Kerrigan's Carols

Kerrigan's Opa taught her how to sing "Jingle Bells" last week. However, we have only caught her singing it a couple of random times. Today, she came out in full force, singing and jumping around the living room. Sadly, there was no camera nearby to capture her show. Thankfully, Krista found her camera and Kerrigan came back for an encore. Here's what ensued:

Identity Crisis

For the longest time, Kerrigan didn't refer to me by any name. Mostly I was the female version of Dada. When she got pneumonia and was pitiful as all get-out, she miraculously started referring to me as "Nonny." I was a little bummed that it was never "Mama" or "Mommy" or any form thereof. In fact, Sha made fun of the fact that Kerrigan would call me Nonny. Well, miracle of miracles occured a couple of days ago. Kerrigan would wander around the house, talking to herself, and would randomly go into a chorus of "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Nonny, Nonny, Mommy..." etc. I'm not a person to get all sentimental and choked up about things like that, but it really took me by suprise (a pleasant surprise) to hear her say "Mommy." Now I'm in the middle of an identity crisis as Kerrigan now only refers to me as "Mommy." I guess I'm a little bummed because it's generic and expected. "Nonnny" was my special name; no other kids we know have a Nonny. Oh, well. I guess it couldn't last forever. Mommy is still a wonderful thing to be called. Even if it does take some getting used to.

Husband Survey

1. Where did you meet your husband?

I met him at an institute dance a couple of weeks after he got off his mission. We danced once, and I went back to my best friend and told her all about the really geeky, nerdy guy I had just danced with. Little did I know how it would come back to bite me in the butt a couple weeks later.

2. How long did you date?

We dated off and on for three months before we got engaged. The scary thing is that we dated "officially" as boyfriend and girlfriend for eleven days before getting engaged.

3. How long have you been married?

4 years

4. What does he do that surprises you?

He's very helpful around the house. He doesn't mind doing laundry or cleaning or any other menial chores. The only thing that he doesn't go around the house is cook (and for that I am grateful!)

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

His hands. They're big, warm, and perfect for holding.

6. What is his best quality?

His patience. I'm a nutcase 90% of the time, and I'm always amazed how well he tolerates my crazy mood swings.

7. Does he have a nick name for you?

Nope

8. What is his favorite food?

Steak...hands down.

9. What is his favorite sport?

He doesn't watch sports

10. When and where was your first kiss?

Outside his parents' house before I was getting ready to head back to Worland for a weekend

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

Date nights! We love to go to the movies. Either that, or making fun of each other. It's an odd relationship.

12. Do you have children?

One amazing little girl!

13. Does he have hidden talents?

He sings and can quote movies with uncanny precision.

14. How old is he?

26

15. Who said I love you first?

You know...I don't remember. How horrible is that?! I think it was him, though.

16. His favorite music?

A little bit of country, Nickelback, Linkin Park, Harry Connick, Jr. ...basically anything but what I listen to.

17. What do you admire most about him?

How important family is to him. Not just Kerrigan and me, but his family, and mine, as well. He's very family oriented

18. What is his favorite color?

Blue

19. Will he read this?

Nope. I don't think he knows how to get to the blog.

20. Who do you tag?

I don't tag anyone. I was just bored and needed something to occupy my time.

Grateful "D"

I've been horrible with keeping this updated. Hopefully I'll get through the alphabet by 2009.


I am grateful for dads. I've got three great dads in my life...three of the greatest dads a person could ask for!





How many dads would dress up like THIS? My dad is great because of the things he is willing to do for his family. He works hard to provide a great living for his family, which is something that I took for granted sometimes while I was growing up. There are times where he's strange, odd, and just plain funny...times we wonder how my sisters and I turned out somewhat normal. But family dinners and game nights are never dull when Dad's around.




My father-in-law is another great dad. It amazes me how, though he is a hard worker and a busy outdoorsman, he is wonderful with children. Kerrigan loves her Opa and will often request him above anyone else in the family. Brandon always has great stories to tell about times spent hunting, working on the house, fishing, or horseback riding with his dad.



Never have I seen a little girl so smitten with her daddy as Kerrigan is with Brandon. And good thing, too. He loves her to pieces and is the greatest daddy. Though I know he often wishes he had a son to do "boy stuff" with, he never hesitates to expose Kerrigan to all the things little boys would get to do. He takes her horseback riding, fishing in Opa's horse trough, fossil hunting. Though it makes me jealous sometimes that she prefers Brandon over me, I'm glad that she has such a great daddy to go to.

The Richardson Twerds

"Twilight" is here! Krista and I braved the crowd opening night (I swear we're crazy sometimes...she more than me, being as Krista was insane and went to a midnight showing in Billings). Brandon and I went Saturday for our monthly date-night. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. Brandon protested against wearing his shirt in public, though he had promised me he would when he got it on his birthday. I wasn't allowed to wear my hand-me-down shirt in public. (Apparently, Brandon doesn't like me walking around with another guy's face on my shirt...go figure.)

