Category: Uncategorized (Page 45 of 201)

I feel like I should write an obligatory “hello 2018” post to welcome in the new year.  But I’m so behind on posting that I also feel like I need to catch everyone up (on the mundane happenings here in our world), so I also feel like I need a “catch-up” post.  And then since everyone is posting their goals and aspirations for the new year I feel like I really should reflect on the year past and write a “goals/reflections” post too!

So, I say…. meh.  Here are some pictures instead.  Ha!

This was our annual Christmas baking stash this year.  The penguins were my favorite.  One of the gals was sick this year so I made her stuff along with some of my own… so the 3 of us left made 14 things.  Not bad! 

Last week Tim decided to take advantage of his off-season and had lunch with each of the kids.  It was the highlight of their week.  🙂  They each got to choose two friends to come and sit with them at a special table.   And in true Tim-fashion, he brought donuts to share.  Fun was had by all.

In other news, it’s recital week!  Eeek!  We’re moving our recital location back to our original spot (St. John’s Lutheran Church) rather than the nearby Community Center Theater.  The church was our preferred spot, but they lost their piano 3 years ago when the church member who owned that piano moved and took it with her.  So they’ve been without a piano for 3 years (a keyboard was purchased, but I felt like a recital needs to be on a grand piano) until this past Spring when a prominent church member passed away and the donations went to purchasing a new one.  It was his dying wish that the church would get a nice piano.  You might remember me posting his obituary a while back… anyway, we are thrilled to be back at that church.  I went and tried out the piano earlier this week and it is a lovely piano with really nice feel.  Very fun to play on.

Mornings can be hard.  I’m tired and not ready to start the day.  I just want to sleep more.

But these darling children wake up happy and eager to start another day.  Just like clockwork at 6:30 they are up and I can hear their little footsteps pitter-pattering towards our room.  Then everyone happily piles onto our bed for morning snuggles while Levi drinks his bottle and then the big kids start getting ready for school.

I know this is yet another phase and someday these kiddos won’t think it’s cool to climb on Mom and Dad’s bed and snuggle.  Someday they’ll be just as crabby as me when we have to wake them up for school.  (Haha!) And someday these little faces smiling up at me won’t be full of chubby cheeks and toothless grins.

So, I will do my best to embrace this phase.  Enjoy those smiles.  And be thankful.

I realized that I forgot to post what made it into our Thankful Jar this year.  Curious what we’re all thankful for?  Well, read on then!  (You’ll notice we didn’t not include Maddie or Levi yet this year and Jen got to add some too)  🙂

Thankful Jar 2017

Chloe (age 9):

• Siblings to play with so I’m not alone
• Holidays
• Friends to work out my problems with
• Couch, blankets and books to read
• Bikes, pancakes and birthdays
• Parents
• That Jesus died on the cross
• Money
• School—to read books and learn
• Paper towels
• Trees that make paper
• Nice teachers
• Family and movie days at school
• Pretzels and combos
• Levi, when he’s happy and playful
• When I finish extra math
• No chores day
• Craft stuff
• Medicine
• My teacher this year (Bender)
• Supervisors at the playground
• Warm clothes
• Pencils and coloring tools

Josiah (age 6)

• My tasty and helpful medicine
• My sisters
• Desserts (especially brownies)
• Lights so we can see
• French fries
• A Bible
• Orange juice
• Passing my swimming lessons
• Chicken nuggets
• Our family
• Dinner time
• Mountain dew
• Thanksgiving
• Recipes to cook food and tools so we can work
• God
• Chloe
• Bacon
• Clothes to wear
• Mario kart
• Games
• Ice cream
• The moon that shines all night
• Pizza

Tim

• Good conferences
• A working furnace
• My pop machine
• Music in our house
• Kid free work time
• Pizza
• Working vehicles
• 4 beautiful kids
• Good neighbors
• Mountain dew
• Kids who like each other
• Bacon
• That we are not travelling this year for thanksgiving
• Indoor plumbing
• Family that get together without fighting
• The off season
• A sister who lives close by
• Our friends that we have over on Sunday
• Baby wipes (written by chloe)
• That we live close to a hospital
• Peace and quiet
• My deep fat fryer

Erica

• A husband who loves food as much as I do
• Medicine
• Family suppertime
• My new dishwasher
• That the Little kids will try new foods
• Coffee
• The gift of swimming lessons
• Babies on a schedule
• A washing machine on the main floor
• Double strollers and BSF teachers
• Child safety locks
• The opportunity to go to musicals with my kids
• Helpful Hy-Vee employees
• Dad’s job
• That Levi is done screaming
• A supportive husband in all my weight loss endeavors
• Alarm clocks
• A door on my studio
• My amazing husband
• A house we can host events
• Our neighborhood
• Cousins that live close
• That Levi is so joyful in the morning

Jennifer

• Days off of work
• Sleep-in days
• Family that lives nearby
• Pay day

The other day I got worried because the big kids didn’t arrive home from the bus stop after school, so I started looking for them.  And I found them… on the front steps.  Chloe was reading to Josiah.  🙂

Whoa.

Where has the time gone?

Apparently life got a bit busy around here.  And since I’m completely overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to retell the last 2 weeks I’ll just give you a bullet point recap of some of the things that have happened.

• Went to Owatonna to visit my friend, Stacy, who had twins last Spring!
• Josiah got Strep so we had to visit Urgent Care…
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with the Friesen side!
• Went Black Friday shopping
• Went to see Mary Poppins at the High School
• Tim took me on a date to see the new Thor movie
• The big kids finished up fall swim lessons
• The big kids had conferences
• I had two more interviews for prospective students (And another one coming tomorrow)
• We had some of the carpets cleaned on the main floor.  Oh and the stairs too!  Those REALLY needed to be cleaned.
• Tim built a cabinet in the basement (to keep the Little kids from pushing buttons on the electronics)
• And then just normal everyday stuff that’s not exciting but keeps me busy!

I love what this tomato container says on it.  It makes me giggle.

In case you can’t read it, this is what it says:

“Tomatoes raised right. Nature Sweet Cherubs. Heavenly Salad Tomatoes. Wash me.  Please don’t refrigerate. It’s too cold in there. Peel here to LETTUCE out.”

Chloe has been learning about Government in school and was given an assignment to do a community project this past week.  They could chose pretty much anything (clean a park, sit in to observe a city council meeting, etc.).  She decided (with the guidance of Tim, of course) that she should collect food for our local food shelf.  So that’s what she did.  We sent out a note to our neighbors that she would be walking around, and then on Saturday afternoon she and Tim walked door to door collecting items.  I’m so proud of her.  She said her little speech at each house and was polite and walked the whole neighborhood without complaining (and it was pretty chilly!).

All in all she collected 78 items!  They actually had so many items that I had to meet them halfway in the van and empty their bags since they were getting too heavy.  She chose to donate them to our local CAP agency and our neighboring LOVE, INC agency in Chaska.  It was a good project.  Everyone enjoyed it.

The other weekend Kailynn and Kieren spent the night.  The next morning as we were getting ready for church Chloe and Kailynn thought it would be super fun to dress the same.  So, here they are!  Twins!  Well… the closest they could get with what we had.  🙂  The funny part is that it was COLD outside… so while they look cute, they were definitely chilly at church.  😀