the gathering of the Blomgrens

On the 29th, the Blomgren family met at Mom and Dad's in Mountain Lake.  The temperatures where frigid and one grandson was not in attendance as he was securing the field at the Metrodome for the final Vikings game at the Dome. 

The rest of us had a blast.  Brad and I scored screwdrivers and a great cutting board in the adult exchange. 

15 of 16 grandchildren in attendance

5 of my favorite Blomgren gills

 

yumm...

I love teaching and I also love when parents/children share culinary talents with teachers.  This week I was given chocolate cake, a gorgeous pecan/apple pie, and homemade caramel for my birthday and Christmas.  I'm loving it for sure.

 Today I had 17 Kindergarteners in my very small Sunday School classroom...it was quite interesting and entertaining.   My normal helpers were no shows so I was extremely thankful for a new family (Mom and Dad) who stayed at helped with an ornament art project.  They even cleaned up the whole room while I was escorting other teachers' kids to their parents classrooms.

american girl Christmas

Grandma Betty's talents are boundless I believe.  Here are the lovely gowns she crafted for Siri and K's Christmas gifts.  Each girl received a wicked witch, a Dorothy and a Glinda gown sewn by Betty Jean...incredible.


We also celebrated Kit's first birthday and she received a Santa Lucia gown...

our gift exchange

Our family arrived home last night after an eventful time at the Olsons and the bed and breakfast near Alpha.  We found a living room full of toys and gifts.  Brad's favorite gift was his new shaving kit, K's favorite gift was her loom bands, A's favorite gift was a pair of Bluetooth headphones, O's favorite gift was a bunch of new trucks and cars and my favorite gift was the new clothing and boots from my kiddos.


Now it's time to find a new home for all our new wares...

sledding hill

Our family went with Bruce, Julie and Isaiah and met Julie, Libby and Abby at a sledding hill in Scandia, Minnesota called Eko Backen yesterday afternoon.  In my last post I talked about perfect weather...the weather yesterday was almost spring like.  The slopes were relatively slow because the snow was slushy, but we had a great time tubing.  O loved sitting on my lap and we all enjoyed the rope lift up to the top of hill.


Great family adventure!

perfect Christmas

We are back from the Olsons and are reflecting on one of the more peaceful and lovely Christmas' ever.  The weather was lovely with giant snowflakes softly falling from the sky.  A brisque breeze on the lake on Christmas day, but very mild the day after.  Fun gifts, lots of photos, the news that a new baby Olson will be born in the latter part of June--it was a lovely Christmas.


Now we are heading to the Blomgren Christmas which has all the promise of being just as perfect.  Peace out...

frozen

Also from December 8...

We tried to go to Frozen in Siren over Christmas week, but it was already out of the theater.  I think it will be an addition to our movie library eventually.

Julie and I met with our kids at the Hudson theater last night to watch the movie, Frozen.  While we were there, O went potty.  It was the 2nd time yesterday that he sat on the potty and went potty.  It was an exciting day for sure.


The movie was quite good and the special effects were incredible.  It was super super fun!

cookie playdate

This is a post from 12/8/13...just forgot to put on this blog

K has a friend who invited her over for a Christmas cookie baking/decorating play date yesterday.  Each girl brought home a nice plate of cookies.  It was a fun day for K and a delicious way to spend a couple of hours together.

41

The love of my life, Bradley Cole Olson is now 41!

Much love and happiness to you.

winter is officially here!

Although it has felt like it for quite a while, it is officially winter now!  The day light hours will slowly be getting longer...yippppppeeeee

zoo man

On Friday the 20th, a Dad of one of my students came in to share his experiences as a Senior Veterinarian at the MN Zoo.  Jim had a lovely presentation and the kids were captivated!  I was mostly impressed by his patience at answering every little question posed by the inquisitive crowd.  One student asked a question for every slide and Jim found great humor in each of his questions.

This spring, I plan on coordinating a field trip to the zoo so hopefully we can use our inside track for a really great zoo experience!

crazy caller

K has been on a kick of calling people lately.  She just really wants to reach out and talk to people.  She often calls and then just sits there, not knowing exactly what to say.  Today she called her friend Ellea and I think she played her Christmas music on the piano.

