BLACK FRIDAY!!!

Yes, this is a pic of the clock as Mom, Kara and I (Bethany) headed out the door Friday morning :-0 Dad and Matthew left around 2:50 am to head for Sears. Ryan didn't have to leave till 4:10 am (what a bum!!) as he wanted to go to Wal-Mart first ; he was smart and realized that Newton would have more sane people, and he actually had no good stories to tell:-(  Trevor totally missed out on the action as he opted to stay home with the younger kids :-)

We went to Kohl's first and ended up standing in line for about a half hour before they opened. By the time the store opened (4:00) the line was about a 150 yards long! We were so busy planning out our mission and visiting with those around us that we forgot to take a picture of  the line outside :-( After we had been shopping awhile we noticed that the check-out line was getting long fast (we had heard stories from my sister-in-law about standing in line for 2 hrs at this store), so I quickly finished up with my shopping and saved a spot in the line while Mom and Kara finished getting their stuff. By the time they were ready to check out, we had a spot right up at the front of the line and were out by 4:45!! :-) 

When Dad and Matthew got to Sears they saw the long line in front of the main door, so they decided to check out one of the side doors; to their delight there were only a few people waiting there. They gave Justin a call to join them and ended up being some of the first ones in!!

Dad took this picture at Best Buy at 4:45 on his way to Dick's Sporting Goods. The line was about 250 yds long! No, none of us were dumb enough to shop there!!! 

This was the time when we got home; earlier than last year; but then again we did leave earlier!! 

By the time we got home we were all ready to take a nap; although only a couple were able to squeeze one in! We all had a blast (mom may not agree:-) and have some good stories to tell!! ;-) For those of you who didn't venture out on Black Friday - you missed out on some great deals and memory making!!!!

Emily's Birthday Party

Instead of the traditional Thanksgiving celebration, we celebrated Emily's birthday. Emily was actually born on Thanksgiving morning, so there is an extra specialness about this holiday! Justin, Laura, & Braxton(to Emily's especial delight:) joined us for dinner and later some cousins for cake and ice-cream.

Emily with Ashley, Brittany, Katie, Abby & Braxton

Emily's choice of meal was homemade pizza!!  Our family will take that over turkey any day!

John trying to snuggle Braxton and getting slobbers in return; John didn't seem to mind at all. :-)

What a cute smile!!

The afternoon and evening were spent planning for BLACK FRIDAY!!! Yes, we are one of those crazy families who ventured out in the wee hours of the morning. :-)

From Our Family To Yours...

Quail & Pheasant Hunting

A couple of weekends ago our guys joined the Busenitz guys for opening day of quail and pheasant season. 

Dave B., Trevor, Miah B., Ben B., Matt B., Matthew, Ryan & Jesse B. Oh, and  let's not forget about Spot and the kittens ;-)!

Emily

"diligent worker" :: "purity"

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify tour Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

Happy 9th Birthday Emily!

Trapping

Mark's first catch! That's if last years opossum and cat don't count! ;-) He used the blow gun he's holding, to kill it!

Birthday Party

I guess this was the week for birthday parties :-) On Sunday we celebrated Josiah's birthday by having the Kientz family over. Ben and Jesse Busenitz also joined us for a couple of hours for a bluegrass jam. 

John thought he needed to join in as well. :-)

     

Video clips

Bethany, Kara and Susanna K. playing some music together.

 While those who do music were inside, the others were out at the shop processing Ryan's deer. Butchering in the shop worked well as it kept the mess outside and out of the kitchen!!

Trevor, Mr. Kientz, Matthew, Ryan and Emily cutting up the meat.

Dad did the grinding.

"Three men on a couch" must have been the game of choice this week!

Happy 11th Birthday Josiah!!

Luke K., John, Josiah, and Micah K.

Josiah, being Josiah ;-)

   

Surprise Birthday Party!

On Friday evening we and another family joined the Beeson's for a surprise birthday party for their daughter Emily. We had a fun evening of fun and fellowship!

Emily Beeson's mom had taken her out shopping while the rest of us all arrived early and waited behind a wall to surprise her! It worked, she had no idea and this had been in the works for a couple of weeks!!

While the older ones were playing volleyball, the younger ones enjoyed trampoline time! Don't worry, no one got hurt :-)

A game of "3 men on a couch"

Cute hat Ashley!!

Matthew and Bethany matching up on a game of "Who's on the other side?"

John was really intrigued with this "jack-in-the-box"; we were really surprised he liked it as he hates being scared and having things jumping out at him!

A game of "Pegs & Jokers"

Trevor's turn at stunt riding!

Ashley, Traci B., Bethany, and Angie B. trying to see how many girls they can balance on this board before they all fall off!

Deer Season Has Begun!

This year Ryan decided to try his skill at bow hunting! He shot this nine point buck this morning after only a few days of going out. The biggest one that he's ever gotten was an ten point buck.  Trevor is planning on joining him once rifle season starts.

Grandpa Bergen turns 75!

Tuesday, we went to Dad's sister's to celebrate grandpa's 75th birthday. Only two (Dad and Pam) of the four children's families still living in the state, were able to be there to help celebrate.

Happy 75th Birthday Grandpa!

John with his cousin Jessica 

Josiah

"the Lord saves" :: "bringer of light"

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.

I Corinthians 2:7

Happy 11th Birthday Josiah!

Saturday Happenings

This Saturday, the guys worked on putting up a storage area in the shop. Yea, more storage!!!

Mark, taking the wood scraps and cutting them into kindling.

Even though we don't have everything set up yet, Trevor finds a space to work on a light for his motorcycle. 

The boys' newest invention, a hedge-apple shooter! They have been able to shoot the apples up to 200 yards!

Our dog Remington getting some attention!

Working Cattle

This week Trevor and Matthew have gone over to the Busenitz's to help them work cattle since they have been a little short handed with being able to get into the field to harvest. It's been amazing how quickly they can get their school done :-)

Moving cattle to another field.

One day they even got there soon enough to watch them unload a truck.

Matthew

Trevor