Christmas 2010

Christmas is a time to spend with family. We have for the last couple of years invited our extended family to join us for Christmas Eve (a potluck dinner and a time of opening gifts). This year was no different, and many were able to be with us and enjoyed our time greatly.

Christmas morning was a quiet time for Gary and I to make preparations for our children and grandchildren to arrive to spend the day. We love having them here and enjoyed the excitement as each of them had the chance to open the gifts bestowed on them. One of the gifts given to us by our daughters was a change in name for the grandkids to call us. We are honored that each of them had their own ideas and traditions/cultures to bring to us and are wowed by the fact that they all came together to choose one name that all could agree on. So from Nana/Papa; Mormor/Morfar; Grandma/Grandpa we have gone to Gammlemor or Gammie for short and Gammlefar or Gamfie for short.

Enjoy our little slideshow of pictures from time spent with family. Merry Christmas to all near and far.

Make a Mess Wednesday with Oliver

What's this?

Hmmm, what's outside?

Casen is helping recycle pop cans.

What Grandpa?

 This week I have been on Christmas Break from school.  I took the opportunity to spend time with my grandkids and have been having a great time.  On Monday Casen came over to share the day with Grandma and Grandpa as it was snowing outside and Grandpa can't work when it's snowing.   After Casen went home on Monday, I went and picked up Oliver and Lucius for an overnighter at Mormor & Morfar's.  Oliver and I decided, because Grandpa was home in the morning to keep an eye on Lucius, we would make some cookies and then be able to decorate them after nap time.  What fun to experience making cutout cookies with a 2 (soon to be 3) year old.

Auntie Em and Brianna came over for part of the day so Eme could snow blow our driveway.  Lucius and Brianna played while Oliver napped.  Then Eme napped while Brianna napped.  When Oliver woke up it was time to decorate the cookies.  You ask how many sprinkles are too many.  Apparently whatever a little boy decides to put on the cookie and not the table is the right amount.  I love taking care of my grandkids to give their mommies and daddies a break.

Check out the slideshow of our day:  

Danya, if you were here, we would go play in the snow again AND you could have a sleep over too.

Enjoy this season of family and remember the real reason for the season is Jesus.

Thankful Thanksgiving

Wow what a weekend.  We started our weekend at Church on Wednesday evening sharing a turkey meal with Gary's cousin Bob.  It was a fun event and very good food.

Casen, Michelle & Copper.  Copper wanted to be a part of the action.

Grandma, Help; Copper dog's in the way.

Okay, we'll make room for you Copper dog.

Really, mom, I was here first.  Copper is such a ham.

Grandma, this ball makes noise.

Help, I've been jailed!!

On Thursday Michelle, Jeremy, and Casen came over so that Gary could help with schematics for a project that Michelle wanted to get accomplished using wood from a wardrobe that Jeremy had.  It will be a toy box of sorts for the other grandparents house.  While Gary and Jeremy worked on cutting the wood and getting it ready to assemble Michelle helped me in the house by sweeping and preparing lunch for us all.  Casen played on the floor with Kleo and Copper, who was here to visit.  Then I decided to move the TV back down to the lower level so as to have a room for the grandkids to play in on the main floor.  Michelle and Jeremy helped carry things down and then Jeremy hooked the TV back up down stairs.

In the afternoon, I received a call from Margaret telling me that Oliver had a question for me and she added it was NOT her idea.  Oliver very politely asked if he could have an overnight with Mormor?  Of course when he asks so politely, who can say no (about 3 am when he announced he was awake, I was questioning myself).

After we got ourselves up on Friday morning, Gary headed to physical therapy and Oliver and I played and read some books.  When Gary came home we headed to breakfast with Pastor Ron, Priscilla, and Doug at Bonnie's cafe.  After finishing a very large pancake and helping me to eat my breakfast Oliver announced it was time to go home.

