Happy Anniversary!

Sorry to post over Ben's birthday. I think it'll be an annual collision. Abe and Desiree celebrate their fourth anniversary today -- and their first as parents. Just a few more days until their parenthood hits full bloom. Love you two and hope you've been having a great day!

Happy 31st Birthday, Benjamin James!

 

Benjamin James is 31 years old today!  The weekend that Ben was born was opening day of hunting season.  His grandpa Leo and a bunch of friends stopped in Bozeman on their way to their hunting camp.  Grandpa did his best to get Jim to join them...it is really a good thing he didn't go because there might not have been Jake, Nick, Sam or Maddie!

 

So this is Ben's life right now...living in Hawaii, working at a hospital on Maui and seeing sunsets like this~it's tough for sure! 
Enjoy your day Jamin!  I wish I could be there to help you celebrate.  We will have a good glass of wine next time I see you.

Love you tons!
MOM

Christmas Exchange

Hi all!!  I was going to put this up last night but couldn't post over Hannah's beautiful post!  Meg drove me crazy and did the drawing a while ago, and I forgot to post on the blog.  It is done and here is how it goes (Giver is first - receiver is second):

Rika & Family - Maddie
Abe, Des & Bitty - Jake
Hannah & Family - Nick
Bri & Family - Shannon & Birch
Mike - Randa & Family
Matt & Family - Ben
Joey - Hannah and Family
Meg & Family - Rika and Family
Jen - Sam
Molly - Bri and Family
Nate - Mike
Shannon & Birch - Jen
Randa & Family - Matt & Family
Ben - Molly
Jake - Meg and Family
Nick - Joey
Sam - Abe, Des and Bitty
Maddie - Nate


Connie  -  Tom
Bill  -  Jeanine
Jan  -  Mary
Marc  -  Jim W
Johnny  -  Connie
Annie  -  Jimmy
Tommy  -  Johnny
Jeanine  -  Jan
Mary  -  Billy Boy
Jim W.  -  Annie Belle
Jimmy  -  Marc

So there you have it!!  Now everyone needs to get lists, wants, etc. on the blog.  Let's get this Christmas 2012 going!!!

Just a Philpot update

"

Was nice to see those of you that I did for that brief trip up for Grampa O's funeral. While there, Tom mentioned that the blog is getting a little bit slow in recent days. So to motivate people to start doing some posts, I think we should do our "Blog Christmas Cards" with updates and pictures of everyone. I know it is early but maybe we can actually get it done if we start in October. To be a good example of this great idea, here ya go! :) Let's see, Kayla won student body officer with John's great slogan,"Mikayla Philpot; Hard to spell, Easy to vote for!" Was a tight race with all the drama and mudslinging of the presidential one going on (I am barely kidding). But it was a great experience for her - middle school is proving to be pretty fun. Carter's football team made it to the playoffs!! They are currently undefeated and playing the other undefeated team this Saturday. You wouldn't believe how stressful a ten year old football game can be. Well, maybe you sporty families actually can - or maybe you just never let it stress you out. (I could use some tips.) By the way, that picture above of Happy Carter and crying Kaitlyn was because he had just thrown her stick and yet pulls this innocent picture smile as she bawls. Just a funny true to life moment caught on camera. :) Kesiah is loving third grade, she has the best teacher in the school. I am her room mom so we are planning out her lavish Halloween party, it is going to be the best!! She is taking some time off before volleyball to just chill, which is a nice break after 6 months of softball! :) Kaitlyn is doing fabulous in Kindergarten. She is a prompt gal who hates to be late and is tidy and efficient - very unlike her mother. She is also in a great ballet class and they are practicing for their Christmas Carol Ballet in December. Oh, and last week the kids had a couple days off school so I took them to a sports clinic where they take x-rays of your hand and they can predict (quite accurately) the height you will be when you are full grown. It said Mikayla was going to be six feet tall and Carter should be 6'5" or 6'6"!! Crazy tall!! You cousins out there, how tall are you? Does this run in my family and I just never realized? Katie and Kesiah were technically too young to have an accurate assessment, I guess ten years old is the most accurate age to start. No, but really, how tall are ya'll? And Jerry and I are just trucking along. Jerry and Carter just got home from the deer hunt today Buck-less and kinda' bummed but at least they got a cool hike up in the misty mountains. I have been taking lots of pictures lately - pictures for families and school pictures and the like. It is my favorite hobby, if only I had more time. But overall, life is really good. Super busy but good. I don't know how you six kid families managed to get it all done! Again, perhaps you could post some tips! :) Love ya'll!!

City of Trees Marathon-Boise

Well, I wasn't sure if I would run another marathon after Boston.  After my surgery (a month and half ago) I could barely run 4 miles.  But as Tom mentioned it will come back.  I was in Chicago three weeks ago and did a long run and ran the stairs in their condo unit and Desiree asked me what I was training for.  I said "nothing", little did I know.  Found about this race on Friday, registered Saturday and ran a 3:46 Sunday.  I'll take it!

Iceland!

