Everything is buried and getting more buried everyday. I got the ladder out and cleared the snow from the small flat roof over part of the kitchen and then almost 1/2 off the garage the next day. My back, arms, and hands hurt today, so the snow will have to wait. It is heavy and deep. I don't remember ever having this much snow in my lifetime. I know we set some sort of record for the amount in December.
This is what happens when your 10 year old hands you a ziploc bag full of Chex and chocolate mix that she swears she closed correctly. I flipped it over to shake the coating and boom.....it all fell out. My sweats and shirt were covered and the cabinet, counter and floor. What a mess....I shall never believe anyone who hands me a bag and says its closed. I will double check. This is even after we had cleaned a bit up.
Read this with Cenny, loved it. I cried.
She tried too hard, didn't like it.
Very interesting.
A book I won, not bad.
David won this, it was good.
Very motivational, the author sent this to me. I feel like getting out there and doing something.
JT getting ready to sing for his Christmas program at school.
Cenny at her program, I begged them both to wear something more appropriate and to curl her hair. She has a beautiful Christmas dress(it is cold here, not really spring dress time). JT on the other hand had no clean clothes in his room, I need to stop believing him when he tells me he has done his laundry.Merry Christmas 2010
2010 has been a nonstop extra hot great thrill fest, just like Clash of the Titans but in 100% 3D, not a cheap looking after thought.
Finally, this will be the last year Gunnar will be lazing around the house – he is finally a senior and has done just enough (he is the goldilocks of school effort) to ensure some college, somewhere, will accept him. Yeah for BYU Idaho and its 97% acceptance rate!! Gunnar rocks the tuba (though he did learn that it isn’t really heavy metal), sings bass in the choir and Austinaires (think Glee without the budget), and holds office in several organizations (Knowledge Bowl team, Physic’s club, Drama club, and DECA) and he has the Obama to swear he isn’t a nerd. He had the lead in the High School musical (Once upon a mattress), a lead in the local community play (Hormel Girls), and a large part (with song solo) in the community theatre performance of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. He also managed to win the County fair talent contest singing Live Like You Are Dying (Tim McGraw). His greatest accomplishment of the year was learning that 2 cups of peanut butter is not the same thing as two jars.
Qatar finally made it high school this year. He decided to try cross country this year and it all went fine until the weather got cold. After seeing him practically collapse on the course we learned (Yeah Mayo Clinic) that he has Asthma and several allergies. We hope to have that all under control by next year. On the plus side he is finally starting to grow taller among other things (yelling at the dinner table “I’ll show you who has got hair” and then exposing his underarms to everyone – priceless and lucky, could have gone a whole different direction). Qatar was also in the same two musicals that Gunnar was, the highlight being the lead actress ripping his pants off in one scene. He also plays tenor sax, in the drama club, and participates in the choir.
Ezekiel made it to middle school and is obsessed with his grades. That is our reward for the other boys. Unfortunately his GPA has been tarnished by one class he just can’t study for – PE (Zeke doesn’t deny he is a nerd – he owns it) He plays percussion in the band and piano in the school jazz band. He was in the kid’s choir for Joseph and played wolf #1 in the middle school production of Jungle Book. His Math Masters team won second place in regions and he loves seeing his name on the plaque, hanging at school. At the rate he is going I fully expect Zeke to be 6 foot tall by this time next year!
Cenneidigh is in the 5th grade (think Mean Girls: The Early Years). She’s a member of the Banfield choir, student counsel, chess club, lego club and plays flute in the band. She’s still taking piano lessons and getting better every day. She performed in several musicals this year and loves to be with her friends, talking, shopping and making crafts. She came in second in the geography bee at Banfield this month by virtue of the fact she knew where the Aleutian Islands are. Here cranky diva-ness comes out more and more everyday – I am sure that she will be over that by the time she hits high school J That is our Karma for the 4 boys.
JT’s in 3rd grade and he is a handful, in every sense of the word. There is a certain joy and pride to be found in a child with quickest wit I have seen in a long time, but we also have to live with it, so call it even. He has also started piano, but adamantly refused to be in any musicals (he figures he will just hang out until high school and just walk on to Austinaires – just like Uncle Steven did. He bowls every Saturday and now wants his own bowling ball (next he will start drinking root beer). He also joined in the dinner table/hair discussion by ripping off his shirt and running his fingers through his chest hair saying, “You can’t see it because it’s blond.”
Lisa is working as a substitute teacher again (cue the Van Halen) and as your local H&R Block tax preparer. She attempted to beat David in the annual books read totals, but failed miserable with only a measly 150 read, some of them didn’t involve sexy vampires. Lisa celebrated her 40th birthday by jumping out of a plane (it only took her a year to do it). Loved it so much it will become an annual event for those of you who care to join in. On the downside we all get to hear how she just can’t gain weight even though she really tries – tragic. She also generously supported the local music program all by herself – because she is a giver, unlike David who is a stingy (child without a known father).
