Happy Monday

It's Monday. We had such a relaxing weekend that it was hard to get back into the routine of things today...yet routine is welcome. Crazy, huh??

Thanksgiving, Part 2, was nice. It was great to see Mark's cousin Maria and her family again. Hope played SOOOOOO nicely with Maria's son Andrew (he's 3) and I'm so happy about that. Being an only child and not having much interaction with other children can make this a bit tough at times. But she shared nicely and gave lots of hugs to Andrew. They sang the ABC song together MANY times. Hope warmed up to Auntie Cheryl, too. That was so nice to see.

Speaking of Auntie Cheryl...my wonderful sister in law has graciously invited me over to watch the Packer game on Thursday night. They have NFL Network and that's the only station you can watch the game on. I thought I'd either have to listen to the game on the radio (not much fun for me) or resort to going to a bar to watch it (again, not much fun for me). This will be MUCH better. We'll order a pizza and watch the game. I think they go to bed fairly early, so I may have to let myself out. I saw a statistic that makes me a little leary about the upcoming game. Tony Romo (the Cowgirls' quarterback) has the most TDs at home this season...even more than Tom Brady. YIKES since we're playing at Texas Stadium. Well, it's out of my hands and Hope has diligently been saying her "God bless Uncle Brett" prayers, so I guess I'll just have to see what Thursday night brings. Can you believe that I already have butterflies in my stomach?? Sheesh!!! That's crazy!

Mark is enjoying the day with Hope. They went to the library this morning---one of their favorite Daddy/Daughter activities. Tomorrow she'll be with Grammy and Papa and then on Wednesday I'll have her in the morning and Mark will have her in the afternoon while I'm at work. The one good thing about Mark not working right now is that he's got time to spend with Hope. Oh...speaking of job stuff...if you could pray that the right job comes along for him, that'd be really great!! We're OK, but this stuff is getting really old really fast.

Other than that, not much else going on. Thanks for checking in.

Thanksgiving, Part 2

Hi everyone...
Just a quick note before we get ready to head to Baldwin for Thanksgiving, Part 2. We'll be at Mark's parent's house today with Mark's sister and her family, Mark's Uncle Dan and Mark's cousin Maria and her family. Always a fun time. The day will start at 11 with lefse making---a family tradition. I can't wait until Hope is old enough to enjoy and participate in this tradition with her Grammy, her cousins, her Aunt Cheryl and, of course, her Mommy. Then we'll sit down for dinner and enjoy great conversation and catching up. Then Mark's Uncle Dan and I will take our place at the kitchen sink...another fun tradition.

Our Thanksgiving on Thursday included putting cornish game hens on the grill, Mark's parents coming down to enjoy them,and a little bit of resting. Oh...and did I mention enjoying another Packer victory?? WooHoo!!! The game was great!! Brett looks like a 22 year old, not a 38 year old. We're now 10-1. Holy Cow!!! We had a few injuries on Thursday which means they need to heal fast so we can go to Texas Stadium on Thursday and kick some Dallas butt!! OK, so I realize that our chances of winning IN Dallas aren't the greatest, but I'd say we have a 50/50 chance as long as our injured are healed. If we win on Thursday that means we get home field advantage during the play offs. NICE! The stinky part about the game?? It's only on NFL Network which means if we want to watch it we have to go to a bar. NOT fun! How about if I get tickets for the game?? That'd be great! Not gonna happen though. So, GO PACK, GO!!!

I got in line at WalMart at 3:50 yesterday morning!! Crazy! I was about the 10th person in line. The people around me were great, so the time went quickly. I thought my toes were going to freeze off by the time they opened the doors at 5 though. It was worth it. I got my Cricut Machine!! Merry Christmas to me!! They were going FAST, too! I also hit KMart, Target and Shopko yesterday. I stood in a little line at the register at WalMart, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. No lines at KMart, Shopko or Target. The longest line I stood in and the busiest place I went yesterday?? You'll never guess: MENARD'S!!! It was CRAZY!! The people were nice and polite, but the register lines were sooooooo long and there were no carts to be seen anywhere!! I was home by 9:30am. I picked up a few things for Hope and Mark and got something fun for little Isaiah Spies, too.

Last night Hope, Mark and I stood out in the cold on Main Street in River Falls for the annual River Dazzle Parade. It was about 30 minutes long and it was nice. All those Christmas songs and Christmas lights put you in the mood to celebrate. Hope liked it. She got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus from a distance. She wasn't too sure about them. She'll go to Baldwin next Saturday as Santa and Mrs. Claus (aka Grammy and Papa). We'll see how she does then. Maybe she'll know it's Grammy and Papa. I'm not sure. I think she's going to be one of those kids who will figure it all out at an early age. I just hope it's not TOO early.

