Summer Fun

Summer is always our favorite time of year...  I'm resisting the urge to be sad that July is the "half-way" mark of summer... instead I'm focusing on the HALF we still have left!

We had a slight computer problem.. the old laptop finally crashed for good... and now I am trying to get used to a different computer.  It's great to have one that works -- I'm just getting the whole photo "upload" thing to work...

Summer officially began the first week of June with a week long camping trip at Custer State Park with James, Wendy, Jacob and Kelly.  We ended the week at Ted and Jan's home/backyard campground with the whole Moeller clan to celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary.  It was a super fun weekend with everyone... pictures will be added as soon as I get a CD drive for this new computer.  (apparently cd/dvd drives are "dinosaurs" in the computer world too)

One Sunday afternoon in June we were a little antsy to get "out" somewhere, so I suggested a short kid-friendly hike my friend Laurel had suggested - the Stratabowl - off Highway 16 near the House of Scandinavia.  It was a 1/2 mile hike -- and just BARELY doable with a 2 1/2 year old :)  Thor was taking pictures this day...  The scenery at the top of the bowl was incredible for sure!  Lars seemed to like the very edge better than anywhere else.  

The next thing we knew it was our Anniversary - 17 years - June 22.  I prepped Dirk to be ready for a date night out - downtown.  We ate at the Firehouse - which we had not eaten at since having kids.  It was a busy Friday night, but we got in before the supper rush began and had great service.  We both had the 'specials" of the evening (bbq brisket and buffalo roast) and had enough meat for our whole family twice over... huge portions... but it was fun to be out alone.  :)  We spent the next hour walking up and down main street, art alley and main street square.  Thanks to Holli our kids were happy to spend the evening with cousins instead of a babysitter (or babysitting).  

Here is Liv, all ready to be tucked in bed for the night.  This is the little kitty she bought with her own chore money.... you know how much I love  loath like stuffed animals... but it makes her happy :) 

Just Dance 4

NO PICTURES will EVER be posted from this incredibly fun evening in our families life. 
Quick run-down for those who do not have tween or teen children... Xbox (hope I don't have to explain what that is).... Kinect (an accessory for the Xbox that allows you to "play" without a controller -- it reads your body movements -- similar to a Wii from Nintendo).... Just Dance 4 -- a dancing "game" where you follow the dancing grooving moves of the "expert" on the screen!

Carrie and Annette spent the weekend with us, and Anika had just gotten the game... so was excited to try it out with Tante Carrie.  Liv joined in the fun the first night -- we heard them giggling and jumping/pounding for a couple of hours Saturday night! 

Liv said "my waist feels bad."  :)

The next night Grandma Annette thought we should all check it out... so one by one the family joined in... at first just to watch and poke fun.... but eventually we were ALL dancing (not at the same time = it can only handle 2-4 players at one time).  Grandma moved and grooved to aBarry White's
You're the First, The Last, My Everything...... Carrie and Anika "Istanbul"... Thor and I challenged each other to "The Final Countdown,"  and Dirk and Thor faced off with JLo's "on the floor"....

The night flew by... if Lars hadn't started to snuggle on a pillow who knows how long we would have gone....

A Fresh Start

2013:
A fresh start to my blogging.  This past weekend my mother-in-love and Sis-in-love were visiting... one of our best long weekends with them yet!  One of the brightest moments for me was dragging out the "new" old photo albums.  2006-2010....  not so old... but still things many of didn't remember until we looked back at the photos.  Even more fun was reading my "old blog" -- morrison family.blogspot... yearbook that I had printed out for Christmas 2010

Since Lars was born, the blogging world has been left behind ... the world of facebook was a bit more userfriendly and instantly gratifying.  But the ability to write out memories and moment with the kids is totally lost there. 

So I have a new ambition -- to continue the family blog -- and to remember those cute moments (and maybe a few learning moments) for both parents and kids. 

I'm already full of new ideas!!