Happy Birthday Gabriel!!

This past Sunday, Gabe turned 5!!!! Of course, I can't believe it! The Friday before his bday, we celebrated in Sioux Falls. We did some shopping (mainly Doug for me while the kids played in the play area) and got to eat at Chuck E Cheese. Gabe got a crown since it was his bday, and Anna scavanged one off the floor that another little girl lost -- she was gone though, so I let Anna keep it. It was a fun day for all of us. We even got to eat supper at Red Lobster. Gabe and Anna both loved watching the lobsters in the tank. (We didn't really tell them they were someones supper.)

Sunday we got up early and Gabe helped make cinnamon rolls for his special bday breakfast, then it was off to church. Oh, Saturday night Gabe insisted on helping me with his cake. So, when he got home from Christmas practice at church, he started to icing it while I was helping Anna with something. I managed to get the icing from him before he demolished the cake, but it was a very nice gesture. He did insist on sprinkles though. The cake was yummy even though it was VERY crunchy from the 1/3 bottle of sprinkles he dumped out on it. hahah I guess it didn't look pretty enough with just the chocolate icing! After supper, we did presents and he was able to talk to some family members and friends who called to sing Happy Birthday and talk to him. He really thought he was hot stuff getting phone calls.

As you can tell from the picture of Anna with the balloon, it is dry in our house. She did that by accident. She didn't even rub it on her hair like we did as kids. We did have to rub it a tiny bit to get it to stick on the wall though. The kids just thought that was the best thing in the world to see the balloons on each others back and the walls.

For those of you wondering, we can pick up Gabe's 5 yr old pictures tomorrow, so if you haven't gotten a Christmas letter yet, it will soon be on the way.

Partly frozen Falls Park

You may remember a post a while back of Falls Park in Sioux Falls SD. Yesterday we were in Sioux Falls for Gabriel's 5th bday. (Pictures of that will follow his bday party tomorrow.) We drove down to Falls Park because I was interested in whether or not it was frozen. We went past the river in another spot and it was frozen. Anyway, it is about 2/3 frozen. There is still some water coming over the falls, but not a lot. I was actually surprised because at the top of the falls, the river is really not that wide and once you get out on some of the rocks, it is very shallow. The set up of Falls Park has a walk way over part of the river after the falls. That way you can watch the falls and take pictures. So, right under where I was standing, the water was starting to freeze. You may not be able to tell in the pictures online, but over to the left is a small area that the water is still flowing.

"You Might Live in Minnesota..."

So, we got this printout in a Christmas card from one of our members. It is Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Live in Minnesota..." I thought some were really funny, so I will share a few with you.

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping the the food will swim by...

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March...

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time...

If you think ketchup is a little too spicy...

If you measure distance in hours...

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching...

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events...

If you think of the major food groups as beer, fish and venison...

If you install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked...

If you carry jumper cabels in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them...

If you design you kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit...

If "Down South" to you means Iowa...

If you find -10 degrees a "little chilly"...

Have a good day!!

Playing in the snow

Saturday we ended up with about 6" of snow. The kids were very excited. I was also since we didn't really get much sleet. Sunday, before church, someone came and plowed the parking lot. They noticed that we hadn't used the snow blower yet to clean the driveway, so they plowed the driveway also. That was so very nice of them!! The fun part it is that they piled all the snow in the backyard. So, we had a good time Sunday afternoon playing out on the snow pile. Anna was so excited, she forgot her mittens. Well, it only took about a minute of trying to climb the hill with no mittens for her to come back in crying. Her poor little hands were red and wet. After we warmed her hands back up, and got mittens on, she was happy. The hill is a little on the steep side, so it did take a little manuevering for the kids to get up it. But, after a few times, they were doing great!! Doug decided to take the inaugural first slide down. He did have a bit of a problem though--when he sat on the sled, he went down the back (steep) side and landed on his back. It was quite hilarious and while I was too busy laughing and taking a picture, Anna helped him up.

When they plowed our street, they left a pile of snow in the middle. So, Monday morning it was a little challenging to get to our paper route since our little Saturn couldn't "jump" the snow. By Monday afternoon, they had taken care of it. It was interesting how they did it -- a big dump truck was driving in front of a tractor with a front snowblower. The tractor was blowing the snow into the truck. They had to come back a few times, but they got it all picked up. Now, all these fun snow tidbits may get boring after a while, but we are still new and learning how they really do things in the north. You'll get used to it!! =)

Christmas Photo Shoot

Since we are officially into Dec, it is time to get our Christmas letter going. Along with that, comes pictures. We decided to just do the kids again this year, but hopefully we will do a family picture while my sister is here after Christmas. So, here are some of the shots we got during our afternoon photo shoot. We had to do something while our 5" of snow was falling and about an inch of snow/sleet. At least we didn't have to go anywhere today. Doug also shoveled a path over to Church, but we are supposed to get 3 more inches during the night. At least we will have less snow to walk through. =)

Enjoy our crazy kids!!!

