Here comes the snow!!!

Well it looks like we are going to welcome the new year with a winter storm. They are calling for 8 inches of snow for southern Holt county, wind and below zero wind chills. It is looking like our busy weekend is going to turn in to a very uneventful weekend. I guess I will be able to stay up late to cheer on the Huskers in the Holiday Bowl tonight. I am not going to be working tomorrow with the storm.

The girls are keeping busy during Christmas break. Yesterday Jenae helped me with some cleaning. It is so nice that she is getting old enough to actually help with some household chores. She has been doing my vacuuming, yesterday she cleaned the bathroom and did my dishes. She did a good job with everything. I told her I would pay her a little bit if she did some things in the house and did a good job. She seems happy to help out.

Aubree has been wearing her swimsuit every day. I have managed to get it off her and in the wash a few times but she only seems to take if off if she is putting on her pj's or the 2 hours it is in the washer/dryer. She is still happily singing Christmas carols. I am not sure if we will be hearing "Away in the Manger" and "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" year round in our house or if will fade when the Christmas season tapers down.

Kyle has went up to Wakefield's several times this past week and Jenae was really excited about getting to go along and get some time in the saddle. It is so nice that my employer and her family have a nice in door arena that they can ride and practice in during the winter months.

Well it may be a good weekend to catch up on closet cleaning and organizing around the house. Maybe there will be some good movies on for the New Years weekend.

Have a very happy & safe New Years!!

Aubree in front of the tree with all her Christmas gifts.


Jenae in front of the tree with all of her Christmas gifts.

Two Christmas in 1 day!!

Sunday we had Christmas at my Grandma Forre’s house. I think everyone in the family was able to make it except for one of my uncle’s. There had to be close to 50 people there so it was a house full. Luckily my Grandma has a big house.

Kyle got the chance to meet my Great Aunt Jeanette. She is from Oregon but recently moved back to Newman Grove to go into the assisted living. She is legally blind so she can only see right in front of her. She asked to meet Kyle and had him put his face within inches of her face so she could get a good look at him. She told me that Kyle is very handsome! (Something I already knew ;-) She put her hand on his arms and said to him “my you have big muscles”

We had our traditional Norwegian meal along with an American Christmas meal. Chip was asking me what exactly Lutefisk is and how it is cooked. I really had no idea, I just always ate it! I did a little research on google and found out this.

Lutefisk is made by soaking dried whitefish in water and lye solutions. The fish is first soaked in cold water for at least 5 days, with the water being changed daily. It's then soaked in water and lye for 2 days. It's then soaked in water again for up to 6 days, with the water being changed daily.

After dishes were all done the kids got to open their gifts from Grandma. Then it was picture time. My girls were so tired especially Aubree. It took a little bit of fun out of the day. As soon as we got some pictures of the kids with Grandma, we left to head back to Chambers so we could see some of the Phifers. I wished would could have had more time at both celebrations, but I am glad we at least had a chance to see everyone.

Jenae & Aubree were very happy to get to see Kassie and Karson.
It was a big 3 days, but a lot of fun. I took yesterday off to get things put in order at home. I got the girls presents all packed away and the house picked up. Now just to get ready for having some friends over to watch the Huskers play on Thursday, having family come for New Years Eve and then the Whitaker Family Christmas on New Years. With having to work Thursday & Friday it is going to be another busy week! I hope to get A LOT done on my day off tomorrow!!

This is only a small part of the food at my Grandma's house. This is know as the "sweets" section. My camera does not have a wide enought lens to capture the table full of dips and snack foods. This is the food that comes out after dinner is over with and before supper! We eat a lot at Grandmas!!!


My brother Dusty wearing my Grandpa's yellow sweater. (keeping with the family tradation of the yellow sweater)


My Grandma with a bunch of tired little munchkins!


My Dad with his Mom and his 4 Sisters.


Jenae & Kyle at my Grandma's house.


My girls were very interested in Raquel's I Pad.


Aubree, Trey & Jenae with Kassie & Karsen

Christmas Day

Christmas Day we got up and headed out to my parents house. We got there just before noon and were able to enjoy my Mom’s great cooking. I am so blessed to have a Mother and a Mother –In-Law that are such awesome cooks and that they go to so much work to make sure our holiday meals are nothing but the best!!
After the dishes were done it was time for presents. 10 adults & 8 kids makes for a lot of packages under the tree. Lots of chaos during the gift opening.
The rest of the day we spent visiting, playing games and of course eating!!! My sister Lacey’s family and spent the night at my parents house along with my little family. Dusty & Erin let Aubree go home with them so she could spend the night with Brooke. I overheard Brooke say to Aubree “do you want to spend the night at my house tonight Aubree??” Aubree quickly replied “sure” I am not sure if it is a good sign that a couple of 3 year olds are already making sleep over plans! Kellen & Tyson spent the night at Dad & Mom’s. It was a house full but a lot of fun.

