Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Be safe and have fun, and don't forget to celebrate the REAL reason for Christmas, Jesus' Birthday. Happy Birthday baby Jesus. I think too many times in our lives we get way to wrapped up in gift giving, and we all forget what those gifts are supposed to represent. I think starting next year, we are limiting our childrens' gifts to three, just like baby Jesus received. Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year.

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today is her birthday, she is claiming she just turned 21, but I have a small bit of doubt on that one.

Disturbing

I find this disturbing... "Contains a bittering agent to help discourage inhalant abuse"

It's been over a month since my last post. Wow, it's been a busy month. On top of the normal work and parenting, I have had two papers due in my classes. One was a 10 page report on a topic of our choice, and I chose to discuss whether probation should be considered a punishment and I received a B on that paper. The other was a 5 page paper on Hezbollah and I haven't received that paper back yet, but I'm sure I did fine.

There was also Halloween, and both boys had a good time. Harley was Jason from Friday the 13th, and Kaden was a cute little dragon...

We have tried to soak up the last month of warm weather by playing outside as much as possible...
Kaden received his first haircut...And we can't forget the Sunday tradition of FOOTBALL and being lazy...

Now it is Thanksgiving time, and I am so thankful for everyone in my life!! I truly am blessed and wouldn't give up my family and friends for anything! I would however give up the 2 year old attitude that my little guy has been giving lately!! Jeesh, he is naughty. Harley had confrences and I recieved and awesome report, couldn't be prouder except for if he would lose his 9 year old attitude that he gives mom and dad! He too is very naughty!

Intelligent Conversation

So this Thursday is my baby Kaden's first haircut. I asked Dustin if he was going to come with that day?
He said "You really want all 4 of us to go just for his haircut?"
I said "Ummm, yeah!! It's his first ever haircut. You have to come watch."
He said "I was there for his first bowel movement, what could be more special than that?"
CLASSIC

October 7th marked the one year anniversary of my Grandma leaving us here on earth to join her father in heaven for eternal life. She decided to stop by and say 'hi' to me on this special day.

This Peace Lily has not had a bloom on it since her funeral one year ago. I find it fascinating that exactly one year later, it once again has a flower.

School & Buisness

I just received some amazing news. After this semester in school at MSU, I am officially done with all my required and elective classes for my major in Criminal Law. So now I get to start on my minor in Addiction Counseling, and all the classes look like they will be online, so no more missing family time in the evenings to attend class. YAY!!!
I honestly don't know if I will ever use this degree for a couple of reasons. The first being I don't want to move away to find a job, and the jobs are slim pickings here. The second reason is I enjoy being home with my kids. And the third being, when I do decide to go back to work, it will be at our family business, Signs & Wonders (Bismarck, ND), learning the ropes to take it over so my so deserving parents can retire :)

Signs & Wonders
(701) 222-3848

Vehicle Graphics, Trucks, Trains, Trade Show Displays, Striping and Graphic Kits, Portable Sign Rentals, Planes, Logo Design, Digital Prints, Cycles, Custom Signs, Custom Lettering, T-shirts, etc.

Kaden likes Football

Why go to Church??

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"
When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Let us not forget...

Harley's 4th Grade Pics

Taken by yours truely...

Schools Back in session

Today was Harley's first day in 4th grade. He had a good time and it seems to me like this year is going to be tougher with more 'learning' and less 'play'. He has to memorize all 50 states on a map and know their abbreviations. Boy, looks like I might be going to 4th grade with him because I'm sure there are lot of states' capitals/abbreviations that I don't know. He also has to read a lot for a big part of his over all grade. Harley has always enjoyed reading so I don't think we will have a problem with this. His teacher sent home a letter to us and it had a neat quote in it.
"In grades K-3 kids are learning to read, but from here on out kids are reading to learn."
He also has some projects that he has to do in Social Studies and Science. Grass Earth Lodge & Bug Collection HERE WE COME! HAHA

Tomorrow is Friday...and there isn't any softball!! What are we going to do? I think it's time to order up some Netflix again for the winter!

I have to share this because I thought it was funny/cute. Tonight we went to BWW (Buffalo Wild Wings) and we ordered Kaden some chicken strips with french fries. He has discovered that he loves to dip his fries in katchup, which is fine, but tonight he discovered that he can dip his finger in the katchup and suck it off. Oh if only I had a camera to capture that messy face and hands of his! It was cute!

Oh boy!

What does a mother do when her 9 year old boy wants to hang out and chat with his friends on myspace? And when her 9 year old boy wants a cell phone? Jeesh, kids want to grow up too fast these days! I keep telling him not until he is at least 12, but everyday he keeps asking again!

Sad, I know!

I am, and have been, officially ready for school to start!! I can't handle anymore 9 year olds!! The two 9 year olds require more of my time than the four toddlers I have in daycare.
Sad, I know!

I asked Harley the other day if he was ready for school; You want to know what his response was? "Yeah, because I get to wear my new Under Armour socks."
Sad, I know!

This summer has been exhausting between softball, volleyball, baseball, weddings & birthdays, and for the first time ever I am happy that summer is over.
Sad, I know!

Only one month to go and we will be making our trek to Minneapolis for the great Vikings game. I personally am looking more forward to the shopping!
Sad, I know!

Just some random pics....

18 Month Check Up

Today was Kaden's 18 month check up. Let me say, man that kid is big. He weighed in at 27 lbs 8 oz which puts him in the 75th percentile. His height was 34" which puts him in the 90th percentile, and finally his fat head measured in at 19.75" which lands him in the whopping 95th percentile. Mommy's little baby is getting too big :(

Harley's 9th B-day

I cannot believe that my bigger baby is 9 years old already! Where did the time go?

Happy Birthday Harley!! I hope your party was all you wanted it to be and you got everything you wanted!! We love you!

-Dad, Mom, Kaden, Rocky, Tito & Lewis

The Birthday Boy...

Seeing his cake for the 1st time...

After blowing out the already blown out candles (thanks wind)...

Eating the frosting, naughty naughty...

We had a cake fight...

Money for his Vikings trip...

Harley realizing he was holding (fake) tickets to a Vikings game...

Daddy and Kaden snuggling...

Water balloon Mayhem...

First time down the slide...

Pissed off about going down the slide...

But he was happy to be in the pool...

Splashing in the warm puddle...

Being silly...

Eating cake...