10 Random Things I Love about Scott

1. I love that Scott is confident enough about himself that he's comfortable wearing around the poncho that my Mom crocheted for me around the house for the past 3 days. :-)

2. I love how Scott can be so thoughtful and will often times bring home a Starbucks coffee for me when he's been out running errands and how he likes to occasionally "pay it forward" when he's in the drive-thru line and pay for the people behind him.

3. I love how Scott is an active member of our busy lives and how he takes off work when he can to help me run the kids here or there when I am unable to.

4. I love how when I wake up in the middle of the night, or during the wee hours of the morning and have a terrible migraine coming on, Scott will get up out of bed to go downstairs to get me the medication I need to keep it from getting worse and how if it happened to be early enough and it's time I can have another dose when he gets up in the morning, he will bring it to me as well.

5. I love that Scott loves what he does and has figured out how to make his passion his job and get paid for it.

6. I love how it seems that Scott loves me more today than the day we were married, despite my shortcomings.

7. I love how Scott and I have the same ideas and fears about raising our kids, and that he loves all of us unconditionally.

8. I love how much time Scott will spend in Hallmark looking for "just the right card" for me, or for whoever I've asked him to get a card for and that it's never generic and is always the perfect card.

9. I love that Scott takes the time to leave little notes for me around the house and how excited he gets when the "dishwashing Fairy" shows up at our house.

10. I love that Scott will take the time to read books about relationships and parenting and that if he learns something new, he is open-minded enough try it out to see if it works.

Those are just a few of the things that I love about you Scott!

Happy 6th Valenbirthday Emma!

Today was almost as bad as Christmas...............in terms of getting up too early, that is. Gage and Emma were awake before 7am, ready to open gifts. Of course I didn't get my butt out of bed until a little later. I did have to get up earlier than I wanted to because I still had a cake to decorate! Nothing like waiting until the last minute!

Emma was kind enough to let Gage help her open her presents. I think she remembered that Gage let her help him when it was his birthday, so she wanted to return the favor. I like it when they do nice things for each other!

Emma was totally excited to open up a new Webkinz! Aunt Kysa sent this cute little love monkey in the mail a few days ago and Emma has been hounding me every day to open it. Finally I let her!

Because it is also Valentine's Day, Gage also got a gift. A bag full of books! I heard him talking to Dustin on the phone this morning and Dustin must have asked Gage what he got for Valentine's Day and I heard Gage say, "I just got books. I didn't get a Webkinz." :-( Poor thing! I know he's happy about the books though.

Grizzy loves Emma's new overnight bag that she received from a friend who was unable to attend the party today.

Emma getting long distance birthday wishes in her new birthday outfit. Daisy Scout clothes! :-)

So here is Emma's birthday cake this year! What do you think? I thought it turned out pretty cute, and I didn't even have to make a second one due to hungry dogs!

My favorite part of this cake is the snowman's nose. I was so simple to do. It is just an ice cream cone, frosted with orange tinted frosting, then rolled in orange colored sugar. The rosy cheeks are flattened strawberry starbursts that I shaped into a circle. The pink on the hat was an edible spraypaint. It was pretty easy to use!

Mom and Emma with her snowman birthday cake!

We headed out to Papa's Polar Patch for Emma's birthday party. It was somewhere around 5-15 degrees I think? It was kind of chilly, but in my opinion it was beautiful out! There was practically no wind, and that is unusual for North Dakota, especially if you have an outdoor event planned!

Emma and her friends Kiana and Maddie sitting on a bale of hay with the kitty who lives at the Polar Patch. Emma said she wanted to trade Grizzy for this cat. Poor Grizzy! I think even though he has mental problems, he looks better than this one!

Kara, Jadyn and Kya take a ride on the old-fashioned sleigh ride. A.K.A. sledding on a car hood! :-) Hold on tight girls!

Emma was very excited to open up all of her gifts. Kara was taking pictures for me and she did a great job! Thanks Kara! There were so many good photos to choose from, I had a hard time selecting only one!

They were even giving Horse-drawn sleigh rides! (not free of charge of course!)

After the group took off in the horse-drawn sleigh, I asked Scott if he wanted to ride with me on the car hood! The driver asked, "Mild or wild?" We chose wild and boy was it fun! I don't think I could have wiped that smile off of my face, even if I tried!

The kids LOVED this sleigh ride! However, at a dollar per kid per ride, we had to shut it down after awhile! I felt bad telling everyone we had to find something else to do for awhile that was free of charge!

