The Bonfire: Take 1

When we bought our land, there was a dead cottonwood tree laying at the base of the hill our house sits on. Nobody likes a snake hideout (especially me) so Corey and my grandpa moved the wood pieces away ... far away ... to the brushy area at the other end of our property. The plan was that once it was cold and snowy, we'd have a bonfire to burn it off.

Hello cold, snowy day.

After some research, Corey decided that December 20: winter solstice/full moon/lunar eclipse day would be perfect. We planned for guests (who also are conveniently helpers and former boy scouts) and spiked warm beverages.

Corey was kind enough to clear us a trail.

Have you ever tried to snow-blow a field? Apparently it can be quite difficult.

(Corey completed the path.

... all the way to that dark mass on the upper right side of the photo)

It was a mighty fine path.

That is, until it got snowed in the next day.

So, moving on to the day of the bonfire:

We got down to the wood safely, but later than we had planned, so it was already quite dark.

The men used diesel to try to start the fire.

Then they used gasoline.

It started.

Then it died.

Then Corey resorted to the brandy-schnapps mixture for fire starter.

Then we cried.

Then we decided to try again another day.

Since there was so much snow all around the wood, as soon as we got the fire going and it got warm, it also got very wet ... killing the fire.

Kya's First Christmas

I don't believe that words can express the joy that was our 2010 Christmas.

I can only hope that through these few photos, you can see a glimmer of the wonderful holiday we experienced (over the span of multiple days with both of our families).

lots of neighborhood deer join us in the evenings

the sweetest moment

December 23: sledding in the back yard

Corey & Maria (Corey's little sister)

out for a few minutes of fresh air ... then quickly back inside

Christmas Eve in Linton, ND

with Grandpa Andy

She dirtied her little white tights in church ... so these are her backup pants.

Kya's first doll. Bitty Baby from Uncle Matthew.

Kya and her new best friend - Corey's cousin Abby.

the two blondies.

Christmas Day

breakfast and stocking stuffers at home with the Zundels

Thanks for the dino rider, Great Grandma Katy!

Dec. 26

Corey swaddled two babies at nap time (Kya and her Bitty Baby)!

Grandpa Don and Corey install our new (and much needed) baby gate.

Merry Christmas

We are so very blessed.

Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Totally random fact of the day: I have 332 Christmas songs in my iTunes library. Not one of them is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" ... am I not the only one who thinks the chances of that happening are incredibly slim?

Anyway, back to blogging.

I'm returning from an unexpected blogging hiatus.

I guess I've been pretty busy lately. Baby Kya is a complete sweetheart. She keeps me busy, but I wouldn't trade my days with her for anything. I'm keeping busy with my freelance graphic design business – I just started working with a photographer in Bismarck, helping with his graphic design projects. In my graphic design down time, I work on restocking my baby bootie inventory on Etsy. Much to my delight (and surprise), sales have well exceeded my expectations. I sold 24 pairs of booties in my first month on Etsy.

Add to that ... lots of family in town (both Hagers and Zundels! Yay!) and fun treats like a date night to the Manheim Steamroller concert. Yippie skippy!

Phew. Here is more of what we've been up to the last two weeks:

Snow, snow, and more snow. Oh and did you know the Polar Express has a route past our house? Yep, it goes directly north to the North Pole from here.

One day we had exceptionally beautiful frost. I decided it would make a perfect photo-op.

So, I put Kya down for a nap and went out with my camera.

It was cold. And beautiful. But very cold.

So I turned back and decided to get warmer gloves.

Darn it.

Locked out of the house.

The nearest keys were with Corey, at work, 15 miles away.

To make a long story short, I used my cell phone to call my fast-acting grandparents that came to my rescue. I got back into the house in 30 minutes. Kya slept through the whole thing.

The photos are nice, but not worth the stress (or cold nose) it took to get them.

This is taken from our mailbox corner (right off Hwy 1806) and shows our piece of the prairie.

On another blustery day, Kya and I visited the North Dakota state capitol building.

We just made a quick trip to pick up a Pride of Dakota gift basket I won (cool!), but we also checked out the Christmas tree. We were a few hours early for the official lighting ceremony.

Kya was really impressed.

We've been decorating for Christmas too.

Our little elf has been enjoying the decorations.

She likes the tree and lights, but is careful to keep her distance.

Somehow I managed to make Kya her very own stocking. I make it by copying/tracing our stocking shape and design.

Corey made sure to remind me that it needed her name, so Santa knows which one is hers. Of course!

