THE HOT-SPOT

More Fishing

2012-01-15T22:19:00.001-06:00

Sun coming up and tip-ups going in the ice.

A couple of nice bass.

And Nolan get's the biggest bass of the day, which means another taxidermist bill...

Total catch for the day. 3 pike and 4 guy's limit of bass.

Northern Pike

2012-01-06T18:47:00.001-06:00

Normally one picture would have been plenty but Hannah's expressions...

Finishing up 2011 and Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T17:20:00.000-06:00

November 27th I turned 31 and proved I could STILL blow out all my candles...

Elliot when he was 8 months old...in Dec he was 9 months. He weighed in at 26lbs 6.6oz and was 2'6.5" His favorite word and thing is ball....he's not picky about what kind. He'll crawl right across Hannah's polly pockets to get to one.

Princesses get the mail...brought to you from the princess files.

Matching Mommy and Hannah. You can't see it but I made us scarves following an idea off of pinterest.

Just to prove that sometimes, rarely, all three of them do something together....

Hot stuff...

Mommy can't let him do this anymore because oops he ended up in the bathtub once.

Dec. 27th Shaun turned 31...

New year's eve we made and decorated graham cracker houses. Elliot thoroughly examined all building materials for quality control issues.

Papa attempted to read.

Finished products. Grandma's fema trailer, my A-frame, and Shaun's cabin by the river....

Nolan's fingers were eaten by sharks.

Papa and Elliot.

Watching the kiddy 6pm fireworks...I'm sure it was 12:00 somewhere.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:28:00.001-06:00

We are grounded due to a nasty little bug making its way through the family. Knowing it was likely, and that Nolan would be especially sad about missing out (although he would eat only turkey and a roll and and an adventurous dessert of ice-cream). I decided to get a few things so we could have a little mini T-day if necessary. Hannah and I even made a pumpkin pie! So all was not lost for these little turkeys!

Random cuteness!

2011-11-19T10:31:00.000-06:00

I'm coming to get you....

Princesses like pudding...

Not the dog's dish but it did keep him busy for approximately 32 seconds...

Nolan would love a pet lizard, or snake or something along reptile lines. He's been having to content himself with this fake one which he made a habitat for... I'm really going to have to stop using the excuse "maybe when we get a bigger house!" I have a feeling he's going to remember that.

Sick Day

2011-11-18T10:14:00.001-06:00

Soo...Wednesday the thought briefly crossed my mind that we were all healthy, think we all know where this is going... at supper I noticed a certain school boy rubbing his eye...his red, matted with green gunk eye...well alrighty than slight change in the evenings plans. Which brings us to Thursday and a sick day. He and Hannah enjoyed a wonderful day of playing nicely together...truly... so nicely they made this....

Would you believe me if I said they just as nicely cleaned it up together? No? Fine you're right. They did happily throw it all down the basement stairs for me to put away.
This morning his other eye was all matted over so he's home again but not playing so nicely. And to top it all all 3 of them have colds again...yea me!

Guess what I can do??

2011-11-10T16:01:00.001-06:00

I have perfected forward movement on all fours and discovered something pretty neat...

I was pretty pleased with myself...

and I stayed busy for a long time...I heard Mama mumbling something about "trying to clean for Bible Study," than she laughed and got her camera, and said something about it like "at least keeping me in one spot for a while"...than I got a bath which is something else I reeaallllyy enjoy...but than she was back to mumbling about "all the laundry" and "already changed his clothes twice today." What's a baby on the move to do??

Other Fall Happenings

2011-11-10T15:41:00.003-06:00

Hannah's loaf. We made bread in anticipation of some company. The family includes three hungry boys who love homemade bread.

So that they were hungry for bread we went on a hike. Some poor family has lost their dog and there a lot of signs out about her... We were wondering if we could turn Lexi in for the reward?? We did hear some other hikers comment on how she looked like the lost dog.

The young hikers. Hindsight we should have taken the picture before we hiked as you can see Hannah was in no mood for pictures here :)

Elliot enjoyed a nice nap. Also he pooped which got on my back...bet you really wanted to know that detail huh??

Our trick or treaters this year... Hungry shark and beautiful butterfly.

Busy Fall Days!

2011-10-23T19:04:00.002-05:00

These 3 are hoping you are enjoying busy fall days as much as they are!

A house divided...

