Cars from the Past.....

November 3rd, 2011

We got home from Tae Kwan Do tonight and Aiden happened to see this old car container that holds Hotwheels cars.  He said, "Hey Mom....remember when we used to sit on the floor and play and play with those cars?"  I of course said "Yepper!  I sure do!"  He asked if we could bring them in the house so he could look at them.....YOU BET!  He also asked if I would sit with him "like we used to do"....ohhh....how could I resist!  I used to LOVE sitting with him as he marveled at those cars!  He could push them around lying on the floor watching the wheels for hours! 

 We actually picked through EVERY CAR and put them into "groups" according to Aiden!  It was fun and nostalgic....I LOVED EVERY MINUTE!  It also gave me the opportunity to clean out the junk and wipe the container down!  HA! 

So THANK YOU AIDEN for being such a kind~hearted and loving boy....I hope you stay that way FOREVER!!  AND, I hope you never lose the inspiration to get down on the floor and just PLAY!  LOVE YOU!!

Halloween Costumes 2011

OCTOBER 31st, 2011

We had such a fun time picking out Halloween costumes this year!  The kids are all old enough that that know what they want and know what they definately DON'T want!!  I was worried that Parker would be too old to dress up this year, but he was invited to a party by one of his classmates so he decided to get a costume!  YAY!

 Let me introduce you to.....

 Savannah ~ our Firey Pheonix!  She saw this costume in a magazine and HAD TO HAVE IT due to the WIG!!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!

Aiden is Boba Fett from Star Wars....he ALWAYS picks a costume with a mask because "they have the coolest weapons"!  Uff~Da!

 Looks like that Jet Pack can really fly!  tee, hee

 Parker got a little more creative this year....he is a Carnavale Creeper!

That mask ROCKS!!

 My three ADORABLE Trick~or~Treaters!  They are getting SO BIG SO FAST!

HAVE A SAFE, HAPPY and CANDY FILLED HALLOWEEN!!

Savannah's 1st Grade Fall Festival Party

October 31st, 2011

Today was Savannah's Fall Festival Celebration at school and I volunteered to help out in the classroom!  Her teacher had SO MANY FUN ACTIVITIES for them to do!

 SPOOKY BINGO!  This was the game I was in charge of.  It was a BLAST!

 They made spider sucker holders out of pipe cleaners....SO CUTE! (by the time I was able to break away from my group and snap a pic, she had moved on to her coloring sheet ~ shoot!)

Here she is making a pumpkin magnet out of soup can lids!

Here they had foam pumpkins and had to toss them on the bats....the bats had numbers and then they added them up and whomever had the most points won!!  After the activity centers, there were SNACKS ABOUND!  The teacher even had a halloween cartoon for them to watch!  In the afternoon, the 6th graders had TONS of games set up in all the hallways and the little gym for the younger kids!  Even though they are no longer allowed to dress up in their costums and aren't even allowed to call it a "HALLOWEEN" festival, it was a pretty good day!

Carving Pumpkins 2011

October 30th, 2011

We ALMOST didn't get to carve pumpkins this year due to our busy, busy schedules....but, the kids and I just couldn't bear to skip it!

We found a "bling" kit for Savannah this year and she wanted to get an early start on this one so she didn't have to share with the boys (hahahaha...right?!) ~ then we took baths and REALLY dug in!

Sweet Pea grabbed the biggest pumpkin we have!  She LOVES to grab out the guts with her hands!

Aiden also has a very big pumpkin this year....he even drew the face on there himself!!

Parker had a cool orange and green pumpkin....wasn't sure what to do for a face at this point!  The pumpkins were outside (decoration) and were REALLY COLD on the inside!!  Made all that scrapping just a little bit harder!

 Aiden and his pumkin

 Parker and his "laser eye" pumpkin

And Savannah with her "2 tooth" pumpkin

Good Job Guys!  Pretty SPOOKY!!

PARKER'S FIRST BUCK!!

OCTOBER 20th, 2011

It's that time of year again....HUNTING SEASON!!  Parker is SO EXCITED to go again this year and we are headed out to the same spot as last year (no, he did not shoot anything last year unfortunately!) ~ Thief River Falls at the Stenseth farm (SUCH nice people!!).  We took the whole weekend off and since it's MEA, our weekend starts on THURSDAY!  YAY!

