Only 362 More Days To Go

What a great time of year! Once I felt the shopping, wrapping, baking and other preparations were under control, it was time to enjoy what is most important--each other! We had a minute to get a quick Santa picture. Bradley liked him a lot more this year.

We thoroughly enjoyed the snow--from the school delays to using it as an excuse to stay inside and watch it fall. It was so fun to have a white Christmas!

This is Nate and Bradley trying the hill at Carmichael Middle School.

Amanda and her friend, Savannah.

A little family snapshot before Bradley got too cold and Mom was willing to take him to warm up in the car for a little while and thaw her toes.

Megan and cousin, Cielle.
Haynes and Kraus cousins and our neighbors/friends going down together.

I was caught up in my Christmas generosity and let my daughter have some friends over for a white elephant gift exchange party. It turned out to be a fun night--we enjoyed watching them have fun together. The boys were a little concerned that "coach" would make them go over plays or perhaps speak Spanish to them but Nate behaved himself (i.e., took the younger kids out for the evening for most of the party).
Below is proof that teenagers will entertain themselves with whatever is accessible (i.e., Bradley's diapers--clean ones, that is).

I'm pretty sure these are the cutest reindeer I've ever seen . . .

Four-wheeling fun with the Fuhr family.
Megan reading the letter from Santa.
Christmas Eve Bunco at our home with lots of family members.

I think it will be hard to get back to reality. I'm glad we have New Year's to look forward to!

Random Thoughts of Thankfulness

There are so many things to be thankful for! Here are a few I've come across lately . . .

This is Megan at her 2nd grade Pow-wow. It was a fun program! It reminded me of our family traditions and how I want my kids to know what their heritage is. We also recently had parent-teacher conferences and report cards and those always make me thankful that my kids love school and work hard.


This is Jared's "school district head injury form" he got from the school nurse. Why on earth would I photograph this? It was time to start documenting as it is one of many that we have received from the school. The school nurse said, "I know you're familiar with these forms." Familiar? I'm thinking we can do wallpaper with them. I have to give Amanda, Jared and Megan credit, though--it's never the same head injury. We've had everything from collisions, to twirly bar vs. forehead, head vs. ground and now head vs. desk. So, I am thankful for busy, active kids who heal and have good health and strength.


I am thankful for family and clothing. My sister-in-law, Jen, called us over the weekend to tell me about FIVE DOLLAR SHOES (cute shoes, even) at Liquidation World. I was thrilled to find four pairs and my girls found a couple of pairs as well. It doesn't get any better than that! Thanks, Jen!


I am thankful for a teenage daughter. This allowed an excuse to go to the midnight show of Twilight and completely embarass her when I wanted to take a picture in front of the movie poster. She's a good sport!


Having a teenage daughter also leads me to thoughts of thankfulness for friends. Here, my friend Sarah stepped in so I felt better that someone would have their picture taken with me. I am grateful for my supportive friends and all their good qualities they surround me with.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!!

What We've Been Up to This Fall

We've been gearing up for Halloween! The kids had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's for their annual "Halloween dinner."

We also went to the annual dinner pumpkin carving party at our friends' dentist office but ended up bringing our pumpkins home to carve so Jared could join in after football practice, which means . . .

Yep! We're still going strong. The Cowboys are in the playoffs and are one game away from the Superbowl. This means we schedule everything around football, including Halloween (smiling through gritted teeth here).


This also means soccer and volleyball are finished! Yea for Megan and Amanda! Amanda's last game was at mine and Nate's old middle school, Desert Hills, so I love going there and taking pics in the gym! I'm glad CMS won, though!

Last but not least, Bradley and I decided to get to the pumpkin patch on our own this year. We took advantage of a preschool field trip my sister teaches for and as a bonus got to hang out with my dear friend, Kirsten, and her daughter, Hayleigh. Kirsten teaches with Mindy at the preschool. They are in the center of the picture.


