Ten Little Indians (The end will explain)

I have some friends from high school that create an amazing blog about their life as they wait for their baby girl from China. She is such a great writer. I love to check in on their lives to see what she has come up with now. Well this is her rendition and mine will follow here. I need to preface this by saying that my list came from my itunes on my computer which has most of my worship songs on it and of course my daughters list of songs too (she is 5 and loves music too!) Katie, you are going to need to do this because I know your ipod is stacked with music so here are the directions:

1. Put your iPod (or media player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN, NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag you're it-- if you want a musical mental break.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Weak

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Hide and Seek

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
I Surrender

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Sing Through Me

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
I Walk By Faith

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Sing, Sing a Song

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Let It Rise

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Chicken Dance

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
On My Lips

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
ABC Song

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
When I Look Into Your Holiness

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Everything I Own

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
This Little Light of Mine

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Look Over Your Shoulder

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
If Your Happy and You Know It

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Shout to the Lord

WHAT IS 2+2?
Do Your Ears Hang Low

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
He Has Made Me Glad

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The Farmer and the Dell

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
At the Feet of Jesus

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
More Precious than Silver

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
In His Time

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Yes, Jesus Loves Me (How cute is that one?:)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
King of Kings

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Ten Little Indians

O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree

Here is my attempt at being a photographer. Okay, really I was trying to figure out my camera settings and I thought what better subject than my beautiful Christmas tree.

Santa Visited Waldo's

On Saturday we had a fun event at Waldo's Coffee Company. Santa arrived at the coffee shop to hear what children were wishing for and we also collected toys for Toys for Tots. Santa was amazing and a huge hit to most children, while others ran the opposite way crying. As for Toys for Tots we currently have two huge boxes full of gifts for children in Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties. Gavin slowly warmed up to Santa and by the end of the morning he was hamming it up. Last year Ethan was missing in action when it came time to taking a picture with Santa, this year it was different. He was all about it and Lauren would only take a picture if Gavin, Ethan, and our nanny, Bethany were in the picture too. She was probably thinking "safety in numbers."

After a long day schmoosing with Santa, Gavin was tuckered out.

Thanksgiving Day Photo Shoot Outcome

Here is the outcome. Pretty good considering it was rather cold and we had them outside way too long.

Thanksgiving Day Photo Shoot

Here is Lauren and Gavin after we had spent a good while outside taking pictures of all the Niemeyer Grandkids. Lauren still had a smile left for me, but Gavin looks stunned.

Game of Baby tag Anyone?

The new favorite game at our house. Ethan and/or Lauren crawl around being the chaser or the chasee with Gavin. I think he was peering around the corner to see if someone was playing.

Cute and Fuzzy

I thought this was a cute, but obviously quite fuzzy picture of my boys. They were looking at a night light.

Happy Halloween

Dancing to Hannah Montana

Lauren attended a Gustie Dance Camp on Saturday. She got to dance with the Dance Team at Gustavus. They learned a dance during the morning and danced to a Hannah Montana song at the halftime of the Gustavus Football game. She had a blast. This is her dance partner, Rachel. Lauren is the one on her partners back in the bottom picture.

Our Cowboy is 1!

Gavin Michael turned one today! We did it up good with a party filled with everything cowboy. Our guests arrived in their best duds and boots, we ate brats, beans, and licorice rope, and the kids made their own cowboy vests out of paper bags. Gavin dug right into his cake made by Grandma Mary and was tuckered out at the end of the day. It has been a wonderful year of Gavin and are family is so blessed.

Me and my buddy

Lauren wanted to snuggle Gavin and she did the job right. He was asleep in no time! She didn't realize that she would be cozy enough to fall asleep too! We thought it was picture worthy.

Ethan and Gavin sat for a quick picture. Ethan is such a great big brother. He is a great teacher and loves to make Gavin laugh.

A Photo Shot

At the end of September my sister, sister-in-law, myself and all our 7 kids met in Hutchinson for a picture taking session. My sister Jen took the pictures while Merica set the kids in place and I danced and by Ethan's request "shook my booty". They all laughed and we got good smiles, but I was pretty tired after my one hour performance. We framed the second photo here for my parents as they had there 35 wedding anniversary on September 29th. Enjoy!

The start of a new school year

Ethan started 1st grade and Lauren began Kindergarden on Thursday. We are very thankful for their amazing teachers and the tear free drop off, at least the kids were tear free. After a successful first day of school, we pulled out all the stops and sent them on the bus for the first time ever on Friday. They have to transfer buses at the high school, which is the part that mom could do without, but they made it to their school safe and sound. We had them take the bus home too, but Ethan assures me that he won't be doing that again. Mom says that they will take the bus in the morning but that she will pick them up after school on her way home from work.

All about Gavin

Now days Gavin is into eating everything but loves rice cakes, graham crackers, and cheerios. He also enjoys playing outside, chewing on everything especially his Little People toys, and crawling up the steps. He has a beaultiful smile, claps with one hand stationary, waves bye-bye, wrinkles up his nose and snorts while he laughs, and loves being near his mommy, daddy, and big brother and sister. Enjoy the recent pics!

You can't catch me!

Once Gavin began crawling he just didn't stop. By the end of the week, not only was he crawling but he was pulling himselft up and crawling to the top of the stairs. It may have been a slow start but now he is going like crazy. It has truly changed my life. We headed to Walker for Labor Day weekend. One last hurrah before school started. Ethan and Lauren slept out on the pier with Mike in a tent. Gavin slept inside the camper with mom. We set up Gavin's pack-n-play outside during the day and he had a blast playing in the great outdoors. The picture above is Gavin with his cousin, Parker.

Gavin's Gate

I said that we needed to baby proof the house and the first thing that needed to happen was a gate blocking access to the basement stairs. Daddy went to the shop a couple hours on Saturday and a few hours on Sunday and came home bearing his new gift to Gavin. Here is Gavin showing off in front of the artistic gate.

He's a crawler!

Gavin started crawling at the beginning of the week. He would rock back and forth, then a couple of arm, leg, arm, leg, and now at the end of the week...He is crusing! Since we haven't had a mobile baby in this house yet, we have lots of baby-proofing to do!

A weekend at the lake

Our family took off for a weekend to Lake Amelia. Gavin, Ethan, and Lauren enjoyed the outdoors. Champ, our black lab learned how to swim and retrieve a stick in the water. Even the short pontoon ride that ended with another boat having to tow us back to shore was memorable. After a couple days at the lake we headed to Willmar to celebrate Owen's 6th birthday.

Another New Friend for Gavin

Very early on the Fourth of July, Kelsey Ann Peterson was born to my best friend, Rebecca in Colorado. She is adorable and we can't wait to meet her. I was able to visit the day after Rebecca's third baby, Delaney was born and it was such a memorable trip. It makes my heart yearn to be there to hold that precious baby girl. Our families try to get together at least once a year, so Gavin and Kelsey are sure to be buddies from across the miles.

Gavin's 1st 4th of July

It was another big day for us. While Grandma, Grandpa, Ethan and Lauren rode in the Waldo's VW Bug through the 4th of July parade, Bethany, Mark, Daddy, and Gavin watched from the sidelines. Gavin sat and smiled with glee tensing all the muscles in his body as the floats, bands, and people strolled by. Jen and I were manning the first ever Waldo's tent in the park where we helped hundreds of people cool off with our Smoothies and Iced Lattes.