Bethany & Matt

Bidlack Blankets

2012-01-25T14:34:00.025-05:00

Alli's Blanket!!!

Every time we add a child to the family, we also add a wonderful blanket/wall hanging. My mom's AMAZING cousins have made each of our 3 girls a beautiful cross-stitched wall-hanging. I love them all and each girl will be able to have that blanket with them forever. I am so thankful we have stayed so close to my grandpa Bud's Bidlack side of the family. And a very special thank you to Kay Fackler (who mailed Alli's blanket to me just today). I know how much time it takes to make a blanket like this and I really hope you know how appreciated you are! Can't wait for you all to meet baby Alli!!! I took several pictures of Alli's new blanket and then at the end I also included a picture of Jill's Teddy Bear blanket and Lexi's Care Bear blanket. Enjoy!

Meet Allison Jalene!

2012-01-06T10:17:00.006-05:00

She finally made her appearance! Allison Jalene Saris was born on Monday January 2, 2012 at 4:44 am. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces and was 20 ½ inches long. Mommy and daddy were only at the hospital a mere 1 hour before she made her big debut. The OB doctor was only in the room for about 4 minutes before she decided to come out! Dr. Ellis made it just in time and we had our beautiful - but slightly blue - baby girl. She was 'blue' in the face because of bruising (she was born very quickly with only one push)!!! Things went so well that we were released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon after only 36 hours! Mommy was glad to be home and sleep in her own bed and big sisters Jill and Lexi were VERY happy to have mommy and baby Alli home. Here are some pictures from Allison's first 3 days. Enjoy!

Christmas in Smithville

2011-12-26T21:42:00.005-05:00

On Christmas Day, we ventured down to Matt's parent's house in Smithville. It is a mere 30 minute drive... we weren't about to travel much farther than that with a momma who is 39 weeks into her pregnancy! We just hoped that baby Allison would wait to make her appearance until at least after dinner. Our wish was granted and Christmas Day came and went with no trip to the hospital. We did open presents and had a wonderful meal of lasagna and delicious snacks all day long! It is always great to see the kids play together and how much they have grown since last time. Just think, next year we will be celebrating not just Jesus' birthday, but also Allison's birthday! Wow - I am already exhausted just thinking about it! Enjoy the pictures!

'Christmas Morning' 2011

2011-12-24T15:29:00.031-05:00

Well, with baby due to arrive any day now, we decided to have Santa come Christmas Eve morning (just one day early). The girls were so excited to set out cookies and milk for Santa and even carrots for his Reindeer! Then, it took them over an hour to finally fall asleep! After a late bedtime, Lexi was up bright and early at 5 am... she hopped in bed with us to wait for her sister to wake up. Finally at 7:30 Jill woke also. They waited patiently on the steps for daddy to get the video camera ready for the big reveal. Then, at last, they RAN into the family room to find the loot Santa had left behind. He was very good to both girls - bringing them exactly what they had asked for! Lexi received a HUGE Disney Princess Castle along with a Talking Super Grover and a Tiana barbie doll. And for Jill, Santa brought a Baby Alive, a "Jill" doll aka. Cabbage Patch Doll that looks just like her, and a Tinker Bell barbie doll. Santa also left a few more wrapped gifts for both girls under the tree. Needless to say, they both made out like bandits! Success... and still no baby Allison. Hopefully she waits now until at least tomorrow night (we are supposed to be in Smithville for Christmas tomorrow!). Time will tell! Enjoy the pictures!

The Elves are Back!

2011-12-14T10:52:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I almost forgot to Elf our family! It has become sort of a tradition. It is so funny to watch back. Enjoy!

First Christmas!

2011-12-11T21:21:00.004-05:00

Well, we managed to squeeze our 1st Christmas of the year in before baby #3 decided to arrive. Since we are dangerously close to baby's due date, everyone agreed to travel to Copley for our Thomas Christmas this year. The Ginter clan (along with G.G. and Papa Bud) all arrived on Friday. We had a taco ring for dinner and my good friend Michele even got to join us and meet my crazy family! Then on Saturday the Crossland clan joined us. The only one missing was Matt Gurtz... dumb ol' stomach bug! We missed you!!! After a 4:30 dinner we got a quick photo of everyone (thanks Natalie for taking the pic) and then we started in on gifts. It moved along fairly quickly and before you knew it we were all talking and playing games. Great food, great company... GREAT FAMILY! Thanks to all of you for making the trip out east. I still can't believe we were all under 1 roof for overnight (except Marty and Shannon who left late Saturday night)!! It was close quarters, but I think everyone at least got some sleep. There for a minute I wasn't sure if baby Saris would hold out until the weekend was over, but alas... she is still not here. Most likely sometime soon, though! By the way, Hotel Saris is now closed until next year!!

My Big Girl is 5!

2011-12-02T15:13:00.023-05:00

Well, it has been a whirl wind few weeks, but Lexi is now officially 5 years old! We had her party a few weeks early (beginning of November). Then, the Tuesday before her birthday we took her to her choice of restaurants... Red Robin in North Canton. While we were in North Canton, mommy decided to go ahead and get a photo shoot in at the Kiddie Kandids (inside Babies-R-Us). The girls were WONDERFUL!!! I wasn't sure where my quirky, shy girls were and who had jumped into their bodies! Anyway, great shoot and we even got Daddy in a picture! Lexi's birthday was on Tuesday and she took snack to school (Trix yogurt). Then we ventured to Grandma Chris and Papa's house for Thanksgiving on Thursday where she got more b-day gifts - thanks everyone! And... since the Ginter/Thomas family didn't meet up for Turkey Day, she will probably get even more loot on Dec. 10th when we conviene for T'giving/X-mas at our house! Can we say "The Longest Birthday EVER!" Anyway, enjoy the pictures from our photo shoot!

Lexi's 5th Birthday Party!

2011-11-24T10:55:00.003-05:00

I know it is 2 weeks after her party... but here it is! I finally had a few extra minutes to post some pictures. Lexi shared her birthday party day with her best buddy Logan. We had a great joint party with a Tangled/Transformers theme. The kids all had a great time and I think it was a success! Enjoy all the pictures! (and a HUGE thanks to aunt Brittany for manning the camera all day!!!)

Fall Football!

2011-10-12T16:23:00.013-04:00

Over the past few weeks, we have taken the girls to not 1, but 2 football games. First we saw Papa's team, the Smithville Smithies, beat Dalton by a landslide! Cousin Zach and aunt Julie even joined us for the first quarter. Our girls, however couldn't leave until the game ended and they could meet up with Papa! He even took them out on the field (after the players had exited, of course). We managed to stay warm and got a few good pictures.

Then, last week we watched uncle Andrew's Mansfield Madison 7th grade team beat Orville! Way to go!! Once again, we couldn't leave until the game was over so the girls could congratulate uncle Andrew on his win. Is he taking after Papa... I think so!

Weather was great for both games and can't wait until next year when we have a third little girl in Smithies garb!

1st Day of Gymnastics!

2011-09-07T14:35:00.003-04:00

While Lexi went to school today, Miss Jilly got to start her gymnastics classes! She was so excited!!! We are taking her to Pinncale Gymnastics near Medina (the same place we took Lexi to 2 years ago). She is in the parent/child class, so mommy gets to stay with her during her 45 minute lesson. Let's not forget that this will get increasingly more difficult for mommy as she nears her New Year's Eve due date! Anyway, enjoy the few pictures I took on her very first day!

First Day of Pre-K!

2011-09-06T16:37:00.009-04:00

The time has finally come! Lexi started school today!!! She now goes 5 mornings a week from 9 to 11:30. It is really good for her in order to prepare her for Kindergarten next year. She just loves it! Most of her friends returned this year and are once again in her class. Ms. Calli is her teacher and we had NO TEARS today!!! Hopefully this trend will continue... and then tomorrow my little Jilly starts Gymnastics! Oh what a week!!! Enjoy a few pictures!

And a blast from the past... last year's 1st day of Preschool!

Fun at the Park!

2011-08-26T16:53:00.005-04:00

With only 1 short week left before school starts, we decided to enjoy Preston's HOPE Park in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Ava and Sophia were able to join us (along with their mom, Shelby) for a great morning of fun and adventure! We packed up a lunch and spent a few hours burning off some energy and having a blast. This park is awesome and the kids just love it. Too bad it is quite a haul from Copley - a good 45 minutes! Good thing Shelby lives about half way there. Great way to break up the trip! Enjoy the pictures and if you are ever in the Cleveland area with children... stop by for a few hours of free fun!

Daughters and Daughters and Daughters, OH MY!

2011-08-16T10:53:00.004-04:00

Yes... it's true. We are having yet another girl! Needless to say this will be the final addition to the Saris family (we are out of bedrooms)! I think the Ultrasound Tech got a pretty good 3D image of the little one - due to arrive sometime around December 31st! Hopefully you can make out the body parts!

Backyard View

2011-08-10T21:26:00.004-04:00

Last night, the sky behind our house revealed the most amazing sight! It was orange and glowing!! The houses across our street were all aglow with a tangerine hue. It was beautiful! I just had to take a few pictures. Enjoy!

Clear Lake '11

2011-08-10T21:13:00.007-04:00

Well, Ben and Erin Culler finally got us to their home at the lake! We made the 3 hour trip this past weekend and had a blast! Clear Lake is just across the Indiana state line just miles off of Rt. 49 (very close to Ohio and Michigan). We left Friday after lunch and made it home by Sunday for supper. The kids all had a great time and were tuckered out! We went swimming/wading at the sand bar off the island, took many boat rides, swam off their dock in the waist-deep water, and even went tubing!!! Jack LOVED the tube... Lexi, Jill, and Nate were ok with it, but I think preferred to be swimming. The adults even escaped and enjoyed a DELICIOUS dinner at a local restaurant (thanks to Sara the babysitter for taking on all 4 kiddos). All the kids did wonderful and we really enjoyed our time spent with the Culler family. Thanks for having us and maybe we will return next year or even make this a yearly ritual?!?! Enjoy the pictures.

A Crossland Wedding!