SNOW!!!!

So, this is what we get in MN when they say a "slight chance of flurries." hahahah It started snowing this afternoon and by 8p there was about 1". But wait, it doesn't stop there, the forecast is for 6+" Saturday!! Woo Hoo!! As you can tell, the kids are just loving this. It was only 18 tonight, but there was no wind so it felt like a heat wave. That is one thing that we are getting used to -- the wind that just cuts right through you. Doug is even wearing his big heavy winter coat and his wool overcoat with his suit. Now, remember, he just walks maybe 50 yards to the office so you know it must be bad for him to put on the overcoat. I still need to invest in some leggings or long underwear soon!!!!

OK, we'll keep you posted if we really get 6" of snow this weekend..

Officially COLD!!!

This morning when we came down to do the paper route at 5:30 it was 6 out. Later Doug heard that the windchill was -5. Hooray, I guess winter is officially here and it is frigid!!! We are also supposed to have snow tonight, but they didn't give a accumulation. So, hopefully that means that it will only be flurries. If not, I will keep you posted tomorrow. =)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

For Thanksgiving we had more visitors from IL. It was nice to have some of our family make the trip to visit us. We also celebrate Christmas with the Buettner's. We had a nice time visiting and teaching Luke pinochle. Chris and I even braved the 17 degree weather and the wind to do some 5 am shopping on Friday. We didn't get everything we had hoped for, but we did pretty good. The kids had a great time playing and getting to sleep on the floor with each other. In fact, Gabriel and Anna both slept on the floor Sunday for their naps and we had to talk them into sleeping in their bed last night. Crazy kids!!! Even though we celebrated Christmas, can you believe that I didn't get a picture of all the kids together?!?!?!? I could just kick myself! And, as you can see, I didn't get a picture of Cynthia and Anna is playing with Gabe's new toy. I did have a headache when we started presents, so that must be the reason I wasn't thinking too clearly. =)

Baking Cookies

Well, it is that time of year again the bake Christmas cookies. I was even brave enough to have both kids (with Doug's help) help me with the cookies. We tried sugar roll out cookies like my mom used to make. I think they actually turned out good---not too much flour!! Our kitchen was a complete disaster with flour, as was Anna, but we all had a good time. I even broke out the Christmas music for the occasion. Which was a little early (before Thanksgiving) but we needed to be in the festive mood so we wouldn't get frustrated with our 'helpers.' hahahah

We are having a Cookie Walk at church, so we will be baking again. Shouldn't be quite as messy the next time though.

Raking Leaves

Well, I am finally catching up on a few events from the past month. Nov 9, when it was a little warmer, we were able to rake some leaves. Of course, the kids just had a blast - with jumping and using the rakes!

Doug Makes the Local Paper

Don't worry. It's a good thing. Nothing bad. :)

Happy Halloween!!

For Halloween this year, I thought it would be fun for the kids to match. At first I wanted the kids to be Nemo and Dory. But, upon further investigation of the costumes, they were not very warm looking. Since it was the end of August when I was buying them and it was already cold, I wanted something a bit warmer. So, I then thought of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The Mickey costume was warm, but not the Minnie. So, I kept searching and finally came up with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Both of which are full body fleece costumes, so the kids would be warm. Now, I am not sure how many of you are familiar with the new version of Pooh on TV - My Friends Tigger and Pooh - but there is now a girl on there. So, I was supposed to be Darby and Doug was supposed to be Christopher Robbin. Needless to say, neither one of us is big into dressing up, so we were just boring old parents.

The kids got a lot of goodies and had a good time. We hit a few of our member's houses, so Doug and I got to visit a little. Well, as long as we could before Anna went out the door to get more candy at the next house. Both kids did good at saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You." It was funny though because at one member's house, Anna recognized them and said, "I would candy" and then proceeded to walk in their house. Thank goodness we know them and have visited with them outside of church. Of course, they were pleased the Anna felt comfortable with them.

Taco Tuesday

Each year in October the Preschool at church has a Taco Tuesday. It is a fundraiser as well as a program for the parents, grandparents, and other special friends and family. As you can imagine, we served tacos!! I fried 12 lbs of hamburger and they ended up frying/using more than that. The preschool made $851 in the process. There are 16 kids in Gabriel's class and 13 in the morning class.

They also artwork from all the kids up in the hallways. It was fun to see some of the other stuff they have been doing. The program was about 20 min long. The kids sang songs, recited bible verses and then answered questions about bible stories they had learned so far. It was a neat time and all the kids seemed to like sharing their talents with the parents.

Carving Pumpkins

Saturday they had a pumpkin festival in town. So, we went to the fairgrounds and played a few games. We were also able to get a couple more pumpkins!! (That was a good thing because 2 of the pumpkins we had picked started to get a few holes in them.) So, the kids ended up with new pumpkins...and they were larger.

