Sledding!

So, it's almost time for the kids to go spend Christmas with their dad......We decided to go sledding on their last day before they left. We went with some friends (the Jensen's) and had a really great time! We started out at a favorite sledding spot, but this year there is no sledding allowed. We ended up going to a spot near Dillon Falls and found a great spot!! The kids all had a good time and everyone stayed warm (except Ashley ~ she gave up her snow boots to her cousin Sierra and Ashley wore some old boots that are too small and not waterproof, so by the end of our trip her feet were frozen!) We played in the snow, tried all kinds of different sleds and finally found a great hill (too bad it was almost time for us to leave).

It was a great way to spend time with the kids before they had to leave. My favorite part of the trip was when little Harrison Jensen grabbed one of the sleds, jumped right on and went flying down the hill all by himself (he's only 3 years old). It was so cute!! I love my family and enjoy spending time with them doing things together! Happy Holidays to everyone ~ we all send our love!!

Blessings

I have much to be thankful this year! Although, it's been a tough year there are still many blessings to be thankful for - my family is my number one blessing! Even though there are times when I might think that being a part of this family contributes to my insanity - without them I would not be who I am today. As Christmas time approaches it makes me reflect on this last year and all of the many changes that have happened. We have moved (yes, again!), I quit my job and went back to school full time, Brittany is driving, Ashley will be getting her permit, Josh (my baby) just turned 11 and Justin has been busy trying to find a teaching job. Life can be chaotic at times and remembering that we truly do love one another is sometimes the only way to make it through. Each time I hear Christmas songs it makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Happy, because I love the holidays and I like listening to Christmas music - sad, because it was my mom's favorite holiday of all and it's difficult to try to figure out how to get through this thing called life without having her here as a part of it. Above all, I am truly grateful for each challenge and each blessing. I am a lucky girl and I know it! Happy Holidays!!!

Christmas Tree Hunting

So it was time to find a Christmas tree. The problem is that since we have moved, we have less space. It was my goal to find a "smaller" tree - one that wouldn't take up half the living space but still serve the purpose of being a good little Christmas tree. We rode all around in search of the perfect tree, suddenly there it was! It even had a pink ribbon on it, just like it was specially marked for us! I was so excited to get back to tell everyone that I found our tree. I made everyone drive down to the spot, the perfect little spot for the perfect little tree.

Now, not everyone was as excited as I was at the idea of having to settle for a smaller tree this year, but they were trying to be good sports. So finally we arrived at the spot. And here it is:

Isn't is pretty?! Ok, so it's a little small, maybe a little skinny, but it's cute! Should I share the reactions of my family? Let's start with Justin (he's usually has a positive attitude right?) - he said - whatever you want baby, that one is fine. Ok, we are off to a good start. Then it was time for the kids to see this magical little tree. Ashley said it was a little scrawny, Josh said it's not a real tree (not a real Christmas tree) and (the best for last) Brittany said, "what happened to that tree? Did a bear maul it or something?" Well, I thought once we got it home that they would appreciate it more. We just needed to get it home.....


Really, do we need straps? Pretty funny huh! Now, I knew we just needed to give this sweet little tree a home and the family would fall in love with it. Apparently my attitude was a little more optimistic than everyone elses. We got it put up in the stand last night and put lights on it (we will decorate it for FHE tomorrow night). I think it's kinda cute still, yes - it's a little small and different than what we are used to, but I am still convinced that it's the perfect tree. We have plenty of space left for entertaining and again, it serves it's purpose. So here's a picture of it with the lights on.....


Really, is it that bad? So, here are the comments I'm getting now.....mom, this isn't even a real tree - it doesn't even have the right kind of pine needles......what is wrong with this tree? This isn't a Christmas tree.......it's so Charlie Brown.....and on and on and on......