2011-07-25T12:02:00.006-04:00

Well, Shannon is finally legally part of the family! Marty and Shannon got married on Sat. July 23 and it was a blast! It was also a HOT one!!! We managed to have fun through the sweat and it was so great to see all of Shannon and Marty's family and friends come out to celebrate with them. Flower-girl-Lexi had a minor melt-down just prior to walking down the aisle, but Matron-of Honor-Maely held her hand and she made it to the front of the church. Lexi was a trooper through the heat and with it being a LOOONNNGGG day (she was up by 7:30 and not in bed until 11 pm), I think she did ok. I have 3 albums of pictures... one from Rehearsal Friday night, one from Saturday morning before the wedding, and then one from Saturday afternoon and evening after the wedding. Enjoy!!!
P.S. They are the same pictures as on facebook, so if you have already looked at them you don't need to see them all again!

Rehearsal

Pre-Wedding

Post-Wedding

Lexi's hairpiece choices!

2011-06-28T14:03:00.002-04:00

Just for you, Shannon! Let me know what you think!

Headband (off-white)

Headband (silver with rhinestones in the flower centers)

Headband (silver with rhinestones covering it)

Tiara (simple with rhinestones)

Rhinestones that twist into the hair

Pearl flowers that twist into the hair

Saris Family Vacation

2011-06-23T16:10:00.003-04:00

Matt and I decided to take the girls to the Atlantic coast for our vacation this summer. We used our time-share and went to Galloway, NJ (which is only 20 minutes from Atlantic City and the Boardwalk). We mostly stayed around the resort and enjoyed the pool and nearby restaurants. On Sunday, we ventured to the coast to see Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a 6-story hollow wooden Elephant that sits on the Atlantic shore and overlooks the ocean. Matt found the pamphlet in the resort lobby and Lexi just HAD to go see the giant Elephant! It wasn't very impressive, but Lexi liked it.
Then on Monday we ventured back to the coast and walked the Boardwalk. We only went about ½ mile in one direction, but that was plenty for the girls. Then we ate at Rainforest Cafe (where Jill was scared to death of the moving animals) and even let the girls put their toes in the ocean before returning to the resort. The water was very cold and they didn't mind at all to go back to the warm pool.
Tuesday afternoon, we left our resort and headed 1½ hours to Langhorne, PA where we would spend the rest of our vacation. The hotel we stayed at was a mere ¼ mile from Sesame Place! Needless to say, this was the highlight of the trip for the girls. Lexi loves Grover and Jill likes Elmo. We got a few great pictures with both characters. We enjoyed 2 days at the park and then headed home on Friday. Whew! Tiring but enjoyable vacation. Maybe someday we will try it again (not for a few years, though with another baby coming). Enjoy all the pictures!!

Ginter Second Cousins Unite!

2011-06-23T16:03:00.003-04:00

Well, it was a long time coming... but the Ginter cousins finally united (about half of them at least) and all our kids finally got to meet - with the exception of Brittany's kids who were in daycare and couldn't make the Thursday trip. We missed you!!! But, it was great to see James and Sara. It had been quite a while since we had seen them. A good effort was made to get a picture of all the great-grandkids. I don't think it turned out half bad! It was great to catch up with everyone! It was bittersweet, though to know that Granny was in the hospital and couldn't join us to enjoy all her great-grandkids all together. Enjoy the few pictures!!!

Toledo Zoo!

2011-06-23T15:53:00.004-04:00

Back in May, the girls and I went to Brittany's for the day. We decided to introduce Lexi and Jill to the Toledo Zoo! They LOVED it!! Lexi especially loved the elephants (the Akron zoo doesn't have any). They also loved the activity center and the wading stream. We tuckered them out and had a great time! Enjoy the pictures!

Zach's 1st Birthday!

2011-06-23T15:50:00.005-04:00

So, I know I am about a month late, but here are the pictures from Zach's 1st birthday! He is sooos ornery!! He also loves the Sesame Street character Murray, but we couldn't find a Murray cake, so Big Bird and Elmo had to do. Enjoy the pictures!

One More Time...

2011-05-26T10:37:00.004-04:00

Well, as a few of you may already know, we are expecting again! The official due date is December 31st... What a due date! We are really excited, but having said that - the morning sickness has been by far the worst of the 3. Hopefully it soon passes and we can get back to a somewhat normal day-to-day life. Can't wait for our third and final bundle of joy to join our family! Here is the first official picture (if you can make it out). The head is at the right and the feet are sticking up on the left side.

Time is Flying By!!

2011-05-04T20:41:00.005-04:00

I know, I know... it has been forever since I posted! I promise there is good stuff to come. We celebrated Easter at Chris and Chuck's house, Jill turned 2, and G.G. Eileen is now 80! WOW! I promise pictures and recaps are on the way! In the mean time, check out my good friend Kim's photo blog (Photos by Kimberly) for a quick preview of Jilly's 2-year old photo shoot - and some of the girls together, too!

Easter Bunny!

2011-04-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

I must be a mean mom for making my children see the Easter Bunny. As you can see, one child is crying and the other one look scared out of her mind. Oh well, one day we will look back and laugh at this picture! Enjoy!!

It's Finally Spring!

2011-03-23T10:19:00.010-04:00

Just a quick post with a St. Patty's Day picture and then on to some Spring fun. We spent the day at Grandma Chris and Papa's house when Ben and Julie were in town - just look how big Zach is getting! The kids had a blast outside! Then we got another gorgeous day later that week. Enjoy the pictures!

Chris and Chuck's

Fun at home!

Fort Rapids

2011-03-07T10:51:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we made a trip down to Columbus to stay at Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark with the entire Ginter clan. We left Friday after Bethany got home from work and didn't return home until Sunday afternoon. At the hotel, we were all staying in 1 suite. It had one bedroom, a loft, and 2 additional queen beds (along with a pull-out couch that we didn't need to make into a bed). G'pa Gary and G'ma Nola got there 1st and checked in. Next was our family and shortly afterwards the Gurtzweilers arrived. Uncle Benny was in California on a LONG business trip (7 weeks to be exact) and took the red-eye flight leaving California around 11 pm and arriving in Columbus around 9am Saturday morning. Needless to say uncle Benny was pooped! He still managed to swim with us all for awhile before napping. We all enjoyed the waterpark on Saturday and our meals consisted of tacos-in-a-bag and a crock of meatballs - with hotdogs for the kids. Saturday evening, Papa Gary took Benny home (since his car was still in Cincinnati). I think Benny enjoyed his own bed and some much-needed sleep. The rest of us chilled in the room and just spent time together. Sunday morning Papa Gary and G'ma Nola left bright and early to make it to Columbus Grove in time for church. The rest of us packed up and suited the kids for one last swim. After a quick bite at Steak-n-Shake we headed for home. A huge thanks to uncle Andrew for staying at our house with Banky! Enjoy the pictures.

Febuary (in a nutshell)

2011-02-25T09:08:00.019-05:00

The last weekend in January, Brittany and Maely brought the kids to visit along with G.G. Eileen and Gra-Nola (for the day Saturday while Papa Gary was at a motorcycle convention in Cleveland). Maely and Brittany bundled up the 2 older girls to have some fun in the snow. I think they really enjoyed being young and free with the sled and building a snowman! Then Febuary just flew by for us. We had a lot going on for a winter month. Matt and Bethany worked 3 out of 4 weekends this month. The one weekend we had off was Kyle's 1st birthday party - which Lexi and Matt didn't make it to (Lexi was sick). Earlier in the month, Gra-Nola and Papa Gary brought their puppet skits to Lexi's preschool on a Friday morning and then did an encore skit for the kids at church on Sat. evening. The kids loved the puppets! Nola's cousin Mike and his wife Heidi even helped out on the Saturday performance. So fun! Throw in Valentine's Day and you get a pretty busy month. Enjoy some pictures!

Brittany and Maely's visit

Puppet Skits

Valentine's Day Kyle's 1st Birthday

Keeping Busy

2011-01-19T10:53:00.008-05:00

This past weekend, Matt had a "Fantasy Football" End-of-the-Season Party. Quite a few guys showed up to celebrate the past football season. We also had a few women and children in the house full of guys - thanks to Abi and Jen who kept me company. Abi and Brett also brought along their 2 girls (who are very close in age to our girls). It is always great to see them and let the kids play together. Looking forward to more "play dates" in the future!

Then today I decided it was time to get Jill's bangs out of her face. I ended up getting her hair chopped! It was very thin and I guess you have to keep it short in order for it to get thicker (length weighs it down). We will see if it works! Will take some getting used to, though. Enjoy!

Fun in the Snow!

2011-01-12T20:07:00.010-05:00

The girls and I decided to go outside this afternoon so mommy could shovel the driveway before daddy got home from work. Jill wasn't so sure about the cold wet stuff at first, but by the time we pulled out the sled she was grinning from ear to ear! Lexi did great holding on to her on the sled while I followed them down the driveway. So glad the girls got boots for Christmas from Gra-Nola and Papa Gary! Thanks!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-08T21:24:00.009-05:00

I know I am slow at posting this year. Time has just flown by! Christmas is over, the tree is down, and all the new toys have finally found a home. I think I am ready to get back into the groove of every day living (at least until the next holiday). Christmas Eve day was spent at Chris and Chuck's house. We did manage to get our traditional family picture taken in front of their fireplace. After dinner, we came home and let the girls open their gifts from us. They are so spoiled! Then we had to set out cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. Bright and early Christmas morning, Lexi bounded into our room and wanted to know if we had seen Santa. We said we hadn't seen him, but that he probably left the gifts and ran to get to all the other houses in time. We came downstairs to find that Santa had indeed come in the night! The girls loved their gifts from Santa. After lunch at home, we left for G.G. Eileen's house. We got there around 3 pm and opened yet more presents. After dinner at G.G.'s we finally made it to Grandpa Gary's house. The kids were tucked into bed and then the adults opened their gifts. That was a GREAT idea! Then, after church and lunch on Sunday we let the kids open their gifts. They all had so much fun and loved their gifts... thanks everyone! The next weekend (New Year's Day) we set out once again for Grandpa Gary's house for the Ginter Christmas. Good to see everyone there! Enjoy the pictures!!
Our Christmas

Saris Christmas

Thomas Christmas

Ginter Christmas

New Year's Day

Preparing for Christmas!

