Time to Catch Up!

So I've been slacking a little in posting to our blog. And since Gib is working out of town I figured I better get started. So, to start off on catching up with the holidays. I had Thanksgiving at my mom's this year. This is very unusual for me. I've always had Thanksgiving at my Grandma Koele's, but now that they live in the retirement home, we had to make adjustments. I was glad that mom was willing to do all the work. Here is a picture of the table set for lunch at their house in Sheldon. Katrina wasn't able to join us this year because she was visiting Kaylee's other grandma, but Becky and the kids were able to make it.

Mom's table set for Thanksgiving in Sheldon.

After lunch at Mom's, Gib and I went to Orange City. Nik was home this year for Thanksgiving and he cooked a Thanksgiving Dinner for us and Grandpa and Grandma Koele. It was delicious. I must not have taken any pictures because I can't find them, but we had a beautiful dinner.

Then on Friday we packed up all of Grandpa and Grandma Koele's things from their house that were to be put on the auction they had on Saturday. The auction went well. Grandpa came down to visit with everyone and Grandma stayed at the retirement home. Gib went and sat with her to keep her company. She was very heart broken about having to sell all of her things. I bought a few items at the sale. My biggest purchased was her set of colored pyrex bowls. I've always wanted them and now Gib wonders why I won't use them. Just call me crazy. I also purchased their old picnic basket, a large vase, a punch bowl, a crockpot, roast pan, some pyrex baking dishes, a perkulator for making hot cider, and a few other odds and ends. I do have to agree with grandma that it was really hard to watch everything be sold.

Here's a picture of Grandma Koele in her new living room area.

Here's Grandpa Koele and Gib walking by the ice cream shop in the retirement home.
Well, that wraps up Thanksgiving.

Now on to Christmas...

Well, if memory serves me right, we start off with Christmas at Mom's on Christmas Eve. Again another new thing for me as for we had always had Christmas at Grandma Koele's. Mom had different stew and soups for dinner this year and it was great. Opening gifts was a little crazy with all the little kids. I'll add just a few of each kid so that you can get a little idea of the madness.

Mom's Christmas Tree for 2008.

One of two table for Christmas Eve Dinner.

The main table for Christmas Eve Dinner.

Alicia with her new make-up kit.
Austin playing with bows.
Bob...he sure was happy about something or he drank too much...just kidding!!!
Kaylee Sue got a bow too. She wasn't too happy this night. But was comfortable in her bouncer.


Kato with bows. They was a hot commodity this year.
Laura & Gib...I told you it was madness.

Evan with bows.

Kevin with his new Singing Bee game.

Trent with a new shirt.

Katrina with diaphers for Kaylee...can't you just see the excitement written all over her face!

Mom opening up her favorite perfume.

The whole gang for Christmas 2008.

Now on to Christmas at Dad's. It was a pretty quite year. Nik didn't come home, Karla-Teri-Austin all went to Kansas City to visit Ang and Steve, Grandma was in the retirement home and Grandpa was in Remsen at the Nursing Home. We had decided since it was going to be such a quiet Christmas that we wouldn't exchange gifts this year. Dad did still decorate just for me. I think he knew I would be mad if he didn't. So here's the decorations.



Christmas at our house was pretty quite this year too. We didn't get eachother gifts because we were in the process of finishing our basment and we knew we wanted to buy a nice tv for down there so Christmas came a little late for us. I did set up the tree again, but only got lights on it. The decorations never made it out of the box. I promise to do better next year.

I wanted to share a picture of our neighbors. They are great neighbors and we love their entire family dearly....Dave, Lisa, Hunter, Kobe, Drew...just missing Fraho the weiner dog that has become our adoptive dog that we seem to feed quite often.

We also made a quick trip to Kimball to have a little Christmas party at my Aunt Sue and Uncle Raymond's house. It would have been a lot of fun, but I spent the whole day throwing up among other things. I did get the question of being pregnant a lot that day, but we are pretty sure that I've developed an allergy to eggs. Sorry no bun in the oven yet!


So now I just have New Years Eve to go over. This year was Gib & I's 4th Anniversary. We were pretty mellow this year. We rang in the new year over at our neighbors Dave & Lisa.

Gib & I.

Lisa & Dave

Nate & Ryan

Everyone doing Jello Shots

Ryan getting the champange ready

Dave & Lisa toasting

Dave & Lisa ringing in the new year with a kiss~2009

Well, that wraps up the holidays. I still have more to post and I'm going to try get it done yet tonight so stay turned.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Well, I just wanted to update everyone since it's been awhile since I've posted. It's freezing cold here in South Dakota. We had really bad weather last weekend and at the begining of the week with negative teens at night and windchills around negative 30-40. Yeah, you may find that hard to believe, but it's the truth. And we are looking at doing it all over again this weekend. We got a bunch of snow lastnight and now we are in a blizzard watch for tomorrow with very cold winds on Sunday. I'm already sick of it. And speaking for Gib he is too. He has been doing snow removal most of this week which really throws his schedule off since he has to go out in the middle of night to do most of it. He got called out lastnight at 1:30 am. I think he's napping now at home.

