Christmas Letter/2008 Year in Review

Christmas wishes to all of you! The Soukup family had another busy year. We vacationed north, south, east, and west, traveled near and far, had destinations of great things and sometimes we were all heading in different directions!

The year 2008 started out with typical MN cold. I for one, wished for the winter to hurry by as fast as possible. I did not enjoy celebrating Easter in the middle of snowstorm. The kids however do enjoy outside winter fun and took advantage of ice skating, sledding, and plenty of ice fishing.

Thankfully, we escaped the winter blahs and headed southeast to the magical land of Disney World in April! Ahhh, Florida. Seaworld, Mickey Mouse, Disney Princess, playing in the ocean and experiencing more thrilling rides then one can imagine. It simply was the best trip ever. And since I turned 35 years old during the trip, I really couldn't complain since I was at the happiest place on earth.

Spring was filled with swimming lessons for both kids. Trent played his second year of baseball and improved greatly over the season. Addy was in her first dance recital and she truly was the star of the show! She did not “get the stage fright” as she described, but danced and twirled her way across the stage.
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Summer kicked off with Trent’s 7th birthday and an Indiana Jones extravaganza! He enjoyed a birthday party with friends (both boys and girls) from school. In true Indiana Jones fashion, we had a quest for a golden idol and the kids had to work together to solve riddles & puzzles in order to get the next clue.

We headed north to the family cabin and to the Neutgens cabin, where a good time is always had. The kids love fishing, swimming, boating, and just being up north in the woods. Totally take after Russ in that regard. We also traveled to Kentucky again this summer. We stayed in Lexington, at the same hotel as last year, and visited a bunch of the same places that we enjoyed together. This time, however, we traveled to Carter Caves State Park. We toured one of the caves, and Russ and the kids did some spelunking in another large cave in the park. I opted to sit in the sun and read after the bat in the first cave nearly flew into my hair!

Shortly after we came home from Kentucky, we learned that Russ had received a promotion, which is always good, but in this case, it was wonderful news, because it meant no more traveling for him! He is now Production Manager for the wall mount unit at the Anoka plant.

Fall was the busiest one we have seen so far! Trent started 2nd grade. He has his first male teacher and likes school a lot. He was moved to the challenge math class, and that continues to be his favorite class, along with reading and gym. Addy is in her last year of preschool. She turned five this October and we celebrated her birthday with a fun weekend in Minneapolis at the Depot Hotel and water park, dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and tailgating at the Viking game. Addy absolutely loves her stuffed animals and reading. Trent got her hooked on the Magic Treehouse series and now most nights before bed, you can hear at least one person in the house reading about Jack and Annie’s adventures! Three things rule supreme in our house: Pokemon, Littlest Pet Shop, and Legos.

In-between cub scouts (Russ is the Den Master), Addy’s dance class, and Trent’s religion class, we also spent many, many nights out on the football field. This was Trent’s first year with Elk River Youth Football and it turned out to be so much fun! He was the smallest kid on the team, but truly had the most determination and drive. All he wanted to do was “sack the quarterback!” He played defensive tackle all season long and did indeed sack many QB’ of our opponents. He had wonderful coaches, and he has developed a real love for the sport.

This fall, I was also diagnosed with a heart condition. Mitral Valve prolapse with mitral valve regurgitation. Once you get past the scary name, it thankfully doesn’t require surgery at this point. It is more bothersome than painful and I am learning to deal with the symptoms. The doctors have recommended more exercise, so I am looking forward to joining the new YMCA in town after the new year. Otherwise, I continue to scrapbook, hone my photography skills and run around after the kids. I volunteer in Trent’s class every Thursday and in Addy’s preschool class once a month.

We will also be heading west to visit Russ’s mom and dad. Tim retired this summer and they finally made the move to Spicer. They are right by the lake and are now only about 90 minutes from us. Babysitting opportunities increased dramatically for them! Russ continues to venture north to Rainy Lake in May for his fishing trip with the boys (pretty good fishing this year) and again to the cabin for deer hunting. After getting skunked last year, Russ was not about to let that happen again, and he shot 3 does in a span of less than 30 seconds. Deer be warned: Not a wise decision to think you and your friends can run past his stand!


