Saturday, February 26, 2011

WE SURVIVED!!!!!!


Those of You Born
1930 - 1979

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were Pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.
We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.

WHY?

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.
No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes..
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
and we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!

Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ?

The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,
mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another,
and with the threat of swine flu
and terrorist attacks.
Are we sure this is a good time
to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

Friday, February 18, 2011

Donations for DR trip!


Friends and Family,

Our 12 year old Cam and I (Tonya) are planning a trip to the Dominican Republic as part of a parent/child missionary team being sent from our church, Brookside Church in Omaha, Nebraska. We have friends that are full time missionaries there and we will be hooking up with them. If you are interested in finding out about our missionary friends, there website is: http://theshauls.myadventures.org/. You can also find out more about our church and this trip at www.brookside.net.

Cam showed interest in this trip after he was given the opportunity to lead a friend from an atheist family to Christ. He also is currently taking Spanish and is very excited to experience a new culture and to help those in need.

The cost of the trip is $650 per person, for a total of $1300. We are fundraising for this trip as it is impossible for us to go on our dime alone. It is a missions trip through our church and they are paying for a portion of the trip. The $650 is what is left over as our cost. Anything you can donate would be SO appreciated. If we get above and beyond our goal, we will take the remainder with us to the Dominican Republic and donate it to the Shauls and their ministry. Remember this is a fully tax deductible donation and I am fully prepared to send receipts stating so for you. You can donate directly to me by check and send it to, Tonya Filleman 6012 S. 149th St., Omaha, NE 68137, or you can go to one of my blogs and do a direct donation on pay pal from there. www.nebraskahockeymom.blogspot.com, or www.nebraskafillemans.blogspot.com. There are icons on each home page.

Thank you for your consideration! If nothing more, prayer is deeply appreciated!! Take care and God’s blessings on you all!


Tonya and Cam Filleman

Monday, February 14, 2011

Snow Storm

We got hit with a couple of good storms giving us almost 2 feet of snow! It made for...I think 3 or 4 snow days from school!! We had TONS of fun on our snow days!! We also had those snow days because of the bitter cold though too! At one time we were well below zero with a windchill around -30 below zero! FRIGID!!!!!! When it wasn't so cold though...we went sledding with all that awesome snow! I can't help it! I love the snow!! I know everyone else hates it...but I LOVE it!!!





Cam playing hockey

Cam's turn for some hockey highlights! He has had a GREAT year! He is a first year Pee Wee A with dad as his coach. They have traveled nearly every weekend since November and have had a blast doing it...of course...the bank account has been dwindling...but as long as they are having fun! :-) He is 91 in the pictures! He is currently playing defense and he LOVES it! He is one of the stars of the team!! Even on defense he still manages to slip in some assists and shots on goal!


New Years Eve!

Some of you know that I am a Tribe leader at my church. Tribe is the Junior High Ministry. I have a roster of 12 7th graders! Only about 8 come on a regular basis....and they are a fun 8 let me tell you!!!

Since New Years Eve fell on a Friday this year...and since we NEVER do anything on New Years Eve...I decided to have a Tribe over night party! So....7 girls came over at 6 pm Friday night for Pizza and appetizers, LOTS of pop and LOTS of goodies! We started out the night playing a Dance game on the Wii. The girls had tons of fun dancing!
Then they decided it was makeover time! So....off I went to gather all the makeover stuff I could think of!After that the boys got involved. Cam and Jake took out the Nerf Guns and they played Nerf Wars like all good little boys and girls should do! :-)Some of the girls opted out and decided instead to pet the animals....here is Kayla, Lexa and Abby petting Chocolate.After we rang in the new year with TONS of confetti...which I am STILL picking out of my carpet every once in awhile....Madeline and MaKenna decided to do Confetti Snow Angels!
After that we played hide and go seek in the dark! Tons of fun! Then...around 1 am we finally sat down to watch a chick flick...even Cam and Jake joined us. Around 3 it was over and I was incredibly sick to my stomach...WAY to many treats!!! At 4 I FINALLY decided to lay down upstairs in MaKenna's bed as MaKenna was on the floor in the living room. There were 4 in the living room and 4 in the family room. The living room group was already out. The family room group....well...at 6 am, I could STILL hear them! I felt better after tossing some cookies upstairs....I finally fell asleep around 7....then I had to get everyone up at 9 because I had a shopping date with my sister at 10 and all the mom's and dad's were coming to pick them up then.
We had a great time!!! Except the tummy ache in the middle of the night! My co leader also left at 6 am because she couldn't sleep.....other than that...we did great!!!
Then my sister Rhonda and I hit the stores from 10:30 am until almost 10 that night!!! We had a GREAT day and got TONS of GREAT deals!!!! :-)

Christmas Break Ice Skating

So I always try to do fun things with the kids when they are home for Christmas Break. One particular day my sister (who had taken the day off) wanted to go ice skating with the kids. Now...I for one am SO SICK OF ICE RINKS! But....because I love my children...we went. Major had a REALLY difficult time at first. We were there for 2 hours and for the first hour and a half he CRIED...and CRIED...and CRIED! Then...we finally convinced him to use a cone to skate with...suddenly he was a changed boy! He fought us at first...but once he figured it out...he LOVED it! Here is Kayla and MaKenna. Major is in the yellow...this is where Major and I spent that first hour and a half....on the bench.

