August 2011-Vanessa turns 8!  Brownies instead of cake....

August 2011-Birthday Bouncin' Bash

August 2011-Birthday Besties

Sisters!

August 2011-Yum Angel Food cake

Aunt Mary turns 90!

Time Flies!  Aunt Mary turns 90!  Definitely worth a trip home.....

Happy Birthday Max!

July 2011-Max makes it to his one year birthday!  Many close calls, chewed toys, flip flops, walls...you name it.  Dad and Max have made some sort of peace.  As for the rest of us....we love him!

Acrobat in the Family!

June 2011- Jessica performs center stage.  

Bridging the Gaps!

Crazy Cousins!

What a blast to have all the cousins together!  Cousin Kasey graduated from High School in May of 2011.

 Faces only a momma could love!

Sweet girls!

Glad we got a picture of this...no way Vanessa would ever get this close to a bug!

Birds May 2011

I am back!  One year later attempting to fill the gaps in time.  We witnessed God's amazing creation in real time!  Talk about hands on science.  Eggs to full grown birds.

Did spring finally make it?

With all the rain we have been having lately...the flowers are certainly beautiful.

Tulips with some of my favorite kiddos!

Giddy Up and Go

We finally found an activity that Vanessa loves. In January she joined Brownies and one of her recent activities was called Giddy Up and Go. She really enjoyed a long day at a stable. The program included many aspects of horse care. The first was riding! She loves it. The next activity was a horse craft!

Grooming

Nutrition

Our Soccer Star!

After many rainouts and tears(because of the rainouts) , Jess finally played her first soccer game. Dad, Mom, Vanessa, Aunt, and Grandma (from the car) enthusiastically cheered our girl. Parenting has so many wonderful moments...

Easter 2011

Vanessa was so excited this year. She also figured out the Easter Bunny which makes a momma's heart a bit sad. Our girls are growing up! We had a great time... Grandma Pearl was here along with Aunt Karlee and Uncle Don. The Easter Bunny did a mighty fine job and all was well.

Poor Doggy

Poor Max had his boy surgery in January....Made everyone sad, most of all Max. He was rather calm for a few days. We hoped it would diminish some of his wild puppy ways. Not a chance...he is wild as ever. We really think he would be happy on a farm somewhere chasing rabbits and sniffing around all day. Makes our hearts sad! He really can be a sweet thing too! The Energizer Bunny has competition!

It's Official...We Made the Nice List!

We are going to need lots of prayers!

Christmas has come and gone yet again. What a wonderfully magic time of year! So many good feelings and things to say. Vanessa's wish to carol to others on Christmas Eve came true. Thanks to some wonderful church friends, and Aunt we had our first successful caroling night. Vanessa beamed as she stood up front and sang her songs. We then had 20 people to celebrate Christmas Eve in our home. The evening ended with presents from Aunt and Uncle, and the family tradition of snacks for Santa and the reindeer. This year Vanessa wanted to added extra sugar and peppermint to the cocoa. Yummm! Must have worked. Santa was good to us all. Even Max got his favorite doggie sausage. Some prize gifts included Barbie Baby doctor, King's Island Season passes, Penguin pillow pet, Jess' blue jacket and so in style Barbie doll. So many more gifts were under the tree as well. May the kids always be grateful for what we have!

Wow...42!

Another year has come and gone. I am blessed to have a wonderful family and a great church family as well. It has been a great fall staying home with the girls. Great days and wonderful memories.

It Is Not Every Day A Star Is Born!

Check out the 'tude on those two!

Beautiful Girls!!!!

The girl's debut as actresses was well worth the work. The girls and their coop friends performed in The Glass Slipper. It was a fun spin off from the well known Cinderella. Jessica was Drusella and Vanessa was the Fairy Godmother. Long weeks of practice, memorizing lines, agonizing over parts and blocking all paid off in the end. Jessica's attitude was outrageously funny and Vanessa had enough character to bring the Godmother to life. I think mom was as nervous as the kids for their performance. What a fantastic experience!

Fabulous Fall Continues.....

Love the good times with good friends....Enjoyed a great time at the Hayride....The forest was not haunted but was home to a Veggie Circus... this all happened in October 2010. Mom needs to stay caught up!