This is Bradley with cousin, Maddie:

Also, check out Kirsten's blog (forhisblessedchildren.blogspot.com) to learn about her exciting mission trip to China!
Happy Halloween everyone!

Eventually, if you eliminate the competition . . .

I've been somehow lured into the world of running over the past year and a half. Originally I thought it was just a more efficient way to get fit for the time I was lacking with four children to do so. Then, I ran my first couple of races and I found myself enjoying it a bit. I think the icing on the cake has been being able to run a race with some very important people in my life. As mentioned before, I ran my first couple of races with my sister who still drives me to compete and improve like no one can. We have so much fun together and this is one more way we enjoy being a part of each other's lives when we get a chance.

My longest race to date I was able to do with Jenny, who was the first person I wanted to share my "running adventures" with. Jenny has been passionate about running which was one of the first things I knew about her when we became fast friends our senior year. She has also been a roommate and supportive friend through college. I knew she would be encouraging and supportive even though she can run circles around me. It's fun to see a glimpse of what she's loved and worked at for years.

Just a few weeks ago kind of last minute I decided to do one more race before the weather turned cooler. This time I didn't have my sister or Jenny and my mom said, "I'll do it with you." My mom is very fit for her age but she does NOT like to run and I'm pretty sure she can walk longer and faster than I can run. However, my mom being the supportive mom and trooper that she is, got on board.

As the race progressed (just a 5K) I felt good and seemed to be staying with the pack. My time had improved (again, nothing spectacular but a PR for me)but I wondered where all the other runners were. I ran back to get my mom to finish with her but still didn't think that many people could be doing the half marathon instead. The next day I got a call from my sister saying a friend we knew who had stayed for the award's ceremony picked up my ribbon for me--I had won first place for my age group! She also picked up my mom's ribbon for second place for her age group. Not too shabby for two non-runners who run. I checked the race results later that week, wondering how I could have ran faster than anyone in my age group. As it turns out, there were five of us. I'm guessing the other four were pushing strollers or riding in wheelchairs or something. Everyone else my age seemed to be driven and capable of doing the half marathon. Whatever the reason, I'll take my first place ribbon--I don't think I've ever won first any individual athletic competition in my life and it was pretty fun! And of course, thanks to my wonderful mom who is game for anything if she can do it with her daughters. I love you!

4 Kids, 3 Sports, 1 Coach = Cure for Insomnia

Ahh, the time of year where I hate to admit we're overscheduled but all right there in the trenches together. Dinner at 8 pm, carpools, washing uniforms, team pictures . . . just another day in paradise. We're having fun and falling asleep before our heads hit our pillows at night. If you would like to join us see the links on the right:

Before and After, Back to School and Sher and Jer!

This is Bradley's first haircut! None of my kids needed haircuts until about 18 mos. old, so at 19 months, he is rignt on schedule. We cut all of his curls off (and saved them) and now he looks like such a big boy!






These are some first day of school shots--it was pretty cold out that day. Probably because I decided to wait until after school started to buy the kids pants.

And, last but not least . . .



We were so lucky to have Sherrie and Jeremy stay with us this weekend when they came to visit! We had a great time with them and my kids LOVED having them here. This picture was taken on my dad's boat--we went on a river tour(see Sherrie's blog for details). Sherrie, we hope you guys had a nice visit and we hope we can see you again soon!

Coming soon . . . soccer, football and volleyball schedules--here we go again!!

One More . . .

We had a great time with family in Lincoln City. Thanks for organizing it, Nannee and Papa! Great memories!

Slideshow Updates

I have much updating to do from the last few weeks! I'm going to start by subjecting viewers to more vacation slideshows. We can't get enough of those! These are from the Idaho trip. We also had a great day on the water at the Potholes with two of my lifelong friends, Trisha and Kirsten and their families. They both camped there for the weekend and I was a chicken about camping with Bradley and leaving for the coast the next week so we only came up for the day. We had sooo much fun we hope to go back and camp with them next year. I loved hanging out with Trisha and Kirsten and their families--it made me realize how much I miss them! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for those who are tired of slideshows) I forgot my camera that day so you'll have to go to Kirsten's post http://thevickermanfamily.blogspot.com to take a peek.

