Got my shirt today for the Mile-A-Day Challenge...I'm happy to say after 2 months, I'm still in.

the last week has been a flurry of activity...

2 dance classes

2 basketball practices

1 washer and dryer bought

1 cabin rented

1 trip to Sioux Falls to see mom and dad

4 stores visited

3 new pairs of shoes

1 new swimsuit

3 photo appointments

3 kids who needed help with homework

24 cookies baked

1 visit from the tooth fairy

1 birthday party attended

1 lunch with great friends

12 roses smelled

2 Charlie's Pizzas devoured

15 miles ran

Hundreds of prayers said

1 mommy ready for bed...

My husband and I are planning our summer vacations...already. Yes, the winter has taken its toll and we're more than ready for warm sun. But since there is quite a bit of the cold, wintry stufff left, I think it makes us both feel better to plan for June/July. So we're online looking for cabins in the Black Hills to book...and it's hard! There are so many and most of them, I don't know whether to trust the pictures or not. Is it really that nice or is it just the photo? It's kind of a frustrating feat. We need something in between Deadwood and Mt. Rushmore for all the touristy stuff. So i'm opening up this blog space for any suggestions/ideas for great cabins for a family of 5. You may just help us narrow this search down a bit and then we'll really feel like summer is on the way!

Haven't published much about Ridge in a long time. He's 2 years old now. I'm surprised he is still with us...last summer was filled with chasing him around the neighborhood, trying to teach him to stay in our yard. I was close two times to giving him away to some family that lives in the country. But over the last few months, he has finally accepted the fact that he doesn't own the house, the Weimeriner down the street doesn't want to be his friend and he has rules to follow, just like the kids. He is becoming a really good family dog, runs with me and loves to hunt those birds.

I just wish that big head wasn't soooo stubborn...

I just found out yesterday that girls weekend is set for April. I marked my calendar and labeled it "mom's weekend away." I was thinking after I wrote that how much I really don't get to "shop" anymore. Really if it weren't for these weekends, I probably wouldn't get to a mall without kids/husband ever. My shopping abilities have been on the decline over the years. I don't even know what the latest trends are. When I was younger, I could spend hours at the mall, trying on clothes, matching shoes and jewelry. I loved planning my outfits for the next day. But now, i'm just lucky to find a shirt and pants that match. I just don't have the time to seriously shop. If I do get to clothing store, I'm always on a time limit..."only have 15 minutes before so and so needs to be picked up". so I end up cruising through, picking up the first black shirt I can find, then putting it back because I always feel like I wear too much black. Then I'm discouraged because I just wasted that precious time and came home with nothing. I really need to get away from black but I can't. I have recently found brown to be a nice color. too bad I can't pair the two up. Then I'd have a wardrobe. I don't even know what looks good on me. Last year, Carey was my deciding factor on some outfits...thank God for her. Lately, believe it or not, I have relied on my husband. He can give it to me straight on what looks good and what maybe needs to be sent back. So I am hoping someday my shopping abilities will come back and I can look like I belong in this century. Please someone send me to "What Not To Wear"!!!!!!

My girls.

Sometimes I wonder what life will be like with them when they get into those teenage years. Because right now, they are just not clicking. Up until about a month ago, life was peachy for them. They played together, daughter 2 did whatever daughter 1 did, etc. They share a room with daughter 1 having the bigger bed. So we often find daughter 2 soundly asleep with her big sister in her bed. It's quite cute. But lately, well...the drama has begun. Drama and girls go together I think. Daughter 1 is very dramatic and the littlest things will get her going. Daughter 2 knows these buttons and pushes them from the minute I pick them up from school. Grrrrrrrr......so they end up both getting into trouble. Lately, I have had to have them play in separate areas of the house. Things are nice quiet then. Seems to work so far.

It still makes me laugh though because they could be tattling on each other, picking on each other 'til bedtime....and I still find the little one sneaking into the older one's bed to sleep. They love each other even through all the drama.

