Building a room

Posted by Harrison (typed by Mama)

One day we decided to make a hang out room for Hayden's friends and my friends (and Mama & Daddy's friends). So we bought a new LCD TV and a couple book cases, and a loveseat and chair. The loveseat and chair were to be delivered. Hayden was super squished on the ride home, because we bought too much stuff to fit in the car. When we got home, we started cleaning the loft, to have space for our boy room. The next day, we built the TV stand, then we built the bookcases, it was hard and fun (and a little frustrating Mama says). We moved all of the gaming equipment (XBox 360 & WII) up from the family room. Daddy hooked up the TV and gaming systems before he left to see Avatar with his friend Brian. This morning (Tues.) the delivery truck and guys brought our loveseat and chair. All the furniture in the room is black - it's really cool! You all will have to come over and hang out with the Dachels in our cool new hang out room! Rock Band anyone?

Here are some pictures of me in the re-decorated room!

Posted by Mama

Christmas is over. The boys had a really great time and recieved everything that was on their list. The biggest hit, I think were the DSI's - they have been constantly playing them. The DSI's were also the biggest surprise for the boys. For the longest time, Hayden has been repeating the Snugie commercial, so we decided he must really want one. We told him that's what he was going to get for Christmas, because it was obvious that's what he wanted. He denied it up and down and said the commercial was just catchy and he couldn't get it out of his head. Well, as a joke, we decided to get the boys Snugies and wrap the DSI's inside.
When Hayden unwrapped that gift, his face was priceless, I could see the disappointment, because these were the biggest (in size) gifts under the tree.

Of course Nels and I said "open it and put it on, let's see how it looks.' When they took it out of the packaging and the DSI's fell out - there was shear joy and a bit of surprise on their faces. Hayden's grin was so big, I thought his face might split!

 Santa brought us rock band for our Xbox 360 - that Santa, he's a thinker... we already had a guitar hero guitar for our Xbox. So Santa thought it would be better to get it for the Xbox, because we can use our Guitar hero guitar too. That way all 4 of us have something to do when we play. The boys got to open one present early, which was a Flip video camera. We had them open it early, so that I could film Hayden's poetry recitation - since Nels could not attend. (Which I would post on here, but I filmed the whole thing side ways - story for another time!) They have had a lot of fun making videos, some scripted some random - like Hayden wrapping the calendar for Nana and Papa and giving a step by step how to for the camera - too cute!
Christmas Eve was spent with Nels' parents, they gave the boys a really nice drum set! We put it together and enjoyed some chili and bisquits for dinner. The boys tried out their drumset and other gifts, then we had Chocolate fondue for dessert (our Christmas eve tradition)

We spent Christmas day with Friends and family. We started off with Breakfast at some friends house, it was a great way to spend the morning - good friends and good food! From there we stopped at Nana & Papa's to open presents, then a quick stop at home before hitting the road for Denver, where we had a nice visit with my older Brother and his family. We had delicious soup and baked potatos for dinner! Then it was off the Broomfield to spend time with Nels' older brother and his family. It was a busy day - but definately an enjoyable one! Now let the clean-up begin!

Aren't they so cute in their Snugies?!

A hunting we will go....

