Our Christmas Letter

"When is the cartoon guy coming?" asks Kenner

HE IS HERE...THE CABLE GUY! YEAH! YEAH YEAH! The windest day of the year and the cable guy has to go on our roof to install our DISH...yes our DISH. Can you believe it?

We will be paying the same for our internet and phone and NOW 40 channels of DISH. No more unclear channels or need for more DVDs. I do have a need for a visual schedule so that the boys will be able to watch TV during times they are allowed or have earned it.

YIPPEE!! I might even get to watch Oprah from the view of my own couch (you see I was only able to get a very unclear picture of it from my bed).

Ahh! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Family, family and more...cookies!

Family Christmas at my mom and dad's. I took this photo to show that this will be the last year without carpet:) Playing Mario Kart on the Wii...note Kenner's head. He thought he was playing the whole time. Good thing he doesn't care if he is the only one playing with a black remote:)

Kenner has chosen the best friend to have...his Great Great Aunt Idonna.

Grandpa Pat and Grandson Patton

All the Kenner Grandchildren with Great Grandpa Roger. Tell us another story Great Grandpa!

Svitak boys hanging with Great Grandma Jackie. We hope that you begin to feel better Grandma. You are in our prayers!

Kenner and Grandma Jackie. I realized that I don't hardly have any pictures with these grandparents, because Jackie is always doing something and Grandpa is always doing something else. What great pictures!

Read us some more Great Grandpa Jimmy!

Hop on Pop - Svitak version

Casey with his Mom, Judy, and brother John. See the resemblance at all? Like the hair lines boys:)

Patton LOVED where Great Grandma Jan placed her cookie tray...within reach of Patton. He helped himself to over 12 cookies. Yum Yum. If you can read his shirt...it was fit for the day- Feed Me!

Annual Grab Bag that my Great Grandmother Pauline started. The running joke year after year after year is that I will cry if you take the $100 away from me. Solution: Don't:) and we will all be happy!

Gotta get those pics for the wedding video...this one might not make the cut though. Nice smile Becca!

Both Casie and Mike forgot to read the tags for the gender specific gifts - Casie got men's cologne and Mike got mascara. Now there is one for the wedding video!

What are you doing Grandma?

Christmas at Kenner's (My mom and dad's)

Wow! What an AWESOME Christmas with more memories still to make with going to the Elge's this week. This was the first time that all my sisters (and families) and brother were able to be under one roof for more than 2 days straight without havign to go to a single event (except for other family functions). It was awesome to play Mario Kart on the Wii (which is very hard to adjust from the old Mario Kart), awesome to go shopping with the girls in Belleville, awesome to see ALL our grandparents and get to spend time with all of them. Minus Kenner's fever for three days, we had an absolute awesome time!

Bub the Chef - or Ratioulle we called him. Kenner the Doctor - We are so happy that Kenner can be the doctor and not the patient this Christmas!

The three cousins - sorry so small. I didn't actually have my camera on Christmas morning because my dad did.

Opening Santa's gifts.

Look what Santa dropped down the chimney for us!

DPP 22 - 23 - 24 - 25

I know the December Photo project is over...but I wasn't around my computer to upload the photos. I always like to finish what I start...so here is the end of the Photo Project. A huge Thank You to Rebecca for the idea and jumpstarting this December Photo Project! I don't recall having this many pictures in my December file on my computer or for any month for that matter! What a great project!

DPP 22- Happy Birthday Daddy!

DPP 23 - The view that I look at without faces of my kids at school. This group of students encompasses Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and low cognition. I absolutely love to teach this group of students how to read, be a good friend, and be their friend.

DPP 24 - A daily view of the boys conversing and playing or should I say Kenner teaching Bubbi everything he knows. I often overhear many things I have told Kenner that are now being told to Bubbi. I love it! Only if you were able to hear this conversation.DPP 25 - Look what Santa brought us...Wiggles and Rubber Ducky and Rubber Chicken.