Friends and Fun!

We recently had more fun reuiniting with friends and family taking a little vacation and accomplishing a goal I set for this year. First, the vacation. We attended our niece/cousin Jordan's baptism which was planned at the time of her dad's family reunion. This allowed us to spend some time with her uncle and our old friend, Danny and his family as well as the rest of the Fuhr family. We spent a day on the beautiful Spirit Lake in Idaho (minus Bradley) and had a great time on the water. I even let Danny pull me waterskiing! = ) We also spent a couple of days (one of them rather cold) at Silverwood Theme Park. More pictures later . . .
Here's Nate and Danny. For those of you who know Danny well, yes, he is touching Nate's "lober."
My good friend from high school and college, Jenny, and her kids came down just before we left for a quick stay. Most importantly though, we both ran a 10K race early Saturday morning. This was a goal of mine for this year and I believe it was the first time racing that distance for both of us. I have to just tell you, though, Jenny is my new running idol. She totally dominated--coming in first in our age group for the women and eighth for the women overall. She is amazing! I, well, er, I finished the race, which was my goal, I didn't walk and I didn't come in last! Overall, that is pretty good for me. It was so fun to have her and her kids here--my kids had a blast with them and if we decide we're crazy enough to try the race again, I'd look forward to it! Thanks Jen, for making the trip!

The Wonderful Non-Mommy Weekend!

Wow! I can't believe I actually got on a plane and took off to Utah for a couple of days! The friends I visited couldn't believe it either! It all started when my dear friend Sherrie sent me a text telling me Delta had a steal of a weekend flight from Pasco to SLC. For some reason, things fell into place and Nate said, "Have a good time!" It was a little unsettling for about 30 seconds but off I went!

I think it was the perfect non-Mommy vacation! For those of you who are looking to book one, I would highly recommend staying at Hotel Burt. The rooms are fabulously decorated, the pool is nice, acommodations are VERY comfortable and you can download 80's music for free! Most importantly, the tour guide is gorgeous and fabulous! She will take you to chick flicks, she will get pedicures with you, she knows the best shopping and where to find the best non-mommy eating ever! I now have to enter a recovery program for a sudden addiction to a particular salad at Rumbi Island Grill.

For a more populated visit, I would recommend Hotel Burnside. This is a lively, beautiful home with many family members--cousins, grandparents, siblings--bustling about and enjoying each other's company. You will feel like you've stepped back in time as you reaquaint yourself with the Petersen family, which is a great delight! In addition, that ever-talented Marci thinks nothing of throwing together a dinner for 17 or so people that is delicious!

Thanks for a memorable and just-what-the-doctor-ordered weekend! I sure miss you guys! Thanks also to Nate. He did so much at home, I felt replaced. Thanks for coordinating play dates, putting up with a cranky toddler, helping to cover my church and work obligations AND getting the laundry totally done in one day before picking me up at the airport with flowers! I am not going to recommend him for planning your non-Mommy weekend, however, I am going to keep him!

Seven and Fabulous!

What do you get when you mix some teenage girls with some six-seven year-old girls for a birthday party? Lots of pampering, crazy hair and a strong scent of nail polish! We had fun letting Amanda and her friends help out with Megan's birthday party and I think she had fun, too. Here are things we love about Megan:

1. Her toothless grin.

2. Her homemade cards for every occasion or just because.

3. She works hard.

4. She is a good student.

5. She's our "brown-eyed girl. . . sha la, la, la la . . ."

6. She is lively, bouncy and fire and ice.

7. She is Mega-riffic!

We love you Megan and enjoy our seven-year-old girl!!!!