Groomers on Grand...

Charlie has just received his winter hair cut and since he was matted pretty badly, much of his hair had to be cut. We are trying to build up his self-esteem because he is clearly feeling down. Here are some before and after shots of Charlie's make-over.

Imania's visit...

Coretta and Imania went to the Burnsville mall with Grandma today. They had a great time shopping and eating at the food court. They have really become the best of friends.

Geno on the other hand has caught a virus and has had a fever off and on for a couple of days. The doctor stated that he should feel much better after the weekend.

Sledding

Imania and Coretta spent a day sledding up and down and up and down the numerous hills by Highland Park. I even joined in and had a great time. The only down side was when the snow would fly into your face and you couldn't see where you were going. Here are some pictures at the sledding hill.

Geno and his blue sweater...

Geno received a beautifully knitted sweater from Grandma Marilyn! Here are some photos of him wearing it as well as patiently watching the girls bowl yesterday! I could barely get through the aisles at the thrift store without people stopping to comment on how cute he was.

Coretta and Imania

After Christmas, Imania decided to stay with us through the week and Sarah would drive up on that Friday and spend the weekend.

The first activity we planned to do was shop at the Unique Thrift Store and after that take the girls bowling. They actually did very well. Coretta won the first game, and Imania won the second. Here's a couple pictures of the two of them at the bowling alley.

Coretta, Geno, Emilia, and Jack...

Here are some candid shots taken of Coretta, Geno, Emilia, and Jack when they were staying at Grandma and grandpa Earnest's house. One present that was a hit with the girls was Baby Alive! The doll actually pees and poops after you feed her! Emilia and Coretta spent a lot of time feeding and attending to her needs!

Creating their own journals...

This year my Dad and I thought it would be a great idea to have the grandchildren design their own covers and create a one-of-a-kind journal. This way they could create their artwork, stories, and poems keeping them in a nice keepsake book. As you can see, they took this project very seriously. Here are some pictures of Emilia, Jack, and Coretta doing just that!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Earnest's

Last year, I was unable to come home to Detroit Lakes due to the birth of my son Geno, so it was special to be able to be with everyone sharing the traditions that we all love. The night began with saying the rosary, Coretta reading the Christmas story, and opening gifts.

Then we had a great time building our own pizzas for supper! The kids especially enjoyed being able to create these. It was fun seeing them add the pepperoni, mushrooms, cheese to the pizza and then proudly eating it when they were done.

Don't these kids look angelic? Here are some pictures from this night!

Parents of the Year Awards...

Coretta was very excited for us to open the presents that she made for both her Mom and Dad. She created a book, a gingerbread ornament, a prayer book, a book mark, a necklace, and a photo album, but our most prized possessions she gave us were our parent medals and the poem that came with it. Here is Coretta's poem to her parents:

Why I Love my Mom and Dad by Coretta Bieter

I love my Mom and Dad because when I need cuddles, they are always there for me
I love my Mom and Dad because when I need attention, they always give me some
I love my Mom and Dad because when I need advice, they always give me the best advice

I love my Mom and Dad because when I am sick, they don't just give me coloring books and crayons, they also give me love

I love my Mom and Dad because they are the best Mom and Dad in the whole world.

I could go on and on, but it has to come to an end.

Thanks for being the best Mom and Dad ever!!!

Christmas Dinner with the Bieters

On Christmas day everyone woke up and opened their gifts from Santa. Nick, Sarah, Imania, Coretta, and Nick went to church while I stayed back and cut vegetables and prepared the food. We ended up eating around 5 o'clock mostly because it takes a long time to cook an 18 pound bird! We had turkey, stuffing, corn, lefse, bread, and Christmas cookies.

Grandpa Tom came over around 1:30 and opened his presents and visited with the family.

Imania and Coretta spent a lot of time hanging out playing twister DVD, watching movies, and playing games. It is very special to see the two of them bonding the way they are! It truly means a lot to me.

Geno warmed up to everyone right from the start, and now that he can eat table food, he, too enjoyed the meal, especially the stuffing.

Here are some photos from this night!

Christmas with the Bieters

This year grandma Marilyn was able to celebrate with us which was very special. Her plane came in on Christmas Eve and Nick picked her up from the airport around 6 o'clock. Sarah and Imania showed up shortly thereafter and we read the Christmas story, opened gifts, and played the game Clue. The only family member not present was Heidi, but she was definitely in our thoughts and wished that she, too, could have been with us. I think the funniest part of the night, was when we played Clue. It seemed to be quite complicated, probably because we started the game at 11:00 and everyone was exhausted. Here are some pictures from this night!

Skating at Lincoln Rink

It was great to have all of our family together over the holiday to laugh, catch up, and enjoy each other's company. Since everyone came up a little early in order to celebrate Geno's birthday, we were able to take Coretta, Jack, Emilia, and Coretta skating at Lincoln rink. Coretta was showing everyone how she can skate on one leg, as well as how she can do dips and swizzles. Although this was Emilia and Jack's first time skating, they did a great job! I believe we definitely have two figure skaters and a hockey player on our hands. It was great to see people truly enjoying the below zero weather and taking breaks in the warming house. Here are some pictures from this event!

Geno 1st Birthday!!

We celebrated Geno's first birthday in the cold tundra known as Detroit Lakes. We left Friday after Coretta was done with school and arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Earnest's around seven o'clock.

The next day was Geno's birthday celebration where we opened presents and ate reindeer decorated cupcakes. Ever since he has turned one years old, he is more generous with both hugs and cuddles which Mom is especially thankful for! He received many great gifts such as a riding toy, blocks, a giggle ball, trucks, a leap frog puppy, rattles, and a blanket just to name a few.