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting some photos from our trip to Iceland. You'll notice a lot of waterfalls, 'cause there's a bunch of 'em. You can often see people in the pics to give you a sense of scale. We really enjoyed the trip and hope you enjoy this small slice of it.

Happy 49th Birthday, Jimmy and 26th Birthday, Nick!

Happy birthday to two of my favorite guys!  I hope you both enjoy your special day.  Jim and Nick were the first in this family to share a birthday...I think Jim jinxed me when I was pregnant with Nick!  I also realize that I need to take many more photos of Jimmy cuz I didn't have many to choose from~
Happy birthday you two.  Love you!

Orvis Goetz

Orvis Goetz, grandfather to my sisters and me and close friend of Grampa John, died peacefully today at his home surrounded by his family. He was born the youngest of six children in a small town in South Dakota, where he grew up speaking German. Because he couldn't speak English when he started school, he earned the nickname "Sputter," which stuck for many years. Always entrepreneurial, he had a paper route as a boy, then delivered groceries with his bicycle, then sold sporting goods, then Fuller brushes door to door. Then, of course, life insurance. He officed with Grampa John in a space that was attached to Mel's Doughnut Shop (Mel took a trip to Mexico, discovered tacos, and his doughnut shop became the first Taco Treat). He and John would drive John's VW bug all around Montana to call on ranchers in their homes - where they would often be invited to sit for dinner and John would sometimes play the piano. Orvis had a magnetic personality and a sharp humor that will be missed greatly by all of us who love him. I'll post when we have funeral details, but it looks like it will be Wednesday.

Happy Birthday, Shannon

Today is Shannon's 25th birthday and her first as Mrs. Haraden.  It was a big last year for her and I'm sure this next year will be just as exciting and fun.  To an amazingly awesome sister: Happy Birthday!

Beautiful Ireland

What a trip!!!  We can't thank our eight beautiful children enough for the trip of a lifetime!!  The first picture is in our suite in Dublin before the Notre Dame/Navy game!!  The second is on top of a mountain that I climbed on the Dingle Peninsula.  The view was absolutely breath taking!  The next two are pictures taken from the hike up.  It is hard to imagine that a place could be so green!!!  Next is the ocean which was just feet away from our third cottage.  The wind could whip it right up!!  The next two are Marc and I - first in Ballintoy and second in front of a Neolithic tomb which was AMAZING!  Look at those round rocks.  They built this pre-Christ!!  Something to see!  The last one is some cliffs by our cottage in Bushmills.  We saw cliffs that would put the Cliffs of Mohr to shame and we didn't even have to pay for them!  We just want to praise our children to the skies for sending us on this trip!  We are planning on going again in two years and I am scoping out nursing homes for them to put us in!!

Happy 15th birthday, Maddie Jo!

Happy birthday to my sweet, wonderful 15 year old!  We celebrated her birthday a few days early with a dinner with Gramma Jeanne.  The puppy's name is Oscar and he was Maddie's birthday wish.  She thought it was too quiet around here without Sam.  Oscar does add a bit of chaos.  Maddie is loving her freshman year at Central.  She was voted a co-president of the freshman class and is a starting outside hitter on the varsity volleyball team! 
Happy birthday sweet girl!  We love you very much and are so very proud of the young woman you have become!

Mom and Dad

Day 5 up north

Well, I haven't been able to transfer pictures or upload images. You'll just have to trust me that Iceland is a dramatically beautiful place. We've enjoyed waterfalls, icebergs, a hike on a glacier, and many beautiful sights -- from the mountains to the sea. We're up in the northeast now, planning to see some interesting geothermal features tomorrow. Having a great time!

And a most Awesome Birthday to Mom!!

Mom, Grandma Jeanne, Jeanne Marie Poirier Moore is 88 years young today!!  We celebrated in style on Saturday with Connie and Bill, Tom and Jeanine, The Wingerter clan and Jimmy. 
Have a terrific day today Mom and a most Blessed year.  We love you to the moon and back!

Mary

Day Two in Iceland

Haven't been able to get on email, so we'll use the blog to communicate. First of all, happy birthday, Ben! Sorry for posting over the top, but finally got a connection. Ann and I arrived in Iceland early yesterday morning, pretty beat after an overnight flight from Minneapolis. But we're rested, and we've already squeezed in quite a bit. Beautiful country, with a lot more to see. Hope to post a couple of pictures in a couple days.

Party time for Ben!

Happy 5th birthday, big boy! Love you tons.  God bless you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MATT & KELLY!!

Happy Anniversary to an amazing couple! I can't believe that 8 years ago, we were all gathered in Sheldon, IA celebrating with these 2. And how, 8 short years later, they have done so much together: 4 wonderful boys, lived in 3 different states, made 2 sets of grandparents very happy, and have built a life as 1 awesome couple (let's just throw in a partridge in a pear tree for good measure)! I sure love you 2 and I hope you find a fun way to celebrate!

Happy 1st Birthday, Macky!

Happy birthday to a sweet little baby who is getting bigger and toothier all the time!  God bless you always, Maximilian!  We love you so much.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy and the Big Brothers