Holiday Cheer

Weeks ago we decorated our house and started getting ready for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.  Delainey was a big help putting the tree up, hanging wreaths, and spreading some holiday cheer!  She is like her Mommy... loving the christmas carols and singing right along!

A week later Grandpa Lonnie invited us to a live nativity at a church nearby in Webster. The event was very neat and well done. We saw donkeys, sheep, and even camels!  We were glad we made the trip!

This past weekend was a busy one full of last minute preparations, which I'm sure most people can relate to.  It is easy to get wrapped up in the lists and expectations of ourselves of what we "should" get done. At some point we need to prioritize and go on.  We did that and decided to make cut-out cookies!  That memory will last a lifetime.

While we were baking, Daddy went fishing!  He brought home a table full and later treated us to some delicious fish tacos. Delainey ate the tacos like candy, so I guess Daddy has his work cut out for him this winter.

The weekend ended with the beginning of our Christmas celebrations. We had Christmas with the clan up at Grandpa Lonnie's and boy did we have fun! Delainey fell asleep on the way home and slept until Monday morning.

The excitement in Delainey is contagious, and we can't wait for the days up ahead.  We had our family Christmas tonight and had another great evening of excitement, joy, and smiles! Now we have all week to play with new things and get ready for our roadtrip to the cities for our weekend holiday! 

 Safe travels and Merry Christmas to all!

Getting Settled

The Falken's are back!

We have been in our new home for over 5 weeks, and we have been pretty much settled for most of them.  A few boxes still linger around, because maybe it's stuff we haven't used in a while and we just don't know where to put it.  Maybe one would get rid of it, but I just can't do that.... yet!  As far as our new home, we LOVE it!  It fits our family life, and we feel like it was built with us in mind.

Enjoying s'mores before the snow flies.

Watching some TV, enjoying the fireplace, and playing dress up! What a Daddy!

My posts this fall have been few and far in between, but Delainey hasn't stopped changing daily.  She is as full of energy as ever and keeps us on our toes.  She has found a love for coloring. Morning or night, she grabs colors, makers, and whatever is near to her that needs coloring!  We have also done some watercolor painting, which has become a big hit... Delainey an artist?  Possibly!

Within the past few weeks we enjoyed a holiday - Halloween!  Delainey excitedly dressed up as a cowgirl. She already has a love for horses.  We drive by several horses on our way to and from town everyday. We say "good morning", "hello", and "good night" most days.

One sweet morning conversation on our way to town:

Delainey: "Hi, horses!"
Mommy: "Delainey, that is nice of you to tell the horses 'hello'"
Delainey: "It makes them happy."
Mommy: "You make me happy."
Delainey: "No Mommy, you make me happy." 

She melts my heart.

Here's our cowgirl!

This fall the weather has been spetacular giving us time to do some last minute yard work and take a few extra jumps in the leaves! 

Although this fall began with having to say good-bye to one of the strongest women I know, and continued on by throwing our family a few more bumps in the road.  I have to take time and reflect on the blessings in my life. My family.  I am one lucky woman!  I am so thankful for the strong support system of family members who are ready to pick you up when you feel like falling. Thanks ;)

And... one of the shortest ladies in our life really knows how to keep it real!





Farewell to Our First Home

Our first home is now empty and ready for someone new to make their own memories.  As excited and happy as we are with our new home purchase, it was still a bit sad to see our home of over six years empty as we walked out the door.

We had many wonderful memories there! We hosted several gatherings with friends, BBQ's in the summer, and in the winter there were football parties, New Year's parties, and even one big sleepover when everything in Aberdeen shutdown for a major snow storm. As we all were sent home from work everyone stopped for snacks, put on sweats, and gathered at the Falken's for a fun night of Wii!

Then there were family gatherings.  In our tiny kitchen we hosted a few Thanksgiving dinners, a graduation party, birthday parties, and other frequent visits from family just to say "hello". 

Along with the temporary visitors we had a few permanent ones as well! A few months after moving into our new home, we purchased a puppy to keep us company. We brought Dags home July 2005, and he was/is as spoiled as any dog could be. 

Then came our wonderful Delainey bug!  She seemed to feel right at home as we got her acquainted with her new surroundings, including Dags.  As Delainey rested in her room, we began to learn where and where not to step on the hardwood floor. Once you get a baby to sleep, you certainly don't want that one misstep to undo all of the rocking.

We will never forget our time at 1120 N 1st Street, but we are ready to move on to new memories in our new home. Come visit us anytime!  Delainey would love to show you her new room or her new backyard... she is quite the tour guide!

Winding Down

The last few weeks of summer have been busy.  We have enjoyed a few firsts for Delainey along with a few annual activities. The Brown County Fair was in town, so we took Delainey to her first rodeo.

She enjoyed watching the horses and sheep; especially when 4 and 5 year olds rode the sheep. She kept saying "they fall down", and she was right, those kids all fell down. When Daddy asked her if she would like to ride a sheep, she said "nope"!  We have a few more years to work on her. :)

The next day we went to a salon and had our first real  haircut.  Delainey didn't crack a smile until the beautician asked if she wanted a sucker. Then a little smirk came on her face.

