Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas Family Fun...

Morrison Family ChristmasChristmas Eve and Day were quiet but wonderful family days at our home. Funny how 12 years of marriage have changed the way we want to celebrate the Holidays!?

Our first Christmas together as the Dirk and Nancy Morrison family started out with more than 12 hours waiting (and a little flying) travelling from Colorado to Sioux Falls. Dirk promised to never travel over Christmas again...The next Christmas Dirk went skiing with a friend the early part of the day, then returned home to a very unhappy wife (hadn't started that way, just found out I didn't want to be ALONE on Christmas?!!)...

Now we can't imagine our family holiday time any other way, except home with our kids... experiencing the traditions ... creating memories... and a little extra spoiling with presents and fun Christmas Day!

Dirk took out the sleds and ATV... pulled Thor around the yard until there wasn't enough snow to pull the sled anymore! !Then he took Liv out for a "walking pull"... she liked being outside, but not the sled as much!

Moeller/Morrison Family Christmas
Saturday we spent the day at my parent's home with my brother Ted and his family. Before we opened gifts, Grandma wanted to hear some singing and reading. Anika sang "In a little Stable" and Thor read the Christmas Story from Luke 2.

Later we enjoyed a wonderful family evening skating at the Roosevelt Park Ice Area.
Anika was a little disappointed she couldn't skate better... as she skated/walked around the rink she was saying (out loud) to herself "I'm working hard today so I can skate better next time..." Abbie and Anna were great skaters too, especially for having only skated once before. Jan was the designated babysitter for Theo -- he was a very happy boy... watching, smiling and waving as we skated by... and waved to him through the glass.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Lefse Making Day!


Today is the DAY! Two years in the waiting...

I was WAY to tired last year to make lefse, the "cheater style" or the traditional style.

Cheater = using dried potato flakes, adding boiling water, cooling

Traditional = starting with raw potatoes: washing, peeling, cutting, boiling, mashing, rice-ing(special tool), cooling

3 children and WAY too many obligations put a lot of things on the "have-to-wait-list."

This year we are back to the usual family traditions: Christmas card, decorations on the tree (yes, last year it was only lights), lefse, rolled Christmas cookies, spritz cookies...

I love my friend Anne's comments:
"I think all non-Christmas activities should cease for the month of December so that families can really focus on each other and what this season is really all about. Just revel in some peace and meditate on Jesus. No cub scouts, no sports, no Awana, no small groups. Just family. Society doesn't have to go along with me, but that's how I plan to honor Christmas next December. A month-long Sabbath."

I WHOLE HEARTED-ly agree!! I'm with ya' Anne... next year we're going to take a December Sabbatical for the Morrison family too! Wonder what Dirk's boss will say when I tell him he can't go to work for the month? (just kidding, but a girl can wish can't she?)

Blessing and smiles to you all.
PS: for those of you who are wondering, since I mentioned Christmas cards, they are done... just not "posted" yet. They'll be in the mail soon... I just have to buy more stamps!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Sparrow Sat on an O-n-i-o-n...

A new Christmas Carol?

You might think so in our house...

Anika and I were singing
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
(don't know how to spell this part)
Prospero anyo e felicidad.

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas...
From the bottom of my heart


Dirk said "A Sparrow... and an Onion?"

So the song is forever ruined in our home. No one can sing it the right way... they sing "A sparrow sat on an onion, felicidad"

Sorry Spanish speaking people everywhere.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Is it Santa?


The phone rang the other day, and like most days after school, I have so many things going at once, that the kids "helped" by answering the phone. Anika picked up and said "Hello, this is Anika..."

The voice on the other end said, "Hello Anika, This is Santa. Have you been a good girl? What do you want for Christmas?"

Anika was polite, but rather unimpressed... I think she answered flatly, "No you're not."

The voice said, "Oh, yes... I am. Rudolph just got out of his pen and I have to get him back in." (scuffle sounds in the background)

"Mmm... Santa's not real." CLICK. (she hung up the phone!)

My brother James called right "back" and laughingly told me about his short but sweet conversation with Anika... and that she hung up on him. I saw her walking by, and asked who was calling when the phone rang.

She said "It was your brother, Jon. He said he was Santa... but it was your brother."

She's a little too smart for her own good!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Thanksgiving... and Gingerbread Houses!


