Happy New Year

After spending Christmas at home with my family, we decided to head to North Dakota to spend New Year's with Dennis' family. The Tuesday before New Years, the meteorologists were forecasting that starting Wednesday evening two big storms following right after each other would keep travelers stuck where they were for several days and no travel was advised. The meteorologists have said this for several storms this year and while there has been snow and blowing, they haven't been the storms that they promised. So, we were a little skeptical of this "big storm" and figured it wouldn't be so bad. But, just in case we stopped at all the places we needed to go before the storm: made a stop in Jamestown to drop of a gift for Kristen, drove to Bismarck to visit the beloved Emily and Ashley (and Megan too) and for me to visit my identical cousin, Brenda. We made it to Dennis' mom and dads on Wednesday evening to join Pat and Duane , Theresa and Cole. There still wasn't a storm. We woke up in the morning, there still wasn't a storm but the wind was blowing like crazy even for ND standards and it was freezing even for ND standards. We made a quick trip to the best store in ND, Nita's Attic, which is a consignment shop that has all of the stuff that you never knew you wanted for dirt cheap. I have yet to make a trip a come home empty handed. This time it was a loaf pan from Bennington Pottery ($2. 75), last time it was an incomplete set of china ($7.99). But, I digress, it was a cold walk home with our arms full of treasures, only 2 blocks away, but it felt like 2 miles. Someone even stopped and asked if we needed a ride. Yeah, the storm was starting. You might not remember, but last year we got snowed in over Christmas with Pat and Duane, Theresa and Cole. It's sort of becoming a tradition, I think.
So, for 3 days (2 days longer then we planned on staying) we didn't go outside or change out of our pajamas. We ate nothing but cookies and desserts and spent lots of time in front of a screen.I've never been so thankful of technology in my whole life. Eli and Sadie played "cut the rope" on Paula's IPad for hours. Cole brought his wii so Sadie become a cycling phenom and Eli is now an expert at 100 pin bowling. The kids received 10 movies for Christmas (no lie, we bought them second-hand from Dennis' coworker) so we had lots of movies to watch. Dennis' mom and dad got a new laptop, so I could do my online yoga in the peace of the basement. It was fantastic.
We also spent a lot of time playing games and relaxing on the couch.

The kids were very excited to bring in the New Year. They made fantastic hats (out of leftover wrapping paper) and blowers. I told them they were welcome to stay up until midnight (thinking that they'd fall asleep before that) and that at midnight we'd go outside and run around and yell "Happy New Year" (thinking that they'd fall asleep before that).Well, wouldn't you know that they managed to stay up until Midnight and that they were excited to run around outside even in the midst of a raging blizzard. However, this is what happens when you stay up until midnight and you prepare to run around outside in the midst of a raging blizzard to yell "happy new Year" and you can't find your mittens that your mom is making you wear because of the said blizzard and dangerous way below zero temperatures and wants you to wear socks on your hands for the one minute we're going to be outside. You throw a tantrum... But, you pull it together long enough to run outside (which I did not get pictures of. Theresa did. You can't even see us. All you see is lots and lots and lots of snowflakes) for a minute and yell "happy New Year!".

New Years Day we celebrated again because some adults did not manage to stay up until midnight.

We finally made it home on Sunday afternoon by driving on the back roads to Fargo since the interstates were still closed due to bad weather/ice and a major 100 car pileup. Being stormed in for 4 days can make a person sort of antsy. I've never been so excited to see a McDonald's playland. We stopped and played (along with every other kid in the Fargo metro area) for a long long time before making the last little jaunt to Bemidji. We are still working on getting back into our routine after the holidays. We all went through a little sugar withdrawal for a couple of days. We're happily waiting for all of the joys and milestones that 2011 will bring! Happy New Year everyone! Stay warm.

Skis

This winter we were gifted another set of kids hand-me-down cross country skis. The kids no longer have to share skis (like their parents do) and have been out on the trails sliding along. These trails, by the way, are in our, ahem, Dr. Johnson's backyard. They are just another reason why living in Bemdiji is pretty awesome and yet another reason why you should come visit us no matter the season.

