What are you doing tonight?

So anyone in the midwest/east coast has probably noticed the weather forecast predicting some sort of blizzard?!!! Makes me feel like I am back in Idaho celebrating Christmas 2007! I remember the snow filled roads as I headed to Kathy (my mother in law)'s home. When we came out after a day full of snow we thought we might be stranded. This would not have been a big deal IF we had remembered to bring our presents and left Santa a note letting him know where to find us. HOWEVER we did not and thus we were left with MOUNDS of snow and a tiny car to get home in. Here is a photo.....

This is the blizzard out the front door and our path for poor sophie who didn't like the snow AT ALL!

 This is our Christmas Eve snow... gorgeous isn't it!

I expect nothing less from this storm, just so you know! It is the most beautiful thing to watch. 

Thus my post~ Tonight I have to prep for this massive storm as I used to in my south east Idaho days of weeks full of snow piling 12 feet high in the Broulim Parking Lot. I am putting on a good movie (or at least I hope it is.... I will let you know is our movie review!) and will bake my little heart out. In the morning I plan to eat homemade cinnamon rolls  drink the hot chocolate made in cocoalatte, then eat good old scalloped potatoes and ham, a bit of steamed broccoli, and homemade rolls! I will probably spend the day watching movies with the kids and eating my weight in homemade treats like oatmeal cookies (these are Kristi's and they are my favorite, especially with white chocolate and butterscotch chips) Sugar cookies, and maybe just maybe a bit of our favorite cake!

So what are you doing to enjoy the storm???

NOTE: All recipes have been attached via our family recipe blog, just click and enjoy!

Here is a trailer of tonight's movie!



I am well aware that it is counter productive to watch this girl dance with seriously rocking abs I would DIE for while baking fattening treats. But in my head it makes perfect sense..... sad  I know!

The Many Adventures

Oh the fun you can have just playing around in a miniture shop in our miniture town.

You can be a surgeon or even a pediatrician 

or you can go down the street and  be a musician. 

We can build our own town  

or design in our shop. 

Oh the things we can come up with as we go and play together 

it makes this chilly day worth all the snowy weather. 

Bowling Pros

I had to post this because it was too funny to keep to myself. The girls decided they wanted to pull out the Wii again and take a stab at bowling. They were much too young to learn before because they are uncoordinated girls. Now that they have grow they are masters. Here they are playing Brian. Layla won the first game bowling 180+ then Isa and last Brian. The second game was much like the first with Isa getting two turkeys and beating Brian by a good 80 points. He once again lost to the girls. Best part is he was trying his best. Oh the joys of watching my video game obsessed husband lose to a couple of pint sized girls! Made my day!

*Brian's note: The above results are unofficial and are not conclusively supported by the limited physical evidence presented herein.  It is impossible to verify if I was or was not letting the girls win in an effort to boost their developing self-esteem.*

Monday Movie Review: SALT

Brian's Take: Have you ever watched the olympics?  It seems like every year there is a gymnast who is favored to win it all.  They line up on that horse vaulting runway thing and lift up their arm.  Everyone knows they have it in the bag.  They take off, bounce on that springy pad, plant their hands on the horse, fly through the air with flips and spins, and land gracefully on the mat.  Except that they don't.  They mess up their footing.  They stumble forward and fall on their face.  The entire audience is stunned.  Now imagine if they kept on stumbling.  They roll and thrash around until they knock into the judges stand.  One of the judges has a mug of hot coffee that spills in their lap.  They leap up screaming profanities and accidentally elbow another judge in the face.  That judge, nose broken, proceeds to bleed all over the floor.  Another gymnast, this one on their way to the rings, happens to walk by.  They slip in the steadily accumulating pool of blood and land hard on the floor, breaking their wrist in the process.  A nearby camera man, in an attempt to get it all on film runs towards the fallen athlete.  At that moment, the head of the international olympics committee enters the fray and receives a camera to the groin.  The entire debacle is displayed for millions to see.  SALT is the theatrical equivalent of the above scenario.  Good acting talent, decent, if derivative plot about an international spy organization.  Plenty of action.  And yet, somehow, the whole thing is a train wreck.  Watch at your own risk.

