Super Bowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday was quite a busy day for us. I don't think I really sat down to relax until we watched the game. Took the kids to church, came home and prepped for Superbowl, then took Hailey to her performance at UNI with Anderson and Annaliese, rushed home to fry the wings and then raced over to the Thompson's to watch the game. Whew! Long day, but it was fun.

Annaliese and Anderson showing off their tattoos.

Hailey is in the middle of the picture, next to the girl jumping up.

Hailey spent all day Saturday at UNI for the Girl Scout Cheer Clinic. They performed on Sunday at the UNI Women's Basketball game. Hailey did great, much better than last year. She didn't seem to be quite as nervous. Shortly after we arrived, a cheerleader told us about the kids table to get tattoos, so I took Anderson and Annaliese to do that. We took numerous trips up and down the stairs, me carrying them up and down, not an easy task. (My legs are killing me today!) They did really well though and they were so excited to see Hailey. I did catch a video of her doing the dance part.

After we were done at UNI, the Thompson's hosted a Super Bowl Party. We were a little outnumbered rooting for the Steeler's because everyone is a Kurt Warner fan, being that he went to UNI. And I do like Kurt, but Brad is a Steeler's fan and Jackson got the whole jersey, helmet etc. for Christmas, so that is who we rooted for. I swear I haven't seen Brad that interested in a football game in a long time, maybe ever? He's not much of a sports fan, but he definitely delighted in the win. Jackson sporting his jersey, which he also wore to school today. What a stud!

Couple shots of the princess girls and the princesses on the couch :)

I like to call this one "Feel the love..."!

Ann and Denise doing their own version of Wipe Out. We watched that during the half time show and everyone was laughing, even the kids. Of course, leave it to Denise to find the ball and improvise!

2nd Grade Bible

Hailey recieved her bible from Orchard Hill Church this past Sunday. The service was held in the Sanctuary specifically for the 2nd grade parents and family. I was shocked at how many 2nd graders there are at OHC! They just kept coming in and coming in...

Judy Walsten led the service by talking to parents and family about what our jobs are as parents to lead our children in their walk with Christ and ensuring that we are giving them the foundations at home that they will require as they grow older. It is our hope as well, as her parents, that we are raising her in a way that compliments and reinforces what she is learning from her Bible. This was a special day for Hailey and for us to see her so happy to be part of this process. Her small group leaders presented her the bible. She was the second one to receive a bible.

As Hailey held her bible, she watched all of her friends receiving their bibles. She had the biggest smile on her face and you could tell that she was just as happy for them as she was for herself. Hailey is one of the most genuine, selfless children I know. She truly wants others to be happy. I once watched her as another little girl won a drawing for a free book. She was so excited, jumping up and down for that little girl and didn't even care that she hadn't won. I wish that I had half the consideration for others that she has. I have a lot to learn from her, what an amazing thing.

Just Like Her Grandma (and mom)

We have figured out that Hailey is a true Hurley. She loves to watch tv with Grandma Hazel, she likes Sci-fi like Grandma Hazel and she now loves to sit on the couch with a laptop, like Grandma Hazel (and really, me too).

Brad left this evening to get his sled from Oelwein and graciously took the kids, minus Hailey. She wanted to stay with me and read. After she was done reading, she asked if she could do her Webkinz. I agreed and did my Soul Food calls, dishes, etc. When I finally checked in on her in the living room, there she was - all comfy cozy on the couch with the laptop. My first thought was, "Oh my! Doesn't this look familiar?!" Of course, I had to take a picture, it was so cute.

New Year's Eve

We got together at the Thompson's to celebrate the New Year. The kids were all invited, so all total we had 10 adults and seventeen kids. Now you might think that would be a recipe for disaster, but amazingly, we only had one child that got tied up (she did it to herself, just ask her!)

Anderson and Katelyn Doyle - Hailey and Megan Doyle

Katelyn Thompson being untied. Ann: "Who tied the knot?" Katie: "I did!" Ann: "Really, all by yourself?" Katie: "Yep, I did it, all by myself!"

The Girls - Can you see the "wine blush"?!

