WebKinz: You can't have just one!

It all started with the hippo. I named him Cotten Candy. I logged him into the Website and opened up a whole new world. I quickly learned that there were many, many things I could play and do. You can't have just one Webkin because you get addicted. You log in one and the fun begins. With 11 you get so many prizes! First this, then this. You need so many!

Then you give away Webkins as gifts to your friends for their birthdays. It doesn't matter if your friend already has a Webkin. They can have more than one too. You can give them clothes and bookmarks, trading cards, lip balm and mouse pads. You need everything! Your friends get addicted too. I love Webkinz!

Posted by Marley

Twelve Months in a Year

Ella shared with us this evening this dance her teacher taught her to help remember the months of the year.



I used to hate the Maccarana Dance. Now I find it totally adorable! I love how when her sister tries to enter the dance they both loose all coordination.

Marley's Ice Skating Performance

The Penn State Ice Pavilion is open on New Year's Eve allowing participants in the First Night celebration to skate for free. Marley had such a great time last year, she has expressed wanting to go back many times over the past year. This was her complete motivation for wanting to make First Night State College an annual event for our family. I wish you could have seen her on the ice. She absolutely loved it and she seems to have a knack for this talent. In our group of 8 people, she was the first one on the ice and the last one off. She had the blisters on her feet to prove it. I only wish we had an ice pavilion close by our home. I would love to take her more often than once a year.

Cookies 4 sale

It's Girl Scout cookie time.

My name is Marley Bradner and I am from Brownie Troop 1608.

A box of cookies is $3.50. I will deliver them in early March.
In the comment section you can send me a message saying how many boxes you want and what kind. Click on this website to see all the flavors.

http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/cookies/cookies_main.html

Thank you for participating.

Order deadline is January 21st!

Ringing In the New Year

The Bradner Bunch celebrated the New Year's Holiday with our 2nd Annual trip to

"First Night State College."

The home town of Penn State University host a wonderful street fair with tons of family activities. A good time was had by all.

Marley and Ella are ringing one of the many bells at the central park. There was also an African drum circle, fire sculptures and kettle corn!

The 2008 Bradner family portrait on the Nittany Lion shrine! We are Penn State! Compare this to the photo at the top right corner of the webpage to see how we have changed in one year.

We enjoy taking this trip with our good friends, the Lyons family. Paul and Betsy are both PSU alumni and Penn State is where our friendships began. We each have countless memories from our college days and we absolutely love sharing them with all four of our children. The kids love going to the places we "used to go to all the time." Perhaps one or two of them will become PSU alumni one day.

We attended several craft workshops. Here is Xander making his 2008 badge.

Ella models her finished badge. Just like last year, I think the crafts are very nice and ones that you don't mind keeping around for some time.

Ella models her sun glass and scarf crafts too. Can anyone say Diva?

Live reindeer at the central park.

Marley and Kali take a ride on the ice luge! This was fun. Muddy, but very fun.

Ella goes next. Wheeeeeee!

There were so many events and activities to do, our children where fast asleep long before midnight. This was the scene in our hotel room about 10:00pm.
Betsy offered to watch the sleeping kids so Ray and I could go out on the town. We rang in 2008 while sitting at our once popular hangout, Zeno's. It was very nice to revisit a time familiar to when my husband and I started dating. This reminded me of why we fell in love in the first place. We counted our many blessing in 2007 and toasted to many more in the New Year.

I plan to post more photos from our State College trip, including Marley's ice skating performance! Check back soon.

Chopsticks

Our friend Debbie gave each of the girls an assortment of Asian themed items as their Christmas gift. The favorite item in the bag was unanimously the chopsticks. As soon as time permitted, I cooked a Chinese dinner so we could try out the fancy sticks.

Marley really doesn't like rice, or sauces or cooked vegetables. She didn't want to eat the food I cooked, but she really wanted to use the chopsticks. She did discover that they can be used to eat an American stand-by.....PB&J!


Ella practiced with Cheetos while we waited for the rice to finish cooking.
She's not exactly sure how this is going to workout.
She decided the trick is keeping your face close to the bowl.
She did it! Thanks to Debbie for adding some culture to our lives.