Showdown!

Dustin, Jeff, and Henry

Henry, all by himself

Maddie

Jeff, drinkin' hot chocolate

Henry and Jeff had a big day today- Dad took the boys to Showdown Ski area for some winter fun. This was Henry's second time and Jeff's first. Henry went down the beginner hill over and over all by himself. He even saw his friend Maddie (Who happens to be the granddaughter of our friend Carol from Moody) from school. Jeff took turns going down the hill with Dustin helping. The biggest adventure of the day came when, on the way home, the truck got stuck in a ditch and Dustin spent about 3 hours digging it out. Good friends came to the rescue with more shovels, gas and a ride home for the boys. Thanks Goodwin Family!

Merry Christmas from the Douberlys!

Hello. It's been a busy week since Miss Jenna broke her leg. She's doing great and we all had a very wonderful Christmas Day. These photos are from Christmas Eve with everyone sporting their (surprise!) new jammies. Christmas was spent opening presents, having a yummy lunch, going sledding, eating dinner at our friend's the Clark's and coming home and crashing. Now we have 6 days with Dad home although coming off a 12 hour mid shift (6pm to 6am) is proving difficult for Dustin. He woke up at 3 this morning and is sleeping now at 10am. He's got another month of mids so I guess it's better he stay on schedule. Anyways, we all got spoiled and the kids are busy playing with their new things right now. We have lots of great plans for 2009...we can't wait for it to get started! In February, I am going with my parents to Hawaii and will be acting as driver/tour guide. Dustin's mom is coming for the week while I am gone to help Dustin. In June we have an extended family vacation to Bryce Canyon planned with Dustin's aunts and uncles and cousins. We will probably be heading home to Portland in July. My brother Dennis will be there for his 20th! High School Reunion and we haven't seen him in over 2 years. What's neat is that this summer is my mom's 50th reunion, my brother David's 30th reunion, Dennis' 20th reunion, and my sister's 10th! They all gratuated in '59, '79, '89, and '99 respectively! Pretty cool! Well, I hope you all make the best of this last week of 2008! Best Wishes!

It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt...

That somebody is our princess Jenna, aka Tiny Tim in honor of the holiday season. Last night our boys were playing "monster", meaning one boy runs and hides while the other one is the monster and tries to get them. Well, Jenna got in the way and one of our boys came in and jumped on her. Since Dustin and I were both downstairs we'll never know which boy it was but the trama fractured her tiny tibia and she'll be in a full leg cast for the next month. I think it is so sad. She's taking it pretty well. After a few days we can help her learn to walk on it but until then she is my little monkey attached to my hip. Neither Dustin or I have ever been in a real cast so it's hard to believe Jenna's got one at just 2 years old. I'm very glad that her holiday photos have already been taken. My next assignment is to see what clothes she can wear. Considering it's 0F outside right now shorts are defintely out of the question!

A new gadget!

Hi all! I love adding new gadgets to our blog. Since I am always writing about Great Falls' fabulous weather, I searched out a gadget that would post the current weather conditions. Voila! There it is on the top right hand side of the blog. I think it's pretty nifty! The only problem is that right now it's showing -13F and it's 4 in the afternoon! Gotta love Montana!

Wow, we are super busy!

Here is a photo of Henry's Holiday program. He did a great job! One thing I love about living in a conservative state is that they still do all kinds of Christmas things at school. This year Henry even got to learn and sing "Away in a Manger" for his program. They also learned a few other Christmas songs and one jewish song. (Like you know how to spell that holiday!) Anyways, it's nice that they can celebrate at school what they celebrate at home without all the political mumbo-jumbo. That would never have happened in my home state of Oregon where it was Winter Break etc, etc, etc.

It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas...

Here at the Douberlys we have a tradition on the Monday after Thanksgiving to decorate our Christmas tree for FHE. I love putting up the tree and going through all the ornaments. Each year, I choose a new ornament for each member of the family that has something to do with what that person accomplished over the year or some character they are really into or some memory I have of them. This year, Dustin got one commemorating the marathon, Henry one for T-Ball, Jeff got one for the stuffed dog that now seems to be attached under his arm, and Jenna got one showing a polar bear coloring because she LOVES to color now. Anyways, the tree looks GREAT. Jenna had the honor of putting up the star this year. She looked so cute way up there. So, enjoy the pics while I give you a run-down of Great Falls weather!

Balmy. That's what the paper called our weather earlier this week. There was a whole article on the increase of families in Great Falls who were putting up Christmas decorations in the warm weather when normally it's just too darn cold. We even hit a record high on Monday at 62F. How quickly things change in Great Falls. I just sent Henry out to the bus stop and here are the current conditions...

