8 is Great

Today K and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary.

R and K - Lake Michigan 2002

Traditional gifts for your eighth anniversary are bronze and/or pottery, modern gifts are linens and/or lace. I can't say that K and I have ever done that tradition - but whether he planned it our not, I did get a Willow Tree figurine from him - I'd say that is pretty close to pottery. I LOVE Willow Tree and I usually get one for Mothers day from the girls. So it was a wonderful surprise getting one today. He got me this one here.

R and K in Hawaii 2000

We didn't have any plans to do anything special, just hang out with the girls and my grandma.
Lucky for us, my friend called me to see if Miss M could come over for a play date, she also offered to watch Miss A so that K and I could get some lunch. FLAT TOP HERE WE COME!

Our Wedding Day Chicago 2000

After lunch we picked up my Granny then the girls and headed out to the mall so my Granny could use her gift cards. We were spoiled by Granny as usual - she got K a new suit and I got a new purse - (remember my spilled milk purse - well I just did it again on Sunday luckily it was just water, but it was time for a new purse!)

Salt Lake Temple Feb. 2001

Our wonderful neighbors upstairs (we really are so lucky to have them!) offered to watch the girls so we could go out for dinner. HOORAY! Two meals out with NO kids in one day! HEAVEN.
K and I went to Maggiano's had a scrumptious dinner. It was so nice to sit and relax, have an adult uninterrupted conversation. It was also nice to come home to two happy girls.

(Thanks Lyn for the gift card!)

Christmas 2008

During dinner we talked about our 8 years, the highs and lows. Our blessings. Our struggles. We agreed that this has been one of our most stressful years of marriage, but yet we also agreed that we have grown a lot together during the last year. We do have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to.

Packers/Bears game 2007

I also need to mention Miss M. She was so excited that today was our anniversary. She kept wishing us "Happy Anniversary." Making us cards. Leaving little candy's and notes. She is such a sweet little girl. She made our day extra special.

K and R at the Big Ka Hoo Na 2008

Thanks K for 8 great years!

Bestest Girlfriends E V E R!

This year has been a tough one for me. After struggling with it for several months on my own, I finally went and got help for my postpartum depression. It was a hard thing for me to talk about at first, to share it with others - except a few very close to me.

Just when I thought I was getting control back, I had a set back. So I pretty much have been MIA - or just trying really hard to fake it. BUT my struggles have not gone unnoticed and
my friends planned an "Operation Cheer up Rebekeh".

Thank you so much dear dear friends! I know I can count on you for anything.
And I know there are several other dear friends out there - who didn't make it to the cheer up party, but have been there for me LOTS!

Words really can not say how I appreciate each one of you.
But know I love you, I am blessed to have you in my life. And I hope that I am the kind of friend
to you that you are to me!

And I really will try harder to get out of my FUNK!

* This was a very popular song to sing at Girls Camp for the talent show night...
thought I would share it with my good friends.

Friendship
If you're ever in a jam, here I am.
If you're ever in a mess, S.O.S.
If you're so happy, you land in jail. I'm your bail.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are soon forgot, ours will still be hot.
Da da da da da da dig dig dig.
If you're ever down a well, ring my bell.
If you're ever up a tree, just phone to me.
If you ever loose your teeth when you're out to dine, borrow mine.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are soon forgeet, ours will still be great.
Loddle doddle chuck chuck chaa.
If they ever black you're eyes, put me wise.
If they ever cook your goose, turn me loose.
And if they ever put a bullet through your brain, Ill complain.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are soon forgit, ours will still be it.
Ah loddle doddle hip hap hap.
If you ever loose your mind, I'll be kind.
And if you ever loose your shirt, I'll be hurt.
If you're ever in a mill and get sawed in half, I won't laugh.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are are up the crick, ours will still be slick.
Ah loddle doddle woof woof woof, hep hep hep, chopp chop chop, dig dig dig.

Merry and Bright

Keeping with our tradition,

we traveled out to my sisters house for Christmas Eve.

We always have so much fun!

C and Little O

K flew home from Japan and met us at my sisters house
that is why he is still in uniform.

