Keri and Dave

Baby is Here!!

2009-09-30T08:46:00.007-05:00

Okay, I am only 4 months behind...but finally, here are some pictures of our little boy! He is a very sweet and happy baby and I feel very blessed and so thankful to the Lord for a safe delivery and healthy baby. He was born Saturday, May 30 at 7:59pm by c-section after 22 hours of non-progressive labor. Tons of fun!! He was 7lbs 3 oz and came out crying and hiccuping! The first few weeks were pretty rough with no sleep and healing, but we are definitely in the swing of things now. He is a very active little boy, constantly in motion: kicking, rolling, laughing, smiling...just a fun baby.

36 Weeks- In the Final Stretch!

2009-04-28T20:39:00.009-05:00

I can't believe I am in the final stretch of this pregnancy. Where has the time gone?! I had my 36 week appointment today and as I predicted, he is in no position to be coming early! That is fine, I really don't mind staying this way a bit longer... am I crazy? I actually LIKE being pregnant. :) I have been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy, once all the anxiety was past! I feel pretty good and haven't gained that much weight which has been nice. I do get really winded and have for the past 8 weeks or so because he has been so high. The nursery is about completed and is just in need of the drapes and a few pictures. Dave finished the chair rail a few weeks back. I am just getting the last details that I will need when the big day arrives and trying to stay busy around here. Dave has been working in the basement on the laundry room and got that all drywalled and mudded and now we just have to paint! He put a closet in which will come in very handy.

Baby Update

2009-03-19T11:36:00.004-05:00

Here I am at around 29 weeks... really beginning to pop out! The little guy is kicking up a storm and I am just so thankful for it! It seems like he never sits still, so this is a sure sign he is Dave's son...he wants to get out! I am now 30 weeks and can't believe we have around 10 weeks to go- Lord willing.

The nursery is almost finished. Mom and I painted it last week and I am finishing up the dresser today. This past weekend we had our prenatal class at Swedes all day and it was very interesting. Dave went and enjoyed himself but was def. ready to go by 5 pm. We had a small incident during breathing techniques when Dave broke form and was counting "in 1-2" when it is SUPPOSED to go "in 2-3", but we are going to work on it! hee hee, he says I am not in charge!! :)

We attended the class with two of my friends who are also pregnant, but about 5 weeks further than me, Abbe and Jessica and their husbands.

We are both excited and so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to make it this far. Dave is amazed at how much the little guy kicks!

Yes I am pregnant

2009-01-31T18:57:00.005-06:00

And here are all the pictures I have! 14 weeks approx.

18 weeks or so...

23 weeks...baby pic...

My Sister's B.Day

2009-01-31T18:47:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from my sister's b.day. We celebrated over a number of days, although it wasn't as exciting as I think she had hoped.

Thanksgiving and Christmas

2009-01-31T18:38:00.006-06:00

Okay, catching up here. Thanksgiving at the Solverson's with the Taylors from WI. Christmas at the Solverson's!

My New Little Charges...

2008-11-19T13:55:00.003-06:00

So I have a new "job", and they are very cute and fuzzy! I am puppy-sitting the cutest little twin puppies! They are a lot of fun, and a bit of work. It is sooo tiring taking them, plus Kona, on a walk sometimes! We all have to come home and take a nap. The first day I had them, I thought they escaped and I was running around the neighborhood yelling for them. It was terrible! They had just snuck through the fence into the neighbor's yard and were sitting on the back porch when I got home. Wow... that was a long day! Kona Bean is getting used to them, but she still reminds them from time to time she is queen bee. Aren't they adorable?!

Maureen's Birthday

2008-11-19T13:53:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Mo! We had Steve and Mo over to our house a few weekends ago to celebrate her birthday. It was just a simple day. Had lunch, went for a walk, the boys went to Gander Mountain to look at some hunting stuff and then Mo rearranged my bedroom. It looks great! Now I just need some drapes and wall hangings...

Fall is here and so is hunting

2008-11-19T13:49:00.004-06:00

Another fall and another hunting season. Dave has not been as successful as he had hoped this year. He did shoot a nice buck and knows it was a lung shot, but after tracking the deer for hours, couldn't find it. bummer! Here is the evidence, a blooded leaf and arrow. nice.

I thought these trees in our neighbors yard were so beautiful and loved looking out the back window at them everyday for a week until they all fell off. :( Now they are just grey twigs. sigh.

Mini Reunion

2008-10-29T11:38:00.004-05:00

I am not the best with updating sometimes. We had a bit of a wild weekend a few weeks ago and trekked from outside Peoria, IL to Southside Chicago all in one day. I am truely surprised Dave agreed to it! We had a nice afternoon visiting with my cousins who live in Washington, IL. It was great spending time with them and visiting with other christian women who are learning to be "keepers at home" as well as great moms! The guys spent time shooting as much ammo as they could across a field for about 3 hours and this was great fun for them! I sounded like a small battle was going on while we were all chatting! After that we drove to Southside Chicago to see Dave's family at a wedding... a very chilly wedding! It was really great to see Dan and Jo and the little nephews... they are getting so big! We went to lunch the next day and Dave and I gave Jed a firetruck for his birthday...he loved that! Then Dave got a surprise from Issac when he went to pick him up by his diaper...ewww....Issac really didn't feel good!

