Lovely Christmas Break

I LOVE the break week between Christmas and New Years... the problem is getting anything accomplished! Anika and Thor are both having sleep-overs, so it's just Liv, Lars and me... and I'm only getting in the shower at 11:00 a.m.!!

I'm getting obsessed with home improvement projects... I only have three in mind for the next month (well maybe 4 or 5...). I'm just not a patient person when it comes to projects. When I have formulated a plan -- and I know what needs to be done... I DO IT! I might let one or two of the projects wait until mid-February... but that is the latest.

For one thing... we have heard the "Word" ... "Be Prepared!" -- that means get stuff done now so that we are FREE to "do" when the Lord moves. I don't want to be messing around with getting my house in order when the Lord has some ministry for us to be doing... often our home is part of that ministry. Either way, having our home in order frees my mind up to be able to minister. I'm not sure what is coming -- I just know we are supposed to BE PREPARED!!

In other ways, winter is a great time for home-projects, because in the spring, summer and fall we want to be OUT enjoying life with our family. We are looking forward to a year with Dirk working from home and want to enjoy our Black Hills again -- lots of camping -- day trips to the lake -- hunting next fall for Dirk and Thor together... etc.

It's going to be an exciting 2011!!

Christmas Christmas... oh how we love you...

merry christmas dear friends and family

It's my favorite season of the year -- the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years -- even more important, CHRISTmas! We declined invitations to a few "corporate" type Christmas events... and we are not travelling for the holidays... we don't buy gifts for everyone in the family... Even with paring down our extra responsibilities we still have a little extra Season fun:
- Christmas Program for the Zion Preschool - Liv
- Christmas Program for the Zion School - Thor and Anika
- Dove Leadership Christmas Party at the Miller home - Dirk & Nancy (1/2 date night out... we still had Lars and got Devon to babysit the others)
- MOPS Christmas Party - Nancy
- MOPS Alumni Christmas Lunch at Bully' Blends - Nancy
- Zion School Parties - Liv, Thor & Anika
- Dove Mom's Coffee Brunch/Party - Nancy & Lars
- Dove Ladies Cookie Exchange Party - Nancy, Anika & Lars

The kids have been off from school starting this week, Monday, and I purposefully left all our holiday baking for these days off from school. Dirk is "on call" Thursday (23rd) and Friday (Xmas Eve) until noon -- but we are hoping to have some fun family time those days :) Friday night we will go to the Candlelight Service at Dove, then come home to open gifts... Saturday morning the kids will get an extra surprise: normally we don't do Christmas morning gifts of any kind... but Anika requested SOMETHING in her Christmas stocking (specially made by Grandma Annette)... and Dirk agreed -- there should be a candy cane or something in each stocking... So I found some extra-nice candy canes at Someone's In the Kitchen -- the extra big, handmade ones that come in fun flavors: mint for Dirk; rootbeer for Thor; Strawberry for the girls and Cherry for me! Lars will have to wait a year or two more for his! Then I went to Target and browsed the holiday isles... fun, but certainly not necessary... I didn't realize Christmas (candy) had become the new Easter (candy)??!! There were Christmas peeps... Christmas "bunnies" (acutally angels, or Santas, etc).... and all sorts of misc. treats. So I have decided the stockings will become our new "Easter baskets" -- with a few chocolate and candy treats. Not that we really need any more sweets...

No lefse made yet either... for those of you Scandinavian friends who might be wondering. Baby Lars has eaten up most of my extra time... we are hoping to get together with local friends to get a batch made sometime before the New Year. I am planning on making Almond Bars (super easy and YUMMMY white cookies with almonds and a frosting glaze); another batch of Pretzle Turtles; and possibly a batch of gingerbread cookies... I've already decided I'm not going to roll them though. I'm going to make the dough, make long logs from the dough, chill it, slice it, bake it ... frost them and let the kids "decorate" with the variety of sprinkles and other toppings we have left over from gingerbread houses (last year), etc. I'll let you know how that turns out. :) I really wanted to find the cheater-cookie dough that I've gotten the last couple of years -- sugar cookie dough that is rolled and pre-punched into Christmas shapes... Has anyone seen it around?? I've looked everywhere and can't find it this year?? (I know.... shocking that I'm not going TOTALLY homemade .... 4 kids will do that to ya)

I'm still working on the Christmas Card/picture... the photo is done... so it's just the "letter" portion to finish now. Hopefully I will get them MAILED before Christmas Day!! ha ha ha !!

We are a family of 6!!

I've been waiting 20 months to send out this news! Dirk is home from the WY project, and for the foreseeable future will be working from home (RC store)!! I should qualify this announcement with the disclaimer that he could accept another rental fleet project-offer, and be going "out" (who knows where?) in the future, depending on what is available... where... and for how long.

Dirk had actually called me last Tuesday to ask me if I was ready for him to come home. I knew he was planning on being home for the weekend... so didn't think much of his question. But then he started talking about logistics for getting the camper back to our house, among all the other work-related vehicles that needed to get back to Rapid City... and I got super excited!!

We decided not to tell the kids, or anyone really -- mostly because we have seen projects (customers) SAY they are done, and then drag things on and on for weeks. (If not months: remember New Mexico? He was supposed to be home in 4-6 months and ended up being there 9 months!)

