Life As We Know It

Meg's Art Work

2010-06-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Meg has to take an art class every year at the middle school she has learned a lot and created some very nice work!

The pellow girls art work

2010-06-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ashley's Art Work.......

The girls both had a lot of art project to do this year and these are a few of my favorites. Ashley won a art award this year for her creative ability! :)

Dance Recital 2010

2010-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ashley had her 4th dance recital tonight and did a wonderful job. She has been taking jazz dance lessons for 5 years and has learned so much. Tonight it was a sold out show with standing room only she is so brave to get up in front of so many people 850 to be exact!! I could never do what she does. I am so proud of her and her hard work and commitment to something she loves to do!

I am so behind

2010-02-09T15:01:00.001-08:00

Ok, Ok, I know that I promised to keep my blog up better this year and your right I am off to a really crappy start!! I don't have that many new photos of the girls or anything else that exciting at the moment. Unfortunately this tends to happen as the kids get older. I will however do a quick over view of the past few weeks. Megan has been busy with projects for school in fact she is almost done finally. she had to make an African mask for Easter Cultures and is putting on the finishing touches to a science fair project where she did an experiment on weather you can tell the difference between fat and non fat foods, fun! Ashley has been busy with Jazz and starting to get ready for her recital in June. She also has a big project due in March over Martin Luther King Jr. (history fair) she has a really good start on it and does not seem to stressed out about it at this point. Jim has been busy with work and has officially started busy season which means we really won't see to much of him until around April or May. :( I have been in my new class at school for several weeks, Lifespan Development and really like it, I had missed the Psychology classes and all the interesting discussions that they bring. We recently got Mario Kart for the Wii and can't stop playing it, if your don't own that game I strongly recommend it, it's a blast!! I will do my best to get photos up soon and try to do better with my blog, thanks for your patience and checking back in often despite my neglect! :)

Let's go sledding!

2010-01-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

I don't think the girls will ever be to old to go sledding, especially during that first big snow of the year! I always tell the girls that I am not sledding just taking pictures and every time I end up going down the hill over and over! :) Yes they can talk me into anything!! :)

Ashley enjoying the snow!

2010-01-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Ashley having fun sledding!

Megan enjoys the snow!

2010-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Megan having fun in the fresh snow!

First winter storm of 2010

2010-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

We have had nonstop lake effect snow for the past 4 days. We have about 18 inches of snow on the ground as of right now and there is no end in sight, soon after the lake effect snow is expected to end we are due to get some system snow. I do have to admit even though there is a part of me (a rather large part) that wishes it was warm here all the time, it is so beautiful and peaceful to see the snow fall.

Girls on Ice Skates!

2010-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

The girls had friends over for a sleepover the other night and I took all of them ice skating, I watched and took pictures. They had a good time and we escaped with no broken bones which was a blessing because the friends had never been ice skating before.

Ashley and Megan with their Best Buds!

Me and My Cuz

2010-01-01T11:26:00.001-08:00

My cousin and I ALWAYS have a blast when we get together! She is my best friend!!

The Kids

2010-01-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

The kids all decked out in their 2010 gear! Jimmy, Megan, and Ashley

New Years Eve party 2009

2010-01-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

happy New Year!!! Hope that everyone has a wonderful 2010!
We had our family over last night for a party and had a great time. The kids had fun together listening to music and just being goofy, and I learned how to play porker. (kinda) still need lots of work but I have some very patient teachers. It was a great evening ended with the dropping of the ball!!

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas day as always was a wonderful day. The girls, Jim and I all opened gifts in the morning and then my mom and step dad came out for dinner and a gift exchange. This year Megan wanted a new digital camera and Ashley wanted a ipod touch. In addition they got some new cloths, and new purses. It was a little sad this year, I didn't buy one toy for them this year, guess my babies are growing up!! :)

Baby Charlie

2009-12-28T17:11:00.001-08:00

Our newest addition to the family is little Charlie, born on October 30th in just 45 minutes. This is my cousin Keith's 2nd boy, he is so sweet!!

