Last-ditch Effort!

We had to put in a french-drain outside to fix our water problem in the basement. They cut a section of our new, beautiful driveway out. They had to dig a 30 foot long, 3 foot wide and 10 foot deep hole. Then, they put in perforated pipe and filled it with gravel. If it ever stops raining, they will replace the concrete. If this doesn't work, nothing else will. I really hope that it works! I am done with mandatory home improvement. It is not fun!

Finally...Enough Snow to Sled!

James tried snowboarding for the first time. He didn't make it very far before he fell, but he sure had a ton of fun!!!
Loreli started in the middle of the hill the first time. She got brave pretty quickly though.

Carter tried going down backwards. It didn't work very well. He flipped around forward by the time he got to the bottom. He thought that was awesome!

Strawberries and Snow

I got 8 pounds of strawberries yesterday. It felt like spring!!! We ate strawberries galore! We made Strawberry Muffins.

We made 10 half-pints of freezer jam.

And a strawberry cheesecake, of course!

Then, this morning we woke up to this.

The day before yesterday, it was 56 degrees. We got 8 inches of snow just since last night.

It's not spring yet, but at least our tummies are happy :-)

The Middle Child

Carter often gets overlooked because he is the one who causes me the least amount of trouble. He is such a good boy most of the time and that means that he sometimes gets the least amount of attention. His Grandpa took this picture and I think it is the best one of him I have seen yet. I just thought it was time that we feature Carter and give him some recognition for being the kid I can almost always count on. He is the child who tries to bring peace and harmony to our family. I will always appreciate him and love him for it!

A Meager Christmas?...I think not!!!

Before Christmas, we had a discussion with the kids about how we didn't have a lot of money for presents this year and that we wouldn't be getting them very much from us this year. I made them new quilts and was able to pull that off without them knowing, thanks to a great hubby! Apparently though, that wasn't a very necessary conversation because they got everything they wanted anyways. Thanks to the generosity of Grandpas and Grandmas and Aunts and Uncles, they got it all and a little bit more! Spoiled is not even an adequate word!

Santa was very generous this year!

Besides all the other things that were under the tree, Santa brought the kids a few extra things. He brought Loreli new dresses and the pillow pet that she couldn't live without :-) James and Carter got new coats that they so desperately needed and they also got a couple of toys. Carter got a hot wheels track and James got a Knex set to build his own remote control car.

Thank you Santa! (you know who you are) You are the best!!!

Books and More Books

The best kind of present (to me) is the crisp new paper smell of a good book and there were plenty of those to go around this year!!! Thanks Grandma Andrea and Aunt Jill!

By the light of her Christmas Tree

Grandma Shupe gave the kids a Christmas tree for each of their bedrooms. Loreli has a stack of books ready and waiting for her to read...by the light of her Christmas tree. She isn't related to me at all :-)

A Big Blizzard Welcome to Jill!

My sister Jill has been here for a little over one week and this is her welcome party! A nice big snow storm in the form of a 24 hour blizzard. This picture was taken at hour 2. It's hard to tell in the picture, but about 4 inches have already fallen. The storm was/is predicted to be a doozy, enough that they have actually closed some businesses and cancelled classes at the local universities for today and tomorrow. Portions of the freeway have also been shut down. That is a big deal in a state where everyone is used to and expects snow! Should be fun. The kids can hardly contain themselves. If I let them they would be building snowmen and sledding down the little hill in the backyard right now! Jill and I are a little less enthused :-)

If only...

If only all my kids could love homework like Loreli and her cousin Isaac. They had a play day and asked if they could do their homework while they watched cartoons. Why couldn't that attitude be contagious? That is one "disease" I wouldn't mind spreading around :-)

Happy 42nd Birthday Scott! We love you!!!

A Happy Sad Day

Our beloved next door neighbor, Suzy, passed away yesterday. She was 93 and lived a great life! She was one of the greatest ladies we have ever been privilaged to know. Loreli will especially miss her! She always ran next door to give Suzy her daily hugs. Even though we will miss her, we know that she is in a better place. She is with her husband and daughter who went before her. She told us every day how her husband loved to "give her hell" (her words, not mine) and that she couldn't wait to get to heaven and give it back to him. I am certain that the family reunion was a great one! We will miss her and I am so glad that we got to be part of her life for almost 12 years!

Preschool Halloween Parade

Carebears and dragons and faries, oh my!!!

Spidermans and Captain Jacks and other things that fly.

Witches and werewolves are coming to get you.

All they want is your treat

so you better come through

with the best candy you can

or else they'll eat you!

What a cute little Strawberry Shortcake!!!

It's the one's that smile that you should be afraid of :-)

Beautiful October Fall Day!!!

Just some scenery pictures. It was such a beautiful day!!!

There are pictures of our family toward the bottom :-)

Tribute to a great kid!

Carter often gets overlooked because he doesn't create to drama that the other two create sometimes. I just wanted to put it in writing how much we love and appreciate Carter and all that he contributes to our family. We had parent teacher conferences today and Carter's teacher had nothing but good to say! He got straight "A's". We are so proud of him!
This picture came from his Grandpa Shupe when they went fishing a few weeks ago. Carter caught this fish for his principal. She had mentioned that she loved to eat trout and so that was his mission on their fishing trip. When Carter presented her with the fish, she said that she was having a family party and that his fish would be the reason for their celebration. What a neat lady she is! That totally made Carter's day!