christmas at the Biers'

Here's a shot from the Biers family lingerie party we threw Shari and Jesse for their upcoming wedding. Her first gift was 7 pairs of size 4T Thomas the Tank Engine underwear...

Ha ha. Okay, those where Shari's gift to Noah but I just couldn't help myself b/c of the way this photo turned out =)

At the Biers', the opening gifts frenzy takes place on Christmas morning after breakfast in the computer room where the tree is. Obviously, this was Jesse's first year but they're ahead of Terry and I. I came to my first Christmas there when we were only dating... I also seem to remember giving away pictures of the two of us to family that year as well. Again, not engaged, just dating. For goodness sakes. We were so silly.

So anyway, we had the traditional opening prayer, on camera (b/c everything is always filmed =) ), and then someone hands out gifts intermittently. This year it was Terry. There doesn't seem to be a one-person-at-a-time rule like at my house. A couple people are usually opening at the same time. It was good fun.

Here is Evie checking out her new book about 100 words/pictures.

Noah is thanking Gramma for a gift.


Watching Noah opening.

It turned out to be a travel sketch board thing. A Doodle Pad from Shari.

Evie got her first teddy bear and Wells Fargo horse...=)

We have it on camera so I know at this point when we started taking pictures of the two of them w/a baby, Shari said, "Yeah, b/c this is what we want people to think."

Again in Shari's words, "Jesse is fond of Evie." Well, Evie is fond of him too I think.

We were playing Pass the Baby b/c it was her nap time.

He's officially one of us now. =)

Grampa showing Noah how to run his new remote control car thing.

Apparently Jesse was all worn out from his first exposure. Sorry Jesse, I just had to include this!

another special "gift..."

See that left hand? Yeah, that's right. Shari is engaged!!! Of course, to be fair, Jesse is engaged too. But come one, Shari is engaged!!!

We got home Friday Dec 19th w/frigid subzero temperatures. Shari was somewhat worried that Jesse would keep her in suspense for night after night but he popped the question the second night we were there - the 20th (obviously, she knew this was coming...). So, he faked her out a little bit and convinced her that they were only eating dinner at Minerva's that night. But when the waitress led them back to a private, quiet, candle-lit room, she got excited and for good reason. Jesse had a photo book made that chronicled their lives up to that point and then asked her. When he took out the ring, I seem to remember that she took off her purity ring and chucked it across the table. Ah, that's so Shari. =)

So, they're engaged and are well under way in their wedding plans. Look out July for the Herringtons. Shari Herrington... How AWESOME does that sound?!

Congratulations you two!

the special gift

Yep, there it is. Terry got me a sapphire ring! The man likes to go big!

I'd previously mentioned to Terry a few times that I'd always wanted a sapphire ring since it's my birthstone. I just never thought he would do it so soon in our marriage! I was pleasantly surprised.

It went down like this: I opened a small little note that had rhyming instructions about how this was going to be like my birthday - a scavenger hunt. The first clue led me to a ornament on the tree and then to the deer head and then to my purse. There was a really sweet note that I quite enjoyed and the pretty little wrapped box.

Now, the ring above is actually a second one... The one I opened looked much like my engagement ring - round and about the same size. I really liked it, but he said we could go look if I wanted. I just happened to find something that I liked more. =) I LOVE this ring!!! I wanted something a little different but still simple - it's an emerald cut. I tried on some w/bling (little diamonds) but it just looked so weird on my funny-looking-wrinkly-freakishly-long fingers. I LOVE THIS RING! And of course, I LOVE the giver!

Thank you Terry! I'll get you a chain so you can wear it too (He says he's jealous and wants a sapphire too =)).

Christmas at my house

Christmas at my house. Hmmm, what to say. The only real tradition we have is that we take turns opening presents after dinner, which I love. I loved it even as a kid. You know, you sooooo look forward to opening gifts and by doing it this way (w/all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents) it was bound to last a couple hours.

<-- That's my parent's living room. Quite cozy. Notice the deer head? It's decorated too. =) That dog bed was Noah's bed/play area for movie watching fun. He watched quite a few movies due to the subzero temperatures...

