Updates

Okay, so I was going to go back and update each month however, time has gotten away from me yet again. Therefore, I will be wrapping everything up in one long package!!


January: January found me working 7 days a week. I did this for 7 weeks in a row! It was incredibly exhausting but the pay was good. I have since gone back to my 5 day a week schedule although, I think I burnt myself out and now just wish I could go back to being a stay-at-home mommy.


February: As stated below, February was a very busy month. We celebrated Valentine's Day although honestly, I can't remember what we did for it. All throughout the month, Jordyn continued to practice for her role in Father Tom's adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. There were four productions this year which ran from the 19th to the 22nd. At the end of the month, we celebrated Jeylin's 5th birthday with a big bash at McDonald's for all his school friends and then a family get-together afterwards at our house.


March: Soccer practices started this month. Four practices a week and two games every Saturday until May! I got lucky because they did practice one night at almost the same time at the same place...you know, the whole "two birds with one stone" idea. We also had dentist appointments this month. Following along with the "birds", all three kids were seen on the same day! I was a little nervous because this was the first time any of them had seen a dentist. I was really lax about it because my mom, a dental assistant, always looked at their teeth. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about! They had great teeth with no problems to report!!! It's a good thing they love to brush their teeth! Last year at our annual Holy Family Auction, Father Tom, my friend Anne Ketola, and myself auctioned off two birthday parties for kids. These were geared towards younger kids with around 8 guests and all the fixings. Last year, we brought in $250/each for a total of $500 for the school! We had the first party set for March 21st. It was for a little girl in Jeylin's class. All three of us helped with the decorations, Anne made the food and I decorated the cake...I'll post pictures later too. It turned out fantastic!! That same day, was my Grandmother's 85th birthday! We had a large family party at Roosters Landing. It was a busy, busy day but tons of fun! Spring Break started March 28th and we lucked out because Bradley was able to take the entire week off with the kids.

April: On April 1st, I started my personal training sessions at Gold's Gym. This lady is awesome! She has really been incredibly professional, unlike the last so-called trainer I had. I have really enjoyed spending time with her and getting back in the gym. April 3rd, Brad and I headed out to Spokane for an adults weekend away! We needed a break and it was AWESOME! For Easter, we split the day with our two families. We went to church in the morning all decked out in our Easter dresses and suits. After church we headed to my Aunt Marie's house for dinner. It was fabulous. Afterwards, Brad and I headed to his parent's house for even more dinner. Brad's brother Sam and his wife Amy were down visiting and it was nice to see them as well. April 18th was the second installment of our Birthday auction. This was a little more challenging because it was for a 13 year old. We went with a Garden Tea Party theme and I must say, it turned out beautifully!

So there, all the updates for the past few months. May will have it's own post since there is already so much to write. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and I hope you all are still reading this.

Sleeping Beauty

Every year, Father Tom puts on a school play with our kids. These are not your typical run-of-the-mill plays and when you're sitting there in the audience or working backstage, you have a hard time remembering that you are watching children. This was the fourth year for the play and the production was Sleeping Beauty. In previous years, Father Tom has done Jonah and the Whale, Cinderella, and The Wizard of Oz. Being a very well-read individual, all of these plays are Father Tom's adaptations of the books. For example, anyone who has read the true story of The Wizard of Oz knows that there are some differences between it and the movie with Judy Garland. These usually lend themselves to be more indepth productions. As well, Father Tom always adds characters so there are opportunites for every single person who wishes to act.



This was Jordyn's second year in the play. Last year in The Wizard of Oz, she had four smaller parts with only a couple speaking lines because she was only in 1st grade. This year, she had one key part with several scenes and a lot of speaking parts. I can only imagine what next year will hold. This year, the kids started practice on their first day back from Christmas break which was January 5th. They basically practiced every single day and on days such as President's Day when they didn't have school, there would be large 5 hour practice sessions!! Every year, ladies volunteer to make the extravagant, period-exact costumes and props. The gym is transformed into a wonderland. There were four separate productions this year which lead to an exhausting week but to see the joy in Jordyn's eyes is soooo worth it.



Jordyn was a servant to the King & Queen and she nailed her lines beautifully! As soon as I get the pictures uploaded, I will post them.

Long Overdue

After many requests for an update, I've finally got the time to comply. It has been three weeks since my last post and let me tell you, those three weeks have been a whirlwind of activities! I will add posts later about each activity but wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you or the fact that I need to update this thing. Full-time work, three kids, two soccer players, dentist appointments, birthday parties, and more. Look for more frequent updates as well as a few pictures over the next couple weeks.

Hope you are all healthy and happy and I'm sure we will all talk soon!!!

Happy Birthday Jeylin!

My little man is 5 today...well sort of anyway :) When I was pregnant with Jeylin, I was given the due date of February 26, 2004. Woohoo! I thought this because if he came early like Jordyn did then we would miss Leap Day by sure...but little Mr. Jeylin had other ideas :) He stayed in just long enough for me to get an induction date set up (for March 1st) and then decided to come on Sunday the 29th of February! So, he was all confusion from day one....both coming late AND early. Jeylin arrived into our little family at 9lbs 8 1/2 oz and 21" long. He was born at 5:34pm and it was the easiest delivery ever!! Since then, this little man has come to grace our lives everyday with his quirky attitude, big brown eyes with extra-long eyelashes, and of course, who could forget those dimples :) We are celebrating today since that is what we do on the "off" years. He asked for a party at McDonalds so I guess Happy Meals all around it is!!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY

JEYLIN MICHAEL!!!

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.