A Little of This & That

Biggest brother and littlest brother ~

An afternoon crystal mining with a geologist friend ~

We learned a lot!

Helping Katherine cook ~

The view out our classroom window ~

not many can claim bald eagles hang out in the trees around their house.

An evening after-hunting snack and conversation with Daddy ~

What kid doesn't love Rosaries wrapped around their neck?

Nickles didn't care about shoveling the deck off....just digging his trike out of the snow.

"Adios, Mom.  I'm off with the big boys."

A New Advent Tradition

Each year we seem to tweak our Advent traditions.  This year we added a single white stocking hanging on our wall ~ "The Jesus Stocking."  Throughout each day during Advent we are writing what we are thankful for on slips of paper and placing them in the stocking to be read Christmas Eve. One day Dom kept asking how to spell different words.  I didn't even question why he needed to know the words til he said, "Wow! There are just so many good things!"

Right then, I sat down and wrote down a few things myself because there are so many good things, but I often forget in the busyness of each day.  Hopefully, this will help us focus on what we are grateful for, avoiding pessimism and materialism during this blessed season of Advent.  Just maybe the stocking will be stuffed to the top with notes by Christmas as we offer our thanksgiving for all the goodness He has given us!

It looks a little lonely now, but as we decorate in the 

forthcoming weeks maybe it won't look so out of place!

Michaela ~ you could keep a little pile of notes too and add them to the stocking when you get home.

   

November Funnies

My seventh child cannot be disciplined. No matter what we do, he cannot stop smiling.  When asked why he was covering his face while he was spending some quality time on the naughty bench, he replied, "I'm smiling and I can't make it go away!"

What are we going to do with him??

Nickles snuggled up for book reading the other day, but smelled awful!  I asked him if he had wet his pants, to which he replied, "I couldn't come inside because the snow might melt!" 

Boys and snow.....it has been nigh impossible to keep them focused on school since the white stuff arrived.  

Nickles and I were just beginning school for the day. While practicing writing his name, he threw his hands in the air, "Pleeeeeeease, God, just let me be doooooone!" he groaned in his most exasperated voice. 

When I asked him what that was about he stated, "That's what you do."
Ouch.

Dom, walking through the kitchen with his eyes closed, "Mom, have you ever tasted a jellybean in your mouth....it's not really in your mouth....but you keep chewing and swallowing and the jellybean is still there?  It's kind of my imagination." 

I'd say it's all your imagination, Bud!

Looking at Max and Nickles in the rear view mirror I said, "Holy smokes, you look like a little Nistler, Max. Nickles, who do you look like? I can't figure it out."
Nicholas looks at me like I'm stupid or something, "Um. Captain America, Mom."

We were playing Telephone at the dinner table one evening. Shannon began it with, "I love peanut butter and honey" and it ended with "Underwear."  Somewhere it changed to "Underwear and honey" then the "Honey" was dropped.  It was a good laugh!

Walking into the bathroom, Max was standing near the toilet with a toy boat, water dripping everywhere.  Before I could even react, he swigged the water down and darted past me out the door.  
I wasn't sure what to do....give him a bleach chaser?  With Max's recent bathroom fascination, I should probably begin cleaning the toilets daily, if not a few times every day.    

We have been going to the pool a lot lately. Josh was swimming laps by himself when an older guy asked him if he was on a swim team.  Josh replied that he was not and the older gentleman told him that he should be because he was a really good swimmer.  Josh, in all his glorious humility, said, "Yeah. I know!" 

Eric went hunting with Grandpa tonight.  Eric saw some elk while Dad (Grandpa) and he were not together, so he picked a cow out and began shooting.  He was so scared of it getting away that he just kept right on firing.  Dad told Shannon that he had never heard someone fire that fast.....even in the military.  

When I told Nicholas only the older kids were participating in a geography fair, he took matters into his own hands, snagged their leftovers, made a few "diagrams" of his own, 

and glued them all to a piece of cardboard.

Voila! 

Nicholas' geography board. 

Because who doesn't need a sombrero for school work ~

Apparently, it's our new thinking cap.

How many kids can a daddy push-up?

Nickles can typically peel a 10# bag of potatoes. 
 I figured it would keep he and Pierce busy for a while one morning.

Pierce lost interest after half a potato and Nickles followed suit about three potatoes after that.

Darn it! I had to peel them!

Happy Birthday Max ~ Now You Are Two!

Happy Birthday to you ~

Happy Birthday to you ~

Happy Birthday, dear Maximo!

Happy Birthday to YOU!

My.Oh.My.  For a  child that was expected to have coordination issues at the very least, you are a crazy one! There's rarely a moment that you aren't busy doing something with your hands or balancing while standing on top of your trike or scaling the cabinet handles.  You want to be just like your big brothers and are pretty confident that you can do anything they can.  One of your favorite things to do it take out the vacuum and plug it into any and every outlet available.  We really try to prevent it, but when you have decided to do something you will find a way! 

