Thursday, December 18, 2008

Our week in Photos

Here's a glimpse of the kids at their Christmas Concert and just "doing what they do." Lanman loving on his sister's babies, Bella as the "Reader of the Day" in her classroom, Lanman on Santa's lap (I was surprised at how well that went!), Our kids at Doodles "Bowling Birthday" party and Lanman and Daddy posing in their cute Scandinavian hats. We wish you a very safe and happy weekend!


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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Victory!


OK, those who read the post earlier today, I have to fess up.
I stayed home with the kids.
But the truth is, I was out of the running for "Wife of the Year" way back on January first.
BUT they won! The Trojans won! Whoo Hoo!
We're just in it for one year, so that makes it easier in some ways and harder in others. A first victory on your home court is a big hurdle to overcome and I'm so happy it came in the first home game.

Staying home made me realize that 7:30 is going to be a difficult start time for my Lanman, who goes to bed like clockwork at 8:00. Hmm. I really hadn't thought about that part. I'll be the mama swaying in the lobby with a fussy toddler who Just. Wants. To. Be. Laid. Down. He is not a snuggler when he's ready for bed. No rocking for that boy! I'll keep you posted on our game attendance.

In other news.. Whoo Hoo for Michelle and team black! I am thrilled that she won season 6 of The Biggest Loser! I am thinking about proposing the idea of "Biggest Toner." My SIL and I talked about it... I really don't want/need to drop a ton of weight, but what I got is wobbly. I want to be the Biggest Toner. :) And I'll start that right after the temperatures rise above zero.

Well, just had to share my excitement for the Trojans with ya'll. Off to bed with me.
Good night!

Baby, it's CoLd outside!

Brrr...
I am very grateful for our cozy home (though we have window condensation issues and small chunks of ice forming inside some of them... Too well insulated?! Ugh.) and a husband who was willing to pick up milk, the mail and stop at the bank yesterday. That left Lanman and I able to cozy-in and (I would like to say read ahead of a warm fire all day) clean. We don't have a fireplace (though it's on my short-list right after "basement finishing") and had icky dust bunnies ruling the joint, so clean we did! He "helps." :) We did read quite a bit as he is very much like his eldest brother and will sit for up to an hour on my lap looking at books. There is a lot of "Ehh?" pointing and me repeating the same animal names and sounds, but he does "Bzz" for bees, snorts like a pig, "Boooo" for cows and makes the funniest little panting sound for puppies, so reading "The Little People Farm Book" 12 times a day is working its magic.

Last week did indeed bring a snow day on Doodle's Golden Birthday. I will admit my exhaustion at the end of the day. I was in turbo-decluttering-mode. Whew. We had a fun day despite an exhausted mama. Jaker's first game was delayed, which means there are now two weeks in January with 3 games. :) This, too, is just a season. A LONG, cold season. :)

The Christmas concert was also postponed from last Monday night to Thursday, and the kids did a great job. Unlike last year, Doodle did not roll his eyes with each song change. Bella's bow was a bit askew and made her look a bit like a Who from Whoville, but boy, she sang those songs with gusto. :) I apologize as photos are still on my camera and if I get up I may never come back to finish this post.

The weekend brought a trip to see Holly Jo, my dear college roomie! She and her family are so fun to be with. Our girls play beautifully together and Lanman the brute met his match with their little Gracie. It was good for him to be on the other end of tumble-to-the-floor Hugs. :) My MIL and I did a lefse demonstration for the Scandinavian promotion at Holly's cute Gourmet Kitchen Store... On my top ten list of favorite places to hang out. :) The lefse turned out beautiful thanks to Joyce's expertise and Ohh, I had so much fun with Holly! :) Love you, girl!

So here we are, just 9 days from Christmas! Yeah!! I am so excited for the next two weeks of togetherness! This weekend we are headed to Madison to celebrate with my parents and siblings. I'm counting the moments!