Everyone was definitely tuckered out after this birthday party. Emma ended up getting so cold that she couldn't take it anymore. The party was nearly over anyway, and we were just waiting for people to come get their children when she melted down. Scott took her to the car to get her warmed up and she was crying hysterically, I was told. I'm glad I didn't have to sit in there and listen to her! She lost her good, warm mittens at school (surprise, surprise!), so she had to use some others that aren't too great at keeping hands warm. Her poor hands were beat red.

Exhausted Emma on our ride home!

I took a video of Emma, Jadyn and Kylie on the sled ride as I was riding the mule (I'm not sure what else you call it for those of you who don't know what a mule is.....................and no, it's not a cross between a donkey and a horse!) I nearly fell off at one point as it was quite a wild ride. I'm attempting to download it right now, but it's taking forever. It was over 3 minutes long and I don't think blogger can handle that big of a video? We attempted YouTube and was unsuccessful there too. I'll give it a little while before I give up.

I cannot believe it worked! If you tend to have motion sickness, I would probably NOT watch the video! LOL!

The birthday party was really a lot of fun. I think it was the most fun one we've had so far?! The kids were shot, and so were Scott and I for that matter!

Emma chose to have her birthday supper at Space Aliens. I forgot my camera, but seriously, I have over 100 pictures that were taken today, so I don't think anyone will notice? I am kicking myself over one photo I didn't take though. I ALWAYS take a picture of the group together and I totally spaced it this time. It would have been a cute one too, with everyone all bundled up!

I've got to go to bed. We are teaching Sunday school to the preschool class all this month and I'm glad it's half over.

I'll have to post about the 10 things I love about Scott tomorrow. He made me mad a little while ago, so tonight was probably not the best night to do that anyway!

10 Random Things I Love about Emma

1. I love the way Emma enjoys staying in her pajamas all day long, when she can.

2. I love listening to Emma sing.

3. I love the way Emma gets so excited when she knows we are going somewhere to stay and packs about 5 bags full of miscellaneous items.

4. I love the way that Emma makes forts in her room and ties jumpropes and other strings across her room that resemble a booby trap more than a frame for her fort.

5. I love the way that Emma can clean and organize her bedroom when she really wants to.

6. I love how excited Emma gets when we have movie night at home and how thrilled she is when I pop popcorn for her and Gage. I love how she eats her popcorn so slow, waiting for everyone else to finish so she can be the only one who has any popcorn left, and how she refuses to share it with anyone else.

7. I love how Emma's face lights up when she smiles.

8. I love Emma's beautiful red hair and love that she knows it makes her special and unique.

9. I love the way Emma will sit on her Grandpa's laps and on neighbor Dave's lap and seem so content.

10. I love the way that Emma can sit and color and draw for hours on end and the way she writes notes saying, "Dad, I het (hate) you! Love, Emma or "You are the menest (meanest) Mom evr!" Love, Emma, then five minutes later will come back with a new note telling us she loves us.

10 things I love about Gage

In my spare time, which isn't much lately, I enjoy reading blogs. I read Emily's sister's blog and really liked her idea about posting the things she loves about her family in tribute to the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday and I wanted to do the same. I've been putting it off for a couple of days because I wanted to think a little bit about it. I decided I would start my series of 3 blog postings about what I love about my family. I will start with Gage and they aren't in any specific order.

1. I love the way Gage thinks and how witty he can be.

2. I love the way Gage cherishes his "kie" (blankie) and that he knows what a precious treasure it is, as it was given to him by our dear friend, Julie, who died of cancer. I love the way it soothes him when he sticks his fingers (and his toes when he was a little guy) through the holes and grips it with his hands. I also love that he still carries it around with him in the mornings when he wakes up and at night before he goes to bed.

3. I love how passionate Gage is about reading books.

4. I love how thoughtful he can be towards his sister when he buys things for her in his classroom store with the pretend money he has earned by doing extra work.

5. I love how Gage makes friends so easily and how important they are to him. I also love that he tries so hard not to hurt any of their feelings when they are fighting over him to be their partner in group activities and picks a person by using "eeny meeny miney moe".

6. I love how Gage loves his family. I love hearing about how different things remind him of his cousins and grandparents, and even though he knows smoking it bad for your health, that he admits he likes the smell of cigarette smoke because it reminds him of his Grandma Pipi. :-)

7. I love how Gage plays with his action figures and his Lego guys and watching him make them battle against each other.

8. I love to watch him interact with our pets and how close they are to his heart.

9. I love the way he can make me feel so good by doing the little things.

10. I love watching Gage think and seeing how he lights up when he figures something out. I love that he is smart and that learning comes easy to him and that he enjoys it.