Here are some pictures from Geno's special day!

Christmas Concert 2007

Coretta's K-5 Christmas Concert was last night. I believe that it is going to be broadcasted on channel 5 on Christmas morning. Each class sang three songs and although Coretta was worried about fainting or falling from the top riser, we are happy to inform you that she did great! No accidents! Here aresome pictures of Coretta with her friends and a video of the Christmas Concert. Happy Holidays!

The 2007 Santa Experience

This year we brought Geno and Coretta to the annual West Holiday Party to see Santa. In my previous post I had stated that my prediction was that Geno would be scared of Santa and cry. Nothing could be farther than the truth. Geno sat on his lap, looked at Santa in bewilderment, and tried to pull off his beard. Next thing I know, Mrs. Claus is gasping and Nick is trying to stop Geno and in the meantime almost trips and falls on Santa. Some people say it sounds more like we are the Griswalds.

Coretta asked Santa for a skateboard and Geno, well, he did enough already. The children received some nice gifts such as the Zooreka game and a puzzle and there were many kid activities such as arts and crafts, face painting, holiday treats, and music. There were also various characters that the children could meet and take pictures with such as Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, and the Grinch. Geno really loved the cookies and icecream.

Above are some pictures with the children and Santa. Below you will find a movie that I created that highlights some of the things we did. Enjoy!!

Coretta's Christmas Concert

Already Coretta's Christmas concert is coming upon us. I believe it is next week. This year is really flying by. I decided that I should take a few pictures of her in her Christmas dress so I could post them before the holidays and actually get some Christmas cards out. My hope of having a great photo of my children together doesn't seem to be a reality this year because Geno will not stand for it. If I do get cards made, they will each have their separate photo. We are going to the annual West Christmas party tomorrow. Santa will be there as well as many other child friendly events. I hope that Geno will sit on Santa's lap, but my guess is that he will be scared and cry. I believe Coretta has written her letter to Santa and I believe that she stated that she wanted a scooter or a skateboard. Well...Here is a picture of Coretta in her Christmas dress!

It's Winnie the Pooh!

As we all know, Geno is turning one years old on December 22nd. In the mail today came this fantastic package from Grandma Marilyn. When we opened it, it was a riding toy that was similar to the type of riding toy that Nick had as a kid. When talking to Marilyn, she stated that Nick absolutely loved this thing and called it his "EEE EEE." When asked about this memory, Nick remembered that it had this cool compartment that you could lift up and put things in.

We decided to give this to Geno a little early and see what he thought about it. He loved to ride on it going back and forth and back and forth and had this expression on his face that he was proud of himself. He was also amazed by all the noises and lights that would flash on it as well.

All I can say is great present Grandma!! Geno loves it!

Sam the Snowplow Patch

Coretta has completed her first session of figure skating lessons. She will start up again February 2nd. The following skills were tested: sit and stand up with skates both on and off the ice, sit and stand up on the ice, march in place, march forward eight steps, march and then glide on two feet, and dip in place. She has learned to do the snowplow stop. Once you pass these requirements, you receive a cool patch that you can attach to clothing.

I had the "cool" idea to try to iron it on Coretta's winter jacket. Needless to say, that was a mistake because it melted the nylon and left a huge burn in her jacket. Mind you this is at 6 a.m. and she needs to wear this jacket to school. After calming Coretta down, I attached some cheeetah girl buttons to cover the spot, and off to school she went.

When she was picked up at school, Nick took her to REI and she was able to pick out a new winter jacket and snowpants. I guess this was a blessing in disguise. Just look at Coretta's face. I think she forgives me.

The many faces of santa's little helper...

With just days before Geno's first birthday, it is clear that he is starting to get into the spirit.
He now loves to eat all table food, but some of his favorites are turkey, carrots, green beans, bananas, applesauce, waffles, pancakes, and of course ice cream. Although he still wants me to feed him, I am happy to report that he does not choke anymore on his food and has learned to chew his food.

He really loves the freedom of crawling all throughout the house and definitely will throw a tantrum if you fence him in. His favorite toys are his trucks, his rattles, his blocks, and his teddy bear blanket. He also loves to play with plastic water bottles, paper, and books.
His favorite past time hands down is the time he gets in the bath tub. He would stay in the water for hours if I let him. He loves to still hit his parents in the face or pull off his dad's glasses, but we like to play it off as his way of showing affection.

His worst time of the day is usually when he wakes up. He is very impatient and hungry and you need to tend to his needs fast before there is a huge meltdown, but other than that, he is an easy going, fun loving, active kid.

He loves to spend time with his sister Coretta and eats up any little bit of attention she gives him. They like to play tug-of-war, reading together, playing leggos, and even singing. Charlie always needs to be an active participant in these things and tries to find any squeaky toy in the room to squeak and fit in.

I keep waiting for the time when he will actually sleep in past six a.m. but I do not think that the day will ever come. He is starting to get used to the winter chill in the air and loves to see his breath and laugh.

We plan to celebrate the big first birthday in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota at Grandma and Grandpa Earnest's house. They gave him a Thomas the Train toy box that very craftily hides the mess of toys when needed. He is also going to have a snowman pull apart cupcake cake for his birthday. I do not even have to wonder if he'll like chocolate! I can here him already saying, MMMMMM.

Here are some fashion shots of him wearing his Santa hat.
As you can see from the pictures he is quite the fashion model. We are going to visit Santa next week. I wonder if Geno will be on the naughty or nice list? He definitely fits the cute list!!

Happy Holidays!