Happy Holidays 2013

We had a wonderful 2013 Christmas Holiday Season!!  It seemed the Christmas snuck up on me this year, more so then other years, even though I was done shopping for most earlier then years prior!?  I just feel like it's came and went so quick this year!?!!  Here is our holiday in a nut shell....
We hosted Thanksgiving--all 13 of us were here at the Duplex!  It was a great day!  We had way to much to eat, played Tripoly and Texas Hold-Em Pocker(thanks Toddy) and of course rapped up our day with Christmas Vacation!  Each year we add something to our 'Griswald Tradition' and Josh had posted in our fb family group that the show was release in 1989...so we found pictures of what we looked like in 1989--pretty funny :)
After the movie, us gals(Anna included this year!!) grabbed our purses and adds and headed out for some black Friday(or as they called it Gray Thursday this year) shopping!  We left the house around 8 and were home by 11--but had fun and got in on some great deals!  Anna loved it and was so excited to be part of the big girls tradition this year!!

The other different thing I did this year was not being only the shopper on Black Friday...but a retail worker as well!  I worked at Bath and Body works from 12-7 on Black Friday stocking shelves!  It was a fun experience and would definatly consider doing it again :)  Josh took the kids to Uncle Johns house the day after Thanksgiving and the kids were able to play with cousins and got to hang out with more family for the day! 

CHRISTMAS!!!!!  I love Christmas :)  This year, I wanted to teach our kids, that not everyone who asks Santa for what they would like, gets it.  So we volunteered to ring the Salvation Army bell for a couple hours down at the mall on Saturday before Christmas.  It was a great experience and a tradition I hope to continue with them every year.  Both Addy and Zach lasted an hour and Anna was a trooper and did the full 2 hours with me.  We finished up shopping after--both last year and this year, we had the kids buy a little something for each other.  It's so neat to hear the thought they put into their gifts and how excited they were to wrap and watch each other open their gifts :)
  We hosted both Christmas Eve and Day this year--it was great!  Christmas Eve we decided to all bring in small apps for supper, it was nice not to have the dinner dishes ;)  We still ate way too much after church--which is another funny story!  The service stated it started at 5, but we didn't know they sang carols the 1/2 hour before...so needless to say when we walked in at 4:45...there was zero seeting!  So our family of 13 sat in the 'overflow' area and had it all to ourselves....awkward-yes, but we made the very best of it :)

Christmas Day brought excited kids!!!  They must have been good last year as they were very spoiled this Christmas :)  It was great to be in our own home again on Christmas morning and watch the kids light up with excitement when they opened their gifts!  We made Santa pancakes after with bacon and eggs :)  The rest of the family came over around noon and we had lasagna and garlic toast for family lunch.  We had a white elephant gift exchange/game that afternoon as well as playing a funny game where they had to try and draw a Christmas scene on a paper plate...on top of their head :)  We laughed and laughed!!!

Christmas with Josh's mom and family was the weekend after Christmas!  We got out of town a little early on Friday and headed up to Power's Lake--we had supper and opened gifts that night.  The kids got even more spoiled :)  We had lutefisk, lefse, and many many laughs!!  Josh, Jason, and Leon were DETERMINED to teach me how to play pinchole....I think finally by Sunday I kind of understood it!?!  Our kids were lucky enough to get to spend a couple extra days with Grandma RuthAnn and Papa when we went back home on Sunday.  They had cousins over and went sledding lots as well as celebrated the New Year...well, a couple of them made it up until midnight anyway!!

Josh and I were fortunate to get to go out for supper with 6 great friends and spent the evening playing games and laughing with more friends.  We are so very lucky and blessed to live so close to so many people we love being with!  Everyone gets along so well and we all have kids that get along great---what else can you ask for :)  Here's to 2014--if it brings as many smiles, laughs, and memories as 2013 did--I can't wait!

Halloween and Fall Fun!!

October has come and gone and this year marked the 11th year of the Hochhalter/Jeffers pumpkin carving extravaganza!!!  I need to dig back in this old computer before she dies and dig out all of our past pumpkin carving fun!!  The Ross' have been there for quite a few as well and it is so neat to see the 8 kiddos and 6 adults get together for an evening of FUN!!  We are truely blessed to have friends with kids so close to our kids age it makes hanging out and getting together more of a play date then anything else!!!