Thank you to everyone who is helping K develop her phone skills.  If she is anything like her mother and grandmother Vivian, she will be quite adept at this skill in no time.

last of the Christmas cards

on the 18th, I got the last of the Christmas cards in the mail...such a fun time of year to keep in touch with loved ones.  And to get cards from others is pretty amazing too~

getting ready for Christmas

Yesterday and today have been a busy days of wrapping, baking, planning and a little bit of resting.  I think we are planning on going outside this afternoon and Brad and I will try out our new cross country skis...fun!

sick 12 year old

Brad took A to the doctor today to find that he has a very mild case of pneumonia.  A has been sick since Sunday night--going to school on Thursday afternoon and home again on Friday.  I hope the medication can do the trick and we can have a bouncing big boy during the holiday season.

bailey's party

Friday night our friends, the Stoeffl's hosted a large group of people to their 4th annual Bailey's making party.  A, B and O stayed home as A had been out of school most of the week with a fever and cough, but K and I enjoyed and ended up staying until midnight.

interview of a three year old

O says "monster trucks, monster trucks, monster trucks, monster trucks, candy, candy" to the question "what do you want for Christmas?"

all I want for Christmas

I'm interviewing KGO as to what she wants for Christmas...

Um-m,  rubber band bracelet maker--ahhhhh, hmmmmm click click smack smack hmmmmmm exhale clear throat ummm clear throat, my own room, rolling eyes, putting fingers on face, hand on head, hand on chin, scratching head, click a computer.  That brother O would be nicer.  If I had a lot more of Mom's time, to go to Montessori with Mommy and be in her class, to go to school in the summer, a big mansion for the whole family.

resolutions

At the beginning of the year, I had resolved to run 1 mile per day--so far so good, brush my teeth 4 minutes per day--so far so good and to go on a date with my husband once per month--not so good.  We have gone out three times this year.  I guess we will be pretty busy in the next few days to make up for lost time.  It will be a resolution again next year.

program 2013

A and K participated in the Ezekiel Christmas program on December 15.  A played the part of a teenaged boy whose father passed away and whose Mom is struggling to keep up with the demands of her children at the holiday season.  Together they discover the true meaning of Christmas as the rest of the Sunday School plays out the story of Jesus' birth through song.

K sang as a solo the 2nd verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem".  She sounded just like an angel and A played his part of zest and gusto.  It was great to have Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud in the congregation.

We then went out to the Westwind for lunch and enjoyed a lovely buffet.  The rest of the restaurant consisted of fellow Ezekiel members as we regaled the nice program...

flurry

The speed of life just keeps getting more apparent and obvious as the days of the year come to a close.  Just had a little boy come down and share that he had about the 15th piece of chocolate for the day...that is how I would like to spend my days ;)

conference

I attended K's conference with Mrs. LaPoint this evening.  She is doing really well in writing and reading.  Her math scores are strong, but she can be working on basic facts a bit harder.  I'm just thrilled that Mrs. LaPoint knows our sweet daughter so well.  Free spirited, creative, friendly, outgoing, happy, articulate and kind.  Isn't that what we all aspire to be? 

tommy

Was the nickname my Grandpa Nels gave me.  It is also the name of the character A will be portraying in the Meyer Middle School presentation of The Music Man.  I'm not sure when the play is happening, but practice starts next Wednesday.  He will play the part of a trouble maker in River City...the illicit boyfriend of the mayor's eldest daughter. 

Fun and it's especially gratifying to see his enthusiasm. 

tick tock

I really feel the clock ticking for the end of the school year...the year 2013 that is.  The kids are in the midst of animal and country research.  I just wish I could be more skilled at teaching them effective research and summarization strategies.  I'm sure I will improve with practice, but I just wish I could do it instantly.  Rome wasn't built in a day...

mandela

I know this is late in the recognition, but the world mourns the loss of activist Nelson Mandela.  I was incredibly impressed with my classes' knowledge of the late South African President.  We discussed Peace and the impression he left on the world. 

conferences

Today was a long day with conferences after school.  One family didn't show but the ones who were there went really well.  I'm ready or bed. Good night!

all decked out

With Finnley's help, I just put the finishing touches on decorating the interior house.  I will be putting some Christmas lights in the lovely porch that Brad finished, but I think it's about time to head to bed.  We will be putting items in the attic tomorrow, but for now, I plan on heading back upstairs to just gaze at the blinking Christmas lights...ahhhhh.

