RAY STEVENS - WE THE PEOPLE

Merry Christmas

Thank you God for the best gift of all, you Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for family and the blessings of home and abundance.

Hitting a Tree is Snow Fun

We went to Glacier National Park on the day of Christmas Eve to find some snow to play in since the snow at our house is minimal and icy now. We drove until the road was closed, then loaded the little ones on the sled and went hiking up the road. Brendan brought his "arctic flyer" sled.

I took pictures and then wanted to take a short video to show the folks how Rita marches and Anthony prefers to be pulled. She is her granda's girl. Quite frankly, I like Anthony's method of transportation better. At the end of the video you will here Brendan say there is a gap in the trees, hop on his sled and then the blood curdling scream as he finds out the gap wasn't very big. Thank God he didn't break anything, but that was pretty much the end of the fun for him.

Merry Christmas

(In)Courage: A Christmas Story

(In)Courage: A Christmas Story

Christmas Decoration Slackers

Christmas Decoration Slackers: There is one in every neighborhood!

Dashing Through the Slush

I made up my mind that we would go sledding this weekend since I am not working. More like slushing is what it was. The temperature has warmed up and melted a lot of the lovely snow we got last week as you can see by the brown spots in the pictures. Don't worry, when I get my new photo software from Santa, I intend to cover up the brown spots with snow and make it look more like the idealistic outing I imagined. A light rain was falling as we hit the snow hill.

I am including some short videos as well. They are more like bloopers than actual demonstrations of sledding skill, but what the heck!
Brendan wanted me to take a video of him doing a jump. Here is take one.


Take Two.


Take Three, where Brendan takes 21 seconds to get ready to go nowhere!

Take Four! Listen closely as Karl says in the background, "no no no don't eat that!" Wonder who he could have been talking to?


My glasses were a little foggy. I thought the bush up by the road was Karl and the kids but, as you can see, it was the fast moving mass to the right.

Take Two, wherein Karl manages to fill his boot with slush! We went home after that!

Songs at Seven

Rita woke up earlier than expected and then woke up Anthony. We turned on the fire and the tree lights. Rita got the Sesame Street song book and music player, crawled up in Karl's lap and said, "read song". So Karl was a good sport and sang Sesame Street songs to the little ones at 7 am while Brendan and I had fun watching Karl try to figure out the tune and the words before he'd had a cup of coffee.

From Russia, With Love

I went to my friend Jackie's with the twins this morning. Jackie is 81. Jackie has LOTS of knick knacks. LOTS of them are glass. I almost need a valium to survive a visit with the twosome on the loose in her house. Everything is so pretty and so interesting and SO fragile (with a few exceptions). Rita and Anthony have found some things that are not so fragile like some large glass balls, some metal containers and an antique wooden duck decoy that they play with.

Jackie suggested I get the Russian matryoshka doll from the shelf in the back bedroom for them to play with. A matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nested doll or a babushka doll, is a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other. The word "matryoshka" (матрёшка) is derived from the Russian female first name "Matryona" (Матрёна). The word "babushka" is the Russian word for grandmother.

They immediately started to fight over that. I noticed another "nesting doll" on the shelf, this one was male. I asked Jackie if Anthony could play with that one. I said, "it kind of looks like Gorbachev." Jackie told me someone brought the doll back from Russia for her years ago.

This is what I learned about these nesting dolls from Wikipedia: During Perestroika, the leaders of the Soviet Union became a common theme depicted on matreshki. Starting with the largest, Mikhail Gorbachev, then Leonid Brezhnev (Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko almost never appear due to the short length of their respective terms), then Nikita Khrushchev, Josef Stalin and finally the smallest, Vladimir Lenin. Newer versions start with Dmitry Medvedev and then follow with Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joseph Stalin and then Vladimir Lenin.

Our set starts with Yeltsin, then Gorbachev, then Brezhnev, then Khrushchev, then Stalin, the smallest is Lenin. We had a "Babushka" doll at home that Karl got from a co-worker last year, so Rita still has one to play with. They have spent the entire day playing with them.