We are spoiled to have these groomed trails 50 yards from our front door. OK, so this particular trail that Eli is on is leading to our house so it's not so beautifully groomed...

Happy Indulgences!!

Merry Christmas!! Dennis was on call and had to work so we spent Christmas in Bemidji. My brother and his family and my mom and dad celebrated with us. We are usually traveling for the holidays so it was nice to be in our own house and our beds. But, the traveling is coming as we'll be heading to see Dennis' family next week!
This picture was actually taken a couple of weeks ago before Anissa's baptism. But, with church going late on Christmas Eve and then me deciding to make swedish meatballs for supper and after cleaning up, the kids just could hardly wait any longer for us to take photos too.Sadie got her much desired pillow pet.

Reid had way too much fun running around and playing with Eli's toys to open any presents for himself. Reid, by the way, is Mr. Chatterbox. For being 2 and a boy, that kid can talk your ear off. And he's funny!

I like this picture of my dad and Anissa because it reminds me so much of another picture I have when Sadie was that age.Sadie got these Tinkerbell PJs and she loves them. She loves them so much that she took off her Christmas dress right in the living room in front of everyone and put them on. Gosh, it's great to be 4!!

The kids posing in their requested made-by-mom bathrobes, which are much too big for them. They loved them too!
Santa came in the morning and brought the kids new bikes. They are very sad that it is cold and snowy and can't try them out. I did get a picture of Eli on his bike too, but it was really blurry.Santa also brought Eli some new HotWheels, SnapCircuits, a movie and a jumprope.

Santa brought Sadie this awesome "Sadie" hat and a huge candy cane.
Eli is also now the proud owner of an air hockey game. Dennis got his chainsaw and underwear. I got a new apron, wool socks and some wool clogs.

I had a great time hosting my first Christmas. The food was pretty good, if I do say so myself. We ate too much and the kids were spoiled by everyone. We didn't play any cards though, I guess I'll have to wait until I'm in Napoleon to play May-I!!! I truly am blessed with a wonderful family!

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K1 Christmas Program

Friday night, Eli and his K1 and Kindergarten classmates at JW Smith Elem. had their Christmas concert. The children learned 13 songs and poems and did an awesome job. You might remember Eli's last Christmas concert, where he refused to sing and stood with his hands in his pockets the whole time. Well, those days are long gone. He sang and did the actions for every song. He even happily put on his Christmas sweater, cords, and "church shoes". He kept saying he needed to wear something "the colors of the flag, you know, red, white and blue" but I think he was confusing that with the Veterans Day program they had!Here are some actions from "Up on the Housetop". This is a "dolly that laughs and cries. One that will open and shut it's eyes."You can tell that all of the kids love the "whip that cracks" part. Mrs. Schaefer, their music teacher, (pictured) apparently has a real whip that she brought to class and showed the kids what a cracking whip sounds like. I bet the students were good that day!!After the show we celebrated with Zoe and her family by going out for pizza at our favorite local pizza joint. It was such a fun day!

Dear Santa,

~~~Please excuse the bluriness of these photos, I still do not know how to use my camera!~~~

A visit to Santa was in order so the kids could absolutely be certain that they would get what they wanted for Christmas. Eli asked if this was going to be the real Santa and I said that Santa is sometimes so busy this time of year that sometimes he sends elves to dress up and act like him, but guess what? The real Santa actually made it to the Bemidji library and Mrs. Claus came too. Look at how handsome he is! (Gosh, will someone please get that kid some new jeans? Didn't his parents know that it was going to be like 15 degrees below zero that day??)
Both of the kids decided to hand-deliver their letters. Eli requested a lot of stuff: tools and cars and some other things that I can't recall. (Things he never mentioned until he sat down to write the letter!)

Sadie worked super-hard on her letter. There was a beautiful picture of a butterfly and flowers and the sun and ladybugs on the front. Then she included hundreds of paper hearts that she spent days cutting out of Christmas wrapping paper. She asked for a Princess Nutcracker, a princess snowglobe and a pillow pet. She was also brutally honest when she admited that she was a good girl "most of the time."

Here's hoping that Santa was listening!