With the completion of our deck this summer and the landscaping in the front, I can say that north, south, east, west, our home is the best! We simply love the neighborhood we live in! We have made many friends, and it was so nice to be able to sit out on the deck to watch (and read while) the kids ride bike on the trail, play in their tree house in the woods or swim in the pool. We also have many visitors from the woods. Most notable are the herd of deer, flock of wild turkeys, and the snapping turtle that have found their way to visit us.

With the end of the year approaching quickly, it’s always nice to sit back and reflect on the past year’s adventures and wonder what will happen in the new year. So, no matter what direction you head in 2009, we wish you luck in your journey and hope your destination is filled with love, laughter, and good times.

December Mail

I love getting mail. Real mail. We're not talking about any clicking going on here, but the kind that comes in an honest to God envelope (colored ones are better than plain white too) and arrives in your mailbox. Now, I can do without the solicitation mail, and of course the bills, which arrive on a daily basis. It's those envelopes with my name or our family name hand-written on the outside or with a cute name label that I get all giddy about. Thus, I absolutely love getting the mail everyday during the month of December.

All those Christmas cards! Tons of silver, gold, red, and green envelopes. Some even have stickers on them, aah the pure joy. Even though it's only 5 degrees outside, I love walking out to get the mail. Once I get back inside, I start opening the days cards immediately. I read the letters, stare at all the gorgeous and fun pictures of our friends and family and just feel happy inside. I share them with the kids, and we leave them out for Russ to look at when he comes home. And then the picture cards make their way onto the foyer closet door...otherwise known as the CC (Christmas card) Gallery.

Once on the gallery wall, they are oohed and aahed at again and again. I even have contests for the cards before I take them down. Best card design, best family picture, and the cutest picture. And let me tell you, it's getting harder every year! With such great sites as shutterfly.com and snapfish.com, everyone has such unique and wonderful cards to share. I love all the different colors and styles! After Christmas, they all go in a scrapbook to be shared and looked at through-out the year. So thanks to everyone for making my daily walk to the mailbox so anticipated!

Here is a picture of the Christmas card gallery as of this morning:

MMM

Good morning! Brrrr, what a difference a day can make huh? Yesterday morning at this time it was 36 degrees, a mere 24 hours later it is -5 and very windy (not sure what the wind chills are, but we have them no doubt). So, I am going to pretend that I am writing this from sunny and warm Florida, even though I am drinking hot cocoa. Wow, I feel warmer already!

Saturday was a big day for Trent and Addy. They have been counting down the days and talking about it all week. Our trip to see Santa. We headed out early to Cabalas to see the big guy himself. The Santa at Cabalas is a great one, he spends plenty of time with each child and gives inconspicious thumbs up or thumbs down to the parents when the kids ask for wishes. Trent asked Santa for a Nintendo DS. Santa thought he might have one left up in the attic rafters in the North Pole. He would have the elves start looking for it. Addy asked for the Nanria: Prince Caspian movie. Santa told her that he wanted to see that movie too! He thought that Mrs. Claus might be giving it to him as a gift, and hopefully they could both be watching it after the holidays. We of course got pictures. But I almost wish someone would of taken a picture of Russ and I listening to Trent and Addy talk with Santa, because I know we were grinning from ear to ear.

After the visit with Santa and some shopping, we headed home. It was a balmy 38 degrees and Russ decided to go ice fishing with the kids. Yeah! I got some quiet time alone and they had fun playing, er fishing with dad. Addy was the big winner, catching 7 fish. She loves ice fishing...takes after her Grandpa Soukup and Uncle Ross I think.

Sunday after church, we baked some cookies (one of which did not turn out that well. Anyone know how to correctly make the sugar cookie tarts with the mini candy bars on top??) and I wrapped a few more gifts. It is beginning to get full under the tree now. As it was Football Sunday, we happily watched the Vikings crush the Cardinals. No one would of predicted that T. Jackson would be the leading QB for week 15 with 4 TD's! Russ won our Fantasy Football league last week and is in the playoffs, though I think he will end up being out of the race for the championship game.