We went to Rosholt for the annual Threshing Bee where we spent some time with the Rosholt class of 2001. We crashed the 10 year reunion and spent some time on Lake Traverse on a pontoon. It was a beautiful day, and Delainey and Delilah had a great time getting to know each other.

The girls got to take turns honking the pontoon horn.  It was a big hit!

Next up was the Threshing Bee parade!  The three musketeers put on their shades, grabbed their buckets and were off to collect some candy!

We have also enjoyed some fun nights of playing piano, singing with music books, playing with babies, purses, glasses, cooking in the kitchen, swinging, sliding, and just having fun!  She entertains herself so well, that I have to go check on her when the house gets a little quiet. The picture below is what I found one of those times. She was getting out her diapers to put one on the baby. She will be so helpful someday!

Delainey loves to sing songs... some favorites are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, and Row Row Row Your Boat.

The picture is a little blurry, but it was too cute not to post.  Delainey grabbed some piano sheet music, sat down in the foyer, and started singing. What a joy!

A Month Gone By...

Crazy how time flies!  It has been almost a month since our last post, but it seems like two days ago.  I will sum up our last few weeks in a nutshell.

Towards the end of July we took a trip to the cities to visit our snuggly baby cousin and have Delainey meet Max for the first time!  She was very excited to see a "real" baby, but she was more fasinated watching her older cousins and trying to keep up with them. While we were there, Delainey showed her shy faces and timidness, but as soon as we get in the car or we're at home, all we can talk about are Maya and Elliot!

Love it!!!  Playing in the sunshine!

Sweethearts!

Future gardener!  Loved picking strawberries at Maya & Elle's house.

The next weekend landed us in Rosholt where we attended a family wedding up by Ottertail, MN, and a wedding dance later in Rosholt where we caught up with a lot of old friends.  I guess I have no pictures from that day... it was about 100 degrees at the family outdoor wedding... we were a little sweaty, but we had a great time! :)

During the week Shaun and I did a thorough swipe through the house and finished some partly done house projects so we could put our house on the market.  We found one for sale that we would love to buy, but first ours has to sell... cross your fingers for us!  We also need to thank our families for helping us watch Delainey while we tried to get as much done in as short time as possible.

The following weekend we ventured to Roy Lake where we attended my 11 year reunion.  Yes... you are correct... it took a class of 9 people 11 years to plan our reunion! haha  It was great and worth the wait!  We all gathered at Cory and Chelsey's cabins and had a fun day/evening. The kids played, swam, and the adults chatted and played horseshoes.  Then in the evening we chatted some more around a campfire... it was so good to catch up with everyone again!

More fun in the sun!



Smokefree Class of 2000

 This week we are preparing for a rummage sale that we are having Saturday morning. Hopefully no one wants to see the house today, it's a bit unorganized.  However, by Sunday at 1pm we better have it cleaned up again; there's another showing scheduled!

This week I was working in the garage and in the back yard.  In the meantime Delainey discovered her very own entrance to the garage...

And... I'm out again! 
(Notice the over-sized shoes. They are a few sizes too big, but they used to be Elliot's
so when we find them, they are our favorites!)

woof woof

Heat Wave

We started a week long heat wave this weekend.  We also had a house that needed some attention, so it worked out alright!  Delainey only asked to go outside about 47 times... the girl loves the outdoors!  I actually overheard Delainey on her play telephone saying "go outside? Not today, too hot"  hehe :)   She's spreading the word! 

Taking good care of her babies.

We did managed to go outside for a few quick trips, but for the most part we remained indoors enjoying the central air we are so lucky to have.  We went down the street to a free concert by "Point of Grace".  It was Presentation College's 125th Anniversary, where they had a day full of free activities.  Mom and I have always enjoyed music by "Point of Grace", so we really wanted to check them out.  We packed lots of water, bug spray, and sunscreen, and headed to the park for a concert! 

We enjoyed the concert under a tent with a little breeze! 
We all had a great time!



"Point of Grace"

 I love having a full weekend with no plans!  Today we stayed in our pj's until mid-morning, Daddy made us a delicious breakfast/brunch, we all went for a walk before lunch, we danced to some new tunes, we took turns hugging Dags, and the list goes on. What an awesome day together... now on to the next thing!

Finger painting!!!
(See Dags on the kitchen floor... he's loving the air conditioning too!)

Stay cool everyone!

Delainey is TWO!

July 1, 2011 marked Delainey's 2nd birthday! She is such a joy, and we all had a great birthday weekend! 

We started it off right with Mommy taking the day off from work and spending the day with the birthday girl!

We made cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

And cupcakes for dinner!

We took Dags for a walk, played around the house, and took a long nap.  The plans of going to the waterpark will have to wait for another day.  We had grandma over for dinner and cupcakes! 

Cheese!

More baby accessories! Hurray!!!

 The fourth of July weekend started off great and continued to be a fun time.  We went to see Grandpa and Grandma Aadland along with other family at the lake. The weather was perfect, and we even got a boat ride!

Grandpa got a lot of exercise that day at the lake.

Hold on tight!

Snacking on popcorn with great-grandma! Life is good!!

We spent the fourth of July at Chad and Anne's with several friends. The kids ran all afternoon and played until they were exhausted. We lit some fun tanks and chickens before the sun went down, and the beautiful fireworks came later in the evening!

Happy 4th of July everyone from our little firecracker!