Merry Be-lated Christmas & Happy New Year!

In case you did not receive a Christmas card from our family,

I thought I'd create an electronic version:)

Scrapbooking Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com 

Christmas Day 2011

Scenes from our travels...

38 degrees???

No snow???

I can't remember a Christmas like this, in Minnesota,...well, ever!

(P.S. For those "Fatherly-types" out there, we did get our oil changed last week...we just hadn't reset our display:))

Heavenly Dessert

I just had to share potentially the best dessert I've ever eaten:  Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. 

I had the lovely excuse to make it tonight for Brent to bring to work tomorrow for their Festivus celebration.  If you're not familiar with Festivus, I can assume you were not an avid Seinfeld viewer.  Apparently, quite a few people who work with Brent are Seinfeld fans, so a Festivus celebration it is! 

Ok, back to the amazing dessert.  Last year at a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting, one of the lovely moms, Jena, brought this amazing dessert to share.  We meet in the mornings and share breakfast together, and yes, I believe the lovely banana pudding qualifies...it does have fruit in it after all.  Anyway, a lot of the time, we don't have the food labeled at our MOPS smorgasbord.  The day Jena brought the banana pudding was no different.  I didn't know what it was, but it looked intriguing.  If it had been labeled as banana pudding, I don't think I would have been interested.  One bite and I was hooked!  It tastes light and fluffy, creamy and dreamy, and has yummy cookies as the "crust" that add a little crunch.  Yummmmm!!!

Since my first experience with this incredible recipe, I've only made it a few times.  Why?  Well, it makes an entire 9x13 pan and if it's not eaten fast enough the bananas start to brown.  So, I keep it in the back of my mind for events that I can bring it to to share with lots of hungry mouths. 

I must warn you, there is nothing healthy about this recipe, so make it at your own risk.  And, even though it tastes light and fluffy, the completed recipe in the 9x13 pan feels like it weighs 10 pounds...must be all of that goodness packed inside;)  I also enjoy getting a sneak peek at the tastiness by licking the mixing bowls before washing them since the recipe requires refrigeration before serving.

I nearly forgot, you can easily make this a "holiday" recipe this time of year because Pepperidge Farms makes holiday designed Chessman Cookies with trees, wreaths, etc in place of the normal designs below.  Too cute!

2011 Highlights

The blogger in me has been silent for a while, so I thought a 2011 Highlight post was in order (especially since I added our blog address on our Christmas cards)!  

Check out the highlights of 2011 for the Brent, Jen, and Luke Picker family:

Brent's New Job
Last January, Brent began a new position at Think Mutual Bank as the Loan Processing Manager.  The job change moved him just across the street from his former position as a banker at the West Circle Drive branch to Think's corporate offices. 


A New Home for Kobe
Last January brought a large change to our home.  After much thought and consideration, we decided to find a new home for our then 2 year old German Shepherd, Kobe.  He had been a part of our family for almost exactly two years, but we learned during this time that he needed more space to run and more time with his owners than we could offer.  As we began our search for his new home, we were so excited to learn that our daycare provider's parents were looking for a German Shepherd to add to their family and home in rural Wisconsin.  He now lives on approximately 100 acres of wooded land in Western Wisconsin with his new family, a couple who works from home.  We got the opportunity to visit him in his new home this summer and were so happy to see how well he's doing and enjoying his new life!  Though the decision was hard, we know it was the best for him.  


Luke's Basketball
Last January/February, we signed Luke up for a basketball camp with Rochester's Community Education.  It was a parent/child class to help preschoolers with the basic basketball skills.   It was so much fun watching him practice and especially humorous to watch their scrimmages at the end of each session.  Let's just say, 4-6 year olds can be quite literal, so playing defense can look more like of a game of "copy cat" than actual basketball:)


Luke's 5th Birthday
February 2011 brought us face to face with our five year old!  We celebrated Luke's 5th birthday How to Train Your Dragon style with friends and family at our house by watching the short movie Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon and hunting for dragon eggs around the house.  We also celebrated with the Beckmanns with an evening of bowling, Luke's choice of course:)  


Easter on the Farm
Last April, we shared our last Beckmann extended family gathering at my Gpa Beckmann's farm before he moved into an apartment in Wells.  See my post from April on our last Easter on the Farm.  Check out April 2011 pics on the right.


Luke Riding without Training Wheels
Luke learned to ride his bike without training wheels this summer!  See my post from June to check out his New Skills!