This Halloween I was fortune it enough to use 3 different costumes!!!  A zombie crawl for breast cancer awareness had me dressed as a nun, for work we were The Voice, which I dressed the part of Christina, and for our adult night out, I went as Penny from the Big Bang Theory--Josh played an excellent Leonard!!!

This year for the kids we had a NERD, CREEPY JESTER, and a LION!  We spent Halloween with the Ross family--a tradition since we both moved to Bismarck--walking up and down Catherine drive, our kids decided to take pillow cases this year and Addy was asking me to carry hers towards the end since it was so full ;)  It was a good time and the kids wanted to come home to hand out Halloween candy this year---little did they know we would only have 1 family knock on our door, so all three did their part and handed out LOTS of candy to our one knocker!


We had a great time out on the town as the Big Bang Theory---Rick and Tara dressed up as well!!  We enjoyed some karokee and many, many laughs!!  I'm so thankful for such fun friends :)  The only thing we didn't get to do that totally bums me out this fall was that we didn't make it to Papa's Pumpkin Patch this fall :(  it was either bad weather on the weekends or that we were busy that kept us away and before we knew it they were closed!  We haven't missed a year until this year and it still makes me sad!

12!?!?!?!!?? Really????

I was trying my hardest to think of a good title for this post, but seriously all I could come up with and think to myself as I typed it was, Wow---she is 12.

Anna Marie, our first born....I have went over 'their day' in previous blogs, so I won't go through the whole birth story again, although we always share those special memories with each of them on their birthdays...I always want them to remember 'their story'.  So I thought I would just recap some of my favorite Anna's greatest hits over the past 12 years.  My only wish is that I had a picture to share of each of my memories....

Anna--on your first night home from the hospital, we lived in the worlds SMALLEST appartment in married housing on UND's campus, you slept in the basinet that we got from Aunt Astrid that had been used for many, many babies before you :)  We were so nervous and excited to have you home--I'm sure between me, your Dad and Grandparents we all would have heard a pin drop in the less then 600 sq ft appartment :)  I can remember waking up early(4am maybe) and the blanket was up over your face!?!?!!  I PANICKED!!!!!  I through on the light to make sure you were still breathing...and you were, you sighed and went right back to sleep---you were an amazing baby!

Dad was 100% sure you would walk by your first birthday...and you did.

You have always hated cooked carrots and still do to this day!

For your first birthday, which we had at the Settle Inn in GF I think you had 50+ people there :)  We lived away from our family at the time, so Dad's college friends became a lot like family--Rick was your first and only babysitter for the longest time and we payed him in cheese, so you owe Rick and Tara a LOT of free babysitting--so you will here us tell stories about the endless sloppy joes we made and gifts we opened that day!!  It was a birthday party for the record books that's for sure....but you were and still are worth it :)

You pulled the fire alarm once in a hotel in Fargo--the fire department came and you had to say you were sorry to the firemen.  We thought it was odd that no one came out of their room to evacuate!?!

One time while we were camping with Gma and Gpa I put a slice of cantelope on your plate and without even thinking you looked at Gpa Ralph and said WHAT THE CRAP IS THAT!?!  We still laugh about it till this day....

You have been a black kitty for at least 3 or 4 Halloweens in your short little lifetime....

There are so many many more I could go on and on for days--but it all boils down to this, you are kind.  You have the BEST most contagious smile we have ever seen, and you are smart and can do ANYTHING in this world that you set your mind to!!  We love you so very much Anna--

Time for a little catch up!!!!

Well summer has long come and gone--fall is here and we have been a very busy, but happy and content family!!  As I looked back at the last time I blogged and compaired it to all the pictures I have on my cell phone, I thought ITS TIME FOR AN UPDATE!!!!  So here it goes...

We have three SCHOOL AGE KIDS!?!  Where did the time of diapers and formula go!?!  Not only are they all in school this year, but we have a middle schooler!?  Oh my!!!  So far, school is continuing and going great for our kids---we are so blessed to have kids that enjoy and look foward to school each and every day!!  I only hope that this continues on for all three of them for the next however many years through high school and college!!!!