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

To be truthful I really don't care about football, or any sports for that matter, but I do enjoy getting Shaun a little worked up...and when I saw the above badger's onesie at a garage sale I couldn't pass it up.

So tonight's game will tell which "Big Red" comes out on top.

Elliot 6 months!

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is Hannah...

2011-09-29T14:01:00.000-05:00

She's either up or down. A girl who likes to accessorize, like the shades... Usually when we are out and about she's up...she sings (quietly) and talks to herself non-stop, through stores, Dr. visits (although she refuses to say anything while the Dr. is in the room) walks, you name it. This usually results in comments from strangers which quickly earns them a dirty scowl and when they are out of sight (but not necessarily hearing) she'll say something along the lines of "people shouldn't talk to me, I'm shy." Aahh yes, I'm going to miss her next year...

Smile!

2011-09-28T07:39:00.000-05:00

Coversations with Mom

2011-09-23T16:36:00.000-05:00

Some funny stories from the kids lately.

Hannah: "Mom, I think we should paint hearts and stars on the outside of our house."
Me: "When you grow up you can paint whatever you want on the side of your house."
Hannah: "Moomm, I'm not going to have a house, I'm going to have a castle."

Me: "Nolan what did you do at school today?"
Nolan: "Well my pants fell down."
Me: "oh dear, what did you do?"
Nolan: "I pulled them up, it was ok my underwear didn't fall off just my pants."

Nolan's 1st Day of Kindergarten and other random things...

2011-09-20T16:46:00.002-05:00

Nolan started Kindergarten this year. He was soo excited to start but has been getting pretty worn out by the longer days. He's also pretty worried that we're lonely at home without him. He than came to the realization that someday Mommy would be home alone when Elliot starts school and he got really concerned about me :)

We manage without big brother. Hannah does a good job entertaining Elliot.

Here he is looking so grown up dressed up with his boots on!

Daddy's idea of watching Elliot.

He's loving this saucer...it is borrowed from friends and way nicer than ours which happens to be several states west so isn't really doing us much good!!

Daddy and E-man!

The cooler weather has caused a resurgence in the use of mommy's cage.

When this little lady looks in the mirror she sees a Princess :)

Yikes! What is Daddy feeding me??

Hannah is 4!

2011-08-29T07:36:00.002-05:00

Sand on the Riverfront!

2011-08-23T14:02:00.002-05:00

Elliot and Mommy...

We enjoyed a beautiful evening walk in a local park to check out a sand sculpture contest.

The kids in front of their favorite.

Checking out the fish.

Jump!

2011-08-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

Best Friends

2011-08-21T14:12:00.002-05:00

We're going to miss seeing this little lady and her family weekly. She and Hannah are 2 months apart in age and have lots of fun together.

Summer Food!

2011-08-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Elliot learning what food is! He was getting peeved watching the rest of us eat so here he is trying some of his 1st bites.
Our basil harvest....we made pesto and have enjoyed it: grilled cheese and pesto sandwiches, with chicken, pasta...yum!!

I think I'm going to try freezing some to enjoy this winter.

Lets go to the Pool!

2011-08-19T14:03:00.002-05:00

Vacation!

2011-07-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a little vacation to the twin cities. Took the kids to the Minnesota Zoo...where we spent a lot of time in front of aquariums...
Watched the dolphin feeding.

The kids were excited about our hotel because it had these bunk beds! Had to take turns sleeping on the top :)

Elliot was happy just chilling where ever he was! He finds his toes fascinating.

Around Home

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Elliot becomes aware of the dog.

We went to a kids outdoor fest... the fake animals remained safe from Nolan's archery attempts...but he did net this trout!

Hannah amusing Elliot.
Hannah and Daddy have been doing some biking lately. She's really enjoying her outings with Daddy.

Nolan's 6th Birthday!

2011-07-27T13:40:00.002-05:00

Happy 6th Birthday on the 26th Nolan!

It was also our 9th Anniversary :)

Trio of trouble!

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Elliot 3 months!

2011-07-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

I'm getting pretty big and like to play with things now. I also have a pretty awesome belly laugh.

I like my Dad, he's pretty cool!

Dog days

2011-07-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Excuse me? I thought the photo shoot was scheduled after I finished trolling for treats under here...

I don't know what is with this kid's parents...they just lay him down and let him fuss...sigh... well I guess I'll keep him company again.