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

As part of our annual tradition we go to my mom's house were are family gathers to celebrate the holiday all together, usually there are 30 plus people this year we were down a few due to the ice storm that we had some were nervous to travel. It is a wonderful time eating, laughing and opening gifts. My family is awesome!!!

Christmas Tree Hunt 2009

2009-12-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

I posted some photos on face book of our annual tree hunt but wanted to put them on the blog too for those of you who don't have face book.

I love these photos because it was such a fun day and the girls were so excited to get the tree.

cookie exchange 2009

2009-12-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

Every year about 8 of our family members gather for our annual cookie exchange. This year makes our 3rd year. It's a wonderful way to get a nice verity of cookies to munch on during Christmas! This year I only had one day to pick a cookie and bake 8 dozen of them so I picked the kiss cookies our family loves, usually I make something a little more fancy but with finals this had to do for this year! :)

opps!

2009-12-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

This photo was supposed to be there to!

My Buds

2009-12-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

Some of my good friends at work! We have all worked together for the past 3 years when I moved up to 3rd thru 5th grade. We work in a very challenging room with many autistic kids and kids with learning disability's but we love what we do and have a great time together teaching.

Ashley's Class Party

2009-12-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

I helped to organize Ashley's class party the other day for Christmas, and the kids had a great time! It was bitter sweet because this will be the last party she will have this year and in the middle school (next year) they don't have party's! :( my babies are growing up way to fast!! :)

So behind!!

2009-12-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know that I am totally behind on updating my blog, but I have been just a little busy with working part time and studying nonstop for 2 weeks getting ready for finals. Anyway.... I will be putting on new photos and getting all caught up now that I am done with my class, at least until January. Check back soon! :)

How sweet is this??

2009-12-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

When I arrived home tonight from taking my final the girls (with my mom's help) had a pan of frosted brownies waiting for me with the message "We R proud of U" wrote on them. How sweet is that? I love them so much, and am so thankful for there support!

Ollie

2009-11-01T17:52:00.001-08:00

Halloween Night 2009

2009-11-01T17:45:00.001-08:00

The girls had a good Halloween even though it was freezing cold. Megan was a Basketball head, Ashley a clown, Jim was a old man (not to far from the truth lol :) even Ollie was decked out in his Halloween tee.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, everywhere!

2009-10-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch Trip 2009

2009-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are really late getting our pumpkins this year, because everyone has been so ill around here. Yesterday was a beautiful day so we loaded up and headed out in search of the perfect pumpkin. We went to our usual location complete with a horse drawn hay ride and a corn maze which was awesome this year! Great day!! :)

Indiana Fall 2009

2009-10-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year, and while I don't love the cold weather that will follow I absolutely love all the beautiful trees. This photo is one reason why I love Indiana!

HAPPY FALL!!

Fall Photos 2009

2009-10-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of the pretty weather and the lovely trees and got the girls photos done by a friend a few weeks ago. She took the girls to St. Mary's campus it is so pretty and we had a great day for it. When we got the pictures back I just could not believe how much the girls have grown and how old they look, where does time go? They are the joy of my life!!!

Megan's Fall Photos 2009

2009-10-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Megan 13 years old

Ashley's Fall Photos 2009

2009-10-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ashley 10 years old

My Cousin, My Friend

2009-10-12T17:55:00.001-07:00

My cousin and I are not just related she is also one of my best friends. We have been through a lot together and I can always count on her. We make each other laugh and have a blast together!!

Girls Night Out

2009-10-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

It was a great girls night out!! The girls and I along with my mom, aunt, and cousins went out to dinner and to paint pottery. This is a favorite of ours and we try to do it a few times a year. This time the girls made bowls and I made a mug. It was a wonderful night laughing and sharing time together!! :)

Are we going for a walk or what???