Great Falls, MT: 2°
Clear
Wind: 7 mph / 11 km/h from the SW
Dew Point: -1 °F / -18 °C
Pressure: 30.73 in / 1040 hPa
Windchill:-11 °F / -24 °C
Humidity:88%
Visibility:10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
Updated: 7:53 AM MST on December 04, 2008Observed at: Great Falls, Montana(KGTF)

Yeah, that's negative folks! Dustin joked if that was child abuse- us sending our little out in weather like this, but school only closes if the power goes out and we know it will get colder- this is just the beginning. Our balmy days are over. Great Falls looks great for Christmas lights though and I can't complain about the snow when it's December! Christmas really is better when it's white outside!

Happy Thanksgiving- the easy way!

Our Thanksgiving holiday this year was a little different than normal. Dustin is currently on a mid shift (6pm-6am) so he slept in the morning. We went to Thanksgiving dinner at the Chow Hall at lunchtime and then hit the mountains for some super-fun sledding. The weather here has been, well, weird so we had to drive a ways before we found a hill with enough snow. Dustin found one that was perfect for the kids. That means is was fun enough to ride down but not too long to walk back up over and over again. We brought the dog, too. She loved to chase everyone as they went down the hill and even tackled Jenna once as she went down the hill on her own. After sledding we broke open our chow hall leftovers and ate them all up in the van. It was such a nice day spent together having fun rather than cooking all day long, stuffing ourselves silly and then having all those dishes to do afterwards.

Off to Idaho Falls!

Dustin had a 3 day break from work this past weekend so we went off to Idaho Falls to meet little 11 week old Abbey. Her mom, Tara, is just like a sister-in-law to me and a sister to Dustin. We were excited to finally get to meet her first little one. Abbey looks just like her mom! We also got to visit with Grandma Pamela, Aunt Rosalie, Aunt Linda, Uncle Bill, and cousins Shannon and Pamela. We were quite the group. I think we all had a good time. One of the BEST things about the whole weekend was we were able to pass little Bailey onto Grandma. I think they are going to be great together. It sure was nice to see everyone again. I can't wait until next June when we're all planning on getting together in Utah to visit some of the national parks together with Uncle David and his family from North Carolina.

A New Do and a Free Freezer

There's not a whole lot happenin' around here lately. A couple of things of note are that I got a new haircut and we got a free freezer for the garage. The haircut has been too long in coming. The last time I was in the salon was in April. I think it's pretty cute but the stylist took an hour to get it to look like that so my chances of replicating it are pretty low. As for the freezer...Dustin's co-worker (the same ones with the dog) bought a new freezer and told Dustin that if he'd help get the new one home and set up we could have the old one. I love it! We've talked of buying a freezer since we lived in GA and put stuff in our neighbor's freezer. It's small but that's ok. It has a chest on the top and then a drawer on the bottom. I ran out, with coupons in hand, to buy fun stuff to put in it. The commissary only had 5 bags of what I wanted left but, with the coupons, I paid $1.14 for all five bags including the surcharge (5%). I was pleased. I am hoping they re-stock soon because I still have 8 coupons left. Well, I am going on and on. Today is my Daddy's 69th birthday so I am off to send him a fun e-card at work.

Introducing Bailey!

This is Bailey. She belonged to a family of one of Dustin's co-workers who was going to take her to the pound. Dustin thought she might fit into our family so we brought her home for a trial. Missy was NOT happy about the new addition and we decided she wasn't going to work-out. Luckily Dustin's mom Pamela is going to take her. We'll be meeting Dustin's mom next week in Idaho Falls so it works out perfectly. She is a cute little thing. She a registered Beagle with papers and everything. Jeff will be happy to hear that Grandma is getting her because he really likes her. She sure is one lucky dog, that's for sure! Grandma is going to spoil her!

A Capitol Christmas

This year all of the trees for our nation's Christmas celebration in Washington are coming from Montana's Bitteroot Forest, just outside Hamilton, MT. The Capitol Christmas tree is already on it's way to D.C. and it made a stop here in Great Falls. Friday evening we went to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center to see it. It was 100ft tall when they cut it and they had to trim it to 77 feet for transport. They said it drinks 25 gallons of water every two days! This is the tree that will stand on the lawn of the nation's capitol and is our country's official tree- the one they do the traditional tree lighting on. We got to go see the tree, drink cocoa and decorate cookies and make an ornament. We even got to sign the banner on the side of the truck. I thought it was a pretty special opportunity. The Forest Service even took our kids' photos for their publications. We had to sign a release and everything. Pretty cool.

Dustin's Results...

Here are Dustin's results from the Nerd quiz...

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test ...
Joe Normal
43 % Nerd, 17% Geek, 30% Dork
For The Record:A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal. This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast. I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal. Congratulations!

Pure Nerd

So, as I mentioned before, I went to a little get-together on election night. Before I got there the hostess mentioned to the other guests that I hold an elected office here in Cascade County. When I walked in I was greeted with questions about what the office is and what I do for the County. I was talking to one girl, who shall remain nameless, about wanting to be the mayor someday and how my involvement in politics started in High School and continued into my PSU days. Anyways, she said something like, "So your husband knew you were a nerd." I was caught a little off guard but thought, I guess politics can be nerdy. Never really thought about it much before. Then tonight I came across someone's blog who mentioned a Nerd, Dork, or Geek test. I was all over it. Here are my results. Please know I took this test in all honesty!

