A funny comparison

You should check this out. It's the second post down with the two pictures.

Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

(NOW BRING ME SOME FIGGY PUDDING!!!)

Or any kind of pudding, you know I am not picky!


Check my blog for lots of Christmas updates over the next few days!

Reindeer Food

It may be too late for you, I should have posted this sooner. Every Christmas Eve we sprinkle just a bit of Reindeer food to attract the reindeer to our house. It helps them to know which houses to go to and guide Santa in the right direction. Since we have started this tradition, Santa has never missed our house (nor did he miss it before!). It's just a simple activity that we enjoy. Here is the recipe:

1 scoop oatmeal - to keep them healthy
1 scoop hot cocoa mix - to keep them warm while they fly
1 scoop marshmallows - to keep them jolly
1 scoop red and green sprinkles - to give them magic to fly
Mix the scoops together in a small bag, scoops being a 1/2 tsp or so.

Sprinkle on the lawn at night,
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
Santa's reindeer fly and roam,
This will guide them to your home!

Merry Christmas!!

What do you think?

I got an email (I will send it to you all so you can see it) about Julie Beck's general conference talk. Apparently there has been alot of discussion on the internet about it. I wanted to see what some people were saying. I found these two links and would love you all to check them out and read some of the comments. What do you think?http://www.kvnuforthepeople.com/?p=893

http://www.bloggerofjared.com/2007/04/04/your-general-relief-society-president-julie-b-beck/

Happy Anniversary!

We hope you have a great Anniversary and we are glad you got married and had kids. I (Adrianne) am particularly glad you had Mike.

Christmas Traditions

I want to know what everyone is doing for Christmas Eve and how you do Christmas day. This is our first year not going home to Grandma's house. We are going to have to make Christmas by ourselves for our kids and I'm not sure I can do it.... So what do you do???

Since there hasn't been a lot of pictures of the boys lately...

Help me!

I know I am not the most computer literate person, but you'd think I'd be able to add stuff to the calendar... Can someone explain to us all how the calendar on this blog works?? Thanks a bunch!

Alone for a night..

First let me say that I am in awe and admire those of you who deal with having spouses gone for long periods of time. I know I have nothing to complain about, especially with Mike in Guam forever and Adrianne facing weather and power troubles. I am not alone for over a month like Andy and Laura, either. And then there are Mom and Dad who are away from each other all the time. I guess what I am saying is I am a big wimp! Mike had to go to Fargo last night, 3 hours away, so he could be to a meeting this morning. I heard on the radio that the highway into Fargo had several roll overs, cars sliding off the roads, and 60 mph gusts of winds yesterday morning. So I was a bit worried with him leaving at 7pm last night. He will be home this evening.
I don't know how many of you know, but our down stairs neighbor hates us, really hates us. She has sent another note telling us that we are breaking her lease, disturbing the peace, bad parents, etc. She documents what time the kids wake her up each day. She has threated to go the landlord, which she did, and also to the police. Anyway, having said that, I am also worried about keeping the kids quiet. For some reason it seems easier to do when Mike is here with me to do battle.
So last night, with Mike gone, I didn't sleep well, which I have heard most wives don't when alone. At 4 am Tyson woke up, which is very unusual. The three big kids usually sleep all night long and wake up around 7am. So, since I was worried about this nasty neighbor, I brought Tyson into my bed, since the nasty girl lives directly under his room, not mine. Big mistake! He snores like a bear and thrashes around all night. Also, Jacob was in the room with us. When I had to feed Jacob, Tyson became wide awake and kept trying to talk to Jacob, disturbing him from eating. It was an early morning and we all need naps, although I am not likely to get one.
We are all fine, Mike will be home tonight, we have power and food, and I shouldn't be complaining. Mike will be back in Fargo next week for several days. I am not looking forward to that. I really feel for those of you who are separated from your spouses for long periods of time. You are amazing!! Although, the idea of being separated from the kids for a night or two sounds nice!!

Nick's first haircut

Nick finaly got all his hair cut at one time. He's had bits and pieces cut here and there but this is the first time he's gotten "a hair cut." I hope you're not all getting board of these pictures, but I really enjoy seeing what Laura and Nick are up to.

A worm or mabey a caterpiller

Nicholas got to be a bug in some kind of elementary school production with his cousins, 1st and 2nd.

Laura's Birthdays

These first pictures are from Laura's 8th 20th birthday. It sure seems that she had a great time. The other pictures are from other birthdays in her family. Every time we talk, Laura tells me to tell you all how much she thinks of you and that she loves you.