All day Sunday we also waited for the snow. Got mostly freezing rain and slushy stuff. Finally, turned into snow and the wind started blowing around 4pm. It didn't keep the 5 wild turkeys and the doe family away from visiting our corn pile in the backyard though. We also caught a glimpse of the 4-point buck and spike buck (I think that's what you hunter's call them) as well, though they like to visit when it's good and dark outside. We strung some Christmas lights on the deck and that helps with the viewing.

Okay, that's it for Monday Morning Minutes. I need to refuel the hot cocoa as I am starting to remember that I am writing this from cold MN and not the beach in Florida! Have a great week!

Holiday List

My friend and fellow scrapper, Kari, did this in her blog (which you can check out here: http://nkbsweeney.blogspot.com/ And since we love to lift each other, I thought this would be fun to share with all of you and get us all in the holiday spirit!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly paper, but few gifts in bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. We always had real growing up, but much less mess with artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving. We have 2 trees. One is the Santa tree where the big guy leaves the kids presents (and something for Russ and I too) and it is decorated with the kids ornaments. Then we have the "formal" tree in the family room.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the day after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck! No!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The Barbie Mansion house that Beth and I received together one year. We realized that there wasn't a present from Santa and we were bummed. My dad told us we should come into the kitchen to have breakfast and there on top of the kitchen table was the 2 story Barbie Mansion complete with furniture, new Barbies and clothes. I will never forget the excitement of realizing that Santa had not forgotten about us.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My sister Beth

8. Easiest person to buy for? Russ. He is the only person I know that has never once complained about something he did or didn't get for Christmas. He is truly happy with whatever he unwraps.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I have the Willow Tree Nativity with all the pieces. My favorite thing to unwrap and put out.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Umm, do people really email Christmas cards? Always Mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? At the time, a necklace that my grandma had made. I was like 14? and it was not cool. And even though I have never worn it, I still have it and cherish it very much.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life. I never miss it and I always cry.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? late September, but mostly because Addy's birthday is in October and some things I end up saving for Christmas presents.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. To our friends Christmas party gift exchange.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My dad's carmel rolls. He used to only make them for Christmas breakfast. Now he makes them no matter what time/day it is for us when we celebrate.

16. Lights on the tree? Unlike my friend Lisa who is having light issues, I would absolutely need to have lights on my tree! White on the tree in the family room and red & green on the Santa tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

18.Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Christmas usually ends up being a 3 day event for us, and we are always on the road. With Trent and Addy now, I am thankful that we have Christmas morning at our home like it should be.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Donner, Comet, Cupid, Vixen, Blitzen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star, on both trees.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? As I mentioned earlier, Christmas is a 3 day event for us, so we open both Christmas Eve and morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When the Christmas decorations and music starts on Nov. 1st. in the stores. I really irks me that it starts so early because then it seems to take forever for Christmas to arrive.

23. What theme or color are you using? Theme? Color? What is this question all about?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Chicken Cordon Bleu or Filet Mignon

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new scrapbooking chair, an ipod, and I always include those 1 carat diamond earrings!

My love/hate relationship with Legos

As a mom, I have this on-going love/hate relationship with Legos. Greatest toy invention ever according to Russ. Trent and Addy play with them almost everyday. I, myself, growing up, remember going to my best friends house and wanting to play with her brothers Legos, badly. We didn't own any, and we could play Barbies anytime.

Flash foward 28 years and now I am a mom of children who have a ton of Legos. And I have developed a love/hate relationship with them. They are saviors and tormentors to me at the same time. Let me explain my reasoning.

I love Legos because:

• they are wonderful toys for being creative. Follow the directions and create Anakin's starfighter or Indiana Jones playset or do your own thing and make super cool ships, cars, and racer pods. The possibilities are literally endless. And can be new every time you sit to play with them.
  

