A Picture Year in Review 2009

I was putting together some pictures for a Christmas gift and I felt like this was a pretty good review of our year.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

View Full Album

ICE

We went to an ICE exhibit at the Gaylord Texan (a fancy schmancy hotel and resort.) We had about an hour to kill before we could enter the exhibit so we walked around the resort. The whole place was decorated with Christmas trees, lights, trains and even a life size gingerbread house.

The theme of the Ice Exhibit was “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”. We were each given a a big warm coat because the exhibit is kept at a balmy 9 degrees, however, when we went into the exhibit they told us it was only 2 degrees. The entire exhibit was made of ice. It was absolutely amazing. It was hard not to touch the sculptures. We spent an hour in the exhibit walking from room to room and we each went down the ice slide. It was really cool !!(no pun intended)

Thanksgiving in San Diego

It has been years since we’ve visited Nathan’s parents in San Diego.  Since we live SO much closer now we decided to spend Thanksgiving with them. It was a two day drive  - 11 hours each day.  The kids did awesome.  On the way we saw lots of cotton fields and got to see the cotton plants up close when we stopped for gas.  Several of Nathan’s siblings came to San Diego as well.  Nathan’s dad, with the help of his brothers, deep fried a Turkey and his brother, Jamie, Barbequed some Turkey.  Each of the sisters and sister in laws helped with the dinner and many hands made light work.

Some of the Teuscher’s spent the morning playing soccer.  We were shocked when Ryan wanted to go and even more shocked that he scored a goal. On the way home Ryan said “That was surprisingly  fun!” Cassidy (the only girl) kept up with the boy cousins and gave them a run for their money. 

View Full Album

On our way home we stopped at my brother Scott’s house in Queen Creek, AZ.  They were kind enough to let us stay there on short notice. We were so excited when we saw a baby scorpion on the wall.  It was really fun to visit with Scott and Heavenly and their kids.  Their house is so cute and Scott’s artist talents are thoughout the whole house. We are excited to see them again at Christmas time.

One of MY Favorite things!!

Cassidy’s Baptism

      Cassidy was baptized on November 7th.  She has been looking forward to this day all year.  She’s watched each of her friends get baptized, waiting for HER day.  Cassidy looked so pretty on her baptism day.  She even let me put curls in her hair.  She was so excited she was glowing.  Cassidy shares her birthday with her friend Julia, so they got to share their baptism.  (there were several other children in the stake baptism but Julie and Cassidy were the only two from our ward.)  I’m sure she will always remember her special day, especially because her Grandparents and Great Grandmother Shelley were able to attend. 

Halloween

The kids had decided what to be for halloween months ago. Actually, Ryan has been talking about his costume for a couple years. This year I gave in. We made Ryan a headless horseman costume. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort but it was well worth it. We used football pads to build up his shoulders. For the "neck" we took an old baseball hat and used spray foam on the top of it, then Ryan painted it gray. I made the vest and we used one of Nathan's white shirts. Ryan was so proud of his costume and was able to wear it for 3 events.


Cassidy's costume, on the other hand was super easy. After watching a new Pipi Longstockings, she decided to be Pipi. She was darling. We were able to get a jumper and a striped shirt off e-bay for less than 8 dollars, including shipping. She wore striped socks and we sprayed her hair orange and braided it around a hanger. A few freckles on her cheeks and she was ready to go.

Welcome Buddy!!

  

Well, we finally caved.  After being begged for years and several comments like “When Dad and Ryan die, can we get a dog?”  Cassidy got her way and we brought home a little puppy.  Buddy (which happens to be his name, as of publication) is a yorkie-poo.  That means he’s half Yorkie and half poodle.  He is tiny, darling and black as black can be.  He will only grow to be 10- 12 pounds.  The kids, (yes, even Ryan) are loving having a dog.  They have even remembered to thank us several times since we brought him home.

 

The pursuit of a dog began as a pursuit for a small animal, like a hamster or gerbil, but I just couldn’t see myself trying to catch the little rodent, if or rather, when it escaped out of it’s cage.  I was seriously looking at guinea pigs.  In fact, Cassidy and I went to the pet store to check out the guinea pigs.   The guinea pigs at the pet store were HUGE!!  I didn’t want cage something so pig.  Then we saw Buddy.  Buddy was the same size as the guinea pig.  He was so cute and seemed rather mellow.

We went home and told Nathan and Ryan about the dog we saw.  They wanted to see it too, so back to the pet store we went.  We had Ryan and Nathan hold the dog then touch their faces so we could see if they had any allergic reaction.  (Yorkies and Poodles are known to be good non-allergenic dogs)  We left and waited several hours with no reaction from either of them.  At that point Cassidy was sold – as if she wasn’t before.  After much consideration we decided this was the dog for us. 

