Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy New Year's Eve and all the best in the New Year!

Keep it safe!

Monday, December 29, 2008

December on the 'Range

Hope everyone's December has gone well.
Here are some pictures from our month....
The wreath Mother and Isa brought for us....
We were joined for Christmas by Isa,

Laurie and Tristan

Mother

And Randy

Oh yeah, Shawn was home too :)

and here is Tristan...

Saturday, following Christmas one of my goats gave birth:
With triplets, I wondered how we would do for survival. Sadly the little brown one on the right didn't make it. It was so small when it was born....

Here's the one male... the other 2 were female

A glimpse of winter!
Wishing everyone the best in the New Year!

Hatcher Pass with Jen



We enjoyed a tad bit of sightseeing yesterday. Jen should have gotten just a few snow covered mountain pictures. :) From the comfort of the truck we were able to appreciate the stamina of those who were climbing mountains ... only to come down at break neck speed on snowboards or something else. Christmas was wonderful. All are healthy, getting fatter from all the goodies and still sassy!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas preparations in the north

At the moment Blogger is not my friend.

I cannot upload pictures to share with you all. Maybe some other time in the next few days.

Cookies and pulla are baked. Anything that isn't done at this point is just not going to get done!

Gifts are wrapped and under the tree. Hoping that everyone is a tad bit pleased.

We've been busy with shindigs ... others we've skipped. Friday evening we went to an adult Christmas party. Delicious food ... wonderful laughs. Saturday evening we celebrated Tia's turning 12! Where on earth has time gone?! Saw Mom's comment on another post about how big the girls have grown. Just for fun ... imagine this: we left Arizona 13 months ago and Tia was wearing size 7 capris. Today she is wearing some size 2 juniors jeans. Yikers!! Sunday evening we enjoyed a beautiful Sunday School program. Tried sharing pictures ... no go tonite.

Braved WalMart this evening. Ugh. I drove around their parking lot on Sunday and left. Was not about to battle the crowd for the couple things I was in need of that day. Tonite it was not an option. I work in the morning and dinners need to be prepared. Had to just bite the bullet and hit the store. I hope I remembered everything. Shoot!! Forgot cranberries. Will have to do without them I guess. Tomorrow Jen arrives!! Can't wait for her to be here sharing the holiday with us. I work and hopefully it won't be too late. The earlier I'm off the better. The plan is to have home made pizza for dinner. Frans probably remembers my pizza making ... I think it is better these days. If not ... I'll serve plenty of salad to boot! I've also decided that Santa needs a bit of a reprieve. We are opening all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. Santa can save those muscles of his for the little ones ... and just fill our stockings in the night. I've been wanting to do that for YEARS! Christmas Day we will be joined by Ryan, Amber & Nolan. Altho' my tastebuds beg for seafood ... turkey it will be this year. If you're interested in joining us ... strawberry rhubarb pie, apple pie, blueberry pie .... do we really need a turkey??

Work calls bright and early. Enjoy your Christmas .. we will try making phone calls and chatting sometime in the next few days. We miss all of you and wish you a Blessed Holiday. May the New Year bring you all good fortune.

Oh ... and by the way ... we had a beautiful 4 inches of white dusting today. It looks gorgeous out there!

Monday, December 22, 2008

christmas is coming..!