It's a terrible thing that the movie has been such a hit-and-miss with people. Either you love it or you don't. It's as simple as that. I've been bummed to hear people say that the movie ruined the book for them. The way I see it, you have to go into these situations with no expectations other than to be entertained. And entertained I was! Will I see it again? More than likely. Has it ruined the book for me? Heck, no! Just keep an open mind. That's all you can really do. But, I figure it was a success for our family: Krista liked/loved (one of the two) it, I loved it, Brandon liked it...but don't take our words for it.

Grateful "C"

"A new British survey has revealed that 9 out of 10 people like Chocolate. The tenth lies." - Robert Paul

I am grateful for chocolate. I know it seems shallow and unimportant, but I am a chocoholic, so I am eternally grateful to whomever invented chocolate!

A quote my husband lives by: "After a bar of chocolate one can forgive anybody, even one's husband."

Chocolate is a vegetable. How, you ask? Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Beans are a vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy. So candy bars are a health food.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

Gratitude "B"

I am grateful for books. I have loved to read ever since preschool. I remember my mom reading "Giant John" to me before bed every night. I can remember reading a book about llamas to my kindergarten class and being so proud of myself when I finished my first chapter book. I remember my mom giving me a copy of "Jurassic Park" when I was in second grade, and I remember crossing out every single curse word. Though I can be quite picky when it comes to books I enjoy, when I do find one that I love, I tend to love it for life. I'm not a particular fan of "series" books, though I have read and adored both the Work and the Glory series and the Twilight series (I have never read the Harry Potter series). My favorites are the classics, mostly introduced to me by my high school AP English teacher, and non-fiction, research-type books.

We have worked to try and instill in Kerrigan a love for books as well. Her bookshelf is almost as full as mine is, and she will love you forever if you would sit and read a book with her. I only hope that it lasts her entire life and doesn't fade when she gets into school and reading becomes mandatory. I hope that she learns to love to read for the pure sake of reading.

My husband tells me I have too many books. It's only a bookcase and a half...there's plenty of room for many more!!

Gratitude "A"

I am totally stealing this idea from my cousin, Emily (hope you don't mind...). Each day you choose something that you are thankful for that starts with a letter of the alphabet. Since Emily started at the end of the alphabet, I'll start at the beginning.


I am thankful for academics. To put it simply, I adore school. If time and money weren't such issues, I would gladly go to school for the rest of my life. I love learning, and I know that this is why I have chosen teaching as my eventual career. I wish more people could realize how important education is in their lives, and I have been kicking myself for putting off finishing my degree, because it goes against all that I believe. However, I have made an exception because I know it is important to be home for my daughter and to help her learn all that she can!

Happy Birthday, Brandon!

Happy big 2-6, Brandon!

Halloween

Halloween was a busy day at the Richardson household! Between decorating sugar cookies and baking cupcakes for trunk-or-treating and going trick-or-treating in downtown Cody, we hardly had a moment to catch our breaths. Not Brandon, naturally, as he was at work all day and missed out all the festivities. (Granted, the carwash was down again so he spent all day slaving away on that) Thankfully, Krista was there to help decorate cookies with me. Have a look at our creativity:




And then there was trick-or-treating in Cody. Kerrigan was thrilled to go with Oma and Opa. The day only got better when Otto and Paula Wells came with their little dog. The dog had Kerrigan tickled pink!

Later that night, we had trunk-or-treating at the church. Kerrigan acquired quite a haul of candy. She had Nonny take her half way around the parking lot, then changed her mind and decided that Aunt Krista had to take her the rest of the way. While we waited for Daddy to show up, Kerrigan regailed quite a few people with a special dance to "Monster Mash" (video not included). Unfortunately, Daddy missed the whole thing. Oh, well.

New Curtains!

It's the simple things in life that excite me. Take for instance, my new curtains in the living room. It took me almost a month to finally get them finished, but I'm so thrilled with the way they turned out! It's nice to be able to cross one thing off my list. Nowadays the list just grows and grows and it never seems to get any shorter. I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles.

You Didn't Tell Me You Were Going To Kill It!

Ahhh...the famous line from "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!




Kerrigan and I went to the store to pick out a pumpkin. Kerrigan found one just her size and it was love at first sight. She carried it around the store, carried it home, told me that she was going to put eyes and a nose on it. She even helped me plan out where the face was going. She bonded with that pumpkin! That all changed when I put the first couple of cuts into the top. "Nonny, no!" She had a fit when I pulled the top off and refused to have anything to do with the pumpkin after that.



There is video of the breakdowns, but they will have to come tomorrow when I have better internet connection. Stay tuned!