~~~Cousins~~~

Sadie, Reid, Eli and Anissa

Christmas Tree 2010

So, when I said we had to find and chop down a tree, you didn't actually think we were going to tromp through the woods of Minnesota to find the pefect tree did you? I hope not, because that would be a stretch. We did "chop" down a tree this weekend, but it was from a tree farm and they provided the saw. They did provide the snow for a fabulous flocked look, but while beautiful it actually made searching for the perfect tree a little difficult as we had to shake them all to see how it looked.The snow was a little deep once you got off the road and it made finding the perfect tree very tiring. See that tree without any snow? That's our tree!

Every year, Eli wants a Charlie Brown tree. He didn't get one again this year.

I have a video of the actual falling of the tree, but it's a little boring, so I'll spare you. This is the point where Dennis was saying something like, "Gosh, it sure would be nice if your mom would put down the camera and help."

They had to wait a whole day before they could decorate it. Mom was too busy decorating the rest of the house and dad was putting lights on the house and then Grandma was here so mom and dad had to go out on a date...
It's a major award!

How sweet is Sadie?!?

It's Beginning to Look (and Feel) A Lot Like Christmas!

"Snowmen" by Eli

Here it is, the first day of December. It looks like December: there's a good 18 inches of fluffy, glittery snow, the trees are heavy with the latest falling of the white stuff, the roads are icy, the ski trails have been groomed, and all of our shoes have been replaced by boots (and skates, and skis!). The temperatures are in the single digits and it now takes us a good 20 minutes to get out the door as boots, coats, hats, scarves and mittens need to be put on even just to run and get the mail.

"Reindeer" by Sadie

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It seems like there is a lot to get done between now and December 25. We need to find, chop down and decorate a Christmas tree, two requested bathrobes need to be sewn, dozens of cookies need to be made, the house needs to be cleaned, scrubbed, decluttered and decorated for a holiday party that I somehow volunteered for, presents need to be purchased, holiday cards need to be emailed and somehow I need to find time to slow down, smile and enjoy it all. Although it can be hectic, I enjoy all of the preparation for one special day. The kids, too have been preparing. Letters are being written, ornaments are being made, decorations are being arranged and then rearranged and the rearranged again, songs are being sung and holiday cheer is in the air.

Eli has a Christmas concert coming up and I think he might even sing this time. He's promised to wear a sweater and he even helped pick one out (on ebay, of course). Much to my chagrin, it turns out that he doesn't like Nordic ski sweaters and finds them "too snowflakey". Sadie has about 4 Christmas outfits and thinks that that isn't enough and already knows which outfit she's wearing to each holiday event. Dennis has requested a chainsaw for Christmas, but Sadie thinks he needs new underwear. I wonder which one he'll be getting?!

In this time of preparation, I'm going to try really hard to appreciate and savor every moment of it. And I pray that my patience lasts until December 25th!!

Snow!

We have snow in northern Minnesota and what fun it has been. Sadie, in particular, has turned out to be a snow queen. She wants to play in the snow all day and never seems to get cold or bore of it. She could make snowangels all day and never seems to tire as long as I'm the one pulling her around on the sled! Eli likes to be outside if he has a job to do. He's been working on a fort (a teepee, really, that the neighbor kids started building on our property) and loves to shovel. It's easier to get them outside this year. I think they've grown accustomed to the cold and they don't mind wearing layers as much as they used to, or maybe it's just their age. Either way, it's going to be a fun winter. I predict lots of snowmen, forts, angels, skiing and sledding. Oh, and lots of hot chocolate too!

Eli

"There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" by Eli

Remember the good ol' days when I used to post every day during the month of November? It's not like we're not busy doing things or busy growing or busy learning, but it's just getting harder and harder to document their changes especially when the changes are mostly mental instead of physical. Not that Eli isn't growing either, he's managed to grow an inch and a half since his birthday which makes all of his new pants flood pants...

But, today I'm going to share some of Eli's new milestones, not because I'm bragging, but because this blog has turned out to be Eli's and Sadie's "Life Book." I figure, one day, they might just want to know this stuff.

