Whirlwind of Activity

Where has the time gone since our last post?!! We have been busy with everything December brings (especially for a music teacher.) Here are some of the activities we have done since our last post:

Nov. 22 - Rachel performed trumpet in her first band concert. She did an awesome job! She also sang in the J.A. Hughes Music Makers that I directed. 1 concert under the belt!

Dec. 1 - Sarah and Rachel performed in their school Christmas program. Sarah was a "snowflake" and Rachel was a narrator/chorus member in her show. We had a packed house that evening. Jordan had her little program the next day but was sick so we missed out. I was able to hear her sing in her dress rehearsal.

Dec. 3 - Todd and I went to see the Concordia Christmas Concert in Moorhead. Wonderful music! One of my former students sings in the Concert Choir so we went with his parents. What a joy to see him perform.

Dec. 11 - The Red Lake Falls Community Christmas Cantata was performed. I directed a Children's Choir made-up of 24 voices, the adult Cantata and sang with Heart of Worship. We also had a lasagna supper (which I did a lot of the organization for) after the concert. Proceeds benefited our local Girl Scout Service Unit. We made close to $750!! Rachel sang in the Children's Choir and Todd sang in the adult choir. Needless to say - it was a super hectic day!

Dec. 18 - The St. John Sunday School led the church service for their program. All of the girls participated and sang well. Sarah was the only one to have ALL of her parts memorized. The older students were able to read their scripture readings. I had a nice time playing piano for it but do miss getting to see the girls perform.

Dec. 19 - The Lafayette High School Choir had their Christmas Concert in the evening. They did a wonderful job! It was so nice to have it on the stage with sound and lights. I was proud of what each of my student accomplished.

Whew - this has been a busy month (not to mention we had Advent Services every Wed.). Now school is out and it is time to relax, visit with family and friends, and catch up on all of the tasks that have been neglected. I think the first project will be to wrap Christmas presents!

I will post some pictures when I get a chance!

Here is a copy of our Christmas letter (I only mailed one to people I don't have regular contact with):


WIELAND CHRISTMAS LETTER 2011
Merry Christmas!

Greetings from the Wieland family. We hope your year has been full of joy, peace and happiness.

Here are some highlights of our year:
· Todd had a wonderful harvest this fall. We were blest with beautiful weather where he was able to combine in record time. He is now on our local board for
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans as well as an elder and our church and on the board for Cenex. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing as well as playing with the girls.

· Jen started her 15th year of teaching music in the Red Lake Falls School District. She enjoys teaching and creating music with her students. She has also directed a
· Summer Drama program for kids, the Community Christmas Cantata and sings in a
contemporary Christian group “Heart of Worship.”

· Rachel is a 5th grader this year. She enjoys playing basketball, participating in Girl Scouts and playing the piano. She also took up trumpet and made it into “Big Band” very early on in the year. We think she likes trumpet because her mother can’t “help” her learn the instrument.

· Sarah in 2nd grade and is learning many new things. Her interests include reading, arts & crafts, basketball, Girl Scouts and playing piano. Although most of her
activities take place indoors, she is our little farmer at heart and would love to be with working with Dad most of the time.

· Jordan began Kindergarten this year! She is in an “all day, every day” program which is really nice. Jordan loves to play with the boys at school (should we be
worried?) and thinks she should be in hockey with them. I think we will stick to
basketball! Jordan enjoys playing with her sisters and cousins, playing Wii and still doesn’t mind snuggling with Mom or Dad once in a while. We were thankful to be done paying daycare—or so we thought…

· The biggest news is that we are expecting our 4th child in early March! It was
unplanned but certainly a blessing. The girls are ready to be big helpers and we are slowly getting things prepared for the big arrival.

· We were able to celebrate Todd’s Dad’s 80th birthday this past June and his parents 50th wedding anniversary in November. What a blessing to share these wonderful occasions with family and friends.

May God bless you as we celebrate Christ’s birth, reflect on all of our blessings and look forward to the plan He has in store for us during the coming year.
Love,
Todd, Jen, Rachel, Sarah & Jordan Wieland

Halloween Pics

Here are some pics from our night of trick-or-treating. I was able to go out with a Hippie, a black cat and a Ladybug. They were great company and were more than willing to share their candy. Okay - I lied about that part - they were just forced to share the good stuff (meaning chocolate).

