Inside & Outside

A couple weeks ago, Aaron had it in his head that he wanted to go to another hockey game. We took him to a game in December, and even had great seats in a suite...why should we go again in January? He is very persistent, that Aaron. On Monday he said, "Only 4 more days until the game." He changed it to 3 more days on Tuesday, and so forth. I finally told him the only way we would go to that hockey game is if I won free tickets from the radio station.

Well, guess what? I won the tickets for Friday night's game! I could not believe it. Aaron is one lucky kid. Since Derek was fighting mono, the 4 tickets I won worked out perfectly for me to take all 3 boys to the game. It was a freeeeezing cold night, but we bundled up and drove out to the arena. It was loud. It was cold. But it was a fun time with my boys. :) I wish I had a picture of Aaron's big smile when the puck dropped. But it's on my phone. Maybe someday I can get it on the blog. I splurged for popcorn and skittles--since the tickets and parking were free, why not? In the second period the "player of the period" scored a goal, earning everyone in attendance a coupon for a free runza or hamburger from Runza. Score! Braylen and Kaleb were great big brothers to Aaron on this night. That was probably my favorite part of it all. Kaleb saw his teacher, Aaron saw some friends, and Braylen took our picture. :) 

Hockey!

Again, a couple weeks ago, Derek's parents and the boys worked on de-boning the deer meat. Derek was inside fighting mono...by resting. :) He didn't want to miss out, but the boys did a great job covering for him!

Aaron was the carrier, while Kaleb, Braylen, and Grandma worked with knives.
Grandpa stood at the sink, which is where Aaron carried the meat back and forth.

One more time...a couple weeks ago, Kaleb and Aaron rediscovered their knitting hobby. They are knitting bookmarks and scrubbies, with plans to stock their store. Aaron has sold 2 bookmarks so far--and then he asked to borrow one back to use in his chapter book. :)

January Knitting Club

Moving on to more current days...here is a picture from our 4-wheeling adventure last weekend. Notice I am wearing my new helmet. Derek bought it for me for Christmas. Don't worry Dad--it's not for motorcycles!

I drove "Mama Bear." That is my name for this 4-wheeler.
Braylen and Hunter are facing me in this picture.

Like they do every January, the boys built some forts in the basement. Aaron started it all this time. His plan was to build a fort and then ask Braylen to play with him. That way Braylen had to say yes, since the fort was already built and all. Braylen took it a step further and built a fort of his own. Good job, Buddy! Many hours have been spent playing Nerf gun wars in those forts this week. Sometimes it's 1 on 2, sometimes 1 on 1. When Daddy or Hunter joins in they play 2 on 2. Derek's spent quite a bit of time playing 1 on 1 with Aaron. He found the little boy that still lives inside of him during these battles. :) Oh--and did I mention they do this in the dark? With their new wind-up flashlights!

Aaron's fort that he built by himself: he sticks his gun through the opening
between the blue and red blankets, or between the blue and white blankets.
Mom and Dad, aren't you glad to see the kitchen is still put to good use?

Braylen's fort...this is the one Daddy uses when he plays with Aaron.

This next picture is for my brother...see Aaron's bear slippers? What a great Christmas gift! Ginger doesn't know what to think of them though. :)

Yesterday was a very cold day. Bitter cold. Kaleb came walking to the van after school without his coat on. Why? I asked him that question, and he said he was testing something his art teacher told him. They made paper moccasins in class that day, and she told them moccasins keep people warm. So he carried his paper moccasin and guess what--he was very cold when he got in the van. Sometimes I can't tell when he's kidding or when he's being serious...this was one of those times. :) Then Aaron came walking up to the van...with his hoodie on backwards, and the hood over his face. The hood on his coat was up too, so he looked like one big hood wandering in the grass. Silly, silly boys! :)

And that is what has kept us busy lately--inside and outside!

