Newest Nephew

Justin Dean Funk
Born Feb 26th
5:35 am
7lb 14 oz - he hadn't been measured yet when I left.

Sarah labored really long and hard but Justin just wasn't coming that way. So at 5:00 in the morning they went in for a C-section. Justin came quickly and did really well. He needed just a whiff of oxygen but perked right up. Justin looks just like his daddy Nathan but has Sarah's chin dimple. He is so cute and was very alert. He liked licking his blankets, being talked to by grandma, and being snuggled by dad and mom.
Sarah was in recovery and getting her pain under control when I left. She worked really hard and did a great job. Nathan was an amazing support. Mom and babe are taking a much needed rest right now but would appreciate your prayers and good thoughts.

School Fun

Tal is an AR (Accelerated Reading) champ. Well both Abi and Tal are really, but this post is about Tal. He has really caught onto the AR challenge that his school is having. The kids earn points by reading books and taking tests on the them. Tal has over 50 AR points!!! (Abi has over 200.) But Tal is only in 1st grade. For reaching 50 points he earned this cool blow up chair that he likes to do his reading in now. We aim for 15 minutes a day. He currently loves reading Cam Jansen, Pee Wee Scouts and I found a Sponge Bob book that he thought was awesome.
Abi and Tal's school recently held a Crazy Hair Spirit Day. My kids really got into the spirit. Abi even won out of her class. Leah just has to join the spotlight because she knows that she is cute.

Talmage turns 7

It's hard to believe that my little Talmage turned seven. He received Lego Indiana Jones for the Wii at Christmastime. He has been crazy about playing it and so naturally that was the cake that he wanted.
After some internet searching I found a cake at coolestbirthdaycakes.com that I pretty much copied. I thought that the gummy worm/snakes were a nice touch. The cake was a hit and Tal had a great birthday. On Friday we celebrated with his birthday dinner: macaroni and cheese, cocktails weenies and cooked broccoli. He also received his gifts from us: Lego Batman for the Wii and a K-Nex Ferris Wheel. Then on Sunday we had cake and ice cream with family. Instead of a party this year, Tal chose to go to Blast-Off with one friend, his cousin Sterling. Abi and Leah got to go as well, and so on President's Day we had a blast at Blast Off. :)

The older kids enjoyed the Ultimate Pass which included the play land, rock climbing, laser tag and mini golf. Abi and Tal were hesitant about the rock climbing at first but both did really well. They were super excited to play laser tag and Abi turned out to be a really good shot.
Leah loved the playground as well. We spent most of our time on the slides and in the ball pit. We just kept going back for more and more.
Abi, Tal and Sterling are all smiles after a fun filled afternoon.

Little Bits of Fun

Over Christmas break we took advantage of a snowstorm to hit the sledding hill at Community Park. This was Leah's first time sledding and she loved it. She would take turns riding down with Abi and Tal. Even Mom and Dad went a couple of times. In this pic Abi and Tal are getting ready for a race down the hill. The boogie sled is faster but the red plastic sled goes farther. The rough part is that Mom or Dad has to walk down the hill to then carry Leah back up the hill. :)

Tal earned his orange belt on his first week back at Tae Kwon Do after the Christmas break. He is so proud of himself and we are proud of him. Tal is learning to focus and follow directions more. Tae Kwon Do is also helping him learn respect and listening skills.

Just so you know, I AM THE COOLEST WIFE EVER!!!

Yes, that is my husband at his first ever NBA game. I bought him tickets to see LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers play the Utah Jazz for Christmas. I totally surprised him, he thought he was just getting shoes. We got down close during warm-ups but when it was game time.....

Yes, that is us up in the nose bleed section. It was also my first time buying NBA tickets and I totally got ripped off by a second party seller. The game was intense and unfortunately the Cavs lost on a last second shot by the Jazz. But we had a great time and Kris said that "It was the best Christmas present that [he's] had in a long time." Big thanks to Uncle Eric and Camille for watching our kids while we made a quick trip to Utah and back.
Redecorating Tal's room was on my to do list for July. OK, I'm a little late. I repainted his dresser, painted his walls, bought the posters, sewed the pillow and drapes over the summer but the shelf got put on hold. This fall Kris and my dad built the awesome window shelf to hold all of Tal's Lego creations. And finally in January I got around to painting it and putting up the drapes. Tal is thrilled and I'll admit, I'm quite impressed with the final result.