I got a call from my brother last week and I knew there was something wrong by the sound of his voice. He told me he had a brutal week. I couldn't imagine what would cause him to have a shaky voice, a quiet demeanor. He told me the story that I have been reading about all week.

http://www.cbs2chicago.com/ has stories, reports and pictures of Randy Salerno, an anchor for the station and a great friend and neighbor of my brother, Brian. They had planned a snowmobiling trip for weeks, taking a small plane to Wisconsin for a weekend of trail running. Brian said the first night they were, he was behind Randy and another guy. He said the driver was going way too fast, missed a turn and crashed. Brian was the first one on the scene. He said he pulled off Randy's helmet, began CPR. It was late, dark, in the middle of nowhere but my brother said it was too late. His chest hit the tree and there was nothing anyone could do. Now the driver of the Snowmobile has been charged in his death because he had been drinking. This guy was a lifelong friend of Randy's and my brother said he is devastated beyond anything you would ever see. I asked Brian how he was doing. It's been brutal, he said. he can't sleep. When he does, dreams and flashbacks wake him up. He can't focus. He is struggling and my heart just sank. A weekend of fun turned into a tragedy that he can't even describe. Brian wanted me to read up on Randy Salerno, the accident and just pray for everyone involved. So that's what I did. I googled it and it wasn't hard to find. It's been on my mind all weekend.

I'm passing the story onto you for your prayers for a family that you may not know. But I truly think all prayers help, even when they are for strangers. and please pray for Brian, my brother. Pray that he can find peace and comfort. Pray that he can find the reasons behind this tragic accident.

I realize more and more everyday how short of time we have on this earth. I told Brian I loved him, which I haven't told him in awhile. It's one of those things that we assume they know but the words aren't said. I am worried for him becuase I know he is taking this very hard and really doesn't know how to overcome it. Thank you for your prayers. They all mean a lot and I know in time, they will be answered.

I was talking to a high school guy at my church a couple of weeks back and he was telling me how his girlfriend wrote to Eli Manning of the New York Giants for a project in school. He ended up sending her back an autograph and a team photo. Wow, I thought that is really cool. Wouldn't that be neat for Brody if he could get something from the Packers?

The thought stuck with me for awhile until I finally did some investigating. Sure enough, on the Packers website, there is an address specifically for Brett Favre. It says he signs autographs, mostly on the offseason. I started getting a little excited now. Hmmmmm, I really want to try this out. My son's birthday is in April. What a great present, huh?!

My hubby and I talked about what to send for a possible autograph. I mean, we may not get it back. Hey, what about a picture of my son in his room that he decorated mostly himself?! This is one of the pictures. It's not his favorite because he says you can't see his Packer lamp but it's good enough for what I need. The kicker is my son has no idea what this picture is for. I thought just in case Favre doesn't send anything back, he won't be heartbroken. So he just thinks I took this picture for the scrapbook. Little does he know, an 8x10 is going in the mail this week. I don't have my hopes up but it would be cool for an autograph. So we'll see what happens.

Cheeshead or no cheesehead, I'll be praying for one awesome birthday present for the little man.

I'm copying Bobbi and her new appliances. I have been wanting a new washer/dryer...you know the new front loader style with all the bells and whistles. After researching them on the internet, I'm ready to go out and shop for them in person. We decided now is the perfect time to invest in a set since this is the point of my life where we have the most laundry. I mean, it never ends. Never. So, I'm excited to check them out. I've discovered you can even get them in colors.

I wonder how sage green would look? Wish me luck.

the funk has left the building. and i have you to thank! you were right...all it took was a little sunshine and a little God-time.

speaking of sunshine, this weekend weather was awesome. got some good running in and decided to go for it and register for the Deadwood half marathon. are you with me carey?? hope so. we are planning a family vacation around the whole event and it will be something we'll all look forward too. at least we'll know it won't be 20 below zero.

I'm in a funk. A funkity, funkity funk, funk, funk. Must the weather. Or maybe it's just being irritable. Either way, I hope the funk ends soon.

Any suggestions?

Well, my son's team put up a good effort but fell short of making it to the SuperBowl. After dressing up his sisters in Packer gear, he faithfully watched the entire game. At the end, he shed a few tears for his team but took it well. I think he felt the agony of defeat last night. But win or lose, he still loves his Packers and Brett Favre. He's a devoted fan. So now he says he'll look forward to next year. I guess we can just watch the SuperBowl and actually enjoy it now that none of "our" teams are playing for the title. I'm kind of glad. These games can get rather stressful!

I'm in the Mile-A-Day Challenge again for 2008. The rules have changed this year and treadmills are included. So, I sent in my fees and hopefully can make it to the end of the year. It's a long ways off but the challenge will be...well....challenging. So far I am still in. I even braved the cold today, bundled up and went on a run outside basically because I was too lazy to drive into town to the fitness center. I ran until my fingertips started tingling. That warm fitness center seemed appealing about then. What was I thinking. My under armour did it's job pretty will though. And I got my miles in. So the challenge is on. We'll see how far it goes.

