Bowling Fun:)

What is a Christmas break without at least one day of bowling??? When I was little, we always went bowling after Christmas with our Dad. A little family tradition you might say, so guess what....now my little (BIG) family gets to do the same!!! However, when our family does anything during the week then we always have some of our extended family with us. The more the merrier I say!!! So, we all piled in our great big van and headed to Great River Bowl! It was a great day filled with bowling, pizza, soda...and gutter bumpers;) The boys did great and had their very own lane. Daddy and I played with the girls, Louie and Little T took turns with Mommy. Since I didn't have my set up with gutter bumpers, we had several gutter balls thrown. At first when Little T threw hers in the gutter, she looked sad...that is until she turned to me and I was cheering and ready for high fives. After that, she got so excited everytime the ball would roll down the lane, jumping and cheering for every single gutter ball...it was so very sweet. We bowled two games, ate our lunch, then headed home for naps. It was a great day with my wonderful family. I wish we could have fun like this every day!!

Happy Birthday

The cake that my husband requested for his annual employee potluck at the VA Medical Center. In this case, I think a picture is worth a thousand words....happy birthday JESUS!!!!!

Sure she's cute....

Sure she's cute....but she sure can make a mess!!!!

I must be getting soft in my old age...my poor boys never got to be messy like this!! Sorry boys...oh and do I need to mention that not only did I need to scrub this beautiful face, but I also needed to scrub the tub for about 15 minutes AFTER she was done. What's a mother to do??? Well, this mother gave this sweet face a smooch and cleaned up her mess.....until next time:)

Christmas Concert....part 3:)

Christmas Concert...part 3. Our dear, sweet, adorable, quiet, shy and reserved Little T had her preschool Christmas concert this past Sunday. She had been singing these songs at home for quite some time, so naturally I thought that she would be eager to sing them for an audience. Yeah, I was way off on that one. I sensed that there may be a problem when her teacher pointed me out on their processional in the church and had me move to a seat right off of the stage. She then place T on the end, so she could see me very clearly. So, the music starts and my Little T starts....to chew her nails. I really felt for her, I knew deep down that she wanted to perform, but I also knew that she was scared and nervous up in front of all the people. I continued to pray that maybe, just maybe, she would forget where she was and begin to join in. This was especially true when "Feliz Navidad" started, because I knew this was her favorite. Well, she did not sing, not one little note. Oh, but was she cute, standing up there in her pretty little Christmas dress. The concert ended, and wouldn't you know it, she was quick to smile when she knew that all was clear. However, all of the excitement really took its toll on her....she quickly passed out cold on the ottoman when we returned home. I love you deeply Little T...you'll always be the star in our eyes!!!!!

Skater Boy turns 9!!!!!

Oh Skater Boy, my precious second born beautiful child. He turned 9 this year, can you believe he had the nerve? We celebrated by having a sleepover during Christmas break with a few of his friends from school, plus his cousin Charlie. I probably don't need to even say this, but our house was LOUD!!! Wow, I am grateful that God blessed me with three girls. I cannot even imagine my life with 5 boys, it would be very, very, very busy and eventful:) They played games, we had pizza and movies. It was a great night for all of the boys. The next day, Daddy took the boys to Powder Ridge for a day on the slopes. It was a great few days, and I cannot believe how quickly he is growing up. Skater Boy, you are a precious gift from God that I praise him for. I pray that you continue to grow to be a wonderfully kind young man!!! I love you with all my heart!!!