Grandma Annette & Grandpa Justin came out to the hills the weekend before Thanksgiving for an extended visit, deer hunting and holiday shopping trip!! (you know who was doing the Christmas shopping!!) Since the Morrison Grandparents were going to be here a while, Grandma A came up with the idea of doing Gingerbread houses. Do you even have to ask? Yes, from scratch!

Thor remembered doing a gingerbread house when he was about 4... but Anika had never gotten to do one, especially not one whole house, just for herself!! Anika picked the regular house pattern, and Thor chose the "chalet" pattern... The baking went well... so Wednesday afternoon, we were ready to decorate!

I love having Grandma come to work on these projects... more helpful hands, more watchful eyes... works GREAT!! The kids LOVED the decorating part the best... and they hardly ate a single candy while they were working. Thor heard a few family secrets for Gingerbread house decorating (thanks Uncle Lance??!) so he filled his chimney with candy... to the TOP, then sealed it over with frosting so no daddy or grandpa's could "snitch" before the official "eating of the houses" begins (on Christmas day). This was all the decorating Miss Liv was allowed to do, but she loved giving her all!! This is Thor's finished chalet... and Anika's finished house!

I'm pretty sure this will be a tradition now... even if Grandma Annette isn't around! Good thing I got the recipe!

Thanksgiving Day was a lovely relaxing afternoon at Ted and Jan's in Hot Springs. (My brother and family.) Jan did the "big" dishes, we all helped with the sides and desserts. Dirk's parents were here to spend the holiday with the Moellers... rare shots of the big guy with his P's!
smiles....

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Anika's Very Healthy Heart

Yesterday we had our annual check-up with the Pediatric Cardiologist (heart doctor). I started this blog with the title, Anika's very healthy heart because I didn't want anyone to misunderstand the nature of our visit with Dr. Spangler. Nothing to worry about... just a very interesting lesson in how uniquely we are all built!

It's also amazing to me how many images you can pull up online -- I have great pictures of what Dr. Spangler showed me -- to illustrate why Anika's heart is a little different that the average heart. Dr. Spangler called it a "variation of normal."

This is a graphic of an average, normal heart. You cannot see the aortic valve (the part on Anika that is different than the average) because it is in the center of the heart. You can see the large red tubes above and below the heart that are the aorta (descending and arch). These send blood out to the body.

This is a cross-section view of the aortic valve in the average human. It has 3 sections which open and close as the heart beats to allow the blood to flow through. This graphic shows a "bicuspid valve," you can see the comparison with the normal 3 sections and the variation with 2 sections.

Anika had a heart "murmur" detected when she was 18 months old. Our pediatrician's office has a cardiac specialist on staff, Dr. Spangler, who was brought over to evaluate immediately. He agreed there was a murmur, and Anika was schedule for an echo cardiogram (like an ultra sound of her heart). Since she was so young (little!) it was hard for them to see exactly what was going on... but he did determine that the odd sound (the murmur) was coming from her aortic valve. There was a sloshing sound in her heart beat which meant there might have been some leaking in the valve. He felt she probably had a bicuspid valve -- because the 2 flaps don't close as completely as a 3 valved aortic valve -- therefore are not as efficient, and sometime allow blood to flow back. This would have been the source of the "murmur." In text book cases of bicuspid valves there are other risk factors, tightening of the valve and eventually needing surgery to replace the valve completely.

Anika did not fit any of the risk-factor symptoms, so he told us not to worry. He did want to keep a close watch on her heart as she grew, so that if any complications did come up, we would be aware of the possibilities. Anika has never shown any signs of having a stressed heart, or any other health issues outside of the occasional cold and crud.

At the appointment yesterday Dr. Spangler had another echo cardiogram done, and since Anika was older this time (5 1/2 years) they could see the valve much better. I guess when she was 18 months old the valve was so small it was hard to "read" ... now it's just about as big as the tip of a pencil eraser!! They were able to get very good pictures of the valve... which gave us a clearer diagnosis.

Anika actually does have a 3 valved aortic valve... but it's not equally divided between the 3 sections. One section is quite large, the other two, together are not as big as the 1st section. There might possibly be some fusing between the two smaller valves, but either way it is not causing problems in the function of the valve. Her aortic valve is functioning very well -- almost no leaking, and no other complicating symptoms, like tightening. He mentioned that in young children there is often occasional leaking in various valves, hers is no greater than the average child with an average heart/valve.

