And the award goes to...

Ohhh, the award season is in full swing and, as I previously mentioned, this is one of my favorite times of year. 1 week ago the Oscar nominations were announced, full of surprises galore. I am so excited! Mark your calendars now for February 25th (5pm)...my annual party will be in full swing--come one, come all!

The past week has held some exciting (mostly good,1 bad and an ouch!) events for the Ribclan family. With that said, here's my nominations for our family this week:

Best Wedding Attended In A Long Time award:
This one goes out to my co-worker, Cindy, and her new husband Rico Suave. Ok, his name is Ryan and the two of them are truly a joy to be around...their humor is infectious! It was a gorgeous wedding--very personal and with lots of laughter. Their joy was evident. ribB and I enjoyed a night out without kids (who were home with the babysitter)and had a blast socializing with my coworkers.

Most Unbelievable Moment of Memory Loss award:
So....it's always an interesting moment when you're 6 yr old tells you about your 2 yr old falling down a flight of stairs and the above mentioned babysitter didn't tell you about it. Really, this happened. I'm so thankful that Kdee gave us all the details. I called the babysitter who confirmed it happened and felt "so bad she forgot to tell us". Of course, she tried to play it like it wasn't that bad of a fall...but her story did jive with Kdee's and yes, it was bad enough. (I should mention this was not our favorite babysitter, but one whom we've been a bit iffy about in the past. She's in her 20's and works for a daycare, none the less! Needless to say, she's not coming back.)

Worst use of $60:
Said babysitter...ugh. (If $60 seems like a lot to you, then you don't know the going rate of babysitters nowadays. We definitely have to save up for these nights out!)

Best use of snow:
Kdee's igloo! Finally, enough snow for lots of winter fun. I loved watching her spend lots of time and energy working on her masterpiece (which this past weekend became "a river"--not melted, just remolded).

Best supporting use of snow:
All of us sledding down the small hill at our house this past weekend. That was so much fun!Giggles and applause all the way around!

Best KARATE CHOP! award:
Kdee started her karate class on Friday, and she loved it. We all went to watch her on her first night, and she really did a good job at improving her "rising block". She tends to take things a bit seriously, so she was giving it her all. She proclaimed later that "I wish I could do karate everyday". She currently is practicing her one-leg balance and stretches so that she's well prepared for her next class. Little B came with to this first class and did pretty well (ok, there was just one scream fit)with sitting "quietly" for an hour. For mom/dad's sanity, this will be the last class he comes to, if we can help it!

Best "Taking Care of Business" award:
ribB--working lots of overtime this weekend so that he could make some kind of dent in the mountain of work he has to finish as he transitions into his new position. Way to go!

Best Night of Sleep award:
Last night, our first full night of sleep in over a month. ribB and I are exhausted (we are, but I do know that there are others who have it much worse). It was such a blessing to sleep, sleep, sleep!

Most Interesting Use of Tape award:
A few weeks ago, my mom stopped by to play with the kids. In the 2 hours she was here, the kids taped her to a chair and held her captive! I must say, they did a surprisingly good job (yikes) and were full of glee about their handiwork. Check out the photo to see just how well they did.

Best bumpity-bump-down-the-stairs award:
Yowch...that would go to me. This past Sunday I took a nice digger down our basement stairs, carrying a snack to Kdee. Little B surveyed my clutzy ending through the cat door, saying "mommy? mommy? Owie?". Owie, indeed--my tailbone is SORE!(Kdee says it's my butt crack but don't be mistaken, it's the tailbone.) I think I'll be getting in and out of chairs a bit awkwardly for a few days, but I'm hopefully on the mend with each day.

Photos...Kdee and her igloo, Kdee at karate class, at Cindy's wedding with my coworker/pal Heather, Grandma held captive in tape, Kdee and little B enjoying winter

one more try!

Ohhh, these 3 photos are being very tricky!

Missing pictures...

For some reason, 3 of the pictures I mentioned on the earlier blog didn't show up, so here they are in all their glory. I've also added a funny one of little B enjoying the cool breezes off of our humidifier. He was really digging how his hair would blow around!
Enjoy...

What goes around comes around...

Ugh-I lost my whole post that I wrote yesterday! Bummer. Well, here's a recap, in a very shortened version, of what's been going on with the Ribclan:

*The flu continues to swirl around the house, hitting some of us a couple of times over (luckily, the parents) and the kids as well. I can't wait for spring and the chance to open the windows for fresh air...recycled, warm air that's tightly sealed in a house just breeds illness! Hopefully, we'll be on the upswing to feeling better.

*Our Jeep is kaput! We were hoping to squeeze out a few more thousand miles before we made the leap to a "new" vehicle, but alas, after 170,000 miles and a transmission on the outs, we had to quickly own up to the reality of a vehicle update. Our new truck is a Chevy Silverado, a big ol' truck that is sure to have us yelling "yee haw!" sometime soon...but seriously, it's a great truck and will be perfect for our needs.