I love you Max ~ we cannot wait to see what this next year brings as you (hopefully) learn to talk!

Love,

Mom     

A tractor and boats from Auntie Stacy ~ 

He has used the boats for toilet water tea cups ~ gag.

He wasn't sure what to think of this birthday business.....

....but it turned out to be not so shabby!

Daddy singing Max "Happy Birthday" after work ~

By the end of the day he got what presents were all about ~

Then he opened his Dusty Crophopper 

and could have cared less about anything else after that ~

Happy Birthday to YOU!

He's just not quite windy enough yet ~

Mmmmmm ~ chocolate!

Halloween

Yep.  We're heathens.  Margaret was in town for Halloween this year, so we decided to celebrate with her.  Everyone chose super easy costumes....pretty much stuff we had in our dress-up box. Then, we headed out trick-or-treating. I always find it hilarious how the little kids really don't want to go knock on the first door.  After they realize what's going on, they are ALL.IN!  It makes me giggle every time.

Painting up a baby pirate ~

We had a whole shipload of pirates ~

Eric wouldn't cooperate, darn it. 

Robin Hood and Joan of Arc joined this band of bad boys ~

Later we carved pumpkins and talked about each of our patron saints.

The kids were pretty creative this year.  

There was a bronc rider, howling wolf, Tinker Bell 

and a couple scary faces that I can't find pictures of.

Eric was rather annoyed with me ~ 

After he put the finishing touches on his pumpkin, he was rather proud of how it had turned out.  

I wasn't really paying attention and said, "I didn't know you were a Seahawks fan."

Oops.  

His pumpkin was pretty awesome!

 
 

The Bell Report

A few days ago a friend mentioned that her boys asked about the "Bell Report" each hunting season. I liked the term so much that I stole it!
So here it is....The Bell (hunting) Report.

Daddy, Katherine and Eric hunted pretty hard during archery season without a bit of luck.

Eric had missed an awesome shot at the beginning of the season and Dad was pretty sure that jinxed them for the rest of the season.  They hunted through, and had some tough, but beautiful, moments in the woods together.

Opening morning of rifle season, Eric bagged this bull.

He couldn't have been happier!

Of course, dragging an animal out is always a family event.

Then, one blustery morning, Eric got this whitetail buck all by himself.

And another chilly day, Kath and Josh got this one.

Josh had offered Katherine $100 earlier to shoot a small whitetail, but she declined and was she ever glad she did.  Right before heading for home, they saw this one.

Kath was on her own for this hunt.  

Daddy told her where to go and she did everything just right with this bull as the reward. 

Her siblings hiked in the dark to help Kath drag it out.

Proud Daddy and his girl!

The two elk together ~ never mind the mess in the garage :o/

Eric also got a cow last week with Grandpa.

Eleven shots.  

I about died when I heard the story.  

Dad claims that he's never witnessed someone reload that fast, not even in the military.

Good heavens.

I Love You

Last week Shannon and I were having a rough day.  Truthfully, it would be more accurate to say we were having a rough month.  It seemed as though neither of us could do anything right, especially me!  I was feeling extraordinarily glum about the entire situation when I headed to Dom's RE class to help out.

During religious ed, there is an older gentleman that guards the building from any strangers that may wander into the hall.  Joe typically sits there, reads, chats a bit, but mostly just sits there.  He sat a pew ahead of us my entire childhood, but I never visited with him aside from the occasional greeting. He always seemed a little ornery, truth be told.

While I was standing in the hall waiting for the 2nd grade class to arrive, Joe and I began chatting.  Turns out he married his wife in Beach, ND which is where Dad is from.  His wife passed away a few years ago and it was clear he is lonely.  At the very end of our conversation he grabbed my arm, looked me right in the eyes said, "I want you to listen very carefully to me, you need to remember this.  Every day, even when you can't stand your husband, even if you have to look at the wall and grit your teeth, tell your husband that you love him.  There will be a day when you will wish you could tell him and you won't be able to.  It's very important."

Now, this is not a new revelation, advice I haven't heard before, but the random, out-of-the-clear-blue-sky delivery sure was!  Our conversation went from eastern Montana and what and where all his kids were to a "love-your-husband-no-matter-how-you-feel" discussion.  And it wasn't even a discussion, it was an "if-you-are-wise-you-will-listen-and-implement" statement.  