Labor Day Pool Party

2008-09-13T16:01:00.005-05:00

Last pool party of the summer! And it was a perfectly hot day for ANOTHER seemingly endless game of pool volleyball. Team Solverson vs. Team Gragg... I think team solverson did win... hee heee

Dave tried to throw Mo it and but Steve came to the rescue of his baby doll!

Baby Jed Comes to Visit

2008-09-13T15:51:00.007-05:00

So during one of Dan and Jo's many trips cross country, we had the pleasure of spending the evening the baby Jed. We couldn't believe how much he had grown since we saw him at 4 months. He is doll! And boy. does he like Dave! He really had no interest in anyone except Dave and Jake and Steve. So I don't think I really got to hold him at all. Steve and I picked him up from the airport, so I spent some time entertaining him the in back seat during the ride home. It was such a nice opportunity and we look forward to seeing him soon! Aren't these pictures so cute?

Dave's 30th B.Day Bash

2008-09-13T15:48:00.004-05:00

I can't believe Dave is 30 years old! In honor of becoming and "old man", we threw him a deer hunting themed birthday pary here at our house. Everyone was asked to wear hunting clothes and bring their swim suits. The boys had a great time play endless rounds of pool volleyball and I even got him a deer hunting cake! Of course the first thing he noticed was that the hunter was not aiming directly at the deer and so he had to reposition the hunter. good grief. We played some games including, " how well do you know Dave". Many interesting answers were discovered including: some thought Dave and Dan were born 2 years apart, the 'rut' was described as part of a bow, and none were quite sure what Dave was born without. Dave had a great time and appreciated everyone's thoughtful words of encouragment and generous gifts. We even got to shoot one of Dave's bows! Even the crazy mother's got in on the shooting action. It was a good time and we appreciate everyone who made it out.

Chicago Air Show

2008-09-13T15:34:00.004-05:00

We went in for the Chicago Air Show mid-August. It was way packed on that North Ave beach- much more packed than when we went a few years ago. Everyone enjoyed the air display, including Rob and diddy who enjoyed the 2 mile hike from the train station. sorry! My favorite was the stealth bomber as always and everyone else really like the hover craft, or whatever it is called. Some of us took a side trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo and got a glimpse of some hyenas enjoying feeding time. I like the giraffe.

Time with Friends

2008-08-11T08:08:00.005-05:00

This past weekend my friends from college John and Carrie Larson came to visit us. Dave and John went moutain biking in Rock Cut and I am hoping that John still likes us after Dave tried to "show him the whole park" in like an hour! poor guy.

Anyway, it was great hanging out and enjoying yummy dinner at Five Forks. Of course we forgot to take pictures till we were in the parking lot so here are our vain attempts thanks to go-go gadgit arms! Come back soon!

Solverson Pool Party

2008-08-11T07:54:00.006-05:00

When Charlie and Patty Solverson come into town, all the Solverson's come out of the woodwork to see each other. We had the pleasure of having a small family gathering at our house on August 2nd. The weather was perfect for a never-ending game of 'grey-hairs' vs. 'young bucks' pool volleyball in our back yard. I have never seen a volleyball game go on for quite that long! It was great to see everyone and all the cousins. I am still learning all their names after 5 years now, but it seems like there is a new one I don't remember meeting each time we gather! I come from family with 3 cousins who I have seen maybe 5 times in my whole life! I am glad everyone had a great time and I look forward to making this a summer tradition.

Mom moves into the neighborhood

2008-08-11T07:42:00.004-05:00

I am still wondering if showing my mom the house around the corner was a good idea. Originally I thought it would be a great house and casually mentioned it when on a walk one day. Little did I know a month or so later she would be moving in. Hmmmm.... but then I remember, it was nothing short of a miracle that she did move, and so obviously the Lord has some reason to have my mother within walking distance. Dave says...As long as we can't see her yard we will be okay...of course, Kona bean thoroughly enjoys gramzy moving in and practically runs to her house each time we are on a walk.

Here are a few pictures of my mom's move. The move to end all moves. The move we all thought would NEVER happen. Of course the story is not over yet, but what a trememdous first step and I believe, a gift to her from the Lord.

Fun with Baby Landon

2008-07-28T08:16:00.007-05:00

So I am always happy to have my good friend Holly and her little boy Landon over for some fun in my pool and living room. He is fascinated with my curtains and enjoys making lovely noises on with my tupperware. He also is a little fishy and doesn't care that our pool is only 79 degrees and enjoys playing motorboat with his mommy! Try as we do, we can never seem to swim on the super hot summer days; we always seem to get the cloudy ones! It was also a special treat this past week to have Holly's sister Sarah visit. They are both very sweet and came over to encourage me, how nice to have such thoughtful friends!