We then headed over to Eme and Jon's for our family Thanksgiving feast.  On the ride over to Eme's, Cousin Bob was sitting in the back seat with Oliver and they were having a discussion of sorts (the kind you can have with an almost 3 year old).  They were not quite seeing eye to eye and Gary, from the front seat said to Oliver & Bob -- "seems you have a difference of opinion".  To which Oliver says "we have a difference of a penguin?"  We all chuckled at that and just a few minutes later Oliver leans over to Bob and says "Bob, you give me a headache".  Of course, that comes under the category -- Kids say the darndest things. 

What fun to watch all of the grandkids as they play and chase each other.  We had a wonderful time of eating food and playing games and watching Jeremy and Jon play Wii.

Saturday was spent doing projects at home, creating crafts for Christmas presents.  What a time to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for.  Family, Friends, Relatives, and provisions of food.

A Post Forgotten -- From this summer

Each time Oliver and Lucius come over it is an adventure.  More fun things happen and we love to have them.  Oliver loves to line things up as he did with the sidewalk chalk out in front of the house.

Oliver the "line" king.

Oliver also likes to "Paint".

Let's paint.  (You may ask what's in the bucket - that's Mormor's secret)

Of course all of the rocks need a bath.

Now I can ring the windchime.

Bubbles -- what fun.

Look how high they go.

"Uncle" Bob's car (picture by Oliver)

It's not a big slide but it's fun just the same.

A new sidewalk chalk canvas.

Art and picture by Oliver.

Rocks found in sandbox (Picture by Oliver)

Copper seems to be saying "where is mine?"

Lucius after the trip to the dirt in the planter.

Fall Colors

Gary loves to take pictures but has been limited in what he can do because of his back.  So while we were at the trailer this past weekend he took some shots at the lake and then we took a little side trip on the way home to enjoy a some of the wonderful colors that God painted.

As the sun was setting on Saturday evening.

The morning steam on the lake.

The morning steam.

A county park with lake access we found on our drive.

Colors on the drive.

More Colors.

Trip to the MN Zoo with Casen & Brianna

Monday morning, Eme, Casen, Brianna and I headed to the Minnesota Zoo for a chance to check  out the animals and spend some time with each other.  Our first stop on our walking tour was to check out the monkeys.  The little one in the front ventured toward us but as soon as I got the camera ready to snap a closer picture -- off he/she scampered to get further from us.

 

Then it was further up the trail to the Moose who was relaxing in the shade and the elk who were hanging out in the cool long grass.

Next we visited the farm.  Brianna checked out the goats who seemed very friendly.  We saw this silly little piglet trying to beat his siblings at getting the food or maybe he was just trying to get higher than all the rest.  We couldn't really tell, he just sort of jumped up on top of mom.  Casen curled his nose at the smell of the animals at the farm.

 

We saw camels taking it easy in the pond and pronghorns up on the hillside and the prairie dogs making holes and just standing up checking out the scenery.  We even had the privilege of hearing the prairie dogs bark at each other.

The lazy bears were just sleeping on the rocks.  Not a very interesting trio to our two little ones.

We finished up by having a spot of lunch and visiting the Minnesota Trail.  According to my phone and a program called "My Tracks" we walked a total of 3.4 miles at an average speed of 1.02 miles per hour but at an average moving speed of 2.76 miles per hour.  Any way you look at it we had a great time seeing all of the fun animals at the Zoo.   

                                                                                                           Thanks Eme and Brianna for sharing your Zoo coupons with Mom/Grandma.  Casen and I had a great time.

A wonderful Walk in the park

On Saturday morning Mick and J invited us to join them on a little walk in the park.  They picked us up and we headed to a park they knew of.  It's nestled among a busy shopping area and apartments but a lovely walk just the same.  With Casen in his stroller we started out, stopping about half way around to eat some lunch under some beautiful willow trees. 

Then completing our walk we stopped by the Container store and then it was off to Grand Ole Creamery for some ice cream to finish out time together. 

Thanks Mick, J and Casen for a fun Saturday morning.