Getting Out

Not much has been going on lately. Therefore, my blog postings are few and far between. But we are still here, still going to school and work. Derek is getting over mono. He went to work this week and didn't come home early at all. But he's still not at 100%, so we are taking things easy. This afternoon we are taking the 4-wheelers out for a spin at the cabin. It's in the 50's and sunny, so why not? Ginger will be so glad for a chance to stretch her legs. Winter is not much fun for an active German Shepherd. Today will be a treat for all of us.

Last night I decided I did not feel like making supper. I call it "Friday night-itis." I had a meal planned, but didn't want to make it. Derek didn't want to cook either (ha!) so we went to Applebee's. Kaleb and Aaron still had free meal coupons from the summer library reading program, so that shows how often we don't eat out as a family. Here in town anyway. :) It was a fun outing for the 5 of us. I am holding onto Friday nights like this when we're all still together. Braylen ordered a Bourbon Burger, and I have to laugh because he called it a "Bor-Bon" Burger. Tee hee! You always make me laugh Braylen!

Back at home we watched not 1 but 2 Dukes of Hazzard episodes. Of course we had treats during the second show...I just love our Friday nights at home. :)

There is one major change around here this week...for me anyway. On the 17th I started exercising again. And not just by walking the dog...really exercising. Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred is kicking my butt! I hobble around like an old woman--I am SO sore. I've also stopped drinking pop. I'm not giving it up completely, but I am trying to cut way back. I have never been so thankful for my iced tea brewer, since I still need my caffeine! I bought this workout DVD 7 months ago, so I am pretty slow on my follow-through. Nothing new there. But we all need to start somewhere, and this is where I am starting. My family is getting a big kick out of Mom's new exercise program. :)

And now it's time to fix lunch for the crew before our outing today. Aaron tells me he's hungry, and he wants sweet and sour chicken. Um, how about a hot dog? :)

Strange Happenings

Usually when the kids go back to school after Christmas break, Derek is at work and I am left alone to put away Christmas. Not this year. After feeling yucky off and on since 12/30, Derek felt much worse on 1/6. I took the kids to their first day of their second semester, and Derek took himself to the doctor. His diagnosis? MONO!

It is unusual to contract mono as an adult, but Derek has proven it can be done. Headaches, body aches, and fatigue are his worst symptoms. He naps but doesn't feel much better when he wakes up. He gets out of the house now and then for chiropractor appointments and even his first-ever massage. He took a chance and went to a meeting at work today. But for the most part, he has been home with me this week. What a strange start to our new year!

Derek having mono is not the only strange thing happening around here. There is a decision that needs to be made in this new year that is weighing on our hearts. It sort of fell into our lap this week. We are asking God for a miracle, and if the miracle doesn't come, we are asking Him to show us our next steps. (I wrote that part for you, Braylen!) It is not a health concern, and it is not a move. But it has the potential to bring much change into our lives. That's all I'll say about it for now.

I'm happy with how the boys have adjusted to their school routines again. One new thing we're doing this semester is not allowing them to play video games on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Screen time has gotten out of control around here. I hope this helps. Notice I said no video games. That includes Wii, Nintendo DS, iPad, and iPod games. They can still earn the privilege of watching TV on those days, but not without doing their homework, reading, and practicing their piano first. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. This is not Christmas break anymore! :)

Also, next week we'll be starting a new routine at bedtime. It involves scripture memory and prayer. I got this idea from my mom, who used it on me when I was a kid. :) More on that in my next post.

To wrap this up, here are a few pictures from last week. We invited our oldest niece to spend the night and the kids had lots of fun during their cousin sleepover. I think it was the perfect way to end a fun Christmas break! :)

She even made a craft while she was here! Kaleb and Aaron taught her how to make this cool snowflake.

They spent a lot of time playing outside. Here they are chopping ice and looking for shapes of the 50 states.

Grampy's favorite treat, Suzy Q's. This is our last box, and our last treat. We cut it into thirds.

Brothers. I love to see them snuggled up on the couch together.

Derek with our youngest niece. She brought him a balloon and her mommy brought him some cookie bars! The balloon says, "Some people will do anything for attention!" :)

Another New Year

We have many, many blessings to be thankful for as 2012 ends and 2013 begins. And yet, I'll admit it--I've been avoiding my blog for the past few weeks. Why?