(John Thomas, Brad, Tom Tjaden, Mike Doyle and Jason Thompson)

All the guys in the kitchen. Frankly, I think they would have preferred to be there close to the food all night. Instead of being "forced" to play games. I don't think they can complain too much though. The food was awesome and they won at Pictionary for the second year in a row. Trust me, that won't happen again!

All in all a great evening and a perfect way to bring in the New Year with awesome friends.

Overdue Update!!!

I have been getting a ton of grief for not updating my blog. So, now I have to play catch up and try to remember what we have all been doing the last few months. Fortunately, I took a ton of pictures, so it shouldn't be that hard, right? Okay, here goes...

October

Brad's birthday and Halloween. We missed out on Blocktoberfest, but we are going to have a huge one next year, promise! We carved pumpkins and did the costume thing. I had back surgery on the 29th, so Brad had to take the kids out on his own. They looked so cute!

Pretty easy to figure out Annaliese as a princess again and Anderson as a dog - cutest dog I have ever seen (except when Jackson wore it)!
Jackson as the vampire. Hailey was a cat, but she decided to go with her friends, so we didn't get a picture of her. Isn't she too young to be ditching us for friends?
November

Thanksgiving. Spent brunch with Brad's parents and the evening with mine. Up very early, I think 3:15am on the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping - me, Michelle and mom. That was fun! I know it sounds crazy, but I always have a great time. That evening, Michelle, Ronnie and I went to Smitty's together "bonding"...

Me, Ronnie and Michelle

Me and Michelle

Christmas Card Picture

Once again, hard to get all the kids arranged the right way, but they did smile. Apologies in advance for anyone that didn't receive one. I meant to get out more than I did, I will try harder next year - promise!

December

Sometime in December I decided to change up my hair color a little and go darker with a tint of red. While it took some getting used to, I did like the change. And Annaliese is the perfect accessory for any picture.

Christmas Tree Hunt

Annaliese, Jackson, Hailey and Anderson (not sure why Jackson has the saw, must have been Brad's idea...)

Me and my two Favorite girls!

Brad assuming the annual position. One of these years I will do a comparison of how much his top half has changed year to year.


Annaliese had her first Christmas program at Orchard Hill. She was so sweet and sang with all the other kids in her class. I am really surprised at her willingness to participate in a large group setting. Hailey is so much more reserved than Annaliese.

Jackson celebrated his 6th birthday on December 17th. We went to the Brown Bottle, at his request, where Hailey then lost another tooth!

Brad and boys - pretty handsome!

Hailey minus another tooth!

Christmas Celebrations

This year we spent Christmas Eve with the Hurley's and Christmas Day with the Block's. Ronnie's house was filled with presents and it took a couple hours to get through everything. After carting everything back to the house, we went to the Christmas Eve service at Orchard Hill Church and back to Ronnie's for dinner. You will have to ask him about the baked beans :)This is one of my favorite pictures of Hailey and Michelle. Michelle bought Hailey and Jackson Ipod's this year. The two of them are practically inseparable when she is here.
Christmas Day

Kitchen Cabinets

Cabinet before it has been assaulted by Annaliese and Anderson.

I realize that I haven't published anything about the flood or our house etc. But, I figure that most people that are reading this blog know about all of that anyway. I do plan on writing about it later, but right now, it's not high on the list of things I am eager to do. Given all of that, I will keep this short. We have now decided to tear down the house and start over. Either way, we would have needed new kitchen cabinets. We found a great site that had cabinets that we both liked. We ordered two of them so we could check out the quality, assembly etc. They are gorgeous, I mean, at least I really love them. What never occurred to me though, is to try them out on the kids. Because wouldn't you want to buy cabinets that could fit two toddlers comfortably on the inside?

I promise (especially to all my DHS friends reading this) I didn't make them go in there! A couple nights ago while we were visiting with friends and were mildly distracted, Annaliese and Anderson decided to use the opportunity to find the perfect hiding place. Eventually we heard this giggling coming from inside the cabinet and there they are. They thought it was terribly funny and I have to say we did too. It was even funnier when they figured out how to push out the drawer so they could pop out the top! Parenting tip - if you have to get new cabinets, make sure your kids like them too. Everyone's happy!

