Puzzle Mania

Not sure what started it but our family has been on a Puzzle kick this week. Dora puzzles, Pooh puzzles, Animal Race puzzles, Dora puzzles, Care Bear Puzzles, United States puzzles, Dora puzzles, Power Ranger puzzles, Yu-Gi-Oh puzzles, Dora puzzles. It's been fun to see the kids patience and cooperation. Well, at least until it's all put together. Then the teasing of taking pieces off or touching each other's puzzles ensues. Gotta love Sibling Rivalry!!

Fargo Favorites #22

1. Health
I know, I know! A reoccurring theme here on the Fargo Favorites this Winter. But we are finally all feeling better. We're still hacking up a lung here and there but feeling tons better!
2. Dirty Snow

A common Fargo site in the Spring. It's very ugly for sure but it means the stinkin' stuff is finally melting a bit. Yeah! I'll take dirty snow any day these days. (That's sad, I know but true!! We are so ready to see the sidewalks and maybe even a bit of grass.)

3. Spring Flowers

My sweet Visiting Teacher brought by a life-saving gift this week. Something I may kill unfortunately. (No one said I had a green thumb, people) A little green plant in a pretty purple vase. Within 2 days, color started to emerge from it's roots. And look at it now- gorgeous! There is LIFE still growing here! Inside my home no less! I love it! I will enjoy it as long as I possibly can! Thanks for the little JOY!

4. Family Scripture Study

Each night, our family gathers together to read the word of God from the scriptures. Right now we are reading from 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and all about Christ's visit to the American Continent after His death. It's been neat to hear the things He taught them. We truly are blessed to have another Testament of Christ in these last days. Maybe unfortunately (I can't for sure tell), the Seamons' Family Scripture study is not always known for it's quiet and serene setting. It can be loud and chaotic and sometimes a time to wonder if it's really worth doing it at all. But despite the distraction and giggles and goofing around sometimes, I think it's benefits outweigh everything. Climbing on Dad's back and hearing the Word of God everyday- What could be better than that???

5. Good Neighbors
Neighbor's is a relative term in Fargo {within a 10 minute drive is considered a neighbor} but so grateful for those near by in times of need. Our truck broke down in Casselton this week. Thanks to the Larsen's allowing us to borrow their truck, Brett & I were able to tow the beast back to our house. [I barely made it back alive, if you want to know. The alternator is out so there were no brakes and no power steering and no heater. Don't worry about me though-- it was only -15 degrees and a 20 long minute, 60 MPH drive. Can anyone say- human Popsicle???] Then, the other Ryan spent a good chunk of his 1st day back in 2 weeks, helping Brett fix it. Thanks McPhersons- we owe your family BIG time! Thank heavens for good neighbors!

What do you LOVE this week?

Much Needed GNO

Despite the Suburban trying to thwort my plans for a successful GNO [it broke down on the side of the road in Casselton after piano lessons], my boyfriend came to my rescue. He drove all the way out to get Liberty & I and then even watched Julie's boys so she could come with me. (Thanks Love!)

Julie & I even amazingly made it to Olive Garden in time to order with the other ladies. It was a great size group which once again was in a rush. Poor waitresses! LOL!!! Cheryl O., Teri, Lisa M., Marie W., Bobbi & Katie, Julie M., Jill, KTuck and I enjoyed each other's company as we scarfed down our dinner. Oh the sacrifices we make to get out for a night! ;)

A tad bit late [oops!] but some of us ventured to the Century for Jennifer Aniston & Adam Sandler's new movie, Just Go With It. Let's just say.... LOVE Jennifer Aniston & Bailee Madison! AND That's all we're gonna say 'bout that! Save your money people and watch it on Netflix when it's free & with a big group of people to split the cost! Sorry ladies! Good to be with you though! We'll hopefully pick a winner next time. ;0) I did save my night however by watching Forever Young when I got home. Now that is a REALLY, REALLY, GREAT movie- So watch that one instead!

Despite the late start and the bad movie- it's always good to be with the ladies!- So thanks for joining me! It was a much needed GNO!

