Family Pictures (Finally) & an Update

My hubby & me after Easter dinner at my parents

My dad was cracking me up... hubby hates to have his picture taken and I grabbed him back before he could take off!

Look directly at me, honey! Do not make eye contact with the camera!

Oh, the boys' expressions...

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Hello bloggy friends! I'm not sure how many of you I have left since I've left my poor blog to the wayside months ago... There is so much going on and it seems that my blog is very low on the priority list. Well, it's time for an update! I've tried to get onto your blogs- even though I hardly ever comment- just to make sure you're doing well and catch up on your stories & pictures!

We are so glad that it is Spring! I didn't realize how much I missed green grass and blooming flowers. It's nice to have that back- even though in the Midwest you never really know if it'll snow right after a 75 degree day. It's just that unpredictable... Gotta love Ohio.

The boys are doing really well! Homeschooling is a a joy- although I must admit that I'm not quite as focused as I was at the beginning of the school year. My oldest, however, is reading (finally) and doing great in math. Just a couple more months and we will break for the summer...albeit a short break.

I started a running group at the beginning of the year and I'm pleased to announce that we have four new people that have joined and committed to faithfully showing up every single Saturday! This, my friends, is a huge blessing! So, usually there are at least 6 of us training together on the long runs. We've moved to a new training ground and it's awesome! Lots of runners and beautiful landscape & rushing rivers to enjoy during the run. I'm looking forward to the half-marathon coming up in a few weeks. Ahhhhh! Just a few weeks!

The business is also doing great. It takes up just enough time to keep me busy, but not too much to keep me from the priorities of life. I LOVE the people I'm working with and so far everybody has been very pleased with my work! Oh- and I have an intern working with me this Spring! She is a lovely young lady that we met through her family's visit to our church plant. She has a passion for photography and is very good at capturing those wonderful shots! She worked on a bridal modeling shoot a couple of weeks ago with me and will continue to do more! It's a blessing to work with her and to get to know her family as well.

Speaking of the church plant... please keep us in your prayers! We are so filled with joy as the Lord builds His church day by day. We transitioned to Sunday mornings about six weeks ago and are excited to meet visiting families and reach out to the community through evangelism.

Have a wonderful week, friends! I welcome your comments and you can always find me on facebook!

Our day at the pumpkin farm!

We first waited in line for the hayride that would take us out to the pumpkin patch. And waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, it arrived and off we went!

My youngest reaches up for daddy's hand to get up an enormous bale of hay. There was nothing graceful about walking in this hay barn...the first step down I took had me landing right on my bum. And I wasn't even wearing my trendy little heels!

Part of the ticket price included a homemade doughnut and apple juice. My youngest went to aboslute pieces when part of his fell on the ground in a grand escape from the attacking bees.

We all sit to pose on some major big pumpkins on a photo op wagon.

On the hayride...
A large pumpkin amidst some hearty mums!

Little one lays an egg...err pumpkin.

My little pumpkins.

Yes, I'm a dork. Hubby picked a flower for me out in the pumpkin patch, so I just had to pose for a quick pic for him!

You can't tell, but the boys are quite high up in the hay barn at this point. There were slides that started at the top loft area and landed them in huge piles of hay at the bottom of the barn.


Another enjoyable shot of the pumpkin patch. Probably my favorite...

The boys and I coming out of the hay barn.

Could he have picked a bigger pumpkin?

Oldest called me over and said that I should take his picture while he was good n' ready. (He usually despises pics and I apparently needed to take advantage of this photo opportunity)

Little one found a piece of broken pumpkin stem and it was the joy of the day!

The Playdate

My sister-in-law and nieces came over this week for a fabulous playdate! She is homeschooling as well, so it gives us the opportunity to get together even during the early daylight hours!


Don't you just love the bows?!
Although this picture LOOKS like a purse mugging, it's actually one cousin giving another a big hug. (My son is very safe in his masculinity... he really digs the 'matching purse' action)

All the cousins working with playdough at the kitchen table!

The Rehearsal

"This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice in it!"

My oldest son is a ring bearer in a friend's wedding today! Here is a shot of him and his cousin (flower girl) as well as little brother and another flower girl. It's going to be a wild day!

Just as they were about to go down the aisle, his cousin whispered to him and said, "I'm a little nervous, okay?". He took her by the arm to comfort her and lead her down the aisle! So cute!

