here are the photos!

For some reason, this didn't attach to my last post...enjoy!

Tis The Season

Hello all! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are fully into the holiday spirit. The last 2 weeks have been full of fun and firsts for the Ribclan family, which I'm excited to finally share with you.

Whew! We've made it through another year of deer hunting. On the last weekend of hunting, the "gun opener", ribB enjoyed 5 days up north with his family and friends Early into the hunt he got another doe...and the flu. I felt so sorry for him! He didn't hunt at all on Monday, and managed out for a bit on his last day up north on Tuesday. Overall, the hunt was pretty low-key...with few deer seen.

On the scene at home, I was keeping myself and the kids sufficiently entertained. On Saturday, Kdee had a new friend, Natalie, over for a play date for most of the day. They had a blast and enjoyed some arts/crafts and lots of dress up. I enjoyed some one-on-one time with little B, which is always a special treat. When our playdate was over, Grandma Honey arrived for a very exciting overnight stay. We haven't had her overnight in some time and we had a great time. The highlights of her stay were our trip to the Mall of America for a fun "preview" party at the World's Largest Gingerbread House, lots of conversation time and even some beauty treatments.

The MOA event was awesome. My agency had worked on some items for the house and we were treated to a wonderful party, free rides & entertainment (Underwater Adventures) and an early walk through at the gingerbread house. At 60 feet high, it was pretty impressive. Kdee did her first rollercoaster ride...and...didn't really like it. We can have a great laugh about it now, but at the time she was pretty freaked out. For any of you who know ribB's disdain of rollercoasters, you know that Kdee had a 50-50 chance of enjoying it! Both kids LOVED Underwater Adventures--especially as the sharks and sting rays swam overhead. I got the chance to touch a baby shark and sting ray, but Kdee opted not to (in part because she knows what happened to Steve Irwin--I did you not!). I'll always remember our drive home and my mom asking me, "So...do we ignore them right now?" when the kids were acting obnoxious in the backseat. Very funny.

Once ribB returned home Tuesday night, we were all so glad to have him back. Kdee had school off on Wednesday, so ribB stayed home with her and they had a blast. Some of their fun included breakfast at Perkins, shooting their bows (Kdee's idea!) and going to the movie "Happy Feet". Then, ribB,Kdee and little B (who got picked up from daycare)surprised me at work and took me out to dinner. I loved it!

Our family enjoyed Thanksgiving at Grandma/Grandpa Ribclan's house, as well as a long weekend with them and the rest of our family. We got lots of quality play time in with our nieces and nephews, as well as a movie out with Chan & Matt. (We say the new Bond move, and ribB & I really liked it). The Ribclan ladies also did our traditional "black Friday" shopping extravaganza, which I so look forward to after all of these hunting weekends. We also did a large family picture and a picture with Santa as well. Little B was scared of Santa, so we attempted a family photo with Santa sneaking into the background. All in all, it was a good time!

Our week has started out with a momentous event--little B's transition to a "big boy" bed. It happened rather spontaneously on Monday night, thanks in part to little B's excitement(he was skipping around the house yelling "bed! bed!" when caught site of the assembled bed). He went to bed like a pro and so far we haven't experienced any getting out of bed, etc. And, yes, I'm knocking on wood as I type this!

With the Christmas and holiday season upon us, it's only befitting that our Kdee is getting...a front tooth! Like the song, all she wanted was her two front teeth. On par for Christmas, her front right tooth is coming in. What a hoot!

Snapshots of Ribclan life: little B mixing hunting and girly attire, the gorgeous dozen roses ribB sent me before his last hunting weekend, the Ribclan family enjoying the LaX Holiday parade after photos, and little B/Kdee having a great time on their Great Grandparents organ...

My Name Is....

I should have known...as soon as I put something out there, it would happen. "it" being--little B is FINALLY saying his name! Now, when you ask him who he is, he will say his name shyly instead of "Momma!". He even pointed to a baby picture of himself and said, "baby B". Truly, it's the little things in life that make a day so exciting.

The highlight of little B's "name calling" aside, our weekend was very nice. Here are some highlights:

*Me and little B tracking down a deer in our backyard/neighborhood early Friday evening. We were having so much fun searching for it (and "it" turned out to be 2 deer--a doe and a buck),looking at the tracks in the dirt, calling the deer and finally seeing a nice 6 point buck that was about 75 yards away. Even better was him saying "err are du?" for "where are you" to the deer. What a memory.

*Kdee and little B did lots of crafty time Saturday morning, with Kdee making a "spooky house" out of a box and little B having fun with playdoh and Bob the Builder toys in it.

*Kdee had a great playdate with her very special friend, Evan, at his house. THANK YOU, JoAnne for the nice break!