David’s work group got transferred to the corporate law department so he’s practically a lawyer now (without all that book learning or school debt). Actually having a good job in a large law department is better than 67% of all law school grads. Met his goal of reading more books than Lisa, and started a book review blog with Lisa ( www.bookhimdanno.blogspot.com.) So far we have received 7 free books from publishers to review in the last two months – so ulterior motive accomplished.
Parker the Poodle is 3% less annoying this year, and at least one time Rick came over and he DIDN’T pee himself.
Love the Peters – David, Lisa, Gunnar, Qatar, Zeke, Cenny, JT, and Parker
Making luminaries out of cans filled with ice.
The holy family, their little girl kept running into the scene and asking her mother questions.
The three kings bringing gifts.
JT and Cenny making stars. Each store had a craft and then a story to go with it, they sent home with you.
JT found a costume to wear and was very excited to find a job in the luminary shop.
Ezekiel found a friend at the entrance when we were signing in to be counted in the census. He dashed off and was dressed for the evening. Cenny was able to dress like an angel. The original date was cancelled for snow and so they only had portions of what was originally planned. It was a fun evening off music and centered on Christ. They had stores(all free) in classrooms for you to make a star, luminary, clay pot, a photo for the family, bread, cocoa, apple cider and the aromatherapy store to smell the gifts from the three kings. We missed the living nativity since they were planned for the cancelled date. It was a great night to remember the real meaning of Christmas. This was at the Bethlehem Free church in town and I look forward to attending next year.
He climbed up to get to the kids.
Running around with JT and Parker
Qatar, JT and Parker having fun in the snow. Parker was white when he came in and then he shook and the kitchen floor was now white. We have so much snow, church was cancelled along with everything else for two days.
Gunnar is officially going to college, he was accepted to BYU-Idaho and now we are waiting to hear from BYU-Provo. He would rather attend Provo, but college is college and I'm proud of him. Wow, I'm old, a kid in college soon(I can make practically anything about me.)
I was filling out the application to join the boosters. Lots of kids in all the music programs demands attention. I wasn't sure if I wanted our name in the program so I left that part blank. I thought maybe they would just put nothing or anonymous(I always tell my kids when they asked that that is us .) Well since I filled out the form, the program last night announced Lisa Peters as a donor. My little jobs are nice, but not much money. So it only goes so far, David likes to tease me and say that I must think my income is like the loaves and fishes(grows to fill the need.) Oh well I'm the generous one, right?
JT took up bowling with a friend of his, he bowls every Saturday. He now wants his own bowling ball, he's sure it will improve his score. He has a cool shirt and patches for the games he has made higher points. Cenny is going to join at the start of the year. They really enjoy it.
A good thriller.
About the life of a pianist, very interesting.
Great story for anyone, more about the Greek Gods as compared to the Roman Gods.
So scary, keeping things and living in small hallways and not even a place to sit down.ST. PAUL – Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer is expected to formally end his bid for governor today and concede the election to Democrat Mark Dayton.
The Associated Press is reporting that an official with knowledge of the decision said Emmer planned to make a public announcement today from his home in Delano. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak ahead of an official announcement.
Emmer trails Dayton by nearly 9,000 ballots, despite a hand recount of ballots that resulted in Emmer challenging hundreds of cast ballots in what was deemed by election judges as "frivolous" challenges. Emmer withdrew his challenges to most of those ballots this week.
The state canvassing board meets this afternoon to finalize the election results.
If Dayton, 63, is confirmed the winner, he will be sworn into office Jan. 3.
I may not be able to afford to live here soon.
I made the mistake of listening to sad country music and I have to tell you, time is so fleeting. I look back and thought I would be stuck with babies, diapers, and no time for anything else. WOW.....Where did it all go. Gunnar is 17 and he was just starting to pull up on the furniture yesterday. It makes me cry to think about how fast the kids have grown, I think this is part of having a senior(at least I hope it is and I'm feeling better when he goes off to college and loves it.) 
I got this for Parker for Christmas. I was wrapping presents yesterday, he was watching me and saw this come out of the bag. I put it on the coffee table and took care of a few other things. He sniffed and sniffed and then tried to pull it off the table. I told him 'no' and he put his head on the top of the toy and whined. He's as bad as the kids. I picked it up and wrapped it. He then sniffed the wrapped packages and found it. He laid next to it and started to whine again. I picked it up and took it upstairs. Sorry buddy, but everyone needs to wait for Christmas.
Banfield hosts the Austinaires each year and this year Cenneidigh was in the Banfield choir(like Zeke was last year.)The two choirs sang together and each did their own numbers. It was a fun evening and short. Merry Christmas!!!
I hate when the government gets involved in anything, it gets expensive and full of paper work. This year I needed to apply for a new PTIN to do taxes. I have one and now need another because they decided to charge 65 dollars for them now. Also I have to take a test sometime before 2013 to see if I have the basic knowledge to do taxes. It will also have a charge and then I will need CEU's to keep it, which will also have a charge. The government gets involved and everything gets move expensive and time consuming.
