Christmas '09

Christmas has come and gone too fast, just like always. I love getting the house decorated, the music playing, and all too soon, I'm working on putting everything away. I've been known to cry a time or two when Christmas is over.

We've had a busy Christmas this year. Lots of kids' activities, and Luke, Katy and Charlie have been in town for 10 days! We've had fun being with them, letting Charlie experience the craziness of his MN cousins, sledding, board games, shopping trips, and plenty, plenty of food!

This weekend we'll start switching gears and thinking about what the next year has in store and getting ready to head back to school on Monday. The years keep going by faster and faster!

2010...already?!

Fun with Dad on the hill!

Love the rosy cheeks!

The kids (and adults) had a great time on the train!

Charlie didn't know what to think of the snow and the cold.

Adam and Charlie "playing" at Nana and Papa's house.

Gingerbread

No, I didn't get all domestic and actually make gingerbread. Instead, we had a day filled with gingerbread activities!

To start it off, Matt was part of a fabulous 1st grade play called "The Great Gingerbread Kid Caper". Papa, Adam and I went to his school to watch the play, and then enjoy decorated gingerbread cookies and punch. It was adorable!

Later that evening, I hosted my 2nd annual neighborhood cookie exchange. There were 14 of us, and we each made 8 dozen cookies! No one actually brought gingerbread, but some of what was there included: peppermint bark, peanut butter blossoms, salted nut rolls, truffles, pecan pie tarts, maple creams, spritz, Norwegian Krumkakka (no idea how to spell that), almond toffee clusters, and a few others. Yummy, yummy! One of the girls estimated that each of us ended the night with 5,000+ calories worth of cookies! Yucky, yucky!

While I was hosting the cookie exchange, Brian took the boys over to Nana and Papa's for their yearly gingerbread house decorating tradition. The boys look forward to this every year. To lessen the chance of arguing over the house, Nana found pre-made gingerbread men, and each of the boys got to decorate a couple of those. They came home a couple of hours later with several elaborately decorated gingerbread men.

Our house is more than stocked with goodies, the shopping and wrapping are just about done, and Christmas is almost here!


A clip of the play

Mrs. Heuser (Does she scream 1st grade teacher, or what?!)

A proud 1st grader!

Cookies from Nana & Papa's house

Cookie Exchange spread!

He's 9!

December 15, 2000. My first baby was born, and we were thrilled to welcome Benjamin Howard into the world. Since day 1 he has been a pure joy and blessing to our family. I can't believe he's turning 9 today! Brian recently reminded me that Ben's time at home is half over. That's all it takes to put my stomach in knots and bring tears to my eyes.

How to describe him? Loving, kind, smart, funny, athletic, curious, protective, tender, confident, a leader, cute, witty, responsible....He's made being a first-time parent very easy!

Grandma was in town this weekend to celebrate an early Christmas, Ben's birthday and the boys' Sunday School program. Ben is out of the awkward smiling phase that most kids seem to go through, and I absolutely love this picture of him!

Adam and Matt love to copy their big brother.

Ben has taught them how to be silly!


We love you, Ben! Happy 9th Birthday!

Portrait Studio

Ben has loved to take pictures with the digital camera for a long time. He's not a bad photographer and sometimes he can have a very creative eye.

Recently he decided he wanted to set up his own photo studio in his room. I let him take the camera and pretty much do whatever he wanted. He came up with everything on his own! All 3 boys had a great time.

Matt made the sign

Ben typed up the photo packages


The boss

The studio


The backdrop



Eager to get working


Subject #1


#2


Self-portrait


Playing with the settings


He really liked this shot!

Reindeer Run '09

Another year of the Reindeer Run has come and gone. This is a 5k I've done a few times, and it's a favorite of mine because it was the first 5k I ever did back in 2004! Last year, my sister ran it as her first 5k, and this year, a high school friend ran it with us, and this was her 2nd 5k. It's a festive environment, very non-threatening and a flat, pretty course.

We had a great run this year, but we did encounter one problem. It had to do with my driving. And parking. And not being good with directions. Missing an exit on the way to the run. Cutting it close time-wise getting to the run. Being too distracted to pay attention to where we parked. Walking for a GOOD HOUR looking for our car after the run in 20 degree temps. Oops. Maybe next year I won't be the driver.

Ready to run! Our stylin' socks

School's Closed!

Why are snow days so much fun?! Probably because we rarely actually have a full-blown school closing, but at 5:30 AM, both Brian and I got the call from our respective calling trees, and we are closed for the day! I just checked the website, and the boys will be home today, too! Now that it's 5:30 and I'm up and excited, hopefully I can get back to sleep.

Too Many!

I just ate WAY TOO many holiday M+Ms. They are so little, but so deceiving. You think you are going in for just a few, and before you know it, you've consumed 1,000 calories you never meant to!

I hope you recognize me the next time you see me!

It Might Be a Crazy Life...

but it's our life.

