SNOW?

This is what is left of our first (and only) snowman so far this year. He is so sad. I am torn. I want the kids to be able to enjoy some snow over their break but at the same time I do not like driving in it. I am sure what will happen is there will be no snow over the break but the Monday school is set to start, there will be a giant blizzard, keeping the kids home for another week!

Goodwill love

I have turned my 4.00 Goodwill coffee table into an ottoman for the boys' TV room. Total cost- 10.00. I found the fabric on clearance and the padding was CHEAP! I love a bargain!!!

Challenge

I have challenged Ben to read this whole series over Christmas break. I am sure he will do it. He is already almost done with the first book. This summer Ben and I read The Narnia series together now we are reading reading the Percy Jackson series together. I love to read to him every night especially when he begs for just one more chapter but I also need a break over break. This is my solution. Ben loves to read, so I am sure he will be done before I am back on reading duty!

Christmas 2011

We made it! After a long day of tracking Santa on NORAD, he FINALLY arrived at the Kahl house- showering the children with lavish gifts. Ben his own laptop and Gabe his red pointy electric guitar with the box thing.
I know Kevin will NEVER admit it- but he started the whole WOW gift thing with the kids 3 years ago. I had nothing to do with this CRAZY tradition. Year one was the TV room for the boys with a Wii and flat screen TV. Last year THE DOG! This year was a 2 part WOWZER! We moved the "little" TV from the TV room upstairs and installed it by the desk in the kitchen and hooked up the laptop. It is pretty cool to look at your email on a 32 in screen ( No bi focals needed). The second part was to "upgrade" the TV upstairs to a 55 inch TV which is why you see the looks of shock on their faces. A 55 inch TV on the wall of a 20x14 room IS amazing to see. The boys in the family have been up their ALL DAY playing Madden 12.
So why don't I like the WOW tradition?
It gets more difficult every year.
It is stressful.
Put this picture in your head: It is 11:00, The kids are in bed waiting Santa's arrival. Kevin and I are trying to haul a 55 inch TV upstairs (quietly) Kevin has only one good hand and I am pretty worthless when it comes to heavy lifting- or lifting at all for that matter. After putting it together, we are trying to lift it onto the wall bracket. Kevin is screaming "lift it higher!" and I am screaming, "I am only 5'4"!" and by this time it is 11:45.
Was it worth it? Absolutely! The boys have thanked us a million times today for the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!!!!!

Bunk Beds for the Parents

What is wrong with this picture?
1. There is a dog on our bed.
2. There are 2 children in our bed who both have perfectly lovely rooms of their own.

Kevin and I were cleaning up after hosting a meeting at our house last night. We told the kids to go upstairs and get ready for bed. This is what we found.
Their explanation-
"We thought you might want to switch rooms with us tonight!"
Just what we want- I get the top bunk!!!!!!

Meet PIG

Meet PIG
His name is pig and he is a pig
He comes to dinner every night
He sits
He waits.
He is the answer to teaching manners.
Every night the PIG waits, if someone is using horrible manners, the pig silently appears by their plate/
If PIG is at your plate when dinner is over you have to clear the whole table.
If everyone is using good manners, PIG just sits in the middle of the table and everyone clears their own dishes.
In just a few weeks, our kids are more conscious of sitting up, eating over their plate, taking manageable bites. I LOVE PIG- HE UNDERSTANDS ME!

I can thank Pinterest for the idea of PIG-
I love Pinterest!

Bruiser is not ALL Bad Dog

Just so you know- I was told I MUST post something, anything- about Bruiser being a good, calm dog. I found 2 pictures. I am pretty sure they were within 5 minutes of each other because that is the amount of time he has been good- total-his whole 1st year of life!

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was a lot smaller this year just us and my Dad. I have to admit, we felt sad that these cuties live in Germany now- We skped and talked for a long time. We miss them so much!
The kids opened their new ornaments and decorated the tree while I decorated the rest of the house! Kevin was still recovering from surgery so he directed all of us from his chair.

Lego League

I just got done with the hardest thing I have EVER had to do in my life. I co-coached a Lego league team of 9 4th graders. For 6 weeks 2 times a week, we met at my house. We researched, talked to mentors, programmed a robot to do missions(Thank goodness some Dads rose to that challenge) We learned a lot and somehow we did it. We placed 10th overall out of 29 teams and won the coveted Teamwork trophy. Yeah Team Carrot Sticks.
Will I coach again next year? I would rather not. That it all I have to say about that~

Ben 10

Ben turned 10 on November 5th. He enjoyed celebrating, getting great presents, including the 3D- DS he has been begging for. When we asked him what he wanted to do on his birthday. He said he wanted everyone to stay in their pajamas all day and do nothing. He didn't have to tell me twice. We had a great family day with no errands, cleaning or even cooking! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!!!!!!

Just Say No

This picture is a perfect example of what happens when you give into pressure from your peers. See exhibit A (well really my only exhibit) What you see is a rod with pins. It was placed in Kevin's wrist on Friday in a 31/2 hour long surgery. See the "missing pin" it broke off while placing this inside him. The tried to find it for quite sometime, but never did. Kevin is in a lot of pain right now, will be for quite some time and will be in a cast for 3 months.
This is proof, that even at the age of 40 something, you still give into peer pressure.
Kevin went to a cub scout meeting with Ben. They were earning their athletic badge. Kevin said they were encouraged to participate and he would have felt bad not doing it for Ben. So really he had some Daddy guilt! The other, not so son pleasing dads, who are CLOSE to 40 something, sat down and said NO WAY! Not Kevin- as he rounded a turn in the parking lot, he slipped on the gravel and the rest is our nightmare.
Do you think Kevin will still get his athletic patch??????

UNI Interlude Dance

http://youtu.be/LiKHDrjfJos

I feel like I am living under a rock. While at Homecoming this year my friends in Iowa could not believe I had never heard of the interlude dance. It started at UNI- Didn't know that. Pretty fun to see though.

UNI HOMECOMING

We were able to go back to Iowa to celebrate UNI's Homecoming and visit with our friends. Kevin and I met on Homecoming a million years ago! We had great weather and the Panthers won. The boys had a great time running around in the field near the tailgate and we enjoyed catching up with friends. I think Shasta (Ben and Liz's RV) was the very last one to leave the lot!
Other fun events:
We all joyfully sat and watched the Panther wrestling practice and wandered around the East Gym looking at old wrestling pictures.
We watched in amazement as Ben scaled a very high fence near a ball diamond.
I convinced Tricia to go to the Goodwill with me and on the way there I convinced her to stop at a garage sale then another and another and....
Whenever Tricia and I shop in Cedar Falls Kevin is like the clock police, timing our every move until we return. Why is that? I am pretty sure it is not because he NEEDS us for anything. Hmmm.... it's a mystery!!!

Halloween Part 2

Another Halloween is over. This year I thought it was going to be horrible weather. It rained all day but at the last minute, the sun came out, making it the perfect weather to go beg for candy I am going to make you sell to the dentist! Ben did not trick-o-treat this year. I think it was due to age as well as his allergy. If you think about it, what fun would it be to have people continually drop candy that could kill you in a bag. He did support his brother and put on his costume from last year for pictures.

Halloween Part 1

We went to our usual pumpkin farm again this year. It is blocks away from our house, it is small and perfect for us. We would rather buy pumpkins from a small farm and people who are sort of our neighbors.
Part 2- costumes and trick o treating ----coming soon!