Fourth of July Weekend...

2011-07-08T09:00:00.005-05:00

We peeked around the bushes to watch the neighbor's fireworks.

Caught lightning bugs.

Snuggled with Papa!

Than the olders went home with Grandpa and Grandma for a few days. Nolan broke Mommy's heart because he was homesick and Hannah broke it by not being homesick at all. Can't win I guess!

Since Memorial Day...

2011-07-07T09:34:00.003-05:00

We have been sad...

gotten owies...

been swinging...

enjoyed having friends over to play with...

...and been doing a lot of swimming!

Hope you are enjoying your summer!!

Elliot 2 months!

2011-06-01T11:44:00.002-05:00

Random

2011-06-01T11:34:00.003-05:00

Little Miss I dress myself! But I'm not a cowgirl because a cowgirl would have boots :)

Elliot and Mommy!

Peaceful brothers!

The "cage" in action. Hannah likes how her hair looks in the pictures :)

She wanted her hair to be like mine all wrapped in a towel!

Tornado

2011-06-01T11:26:00.002-05:00

Recently a tornado blew through town a few blocks away. There was lots of this.

Will lived in this brown building a few years ago.

Bluegill Season

2011-05-29T13:45:00.004-05:00

Shaun and Nolan went Bluegill fishing the other day and caught a few nice ones.

Nolan's got a real lunker on here.

The day's catch with neighbor, Leo and Hannah prancing in the background.

Mother's Day Gifts....

2011-05-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

For Mother's Day I got a large, circular cage that I can zip my children in. They spend hours in it....

They even helped put it together.

In all seriousness this Mother's Day was very sweet. Nolan was very proud of the gift he made me at school.
Someday he'll understand why I laughed when I read it.

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-18T11:12:00.008-05:00

We spent a busy and fun Mother's Day weekend on the farm. Me and mine!
Sarah and Zoie.
Milk mustache!
This lovely lady had a birthday on Mother's Day. You can thank me for not posting the one of you blowing out your candles... excellent job getting them all out BTW.
The little people like to help feed the calves.
They aren't actually farm kids but they look pretty authentic.
Grandma's helpers. Serious business they have going on.
Rocket launch...Nolan was devastated when the rocket got stuck in some power lines.
Lexi always enjoys herself on the farm. She's not sure what she should do now that she has the poor cat treed.
We took the little people for a walk/ride to Papa's pond. Zoie all smiles for Uncle Shaun. She wasn't to impressed with Aunt Helen for stopping her from swimming.
Nolan is bound and determined he'll catch a fish out of there one day.
The girl's mode of transportation.
Maybe this is why Nolan can't catch any fish. Lexi scares them all. This is about as deep as she'll go...and when Shaun used this pond to try to get some of the eau de farm off of her he discovered swimming isn't really her strong point.
Elliot's mode of transportation. All the cool mom's are sporting dandelions in their hair...
Hannah showing off her tree climbing abilities....

And there you have it our, Mother's Day weekend in somewhat random ordered pictures!

Nolan

2011-05-09T12:38:00.003-05:00

We had to get a camera with faster shutter speed to catch this boy in motion!

Visit from Granny!

2011-05-09T12:30:00.003-05:00

Snuggling Elliot! One of the few moments Hannah wasn't ordering her around.

All of us with Granny!

Hannah really really really likes her sunglasses.

Visit from Grandpa and Grandma!

2011-05-09T12:23:00.003-05:00

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit for the day. Hannah decided she was going to be a princess early on (dress over pjs) and kept it up all day long. Here she and King Papa are getting out of the rain.

Grandma and Elliot.

Nolan and Princess Hannah making brownies for dessert.

Coffee break and story time with Papa.

Stomping...

2011-04-24T18:56:00.002-05:00

These boots were made for stomping!
Checking out how much her hand has grown...

Elliot 1 Month!

2011-04-23T10:25:00.002-05:00

Winterish spring...

2011-04-22T15:30:00.003-05:00

Isn't our backyard beautiful? Not so much on April 19th...
Meanwhile a couple days earlier...
Looks pretty bad huh? Reality is she just likes band aids and this was a do it yourself job.
Wonder how she got it?

Mommy disclaimer: Daddy was watching the kids during this time.

Visit from Uncle Will and Aunt Becky

2011-04-21T14:41:00.004-05:00

Elliot checking out Aunt Becky and than deciding she was worth giving a smile to :)
Popular guy :)
Playing with Uncle Will.
Not just for babies!