2009-10-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is one pug that loves to go for walks everyday and this day was no exception. Ollie is almost a year and a half and the sweetest dog ever!! :)

The Gang

2009-10-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Jimmy, Megan, Katie, Chelsie, Jakob, Ashley, Henry, Chelsey

We had all our family over last weekend for a cookout and I tried my best to get a good picture of all the kids looking at me at the same time, I almost did it!! :)

"The Sleepover"

2009-10-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Megan had her Birthday sleepover last night with 6 of her friends. They had a great time and between the Mt.Dew and the fun dips were up until 3:00am. needless to say Meg's a little tired today but not to grouchy!! :) It's all about the FUN though and they had that for sure!!

Happy 13th Birthday Megan!!

2009-09-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to sit here and think that Megan is 13 years old already, it seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms as a newborn. She is growing into a wonderful young lady and I love her with all my heart!!!

We celebrated today with NaNa and PaPa by opening gifts and going to dinner at Olive Garden, yummy! It was a great day!! Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!

Bye Bye Braces!! :)

2009-09-09T18:19:00.001-07:00

Megan got her braces off today and her teeth look so pretty! It has been a work in progress for nearly 3 years complete with headgear, braces, rubber bands and now the retainer. I think that Megan agrees with me it was well worth it!!

With braces and without!!

Garden goodness

2009-09-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

We all had lots of fun taking care of our garden this year and picking and eating the veggies it produced! YUMMY!!!

My ND Fans!!

2009-09-06T17:41:00.001-07:00

The girls had a fun time at their first game!

2009 Notre Dame Players Enter the Stadium

2009-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts is when the players run out onto the field and all the fans cheer. We were pretty far up but I was still able to get a picture!

The Notre Dame Band

2009-09-06T17:32:00.001-07:00

We waited for over an hour so that we could be right on the path of the band when they passed by to go into the stadium, well worth the wait!

GO IRISH!!

2009-09-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to get tickets to the first Notre Dame game. This was the girls first college game so we went early to watch the band and see the players going into the stadium. We all had a fun day and best of all Notre Dame won the game 35 to 0. Go Irish!!

Ollie...... our pug/sports fan!

2009-08-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ollie is getting ready for football season to start. We are all fans of Notre Dame and the Colts!

Jim wants to get a Colts Jersey for Ollie to wear on game day! This helmet is off of Meg's build a bear.

Time for smiles!

2009-08-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

The girls were more then happy to pause for a moment and smile for me! I love you both!! :)

Back to the books..........

2009-08-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well we are back in the full swing of school, ready or not!! :) The girls always have a great attitude about their homework despite the long day at school! when you are shooting for great grades, hard work is what it's all about!

Where is the rest of my family??

2009-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ollie was patiently waiting for the girls to get home from school so he could play football with them (he decided to sneak in a quick nap). I took him outside with me to wait for the girls to get off the bus and he was so excited to see them!

Back to school

2009-08-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today was the day..... the girls had to return to school. I just can't believe how fast the summer went. We all had a great summer and got to do many things together but we all found ourselves wishing for just one more day.

There is no doubt that I will miss the girls, I LOVE having them home and spending some extra quality time together we will now just have to squeeze our family time into a shorter day after they get home.

I am hopeful that both girls will have a great school year filled with learning, friends, and many memories!

Megan is in 7th grade and Ashley is in 5th.

Some of our findings!

2009-08-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Megan's Jen's Ashley's

Treasures from the beach!

Who would have thought walking up and down the beach looking for small pieces of glass and other things could be so much fun? Today we walked about an hour and a half to find this stuff.

Another beach day!! :)

2009-08-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a hot and humid day and a perfect day to spend at the beach. We all found a ton of sea glass. It is one of our favorite things to do looking for little treasures in the sand. I look for mostly sea glass (unless I see something the girls would like), Megan looks for sea glass and Indian beads, and Ashley looks for sea glass and old pieces of pottery/plates we are all getting quite a collection.

A day at the beach!

2009-07-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today we went to our favorite beach on Lake Michigan with our friends. The weather was great and the girls had a blast playing in the water and the sand.

Ready for the beach!