• they keep Trent and Addy occupied for hours. And I mean hours. They dump all the Legos out on the floor and can easily spend an entire afternoon playing with them. They have so much fun with them and can't wait to show you each new creation.

• you really can't break them. This is very important being the mother of a boy. And if you lose a piece, then I'm sure there are another 467 other pieces that will work for what you need to build. They are worth the money.

I hate Legos because:

• they make their way to every room in your house. If I had even a penny, for every Lego I have ever picked up, I would be a billionzare! I have found them in the dryer, the car, the cat's food dish, and in the dishwasher. And the kids seem to have to dump out the entire tub of them every time they play. So, every time they play, the whole tub has to be picked up. Not to mention how many my Dyson has accidentally picked up because it was left behind and not seen. Opps.
  

• they are a source of fierce competition and cause of many arguments in our house. Let me give you a brief example: "I had that Lego piece! No, I had it first! No, I did! NO! I DID! MOM!!" Ummm, can't you just use one of the other 246 red ones? Trent and Addy now usually hold an auction before they start playing. They put all the desirable legos (mainly the people) in a pile and take turns picking their pieces. Arguments still break out however. And usually someone ends up crying and I end up with a headache and a strong desire to throw them all away.

• they hurt when you step on them. Especially at 2am when you get up to get a drink of water, and one of them made its way to hiding in front of the fridge. #&@^! Ouch!
  

See? I love 'em, but I sorta hate 'em too.

MMM

Good Morning! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Saturday morning was an important one for Trent as he had his first reconciliation at church. For those you who are not Catholic, it was his first confession, as he prepares for his first Communion coming up next spring. He had to learn a prayer and talk with Father Joe. All went well for him and he told me he already did his penance.

My mom came to stay with the kids Saturday afternoon so that Russ and I could do some shopping and then later we helped our friend Belfy out at the St. Thomas ice arena. Every year when the Tommies play St. John and the Jonnies, he asks for help with crowd control (i.e. catching and wrangling up all the drunk college students making trouble). We enjoy reminiscing about our own college days and it's fun to be working with a bunch of friends for a few hours. This year, it was remarkably quiet. Not one hidden beer can to be found or drunk chick to kick out. They must know Santa is watching!

While Russ and I were busy, my mom and the kids did their annual gingerbread house creations.

Addy's is on the top, Trent's is on the bottom. They had fun making them and I am happy that more of the Halloween candy is gone!

Sunday we enjoyed another Vikings victory and we got two presents wrapped! Since it was snowing most of the day, Trent and Addy played with Legos inside by the fireplace and then went outside to go sledding for an hour or so. We also had fun watching the deer and wild turkeys in the backyard frolic in the snow (not with the kids though!) The weather people say more snow is on its way for today, so I am glad I have no errand running to do!

Christmas Cutie

Addy was dancing around and playing in front of the tree this afternoon while I was decorating.

I think the t-shirt says it all.

Things that go bump in the night

Don't you just detest that middle of night thing (whatever it might be) that jolts you out of bed and makes your heart race and since you had just been in a peaceful slumber, your head actually does spin around as you try and figure out just what in the heck is going on? Well, I do.

Last night at approximately 1:13am, Russ and I were awakened by the strangest noise. My first panicked thought was that someone had turned the TV on downstairs and it was on some sort of nature show or show about the Abominable snowman. I can't accurately describe the noise in this blog, but as we listened in the dark, we realized it was coming from outside. It was the mix of a yelping dog, a growling animal (or beast perhaps), the sound of moving brush, and howling.

Russ jumped out of bed opened the shade. I really don't know what he thought he would see since 1.) he didn't have his contacts in or glasses on, and 2.) it was pitch black outside. But, like I said, when you are awakened from a sound slumber in the middle of the night, it takes a little while for your thoughts to form. Hence, my statement to him: "Deer don't eat dogs do they?" It was the only thing at the time that I could think could be happening out back in the woods behind our house. We have lots of deer. Maybe they just got sick of the corn we leave for them and decided to leave their vegan ways behind and attack a dog for a midnight snack? Ridiculous, I know. But the adrenaline pumping through me at the time had apparently blocked all rational thought.