So, first we ate ham for dinner and then cleaned up. We proceeded sit down in the crowded living room to open presents the traditional way. We may have to change it until the kids are older though. Evie was past her melting point and Noah was sick...

Evie checking out a ribbon.

Noah inspecting a gift.

Nathan and Ana show off their carpet sliders Steph and I found after Thanksgiving. They're like indoor skiis for carpet. My brother nearly killed himself on the stairs.

Somehow I always end up on the floor. Kids will do that to you I guess.

I'm laughing b/c Steph totally got me a David Archeletta CD. For those of you who appropriately don't watch American Idol like adults should, he was the runner up from last year. He was my fav but I would have never bought a CD...

Helping the girl to open what was her own little train since Noah got more than his fair share of them. =)

See? His saw-eet new track courtesy of Gramma Kveene.

A nice little love note to go w/something special Terry got me...

on the road again...

This was how the highway looked for the first half of our trip back home for Christmas...

Shari was following behind us along with aunt JoAnn and they thought Terry was a little crazy. I knew he had things under control. He's a good driver. However, I have to add 2 exceptions to give him a hard time: During this trip he drove too fast on ice/packed snow on the gravel road to his parents house and spun us in a 180 and then later a 360...

We finally got to meet ANA!!! Woo hoo! There's her and Nathan feeding Evie while we were out shopping. (It's sooooo nice to have HELP and more freedom while we're home. Humph. I miss home...). Anyway, I really like the girl! She's way sweet.

children's christmas performance

I seem to remember last year's performance as a little more involved as far as the show went but this year's was great and must have been a lot of work to put together. The kids just did a few songs but then we went for a soup dinner and explored the church since it had been turned into Bethlehem. "A Night in Bethlehem" was the theme and all the rooms had little crafts or snacks in them. The coolest part, I thought, was the myrrh and frankincence I got to smell. I always wondered...

Here's Noah. He lasted about as long as last year - half a song. Then they just sent him to us.

Here's the grumpy boy. He didn't get to finish his James video before we left... Evie however, was perfectly fine.
Noah sampling the chocolate in one room. I asked if there was chocolate back in Jesus' time but she didn't know and said a lot of people asked that... Funny.

Family Bethlehem style.

I love that hat. =)

ornament party

Our church has a pretty good women's program. For example, every year they do an ornament party at Christmastime. Last year was my first and it was GREAT. My face hurt from smiling so much and that means something since I don't smile all that often - it was either great fun or I was socially deprived. It was probably both. =) Anyway, it was sweet this year as well.

So how it works: Everyone brings an ornament and are given a number upon arriving. The first person to go picks an ornament and the second person can either steal #1's ornament or get a new one. You could only steal an ornament 3 times and there were 56 ladies there this year... It took a while.

I'm there on the left in the tealish talking to Elaine (Terry's lifting partner's, Kevin, wife) who LOVES babies and steals Evie whenever she can.

Evie's blanket is hanging off the back of my chair. The girl at the bottom front w/long blonde hair is Nikki Rehmert, the pastor's eldest. She is our go-to babysitter. She's great. On her right is Shelli, the pastor's wife.
Here is the ornament I got last year. I stole it a couple times to secure it as mine.

Here is mine from this year. Funny thing is, this is also the ornament I brought to the party. I stole it from the woman who stole it from the one who opened it. I didn't see anything I liked better! Everyone laughed and made fun of me =)

See, it's full of little styrofoam balls that swirl around when it's moved.

Yesterday I wrapped what gifts we had. The big ones on the sides are for the grandparents... =)

I wear my sunglasses at night...

...And he does. My mom got these sunglasses for Noah when he was 1. Yeah. He never liked them...until now.

I distinctly remember trying to put them on him on the sidewalk behind my parent's house while he was in his stroller - he screamed as I tried and then ripped them off as soon as he could. I didn't try again. They are kinda like goggles and we all know how uncomfortable those are.