2010-12-23T20:46:00.045-05:00

This month has been full of Christmas things to do! First, Lexi's class met one morning at Pat Catan's Craft Store for all the kids to make candy jars to sell at their Christmas Program. Lexi sat beside her best buddy Logan and they both made wonderful snowman and penguin candy jars (I ended up buying both of Lexi's jars). The following week, her whole Preschool performed a Christmas Program. I wasn't sure Lexi would take part - thought she would cry and not go up front - but she surprised the heck out of me and went up there with no tears and sang her little heart out! She knew EVERY SONG! Maybe the present sitting at home that I promised she could open if she didn't cry helped a tad?!?! So proud of my big girl. We even got a picture of Lexi with her teacher Miss Sharon. The next morning was the final day of Preschool for the year and they had a Birthday Party for Jesus - complete with 2 bouncy houses. Even Lexi's teacher got in one of the houses. She couldn't wait to wear the Christmas Tree shirt she had made at school.

With school being over for the year, we must have other things to look forward to... like grandma and Papa Gary coming! They came out so Matt and Bethany could both work on a Friday evening. I think they have a lot of fun when they visit - oh yeah, the kids do too! Last Saturday night (while grandma and Papa Gary were still here - Marc and Jen came over and Matt and I went out to eat with them. Thanks for babysitting again g'ma and Papa! When Marc and Jen showed up, they had 2 gift bags for the girls! Books and dress up clothes!!! They loved the gifts! Thanks so much! Anyway, last but not least was the preparing for Christmas weekend. We were in charge of taking a shrimp ring and Krazy Krunch to G.G.'s house this year for Christmas dinner. The girls - especially Lexi - had to help mommy cook in the kitchen. I think Lexi would rather eat than cook, but she was a great little helper. Jill still needs some practice! Enjoy all the pictures and Merry Christmas!

It's that time of year!

2010-12-09T13:17:00.002-05:00

Yes... I made them do it! I made the girls go see Santa at the mall! Lexi was her usual emotional self and Jill wasn't too fond of sitting on the big guy's lap, either - so mommy got in on the picture, too! Enjoy!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend '10

2010-12-04T10:59:00.003-05:00

Matt and I were fortunate enough to get a 4-day weekend out of this Thanksgiving! Usually one of us is due to work the Friday after, but we both got to stay home this year. As per our little tradition... we went down to Smithville on Thanksgiving Day to spend it with Matt's family. "Baby" Zach is growing soooo much! Lexi also got to open her birthday gifts from Matt's family. Then we put up our Christmas trees on Friday and headed out Saturday morning for Paulding county. Nola and Gary hosted this year and it was a full house! After lunch, Lexi opened even more birthday presents and later that evening all the girls (minus Jill) plus Papa Gary went to Van Wert to see Tangled! It was Kaitlyn's very 1st movie in the theater!!! They loved it! Anyway... enjoy the pictures!

Lexi is 4!

2010-11-24T10:52:00.018-05:00

Last Saturday we had a birthday party for our big 4-year-old! She wanted to go with a Toy Story theme... wow! There are a lot of great ideas online right now for a Toy Story party. She had 10 friends/family members come and every child made a Buzz Lightyear rocket ship and a blue or green "egg" alien. We then moved downstairs and had a potato head contest (to see who could build the best-looking potato head) and then finished with pin-the-tail-on-Bullseye! Of course we had to have cupcakes and ice cream after the kids were done playing. All the kids had a great time and Lexi opened some great gifts. Thanks to everyone who came and we'll see what theme she comes up with for next year.

Elf Yourself Returns!

2010-11-11T20:40:00.005-05:00

Yes folks, it is that time of year again. I know it's silly, but I just can't help myself. It is so stinkin' adorable! Enjoy this year's Elf Yourself!
First... our family!

And next... cousins!

Fire Station!

2010-11-10T15:43:00.018-05:00

Today Lexi didn't have school. Instead, her whole preschool took a field trip to the Bath Fire Station. First, Fireman George told us all about the station and how many trucks and ambulances they have. They get called out on average 4 times every single day! After the short talk, we moved on the the garage to see the EMS vehicle. He opened up the back and showed all the kids the equiptment that was inside to help the first responders take care of injured people. He also showed them some of the tools they use to help them get to people in a burning building. Then we moved on to the bright, shiny, red fire engine that was parked outside. The firemen even rolled out the water hose and helped the kids (one-by-one) spray the water out! Then some kids even got to pull the string and sound the horn on the fire truck! Lexi chose not to do that. To top off our trip, each child received a red fireman's hat to take home with them and got to wear the hats in the group picture taken with Sparky the dog. All in all it was a great little field trip - and even Jill (who got to tag along) enjoyed herself. Thanks to fireman George and his crew for all you do!

Preschool Pictures!

2010-11-05T10:26:00.003-04:00

Ah, my child... our first Preschool picture will definitely be a memorable one - notice the tissue in hand! Don't know what I am gonna do with my emotional child. Anybody want to take her in when she enters her teen years??!! Just kidding! At least she wasn't crying in the group shot.

Jill is 1½!

2010-10-28T19:39:00.012-04:00

I took the girls to Portrait Innovations today for a photo shoot. I thought I could combine Christmas pics, Jill's 1½ year pics and Lexi's 4 year pics into one trip! We survived... with tears from Lexi of course. Even bribery doesn't work anymore. Oh well, at least we got a few good ones. Here are a few of my favorites (see the rest on facebook).

They Got Me Good!

2010-10-05T17:33:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, we went to mom and dad's for what I thought was a family picture session with my good friend from high school, Kim. Little did I know that she was just helping my family out with a huge surprise early birthday party for me! It was great! My dad rented a karaoke machine and many family members and friends were waiting at mom and dad's house for us when we returned from our photo shoot. I had absolutely NO IDEA! It was a great time and we had a lot of fun. My girls really like to ham it up with a microphone. Then, to close the weekend, my brother Ben gave the sermon at dad's church on Sunday morning. Great message and good job for your first ever sermon, Benny! So proud of you! Enjoy the pictures.

Smithville Football and Sesame Street Cake Pops!

2010-09-19T21:19:00.050-04:00

On Friday night, Matt and I took Lexi and Jill to their annual Smithville football game. It just so happened that Smithville played against Dalton!! For those of you who don't know, Matt's brother Andrew took a teaching/coaching job this summer at Dalton HS and is now helping to coach the football team. Also, Matt's dad still teaches/coaches for Smithville. As you can guess, we weren't sure which side of the field to sit on! We decided to deck out in our green and cheer on the Smithies. After a Bulldog win, the girls at least put a smile on Papa's face and even got to see uncle Andrew after the big game. Congrats Bulldogs and maybe next year Smithies!

Then today, my friend Becca and her 2 kids came to our house for the afternoon. I was trying to find something we could do to occupy our time and then it came to me! Several months ago (while looking for cupcake-themed decor for Jill's 'big girl' room) I ran across a website for cupcake pops. While on the site, there was a link to Sesame Street Cake Pops and I was intrigued. Cake pops are just what they sound like. It is cake (I made a 9x13 white cake) crumbled up and mixed with a container of frosting then molded into balls with a lolipop stick stuck in them. Then, you coat them with colored molding chocolate and then decorate. The kids' attention spans were not quite long enough for the project, but Becca and I sure had some fun! Not too shabby for our 1st attempt. Enjoy the pictures!

King's Island Adventure!

2010-09-13T18:05:00.013-04:00

This past weekend, while Matt was at the Notre Dame vs. Michigan game, I took the girls down to Cincinnati to uncle Benny's house. GE - the company Benny works for - bought out King's Island for the weekend and only sold tickets to their employees and family/friends of their employees. Benny got a bunch of tickets and the whole family went to King's Island! We went down on Friday night and stayed with Benny (only 2 miles from the theme park). Grandma Nola and grandpa Gary stayed with Matt, Brittany and Kaity in a motel down the road. Teresa, Earl and Cody drove up from Kentucky and - along with my friend Sarah - all met at Benny's on Saturday morning and made it to the park by 10 am. Most of the adults ventured to the roller coasters while Brittany, grandma, grandpa and Bethany attacked Snoopy Land with the 3 little girls. They loved it! Around 1 pm grandma and grandpa took the little ones home for a late lunch and mid-day nap. Brittany and I then had our chance to ride a few coasters. We got a little wet from a few rain showers, but all in all it was a great day. To top off the afternoon, Benny and Cody jointly rode the human slingshot! What brave souls! We left the park around 7 pm and dined at Skyline Chili for supper. Lexi, Jill and I went back to Benny's to sleep and headed out Sunday for a noon lunch with my high school friend Julie Hyman (who recently moved into the West Chester area near Mason). It was great to catch up with her. On our drive home, we stopped in on aunt Julie and uncle Ben to see the ever-growing baby Zach! What a cutie. It was a great weekend and we all really enjoyed seeing everyone. Enjoy the pictures!

King's Island

At uncle Benny's house

At Ben and Julie's house

First Day of Preschool!

2010-09-08T13:27:00.012-04:00

Well, the day finally came! Lexi started Preschool today. She is attending Montrose Zion Christian Preschool at the big Methodist Church in Montrose. Things were a little shaky at first with some tears, but mommy sneaked out and she ended up having a great time. Miss Terri and Miss Sharon helped her make a family tree! There are 3 boys and 5 girls total in her class. Lexi got to be the 'weather girl' today and they ate pretzels and apples for snack. They even got to go outside and play on the playground! She is all excited to go back on Friday. Mommy and daddy are very proud of her and it actually went smoother than mommy expected. Can't wait for Friday when we have (hopefully) no tears!

Labor Day Weekend!