There are so many more things that I love about Gage, but I can't name them all. These are just 10 random things that I love about him.

Cricut 102

This morning when we were getting ready to leave for school, Grus, our gray cat slipped out the front door. On his way out, the door closed on his tail which apparently caused him to run off of the steps and into the snowbank. I heard Gage and Emma hollering for him like he took off running, so when I went to the door and opened it, he came scrambling back to the steps to get inside the house. Gage was quite concerned about him, not because he could have had his tail amputated, but because he didn't want him to get frostbite. The next thing I know I see the kids with Grus acting like he had a near-death experience.

I think Grus was eating up this attention. They covered him up with a warm blanket and snuggled him next to Emma's penguin. :-)

I had a good day at the library. Mrs. Schmidt had a meeting until noon, so she had left a "to-do" list on the desk for me and I really liked having it. There were alot of things "to-do" and I am very much a task-oriented kind of person. I tried my hardest to get it all done before she got back, but I lacked going through a few boxes of books and taking a table down and putting it into the lower gym. I was quite impressed with all of the work she did last night during teacher conferences. She had one cart that has been driving everyone nuts for quite some time, completely organized and mostly EMPTY! Juanita, you should come in and look at it before it gets piled up with books again!!! :-)

Tonight I went to Scrap Haven to attend a Cricut 102 class with my friend, Kara. We were cutting out Mickey, Pooh and Santa and layering them with 3-D dots. They turned out so cute I had to get a picture to put them on my blog. Kysa also requested I post them so she could check them out, so here you go!


Unfortunately I don't personally have any of the cartridges that were used to make these cut-outs, but I have several other ones that I could use to make different things. I have done the layering before, but never used the 3-D dots to make them "pop". I'll have to stick these guys on some blank notecards so I can mail them out to someone.

I was panicked before the class started; however. It was to begin at 6:00 and by 5:30 Scott still wasn't home from work. I tried calling his cell phone numerous times but kept getting his voice mail. At 6:40 Kara called to see if Scott had made it home yet because I had already called her to let her know Scott was MIA and that I might be late. I called my neighbor, Bonnie, a few minutes before 6:45 to see if the kids could come over there because I was going to be late for my Cricut class and Scott wasn't home yet. She was more than happy to have them come over. On my way to the class Scott called me to tell me he was on his way and that he didn't have service where he was and he kept getting stopped by people to chat on his way out. UGH! Why do people do that? Anyway, I made it to the class with pretty much no time to spare. Thankfully Kara saved me a spot next to her so we could chat and so I could borrow her cartridges! Thanks Kara! I learned a few things I didn't know about the machine, so that was good. I also learned that I need to put a new blade in it because it wasn't cutting the best. I guess I have used it more than I thought! It doesn't seem like I've had many chances to scrap, but I've done enough playing around with it that I've dulled a blade. I also got to use my new Cricut tote bag that I got for Christmas and I LOVE it! It's a really nice bag. If you didn't know, I'm kind of a "bag lady". I LOVE BAGS! Well, all except for the kind I've been finding underneath my eyes in the morning lately!

Tomorrow morning I have to take Gage in to the orthodontist to have his palate spreader put in place. They are going to fix his crossbite with that and hopefully things will work out well and he won't need braces later. That's probably wishful thinking. I've given them quite enough money the past couple of years! They said, and I agree, that it's much easier to fix those problems when they are young like Gage, instead of waiting until they are old like me!

We also have a Daisy meeting tomorrow after school. Then later in the evening we have Gage's Parent-teacher conferences. We had to reschedule Emma's for Friday after school because her time slot was right in the middle of our Daisy meeting, just like the last time! I don't know how that worked out like that twice! I'm hoping to get good reports!

Recipe

This past weekend Scott spent some time online looking for some different recipes to try out. He made a Goulash on Saturday that smelled really bad. Thankfully it tasted better than it smelled. On Sunday he made short ribs in the crockpot and they were very tasty. On Monday evenings the kids have gymnastics from 5-6p, so Scott usually comes home and makes supper since we aren't home until a little later. Last night he made a Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe that was REALLY good! It was so good, I want to share it with you.


Chicken Tortilla Soup I


Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 oz) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions


Directions:
1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese and chopped green onion.