Sledding @ the Dike

Since Brett is way more of a MAN than I am- he dragged his still recovering body out of the house today to save our BORED kids. The older two were sick with a fever for like 24 hours [if even that] and have now been very patiently cooped up for days on end. Brett had them help clean up the house a bit, call a friend and then he took them all to the Dike for some sledding. This was Victoria's 1st time to the Dike. (Although she only made it down one run and then 2 others with her Dad dragging her both ways before she crashed in the car for a nap. Poor kiddo!) Anywho- they all had a fun, needed break from the sick ward. Of course, even with being amazing as he is- Brett didn't take the camera. Surprise! Surprise! But if they had gone at night [which they didn't] and he had taken the camera [which he wouldn't] this is the DIKE in the snow with some family going sledding. Proof enough for me! LOL

Brett even took them all to McDees for a treat after. He is one AMAZING man! Not to mention the snowplowed driveway, the dishes done, and an extra run to get his wife some french fries. What a MAN! XOXO

5 Day Weekend

What comes to mind when you think of a FIVE day weekend is probably a bit different than our sad yet oh-so-true reality. Seriously! We wanted to have BIG plans for all those days off. Catch a movie, stay at a hotel, swim, hang out with friends, maybe go out of town. Anything out of the house. But was it so????....... NNNNOOOOO!

Our ENTIRE family ended up spending our nice long weekend downing pain reliever, cough medicine, wrapped up in bed, close to a barf bucket and watching more movies than we can possibly count. Believe me... we tried! [To say nothing of our sump pump dying & my sick hubby spent day one in a water hole. ARGGG!] Poor little family! Not to mention the sheer boredom for those that recovered quicker than the others. It's been a rough Winter to say the least! Now, majority of the fam is at least out of bed but in desperate need of a box of tissues taped to their sleeve. Runny noses and endless coughs- you gotta be kidding!

Fargo Favorites #21

Valentine Edition of things I LOVE the most!:

What do you LOVE most?

Little Miss Beauty Pageant

Date: February 16th, 2011

Place: Mommy & Me Playgroup

Host: London Brotherson

Judges: Judge Seamons & Judge Brotherson

Contestants: Glory Seamons & Gwen Brotherson

Winners: Everyone!!!!!

We LOVE our Family!

If you don't know by now- I am a bit of a Holiday freak! And proud of it! Every Holiday brings a new box of decor, festive clothes to wear, partays to throw and LOVE to share with my cute little family!

Valentine's Day is no exception!

HOME DECOR: Along with all the fun things I had from years past, I found some darling things to add a lil' bit o'love to our home this Holiday! Check out some of my favorites:

THEMED FOOD: We started out our morning with a LOVEly breakfast of heart pancakes and heart eggs and pink milk! Yummy!

LOVE NOTES: Before leaving for work, Brett made each of us Valentine cards with a treat and a special poem just for us. He's so thoughtful! XOXO!

FESTIVE CLOTHING: While the girls and I went to our Valentine Party with the McKees, Liberty & Justice had Valentine's Parties at school. Here's the girls alll dressed up for Rebecca's Party: And here's Justice's Valentine box that Brett & him made for school:

FRIENDS: We even got a special Valentine treat and the Larsen girls over to play for a bit. They are so stinkin' cute!

FINE DINING: Since we had leftovers, you can tell that it's not about the food that makes a Holiday dinner special. It's the mood you set with candlelight and delightful dinner guests. Candlelight, holiday plates, fancy cups, rose petals, bubbly to drink and of course, presents. I found these cute little mailboxes this year. We stuffed them full of love and treats for the kids. We even opened up a few cards that they got from grandparents and Aunt Shauna. What a perfect day! 

LAUGHTER: There's never a dull moment in our Fam. Brett bought this special treat for me for Valentine's (It's been a while but YES! I am still a Twilight fan!) and I decided to share. The kids discovered that the frosting made amazing lipstick! Too funny!

PICTURES: Can I just say... I LOVE my family! The kids felt jipped since they weren't invited to our Couple Partay so we made sure we did a photo shoot of them. Cutest kids EVER! XOXO!