...For our tree that is! Last weekend we picked up Daddy's friend Brian and headed up Rist Canyon to his property. Once we arrived we explored a little and then built a fire in his fire pit. It felt as cold as Antarctica, but the fire kept us as warm as a steaming cup of Cocoa. There was a couple inches of snow left over from the storm we had in early November, but the sun was shining and winds were calm. I found a flat, thin rock and used it to boil some water over the fire. I set the metal cup of water on the rock, and put the rock on top of the nearest flame. The rock was resting on a log in the fire and the stone wall of the fire pit. It took about five minutes for the water to begin boiling, but it felt like forever. We scouted the land for the perfect Christmas tree. Brian has several species of trees on his property and as a wild land firefighter he is very knowledgeable about trees. There were Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fur trees, as well as Juniper. We saw one Juniper growing near a pile of huge rocks, this Juniper was over 400 years old! There were lots of rock cliffs with some fun caves, great for exploring. The view was amazing! You could see all the way to Videavoo, Wyoming if you stood in the right spot. We searched all over his land for that one perfect tree. He told us, that Douglas Fur, grow branches close to the ground, where as Ponderosa Pines, grow banches higher up the trunk. So, Douglas Fur trees are fuel for forest fires. Because of this, he told us he wouldn't mind taking down a tall Fur tree and cutting the top off for us to take home and he would use the rest of the trunk to strengthen his shelter. We chose one that was about 16 feet tall, can you imagine tying that to the top of the car? Good thing Brian cut off the top 7 feet for us to bring home - it fit fine on the top of the car. I helped him choose another tree for his family. It was about 14 feet tall, but again he cut the top off to make it closer to 5 feet. Harrison and I decided to build a shelter. We chose a spot close to the fire or main camping area of Brian's land, it had a few big rocks, so it was a perfect place to build a lean-to. First we rid the floor of our fort of any rocks, so we didn't have to lay on them - ouch! Brian let us use the trunks of the two trees we cut down, instead of using them to add support to his existing structure. We laid them across 2 rocks, in the middle of the shelter there was a tree, so the logs went on either side of it. We then used the branches that were cut off the lower part of the trees to conceal our fort and cushion the floor. Brian helped us move some smaller rocks for our weapons cache, because as Harrison put it, "we are building a fort, we need to defend ourselves."  We put the finishing touches on our fort, and played while the fire burnt down, because you cannot leave a fire burning on any level, you have to make sure it is completely out before you leave. After we made absolutely sure the fire was out, we tied the trees to the top of our Pathfnder and drove home. We dropped Brian and his tree off at his house and then went home and put our tree up and decorated it.

Fun Fact: Did you know that not all the cones that grow on evergreen trees are called pine cones? Only the ones that grow on pine trees are called pine cones. The ones that grow on other evergreens including the Douglas Fur are simply called seed cones! I learned that from Brians Mom, Holly! She said she always called them all pine cones and her husband was always correcting her, but Brian just lets it go if she slips up!
Hayden

Starting the fire to keep warm

Brian getting ready to cut down our tree

Us with our tree before we cut off the top

Harrison by our fort

Harrison and I in our fort

Our gorgeous tree all decorated.... well almost...

The finishing touch - Daddy putting on the star

Karate

Last Friday I went to a promotion ceremony at Karate West. I had earned my green belt the week before. The teachers at Karate West felt I was ready to test for a higher belt even though I didn't have the required number of stripes on my orange belt. To get a stripe on the belt, you have to go through a series of classes and learn a certain set of skills. The skills required are different for each belt level. I was very excited when I got my white stripe, a white stripe is a stripe that you earn after you have pre-tested and passed. This stripe lets you and others know you are moving up in rank. At the promotion ceremony, we perform all the orange belt skills we have learned and then the teachers present us with our new belt. When I got my green belt, I felt as excited as a child on Christmas morning! It will be a while before I move up in rank again, but my goal is to be a black belt!
By Hayden

Everyday Life In 2009

Recently I went to L.A., California. We stayed at our  friends house in San Dimas. The first day we were there, it was raining, so we went to Ikea and Trader Joes. That afternoon, we played Beatles Rock Band with our friends Matt and Denise. We went to Legoland on Thursday Oct. 15th. There were lots of great rides, for example, there were 3 different roller coasters. When we were in line for the first one, I was very excited. I had only been on a tiny roller coaster at a fair. So, watching this one, I was anticipating a lot of fun. The second roller coaster was a Lego dragon, I was a little nervous for this one, because it was pretty big. But when I got on it, the butterflies  in my stomach dissappeared like a popsicle melting on a hot summer day. It turned out to be so fun that we went on it 2 more times in a row. The third roller coaster, Technic, was scary because it had a massive drop at the beginning, but it turned out to be awesome! I wanted to go on it again, but we had more to see before Legoland closed! The next day we went to Disneyland with our friends Matt and Denise. The first stop was the Haunted Mansion Ride. It was all decorated for the movie "the Nightmare Before Christmas". It wasn't scary at all, just funny. At the end of the ride we passed a mirror that makes it look like you have a present in the car with you, ours was 2 sticks of dynomite - Yikes! Our next stop was Tom Sawyers Island,  to get there, you take a raft. Once you get on the Island, you can freely explore. There is a pirates cave, a rickety bridge, a wheel crank that raises a treasure chest and skeleton out of the water.  After lunch we ventured to Splash Mountain, which we had fast passes for, a fast pass allows you to avoid the long lines, you go in the fast pass line and get access to the ride more quickly. Splash Mountain is a log ride, the cars look like logs and fit 6 people, the cars are on a track that leads you through a watery mountain with a bunch of differnt animals in it. At the end you go down a 50 foot drop into a pool of water. I didn't hardly get wet, but our friend Denise who was in the front and doesn't like to get wet, got soaked - thanks to us listening to a stranger, who told us that he was in the front and barely got wet! Then we went to the Pirates of the Carribean ride. It was really dark inside and there is a restaurant inside the ride where you can eat if you have a reservation. The ride took you through scenes from the Pirates of the Carribean movies. The ceiling was painted to look like an actual sky, like you were outside at midnight.  We went on so many fun rides, that it would take pages to name them all, but we had a ton of fun on every one! The last one we went on was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which was an awesome roller coaster, taking place in the setting of a mine. It was dark by the time we got there, so it was extra fun because you couldn't see what was coming next. After that we ate dinner and sat down to watch the Halloween special fireworks. Disneyland was one of the most fun places that I have ever been too! And I would suggest, that if you  have chance to go, you should. You'll experience the most fun you have ever had in your whole entire life! Before our flight left on Saturday, we went to Santa Monica beach. I learned to ride the waves with just my body, it feels like you are floating in mid-air. It was exciting because you never knew if the next wave would carry you back to the beach or not. I found a tiny little crab in a huge pile of seaweed, we built a shelter for him with sand and water. As we were leaving the beach, my little brother Harrison found a Zebra Mussel, it was closed shut, but Harrison wanted to open it. It was white with brown stripes on it, about the size of a fifty cent piece. He wanted to bring it home, but it would not have survived, so he threw it back into the ocean. And that was the end of our great trip to L.A. California.