2009-07-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are planning a trip to the beach tomorrow with friends and the girls got some new sunglasses for the event! Very cute girls!! :)

Paper bag art project

2009-07-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun art project to do with the girls. We took ordinary brown paper bags and cut them to the size we wanted, we then wet the bags and crinkled them all up and opened them back up and layed them flat and took an iron on low and went over them to help dry them we were then ready to craft. Ashley did the duck, Megan the Love picture and I did the dove. I plan to get frames and let the girls put them up in their rooms.

GREAT JOB GIRLS!!!

Are these dogs spoiled or what???

2009-07-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that we have two of the most spoiled rotten dogs around they are both constantly looking for attention and the girls are quick to be at their beckon call!! :) Just a quick nap please!!

What A Deal!!

2009-07-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went out to do a little shopping today to get a start on back to school items. We scanned the sale ad's and got everything you see here for just $2.76!!!! Not to bad for clipping a few coupons hu??

Oh..... those warm summer nights!!

2009-07-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

Our family loves to putt putt and we try to go as often as we can. We are always on the look out for new courses and new challenges!! This place was a blast!

Sailing in Yorktown, VA.

2009-07-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Making Memories on Vacation 2009!!

2009-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Jim was able to help raise one of the sails.

2009-07-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Megan and Ashley on their first ever sailing trip!

Williamsburg, VA. 2009

2009-07-17T14:09:00.001-07:00

Today was all of our favorite day! We went to Yorktown where we started off by looking at the battle grounds then we took a 2 hour sail boat ride on the York River which leads into the Chesapeake Bay then into the ocean. It was a wonderful tour, the captain had to cut it a little short because there was a bad rain storm that came in but none the less it was great!!

2009-07-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

We went to a winery in Williamsburg yesterday. The tour was nice and the wine was really good, most of it anyway. We sampled 8 different wines in a souvenir wine glass and then picked our favorites to bring home. Jim and I agreed on our choices except the raspberry dessert wine which Jim actually liked and I thought was terrible.

2009-07-17T13:52:00.001-07:00

We are on the last part of our vacation journey for 2009! We are now in Williamsburg, VA. were we have been for the past 2 days. We have enjoyed the history here (when I say we I mean mostly Jim and I) Megan and Ashley say it's like a school field trip! :) We have been to the towns of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown thus far and dispite the girls comments they have had plenty of time for fun too!

The White house

2009-07-13T19:14:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite stops and photos. We all wanted to take a tour of the white house but you have to make arrangements at least 2 months in advance, maybe next time!

2009-07-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

It was a long walk to see the the

Lincoln Memorial but we wanted

the girls to see it. They said it was

worth the walk!

Washington D.C.

2009-07-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in D.C. today and had a great day. While we were there we took a tour of the Capital building this was among one of our favorite stops.

Liam

2009-07-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Liam is now 4 1/2 months and cuter then ever. The girls just adore him!!

Scott & Heather's House

2009-07-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

We have just started our vacation and our first stop was to Scott and Heather's house (my brother in law and his wife) in Virgina.

We have been enjoying our time with them and the baby he is getting so big (4 1/2) months.

Today we went to a state park where there were lovely water falls. We got some pretty pictures.

The picture of the waterfalls is now my screensaver it is just breathtaking!! :)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

FOOD, FIREWORKS, AND GREAT FRIENDS!!

Every year we go to our friends house to celebrate the 4th. They live in a really small town but the fireworks are always spectacular!

Megan and Ashley with there good friends Liz and Ally

WOW!!

Wonderful signs of summer

2009-07-02T18:26:00.001-07:00

If you look really close in the bush you can see one of three baby birds. So cute!

I took this photo in our back yard when all our pretty Flowers were in bloom!

Ashley's Baking

2009-07-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

Ashley loves to bake! She really enjoys being in the kitchen and working by my side as often as she can. Ashley asked for a kids cookbook for her birthday and when she got it she quickly picked out some recipes to try. Above are a cookie pizza with chocolate sauce and polka dot cupcakes. Great job Ashley and so YUMMY!!

