Hunter Turns 4!!

Though not quite Carmelo Anthony, Hunter has been working on his jumpshop of late after receiving a basketball hoop for his birthday. There is some debate in the Lindell houshold as to who plays with the hoop more (Hunter or daddy). They've developed quite a game; seeing who can score 12 baskets first (Hunter chose 12)...and yes, Hunter wins about 80% of the time, not bad for a four year-old (real bad for a 29-something).

Speaking of being 4, Hunter had a whale of a day as only he can. We started off with the basketball hoop, and of course, momma's famous biscuits and gravy. In addition to the basketball hoop, Hunter also got a soccer goal; basically a sports theme if you hadn't guessed. So, we spent most of the morning alternating between basketball and soccer, and at times both. Our living room is feeling really small! The good news is that we haven't broken anything...yet.

That evening we had pizza, it was going to be mac&cheese and hotdogs but Hunter decided to upgrade. Oh, and of course cake and ice cream. As you can see, the CARS movie is still a favorite. The last big surprise of the day was the anticipation of a new swing set that should arrive later this month as the weather finally turns warmer.

All in all, we daily thank God for Hunter and the passion that he brings to each day and each situation. We marvel at his joy and enthusiasm and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for this year.

Jinxed

Riding a 30-game home-winning streak, the USAFA Falcons were looking to close out their regular season with a win. Unbeknownst to them, they'd run into their toughest oppenent yet; the bad luck coming from high up in the rafters... that of the Lindell boys.

Having been given the free tickets earlier that day, and never having been to a Falcons basketball game, Hunter and Daddy found their place in the line of hundreds of cars crawling up to the top of a bluff that houses Clune Areana. What we didn't know was that we'd be parking nearly a mile a way, and we'd get to hike through the cold and snow (ok just flurries but it adds an element of drama). Inside, and through the metal detectors we found our seats just a few rows from the top. Once situated, it took Hunter a while to adjust to the noise eminating from the sell-out crowd and all of the activities going on.

Oh, and there was a basketball game going on, and a pretty good one at that! Everytime the crowd cheered, Hunter asked "who scored?" to which I typically replied, "no one, the ball just went out of bounds" - which was another concept I got to teach him. The hardest lessons were attempting to explain why, especially in the second half when the Falcons fell behind, everyone kept "booing" the refs. Hunter didn't think it was very nice that the crowd made a ton of noise and waved their arms while the other team shot free-throws. But I did get him to belt out one of his world famous "ROOOAAAARRR!"'s towards the end.

Final score: BYU 62 - USAFA 58

.

Musashi's

Though typically not "exotic" in our food choices, and especially restaurant destinations, we let some friends talk us into a Japanese experience at Musashi's. The dining experience is built around the chef preparing the dinner at your table and putting on a small show in the process; throwing knives, playing with fire; that sort of thing. Our chef was definitely from the JV roster and a bit nervous, but we enjoyed and appreciated his efforts nonetheless. In addition, the other wild card is that if you don't go with a large group, you may get sat next to any strange yahoo that might have had the same idea of dinner locales. What is the proper etiquette when put in such a situation? Do you engage them, ignore them, or merely tolerate them; esp., as was our case, when they (or the chef) say some pretty inane things? Fortunately for us, the "weirdos" weren't sitting directly with us but at the table next to ours.

The gals; Tina, Melissa, Michelle (oh and Nathan's water glass for effect)



The food; fried rice, veggies, chicken, and steak.




Matt, eating (and enjoying) the fare with chopsticks. (Brian on the right and Nathan on the left trying to stay anonymous).

Amazed...

We continue to be utterly amazed at the blessings we have been given. As Hunter and Baylie grow, they provide us with abundant joy. Each so different yet so intertwined as a family. We can't wait until little one #3 joins us and rounds us out even further.

As most of you know, Hunter is a bundle of life. I've never met anyone who can wake up and instantly be ready for the day with energy and enthusiasm. Not only is he ready, but passionately excited to engage in any and all possible adventures that might come his way. Baylie, the "quiet" one, continues to talk more and more each day and has the most dynamic personality. Perhaps the best word to describe her is "fiesty" or maybe even "spunky" as she has a playful, yet innocently mischievious disposition.

Yesterday we had their annual pictures taken at Sears and the pictures captured them so well. It is hard to believe how fast they are growing but so fun as each day brings new challenges and new adventures.

The Lindells Have Moved

...web addresses that is. We decided to keep with the times and move our family website to a blog atmosphere. For some of you, blogs are as old as time, but for others, blogs are a new thing. You've heard of them but aren't entirely sure what they are. According to wikipedia (a site you should all be using), blogs are "a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order." So with that brief introduction, welcome to our new Lindell Family website in blog form. It also provides better opportunity for feedback and comments. We're hoping that this type of site will be easier to update encouraging more frequent posts, and yes, more pictures.

Our first picture is of Hunter acting like a ham, as usual! He's eating some cake on Baylie's birthday. (If you click on the picture you can see it in a larger form). Baylie chose the "Cars" theme over princesses this year.

The second picture is Baylie on a wooden saddle horse at Park Meadows Mall in Denver. About a month ago we decided that the family needed a mini-getaway and chose to go to Golden, CO.

Finally, the kids are wrapped in towels after swimming in our hotel in Golden (notice the snow out the window - they had about 8 inches while we were there). We swam, ate out, watched football playoffs (awesome Colts game!) and also found a great sledding hill before heading home. It was such a treat to get away for a couple of days!

More recently, we have learned that we will be adding another little girl to our family sometime in July! (At least we think - ultra sound was a little early and we think we saw girl parts...). We are thrilled to be having another girl, though surprised - for some reason we had convinced ourselves Hunter and Baylie would be getting a little brother. So now, we are in the fun stage of choosing a name - though Matt seems to be rejecting everything! We are definitely accepting suggestions (please, please... we're having a hard time!), provided of course that you do not hold us responsible for liking/disliking your ideas!

Check back often for new blogs and pictures!