S N O W !

The kids had so much fun on our first sledding outing. It was pretty cold, but that didn't seem to stop them. It was too bad our snow tube popped on our first day! I guess we'll have to find another one...soon! Sophie says, "We want to go sledding every day of winter, now!"

Lucy warms up in the car!

Whee!!

Sophie and Riley laughing the whole way!

Give Lucy another year or so and she'll be begging for a ride, too! We thought the clear blue sky was pretty amazing.

Christmas 2007

Christmas Recap 2007 by Natalie, special thanks to Josh Groban for the song. (About 4 minutes).

Old Man Winter...gotta love him!

We've had a few storms lately with lots of ice and then some snow, too. It makes for scary driving and lots of time chipping ice off the driveway, but also makes very beautiful pictures.

I hope to post a few pictures of us enjoying the snow...if we can endure the cold for that long!

Ortho Holiday Party

Michael and two of his resident buddies, Cory Christensen and Matt Lavery, pose for a picture at their last holiday party together at the University of Iowa.

Lucy took a power nap on Dr. Ponsetti's lap. He's got a special touch with little ones! It took less than three minutes for Lucy to relax and give-in! She was a little tired after being passed around by all of the clinic nurses and friends!

Visit from Grandpa Pete

Grandpa Pete visited us at the beginning of December for Michael's ordination to High Priest. It was a fun weekend and Pete got all the attention from the kids! We endured a terrific ice storm while he was here forcing us to stay most of the time indoors. We read books, had a Birthday party, took naps, watched movies, and ordered take-out. The weather cleared just in time for Pete's flight...which he was grateful for! Thanks Pete for a fun visit! You're welcome anytime!

Thanksgiving

Our second Ohio Thanksgiving was just as much fun as the first! We gathered at Camille and Chad's house and five of my siblings were able to be there! (Yeah, it was a houseful!) We had so much fun...Turkey Bowl, feast of all feasts, computer games (hooray for Nancy Drew!), shopping, "Mexican Train", "Beowulf", "Mad Gab", "Amazing Grace", Utah vs BYU, playing with cousins, late nights, holding babies, dishes, and yes, more shopping! Thanks Hales!

Daddy Daughter Date

Well, it wouldn't be fair for the boys to have all the fun! Michael took Sophie to the last Hawkeyes home football game...again, thanks for the free last minute tickets! They had a blast. Sophie loved eating a hotdog, watching the flame dancer at half-time, and wearing Daddy's vest to keep her warm. It was a wish come true for Michael, always wanting to go to a game, but never the time, nor the tickets! Good memories for both Daddy and daughter! (And Riley, Lucy, and I had a lot of fun getting a new car battery! Wahoo!)

Boys night out

Michael took Riley with him last night to see a University of Iowa basketball game. Michael's attending physician on his current rotation, Dr. Weinstein, gave him his tickets since he couldn't use them. Riley looked forward to the game all day long...couldn't take a nap, even in the car, he was so excited! (Yes, he comes by those genes honestly!) I waited up for them and "the guys" looked so good when they came home, all dressed in their jeans and leather jackets! (Oh, and carrying some leftover popcorn as per Sophie's request!) They had a fun time together...and I think Iowa won!

Tricks and Treats

What kid doesn't love Halloween? Even all of us big kids! Here are a few pictures of our spooks!

After getting past the "feels gross, mommy!" attitude of carving the pumpkins, our kids really had a great time. Michael is the champion carver (he's good with a knife). It's all those years of practice with a scalpel! He created a jack-o-lantern appropriately named "Retch," using the gross and slimey insides spewing out it's open mouth! Riley named his "Smiley" and Sophie named hers "Rosie" (which she picked herself on a Kindergarten field trip!) My sister Suzanne was here visiting and added her own flair..."hey, Sophie, did you know that pumpkin seeds stick to your face?" Ha! ha!