Anna's Big Day!

Annaliese started preschool last week. She has been excited about this event for quite some time. She was particularly upset when Jackson and Hailey started a few weeks ago. But, we assured her that her day would come soon. And finally, it did! She attends on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and she loves it.

So excited for her first day!

I think Hailey was almost as excited as Annaliese.

At the front door to the preschool. Anderson wasn't quite as happy when we left without her. He kept saying, "Anna?" And I have been truly amazed at how calm he is when it's just him. All of us went to Panera the first morning and he sat there all nice and quiet. I think I can handle this new Anderson, even if it is only for two and a half hours.

Anderson literally tackled Annaliese when he saw her in the hallway! Annaliese with the assistant Deb Aalfs.

I am thrilled that she is in the first preschool class for Orchard Hill Church. OHC has been planning this preschool for a long time and it has been a dream come true for the staff, members and friends of Orchard Hill. I can remember asking about a preschool when we first started attending seven years ago. And our patience has been rewarded! I am so excited to see this blossom and grow, and especially for all the little ones that are now preschoolers at Orchard Hill.

New School Year

Last week began a new school year for the kids, well two of them anyway. School started on Wednesday, August 20th. Hailey started Second Grade and Jackson started Kindergarten. The week actually began with an open house on Monday where they brought their school supplies and met their teachers. There was a little picnic afterwards and then we were off to Annaliese's parent meeting at her preschool. Annaliese doesn't start preschool until September 9th, so we will add her big day later.

Open House Night - Jackson and Mrs. Steil, doesn't he look thrilled? Hailey and Mrs. Larson, she really does look excited!

So back to last Wednesday... The morning actually started off pretty well. We had set out clothes the night before and tried to ready ourselves as much as possible. I don't think it's very easy to get out of the house to begin with and especially now that we have a deadline! We even got the classic backpack shots in the yard before we left.

Hailey picks her own outfits, does her own hair and even poses for pictures. I was just happy to get a picture of Jackson smiling. I do think he is a little proud to be a big boy now, even though he won't admit it.

Jackson and Brad. And the girls, excited to be together again! Hailey, Jenae and Laetyn.

A lot of people have asked how the kids like school, what does Jack think, how is it only having two at home now, etc. Well for starters, anyone that knows Jack, knows that he doesn't really have an opinion either way. He is fine with going and he is fine with staying home. Although he is rather irritated that he doesn't get to play on the playground before school starts. (Side note: Michelle likes to think that Jackson has issues and he is ornery on his own, but I think he gets that easy irritation trait from her, I'm just sayin')

And as far as "just having two at home" well, yes, it's "just two" but it's still TWO! Ask me when they are all in school... Really though, it's nice. Annaliese and Anderson get along very well. They play house together and she can get him to do just about anything. She calls him "Buddy". So I hear her saying all the time, "Come on Buddy, you be the dog, I'll be the mom..." Or "Come on Buddy, you can do it, just go down one step at a time." (trying to get him to come downstairs) It's very sweet and even though I still have two at home, I love that they get along so well and are pretty low maintenance, at least so far.

I had the first intro conference with their teachers last night. Of course, not much to report, the teachers just like to know if there is anything we want them to know specifically. And just as I figured, Mrs. Steil - Jack's teacher, has already seen 'the look'. The disgusted look he gets on his face whenever he thinks that someone has wronged him or bumped into him the wrong way. Most of us have seen the look and now, Doreen has too. I pray for her grace this year, that she would have patience and find that special quality in Jackson that makes him lovable, at least when he wants to be.

A new school year also means I am reminded that I still need to finish my thesis. I know, I don't have much time to get it done now. Where have all the years gone? Oh wait, I know, I have been having kids left and right! Well, now that I am DONE with that part, I can hopefully get back on pace. Now don't hold me to it, but really, I am hoping that I can make some progress in that area. So, here's to the new school year. I am sure that we will all learn more than we thought we would. (BTW, I figured out that for just one year, I will have all the kids in one school, can you believe it?)