Marilee's take: I will not add to the review itself. Rather I will expand on the two hours prior to the movie watching which may or may not have altered our feelings toward the film. Thanks to many professional movie reviews we decided that the last film of the year needed to be a good one. SALT was suppose to be "the movie" so we checked the local redbox on our way out Walmart. Notta. So we thought heck we will check McDonalds on the way home it is like one block from the house. And yet nothing. Well how about Hy-vee it is in the same parking lot, and yet I leave redbox number 3 empty handed. Once we return home and upload all the groceries we hopped on the internet and checked just one more time if our movie happened to come in to a machine close by in the last ten minutes. And sure enough McDonalds saves the day. We reserve and I head out on my minute and a half trip. I return in less then predicted time because....... They have no record of my online reservation. Really I tried a handful of cards there in case Brian happened to reserve it under the wrong card. (why not call you ask, that would require a phone and mine is at home safe charging) The best part is the couple who snuck in front of me while I packed away my keys GOT our movie. BLAH!! A call was made, a refund sent, and a new reservation arranged. I head out this time to Hy-vee. I wait in line only to find yet again no reservation. I am not upset, I simply throw the debit card at Brian upon return. Another call was made, another refund sent, and three coupon codes emailed. We give up feed children and put them to bed. But now we are sitting on the couch at 10 o'clock on New Year's eve with nothing to watch. So we stupidly hop on the computer to find in fact McDonalds had another copy. This time we head out with cell phone in hand (brian goes I am DONE for the night!) and returns with our movie. We had big hopes for this film after a long night of phone calls and button pushing. And alas it STUNK! 

movie review Monday

Okay I am aware today is Tuesday but movie review Tuesday just doesn't roll off the tongue the same. For a month or two Brian and I will post movie reviews every week. We have watched a bunch of new and old movies. They have been good,bad, and everything in between. yesterday's post will be up soon and report back Monday nights for further reviews. Plus add you own reviews in the comment section.

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Budding Doctor

Welcome to the Surgery Center

Today Dr. Bergstrom will be performing a series of surgeries on Mr. Doe. She has been practicing for about 10 minutes and is the top in her field. She specializes in organ and bone removal. She also practices pediatrics.  Her RN, Miss Isa, is the most requested in our center. Please enjoy the following photos as they will give you a good look at our practice.

Thank you, The Bergstrom Staff

Winter, oh how I hate/love you!

"Just around our sidewalk bend!"

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the winter months. I love that it is cold enough to use my coco latte machine and brew up a nice hot cup of french vanilla goodness and cozy up and blog my little fingers happy!

I absolutely HATE having to wear boots to church until I get inside the door. Me and heels in snow is a safety hazard. Thanks to the great fall of 2008 outside the Hinckley building with skirt tangled, tights ripped, bags and papers scattered, and about 4 dozen single guys watching my moment of glory I have vetoed walking in heels in the snow unless I am empty handed and ready to hit my fall quota for the year. 

I love love love sweaters. I am a warm blooded person thanks to the menopausal hot flashes that came after growing two tiny humans. Winter allows me to dress up my drab wardrobe with a few stylish pieces, a cute belt and some jewelry without breaking a sweat walking the mall. 

I hate having to find things to do inside because a girl can only watch so many Wizards of Waverly Place episodes before the new background song to her life is the theme song with little Selena singing in her head. (and lately it isn't just in my head thanks to the wonderful local library which just so happened to carry the soundtrack to the movie that fits between season 3 and 4 I believe.... see I have seen too much!) 

I love the snow the first day it comes. I always bake a batch of rolls, a good hearty stew, and watch it slowly make our drab street look all perfect and peaceful. I love how the snow seems to wash off my winter cares and remind me how beautiful simplicity is. 

Then inevitably I have to leave the quite of our home and face the crazy drivers that never seem to know what the heck they are doing in the snow. Especially in KC where you would think by the way they drive down 69 HWY they had never seen the snow before! 

But I am making myself enjoy this winter. It is in fact the first winter in 8 years I have had a car of my very own. I am no longer stuck inside with nothing to do thanks to our poor meager budget that does not allow for such modern conveniences like *gasp* T-W-O cars!!! Trust me we don't any money and probably shouldn't have this great luxury but somehow or another we have managed to make it our reality and I am definitely enjoying the change. No more dropping Brian off and picking him up just so I have a car to go to the grocery store 4 streets down! 

So Winter I currently LIKE you and will enjoy you while you last. But if you dare try to pull and Idaho on me and last until JUNE I will curse you for a good 20 years!

And here is a video to introduce my next post to come...... This is what we do with our Wintery Saturdays! cause really every post needs a picture or video right?!

By the way, the light technician back stage is none other than our own little Isa.  She was too shy to perform but handled the backstage duties admirably.

Wanna know my favorite show.....

And here is why!

The best of 2010

Okay so I thought I would do a little recap and update post full of way too much info and photos but definitely worth the effort so I have a good review of the craziness I like to call the end of a decade.

Our family- We settled into our new home and life here in Kansas. After almost two years here we are at home and settled. We love Kansas! Between the thunderstorms and gorgeous seasons we have fallen in love with the midwest all over again. Brian and I both grew up in the area so this is home. However getting used to Kansas as opposed to Missouri was a nice change. I always heard that Kansas folks were all snobby. Well if they are then that if fine with me. Everyone is friendly, it is safe, our schools are FABULOUS, and everything you need is just a few blocks away. But it doesn't have that big city busy feel, it is still friendly and somewhat quiet.

