Christmas 2008

Ben got the surround sound he wanted, Morgan got a scooter and an mp3 player, and Maren got a digital camera. (As we mentioned earlier, Cory got a bass guitar and his very own computer.) All the children were happy with their larger gifts and their smaller gifts and we had a nice evening of opening presents, eating the menu they chose, and playing Wii.

Ben will be taking his surround sound with him when he leaves home, so he tells us, and I have gotten used to listening to it while watching movies...it is so cool!...that I may be asking for surround sound after he leaves! Today we watched a movie that had helicopters and vehicle chases and it was just like being right in the middle of all the action! Cool!

Maren has been taking many pictures on her camera and the following are some of my favorites:

Hunter - Mitch's Huge Dog Me and Morgan

Morgan, Me, Niece Sarah Rose Ben and Me

Our Hunter...what a dog!

Christmas Concerts by Morgan

Our little Morgan was "Frosty the Snowman" this year during the Northside Elementary Christmas Concert! She is in the third grade and more adventurous than I was at that age! She did a fantastic job and I was so proud of her! Even Maren gave her a "whoo hoo" when she was done...now that is a proud sister! Morgan enjoys music and Mrs. Bruce is a great teacher. I am glad that she mixes up the music. Mrs. Bruce did a great job on the program this year and I will admit that I was a little sad knowing that this was my last Northside concert with a child participating in it!

Morgan was also in the Christmas program at church, but we didn't take any pictures of that concert because we videotaped the whole thing for my dad.

Christmas Concerts by Cory

Cory was in two Christmas concerts this year...Band and Vocal. In band he played percussion and in Jazz band he played his bass guitar. In Vocal he sang with Limited Edition and the Concert Choir. Cory enjoys music....or at least it seems that way since he gets up early four mornings out of five to be at school early for rehearsal! Luckily for me he has found a friend and his mother who is willing to pick him up every day and get him there on time!

Mitch Malakowsky is deployed

Host and Hostess Mark and Nancy Bleckeberg (Jeff's sister and brother-in-law) gave the party of the season to Mitch and his family in early October! They put down carpeting in their garage, hung red, white and blue curtains along with many other red, white and blue decorations! Mitch and Jenny have been married for 15 years and they have three boys: Alex, Nick, and Luke. Mitch's deployment was to begin in October and end in November so we all got together to wish him the best!


One part of the surprises of the evening was to make Mitch fit in as much as he could. Mark and Nancy also knew that he would be missing his beer so they had made up a pack of dry ice and Miller Lite Mix With Water batter. They said it probably wouldn't be the same! (Later we found out that the dry ice was really softener salt and the Miller Lite was really cornmeal! They had me fooled....don't ask me how much I had to drink by that time...I would be embarrassed to tell you not much!!!!


Tori Bleckeberg and Maren are the same age and are not only cousins, but also friends. They are so wonderful when they are together and pick up right where they left off no matter how much time has passed between visits! The second picture is one of all the cousins that attended the party. Mark and Nancy gave Mitch one of those key chains that can hold multiple pictures so I tried my hand at getting them all into position. It sort of worked...the first one...a pyramid was a total flop and everyone fell over! It was very funny....


Mom and dad (Karen and Emil) Malakowsky were also in attendance as were Jenny's folks...sorry no picture of them. We also sang Karoake. The person in the white shirt, dark sleeves, is Matt who is a great friend and neighbor to Mark and Nancy. His wife, Joni, is a hoot and I love it when she can join our get-togethers!

Thanks Mark and Nancy for having so many people over at your house, for throwing such a great party, and for being gracious hosts!! (And, we are all very happy to say that Mitch returned on Thanksgiving day!)

Cory

Cory kept me busy this fall following him to Cross Country Meets and it was really fun! I didn't know what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying watching him and his teammates run.

Cory was asked to play bass guitar for Jazz band at school, however, he didn't have a bass guitar just an acoustic one. Jeff and I decided to purchase a nice guitar for him for an early Christmas/birthday present and he received it in October. It was not a fast enough shopping day for him as he text me and called me a few times to see when I would be getting home. When I purchased the guitar, the lady asked me what size amp I wanted and I told her, "The smallest one you have!!" It has been fun listening to him practice and listening to him perform. He amazes us with his talents!!

Homecoming?

It has been so long since I have been on here that I don't even know if this is the right football game....but Ben played football and Cory played the big bass drum out on the field...it was great to see the Band do formations and play...brought back lots of memories!!

Cory said this is the last year for field marching as there isn't any more money to fund the program. That's too bad...it adds a nice flair when the students get to play at half time! They did a great job!

Maren

Maren's concert was a sad one for her mom because her mom got very sick a few days before the concert, thought she felt better, but then got worse again right before she was going to leave for the concert. Luckily, Maren's dad saved the day and took lots of pictures and videotapes of our little darling!!

Maren was the lucky winner at the November Bingo held at Marian Hall every November! She won us a little turkey that we were able to enjoy at Grandma's house during the Christmas holiday! Way to go, Maren!