It was great to visit, share laughter, eat, hold a cute baby, watch the girls play together and rip open packages.

(yes Miss A DOES have a black eye )

One of our favorite moments was when K pulled out his ukulele and Miss E and Miss M had a grand time singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and other Christmas songs.

Christmas Eve Carols from Rebekeh on Vimeo.

(sounds like someone else had a good time singing the song too!)


We also

got to meet my mom's fiance - they got engaged over Thanksgiving.
Looks like my mom will be moving away from the mountains
and towards the Windy city.

I think Little O made the cutest Santa Baby ever!!!

Cutest Cousins!

and the cutest sisters!

Hope your Christmas was Merry and Bright!

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas,
a Happy New Year
a peaceful nights rest
and sending you lots of Love.

Love and Aloha
the Kamae Ohana

Our Little Town of Bethlehem

Our wards wonderful Activities committee created a little Bethlehem in the church gym for our ward Christmas party.
They were so creative with all the details they thought of. The food was yummy, visiting with friends was great and the pageant put on by the Primary children was adorable! Miss M made a pretty cute angel. And Mr. K played a wise man.

I of course didn't think to take my camera out and take my own pictures, but I was able to get some from the many wonderful photographers who took pictures that night.

If I had remembered, I would have gotten a picture of my cute angel and Mr. K who dressed up and "Taxed" those that were coming into Bethlehem.

Thanks Fabulous activities committee for a wonderful evening!

(Can you spot Mr. K in this picture? hint- he is the only one with facial hair)

One Little Christmas Tree

I like to do a theme on my tree, sometimes it happens and sometimes not. This year Miss M chose our blue lights and so we have a snowman-snowflake-ocean themed tree (ocean because we always put our turtles and octopus on the tree).
When I was first decorating it I had my vertigo and after dropping my second glass ornament and shattering it, I thought it best to finish the decorating when I could stand with out my world spinning around me.
Miss M chose the cute snowman ribbon as our finishing touch.

Miss A we try to NOT let into the toy room (where the tree is). She wants and succeeds at taking anything off the tree she can get her little hands on. She certainly lives up to her nickname "Slippy or Slippery"

However, I seem to have broken more of the ornaments than she has. (My mom reminds me that this too is something I seem to do EVERY Christmas, and then goes on to tell the story of how I decapitated her ceramic-dipped-in-cinnamon-Christmas- almost-life-size-baby-deer I believe I was well over 20 when I did that!)


OH, and look at the B E L I E V E blocks in the picture. I have ALWAYS wanted a sign or blocks saying that. This summer Mr. K and I were in the Brown Elephant (a thrift store in Chicago) and I saw those blocks STILL in their wrapper. The original price tag was $29.99.
I would have paid $2.00 for them, but Mr. K's friend gave us a 50% off coupon... ONE whole dollar for those brand new blocks!!! WOO to the HOO!!
I love a good deal.

Handy (Miss M) Manny

We are fans of the Handy Manny show and the HGTV channel is on quite a bit in our house too.
Plus having an uncle who is a carpenter is pretty cool . So it should come as no surprise that Miss M and Miss A love to fix things with their tools around the house. Miss M LOVES her tools and her tool box. She has even started to put stickers on it like Daddy's tool box.

Miss A gets into everything and I thought it was about time to child proof my cupboards.

So Daddy and Miss M went to work on making the drawers and cupboards more Miss A proof.



And HOW cool was it when Daddy let Miss M use HIS drill instead of hers! She was in HEAVEN and did a GREAT job!



We did leave a couple non child proof. I mean EVERY child deserves to play with the tupperware and pots and pans!

Miss A is a bit confused as to why she can not get into the "snack cupboard" any more. Every time she pulls it open she has such a puzzled look on her face. "Hey how am I supposed to help myself to food when this door wont open any more." I have a feeling she'll soon figure out how to get into that one!

Visions Of Sugar Plums

Saturday we headed out to Hinsdale to meet up with my sister and her family for our annual Gingerbread house decorating.


It's always so fun to get together with her. Especially for this activity. Not sure who has more fun decorating the houses, the parents or the kids. Or who ends up with more candy, our tummy's or the houses.