I talked to Andrew on Thursday. He said he had the best turkey dinner at the base on Thursday. He has off until Monday, so he's enjoying some R&R. He'll be home in just under a month. YEAH!!! We can't wait to see him!! He sounds good.

Guess that's about it for now. Time to go wake my sleeping family.

Random Thoughts...

This blog will be mostly random thoughts about things happening around here. Just a quick way to catch you up on life in River Falls.

Hope continues to amaze us every day. I went to pick Hope up from Grammy and Papa's house yesterday and Grammy told me that at one point during the day she did something for Hope (I can't remember the circumstances exactly) and Hope said to her, "Gracias." hehehe Not thank you, but gracias. She's bilingual. Actually, she's starting to be trilingual because Grammy had Hope's Raffi video on when I picked her up yesterday and Raffi was singing a song in French and Hope was singing along!!! Holy Hannah! I know nothing about French except french toast and french fries. Seriously though, this girls also knows how to sing the ABC song in Spanish! She also knows how to say, "Don't tell me that" when we tell her something she doesn't want to hear. Mom---your wish came true---I got a daughter just like me!! Only she's way smarter than me. hehehe

I'm borrowing my friend Lara's Cricut machine for the long weekend. I'm so excited about that!! This is a new, electronic die cut and embossing tool that is a God-send for scrapbookers!! I'm borrowing Lara's to see how I like it because I think after Christmas I'll be getting my own Cricut...only I think I'm going for the big one and getting the Cricut Expressions. Fun, fun, fun!!! If I start my scrapbooking business like I'd like to, I can take it as a business write off on my taxes. YEAH!!! Mark and I are thinking about starting the business before the end of the year for tax purposes.

I had a wonderful lunch and visit with my friend Lisa yesterday. It was really nice to visit with her and get to know her a bit better. Little Lucy was at Grandma and Grandpa's house though so I didn't get to visit with her. But I did get to meet Abby...Troy and Lisa's cute Golden Retriever. Thanks for lunch, Lisa!!

Today I had lunch with my friend David. Yummy Chinese food at Panda Garden. It was nice to catch up with him and hear the latest about Ezekiel. Wow is all I can say about the stuff happening there.

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. Mark's parents are coming for a low-key Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, but we're having our big Thanksgiving at their house on Saturday. Mark's sister and her family will be there as will Mark's cousin Maria and her family and Mark's Uncle Dan. Uncle Dan and I have a Thanksgiving tradition: we do the dishes together after the meal and chat. A couple years ago he told me that I'm really good for Mark. hehehe Smart guy! Tomorrow I'll grocery shop (NOT looking forward to the crowds) and go to Target to pick up Hope's Christmas pictures. I can't wait to get them. I'll also have coffee in the morning with my friend Jeanne whom I haven't seen in AGES!! It'll be good for Hope and me to catch up with her. We'll also work on Christmas cards and invitations to Andrea's baby shower this weekend. I'm excited about hostessing a shower for Andrea in January!! My mind is already trying to figure out what to serve, what games to play and what kind of a cake to make. I love doing stuff like that. Oh...and let's not forget that I'll be parked in front of the TV on Thursday beginning at 11:30 for the Packer game. If we beat Detroit on Thursday, we've pretty much got the division wrapped up. YEAH!!! Then it's on to the Cowboys. If money were no object you better believe I'd be making a trip to Dallas a week from now so I could go to the game. I'd even take my Dallas friends with me...as long as they'd wear Packer jerseys and cheesehead hats!! hehehe

So Andrew took his first test at school. He missed passing by 1 lousy question. Since he only missed by one question, they let him re-take it. Had he missed by two or more, he would have gotten stuck with a different career that he would have been totally board with. But...he passed his re-take test so all is well. And he got his first orders. When he's done with school in February they'll ship him off to....
(drum roll, please)....Germany!!! I'm excited and sad all at the same time about this. I'll hate having him so far away, but I'll also love going to visit him. I was in Germany 10 years ago and it was so beautiful. I can't wait to go back. I think I'll take Hope with me...and hopefully Mark will join us. For those of you who don't know, Mark is terrified of flying. Hopefully we can get him over that fear in the next year or so. Andrew will be in Germany for at least 2 years, so we've got some time to work on Mark flying.

I guess that's about it for now. Please keep the following people in your prayers: David, Monica, Rita, Sandy, Anne and Marion. These are simply people I know and love who could use your prayers.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Speaking of babies...