Finnley's back

Our elf on the shelf Finnley is back for another go round.  Tonight he is resting on the Christmas tree right after he got done decorating it.  He sure is a helpful little guy.

so long Applewood

Part of the Blomgren tradition is to go to Applewood on the Sunday we depart our weekend for Sunday brunch.  This is the final year Applewood will be in business so Trenton, K, O and I toured the grounds and got a good look at what we had been missing for the past several years.  A swimming pool, a fire pit, several benches; it was fun to explore the wonders of Applewood together.

birthday party at Holiday Inn in Mankato

I got to spend my birthday with some of the most special people in my life.

Mom and Dad Blomgren
Kent, Brenda, Anna and Abby
Kurt, Vance, Stuart, Ross and Katie
Kyle, Kim, Kyle, Adam, Liana and Ryan
Cory, Joan, Thomas, Evan and Trenton and of course our family, Brad, A, K and O

Kurt bought a cake, the Owatonna Huskies won the state championship for football and Bradley took me out to Tav on the Ave for wings.  We tried to go to Applebees, but they were closing.  The Mankato Applebees is where we had our first date...I thought that was pretty special for Brad to think of something so sweet.

It was a great way to celebrate the 21st anniversary of my 21st birthday--same town and everything, just no tequila this time.

happy birthday nenna Weiss!

Jenna Louise, the gift your parents gave to me 26 years ago for my birthday will never be paralleled.  You have enriched so many lives with your wit, charm, beauty and tenacity.

Love you to the moon and back.

black Friday

So I did go to Walmart on Thanksgiving eve after getting kids to bed.  I did score some nice Christmas gifts but even more special was having some time to myself...being really well rested and feeling like I was super productive without having a "helper" along for the shopping trip.

thanks

so many things to be thankful for.  I pause and thank everyone in my life for all that you have shared with me and with my family.  God bless.

paper pelicans

I did something on Wednesday that I never thought I would do.  K and Siri decided to start a business of making paper pelicans.  I agreed to walk with them down Northshore Drive selling their wares.  We sold a total of 6 paper pelicans on the road for a total of $.90.  Grandma bought a few pelicans and so did Brent, Siri and myself so the girls cleared $11 profit.

I still can't believe I agreed to help them, but in a lot of ways, I hold my head up high!

siri times 2

We got to meet the woman who inspired Brent and Molly to name their daughter Siri.  Cousin Siri and her son Bjorn from Norway visited Bud and Betty over Thanksgiving.  We met them on Tuesday night and enjoyed conversations merryments.  I tried Akvit for the first time...cleans the system and is terrifically delicious.

Also in attendance at the gathering was Siri Olson.  So I got a photo of the Siri's together.  Very charming.  

fever pitch

While waiting for Thanksgiving break, the kids on class were headed toward a FEVER PITCH.  On Monday I did the study of Plymouth Rock, the Native American tribe, baked corn bread and also worked on a Thankful Project.  I probably should have waited with that until Tuesday because when Tuesday rolled around, they were ready to celebrate already.

live and learn is all I have to say.

mall of america

While the boys were hunting, K and I planned and implemented a trip to the Mall of America.  I had been working really hard on grades and she had been so very patient with me so we decided to go for about 2 1/2 hours.  We visited some clothing stores and also the American Girl Doll store.  We had a little to eat at Rainforest Cafe and genuinely enjoyed one anothers' company.

I love that little lady for sure!

baby D is 4!

Dehlia Grace Quintana turned a dazzling 4 years of age on November 23.  We hope you had a terrific birthday dear Dehlia!

out with the girls

While Brad, A and O were up north for hunting season, K and I stayed home.  I did school stuff like writing report cards and K went on to play at her friend Carter's house.  On Saturday night, I went out with my dear friends Julie and Trish to celebrate my upcoming (and since past) birthday.  We went to a charming restaurant in Stillwater.  Alex had a babysitting gig with K and it was a wonderful night for all.

2nd hunting season

Our sweet 12 year old A went out with his Dad for his second hunting season.  While hunting, he only saw a small black bear and not much else.  He and Brad did find a charming little Christmas tree for our dining room though...really nice.

ketchup and mustard please

I'm catching up on my blog posts...I don't think I've been this delinquent before, but I will be working hard to make up for lost time.