Well, I'm happy with my choice and I'm glad it doesn't have the "right" kind of needles because it won't make a mess all over the floor. Besides, it's not all about appearances right?! So this will be a special Christmas with our special tree - oh yes, it does also have two trunks (which just confirms with even more certainty to Brittany that this is not a real tree to be used as our Christmas tree because it's sooo bad it has to have two trunks). Even if I'm the only one who can appreciate the uniqueness of our tree, we will still have a wonderful Christmas!!

Family Fun!

So, Jerry was in town for a fishing trip, so we decided to plan a surprise birthday party (just a week early). It was fun - I called Kacee to find out all of his favorite things, so we had roast & potatoes for dinner (no veggies for Jerry), brownies instead of cake (don't forget the chocolate frosting) and chocolate ice cream. The house was very busy - kids singing karaoke, people talking and eating and little kids running around - but it was a lot of fun to just be together as a family! I am grateful for all of my family and I'm glad that we can have fun no matter how chaotic it gets!

Is sleeping really necessary?

So for those of you that don't know.....I do have trouble sleeping from time to time and right now I'm going on about day 3 of very little sleep. I have found that after that many days, you become almost delirious and it doesn't appear that I will be going to sleep anytime soon. See, my sweet little Brittany has asked a boy to the Stoplight dance (a replacement for what us old timers would call Sadies), but see the boy had a playoff game (football) and so he couldn't meet up with her until around 11 p.m. They are then coming back to our house to watch a scary movie (the better to cuddle up together) which means, I will be "supervising". It is now 11 p.m. and they still have not yet arrived to begin the movie, so at what point is sleeping really necessary? I'm so tired, my eyes hurt - yes, they really hurt! This could be a very long night!

So, Justin will kill me for this one....

But I had to do it - the whole family needs to share in this special moment. Can you say Oompa Loompa?? This is more of a comic relief post and I'm sure I'll pay for this one day, but I just couldn't resist! He was working with my step-dad on their new building - yes the same one where he dropped a steel beam on his foot. He didn't think he would need any protection when painting these beams......that's ok, I still love him even when he's yellow! It took over an hour in the shower with a bottle of orange goop stuff to clean off all of the paint!

Halloween

So even though the kids were not here for Halloween this year, we did have Trunk or Treat at the church. Ashley is the banana (is this an accurate representation according to personality......yes, I think she is a little bananas at times) and Brittany is the Ninja Turtle (is she a ninja? Well she can be pretty tough when she needs to be - she is the protector of the family). Josh wasn't around for picture time but he was a scary guy dressed in black with a chest that bled. The rest of the cousins are in the picture (Aidan is Iron Man, Isaac is Darth Vader, Hailee is Hannah Montana, Sierra is an 80's chick and then there is little Grace - she is Bella from Twilight (with bite marks and all!!). The kids had a good time and were still able to get lots of candy!

So, Justin broke his foot and what happened to Halloween?

Ok, no not really. I was convinced he did, but I was wrong. He is working with very large and heavy steel beams and one fell on his foot today. Being "superman" he thinks there is nothing in this world that can "hurt" him. I finally convinced him to have it checked - just in case. Luckily, I was wrong and his foot is not broken, but it looks pretty ugly.

So it's also Halloween and none of the kids are at home! This is so weird. Brittany and Ashley are just way too cool to hang out with us anymore - especially be seen with us on Halloween, so they are with friends. Josh is actually Elk hunting, so he missed trick or treating this year. It's kind of weird and kind of sad - the kids are all growing up! It's a good thing Justin and I like each other..........I guess this is a preview of what life will be like when they are all in college. Bummer, it's kind of lonely and too quiet.

Ok, I'm trying this whole blog business out

Ok, this is officially my first blog experience. I'm going to try to create a blog that looks halfway decent, although I'm beginning to wonder how I'm going to be able to keep track of all these websites I am now a part of (i.e. facebook, myspace, blogging).......I can barely remember what day it is, let alone remember to update my blog - but I'm giving it a shot! This is so my family and friends can keep up to date with what the Wartena/Lougy family is up to!