I had to get this in my blog before I forgot about it (this blog is pretty much acting as Hope's baby book right now so I have to put down things she does or says so I don't forget about them when she's older). On Halloween night we had a few trick or treaters at our house. The last trick or treaters of the night were my ob/gyn's daughters. We love it when Dr. Hallman comes to see us!! Two days later my friend Andrea came over for and afternoon chat. She's pregnant and due in late January. After Andrea left I was explaining to Hope that Dr. Hallman is going to help Andrea's baby come out of her tummy just like Dr. Hallman helped her (Hope) come out of Mommy's tummy. She looked at me with this stern look on her face and said, "Dr. Hallman kicked me out!!" I couldn't believe what she said so I asked her to repeat it. Yep! I had heard right!! So now whenever Dr. Hallman's name comes up Hope says, "Dr. Hallman kicked me out." I thought that was so funny!! I get to see Dr. Hallman tomorrow (nope...no baby here) so I have to remember to tell him about that.

There is one person who wishes we would have another baby though. Hope loves babies so much! Today at story time at the library she didn't pay one second of attention to the books that were being read. Instead she looked and talked to the baby that was sitting in her infant seat next to us. She so badly wanted to touch the baby and kept saying, "I'll be gentle to the baby." The other day we saw babies on TV and she told me she wanted a little sister. Then last Thursday we went to give a piano lesson and she told my piano student, Cassidy, that she was her little sister. I hope she will forgive us when she gets older that we never gave her a little sister.

Introducing...

Lilly Peterson!! Daughter of my friends Jeff and Jodi. She is absolutely beautiful! Mom and daughter (and Dad) are doing great! I stopped by the hospital tonight and took these pictures. Oh...Lilly weighed 10 lbs, 3 oz and was 22.5" long. Big girl, but absolutely perfect. Anna, Jarrin and Maddy are all excited about their baby sister. Enough words...look at this beautiful blessing!

Do you believe in SPANKINGS???

I do!!! Because I just witnessed the Green Bay Packers SPANK---and I mean SPANK--the Minnesota Vikings!! WooHoo!!! Now I realize that some of you who read this blog are Viking fans, so I'll be gentle. Although I am a Packer fan, I admire those Viking fans who stay loyal to their team through bad years, turmoil and scandals. So hats off to you. I was a bit sad to see Brooks Bollinger (the QB for the Vikings today) all by himself on the sidelines after the Vikings last possession. Way to encourage a young QB, Vikings. Plus, Brooks was an outstanding QB for the Badgers not too long ago, so I'll always like him. But here's where I take great glee in the Packers kickin' the Vikings today (final score: 34-0): Darren Sharper---where were all those interceptions you talked so big about today?? If I remember correctly, the last TD for the Packers saw you run squarely into your team mate. What could have EASILY been an interception for the Vikings turned into 7 points for the Packers. Thanks Darren! So why am I so hard on Darren?? He used to be a Packer. After Brett Favre, he was my favorite Packer for a long time. He's CUTE!!! But since he became a trader and chose to play for the Vikings, he's been trash-talking Brett Favre like crazy. Well, the Packers won what Mark and I consider to be OUR super bowl today. We beat the Vikings!! As a matter of fact, we beat them TWICE this year.

OK...enough about the Vikings. Let's talk about how awesome the 8-1 (YES!!! 8-1) Green Bay Packers. They looked so great today!! The offense played an unbelievable game today. Lead, of course, by Uncle Brett. The defense was spectacular. Up to this point I thought that the Packers were playing well, but still had a lot of luck on their side. But today I am totally convinced that we have a heck of a chance to beat the Cowboys (my second least favorite team in the NFL) in Irving, TX, on November 29th. Our running game was great today. Our passing game was almost perfect today. Our defense remains strong. We have two more games before we meet the Cowboys. I'm already on pins and needles for that game. I'm pretty sure we can beat the Panthers at Lambeau next week. Then we play in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. That's always a tough place for us. A week later it's the Cowgirls. The last time we played at Texas Stadium I was at the game and almost got kicked out. I think I've mentioned that before. No more football talk for today. Can you tell I'm excited??!!!!!!

How about some fun, exciting news about Hope?? She's getting closer and closer to getting this potty training thing down. We are SOOOOOOO proud of her!! She has gone pee-pee in her potty chair every morning for a week now. YEAH!!! A couple of days ago I woke her up from her nap and she was dry, so I put her on her chair. Not only did she pee-pee in her chair, she poo-pooed, too!! YEAH HOPE!!! As she was sitting in her high chair eating lunch today, she was working on a doozy poo-poo in her diaper. I changed her, but found there wasn't much there. I was surprised. I was going to put a clean diaper on her, but she insisted that she had to go potty. I didn't believe her (she's great at finding reasons to not go to sleep), but I set her on her potty anyway. Pretty soon she was looking in her chair. Poo-poo!! WooHoo!!! She DID have to go after all. We're hoping and praying she can keep making this kind of progress so that maybe by Christmas she can be pretty much completely trained. Merry Christmas to us: no more diapers to buy. YEAH!!!