,

Oh, and yes I realize that the snowboarder is headless!!! I couldn't quite figure it out, didn't like what I had. I set the head on the table to ponder it a bit more when my sweet little Lou decided it looked a lot like a snack. Yes, she goobled it right on down....well, that made my decision A LOT easier;)

Christmas Concerts....part 2

Yep, this time it was Fearless who took the stage with his class. They performed a musical Christmas show called "Back to the Manger." I have to say, it was adorable. They time traveled back and forth to different era's, which included costumes and decade appropriate music. It ended with them in Bethlehem, manger side at Jesus' birth. They all did a fantastic job, and I loved watching my boy grove to it 50's style:) Great job to all of you....I'm so proud:)

Christmas concerts and piano recitals...part 1

Let the Christmas caroling begin! Skater Boy and Sunshine, along with their friend Caleb, had their Christmas concert at school this week. Not only did they get to sing some wonderful Christmas caroles, but Sunshine had her very first public piano performace. She played Away in a Manger, and did a wonderful job. She had been working hard to perfect her piece, and her hard work paid off, we are so proud of her. We'll be back at the school tonight since Fearless has his Christmas play. Merry Christmas everyone!

A December Heatwave

Yes, I know it's mid December and yes, we live in Minnesota and yes, that's my little Louie walking to the tramp without a coat or mittens. But, she is sporting an adorable hat and somebody's shoes:) Ahhh...my precious Lou. This morning I went outside to take some garbage out when I turned around and found the most precious face smiling up at me. She had shoes on, and a hat so I couldn't really get upset. Honestly, I thought she had done pretty well for herself considering she's just two. To make it even more adorable, she brought her baby along with her for some jumping fun. I tried to talk her into coming in the house with the REAL babies, but she was not so easily swayed this little independent girl of mine! I let her go on her merry little way and jump until her and her baby had had enough. I mean really, it's a balmy 35 degrees today...a regular heat wave:)

My TWO Dancing Princesses

Aren't they lovely, my two little dancing princesses?? Sunshine and Little T had their dance recital last weekend, which was a very exciting event in this house. They have been in dance since September, and were eager to show us what they've learned. Whenever we would go watch practice, Little T was hit and miss with actually doing the dancing. A lot of the time she would stare at the other girls, chew her nails, and then dance a bit....then back to staring:) We were very curious how she would do for the show...and wouldn't you know it, SHE DANCED!! Well, most of the time she danced any way. At one point, the shiny curtain stage right caught her eye and mesmerized her for a moment or two...or three!! Then, when they were touching their toes she happened to notice that her shoe was untied, so she spent a moment or two....or three, futzing with those. The crowd thought she was pretty funny, so did I. My jaws were actually sore from smiling so big the whole time!! I was very proud of my sweet Little T...she did awesome!
Next, it was Sunshine's turn and of course she was fantastic. She loves to dance, even told me that she remembered to keep her smile on when she was nervous. During one point in their dance, she was supposed to turn and dance with a partner. However, when she turned, her partner had decided to dance with someone else, which left her solo. I could almost see her shrug her shoulders from the bleachers as she proceeded to do the partner dance BY HERSELF. Yep, that's how she is...so "go with the flow" like that! She makes me so very proud, she is such a little sweety!!
Good job girls...you were just beautiful tonight and we love you so very much!!!

Let the demo being....AGAIN!!

Yep...demo begins again in our home. Actually, to be completely honest, it hasn't stopped since we moved in. One of the next projects that Michael wants to tackle is the upstairs bathroom. The boys have already removed about 90% of the wallpaper and Daddy started on the floor trim. On Saturday, Fearless sat on that tub until every tile in the bathroom had been removed. I could really get used to this, children who are old enough, and capable enough, to help with some serious chores!!! Love you Fearless!! Oh, and thank you and Skater Boy for folding the laundry tonight!!! Sure helps a mama out:)

So what did you do last night???

