Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Pumpkin Carving
We carved pumpkins tonight. The kids really had fun. We started by using spoons to dig the guts out.
But your hands really work better.
But your hands really work better.
Aidyn drew the faces on the pumpkins and then I cut them out. These are all Aidyn's designs, Nolan was in agreement with everything because Aidyn told him so.
(Note Jeff's contribution to the project sitting on the back of the table.)
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Home Sweet Home...
Well things are certainly interesting in Tappen these days...we never had things this exciting happen when I lived there!
As reported on the front page of the Fargo Forum, Friday October 27.
Creature Sightings Stir Talk
http://www.in-forum.com/archive/index.cfm?page=archive_article&id=320268
Pig-grabbing space aliens are the talk of Tappen, N.D., and beyond. But Torrey Briese, whose family counts three close encounters with the inexplicable, doesn’t much worry what others think. “Some people probably aren’t going to believe it. I’m not even trying to convince anybody. We know what happened,” said Briese, a member of the Tappen School Board whose family operates a ranch outside of town.
Briese and his wife, Myra, spoke Thursday of three strange occur rences experienced by family members in the past year, two of which were reported by their son Evan, 16. According to Myra Briese, the latest incident went something like this: Her son awoke early on the morning of Sept. 12 and got up to get a glass of water. Looking out a window, the boy saw something moving in the corral that is home to several large hogs that are basically family pets. Thinking it might be a coyote, he grabbed a gun and walked into the corral. There, he encountered two creatures standing 8 to 9 feet tall that were doing something to one of the hogs. The boy fired his .22-caliber rifle at one creature and was pretty sure he hit it, judging by the unearthly scream it emitted. Another creature then grabbed the boy and threw him to the ground, causing him to black out. When Evan Briese awoke, he found that Ruthy, a 450-pound sow that had been ready to give birth, was gone. The boy ran to the home of his older sister, Trista, a short distance from the house he shares with his parents.
Trista Briese made a frantic phone call to her parents and it wasn’t long before they, and later the Kidder County sheriff, were on the scene.
Evan Briese, whose shirt was in tatters, told his story.
The sheriff, Doug Howard, then left but came back the next day. He ultimately came to no conclusions about what happened to the hog, Myra Briese said.
Several days later, with the help of a hypnotist, Evan Briese remembered more details.
Five entities had been in the corral. Two were in the process of dragging what appeared to be a dead hog when the boy interrupted them.
“It’s unexplainable,” Myra Briese said.
“This still bothers Evan to this day,” she said, adding that her son feels guilty for not being able to save his younger sister’s hog. Space oddities?
As for the other incidents, one was in April when Evan and his cattle dog, Buster, were checking on cows during calving season, his parents said.
Investigating a flashing glow, the pair walked over a hill and saw an object resting on the ground that appeared to be scanning a waterhole with an intense beam of light.
At first, boy and dog could do nothing but stare.
The spell was broken when Buster ran barking at the craft, which took off into the night, causing what amounted to a sonic boom.
“It woke Myra up,” Torrey Briese said of the sound, adding that he, too, witnessed something unusual this past summer. It happened one night in July, when he was giving a neighbor a ride into town.
Briese said he and the neighbor noticed a bluish light in the sky, which stopped when they stopped and moved when they began driving.
“We spent about a half-hour watching it,” Briese said, adding that at one point the object flew so fast it went several miles in a matter of seconds.
Based on the description of the object his son saw in April, Briese links the two events, adding that he’s never been given to flights of fancy.
“Evan and I are very skeptical,” Torrey Briese said. “We used to watch ‘The UFO Files’ on TV and laugh out loud.”
Briese said he wouldn’t be surprised if people feel the same about his story, but he said the family doesn’t feel a need to prove anything and they’ve moved on.
“We’re not out looking for aliens every night,” he said.
Brice Barnick, the mayor of Tappen -- located off Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Jamestown -- said visits by UFOs are the talk of the town, though he himself is not quite on board.
“I’m not saying it can’t happen. But I’d have to see it to believe it,” Barnick said.
At the time of the April incident, the Brieses were put in touch with Richard Moss, a UFO investigator who happened to be in Tappen for a funeral.
Moss, of Long Prairie, Minn., is the Minnesota representative of the Mutual UFO Network, an organization based in Colorado dedicated to the study of UFO phenomena. Total recall
Moss, a former high school science teacher, said that in many years of investigating UFO reports, only a handful have impressed him as having the potential to be genuine.
The Tappen incidents, he said, fall into the latter category.
“There are a lot of people out there who are telling false stories. The credibility of the witness is a big thing,” Moss said.