• We had one sick boy, thankfully just one! It was a very nasty stomach virus.
• A blizzard which forced school to close early and shut down completely the next day.
• An early Christmas with the 5 of us on Dec. 21st.
• A looong car ride to my parents' house on Dec. 22nd.
• A week-long Christmas celebration in Illinois.
• A looong car ride home on Dec. 29th.
• 2 Christmas celebrations here at home with Derek's family.
• And the kids are STILL not back in school yet.

Writing about our last few weeks is pretty much an insurmountable task for me, considering I mailed the last of my Christmas New Year's cards today. Here goes!

Blessings to remember from Christmas 2012

• Our power went out during the blizzard, but didn't stay out all night. When Aaron thought it might be a chilly night in his bed, he asked me if he could sleep in my bed since I have an electric blanket? Umm, the electric blanket only works with electricity, my son! :)
• My home church in Illinois welcomed us with open arms, and some of the people seem to never change.
• On Christmas Eve my dad accompanied us to Willow Creek's service...it was amazing! We were wowed with the music, program, lights, dancing, and props. And yet--it was the family time during "Silent Night" that I cherish the most.
• The men in my family brought my grandma to our Christmas celebration, and I rode with them to take her home that night. The lights were pretty, the conversation flowed easily in the car, and I learned a few more things about my grandma and my family on that drive.
• My nephew keeps getting more adorable every day. Watching my boys play with him was super-sweet.
• A lunch date with my mom and sister-in-law followed by after-Christmas shopping made me realize how thankful I am for the two ladies in my family. :)
• Visiting my aunt and uncle's new home gave us all a chance to spread out for an evening, and that was a very good thing! :) So was the pizza from Giordano's!
• Derek and I took our kids out for an afternoon of shopping and lunch at Chick-fil-a. While they might not like the shopping, the kids did like the things we bought for them.
• A double date with my brother and sister-in-law? Yes! The 4 of us had a special time at Famous Dave's.
• Derek took me to see the movie Lincoln. We both enjoyed it, but wished it had a better ending. Not that it was a surprise or anything...
• On our last night in Illinois, we took Mom and Dad out for supper to a train restaurant. Our food was delivered by a train and our table sat right along the tracks. It was fun!

Here at home, we've had a good week settling back into our lives. School will start on Monday. Usually by now I'm ready to send them back. But it's been such a good week together with minimal fighting...2013 really is off to a good start for us! :) We started watching Season 7 of the Dukes of Hazzard last night. Our family movie nights with the Dukes are pretty special. They only made 7 seasons, I recently discovered. I guess that means we'll start over with Season 1 when we finish Season 7.

What a blessed time we had celebrating the birth of our Savior and the arrival of a new year. To close, I'll end with something I learned from Beth Moore when Aaron was an infant. It's a great way to stand on the Rock when the world around us is built on sinking sand.

"Our God is Who He says He is. Our God can do what He says He can do. I am who God says I am. I can do all things through Christ. His Word is alive and active in me...I believe in God!"

Picture time!

Derek's gift from me, hoping it will help him sleep better! Is it a bad sign that he left it at my parents' house?

Braylen loves his new hat. Now he and his grandpa can match!

The boys bought Derek a book that he loves! They joyfully paid for it all.

Kaleb's new game and Aaron the photo-bomber!

My boys bought me a unique candle, all with their own money. It smells yummy!

Christmas Eve cookies and carrot.

Aaron's Santa gift, and I hope he doesn't shoot his eye out, ha ha.

Uncle Eric teaches Braylen about cameras and photography.

Kaleb and Aaron worked together on a photo scavenger hunt. Good idea Grammy!

Our 19th (gasp!) Christmas together, including the dating years.

My family with my grandma on Christmas night.

My parents, my family, and my brother's family, all together!

My cute little nephew.

Back at home we rang in the new year with my nieces.

 And that is our Christmas 2012!