Waiting Patiently

2008-07-28T08:15:00.002-05:00

Many of you have heard that I had my fourth miscarriage last month during an 8 week check up. This time was especially hard as we were more confident that the hormones I was on would be the answer. But God has a different plan for our lives than what we would like. This is the hardest part about life. Waiting on the Lord and trusting Him that His will be done. We don't like to wait, and I most of all do not like to wait for anything. I have been learning to really lean on the Lord in ways I never did before. I have learned to have to thank the Lord for all things as this is His will, 1 Thess., and that has been so much easier said than done. Yet, I do rejoice for these trials as they have taught me much about patience, faith and spending time each day in God's word, but have also brought Dave and I closer together. I am very thankful for that.
The doctor has a few more tests he wants to do in the next months and next time we will be adding heparin to the cocktail of drugs I am on! Please continue to pray for us that we will not be discouraged and will continue to have hope.

4th of July

2008-07-28T08:04:00.006-05:00

We kicked off the 4th of July festivities this year with a birthday party for Holly at her house. The next morning, on the 4th, hours before everyone was to arrive, Dave and I ran around to all the home improvement stores shopping for patio furniture! Talk about last minute. We did end up with some great deals, but we definetely exhausted by the late afternoon. And then, another 4th of July party at our house! The weather was perfect, although just a bit cool. This didn't stop Olivia from swimming around the pool. We can always count on her to swim no matter how cool it is! No one else was brave enough to don a suit and jump in. We grilled out, sans chicken thighs!, took a walk around the neighborhood, shared thoughts on the importance of this holiday and then later went downtown and sat on the bridge to watch the fireworks. I made a 4th of July ice cream cake I was very proud of and everyone enjoyed!

Early summer Fun

2008-06-19T18:03:00.007-05:00

here are a few pictures showing what we have been up to the past few months. We have been working on the pool, went canoeing on the river with Christie, Rob and Jacob, Dave has been fishing a few times and Kona had her first experience with fish. The yard is coming together and Dave has been doing more of him fantastic landscaping. I am only in charge of weeding. Apparently I am a "random planter" and most of my plants don't live. Oh well, something to work on. We also have a garden this year and have tomatoes, cucumbers, a pumpkin, a squash and some green peppers. How tasty! I love my husband, but he can kind of be a hill billy... I do not dress him when he wears his river gear.

Madison Bratfest!

2008-06-19T17:50:00.004-05:00

At the end of May we went up and visited the Taylor family in Madison. We spent the day in Madison, visited Ben's college house by UW, had a brat at Bratfest, my fav!, and took Mo for her first experience of Trader Joe's. She totally loved it! It is always great seeing the Taylor family and we look forward to seeing them real soon.

Tosca!

2008-05-21T10:45:00.005-05:00

This past weekend I sang in the chorus in the RSO's production of Puccini's Tosca. I sang in the chorus for Boheme 2 years ago and was very excited to be chosen to sing again. It is quite the experience to sing with such wonderful, professional opera singers! These singers have performed in opera houses all over the world and it was a great opportunity to have them here in Rockford. We housed a couple from the production staff and enjoyed spending time with them again. Here is picture of myself with fellow chorus members Karen and Beth. I also had the pleasure of working with my friend Abbe on the Opera. Ms. Abbe graciously donated her time to be an extra in the show and it was much fun watching her shine in her spotlight performance! Abbe would like to thank me for giving her this opportunity... even if initially she said she would "never speak to me again," I know deep down she loved it. :)

Thanks Dave and Dad for coming to see me!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-21T10:29:00.003-05:00

So we had Mother's Day a few days late this year. But we went all out on a dinner for my mom this year. She LOVES lobster and so we decided to cook her a lobster dinner. Rob shipped lobsters all the way from Maine and then cooked them along with other scrumptous sides! It was very tasty and a great time in honor of our wonderful mother. We also sang her a song..."Make Me A Blessing." Although it wasn't our best performance, the thought and the words to that song were much more important and meaningful. Make me a blessing, make me a blessing. All of my life, may Jesus shine! Make me a blessing, to some one today.

Hawaii!!

2008-04-14T07:33:00.007-05:00

At the end of January we had the opportunity to visit Hawaii with the Solverson's for a bit of much needed R & R. This was a wonderful vacation! We snorkeled and I took that picture of the turtle underwater, Dave showed us his skills in surfing, and we just enjoyed the scenery and sunshine ( my personal favorite!)

Winter Recap

2008-04-14T07:28:00.013-05:00

So it has been too long since I posted. ekkk... that is no good. Here are some pics that recap our winter. My brother graduated from NIU College of Engineering with his Master's and we threw him a party, my friend Kelly is getting married this spring and was in town for her bridal shower. We went sledding and got an insane amount of snow.

On a more somber note, I had my third misscarriage and D & C this winter. There was nothing wrong with this baby either, so in February I went to a fertility specialist who thinks I am low in hormones and will try this with me next time I am pregnant. This was a very trying time for me, but I know the Lord makes no mistakes in what he gives us and that has been a small encouragement to me.