My ramblings for the day.....

Finally. We're home from a chilly morning filled with basketball camp and dance class. A grocery store and movie gallery stop were also fit in before settling in for the day. My son is anxiously awaiting his teams pursuit to the SuperBowl tomorrow afternoon. He can't wait. For his sake, I'll be cheering on Brett Favre and the Packers. Maybe even sporting a cheesehead. My son has been playing basketball since november and has been asked to be on a traveling team where they go from tournament to tournament, playing other cities, towns and schools. It will make our schedule a bit more packed, forcing me to be extremely time efficient and organized. I love watching him play. He has this energy when he plays that is contagious. I think really neat. Today, his camp performs at the Mount Marty College basketball game. Another trip in to the cold but worth it.

Yesterday was my birthday. 37 years young. My husband graced me with a gift certificate for a massage...or a facial....or a pedicure. Whatever I like. I don't know what I'll choose. I love being pampered like that. It will be a nice treat. We went out for supper, to a movie and had some nice time together. A perfect way to celebrate a birthday.

I picked up my son from basketball practice yesterday and he proceeds to tell me about how his class was split up boys from the girls. They had the class on puberty. What? My boy was learning about what happens when he grows up? He kept talking, I was listening but my mind was bouncing around to can this talk really be happening? I kept thinking, man it seems like just yesterday I was trying to get him potty trained. Now he's got this sample of deoderant and telling me about how his voice will change and hair is going to start growing everywhere. I smiled and said, yep that's what happens as your body starts changing. My mind was still thinking, oh my gosh, I can't believe we are having this conversation. This morning, I smelled a smell of after shave. I laughed to myself as I realized my son was using his sample of deoderant. He was paying attention during the puberty talk! He's growing up, it's me that has to get used to it!

I'm still here, just a tad behind on everything, including blogs and blogging. Be back with ya later. Is there a way more hours can be put into a day?!?

:)

Okay so this is the difference between boys and girls.....

Shoes.

A girl can never have enough shoes, right?! I had my girls clean their closet today because of, well, all their shoes. They even tried hanging up their clean clothes which sort of worked. The top rack was a bit too tall so some just got hung over the bottom rack. They matched up their shoes and I was a bit shocked to see just how many pairs they have. My hubby really wonders if it's necessary for little girls to have 15 pairs of black shoes. Well, yes it is, I told him. Us girls love our shoes.

And then there's my 10 1/2 year old son whose only shoes he really cares about are his high tops for basketball and his new Green Bay Packer shoes he got for Christmas. He really has a strong dislike for either of his Doc Martens and the hiking boots I scored for him at Cabelas. No matter how hard I try, he wears the same shoes day after day. So that's what we go through every morning...the girls spend 10 min. trying to find shoes while my son spends 10 min. polishing up his GB shoes.

Gotta love those shoes.

Two exciting things for these two kiddos...

Kiddo #1: Lost her front tooth and now has lisp! She took her tooth to school for show n tell and still has it in the bag. For some reason that only the little one can tell you, she doesn't want to part with her tooth just yet. This may not seem like a very exciting thing to blog about but you must know, I have realized that since this is my last baby in the house, every little "first" is a big deal. Because it's my "last".

Kiddo #2: We're in basketball season now. My son is practicing everyday. He won the hoop shoot for his age at his school and competed last Saturday with all the other schools in Yankton and surrounding area for the state title. He was so nervous but we were so proud. I told him on the way, whether he wins or loses this contest, he is still a winner. Getting to this point was hard. He didn't win the title but we were sitting in the stands watching him, our hearts were busting with pride. Way to go, bud.

The sledding was fun! The kids had a blast and didn't want to go home...even after an hour and a half. I, on the other hand, was freezing and finally lured them home with a promise of hot chocolate.

I went down a couple of times but the snow flying up my pants and in my face kind of made me, well, cold. So I opted to take pictures instead. So now I guess the snow is worthwhile...for sledding anyways!

enough snow already...

I'm ready for some warmth. The plan is to go sledding and snowboarding tomorrow. Maybe that will make all this snow worthwhile.

How long 'til summer? :)

We got the Wii.

It's not only for the kids, but for us adults too. The kids play the kids, the adults play the kids and even the adults play the adults. It's such an interactive game that's really a lot of family fun.

So, we love the Wii. And the Wii loves us. And now to find it a permanent home in the game room. I know how hard it was to find this little system this holiday season and we're very thankful!