2010-09-06T20:47:00.066-04:00

Our last weekend of summer was packed full of things to do! We left home Saturday morning by 9:30 am. Grandma Nola and Grandpa Gary had 'breakfast-for-lunch' waiting for us around 12:30 when we pulled in their driveway. Lexi, Jill and even Kaitlyn shoveled in pancakes, sausage links and scrambled eggs. Then we had 2 different weddings to attend... Cole and Kristy got married at 4:30 in Montpelier, OH. Brittany, Kaitlyn, Kyle, Bethany, and Lexi ventured to their ceremony. Matt sat home with Jill (who was still napping) while Nola, Gary and Benny went to Alison and Josiah's wedding ceremony at Middle Creek. We then all met up at the Paulding County Fairgrounds for Alison and Josiah's reception at 6 pm. We were there until after 9 pm and finally took some very tired children home and to bed. Sunday morning we went to church and then (after a quick nap for Jill) treked into Van Wert for the fair! The four of us met up with Ben and Erin Culler and their 2 boys - Jack and Nate - for some fair fun. We all saw the animals and then Jack and Lexi rode about 7 different fair rides. They are just so cute! Jack, on several occasions, had his little arm around Lexi's shoulders and often helped her buckle into the rides. Maybe a blooming romance?!?! Nate and Jill just chilled in the stroller. We all grabbed some delicious fair food before heading for home. We pulled back in our driveway right at 9 pm Sunday night. Whew! What a fun and exhausting weekend. Can't wait til next time we see everyone!

Sesame Place!

2010-08-10T21:43:00.007-04:00

For those of you who don't know... Mommy and Daddy promised to take Lexi to Sesame Place once she was potty-trained. Well, a few months ago (early Spring) she did just that and we had been counting down the days ever since. We left uncle Andrew at our house with Banky, and took Jill to stay with Grandma Chris and Papa and took off for New Jersey on Saturday. Our hotel was in Princeton, NJ (an 8 hour drive from our house). With traffic accidents and construction, we made it in about 9 hours (stopping to eat at McDonalds on the way). We enjoyed the hotel pool and Lexi even got to sleep in her very own pull-out couch/bed! She was so excited the next morning. We left the hotel and drove 15 miles back into Pennsylvania - right across the border - to Bucks county. The address is actually Langhorne and it was right off the highway. The tickets were buy one day, get one day free, so we decided to spread it out and come for 2 days. Sesame Place is a theme park centered around... you guessed it! Sesame Street! It is one big park with water rides/slides mixed in with dry rides and also shows/attractions. A lot of people just wear their swim suits all day with water shoes. We chose to stay dry the first day, since we had lunch reservations to dine with the characters! First thing we did was the Carousel. Next, we watched Elmo's World Live! Elmo and Mr. Noodle put on a real-live edition of Elmo's World complete with piano and even Dorothy! Then on to the Spinning TeaCups and Big Bird's Balloon Ride. Mommy attempted to get stuck in the net tunnels (it's a good thing daddy didn't try to go with Lexi on that one!) while Lexi made her way through with ease. By then it was time to go eat lunch with all the guys! They had a great buffet of food and 6 of the Sesame Street guys came and met everyone while we ate! We met and took pictures with Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Zoe, Bert and Ernie! Then they each sang a song and ended with a huge Conga line! Lexi was skeptical at first, but by the end she wanted to go up and give everyone a 'high-5' and tell them bye. After lunch we headed to the Vapor Trail - Grover's roller coaster. Lexi rode with Daddy the first day. She was scared, but ended up liking that ride the best! Then we made our way to the parade route. Every day at 2pm, all the guys line up and have a parade down Main Street. Telly and Count von Count were even in the parade along with Abby and Oscar the Grouch. The only one missing was... GROVER! We had yet to meet Grover (Lexi's favorite). She was starting to get worried that she wouldn't see him, then he appeared! She ran over to him and was the first in line to take a picture with him. Grover got a great big hug from Lexi and a 'high-5' as well. She professed her love for him and said he was her favorite. Lexi then climbed Cookie Mountain - a huge climbing mountain that you slide down once you make it to the top. She didn't want to come out when time was up! Next, we made our way to the photo-stop where we got pictures with Abby and Elmo. We decided to call it a day after that. We were all pooped! So we drove back to the hotel, bopped into TGI Friday's to eat, and then went swimming again to cool off.

Day two at Sesame Place started early. We had breakfast with the characters at 9:30am. This time, we were decked out in our swim suits. Once again, they had a great breakfast buffet and we met some of the characters again. This time no singing, but Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Elmo and Zoe once again came around to the tables and met everyone. After breakfast, it was already hot outside so we headed for the water rides. Mommy didn't have her camera with her because it would have gotten wet, so we have no pictures of the wet fun we had. Let's just say we went on a Ramblin' River with Big Bird (Lexi had her own inner tube on a lazy river), many water slides at the Count's Splash Castle, a HUGE inner tube (that easily holds 2 families of 3-4 people) that made it's way down a HUGE hill - Lexi got drenched, and many other small splash play areas. A few hours later, we saw Abby's Treasure Hunt show and Grover was in the show! Lexi was sitting on the end of the bench and Grover even gave her a 'high-5' during the show. She was SO EXCITED! Then we went back to Conut's Splash Castle and Lexi did a few more slides before we ate a little lunch and decided to put our dry clothes on. We then met Grover AGAIN and gave him a huge hug AGAIN and this time we got a family picture with Grover - the only one with all 3 of us in it! There was one more show we hadn't seen yet... Elmo Rocks! It had Zoe, Elmo, Bert, Ernie and Cookie and they formed a band! After the show, there were a few rides Lexi wanted to ride again. The TeaCups, Cookie Mountain, Big Bird's Balloon Ride and finally Vapor Trail roller coaster - this time with mommy. We all had a great time and drove back to the hotel for one more swim (after eating delivered pizza). Early Tuesday morning we were out the door headed for Ohio. Back to see Jill and Banky dog (who, as Lexi would say, "watched uncle Andrew"). All in all a great trip. Hopefully we can take Jill there in a few years to enjoy just like her big sister did this year. Enjoy the pictures!

Kyle's Baptism

2010-07-28T11:48:00.007-04:00

Brittany and Matt had Kyle baptized this past weekend. It was really special, because both of Matt's sisters and their families were able to be there (one lives in California and the other in ITALY!). Despite a flat tire, I think things went well and we also were able to celebrate Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday. She opened her gifts and I believe the favorite was a Sponge-Bob musical card from uncle Benny! Anyway, the baptism was great and we enjoyed a good meal at the Red Pig afterward. Enjoy the pictures... and congrats to the new Godparents Jen and Joe!!

Also, how could I forget to share... Lexi learned how to write her name this weekend! I am so proud.

Transition Time

2010-07-12T23:14:00.003-04:00

It has been a very busy time for us. I have changed jobs from Sam's Club to Walgreens. It was a move that just had to be made. Things were going down the tubes quickly at Sam's and I just needed to get out! Thankfully, Walgreens took me back and I only had to train for 4 days (instead of the usual 10). The ins and outs of the computer system are all coming back to me fairly quickly after being gone for nearly 3 years. The schedule is nearly perfect for me and I am also home with the girls for at least some part of the days - even on the days I work. Hopefully I will be with Walgreens for a long time to come... this changing jobs is for the birds! No pictures this time... but soon!

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-21T12:03:00.005-04:00

Matt had to work this past weekend, so the girls and I spent the daynight at the Beach House with grandma Chris and Papa. We went up on Sat. morning and came back on Sun. afternoon. It was a lot of fun. We even went to the African Safari Wildlife Park and fed the animals! Jill loved it, but Lexi still wasn't too sure about all those big animals with their heads in our car. All in all it was a great weekend and the weather was perfect. We were even home before daddy got home from work on Sunday to wish him a Happy Father's Day. Enjoy the pictures!

Maely & Garrett's Wedding

2010-06-14T15:45:00.018-04:00

For those of you who were not at the Alexander wedding (Maely and Garrett) on Saturday, here are a couple slideshows (one pre-wedding and one post-wedding) of the great time we had! Enjoy!

Pre-wedding

Post-wedding

Zachary Benjamin Gadfield

2010-06-09T18:20:00.005-04:00

Matt and I took Lexi and Jill to Columbus for a quick overnight trip Sunday and met uncle Benny at COSI for a few hours. It was a lot of fun and I think Lexi really enjoyed it. There were still some things that were over her head, but we concentrated on the younger-kid attractions. After COSI, we went to visit baby Zach (and Ben & Julie of course). Lexi had been talking about holding him all week and she finally got her wish. He is just adorable - and black hair! The new family seems to be adjusting well. We can't wait to see them again soon. After visiting for a couple hours, we made it to the hotel. Lexi was more than ready to swim, so we all 4 put on our suits and hit the pool. It was really nice to just relax and both girls love the water. We are so excited for the summer and many more swim days! Enjoy the pictures.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-04T20:51:00.007-04:00

What a blur! Memorial Day weekend came and went very quickly this year. We had a lot planned and managed to squeeze it all in. It all started with the girls and I going to Haviland for the weekend. We ventured into Fort Wayne for some last minute purchases and Lexi and Jill even got to ride the 2-story carousel (Jill for the 1st time)! Then, Maely's Bridal shower was on Sat. We had a great turn-out with about 60-70 people. She got some great gifts and there was a lot of good food. After that was Maely's Bachelorette party on Sat. night. We had a blast! Then, to end the holiday weekend, Teresa, Earl, Cody, Granny and Bob came over to mom and dad's house for dinner. The kids went swimming and once again we had some great food. It was really nice to see everyone. I think it had been at least a year since we had seen Teresa and Earl! That's too long! Hopefully it won't be another whole year before we see them again.

As we were driving home on Monday afternoon, I got a phone call from Matt's mom saying that his sister Julie was at the hospital in labor! YAY! Baby Zachary Benjamin Gadfield was born on Memorial Day May 31st. Lexi is so excited and we are going down to meet the new little guy on Sunday. I am sure I will have more pictures by then. Enjoy!

Jill turns ONE!

2010-05-22T23:32:00.010-04:00

I know, I know... I am way late with the blog post. Jill turned one year old on April 28 (when Matt and I were in Las Vegas). We had planned to have her birthday party when we got back on May 15. Well, we did and it was a blast! Thanks to all the friends and family that made the trip out to be a part of her big day - and a very special thank you to Alexis for making her awesome cake! She may not remember it, but I will. Sorry there are not many pictures. I posted some more on facebook and soon to be in the kodak gallery for those who are interested. Too many things to do and too little time to do them in!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-05-10T22:44:00.032-04:00

A week ago, Matt and I left the girls with mom and dad (Nola and Gary) and flew to Vegas for a week. It was a great vacation, but a week is a little too long to spend in the city that never sleeps. We both agreed that 5 days is about the longest we would want to stay in the future. Anyway, we met up with Matt's cousin Sarah and her daughter Addison on Sunday when we first got there. We ate at Rainforest Cafe and I think Addison really enjoyed it (as much as a 1½ year old can). Then we were on our own for a few days until our friends Ben and Erin met us there on Wednesday and stayed with us through Sunday morning. We had a blast! If anyone has Vegas in their itenerary for the near or even distant future... give me a call and I will tell you what you definitely shoud NOT miss! Enjoy the pics!