Family Reunion

2007-12-14T10:52:00.001-06:00

It was the worst possible day to drive, but our second cousins drove up from the Peoria area anyway to get together for the first time in a long while. It was decided a number of months ago we all needed to get together and see each other and it not be at a wedding or funeral, so the menu was set and they all drove up. We had a great afternoon of food, fellowship, fruit basket upset- at which Aunt Jean was the most fun, and games. Our favorite game was "Name that Hymn" which the girls won thanks to the superb musical memory of the Philip's women. It was great to see everyone and we look forward to getting together again real soon.

Dan and Jo come to visit...and our HS Reunion

2007-11-26T10:46:00.000-06:00

Dan and Jo came to visit beginning of November and we had the opportunity to attend our HS reunion with them. Little Jed is so cute and Issac has really grown up and become quite the little charmer! It was so much fun to hang out and take homecoming pictures with them before the reunion. We can't wait to see them in Hawaii this coming January!

The reunion was very interesting. It was cool to see everyone and how we have all grown up and married, and to see who we have married.

God Makes No Mistakes

2007-11-26T10:43:00.000-06:00

Haven't updated this in awhile, but I did want to share that I did have another miscarriage at the beginning of October. This time I was only around 7 1/2 weeks along, but the tests have revealed that again there was nothing wrong with the baby. So we are having healthy babies, I just can't seem to continue carrying them. The doctor says I will need hormones next time, but he will be running other tests to make sure there are no other problems. Just continue to pray for us as we wait on the Lord's timing for a little one.

WEEK 1 OF HUNTING SEASON NO DICE!!!!!

2007-10-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Well it all started last week at work when the steel fabarctor said they were out of truck loads of steel to send us. So I was given Tuesday through Friday off! Knowing how fortunate I was to hunt opening week of archery season , I was obviously very excited to have all this time off. So I hunted Monday evening, Tuesday all day- swaying in the tree during a wind storm that evening, and then I started getting burned out on Wednesday. Thursday morning the temperature dropped, which allows more deer movement, so I saw three or four deer, one of which was an eight pointer, but it was too dark to shoot. I also saw a doe and a fawn the size of our Kona bean! Thursday night I was back in the woods again and again I saw two does walk under my stand but it was too dark to shoot! By Friday it was getting just too hot! So, I still hunted Friday morning and Saturday morning, but have officially declared a hunting holiday for myself until the weather cools down.

For the record, Keri thinks I am nuts.

odds and ends

2007-09-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Just some random pictures of what we have been up to in the past few weeks. Dave went paintballing with all the guys and thought it would be a great idea to bellycrawl across the field to take somebody out. Well he had the last laugh when he wound up with tons of chigger bites all over his body! Anyway, you can see the tons of tomatoes we got from our garden this year! my goodness... and this was the second picking. We ended up with over 100.

We are also refinishing a dresser... this has changed from my weekend project to my summer/fall project.

Here is our whiteboard... Dave is getting a little excited for deer hunting season...

And lastly, hanging out at Jer's football game. Dave really likes to be the center of attention!

Dave's Birthday

2007-09-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

A few weeks late, but better than never! We celebrated Dave's 29th Birthday with his family a few weekends ago. Dave loves cake... especially Kim's cake and he really wanted Dan to know just how tastey the cake was!

Northern WI family Adventure

2007-08-20T07:32:00.000-05:00

So our family decided to risk another vacation together... and we actually went up almost exactly to the same place as last time! I think we enjoy spending 6hrs in a car together... Thanks to Rob and his generous Aunt, we spent a few days on the largest Apostle Island of Madeline. On the way up, all 5 of us kids, and the little bean, took our car up to our land, and then on to spend the day at the Porcupine Mtns. in Upper MI. It was beautiful up there! Diddy loves taking car rides with the little bean, and says, " Kona can sleep on my pillow whenever she would like, I just love dogs." :) Anyway, we hiked and Jake and Dave biked and then we drove to Ashland, spent the night, met up with the rest of the fam in an overloaded minivan, and drove to the ferry and across to the Island. We saw black bears and snakes and deer, so Dave was in his glory. This was a lot of fun, and I think I got a little tan so even I was happy!

Boston- Maine Trip

2007-08-20T07:14:00.000-05:00

boy what a trip out East was! I think we went everywhere we possibly could. I started out in Hartford, CT visiting an old friend, and then took the bus to Boston to meet up with the rest of the fam. After a long walk around the city, suitcase in tow, I finally met up with everyone! Boston was very cool. We toured the downtown, Quincy Market, took a graveyard tour and ended at the USS Constitution, our personal favorite. Then Steve, Mo and Dave and I went on to Plymouth, saw Plimoth Plantation and Mayflower...had some winey chowder and traveled to the metropolis of Waterville, ME to see Dan and Jo. We spent the weekend hiking and kayaking in Acadia National Park on the coast and it was a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity to see the east coast, so thanks Dan and Jo for inviting us out!

