A Few Days Late

Chris's best buddy, Matt, had a birthday over the weekend. I'm sorry I didn't post something sooner!! I didn't forget though. Although, I'm sure it's something you're used to with a birthday so close to Christmas.

Happy Birthday Matt!! We hope you had a great day!

Remember this trip?? Have you seen my pants? Ahh, the good old days, no need to find babysitters....well, maybe you boys needed babysitters, but fun times either way!

Highly Recommended

Chris and I bought this for Grady for Christmas. I know there are a TON of learning computer type things on the market for preschoolers.

I am very impressed with this Fisher-Price version, Computer Cool School. He LOVES it! I think on Christmas Eve he played for about 45 minutes. Reading, writing, math, art, science and music. And there are other 'games' you can get with common characters like Scooby Doo and Clifford.


If you are in the market, my opinion is to give this one a try!

Now that Christmas is over....

We are having another countdown.

Grady's birthday is just 12 days away.

As if the kid doesn't have enough new stuff to play with!!

I am in shock that he will be 4 years old.

Already.

Where does the time go?

Merry Christmas!

Hoping that everyone has a great Christmas with their families. Pray for those who cannot be with theirs. And always remember the reason for the season!!

My Child...

Once he found out about T-Bone being at Granny's this morning.....

"Momma, I really want someone to get me over to Granny's RIGHT NOW. 'Cause I don't have a driver's license!"

Lord help me....He already wants a driver's license.

Four going on fourteen!

Knight in Shining Armor

Robbie Gould is no doubt worth every penny the Bears pay him!

Another late night game saved by the talented kicker!

I'm so glad those are over with. I watched to the bitter end. Glad that the Bears got first possession in OT cause I thought I (again) could puke with nerves.

Way to go Bears!! Playoffs, Here we come!

Anyone else hearing this daily??

But, I Can't Wait Until Christmas!!


Just one present?


Please????

Garlic Salt on the Road???

Chris heard this on the radio and I had to Google it.... Check this out!!

http://www.katu.com/home/video/36304849.html?video=pop&t=a

18 Kids and Counting

The newest Duggar is here!

Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar

Wonder when Number 19 will arrive?

Happy Birthday T-Bone!

Two years ago today, I got an awesome early Christmas present. My first 'real' nephew, Tristan Eugene. Affectionately know to us as T-Bone. He has always been a bruiser and Chris said he needed a beefy nickname to go with his physique. So, T-Bone stuck.







Last night we had a party for him. Complete with a horse cake, candles he tried to eat, and lots of presents. Presents, I might add, that he didn't want to put down in order to unwrap the next ones. Christmas ought to be interesting!

Happy Birthday T-Bone! Aunt Aubbie, Uncle Spank and Grady love you!!

How to tell when....

....your toddler needs his own camera.

I think there were about 15 pictures of Tom and/or Jerry when I went to clean the camera off. I guess he wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything.

Groggy

Why did someone ever dream up Thursday night football?

And why did they make the Bears play on Thursday night?

The game went into overtime and I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach with nervousness.

Thank the Lord for Robbie Gould and his golden leg and a Bears victory!



Did anyone else watch and see the sign in the crowd, "Gould for Governor"

I would so vote for him.

It's been awhile

I haven't posted anything in a week....what the hell? I don't know, but I guess here are some random photos that I haven't posted about yet. Just in case you missed me!

Grady got these roller skates/helmet/pads for his birthday last year. He is just now getting to where he thinks he knows what he is doing with them. The garage is the only open space we have to let him use them. Papa Johnny says he needs to stuff his butt with toilet paper so he will have a softer landing.

The newest play time routine at our house is puppet shows. Grady and Daddy go behind the love seat and put on a show for me. Whoever is the alligator ends up eating the duck...every time. I took a video, but I am such a dumbass I don't know how to upload them. And even if I did, Chris probably wouldn't let me.


Grady pretty much decorated the whole tree for me. Then was he pissed off when I told him that he had to take it all off so I could put on the lights. Does anyone else have an issue with their Christmas lights? I know all of them worked when they were put away last year. Now they don't. Go figure.