Eli finally grew out of his old tennis shoes, which meant new ones. We got him shoes with laces so he could learn to tie his shoes. And guess what? He learned to tie his shoes, and Dennis' shoes, and my shoes...

The big big thing is that Eli is now a reader. He's reading some easy level readers and some harder picture books and is doing pretty good. Dennis and I just decided to teach him one day (he's not reading at school yet) and he's been pretty excited about it and has been trying to read every book since. He has a bank of 50 or so high frequency words and is really good at just saying what makes sense or using the pictures as clues. He attempts sounding out, but I really try to discourage that because he's not very proficient at it. Reading is such an exciting milestone. I love watching him enjoy reading to us, not that we don't still read to him!

Other milestones from the past few months:
**Getting himself going and pumping on the swing
**Counting to 199
**Wiping his own behind clean. Clean! (maybe not important to anyone but me!)

I'm sure that there are lots more milestones that I've forgotten to mention along way. Somehow he seems to be growing faster than I thought possible.

A Pink Birthday (again)!

Sadie turned 4 on October 28. Grandma and Grandpa Z. were here for the big day (and stayed for the party too) along with uncle Darren and his family. Sadie requested fried chicken and french fries for supper. The cake was just a little one to tide her over until her party which wasn't until the next day.
Sadie's birthday requests were simple: she wanted grandma to make her a fairy cake, and she wanted Zoe, Nile and Leanna to be there (grandma and grandpa and Darren, Talia, Reid and Anissa came too). That was it.
When the partyers arrived, they decorated little treasure boxes. While those dried, the kids went on a treausre hunt for real money. It's a good thing they like copper. Haha!!

We opened presents:

We ate yummy pizza:

And we sang happy birthday:
It was a pretty low-key party, but we all had a blast.

Sadie's 4 year stats:

35 pounds

38 3/4"

2 shots with tears

Another Princess in the House

With the passing of Jewel, we were just missing that special presence that an animal brings into a home. Our hearts ached and we missed cuddling a beloved pet. It was quickly decided that another cat was needed. A trip to our local Humane Society introduced us to our newest family member. This is Belle formerly known as Guinevere which was just too much of a mouthful for all of us. She's a 6 month old tabby cat. She's a little runt, very lovey and a little whiney. Much like a newborn baby, she only cries when she's put down! Eli has declared her as an indoor cat only, but I think once spring rolls around Belle will be outside chasing the bugs and climbing trees like every cat should. She's such a beautiful cat and we're so happy to have her.

Happy Halloween!!

Is it just me or does Halloween just seem to drag out? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Halloween as much as the next person, but it seems like it's become Halloween week instead of just one night of trick-or-treating. Anyways, enough babbling and on to the festivities.
Here is Eli's K1 class. Sadie is mixed into the group too. They had a nice little party with games and a spider snack. Sadie is a fairy and Eli is a power ranger, but he called himself the "puncher". Here's Sadie with our beloved Zoe.

Eli and his twin friend, Ryan. They were born on the same day, are the same size and practically look the same. Then, they both show up at the Halloween party with bulging muscles.
Carving pumpkins from our visit to the pumpkin patch.Sadie chose to carve her pumpkin in nothing but her panties. Why? Because she didn't want to get messy. Haha.

Sadie and I also went to a really fun party at Carlos and Luis' house on Saturday night, but I didn't have the camera. Eli and Dennis took the camera to Minneapolis to the Gopher v. Buckeye football game. Fun was had all around. I'll have to share those pictures later...

So, after the weeks worth of events, we were kind of Halloweened out by the time Sunday evening rolled around and it was time for trick or treating. Eli just wanted to stay home and watch the Vikings (he's becoming quite the sport's fanatic) and Sadie already had enough candy to last until Valentine's Day. So we were lame and just went trick or treating at the mall with a brief stop over at Uncle Darren's and Auntie Talia's.

I let the kids eat a lot of candy yesterday and today. Tomorrow, I'm locking it up. I think Dennis' co-workers will enjoy the bounty!!