Last night, Michael, myself and the three oldest children went to the high school in town. We had a very special evening planned, fancy duds and lots of food. But, let me clarify this...we were not going to be eating any of the food, and to be totally honest we all looked a bit goofy:) I don't know if any of you that have children have heard this phrase: "I'm starving to death, there's nothing to eat!!" Well, I can say that I hear that WAY more than I care to. I try to explain to the kids that they're not starving, just hungry! The usual response is, "yes I am!" So, Michael and I thought that we would all spend the evening volunteering for Kids Against Hunger at our local high school, and pack bags of food for children that are LITERALLY starving to death. I was so proud of all of them. They never complained about standing in one spot the entire time, or about being bored, or hungry, or thirsty...you know what I mean! They worked hard and did their very best. They felt very proud that they were able to help feed children who are going without food. I believe that they also have a much better understanding of what it actually means to be "starving to death." It's sad that there are people in this world that do, and those who have to watch their children cry for food and have no way to fill their empty bellies. As a mom, I cannot even being to fathom the pain of having to watch that. I praise God that we don't have those problems, and pray to God that he has compassion and holds tight those who do have to endure such hardships. I think that maybe this can become a new family tradition around here, because after all, God tells us to give and take care of those who can't take care of themselves. I hope that this has made a lasting impact on the children, I know it has on me!

Arts and Crafts

Alright...so last night we had craft night at the house. We have, in recent years, been making Christmas gifts for family and friends instead of purchasing. Originally it started because of Michael's job loss and all that goes with that. Now, we continue because I personally find it a much more meaningful gift. I think it is special that the children take the time to create something unique for someone, way more special that spending 5 minutes in a store picking out a gift. However, this gift making usually comes with a special present just for Mommy....a great big MESS wrapped in tempra paint. But, I have gotten wiser in my old age, and take great precautions and plan ahead to make clean up a breeze....errr at least easier:) It was a wonderful night, actually something that has been happening more and more often around here. I actually let Little T paint earlier in the day and had to clean blue glitter paint off of the door, the dining room table, chair, floor and leather couches....Daddy was less than pleased. Hmmm, oh well, she's only 4 once right!?
So, craft night was a big success and the entire family took part....yes that includes Mom and Dad. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Before the mess...I lined the entire island with parchment paper....SMART!!!!

What kind of mother lets their child body paint??? Where's social services;)

O' Christmas Tree....

Ahhh...a family tradition that everyone around here looks forward to every single year...the hunt for the perfect, or in our family's case, imperfect but perfect for us, Christmas tree!!! We always, always, always go the weekend after Thanksgiving and we always, always, always go to the same tree farm. However, in the past few years the selection has been.....hmmmm, less than perfect to be polite. But, my dear hubby refused to go anywhere else this year....tradition he says! So, we all loaded in our broken down green van. You all may wonder, or maybe you don't, why we wouldn't take our Duggar van (it has been affectionately nicknamed this by my dear cousin;).
Well, the answer to that is simple....kind of. We had no radio in it since our beloved little Louie decided that the CD drive looked a lot like a vending machine, and she poured 31 cents into. We only found this out after we took it into Ford, convinced something was shorting out our computer system. We had to pay a technician to take out our radio and tell us that the money had shorted it out, totaling it. Well, I guess it wasn't a total loss, we did get our 31 cents back....HILARIOUS!!!!!
Okay, back to Christmas trees....so we had to take our 1999 Dodge with 171,000 miles on it because we absolutely, under no circumstances, could make the trip to the tree farm without Christmas Caroles!! That's not a joke people, I am dead serious....please take a moment to laugh;)
Okay...so after all that we made it to the tree farm and loaded Louie in the back carrier. We walked for a very long time and were starting to get a bit discouraged. Somewhere along the path we came across a set of deer prints. I suggested we follow them, that maybe it would lead us to our perfect tree. The rest headed one way, and I stayed on the trail. Well, wouldn't you know it...they did lead us, kind of, to our yearly Christmas Tree. Skater Boy thought this was about the neatest thing, convinced that somehow it was an angel deer...or Rudolph...that had lead the way. So sweet:)
So, we got it home and quickly decorated it. I think it looks pretty good in our new home and the children were very proud of the wonderful job they had done decorating it. As for me...I enjoyed sitting back with my two littlest babes watching the whole thing come together!!!! Oh...and as for our radio...well, we bought a new one that doesn't even have a CD drive, you know, just in case;)