Addy Kindergarden, Zach 4th Grade, Anna 6th Grade

Josh and I were lucky enough to sneak away to watch the Browns BEAT the Mn Vikings early this fall!  We love the cities and so we left Friday evening, spent the night in Fargo, left Saturday morning and drove to Minn.  We stayed with one of Josh's many Boys State guys, and enjoyed a fun night out on the town on Saturday and the game on Sunday!!  I would never say I'm a NFL fan, but there is something so fun about a live football game--we had a lot of fun!!!  We hit up the outlet mall on the way home on Monday and had a great get away weekend together!!!  I enjoy and take advantage of these football getaway weekends now, as I know someday soon my seat will be replaced with Zach as he and his Dad can go away together :)

ALOHA!!!

Anna has wanted to have a Hawaiin party ever since my parents moved into a place with a pool :)  so this was the summer for it--here are some pictures of her Luau :)

We printed off invites and delivered them along with the Luau VIP Guest Pass(that each of the guests brought back to the party in exchange for a flower hair clip and a necklace :)

5 girls were invited and 4 showed up--only 2 ended up spending the night, but they had a lot of fun and were great, very giggly girls!!


We started the night out with Hawaiin Pizza!


Swimming at Papa and Nana's Pool was a MUST!  There was a lot of Marko Polo and jumping in contests!  It worked out nice and the girls had the pool all to themselves for over an hour!  Having grandparents with a pool is a definate perk :)

After swimming we came back to the house and the girls played limbo downstairs and jumped on the trampoline!  Snacks and more music were next and then lots of giggles and girl talk!  They stayed up until a little after midnight and called it a night!!

The next morning the three girls made pancakes and helped clean up!  They were such wonderfully behaved ladies and it's fun to see what a good group of friends they have!!

**Smore Summer Fun**

August....sigh.  Where has our summer gone?  With school starting on the 20th, we aren't about to let these last few weeks of summer pass us by without a TON of FUN!!

First weekend in August a Boys State buddy of Josh's got married in Fargo--so Addy spent the weekend with Gma Alyce and Gpa Ralph here in Bismarck, Zach is having his very own week with Gma RuthAnn to himself in Powers Lake, and Anna is at Camp Metigoshi!  So with all of our family all over the state--we all had a wonderful weekend!!

Addy got to go swimming, go to eat at Bonanza(a real treat), and make smores in Grandma's backyard!!

Zach has been busy at Grandma RuthAnn's, he and Grandma made a quilt together!  He is so proud and looks like he worked very hard on it!

No word from Anna yet, but we can't wait to hear all about her trip to Metagoshi when she comes home on Saturday!!!


With Anna and Zach gone this week, and me being done with daycare--I've got to enjoy some much needed one on one time with Addyson.  Weird saying, 'much needed' when she has been the one who was home with me while I did daycare out of the house, but even though we were together everyday, we really didn't do A LOT together while at home.  She had to share with me with everyone else--and I know at times it really got to her.  So this week has been so much fun--here is a little recap :)

Monday:  We slept in :) until about 8:30 and then after breakfast headed to the YMCA(I was just a little excited to get to take in a morning class).  After the YMCA we came home and Addy hopped on her bike and she rode next to me while I ran!  We even had the kitty cheering us on!

After our bike ride we had some lunch and met Michelle and Abby at Gma Alyce's swimming pool for a quick dip in the pool and some much needed sun bathing :)

Sure you can dress up like a cat this afternoon.....

Monday night we walked from our house down to the YMCA and did the family run/walk--we still have a stroller from when Addy was a baby, so she did some walking, running, and a little riding(mainly on the big hills--which served as an extra good workout for Mom and Dad)  when the race was over all the kids got a medal!

Tuesday:  We slept in again(shhhhh.....) and after breakfast we took our final sheet of info needed for Addy's kindergarten registration down to the office!

After that, I had a sweatshirt to show Officer Wanner(who happens to be my cousin) down at the PD!  Little did we know that we were going to be given the best tour ever!!  I don't know who had more fun, Addy or Mom!!  Addy said her favorite was where they shoot the guns-and when she got to see inside the cop car!  Thanks again Lynn!!!  Here she is putting her reflectors on her bike:

Tuesday afternoon we relaxed and surprised Dad with lunch from Addy's favorite--Taco Tuesday(taco johns) and relaxed at home for the most part.  Addyson colored and watched a movie and Mom caught up on a couple DVR shows :)

Wednesday: I had a busier day then Addyson today, I had two interviews scheduled for Wednesday and by Wednesday night, I had recieved an offer!!  Thank goodness for Gma Alyce again as she was so great to watch Addy while I had both interviews!! 

