Here comes the Sun...

So, Debi at Who Says Eight is Enough hosts a Baby Picture Sunday. Her theme today is Here Comes the Sun...

Honestly, when I think of the sun... comes to mind is Annie as a baby...
I use to sing "you are my sunshine" to her over and over and over again...

She is my sunshine... and I still think that song fits her!

Head over to Debi's blog and play along! Its fun and you know you want to!

Makes My Monday

It makes my monday that Annie's paternal Grandma shared these pics with me...

Annie... my horse lover!

Annie...

...is so comfortable on a horse!

My girl...

...growing up so fast and such a wonderful rider!

Head on over to Twinfatuation and join in on what makes your Mondays!

A whole Scrapbook in ONE day!

My dear friend Julie, who is a Stampin' UP! demonstrator, showed me her scrapbook that she did in ONE day!
It was absolutely the coolest scrapbook I had ever seen. So, I asked her if she could hold her class in our grade school to help all of us learn how to do a scrapbook in a day. She gladly obliged and we had a wonderful day!
We had a great number of people and I really look forward to doing more of these in the future!

The scrapbookers....

hard at work.

Aunt Cindy, Jill and Aunt Carol...

busy making pages.

Jen...


mastering the Big Shot!

Aunt Cindy, Jill and my mom...

working away!

Julie...

concentrating as she works to seal our covers!

Our albums...

as they are stood up to dry.

What a neat collection...

of many different albums.

A closer look...

of our creativity!

Some unique designs...

and how beautiful they are!

Jen...

stressing and obsessing over the perfect pages!

Joyce and Karen...

were making great progress!

Aunt Cindy...

taking pictures of Annie and Sammy!

Thank you to everyone who came and scrapbooked with us! I had a blast and I hope you did as well! I LOVE the book I created and I look forward to making many, many more!

Valentine's Weekend Recap

Friday, the kids got out of school early. Jen and I decided to take our crew over to Peoria to have their pictures taken. It was pure chaos... but we loved every minute of it!

All of the kids...

Jonah, Annie, Hannah, Jeffrey and Sammy
Courtney, Emma and Cadie

My crew...

Jonah, Annie, Jeffrey, Sammy, Courtney and Cadie

The 3 amigo's....

Courtney, Emma, and Cadie

This was to be the twins 2 yr pic...

Courtney... Cadie wouldn't cooperate and sit on the blocks with her sister!


Cadie...

Finally got her to smile!

Courtney...

this is her 2yr picture

Cadie...


pouting!!!

We had so much fun... of course trying to get the twins to cooperate is always a challenge!

Way Back When- sday

Time for Way Back When- sday!

I thought I would use this photo. It is one of my favorites from 2004:

this was taken in Nov. We actually had quite a bit of snow and the kids were having lots of fun playing in it! Sammy had just thrown a snowball and it went flying by Annie who was trying to duck from it!

It isn't often that the little brother ends up the top dog... but he got her this time!

to play along in the fun, visit Twinfatuation!

Two for Two-sday

So every Tuesday, Deanna at Eight is Great hosts a Two for Two-sday!

My two-fer this week is...

Annie and Sammy... playing UNO while watching Pee Wee's big adventure*.

As you can tell, they were more interested in the movie than playing UNO! However, once the movie was over, they shut off the TV and we had a wonderful game of UNO! I am loving that my big kids are old enough to play games with me! I love to play games, esp. card games and I am loving taking at least 1 noc a week to play a game!

(*Oh, in case you are wondering WHY an educated person such as myself would let their child watch Pee Wee's Big Adventure... well, it wasn't my idea! Apparently, my husband watched this as a kid and frequently quotes parts of the movie?! Its lost on me as I wasn't ever a fan! The kids enjoyed it though, so I guess I am the one who is missing out now! LOL)

Join in the fun... visit Eight is Great and show off your twosome!

Waaay Back When -sday

For this really special way back when-sday.... I choose this picture.

This is my favorite Christmas present!