So anyway, he was going through his basket of toys w/Daddy that he rarely plays w/anymore. He might have been showing more interest since Evie is now interested in those toys... At any rate, he found these and wanted them on and proceeded to walk around the house w/them around his neck for the next few days. He even wanted to sleep in them but I wouldn't let him.

Funny boy.

there aren't words

2008 tree hunting

How I miss the Black Hills where we would make a trip up to Spearfish Canyon and spend an afternoon sometime after Thanksgiving driving and hiking around looking for a somewhat full pine tree. There are cedar trees down here but apparently they really stink, especially the female ones...

Last year we settled for a Menard's tree but it wasn't much of an experience. This year we went to a tree farm - the folks who own it are Christians. They did a live nativity - well, w/live donkeys anyway. And there were ducks and kittens and dogs and a barn. And actually, I knew the wife, Brenda, but didn't realize it until she reintroduced herself to me. She was on the MOPS panel w/me and another Brenda this fall.

Anyway, we had a really great time. First thing Noah found was a friendly kitten to abuse throughout the course of our hunt. The dog somehow knew better than to follow that kid. =)

Kitten abuse

Our tree. I felt a little bad actually cutting it down. Brenda said they take 8 YEARS to get that big...=(

Donkey
Noah helps daddy and Evie plays w/Noah's new felt Thomas play set.

All done. I look alike a dork leaning over, and then Snap is showing off his white butt. I put this shot in here so you could see how we switched the chair and love seat around. I like it this way. If I had some kind of bench I would put that in front of the window and leave it set up like this...

Happy family. Actually, we had a little tiff right before this but we look happy and that's what's important right? Riiiiight.

first tights

After a conversation w/a nice woman from MOPS about how our boys LOVE Thomas trains, she dropped off some things for me. It was so nice of her. She gave us 3 Thomas videos and this super sweet felt track play set. I even saw her at Runza yesterday (NE fast food chain) and she said it was hard for her to pass on the play set but she knew it was going to another Thomas fanatic and a good home so she went ahead and put it in the bag. Noah really likes it.

Also, she included quite a few bibs and tights. Evie's super drooly even though she's not teething so she goes through more than one bib a day most days. Also, I'm not a girly girl - pretty low maintenance. Plus, I don't have much time to shop. So I sometimes don't know where to start to make Evie "girly." So Stacy helped me out there w/the tights. Last Sunday I put her in this dress someone got her at her baby shower and some tights! The picture turned out all blurry b/c I was moving - looks like I'm flipping my hair behind my shoulder or something. Evie looked so cute, and warm, though!

Look at that smile! (not mine, as if, HA!). You can tell she's happy b/c she's flapping her arms. The fire is great to have. We've recently put a fan in that corner to help move the hot air around since the fireplace doesn't project well, even w/it's own noisy fan.

tri-family good bye

These are the last photos of our Thanksgiving trip. Again, I'm so behind b/c of Twilight. I just finished the series of 4 books last night (Thursday) after a week and a half of solid reading. It's a relief to be done but bittersweet b/c I make the characters "real" in my head and am sad I don't get to "see" them anymore. I'm silly. I need more real relationships apparently. (Amen from Terry). But now I have insight into the teenage girl mind, which is helpful since Terry's a youth pastor. =)

These are the photos at my parent's house just before we left and a few from the drive home. Terry's parents came to see the kids one last time and Shari was catching a ride back with us so her boyfriend Jesse dropped her off and stayed to hold her hand as long as he still could =). He he he. So there were the K's, the B's, and the H (tri-family, get it?).

Oh, and I wanted to post a hilarious video of when I woke Terry up that morning but he won't let me... =)

Evie attempting to eat Cheerios for the first time. I got this shot while videoing just as she looked up. It was quite funny on camera. Oh, and that's my dad's dog Bo.

My mom giving Evie some help. Steph's stealing WiFi from the neighbors...

Grampa B

Lovebirds. So that's Jesse if you've been dying to know. =)

Gramma B

Cutest girl EVER sucking her thumb. She hardly ever does this and I think it's SO cute.

Awwwwww!

Even Noah was tired. Trips home do that to us.