playing 'catch up'

November wasn't very busy around here. nothing major planned, aside from thanksgiving, but with the stuff we DO have planned, that is just a break in the madness. here's how we spent November:

There were many times we spent at the table doing 'art'. They like to make pictures for people, but mostly, they end up as clutter on my counter. Brynlee likes paper and scribbling. She is getting better and drawing circles and lines, but mostly ending in big blobs of color. Fletcher is really starting to make identifiable pictures. Most are of our family, but it is pretty neat to see how he interprets each of us in his drawings.

It snowed. Kind of. The kids were excited. I was not. However, it was minimal so I dealt with it. 

 Adam and Fletcher made some deer jerky from the meat we got earlier in the year. When it comes to helping, Fletcher is right there. He's not a great helper yet, but he sure tries. Sometimes, more often than not, he's in the way, but it means a lot to him to 'be involved'.

Gus made an early visit. There were two children who were behaving terribly, so I thought it would be best if Santa sent our elf early. They straightened up, slighly and were threatened on a weekly basis that there would be NO Christmas if they continued on like they were. It kind of worked.

 My brother and his family came down from Minnesota this year to celebrate Thanksgiving. I have no pictures of the feast my parents prepared, but I do have these to shots of our crazy, line waiting experience to get some cheap deals at the Pre-Black Friday sales. And that line at Target was just starting to enter as we were approaching. The line went all the way around the building and then stretched out along one side of the mall. We hopped in where there was a gap and got in with no problem. My brother got the Ipads he was after and my SIL and I had no problem choosing from a large selections of items we were after.

 My mom took my kids and my niece (and me) to Disney on Ice. The show included scenes from Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Little Mermaid and Peter Pan. The kids liked it, I wasn't impressed though. I've seen much better shows put on. They get to go again in February as a birthday gift from their Aunt Lindsey...but it's a surprise.

Curesearch Walk

On May 18th, the Curesearch walk was held at Principal Park. Camryn's team keeps getting bigger each year, so there were quite a few people walking for her and in hopes of raising awareness and money for childhood cancer.
At the beginning of the walk, there is always an extra emotional part when all the names of the kids who haven't won their battle are read. such a tear jerker. such an emotional walk to know where we've been, what we're going through and what could be.

After the walk, the kids and I headed over to my sister's house for a little cookout and kid play time. it was fun to actually not have to pay too much attention to my kids since they were playing with their cousins and a few more responsible older kids. 

Our weekend (4/26-28)

Adam took Friday off because he had a doctor appointment, and we were heading to Albia later in the morning. After his appointment, we all hopped in the truck and went to McDonald's for breakfast. After invading all the old people, we headed to the carwash...to wash the dog. Our carwash recently transformed one of the bays into a doggy spa where you can wash your pets. Genius idea that person had. Easton smelled and looked way better after Adam and Fletcher bathed her. I even petted her because she looked so nice.

When the boys were finished, we went home to pack and then to hit the road. Once we got to Albia, I asked his step-mom about the Amish market that was just outside of town. The girls loaded up and made the short drive while the boys were in the back garage working on the vehicle of the day. I've been to an Amish market before, but when there is money in my pocket (and a whiny two year old in the cart), a lot of stuff gets tossed in. I'm so excited about some of the mixes I got, and candy and spices. Uh, I could have bought way more than I did. I will be going back next time I'm in Albia.

Since the power tour is approaching, Doyle is getting his GTO ready for the trip. The kids and I joined Adam and Doyle for a test drive. Brynlee said 'super fast' when we pulled out of the driveway. Fletcher was having too much fun during the day to enjoy the ride, as he fell asleep on my shoulder. When we got back from our little drive, Adam got cleaned up and he and I headed uptown to the Albia Brewing Company for dinner and some drinks. It was nice to be able to go on a date without the kids.

Saturday morning, we were outside early. Fletcher went with the boys to Benton Place to fix a few issues, while Brynlee and I went for a walk around the block. The block only measured about a mile and a half, and my knee handled it well. When the boys got back, we attempted to fly a kite, but it just wasn't very windy to keep it in the air long. Lunch and naps soon followed because we had a birthday party for a great grandma to attend later.

Grandma Glo's party was held in the building across from the Methodist church, which allowed for plenty of room for the kids to run and play. It was potluck style, so after we all got there and had things set up, we went through the line and got our food. Everyone ate, chatted and enjoyed the time together. We got the cake ready for GG and she blew out the candles, she had a helper when it came to tasting the frosting. A few pictures with the grands and greats and then it was time to clean-up, dismantle and leave. 