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Rebecca's Valentine Party

Rebecca and Lisa had a fun Valentine Party today. The girls and I were lucky enough to be invited. We had a lovely time!
I was so proud of Lisa! She sent out cute invites, cleaned & decorated her home, planned food and fun games and even blew up Valentine balloons for the kids. Wahoo! Way to go lady! Look at you--You are an amazing Partay Planner!
Here we are decorating Valentine bags with stamps, markers and stickers:

 Then everyone passed out the Valentine's they brought:

We played a "pin the heart on the bear" game. The kids were so cute! Some were too scared to wear the blindfold or get spinned. But I think everyone tried it! Some never even looked where their heart ended up at and others fixed it so it was in the right place. What characters! Then, Group shots with 3 year olds is always fun! But aren't they so darling?

Next, we had Valentine cookies & punch. Can you say pink, pink, pink?!!! My girls were in heaven! And yummy!

We totally enjoyed ourselves with some Valentine fun, playdough, visiting, toys, and dancing. We even stayed long enough for Lisa to feed us lunch. Thanks lady! We had a great time!

Candlelight Valentine Couple Partay: Pictures

Part of the decorating I did this year involved a Valentine backdrop. It turned out so cute! The Wests agreed to bring their fancy camera with them to be the photographers for the night. It totally reminded me of a school dance with an amazing group of friends. What a blast! Isn't our group adorable????? We turned it on AUTO to take 10 pictures. We were supposed to smile for the 1st two then kiss our spouse. I think the Tuckers missed the memo cuz it looks like we photo-shopped them in there. LOL! I LOVE it! These were the best shots. Isn't everyone sooooo stinkin' cute!?

Next, we did individual couple shots. Each couple got 3 poses. We all make such adorable couples!

What Valentine photo shoot would it be without a smooch or two? Again- ADORABLE!

What amazing friends we have

that are willing to get a bit out of their comfort zones.

Laugh a bit. And make some fun memories!

Love you all! 

S.W.A.K. until next year!

Candlelight Valentine Couple Partay: Love Notes

So, who doesn't love a Handwritten Love Note from their Valentine?
Last year's poem game was hilarious but this year, we went in a bit of a more romantic direction. We decided to make Acrostic poems for "MY VALENTINE". I made this cute little card (see pic) for each person and then we let them loose. They were definitely harder than I thought (until you heard the others and then the ideas were endless) but they also turned out even more amazing than I thought as well. Hope you ENJOY them as much as I did!
Matt to Haylie
Matt's
Your
Very
Able,
Loving,
Ever
Touchable,
Indian
N.E.
Evening

Haylie to Matt
Manly Man of Mine
You are a
Very Wonderful guy
And I
Love the way you
Entertain me by
Telling stories that make me laugh
I can't imagine my life w/o you. I'll
Never let you go!
Enjoy!

Ryan to McKenzie
My first love.
Yippee!!
Very patient
Adventure
Late, but you're worth it!
Everafter
True Aggies
In Love
Nate (there's a back story here that I'm not sure I've ever heard except I think it involves $20 and making-out with someone else. LOL)
Economists can be loved!

McKenzie to Ryan
My am I lucky!
You are so good to me.
Very considerate of how I am feeling,
A great Dad too.
Lots of creamies
Even a poem for my (Bday)!
True Aggies Night
I love you
Now & forever (After hearing Ryan's poem she changed this to Natalie. LOL)
Every moment makes me love us!

Brett to Shay
Mine
Yummy (This is so my word so he stole it!)
Very
Awesome
Loving
Extremely Hot
Testimony
Intelligent
Never a dull moment
Energetic

Shay to Brett
Marvelous Man
Yummy
Very Sexy
Amazing!!!!!
Loving
Every Girl's dream!
Thoughtful
Incredibly creative
Near Perfect
Everything I could hope for! XOXO

Ryan to Jenny
Mother of my beautiful boys!
You are my true Valentine
Very selfless and forgiving
Always looking on the bright side
LOVER........ of life!
Eternity is not long enough.
Together we stand
In good times and bad..
Never without laughter
Edward is a blood-sucking Vampire!

Jenny to Ryan
Man, Oh Man, My Man
Yours Always, always yours
Voluptuous Venus,
Aphrodite & Apollo Alone
Love and Laughter
Every Emotion
To Touch, to talk to taunt, to tame
In all the heavens, in all our souls
Never to part
Eternal.