Sarah's First Birthday

I can't believe Sarah is 1 already. Last Sunday we went to Laura's Mom's for a little party. Sarah loved the cake and ripping presents open.

(I put more pictures on the our blog. She will be having another party on Sunday, I will put more pictures on it after.)

The most delicious caramel popcorn!

My friend makes this and it is absolutely fantastic. It stays soft and chewy and doesn't get hard. I love it. Watch out though, it can be addicting!

1 cup corn syrup
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 T vanilla
2 gallons popped corn

In a large saucepan bring corn syrup, brown sugar, and
salt to a boil. Add butter and return to boil. Add
sweetened condensed milk, stiring constantly until it
reaches soft ball stage (228 degrees). Remove from
burner. Stir in vanilla. Let cool slightly. Divide
popcorn into two parts and lay on two greased cookie
sheets. Pour equal amounts of caramel over each. Stir
gently until coated. Can be formed into popcorn balls
if desired. Allow to set for about two hours.

Nick and his little buddy

When Laura told me about this little incedent, I had trouble picturing it in my mind. After I zoomed in on these pictures, it took some time to stop laughing. I hope you all enjoy.

Thanksgiving

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today is Dad's birthday. He told me that there was one good thing about this birthday...the fact that it is not his 60th birthday!

Happy Birthday!!!

Scrapbook pages for Mandy

I really enjoy scrapbooking but I don't want to spend my money on all the cool things that go along with scrapbooking. I also have a hard time finding time to do it. The boys make it almost impossible to do when they are awake. So, I don't scrapbook very often. Anyway, this is the best picture I could take of the pages. You can see that I don't get too involved with the page and cutesy things you can do. I have a friend who wants to open a scrapbooking store and her pages are incredible. It seriously is like an art. Maybe some day I will spend more time on it and learn some great tricks.

Wanted: Your thoughts

I am just curious about some things and thought it might get some discussion on the blog:
1. Real Christmas tree or fake, and why??
* We are going to have to buy our first tree this year, as we will not be going anywhere, and will have to do our own Christmas.
2. What is everyone doing for Thanksgiving? Will you have turkey or ham?
*We are going to our in laws and will eat turkey.
3. Does Santa wrap your presents or not?
*Santa wraps our presents, as we each only get one or two things from Santa, and that would look silly to have just one thing unwrapped. I remember that we used to get piles of things from Santa, but he doesn't seem to deliver as much to our house, I wonder why??
4. Who is going shopping on black Friday?
* I didn't realize that real people have to work on that day!! Mike has to work!! I will still probably make it to Target and Walmart with the help of my in laws.
Let me know your thoughts, I'm just looking for some blog action!

Scrap-booking

Has anyone finished their scrapbook pages for Grandma and Grandpa yet? I know the deadline is coming quickly and I just wondered how everyone else is doing. I haven't even started mine yet!!

Strength Training

Today the boys and I were doing some Taebo. During the exercise I pointed out a move, "That exercises your bum muscle."
He looked at me and grinned, "Does that mean I can poop faster?!?!?"
He thought that quite hilarious and continued to say, "I can poop fast with my poop muscle!"
Then after he was done he went and lifted his chair up to see if he was any stronger yet.
If only we all found as much joy in exercise!!!

AFIT

Mike did not get selected for AFIT. He is very sad about it. Please don't say anything to him about it. He doesn't want to hear it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RALPH!!!

Happy Birthday to Ralph! Hope you get to eat lots of yummy cake and ice cream!

Any takers?

I am giving away some clothes. Check out my family blog to see pictures. If you want them, email me or post on here so I know and I will send them to you. Some of them are maternity clothes (I know none of you are pregnant but if you wan them for future). Also, some of them I got from Jessie. Jessie, if you want them back, let me know. I think they are all ones you said you didn't want anymore but if there is something I forgot to give back and you want it, let me know. I hope if there is something I'm giving away that any of you gave me, you aren't offended. It's not because I didn't like them--they just didn't fit me very well and I gave up on trying to fit into them.

Jacob 1st month

Today Jacob is one month old. It's hard to believe he is that old already. It sure goes fast. He still seems like a new born, which he is, but I mean like he's just a week old. He has spent his first month like most babies: sleeping, spitting up, wetting his pants, and crying and screaming. He is very cute, though and everyone loves to hold him. He is growing already and starting to pay more attention to us. We are so happy to have him in our family!

Advice?

