Who's Your Role Model

No really, let's find out!

Try it without looking at answers

1) Pick your Favorite number between 1-9

2) Multiply by 3 then

3) Add 3, then Multiply again by 3 (I'll wait while you get the calculator....)

4) You'll get a 2 or 3 digit number….

5) Add the digits together

Now Scroll down ..............
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...consider this the hold music..
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Now with that number see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:

1. Einstein

2. Nelson Mandela

3. Jacob Zuma

4. Tom Cruise

5. Bill Gates

6. Gandhi

7. Brad Pitt

8. Hitler

9. Kerri Madura

10. Barack Obama

Merry Christmas

Here comes Sinter Klaas

One of Steve's "surrogate" mothers from his childhood turned 70 last week.  Happy Birthday, Gaby!  We were honored to not only attend her surprise birthday party, but also to have been so involved in the entertainment.  Aside from singing a duet with her daughter-in-law, and doing a guitar/singing solo, Steve was "Sinter Klaas" The Dutch St. Nick.  He was FANTASTIC!  He had the kids so excited and the adults falling off their chairs in laughter!

He was so good at this, that a wedding party in the same building wanted to take pictures with him too!

Every Blog needs these pictures

I've never seen Addison so scared!!!  He was CLINGING to my arm!

I was so proud of my older boys.  Carter got to tell Santa that he HAD to go the store to buy the Car and Airplane that costs $20.

We're believers, what more can we say!...and Steve really wanted a candy cane.

Play Date!

9 babies at one play date? Definitely bloggable.

From the top:

Addison

Jarrett, Isabelle, Joseph

Gage

Parker, Zach

Logan, Allison

9 babies:5 Moms

(Stefani and Lindsay--correct me if your babies are out of order!)

Not to mention the 5 toddlers running around in the other room.

You think we had a full house this morning?

Since we got together with the sole purpose of eating Chrstimas Treats, it made me think of this Tostitos Commercial:

Addison took 4 Steps!!!

He is 10 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days old and today he took 4 STEPS!

Hooray for Addison!

I think 4 is all he wants right now, since he would take 4, then fall; 4, then fall. Sometimes less than 4 (which is all we could get on video since he's in love with the camera), but never more than 4.

We're excited for him!

When I grow up...

Some wish they were Oscar Meyer Weiners.  Still others want to be Toys R Us kids.  Carter and his two friends Craig (3) and Christopher (2) all decided what they want to be when they grow up, without any guidance from adults...

Craig: A mail Carrier

Christopher:  a Fire Fighter

Carter: A Race Car driver

cool that they came up with that on their own--spurred after Christopher called Craig a farmer--apparently the ultimate put down in their family...someday they'll learn that their own dad was a potato farmer!

Me, what do I want to be?  Apparently I should be an accountant (boring) since I thrive on organizing data.  Hence, why I enjoyed creating a spreadsheet using my grocery receipts to determine which grocery store I go to is really the most economical to shop at.

The result:  Aldi is surprisingly cheaper than Walmart in everything, which is substantially cheaper than Meijer, which calls Dominicks and Jewell highway robbery. So there you have it.  I should have been an accountant.

Carter's Wonderland

I'm not one of the lucky few who get to have chubby chubby kids, but my wonderings of what it would be like if Carter had 20 more lbs or baby weight came to an end once I put him in his snow suit :)

"I can't put my arms down"

He thought his foot prints were the coolest!

And then when we came in, I suggested Hot Chocolate to warm us up, but Carter insisted on COLD cereal.

"But that's not hot," I said.

"Yes it is. It's so hot, it's cold." Oh, so wise, Carter!

It reminded me of 1980's Pop Tart commercials:

"So cool they're hot...so hot they're cool!"

Halloween Post--at last

So it took me a while to post my pics...So Sorry!

But to keep your attention since you waited so long, here's an interesting tid bit:

There are 8,000 calories in one of these. What is it? (the answer is at the bottom, so coin your guess first so you can leave it in comments, then see if you were right) This year we went as the Popeye Clan! This includes Popeye, Olive Oyle, our mini Popeye, and Swee Pea...and YES, Swee Pea is a boy :)
YEA FOR CHERI who came to visit for Halloween!!! That gave us Carters Sailor girlfriend and a CAN OF SPINACH!

Carter got the wink and the "ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-WHOA!" down pretty good, too!
A real Popeye Pro! (thanks to the internet we tutored him on some Popeye cartoons!)


He had a great time Trick or Treating!

