SNOW!!!!!!

The view of the back.

Dakota trying to make a trail for himself!

My Car!

Ben checking out the snow.

Last night it SNOWED for the first time this year down near us! WOW did it snow and snow and snow.

Traditions...

Last night I wrote about family traditions. I've deleted that post because I really upset my dad and I did not mean to, so I decided to explain my thoughts a little better.

Last night I wrote that I didn't have any family traditions and I was wrong. Very wrong! I was thinking more about traditions with my family, Jason & the kids. As my Dad reminded me, I have lots of family traditions and have started some with my kids and didn't even realize it. I think in my head, I've been thinking I don't have any of those WOW traditions. Sadly, I think I fell into the trap of wanting to be like other people, when really my family is pretty awesome and we have lots of fun and meaningful traditions.

My parents reminded me of some wonderful traditions we had growing up. We use to always get our tree from the Blank's Christmas tree farm. We would trek through their fields, past the kettle hole (I never did understand what it was), to find the perfect tree. I always wanted a TALL tree because our family room had a cathedral ceiling. My parents let us get those every few years! My dad said we then would go look for branches to make our own wreaths. Sorry Dad I don't remember that one, which I'm not surprised since I'm not that crafty. I bet Amy remembers.

Every Christmas Eve we went to my Grandma's house in Ellington. I remember loving my Aunt Susan's presents because she always made my sister and I something really special. Doll house furniture, mittens, poncho's...she'd fill a shoe box with really fun stuff too! Uncle Tom always called Santa and we got to talk to him! I know....very cool!! To this day I don't know how he did it. I remember at my wedding I asked him and he wouldn't tell me!!! After my Grandma passed away we started a new tradition of going to our family friend's home, the Clark's. Mr. Clark always played Christmas carols on the piano. My parents still go to their on Christmas Eve.

Jason and I started a tradition early on of spending Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with mine. My sister actually started that and we followed suit. I love to spend time with both families. Jason's family is referred to as the Honey Pots, so as the planning is going on all the emails are titled to the Honey Pots. We've gotten together at houses over the years and we always have delicious food! A few years ago we stopped giving gifts to each other and instead started a Yankee Swap. I LOVE a good Yankee Swap! It's lots of fun to see what everyone brings and what the HOT items are. Last year it was Ryan and Amy's Lemon Cello. So yummy!!! This year we head to Paul and Marcella's to see their new home! I wonder what will be the HOT swap gift this year?

On Christmas Day we head up to my parents house and my sister and her family are there. The kids (5) all wait anxiously as we get all the stockings ready in the living room and my Mom runs about in her Minnie Mouse Headband getting her last minute things in order. Yes, she wears a Minnie headband. The kids giggle, scramble for their places on the couch and act like little angels as Nana hands out the stockings. Then it is pure delight listening to the cheers and excitement as they see what Santa and Nana left! Next it's time to eat. The kids eat fast...presents are downstairs by the tree waiting. They must hurry, but the grown-ups, we take our time enjoying whatever delicious meal we've all helped make in some way. Oh yeah, I'm no longer allowed to sign up for bringing shrimp. It's a tradition that I forget it at home! Then later that night, neighbors and friends float in and out for an open house which is always lots of fun catching up with everyone.

One of Jason's favorite Christmas traditions is to watch Christmas Vacation which he always watched with his best friend growing up, Jerry. Whenever we'd see them around the holidays they'd start resiting lines from the movie. Early in our marriage I thought this was, well juvenile. Now, I can't wait to sit and watch it and wait for the squirrel to JUMP out of the tree! I've seen this movie 20 times and still jump when it happens!

Speaking of Jerry, he and his wife Stefanie have been hosting a Christmas Party for the last 10 years at their place. 10 years...now that's a tradition!!!!

So, yes, I do have lots of traditions that I'm passing on to my children. Thank you Dad for helping me see that. I LOVE YOU <3

I'm passing on going to look for a tree. For the first 5 years of marriage we went to a Christmas tree farm and hiked in the mud, snow or grass looking for the perfect tree. Then we found a place 3 minutes from our home. Jason was elated. He never understood why I wanted to drive 30 minutes, walk through whatever in the cold to chop down a tree (he grew up in New Haven). I fell in love with this new place though. It was a family that had a lot of trees and he only sold about 20 a year. He always had a smile and the second year we went, he remembered us and Katie and saw that we had a new little one in tow! Well, then we moved and I wanted to drive back there but Jason found another "family" tree place...3 minutes down the road from our new house! Guess what? I now LOVE going there and he remembers us each year! Ben loves to climb on the rock walls and chase his chickens and Katie takes after me and looks for the biggest and tallest tree. She takes forever...just like me and it drives Jason nuts as I'm sure it drove my Dad nuts so many years ago.

