Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...

...from me....late, of course! :O)

Hello All!

Here are some pictures from the Holiday Season. Kindrid and Brennen both participated in the "Bethlehem Project" which was the theme of our church Christmas program this year. Kindrid is bottom, left in the first picture, and Brennen is top middle in the second.

Kindrid with one of several school projects to celebrate the season...
Between the blizzards, we snuck in a trip to Minnesota for Christmas with our families. We got in a quick visit to the Mall of America so Kindrid could [finally] get her birthday gift - a new American Girl doll. Brennen had fun at the Lego store! We also got to see my Grandma Huber and then headed up to Brainerd for a too-short visit with both our extended families. Here's me with my niece, Kallie. Can you tell how much she LOVES her Auntie Christy??
Auntie Carleen helped her three nieces with making hors d'oeuvres for the Amerud Fam Christmas. How could she go wrong with these great helpers?




The pictures I took at Todd's family home didn't come out right. Sad...I would have had some great ones of the gang playing our new Wii and of Pa Ben and Uncle Matt carving the prime rib! It was spectacular. :O) We also had the pleasure of attending Lakewood E. Free's Christmas Eve service in Baxter. Lovely worship, lovely music, lovely view of the snow falling on the north woods through the windows!

After a round of migraines lasting a couple days on my part and a long week back to work on Todd's, we elected to spend New Year's Eve with just our little family. We watched TV, played Apples to Apples Junior and celebrated in the New Year with those little popper things - and were in bed by like 12:01!

We've enjoyed having the kids off school for three weeks. They head back tomorrow. I'm ready for there to be a bit more routine in our lives, but will miss them and the leisurely pace of these past weeks.

Hope your New Year is off to a great start!
Love,
Christy

Signs of the Season...

Hello All!

Just some pictures to share today. Here are the kids with our completed Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. We were able to do five this year. We went shopping for the enclosed items as a family and had a blast. The kids are very selective with what their child gets. I love watching them considering each item and discussing its merits. Want to know more about this ministry that is a hands-on demonstration of the love we are to be sharing as Christians? Check out this link: www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index

Thanksgiving was a very busy day for our family. We were up early and it was all hands on deck to get the turkey prepped and stuffed. Kindrid was in charge of sauteing the onions and celery for the stuffing...Todd was in charge of cleaning and prepping the bird - can you see by the look on his face how much he loves raw poultry? I like it even less which is how he got stuck with the job! Brennen actually did a good share of it too, but I didn't get that on film. Tearing up the toast and mixing the stuffing. My sister and I always did this job when we were kids...it's so fun to see my own doing it now!About the time we got the turkey in the oven and cleaned up the kitchen, it was time to head up to "Daddy's hospital" to serve the patients and their families Thanksgiving dinner. Our friends, Brandi and John, and their two daughters bravely came to lend a hand and, later, to share Thanksgiving with us at home. Todd and Brennen were on carving duty:Here is Kindrid with her friends, Paige and Shelby. The girls were able to help out a little with dessert, but mostly were very good girls and kept themselves happily busy while the adults worked had to serve well over 100 people! After we were done at the hospital, we all trooped (well, trooped implies energy...we were quite tired after our exertions at the hospital so "dragged ourselves" might be a better term!) back home to have our own feast. Brandi and John were super-troopers and worked tirelessly at the hospital! We are thankful for our friends, our families, our home, the abundance we enjoy and the freedom to live and worship as we believe in this amazing country we call home!

Um...here's a picture of the spread. The blurry form at the end of the table would be John...it looks to me like he's trying to sample dessert first! Oh my goodness! Have you ever seen anything so cute as Paige and her wing? She was so thrilled with it! And so the Season of celebration has begun for the Sandbergs. We know it has for you too. We pray it's blessed with joy, quiet moments and the knowledge that the little baby's arrival that we celebrate now was truly the greatest gift ever given.

Love yous,

Christy

PS GOOOOOO VIKINGS!!!!!!

For the Beauty of the Earth...