Nathan and I were very concerned about Buddy’s first night in our home.  We had lots of thoughts of the first few nights with a new baby.  But surprisingly, Buddy went to sleep around 11:00 pm and didn’t want to get up when we woke up at 6:00 am.  Cassidy on the other hand didn’t go to sleep until 2:30am.  She kept coming downstairs to see if Buddy was awake.  It was worse than Christmas Eve for her.  I have to admit I am surprised at how willing the kids have been to help.  The poor dog can’t get a minute alone.  But he loves the attention and follows everyone around like a little shadow. (another name we considered)

Projects, Projects, Projects!!!

Moving into a new house always means a few projects but I don’t think we comprehended how many projects were in store.  There are lists of things we’d like to update and change in the house.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great house but it just doesn’t feel like ours yet. If feel like the last month of my life has been spent waiting for a contractor, painter, cabinet guy or flooring guy to come give me a bid. (Okay, I was out of town for two weeks but besides that….)  In the meantime I feel I am living amongst a half finished project which is enough to make me batty!  The good new is I’ve remembered to take before pictures so when all the work is finished I’ll have some great before and after blogging to do.

Morning Visitor

This morning I had to run to the grocery store to get a few things for Ryan's scout camp. As I was putting groceries away I noticed a little lizard scurry across the dining room and under some piano books. (the dining room is basically empty) It was just a little guy but it startled me. I grabbed a jar and tried to catch him but he went behind the piano. I figured he wouldn't stay there too long because there is no food there. Sure enough, I was right. As I walked out of the Craft room after posting my last blog post,(very loosely termed craft room - more like the crap room) I saw the monster in the hallway. I grabbed a cup and scooped him up. Before letting him go I had to snatch a picture of my catch. He was very compliant during the photo shoot. (I was only brave enough to take one picture.) Then I set him free and told him to munch on all the bugs he wanted in the backyard but to stay out of the house!

Need an idea for dinner?

Cass has asked several times if she can experiment in the kitchen and make her own recipe. In my mind I am seeing every condiment out of the fridge mixed together in some horrible concoction. When I question her about what she wants to make she answers, "I just want to experiment." I've tried to explain to her that when I cook, I don't experiment, I follow a recipe. She insists she wants to make her own recipe. The other day, she won and I let her experiment. Here is her OWN recipe. Enjoy some Flattened Rice!

P.S. You have to use already cooked rice.

Fresh Nest

You may have noticed my new Fresh Nests button on the side of my blog. This is a really cool blog that I've just begun following. Send in your decorating challenged space and they will give you ideas on what to do with it. Their ideas are simple but impressive. Check it out!

I'm Rethinking Summer School

Tonight at dinner:

Cassidy: Will I ride the bus at my new school?

Me: No.

Cassidy: I'm never going to get to ride the bus to school.

Me: I never rode the bus to school.

Cassidy: We're talking about me. Are you me?

Mulgrue Swim Academy

I've had so many people ask me about swimming lessons, I decided to make a blog post about my favorite Lincoln Swim School. When we moved to Lincoln I was looking for a swim school. Rhonda Mulgrue's name came up several times. I decided to give her a try. Rhonda has a pool in the back of her house, that's right, IN the back of her house. She has an indoor pool which works great for those off season swimming lessons. Rhonda's prices are higher than the YMCA or other swim lessons I've seen. Don't be alarmed she is well worth the extra money. My kids LOVED going to Rhonda's and I LOVED how much they learned each session. I felt like Rhonda's one session was worth 2-3 swimming sessions elsewhere. Rhonda asks that parents do not stay for each lesson but plan on coming to the "recital" or last lesson of the session to see your child "Show Off" their new swimming skills. I highly recommend the Mulgrue Swim Acadamy. I think you'll love it too.

We have a new house!

After a long weekend of looking at houses, we have a new house under contract in Texas! Here are a few pictures ...

The house is on a cul-de-sac which backs up to a golf course. This is a picture of the front of the house.


One of the most important features we looked for was a pool in our back yard. Karen and I both grew up with pools, and with the hot Texas summers coming, we wanted Ryan and Cassidy to enjoy the pool also. This is a diving pool with a beautiful waterfall and spa. It is one of the larger pools we have seen in Texas (without breaking the bank!).



Here is a picture of the kitchen, looking out to the pool. The seller is putting in new black granite counter-tops, and new appliances will be installed before we move in.

