Gingerbread Decorating Party

Did I say party? I meant complete chaos, craziness, and was I on crack when I offered my house to do this fun little project? Really, how messy can 11 children (10 of them under the age of 6), enough frosting to mortar my house together, and bags upon bags upon boxes of candy, in my dining room be? MESSY! But totally worth it. The children had an excellent time and they even left a little bit of the candy for the houses, which turned out pretty spectacular, if you ask me...(and if you didn't ask me, then quit reading my blog, cuz it's all about me). Thankfully all of the mothers were laid back and went with the candy induced flow. Kevin, however, sat in the family room, his eye all a twitching. He stayed there because I didn't want him to scare the children. He was having a freak out attack at the amount of sugar and frosting and mess and number of small children and who was going to clean all of this up???!!

A fun time was had by all. Amazingly enough, it was cleaned up in no time at all. It's whatcha call or.gan.i.za.tion, my friends. All of the leftover candy went into one tiny ziplock bag, the freezer paper that I had taped to the table beforehand was pulled up and thrown away, and the floor was vacuumed. Presto, snap, boom.....the room is clean and Kevin stopped twitching.

Now, this is my kind of party!

Could there be any more candy in this picture?

Natalie and Ellie collaberating on Ellie's house. (There is only 2 weeks difference in age with these two ragamuffins.) We are blessed to have them as our backyard, thru the trees neighbors here on the compound. I guess that we are also blessed cuz they're related to us and have to live on the compound too.

My friend Ann, whom we refer to as Dr. Ann D.D.S. She twitched a little bit at the sight of all of the candy and such, but she got over it when she realized that she was all of our dentist. Then she saw her kids college being paid for and the twitching subsided.

The finished products!

One down, Two to go

We did it. We finally broke down and took one of our children skiing. We are officially crazy and broke. And much to our joy and our pocketbooks dismay...Ellie loved it. Skiing is cool and I am really good at it.... so says she.

We had a fabulous time together. Ellie at ski school, Kevin on the slopes, Me napping and shopping and what not. Good times. If you ask Ella what her favorite part of the trip was she will tell you the hot tub and the pool. Yep that's our girl....all about the water sports. Seriously, she couldn't stop talking about the hot tubs...they were outside, my friends....in the cold and snowy outside! She just couldn't get enough of that concept. I, on the other hand, thought that the dry sauna was perfect and warm and dry and indoors.

Ella did 2 days of ski school. We dropped her off at 8:30 and picked her up at 3:30. Do you know how much napping one can do in that amount of time? It was awesome. On the second day Kev thought that he might catch a glimpse of her skiing, so he made his way over from his double black whatevers to the baby bunny green carpets. He tried in vain, looking for a sweet little one in a white coat and brown pants, but much to his dismay, he couldn't find her. Little did he know our budding snow bunny was wearing a brown coat and pink pants that day. I am, I mean, she is a diva. Can't wear the same thing twice! Thankfully the super expensive goggles that Amy lent us went with both outfits. Can you imagine the damage to her(my) psyche if she didn't look cute as a button on the slopes? Fortunately, we were able to see her skiing down the mountain when we went to pick her up. She did a fabulous job! She was first in line...we assume this was because she was the slowest and they didn't want to leave her behind on the slopes. We are so proud of her! Now she wants to bring all of her friends skiing. Probably not going to happen any time soon.

Still smiling after her first day!

Mommy and Ellie

Coming down the mountain!

Skiing with the cool kids....

Ellie and the most patient instructor, Liz.

I did get a little video of her at the end. You know, after she was down the mountain and standing in front of us and I finally remembered that my camera also shoots video. If I knew how to post video, I would because it is a fine work of craftmanship, I tell you. A rivoting 47 seconds of Ellie skate-skiing into the ski school area and some ladies head that kept getting in my way. The nerve of some people!

I shudder to think about ski trips with the boys. It makes my head hurt, so I think that I won't worry about it until the time comes. Life is good and I should just enjoy it as it comes....Right?

They just keep growing!

They grow up so fast. Lately the boys have been hating their high chairs and have been wanting to eat anywhere but there. Since we didn't plan on 3 children, the island in our kitchen is not big enough to accommodate 3 chairs. This is where we eat most of our meals....you know quality family together time...Kev and Ellie at the island, the boys in their highchairs along the kitchen wall and me standing somewhere trying to get my food while it's still luke warm. We do try to sit together at the dining room table when we can, unfortunately our schedules seem to be all over the place lately and it's just a job to get everyone fed. Anyway...we do have a new top for our island ordered. It will be big enough for three chairs with the option of an extra when we need it. The only problem is that the guy that is doing our pool is doing the counter top as well. Soooo, we will probably have that done when the boys reach Jr High.