After Amber's recommendation of the movie "Bolt," Grady and I went to Robinson and watched it. Very cute. He had never been to the theatre before and I hadn't been for ages. Because of my lack of attendance, I had no clue there were little booster seats for kids. So, the chair ate my child.

On Sunday we went to the Santa train. It was freezing! I think we were in line for an hour. Grady enjoyed it and didn't once complain he was cold. Me, I complained lots! For the first time, Grady was not afraid of characters, so that was a plus. And he sat on Santa's lap too! Shocker also. When we were leaving, we saw our good buddy Dawson. Those boys could have took off with that train, I think. They climbed all over the front of it. Don't know if they were supposed to, but no one told them not to either.

I think that about catches me up for the week. I'm sure I have left something out (drama), but who wants to know about that?

Well, Duh!

I guess I should have added to the post about our family pictures.

You can go to Amber's *AWESOME* website to view the rest of our photos, if you didn't already....


http://www.photographicsgallery.net/p1022325748


Oh, and did I mention, Amber is awesome???

If The Redneck Christmas Tree Didn't Get You in the Holiday Spirit....

Dear Santa,
Please send me a baby brother.

Santa wrote back:
"Send me your mother..."

I am Done!!

Christmas Shopping.......DONE!!

How will I ever choose?

Here are my favorites of The Bergbower's Christmas Photo Shoot.

Amber, You are Awesome!

I have a big job ahead of me choosing what to put on my walls.

It's All Over

Well, Thanksgiving is officially over. I am thankful for having the dinner at my house. However, I now know that I am thankful for my mother and her cooking and cleaning everything that encompasses a Thanksgiving meal.

Chris fried rabbit. Yes, Grady's pet rabbits. There are more. He will never know. Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits and Gravy, Homemade Bread, Sweet Potatoes, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Cake.....okay well, I'm gonna have to go get some seconds now!

Grady is sick. He woke up at 5 a.m. with a "barky" cough. Great. I feel so bad for him. Sounds even worse. He slept through Thanksgiving dinner and Thanksgiving dessert and Thanksgiving after dessert seconds. Poor guy. Hopefully he will recover quickly.

Along with Thanksgiving being over, Christmas for the retail world is in full swing. Black Friday here I come!!

Oh, and enjoy the new background to promote the season.

Happy Turkey Day!

I know it's a bit early, but I am hosting Thanksgiving Day festivities at my house so who knows if I will get a chance to post it tomorrow..... and you know I will be out getting good bargains on Friday.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and remembers to be thankful for what they have this year. You never know, you may not have it next year.

Follow Through

No, I didn't get the big one...I saw him though. Altogether we saw 9 deer and 3 turkeys Friday afternoon. Awesome!! I didn't think I would get such a kick out of watching them get close, but it was pretty neat. However, when the big one arrived, I got scared shitless. I told Chris I would probably miss it and he should shoot it. He basically told me to suck it up and aim. He ran away, so I got off without making an ass of myself. I went out this morning, but saw a little bit of nothing and froze to death. I guess I might go back next time. It wasn't THAT bad.

I followed through with my promise to Chris to go hunting.

Before the cold wind hit!


Yes, another buck for the wall. If you're counting, that's two this year. What's a girl to do?

This morning hunting....OMG!!! I froze my ass off! Notice the frost on my mask.

Can't forget Grady.....T-Bone woke him up when he and his Dad came over. Too cute not to include.

Redneck Christmas Tree

I got these pictures as an email and felt the holiday spirit overtake me! Just had to share!

Hope this gets everyone in the holiday spirit too!

A hunting I will go...

Well, I have to hold up my end of the bargain.

Drama kept me from hunting during bow season, so I have to go out during gun season.

Not sure I will be able to actually kill anything, but I guess for the sake of my hubby, I will try.

Besides that, I think my shoulder is still reeling from trying to hit the target Chris wanted me to practice on.

Oh, well, I am not a hunter by any means. I promised though. And a promise is a promise.

On a side note....

I forgot to post about my moms surgery results.

I am happy to report that my mom made it through with flying colors.

