This one is for you baby...

Mom's don't usually have a lot of pictures of themselves... because we are always the ones TAKING the pictures... but these older and newer shots are for my sweetie.

Love you...

Love having a family with you...

Love making a home with you...


love adventures big and small with you...


Love sharing LIFE with you!!



smiles
your girl

Selfish...

yes... I know I'm selfish... there are so many other families that spend long stretches of time away from dad/husband. Today I just don't care.
I blessed to have a husband who loves me and wants to spend time with me. We are all blessed that Dirk has a job he loves, and steady work with great pay and benifits.
I love him for wanting to have a fun advetursome family.
Today... I just want to see him IN PERSON... I miss you baby.
love ya.
me.

Another Season of Hockey... finished!

Thor's gold medal, presented after his last game, Sunday night, March 8th. "Face-Off at the Thunderdome!"
Thor got a late start in hockey this year... partially due to family schedules last fall... partially to wait until after his eye surgery. Even so, it was a fun family adventure every weekend... watching and cheering Thor and the team of Rushmore Thunder Black (squad) Mites!!



We could tell Thor was not "in shape" in January and early February... but he really did enjoy every minute on the ice. He also bumped UP a level in the league, and was now playing with mostly older kids vs. mostly younger kids last year. The coaches are great, and continually encourage the teams. This year it was fun to see the Mites (age group) grow in participation, to the point that they had a full squad of PINK-Girls!! Anika's 2nd favorite team, of course!! They were fun to watch, and ended the year winning just as much as any of the full-boy teams... having played only full-boy teams!

The hardest part about watching the Rushmore Mites(7-10 yrs olds) play in the tournaments is lack of State-wide guidelines ... each town makes their own divisions of age groups until they hit the upper levels of play (middle school age, 12 and up). So our "C" level... or "mites" can be very different from what another community. Thor's Black squad only played one out-of-town team this past weekend, the Pierre Capitols... and it REALLY got hard to watch. They had 5 goals before the end of the first quarter... then stopped keeping track of the goals... Thor's team never did manage to get a goal. The coach from Pierre was obviously guiding his players to play less aggressively, once they realized the level of skills for our boys... which was very sportsman like... but it was still hard to watch the kids get so discouraged. Thor was pretty upset after the game, and I don't blame him. He pulled himself out of the "funk"... and I helped him to focus on the fun we were going to have the rest of the time... his Morrison grandparents and aunt were visiting... and we had a fun day planned with them. They loved being able to see Thor play. Just too bad it had to be THAT game!

Sunday night's game they played the Blue Squad. They were probably our best squad of boys... and Thor's team played the best they have all season. They were ahead, 2 to 0 for the first period, then tied 4 to 4 in the 2nd... then lost by 1 point in the end! Thor usually plays defensive, and was really getting good and taking the puck away from the other team. He's just about the tallest kid out there, so size is on his side!!

I just have to tell you about the goalie on his team. He's the youngest kid on the team... turned 7 just in time to make the "cut-off" for the squad... They don't normally play goalies... so no one on the team had any practice... until the tournament weekend. They suit up in full (kid-style) goalie gear... and look like they can hardly move... but really, they do pretty good.

Anyway... Ethan was goalie for Sat and Sunday's games. His first experience was against Pierre... He stopped at LEAST 10 shots... and even caught an elevated puck in his mit!! It was incredible... No one could believe it, even the ref. He kept looking for the puck, assuming it had been a score, until Ethan gave him the puck from his glove!! Pretty cool!! Ethan did a great job Sunday night too... I think he is HOOKED!

Thor said next year he doesn't want to do football... just hockey! I guess he is "hooked" too!

Most Important Conversation... ever!!

Anika - Christmas 2005 (2 years old).... Seems like just yesterday!!


Anika today:


Riding in the car is THE PLACE for "eternal conversations!?" Who Knew??

Anika was watching a "Bibleman" DVD in the middle seat of the Suburban on the way home from hockey practice tonight. Bibleman quotes lots of verses as he "fights" the bad guys. He quoted John 3:16. Anika said "That is MY verse" (because she memorized that particular verse for her classes presentation in Chapel at school about a month ago).

She starts saying the verse to herself...

"Mom what does 'perish' mean?"

"It means to die."

"Mom, am I going to have eternal life?"

Thor says "Not if you haven't asked Jesus into your heart"

I add, "Well... have you asked Jesus to be your Savior?"

"Mom... he is EVERYONEs Savior."

"Yes, but have you asked Him to forgive your sin? Have you asked Jesus into your life? Have you asked Jesus into your heart?"

"I'll ask him... (I could hear her folding her hands and starting to talk to Him...) He said 'Yes."

Thor and I both got excited for her... I told her the angels in heaven were having a party for her... because she had grown up enough to know that SHE needed Jesus!!

"Anika, now you can be baptized"

"No mom, I don't want to... I'm not big enough."

"Yes, honey.. when you are old enough to pray to Jesus by yourself and ask Him to forgive your sins, you are old enough to be baptized."

"But... do I have to do it THIS Sunday?"

"No... just when you are ready, when Jesus tells you it's time."

