At the end of November or beginning of December Seth asked me when we could go to the zoo again. I told him, "when it gets nice out again". Today as we were leaving the grocery store and it was above zero with no wind I said, "isn't it nice out today buddy"....his response...."does that mean we can go to the zoo?"
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Birthday Celebration!
In just a few days my pretty little girl will turn 6! This past weekend we got away to the cities to enjoy some family time and celebrate Alayna's birthday. Instead of a crazy friend party at our house she opted for a hotel stay and a visit to the American Girl store in the cities. We were able to get a free hotel stay and then with gift money she got for her birthday she enjoyed picking out a couple things. Our gift to her was a dessert date (eating a meal was too spendy and isn't dessert the best part anyway?!?) for just the girls at the American Girl Cafe. She had a BLAST and it was just what she wanted. She's not a super girlie girl, but she loved her special day!
Here are a few pics from the special celebration...
Here are a few pics from the special celebration...
The girls were up early Saturday morning wanting to go...the mall didn't even open until 10am so they decided a fashion show for their dolls would be the best way to pass the time. :)
In the van and ready to go!!
After spending her birthday money we were ready for dessert!
2 pretty girls enjoying their girlie time!
Hailey and her doll Ruthie
Alayna and Kit
They each chose the 3 mini ice cream cone dessert with sprinkles. Alayna got a birthday candle in hers and then the staff came to sing Happy Birthday.
The dolls got their own tea cups with pink lemonade in them as well as whip cream with sprinkles dessert...the girls enjoyed the dolls food and thought it was hilarious to be eating it for them.
After dessert we enjoyed a couple rides and were ready for the next part of our weekend adventure! Friends, family and swimming!!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Baby it's cold outside
Since everybody has been talking about the weather I figured I might as well also. It's cold out!! REALLY cold out! -20 with a windchill of -35 or lower is just indescribable...I'm thankful it hasn't been horribly windy though.
Our vehicles haven't had issues starting (thank you!), but if a vehicle could whine about having to start, I'm pretty sure ours would. They don't sound happy when they start.
Our doors on the house haven't frozen shut, but they make very loud horrible squeaky noises when we go in and out of the house. Like fingers on a chalk board...eek!
My poor husband hasn't had heat in his van all winter. This happened a year or so ago too and though we had it fixed, it apparently wasn't permanent and we're not sure if it can be fixed again or not. He has a short commute so it's not the end of the world, but when it's THIS cold, by the time he gets home he's a Dan-sicle! Today I'm staying home so I offered him my van since it's just unbearably cold! Not sure if that was a good idea or not...going from a van with no heat and various other issues to a van with heat, heated seats and auto-start....I'm wondering if I'll get my van back!! :)
Things I'm thankful for this year during this nasty cold spell...I finally listened to advice from friends around me, saved my pennies and bought a pair of Emu's (like Ugg's) and they are amazingly warm. No cold feet for me!!! I also finally bought a WARM winter coat. It seriously makes all the difference. Warm feet and a warm body has made this winter more survivable for me than most. Considering I've lived here for more than 10 years, maybe I should have made these purchases a while ago. :) I'm not a trend setter, that's for sure!
Next week we will hit a high of 20 ABOVE zero...considering some of the lows this week we are looking at a 50 degree or more difference! HEAT WAVE! :)
Our doors on the house haven't frozen shut, but they make very loud horrible squeaky noises when we go in and out of the house. Like fingers on a chalk board...eek!
My poor husband hasn't had heat in his van all winter. This happened a year or so ago too and though we had it fixed, it apparently wasn't permanent and we're not sure if it can be fixed again or not. He has a short commute so it's not the end of the world, but when it's THIS cold, by the time he gets home he's a Dan-sicle! Today I'm staying home so I offered him my van since it's just unbearably cold! Not sure if that was a good idea or not...going from a van with no heat and various other issues to a van with heat, heated seats and auto-start....I'm wondering if I'll get my van back!! :)
Things I'm thankful for this year during this nasty cold spell...I finally listened to advice from friends around me, saved my pennies and bought a pair of Emu's (like Ugg's) and they are amazingly warm. No cold feet for me!!! I also finally bought a WARM winter coat. It seriously makes all the difference. Warm feet and a warm body has made this winter more survivable for me than most. Considering I've lived here for more than 10 years, maybe I should have made these purchases a while ago. :) I'm not a trend setter, that's for sure!