Now, my fellow right wing American blog followers, do not think ill of me for letting the kids play with commie dolls. First, they are two, and have no idea who the commies were (and neither does the 8 year old) and second, you come try to separate Anthony from "Gorby" and we will go out for the evening while you deal with that. I took the dolls away from them for nap time, and let's just say, I am not sure it was worth it.

Anyhow, we have a bit of history in our house that is also a new and wonderful toy. I titled the post "From Russia With Love" because these dolls will always remind me of my visit with Jackie and the love she has for my family and my kids. We love you too Jackie!

Simple Gifts

Brendan's class Christmas show was last night at St. Matthew's. The show was called "Simple Gifts". The words to the final song got me choked up:

Simple gifts for the baby, simple gifts for the Lord
Sharing love, being kind, giving all we have and more.
The gifts that are simple are the gifts of Love
As a child is a gift from God above.
Peace, Peace to everyone on earth
As we behold our Savior's birth.
The gifts that are simple are the gifts of Love
As a child is a gift from God above.

Amen. Peace.

My Three Peas In a Pod

Remember our Military Families this Christmas

Devil Candy

Devil Candy

Let it Snow

We finally got enough snow to play in and the temperature rose high enough that going outside wasn't deadly!

Cub Scout Christmas Song

This is the song Brendan's Wolf Den sang at the pack Christmas part on Monday night. Enjoy!

Hide and Seek

Just a quick post because this is making me giggle. Rogun is over playing, or trying to play, hide and seek with Brendan. It is difficult to make a game of it when Rita and Anthony follow the hider and keep saying "hi" the whole time the hider is hiding! Brendan and Rogun finally gave up and are now playing foosball.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

A harrowing event with two two-year-olds digging through your ornament boxes. Luckily they got interested in the snowman/santa figures, which are a bit more durable, and spent the time lining them up and putting them away and doing it all over again.

Bowling Night with the Wolf Cub Scouts

First Reconciliation!

Brendan made his first Reconciliation this evening (aka first Confession). Here are some pictures of him with his class and with our priest, Father Vic. I think Brendan set a speed record because he was in and out of the confessional in 30 seconds. Not because he has nothing to confess, but probably because he talked so fast that Father couldn't understand him! We are so proud and look forward to the next few months as he prepares for First Holy Communion.

On the way home we asked Brendan how he felt. I quote: "Well, let me tell you, it's like this. When you're sitting in the pew you are thinking 'Oh my gosh I am so scared'. But then when you get in line it's not too bad and then once you go in the confessional it was really cool."

He also says he intends to go every month. I told him I would go with him and that we could go as a family.

My True Thanksgiving Day

I am sitting in my Lazy Boy at home, chatting with my mother-in-law on the evening before she, Niall and Mojic drive back to SLC. Four hours ago I was sitting in a ditch in the truck after hitting some ice on Whitefish Stage Road. I was on my way to work the night shift at North Valley Hospital. I hit some ice on a short curve, slid, fishtailed a few times. On the last fishtail I ran out of room and rather that turn the wheel and roll the truck into the ditch, I took the ditch head on. Once I was in the ditch there was the small problem of looming fence and trees coming at my front end, so I turned the wheel and got the butt of the truck to take the hit instead of the front end. All in all I took out about 30 feet of vinyl fencing, did very minimal damage to the truck and thanks be to God and my Guardian Angel, no damage to myself.

A van full of teenagers (on their way to church youth group) were behind me and stopped to help me. I had forgotten my cell phone and asked if they had one. All three youths pulled one out. I will never criticize teenagers with cell phones again! One called 911 while the other dialed home so I could talk to Karl. They were terrific and stayed with me until they knew help was on the way. They had no coats on and it was snowing so I sent them on their way.

While I waited for help I prayed in thanksgiving to God that I was OK. I was surprisingly calm. I am calm in a crisis and then I fall apart at an unexpected time later. So I gave thanks and thought about the fact that today I could have met my maker and how very unprepared I suddenly felt to do that. I felt a powerful need to go home and hold my kids and my family.

Many people stopped to check on my while I waited and I thanked God for each of them and prayed for their safety. Karl, Niall and the Highway Patrol showed up at the same time. I phoned the hospital and they did still need me, though at this point I really didn't want to go. The officer dismissed me and Karl and Niall waited for the tow truck to get the truck out of the ditch.

