Thanks Marie!

Well again it's been a while for me, but I am starting to catch up with my own blog and others! I have to say thank you to Marie for giving me a task to write about! So here it goes:
7 interesting things about me:

1. I never enjoyed reading until about age 23. not sure what changed at that stage in my life, but before then, you couldn't pay me to read a book. Now, I have stacks of them all over my house! I love reading and wish I started much younger.

2. I love racing, speeding all things fast. I go to the NASCAR race every year in Las Vegas and in the summer hit up a bunch of local race tracks here as well. I am hoping to one day be able to get into a race car and tear it up a bit! Something about going that fast around a track and the freedom that gives you is exhilirating to me!

3. Total tomboy! Thank goodness I have boys! I always have been and always will be. I can finally say I wear dresses though now as growing up and even into high school I never wore one! sorry mom!!!

4. I don't like sweets at all. Once in a blue moon I may grab a M&M but rarely finish more than 3 of them. Now salt on the other hand, it's just awful! I can eat a bag of tortialla chips and salsa in one sitting.!

5. I have an obsession with Ranch Dressing. I have it on everything I eat and I mean everything!

6. I have only broken 1 finger and only had 10 stitches on my hand my entire lifetime thus far. I consider myself very lucky! Now with having boys as children, pretty sure that will change!

7. I love to travel!!! I hope that we get to travel until the day we can't move! I would rather live in an apartment the rest of my life than give up traveling! It's like freedom from everything for that short time you are away from home. Whether I am with my hubby and kids or with my cousins or my friends, every time I go I feel refreshed when I come home! I hope everyone has the opportunity to do that at least once in a while!

So here goes: you are it! If you read my blog, it's your turn!!! List 7 interesting or fun facts about yourself!!! Have fun with it!!!!

GO GOPHERS!

The day the boys were looking forward to once we told them, they would be going to a Gopher Hockey game! This day couldn't come fast enough for them! Or for us for that matter! My cousin Eric is married to a wonderful girl Jessica. Her dad gets a suite for the Gopher vs Sioux game down in Minneapolis every year they play each other! She is nice enough to invite us to go along with them and enjoy the great rivalry. This year, the boys were lucky enough to join us as she had 2 extra tickets! What fun they had!!!

Here is a group shot of all 17 of us, I believe! Mostly family is there but a few of Eric and Jess' s friends come with too! WE keep telling Jess she only needs to be inviting Gopher fans! haha!

Jess, Katie and myself in the suite. Usually our annual picture includes my brother's girlfriends but neither of them were able to attend this year. They missed out on some great fun! Hopefully next year they will be back!

Family picture in the suite looking out onto the ice after the Game! What a great game it was too!~ The suite is just above the student section and band so the boys had a blast watching all of them! Also, Doug Woog sat in the suite next to us this year!

The boys! This is where the watched some of the game! Up high so they can see better!

The boys ran to the front row seats in the suite as soon as we walked in the door! They didn't move from those seats either for a long time! Even made me bring them food down to them cause they didn't want to miss anything!!! They enjoy the sport of hockey so much! I just hope they never want to play! haha!



Thanks Jess and Dave for a great night! Can't wait for next year!! Hopefully we will see a win instead of a tie!

New Years Eve!

With kids, New Years takes on a whole different planning event. Last year was our first year we did anything without the children which before that since Grant was an infant we have spent it with them. Last year was a lot of fun, but wow do you realize how fast you get tired! No more staying up until 2-3am like we once did on New Years! This year we thought we should do something both the kids and the adults would enjoy! We got tickets to the Fargo Force Hockey game and they had bounce houses set up before the game for the kids! We thought what a great idea! And it truly was! All of us enjoyed the entire night! The place was packed with other families having the same idea as us! Something we can all enjoy!

Grant and Kai stick pretty close to each other in our group of friends that went to the game. The Holm's and Retzer's joined us as did my folks for the game! We got there early so the kids could jump in the houses and then found our seats for the game! Here are some snap shots of the kids during the game holding up their Force signs!

These 2 crack me up! They were doing a play by play to each other throughout the entire game! I love that they get along so well!

We are very thankful for our friendship's with these 2 families! The kids get along great and us Mom's can have fun doing anything together! The dad's well, they are men, they don't really care what they are doing! Hoping we can make this a yearly tradition for us as we had such fun!!

Christmas Day!

Christmas Day we spent with Brad's side of the family this year! Which is crazy now that there are 4 children involved! Man have we come a long way in 6 years! But it's so much more fun now with all of them! Next year Samantha will be able to hold her own with the 3 boys I think! She just sat and watched the craziness that was 3 boys destroying their presents!

Grant, Dylan and Brady all got scooters from James and Lisa this year! They absolutely love them and have been trying desperately to use them inside instead of waiting until it's nice out to take them around the block! Look out when spring hits!


