Blood Draw

Jentry had to have her first ever blood draw and was dreading the procedure for months.  I jokingly told Nathan that I had better go with her to the clinic because she would likely faint. Well, she indeed fainted! 

She was so calm and handling it all so well, then out of no where she fainted. It wasn't long until she came to and then threw up.  

The nurse allowed her to lie down in one of the exam rooms for a bit. I somehow convinced her to let them try one more time to get the needed blood sample. Thank the Good Lord the second attempt was successful because I'm not sure I would have ever gotten her to come back.

Needless to say this girl is not applying to nursing school next year!

Winter vs. Spring

The beginning of March delivered us gorgeous warm weather and we were all floating along the easy Spring current. I packed away my winter home décor and excitedly set out all things green.  

Monday, 3/17/25 - High of 83 degrees and sunny - We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with corned beef, cabbage and Leprechaun Loaf. 

Millie even dressed for the occasion!

Leave it to Tucker to be the only 1st Grader to create a "mean" Leprechaun.

Tuesday, 3/18/25 - High of 70 degrees and sunny

Wednesday, 3/19/25 - High of 37 degrees and blowing snow. The electricity was out for 13 hours in town and for several days in the country.  Thousands of electrical poles were down and lines broken. It was a mess! The blizzard covered every window with wet snow which made the house even darker.

Just as we were finally settling into the cold quiet and enjoying the glow of the sunset, the electricity hummed back to life.  And just like that, each member of the family retreated back to their personal space and device.  Ugh. It was fun while it lasted!

The next several days were spent shoveling out. By the end of the week, the temps were back into the sixties. The kids enjoyed two snow days at home and I was thrilled to send them back to school Friday morning.

Papa John and the huge drift at the farm.

Tucker spent his extra time crafting Spring artwork to ensure the next season would come to stay.

42

On my 42 birthday, I attended the funeral of my dear friends' father in Freemont. No better teacher than death to make one appreciate how special the gift of another year lived.

I got to road trip there with my other girl friend Toni and even got to stay overnight in a hotel.  Toni got up in the middle of the night to decorated the bathroom and surprise me. Yes, she is crazy like that!

When I returned home that evening my family showered me with cards and gifts and treated me to dinner at the Flat River Grill in Sutton. Then, per my request, we snuggled up at home and watched Wicked. 

The next day I headed to the cabin to meet up with my high school friends Lindsay and Ashley.  We ordered pizza, sat in the hot tub and chatted late into the night.  It had been 15+ years since the 3 of us had been able to get together undistracted. I could not have asked for a better weekend of celebration. Quiet time, girl time, and no responsibilities!

Shooter

Papa John generously offered to take Mason to shooting sports again this winter. Every Wednesday evening, he would pick Mason up and drive him to the fairgrounds in Clay Center.  

Mason continued to improve his shooting skills and earned a blue ribbon in archery and a red ribbon in bb gun. 

Dance Showcase

On February 16th, we got to watch Jentry showcase her dancing talents at the York High School theater. Per usual, she had pre-show jitters but she nailed the performance. It was so great to see many friends and family come to support her and her love of dance. 

Rollie, Ellie and Aunt Deb

Onnie and Papa John

Kyla and Lincoln

Aiden, Kyla, Lincoln and Keith

Little brothers, biggest fans!

Aunt Kelly, Grandma and Papa Bose

Nathan and Mumsy

Let the 2025 competition season begin!

VDay

This Valentine's Day Tucker made a black snake box for school.  He was so proud of it and could not wait to have his classmates place their valentines into the snake's mouth. Watch out for the fangs!

Mason designed a black Jeep with a compartment under the hood to hold the VDay goods.

Nathan surprised me with tickets to Moulin Rouge - the Musical at the Lied Center in Lincoln. It was a fantastic show and I loved every minute of it.  The set, the costumes, the cast, the music!  I want to see it again. 

I prepared a fancy, candlelight dinner at home for all five of us. Baked steak, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, strawberries and of course a heart shaped red velvet cake.

It was a fabulous celebration of LOVE.

Super Bowl Sunday

The McKenzie boys were pumped and ready for Super Bowl LIX

Tucker's 1st grade class made predictions during school and he brought home some pretty awesome wearables.

Mason made a Smokey Peanut Butter Chili that he entered in the cook-off at church.  It was different but most found it very tasty!

Nathan smoked some wings that were also yummy.

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.  The game was less than exciting but the commercials were a hit.

Mary Lou's Rocker

Last summer I purchased these vintage rocking chairs at a garage sale in Sutton. The former owner of these chairs was Mary Lou Kohler. She was a very interesting lady who I got to know via P.E.O.  She lived to be 100 and her life stories were fascinating. I always enjoyed our visits.  

Although the chairs were not a match set, I decided to take them both for $120.  I did a little research and learned that to have the cushions professionally replaced would be around $700!  Soooooo, I redirected my plan and ordered two 4" think foam pads via Amazon for $40. I was able to use up some extra faux leather material from the dinning chairs I refinished at the lake house.

I was dreading the process of refinishing the wood when my dad suggested using Restore-A-Finish.  He even had some to send home with me.

I absolutely love the final result. They are definitely not perfect but I love the vintage look and feel. The mission style chair is at least 100 years old and manufactured by the National Chair Co. in St. Louis, U.S.A. It fits perfectly in the corner of our Craftsman style living room next to the built-in bookcase and fireplace. 

The more detailed backed chair is likely newer, however did not having any identifying markers. It is very comfortable! I placed it in the piano foyer next to the west window. I have been rocking away in the evenings while the sunset lights up the sky. I am certain my dear friend Mary Lou is smiling at me.

100 Days Smarter

Tucker and his 1st Grade class celebrated the 100th day of school with all sorts of fun activities. Each student was tasked with creating a poster with 100 pictures, objects, stickers, etc.  After much consideration, Tucker landed with 100 Bucks.  He carefully cut out 100 pictures of a deer buck skull and cheerfully glued each one to his poster.

They also counted out a snack of 100 yummy items and got to parade around the school.  My favorite part was this crazy photo of Grandpap Tuck! 

Turn for the Perm

 Tucker finally succumbed to the trend and took is turn at rockin' the perm.

So handsome!

Kansas City

We started off 2025 with a trip to Kansas City! As a part of the boys' Christmas gift, we planned a two night stay at the Westin Hotel and purchased tickets to Legoland and Sea Life. 

Crazy boys in the heated outdoor pool.

Legoland was a fun for all ages! The boys spent 5 hours taking it all in and were still not truly ready to leave.

The Crown Center Ice Terrace was next door so we attempted to ice skate. It had been years since Nathan and I skated but the muscle memory somehow kicked right in. The boys started off clinging to the edges but improved tremendously in just a couple hours time.

Fritz's railroad themed restaurant was a big hit. The train even delivered the food to our table.

The second morning we took in the Sea Life aquarium.

We had a awesome time in the city and the boys were sad to leave but we needed to head out early to beat the brewing winter storm. We lucked out with smooth travels home and ran into some ice a few miles outside of Sutton.  It was a fabulous little vacation!

Meanwhile, Jentry started off the new year by soaking up the sun in the desert with the Stengers.