Happy 4th Birthday Mada!

My baby is growing up!

Birth Day 2007

1st Birthday 2008

2nd Birthday 2009

3rd Birthday 2010

4th Birthday 2011

(Playing with Mada's new tea set after the party)

Happy Birthday Mada!

Look Who Got Her Ears Pierced!

I decided before we had the girls that we would let them get their ears pierced when they decided that they wanted to. Amelia got hers done when she was barely three. She was SURE she wanted to get them pierced. She knew it would hurt and she was willing to endure the pain.

  Mada was SURE she DID NOT want to get her ears pierced. Recently, I asked her if she was ready to get her ears pierced, and to my surprise she said, "Yes!". Grandma Nita, Aunt Danielle, and Donald took her to get it done.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

She didn't even cry!

That's our Mada.

Happy 31st Birthday To Me!

Look at my sweet girls with their hands on my shoulders.

 I am loved.

And I blew out ALL of the candles!

Audriana Kaleigh

Meet my new niece, Audriana Kaleigh!

January 31, 2011

6 lbs 3 oz.   19 inches

Just moments after birth

Danielle allowed me to experience the delivery of her first born. It was an awesome experience.

Danielle, Donald, and Audriana are all healthy and happy adjusting to life at home in these early weeks.

We love you Audriana!

Oh the Snow!

It was extremely cold this week! Amelia got to stay home 3 days this week for snow days! Stanley shoveled the driveway so the daycare parents could get in and out. A LOT OF WORK! He has all his winter weather gear on from the military. What a lifesaver.

First Snow of the Year

The new snow boots that Grandma Nita got us sure came in handy today!

Christmas Pictures...After the New Year!

We visited Santa and drove through the "Lights on St. Paul"

Christmas with the cousins...

Christmas morning at home...

Where has the time gone?

As you may have noticed, I have not updated my blog in awhile. Well...since September. We have been very busy and I have not had a moment to get online and post any updates. Let me clarify. I have chosen NOT to spend my free moments online posting updates. In fact, the computer is the last place I want to be in my free time lately. I have been going to school full-time through Southwestern College to finish my teaching degree. All of my classes are online, and while that is a blessing, I am on the computer a lot more than I would like to be. But for everything there is a season. And right now, I really have the desire to finish this degree. It has been 14 years in the making...and I am biting the bullet and finishing it!

I also have my full-time home childcare/preschool. Right now I have 5 children enrolled plus my two. All of my families are wonderful and I am grateful for the opportunity to work from home.

Amelia is in school and it is going alright. Stan and I are not very impressed with the public school system. (No surprise there.) Eventually, we will need to find a better solution. But, right now Amelia is doing okay and we will leave things as they are until we are more settled and back into a normal rhythm. We supplement her learning at home and continue to hold her to a higher standard. She certainly is not being held to high standards at school.

Here is what we have been up to for the last few months...

Pumpkin Patch

Halloween

Thanksgiving Preparations

Christmas Preparations

Thanks for visiting.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Weekend Camping Trip

This weekend we went on a little camping trip to Fall River. It was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures!

We started a fire and made s'mores and roasted hot dogs!



Here is our tent...it was super easy to set up!

We used our camping cook stove to make breakfast burritos in the morning.

Then we went exploring...

and the girls tried out some rock climbing...Stanley's past-time.

We drove over to see the damn.

And traveled over the creeky bridge before heading home!