Greg in MN

We had the privelage of having Greg visit us from Sunday, April 20th to Thursday the 23rd. He was a great help with the children, and they really enjoyed having their Uncle around. We had fun at the Mall of America, and at the parks near our home. Gemma really loved being held by Greg (as you can see in the picture). Jack enjoyed playing basketball with Greg at the parks and in our backyard. He mentions Uncle Greg everyday about how he is the greatest basketball player (next to Michael Jordan, whom Jack is obsessed with). And Frederick has a lot of fun going on rides with Greg at the Amusement Park inside the Mall of America. Their favorite was the mini roller coaster. Greg flew home with me and the kids to Philadelphia and was a tremndous help in the airport and flight. Greg we love you and wish we lived closer!!

Happy Birthday John Paul!

We want to wish John Paul a happy 5th birthday!! We love you John Paul, and hope you had a wonderful day today. You are such a wonderful boy. we had so much fun with you this weekend!

Happy Birthday Gemma Catherine!!!

Sweet Gemma turned one on April 23rd. It is hard to believe that she is already one. We had two celebrations for her.The first birthday party was last weekend all the Berg /Kistler cousins. It was a lovely day, so we were able to have it outside. Gemma really enjoyed eating cake for the very first time. The second party was this past Friday night with the Pierces/Browns/Heils.
We had a joint celebration for her and John Paul who turned five today. Mom got two ice cream cakes, and the cousins really enjoyed singing for both cousins. Again, it was a gorgeous day, so we were able to have the party outdoors. It was so much fun.

I will post more pictures of the weekend soon....

Happy Easter

We hope you all had a blessed Easter! We had a wonderful day. It was a warm, sunny day, and almost hit to 60 degrees. We spent much of the day outside. This evening we had dinner at the Bergs. Fr. John flew in town this evening so it was very nice to have him at Easter dinner. We haven't seen him since last summer, and the boys loved seeing him. He will be in town until Weds.

Sings of Spring in Minnesota...

The Deer are out!!

Tom sent me this picture today, and I thought I'd share it. (I think it was taken in South Dakota.) No really, all of our snow is fully melted. Our lakes are thawed, and the last few days have been about 50 degrees, and feels like heaven. My boys are refusing any form of coat or sweatshirt (but I am still forcing them on), they are wanting to be outside all day(today we had a picnic!), and yesterday Jack even asked to get the kiddie pool out to go swimming...No joke. People are out of hybernation, and it is so nice to see our neighbors again after 6 months. We don't have any thing blooming yet, but that will come.

Weekend with the Heils

Wow! Where do I begin? We had the most incredible weekend with the Heils in St. Helena. It is the most beautiful town, and I could not get over the fact that Jen and Matthew are in walking distance to everything. Jen took me on a whirlwind tour, and we shared some amazing experiences together. Here are my highlights: lunch overlooking the valley, high tea at the Heil's friends estate ( I have never seen anything like this place - a taste of heaven), Mass at a Carmelite Monastary, a picnic in the vineyards(my personal favorite), lots of strolls with the girls, LOTS of delicous lattes, and Matthew's informative tours of the area. It was such fun. Thank you for the most wonderful weekend, Matthew, Jen, Lydia, and Alexandra! We love you and miss you already.

And the boys did great with Daddy. They had such a fun weekend together, and barely missed me. However, I really missed them, and was so glad to return to my whole family. I'm not going to lie though, I really miss the gorgeous weather in California.

So Pretty

I love these pictures of Gemma, Lydia, and Alexandra dressed up from Sunday Mass. It was really sweet watching the little girls interact with each other. Lydia was very good to Gemma all weekend. She shared her toys, and fed her food, and gave her lots of love. They were really cute together.

Our day with the Carmelites!!

Last Thursday, Gemma and I spent the day with Sr. Cora of the Immaculate Heart, and it was SO NICE to see her. She looks more beautiful than ever, and is doing really well. She served us lunch, and after lunch I was able to see the other Sisters. It was great to see Sr. Catherine Marie of the Trinity too!! Sr. Cora and I went on a long walk through the grounds of the Sacred Heart Retreat House, and caught up on the last few years. She sends her love to everyone. It was such a blessing to spend that day with her.