Cracking the Safe

Kerrigan has always loved my piggy bank. She love to ride it, tuck it in for bed, and drag it around the bedroom. Last week she discovered that she can open it up and take money out of it. The wheels started turning, and she realized that she could take the money out of Mommy's piggybank and put it in her own. Today she got caught red-handed.

We made cupcakes last night and Kerrigan thoroughly enjoyed it! It makes me wonder what kind of trouble I should expect when we do sugar cookies on Friday. Stay tuned!

(Frosting in the hair...so much fun to get out!)

Dancing Queen

Oh, the things that go on in the mornings at the Richardson house!

New Video

Life right now is uneventful. We would love to be able to update with spectacular news, but it's not going to happen. Our days are monotonous, and Brandon and I see very little of each other between our work schedules. However, I was playing around with our Windows Movie Maker program today and came up with this:

It's nothing great, but it did manage to kill about fifteen minutes of an otherwise boring afternoon. Anyway, that's all for now. We are going to a Korean cultural show on Friday, put on by some of my Eleutian students. We'll have pictures and video from our outing up on Saturyday. Until then, this will have to appease.

First Post

Random Facts About Us:

Brandon: I am the fix-it man at Coulter Car Care. Elk hunting is my passion and my greatest frustration. I memorize random thoughts, facts, and TV shows. I have yet to win an argument against my wife...or a game of Disney Trivia, for that matter. I like snake hunting because it gives me an adrenaline rush (you can Google it...) I am trying to get into photography. I speak two languages. I am an Eagle Scout. I know how to ballroom dance. I am a Twerd. I find dragons fascinating. I want a pet penguin named Norbert. I hoard candy. If my wife would allow me, I would wear only Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots (with shirt, too, of course). "Phantom of the Opera," "Lilo and Stitch," "Down Periscope," and "Gladiator" are my favorite movies. My idea of the perfect vacation is a canvas tent in the middle of the mountains. My daughter is the apple of my eye, and I try to teach her to be less like me and more like my wife (one day it will backfire on me). I knew I would marry my wife when she outfished me. I have petted wild elk, coyotes, deer, and a sea turtle. I like crystal figurines. My Hawaiian name is "Puulaahi." Patrick McManus, Peter Hathaway Capstick, and Stephenie Meyer are my favorite authors. I have a lead foot, but my wife is in denial about it. I would love to take my wife back to Chile. If I could be any animal, it would be a peregrin falcon. My greatest goal would be to hunt a mountain lion with a spear.

Angela: I teach English to Korean students via internet video conferencing. I am the biggest nerd that I know. I hate most green vegetables and orange fruits. I have played the piano for 20 years, but I'm nowhere as good as I should be. Everything I learned about cars I learned from the Twilight series. I can quote "Jurassic Park" word for word. I love to sing, but only when no one else is around. I can count to 10 in 6 languages, and I can say "onion" in Japanese. I mostly read non-fiction research books. I'm deathly allergic to peanuts. I can trip over air. I once broke my arm by falling out of a chair. I love to annoy people by randomly speaking in a British accent. I suffer from mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. I hate red meat, reality television, and being the center of attention. I'm 5'11," (but I'm short in real life), and I rarely leave the house in anything shorter than a 3" heel...but I'm terrified of heights. I love Hawaii and Mexico, but am dying to go to the British Isles and Italy. I love jazz improv, although I can't play it to save my life. I have never read the Harry Potter series. I love commas. Ken Jennings and Ian Malcolm are my heroes. I am terrified of people in costumes (like at Disney World). Paleontology and geology are my passions. I can name all 50 states and their capitals in alphabetical order. I desperately want to chase tornadoes someday. My favorite color is red.

Kerrigan: 95% of kids my age are bigger than me; I weigh just over twenty pounds. My favorite colors are yellow and purple. I hate meat. I recently discovered the wonderfulness that is Trix cereal. I count my steps when I walk. I would spend all day in the bath if Nonny would let me. I like to steal left shoes and hide them in random places, and I have a habit of throwing away remote controls. Elmo is my hero. My favorite song is the "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and I like to dance to the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack. I carry a stuffed puppy dog with me everywhere I go; it's name is Heidi. I love animals, going to the park, and pushing grocery carts. I have the run of my grandpa's grocery store, and everybody knows it. My Opa and Oma spoil me rotten. I love being pushed around in laundry baskets. Baby gates are my mortal enemies. Electronics fascinate me. I know twenty-five animal sounds. I love to play the piano with Nonny and go 4-wheeling with Daddy. I call my Uncle Brandon "Doo Doo," my Aunt Sha "DoDo," and my Aunt Krista "Sha." I love jumping on the bed, couch, chair, etc. I like to "tickle tickle" people. I love being the center of attention. I enjoy flushing rolls of toilet paper down the toilet. I hate closed doors. Puddles are God's greatest creation.