So for all the moms, or anyone else that wants to answer: I have a problem. One thing that really annoys me about my boys is that they take their sippy cups all over the house and then lose them. When they want more drink I can't find their cups. I say to Will, "Go find me your sippy cup." He says, "No. I can't. You find it." That irritates me so much! I often find them in cupboards, under beds, in the backyard, etc. Sometimes I find them days later with milk still in it! The worst is when they find it before I do and drink the old cheesy milk! I have started to give Will normal cups but don't all the time. So, what should I do? Should I just start giving him normal cups or make some strict rule about leaving sippy cups on the table or they get some kind of punishment (except that Ike is still pretty little for any real punishment)? What do you do?

Trunk or Treat 2007

We had our Trunk or Treat on Saturday night this year. Sarah, Steven, and Rebecca had a lot of fun. Sarah had a great time with watching people putting things in her bucket! After we got home, she enjoyed playing with her candy, she even tried to eat it, wrappers and all! Steven was Abe Lincoln, Becca was a pirate, and Sarah was a bee. Sarah also was a cat, and Magenta from Blues Clues. (I have updated our blog with pictures of all of the kids and costumes.)

Nick in Argentina

Nick walks

Jess told me that I needed to put a video of nick walking on the blog, so here it is.

Laura and Nick take a trip

On Sunday, Laura and Nick will abandon me. They will be flying to Buenos Aires and should get to Tucuman by Tuesday. Laura is very excited and Nick is very cute! In December I will join them and then we'll come back in January.

Argentina

Hey, isn't Laura going to Argentina this month? When do you go? We hope you have fun seeing your family.

FREE FOOD

I know that Mandy's new baby is very important, but I found something very exciting.

Brace yourselves....

If you go to this website you can get two bags of gourmet popcorn for shipping and handling costs only. It will cost you $5.90 for two bags of popcorn. It may not be worth it to you, but it is worth looking at...check it out.

www.daleandthomaspopcorn.com

Congratulations!!!!!!!

Congratulations to the Pitcher family for their new addition. Let us know when you have a name picked out, and we'd love to see pictures soon.

Here in Bismarck...

So life goes on, even though we have moved. Things are different, of course. A normal day for us goes like this: We all get up and get ready for the day and are out of the house by 7:45 at the latest. We drive Mike up to work, which starts at 8am. Then we drive down to Mikayla's school, which starts at 8:35am. If we get there before 8:05 we sit in the car until that time. She can go wait in the gym but she doesn't like to. Kids can be on the playground at 8:05, so she waits until then. Then the boys and I drive home. We do whatever it is that we do all day. I'm still not sure what all that is. Then at 3pm the boys and I get back into the car and go to MIkayla's school, out at 3:05 and bring her home. At 4:50pm we get back in the car and go pick up Mike, off at 5 pm. We come home and have dinner and then look around and think about hanging pictures.
Apartment living has many negatives....
*We had to write a formal complaint against our neighbors for being up several nights out on their balcony being very loud and using foul language, until 5 am.
*Today we had a girl come tell that our kids had been running around being too loud last night at 10:30pm... well, my kids were in bed before CSI started, so that was a false accusation, which made me made.
*We live on the second floor, which means lots of trips up and down stares, carrying groceries, or children or both.
*We have to use a stupid key to get into the building, which means putting down whatever your arms are full of to open the door.
*The kids don't get outside as much as they used to. I try and get them to a park occasssionally, but it's not as easy as letting them go play in the yard or ride their bikes around the neighborhood.
*Since we have to buzz people up, there are no solicitors, this is a good thing.
On joining a new ward...
*We get there five minutes early each week and still have to sit in the overflow. I hate that. We are used to sitting in the front of the chapel. Apparently this ward is all about being early to church.
*The ward is large but the primary isn't. This means Mikayla is the only kid in her class, and Braden is the only boy in a class of three girls. They both used to have 12-14 kids in their classes.
*The nursery has about 12 kids, but the room is so tiny, they can't do much in there.
*The bishop asked us if Mike had any involvement in scouts.... do that do that in Canada? OH NO!!
*Since I am going to have a baby soon, I figure they wont give me calling immediatley.
*Since our in-laws are in the ward and told everyone we were coming, whenever we meet someone they say, "Oh, we heard about you..."

On the up side, we are all over the flu that seemed to hit each one of us this week. We have been looking for a second car, and hope to make a decision before the baby comes. Mikayla likes her school. Mike likes his job, but has some considerable stress right now over learning new stuff and keeping up to his deadlines, let alone waiting for a call that the baby is coming. Our apartment is really a nice place, but we hope to be in a home by spring/summer next year. It's fun to have family so close. Mom is coming on Thursday, so if we can make it that far, then I think I can survive another baby. If he comes early... well, I just don't know what we'll do. Who will do all that driving???