Pumpkin Carving

We went a little overboard on the pumpkin carving this year. 11 pumpkins was the final total!! Todd really likes his pumpkin seeds!

Fall Pictures

Fall Happenings and Highlights

Wow! It has been almost 2 months since our last post. Sorry about the delay but fall is a busy time in the Wieland household. The girls started school this past September and are doing well. Rachel is in 5th grade, Sarah is in 2nd and Jordan is in Kindergarten. It has been a little strange not to head to the daycare every morning and afternoon!

Rachel is still taking piano lessons and is in Girl Scouts. I expect basketball to start later this fall/early winter so that will be another item to add to the calendar. She also began playing trumpet this year and loves it. I don't even have to remind her to practice!

Sarah is loving school again this year. I think reading is her favorite subject. She always has a book in the van or at home. AR (accelerated reading) tests is something she really excels at. Sarah is also taking piano lessons again and is preparing for her first festival contest this coming Feb. She call the music she is working on her "festible" music. Girl Scouts is an activity we enjoy together because I am her troop leader.

Jordan started all day/every day Kindergarten this year. She is learning a lot and doesn't seem too tired when she gets home. Homework is something that she enjoys doing. I am sure that opinion will change in the future! We registered Jordan for 4-H this year so she is excited to begin her classes. She would like to play hockey with all of her friends (who happen to be boys) but I'm not sure I want to be a "hockey mom."

The fall has been wonderful up her in NW MN. Todd was able to get is harvesting done in record time. He was a little concerned because the crops got in a little late in the spring but the Lord blessed us with warm weather to speed up the drying process.

The girls and I were able to travel to Duluth one weekend for a Wieland Girls Only trip. We accompanied our niece to the bridal shop where she picked out a wedding dress. Rachel is a Jr. Bridesmaid so she got to try on dresses too. She was in heaven! We spent the weekend at a hotel/waterpark where the girls had a blast swimming. We didn't get to see all of the tourist attractions while there, so another trip is in the future.

Ready for the 1st day of school!
Big Kindergartener!

Smiling nice even though it is early.

Sunflowers

Once again, it is that time of year for our annual sunflower pictures. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon to take pictures in the field. Enjoy!

Swimming Lessons

All three girls (along with 2 cousins) took swimming lessons this past July. Lessons took place in TRF and lasted for 2 weeks. Each girl made progress while having fun in the water! Rachel completed level 4 and Sarah completed level 3. Jordan will be in level 2 again next year.

One more pic...

This is how I feel after all of the painting I have done this summer! I think the guest room will have to wait a while because I am all painted out! Maybe Christmas break?

Here is the artwork/candleholders above the couch. The wall looks a little more pink in the photo than it really is.

Summer Project - Part V

Todd and I painted the Master Bedroom yesterday. Again, we just went with a cleaner shade of white to brighten up the room. It didn't pay to take a before shot since you can't tell the difference (unless you were the one painting). It was still one of my painting projects this summer so I had to post a picture. I just need to add some more pictures/artwork to the walls to make it complete.

Summer Project - Part IV

It was time to give the bathrooms a "paint makeover" last week. I taped and painted both bathrooms in one day. Can you tell I just want to get it done? I ran out of paint for the half bath for touch-ups so I will have to go get a sample can to finish it. I went with a sea blue for the half bath and white for the main bath (in case I want to change out the shower curtain.) I can't believe how many different colors of white there are to choose from! Now on to the Master Bedroom to paint...

BEFORE - HALF BATH

AFTER - HALF BATH

BEFORE - MAIN BATHROOM

AFTER - MAIN BATHROOM (You can't tell from the pictures but the fresh coat of paint made it look and feel fresh & clean!)

Summer Project - Part III

I decided to tackle the kitchen this weekend while Todd was on a fishing trip. What a job! It took 2 hours to tape around everything and another 2 hours to take the lovely wallpaper boarder off the wall. I spent all day Saturday painting, taking tape off and putting things back in their place. I chose a sage green color for the kitchen. It came out a little more minty than I expected but it is still nice. It has to be because I am not painting this kitchen again for a long time!

BEFORE The lovely boarder around the kitchen - goodbye!

More white walls!

AFTER

The color matches Sarah's clay bowl she won perfectly!

A view from the kitchen into the living room.