Happy Bday Savannah! by Lori

Wow! I am exhausted today! But throwing Savannah a bday party was worth it. The consensus was that a good time was had by all. That's all a host/hostess can hope for...lol! The day turned out to be beautiful. I was a little nervous in the morning, with all those clouds and threats of rain. But mother nature smiled at us instead. It was great to see family and friends; some we hadn't seen in a long time, but a few were really missed that could not be there. Thanks to everyone that brought a dish. There was so much food and lots of variety. There goes my diet this week!

And so ends our last hurrah of summer '09.




What a crew!! And nobody got hurt during the mad dash for candy!

Giant Gummy Bear More Lethal to Diabetics Than Real Bears

Holy Cow! It's kinda gross they are so big. The YouTube video is pretty funny too.

Giant Gummy Bear More Lethal to Diabetics Than Real Bears

Alexander's Baptism: by Lori

Our nephew, Alex, is so adorable!! We got to spend a lovely day, last Sunday, watching him be baptized in the Lord. He was a perfect angel, of course. Hardly made a peep during the service. It was nice to spend time with the family afterwards. He has gained 4 pounds already...growing so fast!! Now if he could just sleep a little bit longer at night, so his mommy and daddy can get some sleep. We can't wait to see him again this weekend!




May God bless you all your life, Alex.

A Bridal Shower for Amber! by Lori

We had a lovely time at Amber's house yesterday for her bridal shower. Amber and Chris got a lot of goodies to start their life together. It is hard to believe that their wedding is coming up so soon! I still remember holding Chris as a baby. And now he is getting ready to start his own family. Yikes...now I feel old...again. I am so happy for them and wish them the best. They make the cutest couple! It was also so nice to see my aunts and Granny. We don't get to see enough of each other!

Savannah's 9th Bday! by Lori

Wow! Where does the time go? On 8/12/09, we celebrated Savannah's 9th birthday. She is getting so tall and mature. We are so proud of her!! We had a fun day at Chuckie Cheese and shopping at Toys R Us. Later, Grandpa Ken brought a cake for her to enjoy. It was a very nice surprise. And a little bittersweet too, not having Grandma Lola there also. That's so hard, especially for me. It will take time to get used to her not being at family gatherings. None the less, the kids will keep growing and we still have to keep on keeping on.

July...What a Month! by Lori

Yep...it's been a little while since I last posted. July went by like a whirlwind. It was a month filled with blessings and healing for us. We spent a good portion of it out of town with a 2 week road trip to Florida and a long weekend in Michigan. Were we running away? Yes, I think that was a big part of it. It's much easier dealing with sadness when you are away from the ordinary. Well, it was a much needed therapy for the 4 of us. But I think it brought us closer together, spending so much time together, seeing new places and discovering new experiences.



God blessed us with a new nephew. Julie and Brian are the proud parents of Alexander. And I am sure that Mama is so proud of Julie becoming a new mom. Watching from Heaven, her new little angel.








We got to spend time with family...boating, traveling together, and enjoying time together at Meg's family's farm in MI.







The kids had so much fun at the farm! They loved riding the waves at the beach, making smores over the bonfire and just running in the fresh air and wide open space!




I feel like I have gotten my head almost 'right' again. And with just 2 weeks until school starts, I am so thankful for this time off of work. Again, so blessed to be working in education and having so much time off with the family.

We've been doing some sprucing up around the house; painting, new carpet, organizing the clutter. We are feeling pretty productive...I need to go back to work with things in order! Got to stay busy...lol






The loves of our life!

Oklahoma Trip: by Lori

Well, we are back home, safe and sound. We stayed on Grand Lake in north east OK (Monkey Island to be exact...and no, we did not see any swinging in the trees). It was just beautiful...hot, but peaceful. A nice wind off the lake seemed to cool things off a little and kept alot of the bugs away. I didn't really want to go, since we had rented the place thinking that my Mom and Dad would be coming with us. The empty bedroom was a sad reminder, but Mama always lived life to the fullest. We felt she would have wanted us to take the kids there. I had alot of quiet time for reflection on life and my loved ones and it was something that I really needed. Keeping the kids busy with new experiences seemed to have helped them cope a little too. It was bittersweet, since I could not share our fun times and silly pictures with my mom, like I have always done after a trip away. Not being able to call and tell her we are home safe...life still seems so surreal to me. I know that everyone says that time will heal...well, I guess only time will tell.

Yes, Lou saved Savannah from the big, bad croc...he only needed 10 stitches! Just kidding...

This emu kept eyeballing Lou, not sure if it wanted to kiss or kick him, though! The same goes for this alpaca!! It must be Lou's magnetic personality...I was jealous!!









Kiss me baby!