Making bread...

2011-04-20T16:19:00.004-05:00

I've been making bread around here, and sometimes I get a little helper or two. Brings back memories of "helping" my mother make bread. Who knew the patience involved?? :p
Greasing her pan. We had small ones for us kids growing up...need to find some of those.
Kneading dough...

Finished product. We ate it 1st after she proudly showed it to Daddy!

Bonus: You get a glimpse of my in real life kitchen...who am I kidding it usually looks worse :p

Fishing and High Water

2011-04-15T11:40:00.002-05:00

Shaun, Nolan, and Jeff went fishing for perch and came home with a nice lot.
Jeff helped Nolan catch this walleye but it was just under limit so they had to throw it back.
A company of Amish fishing across the way.
The river is higher than normal this spring. The trees are mostly under water at Goose Island.
We wanted to go camping here but the sign said otherwise.

What we've been up to around here...

2011-04-11T14:42:00.004-05:00

Styling his hat from 2 special ladies...
One week old!
Bright eyes!
Sandbox princess.
Cousins! And just one of the many visitors we've enjoyed and who have spoiled us with food!
Watching over baby brother. Nolan also donated his very well love puppy to Elliot saying he was a big boy now and Elliot could have it.
Hannah has been a little bit well, disgruntled since becoming a big sister. Her constant refrain has been "But who's going to play with mmeeeeeee?" Here she was talking to her friend Autumn.
But she does love her baby!
And Nolan is a pretty happy about it all!

Welcome Elliot Lee!

2011-03-23T17:42:00.004-05:00

Our latest addition! Elliot Lee was born March 22, 2011.
Just born! Mommy is happy.
Big thanks to Gina our doula!
Yep that number is right! He was 23inches long...no wonder it hurt when he stretched out!
Big brother and sister meet little brother!
Freshly expanded family...excuse Dad and Mom's tired eyes, they had been up most of the night :p
Grandpa and Grandma! They are now 2 and 2 in the grandson/granddaughter tally.

Dr. Seus Day

2011-03-09T08:33:00.002-06:00

I told him to stand straight so you could see his shirt :p This is what I got!

Little Princess...

2011-02-28T11:00:00.002-06:00

This little butterfly princess crash landed in our bed the other morning...think we'll keep her!

Couple recent videos...

2011-02-23T12:12:00.003-06:00

This captures perfectly Hannah being herself. And Nolan--think he was trying to take a picture of himself...he seems a little puzzled. There was actually another one but I was nagging in the background so decided to spare all your ears :p

Catching up from January and February...

2011-02-23T11:32:00.005-06:00

Shaun got a new game...he neglected to dispose of the packing peanuts promptly...

You looking at me???

One night the kids were struggling to settle down, when it was finally quiet we went down to check on them...here's Nolan, not to bad just a pillow on his head...

and then here is Hannah...

The to be politically correct Friendship Day cards Nolan received. The note we got home said something like "in keeping with Montessori philosophy please home make cards for all the kids in the class" I think this is a good idea but you can appreciate if you've ever sat down with a 5 year old to hand write cards why I was very glad that there are only 10 kids in his class! He actually was really cute about the ones he did and drew everybody a picture of something they liked.
Hannah and I were practicing some babywearing wrap ties and she is demonstrating the hands free convenience by helping herself to a pickle...
Taking her baby for a drive. We need to discuss the importance of rear facing your infant.

We enjoyed a visit from Zoie and her parents. Zoie thought the dog dish was pretty much cooler than any toy around...
You can see Lexi in the background, she was beyond perplexed by this little invader!

The one snowman Shaun and Nolan made this year. His head was off by morning.

Funny faces!

One day while Shaun and I were working in the basement the kids got lunch, they called it a picnic. They set the table got out oranges and cold hotdogs--needless to say they were extremely proud of themselves. We did supplement the meal a little bit!! And Hannah apparently opted not to get dressed that day.

Recent Birthdays!

2011-01-15T07:32:00.002-06:00

In addition to Shaun's 30th Birthday at the end of December we also helped celebrated some other birthdays recently.
Zoie is 1!! I didn't get to many good pictures of her birthday--have a few of backs and elbows of her mommy and grandmas :p But I'd say this one sums up pretty well how Zoie felt about birthday cake!
Papa turned 64! To old for cake or something, but anyway these pictures crack me up cause Papa has his hands full!
Notice bossy Hannah--"Zoie you can't chew on that!!"