Hello everyone! This blog sure has been quiet lately, but I guess I am just as guilty as the next guy! I can't believe Christmas will be here in 3 days! It just doesn't seem real, for some reason this year, it does not feel like Christmas yet! I planned to spend today grocery shopping this morning, and baking this afternoon, but ended up doing nothing! Lindsey is sick with Strep throat, so didn't want to start hauling her (and all the other kids) around, and I don't have all the ingredients to do my baking....so that hasn't happened either! Oh well...at least I am getting some cleaning done:) I think I am pretty much ready as far as gift buying/wrapping goes, how is everone else doing?
This last few weeks have been busy busy busy!!! Here are a few pictures to show what we have been doing....I have not taken very many, and I lost the card that has pictures of us setting up the tree and decorating....so that's a bummer! I hope it shows up here one of these days!
We started off the month by celebrating Toni's 5th birthday....is she 5 already!!?!?! Trina must have thought that this was her party or something....she was not happy!
This was our 2nd year going to the Light parade....We didn't enjoy it as much as we did last year, because we were in such a crowded area, and were about 4 rows back...but the kids still had fun I think...Trina at the light parade....Had to be held, otherwise she was off and running, and I was constantly chasing after her! Little rascal!We set up our tree/decorations the Saturday after Thanksgiving....Trina is always trying to sneak an ornament off of it!
I love all the christmas decorations!There was a Christmas program at the church where the 'choir' sang, and Phil Huhta wrote a Christmas story. I love this program, and it seems it gets better every year! Frans was one of the singers. Lindsey also had several lines in the story that she read, it was really cute.
Our sunday school program was last night at the church....here is our little (and growing) family!
Toni was so excited to be an angel....I was so busy videoing when her class was up, that I didn't get a picture of her singing...(This is for you Jari).

Kierstyn, Lindsey and Toni all ready for the program to start...


Kierstyn saying her piece...she was the loudest singer in her class! (last year she was too....not nervous at all!)

Lindsey (with cousin Shaya) saying her piece. she wasn't nervous at all either....these girls definately take after their father!

We hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season!!

Merry Christmas!!

the AZ Kuoppala's

Friday, December 12, 2008

Poetry Time with Anita :)

... I see the moon, and the moon sees me ...
I enjoy photos, I occasionally enjoy the challenge of taking some, but this one is really cool. The moon was absolutely brilliant last night. I knew that I had read somewhere, on someone's blog, what to set the camera at for taking moon pics. After trying a few last night (we've had the tripod loose around the house for Christmas pictures), I found the blog entry in cyberspace and gave it a whirl. Just wanted to share it with you all.



.... the stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nick would soon be there ....


(St Nick may be here sooner that Blogger will let me post the photo of all the stockings hanging together. They are all hung in the dining room. Years worth of work is finally done and ready to fill this Christmas!)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

JUST CHECKING IN

New job is going great, a bit on overload these days. So much to learn plus have been going to old job to continue with the training there. Should be done with old job "stuff" end of January as I am still doing the year end taxes and W-2's etc. New girl is not confident to handle those tasks.
Watched a video at the FAA about the Challenger Aircraft explosion, very interesting. It was basically an event that led to the new "safety standards" for air transportation. I will have to share some of the highlights next time we are together.
Busy with all of the holiday events, shopping, baking...etc. I love this time of year but I vow to start with the planning and shopping much earlier next year as I am WAY behind!
Taner is loving his job at Buckhill and I am loving my job at the FAA. People are all so nice and it is certainly a whole different world working for the governement. I have been in training mode since I started, then I get to do hands on, then more training, then hands on and so on....I am catching on but everything is a darn acronym, no one speaks in sentences and that is the hardest to absorb....not quite sure what everyone is talking about so I go to my acronym cheat sheet (yes they really do have one) and look everything up so I can understand the lingo. Of course they all tease me that I will be talking the same way a year from now.
Hope everyone is doing good, eating great, and dodging the flu!!!
Take care all!
Love ya!
Farmington Jo

Friday, December 05, 2008

Mom, see comment on post about Jody's new job. Follow directions and then click on publish post if you get to it.

Howdy


Amanda wanted her senior picture taken of her on a dirtbike... Here's what she ended up with.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Brian and Joyce Kallinen's adoption

They adopted a girl in China. If you want to see pictures of her go on www.caringbridge.org
and type in babykallinen with no spaces. She is cute. Tanner went with them and the little
girl just loves him. Kids usually get along well with other kids. dk

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Question for Jody

Just thinking of you and wondering how the first days of your new job has been going for you! Congratulations, again, for getting it!
~jen~