A Moose!

We had a very exciting Tuesday morning at our house. We were all getting ready to go to work and school when I looked out the back window. I wasn't quite sure what I was seeing until it moved, and it was a MOOSE! Yes, a moose somehow wandered into our backyard. I'm not sure how long it had been there, but it was back in the trees eating our Oregon Grape bushes. It would walk under the trees and over by the swing set, look around and then go back to eating. Our neighbor thought it looked to be about 2-3 years old. After watching the moose for nearly 20 minutes, it walked out into the yard, up into the corner by our shed and hopped across the fence to the next yard. Andrew and Abigail were very, very excited and couldn't wait to share the news with anybody who would listen.





A couple of weeks ago I asked Andrew what kind of Valentine cards he wanted to give his friends this year at school. He informed me that he wanted to make all of his Valentines. I knew it would be a process and decided we better get started right away. Andrew finished them on Wednesday night and had a wonderful time handing them out at his party today. Andrew has such a big heart filled with love for all of his friends and teacher. He loves to be creative and each Valentine was personalized!




What are some of Abigail's favorite things? Choosing her own clothes and drinking "wot water chais" just like mommy. Notice she was also sporting another big bonk on her head!

January Happenings!

If you've been following our post, you know that one of my most favorite places to go is Lake Pend O'reille. We usually spend several days there in July, but we were fortunate enough to spend some time there this winter. Our good friends, the Carneys, joined us for New Years and then we returned for another long weekend in the middle of January. My parents were also up there both weekends. On New Years it snowed and the kids were so excited to be able to play in a little snow. It all melted the next day though. We also spent alot of time in the indoor swimming pool and game room. The condos that we stay in are big, comfortable and have all of the luxuries of home. We love it there and the surroundings are beautiful!






Abigail is almost 2 1/2 years old and she is a hoot! She loves to changes clothes and it's not unusual for her to go through 10 different ensembles in a day. Here are some fun moments...

Cousin Hannah gave Abby a pink ballerina outfit and shoes. She felt pretty special and fancy! She instantly started dancing around and twirling. (you might want to turn off the music in order to hear hear the commentary on the video).




Abby got her first haircut from Connie Predisik. It was so much fun and she sat so still, smiling the whole time.



Abby put on my scarf and declared, "Now I'm a mommy!"



Another hand me down from Hannah - Abigail puts on her Eagle outfit and runs around the house yelling, "Go EAGLES!" over and over!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had such a wonderful few days celebrating Christmas and the birth of Jesus! As usual we spent Christmas Eve with the Heimbigners and with 6 cousins, there are lots of fun times. Andrew and Hannah were excited to get thier new plates that they had painted earlier in December with Grandma. We went to church and my most favorite moment of the evening was during the candlelight portion of the service. Watching Andrew's face glow in the candlelight as he sang the words of Silent Night is something I will always remember. When we got home from church, Andrew and Abigail had to get Santa's cookies ready and put reindeer food in the front yard.

Then on Christmas morning, we had some family time and the kids opened their presents. They got so excited! When Abigail opened some things for her babies she squealed, "Yes!" and pumped her fist up and down. Where does she learn that? Andrew had asked Santa for Hot Wheels, so while we gave him a new track set, Santa delivered some new cars. I love this time of hanging out in our PJs, playing with new things and spending time together. That evening we went to Aunt Liz and Uncle Craig's house for a wonderful dinner and more time with family.

On Saturday, December 26th, the whole Liezen family (minus Stallcops - we missed you) came over for more presents and Joy's famous chicken enchiladas. Uncle Hans brought his yarn and knitted new hats for the kids. Nick surprised Matt and Hans with matching Raider's aprons and we had fun playing games all afternoon.

Decorating Cookies

Another Christmas tradition we have with the Liezen family is decorating gingerbread cookies. Andrew was really into the task this year with much concentration given to just the right "mix" of frosting and sprinkles. I think he counted 11 cookies that he decorated. Abigail did her share of frosting, but mostly enjoyed swiping her fingers through the finished product and taking a sample bite of each one. "Just one more sprinkle," she would tell me. When it was time to go, we wrapped them up and Abigail had the important job of delivering the cookies to the car. Thank you Grandma Joy (and aunt Claire) for making all of the cookies and inviting us over for such a fun morning!

Santa Visits a Little Early

For the past five years, a group of us have gotten together with all of our kids (the number has grown over the years) and Santa comes to visit at one of our homes. I teach with a wonderful man who dresses as Santa and brings his little elf helper (his wife). The kids get so excited. Andrew usually gets very shy, but somehow Santa already knows what he wants. This year was the first year we had no tears and on the way home Abigail said to me, "Mom...Santa knew my name!" The picture of the "older kids" is all ladies I teach with.

Christmas Preparations...

Christmas tree decorating at the church was very exciting for Abigail and Andrew this year. They were the only small children and they got to do many decorations. Daddy also let them climb the ladder to get decorations on the perfect spot way up high! We are so thankful for our church family and all of the people we love at Prince of Peace.

Imagination Movers

Andrew and I had a special date and went to Imagination Movers LIVE. It was so much fun - lots of singing and dancing! Andrew's favorite part was all of the confetti that was sprayed into the audience during the "idea emergency" and we were sitting pretty close, so he was busy picking up handfuls of streamers. He also got hi-fives and autographs from a couple of the guys. For people without kids, Imagination Movers is a fun show on Disney!