Hello from Bergen, Norway

Happy 18th birthday to our oldest!

Update 3/17

When we got home from school Friday, the dining room and play room were almost completely empty!  Logan has hired a former student of mine (who is now a senior) to help from time to time, and the two of them removed most of the furniture.  The girls and I finished cleaning off the book case, etc., this weekend.

You may recall that Macey was teribbly upset about how many trees that had to be cut down.  As luck (Serendipity? Coincidence? Prayer?) would have it, BJ received trees in the mail yesterday as a gift for her donation to the Arbor Day Foundation.  She gave them to us, and with Logan's assistance, we got all 12 planted today.  (Our plan is to transplate them in a year or two to more favorable locations around the house.  Hopefully they will live!)

There's nothing like "going green" for St. Patrick's day!

Our Top 12 for 2012

12. We took several trips this year, including cousin Megan’s wedding and Thanksgiving at cousin Kimberly’s and of course camping.

11. All four of us attended 4-H Camp Wahsega: Macey as a Cloverleaf camper, Ansley as a teen leader, and Haley & Logan as chaperons.

10. Along with Logan’s brother Reid, we threw a surprise 75th birthday party for their mother, BJ.

9. Logan has passed all the tests for his bus driver license and will finish up next month.

8. Haley started her 20th year teaching (How did that happen?!?) and is working on her gifted endorsement.

7. Ansley finished middle school with straight As and was selected for Honors English (where she made a 99 and will go on to 10th grade Honors English next year.)

6. Ansley started high school (9th grade) and enjoyed marching band (clarinet). She continues to take piano lessons too (and is becoming quite accomplished!).

5. Macey started middle school (6th grade) and was accepted into 3 accelerated classes.

4. Macey is in chorus and has started playing percussion in band. (She was the first to get to move up to snare drum from the marimba, and she got to play the chimes in the Christmas concert.)

3. Macey is continuing her dance education (ballet, jazz, and tap), and Haley is back to tapping too. ;)

2. Ansley got contacts.

1. We are blessed beyond measure!

Happy Anniversaries!

Yesterday was my parents' 44th anniversary, so we celebrated with all the family together at a new local restaurant, The View.  (Yes, it is part of the community center and golf course.)

Here's the whole clan:

We were so happy that my mom's baby sister came to visit!  (She lives about 5 hours away.)

You can see how the restaurant got its name.

We try to avoid desserts but this was a night to celebrate!

Hubby and I will celebrate 17 years tomorrow!

Here are some of the lilies that are blooming in my flower garden right now.  These are very similar to some that I carried in my wedding bouquet.  I may have to cut some and bring them in to enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Ansley!

Fourteen years ago, we were blessed with the sweetest, most beautiful baby in the world.  She has grown into a sweet, beautiful young woman who we love with all our heart.  Thank you for all the blessings you bring to your family and others.  We are so proud of you.  Happy birthday, Ansley!

Happy Birthday, Macey!

See that sweet young lady on the right? She turns 11 today! Happy birthday, Macey! We love you!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!

As 2011 draws to a close, we wanted to stop for a moment to count our blessings. We are all healthy, we have each other, and we work hard to appreciate what we have.

May 2012 be the best year ever! Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My turkeys and I would like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving! We have so much for which to be grateful: family, friends, faith, home, health... What more do you really need?

We devoured a delicious turkey dinner with Logan's mom (and brother, top left). Her housemate, JC, just got a new "baby," a chihuahua she's named Philippa.

Do you have big Black Friday plans tomorrow? Not I! I can't stand the crowds, and I didn't see very many items on our wish lists. Saturday will bring more turkey with my side of the family. What a wonderful long weekend! Hope you're enjoying yours!

Veterans Day

Please pause today and give thanks for our veterans! We owe them so much, especially our appreciation and gratitude. Thank you, veterans, for your service to our country!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! Tonight was our town's "Hometown Halloween on the Square" where local businesses and organizations set up tables, the square is blocked to traffic, and the kids have a great time!

Ansley dressed up as Abby from NCIS, complete with Gotchic black hair and spider web "tattoo."

Federal Agent Macey kept us all safe and protected.

Lil Haley was a secret agent.

Sister Amy (the "nun") and Spiderman passed out candy at the SADD table (she is one of the sponsors of the organization). Batman joined us to trick-or-treat.

At the haunted house at Fort Sorghum, Batman got scared! (I learned that he is heavier than he looks since I had to carry him through it!) Little Spiderman loved it and went through four times along with Agent Macey.