In the case of Evan Briese, Moss said it was interesting to view the boy’s demeanor before and after the hypnotic regression.
Prior to hypnosis, “He (Briese) had a sort of unsure look on his face. He was still really wondering what had happened. After the hypnotic regression, he knew. He was made to remember,” Moss said.
Sheriff Howard was off duty Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
John Lemieux, a Kidder County deputy, said he did not believe the incident in September resulted in a written report. Torrey Briese said strange things are still happening. A relative who farms in the Tappen area recently had a sheep die, and a veterinarian who examined the animal found no obvious reason for its death, Briese said. A cause of death wasn’t the only thing missing. Someone, Briese said, removed a single testicle from the animal. It was done with surgical precision, he added.
As reported on the front page of the Fargo Forum, Friday October 27.
Creature Sightings Stir Talk
http://www.in-forum.com/archive/index.cfm?page=archive_article&id=320268
Pig-grabbing space aliens are the talk of Tappen, N.D., and beyond. But Torrey Briese, whose family counts three close encounters with the inexplicable, doesn’t much worry what others think. “Some people probably aren’t going to believe it. I’m not even trying to convince anybody. We know what happened,” said Briese, a member of the Tappen School Board whose family operates a ranch outside of town.
Briese and his wife, Myra, spoke Thursday of three strange occur rences experienced by family members in the past year, two of which were reported by their son Evan, 16. According to Myra Briese, the latest incident went something like this: Her son awoke early on the morning of Sept. 12 and got up to get a glass of water. Looking out a window, the boy saw something moving in the corral that is home to several large hogs that are basically family pets. Thinking it might be a coyote, he grabbed a gun and walked into the corral. There, he encountered two creatures standing 8 to 9 feet tall that were doing something to one of the hogs. The boy fired his .22-caliber rifle at one creature and was pretty sure he hit it, judging by the unearthly scream it emitted. Another creature then grabbed the boy and threw him to the ground, causing him to black out. When Evan Briese awoke, he found that Ruthy, a 450-pound sow that had been ready to give birth, was gone. The boy ran to the home of his older sister, Trista, a short distance from the house he shares with his parents.
Trista Briese made a frantic phone call to her parents and it wasn’t long before they, and later the Kidder County sheriff, were on the scene.
Evan Briese, whose shirt was in tatters, told his story.
The sheriff, Doug Howard, then left but came back the next day. He ultimately came to no conclusions about what happened to the hog, Myra Briese said.
Several days later, with the help of a hypnotist, Evan Briese remembered more details.
Five entities had been in the corral. Two were in the process of dragging what appeared to be a dead hog when the boy interrupted them.
“It’s unexplainable,” Myra Briese said.
“This still bothers Evan to this day,” she said, adding that her son feels guilty for not being able to save his younger sister’s hog. Space oddities?
As for the other incidents, one was in April when Evan and his cattle dog, Buster, were checking on cows during calving season, his parents said.
Investigating a flashing glow, the pair walked over a hill and saw an object resting on the ground that appeared to be scanning a waterhole with an intense beam of light.
At first, boy and dog could do nothing but stare.
The spell was broken when Buster ran barking at the craft, which took off into the night, causing what amounted to a sonic boom.
“It woke Myra up,” Torrey Briese said of the sound, adding that he, too, witnessed something unusual this past summer. It happened one night in July, when he was giving a neighbor a ride into town.
Briese said he and the neighbor noticed a bluish light in the sky, which stopped when they stopped and moved when they began driving.
“We spent about a half-hour watching it,” Briese said, adding that at one point the object flew so fast it went several miles in a matter of seconds.
Based on the description of the object his son saw in April, Briese links the two events, adding that he’s never been given to flights of fancy.
“Evan and I are very skeptical,” Torrey Briese said. “We used to watch ‘The UFO Files’ on TV and laugh out loud.”
Briese said he wouldn’t be surprised if people feel the same about his story, but he said the family doesn’t feel a need to prove anything and they’ve moved on.
“We’re not out looking for aliens every night,” he said.
Brice Barnick, the mayor of Tappen -- located off Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Jamestown -- said visits by UFOs are the talk of the town, though he himself is not quite on board.
“I’m not saying it can’t happen. But I’d have to see it to believe it,” Barnick said.
At the time of the April incident, the Brieses were put in touch with Richard Moss, a UFO investigator who happened to be in Tappen for a funeral.
Moss, of Long Prairie, Minn., is the Minnesota representative of the Mutual UFO Network, an organization based in Colorado dedicated to the study of UFO phenomena. Total recall
Moss, a former high school science teacher, said that in many years of investigating UFO reports, only a handful have impressed him as having the potential to be genuine.