Easter and Such

2010-04-09T11:54:00.047-04:00

Well, the Easter Bunny was good to Jill and Lexi, even though neither one of them wanted to sit on his lap for a picture. The Saturday of Easter, Papa Chuck and Grandma Chris (and aunt Julie) came to the house and Papa helped daddy put together the girls' play house. It took them all of 8 hours to do it! It is so cute, though. Hopefully Lexi will play in it a lot this summer. Then on Sunday, we went to church and then to Chris and Chuck's house for Easter lunch. It was delicious! Once again, Lexi and Jill got their Easter baskets full of gifts. Later on in the week brought Jill's first haircut (her STRAIGHT hair was getting in her eyes) and Lexi's first professional haircut - Bethany had always done it before. Both girls did really well. After that, we stopped by the softball field to watch Alexis play 1st base. While we were there, Amy gave Jill her very first lollipop! She loved it! Thanks Amy! Short blog, but enjoy the pictures.

Where has March gone?

2010-03-29T14:18:00.094-04:00

I know, I know... it has been almost a whole month since the last post. I tell you, March has just flown by! Bethany, Lexi, and Jill were out of town every single weekend in March (including a quick day-trip to aunt Julie and uncle Ben's) except this past weekend - and even then we had company at our house (uncle Benny, aunt Brittany with Kaity and Kyle & Gra-Nola). It has just been a whirlwind. Besides our first trip to the zoo (with Shelby and Ava), several life-changing things also happened in March! Lexi is now officially potty-trained!!! It really only took a few days once she decided she was ready. We are now on our 3rd week with NO ACCIDENTS! Mommy and daddy are so proud of her; not to mention her grandparents. Jill decided to cut her first 2 teeth! As the picture shows, it was right around St. Patrick's Day. And last but not least, she also learned how to crawl this past weekend. There is no stopping her now. She goes anywhere and everywhere and gets into everything. She is way more ambitious than Lexi ever was and very much more curious. Lexi was more content just to watch Elmo and look at her books. Jill is going to be more of a challenge, especially with mommy's decorations around the house and Lexi's big-girl toys.
While Kaity was here on Saturday, we colored Easter eggs! Lexi loved it and Kaity had a blast, too. Next year, we will need maybe 2 dozen eggs instead of just 1. There will be at least one more child who wants to join in! Then on Sunday, Matt and Bethany attempted to take the girls to see the Easter Bunny. Lexi wanted nothing to do with him, and Jill was fine until Bethany set her on his lap. Then the screaming started. Enjoy all the pictures - especially the Bunny with crying Jill. It was the best we could do.

A New Cousin!

2010-03-08T16:45:00.030-05:00

Lexi and Jill finally got to meet their newest cousin this weekend! Kyle came home from the hospital on Tuesday and we went out to see him on Sunday. For Lexi, it was love at first sight! She wanted to hold him and touch his little cheek and give him kisses the whole time we were there. She got to hold him twice and only gave him up when mommy insisted! For Jill, it was just another play date with Kaity. Jill loves to sit on the floor and watch the other 2 girls play. We even got to see uncle Benny this trip. He was at Brittany's when we got there on Sunday and we visited for a few hours before he headed for home. We also managed to get in a few pictures - as you all knew I would! Aunt Bethany got to feed Kyle a few bottles and just hold him while he slept. AWWW! He is up over 6 pounds now and so long (especially his legs and feet)! His premie clothes are already too short for him. Can't wait to go back in a week for another quick visit! Enjoy the pictures.

What a Month!

2010-02-26T14:52:00.023-05:00

As Febuary comes to a close, I am reminded of just how sick I have become of snow! Also - on a good note, I am reminded of some of the things that have happened this month. Baby Kyle was born! Also, I look back on some of the fun times Lexi has had with Kaitlyn this month. Just a few days before Kyle was born, Brittany and Kaitlyn were here at our house for the weekend. The girls played in the snow, dressed up like Princesses, and took a bath with baby Jill. They always have fun together! Then, Kyle was born. Bethany, Lexi, and Jill made the trip to Brittany's house to visit and meet up with Maely to help out with Kaitlyn and the girls had even more fun. They love to run around Brittany's dining room table. They also like to sit in the glider-rocker and swing back-and-forth together. Of course, they love to play with baby Jill too and that just wears her out! Hopefully Kyle will be able to keep up with these wild women when he get a little bigger. Until then, we will probably be making a lot more trips to Brittany and Matt's house to see baby Kyle start his life and grow. Hopefully spring is just around the corner, but until then enjoy the pictures!

Kyle Matthew!

2010-02-12T10:41:00.003-05:00

We finally added a boy to the family! Brittany and Matt had Kyle Matthew Gurtzweilwer on Wed. Feb. 11 at 9:21 am. He weighed in at 5 pounds and 1 ounce and was 18½ inches long. He was also almost 7 weeks early. His first few days may be a little difficult, as he must learn how to eat (he has the sucking down, but needs to work on the swallowing). He is currentyl getting food through a nasal tube. May be looking at a few weeks in the hospital, but hopefully all will turn out great and he will be home with mom, dad, and big sister Kaitlyn soon! Congrats to the Gurtz's and YAY! We have our boy!!!

Digging Out!

2010-02-06T11:23:00.026-05:00

Well hopefully most of you were able to dig yourselves out of this snow. The snow only fell for about 15-20 hours, but it managed to accumulate about a foot! Matt spent 1½ hours just clearing our driveway! Lexi, Jill and Bethany got bundled up and joined him for about 20 minutes, but ths snow was even too deep for the sled... Lexi wanted nothing to do with it. Jill didn't know quite what to think. Her snowsuit made her body so stiff because she couldn't bend at the waist and her limbs were stuck straight out. Banky even got to enjoy a little fun in the snow. He was trying to escape our driveway, but just couldn't do it. The snow wall was just too high for him. Lexi did enjoy helping Matt scoop the snow off the driveway with her little bowl. Anyway, hopefully the snow didn't slow anyone down too much.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Happy 30th Birthday to Matt today! What a great present - to shovel a foot of snow off the driveway!

New Picture People!

2010-02-01T11:31:00.043-05:00

As some of you may already know, our picture people that we have used since Lexi was born went bankrupt (the whole company nationwide)! No more Kiddie Kandids! I had an appointment already made for Jill's 9 months pictures and I also wanted an updated family picture - since Lexi is only 18 months old in our last family picture. I was so upset. They were so convenient (located just down the road about 10 minutes in the Summit Mall) and they printed your pictures right there after your session. They only took 8 proofs total so you weren't sitting there for an hour trying to figure out which poses you wanted to pick. They also printed 4x6 prints - which I have come to find out that NO other picture place prints 4x6's. Needless to say that is the size of most frames now! I went to the internet to search for a new picture place. There were several options, but I finally decided on Portrait Innovations. There are 3 locations within 20 miles of our house, but all 3 are a good ½ hour from our house (with traffic and city streets). I was pleasantly surprised with them. They took a LOT of pictures (140 total proofs) and then came the weeding down part. I was there for an hour after our session just trying to decide what I wanted while Matt had Jill and Lexi to look after in the studio. Hopefully with this being the first ever visit, now I will know what to expect in future visits and it will go much faster. They got some really good shots of the girls and of the family. I ordered way too many pictures this first time, but at least now I will know what to order for next time! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

A Little Busy!

2010-01-24T19:37:00.018-05:00

I know it has been a few weeks since the last post. I am truly sorry! We have been busy little beavers in these past few weeks. Matt and Bethany took Lexi to see Disney on Ice Jan. 9th. We were in the very 1st row (only about 5 feet from the ice)!! She liked it and spent the whole hour and a half waiting on Jessie, Buzz, and Woody to come onto the ice - they were the very last ones to make their appearance. Then on Jan. 10th Bethany and Lexi went to a birthday party for our twin neighbors who turned 4! They had Outback Ray and his amazing animals at their party and he was a HIT! All the kids even posed with his VERY LONG albino boa constrictor!

Bethany's family came out the following weekend to watch the girls while Matt and Bethany worked on Sat. The house was FULL of females - Matt and Banky were the only 2 males. And we just want to send a HUGE thanks to Nola, G.G. Eileen, Brittany, Kaity, Maely and Ruby for coming out and watching the girls. You will never know how much we appreciate it! Also, we will challenge you to a re-match in Tennis on the Wii next time you all come out!

To round out our busy January, Lexi, Jill, and Bethany made a quick trip to Toledo this weekend to go to Maxwell's 3rd birthday party. The theme was Yo Gabba Gabba. It was really great to see Ellisa and the boys and catch up a little with her. Then on Sunday we stopped in on my friend Natalie and her 3 kids (the youngest whom we had not yet met and he is 16 months old!). Lexi was crying in the group picture because she didn't want to leave! Again, great to catch up with friends from the past. Enjoy the few pics that are posted with each story and check my facebook page out for the rest of the pictures.

Last but not Least!

2010-01-02T23:19:00.005-05:00

And to think, Christmas is all over! We did manage to get grandma Chris' siblings and their families together this year, too! I volunteered to host the whole clan. It was a full house and just about everyone was able to make it. 35 people total!!! We had a little (actually A LOT) more snow than I would have liked, but everyone made it to our house and back home safe and sound. I hope everyone had a good time and I know we really enjoyed seeing everyone. Hopefully we can do it again sometime (when the weather is a little warmer)! Thanks to everyone who made the trip and it was great to see the whole family together!

4 Christmases!

2010-01-02T22:36:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the late post, but we have been just a little bit busy these last 10 days. Here are the pictures from Christmas weekend. Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at home, Christmas Day at Chris and Chuck's, Saturday (the day after) at G.G. Eileen's and Saturday evening at Nola and Gary's house. We almost needed a U-Haul to carry back all the girls' presents! Anyway, thank you to everyone and enjoy the pictures!

Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning

Christmas Day (Saris)

Saturday noon (Thomas)

Saturday evening (Ginter)

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-28T16:03:00.003-05:00

Well, the gift-opening and -giving is finally over. We spent the entire weekend eating and opening gifts and are now home and back to work. We do have one more family meal with Matt's aunts and uncles on New Year's Day (at our house)! Wish me luck as I try to find a home for all the toys and such that the girls brought home with them from the 3 Christmas celebrations that we had over the weekend. I promise to post pictures soon. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Jill Meets Santa!

2009-12-13T13:33:00.004-05:00

That's right! Jill and Santa Claus finally met. We took the girls to the mall yesterday in hopes of letting Lexi tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas. Well, Lexi had other ideas. She is deathly afraid of the big guy! She would not even go close to the waiting line at the mall, so Jill and mommy went on in. Needless to say, Lexi didn't make it into the picture. Enjoy Jill's first visit to see Santa!

Pictures... as Promised!

2009-12-06T20:01:00.006-05:00

Here are the pictures from Thanksgiving as promised. I tried a new way to post even more pictures. Let me know how you like it. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving at Splash Universe!

2009-12-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

This year, the Thomas family decided to spend our Thanksgiving time together at Splash Universe in Dundee, Michigan. It is a water park attached to a Holiday Inn. We all decided to go away for the holiday to help celebrate more than just Thanksgiving... we were also celebrating Bud and Eileen's (Papa Bud and G.G.'s) 60th wedding anniversary! Even though it won't officially be 60 years until May '10, we all agreed that now was a better time than this spring (with a baby on the way for Brittany and a wedding to plan for Maely). We all met in Dundee on Saturday around noon and the fun began! Putting on our swimsuits, we all ventured down to the water park for some fun in the pools. There are many water slides as well as a kiddie pool and a lazy river. Only 3 of us didn't get our feet wet (Nola, G.G. and Papa Bud). I think everyone else had a good time in the water and even baby Jill got her suit wet! On Sat. night, G.G. and Papa Bud had decided to renew their vows. We also celebrated Lexi's birthday. She opened Handy Manny's toolbox from uncle Benny, a Tinkerbell costume and movie from aunt Brittany and uncle Matt, some cool coloring/wipe off pages from great aunt Ruby and uncle Don, and a Dora backpack full of goodies from G.G. and Papa Bud. After eating pizza and many other goodies (we all brought something to munch on) and of course some game-playing , we all turned in for the night. Lexi and Kaity even got in another quick swim on Sunday before we all left for the trip home. We had some quality family time and I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. See you all again at Christmas!
P.S. I will post pictures in the next day or two. Baby Jill is trying to get teeth and I don't have the time now!

Saris Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T18:17:00.020-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving Day this year at Chris and Chuck's. Julie and Ben were home as well as Andrew. It is always great to see everyone. After a great meal (as always) and Lexi's nap, we celebrated her 3rd birthday! Grandma always gets her an ice cream cake for her birthday. She loves it. She also blew out all her candles all by herself... what a big girl! Jill gave us a nice little mess as she decided to fill her diaper (and the high chair) while we were feeding her baby food. We followed that with a bath and a trip to the laundry - 2 cycles worth - for her clothes! Then came Lexi's gifts. She opened a stuffed Nemo fish and a remote controlled Lightning McQueen car from uncle Andrew. Then she opened Tinkerbell rollerskates (the kind that fit over your shoes) from aunt Julie and uncle Ben. Then, last but certainly not least, she opened her big gift from Grandma and Papa. It was a basketball hoop! She loved all her toys and played with all of them a lot! After a few rounds around the house on her skates - everyone had to take her on at least one round - she took them off and played with the basketball hoop and Lightning McQueen. She did return to the skates at least 2 more times later in the day. And of course she had to sleep with Nemo that night (and every night since)! Thanks to everyone and we had a great day! Can't wait to see everyone again at Christmas.

Birthday Blues!

2009-11-26T23:08:00.011-05:00

Well, many of you know that Lexi turned THREE on Sunday. We were all set to have her party on Sunday, but our plans got changed. Lexi came down with the flu on Tuesday night. She spent all day Wednesday on the couch and 2 nights on the couch as well. Mommy took the first night and daddy stayed with her the second night. Grandma Nola came in on Thursday night to stay for the weekend and by Saturday, Matt had the flu! Then, on Sunday morning, Bethany thought she may have ended up with it, but luckily it was just a 24 hour stomach bug. So far baby Jill and Grandma Nola are in the clear, but unfortunately we had to cancel Lexi's party - we didn't want all the kids who came to get the flu! So, we are STILL eating cupcakes (Mickey Mouse ones to be exact) and we ended up taking deviled eggs - which were to be eaten at the party - to Chris and Chuck's for Thanksgiving! Lexi still got to blow out the candles and we still gave her a present from us, but it just wasn't the same. At least we are all well now and can enjoy the Holiday with our families. I will post more pictures after the Turkey-Day weekend.

Elf Yourself has Returned!

2009-11-11T12:38:00.001-05:00

I know it is early, but I couldn't resist myself!

2009-11-11T12:20:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Halloween Weekend!

2009-11-05T20:25:00.019-05:00

Lexi had a blast at her first REAL Trick-or-Treat this year. We took her down to Smithville on Halloween night and she wanted to be a pirate. It turned out to be very cold, so she wore her jacket most of the night. Papa and Bethany took Lexi around town while Grandma and Matt stayed home with baby Jill and passed out candy. She got lots of candy and I think enjoyed herself. Then, Brittany and Kaitlyn came up to join us for Halloween in our neighborhood! Kaity used our old butterfly costume and Lexi went back to her Boo at the Zoo costume of a Cowgirl. It was a little warmer on Sunday night and Amy even joined us with her son Adam (the vampire). We now have a lot of candy in the house and a little girl who loves to Trick-or-Treat. Jill was a pumpkin - and a cute one at that!
On Monday, Brittany and I decided to try to take a few pictures of all 3 girls in their matching sweaters. I think we did ok for what we had to work with! Just wait until we have a 4th child to fit in there somewhere!!! Enjoy!

Boo at the Zoo!

2009-10-25T17:55:00.009-04:00

This year, Lexi was finally old enough to enjoy Boo at the Zoo! Mom and dad came out this weekend to watch the girls while Matt and I worked on Saturday, so on Friday evening dad and I took Lexi to the zoo while mom stayed home with Jill. Lexi dressed up as a cowgirl (or "Jessie" from Toy Story). It was a misty evening and we got just a tad wet, but our umbrellas and Lexi's cowgirl hat protected us from most of the moisture. All the animals loved the weather, so we got quite a show. I definitely think we will return next year. Lexi had a blast!

Just Another Day!

2009-10-17T16:48:00.018-04:00

Well, I have now hit the big 3-0... that's right, I am 30 years old as of yesterday. I don't feel any older and so therefore it must just be another number. My wonderful hubby gave me my present early (on Wednesday). He and Lexi went out to "run some errands" and came back with a little white box. I got my diamond bracelet 3 days before my actual birthday because he said Lexi couldn't keep a secret (I know he really just didn't want to keep the secret for 3 days himself!) and it is beautiful! Yesterday we just chilled around the house. We carved our HUGE pumpkin and made him into a jack-o-lantern. Then we had some fun with baby Jill (see the pictures below and you will know what I mean). Then Lexi and I ran out to the Halloween store to complete her costume. We came home with lunch (thanks Burger King) and also a pirate eye patch and an awesome pirate hat! I am sure there will be a blog entry about that closer to Oct. 31st! I left the kids with daddy last night to enjoy an evening with the girls - a friend of mine had a purse party at her house - and I came home with TWO awesome fall purses (thanks G.G. Eileen and Chris & Chuck for the b-day money!) Then, 2 of my co-workers took me out for a pitcher of margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant - SO YUMMY! So after much thought, I have decided that yesterday was just another day in my life that just so happened to be the anniversary of my birth 30 years ago!

Ramseyer's Pictures

2009-10-14T12:26:00.022-04:00

As promised... here are the pictures from the Corn Maze! Enjoy!

Ramseyer's Corn Maze

2009-10-12T18:06:00.005-04:00

Matt had some vacation days he needed to use up, so he took all of last week off. It was nice having a few days off together (even if I did still have to work). We got a few things done and even took Lexi to Ramseyer's Corn Maze in Smithville, Ohio. I took her last year, but she wasn't old enough to do very much. This year, she thouroughly enjoyed it - and because we left Jill with Matt's mom, we got to have some quality Lexi time, too! I think Ramseyer's adds something new every year... this year they had the pedal buggys. This was sort of difficult with an almost-3-year-old on your lap, but we managed to take a few laps. We passed on the actual "Mazes" this year. It was a little chilly and we didn't think Lexi was old enough to enjoy that yet. I think her favorite thing was the Conestoga Corn Wagon which is just a huge sandbox filled with corn. She also liked the rubber duck races and feeding the goats and donkey. Since we went in the middle of the week, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Lexi was even brave enough to ride the wagon-train all by herself. Her only comment was "That was bumpy!" I am sure we will return next year with both kids. It has become a tradition! Pictures to be posted soon!

Fun with the Culler Family!

2009-10-07T14:24:00.028-04:00

We had made plans MONTHS ago to meet up with the Culler family and go to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Of course, Mother Nature decided to mess with our plans a tad, but we bundled up and hit the zoo anyway! This past Sunday we met up with them at 11 am and broke out both of our double strollers. Making sure the kids were dressed sufficiently, we headed for the main gate. Luckily we each had zoo memberships to other zoos, so we all got ½ off admission (and Jill & Nate were free)! Jack and Lexi are so cute together. They want to hold each other's hands and get along pretty well with each other. Dairy Queen satisfied our hunger half-way through our trek. The 2 older kids rode the ponies (Jack rode on Candy while Lexi rode on Cookie) and rode the carousel twice with Erin and Matt (Ben and Bethany were on baby duty). We made it through most of the zoo until nap time hit and we decided to call it a day. It is always an adventure with the Cullers, but also always great to see them and spend time with them. Hopefully we will have many more outings to come!

