Christmas morning 2021

New Year's Eve 2014...Hello 2015!

This New Year's Eve we are having another AMAZING RACE with some friends! If you found this link, great job solving the clue. Take a picture of your group looking at the blog and your task is complete! Good luck! 5 points for getting this clue!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to my awesome family who is having a BLAST playing AMAZING RACE at our New Year's Party! 5 points if you found this link. Just take a picture of your group looking at the blog. ;-)

Merry Christmas 2013!

Christmas 2013

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy 40th Birthday STEVEN!

This week Steven turned the big 4-0! It was over 15 years ago that he became my beau! If you are curious how we met... he swept me off my feet at a swing dancing event! VIDEO CHALLENGE FOR ALL THE AMAZING RACERS: Find a church parking lot and rekindle the moment... Each couple/or solo person must dance for 20 seconds for the VIDEO CAMERA! worth 5 points Then all must dance together for 30 seconds in front of the camera...5 points. BONUS 5 points if your team has coordinated dance moves on the 30 second event!

Elisa loves to play the piano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpfCqk7QKo8

Our Gratitude Turkey

This year, we started a new Thanksgiving tradition. In November we put a turkey up on our pantry door and everyday (although we forgot a lot) we wrote on a feather one thing we were grateful for. Then on Thanksgiving, we were supposed to read through everything that was written. (That didn't happen yet...but the year is not over)

Here is what everyone wrote:

What Elisa said: DAD!

What Steen said: Captain Jack Sparrow Legos, Austin Simmons( his friend)

Andrea said: Fun friends to play with, a family, a peaceful home,

Michaela said: good food, creative and fun parents, Thanksgiving, talents, freedom

Alison said: music, Heavenly Father loves me, Steven, Michaela, Andrea, Steen and Elisa

Steven said: my loving wife, a good night sleep when I get one, Health

I can't wait to do it again next year!

Steen's first Cello Recital

Steen played Twinkles and all their Variations in his first solo recital! It was a very long song and we worked so hard so he could stay with his teacher on the accompaniment the whole time! He did so good with his technique and the first two variations were so wonderful. Unfortunately somewhere in the middle his hand got a little off and so the intonation went with it...so I took the liberty of just uploading my favorite portion of the video. ;-) In the part I edited out the chords just sounded like minor 3rds instead of major...maybe a Halloween version! I'm sure in some far east country those chords sounded perfect! Ha Ha! We are so proud of Steen!

Christmas Eve

I love this time of year...hanging out, playing games, eating junk food AND being with family! Unfortuantely, we've had some stomach flu going thru the neighborhood and so we had to uninvite ourselves from Christmas dinner with my family and a week later uninvite ourselves from Christmas dinner with Steven's extended familiy. It was a bummer not to be able to see and play with cousins as much...but we made the most of it and had a very nice and quiet Christmas Eve!

Instead of having Roast Beef with my family, we had homemade chicken noodle soup, jello, and rolls! Food fit for a (Recovering stomach flu) champion!

The kids and I each got a new pair of p.j.s that they opened up on Christmas Eve...it's TRADITION!

Steven didn't really want a new pair of pjs this year...but when the kids realized he didn't have a present to open they insisted he needed one...so he wrapped up his old pjs and opened them...SURPRISE...I've never seen these PJs before!
We reinacted the nativity with puppets my friend gave us for Christmas!

It wasn't the Christmas Eve we planned on, but it was great to have our own traditions

and celebrate a quiet peaceful Christmas with our little family!

Rockin out to Jingle Bells

Steen had his preschool Christmas sing. He did a great job...especially considering he didn't even want to get dressed to go because he was worried he couldn't remember any of the songs. My favorite was him rockin' out to Jingle Bells while the teacher is trying to shh their bell ringing until the chorus.

Here is some advice from preschoolers...if you build a snowman...don't make a pet out of it...don't bring it home to sleep with you...it might run away, but first...it will wet your bed! LOL!

Rudolf is such a classic. Watch for Steen's friend Emma on the left side of the camera...she keeps loosing her antlers.

Twas' the Night Before Christmas

Michaela played Mrs. Claus in the third grade school play. It was so fun to watch her perform! She got the stomach flu the night before the Wednesday performance and actually had to stay home from school. (One of her understudies covered for her...LOL) Luckily she was better the second day (although a little pale).