New Year's Eve

2011-01-14T18:36:00.004-06:00

New Years Eve/night we spent in a motel with a little waterpark with some friends. It would be an understatement to say the kids were worn out by it!
Hannah tasting the water.
The kids enjoying their pizza!
Birthday cake for Shaun and Westin...one was 30 the other 5, I'll let you figure out which was which :)
Just because she was so cute with that wild hair going on!

Just watching them makes my legs ache...they did this over and over and over again...

A couple Recent Videos...

2011-01-14T17:23:00.003-06:00

Hannah dancing like a ballerina and Nolan snowboarding!

What we've been up to this winter...

2011-01-14T17:14:00.002-06:00

Shaun has been remodeling the basement--every once in a while he gets a helper...
Sledding, snowboarding....
(excuse the boogers...they happen in the cold)

playing games...

having Daddy make you a race car out of a box...

and seeing who can build the tallest tower!

Hannah Reading!

2010-12-09T18:57:00.002-06:00

No she's not really reading and if she had known Shaun was taking this video she would have stopped. It is really cute to listen to her in the mornings when Nolan is at school. She is BUSY and talks and reads to herself a lot. It has been fun to see what she's like without him around. Although mom does get pressed into service playing babies and taste testing her kitchen creations.

First Snow!

2010-12-09T18:51:00.002-06:00

Look Mom it snowed! The kids were up at 6:30am and outside 15 minutes later. It wasn't even completely light!
Nolan found this little mole floundering around in the snow. We rescued it by moving it over by a wood pile and giving it a slice of bread.
The slide--fun in the summer even more fun in the snow! This was the 2nd or 3rd trip outside that day!

Playdate and Ladies Night!

2010-12-09T18:34:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday Hannah and I invited this little lady and her Mom, and a few others over to play and have lunch. She and Hannah are good friends and have a lot of fun playing together. It was also nice to have a ladies lunch.
Than that evening these three showed up to take me out for a surprise birthday supper!

Lights

2010-12-09T18:25:00.003-06:00

After we got home from our weekend away we went down to see the Holiday Lights. Pretty impressive display and wasn't too cold that night! Going there reminded me of when we had some southern family members here at Christmas time--we took them down to see the lights and there was quite a discussion on how many layers one should wear while walking through the snow.
Some silly penguins I snapped a picture of.
Lexi--all worn out from playing with her doggie cousin Sophie and the bath and brushing she was subjected to upon returning home.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-09T17:47:00.003-06:00

Nolan and Hannah! I don't actually have any pictures of Thanksgiving so these other pictures of the weekend will have to do. It was nice to spend a few days up at my folks and see some family.
Hannah taking care of Grandma's babies.
Nolan and the carrom board. We played carrom with our Grandpa when we were younger. It was fun to get it out for Nolan although he needs to work on his form :)
I turned 30! And only have a few gray hairs...really it isn't bad.
Although I did miss one of my candles this year.

Shaun got this rocket for, ahum, Nolan and it was launched a time or two. It travel a ways but they were always able to retrieve it. Although once had to wait for daylight to spot it.

Project: Dining Room Set

2010-11-19T07:46:00.002-06:00

Before: Our dining room set was starting to look a little battered and worn. So I convinced Shaun we should paint it...
After: Shaun did the table and I did the 6 chairs. I like how it looks but have to say painting a dining room set is now on our list of projects to NEVER do again!

Hunting

2010-11-12T12:33:00.002-06:00

Last Friday Shaun had a good day :)

The kids, properly impressed.
Nolan went out with Shaun one day. No luck that day.
Just passing the time...

This post dedicated to Brian B.

Halloween

2010-11-12T12:01:00.003-06:00

The Husker and the Princess. Although I have mixed feelings about doing anything at Halloween I do really enjoy our neighborhood Halloween evening...everybody is out and so friendly. Plus I enjoy the candy.
Showing off the loot.

Wyoming Visitors

2010-11-12T11:57:00.003-06:00

Grandpa H, Penny and Melezza came to visit us this fall. Grandpa was trying to catch a little snooze when Nolan took this picture.
We were driving around in the country and saw this round barn. Not exactly sure where we were even :p

Fall Fun!

