Christmas morning

So for all of our family far far away.... Here is a glimpse into the excitement in our house on Christmas morning now that Hannah is 3 and had a blast! It was so much fun to watch both her and our surprise and she opened your gifts! Thank you all so much!

She already knows how to use this better than we do! It's great! Thanks Grandma Pat!

Sadie helped eat some of the oats! Hannah gave her a time out...

This was part of Hannah's goofy Christmas dance.. wish we had it on video!

Hannah bought Sadie a present too... Can you tell Sadie saw it before we wrapped it!

Yep the preparations have begun.... Twins! Thanks Auntie Sue!

Now this was the heaviest present of all...

And that's cause it was a horse! Poor thing... has been sitting under the tree for weeks with no food or water! Not wonder it looks so skinny! :)

John definitely got a workout Christmas morning! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Daurer!

We will eat good again! (Although I've come up with some good combos these days mixing together all of my cravings!.... Well at least I think they're good!)

Indicates a good Christmas morning... Messy house, sleeping dog, and playtime for hours and hours!

P.S. My cousin Jack got me some really neat stuff including a book that we've read too many times already! (Well that's what Mom and Dad think!) Thank you!

Watch for Ice...

Although I think this is the cutest picture ever!... People falling on ice has not been so cute here in Idaho. Particularly at the hospital I work at. A young E.R. physician fell and broke his hip, a Pediatrician fell and broke his wrist and all fingers involved, one of the OB's fell and broke his arm, and the list goes on... along with all of the people who fell and only have bruises to show for it! All bad falls so far hitting our physicians though. Reason I'm writing this? The worst fall of all came to the OB that I am seeing for the twins pregnancy... Dr. Gregerson.

He fell the weekend before Christmas, went to the E.R. where everything checked out ok. About 5 days later he woke up and couldn't walk. He was lifeflighted to St.Al's in Boise and underwent emergency neurosurgery. They had said if they found it any later he would have been paralyzed. He is due to go in for another surgery either tomorrow or next Tuesday (yesterday they said next Tuesday) and if all goes well they are hoping he can be back to new after 6 weeks of therapy.

If you haven't heard, we have been completely blessed by this doctor. At my first appointment he agreed to exchange our bill for John's handyman services. The entire thing (we don't have great insurance). Then he went on to explain even if I were to require a c section it would be the same deal with no extra work from John. Just what they had agreed on. Then we found out we were having twins... when you have twins they charge you for 2 of EVERYTHING! Since you're having two babies and so they look at is as 2 pregnancies and charge you for that. Our doctor simply said... same deal.

He lives only 2 miles from our house and is into finish carpentry... John is actually putting the siding on his shop with all of the woodworking toys in it that John has ever dreamed of. As soon as the babies check out ok, John and the doctor move on to talk about wood (how exciting) and have even been planning on building the canoes that they have both been dreaming of building forever! It is amazing how God lines things up and they really do work out better than we could ever see... at this point we are having a hard time seeing again but know that God is in control.

So our simple request is to please pray for Dr.Gregerson... he is an amazing person and has blessed us so much. It's crazy what a simple fall on the ice can do.

Christmas Eve!

Here's Hannah prepping for the Big Man himself! We ran out of milk and had to use eggnog... We think it will be ok! We have cookies to help with the continuous sugar high that Santa needs to stay awake all night and carrots for the reindeer who have to pull that heavy man and sleigh all over the world! Hannah prepared it "All by myself!" She didn't even spill when pouring the eggnog! Impressed we were!

Then she set up the snack table right near the tree at the bottom of the ladder.

You see one of Hannah's biggest concerns this year is that we don't have a chimney... Hmm? So we figured out that Santa can fit through the air return vent conveniently located right above the Christmas tree! Then Hannah said "We have to get a ladder for Santa to come down!"

So ladder it was... she tested it out to make sure Santa would be able to reach, we didn't bother to tell her about the 300lb weight limit on the ladder though! Hope the big man makes it ok! ;)

And here is one excited little girl... I'm not sure she'll ever get to sleep tonight!

