29.11.09

Happy Birthday to Grandpa Tim!

 
 In honor of Donut Thursdays, we celebrated Grandpa's 61st with a donut cake. Nearly every Thursday morning, Grandpa Tim calls the kids, takes their order and then swings by for a donut breakfast. Ryker and Emerson love it. And they love their Grandpa Tim too!

Have so many cool pics to share...from the Harvest Season (yikes!)...from birthday parties...from Cancun. Gonna get right on that! Just as soon as I finish laundry, clean bathrooms and floors, plan an office Christmas Party, organize Ryker's classroom Holiday Party, Christmas shop...

Have an awesome Holiday Season! You probably won't be hearing from me. And because I know I'm no busier than the next girl, you're not going to be reading this blog until January anyway. :) May it be merry and bright!

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7.11.09

I have some great pics (Thank you, Norita!) from Musser's Harvest Party. I just can't post them yet.

We bought a new computer, you see, and it is currently a mess. My den is a mess. My laundry room is a mess. My life is a mess and it's all because of a stupid computer. In fact, a few seconds ago, a blinding flashing screen popped up out of nowhere to inform me that windows would be shutting down immediately in order to reconfigure. I was not to turn off the computer, blink or even breathe for the duration of the reconfiguration process. Come on, Hp. Don't make me regret not buying a Mac!

I've spent some time in front of a Mac. I've talked to Macs on a real personal level and remain unconvinced they're superior. Why throw the baby out with the bath water, man? I like change...when it's BETTER! I can't help it. It's a left over reaction to working for an administrator who jumped on every silly band wagon that came along. We'd get good at something and BAM! She'd move on just like that. I now view all change with scepticism first. Convince me, I say! Convince me this change is going to make my life better. Convince me that my life will be better in ways that make this kind of change worth the money and effort it will require. If I read my return policy correctly, I've got 60 days to throw this baby back. And I don't mind being wrong. Occasionally. :) Now this blog gets upwards of 100 hits per week. I don't have a clue who you are or why you'd bother reading it but I'm hoping some of you lurking out there in cyberspace care enough to comment on this particular post! Pretty please? I'm begging.

Those Harvest Party pics coming real soon. I think.

4.11.09

Edwin Markham Elementary is a really cool place. Because we hover around 400 kiddos, we're able to throw some really great events that larger elementary schools are unable to pull together. It also helps to have involved, enthusiastic and creative moms AND dads. Ryan whipped up a pirateship bean bag toss for the annual Halloween carnival. The kids LOVED it, despite a few kinks that we quickly worked out before our own harvest party. I love this picture of Em and Finn. I wish I knew what had tickled them so.








For the record and in case you are interested, homemade is better but not cheaper. Ryker has wanted to make a robot costume for a long time. In fact, he drew the coolest plan and because I loved it so much, I put it away for safe keeping. :( It's sure to turn up sometime in the next ten years. Grandma Marlene did a great job with these costumes and if we'd arrived in time, they'd have won first prize in the costume contest. Emerson wanted to be a butterfly, a princess and a robot so she dressed as what else, Robot Butterfly Princess. Two days before Halloween she decided she'd also like to be a ghost but I couldn't quite figure out how to work that one in. Silly girl. Ryker was a Super Rocket Robot complete with fuel tanks and glowing flames. By far the most awesome robot ever imagined by a five year old!

3.11.09



Exceptionally bad football. WOWZA!



But we had a really great time with the Dickhaus family! And the kids LOVED getting to spend time with Larry, Mickie and Grandma Gertsie on the farm. Thanks to the Thompsons for taking such great care of the kiddos. Thanks to Jenna and friends for hanging 'round the RV. Thanks to Tom for a ride to the game. Maybe next time he'll even let us sit INSIDE the cab. :) Kidding, Tom! Thanks to Linda for introducing me to hot spiced wine. Oh Nellie. And thanks to the Dickhaus and Ross families for enduring 8 degree nighttime temperatures! WITH NO HEAT!! TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!! You guys win the prize.





Dan, Ginny, Shannon and Brady made a delicious post game meal. We sat around the fire, roasted marshmallows, sipped hot chocolate and sang campfire songs. In our dreams! Actually, we shivered and huddled around the fire in an effort NOT to freeze our hineys off. It was fun anyway. Campfire songs next year guys! :)





Ryker, Em, Carter and Logan got a kick out of the college's wild animal research project.



2.11.09

our first frost

Okay, not really. But it is the first frost that has covered the rooftops and dusted trees with shimmering whiteness. It is the first frost that has me reaching for the sweater boots, sipping rooibos, leaning against the windowsill and watching it gracefully melt away. I love the first frost! Now I know there are some who don't have heat, can't afford blankets and sleep under cardboard. My heart goes out to such today and everyday! But if I were homeless, I'd walk to Palm Springs and so I'll say it again: I *heart* the first frost! It warms me to my toes, which all snuggled in my sweater boots, feel like 10 friends at a slumber party. ;) And btw, if you didn't catch All About Steve, you should. Terribly corny but still the movie equivalent of comfort food and even though Sandra Bullock's super cool boots can't touch my sweater boots, it'd go nicely with a first frost.

PS. Ryan hates sweater boots.

And one of these days I'll start posting pics of our last shindig in the RV and Halloween antics. But as you've come to expect by now, blog posts are anything but timely around here.

Happy First Frost!