2010-11-12T11:30:00.002-06:00

I've been pretty bad with picture taking lately so decided I'd better just grab my camera and take some. Even though Hannah's face is dirty and her hair wasn't combed. After all that's what she looks like most of the time.

Lexi vs. the squirrels. They are busy gathering for the winter but do seem to take time out of their busy day to torment the poor dog. Her invisible fence really works--she will NOT go any further than this and those squirrels know it.

Farm Visit/Apple Cider Making good times!

2010-11-12T11:21:00.004-06:00

We enjoyed a visit to the farm with everybody there. While the boys shot guns and made apple cider--the ladies tried to help Sarah take Zoie's 9 month pictures--she was a little distracted but still unbelievably cute!
The cider production crew complete with a clown and all.
After you pick up, and sort of wipe off, and mostly get rid of the worms you throw the apples in here and chop them a bit.
When this gets full you squish it down.
And out comes this! It is very yummy.
You are left with this...the apple guts--you can give it to the cows, they think it is tasty.

Misc. Happenings

2010-11-12T11:12:00.002-06:00

Nolan taking pictures of his 2010 caterpillars. He loves taking pictures--which may explain why sometimes I'm not in the mood to sort pictures ;)
Elmo is so exhausting.
My only picture from a visit to Grandpa and Grandma's. Nolan had 2 days off from school and wanted to ride in the combine and feed calves--which is not something you can do at our house! I promise only Hannah is really picking her nose, Nolan is just chewing his fingernail.
All the toy catalogs that come this time of year are pretty entertaining. Although I have had to explain that just because you like something doesn't mean we can go get it right now.
Hannah and her squeezin' baby. What you can't really tell is that she had me tie a scarf on for a baby sling.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-11-12T11:09:00.003-06:00

We enjoyed a visit from Theo, Sarah, and Zoie over Labor Day weekend-- Nolan and Hannah are so helpful with Zoie. Especially Hannah :p
The boys went fishing. Contemplating where to cast I guess?

Nolan's 1st Day of School!

2010-09-02T14:09:00.002-05:00

This was actually taken yesterday. We had a 1/2 appointment at his school to "ease" preschoolers into it.
This morning before we headed off to the bus stop. After I dropped him off I went over to his school to make sure he made it. Good thing I did (Shaun was giving me a hard time about it) because he didn't get off at his stop! I wasn't fast enough to stop the bus driver so I went inside and the nice office ladies helped out a poor sobbing mother track down her son.
He finally arrived at his school. He was totally fine. Said he didn't know he was suppose to get off here and the bus driver said he was having a good time talking to another boy. I don't think she'll let him forget tomorrow!
Coming home! Hannah was so excited to see big brother although she did a good job entertaining herself while he was gone.

Hannah's 3!

2010-09-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

Hannah's birthday in the park. She wanted a princess cake!
Birthday party with Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Will and Aunt Becky. Hannah asked Grandma to make her pink cupcakes. Grandma started something she can't stop!

Nolan

2010-09-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

Guess who lost his 1st tooth! Cheese :)
He came in the house and told me it was to hot to work outside with Daddy so he wanted to help me. The vacuum is apparently dangerously loud so he needed ear muffs.

Nolan's 5!

2010-08-24T12:43:00.003-05:00

Cupcakes at Grandpa and Grandma's. He was so excited about his extra party!!

He requested to have his party in the park with friends. Which was really easy since we've been meeting some friends to play volleyball in the park on Monday nights! Instant party.
Hannah taking a crack at the piñata! Shaun trying to save Logan.

It has been a fun busy summer but next week we're starting something new! Nolan will be in school!

Summer!

2010-08-24T12:36:00.002-05:00

Enjoyed these fresh berries!
Trip to the county fair. Nolan and Daddy went on the Ferris wheel and you can see Hannah and I waiting for them. She got to go in the princess jump castle and would be happy to tell you about it :)
I didn't take many pictures this summer. Which will make my job easier when it goes to making my scrapbook but doesn't leave much for blog posts :p

More Summer visitors!

2010-08-24T11:49:00.003-05:00

We celebrated this little guy's birthday with him!
Mad grab for those cupcakes!
We went to the Dells while the WY cousins were here. The kids really enjoyed the Tommy Bartlett Show. Nolan even won a hula-hoop contest! I'm upset that the video didn't load off the camera because it was so funny I had tears in my eyes.
About as good as a group shot you can get with this crew :p

Granny came to visit!