Jack-o-Lanterns

From pumpkin guts...

...to a cool "Frankenstein" jack-o-lantern, complete with tack stitches.

Thank you, Aunt Amy, for a great time!

Aaargh! Pirate Birthday Party!

Aaargh! All ye scurvy lads and lasses will walk the plank if you don't have a grand time at Alex's 5th birthday party!

(Aunt Amy watched several YouTube videos to learn how to make balloon swords- and more. They were great fun and much safer than plastic swords would have been. She kept cranking them out for any of the pirates who lsot or popped theirs. The pirate ship bouncy slide was a huge hit!)

DC Trip

It is hard for me to believe that our older daughter is leaving this evening on a school trip to Washington DC for the long weekend! We have Fall Break next week, so she is only missing one (excused) day of school.

It is hard for me to believe that her Daddy and I decided to send her without one of us. We could have gone on the trip, not as a chaperon but as a guest (according to the principal). We decided that it would be a good thing for all of us if she went without us. She will be extremely well chaperoned with 12 teachers, the principal and assistant principal, school nurse, and numerous parents (two on my speed dial).

It is hard for me to believe that she will ride the charter bus Thursday night, tour DC all day Friday, check in to the hotel Friday night, tour DC all day Saturday, check out of the hotel Sunday morning, tour DC & Gettysburg Sunday, and ride on the charter bus all night Sunday to arrive home Monday morning. (Now do you see why neither of her parents are going?)

It is hard for me to believe that we broke down and got her a cell phone, but it is certainly giving me piece of mind for the trip. And yes, the GPS tracker feature is turned on. Not only is Big Brother watching, but so are Mom and Dad!

It is hard for me to believe how much my baby is growing up! Rationally, I know that this is supposed to happen and I know that she will have a great time, but it is really, really hard for me to let go. This sweet girl is growing up to become a beautiful young lady. Please pray for a safe trip!

The Adirondacks

Here's a small sampling of some of our pictures from visiting the Adirondacks. The weather didn't cooperate very well, but we had a good time anyway! The Adirondack Museum was well worth the visit. The girls especially loved the hands-on experiences, like the Adirondack lean-to, doing the wash, and the canvas tent.

We also visited Fort Ticonderoga, which was an interesting historical stop.

New England Adventure

{Author's Note: I am writing these posts AFTER our trip, but posting them on the correct days of our trip. I do not like to broadcast when we are going to be out of town and would rather share it when we get home.}

We loaded up our 5th wheel camper and truck for our great New England adventure! Our destination is my cousin's wedding in New Hampshire this Saturday, but we are making a family vacation of it (before and after).

On the road again...

Royal Fun!

Since our invititations must have been lost in the mail, we had our own royal wedding party! My mom has a great post HERE about our royal fun and frivolity last night in honor of the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. Best wishes, Will and Kate!

Hoppy Easter and a Happy Birthday!

The Easter festivities began with dying eggs (with help from friend/neighbor Morgan) on Saturday.

Later that evening, Macey and I made "birds nests" for Easter, complete with (M&Ms) eggs and (Peeps) chicks.

She woke me up to the tune of "Happy Birthday to Me" at 6:25 (Ugh!), but we did get to see this beautiful sunrise on the water.

Unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures at church (which would have probably been frowned on anyway). Both girls were torchbearers, and it was a beautiful service!

The traditional Easter Hunt prior to St. Clare's Easter Feast

Look Mom, no shoes! (Better traction maybe?)

The "family" birthday party for our birthday girl! Can you believe that she is 10 today?!?

Whee!

Yesterday, the girls and I went to my parents' house to visit with long-time family friends and their children/grandchildren who are visiting this week. Because it was so nice out, we decided to try the zip line- that goes across the lake- and ends on the other side.

Our little dare devil was happy to go after Uncle Brian and our 15-year-old guest. Ms. Cautious was a little hesitant, but since her little sister did it, she did too- and loved it! They would both have ridden time and time again if we hadn't had company!

Here's a view from where we were standing looking to our right, across the lake, to the landing pad. (Grammie and I learned the hard way that the landing pad needs a bit of work!)

Even though he is supposed to be horizontal babying a torn muscle in his knee/calf, Grumps could not resist getting in on the action! He *says* he dragged across the water to slow himself down...

Finally, I couldn't be outdone by my girls, so off I went too.

Click HERE if you need a laugh or want to watch my Dad and me!

Zippidee doo dah, zippidee yay!