Carter's costume was warn by Steve when he was 2. It is a real Navy uniform, not from a costume shop. Keara's dress I luckily found at a yard sale!



The answer: A Typical Trick or Treat Bag

As a reminder

"You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose.  Not just a few of you, but all of you.  There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you--If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here."

-H Burke Peterson

Dollar Days at Culvers

Tonight: $1 Short Shakes

Friday: $1 Turtle Sundaes

Saturday: $1 Concrete Mixer

Sunday: $1 burgers--but who shops on Sunday?

Kinda makes you want to come down and visit, doesn't it Dad!

PS...I took FULL advantage of this offer and it was FANTASTIC!!!  I think this marketing trick has paid off in the end and converted me over to Culvers...either that or it's failed miserable and made me a new Weight Watchers Client.  Either way, it sure was yummy. 

Wise or Otherwise #2

Fun Board Game: Wise or Otherwise...I give you 1/2 a quote and you finish it, and you can make it up ;)

(Consider this my hold music until I put up a real post!)

"We finally zeroed in to find the cause of all our woes..."

Clue: Yes, it rhymes, and yes, it's a cheesy lyric from a cheesy film :)

I couldn't resist

Don't ask me how I was blog stalking briefly, and came across this, and thought it was cool.

Koodos to you if you can identify whose blog on your blog list this came from :)

This is so wrong!

As I was mowing the lawn today, I saw snow flakes. No wonder my hands were cold when I was done.

I'm not OK with this sudden change of events.

An Unbeatable Combination

Bad Combination: 

• A Blue Marker, 
• A couch, and 
• a 2 year old
  

A good combination: 

• A washable blue marker
• A leather (=wipable) couch
• an honest 2 year old, who guided me through the living room to show me all his markings--couch, ottoman, piano, piano bench, and window sill.

Fall Family Fotos

Taking family pictures is all fun and games.......until someone goes in a Burr Bush and ruins a favorite sweater...

Grrr!

Need a laugh?

Steve's new look

Happy Haunting!

Reason #83 that I love blogging: I get great ideas from other friends' of how to make my life more interesting. This week's cool adventure was making Bat Pumpkins! (Thanks Brandi!) Things are getting spooky around here:

First we painted the pumpkins black,then attached black wings made from craft foam, (they were surprisingly stubborn to get in...hence the hammer) and then made silly and scary eyes. So fun! Because we had such a blast doing this, we are now initiating a Block Pumpkin Fest, and inviting each house to compete in a Pumpkin Contest. I think it will be fun!

For instructions on how to make these yourself, click here.

Wise or Otherwise #1

Fun board game:  Wise or Otherwise...I give you half the quote, and you give me the rest.

In a great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon, and a picture of....

That's what I call closure!

That's right! We up and did it!

We completed our Summer of Fun by finally going to Six Flags Great America!

With no kids--thanks Mom & Dad--it was the best date we'd been on in a long time! We a thrill seekers, for sure! We rode every roller coaster--the best ones twice--and screamed til we lost our voices. We ran through the park like it was a marathon!

It was fright fest now, too, for Halloween--How Spooky!

And did we mention this was all free!!!

I guess we still have the Madura Magic, after all!

That's right! The Summer of fun is complete! Now comes the Fall Ball and Winter of Wonders! ( No, I think I need new titles for that) Start looking for pics of our Snowmen Block Party!

You know you're a daddy if...

...the following has happened in your house:

Steve put Carter down for a nap before church while I was getting ready. 45 minutes later, Carter comes waltzing into the bathroom.

Carter: "Mommy! I'm awake!"

Me: "I see that. Where's daddy?"

Carter: "He's asleep on my floor!"

We went in to see that Carter had even graciously tucked him in with his own blanket. When it was time to wake up, Carter kissed daddy's eyes open.

You say it's your birthday! (name that tune)

Aren't we the coolest parents ever! For Carter's last birthday we...

went horseback riding [well, ponies, actually],

hired clowns,

went on a hay ride,

had a petting zoo with BIG bunnies that were mistaken as Kitty Cats,

and apparently had a kissing booth.

And as if that weren't enough for an awesome birthday, we also went bowling, played in the leaves, went out to eat at Noodles & Company, watched a Baseball game *and finally heard the klink of the metal bat I'd been waiting for all summer*.

OK, so that wasn't really his REAL birthday, but it seems that ever since August, we've had one birthday celebration after another, so now whenever we do something super exciting, Carter exclaims "It's my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!" It's too cute for us to resist.