Filed under: Alice, Family, Kids, Mel | Tags: alice, downhere, melanie, video
…. not only because it’s an amazing song (“How Many Kings” by Downhere (downhere.com) but because Melanie and I are IN it !!!
It was put together by Downhere fans !!!
Enjoy
more on the cruise (and pics later – maybe much later!!)
GLAD to be HOME
Filed under: Alice, Family, Matt | Tags: alice, christmas, matt, matthew, mumto4ms
This will be a mishmash of bullet point, pics and videos I think …
Where were we before … Oh yes, this year the infamous Bertelson Bulletin 2008 Christmas edition, along with annual family photo will NOT be reaching you before Christmas!!
Fear not though, it WILL be reaching you (especially anyone who sends US a newsletter and or family photo – hint hint – I love getting them, but not just a card with no news or photo, I always feel that such a waste of a stamp these days!!) ….
…it will reach you sometime in the New Year – sort of a welcome to 2009 nugget/suprise for you once you’re back in the doldrums because the holiday season is all over and the bills that made it happen are starting to roll in!!!
The reason behind this is because we (all 6 of us) are going on a Christmas Cruise (east carribean) with my MIL Joanie, and SHE’S footing the whole bill – yeah baby!! We leave on Dec 20th and return Dec 28th ….
We will be taking our family photo sometime while on this cruise, the exact location and or background to the photo will remain a secret to further build your anticipation… although as the children get older, they are less receptive to my crazy wacky ideas of how to do the photo!
Sadly, and I know some of you are SO sad at this (snort) Twix and Twizzler will not be featured in the family photo since they cannot come on the cruise with us.
Matt – recent photo – was going surfing (the water is chilly, well for us Floridians it is!)
Was taking a bunch of photos of Matt (to showcase his almost 70 lbs lost in the last 8 months)
What amused me about this photo, so I zoomed in was the girls chores pasted on the door behind him!!! His head is blocking Maddie’s (12) list, don’t worry she doesn’t get out of chores! Mel is 17, Kenzie is 11
What else ? – Done 50% of the shopping, we will be doing our Christmas on Dec 19th before we get on the cruise, so sense lugging all those presents onto the ship (well maybe not ALL those, but the few there will be, trying to not go overboard this year)
Oh here’s a Hairy Happy Greeting from Twix!!
She’s The POSTER child, well I mean dog for ‘A Norwich Terrier that needs stripping” – LOL
Her hair is SO long and shaggy, I stripped (grooming term – google it!!) Twizzler recently (3 hr job!) but neither hubby or I have gotten around to doing Twix completely – you can’t see it but her rear end is done, so she looks even weirder from the side.
She is SO cute – we love her
Filed under: Alice, Family, Matt | Tags: alice, homecoming, matt, mother, son
He’s been gone for 6 months – we did get to see him briefly for a few days in NC early August. He was slimmer then, but NOW – WHOA – he looks SO slim and handsome …. no really, I’m not talking like a biased mum here – well maybe I am, but he looks magnificent and it’s SO great to see him, hug him.
He’s just gotten over being sick, so hopefully he won’t get the awful flu strain that Mel is getting over, Maddie has full blown and I think I’m getting!
After spending an hour or so with us (Nils at firestation) – Matt took off to make the rounds to see all his friends and such.
I look like a WHALE, so I had to crop this photo above !!
OK, so daughter Maddie sliced her foot open Thursday night (on the deathtrap, wet, front walkway) – she slipped on the wet tile and the edge/side of the tile filleted open the bottom of her foot – OUCH
For once Paramedic hubby was NOT on duty, so he cleaned it with peroxide and then used medical super-glue (dura-bond) to close up the gash (NOTE this is NOT the same as over-the-counter super-glue!!!)
Friday it looked bad and so I took her to the ER (Nils on duty so met us there – and yes we got star treatment!!)
Turns out she SHOULD have brought her to the ER the night it happened (within 6 hrs of accident) cos NOW they have to make sure it does not get infected before they stitch it up…
So they numbed up her foot (8 shots – OUCH!) and then SCRUBBED the living bee-jeez-ers out of the cut (opening it back up) to super clean it. Gave her an IV anti-biotic … RX for more anti-biotics and pain meds. We have to return on Sunday to check progress to see if it can be stitched.
OK so all THAT to say – TODAY when hubby got home from Firestation, he went to town to REMOVE the tile, no more deathtrap
Wanna see the gruesome foot pics?? – you can see them here …
http://bertelsonfamily.com/fam/misc/mgb_foot_102408.jpg
First Day of School – L-R
Kenzie (11 – 6th grade)
Maddie (12 – 7th grade)
Melanie (17 – 12th grade – a SENIOR!)
Filed under: Family, Kenzie, Maddie, Mel, Nils | Tags: father, golf, kenzie, maddie, mel, nils, sisters
We (minus Matt 
all went to the Golf driving range on Father’s day so Dad could give his 3 girls lessons in how to play golf (first time for all 3)
we had fun, lots of laugher and smiles 
I am kind of melancholy today, a sum of several reasons…
My heart hurts for Steve Curtis Chapman and his family as they grieve the loss of their youngest child Maria, who was only 5 years old. (click on the link, it’s a home video of her and SCC washing dishes, being a normal daughter and Dad – it’s so sweet)
I think it’s especially ‘raw’ for me today because my oldest, my first born, my golden little sunshine boy, who is now a man at 19 is leaving home today to start his life out in the world on his own.
He is flying out tonight, first to NY to work this weekend with his boss, then they are both going on up to Massechusetts to set him up there in an apartment ready to work and oversee the operations there for the next 6 months to work at the Six Flags up there. Fire School will be Jan 2009
… and as excited for him and as proud of him as I am, there is still an incredibly heavy sadness kind of mourning in my heart.
He is the same age my husband (his father) was when I met him – time flies!
Steven Curtis Chapman wrote this song, inspired by his 2 youngest adopted daughters .. it is called Cinderella – listen to the words (I will post them lower down) – listen well, things can change in an instant
I love you my golden haired boy, live well, live full, live happy. I shall miss having you around in our daily life here at “Chaos chez the Bertelsons”
Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman
She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I’m sittin’ here wearin’
the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It’s been a long day and there’s still work to do,
She’s pulling at me saying “Dad I need you!
There’s a ball at the castle and
I’ve been invited and I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy, please!”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed
She wants to know if I’d approve of a dress
She says “Dad, the prom is just one week away,
And I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy, please!”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
She will be gone.
Well, she came home today
With a ring on her hand
Just glowin’ and tellin’ us all they had planned
She says “Dad, the wedding’s due six months away
And I need to practice my dancin’”
“Oh please, daddy please!”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song,
(even one song)
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
Melanie and her friend Hillary attempting to put up the tent solo
I (a tent put-er-upper-pro-by-now) had to step in 