Vacation to The Falls

The first weekend in October we visited Idaho Falls for a job interview and to spend time with family. We had such a marvelous time...Here are a few of our highlights:

lots of family time, throwing our first snowballs of the season, getting haircuts (thanks Alicia), General Conference on TV and with family, hanging with the Taylor's, Powell's, Taylor's and Julie!, finding frogs, meeting Bridger, fresh salsa, caramel popcorn, cinnamon rolls, visiting Grandma Pieper and Grandma Rydalch, swimming at the hotel pool, playing with cousins, painting baby pumpkins, watching "The Office", riding with and steering Uncle Bryce's tractor, seeing/smelling the potato harvest and digging a few spuds of our own, Cafe Rio Pork Burritos, duck/pheasant hunting, sleeping-in until 9am, target shooting, coloring pictures and playing with Grandma's toys!

We did a lot of fun things, but left wishing we had done more! Hope to visit again! We love you all! Here's a slideshow of our trip:

Pumpkin Patch

We collected a few pumpkins for our annual jack-o-lantern carving! We visited the famous Wilson's Orchard and picked a few of the best looking ones we could find! It was pretty muddy this year, but that didn't stop Riley and Sophie from running around and having a great time! It has always been a favorite family event and especially when it's finished off with a fresh, hot apple turnover from Mrs. Wilson! M-M-M-M! Stay tuned for our jack-o-lantern creations!

Duck hunt

Michael here posting for the first time. This picture is from a recent duck hunt here in Iowa. It has been a good year for waterfowl (lots of rain) but a bad year for pheasants (too much rain). I guess it's all the farmers praying for moisture!

Hawkeye Homecoming

This past weekend was homecoming in our little town! It's amazing how many people show up and how many of them own clothing that is black/gold! We went to the parade...the first time since we've been here if you can believe it! The kids loved it! It was pretty short but had a lot of candy and music to dance to, and the lively marching bands which were my favorite! Just as a sidelight, we parked in a lot that was for two hour business at the federal building. It was closed by the time the parade started, so we figured it was fair game, which it was...about fifty other cars thought the same as we did. So, when all is said and done...maybe an hour and a half had passed, we're walking back to the car and everyone is waiting in front of the gates that had been closed and locked while everyone was gone!!! Oh, snap! We rallied with all of the other fellow hawkeye parkers and finally called the police and convinced them to help us out. The custodian of the building arrived, and avoiding all eye contact with us, unlocked the gate. Whew! We were sure grateful! Riley and Sophie each shared some of their parade candy with the nice policeman...nobody can say no to tootsie rolls!

New Art

I bought a new kind of marker...the kind that is designed to go on windows/mirrors, etc. Wow! Riley and Sophie both have really loved decorating our windows! And they stay at it for hours, which I love! It cleans up quick and then the windows are ready for the next masterpiece. It has been fun to see the kids' individual creative styles...Sophie is all about getting it done fast and covering the whole window with big pictures. Riley is all about staying until every inch of the window is covered, making sure not to mix any of the colors. Riley usually interprets his drawing as scary monsters and Sophie says hers are thunder and lightning and smiley faces!

Summer Biking

 
 
 
 

Mid-field cartwheel

"S" is for school, soccer, and Sophie!

Sophie started Kindergarten and also got her first taste of soccer! She loves school, her teacher, math, art, eating lunch, and recess! One of her most favorite things at school is "choice time" where she gets to choose from a number of activities within the classroom. She almost always chooses "housekeeping" ... a station set up with a kitchen, cradle, etc. She loves it and I have to say that it surprises me. She hardly ever plays with dolls at home, just her stuffed animals! She continues to keep us guessing! As for soccer, with two games down and six more to go, Sophie is a budding athlete! The first game she was mostly excited about the uniform and the water bottle! She liked running up and down the field, but not without a few cartwheels in the mix! By the next week, she was starting to kick the ball and get into the game a bit more. We'll see what the next months will bring in this area.

Riley, Michael, Lucy, Natalie, and Sophie

We Made It To The Web!

We've finally joined the ranks with all our computer savvy friends and family! We hope that this blog is a way to keep in touch and let you know what's going on in our lives...from the spectacular to the mundane! Thanks for visiting!