SOLD

We received on offer on our house last Friday. After a little bit of negotiating we compromised on a nice offer that we were both happy with. So now the whirlwind begins. The kids finish school on June 4th. The movers come to pack us up on June 9th and 10th. They will load the truck on the 11th and we will drive away from Lincoln on the 12th. We don't have a house in Texas yet so we will go to an apartment until we can get into a house.

The kids and I have had moments of excitement and moments of sadness. We have loved living in Lincoln. It's a great place to raise kids. People are extremely friendly and helpful. We've had great neighbors and have made life long friends. On the other hand a new adventure is exciting. I'm excited to live in a big city again. It will be nice to be closer to family. (My sister lives in Dallas, and Nathan's brother and his wife have toyed with the idea of moving to TX)And we are all anxious to jump into a pool that is convieniently in the backyard.

Nathan's in Texas

Nathan began his new job today at Alcon Labs in Ft. Worth, Tx. The kids and I are still in Nebraska. We don't know how much longer we will be here. Our house remains on the market with lots of looker but no offers. On the plus side my house is REALLY REALLY clean. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I hate to be apart for too long.

The Stars at night are big and bright.....

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!!! The Teuscher family is moving to Texas. Nathan will be working for Alcon. (The company that makes contact solution) He will be working in Fort Worth but we are looking for a home in Keller. We are excited to move (and to have a pool in the backyard)

This Reminded me of Someone...

Spring Break - SKIING AT SUNDANCE

We decided to visit my parents in Utah for Spring Break. We expected some warm weather but we were sorely disappointed. It was cold and snowy all week except for the last day we were there. On the "warm" day we went skiing at Sundance. It was the kids' first time skiing and Nathan and my first time skiing in over 10 YEARS!! We all took a lesson in the morning, which worked out great. Ryan and Cassidy picked up on skiing really quickly. It made me so nervous watching them FLY down the hills. At the end of the day, the kids didn't want to leave. We'll definately do this again.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the day of love, we styled Cassidy's hair in the shape of a heart. I'd love to take credit for the creativity of this style but the truth I stole the idea off another blog. I did, however, convince Cassidy that it was a good idea. (That's harder than you might think.) She got lots of complements which made us both happy. Here is the site.

Crazy Hair Day!!

It was Crazy Hair Day at school this week. My kids have been talking about the day for months. I don't know why it has been so exciting but you'd think Crazy Hair day is next to Christmas with all the going on about it. Ryan has been growing his hair out. He's been telling us he'll cut it after crazy hair day. (yeah, right!)
Ryan was so funny as I was putting in his ponytails. Every time I'd part him with the comb he'd make the "ow" sound. Come on!!! - Parting doesn't hurt!!! It's a good thing he's not a girl, his head is way to sensitive or he's just a wimp!

I need a baby fix!!

It's not like me to post my inner most issues but I am sooo baby hungry right now. It seems everywhere I turn I see babies or hear of someone who is having a baby. When I realistically think about having a baby it makes me tired. I have really grown out of the baby world. The last time I changed a diaper was 5 years ago. But when I see those soft little buddles and those funny little toddlers it make me want that back. Maybe I'm just going through a midlife crisis and I think if I have a baby I'll be young again. Let's face it, even if I did get pregnant, I'll be 36 this year. Thirty-six equals high-risk and I wasn't the best pregnant lady when I was in my twenties. Does anyone know where I'm coming from?

Pinewood Derby 2009

Ryan participated in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby at the end of January. After reviewing many options for cars, he finally settled on his version of a tennis shoe ... named "The Spare" ... as in a spare shoe. Nathan was responsible for running the races, so he had to weigh-in all the cars, prepare the 100 heats for the 25 cars, and prepare the computer program to calculate the winners.

Cassidy likes to make a car also to race after the "real" races. She choose a Coke Bottle ... very clever. I think it was a ploy to get us to let her drink Coke like her neighbor friend Brianna! Everyone had a great time at the races, and we finished the entire meeting in about 90 minutes ... that is with the 100 heats. In the end, Ryan came in second by one point ... we later discovered that there was an error in the calculation of the points. It was a fun day with all of the Cub Scouts enjoying the races.

One last interesting note ... we only had 23 boys enter the race, but we needed 25 cars to have an even number of races. So Nathan entered 2 of his old pinewood derby cars. He took some weight out, bent the axels a bit, and generally tried to slow them down. One of the cars complied ... losing an axel on the 4th race. The other car was a monster. It was smoking most of the boys' cars. Even when the starter held that car back for a few seconds at the starting gate, it still beat some of the other cars. Finally we had to hold Nathan's car until the other cars had reached the flat part of the track ... and then it was a close race for third. So Nathan's 28-year-old pinewood derby car was doing pretty good. Now that I am a father I can say, "Thanks for making a great car, DAD!"