Making of the Christmas Card

Thanksgiving morning at 7:30am (the sun was not up yet) we took our Christmas card pictures.  Winner winner turkey dinner, the picture above was selected.  Tuff came up with the "fur" theme for this year and the catchy phrasing comes later.

The scene was conveniently located at the end of our block.

Difficult to get all the family in sync for the photo if you can imagine.

Several things to take note of in the picture below...one being Tuff is wearing a fur tree skirt.  Haha.  Also Liza and Luna are wearing wine glass decor.

Thanks to our friend Jason for taking the pictures.  This photo shoot lasted less than ten minutes.  It was cold!

Later that day we traveled to St. Xavier, Montana (partially where Tuff grew up) to Tuff's Aunt Darlene's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with family.  Everyone chipped in for the feast, bringing a dish or two.

Our cuzzies the Lyman's and Liza's birthday pal Addeleigh, born exactly a year a part.

Family competing in Bananagrams.

The day before Thanksgiving little Liza Love turned four months old. In the bottom left picture of the collage, Grace fell asleep in the shopping cart at TJ Maxx (shopping for the fur of course-where else would you find a fur tree skirt?) and Liza borrowed a dog bed to hang out.  Sometimes you have to be creative as parents.

Grace and I supported the Griz this season by wearing our letterman's jackets often as we were out and about.  They made it to second round of playoffs and lost.

Liza is supporting the Bison (my sister Cydney's alma mater), who are playing for a shot at the national championship this Friday against Sam Houston State.

This is a "throwback" photo of Tuff and the Griz playing against Sam Houston State back in 2004 for a ticket to the national championships.  Tuff had two interceptions that game and the Griz defeated Sam Houston.

Last week my college golf teammate Jasi was visiting family in Columbus, Montana.  We made the short drive over to Columbus to say hi.  Love seeing her and her family!

Grace has been to two birthday parties in the last two weeks.  One was for her friend Grace (yes lots of Graces so she goes by Goodie most the time) who turned four.  Of course it was a princess theme, and heavy emphasis on Frozen.

Goodie is in the Super Girl costume.

Smitten to be by two Elsa's.

The video below is Goodie on a Frozen streak:

She also attended her friend Bri's 3rd birthday party.  They crafted snowmen on sleds and ate them.

Goodie and Bri posing on right side of photo.

Tuff spoke this past Tuesday in Helena, Montana for a Tribal Relations Training.  He gave an incredible, insightful speach on the asked subject, success.  I'm hoping to get an audio of it for those interested in listening.

Today and tomorrow Tuff is in Lamedeer, Montana speaking at a confernce.

We miss him while he is gone but keep busy.

And sometimes while Tuff is gone I have some weak parenting moments like this one below.  I let Grace push the stroller around the house...

...with Liza in the stoller.

Or letting Grace take a popsicle, red no less, on the white chair.  Amazingly both these examples turned out with no incident.  However, I'm writing about them as a reminder to myself to sharpen up!

Family fun.

Another "throwback" of Grace at seven months old and recently a four month old Liza balancing for dad.

Here is another baby comparison.  Grace and Liza at 20 weeks old to scale!

And if you want to watch a baby giggling lots I took this video just moments before posting this blog update:

We will be in Montana this year for Christmas.  That update to come soon!

Montana-Minnesota-Brazil

MONTANA

To start off November, my parents came to Billings for five days.  The weather continued to be amazing and we managed to play a few rounds of golf.

Where were the kids?  Tiny one stayed home with Oma and the toddler slept in the golf cart basket!

We checked out the new Scheels at Billings and rode the ferris wheel.

Grace and Papa.

In the photo below, my dad is pointing out my little sister Cydney's former college teammate Amy Anderson who is now in the LPGA and sponsored by Scheels.

Photo scene opps.

New sherrif in town.  Shopping at Shipton's Big R.  The black hat could be a new look for you dad.

MINNESOTA

On November 6th, Papa, Oma, myself, and the girls ventured east to Minnesota, stopping a night at a water park hotel in Bismarck.  Tuff stayed back for work purposes and joined us the following Friday.  First stop back in Staples was Tower Pizza of course followed by the coffee shop the next day where we met up with my sister Dana and baby Milo, Liza's one month elder cousin.

Keller (my parent's neighbor) and Grace.  They spent a few days together.  Keller is so good with Grace!

Of course there was more cousin bonding.

That Saturday (Nov 8th), my University of Montana golf teammates/fellow Minnesota golfers came to Staples to hang out.

Brittany, Krista, Mary.

Brittany's daughter Kelly came along and so proudly pointed out that she made a funny face for the photo, but not too funny.  Haha.