I'm tearing up just writing this.

I can't believe I couldn't remember all of this last night!

So this year we are starting a new tradition. As I shared last night, one of my very best friends Kathy gave me this idea. Lisa Whelchel wrote a book, The Adventures of Christmas. It goes through in a kid friendly way, all the traditions of Christmas and relates it to the birth of Jesus or how it relates to his life and how he died to save us from our sins. She also has different baking projects and crafts that relate to the tradition. Check it out, it's really fun and interesting stuff too. Each night (start early in December) we sit and read a chapter (1-2 pages) together. After we do that they each get to pick a book from a basket I filled with Christmas books. My friend Kathy wraps her books up for the girls to open, but I hate to wrap so I have the kids close their eyes and pick :)

Thank you again Mom & Dad for your help jogging my memory!

So do you have any fun traditions you can pass along?

Heard Around the House...

Ben loves to dawdle in the morning. I must say "Ben, what are you suppose to be doing right now?" 10 times most mornings.
So the other day I said it again.
He stops, puts his finger on his chin and looks upward and says, "If I were me and I am, I would try cleaning my room."
No joke!
I love this boy!!

Ben Said....

Jason and I were watching the news this morning and a commercial for the fancy 1 cup coffee maker was on, you know the one, Geneve something. Jason commented how one of those would be so nice to have.
Ben appears from nowhere and says, "Dad you want to go spend your money on that! Go ahead, but I'm not!"

Grandpa Walter has a very bad eye infection and has not been feeling well for a few days. For dinner Ben puts all the drinks on the table and get Grandpa his beer. So we are sitting there and I said to Ben he didn't get Grandpa his beer.
With the most serious look on his face he says, "Mom, seriously do you think Grandpa needs a beer. He has an infection. He does not need a beer tonight."
Katie then adds, "Yeah, he might get addicted to it."

Yesterday we were driving in the car and as usual Katie and Ben were bickering about something ( I can't remember...). When they both don't like what the other is saying they will tell the other one, "You are not the parent!".
Well yesterday Ben actually knew the answer and I didn't. He was trying to tell Katie and she kept saying "You're not my parent so be quiet." Ben finally yells, "I am the parent about this!".

Where Do I Begin....

I know it's been awhile. I have a really good excuse though. Our house was broken into and our laptop was stolen. Yes we do have a desktop but it runs soooooo s-l-o-w and it constantly crashes! It's very frustrating to use for any amount of time longer than 15 mins. We really need to ask Grandpa Phil to check on it or take it to Geek Squad. Jason is fed up with it but I say let's try to salvage it because at the very least the kids can use it and you can still use Word on it! Anyway...

So we've recovered from the break-in. I will admit for the first few weeks I was scared to come home to the house alone. We were skittish at night and just feeling uneasy. We did our best not to let it show b/c of the kids. They were troopers and showed no fear. In fact they put up a security system of their own on their bedroom door. Walter took time to get over it too.

After a lot of prayer I told myself I can not live in fear. It's not good for me or for my family. I was so sad that all my jewelery from my grandma, parents and special pieces from Jason were taken. I was very freaked out that they/he/she was in our room. But, life goes on and I can not live worrying that they would be back. Prayer is a wonderful thing!!!

So in the midst of all that we started on making some changes to the house. We needed to make two rooms for Katie and Ben. Although Katie loved having the loft for all of her "stuff" she did not like sleeping up there and usually slept on the top bunk of Ben's bed. Well as you can imagine, that was starting to cause "issues". Basically she needs privacy.

Jason had a wonderful idea to divide the living room in half and make a small bedroom and the other half be a dining room. We then made the rock room/dinning room the living room. Jason did a fantastic job of doing this with keeping cost down and making it functional and able to be taken down if we ever wanted to.

A HUGE thank you to Ryan (Jason's brother) for helping with moving furniture! It was a big job!!!! Thank you Uncle Ryan.
A HUGE thank you and then some to my Dad for helping Jason sheet rock and do the electrical work!!
I of course thought this would be a "QUICK" project....no, but boy does it look awesome!!!
Here are a few pics of the new dining room...





Here's the living room...





Katie's Room- It's really, really pink! Passion Pink.



Ben's New Room. He chose a skate board theme. His room is still in process, but the majority is done. Jason is going to make a loft bed for him, to give him a little more floor space. Now, enjoy these pics you have no idea what I went through trying to get him to clean his room!!!




So that's the update with the house. I'll be back for another update soon, I need to go whip their butts in Crazy 8 card game! Our new favorite game.

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I will take it off if you tell me it's not working.
I'm not sure if it only works for those of you who have Picasa on your computer.
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