Does anyone want to try out Netflix for a month? I have an offer for one free month if someone wants it. Let me know or I will just delete it from my email.

Adrianne

First Haircut

Ryan got a hair trim. Come to my family blog.

Some pictures

The blog has been kind of quiet so I thought I'd post some pictures of when we went and fed the ducks.

We need to take better care of our important things...

Every one guess what Nick has in his hands in the pictures. I'll let you know if you're right after a few comments (I always feel better when my posts have more comments).

Laura and I were eating dinner tonight, and had let Nick down from his chair once he stopped eating. He wandered around the ground for a while and got into a few things and when I looked at him he had these in his hands and I needed to take pictures to show you all. I chased him around our diner table and into the kitchen but couldn't get the picture I wanted. Good luck.

We have an escape artist on our hands

This morning I got in the shower before Mike left. I made sure that Will was all set up on his starfall program so that he could practice his ABC's while I was in the shower. Isaac was watching him do it. I heard Mike close the door when he left. I always leave my bedroom door open and occassionally leave my bathroom door open too (Isaac likes to try and climb in the shower so I have been closing the door lately). Anyway, I got out of the shower and thought, "Hmm, it's quiet in here. The boys usually come to see where I am when I shower. What are they doing?" I hurried and got my garments on and then heard a knock on the door so I went down the hallway and the doors were open and the boys were both outside! I saw my neighbor Max on the doorstep so I ran back to the room, grabbed Mike's robe and then came to the door. Max was like, "I saw both boys outside and I didn't see you or Mike so I wondered if everything was ok." When I told Mike about it at church he said that he had closed both doors and locked one of them. That is so scary. We live on a busy neigborhood road not a busy town road if that makes sense. What are we going to do now that Will can get out of the house? How am I going to take a shower now? It reminds me of my brother David. He used to pull chairs over to the door and get it unlocked then leave somewhere. Once he crossed a busy street to go to the church where my brother was at YM's. Another time he tried to follow my parents when they left on a date and ended up on a busy overpass. We spent hours looking for him. My mom finally got a leash for him and put hospital braclets on his wrist incase someone found him when he ran away.

It's a Crazy Life...

Just wanted to update you all about our crazy life. Last week Mike was offered a job in Bismarck as the Assistant Attorney General. After a week, we decided that was the best option for our family at that time. On Monday, he accepted the postition, and Mikayla went to the first day of school, and Mandy started packing. Mike is still working 30 hours a week at his old job. Mandy has been packing from about 8am to 5pm with occassional breaks for visiting teaching, eating, changing diapers, doctors appointments, looking online for a new place to live, etc. Today, Thursday, we will go pick up Mike at work, at 5pm, and drive to Bismarck, 3 1/2 hours West of here. We have a few appointments to look at homes and duplexes to rent. We will come back on Saturday night, go to church on Sunday and hope to pack up the truck on Tuesday and drive out to Bismarck that day. On Saturday we have to be in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, a 12 hour drive from Bismarck, for Mike's youngest brothers' wedding. Mike will then start working on the following Wednesday, the 12.
In the meantime, we have to pack up the whole house, cancel all the utilities, take Mikayla out of school, clean and check out of our old place, etc. etc. etc....
Did I mention that I am 8 1/2 months pregnant???? Even writing it down is exhausting! Just wanted to share some of the craziness. We will let you know when we are settled and how it all went.

Here is another picture of Steven. The computer would not let me put more than one on at a time.

Steven Hits 2 Home Runs!!!

Steven finished his baseball season about 1 month ago. The tournament team that he was playing for did okay, but Steven had a very sucessful season. He hit two out of the field home runs, they were over 8 foot fences at a distance of 200 feet. Steven also plays catcher and did a great job, playing 20 out of 26 innings in one tournament.

birthday party-1

As promised, some pictures of Nick's party yesterday. To get an unbiased opinion you'll have to ask Richards in Seattle, but I think every one had a good time. After reading about Mandy's kids parties mine was pretty dull, but every one got some good burgers and good cake, thanks to Steven and Laura respectively.

Birthday party 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICHOLAS

One year ago today, I was called at 2 or so in the morning. Dad asked me "are you ready to be a father?" The answer to that question is still no, but I'm learning, and Nicholas has certainly taught me allot over the last year. Most reciently he's been teaching me how high I need to put things if I don't want him to bite, throw, or break them. I'm not sure exactly what we'll do tonight, but tomorrow, Nick will have a nice party in a park nearby. More pictures will follow.