DPP 21 and DADDY's HOME!

We were able to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus tonight at the Sprague Community Church's Christmas program. Thanks to the Mrs we were able to actually sit and not scream too:)

Choices...today was the first day in 6+ weeks that I was able to sit down and make a choice of what I WOULD like to do versus do what I HAD to get done in order to stay ahead of the game. Reason: Daddy is home! Man alive it is great to have your better half home.

Poor Daddy's car got backed into not even being home 1 1/2 hours yesterday. Daddy had to move his car after that incident and you would have thought the boys were never going to see him again. They were sobbing until Daddy appeared again and then they were EXCITED!!!

Welcome home Love!

DPP 20

Brotherly love! What a great picture of the two cutest boys in the world (I might be biased a bit!)

DPP 19

Last night, I told Kenner it was time for supper. He responded, "Mommy, I can't eat. My hands are tied down." WHAT?!? WHERE did he get this at? He, of course, was pretending...but to pretend you must have seen it somewhere. Where...I don't know.

Bubbi is a crazy man. He is attempting to lean as far as he can without falling or the freezer door opening. Oh the day that his weight overcomes the freezer door...that will be funny for us, but an ouchie for him.

DPP 18 - Do not feed the...humans

Brother wanting, other brother denying. Nothing like real time photographs to capture the essence of brotherly love.

Brother allowed play with one animal, during suppertime. Only to distract Mom so that the entire zoo of animals could come join us at the dinner table. Step One: Feed the animal.

Step 2: Eat OFF the animal.

Step 3: Give the animal something they are suppose to eat while wild. Observe the animal eat it (hoping mommy wouldn't make him eat it after it had touched an animal.)

Observe the all natural Zoo Keeper tending to his flock.
Last step: Bathe the animals. They can NOT go to bed with food all over them!

DPP 17

Walk to School Wednesday-We were able to walk in the gym instead. Our school as a grant project "No Child Left Inside." I brought the boys over and we walked before I took them to school. Fun times.

new look

What do you think of the new blog:) I love the new quote and picture. Snowflakes are like brothers...look how fragile they are single but together they can do much much more!
Enjoy!

Click here for Kenner's Christmas Program Video

I will be putting more pictures and videos on this as they come in. Thanks to all who were able to tape and take pictures. Kenner is in the yellow and I am in the pink:)

DPP 16 (Yes posted already at 6:40 am)

Well, I told myself that I couldn't go another day without putting my pictures up on the blog. I also needed to get a few other things completed before I began another day. So I THOUGHT getting up at 5:00 would give me enough time before I woke up the boys at 6:45. Hmmm about

6:00 am I heard rumbling of feet upstairs. No need to wake the boys up...they did it themselves. How you ask? I was as quiet as a mouse and every other morning in the past three weeks I have had to PRY them from their beds at 7:00 or later. They just couldn't let Mommy be by herself anymore than she needed. Love you boys!

Well here is Kenner showing his brother (who is on my lap) that it SNOWED and there was actual ground cover this morning. What this really equals to is getting to wear their boots today!

Have a great snowy day!

PS I have hit 10,000 hits!! (5,000 are probably mine...but a fun number anyway!)

DPP 15 View from my side of the dinner table

For anyone that has not been invited over for dinner...I thought I would give you a glimpse of what my view of the dinner table looks like. No sitting, food all over, drinks that are rarely full (either all gone by drinking or spilling), and eating...lots of it.

DPP 14

Kenner had his first Christmas program tonight at our church. It was great to be able to help with this Sunday School this quarter and to help with the program. I tried to upload the video on the web...but it took too much time:(

Here is some of our Sunday School members:) Kenner was a bit nervous the whole time and sucked on his hands the whole time...we will work on that:) This in our Sunday School room.