Dear Ones,

It's been a long week. A lovely soul went to be home with Jesus after a hard battle with cancer. She leaves behind a husband and three children. My soul rejoices that she is in heaven now and whole and joyful and at peace. My mother's heart breaks for the family she leaves behind. The grandmother of a very good friend also went home this week. I pray for my friend and her family as they miss a grandmother and friend. Another friend struggles through the beginnings of divorce and all the changes that means for his life. My heart aches for his sadness and the loss of a relationship. My darling niece celebrated her first birthday. She brings joy to all around her. We awoke this morning to still air after a very windy week and to one of the most lovely snows I've ever seen. I spent time this morning with three women that encourage me, make me laugh and help me keep my feet on the ground.

It's called LIFE. It's full, it's up, it's down, I couldn't live it without the faith I have in a God who loves us, who sent His Son for our sin so we can draw near to Him. Click the link, let the music play while you look at my sorry attempts to capture on "film" God's glory in His creation today. I pray it blesses you as it did me with the knowledge that "it is well with my soul" because of Him.
May you have a blessed weekend!
With love for you, my friends and family...
Christy
www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/b/fbeautye.htm

Halloween...

Friday night...carving pumpkins...Brennen did his own carving this year! (yikes!)

Kindrid just loves the goop!

Our results: One ballerina...One Luke Skywalker (again):We had 60+ trick or treaters this year. Todd took the kids around in the truck as the wind was really howling. Most of the kids that came around were older - too yucky for the little ones. Brennen and Kindrid had fun - and are busy consuming a ridiculous amount of sugar! :O)

And with this blog post...I am now caught up! Happy Reading! (and thanks for reading!)

Christy

Denver Zoo...

Hello Again!

Todd's folks left on Wednesday, the 21st and headed to Denver for a visit with Matt and Carrie (Todd's sister). We attended the kids' conferences on Thursday morning and then headed to Denver for a visit too.

First, I have to report how wonderfully the kids are doing in school! Both teachers were full of praise for their work. I'm thankful for how easily it seems to come to them and the pride they both take in doing a good job. We have two excellent teachers this year and, so far, it's been a much more peaceful year, particularly for Brennen, than last year was.

I didn't take many pictures in Denver, but we had a wonderful time. Auntie Carrie had set up a tent for the kids to sleep in, and we were enthusiastically welcomed to Camp Leiner. They said that, although they looked like dogs, they were actually bears and not to feed them. :O) There were other posted rules, like no parties after 2:00 a.m., which both kids tried very hard to break.

We shopped some, ate out some, and went to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day and around 60 so cool enough for the animals to be moving around. Most impressive were the lions. They were active, roaring and eating. The male would roar and the females answer him. They were mesmerizing, and we spent a good deal of time watching them. We also had to chuckle at the baby Cape Buffaloes named: Barack and Obama. What an honor the keepers bestowed upon our president by naming these two critters after him!! :O)

It was hard to say our final good-byes to the in-laws after such a nice visit, but the stay at the Leiners helped ease us all into it.

Almost caught up...just one more post! :O)

Christy

Kindrid Turns Six...

Despite all the rules against getting older that Todd and I have made, our little girl keeps having birthdays. Her actual birthday was October 7th, but, as that was a school and AWANA day, we celebrated on Saturday, Oct. 10th instead with 7 of her girl friends. This is a milestone for all of us since last year her birthday was so soon after moving here that she really didn't have any little friends to invite. She wanted a simple party and thought of most of the games herself. Here the girls are doing hopscotch in the garage (Todd and Brennen looked up online exact specs and worked together with sidewalk chalk to make a nice one for the girls.) We also had a rousing game of "Keep the Balloon in the Air." Another game involved the girls thinking up uses for unusual objects. Here the two teams are, deep in thought. :O)

And of course, there were gifts. Autumn gave Kindrid a soccer ball - a girly one!!
Sisters, Shelby and Lauren, gave Kindrid a Lite Brite! (which has a whole new look since I was a kid!)

Valerie gave Kindrid a darling soft horse:

Sisters, Shelby and Paige, gave Kindrid a Barbie Mermaid doll:

I had to include this shot of those two girls, too. Cute!

