HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

In 2009, may we all learn to appreciate what's really important in our lives and live life thankful for what is, rather than what is not!

Christmas Day

We spent the afternoon on Christmas Day at Mark's parents home. It was great to see all the family. To bad Erickson's were sick and missed out. We had a lot of fun and great food as always. The good looking young ones (20+) in the pictures are our kids cousins. Wait, that one is Aunt Dana!! Oh this family is very fashionable.

Christmas was great!

We had a great Christmas this year. Our kids really enjoyed all aspects of the holiday this year. Scott and Annabelle enjoyed not only the decorating, baking, shopping for gifts, gathering with relatives (We missed you Ericksons!) but the gift giving this year. Yes, receiving items they wished for was great too, but they both had stated before Christmas that they had already gotten what they wanted this year, and that was Mojo. They only wanted a puppy and that's what they already had gotten. Aren't they sweet??

Mark and I are proud of both our kids. Despite there size, we have to remember they are only 9 and 11. They act pretty mature for there ages and they make us smile each and every day, even if that smile is really to hold our tongues!!

With all this said, the kids did get some pretty impressive gifts this year. Santa brought Annabelle a new bike! She thought for sure is was for Scott because it was so cool and because the rain melted all the snow, she has been actually able to ride it!!!

Scott got a Lego battery powered AT-AT (Star Wars). He built it in a day!

He was so excited he was able to do it on his own because the box says 14+. Mark and I had good Christmas' too. Mark got a Cry Baby!!! No, not me, it's a peddle that distorts the sounds on ones guitar. I got the biggest surprise. I got the IPHONE!!!!!!!! I was told no way and I was snookered into believing it was true. I'm so happy with it!!! I love technology - Oh, and Mark too!!!

Ice Storm

We did not get all the snow predicted and I have to say I was amazed that we did not have a snow day. The school only had one set of doors accessible - so instead of the call of no school, we got the call to have all students enter the school on the east side. The only no slope entrance! The kids were disappointed but it's not like they are at school learning today. It's an early dismissal day and holiday parties. I expressed to the kids, better to go and have fun today and not stay an extra day at the end of the school year!

Below are some pictures I took this morning taking the kids to school. The roads were slush!

The birch tree on our side yard was so heavy from all the ice that it's actually touching the ground. Let's hope it holds up and doesn't crack! I like this tree.

These are pictures from the tree in front of our house. I thought the branches were so pretty.

New Buffalo, Michigan for Christmas!

Busy weekend for the Pries family. We had Christmas dinner on Saturday night and headed out Michigan early Sunday to spend a little Christmas with my extended family. We saw my Aunts, Uncles, cousins and cousins kids from my Mom's side of the family. Oh, it's was Mother's weekend!!! (get it - first Mark's Mom's family and then my Mom's family) All of this is recorded in movies by my Uncle Bob. Of course, non of us have ever seen the final product of these tapings! Maybe someday???

Okay, so some of the family goes up on Saturday to stay at my Uncle Tony's second home in New Buffalo Michigan. They eat Mexican food and then start to prepare our annual meal of Chicken and home made dumplings. Then the rest of us come up on Sunday to eat and exchange gifts. Each child under the age of 18 gets gifts from their Great Aunts and Uncles. The rest gets to play the game!!!.

(kids: Seth (Steve and Mary's son); Kayla (Theresa and Bill's daughter) Riley in matching hat and gloves!(Paula and Mike's daughter) Peyton and Adam under the pile of gifts (Laura and Brad's boys) and Randy (Paula and Mike's son). Oh yeah -

my kids, Scott and Annabelle.

What game you ask? It's a game where you buy a $50 gift and wrap it. We draw numbers and the first person opens a gift from the pile. The next person can either steal the first gift or take a new gift from the pile. Then so on and so on. You get the idea. It's really fun! This year I got $50.00 worth of lottery scratch off tickets. Now the news all who were there are waiting for.....

I won!!!!!

$23.00 total.

Mark brought home a Shark vaccuum, an indoor/outdoor therometer with an alarm clock, and a Cuisinart hand blender! We've got some thrifty buyers out there! We had good food and company and a lot of laughs. Thanks to Uncle Tony for hosting again! Oh and Tony, the dinner tapoggle doesn't excuse you from next year... nice try!!!

Merichka's for the holidays!

We spent Saturday night with Mark's extended family. We saw Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, their kids, and their kids. Lots of cousins. We had a great turn out this year. Pictures are not great, sorry. But we had a good time and enjoyed the meal. I'm not sure but it appears we had 50+ people. It's a great annual event for Mark's Mom's side of the family.

Dog in snow to Harry Conick Jr.

http://www.dogwork.com/dogsnow/

Check out this video. It's great. It will make you smile!!!!

Home for the holidays

Welcome to our home for the holidays. I thought I would give you a climpse of our home at Christmas. It makes me feel joy inside driving home to this every evening.
Our home at night with our outside lights on. Nope, none on the roof line. I hang the lights and I'm afraid of heights! No climbing ladders for me. It's much prettier with snow on the ground but we had rain recently. This window box is on the walk up to the front door. (Oh, I think I need to paint our shutters this spring!) This pot of ornaments is on the front stoop. The pot is too heavy to move into the garage for winter, so I've decided to give it some holiday bling.
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This is what you see when you enter our home. It's a simple decor but we feel it's warm. The kids always help decorage the tree. We use to have an old fashion Santa on top but Annabelle wanted a star two years ago and picked this one out for us. It works great with our tree.

Blooper Blog

I thought it would be fun to share some of the pictures that would normally not make it to the blog. And for those of you who already got our Christmas card and wonder why the picture inside was not of the whole family, well this might help.

Mojo stay, stay, Annabelle smile, smile, Scott move closer to Mojo.
Thanks to Mom for trying.


So we decided to retake and only have the kids and Mojo. Note Mojo in the very bottom of this photo laying on his back waiting for a tummy rub!




When it comes to photographing our dog, Mojo, it often appears that he has laser vision!!! Scott drop the snowball! Mojo is melting it with his eyes.

December 1, 2008

Right on time - the snow has arrived the first day of December! Scott and Annabelle were very excited. So excited that yes they are out in their PJ's before getting showered for school this morning. A little too early for me to play in the snow.

We are not sure the date of Mojo's birth but we are pretty sure this is his first winter. He didn't seem like he liked going out until the kids joined him. Now he sees how much fun it is to play in the snow.