Here's what my kids did...

Ha..ha...ha...hahhaaaa..haha...

Merry Christmas to you all!

My treasure...

It was on this day...20 years ago...that Todd asked me to marry him!

He gave me a HUGE box of chocolate candies. In place of several missing chocolates in the center of the box was a little velvet box. It was a special evening!!

Praying for many, many more years with my treasure...

Merry Christmas Eve!

Let it Snow....again and again!

It snowed over night...took a break...and is snowing again!

(There are little lights on the bushes along the front of the house...)

Abraham (aka "bear" haha) loves being out with the kids!

I tried to take a picture while it is snowing...it's so pretty! We love it!

The kids cleared the driveway before more snow arrives! They are making forts out of the piles.

I'll try to post more snow pictures after this crazy storm finishes after Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve...day!

Christmas cards...

We are starting to get a nice collection of Christmas warm wishes and pictures this year. Many have had to go through the forwarding process since we moved recently...but it is nice to hear from so many people.

In the past, I think I have blogged about what we do with all our Christmas cards. I challenge others to join us!

Starting  January 1st, one of the kids will take one card off the door. We then pray for the Christmas card giver at dinner!!

See how long into January it takes to take all the cards down from where you display them. If you are still praying for your family and friends into Feb., then you are blessed beyond measure!!  Have fun!

Randall Snow Fun!

Sooooo much fun! I am amazed how God answers our prayers to be a place where kids in the neighborhood want to hang out...today we have at least 9 kids outside sledding. We don't have a huge yard. We don't have a huge sledding hill. But we have prayed that living "in town" would be a place for the kids to make friends and be a part of a community.

Now I need to go find enough hot chocolate for this bunch! haha

I love hearing all the laughter that bounces off the snow.

(Especially when Kaitlyn goes down our "slope" on a snowboard...backwards!! haha She is really good at it...backwards!haha)

Wishing everyone a wonderful week as we head towards Christmas...

Counting my blessings and being grateful for my salvation!

Merry Christmas!

Who do you know?

So Todd's brother, John, loves to say that Todd knows someone everywhere he goes! It is funny....I think it goes back to a Monsters of Rock concert in San Francisco one year long ago! hahaa Yes, someone yelled out from the crowd....to Todd...and it was a friend who knew Todd.

Anyway, yesterday at the skating party in Minneapolis, a woman asked Todd if he knew "the Blankenships"...Why would she be asking if he knew "the Blankenships"...they live in Oregon, not Minnesota. Turns out that this lady and her husband had recently gone out to California for a wedding (friends of ours from college no less!)....while there they met up with "the Blankenships" and other friends of ours from college. It was sooooo funny! They all talked and shared stories.
(Todd didn't actually know this woman that he was talking to...she was a parent with a child in the program he teaches for! haha)
Somehow "the Blankenships" mentioned friends that they knew in Minnesota (us!)  to this lady. And the story goes from there....funny!

So...John...I guess Todd does know someone everywhere! haha Not really...