Spring/Summer Projects

2007-07-06T06:59:00.000-05:00

It seems like we never stop doing projects. Mostly this is my fault I suppose. I happenend to mention one day how cool it would be if we added a stone patio off the deck for our grill and firepit, and wouldn't you know Dave was out there like the next day with an axe cutting out the lawn. He is very handy and loves to work outside! Perhaps I should have moved the laundry room outside. :) Here are some pics of his project and the house...

Memorial Day

2007-07-06T06:50:00.000-05:00

My whole family got together for Memorial Day this year at my mom's house. My grandpa was there and it was a wonderful time of sharing testimonies, food and bean bag toss!

That same weekend we celebrated my grandpa's birthday...and took one bad family photo!

Noodle graduates

2007-07-05T21:21:00.000-05:00

Party at the Taylor's house for Noodle's graduation.... A few words from Dave on the festive celebration: "the food was awesome, it was a lot of fun, best of luck to Noodle. And he pities the fool who picks a fight with her" I think there was something else he said about loving the tea party he had with Ben...Anyway, Mo had some fetish with everyone's feet that evening, so you will see all the latest in footwear displayed here.

Post-Op and Pasta

2007-07-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, waaaaaay overdue for a blog update. Time for some more uplifting blog postings! Here are a few pictures of me after the sugery and you will notice Kona was by my side every minute. :) Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve drove down and cooked us a wonderful pasta dinner and left enough sauce for 3 months... Dave just finished it all last week! And, of course, enough cookies for the neighborhood! So very thoughtful and sweet. Jake and Katherine also brought us over food as well... thanks to all...

Our Loss

2007-04-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

Some of you may not have heard that God decided to take our baby from us a few weeks ago. I found out Monday during my 16 week check up when the dr. and I discovered there was no heartbeat. After double checking with an ultrasound, I went home to share the bad news with the rest of the family. The next day, our good friend and neighbor Gen, helped us find a doctor in town who would perform the operation so we would not have to go to the abortion clinic as recommended by my doctor (now ex-doctor). Anyway, graciously Dr. Manas took me in and started the process that evening. I had an amnio and we are having the fluid tested to determine what went wrong after 14 weeks. On Wednesday I was admitted to the hospital for surgery and was there 7 hours! I went under and was really glassy eyed and groggy when I awoke, but Dave was there the whole time. He has been a great support to me and I am so thankful for him! So has all our family and friends who have sent cards, and food, and food and tons of flowers and plants! It is so nice and comforting to know so many people care for us and we appreciate all your kind words and prayers for us. We are not too discouraged although a bit grieved at the moment, for we know God makes no mistakes and has a better plan for us. We are comforted knowing He is merciful if there was a problem with the baby to take it now rather than later. Thank you for your support, and once I heal in a few months, we will just try again!

Sunday Lunch with the Whole Family

2007-04-14T16:37:00.000-05:00

For Easter (Resurrection Sunday) lunch this year we had both sides of the family. We had ham, lamb, potatoes and berry pie! It was very tasty. Maureen entertained us with songs from America's past, while everyone had a chance to goof off together.

Dave's Job and Reconnecting with old Friends

2007-04-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, Dave had to work at the Rkfd Airport loading a military tank onto an aircraft. At first he thought it was an actual military tank, but found on upon arrival it was actually a large tank. Nonetheless it was a huge tank and really cool! Here are some pictures. And on another note, at lunch that day an old friend of ours from way back when we were little kids came up to visit; Charity! Last I remember, she borrowed my fushia swimsuit to run through the sprinkler with us and never returned it! hmmph!

Dave's Newest Project

2007-04-14T16:24:00.002-05:00

It is time to update our blog. Dave has started on a new project: a patio off the deck. He has been working on this for several weekends and I have a few pictures to show you his progress. It is going to be very nice to grill on when he is finished. If it would just stop SNOWING perhaps we could move forward on installing our patio doors as well. Dave is very proud of moving his big rocks.

Go Bears! Superbowl Party

2007-02-12T13:07:00.000-06:00

So, we were totally jazzed for the Superbowl this year! Okay, maybe just me because I am a bear fan. But Kona was really excited too! We went over to Steve and Maureens where we ate chicken noodle soup, doritos and cheese! yummy! Too bad the Bears lost. :(

Happy Holidays!!

2007-01-18T09:08:00.000-06:00

From one family adventure to another. Christmas Day, Dave and I, will the little bean, went over to Steve and Mo's house to have dinner and family fun with the whole family. Dan, Jo and Issac were in town from Tacoma!
Issac is now a bit past 1 year old! He is toddling everywhere. Mo was in her glory of course. We had a nice time opening gifts, Steve got the biggest present of all, a new gun safe, and then a scrumpious dinner of prime rib...great job Mo! Kona tried to play with Scarlet and Issac, but neither were interested.
Tuesday night Dan and Jo came over for dinner, and then we went to Bob and Melissa's house for dessert and High School memories.. Booby Bob!
The next Saturday, the whole family crammed into 2 cars and went into Chicago to see the King Tut exhibit and prowl the streets of the Windy City. It was really neat! My fav. though was spending the afternoon in the Macy's building... We had a little bit of an issue getting across Michigan Ave. at one point when we tried to go under the street on the pedway, got totally lost underground for around 15 mintues, and then came up about 4 feet from where we orginally started! good grief... I love Chicago!! Don't you Dave??