Once I got to the hospital, my great co-workers took care of me. My supervisor asked how I was and at that point I wanted to throw up, cry and have a nap in that order. An OB nurse came over to assume my duties and I was allowed to go home on call. If a labor patient comes in during the night I will have to go back in. But I have had a cup of strong tee, a neck massage from Mojic, which got rid of my tension headache, hugged and kissed my kids about a million times. I have not cried yet but probably will when I say prayers later.

So, today I am truly thankful for my life, a precious gift from God Almighty, giver of all life. I am grateful that He has given me at least another day. I thank God for the old blue van full of teenagers, Karl, Niall, MHP officers, my co-workers Dan, Maureen, Alli, Melissa and Nancy and of course my kids and family.

I pray as winter sets in upon us that you are all safe. Drive carefully and wear those seat belts!

Oh How Punny

Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving

Niall and Mojic drove up for Thanksgiving. Rod and Margaret joined us for dinner. It was a great day and we were most thankful to be together!

Mutiny on Winchester St.

Rita and Anthony have discovered the Wiggles. They love Captain Feathersword and now have a funny habit of trying to say "ahoy there". That led to a game of chase the pirates with Granny.

Try to Remember September

I found this video on the camera. Forgot to post it then but here it is now. Karl will have an easier time when the snow arrives soon.

Something that confuses me

I am making sausage and pancakes for dinner. The sausage label says "made with whole, ground spices". I am not sure what that means. Does anyone? Are they whole or are they ground or did they mean they ground the whole thing? ?????

The Botafumeiro of Santiago de Compostela

Here

I found this video on Patrick Madrid's blog and thought you might like to see an amazing sight. This is the censer at the Cathedral de Santiago de Comostela in Spain. This is part of the Holy Mass and this particular Mass is for the pilgrims who are walking the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago, which is 550 miles. Karl's mom, Teresa has walked the entire pilgrimage. She and her group of friends did it in three stages over three years. She has a photo of the censer, but this video really is impressive. I love the incense at Mass and think of all the prayers rising to God like clouds of incense. Enjoy!

Did I Miss all the Fun?

I went to a Creative Memories digital scrapbook workshop last evening. It's the first one I have been to in a long time. I had to arrange for someone to cover part of my shift at the hospital so I could go. I had a great time learning new things, visiting with Katie and Jeanne and just getting a break from home and work. Three hours flew by!

Meanwhile, Karl and Granny were having some fun of their own. It was bath night for Rita and Anthony. Rita did a #2 in the potty (we are so proud) before being put into the tub. Anthony did #1 (we are also so proud) and then joined Rita. Karl heard Anthony say "ew", turned around and discovered that Rita was apparently not finished with #2. He pulled both out of the tub, wrapped them in towels, drained the tub, cleaned and disinfected it, refilled it and put both kids back into it to wash them all over again. Once they were out, Rita ran wildly around the house naked while Granny fed the two returning Cub Scouts (Brendan and Rogun) dessert and Karl tried to get Anthony diapered. He then discovered Anthony's #2 in the clean towel (the second one) he had wrapped Anthony in, thus making Anthony's second bath as much of a waste as the first. Once he finally got both diapered and PJ'd and Brendan in the shower, he had the dirty towels to deal with.

And to think, I missed all the fun!

Chariot Champions

Scout Skating

Last week's pack meeting was at the roller rink. The boys had fun skating and so did some of the grown ups. I figured with my coordination lately that shoes are a better option than wheels. Brendan won 2nd place for most popcorn sales in his den! Thanks friends and family who supported Brendan in his popcorn sales!

Granny's are Great!

Favorite Bible Verse?

Here's a Bible Verse You'll Never See Cross-stitched on a Pillow

In Praise of Bacon

In Praise of Bacon

For you Granny!

Homecoming

Praise God! My brother-in-law has returned safely from his 3rd tour in Iraq. Pray for the safe return of all others and for the soldiers at Fort Hood, where my brother-in-law is stationed.