Jenae & Tyson eating their prime rib!


Kids helping Grandma open her gift.



Bree & Brooke showing off their new belts Grandpa & Grandma gave them.


Kellen waiting for his Dad to help him get his nerf gun ready.


Cooper helping his Mom open a gift.


Brooke & Allyx giving each other some sisterly love.


The look on his face says it all "too much time with my wild cousins"


Kissing Cousins


Husker Aubree. She thought she was really cute!


Pajama time!

Santa Came!

Santa paid a visit to our house Christmas Eve while we were over at Chip & Marilyn’s house. The girls were so excited to see their stockings were full.


Aubree has been busy cooking up a storm in her new kitchen Santa brought her! I was very happy to see how little the kitchen was so it will fit really nice her bedroom without having to rearranging!


Jenae has been happily taking pictures and videoing with her new camera! She said "Santa must think I am really a big girl to give me such a big girl present"

Christmas Eve

We have had 3 days full of Christmas celebrations. I think I am going to do one blog post for each day! It may take me a few days to get all of our Christmas celebrations blogged, but I will start with first one.

Friday I worked until 2:00 hurried home and got the girls ready and we headed over to Chip and Marilyn's house. We got there about 3:30. Marilyn had been busy cooking and getting ready for all of us to show up.

The kids were all excited about all of the presents under the tree, but it was Hope who was asking if we could open gifts before supper :-). She only had to ask Marilyn once and we all got to tear into our gift.

After we got the tornado of wrapping paper and ribbons picked up off the floor we sat down to eat our awesome supper. Shortly there after Sandy & Jonnye arrived. There got there just in time to enjoy Marilyn's feast. Sandy is Marilyn's sister & Jonney is Sandy's daughter. We really enjoyed them being able to join us for Christmas. It made the evening even more special. Sandy brought the girls books for Christmas, something they will get a lot of use out of :-)

After supper our evening would not have been complete with out playing some games. Jenae's favorite Snorta and we also got in a game of Apples to Apples. Everyone was pretty tired so we headed home. It was a really fun evening and the prefect start to our Holiday weekend!!












Trey wanting to get Aubree out of the chair.


Jenae by the snowman


Hope & Aubree coloring


Cowboy Trey and his new saddle.


Chip & Marilyn with a canvas picture of the grand kids


Jenae & Aubree opening a gift


Aubree sitting in Grandpa Chip's old rocking chair.


Trey in Grandpa Chip's rocking chair.


Jenae in her new outfit & Aubree in her new swimsuit


Aunt Hope made sure that Aubree got the swimsuit that was on her Christmas list. She had hardly taken it off since she got it. Thanks Aunt Hope :-)


Jenae got a goat tying dummy from Chip & Marilyn for Christmas. Aunt Hope is helping her figure out the tie.

kids say the darndest things...

Aubree always has very interesting prayers. The other night she was saying her good night prayer and it went something like this:

Dear God, Thank you for God & Jesus, & for the cow, sheep, donkey & buffalo ham, thank you for Grandpa & Grammy, for Mommy & Daddy ......

She then said the whole prayer again and it was the 2nd time around I figured out what buffalo ham was. It is what she calls Bethlehem!

*************************************************************************************

The other day Jenae was asking me about when she was born. She knew she was born early, but wondered how early.

Me to Jenae: You came almost 2 weeks early. Daddy had just got home from a rodeo that morning and he was really tired. He didn't believe me when I woke him up and told him that I thought I might be in labor.

Jenae: Didn't Daddy notice your big belly? Did he just think you had been eating a lot?

Me: he knew I was pregnant he just didn't know I was in labor!

Jenae: What is labor??

That was another whole story :-)

Christmas Traditions

In thinking back over my 32 years of Christmas, most of my childhood Christmas memories come from the traditions that we did every year. Sorry to bore you with details from Christmas past, but I have said before that one of the reasons for my blog is to have a record for my girls of our life & this is something I thought they would enjoy reading about down the road when they are a little older.

I grew up in a very small Lutheran Church. I so loved the Christmas Program that we had every year. It seemed my part was always to be an angel in the program. I still remember getting to wear the halo made of tinsel. I looked forward to the year that I would finally get to play Mary in the program. After the program we would get a brown paper sack full of treats and peanuts. My Parents & Grandparents never missed a program that my siblings & I were in.

Santa would come on the Eve of Christmas Eve. So Christmas Eve morning we would all wake up early to see what he had left under the tree for us. The night before Danielle & I would look at all of the cookies Mom had decorated and find the most perfect cookie for Santa, and of course we had to leave a carrot for Rudolph.

