For Your Listening Pleasure.....

Miss Courtney Heath on the keyboard playing a Christmas favorite....

Much to be Thankful For....

The tree is decorated-now the trick is to keep Skittles from climbing it....

Putting up the tree....

Ron, Toni and Deb

Jim and Tim

Ted and Dan

We had a great Thanksgiving in Sioux Falls with the Smith's (we missed you Warren, Ann, Andrew and Sarah). It was a special time to thank God for all of the many blessings he has provided us this past year. It was great to see Jimmer and the slideshow of photos from Iraq. We are so thankful that he is home and safe from harm's way.

Kelsey filled her behavior/incentive chart and chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. So, the girls had a fun time playing games for awhile. We left Sioux Falls around 1:30 and put up the Christmas tree when we got home. Tomorrow is ice skating lessons and time for me to finish edits on my dissertation. We hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving! Have a great weekend:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would like to wish all of our friends and family a very Happy Thanksgiving! We will be traveling to Sioux Falls to celebrate and give thanks for all of God's blessings this year. It will be wonderful to see family and especially, Jimmer as we celebrate his return from Iraq. Ron and Toni are spending Thanksgiving with this year, which is great! You will notice in the photo that we are having a toast......I defended my dissertation today and pending some corrections to my dissertation.... I am officially Dr. Jen Heath. I will be participating in the graduation ceremony in Vermillion on December 13th and am thankful to my wonderful family, friends and co-workers who have supported me through this journey. I could not have done it without all of you:) Happy Thanksgiving everyone:)

Happy Anniversary Dan and Laurie!

We'd like to wish Dan and Laurie a very Happy Anniversary!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

We'd like to wish our nephew and cousin, Jamie a very Happy Birthday on Tuesday! Have a great birthday and we look forward to seeing you on Thanksgiving Day:)

Snow Queen Pageant 2008

Notice the tootsie roll in her mouth?!

Kelsey participated in the Snow Queen Pageant last evening. Although she did not win, she enjoyed being in the "spotlight." There were 18 Kindergarten girls in the pageant this year and they were all adorable. One of my students from Sunday School won the title of "Little Master," and we were very happy for him. Have a good week everyone!

A Little Help from My Cat....

I have been diligently working on my dissertation this week, with a little help from my cat, Skittles. He loves to snuggle up to me or sit on top of my chapter edits. I finished the entire document at 4:00 this morning and sent it off to my committee members. My defense is scheduled for Wednesday the 26th.

Have a good weekend everyone:)

Just Grandpa and Me.....

I took these two pictures in Jackson last weekend. Kelsey was sitting on grandpa's lap telling him all about Kindergarten......

Veteran's Day....

Happy Veteran's Day to all of our soldiers past and present who have served this great country. We especially remember my brother Jim, Uncle Dale, Uncle Cueball, Ron, and Eric's grandfather, Fabion. Thank you for your sacrifices. I found this poem on a website and thought it was fitting....

The American Hero
by Roger Robicheau

The American Hero always comes through

To capture our hearts with a spirit so true

Some proudly are soldiers who march in harm’s way

Insuring our freedom, courageous they stay

While others come forth as civilians so brave

Determined in purpose, so steadfast to save

We should always keep clear a place in our heart

For each has a value beyond precious art

Their duty to country will not be surpassed

Please honor their courage, for some it’s their last

We live in a world which can be hard to bear

Thank God for these people, how greatly they care

Do ponder new heroes and what they will face

And pray for their safety no matter their place

Our heritage brings out the best, we all know

Our great book of heroes is destined to grow

Happy Birthday Danielle!

We'd like to wish Danielle a very Happy Birthday today! We hope you had a wonderful day:)

Home Sweet Home

Relaxing on Grandma and Grandpa's Bed-sorry about the flash....

Welcome Home Jimmer!!

We are in Jackson this weekend visiting mom and dad. We all have Monday off, so will be heading back to Sisseton tomorrow. We are going to Vermillion in the morning, so that I can meet with my advisor to go over my final edits before my defense. If everything goes well, I will be graduating on December 13th.

On another topic, I was just visiting facebook.com and saw on Shelly's page that Jimmer is now in Wisconsin. This is wonderful news and we are so happy for Shelly and the kids that he is on U.S. soil! Thank you to everyone who prayed for him this past year:)

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

We'd like to wish our nephew and cousin, Matthew, a very Happy 19th Birthday! We hope you had a nice day celebrating in Duluth:)

Happy Election Day!

We hope all of you performed your civil duty and voted today. I'm sure you will not be surprised to know who won the presidential mock voting at my school. The cooks were even handing out cupcakes with little flags that said, "Obama 08." I'm certain that would not be allowed at a public school.

Kelsey, however, said she voted for the guy that didn't have a very full box....and Courtney was proud to let me know she voted for McCain. Regardless of the outcome, we are truly fortunate to live in this great nation. Jimmer will be leaving Iraq tomorrow and that is another reason to be thankful. We are very proud of him and all the brave men and women that serve this wonderful country. God Bless America:)