2010-08-24T11:16:00.003-05:00

Over the 4th of July we enjoyed a visit from Granny--somehow I never seem to take as many pictures as I think I'm going to.

Our House

2010-07-16T18:43:00.004-05:00

We touched up the outside of our house a little bit this year.
Before:
After:
Back of house.

Random Spring/Summer Fun

2010-07-06T12:08:00.004-05:00

June Dairy On the Farm Breakfast, a fun morning with friends! When we told the kids we were going to eat breakfast on the farm they were sure we were going to Grandpa and Grandma's house.
Enjoying some suckers from the neighbor.
Zoie and Aunt Sarah came to visit! Daddy was gone this week so it worked out really nice for them to come.
Lexi loves water. Before her trim, yes it IS the same dog.
Playing in our pool. We also went to swimming lessons at the big pool...
Biking!

Will and Becky's Wedding

2010-07-05T15:25:00.004-05:00

On the way home from the funeral we stopped in Iowa for Will and Becky's wedding. Will nicely left his car available to us the morning of.
Our family all dressed up!
Hannah was a little out of sorts.
Hannah and Mommy.
Nolan and Hannah. We were making use of the official photographer's props.
Nolan fell asleep during the ceremony and apparently this is what Hannah thought. We were glad to be there and wish them many happy years of Wedded Bliss!

A Quickly Planned Trip...

2010-07-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

We found our family headed west again in May for Grandma H's funeral. The kids all dressed up before hand.
After a long day.
Shaun with his Mom and all his siblings.
Granny with all her grandkids that were there.
The crew of us.

Trout Fishing

2010-07-05T08:48:00.004-05:00

The whole family got up at 5:00AM to go trout fishing. Nolan is looking a little tired, but he was still excited to go.
First fish of the day.
Hannah was having a great time playing with the worms.
This fish was supposed to be Hannah's but Helen thought it would be fun to reel it in.
Another nice fish.
Nolan's catch.
Trout are all cleaned and awaiting going in the smoker. FYI: we did not catch all of these fish in one day. So if you want some smoked trout, stop by!

Fun with Grandpa!

2010-06-27T18:42:00.004-05:00

Grandpa H, lives close by Uncle Dave and Aunt Jo so we spent some time visiting there also. He has lots of things to entertain the kids.
Wes especially is Grandpa's little buddy.
Grandpa riding his buffalo. You can't see her well but Hannah was not to sure about this.
Gus and Nolan

Daddy and Hannah. Grandpa also has this gigantic turkey that Hannah loved watching. He had to be penned because he isn't very friendly but she spent a lot of time by his fence watching him!
Daddy and Nolan.

On our way home we spent a couple of days with good friends Grant and Kelley, but apparently we ran out of picture taking energy by that point. We sure enjoyed good company, wonderful food and homemade ice-cream while there!

Meeting Linken Eugene

2010-06-24T16:35:00.004-05:00

Our newest little nephew- Linken Eugene. He was born in March...yes I know that is a while ago but due to some computer problems I'm a little behind on blogging. We went to visit him the 1st week he was home to help out Uncle David and Aunt Joanna.
Hannah thinks he is wonderful!
Linken has three older brothers. Here they are with Hannah showing off some big footwear.
All five of the older cousins in and around Aunt Jo's cool tub. Did I mention this was a lively household while we were there?
The Dads took some of the kids on several outings...Nolan and Logan went hiking around Devil's tower.

Gus, Nolan, Hannah and Nolan went to the mountains.
Uncle Shaun and Linken. I have a similar picture, as in nearly the same expression, of Shaun and Gus when he was just a few weeks old.
Biggest brother and littlest brother. I love this picture!

Hannah's First Fish

2010-06-21T16:45:00.004-05:00

Hannah caught her first fish. She was a little scared of it however.

These kids are ready for Spring!

2010-03-08T15:28:00.003-06:00

We've been doing this, sometimes multiple times a day to beat the winter doldrums!

Around the House

2010-03-08T14:44:00.003-06:00

We got a new crate for Lexi. Conveniently fits both kids and if you really shove the dog also. Just kidding, kind of.

The dog really prefers this spot.
Nolan a boy with many hats.

More Ice-fishing.