So that's it from the Boersma-Brue household for today. It's a good day. With the Packers giving us such great news today and Hope doing so well with her potty training, maybe we'll get great news about a job for Mark this week. That would be perfect.

Oh...one more thing: we took Hope to see The Bee Movie yesterday. She did a pretty good job sitting through the movie. The movie itself: I'd give it a B. (hehehehe)

7-1!!!

They did it!! The Packers, in a CLOSE game, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Final score: 33-22. The final score doesn't look as close as the game actually was. Whew!!! Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City is a venue that the Packers haven't won in. Now they have. YEAH!!! That's it for tonight. I've gotta go check the rest of the league scores. The only two games I know for sure is that in a nail-biter, the Colts got beat by the Patriots. UGH!! Another UGH: the Vikings beat the Chargers. How in the heck did that happen?? I promise once football season is over there will be little sports talk for another year.

Packer Game-Day

It's Sunday!! The Packers play at noon today in Kansas City. I was SOOOOOOOOO hoping we'd be able to go to KC for this game, but here we are, still in Wisconsin. We can't even WATCH the game in River Falls because we're considered part of the Twin Cities viewing audience which means we are punished and have to watch the Vikings. Well, we'll watch something else. Anyway...the Packers are actually underdogs today. Go figure. The Packers are 6-1 and the Chiefs are like 4-3. Yet the Pack are underdogs. Hhhmmm. Interesting. That's OK though. Takes a little pressure off. They are on the road and they did have a short work week since they played (on the road) on Monday night, so maybe that's why they're not favored to win. What the media is forgetting is that the Packers actually have a better record on the road than at home. Another interesting bit of trivia. OK...so I'll be listening to the game on the radio while I get ready for a friend's baby shower today. That's fine.

But here's a little joke for you that my mother in law sent our way. I love it!! Enjoy!


John Madden was in New England to announce a football game one weekend when he noticed a special telephone near the Patriots' bench. He asked QB Tom Brady what it was used for and was told it was a hotline to God. John asked if he could use it. Brady replied, 'Sure, but it will cost you $200.' John scratched his head, then thought, what the heck, I could use some help picking games. He pulled out his wallet and paid $200. John's picks were perfect that week.
The next week, John was in Indianapolis when he noticed that same kind of phone on the Colts bench. He asked what the telephone was for and Manning told him, 'It's a hotline to God if you want to use it, it will cost you $500.' Recalling the previous week, John pulled out his wallet and made the call.
John's picks were perfect again that week.
Last weekend, John was in Green Bay , when he noticed the same kind of telephone by the Packers' bench. He asked Brett Favre, 'Is that the hotline to God?' Favre said, 'Yes, and if you want to use it, it will cost you 50 cents.' John looked incredulously at Favre and said, 'Wait a second, I just paid $200 in New England and $500 in Indianapolis to use the same phone to God! Why do the Packers only charge 50 cents?' Favre replied, 'Because in Green Bay , it's a local call...Welcome to God's Country.'

Sharp Dressed Man

Just wanted to post some pictures of Andrew. Does he look great in his uniform or what?? The people in the pictures with him are either my sister Alison (his Mom) or Alison's husband (Andrew's step Dad) John. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween

OK, so I'm a day late. It's actually Happy All Saints Day. But since I didn't get the Halloween pictures posted until now, I'm still saying Happy Halloween. This was Hope's 1st Halloween that she dressed up for. Thanks to Grammy, she got to be her favorite thing in the whole world: a moo cow!! Hope is OBSESSED with moo cows!! Grammy found this really cute costume at a garage sale this summer. Although Hope screamed every time we put it on her, once it was on and she saw herself in the mirror, she loved it. We went to story time at the library yesterday and then went trick or treating at church and at Grammy and Papa's house. Then we just waited for trick or treaters to come to our house so Hope could show off her costume. She had so much fun!! And as you can see by the last picture, so did Mark:)

Enjoy!


Hope at story time at Hammond Library


The toss the beanbag on the pumpkin game


Halloween wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the Peterson farm


Some of our favorite trick or treaters...
Lynnette, Jaclyn, (yours truly) and Cindy


Mark's livin' it up on Halloween