*ribB has joined a local archery league, and is really enjoying the chance to "shoot" once a week and build up his skills for the next hunting season (which, of course, he is secretly counting down to...). If you say "hunting" around little B, or put him in camo style clothes, he's quick to give you a good sentence about "hunting, getting big deer, bucks, etc.".

*Kdee is, as far as we know, starting karate next week. We haven't told her yet, just in case the class is maxed out, but she will be SO THRILLED if it all works out. This may increase her "Tommy Nitro" moves that she likes to show us, but at least they will be educated moves instead of her own unique twists on a favorite karate lesson video.

*It's AWARD SEASON--one of my favorite times of the year...leading right up to my annual Oscar party. Tuesday 1/23 the Oscar nominations will be revealed and I will have some serious planning to get underway. As you may know, I plan a meal around the best picture nominations, so a beverage, appetizer, main course, side dish and dessert that stem from each nomination (think Cold Mountain Dew). I also bring out some fabulous jewels for folks to wear and we also nosh on lots of movie candy, popcorn and other goodies. For some reason, I have a lot of memory retention for all things Hollywood, which is generally useless in life, and this is my month to put it to good use! By the way, all are welcome to the party (which is February 25th, 5pm for dinner and good red carpet coverage viewing). Just let me know you're coming for my food count!

*Kdee and little B got some snazzy new haircuts. Kdee, especially, looks so stylish and is loving her hair. I'll be sure to post pictures soon...

*little B is counting (with light prompting) to 10 now! Beyond 10, you get him saying "8", but we're a bit amazed. He's a pretty sharp little guy. Of course, we're a bit biased with both of kid's capabilities, but we're proud that our 23 month old is doing so well!

Well, that's it in a nutshell! Here are some more pictures from the holidays and beyond!
*our great college friends playing "apples to apples" as the new year rings in; *the kids (and a couple of supervising adults!) enjoying a game of their own; *Kdee and little B snuggling; *Kdee and little B playing in their new "house"--made out of a big box; *Kdee and her good friend/future husband Evan

Amazing Grace

Hi all...

A RibClan update is soon coming (and almost done!), complete with many new photos.

In the meantime, I ask for all you to pray for a very special family, whom I've learned about through my co-worker, Heather. The Graves family are good friends of Heather's and on Friday they are facing the unthinkable. Their baby boy, Noah, has been at Denver Children's Hospital for most of his short life and on Friday, his family will be removing him from life support. I encourage you to check out their blog: http://www.noahsteven.blogspot.com/

This amazing family's testament of love and Faith during a time that most people would crumble is mindblowing. I don't doubt that this little boy's life has provided more blessings to the world in his short time than most of us can offer in a "full" lifetime. The family's Faith alone is inspiring and humbling all at once. Be ready to be deeply moved by Noah's parents and sister's words throughout this blog site, as well as his sweet spirit that shows through his pictures.

Throughout your own life, never forget how much God loves you and cares for/looks after you. He is great, and even in the face of difficulties, he is carrying you through them. There is more amazing grace to our lives than we often recognize, and by learning of this family, this baby, my life and Faith is enriched all the more. I hope you experience the same....

Whew!

It's been quite some time since I've last posted, and I apologize for the delay! As is true with many around us, the RibClan has been hit by the terrible flu bug that's going around...and sure enough, it's slowed us down a bit. Lucky for us, though, we were able to enjoy most of the holiday festivities.

Here's the highlights:
*Christmas Eve at Great Grandma's...in her late 80's, she's still baking cookies and attempting to make us a charming meal (just ask me about the crunchy onion rings that made little B exclaim, "Oh NO!". We were treated to many fun gifts by family, and lots of happy smiles by our kids enjoying the wonder of Christmas that was finally "here"! Kdee searched for the star of Bethlehem during our drive home that night, one of those blessed moments where you get to see Faith working through your child and I'll remember it forever. I'll also treasure the moments like ribB and I had that night preparing for Santa's visit--eating cookies, carrots (for Rudolph) and answering Kdee's note to Santa which said, and I kid you not, "PS--Are Penguins and Pandas related?". (On a side note, she cracked us up earlier in the week by matter of factly stating, "Santa is rea! Who else would leave presents and eat cookies at night? )"

*Christmas Morning at home...The thrill of finding that Santa came to our home, opening our gifts to one another (including the ones that Kdee selected out of her own possessions to give away to us, which she wrapped). The favorites included The Chronicles of Narnia DVD (Kdee) and a big bag of blocks (little B). (Little B was really into opening presents this year!).

*Christmas late morning...We packed up and headed to LaX, to the RibClan side of the family. After a 2.5 hr drive, we had a super time with all of the Rib's. There's always lots of laughter (and now lots of little ones!). The older kids were funny--counting gifts and really examining the packages. They did a great job at being patient, although the annual "grandchild" photo didn't quite make the mark this year.

*Day after Christmas...we spent the day in LaX to unwind a bit, as well as to give RibB some time to "bow" shop with his dad (his Christmas gift from all of the family). Unfortunately, this is when the flu bug hit--and the ride home was not fun at all for ribB. Lots of stops. The kids were oblivious to it all and were actually quite merry, with little B singing "Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Silent Night/Holy Night at the top of his lungs. A half hour/hour after we got home, I got the flu bug as well. Unfortunately, we both had critical things to finish at work the next day, so there was no staying home after a long, long night of being up sick. Yuck.