Christmas Eve was spent at my Grandpa & Grandma Noble's in Albion. From little on I remember that we always ordered Pizza Hut pizza. It was something I thought was a real treat. Grandma would make her famous cheese ball and my Aunt Jean and my Mom brought the best trays full of cookies. After we ate supper all of us kids had to go to the basement so Santa could come. My siblings and I had already had Santa so we did not get anything else from him, but my cousins had their Santa gifts and Grandpa & Grandma's house. It was always so fun to think that he was right up stairs!!! Then we would open our gifts from Grandpa & Grandma, play some games and head for home or church. Every few years our Church would have a Christmas Eve candle light service. I LOVED when we would go to a packed church and celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus.

Christmas morning we would get up early and get ready to go to my Grandpa & Grandma Forre's house. My Grandpa was 100% Norwegian so we knew we could look forward to a Norwegian Christmas meal of lutefisk & lutefisk. My Mom & Aunts made Norwegian cookies, Rosettes, Kringla & Krumkake, yum yum!!! Grandpa would wear the same yellow sweater that he had wore every Christmas day since the 1970s until his last Christmas in 2006. It was an all day celebration and in the evenings along with Danielle & my cousin Renae we would put on a Christmas program for the rest of the family. We would sing songs from our Christmas programs at school, play our musical instruments & play lots of games. So much fun!!! Of course we would eat all day long!!!!

Well now that I am all grown up things have changed a bit. We celebrate Christmas very early on the Noble side. Usually the first weekend in December. We still order pizza :-)

We usually spend Christmas Eve with Kyle parents. Marilyn cooks up a storm and we all look so forward to her good food and playing games. Oh and did I forget to mention opening the gifts!!! I am sure Jenae & Aubree will be asking "how much longer utill we can open presents" from the moment we walk in the door until we give in and let them start.

Christmas Day is going to be at my parents house this year. It is a challenge to find 1 day that work for all 4 of us kids. We are all married and have several Christmas that Mom & Dad need to schedule around. For the past few years it has been more of a New Year's celebration. I am looking forward to actually being there on Christmas Day this year.

We will go to my Grandma Forre's house on Sunday. We did not make it there for Easter or Thanksgiving so I am pretty sure Grandma is holding us accountable to be there for Christmas!! She still fixes the traditional Norwegian meal along with an American Christmas meal for the in laws :-)

Writing about all of this really makes me miss my Grandpa's, but also makes me realize we have to cherish every moment we have. We do not know what is in store for our future so we need to make the most out of the present!! Did you ever stop to think why the present it call the present? It is because everyday is a gift from our Heavenly Father! Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

Well it is finally here!! Christmas!! It is snowing here in Nebraska today so we will for sure be having a white Christmas.

I had yesterday off but have to work today until 2:00 so our little family had our little Christmas yesterday morning. The girls didn't seem to be too upset that they got to open their presents a whole day early :-) Santa has not come yet, but I hopefully he will pay his visit tonight and the girls can open their gifts from him tomorrow morning before we take off for my parents house.

Tonight we go to Kyle parents house for supper. It will be a lot of fun with lots of good food :-)

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas & travel safe!!!

Jenae's Christmas Program

Jenae's Christmas program at school was Friday night. It was so cute & adorable. The first graders had to dress up as elves. I realize I am Jenae's Mom & all, but if I do say so myself Jenae made a pretty cute little elf!

It was a fun night and Jenae had a nice turn out of support. Chip, Marilyn & Hope were all there and my Mom also came up for the night. They were all pretty proud of Jenae as well.

The rest of the weekend I spent getting things ready for this week and Christmas. I am feeling pretty good about where I am at on things. Kyle finished up our Christmas letter last night so it went in the mail today. My presents are all wrapped and under the tree. My baking is done and 14 cookie trays are put together. Kyle is my cookie tray delivery boy and will be busy delivering cookies to some of our friends and neighbors in the area. Every year he thinks of more people we should take cookies too, if we keep adding to the list I may have to start taking off the month of December just to bake :-)

Our little house is full of Christmas joy! We have so much to be thankful for and are very excited about the upcoming week!!!


My little elf!


Chip & Marilyn with Jenae before the program


My Mom with Jenae before the program


Jenae in her class room before the program.


Jenae & Aubree


Some of the elves singing.


The theme of the program was that there was an earth quake in the North Pole & Santa was trapped with the elves. This is a picture of the kids during the earth quake.


Aubree watching the program.


Tired Aubree about 1/2 way through the program. She was such a good little girl and watched much of the program even though she was so tired!!!