Here are a couple of pics of our big boys acting like big boys.

Ellie, the little stinker, thinks that she is a big girl too! She recently got to help Kevin put the Christmas lights on the house. I may have had a moment of weakness when I allowed this and then of course had to take pictures of it. She said that she had fun, but was upset with her father when he made her stop dancing and jumping on the roof. I guess that big girls don't know the meaning of "Stand right here and DON'T MOVE!" She had a fun time helping her dad and is very proud of her work. I'll have to take a pic of that some night.

And then there are the days when I wish that they/he, would just act their/his age. Kevin is such a little boys sometimes. The other night he went out to burn some trash. He comes running in the house, giggling like a little girl, "Go look out the back window!" I, the obedient wife, do as told and see this.....

a huge raging fire from the small amount of trash that was to be burned. I asked the little pyro what was going on and he giggled again "I built a really cool, big fire." He had found some cardboard and started it on fire as well. The cardboard was really tall and he couldn't fit the cover on the barrel to keep the burning trash from blowing all over and starting the house, trees, shop on fire. I lost interest in his little show and went back to my child care giving, until I heard him say "Oh crap, the grass is on fire!" The big cardboard piece fell out and started the grass aflame. Thankfully, nothing became of the grass blaze and all the excitement settled down. For the record I did not take the picture of the fire. That was all Kevin's doing.....his I am 15 years old, I love fire, and want proof of my big fire doing.

Random Randomness

Again here are some everyday pictures from the Kissinger house. Random and kooky. That's us.

This is what happens when daddy is left in charge. Nate gets stuck in the sink and mommy has to come to the rescue....but not until after she had to run back down stairs, find her camera and come back to the rescue. When Kevin called me he didn't say anything about this act being photo worthy.



Ella got a megaphone at the Sandy Creek carnival. I think that this is a much better use for it. Zak...wearing sissy's boots and megaphone, looking like a garden gnome. (notice that I could not get him to stand up for anything. It was much cuter when he was walking)




Things I found in my laundry last week.
A formica sample
A used bandaid
5 barrettes





Nathan's newest act of disregard for personal safety and for mom's sanity. (I know that my first action should not have been -go get the camera- but it was in the kitchen and he was ultimately saved.)





Bert? Do yall see it? Whatever.

A cheerleader, a mummy and a skeleton walk into a bar....

Our halloween kind of felt like a comedy routine. My mom was in the hospital, Ellie was a crazy, sugar junkie, Kevin got home late, I tried (and failed) to make a fabulous halloween themed dinner, my dad came over, Kevin finally noticed that I'd painted the front door, the kids tricked and treated.....I am so glad that it is over.

Now the break down...My mom called on the 30th and just casually said "I just thought I'd let you know that I'm in the hospital." Umm, Okay... They admitted her with the diagnosis of pancreatitis and were keeping her there to aleviate her pain and hide food from her. She said that it was a painful and expesenisve diet. The boys and I went up to see her on the 31st. She was staying on the Peds floor (I guess she looks young for her age) and the nurses were so nice to us. They brought the boys little bags of Halloween treats. Each bag has stickers and candy and little dinosaurs in them. I swear I need my camera surgically attached to me. Of course I didn't have it with me, you know sick mom and photo op don't really go together. I should have because Nathan took his little 3" dinosaur, promptly put it on the floor and tried to ride it. It was hilarious....NO? maybe you had to be there cuz it.was.funny.

After our fun filled time with granny we rushed home to get ready for the festivities. As you know, Martha and I share ideals of how holiday's should be celebrated. I was going to make little biscuit pizzas with Jack-o-Lantern cheese cut outs on top and witches broom stick bread sticks and I can't remember what else because it obviously didn't happen. Only 2 pizzas had faces, the brooms were all crazy witchy and I threw some veggie of some sort out there too. Kevin wasn't home, the kids were HUNGRY, trick or treaters were banging on the door demanding their loot, my dad was just arriving...I was a stress ball. My perfect ideas were crumbling around my feet...I decided to throw the "Don't give a crap" switch and instantly felt much better and actually enjoyed myself and my kids on this night of sugar overload. How could I not enjoy them? They are God's blessings.

My cheerleader, skeleton and mummy.




Ellie doing her "Real Cheerleader" pose. I guess that dance and gymnastics are paying off.



Nater and his beloved vacuum. I guess that even skeletons like clean houses. Who knew?




Zak learned to say "Cheese!" for the camera.

Papa and Nate feeling the love.