DPP 13

In our missing our Daddy, the boys and I made his favorite homemade spaghetti on Saturday. We had a great day. We were going to go watch Uncle Caleb play in Fairbury...but after taking a

shower I decided the pajamas were the correct form of attire for the evening and the boys and I stayed home and played. It was so refreshing to be able to use my fresh (but frozen) tomatoes and green peppers from my garden. It looks so good in my Pampered Chef cookware:) Yum. This of course was to only practice so that it is perfect for Daddy on Sunday when HE COMES HOME!!

Love our Grandma on the phone and in real

Here is Bubbi and Grandma Carlece. Love my Grandma and my thumb! GO TITANS!

Kenner on his "horse" phone to Grandma to tell her that we were on our way.

DPP 12

Thanks to Don, our old neighbor and great friend, we were able to drive down with him to the Friend/Thayer Central game last Friday night. There were many pictures...so here are my two choices for the DPP and then others are in another post.

How is this for advertisement for the Thayer County Bank. "Don't let the debt eat you this holiday season...look into a loan."

We always put Kenner and Patton's name in the cake walk. Many times it is the same number. Kenner has always won a cake...and Friday was another win. Here he is eating his friend's hamburger cake. I decided to pitch the cake after I found frosting on the couch, TV and my broom stick. I was cleaning up the mess they had made in the living room and in two minutes they had frosting EVERYWHERE.

DDP 11 cont.

Kenner conquering his fear of the "netting." A HUGE THANK YOU to Trevor and Kendra for taking the boys last Thursday to the a living manger, so that I could go and finish up shopping and run errands.

Kenner has never ventured further than the first box in the first box of three in the Runza jungle gym in order to get to where all the big kids play. He has desired, but has gotten scared due to the netting. WAY TO GO KENNER!

Also reporting from here (Runza), Kenner was quite the big brother on Sunday (yes we returned to Runza). Kenner would get on all fours and be a horse, so that he could give his brother Patton a boost. I wished and wished for my camera...but unfortunately the wish fairy didn't grant it and I didn't get any pictures:( Kenner had to help his brother over and over again, because Patton too was scared and would go up three levels and then go down them. I was counting the times Kenner would help his brother without getting frustrated at him. On the third count, I told myself that I had to remember how low Kenner's frustration level was with his brother and how much patience he had with him. Wouldn't you know, the next request of help Kenner said, "Now Bubbi I have helped you 4 times. This is the last time." How funny! He did proceed to help him three more other times:)

DPP 11

View from my rear view mirror. I have been wanting to take this picture every morning I go to school. There are so many things to reflect on in this picture.

1- Having my mirror so that I can see my boys, no not the cars in back of me. This gives me the chance to see all their actions to the songs that we sing (and to make sure they are behaving)

2 - The beautiful landscape and the sun shining on it. Isn't is pretty?

3- Shadow of my car going to work to get to teach other kids how to clearly communicate with others so they can too be heard. (I was going very slow when taking this picture)

full

DPP what?

Hey guys - I technically have stayed in the game with the December Photo Project...but I haven't gotten the chance to sit down with my camera and put them on. Be on the look out tomorrow!

Kenner had his first Christmas pagent tonight. Had he had room in his mouth, he would have had his entire hand in his mouth. Thanks to Aunt Becca, Bob and Marilyn for coming. We missed you Daddy!

Have a great week. I know I sound Bi-polar on this blog, but much of the advice I give on here is for me to hear it myself:)

Have a great week. Live life to the fullest and find the brighest moments of each day to dwell on and leave the bad ones where they happened:)

Rhi

DPP 10

If I don't have Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, then this is my drink of choice - Koolaid. No neither are very good for you...but I know of some other even worse alternatives. I love to see the red mustaches on the boys' faces when we drink this (which I might add we haven't had since June).

The other picture is a theme I am trying to go with as I approach fun memory times with my boys. The cleaning, paperwork, laundry will always be here, but Kenner and Patton will not always be 2 and 3. So living on this theme (and so I could maybe sleep better), I had the boys sleep with me last night. More to post on that - two words - NO SLEEP. (what was I thinking!)