The Tappen incidents, he said, fall into the latter category.
“There are a lot of people out there who are telling false stories. The credibility of the witness is a big thing,” Moss said.
In the case of Evan Briese, Moss said it was interesting to view the boy’s demeanor before and after the hypnotic regression.
Prior to hypnosis, “He (Briese) had a sort of unsure look on his face. He was still really wondering what had happened. After the hypnotic regression, he knew. He was made to remember,” Moss said.
Sheriff Howard was off duty Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
John Lemieux, a Kidder County deputy, said he did not believe the incident in September resulted in a written report. Torrey Briese said strange things are still happening. A relative who farms in the Tappen area recently had a sheep die, and a veterinarian who examined the animal found no obvious reason for its death, Briese said. A cause of death wasn’t the only thing missing. Someone, Briese said, removed a single testicle from the animal. It was done with surgical precision, he added.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Revenge
Everyday I scold Nolan for pushing Aidyn. Other than a few hurt feelings Aidyn has never suffered any injuries from his aggressiveness. Well, today Aidyn pushed Nolan. One push was all it took (into a door of course) and he has a huge gash on his forehead and a big red scrape down his nose. You can see it in this picture, but it doesn't do it justice. From the side, his little swollen forehead sticks out like a cro-magnon man. Needless to say, Aidyn has apologized profusely and promised repeatedly never to push him again. We'll see how long the truce lasts.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Donna & Craig
Jeff's aunt & uncle stayed with us this last weekend. Here the kids are enjoying a nice story time with Donna.
Princess Craig? I think he might have to settle for being a step-sister.
Princess Craig? I think he might have to settle for being a step-sister.
Craft project
Nolan (with a lot of help from Aidyn) made himself a new visor to wear. He's very proud of it and takes it with him all the time. He doesn't usually wear it, mostly he sucks on it. Yum.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Princess Party
Aidyn had her friends over today for a princess party. Here she is blowing out the candles.
This is what her "cake" looked like. Mommy's attempt at creativity!
Time to open gifts. Crowd in to see if she got some good loot!
Aidyn & Lydia enjoying each others company.
With all the celebrating she got to do for her birthday you'd think she'd be worn out. That is not the case. She is already planning next years party. Thankfully I have a whole year to recover.
Aidyn's Birthday
We celebrated Aidyn's birthday yesterday as a family. She picked where we went to eat (Applebees) and then we came home and she opened presents.
Nolan gave her something every princess needs, an assortment of princess shoes.
Nolan gave her something every princess needs, an assortment of princess shoes.
The shoes go well with the gowns she got from us. Here she is as Cinderella...
And Snow White...
And here is a new outfit complete with a winter hat. Very stylish!
Nolan agrees with the stylish part.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
My little girl is 4 today...
Today is Aidyn's 4th birthday. I can't believe how fast it has gone, I still remember this day 4 years ago VERY clearly! Although it was hard for me to narrow it down, here are some of my favorite pictures of Aidyn over the past 4 years. They really do grow fast.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Scooter Girl
The scooter made its way outside today and this is how she spent her time. Riding back and forth across the driveway, smiling. That is one happy birthday girl!
Aidyn's 4th Birthday Party
This weekend we had Aidyn's birthday party for our families. Grandma Sharon, Grandpa Jerry, Grandma Janice, Grandpa Horace and Aunt Lisa were in attendance.
It was a princess party for our little princess.
She was very excited to open her presents (who wouldn't be?!?!)
It was a princess party for our little princess.
She was very excited to open her presents (who wouldn't be?!?!)
She got lots of adorable clothes, a really fun book...
And the one thing she wanted most...a scooter!!!
She rode that scooter around and around the house. Her left leg is getting really strong from pushing herself everywhere. And I mean everywhere...she takes it in the bathroom with her, she uses it to get from the couch to the chair and last night she parked it at the bottom of the stairs so it would be there when she got up in the morning. I think she had a good party.
Here's Nolan celebrating in his own way.
Fall Activities
My folks came down for the weekend for Aidyn's birthday party. So on Friday we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum http://www.arboretum.umn.edu to check out all the beautiful fall colors. They also had a really neat scarecrow exhibit on display. I think everyone enjoyed exploring the arboretum.
Mom & dad looking like newlyweds.
Mom & dad looking like newlyweds.
After we left the Arboretum we went to a local apple orchard.
The kids got a wagon ride, a ride on a trailer behind a tractor and of course, got to pick some apples.
"Hmmmm....If I tear down this sign, I can eat the apples from wherever I want!"
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