Brian- Started his Master's Program this summer and is halfway done. He is doing FANTASTIC and I get to brag because he is my husband! He is the top of his class and no one really knows that. It really is the best way, no one knows you are doing so well but the teachers just love you! And I love him for working so hard and doing his best! Thankfully he hasn't been too busy yet. He is gone a ton but nothing I can complain about. When he is home he takes care of us. Next step for the year is finishing his Thesis. He will work on it all year and defend it in the summer in front of a board. And until then he will stay busy will classes and hospital rotations. 


Layla- STARTED KINDERGARTEN!!! This is the biggest event in her life thus far! She loves it and is totally at home there. Her teacher is wonderful. She is beginning to read and does well on her own. She is getting to be more patient at sounding out words as she reads. Her class is small which means they are all really close. And dance class has been a big deal this year. She is definitely a natural. For now I am letting her simply have fun. Dancing for no other reason then just to play. But soon I think i will put her in a studio to study ballet more strictly. She has such a natural grace and seems to just LOVE it to death. She is beginning to notice boys however THANKFULLY they are simply interesting and nice. (we haven't realized they are cute, and we are very happy about that!) 


Her church class is so small but that means she it attached to her teachers and they seem to like her too. It is amazing the things she knows. Oh course we would never know she understood the scriptures so much because she doesn't seem to pay attention when we are around. But being in the Primary has it's perks, one being i am informed when the girls make comments and answer questions correctly which is always a surprise. Anyone who has worked in Junior Primary knows the answers you usually get have nothing to do with the question! 

Isa- Since Layla has started school Isa and I have our afternoons together. At first we tried to work on school work and do a little preschool at home. I soon realized that hanging out just the two of us is a much better use of my time. Not that she doesn't need to work on school work but because I will never get this chance again. I won't have time just us. And since we have had this time I have learned a lot about her. Isa is a perfectionist OCD hoarder. She will categorize and organize her toys whenever she has a spare moment. And she is the master of organized chaos. She LOVES to put things in purses. And by things I mean ANYTHING. She will have a little princess, chap stick, piece of scrap paper, and a material square in a purse. And it has it's purpose. It isn't random to her. For the rest of  us it makes no sense. And she will do this with about 20 purses or bags a week. Then she will line them up on her rocking chair arm. Once a week Brian and i have to distract her long enough to empty them and start over. 


Isa is still having sleep troubles but we have come into a routine with it. She spends at least an hour a night cuddled up with me in bed. As much as I want my sleep she is so stinking cute when she cuddles that I just deal with the tired mornings. I figure it isn't any worse than having a baby around the house. Maybe it is her way of preparing us for some future date. Isa loves her puzzles, board games, and movies. She is the one in the house that controls our remote. She is one step away from sneaking out at night to find it and hide it in her bed. Seriously she always has it in hand. Not that she is always watching TV but if we are going to turn it on she is in charge. She lets others pick the movie but she turns it on and pauses it if anyone leaves their seat. It is funny! It wouldn't be so comical if we just had a tv. But with the sound system, xbox (with her favorite, netflix) and antenna, it makes for a struggle for others. Not her she is the one to show babysitters how to work it. 


Marilee-I have decided that my life is never going to be stable. I am not one of those moms that is going to get a house and a mini van and work on the PTA for the rest of her school aged kids life. I am going to be a student's wife. This means that I will get up early to get kids off, clean house all day, work of random kids class projects, plan church lessons, cook dinner, pick up kids, shuttle them to activities, then feed them, then hopefully talk to my hubby long enough to find that I will put the kids to bed and see him at 10. then I will stay up till one catching up and helping him study. It is busy, very busy around here. But I love it. I love that I get to help this year with Brian's school load. I love to edit his papers. You wouldn't know it from reading this blog, but I am actually an excellent writer. Who knew right?


 This year I have learned a lot about myself while helping him with his classes. I have learned what my definition of ethics are and how they differ from my personal morals. I have learned a lot about what kind of person I hope to be. Aside from his school load I have managed to plan and execute the duties of Room Parent for Layla's kindergarten class. This means a lot of planning and decorating, and more paper games then I knew I could come up with. It has been fun. I am not going to be signing up for this job all the time but I will help out as an assistant again for sure. I also taught primary this past year. It was wonderful and I grew to love the girls. It made me excited for my future with my girls. I know that the teenage years will be a struggle but that is just simply the truth for all parents. But the end of elementary school will be exciting. They will grow up and become responsible. And hopefully they will be a sweet and lively as those in my class. Now I have moved on to teach the CTR 5 class. They are the class in the middle of the girls. This will be fun and keep me on my toes. 

That is a little update on our lives and I hope you enjoy the video! I have found a way to keep me busy and feel productive! I am making memories right!?