Jared to Kristen
My dearest Kristen
Your ability to find clothespins is
Very impressive
And your
Love for removing them is
Entrancing
Thanks for being there
In times of
Need. You're always there
Every time I need clothespins removed!

Kristen to Jared
My best friend
You have always been
Very fun
And
Loving too.
Even the occasional
u-Turn
It's been
Nearly 10 years and I'm
Excited for the next 10!!!

Anonymous to Kristen
May we live
You and I
Valentines forever,
Always
Loving
Ever racing
Together our hope for
Immortal
Nudity and
Eternal Happiness!   love you!

Kristen to Sean
My  
Yearning
Voice
Always
Lobbies
Epically
To
Innunciate
Notre
Emore'
(She's aware these are spelled wrong but they all sound right! ;)
Aren't those so sweet? I LOVE them all!

Also- as part of our gift to our spouses, we separated the girls and the guys to do one more special thing for our Valentine. We filled candy dishes (for the guys) and necklaces (for the girls) with treats and a few "Valentine coupons" to give to our true love. Happy Valentines Day!

Happy VDay to all our Valentines!

Candlelight Valentine Couple Partay: Games

What's a Valentine Couple Party without a few games to get you laughing and upclose & personal with your spouse? Not a Seamons' Partay for sure. Games from last year were so fun that we almost just did them again BUT.... we didn't. ;) New memories with new friends are always a good thing, right? Turns out that's true because this year's games were just as much of a blast as last time.

We started our game night out with a little "Hide-N-Seek" KBro style. The Brothersons headed up this little game we call the Valentine Clothespin Game. Hilarious!!!! The ladies went downstairs while the men were given 6 wooden clothespins. Collectively, the men had to decide where on themselves to connect all six of the clothespins. They chose places like their hair, their sleeve, their pant leg, their neckline and on their backside at the bottom of their shirt. LOL! Then the ladies were lead back into the room BLINDFOLDED! On 3,2,1, Go! Each wife [with our hands behind our backs]  had to locate all 6 clothespins and remove them from their hubby! Those not blindfolded- LOVED this game. I can only imagine how funny we all looked. Some pretty good laughs for sure! The Winners? Way to go, Jenny! She was major speedy!

Our 2nd game involved a bit of brain power & poetic ability. LOL! The handwritten Love Notes to their Valentine were so creative and fun I just HAD to put them on the blog. (although much whining occurred with this proposition. All I can say is "suck it up, whiners!" We're preserving history here.) However, with 12 of them- it took up quite a bit of space to write them all down. So, I had to dedicate a separate post in their honor. Check them out HERE!

Another game we played was one involving Ping Pong Balls! Don't ask me where I found them (cuz they have been in my Valentine box for years. lol) but I had these ping pong balls with a cute red heart on them. See!!! "Pack-Rat"ness is helpful in certain circumstances. LOL! We did a couple of rounds of 2 couples each. Winner moved on! The challenge was to roll the ping pong ball 1st-  from the wife's left hand to her right had and 2nd- from the hubby's left foot, up his pants leg and down to his right foot WITHOUT dropping it. First couple completing the challenge, won! The only problem was whether or not your spouse thought "speed" or "enjoyment of the journey" was the name of this game. So fun! Tuckers and Larsens had this game down pat! Awesome ping pong rollers, you guys!

Of course, there should always be prizes when games are played. And at this particular Partay, everyone is a Winner! So... although the winners of the games got to choose first, every couple got a prize to take home. Gift bags were full of something edible & something romantically fun to do with your spouse. I have a lot of fun finding things to fill them with. Yeah for prizes.... May the fun continue on your own! ;)

Laughter and lots of P.D.A. !

a couple of the Best things that Couples can do for Valentines!

(Well, in public anyways! winkwink)

CANDLELIGHT Valentine Couple Partay!

This is our 2nd annual Couple Valentine's Partay! What a LOVEly, CANDLELIGHT evening! Let me tell you the tale....

