Tis the Season

Hello everyone, so sorry it's taken me awhile to blog...busy, busy, busy. Holiday's seem to be the time for traditions soooo we did the whole cookie making thing. Tedious work, but boy they taste yummy. Karlie helped mom & I with frosting of the cookies this year. Last year it was sprinkle mania with her & then licking her fingers (so each one of those cookies were put aside for her). This year it was still sprinkle mania, but she's resorted to the use of a napkin for those frosted fingers. Tanner's Christmas deal is those pesky presents under the tree. The moment he's put down he's heading right for the tree. I didn't bother putting balls on the tree because they would just end up in his mouth as tree needles & bows do. Garland was a chance & that only gets pulled off every now & then. I've got a pretty regular motion of no, no Tanner not good for the mouth, take it out, put it back, & put Tanner in a new area on the floor. It works for about 10 min. & then I do the same thing over again. I think I have to rewrap & for sure rebow about half of the gifts so far and we still have a few days left. It's so fun watching his amazement each morning though as we walk out to the living room where the trees at, it still being dark out so those lights just glow (my absolute favorite thing). Karlie really likes opening up the games & movies (that we already had & I wrapped up) so we get to do that activity that day for some family time. I'm so excited...this Sunday my little bro & his wife Jessica are coming home. I miss them like crazy. This means games to play every night with giggles & stories. Remember the time Charlie that you found your Christmas present (a bright shiny scooter) before Christmas. He rode it around awhile when mom & dad weren't home, crashed it, broke the kick stand, & then put it back & acted suprised to get it. Mom resorted to hiding all of his presents (and where I cannot tell). :) Can't wait to see you. Everyone else in case I don't get to see you please have a wonderful & special Merry Christmas!!! P.S. Davina if you read this Karlie was asking about you. She misses you & can't wait for your wedding sooo I guess you'll have to have another one. :)

Snow Angels

Ok, Karlie & I had a really special night tonight just us girls. I told her I had to keep a secret it's for girls only...we would sneak out once Tanner was sleeping and go make snow angels. So that's what we did. It was still snowing out & so beautiful. We made snow angels, I pulled her in the sled, and we giggled like little girls. Then Adam came out & caught us sooo he took some cute pics of us. It was just snow much fun to go out & enjoy the fresh fallen snow. She looked so cute all bundled up. I will remember the next time we go to make snow angels I will wear a longer coat...brrrrrrr!!!!

Conspiracy Theory

OK, not to alarm anyone, but I think I've stumbled onto a new worldwide conspiracy...I think baby food company's & bib company's, & possibly stain removing company's have combined forces. Baby food company's have developed orange (yams, carrots, squash) baby food that stains & I'm pretty sure will never come out of the bibs. This way we have to buy new bibs or end up looking like ragamuffins. I figured this out while I spent a 1/2 hour in my laundry room spraying each individual bib for a second time. This for all you other mommy's to know about...take caution in feeding your babies these orange food because it makes mommy's job a lot harder. Unless of coarse one of you have stumbled upon a good stain remover because I've tried 3 different ones with no different results. The madness of it all, a vicious circle, as if my days are soooo boring I can just remove spots all day, of coarse I can't prove it....but I think we know where I'm going with this.

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We sure did. I think everyone that was at my grandma's brought two dishes of food each...which tasted really awesome, but I didn't even get to eat everything since there was so much. Thank goodness for leftovers so I could eat some of those I missed. Good thing that Thanksgiving is only once a year or my jeans wouldn't fit anymore. The kids were all dressed up cute. Karlie in her pretty yellow dress & Tanner in his little sweater vest & dress pants. I also bought him a little tam hat (it's one of those hats that you see many elderly men wear). He looked sooo cute.

Nothing else happened this week really except for the mighty hunter (Adam) came home. He got a 10 point buck this year. Karlie missed him like crazy. We dressed Tanner as shrek, too. I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner!

