Let the Games Begin

We hosted an Olympic party on Sunday. It was so much fun and some of us even dressed up for the event. There was lots of food, drink and we watched the Men's USA Hockey team beat Canada. That was a lot of fun. Later after half the guests had left we even exchanged some Winter Olympic trivia.

Me in my Evan Lysacek/Vera Wang snake costume.
Annemarie the darling ice skater wearing Matthew's shoes.

The delicious cheese ball in the shape of the Canadian Maple Leaf, courtesy of the Peschels.

Stefanie as Julia Mancuso and Scott as Apollo Ohno.

The Speed Skating Team.

Matthew, Laura, Chelsea and Sima having some snacks.

Watching the hockey game.

Doug with his beer and Annemarie with her flag.

"Ski Family"

We jokingly refer to this group as the ski family. You know, the group that goes up skiing each weekend and looks like the perfect little family. Erin was telling me Doug gets all flustered when he introduces her to people who think she's his wife. Doug prefers the awkward, "umm, this is, umm, my wife's sister". I've suggested saying "this is my sister-in-law". Anyhow, they have a good thing going. And aren't they cute??

A Sweater - for Me!

Look what I knitted...a sweater for me. This is the first adult sized sweater I've completed (I have another one that's in pieces and needs to be finished). I'm so happy with how it turned out. It's really warm and is perfect for wearing around the house. For those of you who know knitting terms I used a 10 inch needle and about 13 balls of yarn. The majority of the sweater is in a moss or seed stitch (knit one, purl one) and has ribbing around the arms and edges. It doesn't have any buttons so it's just open in the front. It took two+ weeks to finish and I'm really happy with the end result.

Christmas in February

Sometimes Christmas arrives early, but in this case it arrived late! Thank you Uncle Steve for all the Christmas presents and birthday gift for Will. Because it's Steve and because we love him so much we feel we can give him a hard time about the late arrival. Sources tell us the gifts have been sitting on his kitchen table since before Christmas. After all, it's the thought that counts, right? And in this case the presents eventually made it to Whitefish. The boys were thrilled with the LEGOS and Annemarie loves her baby. Thanks again Uncle Steve!
Calling Steve to let him know the gifts had arrived and are about to be opened.

LEGOS!

Annemarie with her new baby.

Annemarie feeding the baby.

Winter Carnival

This past weekend was Winter Carnival here in Whitefish. Lots of activities and lots of people. On Saturday the boys and I went downtown to watch the parade. It's so fun and it feels like the whole town is there plus more. Once we arrived at the parade route (we parked a long ways away and had to walk a few blocks) I realized I had forgot my camera. And what a perfect picture opportunity! Thankfully Stef took pictures http://lifeolarkin.blogspot.com/2010/02/winter.html There's a picture of the boys and I at the end of the posting.

Will - Playing the Guitar

Will began guitar lessons in January. He's doing really well and is enjoying it. His teacher is absolutely thrilled with Will's progress the amount of practice he puts in each week (approx 15 minutes per day) and his overall eagerness to learn. This week along with learning some new chords Will is practicing using a pick which he's excited about since Grandpa plays with a pick.

Will playing "Spanish Theme"