*Little B CRIED and CRIED when Kdee left for her playdate. He was very sad to see her go and kept asking about her during the afternoon. Despite this, he and I had a lot of fun playing together, especially outside in the brisk weather. He loves looking for planes and playing with his toy lawn mower. He also enjoys using a play tweezer to "fix" things. We later went out for an "adventure" to a store and to Burger King for more play/dinner. Now, when you pull up to a BK with a coach bus outside, you know that there could be a long wait for food. And there was, thanks to a girl's basketball team. The thought, "Am I crazy?" did pop into my head. Despite this, I gave it a go and Little B did so well waiting in line. Well, actually, he was very busy flirting with all of the ladies, who were eating it up. Yikes, teenage years! I would also like to mention that I was able to climb with him through the various play tubes in the play area at BK, something I wasn't sure I could do. It was a workout!

*ribB came home late Saturday night from hunting up north. All of us were so happy to have him home on Sunday! I got a chance to sleep in (what a treat!) and after a very relaxed morning, I even went out to a movie I'd long wanted to see--The Queen. If you're a nut about the Royal Family, like me, I highly recommend this movie. Helen Mirran is amazing as Queen Elizabeth II, which follows her during the days after the death of Princess Diana. The storyline is fascinating and the depiction of the various family members, as well as Tony Blair/his family/his political office is great. Check out more info on the movie at: http://thequeen-movie.com/ (give it some time, though, it loads slowly). Yes, Oscar season is approaching and I'm definitely getting the fever....

Have a great week everyone...Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

Grey is adorable!

The photo of Linnea's family wouldn't attach to the previous entry, so here it is! Enjoy!

It's Time For Lauripalooza!

Well, the weekend is upon us and that can only mean one thing...loud music and mad dancing! I'm not talking about my new Foo Fighter CD (well, come to think of it, that will be played as well!) but rather the kids' favorite musician/band of the moment, the Laurie Berkner Band. Back in the day when I went to Lollapalooza, could I have envisioned myself rocking out to "We Are The Dinosaurs" or "Victor Vito"? Could I have foreseen I would sing said songs throughout the week? I highly doubt it. BUT, I must say her simple songs are pretty darn catchy and I am forever amazed at the variety of colors in her clothing choices (such a girly observation--he he!). Anyway, if you're not familiar with the Laurie Berkner Band, go to www.twotomatoes.com; you can also catch them on Noggin regularly and they'll be on the Thanksgiving Day Parade as well...catch the fever!

So, I'm way delinquent in my updates on the Ribclan family. Instead of going back in time, I'll give you some snapshots into our lives here...

Kdee is quite the reader! Last weekend she read 10 chapters by herself in a level 2 chapter book...she was so proud of herself. I am constantly amazed at how fast the learning process goes at this age. Her teacher is impressed by her academic abilities and that is going so well. We're working on a couple of social skills right now (following directions promptly vs slowly and not being so intense/serious/focused on the negative)...but, she's being making progress on these, too, and doing well overall. Last weekend we had a playdate at our house with a new friend, Izzy. She and Kdee had a great time and by the end of the evening, there was lots of laughter and screaming (initiated by Little B during dinner). Funny story from the playdate: Izzy is, in Kdee's words, "a tomboy, like me" and when Kdee asked her if she wanted to play Barbies, Izzy said "no" and Kdee later told me, "I offered her the boy Barbies and everything!". Funny. Izzy and Kdee almost did a bike ride down a hill in our yard, which nearly gave me a heart attack! Little B and I were making our way up the yard from the playset and there they were poised, ready to send Kdee down the hill on her bike (and she's still mastering the 2 wheels). They had a very adventurous time, including climbing our trees (which Kdee loves to do) and making ladders for said trees out of small logs. Kdee also started her own "group" at school, the "Clean Up The World" group, with 2 of her friends. They meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays during recess and pick up the playground. She started the group to: 1) because she wanted to be a leader 2) she wanted to do something good and 3) because she wanted to make sure things were done right. Seriously, this is what she told me, and it was hard not to giggle. I don't know if the group is still "meeting", but it sure was fun to hear about it.

Little B is growing so quickly. Yesterday he said his first 4 word phrase, "my coat is up". Despite his many 3 word phrases, he stubbornly refuses to say his name, though, which is crazy. (it stems back to a game we use to play when he was an infant, where I'd say "Ben Ben" and he'd say "Momma!"...now he always says his name is Momma...) He is very outgoing and humorous. Around Halloween he did his first #1 & 2 on his potty--a fluke, but still exciting. It's obvious he's been paying attention to the older kids at daycare who are potty training. He is truly all boy--last night when I picked him up from daycare he was playing with a sword and along with Jan's son (Jan is our provider) they were whacking at each other with Ben yelling "fight! fight!". Yikes...we may have our hands full over the next few years. Kdee is so great at playing with him and they have a lot of fun together--running around, making forts "bed!" with our couch cushions and singing together in the car. They are a good duo! Over the last 2 weekends, Little B has been a big helper with the yard work..."mowing" the lawn with his toy mower and "raking" with me. The kids also helped wash the windows, taking turns holding the hose/Windex outdoor spray. Little B is big into picking up/cleaning--let's hope this continues! He will put things away without prompts, including sippy cups into the sink...it's obvious this is done at daycare and I'm so grateful to Jan!

