A New Dishwasher and the Dog Whisperer

I went to start my dishwasher the other morning and it had quit working. I had a full load of dirty dishes and was not happy about unloading them and washing them all by hand. (How we really do depend on our modern appliances for convenience!) I just so happened to find myself the best dishwaser I have ever had. It cleans the dishes extremely well and doesn't make hardly a sound while washing.

My older kids complained about doing the dishes and became ever so grateful for the dishwasher. They promised they would never complain about unloading the dishwasher again! It was good for them to learn to appreciate this appliance in our house.

I must say Jordan was very good about doing the dishes. He actually really likes it. We got the dishwasher fixed yesterday (hooray!) but Jordan was sad that we could put dishes in the dishwasher again.

On a side note just a cute picture of Cody and Jordan on New Year's day after letting Carson paint their faces.

Darcy's new nickname is "the Dog Whisperer". He loves dogs! We had Zoe (the little dog on his lap) spend New Years Eve and Day with us and Darcy was quite happy to have a lap dog that would snuggle right in and then his "Black Jack" who is his "real man's dog".

Happy New Year to everybody! A hint for anyone who has kids that complain about unloading the dishwasher as part of their chores - just let it break down for a couple of days and let them do the dishes the old fashioned way. It really does work! They looovvvve their dishwasher and are happy to unload it anytime you ask them. (We'll see how long that lasts:)

Merry Christmas 2008

OH BROTHER!

Jordan and Carson got their hair cuts one night just before Christmas. As I saw them sitting on the couch I realized how much they really do look alike. Jordan is a little miniature Carson.

Later on in the evening I saw them watching TV and noticed they were

even laying on the floor the same way.

Look at those profiles! The are almost exactly the same.

Oh Brother!!!!!

Born to Dance!

I got to go and sit in Sadie's last dance class before Christmas break! It was really fun to watch her. She is dancing with a class of 7 to 9 year olds and is the youngest at only 6-years-old. She keeps up with them just fine and in fact, (mother's bragging moment) her teacher told me that she is one of the best dancers in their class. I didn't believe it until I saw it. She really does have the natural talent to dance.

Grace is something I was not really born with and I will never forget my first and last ballet class! I hated it! But I have to say that I really enjoy watching Sadie. Maybe it is because she is so graceful!

OK I know she has a big hole in her tights and she does own two other pair but this is her favorite pair and unless she is performing she insists on wearing the pair with the hole in them. They might just have to disappear in the New Year!

LET IT SNOW! Last Friday we had a heavy snowfall warning and then it was going to get really really cold so I thought I better take the dog for a long run in the woods close to our house and the boys wanted to go sledding. It was snowing a lot but wasn't too cold yet so off we went.

Carson and his friend found a big cardboard box laying around and so they tied their sleds together and had Jordan climb onto the middle. Then they backed up and took a running leap for the sled to make it fly down the hill. There was another man walking his dog and when he saw these kids doing this he laughed so hard. Then the next time they went down the hill Black Jack jumped ontop for the ride down the hill too. It was hilarious. Good fun in the snow! Boy did it feel like Christmas time.

That night the temperature dropped and it has been about -37 Celcius with the windchill since that night! That was Black Jack's last walk for a few days any ways. Last night we took him to my moms to run him on the tredmill so he could get some exercise.

It is so cold that school was cancelled so the kids were at home all day. They had a great time decorating their gingerbread houses.

We had a little contest between the boys and girls to see who could decorate the best house.

I think they turned out pretty good!




The other thing we did today was dip chocolates. This is one of Jordan's favorite Christmas traditions. His favorite part is licking the pan when I am done!

Does anybody remember the electronic top? It is often pulled out this time of year and the kids are getting blisters on their hands trying to beat their dad. This top counts the number of rotations it makes and so it becomes a really addicting contest. I had to get a picture of Darcy's form when he spins this top because it is hilarious for me to watch! He takes this game very seriously.

We are having fun getting ready for Christmas and we may even have a white Christmas this year.