravery & courage, and for giving me your sense of humor.  I will miss you dearly!

Click here to read his obituary.

Maxi

Last week at Emmy's preschool it was "Bring Your Pet To School" day. (any stuffed animal)
Emmy first thought she was going to bring Jingle, her interactive puppy.  I didn't want her to bring a noisy stuffed animal so we decided on a regular stuffed puppy.

During circle time all of the kids got to show everyone their "pets."  Each child took turns telling everyone what their pet's name was.  Emmy told the whole class that her pet's name was "Maxi-Pad."  

Our cat's name is Max.  But as a joke we call him Maxi-Pad.  My brother has a dog named Max as well and he calls his dog the same thing.  The girls picked up on that name pretty quick.  Yikes, I'm going to really have to watch what I'm saying from now on!  UGH!!   Not a proud mommy moment!

George The Casanova

We are very pleased with Emmy's preschool - 4 Star Express.  She attends all day every day classes and loves every minute of it.  She is learning so much and is making lots of new friends.  She loves the school lunch but asks me every day what she'll be having the next day.  If it's something she doesn't like, she gets to bring her own lunch from home.  She told me the other day that she was sick of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.  I guess I need to change it up a bit.  :)

She has four teachers during the day.  Mrs. Scherber & Mrs. Schultz in the morning and Mrs. Barnes & Ms. Mattheson in the afternoon.  She loves clip time, home living & computer lab the best.  

Since the first day of school she has had a little admirer named, George.  He is the cutest little four year old boy I have ever seen.  The first week of school she was telling me all about George on the playground and then she said that he sits by her all the time.  I told her, jokingly, that I thought he had a crush on her.

Then, one day Emmy received something in the mail from George.  It was a puzzle that he had colored specifically for her.  I thought, well, every kid likes to get their own mail, so I helped Emmy write his name/address on an envelope and we sent something back to him.  I thought that was the end of it.  Then we received another letter with his preschool picture and another picture that he colored.  His preschool picture is now on a magnet on our fridge.

A couple of months ago, Emmy came home and told me that George kissed her (and some of the other girls).  He's quite the little Casanova!  This week during "Circle Time" at school the kids were all taking turns telling everyone who they loved (Valentine's Theme this month).  George told everyone that he loved his mom, dad, brother Thomas & Emmy.

   

Pledge of Allegiance - Erin

As we were stopped at a red light the other day, Erin yells from the back seat, pointing out the window, "Hey Mommy, look, a flag!"  I said, "Yes, Erin that is a flag.  Good Job!  What do we say when we see a flag?"  (not thinking she would actually know the words).  The little fart recited the whole Pledge of Allegiance from the back seat!
She's not even three years old yet!  I made her do it again when we got home so I could get it on video.

Emmy's 1st Pedicure

I didn't get my first pedicure until I was about 23 years old.  Emmy is 4 1/2 and is already enjoying the good life.  I just love being able to show them girly stuff and we had a great mommy and me day!
She picked out her own colors for her fingers and toes.  She got purple toes with sparkles and then pink fingernails with sparkles.  She was so excited when she was done.  She said, "Daddy is going to love this!" and "My friends at school are going to think this is super duper cool!" 
Erin's turn is next since she decided to paint her nails with White Out last week. 

We love to do one-on-one time with the girls.  They feel extra special even if it's just a trip to Target with me.