AZ Golf/Spring Training Trip

Last weekend I took a few days and went to Arizona with Kyle and my Dad. The main reason for the trip was golf and to see the Sox in spring training. We stayed just outside Phoenix and golfed at some nice courses. The weather was basically perfect at about 75 degrees during the day so we could enjoy our time on the links. The Golf Gods treated me pretty well until the last round where my driver disappeared and my score shot up. The biggest difference between Arizona golf and Chicago golf, when my drives go haywire I can't go chasing them in the desert.

The Phoencian Golf Course

We also saw our Sox in an away game at the Brewers spring facility. They ended up the game in a 5-5 tie after 10 innings but it was just good to be watching baseball again. Our last day, we took a few hours to tour the Sox spring training facility, Camelback Ranch, in Glendale. It is an awesome facility so I had to be sure and make a trip to the gift shop too. Now I am definitely ready for the beginning of the season and the quest for another championship on the south side!!

Celebration #2

Our second St. Patrick's Day celebration was at the O'Knutson Corned Beef Dinner. We had a good time hanging out with family and friends and enjoying a traditional Irish dinner. The corned beef and cabbage were absolutely delicious and the girls had a great time playing!

Charlie wanted to get some reading in before she started to play



















Kyri walked around looking adorable in her Irish outfit



















Charlie wanted to play king of the hill but needed someone to play with














Aubry was nice enough to play with Charlie but Charlie didn't want to lose her spot
















Luckily, Aubry is a tough cookie and just laughed at Charlie's attempt to keep her off the "hill"

St. Paddy's Day Parade

We had our first St. Patrick's Day celebration yesterday at the St. Charles parade. The weather didn't cooperate but we were able to find a spot underneath an awning so we were covered from most of the rain.

All bundled up and ready for the parade















The Grand Marshall's - Billy Pierce from the Sox and Randy Hundley from the Cubs















This dog was just so beautiful I needed to take a picture














Charlie couldn't help but stare at him




















One of the many leprechauns we saw















We couldn't believe that someone would be driving their corvette with their top down in the rain















Charlie was wide-eyed the whole time enjoying her first St. Patrick's Day parade

We were right! It is not very often that we are so right that we need to let everyone know, but in this case we couldn't let it go. We once said that Artu had too much fight left in him to not take a chance on surgery. Well, that was one year ago and our boy is still going strong! We've only had to take him to the vet a couple times for some relatively minor things. Artu is pretty excited about the warmer weather that's on its way - no surgery could change his aversion to snow!

Charlie went for another NICU follow-up today and she is doing great. She is going to be discharged from her physical and occupation therapy by the end of the month. She'll continue to go for speech therapy but hopefully she won't need that for too long. Charlie is still growing but it has slowed down quite a bit. She is a little over 22 lbs. and is 32 1/2" long.