We're Back!

We're Back! I fell off the blogging wagon somehow-ha-and am finally back! We have plenty of news, pictures, and updates, so stick with me as I skip around! Where to start, that is the hard part! We left home last Tuesday morning at 4:30 for Iowa and got back home around 5:00 tonight! What a wonderful time we had, now only if we lived closer to Mom and Dad's!

When we got to my parents, the new blonde in the family greeted us with kisses and I immediately cuddled her until we left this morning! My brother, Evan got his new puppy, a yellow lab named Josie! She came from the same place we got our girls in SD, and boy is she spoiled! We worked on the word NO, potty training, and going up and down stairs, she is such a smart little girl! Since we all are dog lovers, especially labs, we went to Marley and Me on Christmas in Sioux City. What a movie! We all had tears, and I know I was trying not to sob out loud! We couldn't wait to get home so we could give our girls all the kisses and biscuits that they wanted! I can't wait until that comes out on DVD, it's one of my favs, and if you are a dog lover or not, you should see it! Here we are with Miss Josie and Ev! The other big change is my belly! I finally got a belly started, which is about time since as of today I'm a week and a half from being 6 months along! Which leads me into the next subject...On Monday December 15th we went to Spearfish for my monthly checkup and BIG ultrasound. We had said all along that we weren't finding out what we were having, but guess what...we found out! I wanted to scan the ultrasound picture the day we got home, but also wanted to tell Mom and Dad in person, so last Tuesday after getting settled in, we had a package for Mom and Dad to open with the ultrasound pictures on top (which aren't that good) and all BLUE clothes in the box! IT'S A BOY the card said, and many tears, smiles, and explaining of pictures went on! Our little guy does have a name already, hello I am the girl who had the girls' names picked out years before they were born! So yes, he has a name, but we're keeping that the secret until he is born! As of 2 weeks ago, he was weighing in at 14 oz and measuring right on track! He is a wiggle worm, and didn't want us taking pictures of him..hmmm..that will have to change pretty fast as his dad found out! He was sucking his fingers, hiding his face, and kicking and pushing like crazy. I finally get to feel his movements on a daily basis, and last night was the first time Nathan got to feel him kicking me, oh the amazing things we are experiencing together. I can't quite get it through my head that he's here in 3 months or so, some day it will set in I'm sure! I love this picture, because my mom is loving that outfit, and so is Dad, he put the hat on! Not only that, but Nathan is in the back, and my belly got in the shot too! My mom and others were in love with my new belly, so this picture captured her talking to him! :)

On Christmas Eve Day we had the Andresen Christmas with a total of around 20 family members! We had our gift exchange, ate WAYY to much, had Grandma and Grandpa Foreman over to open gifts that night, and then went to candlelight service at 10:30 over in Galva. Christmas morning came and we had a little bit of fun playing with a new gift, the Wii that Mom and Dad got! After some of got the hang of it, and some of us not so much, we played each other. Little did we know how many muscles we were using that hadn't been used in a long time! Geez, I know ALL of us were whining the next morning! On Saturday, the Bollard family came and we had our Foreman Christmas! More playing of the addicting Wii happened, along with eating too much again! We also got to visit Lorenzens in town, my Else family, and the Modrell family! It's always so wonderful to see friends of the family! After our running around and wearing ourselves out, we went to bed on Saturday night with the intentions of leaving on Sunday morning. Well, the alarm went off on Sunday morning, and we decided we wanted one more day with Mom, Dad, Ev, and Josie! So, yesterday was a nice and slow day that let us relax so we could leave early this morning! We both caught colds while in Iowa, so tonight is an early bedtime, especially since the wind and snow are howling again!

We wish you all a very healthy and blessed 2009! I'll end with this picture of the girls, Libby and Jade, along with the new addition, Josie! Thanks for another memorable and loving Christmas Mom, Dad, and Evan, we love you all!

A Weekend of Goose Hunting

We are still recovering from a weekend of goosehunting! The geese didn't work like they were supposed to, but the weather was decent, and some birds were shot, so we can't complain TOO much! We stayed at the beautiful lodge at Shadehill. It was so much fun getting to be there with friends, and waking up to geese honking on the lake was awesome too! The early mornings and chilly air got to us though, because we are still looking forward to 8:30 bedtime! We did some pheasant hunting too, and Jade worked great. Here's the boys! All West River Game Wardens-Kit, Nathan, & Keith

Here we are! I was very proud to be out there hunting with the boys at 5 months pregnant. I don't know that many girls who would be out there while pregnant! And even though I didn't admit to them that it was getting harder and harder to sit up and shoot, I don't think I could've done it another day in a row! We're just preparing this baby early for goose season since it's Mom and Dad's favorite! :)
A nice decoy shot in the morning from my blind! Hopefully I am getting our point across that we maybe enjoy goosehunting, just a little bit! Enjoy!

TIMBER...

Our 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Hunt and Cutting went on yesterday in the Hills on a VERY cold and windy afternoon! We are used to cutting one with my parents right after Thanksgiving, but things didn't work this year, and for once I was made to be flexible! Something I need to get used to after this baby is born, I do realize. So we made a flying trip to the Hills, and not knowing that we were going into a winter wonderland ended up taking a little longer than anticipated!

The place we go to is around the same area in the Hills every year, so while slowly watching the sun go farther west, and time ticking, we found a spot with a bunch of medium trees, let the girls out, and ventured down a trail of DEEP snow! We didn't realize how deep it was until Libby was the first one to run a ways and she pretty much disappeared into the snow! It was knee high and higher in spots on Nathan! The girls went nuts, and we were laughing so hard that the tears coming out of my eyes were freezing to my rosy red cheeks! I will add a bunch of pictures from yesterday, but in this first one we're standing on a trail, and Libby and Nathan look just alike! He was eyeing our tree that was a ways out there!

Nathan yelled "TIMBER" and down came the tree! To most of you, like MY DAD, the trees in the Hills look like Charlie Brown trees, but we absolutely love them year after year!

There goes the sun! We had to be out at the coldest point of the day. We got in the Explorer and it said 10 degrees, but with windchill it had to be in the negative. The wind was howling through that canyon like crazy! Well worth it though!

Here's the trail we walked! Libby and I decided that we want to live in a cabin in the Hills some day, it is so beautiful during the winter.

I love this picture because it shows how cold we are!! My eyes are like frozen shut, it was so hard to open with the wind! It's a fun tradition though!

Here is the finished project! We love our Charlie Brown trees, they are so us and so real! I got new Martha Stewart sparkle bulbs last year on sale, so this is the first year I get to use them! They are brown and gold, and then we made the garland last year, and the stars I got on sale at Cabelas. Simple but cute with all white lights!

We are leaving tomorrow for a goosehunting weekend 100 miles East of here at Shadehill! It's a kids hunt that Nathan and our friend Keith put together, but so far only 3-4 kids have signed up, so it's going to be an adult hunt also! Tom and Cullen are coming from Pierre, and we're all staying the the lodge over there. We're pretty excited, all the talk around here is goosehunting! The temps are really cold, which sounds like the rest of the Midwest is the same. I've hunted in some cold negative degree days before, but this time around being a week from 5 months pregnant, I need to remember to take it a little easy! Stay warm and have a good weekend!