Family Ski Trip!!

2007-01-18T08:51:00.000-06:00

Our family thought it would be a great idea to all drive up 6 hours to the tip of WI in the middle of winter and go skiing. Of course all the girls were a bit sad as we preferred a family vaca somewhere warm for goodness sake. But the guys were totally excited. We rented a condo at Big Powderhorn, packed a ton of fleeces, all my scarfs and coordinating hats, long underwear, wool socks... things I never pack when on vaca... vaca should be tank tops! Who's idea was it to leave at 4 am anyway?? Not mine. And we had to leave the poor little bean. 6 hours and 3 potty breaks later, we get not to a snow covered, winter wonderland, but a slushy mess! The guys went skiing anyway, and us girls just sat in the hot tub... the one that belonged to the condo next to us as our's was broken!! Needless to say it didn't get fixed til 2 hours before we ended up leaving. Oh well... thankfully Friday night brought a beautiful snow fall and we all got up and put on our boots, hats, snowpants and etc. Sat. morning ready to take off. Mom, Christie and I stuck together and found out that Mom is terrified of the ski lift!! She made quite the exit off the bunny hill lift as she rounded the corner at the lift exit, then jumped off and landed face first! I subsequently peed my pants at the sight of that. Once at the top of the hill, we girls had NO clue which slope to go down. There was nothing marked, and after at least 30 mintues of inching our way up an incline to a map, which offered us still no clue, we picked a slope and snow plowed our way down. We all ended up on our butts, and later found out it was a fairly advanced slope!
All in all, it was a fun time. Mom will probably never go again, I fell a million times, Dave, of course, was awesome and hung out on the black diamonds with the other guys the whole time. Jer learned to snow board, Dad threw out his back trying new tricks, and Diddy and I mastered every green slope and then advanced ourselves to a few blue ones!!

Random things....

2007-01-18T08:45:00.000-06:00

So, I thought I would post a few random things that have happened in early winter. First, we thought we would show you our ghetto patio door. It is SOO cold by this back door we have fixed it up Loves Park style. Heaven forbid we go out and get a storm door or something!

And the second picture is the result of me, Keri, trying to get a bit too much accomplished in the morning before work. Dave had already told me I was only allowed to get myself ready in the morning after I left the sliding glass door open ALL DAY. But, I thought it would be a good idea to start baking my yams for around 45 mintues before I went to work so I would only have to bake them another 15 when I got home. Too bad I forgot about them and they baked ALL DAY in the oven... like for at least 8 hours. ooohhh stink!!

Dave's Deer Hunting Rebuttal...

2006-11-30T19:00:00.000-06:00

Keri has been officially FIRED! She no longer has the right to speak of the matter of hunting. Yes I did shoot a big buck while hunting in Wisconsin and found nothing but big puddles of blood. I also some how managed to have my rifle sling strip out of my 7mm sending it barrel first into the mud, and then crashing scope first into a big log. On a positive note I did improve my tracking skills and learned that four shells are not enough and scopes SUCK! That's why I am switching to an AK-47 with a thirty round clip. I have officially declared war on the deer of Wisconsin. This gun is designed to be fired dirty and with an endless supply of bullets. PERFECT!

Another Deer and Gourmet Dinner at Aunt Kathy's

2006-11-28T10:29:00.000-06:00

While I was participating in Black Friday with the rest of Rockford at 7 am in the morning, Dave was back in his favorite spot looking for more deer to fill our freezer. He got a poor mama doe around 7:30 am, and even got Erick Beard to help him load it in the truck!

Saturday we had the pleasure of a wonderful meal at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve's beautiful home on Lake Michigan in Racine. According to Dave, the ribs were "awesome!" the best we have ever had.

It was great to see the Taylors, the other Dave Solverson family, Warren, Lanie and the Johnson clan. We are sad for all those who missed out!

Thanksgiving Day

2006-11-28T10:18:00.000-06:00

Another Thanksgiving at our home. Another Martha Stewart turkey that was very tasty!! Thank you to all who brought a dish to pass... and to Ann for making the most fabulous Candied Sweet Potatoes even though she was sick. Sorry we didn't leave you any Ann... oops! And who will forget the Green Beans... Definitely NOT Jacob who sang his own praises for the better part of an hour. How exciting to have dessert for the first time at Christie and Robs! I think we have a tradition started! Dave, Jacob and Olivia played multiple rounds of matching, and according to her, "creamed their butts
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Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, partly because it is the only holiday we celebrate, but mostly because it is so great to be surrounded by those you love and because the day really makes you reflect on all the Lord has blessed you with. And also... "love to eat turkey..."

Gun Season Opens...