Hunting is still the name of the game for ribB. There's only 2 weekends left, and he's still hopeful for a big buck! Besides hunting, he's been busy helping family and friends get their stands ready. He loves doing that and is looking forward to the gun opener next weekend where all the guys will be up north together. Last weekend he had a lot of time with his Dad, Uncles Bart & Bob and Cousins Mike & John, and he was in heaven. Getting time with this special people, especially his Dad, is very meaningful to him and he came home very happy and full of stories about their time together. Outside of his family time, one of his other big stories was that he saw a cougar on the way home. Cougar in WI, you ask? Yep, it's true...the DNR just doesn't publicize it too much. I think this cougar will be part of many jokes and family stories from here out...anytime the men's eyes glaze over with girl talk, we'll throw in the cougar as part of the story (it worked well with Uncle Bart the other night...he he!). A few weeks back, ribB and I had a double date with my coworker Heather and her husband Jason, which was a blast. We went to an Apple dinner at Bayport Cookery together and had 5 courses of apple-inspired foods...besides the awesome conversation and fun of being with H & J, the food was (as always!) amazing. It was nice to have a date out.

And, onto me! With all of the hunting, I've been busy on the weekends with entertaining the kids and doing household chores. It's honestly been a bit exhausting, so I won't lie...I'm looking forward to having our normal weekends back! Work has been intensely busy, and that's drained me as well. Heather and I get fits of giggles sometimes because it's so ridiculously busy, and working with her has made this hectic time bearable and still fun somehow! I've been working many nights at home to try to keep up, and coming in early when I can. I think I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, which is motivating. I was lucky enough to have my dear friend, Linnea, visit the weekend before Halloween. We had such a great time. We did dinner at Bayport Cookery since she's such a Foodie, which included time hanging out back in the kitchen with Chef Jim. It was a blast. The big highlight, though, was going to the Foo Fighter/Bob Dylan concert. The Foo came out with an acoustic CD this past Tuesday (which is awesome) and they're on tour to promote it. Linnea had gotten the tickets as a birthday gift for me, and it was perfect! We had such a blast--from our crazy dinner beforehand, to people watching (what an eclectic mix of folk--including folks in Halloween costumes like Jesus and Abe Lincoln--bizarre!) we loved it. The Foo were as excellent as ever, and truly stole the show from Bob "80 year old Eric Cartman" Dylan. Can you guess that we left during Bob's set? I know it's somewhat wrong to leave a legend's show, but it was terrriiiibbbble. We endured 5 songs and then left in giggles. We were not alone, though, as many other folks were leaving as well. In fact, another couple walking next to us said, "What happened in there? The Foo Fighters were so good and then Bob was SO BAD!". We felt validated in our opinion of the show, that's for sure. As always, though, Linnea (aka Milly) makes times like these just as much fun. I've attached a sweet photo of Linnea and her family--isn't her son adorable? I'm his honorary "Auntie Ethel" and he's just the best.

This past Wednesday night I had the honor of attending my cousin Ana's NHS initiation ceremony. She's the daughter of Uncle Bart/Aunt Donna and is a very fun and cool gal. I was lucky to be chosen as her "special person"--each inductee had to choose a person who's meaningful to them. I'm still in disbelief she chose me, and I am so, so, touched. She is such a great & smart person and I know she will achieve great things in her time. Thanks, again, Ana for allowing me to join you for your special night....I know you will "DOMINATE!!!" he he...inside joke!

I hope you are all well and that you have a super weekend!
Photos: Laurie Berkner Band, Foo Fighters (my fave) and the new Foo Fighters album cover....

Halloween pics

Our spooky night was truly a treat. The kids had a blast getting out in our neighborhood, with Kdee as a Barbie mermaid (or Dolly Parton?) and Little B as a lion. ribB and I took turns taking them out and manning the door at our house. We had the most trick or treaters that we've ever had and even ran out of candy. Our neighbor had a very cool display outside, so we think that contributed to more foot traffic by our house. We had a very fun night indeed, with lots of candy had by all....thank goodness we didn't pay the price with a middle of the night tummy ache, etc.

More updates to come...but enjoy the pictures in between!