                     

Sunday brought more nice weather and some time outside before it was time to head for home. The kids and I walked over to my grandparents house for a little visit. My Uncle Joe and his wife were visiting too, so it was nice that we got to see them. It was a nice, long weekend catching up and hanging outside. If only the weather would cooperate and act like spring.  

Man trip

Last week, Adam went on a man trip with my dad, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and nephew. They ventured way up north to sportsmans's lodge, in Baudette, MN to go ice fishing for a few days.
Adam sent pictures while he was gone and it looked like everyone was having a good time. He said the fish weren't biting much, but they did catch a few fish. He also said since they were on the meal plan at the lodge, they ate way more than any one person should eat at one sitting.
He came home with a few fish fillets that will be gone in the next seven weeks, five cases of beer and a belly too full to eat for the next day.
I'm sure glad he had a good time. In just waiting for my turn when the girls get to go on a getaway. Sounds like I'll be waiting a while.

*pictures: the river outside the lodge and the trees in Canada. Adam and his first catch. My dad. Paul (bro in law)

christmas, a month later.

christmas day, we head to my parents' house for the day. this year my brother and his family were there, so all the grandkids were present, minus the oldest. it was a full house with everyone there, plus, my grandparents and aunts and uncles came for a while to join in the paper flinging fun of gift opening. 

we sit in families so we can assist our kids, which means we never get pictures of our own kids. i had a brilliant idea this year, that my sister and i should give each other our discs, and snap pictures of each others kids. when we swap discs back, we have our own kids opening gifts, and a few other snapshots. genius!!1

 momma got a kindle fire. 

 all the grandkids, minus the oldest. (22 months-19yrs)

christmas traditions

everyone grows up with some sort of family tradition. they are something that i look back on and have great memories of. i knew i wanted to carry on some of those same traditions with my kids and that i wanted to create new ones. as the kids get older and understand more, it is much more fun to see these traditions continue. in keeping a few, we have also added a few. 

one thing my family always did, was make christmas candy. my parents make fudge and caramels that people rave over. i remember always being in the kitchen when my mom was making caramels and my brother and i would fight over the 'tester' piece. when they were set and cut, we would sit around the table and do the dreaded wrapping. as a kid, it wasn't fun, but it is something that i enjoy being a part of as an adult. i didn't get the caramel making gene, but i do enjoy making other types of christmas candy/treats. one of my favorites is the pretzel, white almond bark and m&m's. very easy and with littles around, a pretty quick task. cookies, grinch treats, and apple bread was also on the list.

i always had an advent calendar growing up. the one with the days numbered on little doors you opened on that day and then there was a little chocolate inside. my mom has searched and i have searched and we can't find them, so i came up with my own version of an advent calendar. i saw it on pinterest last year and just put my retired elementary teacher/crafter skills to work. it's cute for now, and the kids love putting on a cotton ball each day. the only problem, they both think they need to do it. i have a few other ideas for the future, but this will work for the next few years. 

along with the advent calendar, i did a little thing with the twelve days of christmas this year. for each day, we had a christmas book that was wrapped and the kids took turns each day unwrapping a book and then we would read it. sometimes i read during snack time. sometimes at bedtime. sometimes we even forgot and then opened and read two the next day. this was fun, but maybe a bit advanced for their ages. as they get older, i'm sure the books will hold their attention better. i had many of the books from my teaching days, but some of them i checked out from our library. i just had to make sure they were opened sooner than later so i could return them on time. 

and my favorite tradition that we started in 2011, is the elf on the shelf. when i bought him, i wasn't sure how well i would do, but i really do love finding a new place for gus and using him to make fletcher behave a little better. it's also great to see the kids try and find him. brynlee really got into it and sometimes found him before fletcher even had a chance. i've had to be a bit careful with my placement of him, since baby girl likes to not listen and touch when she's told not to, which makes a little boy flip out because he gets it more than than she does. some of the ideas on pinterest are too fun not to do, but until i have two children who will 'play' along with the rules, those fun things won't be happening. 

new~again

so, you know how you feel when you have all these thoughts in your head and something finally clicks and your fingers just type it out in a matter of seconds, without sounding boring or having to delete five hundred times? well, i had one of those posts ready and some little boy came over and bumped the laptop and now it's all gone.

you now get the quick.

we had pictures taken in october. i want to display them, so i changed the picture on the o'blog. along with the picture, i felt i needed to change everything else. except the stinkin' post title color wouldn't change for me...didn't even give me an option and i know that it can be changed.  anyway, i'm happy with how it looks, and i can see through the blue...for a period of time.

here are a few more pictures that were taken at our photo session. enjoy!