Good-bye 2007!

Our year has been anything but fun, but I wanted to include some great pictures that just made me smile. I'm so grateful for my ever so patient husband, my beautiful loving children, and our great friends and family. Thank you for standing by us, picking us up, pushing us along, and making us feel like life would go on.

Trip up the Coast Feb 07

















Columbia State Park March 07




















Disneyland May







Fourth of July





Galveston, Texas for Aunties wedding!




September



Pumpkin Patch (thanks for this one Lora!)




My two most favorite pictures of 2007!

Christmas Day Fun!

Hannah colors with Grammy in her new huge color book!

Ben and Hannah love their Papa!

Go Scooter Girl Go!

Santa Claus has come to our house!

Ben loves his new book! (Mommy got this one for him!)

What did you get Hannah? A Scooter! All Right!

Ben gets a rocking horse!

Dani gets her scooter!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Christmas Eve

We went to church service, and dinner at Reich's. We did all of our traditions including singing carols before presents and singing 'Pone' a Danish folk song that my Grandma Russell used to make us do. Of course, it was the best!

Gingerbread Tree Fun

So last year as a family we decorated a Gingerbread house. It was fun, but Brent did most of the work since the girls were still pretty little. This year I found at Micheal's a Gingerbread Tree. I thought this would be easier for the kids to help with and we had a blast!




















Although it wasn't quite what the box looked like, we loved it! It would probably be really easy to do on your own too! It was just different sized stars placed with the points in between the openings. If you can make gingerbread, then you can do this!The example is on the left and our is on the right.
A work of art I must say!

Christmas Cookies and Holiday fun

Today I had the most wonderful holiday day. I started first with my son in the fireplace playing in soot (I totally would have taken a picture, but my battery was dead!) Then I cleaned up quickly and ran over to my good friends house for an annual cookie exchange. After baking 9 dozen peppermint tarts, it was very relaxing to sip Italian soda and munch on wonderfully decorated cookies and candies. Of course I loved the company too and visited with friends. I only wished it could have lasted a little longer!
Then I spent the rest of the day picking up and cleaning so my house would be pretty for Christmas. ( I can't stand clutter and feel so much better now that things are picked up). Then we went to the annual Silcox/Riddle/Noll progressive dinner. I only made it to the first two houses (something didn't agree with me), but had so much fun visiting with friends I really don't get to see often. It made me a little sad that we only get to do this twice a year (we have a barbecue on the 4th too). So much changes in 6 months that I wish we did it more.

Recently I had a wonderful evening when three couples came to our home for dinner. I hope we continue that too. Maybe once every couple of months?

Life is so much easier when you have friends to share it with. Family is nice, but friends make the gloomy days ok and the sunny days that much more bright. To whom ever is reading this, it is my sincere prayer that you are surrounded with bright, sunny friend filled days!

Oh so tired...

Have you ever had just a few days where you are just so tired it hurts to think? I've recently had like two weeks of those days and I just can't seem to shake it. Someone told me that excersizing helps (they happened to be really skinny and I kind of was annoyed), but I tried that and it didn't seem to help too much. I loved the day it rained because it made me feel like I was allowed to be tired and lazy.

Sleep
I lay down on my bed and let my body sink in.
The sheets and blankets envelope me
And I feel like I'm in my own cocoon.

I wish I could stay here forever.
The warmth feels so good and if you move,
It feels as if you 'll never have it back.

I love the first few minutes of the morning
before the baby cries or the alarm goes off.
Because this is my time.
My cherished time.
To Sleep.

Family

I wrote this about my family a while ago. It is one of my favorites.

Family Mine

Sitting here on a Saturday afternoon,
Just enjoying the sounds and thoughts from you
As your playing.

My princess girl, you're the one who loves to dance,
Dress up clothes, and lots of smiles and laughs
You're so busy!

I love you so much as you grow,
So much inside you may never know

Your True Beauty.

My Little Girl.



You act so tuff, no tears in your eyes.
As we clean the scratches and blood from nearby.
Our little man.


You want to chase those sisters of yours,
Prove your just as big as they were before
Always trying.

I love you so much as you grow
So much inside you may never know
Your True Beauty.
My Baby Boy.



You rock our little one off into sleep.
You look so tired, yet also complete.
You're their Daddy.


You lay beside me and hold me tight.
Know what I need on this hot summer night.
How I need you.

I love you so much as you grow.
So much inside you may never know
Your True Beauty.

From hot head boy to this strong calm man.
Do for our family everything you can.
How I love you.


Oh Family Mine.

Life in General

Has anyone ever had one of those mornings where you wake up and wonder what happened to my life? I had one of those strange moments this morning. Our challenges this year have been almost more than I can bare. But this morning, I woke up calm and at peace. I changed, fed, and let the kids watch a cartoon. Then I grabbed a quick bite and began to do the dishes my husband conveniently forgot to do the night before. I sat thinking to myself about our current situations wondering why it was meant for us to go through the struggles we've had to deal with. And as I thought about how Brent and I have come together to watch kids, clip coupons, and learn to make our own bread, I realized that maybe this horrible challenge was for us to learn to be more frugal. It is my belief that Heavenly Father ( God, or what ever you want to call him) makes everyone go through their own struggle to make them stronger. Brent and I have never been good with money, and now we must work very hard together to make ends meet. Is this the underlying lesson? I'd like to learn it quickly so I can leave the learning desk behind and move on to bigger and more secure things. I usually include a poem or story on my blog, but today, this is my story. The story of just me, the poor me, which for just a moment, is happy.

Children's books

So, I've been encouraged by a close friend, to attempt to write a children's book. I figured, what better way than to write about things my own children do. I wrote this this afternoon and am thinking about having some of the excellant drawers from church help me out with the pictures. Read it to your kids and let me know what you think!

The Riddle Adventures
Book 1
Baby Ben

Benjamin Riddle was an ordinary baby.
He liked cars, cartoons, and bouncy balls.
His favorite food was apples and spaghetti.
And at night he slept with his two favorite blankets and his binky.

But Ben was also very good at finding trouble.
He learned to climb on his sisters bunk bed.
Loved to play in the dishwasher.
And enjoyed climbing on the kitchen table for a drink.

One afternoon, Ben was hungry and wanted some crackers.
He waddled over to his mommy, pulled on her pants and said "crawka."
"Say please," she asked. Ben shook his head no with his lower lip sticking out.
"Crawka!" he said again.

"No Ben. You need to say please, " his mother replied.
Ben did NOT like that answer.
He threw himself on the floor and began to cry.

"Ben watched as his mother poured crackers into small cups.
He watched as his sister Dani said "please," and received one of the cups.
He watched as his sister Hannah said "please," and received a cup.

But Ben DID NOT WANT to say please.
HE WANTED CRACKERS!
He walked over to the cupboard and pulled on the door.

But it wouldn't open.

He looked on the floor to see if any had dropped.
But there weren't any.
He walked over to his sisters and said "crawka."
But they too said, "Say Please!"

Ben began to cry. His mother picked him up and hugged him.
"Ben," she said. "Do you want a cracker?"
Ben nodded his head.
She kissed his cheek and gave him 1 cracker.
He smiled.

When his cracker was gone,
he looked at his mom and said "Peesse."
His mother, with a smile on her face,
promptly gave him his cup of crackers.

"Ben, say thank you." said his mother
Ben looked at his crackers,
then back at his mother,
and ran away.