Jumbo leaves

This summer when we were in Olympia WA the kids were so amazed by the large trees and the "gigantic" leaves as shown in the first picture by Megan and cousin Mandy. The kids received a surprise package a couple of weeks ago from my aunt Sister Damaris (that is were we stayed one night when we were out there.) Yes, it was package of these leaves. The kids loved them now that they had changed colors.

Elfyourself

Check out the Dancing Zanderelves:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1320364803

Holiday Baking

Tis' the season to get fat and jolly fa, la, la.....la,la,la

We started a new "tradition" last year to set aside one day to get all our holiday baking done and to do it as a family. It worked great last year and because it is now a "tradition" we decided to do it again today. This helps so Janelle doesn't end up doing it all month long, we only have to clean the mess up once, and we can so some family bonding.

Unfortunately, we received a few inches of snow the last couple of days and Megan and Jaden were more interested in playing in the snow than spending the day in the kitchen with Mom and Dad. That was fine with us so Janelle and I started after church and went to about 10 pm.

This years goodies are:

Carmel Bars
7 layer bars
Cream Cheese bars
Puppy chow(Crispix)
Spiced Pretzels
Peanut Butter Balls
Candy Cookie cups
Pecan Candies
Reindeer Eyes

These are yet to be completed:
Dreamsicle Fudge(my favorite)
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
Sugar Cookies

As always you are welcome to enjoy the sweets but you must come and visit in order to indulge.

Thanksgiving

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving at Janelle's parents. We were blessed to have Janelle's brother Rob and her brother Gary along with his wife Michaela and daughter Elizabeth. Also, Janelle's aunt Terri and her daughters Sara and Stephanie came from St. Cloud. We did the usual, eat, visit, and even played a card game. The food was a traditional Thanksgiving meal and it was delicious.

The Pilgrims arrive.

Austen's first Thanksgiving meal.

"Godfather Rob" and Jordan

The traditional "Kids Table"

"Multi-tasking Gary" reads two different bedtime books at once.

Baby's first "Do"

Austen received his first hair cut and was very patient through it all. It reminded me of how different all three boys are when the get their hair cuts. Jaden giggles through out the whole cut while Jordan usually screams and cries.

Jaden? Jesse?

Today at supper Jaden informed us that his real name is Jesse Monpuga. So, we ask, that Mr. & Mrs. Manpuga please come and pick up your son and you owe us for 5 years of room and board.

The Apology

I want to apologize for committing a blogging sin, yes, I have gone weeks without a blog entry. I know my readers, both of you, deserve better (sorry Mom). I will do my best to never let that happen again.

I AM SORRY!

Oktoberfest '07

Every year Janelle and I celebrate our heritage by having an Oktoberfest. This year we celebrated on October 34th (Nov. 3, but when life gets hectic you do it when you can.) We served a few German dishes (Kasenipula & Krautkniesel) and of course Red Eye. Janelle's parents, my parents, and my sister Tammy and her husband Curt all joined us in the celebration. We all had fun and were extremely full by the end of the night.

Meganism

One of the most memorable moments came on Friday morning when Janelle told the kids we were going to celebrate October Fest on Saturday night. Megan was very excited and couldn't wait to tell her class because they were talking about family traditions. Jaden was excited but asked "What is Oktoberfest?" Megan said "You know, when we celebrate that were Jewish." She knew she had it wrong and Janelle quickly corrected her and said "German."

Halloween

Below are all the costumes the kids wore on Halloween. Megan, Jaden, and Jordan all went trick or treating around the neighborhood. Jordan thought it was pretty "cool" to go up to the door and say "ah-ah" and they would give you candy.

Janelle and I went to a costume party at our neighbors before Halloween. I brought the "Holy Water" (bottle of Red Eye) and we had a wonderful time. Bridget and Todd went all out.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

This weekend we did our annual pumpkin pick'n. We go to a farm about a half hour North of us and pick our own pumpkins for a great price. As you can see we usually come home with the back of the van packed with the pumpkins.

Century Club

Today I logged my 100th mile since I got my Nike+ ipod system in May. I received the following certificate:

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1823592422®ion=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

For those who don't know the Nike+ system tells me, through my ipod, how far I run, what my pace is, how many calories I burn and much more. You can check it out here:

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?sitesrc=uslanding#tutorials

Feeling old?

Check out this list about the income college class of Freshman.

http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/2011.php

Seahawk Home Opener

Uncle Jerry and Uncle Curt must be proud!