This year Owen was the baby. He is so cute, Keenan held him the whole time (baby hog!)

Miss A hammed it up for the camera (including for the man who was at the club taking pictures)

Ella and Miss M were very creative with the candy.





Each year they add different candy. My favorite were the Pixie Sticks, the blue colored ones. I sprinkled the blue sugar all over the frosting to make it look more frozen. Miss M loved the idea and soon added, red, orange, purple and green. Miss A had a sugar high from the pixie sticks sugar I poured into her mouth.



After our houses were done, we headed to my favorite little restaurant. All Aboard Dinner. This was Keenan's first time and he ordered the double cheeseburger and loved every bite!
My sister and I had fun catching up chatting away while our husbands kept an eye on the kids.
It was a great family day!

Who's got a beard that's long and white?

We headed up to North Brook for our annual visit to see Santa. We love the Santa up there. Especially because he always wishes Miss M - Mele Kalikimaka. Miss A didn't mind so much. I am glad there were no tears. I think it helped having her big sister there to hold her hand.

Miss M asked for a horse family, a unicorn, zebra and rhino. And she thought Miss A would like some sort of stack toys. And maybe some goldfish snacks.

ALSO, my good friend just sent me this link HERE you can make a video for your child from
Santa. Can't wait for Miss M to see it tomorrow!

The Most Famous Reindeer of all

They really got into the Christmas spirit while we were decorating our house.

Then, when we were working on an art project, Miss M thought it would be fun if we all had red noses. They make cute little reindeer!

Daddy's Girls

It's official - they are both Daddy's girls. Miss A use to prefer me, not any more. It's ALL about the DAD!

A visit from St. Nick and Snow

These are actually pictures of our first snow - Miss M had lots of fun throwing

snowballs at me (this was when I had vertigo so she had a little bit of an advantage on me)
Miss A didn't like the snow on her. She wouldn't leave her mittens on and the snow was just too cold for her hands.

St. Nick visits December 6th

Ever since I was little St. Nick has always paid a visit to our home the night of December 5th. Filling our stockings with fun little toys, treats and fruit. I have tried to do this tradition now as a mom, but Mr. K doesn't really get it. So I've not really kept the tradition up. When my little sisters heard that I wasn't going to put the stockings out this year they were appalled. Breaking a long running family tradition!?!? Shortly after our phone conversation I received a wonderful box in the mail full of all sorts of little goodies from "St. Nick".
I am happy to say, St. Nick did stop by our house (I didn't get any coal for wanting to cancel the tradition and Mr. K was super excited about all the travel size things he got in his stocking)
My girls were thrilled!!! And Miss M is already talking about what St. Nick might bring her next year.

Matching

Cute Pictures of Mr. K and Miss A matching - and having fun together.

Beef Stroganoff - Crock Pot Friendly‏

THIS IS SUPER EASY!
I got it from my Campbell's Soup cook book
and then I just made it crock pot friendly and added a little "Rebekeh" flare

here is the recipe from the cook book
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak 3/4 inch thick ( I use a little more we like beef)
1 tbls vegetable oil
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
1 cup water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cups egg noodle pasta (or your fav. pasta choice)
1/2 cup sour cream

I use beef stew type meat. Brown it with garlic salt, Hawaiian Salt (or sea salt), and Worcestershire sauce (I don't use the oil) I also add black pepper.

In the crock pot I put
2 cans of the 98% fat free cream of mushroom
I add water to one of the cans, and dump that in (instead of measuring the 1 cup)
I eyeball the Worcestershire sauce ( I know I use more than 2 tsp)
and in the last hour I add the sour cream, and probably a little more than 1/2 a cup.

cook noodles how you like.

I cook the beef stroganoff on high (in crock pot) for 5-6 hours stirring occasionally. The longer it is cooked, the more tender the beef is.

*I made it for dinner tonight, and was going to take a picture. But forgot. Next time.

The Fabulous Miss M

She loves the camera what can I say...hams it up any chance she gets.

Miss M and her friend Jack

Sa-weet styles of Miss M

Her awesome Dance moves

hmmm ...
Where ever does she get it from?!?!?!?