Jill's Baptism

2009-09-21T16:27:00.024-04:00

This past weekend, we made the trip to Paulding county for Jillian's Baptism. On Saturday, we just chilled at mom and dad's house and Lexi even helped Gra-Nola pick some flowers. G.G. Eileen and Papa Bud came over for a few hours and some of the adults hit up the Flat Rock Creek Festival (during the football games). Then on Sunday, we all ventured to Columbus Grove for church and the baptism. Jill was a very good baby during the service. After church, we all enjoyed lunch at the Red Pig in Ottawa - YUM! I guess we tuckered out both of our girls! Thanks to all who were there and congrats to Godparents Brittany and Matt.

Wayne County Fair!

2009-09-16T17:58:00.019-04:00

On Monday of this week Lexi, Jill, and I joined my friend Amy and her 3 kids at the Wayne County Fair in Wooster, Ohio. It was a HOT day, but we managed to enjoy ourselves anyway! We ended up buying Lexi a ride wrist-band and Amy's youngest son - Adam - was nice enough to ride all the rides with her. She loved it and didn't want to stop. She even rode some rides all by herself and 2 of the rides twice! Jill was very good and enjoys being in her stroller. After eating some pretzel dippers (from the Auntie Annie's booth) and a pulled pork sandwich, we were full and tired and ready to come home for a nap. Thanks to Amy and especially to Adam for riding all the rides with Lexi.

Go Smithies!

2009-09-14T20:49:00.010-04:00

We made it to a Smithie Football Game again this year. The goal is to go to at least one game each year and cheer-on Papa Chuck's team. Once again, Lexi made it through the entire game and got to see Papa Chuck afterwards. Jill was even a trooper and managed to sleep through the 2nd and 3rd quarters just in time to wake up for the 4th quarter! As you may or may not remember, the shirt Jill is wearing is the same shirt Lexi has worn for the last 2 years. Lexi's shirt is new. Thanks to G.G. Eileen for making the shirts for the girls. We got many compliments on them! Enjoy the pictures.

Van Wert Fair!

2009-09-13T16:26:00.017-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend, I took both girls and headed to mom and dad's house. After putting up the swings and the girls swinging in the front yard and then walking to the Haviland Park on Saturday, of course we just had to hit the Van Wert County Fair - the best fair in the state! So, on Sunday evening, my whole family went and met 2 of my high school friends Michelle (Kipfer) and her new husband Robert and Kim (Mabis) and her daughter Rylee. The kids enjoyed themselves and we all ate like piggies. Fair food is soooo good (and so bad for you). Along with petting the cow, the girls even got to ride on the carousel (Kaity's first time)! Enjoy the pictures!

Disney LIVE!

2009-08-30T14:43:00.010-04:00

On Friday while daddy was at work and Jill was at the neighbors house, I took Lexi to go see Disney LIVE at the Canton Civic Center. We took along a friend of mine and her 2-year old daughter. The girls just loved it! We were in the 3rd row on the floor and we could see everything so close. I couldn't resist to get Lexi some Mickey ears (and of course the cotton candy that came with them). I will let you enjoy the pictures - to see more go to my facebook page. A huge thanks to Shelby and Ava for going with us and also to the Wade's for watching my fussy-in-the-evening baby for me so I could spend some special time with my big girl!

Yet Another Zoo!

2009-08-20T23:01:00.010-04:00

Yes, we added one more zoo to the list for this summer. Lexi, Jill and I met up with the McClure family (except Jarrick who was working) for a wonderful trip to the Columb us Zoo. Anita, Jack, and Anna joined us for over 4 hours of seeing almost every animal and even squeezing in carousel and train rides. We met up with them at their house right at 10 am. Jill downed a bottle and then we were off to the zoo. Lexi and Anna clicked very quickly and wanted to hold hands right off the bat - How Adorable! All the kids were troopers. Not too much whining and they actually ate their lunches (we packed our lunch). Lexi even got to see her favorite animal - the bears! Jill was extremely good and didn't cry at all. She happily rode in her stroller almost the entire time! I did take her out to ride the train and also to feed her at the aquarium while the older kids were touching starfish in the "touch tank". We also got to see manatees and even the new baby elephant (sorry, no pictures of him). Lexi was only upset when we had to leave the zoo and she found out we were NOT going back to Anna's house to play... she still gave Anna and Anita big hugs. Maybe we can play next time! Thanks so much to the McClures for a wonderful day at the zoo and we hope to come back and play real soon!

Summer Splash!

2009-08-16T11:32:00.009-04:00

On Wednesday of this past week, we had a great day at the pool! Rachel and Sarah came over for one more day of freedom before school starts. Then Amy and her 3 kids Alexis, Austin and Adam came to join us. We were at the pool for over 3 hours! We even packed a little lunch to enjoy on one of the mandatory breaks every hour. Lexi would swim all day if we would let her. She LOVES the water. Jill is also becoming a water rat and never objects to being in the water, either. She also loves her baths, but that is not quite the same as a cool pool. Then on Friday, I filled Lexi's mini backyard pool because it was so hot outside! The neighbor twins - Suhan and Sahi - came over and enjoyed about an hour of splashing and dumping water on each other. I don't think Lexi's little pool will hold the three of them much longer. Time to get a bigger pool! Then, they even enjoyed popsicles after they were done playing in the water. What a fun time!

Terrible Twos!

2009-08-10T17:25:00.009-04:00

I guess I should be greatful that Lexi's terrible two stage is just now emerging! She will - after all - be 3 in November! This past weekend was a true experience in the "worst of Lexi" times. We decided at the last minute to visit my brother Benny in Cincinnati. Well, I will just let you read for yourself how the weekend went by checking his blog entry: There's Treasure Ever ywhere - "Faith Like a Child". I will just go on to say that her fine mood didn't stop once we left his house. She continued to be a pill on into Sunday night and even on Monday when I took the girls to Wal-Mart for groceries. I guess it had to come sometime... I have been spoiled with a very good little girl for 2½ years now. It's just a good thing Jill decided to be extra good this weekend! Anyway, here are a few pictures to go along with Benny's run-down of the weekend.

Picnics and Cereal!

2009-08-03T14:51:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it is already August! This summer has gone way to fast. Last evening, the Sam's Club that I work at in Fairlawn had our company picnic at the Rinky Dink putt-putt park. It was geared toward families with older children, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Lexi did find one thing she could handle - The Jurassic Adventure moonwalk! Once she figured out how to climb the "rock" wall, I bet she made about 50 trips up and back down the slide. The park also has go-karts (Lexi wasn't tall enough to be a passenger yet), batting cages (I didn't even show her), mini-golf (she hit one ball one time and was done), an arcade, and bumper boats (which she liked). If you dare to drive the bumper boats, be prepared to get a little wet. Each boat is manned with a "gun" in which you can shoot water about 20 feet in front of you and get everyone else who is boating on the pond wet (and even some people who aren't in a boat)! Sam's Club covered all the expenses and even provided us with supper. Pretty fun and SO close to home!

Then on Monday morning, Jill attempted to eat cereal for the first time! She did pretty well considering it was her first time. Maybe we will try again tomorrow?!

Kaitlyn's TWO!

2009-07-23T10:18:00.015-04:00

Even though her actual birthday is on the 31st, on Sunday this past weekend we celebrated my niece Kaitlyn's second birthday. She is so stinkin' cute (and ornery, too). I volunteered to get the cake and we ended up with a Dora cupcake-cake. She loved it! She also enjoyed eating it (along with Connor and Lexi, too). I think they all wore more frosting than they actually ate. Nola and Gary had the whole clan (both sides of the family) at their house for lunch. It was chaos, but really great to see everyone. They had the pool filled in the backyard, but only a few brave soles were willing to take the plunge in the frigid water. Kaity got some great gifts including Dora sheets for her "big girl bed" that she isn't yet sleeping in. Jill also made it into several people's arms that she hadn't yet been in. Jace, Don, and Papa Bud all held her for the first time this weekend! Don even had the honor of giving her a bottle. For those of you who made the trek to Haviland for this party, thank you so much. I know it means a lot to Brittany to have so many family members present to help celebrate Kaity's birthday! For more pictures, check out facebook or the kodak site.

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo!

2009-07-22T18:25:00.018-04:00

While visiting Gra-Nola and Papa Gary for an extended weekend, we decided to visit the ever-changing Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo. Let me tell you, it is so much bigger than I remember from when I was little. It is also now ranked as one of the top 10 zoos in the country! We started out by picking up my cousin Cody (he is in New Haven from Winchester, Kentucky visiting Granny for a few weeks this summer). We thought he would enjoy the zoo, too! Lexi got to ride a carousel for the 1st time, rode on a real pony named "Sadie", and had a goat try to eat her shirt! We all got a laugh over the hungry goats 'attacking' Papa Gary... so funny! Lexi also saw a penguin 'up close' and pretended she was a joey! Jill enjoyed her long ride in the stroller and was a very good baby. After a tiring few hours at the zoo, we returned Cody to Granny's and visited for awhile. It was so cute to see how Cody quickly became Lexi's good buddy. I would highly recommend visiting the zoo to anyone who has a few hours to kill in Ft. Wayne. Enjoy the pictures!

Whew!