Wednesday Addy and I also ventured out to Target to get some school shopping done!!  We try every year to take the kiddos individually shopping and usually out to lunch before or after--we had a fun time checking everything off her list and picking out a new backpack of course :)

Thursday:  First thing that happened Thursday morning is that I called to accept the position offered to me by Mid Dakota Clinic!  I will be working as a full time receptionist at the Center for Women clinic and couldn't be more excited!!!  I wanted a change and I hope this will be an exciting new adventure!

After Addy woke up she had breakfast and I told her to get in the van and that I had a surprise for her!  We went to see Chimpanzee in the movie theater!  The Carmike does $4 movies every Thursday all summer, it's an awesome deal and we took advantage of it and had a blast!!

Later that afternoon we went and picked up Gma Alyce and headed down for our first time to Urban Harvest, the only purchase was a .50 tattoo for Addy, but it was still neat to see!

And none of us had been to Sweet Treats, so we went and said CHEERS with our cupcakes to my new job--it was a lot of fun!  Addy picked out a choc cupcake, with choc frosting, and m&ms as a topping---YUMMMM!

Friday:  I had to go fill out HR paper work, so Addy headed back over to visit Gma and Gpa for a couple hours in the morning, we grabbed McDonalds on our way home and then got busy organizing school supplies in her backpack and building a countdown to kindergarten chain!  We were excited when we got the email this morning that Addyson will have Mrs. Towne as her teacher--the same teacher Anna had when she went to the big K!

It has been a wonderfully exciting week!!  Full of new changes for our family :)  We are looking forward to Zach and Anna coming home tonight and getting setteled into our new fall routines!  Hard to believe that summer is almost over and we will have a 6th grader, 4th grader, and one in kindergarten!!!  

Happy 5th of July?

I love love love the 4th of July!  Ever since I can remember we would spend the long holiday weekend camping with friends and family, usually camping in the Black Hills, watching a parade of some sort, and of course the big fire works display!
Even after moving to Bismarck we would have a back yard BBQ with friends or family and then the last couple of years we have went to the HUGE Mandan parade and then back over to watch the fire works show---until this year.
Josh's Mom retired from teaching this fall and to say our kids have spent a little time at the farm this summer is an understatement!!!  Anna more then the other two, but after vbs and her week at camp Metigoshi, our little touriest will have been gone a total of 7 weeks this summer!!!  WOW--they have had so much fun!  She has made cakes, went to cousins houses, had cousins over there, been to the lake, and much much more!  I love the memories they are making and RuthAnn is always the first to say, it won't be many more years before she/they will be too old and will no longer want to come to Grandma's house....

So Josh and I spent the 4th of July in Bismarck alone, he had to work on Friday, so we did go up to Powers Lake Friday after work!  We did take in the parade--on TV :)  We made it over to the art in the park in Mandan and had a late lunch, stopped by a friend of Josh's new home, and then just hung out here at home and watched the fire works go off  from the capitol in our front lawn....it was just weird! 

Friday when Josh got off work, we stopped and bought some fireworks and off to Powers Lake we went!  So here are some pictures of us celebrating our 5th of July this year....we got to Powers Lake around 8 on Friday night and we did light off some fireworks--side note, I'm terrified of even the little ones...so I watched...from a safe distance and did do a sparkler or two :)


Josh and the kiddos :)




Grandma RuthAnn and the kids!



Anna loved the smoke bombs and would light a couple at a time so the colors would mix!



Addy loved the tanks and airplanes




Zach's favorite has always been the tanks, so Josh got a whole BOX of them!  He was so excited and had a great time!!

 Most of Saturday was spent out at the lake--we were out there for tacos in a bag at noon and didn't get back to the farm until after six!  The kids have so much fun with their cousins swimming in the lake up there!  It was a beautiful day, minus the wind and a good time was had by all!

Sunday we had to leave a little early as Addy had her first drop off birthday party!  It was one of her preschool classmates and down at Fun on the Run :)