Jacksonville, FL

This blog should catch me up now. We just got back from Florida Nov. 7. Mom, the kids, & I went from the 2nd to the 7th. The guys go hunting & we go some place warm. The 2nd started off a little shaky with our flight getting into the citied late & we only had 35 min. to make it all the way across the airport in the 1st place. We ran & we ran & we ran, got off the tram in the wrong place...why are their no real directions in airports, caught one of those little cars. The driver was so slow & kept insisting on telling me the ways we should have gone. It's like I don't care right now just get us to our gate! As we hear over the loud speaker "Last boarding call for Jacksonville, FL". Oh gosh, that's us & then another just as the cart stops "Gustafson & Hansen this is your final boarding call"!!! Whew, we made it all while I ran with Tanner in the front pack, pushing a stroller, & mom carrying the carry ons. Once we arived in Jacksonville, we waited for the luggage, & yes as you've probably already guesses no luggage. I described the luggage to the guy one being a Cars (Tanner's) & a pink leopard (Karlie's), but he looked at me as if to say yeah right I know that one is yours.

We had to purchase baby food items at Walmart seeing as all that was packed in the lost luggage. The rest of the time in FL was spent getting pedicures & lounging by the pool. Also swimming with the kids lots. Karlie swam like a fish, built her imaginary turtle nests (did you know it only takes 5 min. for a turtle to hatch), and each day as she got out of the pool said "that was quite an adventure wasn't it mom". It was sooo cute. She is really into Dora & Diego now. Tanner's 1st time in a pool & he loved it too. His little legs moved like a little frogs. These are the precious memories we look back on for sure. Uncle Charlie & Auntie Jessica were sooo much fun to be with. We miss them already.

Fall 2007

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. This happens to be one of the two reasons I remain in this small town 1. family & 2. seasons. We went camping at Jay Cooke St. Park, which is beautiful with it's rapids. This was on our way to the cities's to stay with Adam's dad & Sue, & Rochester to stay with Adam's mom. Adam's sister Holly was up with her husband Marc & their little boy Nathan. Nathan is 5 days older then Tanner. So it was pretty neat to have the boys together for the 1st time.

Karlie played in the leaves at the house. Tanner just tried to eat them, and the Maggie (our dog) thought this ment play time so she should pounce on the kids. I did manage to get some cute pictures in between trying to get both kids to look at the camera, keep the dog from wanting to play to close, & pulling leaves out of Tanner's hands before they hit the mouth. Why is it everything must go to that mouth??? Happy Fall everyone!!!

Halloween

Hey everyone this is new to me so bear with me. I'm a 1st time blogger. I wanted to keep everyone up to date with our family. I'll start with Halloween. Boy was that a hoot! Karlie went as Jasmine (she really wanted to be Ariel, but Disney store wants $40 not including special shoes, jewery, crown, etc.) so mom sneakily told her how wonderful Jasmine (Jasmine was 40% off) was. I know, I know, but they only wear this thing once right? As it was she whined about the shoes, wouldn't wear the earrings, and only made it half the night with the crown. I told her to put it on and she told me OK, mom, but this is the last time.

Tanner went as Pooh Bear and he didn't like it, but slept most of the time. Mom & dad, & grandma & papa took them around to Spook Alley, friends houses, great grandma & grandpa's, & auntie & uncles houses. We started our own tradition with a Border Bar pizza & kept our popcorn cake from years past. We had a blast because they looked so darn cute all dressed up. I think after awhile the kids thought it was a form of torture with benefits of candy. I think back to all the places my parents took us and wonder...how did they do it and stay sane. I know why now because they are so cute & funny. Even with the unbuckling kids from their seats, trooping up to each house, whining that they want some part of their costume off, and why is it always so cold out on Halloween. They always leave an imprint on you, and Adam has candy for the upcoming deer season. Can't wait to do it again next year...I wonder if I could get Adam to dress up so we could all be dressed up as a family. :)