Where does the time go?

Houston, Carson, Vanessa, and Jess enjoy Grandma's birthday.

Mom is the happiest with her chickens under her wing....

Grams is 80!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aunt is 40!!!!!!

Fabulous Fall

Love the crisp cool weather and being outside. October has got to be one of the best months of the year. We love to carve pumpkins and play outside. This year we even participated in a carnival...

Fountain Square Fun

Love the flexibility of being able to do things during the day. Met my sis at Fountain Square for lunch. Talk about education! The girls loved being in the middle of the "city." Vanessa was up to her usual antics of bird chasing and they both enjoyed people watching. The highlight was the push button in front of the water wall that shoots sprays of water through the sidewalk.

More Homeschool Days......

Despite saying they dislike home school, Jess and Vanessa are learning and having quite the adventure. Yesterday we went with friends to Cincinnati Children's Theatre. Great fun was had by all.... they had wonderful sets and music. We look forward to other upcoming plays/musicals. Today we made a replica of the Olympus Mons complete with varying colors of oozing Lava. Who knew that the largest volcano in our solar system was on Mars? Last week we made it to the Laura Ingalls play...how fun it was to see our reading books come to life. Our coop is putting on 'The Glass Slipper'. More to come on that. An insider tip: we have a Fairy Godmother and a Step-Sister in this household.

4th Annual Livingston Family Day

Though we were a family long before it became official, LFD marks the date that the State of KS made us official (Sept 28th). We have our own special holiday and together we choose a destination to celebrate each year. This year we went to the Cincinnati Zoo. What a wonderful day! The kids actually understood what it was all about this year. True to his usual position...Dad was behind the camera again!

Max Arrives!

The girls have often begged for a puppy since our long time friend Homer went to the great beyond. We finally caved and Max the dog joined our family. He arrived home the day after we came back from Disney. He is fun, cute, and playful too. The girls love him and mom has a soft spot for him too! Believe it or not the kids are helping taking care of Max. Hope it continues when the new wears off. The kids think he is a doll. They want to cuddle and dress him up. Last time Mom had a puppy it was just Mom and the dog. I had forgotten the work involved. I am so sure it will be well worth it. Love the puppy sounds, grunts, and puppy breath! Nothing like a little puppy rooting around in your hair.

More Happiness!

Lots of favorite things this year. We had a blast at the 1900 Park Fare dinner. Cinderella's step-mother and step-sisters were hilarious! Vanessa got an Official Skipper's license to drive the Jungle Cruise, and our dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe was quite entertaining. Jess was chosen to get on stage during the High School Musical show.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

We were not disappointed and had another successful trip to Disney World. What is it about that place. Must be magic. This year we stayed at Coronado Springs. It was nice, but the whole family agreed we liked the Wilderness Lodge better. We met many characters that we had not met before including Jasmine, Mulan, and the Beast. Excitement was everywhere. Jess learned to hula at the O'hana. Vanessa told every princess, "you are one of my favorite princesses!" Three days at Magic Kingdom, one at MGM, and two days at Epcot. So much to learn and do. We could definitely have spent a few more days there. This year was priceless. The kids enjoyed Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain. Mom and Dad realized they are not as young as they used to be.... Dad loved the People Mover and the boat ride around Tom Sawyer's Island! Mom's favorites are still Flight of Peter Pan and Small World (which was closed how sad). For whatever reason....we all still like the Space Ship Earth and enjoy sending the post cards from the future home! There will definitely be another trip in our future.

More Birthday Celebration

It seems birthdays last at least the whole month of August around here. We usually do a joint celebration on the weekend between the two birthdays, because a birthday is not complete without Aunt. Aunt baked the girls cakes and brought decorations for them to complete the cakes themselves. It was quite a day!

Jessica Turns 6

Once again my girls are growing. Jessica wanted strawberry shortcake instead of cake. It is her day. Jess loves to perform and got a new Disney Sing A-long Wii game. We had a nice day. It was another low key celebration!

Home School

Mom is excited! Vanessa takes my hand on day 3 and says, "Mom this just is not working out for me!" Jess says, "It's toooooo hard!" However, Mom loves to see them learn and grow. Vanessa actually enjoys math and loves history. Jess likes to journal. They are both excited about the Glass Slipper Play. We have one Fairy Godmother and one Step Sister. It think they may like home school more than they let on!

Vanessa's 7th Birthday!

Wow! Where does the time go? Vanessa has now turned 7. Her most prized present was a set of the first 5 Little House on the Prairie books in color. This year we just celebrated at home. Vanessa wanted brownies on her birthday instead of cake.... Can't get a girl who does not like icing.

Another First!

Jessica and Vanessa saw the ocean for the first time ever this weekend while visiting friends in Delaware. It was well worth the trip. The girls were full of squeals and giggles. What started out as a rainy cloudy day turned into the perfect beach weather. Our 3.5 hours on the beach passed quickly leaving us wanting more. It was fun to run from the cold water as it splashed in and up on our legs, dig for sea shells, and soak in the sun. Everyone at some point was almost completely knocked over by a big wave. The smiles soon returned to the girls faces as quickly as they had surprisingly vanished. Dad was not with us so we need to plan a trip with him soon. Him being with us would have made a wonderful day even better!

Delaware Days!

The girls and I headed off on an adventure this week leaving Dad to hold down the fort. Due to record highs we were forced to choose indoor activities. The girls had a fabulous time exploring two different children's museums. We visited the Delaware Children's Museum in Wilmington, DE then headed off to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Lots to see and do...we could have spent another day playing in the museums.

Where we are in life........

No time for scrapbooking leads a busy wife and mom to turn to blogging! Vanessa and Jessica are about to turn 7 and 6. They love Barbies, playing in the sand, and swimming. Vanessa who is energetic and imaginative will also curl up with good book and disappear for hours. Jessica who is bouncy and social is more likely to be seen turning cartwheels, doing hand stands, and skipping where ever she goes. David is still working for Wellpoint, and I have just recently been able to work less and enjoy taking care of my family full time.