Here is Mrs. Claus pouring Santa some hot chocolate and assuring him that everything is going to be O.K.
Taking the final bow...way to go third graders! They need to take their show on the road!

Michaela turns 9!

Michaela is 9 years old and sweeter than ever!

Just before her 8th birthday when she donated 12 inches of hair to locks of love.

Dance picture 7 years old.

Violin Recital Age 6

Michaela 3 years old!Halloween - age 2.5The day she was born!


Happy Birthday to a sweet girl! She truly has a gift for loving people as they are. She is creative and loves to read! She plays the violin beautifully and has fun playing with her American Girl Doll Lizzy! We love our Michaela!

Andrea's Recital

Andrea finished her violin Suzuki Book 1. We celebrated her accomplishment by having a book recital where she played 18 of the pieces from her book for family and friends. She did an awesome job and it we were grateful to those who could come and support her! Afterwards we had donuts, hot chocolate, homemade cinnamon rolls, etc. Way to go Andrea...on to Book 2!

Rachel's present

Elisa's sweet cousin Rachel knit some booties, scarf, mittens and hat. It was adorable. We tried to take some pics of Rachel and Elisa all dressed up, but we caught Elisa at a bad time...the pics were still worth posting. Thanks Rachel! You are sooo talented!

pArTy!!

so on Tuesday...my friend Jen says, "you wanna have a Halloween party this weekend?"...and so it happened...the very last minute Halloween party hosted by the Fairbanks and the Wests. It was great...I didn't have to clean my house...just come up with games. Jen did an awesome job with the invitations and table spread!

The hosts with the most!

Love the dry ice effect in the punch...there were actually black spiders swimming around in the green jello liquid! Great job Jen!

FeAr FaCtOr

RoUnD 1: used q-tips from cleaning out my kids ears...Each team had to have one member eat 3 q-tip tips (top and bottom). Their score was the time it took them to finish and swallow!

(used marshmallows and peanutbutter chips and cut up q-tips)

RoUnD 2:Stuffed roaches..aka dates stuffed with cream cheese and chopped nuts for a crunchy effect.

Shanna ...how do those stuffed madagascar roaches taste? I hear the inside has a nice crunch.Stephanie and Justin had to leave early. I hope it wasn't to go to the ER after I fed him nuts during fear factor...I guess I should have asked about allergies before the fact.

RoUnD 3: Bubble gum blowing contest with 3 pieces of bubble gum...not as easy as it looks

RoUnD 4: Kitty Litter Clean up

We kept adding fresh warm poop (tootsie rolls)...but I think they were actually harder to swollow when they were warm.

The look on Russ' face...priceless!

Round 5: Little Fingers...deboned and in au jus sauce!

I think they missed the picture where I looked like I was going to gag...who knew vienna sausages tasted so discusting!

RoUnD 6: Vampire Blood- a shot of tobasco sauce!

every team member could participate and get -20 points just for drinking the shot...no time limit.

RoUnD 7: MONSTER Meatball eyeballs

RoUnD 8: Reaching hand in a bucket of ice to find the correct key to unlock pad lock

The winners! 1st place got movie tickets. 2nd place got a kneeder's gift card.

The newlyweds (2.5 years) Maybe next year they will be the pregnant nun and priest. *heh, Heh...j/K...another private joke from the party! :-)

What a cute couple...normally they look scary so they are actually in costume as a cute couple !

Yes...that was their costume. I guess the alternative was the boy from beaver dressing up as a hunter with his buckshot hat..,

Craig and Shanna..."winner winner chicken dinner" ...yeah they won all the games...we won't invite them next time! :-) j/k Other famous moments was Craig doing thriller and then, "elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wipe a tear...blow a kiss!"

Mike the flasher with his awesome tatoo...flasher part is another story! Wendy and her butterfly lashes...way cool. I thought she was flirting with me all night because she kept fluttering her lashes!

The Potato Head Family!
Is Mrs. Potato Head eyeing Mr. Potato Head?

The perfect teenagers! Tell me Doug...is that a mole on your ear? Jen...will you get off your phone?

Hope everyone had fun!