So Saturday noon Dirk pulled into the yard with the red camper, and the kids went crazy. Anika said "Are we going camping?" -- so we had a little family meeting in the living room and Dirk got to tell the kids he gets to stay home for a while now. :)

Just to give you the "short" story on the "work" front for him: he has always worked for Butler Cat (18 yrs total) for the last 8 yrs - driving a Service Truck out to remote projects where heavy machinery needed repair or maintenance. 2 yrs ago when the economy slowed, there was almost no Field Work available in our area and a position in a different area of the company was available, in the Rental Fleet. He worked as a Project Manager for 2 different projects (NM and WY)over the last 20 months -- providing full maintenance for a fleet of rented (sometimes upwards of 50 machines) heavy machinery.

Now that he is back in Rapid City, he will go back to Field Work, at least as far as we can see for now. It is still good work, and keeps him plenty busy -- and the need for Field mechanics is back to "normal" for our area.

God has GREAT timing as far as I'm concerned!! With baby Lars and "life as usual" it is great to have THE DAD around and an active part of our daily routine! I know none of us are used to it yet -- tonight will actually be our first night of having him come home at the end of a work day!

I've totally forgotten how good it feels to have a parenting-partner back! Not to mention it's just really great to have HIM around! :)

Don't you just love how cuddly newborn babies are??

Lars Andrew Morrison officialy joined our family Thursday morning, September 3oth at 8;30(ish) AM! He was 7 lbs 8 oz. and 19 inches long, with dark brownish-blueish eyes, and short dark hair. He has a darker skin tone - more olive - like Anika and Dirk... and has the cutest little circle chin just like his daddy and great-grandpa Alf. After looking at all the family baby pics, we all agree he favors daddy Dirk most.

I'm moving extremely sssssssssssssssllllllllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww these days... not becuase I'm still recovering from the C-section (well, I guess technically I am, thought I feel super good).... but becuase having 4 kids and getting 2 hrs of sleep at night (and Dirk working out of town) has made for one tired mommy. Yesterday I think I was seeing the world cross-eyed all day.

So.... I'll post more -- and more pics... Just not today! :)

2 weeks left!

I need to learn to blog shorter entries -- but do them more often. It's a problem of mine. Once I start "talking" I never seem to stop....

So far September has been a good, but uneventful months...
Thor's new desk, in the front row, of the 5th grade room....


Anika's new desk in the 2nd grade room .... interestingly in the BACK row....

Anika's new discovery... texting.



To be fair -- she only text messages her dad over in WY ... and 99% of the time she says the exact same thing.
"Hi dad. This is Anika. I love you."

:)

Pregnant??

OK -- so I realize being "plus size" and pregnant it isn't always the most obvious thing in the world -- and I'm not offended when people don't recognize immediately that the belly is a baby bump... but at 8 months pregnant... to me, anyway, I think it's looking a little more obvious. Apparently not....

I was at Target the other day picking up a few baby supplies that I had coupons for -- and a couple of baby shower gifts. As I'm in the baby shampoo and lotion isle a young cute VERY pregnant mom and what I'm assuming was her mother came down the isle. They were commenting about too many choices for baby soap, etc. and the "grandma" figure asked me, "is someone you know having a baby soon," as she glanced in my cart full of baby diapers, lotions, soaps, bibs, etc.

I replied "Yes... me."

"oh! When is your due date?"

"The end of September"

"OOH!... (pause) Is this your first baby?"

"No, this is our 4th." (smiling)

"OOOOHHHH... (pause, again) Well then you must know about all this stuff.... " And the grandma proceeded to ask a few questions about what toiletries I preferred, if I had nursed any of my babies; did I have a good experience at the hospital here, etc.

We chatted nicely for a few more minutes. Then she finished with this comment as I was walking away with my cart...

"I should have realized you were pregnant, look at the size of your boobs!"

(really? it was my "boobs" that gave it away???)

This cannot be AUGUST already?!

OK -- so I'm usually the scoffer when it comes to people lamenting time flying too fast -- but I'm just not ready for it to be August yet!!! The kids start school in less than 21 days!

But we have had a great - full summer... Maybe it's the transition from relaxed casual summer days spent by the Sioux Park pool and wandering through Storybook Island to a mom of a 10 yr old who went away to sleep away Bible camp for 5 days, then a day-camp at STARBASE ....

To steal an idea from a good friend... so i don't forget what fun we HAVE been having... this is how the Morrison's squeeze every drop of summer fun we can....

MAY:
Traveled to Rosholt for Graduation party for Abel (my nephew)
Campout at Devil's tower - Memorial Weekend with great friends

JUNE:
Spend a 1/2 a week sleeping in and doing NOTHING
Too cold to swim... tried Reptile Gardens (also too cold?!!)
Kids went to VBS at Zion Lutheran Church
Spent a fun week with brother James and family here
Went to Watiki, the park, out to eat, etc.
"camped" in Casper WY with Dirk - Father's Day weekend
Took a day trip on the ATVs up the Piedmont Fire Trails
Found out we are having a baby BOY in September

JULY:
Went to Yellowstone Park w/ Dirk in "Red" (our camper :)
Stayed in Casper for 3 more days with Dirk
Thor went to Camp Hallawasa in Custer, SD
Hills Alive Music Festival
Holli & kids stayed w/ us for the weekend!
Went to Old McD's Farm for one more day of fun!
Thor went to STARBASE
Hosted the Morrison Family Reunion to celebrate
Dirk's parent's 40th Anniversary, Tori's 6th bday
and Thor's 10th bdday; went to Reptile Gardens,
Dino Museum, and the Spearfish Water Park
Started painting (hired a good friend) the interior walls of the house!!
top two floors are done!! Lower level to be tackled later!
Went to the pool ONCE!!

We will see what fun August will bring!