Candlelight took on a whole new meaning for us this year. It just so happens that 16,000 people in Fargo and West Fargo were without power today due to a city-wide sporadic power outage of Xcel Energy. The lights flickered and went out about 1:40 pm this afternoon while we were cleaning & decorating our home for the Partay. We decided to plug in our generator and finish getting ready. After all, the recording at the power company said they'd have it back on by 5:45 pm. Well, the Partay was scheduled for 5:30 so with a bit of flexibility- it would work out perfect. Turns out that the power company LIED! L.O.L. We finally got power back at 2:30 AM. That's right- we were without power for 13 hours including the time during the ENTIRE party! Crazy, I know! But thanks to our emergency preparedness obsession, some white Christmas lights and a few candles-- the Partay turned out perfect! Some fabulous friends willing to go with the flow made it a night to remember. [Not pictured: Manuel & Christie Matos- issues with power made it so they couldn't be here for picture time. Bummer! Maybe next time!]

Starting on time wasn't quite a priority this evening as we juggled those without power AND making dinner on the side of the BBQ instead of the kitchen BUT it didn't matter much. The Wests brought a yummy citrus drink to have while we visited. As soon as everyone was there, the kids were settled and the food was ready, we headed down to our Candlelight Valentine Restaurant. Isn't it LOVEly?

The men-folk were in charge of the dinner. Was it ever yummy! They decided on a Cafe Rio night menu. It's a Mexican Grill out west that we LOVE! They did a fabulous job. Totally authentic Cafe Rio dinner with the silver trays, sweet pulled pork,  black beans & cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo with corn and beans, sour cream, cheese, limes, chips and even the Tomatillo Lime dressing. Delicioso! Muy buen! The girls were in charge of drinks so, Christie brought the most darling wine glasses all decked out Valentine-y. They were perfect! Thanks lady! Then, Jenny brought a bit of Mormon bubbly. So romantic! Dinner was awesome!

After stuffing ourselves with the fabulous food, we took the candles upstairs for CANDLELIGHT Couple Games. Absolutely a hoot! LOL (Way too much fun to include here so you'll have to stay tuned for the next few posts. HERE, HERE, and HERE)

But when all was said and done, we ended the romantic night with some delicious desserts provided by some of our lovely lady friends. Wow! Do these ladies know how to spoil us!? KTuck brought strawberry shortcake with real whip cream (that has love written all over it ;) and a cheesecake type dessert. Haylie made mini eclairs with her "to-die-for" frosting. She even made all the ladies a little "Pie in a Jar" to take home. They are the cutest things I've ever seen! All of it was AMAZING!

What a terrific way to start out our Valentine Weekend! Let's do it again next year! Thanks to the Brothersons, Tuckers, Ironroads, Larsens, Wests and 1/2 of the Matos (LOL) for joining us in our little Valentine tradition. Luv you guys!

Happy LOVE day to you all!

A Whole Lot o' Baby!

A big huge (or itty bitty) Congrats
to a bunch of my ward family this week!

3 new babies joined our midst this week!

Congrats to the Friederichs, the Brady Fam and the Potters!

So fun!

Fargo Favorites # 20

1. Snow Snakes

An amazing thing happens during the Fargo Winters when the wind blows. You see it best if you are driving down the freeway. Snow Snakes! They are a bit eery but neat how the wind throws snake-like stripes across the road.

2. Accomplishments thanks to KBro

KBro has been my life-saver this Winter! Luv ya lady! After a month of whining to one another... she finally made a decision that if we were going to survive the rest of the Winter here- we needed to start accomplishing things! Hence... the Service Club is born! We decided on Mondays (basically because we already do things together on Weds and Fridays AND we need a break to do nothing in between) so we can start our week out right! Each week we go to each other's home and do a service. Whatever you need done- paint a room, clean, fold laundry, organize, finish a project, etc- we do together! Let's just say- my kitchen hasn't been this clean in a LONG time! Awesome! And it worked- every time I walked through my kitchen I feel great about my week!

3. Red Roses

Who doesn't like red roses? They are so beautiful! Thsi last weekend, Brett & I were going to do a large romantic group date so we ended up picking these roses for the occasion. [Something for the guys to give to the girls] But plans changed so, I became the sole beneficiary for the gorgeous flowers. No complaints here though. They make my Valentine table decor even more beautiful! Thanks love!
4. Castle: Season One through Netflix

We finally joined the Netflix crowd. I know, I know- We are just a little slow in the techno-game! But we have totally enjoyed it! We get a movie, watch it that night or the next, send it back and get a movie the next day! We are getting our money's worthy for sure! Lately we have been watching the 1st Season of the tv show Castle! LOVE it! So funny! It's joining our top Favs list!

