Kindergarten Christmas Concert!

We got to go to Maya's Christmas Concert on Tuesday afternoon. Since it was in the afternoon only Grandma and I and Kyla (she was able to get out of her classes for a little while) got to go to it but I was able to video parts of the concert to share with Daddy, Colter and Grandpa.

Here are some pictures from the concert...


They sang Jingle Bells, Must Be Santa, and Tapping Little Elves. Click on my playlist on the left to hear a cute rendition of the "Must Be Santa" song.






I wish I could have shared all the videos on here but it would have taken to long. So here is just one of Maya doing a special little part. It's just 33 seconds long. I just can't watch these kindergartners enough. They are hilarious to watch. If you just pick one out and watch them through the video, it is so cute and funny. Hope you enjoy...



Giddy-Up Let's Go!

The harness bells jingle, the horse's breath steams,

and he stamps his hooves impatient to go.

But not so impatient as my sister and me

As we sit holding hands-

then we're off through the snow!

~David Riel

Russian Bakers Dance

It was a busy week last week! On Thursday evening was Kyla's Christmas concert. Here are a few more pictures from the evening...

They did a Elementary student version of the Nutcracker Suite. Here are the toy soldiers and the Russian Bakers. I was able to find the lyrics to the song on the computer and the music but not the words and music together...

♪♫ We’ve got a Russian recipe!
All that a recipe should be!

It makes, it bakes sweet Russian tea cakes! ♪♫

♪♫ We’ve got a recipe so sweet!
It’s sure to knock you off your feet!
It’s baked at night with Russian candlelight! ♪♫

♪♫ First, get the oven hot!
If it’s not, then you may have a big surprise!
Then, butter, flour, and salt, sugar, too,
Fine chopped nuts, a cup will do;
A touch, a touch,
Some sweet vanilla adds so very much! ♪♫


♪♫We’ve got a Russian recipe!
All that a recipe should be!
It’s right for every Russian appetite! ♪♫



♪♫We’ve got a recipe SO GREAT!
We guarantee that it won’t wait!
A bite or two or three or four
Will make you beg and cry for more! ♪♫


♪♫A bite or two or three or four
Will make you SIGH and CRY and BEG for more! Hey!♪♫

Twenty-eight Weeks!

I'm not much for bump pictures of myself but thought I should record what I look like now as I enter my last trimester. I'm feeling great and looking forward to "welcoming" our newest little one very soon. It has gone so fast this time but maybe these last couple months will seem slower. December is sure flying by so far though...


Have a wonderful weekend,

Christmas in the West


Tuesday night was Colter's Christmas Concert at the school. They did a cute musical called Christmas at the O.K. Coral. Here are some pictures from the evening and one of the songs that they sang...


♪♫Under the western sky; under the western stars;
Christmas is comin' round the bend! ♪♫


♪♫ The mountains in the distance are covered all in snow.
It's the most exciting Christmas that you could ever know! ♪♫


♪♫ Christmas in the West is the best! is the best!
Oh, Christmas in the west is the best!
Yippee yi yo wo! ♪♫


♪♫ Under the western sun; under the western moon;
Christmas is just about to start! ♪♫


♪♫ Here in the wilderness; here with our frontier best;
Christmas is always in our hearts! ♪♫


♪♫Christmas in the west is the best! is the best!
Oh, Christmas in the west is the best!
Yippee yi yo wo! ♪♫


♪♫It's the best!
In the west!
Yippee yi yo wo! ♪♫


Thanksgiving 2010-The Way it Was

Our Thanksgiving this year was not how we planned it. Our Thanksgiving this year turned out to be completely picture-less. Neither Randy or I took out the camera the entire time. I did want to remember some about it though, so I though I would write down a few things about it.

-On Monday before Thanksgiving, my Mom and I wanted to get together and make lefse so we planned on starting right away in the morning and finishing up that afternoon. Turns out our dog was sick through the weekend so I though I better get her into the vet right away Monday morning and figure out what was wrong with her because we couldn't bring her to the kennels while we were gone if she was sick. That pretty much took care of my whole morning. Mom and I did end up getting lefse made but it was a hurried and interrupted affair but still special to spend the time together. And we sure enjoyed that lefse later!

-The dog didn't get better after an x-ray and injection and that night Kyla woke up sick. The next day, Tuesday, Randy came home from work sick. We called our family and told them we wouldn't be coming for Thanksgiving. :(

-On Wednesday afternoon, I made a trip to the grocery store and bought a fresh turkey and all the rest of the ingredients to make a Thanksgiving feast. When I got home, Kyla (who was feeling much better!) got busy and made a pumpkin pie right away. That evening after everyone was in bed for the night, I was finishing up my last minute preparations for the next days meal and was working on this post. Randy had gone to bed with a high temperature and still wasn't very well. All the sudden the dog started acting very frantic and strange out in the garage. Finally I had to wake up Randy to help me figure out what to do with her. What followed was a few hours of uncertainty as to what to do with this poor animal. Maybe I will write about that experience sometime. Finally after one o'clock in the morning we were able to go back to bed and get some sleep.

-Although Randy was still feeling pretty miserable on Thursday, we ended up having a really nice Thanksgiving Day. We ate lots of good food, played a few games, read a few stories and the kids played outside for a long time.

-On Friday and Saturday the kids played and played outside and only came in for warm-ups and eating breaks. Randy worked on moving snow. I just enjoyed my days of no running around. On Friday, we did go into town for a couple hours later in the day. Black Friday wasn't so bad at 4 o'clock in the afternoon!

-Had a wonderful day on Sunday with meeting here and then ice skating and potluck with friends. It was a perfect ending to the holiday.

It seemed like this was the Thanksgiving when a lot of people's plans changed due to sickness or weather. Randy and I both commented on how long the break seemed this year. I wonder if it was because we didn't spend 2 days traveling this year. We really missed being with our family and meeting the newest member of the family, little Logan, but it was also nice to have all that time to rest and recoup.

And that's the way it was,

A Light in the Window


A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside.
~Denis Waitley


This time of year, nothing speaks louder than a bright light shining forth from a window on a cold dark night.

Sometimes I paste on a smile; but a smile that radiates from within is so much more inviting to those around me. The colder and darker it is around me, the brighter and warmer my smile will be.

Another Reason to Love Pregnancy


When I was experiencing "pregnancy induced, all-day nauseating sickness" through the summer months, I got to the point where just the smell from opening a bag of bread from the store would send me to the bathroom to throw up.

Now, you might not think the smell coming from a bag of bread is a bad smell and really it's not... and I can't explain why these things happen, but, it would happen and I couldn't do anything about it at the time. Maybe some of you have had similar annoying experiences?!

Anyway, in September when I started feeling better and had a little more motivation and energy, I dusted off my bread machine and went about making my own bread again, and I haven't bought any bread at the store since. We love this recipe! I've found that it's very simple to make. The only problem is the frequency of which I have to make it. We are looking into a Bosch Mixer and then I can do 8 or more loaves at a time. WoooHooo!!

So, some good can come out of "pregnancy induced etc. etc. sickness" too. That's what my husband said the other day as he was enjoyed a warm piece of bread right out of the oven. Silly guy! We all know that lots of good can come out of it! I do wonder though, how long will it be before I can open another bag of store bought bread and not feel like gagging...

Enjoying warm bread in this cold country,


P.S. Why do the books call it "morning sickness"!? It just isn't RIGHT!!!!!

P.S.S. Don't tell anyone, but one of my favorite things is to put butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on top of a piping hot piece of bread, or two or three... Ummhmm... Just another reason to love pregnancy. ;)