It really is very delicious. I would never have even printed this recipe off because there are too many ingredients for me to even look at it. I like quick and easy. Scott said this was quick and easy, and it must have been because he had supper waiting on the table for us when we got home just shortly after 6p. The most difficult part is actually getting all of the things at the grocery store without forgetting something!


I ran a couple of errands today and got some things I needed to get ready for Emma's Valentine's Day party at school and her birthday party this weekend. I found this CUTE idea for making candy airplanes for Valentine's, so I had to buy the items to do that. I'm a sucker for a cute idea. We have candy airplanes coming out of our ears. The kids loved seeing them all over the kitchen table when they got home from school. I guess they are just as much fun to play with as they will be to eat! They are made out of a pkg of smarties, 2 peppermint lifesavers a pack of gum and a rubberband. Very cute! I've attempted twice to put the picture on here and there seem to be some issues with loading a picture tonight, so I'll have to post the picture another time.

This evening I went to the school to help set up and clean up the meal provided to the teachers by the PTO and Northridge families since they have to stay late for parent-teacher conferences. I had the kids in bed when I left just shortly after 7p and Emma was asleep when I got home shortly after 8. Scott said she came downstairs to the basement where he was once or twice, but fell asleep fairly easily tonight. I broke out my Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book that was once used like a Bible. I had forgotten about it and was reminded of it when my sister, Jari Jo commented on yesterday's post. Thanks Jari, and I will be reading up on what I can do to help her out and we will be going to the doctor sometime this month for her 6 year old well-check, so I will be sure to raise that question with her. The funny part is that when Emma was around 6 months old, we got that book and read it and did everything it said and it worked like a miracle. When we told our pediatrician about it, she was fascinated by it and has told every parent that has come in since then about this book and what we did and how well it worked. I actually bought the book to give to our pediatrician this past year when she had her first baby! Anyway, she'll probably be surprised that we are having sleep issues. Maybe I can refresh my brain and get it squared away before we go in for the appointment I haven't yet made! :-)

Emma can't sleep and I need HELP!

It was a treacherous walk to school this morning. The temperature was mild, but we had some rain throughout the night and there were many slick spots that nearly took me out. Even Gage and Emma had a couple near falls. Our walks often make me think about the mail carriers and about how much I'm sure they appreciate people who do a good job with snow removal. We aren't amongst the best, but I try. I know without a doubt, however, that we do a better job than a couple of the houses that are near the school. As I was walking down the hill after dropping the kids off, only to have to walk back to the school in about 45 minutes, I nearly gave an oncoming car quite a laugh as I almost bit the dirt. Thankfully I caught myself.

I can't remember who it was, or what it was that they said exactly, but someone had told me of a sure way that I could get Emma to fall asleep at night. If any of my readers happen to be that person, I would appreciate you telling me again what the magic trick is. I am almost to the point where I dread bedtime with Emma. We now have her mattress on the floor, underneath her dollhouse bed. She wants her old bed set up, but that can't happen. For one, the box spring for her old bed is being stored at Tuttle, and for two, we don't have room to store the dollhouse bed. Now when I walk by her room to either go down to the basement, or to the downstairs bathroom, I'll find her standing on her head on her mattress with her legs crossed pretzel style with her bottom flat on the underside of her bed, where her mattress used to be. She tells me she doesn't know how to stop thinking and doesn't know how to fall asleep. I assured her that standing on her head, upside down with her butt on the bottom side of her bed isn't the best way to try and fall asleep. So, whoever it was that had the tip on how to get Emma to sleep, please speak up. I'm getting to the point where I might have to start spiking her drink at suppertime with a sedative!! I need HELP!

I had volleyball tonight and played against a few ladies that I have played with in the past. We won 2 out of 3 matches, so I was glad we came out on top. It was still drizzling out and I believe it's supposed to start snowing tonight through Wednesday, so the roads and sidewalks aren't going to be much fun tomorrow.

I have the day off of work tomorrow and I have tons of things to do to get ready for Emma's birthday party. Our plan is to have her party at Papa's Polar Patch (a.k.a. Papa's Pumpkin Patch), but it's not looking like we'll have the best weather. They are calling for 13 degrees and snow. They do have a warming house available, thankfully. I don't want to have to change the plans at the last minute and call all of the parents, so please pray with me that we have good weather on Saturday. I guess I'd rather have it colder than warmer like today, because I hate the wet, melting snow. Wet snow and kids don't mix well in my opinion. Maybe it will work out just right and we could have the perfect snow for building a snowman? Emma would LOVE that. However, I'm sure she would want to bring it home to put in our own yard! :-)