2006-11-28T10:04:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, the annual weekend in WI as Gun Hunting Season opens. Dave and his dad went up Friday afternoon to Uncle Layne and Aunt Artis' land somewhere near La Crosse about 1.5 hours from cell phone service. This year Maureen and I also made the trekk up to see the hunters, but not without doing a bit of hunting ourselves; hunting for good deals at the malls in Madison that is! I do have to say we were pretty successful. As for our hunters, sadly, they caught nothing. Dave shot a buck, but it ran away and died somewhere, and no one has yet found the poor guy. The guys did enjoy their time visiting with family and just the peace of sitting in a field, cold for hours upon end.

Maureen Finally Turns Fifty!

2006-11-06T10:46:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday night we threw Mama Mo a suprise 50th Birthday Party. She was totally surprised! We have been planning this for months and even told Steve about the surprise. She was almost on to us, but Jo threw her off the scent when she surprised Mo with herself and Baby Issace Saturday morning just as Maureen was going to get in the shower. Needless to say Mo was so excited. Jo, Kat, Jason and Katherine's parents all went out to dinner and then later stopped by our house for some dessert... little did she know 60 people would be there to celebrate! Dan put together a video about Maureen from her family and all enjoyed the fabulous desserts Katherine made, cake and catching up. Kona was chased by the little kids all night and sampled all the sweets leaving her totally spent by the end of the night. I think we all felt about the same way when the last guest left around midnight... too much birthday!

Sing for the Cure

2006-11-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

I was recently part of a breast cancer fundraiser in Rockford. I was singing in a group of 60 along with a reduced Rockford Symphony Orchestra. We sang a work called Sing for the Cure, a musical masterwork of songs in a variety of styles portraying different people suffering from breast cancer. I was also a narrator and performed a monolouge about a woman with breast cancer who was imagining what life would be like for her little girl when or if she dies. The work as a whole was very moving, and I must say performing the monolouge was very challenging and also nerve-wracking, but in retrospect, the work as a whole was very sad in a different way. These people were lost and felt helpless with their diagnosis because they don't have the Lord in their life, and the thought of dying without the Lord in your life is hopeless!

Fall is here now...

2006-10-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

As much as I am sad when summer ends, and I am very sad, as soon as those leaves begin to change colors and we take our first visit to the Apple Orchard, I am in love with fall! Kona's favorite season is fall because she loves to chase the leaves as they blow down the street. Here are a few pictures of the fall planting we have been doing over the past week or so. Dave is now all about "rocks and grass" as you can see by the pool. Dave also chopped that entire pile of wood by himself! And now the whole pile is in my backyard. He says we will have enough wood for a few years. Is this little house on the praire? I am pleased to say I planted some burning bushes and planted some bulbs as well, so I am praying they make it through the winter and I didn't do anything wrong. I am wondering if my bulbs will grow; I just read in my Martha magazine you are supposed to point the ends up, and I just threw them in the hole! Oh dear...I am not a gardener.

Mom's 35th Birthday...

2006-10-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

So we threw my mom a small, birthday party last Monday at my sister's house. She was totally surprised. All the ladies from church were there and we had a nice time playing games... "How many times does Cindy reapply her lipstick daily?" having lunch, sharing testimonies and opening gifts. Then my sister, my mom and I all went to the mall for pedicures! Very nice.

The day before we went to lunch at Friday's and she received a suprise sundae and balloons from the waitstaff. They sang happy 35th birthday to her, and we were all a bit confused as no one had told the waitstaff it was her birthday! Crazy... that made it all the more interesting!

Dave gets his First Buck!

2006-10-15T08:01:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night, while I was away at my first work event, Dave was deer hunting... He was to meet me for the dinner portion of the event. Somewhere around 6 pm when I was just preparing my speech, I got the call!I will let him tell the story...

My First Buck, by Daver
The day started out at 3 a.m., I awoke, got my gear ready, and was preparing to hunt some public land I had scouted out 40 mintues south. As I was climbing up into my tree, I heard another hunter coming through the woods and saw a flashlight. A few hours later, this same annoying hunter came down out of his stand, and totally aggitated by the noise he had made and knowing there was no chance the deer would be sticking around, I finally left that land around 9 a.m. Later that afternoon, still frustrated by my wasted morning, and knowing I had to be at Keri's event that night, I went up to our friends house, the Beards, to hunt part of their land.

The Beards live about 15 minutes away and their property butts up to about 10 acres of marshland, so I like to sit right on the edge of their property in a large tree 25 feet up in the air. I fell asleep for an hour or so, and when I woke up around 6, 3 bucks came running into the area. I was excited and bleated, which is a noice similar to what a deer makes, and the one of the bucks, which was a 6 pointer, stopped pretty much right underneath my stand. I shot the 6 pointer, hitting him underneath his spine, and dropping him instantly. I shot him one more time just for good measure. Then I got down, checked out my deer and took it home. I was happy. This was my first buck. I called my dad and mom, Keri and told them all about it. Keri was so excited because she thought this meant the end of hunting for me this year...yeah right! Anyway, I took the deer home and hung it up in the garage, took a shower, got dressed in a hurray and rode down to Keri's event with my parents. Keri got home that night late from her event to find my prize dripping blood in her side of the garage. She was not as excited about that as I was.