A cheerleader, a skeleton and a mummy walked into a bar and bumped their heads. (seriously horrid joke! Give me a break, it would have been just wrong to have had them show their fake ID's!)

****BTW....the door had been black for 3 weeks before Kevin noticed it and by "notice it" I mean he asked if the door had always been black.****

Things I ......

Like......(not in any particular order)

* lists
* pedicures
* clean houses
* children that sleep thru the night *bonus if they belong to me*
* dr pepper
* reading mystery novels
* Jesus
* TV
* shopping
* laptops in the kitchen
* children that say "Please" and "Thank You"
* Mondays and Wednesdays


Dislike..... (again in no particular order)

* rudeness
* dieting
* husbands that wake you up from a deep sleep to tell you that a child is screaming and that you should go take care of said screaming child
* children that don't sleep thru the night
* friends that live far away (not the actual friends, just the far away living part)
* nuts
* pool people that don't deliver pools when they are supposed to
* liars
* bloggers with really funny blogs that make me waste much of my valuable time reading their funny blogs
* laptops in the kitchen

Misdemeanor or Felony?

Here is our dear, sweet, always law abiding Ellie's first go at forgery. We have to sign her homework every night and the other night, she decided to take care of it for me. I do have to give her credit....she came to show me how well she can write my name and tell me that I wouldn't have to do it anymore. She also didn't know that forgery is a crime. We had a little talk about writting mommy's name on things and she agreed that it would be best for me to do the signing from now on.

**Now, either Ellie is really good, or Kevin is really unobservant, because when he saw this worksheet, he asked me why I signed it twice. I vote for really unobservant.**

Run Bubba Run

Today my big sister, Gina, is running the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon. She is running as a part of the Team in Training for the Luekemia and Lymphoma Society. It is also her 36th birthday. We are so unbelievably proud of her and her dedication to this cause. She is running for a little boy named Will. He was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year. She started her training with the goal of walking the 1/2, but decided that as much as she disliked running and making the time to train, Will didn't have a choice of whether or not to have his chemo treatments. If he could take the pain and discomfort, then so could she. She is running with a good friend, Jamie, and several other friends have decided to meet them in San Fran to cheer them on and to hang with them as the spa it up and do a little wine country trip. I am very jealous about that fun part of the trip. What a great birthday present!

Happiest of Birthday's Bubba! We love you and are sooo proud of you!!!!

Perfection....

Why? Why do I get a vision in my head and then truly believe that this perfect vision can be achieved? It's the Martha Stewart complex. I think that it really is a medically diagnosed complex. Now, I know that Martha has a boat load of lackies that do her bidding, but I honestly think that I should be able to do the same with, ummm, just me!

We took Christmas card pictures this weekend. They did not turn out as planned. Imagine that. 3 kids....2 of them beyond tired....1 of them old enough to know better.....1 snotty nose....zero great pictures. My vision was for the 3 beautiful childern to be walking hand in hand with glorious sun shining and wonderful trees in the back ground. This is what I got.....

No trees. No Nate.A very classy picture of snot.

I'll bet you can't wait to see what picture made it into our Christmas card. Coming in December to a mailbox near you!!!

To Bubba's house we bowl?

The kids and I decided to make a last minute trip to my sisters house in Des Moines this past weekend. I am so thankful that my mom was able to make the trip with us. I thought that I would do fine with them all by myself, but 4 1/2 hrs in the car is just a bit much for the boys....and Ellie.....and me. Once we were to our final destination, a fabulous time was had by all! We spent a lot of time outside, just relaxing and enjoying the weather and the company.

We found out that my children are very musical. Especially Nate. The boys played the piano (nicely!) and Nate loved it when Uncle Jeff played his guitar. He was a great help to Jeff as they strummed the chords together. Nate, Zak and Ella totally rocked out with the Guitar Hero guitars. They were a hoot! We sang karaoke on Friday night and Nate stole the spotlight with his wonderful singing. He was very mad when we had to take the microphone away so that he could go to bed.

On Saturday we decided to go bowling. I am pretty sure that we are crazy... It was a lot of fun and the boys lasted about 8 frames. Zak got second place with an 87! I can already see the Pro Bowler's Tour in our future. Here are a few (and I mean a zillion) pics from our outing....

Nate and Zak.....I didn't know that the Amish bowled.

Those shoes totally go with that outfit. It's all about the accessories....Ready. Set. Bowl!Ellie bowling left handed. My girl is talented.Nate needed some moral support.Zak cooling off like a pro.Nate was worn out after a hard fought bowling battle. He came in 4th.My niece Sophie has the best form of them all.