By Hayden

Playing Rock Band

Darth Vader Made enitrely out of Legos!

Jack the Pumpkin King

Our family on the rickety bridge

Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Carribean

Teeny Tiny Crab

Riding the waves!

Harrison enjoying the beach

Sleep over

Last night I slept over at my Nana and Papas. Nana took us to Lowes to buy a dowl rod & a drawer knob to make new wands. Like the ones in Harry Potter, in case you don't know, Harry Potter is a book and a Movie. First Papa cut the rod, then we attached the knob for a handle, then I sanded the rod to make it look like it was carved. Last night we watched Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosuars. It was a good movie, really hilarious. My Papa laughed a lot. Nana made us turkey dinner. She had all the trimmings too, stuffing, cranberries, gravy and broccoli. It was super yummy! Hayden and I slept in the guest bedroom, the bed in there has a warmer, so it's always cozy when we get in! Sleepovers at my Nana and Papa's are always so much fun!

By Harrison

Trick-or-treating

Last night we went Trick or treating with our friends Savanah and Payton. We were all dressed up, I was a scary skeleton, Hayden was Link from Legend of Zelda video game, Savanah was Hermione and Payton was a dalmation. When we got to one house the lady said 'oh, you're Harry Potter, you're an archer and you are a cow.' Hee hee.  I lost one of my front teeth before Halloween night, it's been loose for a while and I finally just pulled it out, because it was bothering me. We visited a lot of houses last night, including the Principal of our school. We had so much fun, it was great to go with friends!

By Harrison (as typed by Mama)

It's still snowing in Colorado, although it has slowed down quite a bit and the sun has made an appearance. The boys have been having so much fun, they are off sledding again this afternoon with friends. School has been cancelled for 2 days, but I have had to teach preschool. Yesterday, Nels stayed home with the boys for part of the day and then dropped them at my work to play with my co-teachers kids. As it turned out, the city decided to close at 1PM, so they only got to play for a little while. I only had one class this morning, so the boys trooped along with me. Only 2 kids showed up, so we all had fun carving pumpkins and experimenting with Kool aid paint. (use kool aid and warm water to make a smelly paint). I hope the boys have school tomorrow, because chances are I will have to work and it's exhausting to be a teacher and a mom all at once - everybody needs my attention and it really drains me emotionally. The boys are super excited for Halloween... but I am looking at the weather and wondering if we will even be able to go trick-or-treating. Good thing it's Nels' year to take them and my year to stay home and hand out candy!! :)

Snowy Day

Today there was about 1 foot of snow!!  I went sledding  and had lots of fun.Obviously there  was no school today because I could not have gone sledding.The snow was like soft crystals.I went sledding with Harrison and my friend Tyler and I went off  some major jumps.I also carved pumpkins yesterday.

10/28/2009

Hayden.