Digging Out!

We haven't seen a white Christmas like this in many many years. It was fabulous being snowed in for 3 days... nowhere to go, no expectations to be met, no little boys to get dressed... we literally stayed in our pjs for the entire 3 days. However, by day 3 everyone was ready to see different faces, other than family :0 It seems the entire neighborhood popped out of their houses to help dig out.

Christmas Morn...

4:30 AM- Yes, if I recall this is even earlier than last year. UGH! The boys could not contain their excitement any longer and came into our room to check and see if we were up. Of course, Jere and I were lying there wide awake praying we could get them to lay back down until 6AM. We made it to 5:30 and the circus began. Unfortunately, our parents were unable to make it out because of the immense amount of snow and ice that was dumped upon us- but we still had an amazing morning. Santa was good to all of us. Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve 2009

The day started out with a bit of ice and quickly turned into a full blizzard by 6:30 PM. Christmas church service was cancelled which is a total bummer because our family had been asked to light the last advent candle. However, we'll get our chance on Sunday. Our tradition is to go to Steve and Peggy's for the B.E.S.T dumpling soup and to open gifts. But again, with the storm we had decided it was best to stay put in our cozy home. I have said this many times and can't say it enough- I have the best father-in-law (and Peggy) because he brought dinner to us this year! I think he felt sorry for me being pregnant and knew that I would moan and groan without my dumpling soup. SO, we opened gifts here and enjoyed each other's company for a quick hour and they were on their way. Soon the boys will be off to dreamland and Santa and Mrs. Claus will frantically try to prepare the family room for the morning festivities. Merry Christmas to you all and God Bless- The Mieska crew.

My Homemade Gifts~

I had more fun this week making my "frugal" gifts. They turned out great so I thought I'd share.

Happy 'Surprise' 80th Birthday to Great Grandma Mieska! We wish you a wonderful day with family- Sorry we couldn't be there! We love you!!!

Sleeping in my Spaghetti~

The title speaks for itself!

1 for you, 2 for me...

Christmas Card Attempt...

See how well it went... Juderbug was the only one interested :) Needless to say, this is NOT the card you will all receive this year.

YAH! YAH! We have a snow day!

There is nothing that warms my heart more than getting an early morning phone call from my supervisor telling me NOT to come to work :) We're under a snow blizzard warning and I'm loving it! Although Jeremiah had to go to work today... and it's his birthday (double whammy)... the boys and I have had a perfect snow day. We started the day by making ziploc omelets, monkey bread and tasty coffee. We then moved on to short ribs in the crock pot for Jere's birthday dinner, sugar Christmas cookies, laundry, and worked on the baby's room. The kids have been outside most of the day and occasionally pop in for a quick cup of hot cocoa. Christmas music is playing, the cinnamon candle is burning and all is well in Mieska land. Doesn't it just give you the warm fuzzy feeling??? I'm in heaven!

Happy 'Early' Birthday, Jere!

Jeremiah is about to hit 35 on Tuesday and he's none too happy about it. He's been giving me grief for a solid month about being 35 so I know this is a sore subject for him. We had a nice evening of cake and ice cream with all our family. We even had a bit of snow! Happy Early Birthday, hon!

Santa, Baby!

'Tis the time of year to start looking for the big man. Luke was the first to spot... or hear him arrive. The jingle of bells in undeniable! Santa arrived right on time at Grandma Mary's. There is still something about "Charlie" that brings a tear to my eye and a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. The same Santa has been coming to see our family since I was a newborn! How lucky am I??? I'm so grateful that my children have been able to experience the same soft-spoken, tender, and loving Santa that I've known all my life! Here's to you Santa... Thanks for the 35 years of memories with you at Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mom celebrated her 61st birthday the day after Thanksgiving surrounded by all us kids and her grandkids.

Turkey and More...

I hope you all had a blessed and thankful Thanksgiving! Jeremiah and I were supposed to host the big turkey day but plans changed at the last minute...our family came down with the stomach flu so my wonderful mom hosted instead. We were still able to indulge a bit as we were all at the tail end of the illness. My prayer is that noone else in the family catches it! My older brother, Scott, and his family as well as my younger, not little, brother were able to join us from St. Paul, MN. We had a great time visiting!

Santa Sneak Peek...

We were able to get a sneak peek of Santa Claus this week! He rode into Council Bluffs in a horse drawn carriage to light up Bayliss Park. The boys were in awe! Although, I'm sad to say this out loud... I have a sneaking suspicion that Luke is starting to question all the magic of the big man! I will NEVER say I don't believe... Santa is REAL!!! Here is just a quick photo of our family in the park. I hope everyone has a marvelous Thanksgiving week and you're all surrounded by the ones you love! Happy Thanksgiving!

Where has the time gone????

Luke turns 8 tomorrow! I can't believe our firstborn is going to be 8! Seriously, I had no idea how quickly he'd go from a newborn to toddler to a school-age kid with a life outside of me. Luke when you read this, please know that I couldn't be more proud of the nice young man you have become. I pray you continue to grow in faith, education, and love for your family.

Okay, enough of the sappy mom stuff- Luke had 7 little buddies spend the night on Friday. I have said it many times, but I can't believe how much these kids could eat! 2 Large pizzas, 4 two liters of soda, 1 bag of donuts, 1 bag of doritos, 1 gallon of chocolate milk, 40 chocolate chip cookies, 1 dozen eggs, 1 loaf of bread, and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. How long were they here, you ask... aproximately 15 hours!!! They had a blast! Happy Birthday, Luke- 8 is GREAT!

A Toast to Marland...

It's been 3 years since Jere's Grandpa Marland passed away. Jere celebrates his memory by wearing his Twins T-shirt, Marland's flannel work shirt, and has a little bit of Lord Calvert to top off the evening. We miss you, Marland!

BOO!

Pumpkin Carving

I'll be honest- I was dreading the pumpkin carving this year. It always starts out as a fun family activity and then after 10 minutes the boys tire of pulling out guts and start fighting over who gets to use the "cool" (AKA- child safety knife) tools to carve. Almost on auto-pilot I refrain from anyone touching any knife and banish them all from the kitchen and I'm stuck with several pumpkins in various stages of the pumpkin 'gutting and stuck with doing it myself. So as you can tell, this isn't my favorite activity... HOWEVER, this year was FABULOUS! I realized the boys really can do a lot on their own. They even went through their guts and cleaned off all the seeds for me to make them roasted treats. So, in 2009 we turned the corner in terms of pumkin carving independence.

Happy Birthday To You, Cha Cha Cha!!!

Our boys are blessed to have a wonderful grandpa Steve! And even more blessed that he loves to celebrate his birthday with them. We enjoyed a nice sloppy joe and dill pickle chip dinner- let me tell you, we go all out when it's your special day! Bring out the fine china :) He even got a present wrapped in Spiderman paper. Seriously, it was nice spending the evening with Jere's dad. Happy Happy Birthday, Steve! Cha Cha Cha! Love the Mieska clan.

Zebras, Tigers, and Giraffes, Oh, My ?!?!?

I need your help~ I just can't decide what our little guy should be for Halloween this year. Last year he was a wookie so I figured this year he needs to be something sweet and cuddly. I have a feeling our "sweet" days are numbered since he's quickly approaching the terrible (I mean, terrific) twos. So, please help me out and let me know what you think of his halloween costumes. Which one is your favorite?