Matt & Sandy are ENGAGED!!

I mean, I couldn't be more excited for Matt. 

 He hit the jackpot when it comes to sweet Sandy. 

 She is precious and fun and godly and spontaneous and beautiful...I could just go on and on. We were so thrilled when he told us he was going to propose...and even more thrilled when he said he wanted to do it on our family ski trip! 

 Dylan and I got to go with Matt and Mom one day to buy the diamond in Dallas and it was just the most fun! 

 He was so loving and careful when he was picking out Sandy's ring. 

 He wanted it to be perfect. 

 It was just the most fun day! 

 

cute little helper

   

Diamond purchased...let's celebrate! 

 

 For not being super decisive or detailed or at all into advanced planning...Matt had this proposal planned out to the most extreme detail. 

 He emailed the management at the location, Devil's Thumb Ranch, for weeks. 

 He had an entire script down for the staff and everything. 

 He had my mom deliver a camera the first night they were there. 

 He had pre-ordered the perfect bottle of champagne. 

 It was so cute! 

 He used my mom's birthday as the best excuse. We all told Sandy we were going to go out to dinner for mom's birthday and my dad told them that the place where we were having dinner didn't take reservations and asked if Matt & Sandy could go a little early to get a table for us. 

 When they arrived, they were told that there was a wait and for them to enjoy the facility while they were waiting. 

 Then they had a person ask them if they wanted to take a sleigh ride while they were waiting. 

 They even pretended to wait to see if other people would want to join them for like 10 minutes before actually going on the ride. 

 The sleigh drivers had the camera and took pictures on the way out.

 

They rode about 20 minutes to a small bonfire where they were going to roast marshmallows. They had a chair and blankets set up and some champagne and everything. Sandy jumped out of the sleigh and went right for the marshmallows. 

 She really thought they were just going to roast marshmallows. 

 I just love that in every picture she is still holding the marshmallow on a stick.

   

I think pretty quickly Matt just went into his speech and jumped down on one knee.

   

Love this picture. 

 

So sweet...and still ready to roast... 

 

They rode the sleigh back to the restaurant where we were all waiting for them.

   

 Matt also gave her a bible with her new name on it. 

 

 Then came another surprise....back story, for those that might not know, Sandy's dad and Olivia's mom are married...so, Sandy & Olivia are step-sisters and soon to be sister-in-laws. 

 It means every holiday my brothers get to be together...either with our family or Sandy & Olivia's family. 

It is so fun. 

Bart likes to joke that his family tree is now more like a "family bush." 

 Anyway, Matt also asked Sandy's dad and Olivia's mom to come up for the engagement and Sandy had no idea. 

 She was beyond thrilled when they came in the door and surprised them.

   

We all had dinner and it was just the most celebratory time! 

 

Since the engagement, Matt & Sandy had a fun engagement party in Dallas with their friends. 

 I took just a few pics.

 

Yes, Dylan went with us. 

 It totally made me think of Sweet Home Alabama where Reese Witherspoon says "You have a baby....in a bar." 

 

And Sandy and I went to lunch one day where she asked me to be a bridesmaid! 

I am so thrilled to be a part of their special day. 

 I cannot wait for the wedding!

 

Congrats uncle Matt-Matt & AUNT Sandy! 

We cannot wait for the celebrations and lifetime of memories to come.  

We love you so, so much!

Spring Break Ski Trip

Spring Break...what!?....that was like six weeks ago. 

 Yep. 

 It was. 

 But, as soon as it ended, my busy tax/work season started and I spent every spare second doing that. 

 But, I am back and ready to catch up. My goal is to catch up six weeks worth of events in six posts or less. 

 They might be long. 

 They will definitely be only interesting to me and my littles (someday). 

 But, there is too much to remember to just let it go. 

So, here we go.... Howe Family Ski trip!

It pretty much totally and 100% centered on MATT & SANDY GETTING ENGAGED! 

 Yep...I am still screaming it from the rooftops. It was fabulous and so much so, that it is totally worthy of it's very own post. 

 So, stay tuned. 

 The day we were to leave for the ski trip was a little interesting. 

 A little back story: Ever since I have been pregnant with Dylan I have had issues with kidney stones. Never before that. But, I had been having some pain for a while and finally a few weeks before the trip I went to get it checked out. After some tests they discovered that I had a massive stone that would need to be surgically removed. They wanted to do it while I was on the ski trip. 

 Over my dead body. I was NOT going to miss Matt & Sandy's engagement. 

 Ya right. 

 So, to the chagrin of my doctors, I refused, put off the surgery until after the trip and planned to go on my merry way. 

 Fast forward to the night before the trip....I start having some serious pain. I couldn't sleep, took some pain medicateon a hot bath and called the on call dr. 

 They told me to not eat anymore and to be at the hospital at 10am for emergency surgery. Bummer. 

 So, Honey & Boss grabbed the big kids and flew them to Colorado. My plan was to have the surgery and recover in 10 seconds and hop on a plane the next day. Bart and Olivia and Matt & Sandy weren't going until the next day either...so, I wouldn't miss a thing. 

 Well, I didn't quite recover like I wanted to but, I did get on the plane...much against the advice of the drs, again. 

Overall, it went ok. 

 I was uncomfortable most of the trip..but, not in pain.

 

It ended up being a totally ok year for me to not be able to ski much because Dylan is still little and all I really wanted to do on the mountain was watch Kinley and Ty try to ski.

 Their first day on the mountain Honey & Boss took them to ski school. I think they pretty much had the worst ski instructor ever. Kinley did ok, but I am pretty sure Ty never even really put his skis to the snow to try. But, he did ride on the front of a snowmobile...so that was probably worth his $200 half day "lesson."
 Ty gave it another good solid hour or so of trying with Boss but, in the end, we decided it really wasn't the year for him to learn.
 3 was a little too young.
 But, he sure was cute in his ski gear.


Kinley on the other hand had a blast. 
She worked with Boss, the BEST ski instructor ever.
 Everyone in our family is a proud graduate of Boss' ski school.
 He just has the way.
 He is so patient but also firm enough to tell beginner skiers what to do and expects you to keep trying at it until you get it.
 Plus, he can ski backwards so that's just cool.
 It was so, so special to me to have him teach her and see them together.
 He rode all the lifts with her, picked her up when she fell, pulled her with his pole when the ground was too flat.
 He did it all.
 And it was much better that way.
 I am confident that she would not have done so well with Ben or I. She loved it and skied everyday. And when you graduate Boss' ski school you ski between his legs and she passed with flying colors.


 Mom was amazing and kept Dylan so Ben and I could watch and ski with Kinley and it was so fun.

Here is a very short video of Kinley skiing and moving from bunny slope to the big slopes to graduating Boss's school.

 When we weren't skiing, we were enjoying just being together at the ski house relaxing, eating, playing games, or whatever.  It was a gorgeous house and we all decided we would LOVE to go back to this exact place again.
Here is Ty is hiding in a side table, what?

Olivia and I staying warm by the fire on the porch with the babies. I gotta say, it was SO much fun having other babies on a family trip. I am so excited for more future trips with cousins!
 
Everyone else in the hot tub.
 
All the boys did snow angels in their swimsuits and jumped back in the hot tub.
 Here's crazy uncle Matt-Matt.
And we could not get enough of these boys together.
 Early mornings on the reg for these babes.

Our family stayed one extra night with Honey & Boss on the tail end of the trip and we spent the afternoon just exploring Winter Park and having dinner in town.
 
We rode the gondola up the mountain and back.

And made sure to purchase some matching tees to commemorate the trip.
 
It was so much fun!
 I can't wait to go skiing with everyone again!