Picture Tag

I was tagged by both Alaina and Becky. This version of tag is called "Photo" Tagging! The RULES are to go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures. Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture. Tag 6 other people that you know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

I just recently cleaned the pictures off my computer so I only have the pictures that have already been posted on my blog still available but I'll try to come up with a new and interesting story for it...

Here is Jeylin in all his wonderful glory up on top of the straw-fort at the pumpkin patch at Wilson-Banner Ranch this past October. We take the kids every year to get their pumpkins, apple cider and of course, play around. This year it was a beautiful day and we were able to get some really great pictures. I have decided to tag the following six people...

~Anne~

~Laura~

~Chrissy~

~Taffee~

~Natalie~

~Amy~

Truly the Best Ever!!!

I'd just like to point out the obvious...any man who can stick with me for nearly 9 years is truly amazing but he just keeps proving his wonder!!

Last night I was craving Belgian waffles...or at least that was what I thought. Brad decided to go to the store to pick up some random things and I told him to find something for dessert. If that something didn't quench my craving, I was going to make french toast...waffles just take too long.

Anyway, Brad came back with the following items...

Strawberries

Blueberries

Vanilla Ice Cream

Whipped Cream

And then he combined those ingredients with the following things we already had on hand...

Krusteaz Pancake Mix

Chocolate Chips

Bananas

Chocolate Syrup

To make me this wonderful dessert/late-night breakfast treat....

Oh and by the way, this was at 7:30 at night and they were by far the BEST pancakes I have ever eaten!!!

And the Doctor Says...

...astigmatism!!! Yep, our little girl was in need of glasses and so, here is our little girl with her brand new "big girl" glasses :)


Wait for it...

Ta-Da!!!!

Please help sponsor Jarrod...

A friend of mine put this on her blog about her husband Jarrod. I am passing this along to all of you so we can get the word out for his efforts. I will be donating on payday, I hope the rest of you can help as well.

Support Oregon Special Olympics!

Jarrod recently became a member of a fund raising committee for the Special Olympics Oregon. Prior to this, he was already involved in going to the events and handing out the medals to the athletes (in his military fatigues since its more exciting for a soldier to hand out the prizes!). On February 21st of this year, Jarrod will be taking part in the Portland Polar Plunge. This means that he will be jumping into the FREEZING Columbia River in an effort to raise more money for the cause. Unfortunately, the current economy situation affects non-profit organizations more than you might think. Fundraisers, such as this one, are vital for the athletes continuing success. If you are interested in supporting the Special Olympics athletes of Oregon, please make a donation by visiting Jarrod's Firstgiving page:

http://www.firstgiving.com/jarrodjohnson

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to Special Olympics Oregon by Firstgiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation. Any donation will help and is greatly appreciated.

Welcome Kimberly Paige

Brad's brother Kasey and his wife Laura were blessed this Monday, January 12th, with the addition of their third baby girl, yes that's right everyone, another girl! Poor Jeylin is so far the only male grandchild on either side of our families. Anyway, she was born at 12:23 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 17 1/2" long!!! She joins big sisters, Makayla who is four and Ellie who is two.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A Mundt Family Christmas 2008

The following story was written by my Mom to be put on my blog for all to share. I hope you enjoy her wonderful writing as much as we enjoyed our Christmas holiday...

Christmas 2008 found the Mundt family all together at the farm house. What a blessing it is to see my grandchildren playing and running through the house of their Great-Great Grandparents. Coincidentally it’s the same house their Great-Grandmother was born in! How pleased George and Elsie would be if they were alive today! I often wonder what Christmas’s past must have been like in this old house. Sometimes I come across old photos of George with his horse drawn sleigh, the beautiful silver sleigh bells (which we still have) hanging around the old brown mare’s neck. I imagine how deep the snow was and how they must have had the old wood stoves roaring. I can almost smell the pies cooking in Elsie’s old wood cook stove.

The following family were here: Dave, Brandy, Jaycee, Jake, Shaundee, Brandi, Bradley, Jordyn, Jeylin, Kierra, Brad, Papa Dave, Grandma Velda (aka Granny), Grandma Marge (aka Nana-Nana) and of course me. On Christmas Eve we put on our Sunday best and as is tradition for our family, went to Christmas Eve Mass at our church, Sts. Peter & Paul. As usual the church was decorated beyond compare! We entered the church to the sound of beautiful Christmas carols being sung by the choir. The only lights in the church were the candles, the Christmas trees and tons of Christmas lights! It’s so wonderful to watch the awe in the little one’s eyes as they sat so patiently and quietly waiting for the baby Jesus to be brought to the front and put in the manger! Father Brad asked if all the children would like to come to the front of the church and sit around him on the floor as he read them the Christmas story from scripture. He interacted so beautifully with the kids as he told the story in words they could understand. He asked them questions and of course Jordyn knew the answers!

After church we headed home to start the traditional Mundt feeding frenzy. Every year we have sliced meats, cheese, salads, chips, dips and other foods we only prepare on Christmas Eve. We eat and drink like kings, play games, watch A Christmas Carol and of course stay up way too late! Finally it’s time to get the little ones to bed. I read The Night Before Christmas, the kid’s hang the “Santa Key”, cookies and milk are left for Santa (this year we added carrots for the reindeer) and then it’s off to bed! (The Santa Key is a skeleton key tied with a red ribbon that is hung each Christmas Eve outside on the door latch so that Santa can get into the house!) This is when the work really begins for us adults as it’s at this time that the gifts from Santa are placed under the tree. Finally we adults get to bed only to be up before daylight on Christmas morning. It is an old German tradition to have a pickle ornament on the tree. The first little child to find the pickle gets a special gift (this year it was a $1 bill). Jordyn had cased out the tree in advance and of course found it first!

Once all the gifts were opened and the mess cleaned up it was time for me to start round two of the feeding frenzy. As usual our turkey is as big as a Buick and this year was no exception. He was dressed and stuffed, put in Great-Grandma Mundt’s roaster and in the oven by 8:00 a.m. Our home smells so good on Christmas Day!!! We had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, a fresh vegetable assortment, pumpkin, berry and cherry pies. Of course we had tons of Christmas cookies, fudge and candies as well! The dining room table is set with my best Christmas table cloth, my china, crystal and Great-Grandma Mundt’s silver. We usually eat dinner around 2:00 p.m. After the table is cleared and all the dishes are done the games come out again and of course the boys head for the barn lot to shoot trap! Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas if the boys didn’t shoot up several hundred rounds of ammo.

This year we had a beautiful white Christmas so all the kids went up on the hill with the sleds and ATV’s. They built a big bonfire and had one heck of a time! When they finally froze out they headed back to the house for more food, hot cocoa and hot buttered rums!! After all of that the kids and Papa decided to go “drift busting” with the ATV’s as several of these country roads were drifted shut, well somewhere along the way Papa Dave decided that the old man was going to try to wrestle his boys (Dave & Brad) down. As fate would have it he got his lunch handed to him and his left earlobe nearly torn off! A trip to the E.R. and several stitches later, he was back in business. (By the way, this type of revelry is completely normal in our family!) You can’t buy memories like that.

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by my family and I thank God every day for them and for this old house. I pray that we share many, many more Christmas’s here on this old farm and I pray that long after I’m gone my children’s, children’s, children will have fond memories of Christmas here and of me.