We came home on Sunday. I was sooooo glad to be home. The last leg of the trip (Omaha to Grandma's house to our house) was a long one with lots of DADEEEEE, DADEEEEE, DADEEEE screamed in my ear. The John Deere movies helped for about 73 seconds.....

All in all, it was a great trip and we had fun. That's what counts, isn't it?

They call him Daddy.

DaDEE, DaDEE, DaDEE.....That is all I hear from the moment Kevin walks in the door for lunch until long after he has gone back to work. Zak is just giddy over the fact that Daddy is home. Nathan is excited as well, but Zak is beyond happy that his favorite person is around. They follow Kevin everywhere he goes from the minute he walks in. They have to sit near or on Kevin as he eats his lunch. They watch him wash his hands. They watch the news with him. They go with him while he puts on his boots and they watch him walk out the door. That is when the fun really begins.....for at least a half hour after Kevin walks out the door, the boys scream and wail and act distraught. They honestly forget about the one who birthed them, gets up in the night with them, nurses their boo-boo's, feeds them, diapers them, clothes them........it's like I don't exist when Kevin is around. Some days I am perfectly fine with that. I need a break from all the feeding and the diapering and the mom-ing and such. I am so happy that they love him so very much. Ellie wasn't so into her father for a long time, so it is nice that they actually want him to participate in their lives. I never get jealous....I just think that there will probably be a day that they won't love us and that they will be embarassed to be seen with us and that we will have "totally ruined their lives!" Although Ellie recently told me that she never wanted to leave me. That she would probably go to college in Hastings, because she has to live near me and that she will never, EVER hate me. Ahhh the dreams of a 1st grader. It is such a gift to be loved unconditionally and I try to remind myself to cherish these moments, because they will not last forever.

This is what happens when Kevin leaves...Fun Times.

Seriously, where did my dad go?

Before I sign off, a cute little Ella story. Last night we sat down to eat supper and asked Ella to say the prayer for us. Okay mom.... "Now I lay me down to sleep. Heavenly angels watch over me. Amen." It's just how my girl rolls. She has even been known to say the Table Prayer before bed. That's why we love her so much.

K

Welcome Welcome!!

Welcome friends to my first attempt as a blogger. I never thought that I would actually do something like this. I don't consider myself computer savy by any means. I freak out everytime I download pictures from my camera, wondering where in the world they will end up.... But still, here I am, ready to lay it all out on the line, so that my friends and family can enjoy the calamity, the chaos, the comedy that I simply call "Everyday life at the Kissinger's. "

Life with a beautiful 6yo daughter, 19mos old twin sons, a hard working farmer husband, and an adorable, smelly dog is never dull. Most days I wish that it was. I could use some serious dullness....and a nap.....and a Dt. Dr Pepper.

I am living the life that I never dreamed of. I did not want to marry a farmer....I did not want to live in a rural area (G-vil's population of 327 smiling, happy people is a far cry from the 800+ that D-town boasted).....I did not want to live within spitting distance of my inlaws.....I did not want 3 children.......

God had a different plan for me. A very different plan. A plan that I am neither privy to, nor one that I have not always been pleased with. But it is His plan and I am making the best of it. Honestly, I love the life that I never dreamed of.

I love my husband, even when he is cranky, or stubborn, or works to much, or doesn't like what I made for supper. He is a good man, he loves God, adores his children,and he loves me more than I deserve.

I love the slow pace of rural NE. I love the quiet. I love that I can take the kids for a walk down the middle of a gravel road and not worry about traffic. I love that people wave at you whether they know you or not.

I love that we are surrounded by family. Okay, so maybe I don't love being literally surrounded by family, but I love that we are close. My parent's are near as well. Having family here is a truly a gift.

I love, love, love my 3 kids....more and more each day. When I look at them, I see great works of art created by the Master's hand. I am so blessed to be their mom. I am so fortunate to be able to stay at home with them...to witness all of their joy and pain, wonder and amazement, delight and torment. I am in awe of each of them.

** Ellie just stated that she was "startled by the look of her wedding dress". Uhh what? She is working on her computer and is having a perfectly logical conversation with the characters she is dressing up. Not a dull moment folks....**

I thought that I might give you a little glimpse into our daily life. Here is what happens when you give your twins a snack and think that you might possibly have enough time to quickly check your email. Never Leave Them Alone.......

Ummmmm, that glass was full when I left.

But Mommy, it is so pretty!!!

Zachary showing us that milk slurpped from your highchair tray is GOOOOOOOD!!

Nate cleaning up his mess. Trying to teach them accountablity early......

Nate admiring his work. Zak picking his nose.

Zak getting the hard places.

Until next time.....

Kara