Tonight is Jake's first home game and I am officially out of the running for wife-of-the-year as I am really torn between going to the game and watching the Season Finale of Biggest Loser. It's the only show we watch. Ever. So seeing as there are 24 more games and only this one Finale, am I justified in my split devotion? Probably not. I should probably just record it and go. Alright, Alright... You talked me into it. (We ARE supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow this afternoon... I suppose it would be bad to pray for a delay, too? :) )

Well, here's to a attempt to blog our daily comings and goings a bit more.
Have a Blessed Week!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Merry Christmas 2008!

I laugh when I see that two months have passed since I've recorded our daily "bustle" here on the blog. Would you like to guess when Lanman started walking? :) That's right... About two months ago and since then the "busy-ness" of our lives has kicked up a notch! :)

Since I'm sending out our Christmas cards today, and in lieu of a letter had our blog address printed on them, I figured I better visit the blog myself and do a little update on the past two months! Now I know why blogging daily, or weekly is so important... I had to pull my planner out to see what we've been up to! It's a blur in the midst of it all, but I wouldn't trade our flurry of activity for anyone else's life. We are blessed. :)

After our last post, we did, in fact, make it to my parent's house for a long weekend. Our van needed a trip to the shop, yes, we brought Joyce's Buick and it provided a very close family experience. It also helped us see that a mini-van will be a staple in our lives for many years to come. :) The extra inches are a luxury. While with Mom and Dad we took a day at a Mulberry Lane Farm- Very fun for all!
(I'm having trouble getting the photos to load... I will try later...)

The end of October brought the beginning of our small group at church, which we are very excited about, and Halloween, of course! Here are our little goblins:



Well, these are their jack o' lanterns. Here they are all dressed up as Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, Laura Ingalls and a frog. Oh, and Jaker. Dressed as Daddy of the Year. :)


I got to meet up with my sister a couple of times in October and November, which was SO much fun. Lanman enjoyed the time getting to know Auntie Lottie better, too.

November brought Noodle's second Bible Quizzing meet for the year, where he stepped up to Division B and is now quizzing with 6, 7 and 8th graders. He's doing well and loves to go to the meets in the Cities. Our Dear Friends came to visit for a weekend in November! We love company. And will love it even more when the rooms in our basement are finished off. :)

The week before Thanksgiving brought a stomach bug to the Dahl house which only Noodle and I avoided. :) It continued though, and nearly all of Jake's visiting siblings fell and fell hard to it. Our house felt like a big ol' germ, so the kids and I- Now a week removed from it and feeling well- bugged off to my parents for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! :) It wasn't the same without Jaker there, but he stayed busy with family and the kids were great to travel with. We got to see all of my cousins on Mom's side (all three!) and their families and it was the best weekend of Canasta I've had in a long time!

Jake started coaching the Boy's Varsity basketball team the week of Thanksgiving. The head coach is taking a year off, so it is a "caretaking" position. He's enjoying it and trying hard to keep all his "plates" in the air and spinning until March. :) That's where the family teamwork part kicks in and I rely even more heavily on grace! :)

Christmas preparations are being made at the Dahl house. :) With just Lanman home during the day, and being settled in our new home I am truly enjoying them this year.
The cards are done, shopping is done (Thanks to Jake taking a comp day, we got to shop together!) and wrapping is finished. Decorating is done and we've been baking. Candles have been burning steadily and carols playing. I've been drinking boatloads of "peppermint mocha" flavored coffee. Ahh. :)

Tomorrow marks a big day in our house... our first Golden Birthday! Doodle turns Nine on the 9th and boy, is he excited! Don't tell him.. but there is a real bow and arrow set awaiting his handling hidden away. :) He's going to be armed... and thrilled. :)

I best be on my way... I hear a great stomping on the porch, which means the kiddos have arrived. We are expecting 6- 12" of snow this evening and all day tomorrow. I just love these days when we can cozy in and be together (can you tell I'm counting on a snow day? :))
Cheers!