Dorky to steal the line from Jon and Kate Plus 8, but since their show is over now, I figured it was fair game!

December is a crazy and hectic month for everyone I know, but for some reason, I feel like our December is just insane! I feel guilty even saying that because it's filled with fun, family, friends and great memories, but my goodness, when is a girl supposed to even shave her legs during this month?!

We've got school field trips, neighborhood-classroom-and work parties, Ben's 9th birthday and friends' birthday parties, family coming into town, school clubs to supervise, a Reindeer Run 5k to complete, shopping, wrapping and baking to do, choir concerts and solos to work on, shepherd costumes to assemble for the Sunday School program, dentist appointments and a jewelry party, cards to address and mail out, cookie exchange to host, PTO meeting to present at, spinning classes to attend, papers to correct, Elf on the Shelf to hide each night, IEPs to write, a date night to plan, and I'm sure plenty of other things that I've completely forgotten about as of right now.

I'm telling myself to take a deep breath and take it one day at a time. The last thing I want to do is wish this special time of year away, be a crab for the entire month, or lose the real meaning of Christmas! We have our decorating done, and one of my favorite things is to put our Christmas books under the tree until the presents come out. It's a reminder for me and the rest of the family to slow down, enjoy the season, and remember why we celebrate!

Enjoy the next month...it is always over way too soon!

Boys' Spa

Having a spa night at our house isn't a normal activity. It doesn't happen that often, but let me assure you, that occasionally it does. On this particular night, spa night was actually initiated by Brian! He had picked up a "bargain" deal at Sam's Club. A container of sea salt bath crystals, a container of body scrub, a container of body butter, and a mud mask for a steal of $60. According to the lady doing the demo, it normally sells for $300, so this was an unbelievable deal! (Yes, there is a bit of sarcasm in my tone, but I'll admit that I've been using the products.) The boys wanted to get in on the fun, and Matt and Adam even asked to have their toenails painted. A few minutes later, we were back to farts and light-sabers.

Doesn't the headband make him look "spa authentic"?

Let the exfoliating begin!

Adam chose the two-toned look.

Matt chose the same, but in reverse.



Long live the memory of spa night.

Wacky Hair Day

While my sister was busy detoxing her body, I was busy planning what I would do with the boys' hair for Wacky Hair day at school.

Since last year, Ben has been insistent on wearing lots of little pony tails. With the scraggly hair he's got going on, we were able to do it.

Matt asked for pony tails, but I had to explain to him that his hair was just too short. He settled for the mohawk instead.

The poor teachers....I wonder if they got anything done that day?

Vivi...I'm just jealous. I don't have the willpower to detox, but wish I could!

Insurance

I've never been a big fan of insurance companies. Don't get me wrong, I do not take having health, life, home, auto and dental insurance for granted. What I don't like is all the red tape you have to go through if and when you have a claim. Endless phone calls, various people who don't seem to communicate with each other and on and on and on....(to my several family members who work in the insurance business, please do not take offense.)

I must say, however, that I have been pleasantly surprised with our homeowners' insurance. A few years ago we had 100% coverage for a new roof due to a wind storm that took off some of our shingles. The check came quickly and we soon had our new roof.

Recently I noticed a section of our kitchen floor near the sliding glass door was very soft and starting to rot. A handyman came out to give us an estimate and suggested we contact our insurance company...just in case. I thought it would be a long shot, but figured, what did we have to lose?

Brian's been the one in charge of making the phone calls and following up with emails and more phone calls. He's done a good job of staying on top of things, and tonight we got the call...THEY HAVE ACCEPTED OUR CLAIM AND ARE GOING TO SEND US A CHECK!!! We should be able to replace the sliding glass door and all the trim around it, fix the poor outdoor flashing that is causing the water damage, replace the rotten section of our kitchen floor and possibly redo all of the flooring in our kitchen!

We are very grateful! This is work that needs to be done, yet we didn't feel like we could afford to do a big home improvement project like this right now.

It really is an answer to prayer!

Observation Chair

This is the email I had to send this evening to Matt's teacher:

Hi Laurie,

Tonight at dinner Matt very matter of factly started telling us about the
Observation Chair. When he first started, I thought it was going to be a good
thing, but soon realized that the Observation Chair is not the place to be sent!
He went on to tell us that he was sent there because he was making armpit
noises.

Even though I was trying not to laugh (fortunately he never saw me), I am
concerned that he's making some poor choices at school. Please do not hesitate
to email if you see that he's acting inappropriately more often than not! We
are disappointed that this happened and really trying to work with him on making good choices.

Thanks,
Hilary and Brian

(Not sure why blogger copied and pasted with odd line breaks, but I didn't feel like retyping it.)

No joke. I just copied and pasted that baby into my post. As Matt started to talk about the Observation Chair, a new thing in his classroom, I thought it was going to be a special place that kids could go sit and work quietly, read to themselves, write in their journals, and reflect on their learning. How wrong was I? The OC is a 2009 version of a Time Out chair, and Matt got to break it in on its first day in his classroom.