Next week we will hit a high of 20 ABOVE zero...considering some of the lows this week we are looking at a 50 degree or more difference! HEAT WAVE! :)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Hosting Christmas
Our 3rd Christmas is also at our house...Dan's mom, stepdad, brother, sister-in-law and their 4 kids come and celebrate here...we Skype his sister and her family who live in Switzerland, so it's like their here...they just don't need a bed. :) I have found that I really enjoy hosting and overall it seems to work pretty well!
His pile...I have to say, he waited SOOOO patiently for his turn to open presents. It was pretty precious. His new favorite thing to say when he opens up a fun toy is, "It's just what I wanted!" Love that little man!
More building will be taking place...he never tires of building and constructing!
A pretty horse for her AG. Do you see a theme with her?? She had the doll and a brush, but not even one other thing to go with her AG until Christmas when she got clothes, a horse, and a carrying case...she has LOVED picking out an outfit for her each day...or multiple times a day. :)
Our Sunday morning 'we are color coordinated so we should take a picture'....the boys had hand-me-down sweaters that matched and Josiah LOVED having a matching sweater with his brother...I'm not even kidding, he did...very cute! :)Christmas at Home
We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house with just our family. We enjoyed the Christmas Eve service at our church, then had caramel corn in the van and toured the town looking for pretty Christmas lights. Once we got home we read the Christmas story before going to sleep. The kids woke up in the morning and we came downstairs to open stockings and gifts. After opening gifts we enjoyed caramel rolls and playing with all the new games and building sets (seemed to be a theme this year as I noticed we had few games geared to Josiah's age...and very few even for Alayna).
Her AG set she wanted.
Stocking fun...I found foam swords at the dollar store and so each kid got one and thought they were fun (and pain free) to play with.
We made quite a mess...
We don't dress up for Halloween, but the kids dress up most other days of the year, so I was excited to find costumes for less than $2 after Halloween this year...instead of Alayna wearing our Spiderman or Superman costume, she can now be Spider GIRL! :)
He has no idea what Transformers are, but he didn't care...he wore this get up ALL DAY!
Time to build the k'nex roller-coaster...
It's just not complete without a silly face pic! :)Canby Christmas
At our house, Christmas isn't just one day...it's more of a marathon. We take our time and spread it out so that we can enjoy each celebration with our family. Our first Christmas was at my mom and stepdads. Just label me 'horrible mom' because though I remember everything I else I FORGOT MY CAMERA!! Can you believe it?? Yes, I know, if it were possible I should be fired. My mom came to the rescue and so I got a few pictures, but I forgot to transfer all of them....so this is what I've got.
The crew at my moms...notice many kids all the same age. It works out pretty well now, but you can imagine the chaos a few years ago when we had multiple babies and toddlers all at the same time. :) 
Each year Grandpa H. buys each kid an ornament that they pick out over Thanksgiving...someday when they move out they will have a great assortment of ornaments to remember the years by.
After having practice with gifts in October for his birthday, he was a pro at Christmas. Thankfully he didn't open too many gifts that weren't his...I mean really, when it's your birthday they are all for you...who knew Christmas was different???
She got her pillow pet and some American Girl clothes as well as a case for her AG girl and clothes for her...she was beyond thrilled with everything!!
Her ornament...Seth got Buzz Light Year and Woody...I apparently didn't transfer many pics of him. Thankfully with all our Christmas' I have room for improvement! :)Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Christmas Movie
This post brought to you by....my hubby.... :)
If Christmas was a movie at your house, what genre would it be? Comedy, Action/Adventure, Drama, Political Thriller, Horror? Do you have the guts to ask your family what they really feel? If you were making a movie out of the real Christmas story what genre would it be? Comedy, Action/Adventure, Drama, Political Thriller, Horror? Do you have the guts to really look at the Christmas story to see? I believe it is a little bit of all of these.
Comedy: Do you not see the hilarity of an angel telling little teenage Mary that she is pregnant with the Holy Spirit's baby and the kid already has a name but "don't be afraid?!?" Or how about the Shepards who pretty much wet themselves when one angel shows up and then there is, all of a sudden, a multitude and again they say, "don't be afraid?!?" Or when Joseph tells Mary, "I think it's time to high tail it out of here." Why? "I heard voices in my dream. People are coming to kill us. We need to go to Egypt." All of that seems like it could make some really great comedy. Action/Adventure: Herod sends his muscle bound goons out to look for a baby. They race through the darkness on horseback, charging into homes, and tragically murdering hundreds of innocent children. (interesting side note: Kind of reminds you of the 10th plague in Egypt doesn't it?)