Procrastinating getting ready today!

What am I saying I do this everyday! But really I hopped on the computer for a couple minutes to waste time until my motherly duties kick in again and the washer beeps, the kids cry, the dishwasher finishes drying and my glasses slip off my face reminding me to hop into the shower! And I came across this little comic and it is now my motto for this year. I would love to be an exercise buff but lets face it, I hate it and it hasn't budged the scale in years thanks Mr. Hashimoto. And I love to cook but cooking six meals a day just so I can fatten up children and slim down parents, only lasts so long! So here is what I am thinking today, who's on board with me! 

P.S. this will not guarantee that at least twice a week I won't be sporting a workout outfit of some kind. This is not because I actually work out but because they are comfortable and give the allusion that I am a runner!

( I just realized that I must seem like the most inefficient runner in the world if I keep getting larger as opposed to smaller.... I might have to rethink my strategy!)

This post doesn't reflect my sunday life in which let's face it, it's my proud day in which i spend at least an hour trying on and retrying on clothes all week for just so i can confidently walk  through the halls where everyone hardly knows me. No one WANTS to look as tired, crazed, and fashion stupid as they really are, right! At least one day a week I fake a good fashion sense and a square waist line. The rest of the week it is love handle moaning all the way!  

Snow day take two!

What did all of you do with your second snow day? This is our day in a nutshell!

The girls and I played outside until our noses were frozen, then it was time to make a huge mess of our house playing. Mostly the girls played together and I caught up on house work but all in all it was a good day. However we are missing Brian who is now back at school for another busy semester! He had class last week but wasn't there a whole lot so this is our first big week apart! And now I just have to get a basket together for our school auction, plan a lesson, attempt to color my own hair, iron four billion dress shirts, and clean my disgusting bathrooms. All in a days work right?

It's a snow day after all

Every kid that has ever attended school has at one time dreamed of that magical day when the world seems to stop, turn white, and gets still. There are no buses running, no homework to finish, and parents spend the day cooking up warm soup and hot chocolate. Yesterday was that magical day for Layla (today is also in fact!) It was a perfectly still day when the earth was covered with a glistening white sheet of perfection, otherwise known as snow. For most people around here this is a dreaded part of the year but for our little Idaho loving family we were in heaven. For almost a week you could smell the snow coming. And unless you have ever been where four feet of snow can drop in a mere morning you probably have no idea that snow even smells. 

But Brian and I have learned to sense it, (that and thunderstorms which is why we love our Kansas home!) you can just feel it coming. And yesterday after gathering up our winter gear from the closet and purchasing some much needed size 1 boots for Layla (hopefully these she can grow into a bit, trust me her feet are not that big, she is still a 12 or 12 1/2) we headed out for some fun.

We had two visitors yesterday. One not pictured was a little busy baby who loved the snow from the comfort of the couch. She napped while the following adventures took place. The other if featured only in one photo and was then placed safely inside to await our return because he is in fact a stuffed animal and doesn't do well with wet snow! But for school notebook purposes he is here as proof he did spend a little time outside!

After we tucked in safely away us girls headed out to the hill. Brian like a good man stayed back a bit to clear off all the sidewalks in our section of apartments.... such a good guy right! I know I have a keeper for sure!

Off to the hill!

I have to say I absolutely LOVE the fact that for the first time the girls can both pull their own sleds up the hills. It is nice to SIT and watch them play and not send the whole hour walking aimlessly up and down the hill while they play. Plus this gives me a good chance to capture photos!

They made the trek up the hill over and over and over again until they little legs couldn't take it anymore. And they made about 10 different paths to sled down. This was fun to watch. They usually let us adults make it because we weigh much more thus digging deep into the snow to make a well worn path. The girls quickly realized that they simply slid of the top, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y! But it was fun to watch and they didn't seem to mind at all. Plus the day was doubly fun because Dad was there. Last year every time it snowed Brian was out there working in it, leaving me the lone mother to build "Bob" and battle the hill!

I know it is small right, but to our tiny little 32 pound Isa this hill is a killer, Don't you LOVE to hear her huffing as she makes the journey.... SO CUTE!!!

Brian helped dig out a path for them to help avoid running into a tree!

And this is Layla headed down to test it out!

 Isa Waits her turn and somehow is missing her hat! 

 And somehow Layla managed to fall face first into the snow.... not funny but really funny!

 We attempted to catch them all jumping in the snow but I am not used to my new camera and i timed it all wrong! So instead they are ready for take off!

But it was a successful first snow for sure! Happy day off to all you KC residents enjoying another no school day! 

(p.s. these photos were followed by a lot of hot chocolate and a bunch of missing our sledding buddies talk! We really miss those BYU-Idaho hills!)

P.P.S. I totally love my new camera by the way... such nice crisp pictures for a change!