Supper included a very serious conversation tonight!

**UPDATE**

Reply from Matt's teacher:

I chuckled when I read your email.  I can just imagine Matt telling the story at  dinner.  I love first graders.    I just started the idea of the observation chair yesterday as a way to keep from  interrupting my guiding reading lesson to deal with behavior issues.  Matt and  another boy were in between activities and the other boy was demonstrating the  arm pit noise technique to Matt and Matt was trying it out.     I think this was an isolated incident for Matt, but I'll be sure to let you know  if I see a trend.    Overall, Matt is usually well-behaved and respectful.  I enjoy him so much.    Have a good day. 

MN Gophers

Brian is all about new stadiums! The Gophers moved into their new TCF Bank Stadium this year, and Brian and Ben were able to go the Gopher vs. Illinois game. It was an unseasonably warm November day; perfect for outdoor football! After being down much of the game the Gophers made a good come-back, but it was too little too late.

Next stadium in line....Target Field!

Wipe Out!

Adam took a digger today at Nana and Papa's house. He was walking down their deck steps and when he stepped onto the brick, he must have missed a step and down he went. I didn't see it happen, but I sure heard about it. He recovered fairly quickly, thanks to the help of Papa's lap and a S'more.

Fortunately we don't have any pictures scheduled in the near future.

Mom of the Year

I will not be winning the award any time soon. On Halloween, the boys donned their store-bought costumes (no time or energy to make cute home-made costumes) except for Ben who went as Joe Mauer (and I did have the clever idea to buy sticky felt to make side-burns), and headed outside to take pictures. That's when I realized the battery was dead and so Halloween 2009 would have to be a memory in our minds. However, we were able to take a couple of dark pictures using our video camera.

Fast forward a couple of days. At supper tonight, Adam was not at all interested in the chicken, hash-brown, corn, cheese concoction I made up. I thought it wasn't too bad, but he opted to sneak off to the pantry and dig into the jar of peanut butter. Just imagine the conversation at daycare tomorrow.

"Adam, how are? Did you have a good night last night? What did you have for supper?"

"Peanut butter".

Yep...send the award my way!

Birthday Boy!

My baby is 3 today! He is so very much a 3rd child, and so very much our baby. He gets away with loads more than Ben and Matt did at this age, yet we sometimes coddle and smother him as if he were still a new baby.

Adam has had a sweet disposition from the day he was born. He's easy-going and very silly. It sure can be cute right now, but I have a feeling we'll be visiting teachers more often than we are now in years to come. We love his personality, and we love him to pieces!

Some Adam classics:

Happy 3rd Birthday, Adam!

We love you!

Suburban Leaf Pile

We finally had a decent fall weekend here. Most of October has been unseasonably cold, we've already had a couple of snowfalls, and many of us were left wondering if we'd have to blow out our driveways before we trick-or-treat in a couple of weeks.

This weekend we had beautiful blue skies and crip, cool fall air. The leaves (those that are left and didn't fall off due to the cold temps we've already had) seem to be close to their peak colors. The boys wanted to get outside and make a leaf pile to jump in. Living in a subdivision that's only about 9 years old, we don't have very large trees around here. The boys tried to rake up what they could, went to the neighbor's yard with their wheelbarrow to steal some leaves, and even smacked the trees with their rakes to try to shake down more leaves. The result was a rather pathetic looking leaf pile, but they had fun nonetheless.

Working hard to get more leaves!

Impressive, huh?

Running & Sliding

My 3 Sons!

I love their genuine expressions!

Girls' Weekend!

I went up north this past weekend with 8 neighbor gals! We were gone for 3 nights and had a great time! We spent one day completing a 13 mile hike, another day doing some shopping, and lots and lots of eating!!! We're planning to swap recipes and pictures, and hopefully we'll do it all again next year. I love my family, but it was nice to get away and have a little "me" time!

Some of the food we ate:

chicken & wild rice soup

buffalo chicken wing soup

french toast souffle

cheesy artichoke egg bake

hot ham, swiss and onion sandwiches

pumpkin blondies

peanut butter & chocolate bars

caramel apple bars and ice cream

buffalo chicken & blue cheese dip for chips

spinach dip

Our whole group


Our first incredible view

Amazing scenery!

There was some rough terrain we had to climb over

Normally a sign like this would make my heart sink. Not on this trip!

Before our 13 mile hike...

...and after!

Since I was going to be gone for the weekend, Brian decided to take the boys to SD to visit his parents and brother. They had an October birthday celebration, recognizing Opa's 79th, Brian's 40th and Adam's 3rd birthdays. They had a good time, and probably enjoyed getting away from mom for a little bit! : )

Understandably so, much of the celebration focused on Adam!

Brothers!


Boys' Weekend!