christmas 2010

   waiting with great anticipation for grandpa and grandma t. to arrive at our house for christmas eve.


after church... each girl needed to be sure to have a chance holding butterscotch

trying desperately to a get a clear picture with all of us smiling. after two different occasions, different people taking the pictures, and twenty or so tries... this is the best we could get

happy birthday jesus cake 2010 - red velvet

thanks heidi for this special family tradition

grandma and grandpa looking at their memory book created by the girls (voice recorded)

butterscotch loving her new wreath bone

save the best for last. we totally got kenya this year. her little heart desired a new 5th generation ipod, but we firmly let her know that it just wouldn't happen. she was completely disappointed after opening package after package of mostly clothes (and me reminding her to be thankful for what she has and that you don't need most of what you want). little did she know we got her big time. does she seem excited?

away from the manger and snow-nami 2010

the girls had their christmas program this past sunday (postponed from the previous week due to a blizzard). kenya played the part of a shepherd and bunny. gibson and chaya were stars. the narrated program was all about those that were not around when jesus was born. here they are doing the finale,  joy to the world with handbells. so precious.

so endearing...

job well done, ladies

blizzards of 2010 - yes i said blizzard-S. we just got let out early from school, we are on our fourth or fifth large snowstorm of the season. we have an outragous amount of snow, so much i'm not sure we have room for any more.

we found out that butterscotch loves all the snow

the next day, sledding on the great hill at the end of the cul-de-sac

 a cup of hot cocoa afterwards

more snow day fun. play-doh cake creations (thanks st.nick) the girls watch way too much of the tv show, cake boss.

one of santa's reindeer?

merry christmas to all...

going once, going twice, sold to number 387

saturday, december 4th, 2010, mom and dad officially retired from farming. after a years plus of planning and hard work, the BIG auction was finally here. the weather was questionable, with 5-6 inches falling the day before, but that would not put a damper on this memorable day. i've never seen so many trucks, camouflage, and carhart in one place.

dad and mom are incognito during the auction as they look on

four jam packed flat racks filled with "small" stuff. i like how dad nicknamed it the "pail sale", although this picture doesn't show the numerous pails that were used to sort stuff. however you describe it, one thing is for sure, it was extremely well organized and neat.

everything had a place throughout the farm. there was a specific order to the auction. of course, here is the combine with one of the heads. (this was the "hot" item - numerous phone calls inquiring about it and it went for well over the anticipated price!)

i love the grin on my dad's face as i'm trying to squeeze through the crowd trying to get a picture

the auction truck as it maneuvered throughout the farm. there were four auctioneers that took turns over the course of five hours. (no breaks, it was fast paced for sure)

perhaps, my favorite item. the truck.

some more machinery. although it was EXTREMELY chilly, the sun was out and made for a good december day.

part of drew's and my job was to park vehicles in the field. we counted approximately 250 vehicles and most had more than one person in them. wow, this was an unforgettable day - so many good stories.

gilmore games and more

the girls are getting to the ages where we can play a lot more games as a family. playing games together makes memories for a lifetime.

kenya and erin going head to head with talking battleship. this was a new favorite at thanksgiving.

drew taught us girls how to play hearts, this is another new favorite card game. other fun favorites include; skip-bo, sequence, spoons, and uno attack

i finally ordered new bedding for chaya and gibson. butterscotch ate holes in the other bedding plus it was well used. i hesitated putting it on because i don't want the puppy messing with the new comforters. we are going to try to be more thoughtful about keeping doors closed at all times!

                                                                pretty cozy...

gibson recently took a field trip to the old log theater to watch puss in boots.

the funny thing is, mom was a week off with the date, oh well.

happy holidays

2010 compost pots

give thanks

we've been making a point the past week to go around the table and be specific about what exactly we are thankful for. i think our pictures capture some of our responses. happy thanksgiving!


butterscotch: believe it or not the girls are quite thankful for her, i might beg to differ at times. however, a majority of the time she has been a joy to have in the house.

warmth: what a couple of fakers, this is just an excuse to play with ALL the pillows in the house. this occurred while dad was on duty.

family: we were able to spend a weekend with cousins, loralai and baby makenzie. here you can see loralai is anti-picture taking. the girls had a blast with their cousins. i enjoyed a quick baby fix, too!

sisters: hmmm, even though they argue with the best of them, they are in fact thankful for each other.



home: we are all very thankful for our warm home which we are able to decorate for the upcoming holidays.

food and laughter: as you can see there are actually six turkeys in this picture! this years edible turkey craft. we are so grateful to keep our tummies full of wonderful treats.



school: we all are thankful for our education. here is chaya sporting a few of her school crafts. the pilgrim bonnet makes me chuckle.

papa john: we are thankful that he was part of our lives and will remember all the good times and food we shared. he will be missed.  

happy thanksgiving

we all fit together

this halloween, dad came up with a puzzle idea for costumes. the girls were hesitant at first, but finally decided that it would be ok. this might be the first and only halloween we can get the girls to coordinate. here are few pictures from the evening. we did trick-or-treat at the mall first, but then headed to some friendly neighbors.

waiting with anticipation

all smiles and excitement

gibson and chaya took turns ringing doorbells

look at all that candy. notice chaya's sad face, about 1/2 way through the trick-or-treating she kept complaining her throat hurt, she was trying so hard to put a smile on. it turns out, we got home and she had a fever and all she wanted to do was go to bed. (poor thing, she is the girl who can't get enough candy and now she didn't even feel like sorting it)

all sorted up - the girls each got to keep 15 pieces and the rest is being dropped off at the dentist where they will be sending it over seas to the troops, in return the girls will get some kind of other special surprise?

moa not mea

mea (minnesota education association) weekend gives us all a four day weekend. here are few highlights:

butterscotch before her haircut

after...

craft time: halloween luminaries

costume time: halloween puzzle

moa: here we come!

 winners of most original costume in their group. they each won a goodie bag, which included a wristband for our next visit to nickelodeon universe!

hmm, how did i get on the splat-o-sphere? i only agreed to go on it for the girls, i didn't even get to sit next to them. do you notice how wet my pants are? that happens to be from the log chute that i previously got roped in to going on.

my cheese ball

total action shot!

girls just wanna have fun!