Five months old!

My baby is 5 months old. Where or where does the time go??? I could just kiss those chubby cheeks all day. Ah the bliss of a baby...no talking back, no tantrums, no hitting, no genuine resentment toward his parents....it's too precious.
Here is a little weekend recap:
Friday night the Staffords and Gilletts ate at my parents' house before my mom's big surgery. More on that later. It was a good time. Ross and Olivia, in particular, are quite entertaining!
Thad and Ryan went to the Spud hockey game in St. Cloud yesterday. If they win on Wednesday, they go to the state tournament. For those of you former Spuds who read this, does that bring back memories????? I mean, wow. AJ--do you remember our near car accident when you drove a bunch of us to TRF in tenth grade? Seriously, why did our parents let us do that? Our entire family plans to go to the cities if the Spuds really do make it!
While Thad and Ryan were off in la-la land, I made the executive decision to get Kate's hair cut--short. I am so sick of her snarls, fights about combing it, and it just looking crappy all day. I am not a fan of long hair on a girl just for the sake of having long hair. Some people look wonderful with it. Others do not. Kate, unfortunately, is one of the latter who just isn't meant to have long hair in her face. It turned out pretty cute don't you think? (Note, it's not the best picture)

Saturday afternoon, Kate and Olivia went to a birthday party. It was Olivia's first 'real' friend party away from mommy. She did alright, but Kate said she was too shy. Here she is all decked out with her new POUT flower headband.
Once I picked up the girls from the party, we all headed out to Red Lobster along with Grandma Jeanne. She is having her hip replacement surgery on Monday. Please say a prayer for her. She has been in horrible pain, and it is past time to get this done.
You think that was enough for our weekend?? NO WAY! Today is Ross's third birthday!!!!!! That kid is one funny dude. I swear, he is the funniest little guy. Anyway, while we were at his party, Thad and Ryan were at Ryan's game. Ryan said his team got clobbered. He didn't seem to mind.
Next up for our family is Kate & the ice show. She has been complaining about skating since she began last October. Now that the ice show is here, she is thrilled to be a part of it. She likes the fun, but doesn't like to do the work. Go figure! She is in the group called "High School Musical 3." I have to brag a moment about Kate. She just passed level four. For a little six year old who whines about exerting herself, I would say that is pretty darn good!
As the winter sports are winding down, I feel like it's time to breathe a huge sigh. I am so ready for spring: for the snow to melt, for baseball to begin, dance to be one of the few weekly activities, and to look ahead to other things. Next winter will come soon enough. Olivia is already struggling to choose whether or not to dance or play hockey. I will give you one guess what I am hoping for!