From the Heart.

I just love making gifts for others.  I made the white skate Christmas decoration for my Sister Sara.

This red one for my Mom.

Lots of play food for the Bug. (pancakes, bacon, eggs, steak, grapes, radishes, eggplant, ham, doughnuts, pop tarts, toast and jelly)

I made Miss Bug a Best Buddy, that lives in a little lunch box.

Alex was able to make a mouse Best Buddy for herself.

My Mom started a cook book for Sara and I.  What a great idea, now we can learn to make some of our favorite foods.

My dear friend Amy made me this, she knows me too well.

I LOVE A HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS!



Christmas Card

Well this Mom and her 3 little chicks survived another year!

2013 was a big year for us.  I started working outside of the home for the first time in 12 years.  I have to admit I enjoy my job and conversing daily with ADULTS.

Mike, my oldest, is a Freshman in high school!  He plays Trombone in the school Pepband and enjoys playing Basketball with the guys on Monday nights.  If you haven't seen him lately you could be in for a shock. He is closing in on that 6 foot mark, and growing up to be a very nice young man.

Bre is busy as always.  She plays clarinet in the school band and sent in an audition tape for the All State Band!  She played Volleyball again and was so happy when she learned to spike this year.

Alex is Alex, there is no good way to describe this child.  She is to darn smart for her own good.  She loves school! and is in all the advanced programs they offer.  She is also very creative and everything turns into an art project and a HUGE MESS.

But our year was not all sunshine and roses.  We lost two deeply loved pets.  Bre's beloved Becky passed in Sept. Bre was there to hold her in her last few moments on earth.  In Oct. Doober , my parents dog that we claimed as ours, passed also.  I am so thankful to my parents for giving my kids the opportunity to grow up with a dog.  They have so many good memories with both pets.

Life has not been just sad.  The kids had a GREAT summer!  We started our summer off with a big family vacation.  The 9 of us traveled in 2 vans to Wisconsin.  We had a blast!!  Water parks everyday, ropes course, laser tag, pottery, Riplies, Top Secret, a haunted house, mirror maze, House on the Rock and many many more things.  In addition to the vacation the kids each had the opportunity to go spend one on one time with Grandma and Papa B.  They loved their time alone with them.

So our year has been a full one, with many ups and downs.  I am so grateful for all the many blessing we received this year, and look forward to the new year.

Photo Bomber

Alex tried to scare me with the ski mask and water gun.  (Oh Bre I can see you)



Ski Mask

Alex was playing outside in the snow.  She thought she could see better out of the mouth of the ski mask.

SILLY GIRL!



Oh-no

Candy is up to no good again.



Candy

Alex's little elf is up to no good again.



Elf on a Shelf

Our Elf on a Shelf taking a bath in a cereal bowl.



Certificate of Appreciation

This cute girl received a Certificate Of Appreciation.  It was for excellent behavior in the lunchroom, on the playground, and in the hallways.  It is given by lunchroom and playground paras.  On top of that she and a guest of her choice were able to sit at a special table reserved for her.

She is such a good girl and I'm glad that the school is finding fun ways to reward good behavior.  She is such a good kid and is often overlooked because of it.

WAY TO GO ALEX!!



Far Out

Just a cute picture we took after one of Bre's Volleyball games.  The backdrop is a little trippy.



World Wide Web

This is Alex's project from her enrichment class.  She needed to think of a word that had a double meaning and she needed to show it in a way that we wouldn't normally think of it.  She came up with the World Wide Web on her own.  Alex originally wanted to paint a basketball to look like the world and paint a web on it.  I wasn't willing to sacrifice a basketball, so she drew the world, the web, and glued a spider on it.

GREAT JOB ALEX!!



Mike and his puppy.



Play time

Mike, Uncle John and Lucy.

Sometimes I feel bad that my kids have not had their own home to grow up in. But they have been able to grow up in Papa and Grandmas home.

Moments like these have not been missed just relocated.  I am thankful that they have opportunities to do the simple things like play in the leaves.

Doesn't seem to matter how old they are either.

Fun is fun.



Love

My Dad and Doober hanging out in the front yard.

It is hard to say anything about these pictures.  We are just so thankful that she has been part of our lives.  She was/is such a great dog with a HUGE heart and personality.  So many great memories.

You are loved.



Volleyball

Some pictures of my very AWESOME daughter Bre playing Volleyball.

She has great team spirit and is always cheering everyone on, and encouraging them even when they make mistakes.  (She will be a great team captain some day)

She really developed her serve this year and has great consistency with it.

She also learned to SPIKE this year and loves to!

Bre being line judge for a game she wasn't playing in.

GO BRE!!



Our Beloved Doob

I am so thankful that we were able to make it home one last time before our beloved Doober was no longer with us.

My parents got her just before we took the kids to live in MI when their Father joined the Army.

My Mom and Dad told the kids they would have to come back and take care of her.

They have always called her "their Dog".

Papa and Grandma let them name her.  They picked Scooter, which turned into Scooby, and then into Doober.

We have all taken it very hard.

WE LOVE YOU DOOBER!



Yu-UM

It is that time of year again.  Time for some yummy hot chocolate with my kiddos.



Birthday in Oz

Ready and waiting, with our over the rainbow plates the cast of oz on the island.

Alex is in love with oz and has been since we went to the land of oz last summer.  She found an old copy of the book at the library, and LOVED IT!  This summer she was able to see the Wizard of Oz in 4-D while in WI.  Her list goes on and on.

Her Oz toys on the cake, the pink is for the poppy field when the are put to sleep.

Her girl friends.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Because it was a sleep over we of course had to paint nails.

The silly girls playing.



Zoo Boo 2013!

Alex and Kady waiting in line for zoo boo.

The line in front of us, the building to the left (you can only see the roof) is the entrance.  We didn't know til we got closer but their were two lines one wrapped around the parking lot the other way.

The line behind us......it kept going and going.

Standing in line again, this time waiting for the candy part to begin.

The kids got to feed the goats while we waited.

The first candy station, we were so EXCITED!

Kady working on her Trick-or-Treat, poor little girl was sick.

The love birds!

Alex and her crew.