Tennis Camp 2009

2009-06-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

Megan started tennis camp the other day. It is a week long camp you can sign up for through school. Megan has had a little tennis training from her uncle when he came to visit and during a unit they did in gym class at school. She is very natural when playing tennis and looks great on the court!

Happy 10th Birthday Ashley!!

2009-06-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ashley had a great 10th birthday!!

She had a sleepover with her 3 BFFS. They had a great time painting shirts, making homemade pizza's and just having some good old girl time.

Over the weekend we celebrated with Nana and Papa with a round of putt putt and dinner at Apple bees.

Golf Anyone?

2009-06-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jim has been spending a lot of time teaching the girls to golf lately. They both started last year and have been building on their skills. Jim takes them to the driving range usually about once a week. Their special treat is to go one at a time golfing with daddy! We all hope to spend much more time golfing this summer!

The girls at the driving range, July 2009.

A Day At The Beach!

2009-06-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Looking for sea glass June 2009

Today I took the girls to our favorite beach! The weather was way to chilly to swim only about 60 degrees but that did not stop us from a great day! When we are not in the water are other favorite past time is looking for sea glass, today was a lucky day and between the three of us we found 70 beautiful pieces with colors of blue, green, clear, brown, purple and yellow!

Ashley's Dance Recital 2009

2009-06-02T11:34:00.001-07:00

A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY A LITTLE BIT ROCK AND ROLL

Ashley has completed her 3rd dance recital! Ashley took place in the dance recital at the end of May where she danced in Jazz 2 and was also invited to dance in the opening number with other dancers from the studio. Ashley had a wonderful year and has grown leaps and bounds from past years. It is wonderful to see her confidence grow from year to year. We are very proud of you Ashley you are truly a star!! " Always dance as if no one were watching you"!

The green outfit that Ashley is wearing is from the opening number and the black on on stage is from jazz 2.

Congratulations Megan!

2009-06-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

BLUE AND GOLD AWARDS!!!

At the end of every school year at the middle school a select number of students are honored by invitation only to attend the blue and gold award ceremony. During the ceremony the students are honored for academic excellence. This year (6th grade) Megan was invited to attend the program. When the invitation came in the mail all it said is that your student will be honored and will receive an award much to our surprise Megan not only received one award that night but five. Megan was honored with the Gold Presidential award, "AB" honor roll award, Cougar Pride award, Great Effort award and Exceptional talent award. Needless to say we are very proud of Megan and her accomplishments during her first year of middle school! Great Job Meg! Always reach for the stars!!!

End of the Year Teacher Gifts

2009-06-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

These are a few last minute teacher gifts that I put together for the girls teachers and my coworkers at school. I decorated a hand sanitizer container with some cute card stock and ribbon and made a matching paper weight for each teacher. I then put them in a small canvas bag filled with chocolate and tied each with a ribbon. After all what teacher can't use hand sanitizer hu? I also liked that they could easily refill it when empty. It was fun and the girls enjoyed giving the gifts out to their teachers.

Ashley's School Program

2009-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ashley was in a Program this school year for 4th grade. Ashley had a speaking part that she had to memorize and did a super job getting up in front of everyone and saying it. We are really proud of you Ash!! Good Job!

Painting Pottery

2009-06-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

We went to a great place in Elkhart called Pottery Schmottery to paint pottery over spring break. We took my mom along with us and all had a good time picking our pieces and painting them. Mom made a spoon rest for her kitchen, Megan made a trinket box, Ashley made a cup to actually use and I made a little vase to put on our fireplace in the living room. We returned in about 2 weeks to pick up our pottery and were very excited to see the end results!! :) We are planning a trip back over the summer possibly on a Friday night with friends and family to have a "girl" night of pottery painting fun!

Spring Break 2009

2009-06-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

OK, I am a little behind!! It is my goal to catch up on all my photos and my blog now that school is out!

Over spring break we went to Chicago with my cousin Traci and her family (husband Joe, Son Jimmy). We went to one of the museums and then got a hotel room for the night, where we let the kids swim, eat and just enjoy our time together in Chicago! It was a great time and our kids are good friends!

