And on to a New Year. HAPPY NEW YEAR...PLEASE POST!

I'm posting this a bit early since tomorrow, New Years day we have Special Meeting. (York)
SO... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
How about if all of you out there reading this make a resolution to post a comment to let us know you visited????!!!!!!
I love blog hopping, and do know how difficult it is to sign someones blog when you don't even know who they are, so I understand. BUT I also realize it's a little rude (blogging etiquette?!) to check in on someone all the time, and not even let them know you were there. Right? SO, I'm trying to do better about saying hi when I drop in on someone. Do us a favor, and say hi to us! We'd love to meet you!

Resolutions:

A traditional New Years thing...

I've ignored the idea the last few years, but it kind of niggled at my conscious this last week. Last night at the table I asked the kids to think about it. I explained that what I was looking for was not just the "I want to do...I want to get" kind, but more the "What I can change kind". Does that make sense? Kaela actually got it right away, she said she wanted to work on "doing what Mommy told her to do". (No, I didn't prompt them!!) Kara said hers was to work on picking up and putting away behind herself, so she wouldn't have so many chores to do. Wow, smart girl! Wonder if she's been on my flylady website???

Morgen and Meshayla had a little more trouble with the whole thing, maybe that's an example of being child-like. Younger kids are more honest and open, the older we get the more we resist the idea of stating or even acknowledging to ourselves or others what we really know needs worked on.

My resolution is "Spiritual prosperity". It wasn't something that I'd thought about, and to be honest, I can't even say that it's something that I WANT to work on, the thought just came to me the other morning, and I realized that it was something I NEEDED.

I also realized that although I had acknowledged it to myself, I didn't really want to state it either. It didn't have anything to do with the idea of whether I'd be able to accomplish it or not, it's only the idea of baring our true feelings to others. Of being open. It leaves us with a feeling of being vulnerable. (& I don't really know to what!) Maybe similar to the idea of letting someone you don't know, know you were reading their blog??!!

So, once again, I'm wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope it's a wonderful one. Full of Life, Love & Laughter. And, the most important thing, Spiritual Prosperity, in what ever aspect that means for you.

The end of Christmas week...

- Ryan, Jana and Derek-

This was taken before Jana headed to Sidney to spend the rest of her vacation with her other sisters. I'm sure it will be a much calmer way to finish up her time at "home"!! I was really happy to get a picture of these three together tho, since it's unusual if it's more than a once a year occasion.

I was really happy with this picture. My camera is toast, so I'm using Jeanne's, which something is wrong with the light meter (or something!). In case you thought the former pictures I posted were horrible... well, you were right, but it wasn't really my fault. I can still get outdoor pictures, so until I can replace mine, I'll have to put up with it I guess.

All healed up!

This picture was taken a week after the sledding incident... wow, it's healed so quickly, and well! Probably given the fact that she was very good at keeping her med. on it, and not picking at it...(like I would have done at her age!)

Random pictures from Christmas week

In looking thru these pictures, I realize I got a picture of everyone that was there except for Jeanne! I don't know how I managed to do that, except I really didn't even set out to try and make sure I got everyone. Usually I don't. Maybe I'll manage to get some good pictures to post the first week in Jan when we get together to go to Gma Jane's. Ryan will be with us then also, and he wasn't in Sidney.

Plenty of food to keep us all happy... we didn't stress over it, cooking that is, I guess we all like to cook enough that it doesn't seem a very big deal. There's always new things we want to try, and old favorites that we "have to have"! Lynisha has lovely counter space, and a nice open kitchen, so we didn't feel secluded from the rest of the bunch.

Uncle Derek found a unique place to play peek-a-boo with Trey

Morgen's favorite pastime inside--getting anyone to play pool with him!

The house fairy brought toe socks for the girls last week, they were a big hit!

Trey enjoyed being pushed around the house by Kaela

On Monday we loaded up and went to Sidney to spend a couple days with Lynisha & Jim, & Jeanne. We took a pickup load of stuff out to Jeanne for her apartment, so it's looking a little more livable now!
It was fun to see Trey walking around, and sure enough, he did learn to walk & crawl the same week. He's pretty good at doing both now.
We had plenty to eat...games to play, as you could see, plenty of music & enjoyed being together. Relyssa's friend Emmett came over on Tuesday morning and spent the day with us all, then Wednesday morning she went back to his parents place in CO with him.
We enjoyed seeing snow when we woke up on Christmas day, they got more out west than here in Kearney. Seems like so many years lately it's been a "brown" Christmas, rather than white!

We had planned to head home Tues. eve, but with the snow and blowing we decided to wait till Wed. a.m. too. Nothing urgent we needed to be home for anyway.

Sunday morning

By Sunday morning her eye was nearly swollen shut, & part of her lip was swollen too. I think all the rest of us hurt to just look at her!

Keep that ice going girl! By Monday it was doing better, a thick scab had formed, & she was pretty good about keeping ointment on it & not picking at it. Today, a week later the scab just fell off, and I don't think there's going to be any sign of it when she goes back to school next week!

Sledding bruises

A great way to start off vacation... The kids had a sledding party with friends & cousins on Saturday the 22nd. Meshayla and Kara came home looking like this. Kara went flying off the sled & skidded on the icy snow on her face. When she first got home & came in, I thought someone was playing jokes... looked like a circle of paint. Soon tho we saw it was swelling, and I tried to get her to keep ice on it. Not an easy task when there's a house full of kids to play with.

School program- 1st graders

As I mentioned earlier, my camera is not working, I did manage to get one picture on it of Kaela's 1st grade class. Not good quality, but after years of taking pictures, I realize that usually a bad picture is better than none at all. The school puts on a great program every year, the teachers and kids work really hard from right after Thanksgiving. It lasts an hour, and all the kids have speaking parts, costumes, although usually very simple and sing quite a few songs. If I can figure out the phone camera thing, I'll post more later.

It's snow fun

Morgen talked dad into using the snowblower to blow the snow onto his igloo so he could make it bigger! What were those rings that "appeared" in peoples fields some years back?? makes our back yard look kinda funny now, but he's sure had fun with it. Now he's managed to tunnel thru

to meet his top opening. I asked him if he was going to have door's all around it, but he said that the others were just "false" doors!