The week after Thanksgiving we spent a few days in ND at my parents place. The kids got to help chase cows, move haystacks and they made a new friend...One of the neighbor's cats came over to visit and the kids just loved it! Both kids were all over that cat and he was such a nice kitty. He just played and played with them.

Another activity they got to take part in is a traditional game with my dad. I remember doing it when I was a kid and I know my brothers did it too. Dad refers to it as "Dodge Pillow". Here is the gist of the game: The kids run as fast as they can through the living room and dad sits in his recliner and throws a pillow at the kids' legs as they run by. The kids try to dodge the pillow. If they fail, the pillow trips them up and they hit the floor. Sounds like a good time huh? The kids loved it and were already asking if they can play it again at Christmas time.

Here is the pillow tosser at work....

Thanksgiving

We're back! We were gone for a week over Thanksgiving so I'm a bit behind on my blogging, but I'll try and get caught up.
We spent Thanksgiving at Jeff's parents house eating, playing games, eating, visiting and eating!
Nolan and Donna checked out all the toys in the Black Friday ads. The conversation went something like this "I want that. I want that. I want that."
Nolan and Brett enjoyed coloring together.

Aidyn helped Lisa work on the crossword puzzle. I don't think she could get any closer!

We had a nice time visiting with everyone and it was good to reflect on all the things we are thankful for!

Gamers

Anyone who knows me could tell you that I'm not much of a "gamer". I don't hate games, they are just not my favorite choice of activity. My children on the other hand have come to love playing games. So being the adaptable mother that I am, I've actually instituted game night at our house. Every Tuesday night we have pizza and play games until bedtime. Of course they still like to play games every day and I can't tell you how thrilled I am about the latest development in this area. Nolan is finally old enough to play games with Aidyn unassisted! They get everything set up, play the game (usually without much conflict) and have a great time! Plus it is so cute to hear them cheering each other on "Good job Nolan!" "Yeah Aidyn!" I love it!

Basketball Season

Aidyn has started another season of basketball. She was excited to play again this year and has been enjoying it so far.
Here she is with her team, listening intently to what the coach has to say.

Look at that form!

Nolan gets to come with and play with his friends too. Here he is with his buddy Saylor.

When your spoon doesn't cut it, your tongue will do the trick. The kid loves applesauce...what more can I say.

Finally!!

After almost 7 years in our house, we FINALLY have a new light in our kitchen!! I always disliked the one that was there, but it wasn't until this past year that I really started to loathe it. I finally found one I liked and that would fit and with help from my dad, I got it installed. I'm thrilled!

Happy Halloween!

We had 2 very excited kids at our house today. Aidyn could hardly wait to get to preschool to show her friends her costume. Here she is with her friends Emma, Lauren & Jordon. This afternoon we had a party at church and then it was trick-or-treating time. As you can probably see from this picture, they were almost bursting with excitement!
When we got home, it was time to sort through the loot. They each got to eat quite a bit of candy and then we brushed their teeth for the full recommended 2 minutes...twice. All in all, I'd say it was a good day to be a kid. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we carved our pumpkins. Since it was so nice out, we opted for the pumpkin gutting to be held outside. Aidyn was not too thrilled with the sliminess of the pumpkins so she opted for the spoon method.

Nolan wanted a scary pumpkin and I think Aidyn was looking for something kind of in the middle. They were both very proud of their creations.

Halloween Party

Last Friday we had a Halloween Party with some of our friends. The kids had a great time! Here is the whole crew...
They played musical chairs. The older kids were definitely more "in tune" with the rules of the game.

What's up Tex?

They also played Halloween Bingo and everyone got to Bingo at least once! And then when they were done you got to eat your Bingo pieces. (At least as many as you could shove in before your mom intervened.)

I love it when they read together...

Fall Fun

The kids and I spent the morning outside today doing yard work (me) and playing in the leaves (kids). They had a blast!

Safety First

This is how Aidyn protects herself while Nolan is playing ball in the house. She has been injured enough times to know better than to just sit there.

Go Bison!!!

Yesterday, the mighty Bison of North Dakota State reigned supreme over the Gophers of the University of Minnesota with a score of 27-21. It was an awesome game and being there in person was a great experience. There were just over 60,000 people in attendance with almost half of them being Bison fans. We had a great time and were proud to be wearing green & gold!!! Bo Bison!!!

ESPN
Fargo Forum
Star Tribune

Election '08

I just came across this interesting site on my friend Tammy's blog. You answer a series of questions about major issues and you can learn which candidates are most closely aligned with your views. Check it out and let me know who you come up with!

Select a Candidate

Although I don't know who I'm voting for yet, apparently Barack and I share a lot of the same views.

Black Eye #3

Nolan is only 2 1/2 years old, but has managed to get his 3rd black eye! This isn't a great picture, but trust me, it is there. He fell and hit his cheek on a slide on Tuesday, by Wednesday it had spread upward and yesterday it was a good old black eye. You can kind of see the dark spot on his cheek and then it spreads up to the corner of his eye and then back across under his eye. Just lovely!