The hunter~man....ready to HUNT!  Chad decided to head out early this evening!  And it's a good thing he did because PARKER SHOT A BUCK!  WHOO~HOO!!  Since Chad did not have a camera on hand, they ran back into town and got Aiden, Savannah and I so I could bring the BIG CAMERA out!  I am SO EXCITED for Parker!!

Neat little "artwork" out on the farm!  Wonder how they got that one on the top!?!

Here is our mighty hunter next to his blind.

Here he is with his trophy!!  I know, I know, it's not the largest buck in the world, but it works for us!

HOW PROUD!!

The whole family shows up for such an exciting event!  Yes, they are in their jammies!

I can't tell who's smile is bigger!!

Time to gut it....after I took this pic, I went and helped hold the other leg!

Aiden checking out the innards....they were pulled out in such a way that they were still anatomically correct on the ground.  I took this opportunity to point out all of the parts!!  I even poked the stomach and looked to see what he'd had for dinner!  This is the point where Chad started puking.....well, it's what you get when you have a nurse for a wife and mother!

Chad then took his bloody hands and wiped them on Parker's face.  This is the ritual after your first kill after all....at least he didn't have to take a bite out of the heart!

Thank you, Mr. Deer for providing our family with deer sticks this winter!!

Gymnastics

October 17th, 2011

Rounding out another session of gymnastics at American Gold!  Savannah and her friend Grace have been going together since we were in Parent/Tots ~ girls were just over a year old then!

 Always ready to pose this girl!

 Savannah and Grace showing off their bridges!

Tuck  Jump!

 Running cartwheel, sashe, cartwheel

 Handstand rolldown!

And here are the girls' cheering squad!  Isaac, Parker and Aiden!  Yes, they took a break from wrestling to take this picture!

 And on the un-even bars, she is learning to flip around the bar!

CHEESE!!

 Oh these girls are SO STINKIN' CUTE!! 

Another ribbon to add to their collections!!  Good job girls!!

Parker is 12!!

OCTOBER 6~16th, 2011

IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?!  GOOD GRIEF!  Where did the time go!?  (LONGEST POST EVER AHEAD....just warnin' ya!)

 I still remember.....

when we welcomed you into the world after 2 days of labor, being sent home from the hospital TWICE (in fact, Grandma Joey said on the 3rd trip that if they didn't keep me, we'd "just wait in the lobby")!!  You certainly had an audience that day....Grandma's Pam and Joey, Auntie Missy and Daddy ~ who, by the way, needed more medical attention than mommy when the "show" was over!  heheehhe!  You were 7 lbs, 15 ounces and were 22 flippen inches long!!  Yeah...I couldn't even SIT in a chair at the end, but you were TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

SPLASHING IN THE TUB!  This was my FAVORITE time with you....time in the tub!  You were always SUCH a HAPPY boy and are STILL a TOTAL FISH in the water!!

Getting your FIRST PAIR OF SHOES....AFTER you learned how to walk!!  Just LOOK at that bald head and beautiful eyes!!  We bought them at Scheels in Moorhead on a weekend trip home (we lived in Iowa at the time)!  I have them still....in my wedding chest!

TEACHING YOU TO GOLF!  Oh good grief....you were just over a year and Grandma bought you a little golf cart with plastic clubs.  You and I were living in Iowa (grad-school for mom) and dad was living in Fargo.  I brought this setup back to Iowa with us and you would NOT STOP PLAYING GOLF!  Even in the RAIN!  Day after day after day after day....I must have looked like Tiger Woods' dad out there with you, except I was BEGGING you to COME IN THE HOUSE!!  The funny thing is....I don't golf.  Everything I taught you was what I learned from your dad talking to me (INCESSENTLY at times) about this game that he loves....how cool is it that you seem to share the same passion at such an early age!!  At least I taught you how to hold the club right!!

YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY!!  Yes, we still lived in Iowa and Uncle Todd and Auntie Mary were kind enough to let us have our party at their beautiful home on the outskirts of Moorhead!  It was a Scooby Doo theme because you were OBSESSED with Scooby Doo at this point....which, I may add, I didn't mind because I loved the old Scooby Doo too!  We had a cake with Scooby's head just for you to DIG INTO~ but....you WOULDN'T!  You didn't like to get your fingers dirty!  Sorry, Bubba, but I had to say it!!  And when we all started singing Happy Birthday....you started CRYING....we must have been too loud!  MAN!  You are SO CUTE!

Supporting our FAVORITE TEAM!!  Yeppers!! Even in IOWA, we are sportin' the purple and gold!!  LOOK AT THAT FACE!!  I can't even TELL YOU how much I love you!

I ALSO REMEMBER~VERY VIVIDLY, I MAY ADD.....NAKED TIME!  Parker, you are going to have to ask Annie and Melissa S. about this!  We STILL lived in Iowa and you were CONSTANTLY exerting your indepenence by GETTING NAKED and PULLING OFF YOUR DIAPER!  So....not knowing WHAT ELSE to do...I invented "Naked Time".  It was after supper, the half hour before bath time....you were naked and got to run around the house as you wished....can you tell how AWFUL it was for you in the above picture!?!?  Yeah....when my friends wanted to come over and study, I had to remind them that between 6:30 & 7:00 was NAKED TIME.  I had the best friends EVER....they didn't mind in the least!  THANKS GIRLS!!  Never would have made it through Grad School without you!!

And here we are....back in Fargo ~ at our town house....I am remembering YOU....you couldn't WAIT for your little brother to arrive!! Often, you would fall asleep with that blanket stuffed inside your shirt....AND....you would tell it how EXCITED you were for it to arrive....just like daddy did to mommy's tummy!! (hey! if you're gonna barf....turn your head, kay!?!?)! 

Celebrating Mommy's FAVORITE HOLIDAY...those jammies, you got in the mail from your auntie Sheila!!

Now, we SNAP BACK TO THE PRESENT....

You picked Hu~Hut's as the place for your family birthday supper!  WE ALL LOVED IT!!  Just LOOK at this family we have!!  You are LUCKY and SO ARE WE TO HAVE  YOU, PARKER!!  We did this on your actual birthday, October 6th!

 Then....the following Sunday (a week later that is....) we had your friend party!  Did I mention that this is your FIRST, BOY/GIRL party!?!  I had to put "supervised" on the invite!!  Hahahaha!  We went to see REAL STEEL....it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!

 Here are 2 of the girls you invited, Sophia and Sierra....one of the girls couldn't make it.

After the matinee movie, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for a bite to eat....yeah, I'm TERRIBLE...the Mt. Dew and boxes of candy you saw in the above picture....I snuck them in! 

 Here you are, Mr. Birthday boy, with Austin....he was the FIRST FRIEND YOU MADE in the neighborhood we (still) live in!!  We were the 2nd house in this addition and his was the 3rd...just so happened to be RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET and you are in the SAME GRADE!! 

 Taylor and Tyler...also good buddies....these two are SUPER SWEET BOYS!!

Aiden got to come along!

 Had to get a pic with you and at least ONE of the girls!!  She got you sour gummy worms and a gift card to Scheels!!  (It's a HUGE sporting-goods store for those of you who don't live "round these parts")!!

And, Miss Savannah....she is your BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!!

 OH YAY!!  I got a pic with Sierra as well!!  These girls were nice to have at the party....

 Taylor is in your class at school and knew that you like to play this game in Mrs. Moffett's class (COOLEST TEACHER EVER BTW!!)....how THOUGHTFUL of him to remember that for your party!!

And here you are....trying to prove you're a tough guy....taking the BLAZING WING CHALLENGE!  Ummm....yeah....I'm not even going to post the after picture....you know, the one of you BARFING up the wings!?!?!  Someday though....revenge is TERRIBLE!!  MMMWWWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Love you, Parker.

You are my first born.

My heart.

And I wish the world for you...PLEASE STAY THE SWEET, BRILLIANT MAN YOU ARE NOW....the world needs it! 

Hugs and Kisses (mainly to embarrass you)

Mom