Wisconsin Dells Trip 
The end of June, we enjoyed a four day vacation with Brent's entire family in Wisconsin Dells at the Great Wolf Lodge.  We swam, went down lots of water slides, shopped, played mini-golf, and went on some rides at Knuckleheads, an indoor amusement park.  The trip was a first for the Picker family and it was a great success!   The kiddos especially enjoyed all of the time with their cousins:)  


Luke's Piano
This summer, Luke started learning piano with Gma Ruth. We stopped by most weeks for him to explore some beginner piano books and the keys with Gma.  It was so fun watching him and Gma and hearing him talk about the things he had learned.  We're hoping we can work it out again this summer for him to have more time at the piano with Gma:)


Summer Projects
One thing I did blog about quite a bit this year was our summer projects around the house.  Check out my summer posts with progress around our house and yard:
General House Updates
Painting
Garden Building
Gardening
Deck Installation


Luke Starts Kindergarten
It's still hard to believe, but our baby is in Kindergarten!  He is in Mrs. Brown's afternoon class at Gibbs Elementary, just 6 blocks from our house.  He gets a combination of riding the bus, getting picked up/dropped off, and walking to school throughout the year.  Due to my work schedule, he rides the bus to school Monday - Wednesday, gets picked up by the Blue Gpa Monday & Tuesday, and gets a combo of pick up/drop off and walking with me the rest of the week depending on the weather.  Luke has been LOVING school.  We always knew he loved learning, but he had never been in a formal school setting until kindergarten, so we have been SO happy to see how he is flourishing, learning, and growing:)  I've posted this on Facebook and said it many times, but he is truly sad when it's a no school day and often tells us how he wishes there were not weekends so we could go to school everyday.  We are so happy with Mrs. Brown and love Luke's passion for school.  


Harvest Classic Run
The three of us had a little running outing in September with the Harvest Classic.  Luke and Brent ran the 1 Mile Fun Run first, then Brent and I ran the 10K.  It was a fun event to work up to and to experience together.  Maybe we'll make it a family tradition in years to come:)  


Bridget & Ross' Wedding
My sister got married!  We got a new brother-in-law and Luke got a new uncle: Ross!  The day was beautiful and lots of fun!  They were married at Riverview Greens Golf Course in Stewartville, MN outside the club house and their reception was inside the beautiful facility.  We are so happy for Bridge & Ross and the beginning of their life together!


Brent's MBA
Brent finished the MBA program he had been working on with University of Phoenix since May 2010.  He was a diligent online student and balanced home, work, and school very well, though we are still very happy he is done and can relax more at home:)   He was officially done in early October and it already feels like months ago since he was in school.  Amazing how quickly we adjust!


Volunteering in Luke's Class
This fall I have had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer in Luke's class.  Since I only work 2.5 days a week, I have the flexibility to help out a couple times a month.  I was able to help at two fun days: Apple Festival (in October) and Gingerbread Houses (in December).  I'm also a regular volunteer helping kids in any of the kindergarten classes who are having trouble with their letters, sounds, and reading.  It is so fun to see all that goes on in the classroom during the day, to get to know Luke's teacher, and to hang with the kindergartners who love having volunteers in the classroom.  Luke also loves it when I come to class and was even chosen as the helper (at random) one day that I was there...let me tell you, this was pure bliss for him!


Luke's Flag Football & Basketball
This fall Luke has also started flag football and basketball at the Rochester Family Y.  Flag football was September and October and, again, quite a hoot to watch the kindergartners and first graders running around the field with flags that were nearly as long as their legs:)  Luke enjoyed football, but he seems to be loving basketball.  Basketball was in November and December and focused mostly on basic skills with a few scrimmages.  Luke looked forward to it each week and loved picking out his basketball shorts to wear to each session:)  There is another session of basketball after the new year that is more focused on playing on a team that Luke is looking forward to. 


30th Birthdays
I guess it shouldn't come as any surprise that Luke is in kindergarten since Brent and I are getting so old!  Thirty years became reality for Brent and I in November and October respectively.  Neither of us have had any personal crisis over the milestone, but it is hard to believe since Brent and I have known each other since we were 14!


Florida Trip
One thing that lightened the blow of our 30th birthdays was celebrating with wonderful friends!  We planned a couples' trip with two of our friends from college, who were also celebrating 30th birthdays in October.  We flew from Minneapolis, our friends flew from Baltimore, MD, and we all met up at the third friend's place in Fort Myers, FL for five days.  We relaxed (sans kiddos:)), kayaked, shopped (mostly the ladies), played basketball & football (mostly the guys), and spent some time at the beach and pool.  The perfect recipe for an amazing trip!  It was a wonderful vacation and has prompted us to plan annual vacations together:)  We're thinking of meeting in Baltimore next year and visiting NYC together.  


A few things have stayed consistent for us in 2011 as well:

• I (Jen) am still working at Mayo Clinic as an administrative assistant.  I am still in the same department that hired me on at Mayo over six years ago.  I work with and for great people and am blessed with the opportunity to work half time with a job share working opposite me.  I work Monday and Tuesday all day and Wednesday mornings and my job share comes in Wednesday afternoon for the remainder of the week.  We both love the set up and work great together!  
• Luke is still at the same daycare that he has been at since he was 16 months old.  Lindens are a wonderful family who provide in home daycare as a couple.  The kiddos get lots of time outside, get to go on fun outings, and simply enjoy their time together with the a few great families who have also been at Lindens for several years.  
• We're still in the house we built over seven years ago.  Each year we make some changes or improvements that help make it more of what we want/need for our family.  The entire house has been finished for nearly two years now and we love having the extra space for visitors and space for toys of course (which I'm thinking we may need after Christmas gifts are opened);)

Check out pictures from 2011 on the right side of our blog and check in on our blog through the year for updates from the Pickers!  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!