And a patient Bryn waited politely until the end for her gift to be opened. She gave Kindrid a "fairy hut" as Kindrid calls it:

Six years we've been blessed by our happy girl who delights in songs, smiles, beauty, cuddles, stories and love. Thank you, God!

Blessings to you,

Christy

PS I just have to add a thought about how much quieter and easier this little girl party was than, oh, say, perhaps a little boy party!! :O)

Bighorn Day Trip...

The forecast looked amazing for September 26th so we decided the elder Sandbergs should see our favorite mountain range, the Bighorns. Some very kind friends let Brennen stay with them for the day so he wouldn't miss a birthday party. The rest of us headed out very early in the morning. Our first goal: The breakfast buffet at Bear Lodge near Burgess Junction on the north end of the range featuring Big Mike's made-to-order omeletes, biscuits and, of course, Big Mike himself. The buffet closes at 10:00 a.m. and we made it just in time. The omelets lived up to our enthusiastic praises and Big Mike spent a considerable amount of time at our table visiting. He was charming, the food amazing and the day off to a great start.

What can I say? We are still in awe that we live so close to this much beauty! The mountains in fall are spectacular. Due to hunting season, we saw no moose or elk. This was the first time we've been in the Bighorns without seeing any. My in-laws were troopers! In case you care to see how much mileage we put on (more than 500 miles!), trace this route: Casper to Sheridan, west to Burgess, loop around north of 14, back to alt 14, down through Shell Canyon to Greybull, Greybull south to Worland, east to Tensleep, east to Powder River pass, southeast down Crazy Woman Canyon and then back to Casper. Wow!

Here are some pictures that just don't do the scenery justice:

Smoke from a controlled burn the Forest Service was conducting:

Picnic spot above Meadowlark Lake on the southwest side of the range:

Take one of me, Mommy:

One very brave deer in Crazy Woman Canyon:

What a satisfying day full of beauty, warmth and the gold aspens holding the sunshine in their leaves!

Christy

And The Next Day Brought....

...Snow.
Here is our view of the mountains the day after the thunderstorm. Yep. Snow on September 21st! We've had two storms already, bringing a total of more than ten inches altogether. The last storm shut down some of the interstates and interrupted lots of services. Wal-Mart's produce section was almost empty making me realize once again how we take for granted this amazing, abundant, blessed country in which we have the privilege to live!

During this first week with us, my father-in-law, Ben, reached quickly for a falling bottle from the fridge and tore a tendon in his right shoulder. The doctor he saw assured him it needed surgery. He scheduled an MRI and said that he could not see Ben again until two weeks later due to a vacation he was taking. We all immediately adjusted our thinking that their visit would be a month-long visit to thinking it would be one of three months or more. Having the surgery here would mean I could help care for Ben as he recovered and be there for my mother-in-law, Mary, to help with any of her needs.

It was a long two-weeks-waiting for my in-laws. During that time, we found out my dad, Tim, was also going to have surgery on his shoulder. In visiting with him about that, my father-in-law found out that they don't do surgery on this type of torn tendon anymore. (My dad's injury is different). After some Internet research, he was convinced he likely did not need surgery after all. When the time for the follow up appointment finally arrived, Ben was ready to ask the doctor if he really did need to have this surgery (unless the MRI showed even more damage). The doctor showed them the MRI, talked a lot about the damage and, finally, much to Ben's relief, said he didn't think surgery was needed at this time. **Whew!** My in-laws were so relieved and happy!!

More to come...
Christy

A Storm To Welcome Them...

Howdy Folks,

On September 19th, Todd's parents arrived for an extended visit. On the 20th, we had one of the worst storms that we've experienced here in Casper. It was the darkest wall cloud I've seen in Wyoming. After our years in Tornado Alley, we've learned that a cloud like that usually means only one thing! The sirens did go off and we took shelter in the basement, but no damage was done. There was an impressive amount of hail, though! Here's our patio table:And the deck, looking like it's covered in snow: And here is The Promise:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be a sign

of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 9:13

Have a great day!

Christy