The Sweetest Words in the English Language...

...are "I you" said when your two-year old son flings his arms around your neck and says them first!

Whenever I tell Anthony and Rita I love you they respond with a resounding "I You!" as they are not able to say all three words yet. Yesterday when I was playing with Anthony, he flung his arms around me and offered the words first. Life is so good!

When Doorjambs Attack-the day after

Thought you might enjoy the beautiful colors my arm has turned, or not!

When Doorjambs Attack

I was working last night. At five this morning I went to get something for a patient. Actually, it was rather urgent so I ran to get it and in my haste (and underlying clumsiness) I didn't see the doorjamb leap out and strike me on the elbow. I said a few words and then returned to the business at hand. I thought nothing of it as it is probably the 1000th time I have hit my elbow(s) on something. As I said, I have a gift for clumsiness.

About an hour later I was taping report for the next shift when I put my elbow on the table (bad manners!). I noticed it was blue and thought, gosh I really hit it hard. I went back to taping and the next time I looked, it was blue and had a lump. Weird, I thought. I went back to taping and the next time I looked I went straight to the ER. In the space of 10 minutes it had gone from normal to what you see in the picture. The elbow next to me is the ER doctor's for comparison. Basically I tore a blood vessel and bled into the bursa at the back of my elbow. They wrapped it tight and the bleeding stopped, but now I have a big squishy bruise around my elbow.

Upon returning to the floor I went in to give report on my last patient to the day shift. In another graceful moment, talking with my good arm, I knocked someone's coffee over! I wonder if it is too late for finishing school?

Trick or Treat?

I had to work on Halloween, but here is a picture of our Trick or Treaters. Rita the Rabbit, Captain Brendan Clone Trooper and Anthony Bee! So cute!

Happy Halloween

I forgot to post this yesterday. Teresa found in on page one of the magazine she bought!

Halloween at the White House

Halloween at the White House

Another reason not to have HBO

HBO stoops to a new low and calls it humor! Click here to read the article.

It's Best Not to Procrastinate

Click here to see why

Raking Leaves

The Fall colors are very dull this year because of the early hard freeze we had earlier this month. It didn't stop the kids from loving it and Karl was delighted to be out doing yard work and free from studying.

Is There Something on My Face?

Playing Hookie

Brendan got to play hookie from school today so he could spend some one on one time with Granny. They went to the book store to buy some new books and then to Target so Brendan could add to his Star Wars action figure collection. Thank you Great Uncle Michael Henshaw for sending the kids some spending money all the way from Ireland.

In the afternoon Brendan got to go to the Pumpkin Patch with his friends from the Catholic Home School group from our parish. His best buddy Reece turned 8 today, so after the Patch, Brendan drove off with the Donahues to have a sleep over with Reece.

Karl is in Spokane to take his structural engineering exam, so Granny and I are spending a "quiet?" night at home with the twins. Can't even go visit anyone because everyone we know has or has been exposed to the H1N1 flu. It's going to be a long winter.

Rockdale Fair

OK, if you want a good laugh, check out my niece and nephews at the Rockdale Fair pig scramble. Go to the blogs I follow and click on lafingkids. I laughed out loud!

Here's Granny

Welcome to Montana Granny Henshaw. Karl's mom is here for a few weeks visit and what a great first day she had. First she had to break into the house because no one was awake to let her in, then we made her vacuum, and to top it off she had to share her ice cream with the greedy twosome. She can't wait to go back to work to get some rest!

Why 40 Days For Life Matters

What the article fails to mention is that the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was held outside this clinic last spring. Click on the article to enlarge.

Dressing Up

I splurged and bought costumes at Costco for the twins. They are a size 2, but didn't fit them well. Anthony took a liking to Rita's Cinderella costume and she to his Lion costume. So, for the record, I didn't force them into this, they wanted it. Karl is so proud!

Miss Potato Head

A while back I published a photo of Brendan and Anthony doing goofy things with the Potato Head parts. Well now here is Rita, my little Miss Potato Head.

Here We Go

Woke up to this. We were playing in the back yard yesterday. Didn't think it was going to do this or we would have finally put the deck chairs away!