Blizzard 2008

How do you keep from going stir crazy during the Blizzard of the Century you ask? - easy, you just don't let anybody get out of their pajamas. The boys were pretty cool with Mom and Dad being around all day Saturday, Sunday, and Monday due to that little bitty 10" of snow and 40mph winds that lasted the better part of 2 days. Sara and I like to think we were rather intelligent, in that we stopped at the video store on Friday afternoon to pick up some games for the Wii and movies for the boys. All in all, save for the snowblowing and shoveling that were involved, it was a really relaxing 'staycation' at home.

Christmas picture taking

There are a million things that are too cool to describe about being parents, and only a handful that are "rewarding only after great turmoil". Taking the Christmas picture is one of those handful kinda things. It usually entails getting the boys on a night where they're not too tired, not too wound up, not too distracted, not too hungry, not to full, and a lot of other things. Then, you have to find one or two people to take pictures in rapid fire style, and another couple people to stand behind them, making complete and total fools of themselves in pursuit of getting the boys to look the right direction, and make it look like they're enjoying themselves while the flashes pop.

As we're taking this picture, I keep thinking....... how in the world did our parents not kill us while we were screwing up in the time before digital photography?!??

Anywho - here's the picture of the four of us that became our Christmas Card, as well as Brad's folks' card with their three Grandkids (Cuzin Brady included)

Lil' ones Christmas Party

This past Saturday - the 14th, Grant and Dylan were able to go to the 3-5 year olds Christmas party at church. Pretty safe to say they both had a great time as they heard stories, munched on pizza, played games in the Gym at church, made wreathes out of hand cutouts, and decorated cookies. I'll be the first one to admit that I was a little surprised that some of the frosting, licorice strips, sprinkles and M&M's actually made it ON the cookies and not directly into the little mouths.

Proud Papa moment - when Grant was in the Gym playing games, they played a game where they had a "grinch" in the middle who would call groups that had to run cross court without being touched by "the grinch". I was plenty nervous that when Grant's turn to be the Grinch came around, he'd revert back to his naturally shy nature - man was I wrong, not only was he not shy, he was chasing people with serious VIGOR. The only problem I had was that when he got close, he was diving for his targets...... on the hard basketball floor. I love the hustle and everything but when Torii Hunter was diving for balls on the Metrodome floor, even that had a little bit of cushion, this kid was laying out on a Gym floor - big props to the kid... .and his bruised elbows!

Dad - the Bookshelf is CLEAN!

Those were the words I was greeted with when I came down to check on the way-too-quiet boys. Actually, it was a really cool story, I walked in, saw every book they own scattered across Grant's floor, and without a beat, he looked up at me, saw I was a little chaffed about the situation and he said, "Daddy, look....... the bookshelf is all clean!!!!" Seriously, whattya going to say to that - it was funny as heck, so we laughed, had Sara come take a look at it, and then picked it up...... I still have no idea what Dylan was doing up there, why he was up there, and what made him want to do it again the next day....

Tree Time!

Nothing is quite so fun as watching the boys decorate the tree - nothing, except watch Sara decorate the tree. I'm 100% safe in saying that if Sara could, this tree would have been put up about 5 minutes after we got home on Thanksgiving night.

Finally, about a week and change later, Sara got her wish, and a MASSIVE Balsam fir had taken up residence in the living room. I don't use 'massive' in a light term, as I'm serious, this things uh.... branch-span, is a little taller than my 6'1" frame, so far, so good, we haven't found any woodland creatures in it, nor lost any children wandering amongst it's branches.

It's kinda tough making sure the little men understand that Christmas is about more than the tree, the lights, and the presents, but, they're only 4 and 2, so we'll cut them some slack.

Hockey Night in Fargo

Being a hockey fan (and a nattily dressed GOPHER hockey fan at that) since he could understand watching TV, Grant had never been at a live hockey game. Brad decided that streak should end at an SEI (Brad's office) company event at the UP center, home of the USHL's Fargo Force. In short - Grant loved it, even attached himself to a new favorite player, Chase GRANT #21.

No doubts that we'll be back before too long, even though the Force didn't play so well, Grant insisted that we not get up until the very end to leave, just in case they scored. (Talk about your diehard, never give up Minnesota Sports fan........ Granty is in for a long life of dissapointment from our home-state pro teams I'm afraid)

TURKEY DAY!!

Turkey day the entire family was at Grandma and Poppa Anderson's house this turn of the calendar. The boys loved the meal, the playtime with Cousin Brady, the second meal, more playtime and reading books with Poppa Jerry and Great-Gram Doris (If you see this, don't tell her she's on the internet in a picture ANYWHERE, she'll let me hear it for a good long while!)

Grant even picked up a new favorite dice game called farkel - yes, you read that right, we're encouraging a 4 year old to shoot dice for points and profit (chill - we were playing for lefse leftovers)

The picture at the bottom is a good one, the boys were riding their favorite pack animal - Aunt Lisa, and about 2 seconds after this picture is taken, Dylan decided to get off rather abruptly and kissed the hardwood floor..... with his forehead - talk about unrequited love eh?

We love a Parade..... it means candy

Seriously - who Tailgates for a Parade?!??

Easy - the Anderson's do. Each year, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the Fargo-Moorhead Downtown Business Association puts on a Parade of lights which goes on rain, sleet, snow, or hail to a pretty good crowd through it's 20 block run. And, nothing goes with a parade in November like lawn chairs, long johns, and hot chocolate (with some cookies thrown in. Great times!