Brooke and Rhonda.

Major being his usual silly self!!!!



MaKenna and Kayla trying to help Major.


Rhonda helping Major...until his pants fell down and her back ached!

Then we came home...and this is what I found Major doing...playing with the boys' DS. Such a boy!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The day AFTER Christmas

So...we have several days of presents. We have Christmas Eve where we get and give gifts to my dad and Jan, Rhonda, Mike and her kids. Then Christmas Day is just what Santa brought us and what is under the tree....then the next day we go to Dad and Jan's because Santa has ALSO come to their house for the kids!!!! Here is Sadie...one of the newer members to our family....just watching all the kids in wonder! This is her first Christmas with so many kids!!!! Here they all are....in chronilogical order....Major, MaKenna, Brooke, Kayla, Jake, Shawn and Cam.
The girls took a break to check out the outdoors with Sadie....not a lot of snow on the ground at that time, but we have since made up for that.


The two oldest...Shawn and Cam....


Add in Jake and Major....

Ring Around the Rosy....

Major's new favorite activity is Ring around the Rosy.....he loves to spin and fall...while singing:

Ring around the rosy....pocket full of posies...asses...asses....we all fall down!

I need to teach him that sh sound I guess.....

Christmas Morning!

So Christmas Morning at our house is always fun and EARLY! The kids do know though that they can't look at what Santa brought and they can't open anything until we are awake! And they also know that they can't wake us up before 8 AM! I know...we are TERRIBLE! Then they have to wait for Jeff to take a shower. I am perfectly content going downstairs with my glasses and un showered...but not Jeff...no...if we want a happy daddy...he has to have showered and had his coffee. So...it is usually 9 am before we start opening! This is what Major thinks of that!!!! We always go into the living room first and open what Santa brought us in our stocking. Here is one of Cam's Santa gifts! A hunting hood!

Here is one of Jake's Santa gifts....a 3D book mark!


MaKenna got toothpaste! And Santa brought her ice skates too!

Major is just taking it all in...he was the first to go since he is the youngest.


After we find out what Santa brought, then we mosey into the Family room and open up the presents under the tree. That was a lot of fun!!! I forgot to take pictures during that time though....so sorry......All in all...Christmas was FANTABULOUS!!!!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a ton of fun. It was a little different then years past...but things can't always stay the same right? I have to get used to change...and the last couple of years have been filled with change!

We started the evening with church. That was a very nice service, everyone enjoyed it. Then we headed over to Rhonda's house for our dinner. Tradition is Chili and Macaroni and Cheese Casserole and that is what we stuck with!! After a yummy and very filling dinner we opened presents! Here is one of dad's favorites...he finally got his chaps to ride Sparky with!!!! This was my favorite...a picture of the train depot in Flagstaff!!!! It was done by a Flagstaff artist that actually attends the church that Jeff grew up in and that Jan had gone to until she moved out here!

Here is Cam with his bean bag that he wanted for his room!

I am not sure what MaKenna is unwrapping here...but she seems to be excited!




Here is Jake...goin' to town on his present!

Here is Major!

Here we are...the Filleman's after church before we put on our jammies to be more comfortable!

Kenna and Maj!

Christmas Cookies!

Once school was out...it was time to make Christmas Cookies!! I always make the norm....Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies....pudding pie....a birthday cake for Jesus...and sugar cookies. This year I made Egg Free sugar cookies....I have A LOT of work to do to make those better. They tasted fine...but they wouldn't stay together when we tried to cut shapes out of them. I also made some sort of fun Milano type cookies that were also egg free. Those were tasty...but turned out kinda ugly. Again...I have to master those. It has taken me 11 years to master egg free chocolate chip cookies...it will take me awhile to master the new recipes too I suppose!! We do our best though!


Santa came to town!!!

Every year Santa makes a special visit to us! We are spoiled! We don't like to go to the mall to meet him...so he comes to us!!! Rhonda (my sister) and my birthdays are so close that we usually get together on a weekend and celebrate BOTH of our birthdays...well...it is usually on that night that Santa makes his visit!! Here is MaKenna and Santa. His book said that she has been a good girl!! Here is Major and Santa...with mommy. Major STILL wasn't too sure about Santa.

Here is Santa with Jake. Jake has been afraid of Santa in the past...but not this year!!!!
Cam had NEVER been afraid of Santa...and this year was no exception!

The Filleman's!

Jan and Dad's first Christmas together!!

Gingerbread...and Rabbits??

So Jeff had a White Elephant exchange at work. True to his nature of being a booger....he brought in deer legs...yes...whole legs....fur...hoof...the whole shabang. He put key rings through them to make them "lucky deer feet" like rabbits feet! Anyway...needless to say, his boss who was the receiver, WASN'T thrilled. He is still working there though! Well...Jeff's gift was a pari of rabbit ears. Here Maj and Jake are trying them on for size!
After our fun night trying on rabbit ears, we decided it was time to make the gingerbread house. I know...I am SO behind. I am just now posting about December and it is February. So sorry...but better late than never, right? Here are some fun pictures of that. It always works out this way....we make the gingerbread house...the kids eat what they like off of it for the coming week (which isn't much)...and then what is left, the friends that come over eat! By the end of the week...whatever is left...gets thrown away! There wasn't a whole lot to throw away though once the end of the week came!