Welcome Liam!!

2009-03-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Liam has arrived!! Welcome to our precious new family member!!
My brother in law Scott and his wife Heather welcomed their new son into the world on February 27, 2009. He is a happy and healthy baby boy!
Scott and Heather have been sending many pictures of Liam via email but these two are among my very favorite! We can't wait to come visit you!

Living room up date

2009-03-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for years for new furniture in the living room and finally found some we all really liked. Jim worked really hard to paint and mount the T.V. where we wanted it. The room turned out great and we are all really enjoying our new space.

First place Science Fair Project!!

2009-03-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ashley recently did an outstanding job on her science fair project for school. This year she did her project on dog bones and how well they hold up to chewing. Her subjects were Ollie and Missy. Puppy VS. senior dog. She timed the dogs for 15 minutes then checked the bones to see how they held up. She was very delighted to see she won first place when we went to view the projects at school. Way to go Ash!

"Flour Baby's" It's A Girl

2009-03-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Megan recently had to do a project for school where she had to take care of a "flour baby" for a life skills project. In class they had to draw to see if you got a boy or a girl, Megan got a girl and named her Sophie. The next day we went to Walmart and got pink duct tape and wrapped the flour in it. Megan then found a hat, diaper and blanket to use per the requirements of the project. Her job for one week was to care for the baby as if it were real. She had to take it everywhere, school, shopping etc. If she left the baby for any reason she had to get a babysitter. She had to keep a journal of what she and the baby did and then make a book and a babysitting bag to complete the project. When Megan came home and announced the project Ashley wanted to join the fun. She picked a boy and named him Hayden. Needless to say the girls were quite busy!! :) Below is a picture of the baby's taking a nap together! :)

Just Scrappin...

2009-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

In my spare time and that is not to often lately, I love to scrapbook! When the girls were little and I was a stay at home mom I had tons of time to enjoy my hobby. Now that I work, go to school, taxi kids from place to place, etc. etc. etc. I don't have as much time to scrapbook. When I do work the time into my day I often scrapbook with my mom. She is very creative and has tons of great ideas for new pages we both seem to get more done when we scrap together. Our latest projects include a Christmas album, and a 2009 calendar which is still a work in progress. I love my mom, and I can't think of a better way to spend time together besides doing something we both love. Thank you mom for taking time to be my scrapbooking buddie!!

Uncle Scott Visits

2009-01-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

I just got all the pictures off my camera and wanted to add Uncle Scott's visit from over the summer! We took a short road trip to Cedar Point with the girls and all had a great day! Jim and Scott rode some really wild rides while the girls and I took the less adventuress road and hit the kid's rides! :)

"Across the miles a part of you has grown in us. Together forever we shall be. Never apart, maybe in distance but not in heart!"

Our visit as always was wonderful! The girls adore Uncle Scott and we think he is pretty great too!!!

Snow Day!

2009-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a snow day? When you are all warm in bed and get word there is no school, you can turn off the alarm and go back to sleep! One of the three snow days that we had last week was not so bitter cold and the girls were able to get out and play in it. Ollie was also very excited about his first winter but Missy thought the view was much better from inside the house! Looks like fun girls!

Burr.......

2009-01-18T16:06:00.001-08:00

Boy have we been getting hit with the snow and very very cold temperatures!! Last week (the week of 1-12) we were home from school 3 days. Two of them were for snow and one was for the very cold temperatures. On Thursday night and Friday we dipped down to -17 degrees with out the windchill and -25 degrees with the windchill needless to say we stayed inside as much as possible. Today is Sunday the 18th and it made it to a high 18 degrees which at this point feels like a heat wave!! :) See all the fun you miss by not living in Indiana! Stay Warm.

Ash's puzzle

2009-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

While Megan was working on her class assignment Ash took some time to work on a puzzle. This is one of the largest she has worked on with 1000 pieces it's called cozy critters. I am sure it will be great when she is finished. Looks great Ash!