5. Service

I have been a huge slacker on doing any kind of service lately! Man- have I missed it! This week has been one busy day after another doing bits of service for others. Watching kids, causing laughter, giving rides, taking lunch, moral support, etc. What a great week! It amazes me what a huge difference it makes to your attitude & self-worth when you are busy serving others & God! After all- we know that "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17 & Matt 25:40) So true! I am grateful for that little reminder!

So, What makes you grateful today?

YES!!

For those wondering....
I AM still alive!
Frozen but alive nonetheless. There has been some sunshine the last couple days and I am slowly de-thawing enough to have something nice to say. Keep checking and be aware you may have to scroll down a bit. I do have a few things to catch up about. Then we'll see if February can make me fall in LOVE with my Blog again! No promises but they do say "Love is in the Air" so...... maybe! ;)

Super Bowl XLV

Brett definitely likes football but we aren't really die-hard fans. Maybe it's because we've never really had access on our home TV or because it's on Sunday (we try to cut down on the TV watching on the Sabbath). Whatever the case- Brett likes to watch some of it if he can and makes sure he knows the score but that has been our extend of involvement in the Multi-million dollar game. ;) Well this year, our friends the Eriksons (die-hard Steeler fans!) invited us out for a little SuperBowl XLV Partay!
We had a great time! There was soooo much yummy food! We had chips & home-made salsa, chicken wings, mini pigs in a blanket, mini corn dogs, pizza bites, veggies with dip, brocolli salad, Doritos (those commercials are the best!), bread and artichoke dip, deer jerky sticks, football cookies, mini cupcakes, pretzels, tons of pop and Jen's amazing cookie pizza. [even though she didn't grace us with her presence- ;o) We missed you my dear, crazy college friend!]
Landon was so excited to have his friends out to play and my couch-potato children enjoyed a couple of movies.
Alma and Phil stayed up stairs for most of the game while they rooted for the Packers. Every time the Packers scored, they would stomp on the floor. Too funny! The rest of us enjoyed watching Jason's blood-pressure spike in this close, intense game. Such a bummer that his team lost! We almost had to take him home with us! ;) We also LOVED the commercials. LOL! Where do they come up with these things? Last but not least- there are some amazing movies coming out soon. I'm so excited!

Lots of fun! Thanks for having us out guys! You're awesome!

Monster Jam 2011

Every February, the Monster Jam comes to the Fargodome. And every year, Brett takes the kids old enough to handle the noise to enjoy in the fun! Our die-hard MonsterJam friends moved this year (We miss you Webers!) so Brett, Liberty, Justice, and Victoria almost went alone. Not a bad thing- just different! But the Potter boys braved the price and the deafness for a Monster of a good time! They went to a daytime show this year. Definitely not as crowded & a little more child-friendly audience. Which can be a nice thing! ;)

This was Victoria's 1st time! She loved it! Her favorite part was the remote control trucks at the end. ;) The older kids were way excited because their all-time Fav returned this year- the famous Grave Digger!

Thanks Honey for making the time to create memories with the kids. You're an awesome Dad!

Fargo Favorites #19

This week will be brief but I didn't want to skip it!

1. Perfect Snowflakes

During a snow fall this week, it looked like it was snowing perfectly shaped snowflake glitter. When Justice showed me the one on his glove, I really thought he'd found a tiny snowflake confetti piece. Nope! It was snowing perfect 6-point snowflakes! Amazing!

2. The Sun
The sun has been visible for a couple of days. It was beautiful!
3. Everybody's Healthy
Finally!!!!!
4. February
The beginning of February means that January is over! Holidays are starting back up and Winter is halfway over. I'm so excited!
5. Flowery Hair Clips

For playgroup, a few of us made hair clips out of artificial flowers. My girls look so cute in them! And I accomplished something! Yeah for me!

What are you Grateful for Today?