As for our basement, we are making progress. We have been busting butt to get everything done. We were hoping to be done by Christmas, but it's just not going to quite happen. We are planning on putting up the trim this weekend and then the carpet is back ordered and won't be in until Wednesday, so hopefully with help from our neighbor Dave we will get that done shortly after Christmas. And then I just need to get my furniture from dad's house and start to decorate. We plan on waiting a little bit before we go crazy buying all new furniture.

Christmas will be low key for us this year. We are going to my mom's for Christmas Eve, which is a first. I've always gonna to Grandma Koele's for Christmas Eve, but my Grandpa Koele is not doing so well and will be moving to a Nursing Home in Remsen, IA on Monday, and Grandma will stay at Landsmeer in Orange City, IA. We plan to go visit both of them on Christmas Day weather permitting. I'm not sure if my brother is coming home for Christmas since he was just here for Thanksgiving/Grandparents Auction. And then I'm hoping to head to Kimball, SD to my Aunt Sue's house to do a little celebrating on the 27th, again weather permitting. Gib and I are not exchanging gifts this year, our gift to each other is to have our basement done so that we can have our sanity back again. Our house has been a war zone for the last few months. There was times when I couldn't even get to my washer and dryer.

Well, I'll post pics of Christmas as I get them. I also have some of Thanksgiving that I will be adding when I get them from my brother.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!

Outside Wedding Shots!

Well, I figured I better get to posting these and I had a little time this morning, so I'm going to start with how the day took place.

Wedding Party: Greg, Nate, Austin, Yancy, Heath, Evan, Corey, Ryan, Gib, Laura, Kylie, Jennifer, Shantel, Karly, and Crystal

Laura, Evan, Austin, Gib, Greg, Heath, Nate, Corey, Yancy, Ryan

Laura, Kylie, Shantel, Jennifer, Karly, Crystal

Laura, Shantel, Gib, and Austin

Laura, Kylie, Gib and Evan

Halloween 2008

We decorated the house again this year. I didn't have a lot of time,but this was one of our new additions for the holiday.

We used all our gourds and mini pumpkins from the wedding to help us decorate.

Shantel, Heath and Kylie ready to go Trick-or-Treating.
The Halloween Party was a success. It was a long night with daylight savings giving us an extra hour to party, but it was all worth it. The night was full of food, jello shots, card games, drinking games, Bean Bags, and a quick trip to Billy Frog's. It was a little chilly out but we made the most of it.

Jello Shots-Peach, Lime, Strawberry, Berry Fusion, and Berry Blue

Dorothy & Toto

Gib as the Scarecrow

Dorothy and the Scarecrow

Pretty Woman

Wonder Woman & Captain America

Rainbow Bright

Tooth Fairy & Indiana Jones

Scary Nail Head

Christmas Poo & a Tree with Monkey's

Suma Morris

Indy

Rainbow Bright with two little Monkey's

Dorothy with Evan or Dylan (I never can tell them apart)

Naughty Nun, Scuba Steve, a Convict

Priest, Captain America, Scarecrow

Dorothy and the Scarecrow (if he only had a brain)

Sexy Kitty and Tooth Fairy

Warrior Yancy choking this Princess

Wedding Pictures Update!!

I got my wedding pictures back lastnight and they are great. I can't wait to share them. It'll be a few days before I get around to them, there's over 2200 photos. But for any of you that live close I have about 500 pictures in albums already that they did for me, so come on over and check them out.

I would also like to say a big thanks to Jim and Kathy Cooper for all their hard work the weekend of the wedding and the past month editing all those photos. You two are both amazing, and I think you should quit your day job and take up photography. Kathy and Crystal get another thank you for the already started scrapbook. It's beautiful! I only hope I can do half as good. I'm so excited to share it with all my friends and family.

And for those of you who are sick of wedding pictures, you might want to ignore my blog for a week or two. Although with the Halloween Party this weekend I'm sure I'll have cool pictures from that to share, so I guess you'll just have to wait and see what I post next.

Here's just a teaser of the wedding pics. It was Crystal's favorite!

Wedding Candids from Karly!

Outdoor pics from Sertoma Park, Getting Ready, & Reception

Kylie, Me, Gib, and Evan

ME

Gib & I
Me and the Boys!

Karly & I

Getting Laced Up!

Almost Dressed!

Me & Karly

Bridesmaids: Crystal, Jen, & Karly Kissy Kissy

Karly & Gib

Cutting the Cake!

Single Girls Excited for the Bouquet Toss!