Meg's Composition Project

2009-01-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Megan had to write a poem about snow for her composition class then build a diorama about the poem. She did a great job on it adding trees, a snowman and swing set. With the weather we have had in Indiana it was a great time for the project!

Megan Only

2009-01-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

Megan just got her report card as well and she too made the "AB" honor roll again!! School comes pretty easy for Megan but she gives 100% all the time!! Megan is in 6th grade this year and at the brand new middle school that was finished over the summer. Megan's favorite subject is math and her least favorite subject is social studies (this is not Meg's favorite thing to learn about.) Megan changes classes 8 times including lunch throughout the day. Her classes this quarter are, homeroom, social studies, math, health/gym, life skills, lunch, composition, literature, and science. As you can see she has a full day and only 3 minute passing periods to get from class to class to her locker, restroom, etc. (better hurry!!) When Megan is not studying she enjoys texting her friends, reading a good book, listen to her Ipod, playing the PlayStation, and playing games with her family.

" I am today what yesterday has made me; tomorrow I shall be changed by today's experiences." Author unknown

Ashley Only

2009-01-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ashley just got her report card and made the "AB" honor roll again!! We are very very proud of her. Ashley works very hard in school and it shows. Her favorite subject is Reading and Math her not so favorite subject is Language. Ashley is in 4th grade this year and changes classes for math and reading she also has 5 special classes once a week that include library, computer lab, music, gym, and art. Ashley was also one of 15 students to be picked as a Student Council member this year. When Ashley is not busy with school work she likes to work puzzles, play games with the family, and relax and watch T.V.

"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it" Ralph Emerson

Jimmy turns 14!!

2009-01-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my cousins son's birthday on Saturday, January 3rd. Jimmy turned 14. I am an only child and my cousin Traci is like a sister to me. We are all very close. Jimmy, Megan and Ashley are no exception. We are all very thankful for the friendship they all share.

Grandma comes to visit!

2009-01-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

We got a great surprise this Christmas! Grandma (Jim's mom) came to Indiana for a visit and called us to say, I am right down the road. This is such a nice surprise because she now lives in Georgia which is about 12 hours from us. We enjoyed are time together visiting and going out for pizza. Megan and Ashley even got her to play "Pictonary Man" a fun game they got for Christmas. It was very nice to see her. I think that I can say with a good degree of confidence she is happy to be back in the warm weather! We love you mom/grandma.

Missy

2009-01-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

I had to attach a photo of Missy too! She is a great dog and super smart, I didn't want to leave her out, she defiantly deserves to have her picture on our blog!! :)

Pug Puppy

2009-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Our latest addition to our home is that of our male pug Ollie. He is now 9 months and about the sweetest thing ever. We got him from a breeder in July. We went to look at him thinking we would be safe as we were looking for a black female but when we got there he stole our hearts. He has been a great addition. We also have a Jack Russel named Missy is 11 1/2 years old. It took some adjusting for her to get used to Ollie but they are the best of buds now.

Chicago

2009-01-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

We went to Chicago for the day over break. Jim and I took the girls to the Field Museum (the museum of natural history). It was a very educational day! We all enjoyed "Sue" the best. She is the most complete dinosaur displayed any where in the world. I had to take a separate photo of her head because the one on the display is a model the real head is to heavy to display and is 4 feet long.

Winter Break 2008/2009

2009-01-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of Megan and Ashley's favorite thing to do is go ice skating. We try to go several times during the winter. Our favorite place is an outside rink!

Christmas Morning

2009-01-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful Christmas! The girls got all the gifts they wanted most and we had a fun two weeks off school for winter break. We went ice skating, took a day trip to Chicago, and enjoyed spending time with friends and family!

What A Great Idea!!

2009-01-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Recently a friend sent me her blog address and I thought to myself what a wonderful way to keep in touch with far away family and friends (and those not so far away too :).
I am looking forward to creating this blog and keeping everyone updated on the happenings in our home and life as we know it!

Happy New Year!