Fantasy football is winding down and the competition is intense.

Kya is Corey's official fantasy football sidekick.

But sometimes her trade suggestions don't make much sense.

Kya got to take my rocking horse for a ride this week. This was my horse when I was a baby, made for me by my great grandpa. My dad repaired it though the years, so it is still in great working order.

And today, eight days before Christmas, Kya got to meet Santa.

My mom, grandma, and I took her to the Kirkwood Mall to meet the jolly fellow.

Kya was a bit unsure about the event. Maybe it was the beard. Or maybe the red suit?

Whatever it was, she wanted outta there.

Our Little 8 Month Old

Just eight months ago little miss Kya was born. It was snowing. A lot.

Today it snowed. A lot.

Kya and I saw no reason to not go outside and celebrate her 8 month birthday.

She giggled.

... and then she fell over (face first) in the snow ...

Then she wasn't too sure she thought the snow was quite as funny.

She gave it her best angry face.

And then we played some more!

The Day After Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Our Thanksgiving was fantastic – we spent is in Linton with Corey's family and had lots of yummy food and a good time with family. Upon returning home we found out I have another cousin on the way, due to arrive in June. I'm beyond excited! Kya is happy too – she'll have a new buddy to play with!

Yesterday the weather was beyond frigid, so Kya got to bundle up in her new bunting. She'll be decked out in this cuddly suit during every outing for the next 4 months. If you are in the market for a toasty baby bunting, consider this North Face suit. The design is genius and very practical (works very well in the car seat).

Kya takes her snow suit very seriously – she puts on this "poker face" every time she wears it. It is absolutely hilarious. She'll only move her eyes, and it is everything I can do to get her to crack a smile.

Kya had a great night of sleep and slept in until after 7:15 am this morning. We had a slow morning with some cuddling and lots of giggles from Kya.

Enjoy your Friday!

Oh by the way ... 29 days until Christmas!

Bison Booties made the front page!

My Bison Booties made the front page of Etsy today! I was out running errands, so I missed it, but I was able to round up a screen shot.

In case you aren't familiar with the Etsy world, this is a VERY big deal. It is a golden ticket to some great exposure and hopefully some sales. I had another bootie sale today, so a cute little pair of pink booties will be on their way to sunny Florida.

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

Christmas!

First with the frigid cold weather today.

Kya's cold weather bunting is on it's way from REI, so I had to squeeze her into this hand-me-down newborn bunting. She was less than pleased, but she was warm.

Then we set up the tree!

Kya's new favorite source for entertainment: the Christmas tree.

OhMyGosh. It's already Mid-November.

Where oh where has November gone?

Another busy few weeks here in the Hager house. Among the busyness, Kya is getting funnier and more grownup everyday. I'd be lying if I said I have nothing else to post about, but that will come later ... when I have more time.

This evening, it's all about Miss Kya.

You all already know that Kya was a strawberry for Halloween.

What you may not know is that she and my cousin Parker were the cutest pair of trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Parker was a builder. Muscles and all.

Last weekend we went to Kenmare for Maria's confirmation.

Kya got to play in the same tent Corey played in when he was a little boy. I'm trying to figure out how to make my own. It was THAT fun!

Ahem. Excuse this one. One day, at about six and a half months old (around the same time we started giving kya babyfood) I got rather sick and tired of changing poopy diapers. So when I saw that Kya was doing her business (and grunting to let me know) I scooped her up, took off her diaper, and held her over the toilet. And I'm proud to say that for the last month, we've changed no more than three poopy diapers. Corey's mom was nice enough to capture this one of Kya in action in Kenmare (haha). I think she'll love this photo 16 years from now.

Also in Kenmare ...

Kya got to ride in Matthew's custom wagon (he used it when he was younger).

It has quite the special attachment configuration, but rest assured, it was very sturdy. Kya was on her best behavior and never tried to escape.

She was really impressed with the ride!

Ok, back home in Mandan ...

I left Kya on the living room rug to play with her blocks for about 10 minutes while I fixed lunch. After about a minute, I hear her grunting. This is what I find. Kya must have rolled from where I left her, and scooted backwards until she was wedged (and very stuck) under the end table. What a stinker!

Today Corey, Kya and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for an NDSU alumni gathering to cheer on the Bison football team. Here is Kya in her NDSU apparel ... which by the many comments we got regarding our adorable little boy ... makes her look rather boyish? We got some good laughs out of it!