Stopping Time

There has been many times in my life that I wish time would just stop or it would fly by too fast. The fact that my kids are 11 and soon to be 10, that I'm already 40, my family has lived in New Lenox almost 7 years already and that I've been back to work for 3, leaves me wondering how? I'm sure you get it and have experienced the same thing. Time really moves fast - doesn't it?

Well, I've discovered a way to stop time. To make each day longer, each hour drag. It's simple too. You just need to place yourself on a health regiment. You know DIET. When you diet each minute/hour until your next meal is ever dragging. Thirty minutes never seemed so long until I stepped on my elliptical! The weeks between weigh ins drag. I'm on week two at our office's Biggest Loser contest. Never knew how long my work days could be! So if you want to slow down time - join me and start taking care of yourself!

First Time!

Since it was too cold to play outside and the kids had been stuck in the house from snow days last Thursday and Friday, we decided to go to the movies. We invited my Mom and my 4 (almost 5) year old nephew Randy to go with. When we called to ask if he wanted to go, we found out he had never been to the movies before. So we made it a special event! The movie "Hotel for Dogs". Cute movie that actually had a story line - wow, what a nice surprise. We were first in line to get our seats for the movie. The line was so long that it had to continue on the other side of the hall. Randy was a trooper. He never complained while we waited and seemed to have a great time. We sat in the front row of the main seating area, right in the middle! Great view. Randy stated "The screen's not so big" after we sat him in booster so he could sit higher. L.O.L.!!! He also wanted to know why so many little kids kept getting up and walking around! He thought they needed to sit down and watch the movie.

When the movie was over, I asked a Theater manager if they had any posters of the movie we just saw, for my first time movie going nephew. The manager asked me to go over to customer service and wait just a moment. We did and he came out and gave Randy a full size poster of the movie "Hotel for Dogs". It was so much fun sharing this experience with Randy.

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!!!