It's just so contrary to what society tells us. Marriages are continually falling apart and I think one reason is that we are so used to pleasing ourselves.  Gone is the belief that suffering makes us stronger, holier.  Completely missing is an attitude of service of others.  The common belief seems to be that if we aren't ragingly happy (is ragingly a word?) something is amiss in our little world.  One thing I have learned is that happiness is fleeting.  And just because I'm not happy today doesn't mean that I won't be tomorrow.  And just because I'm not happy, doesn't mean that I need to make everyone else around me miserable, which is something I can tend towards!

Some days just aren't that great.  Or perfect.  Or blissful.  And often I'm not that great, or perfect, or blissful to be around!  But, I'll grit my teeth, tell Shannon I love him and keep moving forward.
We have too much vested in this crazy life of ours to go backward!   

As I related the story to Shannon, at first he was speechless, then the irony struck him and he laughed.  We both agreed that there couldn't have been a more unlikely angel.  God must really love me if he continually reaches through my stubbornness to speak to my heart!    
  

I love you, Shannon!

Funnies

While folding laundry in the mudroom, I heard Nickles spill a jar of beads in the kitchen.  After the last one stopped bouncing I told him to pick them all up.  
Peeking around the corner, "HOW did YOU know, Mom?" 

"Wellllll, other than the fact that the beads sounded like a machine gun as they scattered to every corner of the dining room, it was just a lucky guess." 

Dom kept bursting out laughing during science the other day.  I was getting slightly annoyed and asked him what was so darn funny.  We were studying nutrition and he thought every time I said fatty acids that I was saying fatty asses.  Good heavens.

Nickles didn't want to do his school work, but I told him that all he'd been doing was laying around in his room that day. 

"No, I haven't, Mom.  I've been laying around in your room."

Kath has a lead foot, which we have discovered since she has acquired her learner's permit. As she was flying down the highway at 80 mph this morning I told her to slow down.  

"Mom, I had it at 75."

"Well, the speed limit is 70."

She reluctantly slowed down.  Nistler blood, I'm tellin' ya. This is the same daughter that 15 minutes after obtaining her permit, she gunned the car to make it through a yellow light before it turned red.  

Ugh. What have I taught her? 

Walking into the kitchen, Nickles states to any listening audience, "Chop. Chop. Hubba. Hubba."  
I'm afraid he was referring to breakfast and was addressing me. 

Michaela had to visit the judge due to a little accident she had before school began. "Mom, how long will it take in court? A couple hours?"

Annika interjected, "Nah, not that long.  I've been there."

Unfortunately, I drug all my littles into court last year to argue a speeding ticket, and Annika knew exactly how traffic court worked.

During reading last week, Dom asked, "Mom, will we ever go to the Dead Sea? Because if we do, it will be awesome.  We can float and read the comics." 

Important stuff....those Sunday comics.

As I type this my boys are all out bee-lining. Look it up.  A great way to keep a kid, or several, busy for a mighty long time.  

Nicholas during a car conversation, "You remember that weawy, weawy ashum, ashum day in the winter, Mom, you know the one....the ashum, ashum time when we put our shoes out and then that guy, you know the guy, Francis Joseph, he comes and puts golden coins in our shoes, but they're not weawy gold, they're weawy chocolate, and it's just totally ashum.  You know that day, Mom? I can't wait for that day."   

You know what's totally not awesome? The fact that "that day" is Nicholas' feast day and he doesn't know the name of the saint whose feast we're celebrating. You know......St. Nicholas?!? 

I heard the toilet lid slam shut, then Max emerged from the bathroom, hands dripping, and Daddy's toothbrush in his mouth.  Aside from gagging a little bit, the question is this....do I tell Shannon or not?

Dom, walking through the kitchen chewing something and carrying a couple gallons of paint, "Whew! These Snickers bars sure have a lot of protein.  I feel so strong!" 

And you are your father's son.  

One Sunday I left for Mass with the kids, but had fried bacon for some egg sandwiches when we returned.  Knowing that a plate of bacon sitting on the counter lasts about 10.4 seconds, I stashed it quickly in a cupboard. Shannon arrived home from hunting shortly thereafter to the smell of bacon, which is synonymous with Heaven. But he couldn't find the bacon anywhere. Then, he opened up a cupboard to get a plate for his toast and he thought he'd hit the jackpot! 

Bacon....and no one around to share it with! 

Apparently, he had his fill, then he left for a later Mass.  

I arrived home and immediately noticed the plate was much emptier than I had left it.  I flashed hot, til Shannon called.  We both had a good laugh ~ he thought rays of light had shone down from the heavens on that single plate heaped with bacon tucked away in the cupboard and simply couldn't help himself.  Or rather, he did help himself!

Max likes to drink his water like a puppy ~ fresh rain captured on his trike ~

Max's new gramma blankie ~

An early birthday present.

An extra special surprise ~ Auntie Margaret is staying in Montana for a month. 

Nickles couldn't be happier ~ a cousin just his age!