"Well, mom... do I have to open my eyes when I'm under the water?"

"No, honey... your under the water for such or short time... just a quick dunk and then you are 'Up."

"But mom... I WANT to open my eyes... I want to see what is going on down there?!"

To be continued...(we'll talk with daddy first, then let her decide when she wants to be baptized).

Home Stuff...

Day two... going great (except we do miss dad/Dirk!)

A few things are going on...


Anika has her fist loose tooth! One of the center bottom teeth (of course)... she can wiggle it a few millimeters back and forth. She is excited to be in the next phase of life -- Mom was happy keeping a "little" girl -- c'est la vive!

Thor is learning to use the digital camera...
loves to take pics of whatever is closest. These shots were taken on the way home from church Sunday. We cut his hair about a week ago... MUCH needed trim.... He likes the long-shaggy look which is OK to a point... but when he can't see without shaking his hair off his eyes, it's time to WHACK IT OFF. He looks handsome either way, don't ya think?

I just tucked the girls into bed for the night... said our prayers, hugs and kisses...



This one is from last week:

Dirk and Liv were cuddling... so sweet, just had to try to get a shot. It's kinda hard to get a nice pic when the room is all dark and a super bright flash gets ya... but they did pretty good.

Miss you daddy!

Dirk's BIG Change... we're going to miss him!!!

I've been procrastinating putting our lates family "news" on our blog... Not that it's bad news... just a big change for our family. It's all happened so quick... with a lot of little details. I'll try to hit just the highlights to catch you all up!

Dirk works for the local Cat dealership, and for the past 6 1/2 years was doing service and maintenace work on heavy machinery for a customer in Belle Fourche. Earlier this month there were some rumors going around that the recession effects were heading 'our way'... In one week the customer lost 3/4 of his contracted work. The contracts should be re-opened in 60-90 days. In the meanwhile, the customer cannot afford to keep a full-time Cat service tech. He was "released" on Wednesday, February 4th. He spent the next week wrapping up the loose ends for the customer, finishing paperwork, etc.

Dirk knew the prospects were dwindling for work locally... and put his "name in" for other work available through his shop. As the week progressed, we heard about layoffs at nearby Cat dealers (other states)... and just plain "slow" times here in the Hills. There is work through the company, just not jobs they can do and still get home at night to thier families.

We got word on Friday he was chosen for a short-term project in Grants, New Mexico. This job is still with the local Cat dealer (Butler) but a different division of the company (the Rental Fleet). He worked in that division from 1995-1999 (while we lived in Colorado).

In the meanwhile, we had a mini-vacation planned. Over President's Day weekend my brother James and family visited from Rosholt... the kids got to go skiing, we had lots of family meals together, did some girl-outings (shopping, coffee, etc)... basically had a great mid-winter break! Dad(Alan) celebrated his 82nd birthday on February 15th -- we had a BIG Moeller party starting at the "Golden Phoneix" (Chinese) and ending at my place. Even Maddie and Mark were able to be out here for the party! We were 21 Moellers! My house seems smaller and smaller all the time?!

On Monday we heard Dirk would be needed in New Mexico by the coming Monday! WOW, lots of planning, packing and shopping to be done before he could leave! Dirk decided to take most of the week as "flex hours"... packing and etc. during the day while the kids are in school, and spending lots of quality time with them in the afternoons and evenings.

We had a sit-down talk with the kids... showed them the map so they could see where Dirk would be... talked about what it means for dad to be so far away... not able to be home on weekends... perhaps not home until summer...

Dirk and I decided previously that we could plan at least 1 or 2 weekends to meet in Denver -- mostly likely over Easter, and perhaps another time if we are all getting too lonely for each other. Once school is out, if the contract/job is not finished, the kids and I will plan to go down and stay in NM with Dirk as long as possible. It will likely be a very different summer for us!? The Grand Canyon is about 5 hours away... we talked about some different ideas for getting away together on the weekends if we spend some of the summer down there.

We are enjoying a family-centered week together... and frankly just aren't thinking about what it will be like when he is gone. But it is TEMPORARY work... we know God is providing for our family, not matter who Dirk works for... God is still his 1st Boss!

We've gotten a lot of questions from family and friends
- He is travelling down in a Bulter truck, but is also pulling our camper mostly to have room for more 'personal' stuff... and also to have the option of going camping down there if we all are there for some of the summer
- Bulter already has a rental house ready for him to live in, he will be living out of that home while he is working
- We have web-cams set up so the kids and I can chat and see Dirk ... probably have a pre-bedtime "date" set each night so the kids can talk with Dad, pray together, etc.
-

Gladys & Ellen (the show) on You Tube!!

I think I laughed until I couldn't laugh anymore!!

Supposedly this is completely real, and knowing a few 88 year old myself, I'm inclined to think it could be... but then again, Gladys sounds an awfully lot like a female version of Larry the Cable Guy... just not a potty mouth!

Anyway, if you haven't heard it yet, go to You Tube and do a search for "I Love Jesus but I Drink a Little." Yep, that is right.... I can't explain, just go and listen for yourself...

smiles
N