Tater Tot

Brett loves to hang out in the basement and watch sports. Usually Austin is right there with him turning his head trying to find the TV. Grandma Nagel came over one day and said to Austin "Well, since your Dad's a couch potato, that must make you a Tater Tot!" It stuck. So, here are a few recent pictures of our Tater Tot!

Lounging around with Dad on Nov 21st in his Vandal gear! Go Vandals! We still have Vandal pride even though they can't win a game to save their lives!

Sitting in Grandma Nagel's highchair on Thanksgiving. He just finished his sweet potatoes. He's eating solids like a champ and loves squash and sweet potatoes.

This is Austin today hanging out in his Bumbo giving one of our tupperware lids a once over. If it's within his reach, he's going for it!

Another picture today. He is so close to sitting on his own without toppling over! Give him another week and he'll be a sitting champ...and maybe a football star! Okay, give him a few more years for the football thing.

A Sucessful Golf Season

Most of the year Brett spends his days teaching golf lesssons, working in the pro shop and playing in golf tournaments. He loves his job and comes home happy every day (well, most days!). It is such a good feeling to have a husband who is truely happy with his work. Well, the golf season in Idaho Falls is officially over for the winter. Brett had another really successful golf season and I wanted to share his tournament accomplishments for 2008.

Blackfoot GC Pro-Am - 4th Place

Juniper Hills GC Pro-Am - 1st Place

Rocky Mountain Section Assistant's Championship- 3rd Place

Highest Place Finisher for Titleist Staff Member - $$ Bonus

Teton Lakes GC Pro-Am - 2nd Place

Jefferson Hills GC Pro-Am- 3rd Place

I'm so proud of him! He works hard every day to improve his playing ability and teaching skills. Brett is now spending his days with Austin as Mr. Mom while I'm at work during the week. He's really enjoying his time with Austin and I love the fact that they get to bond with each other!

Online Shopping Tips

Christmas is right around the corner, which means most of us are in the midst of the shopping craze! Well, the Nagels are on a budget and always enjoy a good deal. We thought we'd pass along a couple great websites and online shopping tips that we're using to help you save some cash if you're shopping online too! It's bargain shopping online...and you don't even have to fight the crowds!

1. ebates.com
2. retailmenot.com

Ebates.com is a shopping site that gives you up to 26% cash back every time you shop online (avg is about 5% but every penny counts!). You can shop at over 1000 stores including Barnes & Noble, Gap, Target, and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales. Best of all, it free! If you sign up with Ebates today, we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase! Click here to sign up: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=TK61s%2FlyXuw%2FO37BP5As7Q%3D%3D
Brett's email is brettnagel@hotmail.com if you need it for the referral. The site is so simple. Just connect to your shopping site through ebates.com. Brett and I have already earned some cash back when we shopped online on Cyber Monday (they paid double % that day!)!

The other site we recommend is retailmenot.com. You can look for special online offers and free shipping codes on tons of websites via this site. We actually found some discount codes on this site that weren't offered on ebates.com.

Combine these two sites together when you shop and you've got one wild and money saving online shopping experience! It makes us all gitty inside and we love it!

Enjoy!

Husband Tag

5 Things He Loves
1. His family
2. Golf and Sports in general
3. Electronics
4. His iPod (see #3)
5. A Good Deal

5 Things On His To-Do List
1. Score the Head Golf Professional jobby-job of his dreams
2. Replace the front door of our house with a new, improved one
3. Be Mr. Mom through the winter, Mon-Fri!
4. Enter the World Series of Poker Main Event- Anyone have $10,000 he can borrow?
5. Be debt free- Courtesy of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover

5 Food He Enjoys
1. The all American hamburger with cheese and no onion
2. Spicy Chicken and Shrimp from Carino's
3. Oatmeal with mixins- dried fruit and nuts of sorts
4. Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream
5. Gatorade- a must have on the golf course

5 Things You May Not Know About Him
1. He remembers everything- I call it his iron trap!
2. He had a crush on me long before I knew who he was!
3. He can make Austin giggle way more than I can- sniff, sniff
4. He's a creative cook and can create a masterpiece out of random stuff in the fridge
5. He's a great power napper and can fall asleep instantly if needed

5 Places He's Lived
1. Los Alamos, NM
2. Moscow, ID
3. Mom's House, Idaho Falls, ID
4. A Ghetto Apartment, Idaho Falls, ID
5. Current Residence, Idaho Falls, ID

5 Quirky Things About Him
1. He's obsessed with the weather. He should moonlight as a meteorologist.
2. He's an impeccable driver to the point where I get annoyed. Just make a u-turn already!
3. He has very sensitive ear lobes and hates when I touch them.
4. He likes to watch Oprah occasionally.
5. He has great penmanship- just like a fifth grader!

5 (okay 2) People to Tag
1. Katie Braga
2. Jona Hansen

Nana

We were able to make a trip to Boise last weekend to visit Nana in the hospital. On our initial visit, it made me smile to see her out of bed and in the common room eating lunch. She made it clear that she hated her chicken but loved her chocolate milkshake! She was doodling a bit on a piece of paper but no full words seemed to come together for her besides her name. I could tell that she was trying very hard to formulate thoughts and either speak or write them, but they would just get lost somewhere. I felt her frustration and discouragement.

On Saturday, out of the blue, she said “Hey Jod” to Aunt Jody like it was no big deal. But, we all knew it was and were happy to actually hear her say it. Dad was teasing her as usual and she was making all kinds of funny faces.

The WE LOVE YOU NANA banner that Sarah and the girls made is taped to the wall in front of her bed. I hope the banner and the continuous presence of family will give her the courage and strength she needs to recover. She is a strong cookie and her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren need her in their lives for a while longer.

When we had to leave, I gave her a big hug and kisses, told her how much I loved her and that we would see her again soon.

We love you Nan!

5th Anniversary

Brett and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the 8th. We had a nice lunch together, toured the Pharaohs exhibit at our local museum and then pigged out on ice cream. It was a nice afternoon together, alone. Brett mentioned that it felt like the "old days" pre-baby. I agreed. We love our little man but it was definitely nice to get some alone time together. It had been a long time since our last "date." I gave Brett a little picture book to commemorate 5 wonderful years. The pictures are posted below for you all to enjoy too.

I love you Brett, with all my heart, and still haven't figured out how I got so lucky to be your wife. Thanks for loving me and wanting to spend forever together.

Our Honeymoon in Jamaica, November 2003

Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, October 2004

Christmas Picture, December 2004

Yellowstone National Park, July 2005

Marco Island, Florida, July 2006

Camping on Palisades Lake, July 2006

U of I Homecoming in Moscow, Idaho, October 2007

9 Months Pregnant, April 2008

Austin's Born, May 2008

Our Family, October 2008

Our Little Tiger!

Austin had a roaring good time on his first Halloween! We visited Grandma and trick-or-treated at the neighbors. I didn't want to take his costume off because he looked so stinkin cute!