Snowed in after our blizzard conditions! What FUN!

An amazing snow storm passed through Iowa last night, leaving 18 inches of snow behind. Here is what we woke up to this morning:

Needless to say there was no school today. The news is saying that it could be 18-24 hours befor the plows make it down the rural streets. So we are prepared to be here, at home for a couple days! Of course we had to venture our and discover this new winter wonderland!

Winter Jam '11

So excited to have taken the three oldest kids to their first - REAL - BIG - AMAZING - CONCERT!!! It was soo much fun, we are already looking forward to next year and no way is it gonna come soon enough!
We paid extra to be a VIP memeber, it was so worth it. We got in without waiting in the freezing cold line, got free t-shirts and seats of our choice.
Here is a list of the bands:
Chris August
Sidewalk Prophets
Kutless
Red
Newsong
KJ-52
Francesca Battistelli
David Crowder Band
Newsboys

For any of you considering going to this concert when it hits your area - it is definately recommended as a super fun, exciting, family event. Even though I only took the 3 older kids, the 2 younger boys would have loved it just as much! Maybe next year....

Winter Vaca '11

One Friday afternoon just as we were discussing a winter vacation for our family, looking at the calender, trying to find a time to make this work in the next couple of months - - and amazingly enough the phone rings. Chris's job for the upcoming week needs to be post-poned. A quick phone call, empty rooms at the resort and we have a family vacation planned - and we leave in just 3 days!!!
It has been great being away from jobs, school and all the other responsibilities that go along with everyday life.
So here we are, in the Wisconsin Dells, swimming, tubing, sliding, playing...together!
Love being together with family, making memories...some of my FAVORITE times!

Putting up the TREE!

With Chris being gone for work a few nights this week, the kids talked me into putting up the tree to surprise daddy! (who helped me get it down from the attic before he left, just incase we felt motivated to accomplish this big task without him) :)
Our tree is not so small, it is 8 foot tall and 6 foot wide, and with 5 little helpers we had it up and decorated in just a couple hours! :)
It started out going well, until we got half the branches shaped and put onto the tree and decided to go ahead and attach the top, which didn't fit....I thought I remembered from a previous year that it would fit, but the top branch needed to be bent over. That was not so, we had the tree tilted over, trying to balance it so that we didn't bust off the legs of the stand. And then for a moment it was wedged, tilted, between the ceiling and the floor. So needless to say - our tree does not have the top on it this year, instead it has an angel placed in the flat spot on the top. :) It took 4 of us to wrap the lights around as we unsuccessfully attempted to keep them untangled. Finally - when it came time to hang the ornaments, each child was responsible for his or her own! Cole would put 4 ornaments together on one sagging branch. :) Let me just say - our tree is special, it is original, and it is OURS!
I also had each kid show me their favorite ornament for this year; Colben of course picked a worker man tool, Justus picked his race car driver-Tony Stewart, Sami picked her melted snowman-she is so excited about our first snow today, Matt's was his 'My First Christmas' ornament-"Heaven opened up and sang the day I was born.", Jake's was Spongebob catching a snowflake on his tongue, I guess Spongebob is funny and odd-just like Jake.
With one Christmas already done and 5 more to go we excitedly look forward to all the time spend with family and all the fun to be had!

Snow Days!

Snow days are much loved in the Reighard house hold. Although this year we have had so many we will not have much of a summer, the kids will still be making up snow days into the middle part of June!!!
Sadly we have had so much snow this winter that we have not had the ice skates out. : ( We still have a few weeks of winter left, so we can hope for the best! : )
Yesterday, we bundled up and headed out. Chris gave rides on the 4-wheeler, the kids played on the many mountains of snow that have been scooped and piled up, they have atleast 3 igloo's, and of course; we went sledding!
Justus had a hard time staying on his sled, but with 8 inches or more of fresh snow it can be a challenge. : ) The screaming look on my face is me yelling at Jake (with the camera) to get out of my way, and as he did, WHAM! my body slammed into the canoe at the bottom. It took a while to get up and my ribs are still sore today, but the down hill ride was fun! : )

Wisconsin Dells - Glacier Canyon

Our family vacationed this winter was in Wisconsin Dells. We stayed at Glacier Canyon, they have three indoor waterparks, arcade areas, a super fun play area, lazer tag, mini gulf and other fun things. Skywalks connected the different areas so even though it was freezing outside, we were warm and cozy inside. To celebrate Chris's birthday we ventured out in the cold one night and ate at Famous Daves!! The boys thought it was awsome that they got to eat off of a garbage can lid!! Colben gobbled up everyones corn bread muffins, Sami devoured everyones corn on the cob and Red couldn't stop talking about how yummy the ribs were! The wave pool was of the top favs at the waterpark, along with a waterslide - the Hurricane!! Although we had an awesome time and were sad to have to come back home, we axiously await to see where we will get to venture to next winter.

Family Pictures

After 3 years we decided to have family pictures taken again!!