After the kids had naps and supper, we set out on the task of carving the pumpkins. What fun we had. Gabe drew his face on his pumpkin and I cut it out. Somehow I managed to lose the kid carving knife for him to do it himself. I couldn't get another one because the stores in town were already closed. Anyway, he knew what shapes he wanted and drew them on. I stayed pretty close to what he wanted, so his pumpkin is his own creation. Oh, he also decided his needed ears, so we had to cut them also.

Anna told us what shapes she wanted and we drew them and Doug cut them out. She had fun opening and closing my pumpkin most of the time though. She had a butter knife and was trying to help, but it basically came out as little stabs to the poor pumpkin.

Now, with the two that were getting holes in them, Doug and I were able to carve our own. And I still have 1 left over to bake for pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. I am so excited about that!! I may even get another one for baking. As you can see, Doug stuck with the writing that he started last year (he carved Anna in the teeth of Anna's pumpkin last year). So, he had to pay tribute to our new town and carved SLAYTON on one side and the shape of Minnesota on the other side. (For some reason I don't have a picture of that, but I will work on that and add it later.) The original idea for mine was to have the pumpkin puking the insides out, but thought that may be a little obscene for the Pastor's house. That and the fact that Anna may have wanted to mess with it while she checks the pumkins 12 times a day!! =)

New Adventure -- Paper Route

So, not many of you know this, but I have started a morning paper route. I started Wednesday after I got home from SD. It is a morning route, so I have to have the papers delivered by 7a. It has worked out OK. I am still trying to remember all the houses, but it is coming along. I only have 24, but they are spaced out on two streets. About 7 blocks on one street and 6 blocks on the other. Since we live about the same distance between two bigger towns, not everyone gets this paper. It has been cool the past few mornings, but I have walked it. It takes about 45 minutes and if you keep walking it warms you up. I have made a few mistakes, but it has been due to misinformation from the paper. Hopefully all that is worked out now and it will be smooth sailing from here. I have been getting up about 5:15 and try to be out the door by 5:25 so I am back home by 6:15. I figure I will walk it until it just gets too cold or it is snowing. I figure I am getting paid to walk 6 days a week, so I better take advantage of it. I guess that leaves me with FEW excuses to get some exercise. =)

Visit from IL and Mini-Vacation for Renee!!

Last week, my friend Emily came up for a visit. We were able to take her around to a few places and let her have a "feel" of our new home. We explored Sioux Falls again and found a new, AWESOME park! Of course, you will have to wait until the next time we go to see some pictures. =) We also ventured out to Walnut Grove to learn a little more about Laura Ingalls Wilder. This particular museum had a lot of memorablia and pictures from the TV show. We also drove out to Plum Creek and the spot of their sod home. It has since caved in, but you can get the idea of how big it was. There is also an area near that you can spend the night on a sod home, but I don't think I am that adventurous - especially with the weather getting colder!!

This past Monday, Emily and I set out for a quick visit to The Badlands and Mt Rushmore. Yes, I left the kids with Doug. They all survived and the house was not even a disaster -- all this with a little help from a couple beers. hahah Monday we hit The Corn Palace, Wall Drug, The Badlands, and a little of Custer State Park. We found a fun little micro brewery for a late supper and both tasted buffalo. Not much different from plain ole beef. We accomplished a lot, but it was a loooong day in the car. The time changes in the middle of SD, so we gained an hour as we traveled. Tuesday we headed for Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and back to Custer State Park to see some Bison. Unfortunately all we saw were deer. Then we started our journey back to MN. Once again it was a long day and this time we lost an hour on the way back. We made it home at a decent hour and the kids were still even up to see us. (You know they missed Mommy!!)

I picked up LOTS of brochures and have been mentally planning our family trip to Mt Rushmore. There are a ton of things to do out there and I can't wait to take Doug. He has never been that far west before and maybe he will pick up another state - Wyoming.

Pumpkin Pickin'

Ok, I am trying to get caught up from the last few weeks. We have been pretty busy around here and I haven't taken the time to get some fun photos and news out to you guys.

So, we will start with Pumpin Pickin at Poppe Pumpkin Farm. Of course, we had to drive about 45 minutes to actually pick pumpkins. Which is odd to me since we live in a HIGHLY agricultural area -- where are the pumpkins?? (And the parking lot of the grocery store doesn't count!!) Anyway, we had a nice fall day and a lot of fun. They had a nice set up and lots of things to play on. The kids enjoyed riding bikes, playing on the playground and we all enjoyed a little game of mini-golf. Although, Gabe and Anna are still a little dangerous with those putters! We got to take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and I think that was the best for the kids. We also got to see some animals. The kids enjoyed getting up close with the llamas. The neatest was the baby goats that were only a few days old. I almost forgot the fun corn maze that the kids helped lead Doug and I through.