Traffic jam. Halfway down the aisle. 10 minutes later we got going again! :)

A concerned flower girl stops to 're-load' her basket of flowers. Others stop to help as well.

Bride and groom on their way down after being pronounced!

Of Bubby's, Bubbles, and Backyard Camp-outs

"Behold, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

Psalm 127:3

It's 4pm on a warm spring afternoon. Do you know where your children are? Of course! Camping out in the back yard with my couch pillows!

Taking a "smile" (as youngest calls it) ob my two favorite 'bubby's' from the back porch steps.

Little one chasing after bubbles in the backyard.


Little one still chasing bubbles in the backyard. I never want these times to end...

The One That Got Away

This past weekend our family went fishing off a lake about 45 minutes from our house. We have some dear friends who live off the lake and spent our time on their dock. My husband loves to fish (as do I), but rarely finds the time to do so. It was such a relaxing weekend with the boys!

I have to brag about the 'one that got away'. I caught a really BIG bass (biggest one of my life so far), but didn't get a picture. Granted, it wasn't big enough to swallow Jonah, but I was proud of it! So, I'll just have to describe it for you... approx 18 inches long and a good 7+ pounds. Unfortunately, he got away before we could get the picture! All told, I think we brought in about 20 fish between us...it was a slow night, but we had a great time!



I had to pose with something! This is a little catfish I caught around 11pm that night.

Oldest and his catch! He was a little trooper!

Waiting patiently on the dock...

My parents came out and surprised us our second day out and stayed into the night. It was nice to have them there!

Daddy and the boys early afternoon getting all the hooks baited.

Little one waiting for his "big catch"!

We had such great weather this weekend! Daddy helps oldest with some pointers...

Daddy and his catfish. We sure had quite a time getting the hooks out of 'em! Mean little fish!

1000 Miles; 4 Days; 23 Hours; Road Trip

Hello bloggy friends! This weekend our family (including my parents) went on a road trip to visit my mom's family in Illinois! We started out on Friday morning and returned on Monday morning! We drove over 1000 miles and spent well over 23 hours in our van together! My parents drove their van and we did a nice little caravan. One might ask how 1000 miles turned into 23 hours of driving?! Oh, the joy of potty excursions and pizza hunting! Enjoy our weekend in pictures...

We stayed in my aunt's ranch out in the country on 40 acres. The boys had a wonderful time enjoying the weather (when it wasn't raining) and the rolling hills!

Road trip! Hold up those granola bars, boys!

Isn't he precious? Little one FINALLY fell asleep after a serious case of the traveled-out grumpies!

Kisses from my grandma! Isn't she cute? She is a few years from 90 and still going strong! She is my only grammy and is well loved!

Oldest plays a game of checkers with my cousin T. and her fiance.

Cousins! My poor T; She was stranded in Pennsylvania after a week long hospital ordeal with nobody around, so as soon as I arrived I booked her a flight home and she was able to spend some time with us. We were so glad to have there there to recoup!

Oldest and my Uncle R playing a game of "cards".

The birthday boys and girls celebrate together for the month of May! Oldest will be five this week! (There's that cute granny again as well as my aunt, mom, and son)

Some of the grandkids get together for a kodak moment with Grams. We were missing more than half of the cousins. There is a big handful of us! (My youngest was apparently very tired of pictures at this point)

Uncle B., Grandpa W. and little one get ready to ride the four wheeler around the property! Mommy was prepared with the helmet.

Is this not hysterical?! It was really really chilly one of the evenings and I hadn't brought any coats! My cousins' daughter lent oldest her coat (complete with pink fur trim) and her Barbie bike! He is totally posing for the picture! Do you love the hat or what- it really completes the outfit. Ha! :)

Wanted to throw this one in... We visited the Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, Mo. Something I will probably never do again. I do not consider myself a claustrophobic person- but the thought of being totally underground in basic darkness had me completely on edge the entire 60 minutes of the tour. (Hubby walking ahead of me...)

Grandma & Grandpa W., Grams, and our family after our family reunion dinner.

Oldest and Grandpa take a ride on the four wheeler! Super cute and still loving that jacket! Hubby and I took our turn on the 4W and I just kept screaming like a banchee the entire time. Too bad we didn't have video of that- would have made for a very interesting blog posting!