Wet Weekend

Saturday was a busy day for us. Harwood was celebrating its 125 anniversary and had all kinds of activities scheduled for the weekend. I took part in the Saturday morning 5K run that could have been named the 5K swim because it rained all day. It was a small group that braved the weather and gathered for a wet & cold run/walk. I ran my slowest 5K time but took 5th over all. Right after I crossed the finish line I jumped in my car and drove to Megan's soccer game (I am the assistant coach -(I'm sure its because of my vast knowledge and experience in soccer.) Megan's team played well under the circumstances. After her game we came home, took warm showers, had warm soup, and headed to Jaden's soccer game. I am the head coach of Jaden's team (see note above). Jaden's team also did well for only having one practice. Jaden even scored his first goal (not bad for the kid who told me he doesn't like sports.)

I found out on Tuesday that I won my age group in the 5K. (OK insert joke now)

Answer to the Pacer

If you haven't figured it out the Yellow Pacer below is a replica of my first car a 1976 AMC Pacer. It was called everything from pregnant banana to upside down fish tank. Everyone in town knew when Jeff was driving down the street. I cant remember how much I paid for it but I think it was under $1,000. It came complete with an AM radio and a manual choke. The front could just about seat 4 people and the back 1 person. People asked, "if you ever rolled it would it just keep rolling?" Oh, what memories!!!!

Anyone have a first car that could beat that?

Pacer

For those who have known me for over 20 years, no explanation is needed!

Megan the Builder

I came home from work this evening only to find some of my tools and scrap wood laying around. I looked out back and saw Megan with my hammer and a couple pieces of wood.
When she saw me she asked "Daddy can you help me?"
Naturally I replied, "What are you doing?"
"I 'm building a garage."
"A garage? Why are you building a garage?" I asked.
"Nikki and I are going to open a scooter fix it shop."
"Oh, but honey it would cost thousands of dollars to build a garage. Where would you get the money?" I replied.
"Oh, were going to sell scooter wheels for $2 a piece."
"But honey, we would have to get a building permit." I countered.
She replied, "O.K. lets go get one."

You have to admire the girl was on a mission.

Weekend in the cities.

This weekend we traveled to the cities to celebrate the Zander family summer birthdays. We stayed with Curt and Marti where the Saturday celebration took place. It is always fun for us to stay with them since all of our kids are so close in age and of course, they have a pool.

Friday night Megan and I along with my brother-in-law Curt T. and nephew Michael went to the Vikings vs Rams game. My sister Tammy had called and had four tickets from her employer if we wanted them. We took the LightRail from the Mall of America which was awesome since we didn’t have to mess with traffic and parking in downtown Minneapolis . It was a fun experience since it was are first professional football game. The high lite of the game had to be a Viking’s interception return for a touchdown which, by the way, just happened to happen at the time Megan decided she had to go the bathroom. I guess I can watch it on the sports.

Saturday morning we went to Morgan and Michael’s soccer games. They played at the same time but the fields were close to each other so we were able to catch some of each game. We were able to see Michael score his teams only goal of the game. That afternoon and evening was spent celebrating the birthdays. We visited, swam, opened presents and of course ate well. Curt and Marti had gone to a local meat store and had bought 6 different kinds of brats and a couple types of hamburgers. It was fun to taste brats such as wild rice mushroom, chicken Italain Herb, taco,…

Sunday we went to Build a Bear in the Mall of America. Megan and Jaden had received gift cards for Christmas from Curt and Marti. They had a blast. Megan picked out a puppy and dressed him in a basketball outfit. Jaden picked out a bear and dressed him in a soccer outfit (from the boy who told me he doesn't like sports.) At Build a Bear you choose which animal you want, you help stuff him, and even give him a heart. So now we have Butterscotch and Pokadot as new members of the family.

Curt and I found these shirts in Seattle and chose to reveal them this weekend. Even the Moms found time to relax. Megan goes down the new water slide.

Jadenisms

Now that is tired!! Jaden fell asleep during supper at the lake.

We asked Jaden to go call his sister up for supper so he stayed where he was and yelled, "Oh, Megan Dear, come upstairs please." Megan did not like being called 'Dear'.

Jordan's Birthday

Today we celebrated Jordan's 2nd birthday. It was a small gathering and he received what he enjoys most, cars and trucks.

Our final Day in Seattle

We went to a beach that was only a few miles from our house. The weather was overcast and we did get a few sprinkles. While we were there we hunted for small crabs because it was low tide. All you had to do was move a stone and you could see them scatter.

Next it was time to head to the airport. This was the first real challenge for me since I had been driving all week in Seattle but all I had to do was follow someone. We were able to get to the airport but not without a little stress. The flight home did not go as smoothly as the trip there. We hit some serious turbulence over Montana and it really scared Megan. She turned as white as a ghost. We made to Minneapolis and stayed at Curt and Marti's house for the night before heading for Harwood the next morning.

Monday

Today is Mom's Birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today we took a ferry to Friday Harbor.