GREAT NEWS!!

So the last little big of news from our meeting with the doctor is that she has unusual arteries coming out of her aorta. In this picture you can see the red arteries going vertically down the heart. In the average human heart, there are two arteries coming out to feed the right and left ventricles of the heart.

Anika has 3! She has 3 separate arteries that flow out of her aorta, 2 on left(?) side, 1 on the right(or vise versa). Dr. Spangler said this is a variation of normal as well -- but certainly not a negative variation... actually a better variation. She will have a stronger, more continual flow of blood around her heart for the rest of her life!

Anika will still get to visit with Dr. Spangler about every 3 years while she is growing up. She is still in the very low risk factor category, and has no limitations physically or medically. Yeah!!

Anika did such a good job listening and cooperating at Dr. Spangler's office, he gave her the "Best Patient of the Month" award -- a cute little "gingerbread" Boyd's Bear! She was quite tickled, and hasn't let go of her bear yet!!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Anika can you spell "s-n-o-w?"


Yes!! Winter is officially here in South Dakota. We had 70+ degree days on Monday and Tuesday. Thursday morning we have awoken to 5-8 inches of snow!!

It's not just snow... it's heavy, wet, sticky snow... and 70 mile per hour winds. I guess this is officially a blizzard! The roads, perhaps, would not have been terribly dangerous... but the visibility sure is! The Interstate is closed from Wyoming to Wall. Perhaps even further by now. I heard the storm is expected on the eastern side of the state this evening.


Dirk got a call at 6 a.m. telling him to stay home. This kids only had school until 11:15 a.m., needless to say that was cancelled also. We made waffles for breakfast... with the usual topping: maple syrup, peanut butter, sliced bananas and whipped cream (in that order). The kids wanted OUT in the snow immediately. We dug out last years snow pants, and gear. (BTW Thor will need a NEW pair of snow pants ASAP!!) By the time I got Thor, Anika and Liv dressed and out the door... found my own coat and boots... Liv was ready to come back in!



After lunch and mid-day naps, we headed out into the snow again. The temps are very nice... but the wind is ferocious. Our house faces an east-north-ish direction so we have been partially blocked from some of the wind. If the kids stay right in front of the garage door, it's actually fun to play for quite a while.

Thor is actually still going strong, just over 2 hours outside now! Dirk is blowing and shoveling the drive/walks, etc. If we get a hard freeze tonight, there won't be any moving of this snow!!

You can tell from the photos, it's still coming down pretty good. It just feels gray outside, from all the blowing snow. Dirk got the sleds/toboggan out for the kids. We have sort of a ramp shape from the drifts in the front yard. Thor and Dirk discovered if they started the sleds out there, they could slide all the way across our yard, nearly across the street to the neighbors house!

Can you see the snowflakes on Liv's eyelashes?

Friday, October 31, 2008

Hollering for the moose...

I learned two things this week.

"Hollering for the moose" is Norwegian slang for spending the night pucking.

We have spent too much time hollering for the moose at our house this week.

I think we're over the hump now.


"Moose, king of the woods."

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pumpkin Spice Latte, good enough to turn your "Fall" into an "Autumn"



Thor enjoying a sunny Autumn day... playing football outside with dad.

Anika... always ready to "play model."

Liv doesn't get it... but she is cute anyway!

After getting home from the wedding I'm finding myself sinking deeper into the "pit" of not being able to get everything done each week!! And with the holidays (the REAL ones, not Halloween...) approaching, I have SO MUCH more I want to do...

If I don't make a plan, it will be a repeat of last year ... no Christmas letter, very little holiday baking, very little decorating... and worst of all ... NO LEFSE!

I really like the Family Fun website and magazine. I've gotten some very good ideas there... I'm going to share my newest inspirations, even before I use them. Maybe someone out there will help keep me accountable?

Great Idea #1: Weekly Family Menu
Actually, I've been doing this for 2 weeks now, and it really works for me. I have blank "menu" for the 3 meals each day, for 1 week. In each meal I have a color coded spot for Whole Grain (yellow); Protein (brown); Veggie (green); Fruit (red). For those of you who know me, I am NOT a detail oriented person (maybe Dirk is rubbing off on me?). I guess I need the ultra-organized shopping list.