Grant absolutely adores his cousin! He is so good with her and is always concerned when she is crying if she is okay or something is wrong! I love how he has taken on the older child role so well!~ Not so much with his own brother, but for sure with his cousins!

Generations!!! Here is Great-Grandma Doris, Grandma Jane and the boys! The grandchildren give Great Grandma a calendar every year with pictures of them on it! Here they are all looking through it for the 10th time I'm sure! She loves this gift!!!

Next year we will spend Christmas Eve with Brad's side and either Christmas Day or whatever works to get all of us together for my side of the family! The boys right now are asking when Summer is coming, but by about September already start asking when Christmas is going to be here. I tell them sooner than you think!

Christmas Eve!

Finally!!! I'm getting around to something that happened almost 2 months ago! I know, sad huh! Oh well, better late then Never!!!

Each year Brad and I split the Holiday's with our parents. They both celebrate on Christmas Eve so we have decided it's easier to go 1 year to one place and the next to the other. We used to do both in 1 night, now with 2 kids, we aren't that crazy! haha. This year was with my family! My brother and his girlfriend came up Wednesday before Christmas Eve and were stuck here until Sunday! They were to go home on Friday but with all the snow and blizzard weather we had, no one was going anywhere! We enjoyed having them here though! The boys woke up on Monday and asked why they weren't there!

Jessica and her boys! Only until April when her 1st child arrives! and it's a GIRL!!!

Boys opening 1 of their several gifts! Why is it that everyone feels they need

to spoil children????

Here is the gift that the boys gave Eric and Jess. It's a daddy toolbelt! It had essential stuff

packed away in the pockets for diaper changing! Doesn't he look great already!

Papa and his boys! Like their matching Pj's they got??

This time of year is so magical for kids! I think that's why us parents like it so much and don't let the craziness of the season bring us down! I have learned each year something new from the eyes of my children! May we never lose sight of the reason we celebrate Christmas!

2009 in a Nutshell!

Well it's been quite a while since I have even thought about this blog! And most of you can see that by my last post being in November! Needless to say, Christmas is a busy time of year for everyone so this took a back burner!
Anyway, this is a different kind of post than normal for me. I got this from a high school friend Michelle. She has a great blog and keeps up with it way better than I do. She did a post of her Top 10 for 2009. I thought what a great way to look back and reflect. So here it goes, in no particular order:

10. My girls trip to Vegas with my wonderful cousins, mother and aunt! My cousins continued success at beating brain cancer! She's going strong world, look out!
9. Brad's Hockey trip with the boys. It's so nice that we each get our mini vacations.
8. Grant completing his first full year of Pre-K. He loved every minute and was so fun to watch him grow into a little boy!
7. Dylan being out of diapers by age 2 1/2 and not having to buy diapers anymore!!! That's a gift in itself!
6. Dylan starting a tott's program at school for 3 year olds. He is getting to be such a big boy, I can't believe how fast time goes!
5. Grant starting another year of School Readiness. We held him back with a summer birthday, he just wasn't quite ready to start Kindergarten this year. But If I ever had any doubts before, I sure don't now. He is such a different kid already. Broken out of his shell completely!
4. Me completing my first ever 5K in the Fargo Marathon, and it was on my 32nd Birthday! what a way to celebrate! hahah
3. Family vacation to Chicago and Wisconsin Dells. What a wonderful trip we had, great weather the entire time! Also have to throw in that I got to see Dave Matthews this summer as well, which if you know me is a huge highlight for me!
2. Brad and I both still having our wonderful jobs!!!
1. HEALTH! We have been very blessed to have our health!

So there it is in a nutshell! I know there were more highlights but I only have 10 to list! Hope everyone else had as good of a 2009 as we did and hope to have an even better 2010!!!

Tables Du Jour

Well Stef and I decided to try something new this year. Each year the Shrine puts on a fundraising event to raise money for the Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis. We attended the event last year at my mom's table and had a blast. So we thought, we could do this...We had so much fun designing our table, coming up with a theme and then the dinner we had with great friends and family.

This picture above is my mom's table that she did with Caludia. It's an Apple Orchard theme, doesn't it look great! She had apple plates and apples all around! The picture below is my Aunt Sharie's and Diane's table. It's a chocolate lovers table with a chocolate fountain in the middle!! I think I could have sat at this table all day and ate the fondue!

This brings us to our table! As you can see it's a baseball themed table. Go figure right, with my household having entirely too much baseball stuff in it, was pretty easy!!! Stef had all the plates and accessories for the table, I had the bats, balls, jerserys and such of course!!! haha.

Stef made the best popcorn cupcakes ever that were placed on top of the popcorn boxes for our dessert! They were so yummy, she is so creative! I wish I had 1/2 of what she does!!! It was so fun to spend the time with her doing this and to show off her creative side! We are signed up for next year already, so look out! haha

We got to wear jerseys ourself! Funny thing, I am an Anderson now, and she was prior to being Married! Love it! These were Brad's high school jerseys!