She is more sore from this surgery than the other two, but doing well and glad to be out of the pain she was having.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep her down for a few more days and she doesn't try to be SuperGranny and do something she isn't supposed to.

Random Cell Phone Pics

These pictures I would have not shared, but thanks to technology that I have finally figured out, I will.

Yes, I know this looks horrid! Chris wanted pickled eggs for deer camp....I obliged.

Travis sent me this photo of T-Bone. Too cute, even the dog is smiling.

Grady showing how excited he was to go to preschool.

I think my child has OCD.

Papa and his boys.

After watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Grady has decided that he too is a blockhead.

My dad's work of art. Chris, as you know, got a buck this year to put on the wall. We drew (by we I mean I) out the template on cardboard and dad then put it on wood. Dad, you did fantastic!

Chris Loves It!

Hi Linda!

So Chris comes home yesterday and says, "I got congratulated on my deer by someone who reads your blog."

Wow!! I didn't know who it was!!

I actually have people reading....exciting!!

Linda Ochs, you have been brought out of the blog closet.

Thanks for stopping by!! Hope you enjoy your visit!

Good Luck Mom!

Today, my Mom has her 3rd back surgery.

I'm worried for her and cannot be there with her.

Please be thinking of her today and hope the doctor can fix her right up.

I'm hopeful that she will be out of the pain she has been in and be back to her old self.


I LOVE YOU MOM!! SEE YOU TONIGHT!!

Heard This on Effingham Radio

Supposedly coming to Effingham in August 2009

We'll see....I'm still waiting on Puerta Vallarta to open in Newton

From the Mouth of My Babe

Okay, I know all the little things that kids say are cute and you should go AWWW, that's so sweet. I tend to think that most of the time, but then Grady says something and I think AHHH, where did you get that from!!

A few Awww moments:

During one of our conversations, Grady told me, "No, you bobble head!" I told him I was not in fact a bobble head and that it wasn't nice to call names. He then says, "Okay, your majesty."

When we asked Grady what he wanted for supper, his reply was Chicken Patties and Rollover Minutes.

A few Ahhh! moments:

I corrected Grady on how to say a word and he told me, "You think you're so smart about everything."

Grady threw my comb in the toilet. Right after he had peed in the toilet. I threw the comb away and asked why he did that. He said, "I did it just so I could tick you off!"

Alright, last one....
We watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 Monday night when they went to Hawaii and were at the luau. Grady asked if we saw the girls with the coconut bras. Chris and I told him we did and wondered if he thought the girls were pretty. He told us, "Nah, but the coconuts were!"

Now What?

Well, it officially looks to me like the economy is in the crapper.

Chris just was informed of hour cuts at work...not jobs, yet. Thank you, Lord.

Other people I know are barely getting by. Paycheck to paycheck. I would love to say I'm not, but that would be a lie. I pay my bills, don't get me wrong. But, there isn't much left over.

I'm not trying to have a pity party. I just wonder if The Bergbower's are doing something wrong or if everyone feels this way.

On that note, what does one do to cut corners on bills and such? I just cut down our cable TV package. What else should I downgrade?

All that hunting finally paid off....I guess

At least for Chris, it paid off. Friday night he shot a 8 point buck with his bow. He had been on vacation all week and finally got a deer.



The bad news is, for me anyway, I have to find somewhere to put another deer head on the wall. Grady may be the recipient of a deer head on his wall. He would like that. Me, not so much.

New 'Toy'

I know what you all must be thinking. Christmas is only a little over a month away, why does this child need toys now. Well..... his Daddy is a sucker. That's why.

While at Gander Mountain with his Dad, Grady NEEEEEEEEEEEEDED this bow and arrow so that they could go hunting together. After a few practice shots, Grady decided he couldn't do it and sat on his picnic table pouting. Go figure.

I'll Be Watching, Will You?

My dad clued me in to this story....

Superstitions in Politics.

Check it out.

I'm curious if it holds true.

I guess we will all know in about 24 hours.

My Credit Card is Officially Smokin'!

I think this is my next plan of action!

Kara, Angie and I hit the stores of Champaign and Tuscola for some major shopping. We got Kara's van LOADED down, but as Angie said, we were not at full capacity.