Drama: Can you see the soap opera style conversation when Mary and Joseph discuss their plan to stay together, no divorce quietly, no actually stay together at the news of Mary's pregnancy? Then even more drama as Mary and Elizabeth talk back and forth about their strange pregnancies.
Political Thriller: Jesus is hailed as a future king by old testament prophecies. Herod and other political elites catch wind of this and they race to get on his good side. Herod plots and schemes to get the inside scoop without getting too close and risk his reputation by cutting a deal with the wise men. Herod is dodged by the wise men on their way home and is left to fear the loss of his power.
Horror: Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds are alone in the night and suddenly, out of nowhere, a spirit who speaks, scares them out of their sandals. Then the spirit whispers...don't be afraid. Yeah...right. I would be totally freaked out.
When you think of your life and how it fits into the movie of God, what role do you play? Are you close to the main character? Are you one of his followers? Friends? or are you just a face in the crowd going about life as normal disconnected from the main theme? Here is the main theme in the Christmas story. Jesus, the God of the universe, steps out of comfort, into the human mess (literally in the mess of a feed trough), into the middle of a non-traditional family, into a chaotic night of searching for a moment of peace and privacy to give himself as a gift to save the people who will repent and turn to Him from their sin and become like Him and live with Him forever in a place free from all messes. Are you becoming like Him? Have you stepped out of comfort at all this Christmas? Have you moved toward any human messiness? Have you engaged with family even if it is non-traditional? Are you willing to live through the chaos in search of his peace and private moments with Him? Are you giving of yourself in order that some might see Jesus at work in you and then repent, turn from their sins, and live forever?
This movie is still casting...all auditions are accepted upon repentance.
If Christmas was a movie at your house, what genre would it be? Comedy, Action/Adventure, Drama, Political Thriller, Horror? Do you have the guts to ask your family what they really feel? If you were making a movie out of the real Christmas story what genre would it be? Comedy, Action/Adventure, Drama, Political Thriller, Horror? Do you have the guts to really look at the Christmas story to see? I believe it is a little bit of all of these.
Comedy: Do you not see the hilarity of an angel telling little teenage Mary that she is pregnant with the Holy Spirit's baby and the kid already has a name but "don't be afraid?!?" Or how about the Shepards who pretty much wet themselves when one angel shows up and then there is, all of a sudden, a multitude and again they say, "don't be afraid?!?" Or when Joseph tells Mary, "I think it's time to high tail it out of here." Why? "I heard voices in my dream. People are coming to kill us. We need to go to Egypt." All of that seems like it could make some really great comedy. Action/Adventure: Herod sends his muscle bound goons out to look for a baby. They race through the darkness on horseback, charging into homes, and tragically murdering hundreds of innocent children. (interesting side note: Kind of reminds you of the 10th plague in Egypt doesn't it?)
Drama: Can you see the soap opera style conversation when Mary and Joseph discuss their plan to stay together, no divorce quietly, no actually stay together at the news of Mary's pregnancy? Then even more drama as Mary and Elizabeth talk back and forth about their strange pregnancies.
Political Thriller: Jesus is hailed as a future king by old testament prophecies. Herod and other political elites catch wind of this and they race to get on his good side. Herod plots and schemes to get the inside scoop without getting too close and risk his reputation by cutting a deal with the wise men. Herod is dodged by the wise men on their way home and is left to fear the loss of his power.
Horror: Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds are alone in the night and suddenly, out of nowhere, a spirit who speaks, scares them out of their sandals. Then the spirit whispers...don't be afraid. Yeah...right. I would be totally freaked out.
When you think of your life and how it fits into the movie of God, what role do you play? Are you close to the main character? Are you one of his followers? Friends? or are you just a face in the crowd going about life as normal disconnected from the main theme? Here is the main theme in the Christmas story. Jesus, the God of the universe, steps out of comfort, into the human mess (literally in the mess of a feed trough), into the middle of a non-traditional family, into a chaotic night of searching for a moment of peace and privacy to give himself as a gift to save the people who will repent and turn to Him from their sin and become like Him and live with Him forever in a place free from all messes. Are you becoming like Him? Have you stepped out of comfort at all this Christmas? Have you moved toward any human messiness? Have you engaged with family even if it is non-traditional? Are you willing to live through the chaos in search of his peace and private moments with Him? Are you giving of yourself in order that some might see Jesus at work in you and then repent, turn from their sins, and live forever?
This movie is still casting...all auditions are accepted upon repentance.
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