Jared Talcott (a cousin) had a project at school where he had to send a "Flat Jerrry" to someone and have them take pictures with it and write a letter and send it back. He picked Alex! Alex was so excited to receive the package and spend a day with "Flat Jerry". Here are the pics we took and sent back.


1. Eating Breakfast
2. Playing Checkers with Grandma
3. Reading for Quiet Time
4. Playing Batman on the new Leapster
5. Fixing the BobCat with Grandpa
6. Getting a good nights sleep

And of course Alex had to get a picture of our favorite billboard in Minot, North Dakota!! (Even though the sun was in his eyes!)

SMILE


Thanks Jerry, we had a really fun time doing this!

HALLELUJAH!!!!

WOOOHOOO!! We are officially Debt FREE! We have 0 consumer debt! And it feels FANTASTIC!! We still have student loans....but I'm not counting those.
We got twice as much back from taxes as we thought we were going to. So we had more than enough to pay off the remaining credit card debt we had. AND then, after getting some counsel from some wise people...(G & G R.) We decided to pay of the Van. Wow! I can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me! We might actually be able to save some money and feel like we are getting somewhere......that seems so foreign since we haven't ever done it.....but I am so excited not to have to pay those bills anymore!!!!!!!!
WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Seth is 9!! I can hardly believe it!
Seth is a wonderful son. I am such a blessed Mom! He was such a cute baby....always screaming it seemed....but really cute when he wasn't screaming! I gave him a hug and picked him up and I thought...I wonder if I'll be able to do this next year. He is getting so tall! Tall and Skinny! Even though he is the only one of our kids that actually eats! And eats, and eats and eats! Thank GOODNESS he outgrew his picky food stage...(now I am just praying the rest of them do too) He is a great eater now. He will try everything at least once, and generally likes it after he has tried it. I love Seth's attitude and his never ending smile. He is a happy boy and it is fun to be around him because he can make you smile at the silliest things. The last couple months, Seth has been self conscious about his teeth. His front teeth are pretty big, and some stupid kid at school keeps telling him that his teeth are really yellow. I hate mean kids....ugh. Anyway, Lucky us, we live with Grandpa R. the dentist. Seth asks him teeth questions all the time...especially How can I make my teeth white? Anyway, Grandpa is great and pretty much says the same answer everytime....BRUSH! So Seth brushes his teeth VERY faithfully and has his dental appointments scheduled for the next...oh 2 years or so!! Who knows...maybe he will grow up and be a Dentist!
Anyone who knows Seth knows that he loves to sing and dance! Well, we were able to put him in a choir! Western Plains Childrens Choir. And he loves it! (of course). They sing and dance and every song has some kind of movements to it. There are only 20 kids. 3rd and 4th grade. And with him, now there are 3 boys. All of the kids are so nice and fun... They had already started a few weeks before he joined. But they all were so willing to help him and get him involved! One girl even came up to me and said "He is really good. He is doing great!" I wanted to hug her!! I LOVE IT!! (mean kids=bad....nice kids=good!!!) Anyway, they have a big concert in April. We are all very excited.
Seth, I love you. I hope you will never forget or wonder about that. I will always remember the day I brought you home from the hospital. I was up in the room waiting for Daddy to bring the carseat up, and I looked out the window and saw all the cars whizzing by, the people rushing around, every one was in such a hurry. I just cried. How could I take this precious new baby into such a cold, mean world? I didn't want to take you out there. But I heard a whisper..."It will be alright. He is stronger than you know. He will make it." I just pray every day that I am doing all I can to make that true. You are a strong boy. The Lord knows you. He loves you. Remember that always and you WILL make it. I LOVE YOU SETH LEWIS RICKS!!

bye bye Christmas

Mass hysteria. I started taking down the Christmas stuff and everyone flipped out. I guess they want the season to last a little longer. I do enjoy it all, but sheesh, after awhile, it just seems to be more clutter hanging around. So, sorry guys, its gotta go!

Ice Skating Cousins

We went ice skating for the first time over Christmas Break. It was fun! My kiddos loved it and definitely want to go back and keep trying! Danielle even had fun! She would just giggle every time she fell down. She didn't whine or complain at all. Seth and Trevor caught on pretty quick, and although they were soaking wet from being on the ice more than above the ice, they loved it. And Alex....he started out running and really just didn't stop! He was a natural. I think I better get him in Hockey. He even didn't want to use the little door to get out on the ice. He wanted to hop over the side just like they do in Hockey. Which he really only knows that from watching the movie The Tooth Fairy. Anyway, we had a great time. And then we went to the movie Megamind. So funny. And after the movie we drove through Oak Park to see the lights. What a fun day. And the best part was the company. Thanks Audra!

1/1/11

A new year. I have never been one to make New Years resolutions. Mostly because the occasional times that I do, I end up being disappointed in myself. I guess I'm not good at making goals is what it comes down to. But....I would like to be. So, I guess this New Year I am just going to say that I would like to be better. In many things. So many things. But in an effort not to bore you with all the things that I feel as though I am a failure at, I will stick to one thing that I would like to be better at. Journal writing. I think journals can be fascinating. What an incredible thing it is to be able to write your thoughts down and share memories with those who may read it years later. I just want to be able to write down a few things a day, or memories of things we do as a family. I want my kids to know how I feel about life. About being a Mom. About how much I adore them. So......summing it all up, my New Years resolution for 2011 is to keep a journal. I would like to try this blogging thing out more. I like the idea of attaching pictures to memories. However, as soon as Stephen goes back to school, I may not have access to a computer every day or as much as I would like, so I do have an actual pen and paper journal that I will keep when I can't get on a computer. And I'm not going to say that I will write every day either. Because I don't want to disappoint myself. I will try to write a thought every day, but really, the goal is just to be better. And since my journal writing is pretty much nil right now, ANYthing will be better!
Well, that is the plan. Now, I must get to bed. Church changes to 9am tomorrow. I have been looking forward to it since we moved here. I don't like afternoon church. It takes up the whole day. But now that it is here, I am almost dreading getting up so early tomorrow....uughh. ah well, that is another thing I would like to be better at. Just be happy. Can't change it, why fuss. Get over it and move on......
This is me moving on.....Goodnight. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!