Whatever the ruckus was, it then stopped. Russ put the shade back down and crawled back into bed. At that point, he rolled back over and promptly went to sleep. I detest that too. Ha! Like I would ever be so lucky. Normal people still have adrenaline pumping through their body. And then people like me with a heart condition, lay there for another 1/2 hour trying to get their heartbeat to return to what is a normal state for them, which is still full of heart palpitations.

I am really hoping that I don't find the remains of some animal this morning when I go to put corn out for the deer. On second thought, maybe I will let Russ put out the corn when he gets home.

MMM (more like MNM...Monday Night Minutes!)

Sorry I am not posting this edition of the Monday Morning Minutes (MMM) until almost 9pm at night, but it was a busy & joyful weekend followed by a busy & crazy Monday! At any rate, here we go!

Thursday of course was Thanksgiving. We host Thanksgiving at our house, and I think it is something we will continue to do every year. It is nice to be able to have both sides of our family together and that way all can see the little ones we are most thankful for, Trent & Addy. We also invited long-time family friends, the Stahnke's to celebrate with us. We were so thankful they decided to come and eat turkey with us. It was a great day, filled with lots of food, dice games (Trent won $7, Addy won $2), really good wine, Black Friday ads, and more food!

The Pilgrims, The Soukup's & The Stahnke's

Trent & my mom, Me and Russ

Onto Friday. Yes, I joined the thousands of people who get up insanely early and go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I hadn't slept well the night before, and was awakened at 5:30am when Trent got up to use the bathroom, so I figured I might as well get up. My mom and I had planned to go at 6:30am anyway. Luckily, we did not run into crazy, out of control crowds or frenzied buyers at any of the stores went to Friday morning. Got a few deals and were back home by 1pm.

That evening we went to my dad's house and had the pleasure of meeting Troy and his family. I told you about the story of my step-mom and the son she had given up for adoption at age 17. He found her last week, and then he came to MN with his family for Thanksgiving. He looks a lot like my step-brother Mitch. See for yourself: (Troy, Missy, Carly, Mitch)

We headed to a restaurant to have a big family dinner. It was a great evening, and Troy, his wife Shelly, and their 4-year old daughter Bebe fit into our family like they had always been there. It was truly and amazing and joyous Thanksgiving for all. And to top it off, my step-brother Mitch won $500 from pull-tabs!

Saturday we left early for a Schwab wedding in New Ulm. Russ's cousin, Scott, and his new wife, Kim, were married in a beautiful ceremony. And then came all the fun! Trent and Addy had been looking forward to the day for awhile. Since they have no first cousins, they can't wait to get together with their 2nd cousins and party! In fact, Trent was overheard telling one of his 2nd cousins, "Greg, we are going to rock the house tonight!" And they did! Addy danced with more boys, related and unrelated to her, than anyone else there. At one point during the dance, Russ told Addy that she couldn't dance with any boy unless she knew their name. She promptly walked over to the boy who had been dancing with her before dad had cut in, and asked his name. Done. She just gave him the "I've got it under control, dad" look and continued dancing. Here's a few of her dancing the night away:

We stayed the night at Russ's aunt and uncles house, Jean and Doug, so that Trent and Addy could have a sleep-over with their 2nd cousin Riley. They had a blast the next morning playing air hockey and the Wii. Jeanie served us an excellent brunch and then we headed home to get some Christmas decorating done and watch the football games.

Then we got home and received the best phone call! Remember how a few paragraphs ago I told you that Trent and Addy don't have any cousins? Well, one is on the way! My step-sister Missy is about 5 weeks along and her and her husband Brian are expecting their first child in July! We were all literally jumping up and down and we are so excited for them. I cannot wait to add another description to who I am: Auntie!!

Sunday night, amid the chaos and mess of Christmas decorations, we enjoyed a Vikings victory! Whew! It really was a very jam-packed and busy four days! And I don't expect that it will slow down any as we enter the season of Advent. Thanks for reading!