That evening Uncle Joe scored a nice 10 point buck (whitetail) for opening weekend of deer hunting.  They brought it by the house for Grace to see and she thought he was beautiful.

Krista spent the night and the next day we went out for a brisk walk; brisk because it was cold!  So long to the glorious fall weather.

We stopped to see more than a hundred trumpeter swans gathered on the river.  Yes I took amazing footage as they flew into the air only to find out my camera wasn't rolling!

Here is what was left:(

Cold enough for the pond to start freezing.

That same afternoon as the cold was moving in, my sister Heather arranged for a sister photo shoot with my cousin Angela Goff as the photographer (Ever After Photography).  

My neice Bo snapped this photo of Angela in action.  The remainder of photos are Angela's. 

Representing college letterman jackets.  Top left going clockwise is Heather (Purdue University), Cydney (North Dakota State University), Mary (University of Montana) and Dana (Bemidji State University).

Birth order.  My dad refers to us as daughter number 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The very next day snowpocalypse hit.

Sheer joy for Grace and her "dog" Muffin.

Tuff was in Billings and experienced very cold weather.

On Tuesday (Nov 11th) I met up with my dear high school friend Rachel in Perham.  We enjoyed lunch at an adorable coffee shop, the Gathering Grounds and of course great conversation too.

While I was gone Grace did lots of hanging out with Papa.

BRAZIL

Friday (Nov 14th) came our anticipated event; Debora, our foreign exchange student in 2001-2002 from Brazil came to visit with her husband Fernando! I consider Debora my Brazilian sister and it was so special to experience my senior year in high school with her.

Rachel and I picked them up at the Minneapolis airport and drove all of 1 mile to the Mall of America.

We drove across the street from the Mall of America to Ikea, which Brazil does not have.  Our good friend Sofie, who was a foreign exchang student from Sweden, told us about this place before Minnesota even had one.

The picture below is in one of the living room set ups at Ikea.

This one is for you Sofie!  We missed you terribly this trip.

Saturday (Nov 16th) we all gathered at the Stomping Grounds coffee shop.  This did not exist when Deb was here but came the following year, as a senior project from a group of high school students.

Dr. Sarah and Milo.  Dr. Sarah was getting her luggage at the Minneapolis airport after a trip to Spain when she received the call that my sister dana was in labor.  She made it back to Staples in time to deliver the little man!

Grandma Rach, to our kids, Super Oma, holding Liza for the first time.

We stopped by our high school. Go Cardinals!

Saturday for lunch my dad took us to Wahoo Valley, a local restaurant 13 miles out of town located on the Crow Wing River (river is already freezing in photo below).  It is a popular spot for deer hunters and snowmobilers.

Brazil does not have Dr. Pepper and its something Deb fell in love with while in the States.

Restaurant decor.  We joked when Deb lived with us that the bra and panties were hers.



In the background of the photo below are pictures of this years deer hunting.  While we were dining, a youth hunter brought in a fresh whitetail kill to be weighed just outside.  210 pounds.



Deb was really hoping for snow.  See the Facebook conversation from October 23rd:



So in honor of Deb's excitement about the snow we went for a stroll, dressed in blaze orange of course since it was hunting season.

Ran into our neighbors Dave and Joan also out on a walk.

Yes Luna made the trip and gladly played with the neighbor's dog Peanut while we visited.

Saturday night we ate at Black Bear Lodge and Saloon.  Deb had the Walleye and said it was the best American meal she has experienced.  Pretty good plug for Black Bear.

On Sunday (Nov 16th) my parents invited the neighborhood and freinds over for a celebration of Deb and Nando visiting.

Nando is a surgical dentist in Brazil and was teaching little Avery about her teeth.

During the party the cousins went sledding.

Grace and Bo Bo.

Peggy made Luna the most adorable 4-legged dog sweater to keep her warm in the winter months!
She really liked it.

Cydney, auntie extraordinare wanted to take a picture since all her nephews and neices were present.

Best result. Haha.

My brother Derek and wife Mari.



Sunday night (Nov 16th) we dropped by Bruce and Eva's, our long time family freinds.  They are both enjoying retirement and Eva makes jewelry now that she sells at craft shows and online (Fuse Me Glass).  She let us girls pick out a jewelry set.



Here I am wearing my new Fuse Me Glass pieces.  Love them! Thank you Eva.

Our goodbye picture before Deb and Nando headed back to Minneapolis airport.  Rachel headed back to Red Lake Fall, MN and we drove the full distance back to Billings, MT.



What else is going on?

Also Grace and I finished our swim lessons for 6-36 month olds.