The next day, I took the deer down and brought it to the food processor and the butcher was walking out of the back with a fresh deer head in hand on his way to the dumpster. As he was walking to the dumpster, 2 little girls were walking down the alley, saw him and the fresh cut deer head, screamed and ran away down the alley! that was funny.

Oh, and I had one more surprise for Keri. Because I am only allowed one buck per deer tag, I had Keri get her deer license and her deer tags so I could keep my buck tag and use hers on this deer I had already shot. She says I owe her big time.

The end

First Day of Hunting Season...

2006-10-15T07:47:00.000-05:00

I would have never thought I would be planning my life around the opening day of deer hunting season. And more specifically, Bow hunting season. My pretty little wall calendar which never gets more than a glance from Dave, is suddenly filled with scrawling handwriting on each week announcing how much closer we now are to deer hunting season. Each evening before dusk can find my husband perched in our swing set, bow in hand, practicing his shots from a different angle and blowing yet another hole in the pathetic foam deer across the yard. What the neighbors must think!

So, Daver got up sometime in the middle of the night, took a shower in some kind of scent removing product, threw on his camo, painted his face black, and proceeded to sit in a deer stand for like 9 hours. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? He came home that evening with no deer, but a big grin on his face because the day he has been waiting and planning for for the past 4 months has finally arrived.

Sox vs. Twins...

2006-09-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

My last hurrah with Rockford College was at a Sox- Twins game in Chicago. The trip was an RC alumni event I helped to arrange before I left RC. It was a lot of fun. Our seats were really high up and I was totally freaked out. I had to hold onto the seat the whole time as I am afraid of heights! The Sox almost won and we saw some cool plays. Dave laughed at me because I thought a player tried to steal to first base.... hey, I still have my moments!

Kona's First Sleepover

2006-09-06T10:12:00.000-05:00

Scarlet spent the night for a whole week while Steve and Maureen were away. For the first few days, Kona teased Scarlet every moment she could, but eventually settled down and they became better friends. There was one incident when Scarlet ate Kona's favorite pigs ear and Kona didn't care for Scarlet taking off with her favorite toy the Squirrel, but all in all, the girls got along great.

Dave's Birthday

2006-09-06T10:07:00.000-05:00

The only picture from Dave's 28th Birthday. Good grief what a clown! We had dinner at my house with my family and he got mostly hunting gift cards which we are both very excited about. We went out with his parents to a fundraiser and they also got him some very cool hunting stuff. I attempted to find him a replacement for his deer target, but failed, so I went with my instinct: clothes. I bought him a hunting t-shirt and he really likes it. :)

Camping at Devil's Lake

2006-09-06T10:01:00.001-05:00

So, we went camping with my brother and sister and some friends from church, Seth and Kelly middle of August. It wasn't too bad. We only spent the night one night and Dave, Jacob, Diddy, Rob and I all slept in one tent!! At least we were all warm. The guys got creative and built their own more efficient fire pit. Apparently the one provided did not provide enough power. The next day we hiked every path at Devil's Lake and got quite the work out. There are some beautiful views from the top of the cliffs. I did realize that I am more of a one night camper. I prefer to sleep in a tent only one night at a time. :) I am also not a fan of showering in the facilities. But I love roasting marshmellows and making smores!!

Go Go Joe!

2006-09-06T07:02:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics from the show my sister and I were in this summer out at Starlight Theater- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We were both wives of the brothers and I was also a go-go dancer (not one of my prouder moments!) It was a fun show and we had a blast performing together. We had the largest crowds Starlight has ever seen and sold out almost every performance! The last run in July was almost unbearable as it was so incredibly HOT!!

Pool fun....when Jo and Dan came to visit

2006-08-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

So, I am a few months behind on events and a bit out of order. The Solverson clan came over and had a bit too much fun in the pool this summer, so I had to post some of my favorite moments. And I have included some pics from May's wedding. We had a lot of fun at the wedding and enjoyed our time with Dan and Jo. I will refrain from posting a million pictures of baby Issac and leave that area for Grandma Mo...

Our Pool

2006-08-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

Here are a few snapshots of the newest addition to the house. A monstrous pool and deck. The pool went in in October of last year, and the deck was finished middle June. Although I was not excited about having a pool, especially one this large, in the end, I am glad Dave put one in-(it is getting me a great tan!!)

Kona Bean takes her first swim with daddy. She doesn't care too much for the pool, she enjoys laying on the raft and floating like mommy!:)

Live from Loves Park

2006-07-31T10:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, we are finally entering the 21st century! We figure, everyone has a blog, so it is time we do as well. Although we don't have the most exciting life, a surprise, I know, I am sure there will be some postings and pictures of interest to some of you! I have added a family picture of us down by the river.... :)