We packed a lunch and rode the ferry for about an hour and landed at Friday Harbor. We were only on the island for a short time but were able to do some shopping for souvenirs. Part of the fun of the ferry ride is the scenery and the chance to catch a sight of a whale. Unfortunately, we did not see a whale but had fun anyway.

On the way back we decided to eat at a Teryaki restaurant. The food was delicious. Janelle's cousin Tera met us there and we had a nice visit. We also stopped at Trader Joe's and picked up a few items before calling it a day.

Sunday

Today we drove to Snoqualmie Falls. We viewed it from the top and decided to take the hike down to the bottom which I think is about two miles. Well, going down was easy enough but the walk up proved to be a little more challenging. We took some rest stops along the way but all of the kids (and adults) made it. Next stop was an outlet mall near by. The scenery was incredible with mountains on all sides.

That night we decided to treat ourselves (Curt, Marti, Janelle, and myself) to some fine dining. Grandma, Grandpa, and Sister were nice enough to babysit for us. We went to a seafood restaurant on the Sound called Anthony's. The food and the view were incredible. We had a wonderful time.

Wedding Day

(Brothers on the deck before breakfast)

Today started with the traditional brother breakfast with the groom. Curt, Jerry, and I headed to Denny's and had one last visit with our "single" brother.

Next we took the kids to the Seattle Zoo(Woodland Zoo). It was a very nice zoo and we ended up rushing through the end because we ran out of time. http://www.zoo.org/

(We thought this would make a good picture with Janelle's "love" for gorillas.)










(Cousins Jaden and Morgan walked holding hands all week, it was so cute!)

Next came the big event, the reason we were there: The Wedding of Jerry and Jenny. We started with pictures that went smoothly and a lot faster than past weddings I've been in. The actual ceremony was beautiful. When the choir sang it was like God opened heaven and his angels were singing. Everything went smoothly, a little hot, but very nice. Megan passed out programs and then carried up a candle with Mandy during the procession. Jaden and Morgan were the ring bearer and flower girl and took the show. Curt and I were the best men (Jerry was never really good at making decisions. I think I was the bestest man and Curt was the best man.) Next the wedding party headed to the reception in a limo. We did take a couple of stops on the way including burgers and fries at Dick's Drive-In Burgers. Next came the reception/dance at Arch Bishop Murph HS were Jerry teaches. The DJ played music into the night and the Zander clan showed Seattle how to party by being the last ones on the dance floor into the early morning hours.

Day 3

Last night we spent our first night in the house we rented for the week. It had a view of the Sound that was unbelievable (of course I forgot to take a picture). The view was nice but it also had lots of space for everyone. The top floor was the master bedroom and bathroom which my parents and niece Mandy occupied. The middle floor had the kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We took one of the bedroom/bathrooms and my aunt took the other. The bottom floor had a bar (with a big screen TV), 2 bedrooms, an empty room, and a bathroom. Curt, Marti, and kids had that floor to themselves. It was a nice place to park ourselves for the week.






Today we headed down to the Pike Place Market and the Pier. If you have never been in Seattle there are a ton of little shops that sell everything from fresh fruit and fish to hats and sunglasses. Here is a good video that shows a little of it along with the famous "flying fish."

Pike Place Market .

Since we had talked so much about the Space Needle to the kids we thought we had to go up and look at the view. Little did we realize it would take a second mortgage on our house to go up to the top. It cost Megan, Jaden, and myself $32 to ride an elevator to the top and look out the sides. The kids were interested for a few minutes and wanted to head down, but with that kind of money I thought we should be able to stay the night. Well, maybe not the night, but I was determined to at least get some of our money out of it. We walked around and looked at the view and did many of the interactive displays.






We also road the monorail. http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/Seattlepix1.html

Seattle, Day 2

We woke up and drove to Seattle (45 minutes). Jaden and I had to try on our tuxes to see if any alterations had to be done. Jadens fit but my pants were too short. They would have to get a new pair sent in, but another wedding had been canceled and there was a pair of pants that happened to be my size in that party's tuxes. Luck for me, not so luck for them.

We then went out for pizza and shopped a little before heading to Jerry's pad to change for the rehearsal and the Groom's Dinner. The wedding is at St. James Cathedral in downtown Seattle, a beautiful church. After rehearsal we headed to the Spaghetti Factory for the Groom's Dinner which in North Dakota would not be a big deal since they were only a few blocks apart. But you see this was at 5:30 pm in downtown Seattle. We left the church and about 45 minutes later I dropped everyone off at the restaurant's door. I then spent another 20 minutes driving around trying to find a parking spot. By the time I went into the room were our party was, there was only one seat left on the opposite side of the room from my family. I sat down and met some new people, Bill from CA and Doug from Idaho. They drilled me about questions of North Dakota but we had a wonderful conversation.

After a nice dinner we headed out to the house we rented to spend the night. More on that later.

Got to be a long day for Megan, Mandi, and Jaden