*Next day...Christmas at my Mom & Paul's. They kindly allowed our sick family in (and even more kindly watched our kids for the afternoon, who didn't have care that week) and we had a very nice time celebrating together. We couldn't resist all of the yummy goodies that they made and really enjoyed their cozy home. The kids had a blast, and really loved being there that afternoon. Later that night...Ben's up all night, and we never really know why (all the travel and out of sorts? Flu?) but it wasn't fun for two parents who were really counting on, and needing, a good night of sleep after being sick. (But I must say, there is something magical to rocking a child to sleep in the middle of the night.)

*Thursday...ribB is home with the kids. My day was actually pretty fun at work. Heather and I celebrated the season over a fun lunch out--and, a fun "Holiday" dinner with our designers at The Bayport Cookery. I know I gush about this place often, so I won't bore you with the details of the meal! (OK, it was amazing!) We did enjoy a chance to relax with our very talented designers, who always make us look good and are such good people themselves. I really enjoy working with them.

*Friday...I'm home with the kids. In between fun activities together (including lunch out at SUBWAY! (one of Kdee's faves), we packed up for our fun New Year's weekend plans in Southern WI. After dinner, we were off to stay at a hotel along the way. The kids fell asleep during our 3 hour drive and, of course, woke up once we walked into the hotel. little B promptly said, "Man, eat pizza" about some men eating pizza in the lobby and Kdee got to go swimming at 10:30 at night! Wild! Little B was fascinated with the hotel room! Ironically, this turned out to be the same hotel we stayed at for the last Ribclan family Christmas with Grandma Jean, whom we greatly miss.

*Saturday...After a morning swim, we venture to see Grandpa Tiny who's in a nursing home nearby. His health has declined a lot in the last few months, and we only for a short while. He is a very special man, whom ribB is quite close to. He does seem to recognize ribB, which he is so grateful for. little B slept in our arms during the entire visit, while Kdee shly waited by his door (nursing homes can be pretty overwhelming for a little girl!). Next, we ventured to do a quick visit with my good friend Milly and her family, who kindly let us unwind a bit before we headed to on to our New Year's get together with college friends. With only half of us there Saturday night, we relaxed and caught up with Mike, Kelly, Julie and their families.

*Sunday...The gang's all here! Everyone, including our friends from California and Louisana join us WI folks in the fun. We spend a lot of time talking, playing games, kids playing together, fighting together, cooking fun appetizers, making fondue...and getting sick. The bug hit hard Sunday night, and our Louisana friends were busy caring for their son, and then themselves. The rest of us stayed away (ha!) and had a lot of fun playing "Apples to Apples" as the New Year rang in. Little B and ribB were also a bit sick with different forms of the flu/cold bug, but ribB did manage to join us at 11:30pm, after a 3 hour tuck in with little B. Very mellow, but with these folks, always a great time no matter what.

*Monday...On our 4 hour drive home, the kids were getting a bit squirrely, so we decided to stop at Grandma/Grandpa's house for a little running around time. Grandma/pa do a lot care for another set of their grandchildren, so Kdee was especially excited to see her cousin at their house and little B attempted some play with his same-age cousins as well. It was nice to get out and stretch, and the kids and I took a nice walk later to get some fresh air. Then it was back on the road....

*Tuesday...ribB and I are not feeling well. We didn't get much sleep the night before due to illness and little B being up a lot the night before (colds, parties and traveling do not mix well for little one's sleep habits). The kids went to school and daycare, and we stayed home. Even though we were home together, we kind of stayed away from each other's sickness. I think I saw him for 2 hours total this day! Blagh!


From here on, life becomes more normal with each day. We're still working on little B's sleep/feeling better, but with each day he gets better. Kdee has been awesome--feeling good, good behaviors, very cute. It was so nice to have a weekend at home last weekend, and with another one this weekend, we are sure to be doing awesome next week!

We did enjoy an awesome post holiday get together with our good friends, Jo Anne, Denni and Evan (Kdee's future husband) last weekend, as well as my fun outings with my coworker Cindy & friends Friday night (she's getting married soon!) and with my four dear grade school/high school friends, Angie, Lisa and Jacqueline on Sunday night. Always a fantastic time!

With little B's growing language and nearing birthday, here are some funny notes on our "baby": Little B likes to answer questions with a "Ummm" before his answer--very funny. He also loves baths, especially with his sister. He'll yell, "c'm on Kdee!" to get her upstairs with him. He also loves to yell, "mommy (etc.) ! Are you?", even if you just walked out of the room. We can't believe he's almost 2--and, yet, given his size, it seems like he should be 3! Time has definitely flown by...

I have lots of photos to post, which will probably take up 2+ posts!
Photos: a typical Christmas morning--toys to open, toys to throw!; the robot Kdee was so excited to get that she asked to take this picture, not a bad photo for a 6 year old!; Kdee celebrating with Grandma R; the kids with "Grandma Honey & Buppa Paul"....