Joys with snow, ice and nature!

Oh the beauty in God's wonderfully created nature!! A cactus plant that was given to Tony's mom last Christmas bloomed beautifully...and with no help from us, except water to keep it growing!! What an awesome thing to see what nature does with the help of our loving Lord!

The end of January, on our first of many wonderful days since, the family headed outside for some fun inthe back yard!! The snow was beginning to melt, but the fun was still plentiful!! Benjamin and Kaska enjoyed fetch over and under and sometimes even attempting through the snow hills!!

Snowboarding is fun too...as Nicholas is demonstrating here. The snow banks that come off of the church parking lot and into our back yard make for some good slopes, but not too dangerous for the beginning boarder!!

In the mean time we discovered that the snow/ice cover on our roof of the porch was melting...right through the celing, and into the porch. Erik climbed up on the roof to find 3-4 inch layer of ice melting slowly, thus giving us the added water inside the porch!! Between Erik and Cindy, we chopped and pried and showed that ice who was in charge, as it was thrown off the porch roof to the awaiting ground below!! Whaalaa...our water-in-the-porch problem was gone, and quite a pile of ice chunks to prove it!!

With the snow banks still high, Katy climbed into a tree in the front yard, and low and behold, Kaska followed her! No surprise...Kaska is usually where Katy is! A girl and her dog...such wonderful joy they have with each other and with us!!

Thus was a warm winter day in the Hansen household!! Blessings to you all!!

Congratulations Katy & Nick!

Over the past few weeks, Katy and Nick have been playing in some baskteball tournaments.

Katy was involved with her school's league tournament and an invitational at Martin Luther College in New Ulm. Her team (7th & 8th grade team - Katy's in 7th grade) didn't do so great at the league tournament at Onalaska Luther High School, but they took 4th place at the MLC tournament. Congratulations, Katy!!

Nick's team was involved in two tournaments as well. His school team played in Lake City, MN, at a small invitational and in Lewiston, MN, at another larger invitational. Nick's team won both of their tourneys! The one at Lake City was a 5th & 6th team effort; the tourney at Lewiston was Nick and his 4th graders playing in a 5th grade division.

(N.B. - Nick and his 4th grade classmates played on the 5th & 6th grade team because the numbers at St. Matthew's aren't "up there" for boys and basketball.)

Way to go Katy and Nick! (We have one set of pics from Katy and Nick).

Nick at Lewiston bringing the ball up the court.

Nick's team picture after their championship.

Nick with his Medal at Lewiston.

Katy's 4th place team (they only one game all year up to this tourney)!! She's #34

Katy and team shaking the hands of the team from Coon Rapids, MN, which they defeated the first day.

The score of the first game!