2009-07-20T15:27:00.002-04:00

We had a busy and wonderful weekend visiting with family. Kaitlyn's birthday party was a great success and all the kids took naps (yay!). I will update you more after I put all the pictures online. For now, things to do. I must return to work tomorrow after being off for 12 weeks:-(

"Beach House"

2009-07-14T15:58:00.037-04:00

I managed to get a few free moments to comment on our weekend at the "Beach House". To explain... the "Beach House" is actually a condo located in Port Clinton, Ohio - right on Lake Erie. Matt's parents - Chris and Chuck - bought it about a year ago and we get to enjoy it with them! We really appreciate them inviting us up there to spend time with them (and I think they kinda like having Lexi there too). We left home bright and early Friday morning and dropped Banky at the Fairlawn Pet Resort and Spa for his "home away from home" mini vacation. It is just easier not to have him under foot in the small condo. It is exactly 1½ hours to the condo and $2.25 in turnpike tolls. Grandma and PaPa had a full docked planned for Lexi once we arrived. First off was of course swimming in the pool. I packed about 10 swim diapers and we used EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! Yes, she went swimming 2-3 times a day! It is great when you have relatives that will take her swimming so you don't have to watch her every second. We also found out the Jill loves the pool! She spent a whole hour in the water just bobbing along in her purple turtle floatie. Around 4:30, Matt, Lexi, Papa and Bethany packed up and went to the African Wildlife Safari Park. I will let you read all about our adventures there on our last blog entry. Needless to say, both girls were wiped Friday night and both slept a full 8 hours!
Saturday was kinda cool and breezy and it rained in the morning. Rain was gone by noon and the breeze stuck around and made the temperature pleasant. After another full day of swimming and lazing around the beach, Matt's brother Andrew and Matt's best friend Marc joined us. The 3 guys and Bethany decided to go "out" for the evening and found a live band playing at Mr. Ed's. They were pretty good and took me back to the good ol' days in Toledo when we would frequent The Distillery!
Sunday was bittersweet. Packing up to come home took a while, for we had clothes and baby things all over the condo. We did manage to visit the "Art in the Park" craft show - where I picked up a few Christmas gifts - before heading home. What a great weekend! Can't wait to go back. Enjoy the pictures.

Close to Nature!

2009-07-13T18:10:00.013-04:00

While at Chris and Chuck's "Beach House" in Port Clinton this past weekend, we decided to check out the African Wildlife Safari Park. It is a drive-thru wildlife park where you are given a cupful of food and the animals come right up to the car and eat the food right out of the cup! You can also buy carrots (which I recommend... easier for the animals to take). Lexi was a tad overwhelmed at first because the very first animal that came up to the van was a HUGE elk and she stuck her whole head in Lexi's window to eat from Chuck's cup (who was sitting next to Lexi). She did like the deer and was fascinated by the giraffes and zebras. At one point, a bison had his head in Chuck's window eating a carrot and what looked like a long-horn steer attempted to get his head in our window, too! Matt quickly rolled up the window because his "horns" were gigantic. Towards the end of the park, I even got to feed a zebra!! After driving through the park, they have a small "zoo" with about 20 or so animals in cages. They also gave Lexi a free pass to ride the pony - which she LOVED! Enjoy the pictures and check back later for detail on the rest of our great weekend at the "Beach House".
1. Chuck feeding an elk
2. Matt feeding a deer
3. Chuck trying to kiss the elk
4. Chuck feeding a bison
5. the steer heading for our car
6. Bethany feeding a zebra (with an albino zebra on the right)
7. Chuck feeding a zebra
8. Lexi and the zebra
9. Lexi on the pony

Wow!

2009-07-08T18:14:00.016-04:00

I did it again... I cut Lexi's hair. Matt has been asking me when I was going to get it cut again and I finally got tired of him asking. I really didn't mean for it to be this short, but oh well. It will grow. At least I cut off all the tangles on the ends! Here are a few pics (before and after her bath).

Before Bath

After Bath

Keepin' it Short!

2009-07-06T10:53:00.003-04:00

Instead of repeating what has already been written... I will just let you all read my brother Benny's blog for our recap of the 4th of July. Just follow this link to his blog "There's Treasure Everywhere". He posted some great pictures and really the only thing he forgot to mention was that Mike McClure and his family came over for supper on Saturday. We enjoyed pork chops, broccoli-rice-cheese casserole, corn-on-the-cob, and a fruit/yogurt/angel food cake dessert courtesy of Heidi - YUM! We had a great little visit before they had to leave. I too am tired after a busy and fun weekend. Thanks Benny for doing all the work for me!

Bye-Bye Birdies!

2009-07-02T11:01:00.005-04:00

Our little birdies have left their nest! I went out on Monday and found a little birdie on the ground in front of the mailbox. He couldn't quite make it back to his nest. I grabbed the weekly ad from the local grocery store and scooped him up to return him to his nest. I knew I should have grabbed my camera and taken a picture, but I figured I would get one the next day. Come to find out, by the next day the nest was empty! I guess our little birds have grown up enough to leave home... how proud momma must be. Here is the first and last pictures I got of our bird family (I know it is a little difficult to see, but it was the best I could do... they retreated to their nest and huddled together every time I approached the mailbox). You can double click on each picture to enlarge them and see better!

Elston Reunion!

2009-06-30T15:09:00.012-04:00

Every year, I look forward to the day when I can see all my relatives (on G.G. Eileen's side) all at once. Rosalie and Roger make that happen by inviting us all to their house for a huge Elston family reunion. It is a perfect setting. They have a pond for swimming, a huge yard for playing corn-hole and volleyball, and a big bard to run to if it starts to rain. The reunion this year was extra special because uncle Gary and aunt Cathy made the trip from Texas to join in the festivities. It was great to see everyone - especially since I hadn't been to the last few reunions. Lexi had a great time and everyone got to meet Jill. It was a little windy, but that didn't stop us from having a great time and catching up with family that we only see once every 3-4 years. I sincerely want to thank Roger and Rosalie for opening up their barn and home for everyone. I know it takes a lot of work, but we definitely appreciate everything you do to make it happen. I have posted a few of my favorite pictures from Sunday, but have them all posted on my facebook page and also on the Kodak site. I tried to get at least one picture of everyone, but I know I did miss a few people. Sorry... maybe next year!

BBQ's and Big Changes!

2009-06-24T10:23:00.011-04:00

Over this past weekend, we had friends over both Saturday and Sunday for dinner. Matt's best buddy Marc Earl and his wife Jennifer came over Saturday. Dinner was fabulous and we had a great visit. Lexi even wanted Jennifer to give her a bath! Jen, you must have done something right to earn the honor of bath-giving. The evening ended with the 2 guys playing MarioKart on the Wii until after midnight! Maybe we should get together more often??

Then, on Sunday - Father's Day - we had my friends Shelby and Jeff Poploski and their daughter Ava over for dinner. It was a blast. The girls got in the kiddie pool on our back patio and then played in the basement for quite a long time. They are just about the same age, so that works out great. I was actually too busy running around after 2 2-year olds and calming a fussy baby, so sorry no pictures of this evening:-( but we still had a great time.

Now, for the changes:
I wanted to include a picture of our newest animal additions: a nest of bird eggs has changed into a nest of baby birds! The momma decided that our newspaper holder out below the mailbox would be the ideal place for her nest. I guess it was a better decision than our duck (who lost all her eggs before they hatched). I believe there are about 5 or 6 new baby birds in the nest. Also, as you can see they are not the cutest things in the world!
And finally, I got brave enough to do something I never thought I would do... I cut my hair, SHORT! I don't think it has been this short since Jr. High (it is probably only about an inch long in the back). I just decided I didn't want to fuss with it this summer - especially when I go swimming with Lexi. Here is a quick couple pictures of my 'new do'.

Poop Face!

2009-06-23T13:21:00.002-04:00

I just know my youngest daughter will kill me one day for posting this, but I couldn't resist! While Matt and Lexi were visiting the "Beach House" (Chris and Chuck's condo in Port Clinton), Jill and I were left chillin' at home. We met Maely and Ruby - and Shelly, a bridesmaid - in Strongsville at Catan's Bridal Shop to try on bridesmaid dresses. Jill was a trooper and even allowed us to eat at TGI Friday's for a late lunch. However, when we got home she had a huge present for me. I just had to photo the "Poop Face" and send it to Matt in Port Clinton on my cell phone. I really don't think I need to explain any further!

And More Pictures!

2009-06-17T21:21:00.017-04:00

Here are the pictures from Sunday, Monday (when Kim, Rylee, & Graiden were here), & Tuesday (Lexi's mini-pool). Enjoy!

Pictures!

2009-06-17T20:20:00.013-04:00

Here are the pictures from Saturday (when Brittany, Kaitlyn, and Amie were here). To see more, visit the Kodak Gallery . Enjoy!

Pool Time!

2009-06-17T13:12:00.002-04:00

My favorite part of summer may just be visiting the pool. As a kid, I used to LOVE the pool and even the pond (if no pool was available). In my old age, the pond is far less appealing, but the pool still ranks pretty high on my list. On Saturday, Lexi visited the Wedgewood HOA Pool for the first time this year. She - like her mother - loves the water. Brittany and Kaitlyn came to visit for the day (with Brittany's friend Amie). After visiting the Akron Zoo in the morning and taking naps, we took the older girls to the pool. Mommy couldn't swim this time because someone had to watch baby Jill in the stroller. Brittany and Amie took Lexi and Kaity in the water and they both had a blast! The air temperature was a little cooler than desired, but the heated pool was just right. We had a great day with Brittany, Amie and Kaity.
Then, my friend from High School - Kim (Mabis) Troth - came out on Sunday with her 2 kids Rylee and Graiden for an overnight visit. We once again had to visit the pool! This time mommy got to get wet because daddy stayed home with Jill. Kim and her kids stayed until Monday and then had to head back home. We really enjoyed our visit and hopefully there will be more visits in the future (maybe when Adam can join her??).
To round out our early week, I filled Lexi's mini-pool with water and she took a dip on Tuesday while daddy was at work. She spent nearly an hour playing with her Mickey Mouse toys while Jill and I sat on the patio and soaked up the sun (well, it was overcast but still warm). I think it was a great start to the pool season and hopefully there will be many more trips to the pool this year. Can't wait until next year when BOTH girls can get in the water and enjoy it! Check back later today for the pictures.

Farewell (for now)

2009-06-11T14:40:00.014-04:00

Our first course at The Little Gym has now come to an end. It is hard to believe it lasted 20 whole weeks! To think, when Lexi and I first started going back on January 28th I was 6 months pregnant... and Lexi was an only child. With this in mind, Lexi wouldn't have mommy missing class, so mommy only missed one class (the day after Jill was born and grandma Chris filled in) and was right back the next week! Lexi has loved going to Little Gym and has learned a lot of gymnastics along with a few words in sign language - and also made a few little friends in the process. Miss Gretchen is a great teacher and we hope to have her again in the Fall when we return. Lexi won't soon forget her time spent every Wednesday morning (especially the bells, bubbles, and balls) and she will cherish the medal she received at the last class for a long, long time. And so we say, "Farewell Little Gym until the fall."