I had a great time girls, can't wait for the next trip!

Grady is funny!

Okay, I know I have posted a lot lately..... blogging is a great stress reliever!

On to the story.....

I was getting ready to take a picture of Grady with his monkey costume on and told him to say cheese.

His response:

MOZZARELLA!!



Where do they come up with these things?

Daytime Trick or Treating

Grady and I went to my Grandma Mary's (his great-grandma, AKA Great Mary) Wednesday and Trick or Treated. She was very excited to have us, and enjoyed eating out at, you guessed it, McDonald's.

She had a doctor's appointment and we beat her to her house, so we broke in! Grady surprised her at the door.

After lunch, we went back to Great Mary's and she asked if Grady wanted to help her make cookies. Of course, my son loves to cook. He even got to press the button on the mixer....quite the job you know!

Good cookies guys!! You did a great job!! I know she would never even know how to go about reading this, but THANK YOU Grandma for the great day! We Love You!

Jack - O - Lantern

I have officially forgotten just how gross pumpkin carving is! Grady and I, well I, carved these two beauties yesterday after our trip to Great Mary's.

I was pretty impressed how well I did....if I can brag on myself for a while!

Darn the Dirty Luck

As luck would have it, I didn't get to go out hunting with Chris last night. Due to all the drama that someone decides my family really needs, I stayed in with Grady and let Granny and Papa have the night off. (They were the ones who would be watching him and I didn't really think they needed a wired 3 year old to take care of on top of everything else. I know you could do it Granny, just being considerate.)

I was so looking forward to going hunting too. ;)

Ha Ha!

Today is Opposite Day

Yes, opposite day. Everything I am saying here needs to be read with the bold word exchanged for it's opposite.

I love you.

You always tell the truth.

You are the best mother.

You treat people with kindness.

I hope you go to heaven.

You know who this is about. You know who you are.... I wish I could be more like you Sarah...but, I'm not. I'm just about as low as you can go.

A Little Halloween Humor

A cabbie picks up a Nun. She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.


She asks him why he is staring. He replies: 'I have a question to ask, but I don't want to offend you.'


She answers, ' My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive.'


'Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me.'


She responds, 'Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic.'


The cab driver is very excited and says, 'Yes, I'm single and Catholic!'


'OK' the nun says. 'Pull into the next alley.'


The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.


But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.


'My dear child,' said the nun, 'Why are you crying?'


'Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess; I'm married and I'm Jewish.'


The nun says, 'That's OK. My name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party.'

Deer vs. Chris

This post has two different stories.....

#1 Yesterday morning my phone rang at 6:05 a.m. I thought it was my dad checking to see if I was going to make it to work since I was sick over the weekend. No. It was Chris. Mr. I have never hit a deer, ha ha. Yes, he has never hit a deer. But......yesterday morning a very horny deer hit him. Horny in both respects of the word when describing a deer. He was chasing a doe across the road. Chris stopped for the doe and the buck ran into his truck. Not very much damage. Just a few spots that he said he didn't really want to have his insurance raise in order to fix.

#2 Archery hunting season has not been going so well for Christopher. He has seen deer. Unfortuneately, he has been seeing them as he is walking back to the Teryx to come home. Well... I take that back. He had one buck really close to him, but it caught his scent. Okay, I guess deer are very aware of what stinks around them. *Sorry, Chris I'm not saying you stink, but that dirt smell, really does.* Anyway, back to the point. Since it has not been going well, I am going along tonight for good luck. Hope I can keep my mouth shut long enough for him. I also hope I don't stink it up out there and really scare the deer off!

Better Late Than Never

After reading about all these people going to the pumpkin patch at Arthur, we were swayed into going and seeing what it was all about. Unfortuneately, Grady was at the beginning of his pukefest (unbeknownst to us) and wanted no part of being there. We did get a few good pumpkins to decorate with and one decent picture of him semi-enjoying himself in the straw maze. Maybe next year we can go and enjoy ourselves a little more, I sure would have liked to do more of the fun things even if Grady didn't.

I really don't like...

BEING SICK!!

Sore throat, coughing, nose blowing, stuffy head......all that I just really don't care for it!