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test ...
Pure Nerd
70 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 43% Dork
For The Record:A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of:

Pure Nerd.

The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations!

To take the test yourself visit the following link.
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-nerd-geek-or-dork-test

I'm off to start a new book. It just so happens I got four from the library just this past Tuesday!
Good Night!

Mitt 2012!

Well, the news is reporting a win for Mr. Obama. We've been watching most of the evening, here at home and at a get-together at a friend's house. I told Dustin I was going to make a shirt that says, "I didn't vote for Obama." and wear it for the next four years. He said that wasn't a very good attitude. (He's just so stinkin' good!) Maybe instead I'll just wear one that says, "Mitt 2012!" I can't help but wonder what these next few years will bring for the Douberlys, for all of us. All I can say now is heaven help us!

We Voted!

Hi All! I hope everyone of you who reads this blog got out and voted today! The Douberlys voted Republican with our nod at John McCain. We'll see what happens tonight. I don't want to hear ANY excuses about not having time to vote from anyone! Make time. Most polls are open until 8pm. I'll get off my soapbox now....leave me a comment and let me know who you voted for!

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!

Here are my super-cute kids on Halloween! The weather was AMAZING! I only needed a sweatshirt over my T-shirt and jeans and I was plenty warm...a far cry from snow gear! Since living here at Malmstrom, I've learned that Base Housing is the ultimate Trick or Treating venue! One family even gave out whole candy bars! Our kids did the loop behind our street (our neighbors to the back of us) and our street and their buckets were so full that Jeff needed to use the stroller to stroll his bucket from house to house (very, very funny!). We have a lot of treats! It was so fun to see the whole neighborhood FULL of families. I know we handed out more than 150 treats ourselves! I just can't get over how much fun it was with the warm weather! Even right now it's still in the 50Fs and it's almost 9pm. I don't want it to end, but, alas, this is Montana and it must! Wedenesday's forecast says we will be back to normal: High of 41F with a chance of snow. I'll be lovin' it while I can!

Carving Pumpkins (Outside!!!)

Here we are carving pumpkins- in short sleeves- outside-in Great Falls, Montana- and it's the end of October! WooHoo!

It's like a Heat Wave!

Hi! It has been sooooooooooo warm in Great Falls the last couple of days I just had to shout it from the rooftops! Here are yesterday's Stats...This is crazy. The news is calling it a 'weather event'. We've gone Trick or Treating with snow on the ground both years we've been here and tomorrow is supposed to be 63F! Go Global Warming!

Great Falls, MT on Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday
Daily Summary

Max Temperature
70 °F / 21 °C
Average High Temperature
51 °F / 10 °C
Record High Temperature
77 °F / 25 °C (1968)

Min Temperature
46 °F / 7 °C
Average Low Temperature
29 °F / -1 °C
Record Low Temperature
-5 °F / -20 °C (1991)

Here is today's forecast...
Updated: 3:34 am MDT on October 30, 2008
TodayPartly cloudy. Highs 65 to 70...55 to 65 in the mountains. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph.

Autumn Hayride at Logging Creek

Wow! What a great time! We had so much fun last year on Outdoor Rec's Autumn Hayride that we did it again this year. We bundled up and headed to the mountains. There were two other families from our Ward there this year. We rode the haywagon up through the National Forest and then had a campfire dinner of hotdogs, grilled cheese, chips, s'mores, and hot chocolate. The weather has been really great this Fall. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Trunk or Treat

This past Friday was our Ward Trunk or Treat. It was held out at our local KOA Campground that a family in our ward manages. While it was pretty cold, I was very surprised that it wasn't freezing. They had us set up in their tent village and, as the sun set, it became a pretty spooky place. The only lights out there, I think, are solar. They weren't very bright, that's for sure. They also had donuts and hot chocolate which was fun. Because it was so cold, we were home by 7:40! Anyways, my sister almost forbid me from wearing that dress but I thought it looked great with the gloves and parasol (Goodwill finds!). I got lots of compliments regardless. I had put my hair up in hot rollers, which were borrowed from a friend, and I was suprised by how much I liked it. I think I'm gonna have to run out and get myself some. Jenna's dress is one of those pillowcase dresses. I put it together in almost no time. Come to think of it, I think we all looked great!

Rah, Rah, Rah and Spidermen!

I love to take pics of the kids in their halloween costumes. I think they look super cute and I didn't have to make a single thing. I got great deals on all three of these. Now that's a Happy Halloween!

Fun Fall Family Night

For family night this week we took a ride out to Sluice Boxes State Park for a short hike and picnic dinner. The weather has been nice lately and we thought we should take advantage of it. It was a lovely hike with all the Fall colors, although the threat of bears always make me soooo nervous. Our friends visited this same park and spotted one themselves. No bears for us, though, just a great family night. This was Dustin's idea and it was a wonderful one!