2010-03-08T14:35:00.003-06:00

And yet another ice-fishing trip.
This one was finally successful for Nolan. When he got home he told me he didn't need to go ice-fishing anymore!! I guess he got a little scared on Jeff's airboat.

A Little Catch Up!

2010-03-08T13:16:00.005-06:00

A bad week for Nolan--black eye from the van door and a scratch from Lexi.
The kids were playing with the camera and Elliana took these. I think she did a good job!

Nolan and Lexi went ice-fishing a couple of times. They do a good job tiring each other out!
Can you spot the dog??

Reading

2010-02-17T11:03:00.003-06:00

And now videos of a slightly tamer activity.

More sledding/snowboarding

2010-02-17T10:52:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed some sledding and snowboarding at a hill near us. I'm afraid Nolan will never be content to use his snowboard in our yard again... As you can see Lexi, although not on a sled, was still having a blast.

Ice Fishing

2010-02-06T12:51:00.003-06:00

Last weekend Shaun took Nolan fishing. They didn't have much luck that day.
The luck was a little better on Saturday however.
One more nice one was caught after this picture.
Tim caught the big on of the day, 38.5".

Meeting Zoie!

2010-02-04T14:34:00.005-06:00

The pictures you've all been waiting for, in no particular order from the day we went to meet Zoie. Born Jan 8th she is Nolan and Hannah's newest cousin. Notice we only have 1 picture of one of the new parents--guess they must be chopped liver :)

Nolan felt we really needed to read Zoie her new book right away.

Keeping a close eye on the proceedings.
Oh give me that baby!
So sweet!

Family Time

2010-02-04T14:08:00.003-06:00

We enjoyed a little family time at this little park near our house. It has an ice-rink and some walking trails.
Hannah thinks hockey is easy.
Nolan discovers ice-skating is not as easy as his cousins "on the computer" make it look.
We've gone a few more times since then and he has gotten much better. He can actually move forward :)

Nolan snowboarding!

2010-02-04T13:37:00.003-06:00

Around the House

2010-02-04T13:16:00.003-06:00

Nolan learning to snowboard. I can sense a expensive hobby coming on.
Lexi enjoyed this snow cave until the January rain made it collapse.
We're struggling with the issue of needing a nap or not. This is what sometimes happens about 5:00pm on the not days.
This cinnamon and sugar on toast is great. So great in fact that we'll just skip the toast.
Hannah sitting still--a rare moment.

Happy Birthday Papa! (Jan 10th)

2010-02-04T13:00:00.002-06:00

In January we enjoyed a weekend at Papa and Grandma's to celebrate Papa's birthday and to have everybody together to send them on their merry way to warmer weather.
Uncle Will got us cool new toys!
Yes Grandma planned this :)

A Special Morning

2010-01-04T21:16:00.001-06:00

Family Time

2010-01-04T17:04:00.002-06:00

Somehow this bunch all squeezed into our house for a few hours.

Uncle Will's phone is such fun!
Snow family Uncle Theo and Nolan made. I missed posting a picture of an exhausted Uncle Theo napping on a toddler bed-- he was putting Hannah down for her nap but she outlasted him :)

More Lexi

2010-01-04T13:49:00.003-06:00

Lexi loves being outside in the snow, and seems unfazed by this below 0 stuff, showing no concerns for her shivering humans. She takes guarding her snow pile seriously.
Learning to sleep despite the little people around. She tolerates their love well.

New Puppy

2009-12-18T08:23:00.004-06:00

We have a new addition to our household. Her name is Lexington (Nolan named her). She is a goldendoodle. We picked her up last night and she was pretty quiet through the night.
The kids think she is great. She also likes to cuddle. There will be many more pics to come.

Signs of Winter

2009-12-09T15:57:00.003-06:00

Sure signs that winter is here. Snow....
drinking hot chocolate....
and socks, hats and mittens drying by the fire!

Busy Hannah

2009-12-09T14:50:00.002-06:00

Hannah is busy-- here's a little example... I'll comb my hair...
Daddy's hair.....
my hair.....
Daddy's hair....
and finally a nice kiss for Daddy.
In the last little while she has flooded the bathroom, filled the dishwasher thingy with dish soap instead of detergent and started it. For those who don't know what happens you get bubbles, lots and lots of bubbles.... and countless many other things just not so dramatic. She's just pretty much non-stop and she thinks she's really helpful :)