Christmas Fun

We were able to attend the NXT Christmas party and the theme was "Candyland Christmas!" It was a fun night filled with all kinds of human Christmas ornaments and as many cookies and candies that you could eat! We even observed "The NXT Deal or no Deal" and the youth had a chance to win some amazing prizes such as a digital camera, electric guitar, expresso machine, and so much more! There was even a 5lb bar of chocolate! We ended up as presents instead of Christmas ornaments, but it was possible that I was going to be stuck at a certification class and not be able to make it... anyways here are the finished products! Oh yes and Hannah was a Snow Princess... Shock, shock... a princess!

Hannah and David were thrilled to run around amongst all of the various Christmas characters and candy... I can only imagine being 3 feet tall and having candy within reach everywhere you turn! I'm sure at some point they thought they must be dreaming! It's amazing to see how much they've grown! I always laugh when observing their conversations that can go on for minutes about things we, as adults, just don't understand!

Hannah even tried her skills at karoke... um we'll just say Alissa did most of the singing and finished the song off with a loud applause from all of the spectators! It will be interesting to see how Hannah reacts when she heads to the stage in front of the entire church next weekend to sing with the rest of the 3-5 year olds! (We've been listening to the same 3 songs continuously for 3 weeks now! I cannot wait until next Sunday!!!!)

Tree Hunt 2008

We had a great Tree Hunt again this year, with this year's tree ending up even better than the last! There wasn't much snow on the ground so we were able to go a little further and get to the good pickings! We stopped for a while to eat and hang out... This is where the girls began to secretly discuss how to ditch the parents and go have fun that only 3 year olds know how to have! (Hannah and Eva are only 9 days apart and the day we cut down our trees was Eva's actual birthday!)

Looks a little overdressed for the lack of snow huh? =)

We tagged along with the Worden and Tristan families again this year! We are lucky enough that they allow us to see the way to all of the best tree hunting spots in Idaho city!

Since we were lacking anything to really call snow Troy took the girls rock sliding! They had a blast and we knew it was a success as knees and butts were covered in mud!

Warming up by the fire...

It's true... I sent John into the deep woods up the hill to cut down our perfect tree! He's the best!

Here the girls were building their own "fire" while everyone else chose, cut down, and loaded up their trees!

Wouldn't be a successful hunt without those riding in the back covered in trees on the way out! I think 4 trees in all this year! We really had a blast! Stay tuned for decorated pics on their way!

It's our turn again!

We're Expecting!!!!!!

(Are you sitting down for this one?)

TWINS!

(Should I say it again? We had to hear it at least 2 times before we started breathing again and at least 4 times before we believed it!)

I'll just say it again.... TWINS!



Yep... there they are! Baby 1 and Baby 2... Uno, dose... Two... Two... TWO!
It gets better than that... As of right now it appears they will be identical twins! I know, I know... don't ask me, I haven't a clue. It's still pretty early (somewhere around 7 1/2 - 8 weeks) so the doctor said we just may be missing the separating membrane at this point. He had to magnify the babies a ton to get the pics he did! I'll be back in a month and hopefully we'll find out then!



So this is Baby A and he/she had a great strong heartbeat already at 145 beats per minute!

And here is Baby B... he/she is just as strong coming in at 145 beats per minute as well!

We are beyond shocked, excited, speechless... the list goes on! So far everything looks great, but being so early along we could sure use some prayer that everything stays that way! With twins there are definitely a lot of different risks from single babies, but we believe this is no accident and everything will turn out just as it should! We can't believe it... TWINS!

I did a little research because I'm still being hit with huge waves of shock and the chances of having natural twins are 1.7%... the chances of natural identical twins are 0.4%! How did I fall into those statistics? The world may never know! Considering the pregnancy alone was a surprise for us (we were actually trying not to!) this comes as a greater surprise! TWINS!

Today is the Day!

Hannah's actual 3rd Birthday! I can hardly believe it! Three! She's so smart and amazing!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

So this year we took Hannah to her favorite restaraunt! Red Robin! Every visit she patiently awaits the clapping of all of the staff to quickly stand up and watch as they sing Happy Birthday while delivering an ice cream sunday to the lucky table!
Little did she know that this time when she heard the clapping start and she stood up to watch the celebration that they came all the way over and landed right at our table!


The face she has above is the face she held the whole time they were singing! I don't think she took one breath during the whole song! Good thing she didn't pass out!