Since Thor and Anika have started school, and taking cold lunch 4-5 times a week, if I don't plan ahead for EVERY meal, we run out of food after 3 days!! I just cannot run back to the grocery store 3 times a week... or we really will spend our whole budget on groceries every month!

I sit down on Sunday afternoons, fill in my Menu, adding thing to my grocery list as I go. It has helped reduce the amount of impulse purchases... I guess knowing what we are doing for each meal helps me be assured we won't need the optional extras?! Whatever I'm doing must be working. My last two grocery bills were each $50 less than the previous 6-8 weeks!!

Great Idea #2: Packing for a Family of 5
I know I will use this idea when we go camping next summer!! Instead of packing a duffel for each family member... laying pants, tops, undies, etc. The idea is to pack each days clothes (per person) in a plastic grocery bag, including undies and socks. Then, when you are at your destination, each person finds their handy bag, and is ready to go... for the girls, I'll probably even add the "hair pretties!"

I really like this idea for holiday trips to visit the grandparents. We usually spend our holiday time "house hopping"... and I get very tired of re-organizing clean/dirty clothes, especially if we have to go to more than 2 homes/hotels on our trip. Dirk hates having to bring in 13 bags just to stay over 1 night... I totally AGREE! This would make mid-trip reorganizing much easier!!


Great Idea #3: Family Holiday Organizer
This is posted on the Family Fun website, if anyone is interested! I LOVED the cute pre-made forms -- ready to print. Go to www.familyfun.com then, Holiday & Seasonal, then Ann's Amazing Holiday Planner!
Her basic idea is to start a 3-ring binder with divider tabs for each family holiday, birthday, etc. In each section, you can make (or use her pre-made ones) organizing forms, lists, calendars, assignment sheets, etc. She also includes a side-zip plastic pockets, so you can save "hard copies" of inspirational items or anything that won't fit in by being "hole-punched."
Not only do I love this idea for the (hopefully) organizational advantages, but also for great family memories!
I already printed out this adorable planner-page for Thanksgiving! Gets me excited already!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Bethany & Chris... the BIG DAY!!


Congratulations to Chris and Bethany Fletcher... the newest bride and groom in the Moeller extended family!
There are so many details of the weekend, I don't know if I can remember everything... but here are a few of the highlights!
- Supper Thursday night, most of the family together
- Bridal Brunch Friday morning for Bethany, Moeller girls and the bridesmaids
- Decorating the community center Friday PM
- Decorating the CAKE Friday PM
- Rehearsal Friday PM (thankfully the kids didn't have to go!)

- Hair appointments Saturday morning

- Dressing at the church, Photos in the early PM - 3:00 p.m. THE WEDDING!!
- 4:30 p.m. The Reception - a great meal, great slide show and lots of fun!
- 7:00 p.m. Start the Clean UP!!
- 10:00 p.m. Finish the clean up!! Send Bride and Groom off to the Honeymoon!

It was a wonderful, but BUSY weekend... We love Chris, and have a new appreciation for who he is after meeting his family. We love them too!! By the way, Chris and his dad look like a TWINS, not father and son??!! If you overlook the slightly greying hair...(his dad, not Chris).

I really don't have many photos at all... I'll have to wait and blog again when Wendy, the family photographer sends me her pics. She has the only one taken of our Morrison 5 all together, and dressed up for the day.

Here is the cake, finally finished and ready to be served. Unfortunately the photo does pick up the slight "squish" on the left side of lowest level of the cake. It had a slight lean, that was actually less noticeable in real life.

This was the top section, with their Monogram, CFB,
There were 5 sections to the cake, with 2 layers in each section (plus a separate small double layer Birthday cake for the mother of the groom). The cakes travelled perfectly from our house to Rosholt. Freezing was a definite help. So, other than having to have my oven repaired the DAY I wanted to start baking, the rest of the procedure was a breeze!!

Dad did the "fancy" work on the cake... I love his grapevine on the lowest level. I did the assembly, base frosting and frosting pearls between each layer. We "budgeted" about 2 hours for the assembly and decorating... obviously we have not done this in a while. Reality hit us at about the 3rd hour... but really, it was only about 3 1/2 hours from start to finish. (not the baking of course).

Last but not least, the lovely bride and groom. This isn't the best picture of Bethany, but it does show off her dress neckline, and gorgeous bouquet! LOVE those roses!!