This is when everyone was clapping and the closest thing I caught to a smile before the crowd of singers left and she talked non-stop about how they came to our table this time!

She didn't hesitate to dig into the ice cream sunday as well! Stealing the cherry right off the top before we even had the chance!

She pulled the cherry out of her mouth so I could take a picture of it??

Grandma has been here for 2 weeks now and Hannah is having a blast. The house will be sad when she leaves! Anyone want to come visit to help take away the sting?

Now this is the proper way to eat an ice cream sunday! Happy Birthday Hannah!

A good time was had by all!

WANTED

For Turning Three!

$$$ REWARD $$$

This Cowgirl is gathering up her favorite buckaroos to help her celebrate this Saturday November 8 @ 5pm. Location: The Daurer Ranch!

We want YOU to be there!

(Buckaroos wear your western wear if you have it!)

Are you willing to loose in order to win?

Alright so I know this is Hannah's blog, but I don't have one of my own so here comes the adult post! =)

Drum roll please....................................
I (Christina) who is 28yrs old and John who is 30 years old will vote for the very first time in our lives since we were legal. Some may say "Are you kidding me?" Nope... not at all. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I felt a tugging to even take part in this election. Call me crazy, but it's true.

There are some who have been following this election since it started and people like me who still haven't a clue what a democrat or republican is? But as I catch glimpses of the news casters predicting that Obama will win, I can't help but ask myself.... Am I willing to loose in order to win?
The answer to that is ABSOLUTELY without a doubt!

With only 2 weeks to make a decision I have not researched the hundreds of conflicts or different thing each candidate stands for. I went for what matters most to me. It took less than a heartbeat for me to decide who to vote for based on two simple paragraphs regarding the candidates reply when questioned about 1 moral issue in particular... Abortion.

McCain:

The senator has a strong pro-life record and supports overturning Roe v. Wade. He is in favor of federal restrictions limiting abortion, as well as a constitutional amendment banning most abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening risks to the mother. His selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who is also strongly pro-life, has energized value voters who may have been uncertain about McCain's pro-life commitment.
McCain Quote:

"I will be a pro-life President and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That's my commitment to you."
McCain says he believes life begins at the moment of conception.

Obama:
The senator is a staunch supporter of abortion rights. He supports Roe v. Wade and would seek Supreme Court nominees who would uphold that law. He also favors insurance coverage and government funding for abortions. He has advocated instead working to reduce abortions nationally.
Quote: "I am in favor, for example of limits on late term abortions if there is an exception for the mother's health. From the perspective of those who are pro-life, I think they would consider that inadequate. And I respect their views. What I can do is say there are ways we can work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, so that we actually are reducing the sense that women are seeking out abortions."
Obama has said he does not know when human life begins, saying that the answer to that is "above my pay grade."

Let me tell you this people.... If taxes are increased... we'll survive. If Health care policies get worse... we'll survive. If immigration laws become more leniant or more strict... we'll survive. If the economy, or education, or social security all take a turn for the worse... WE WILL SURVIVE IT! But if Roe vs. Wade is continued to be supported and Supreme court nominees who would uphold that law would be sought out to be elected.... MILLIONS more will NOT survive.

Not a tough decision in my book. So am I willing to be on the loosing team tomorrow so that I will win? Yes. How will I win if McCain looses? Because I stood up for what I know is right. I attempted to make a difference, and even if it doesn't pay off.... I didn't just sit back and watch Obama get elected.

Point... Go vote tomorrow, especially if you are willing to loose in order to win. No pre-registration needed (I know because I decided to vote too late to register ahead of time) Just take you drivers license, proof of residency, and whatever else your state requires to the poll you are assigned to and walk away knowing you did your best to make a difference.

So McCain... Win or Loose tomorrow, you've got my vote.

Falling Leaves

We don't have too many, but the leaves from all of our trees are piling up quickly! Mom and Dad decided to take advantage of today's gorgeous weather and rake up piles of leaves to jump in over and over and over!
I was inspired by my cousins blog that you can see if you click here and decided to try a couple of his diving moves!

I loved getting buried in the leaves and watching the clouds! I could lay there all day!

Above you can see Sadie getting in on the action and below Mystic even tried it out! We had a blast and I suggest if you haven't, build your own pile of leaves, to dive on in!