Annalea Ray

born 12/24/1997

7:37pm

She was my fastest labor (less than an hour) and my biggest baby (8lbs 10oz)! I also had my shortest hospital stay with Annie (24hrs). It was Christmas after all and who wants to be in a hospital for Christmas??

So, my mom and my aunt came in, packed us up and took us to my Grandma's. I was exhausted but happy! We went home so early that we had to go back in at 8pm so that the lab could do Annie's state screening!

And, notice Annie's shirt... "All I want for Christmas"

She was all I wanted for that Christmas!

Hope everyone has a blessed Holiday!

We have church services and Christmas with the kids and at my Grandma's!

The next couple of days are going to be busy and I am hoping to keep up with posting... However, if I become a slacker... I promise to get back in the swing of things after the holidays!

We are also taking our computer in to be worked on and I am hoping we get it back sooner than later!

Yeikes! No computer! Now that really scares me!!!

Check out my best friend's blog... she has some great pics of the kids skate party!

She was really great and took Sammy there so I could bring Annie home from my parents and she could change and get ready for her party which followed Sammy's party. Thanks Jen for being such a huge help to me!

While you are surfing... ride the wave over to Twinfatuation and play along with her way back When-sday!!

Skating Party

Annie and Sammy both have birthdays in December.

They turned 11 and 8 this year. They are both old enough where they are wanting to have parties with their friends.

Last year we went to the YMCA.

Annie's friends....

Lucas, Annie, Madison, Nick, and Whitney

Sammy's friends...

Dustin, Shawn, Nickolas, Jonathan, Sammy and Skyler

This year, the kids decided to go skating.

Sammy's group of friends....

Makayla, Hannah, Sammy, Jonathan and Nickolas (there but not pictured is Aidan) and it isn't the best pic of the girls.

Annie's friends...

Madison, Skylar, Annie and Junie

We also had a girl named Larissa and Hannah P. there as well.

It was great fun at Skateland and my sister-in-law, Jannea, watched the twins, made chili and a cake and did all my dishes for me while I was gone!

My best friend Jen took Sammy to the skate rink for me and greeted the parents as I ran Annie home to finish getting ready for her party.

I am sure thankful for the friends and family that I have that help me out so much! I know I couldn't do it without them!

Some random pics from the party....

JC putting on skates

Hannah...

the air hockey pro!

Hannah...

beating her mommy!

the girls playing Hoop FEVER...

Hannah P., Lari, Annie and Skylar

The girls...

had a blast playing in the cake instead of eating much of it!

Sammy and his friends...

Jonathan and Aidan

Monday MeMe- Pictures of Christmas's past

Every Monday I host a MeMe.... just for fun!
Play along if you like, leave me a comment and I will add a link to your blog!
Up this week is pictures of past Christmas'.

Christmas 1974:

Mike, Me and Penny

Christmas 1994:

JM (21mo)

Christmas 1997:

JM (4) & Annie (1 day)

Christmas 2004:

Annie (7), Sammy (4) and JM (11)

Christmas 2007:

Annie (10) holding Cadie (11mo), Jonah (4), Sammy (7) holding Courtney (11mo)

Hope every has a very Merry Christmas and a blessed Holiday season!

Playing along this week...

Jen

Up next week:
12-29: New Year's Resolutions

Way Back When-sday

Its my favorite day of the week! Way Back When-sday!

Sammy and Annie...

2002

I don't know that I could get them to sit on Santa's lap anymore, but I loved this picture from the days they would still sit on Santa's lap!

Hop on over to Twinfatuation to play along in Way Back When-sday!

The Tree is UP!

Ok. I think next year... the weekend after Thanksgiving I will be putting up our tree! I feel like Ole St. Nick is knocking at my door and I am not even close to being ready!

Anyway, the kids and I had lots of fun decorating our tree. Normally, I am one of those people who has perfect placement of ornaments on the tree (think of Monica from Friends). However, this year, there wasn't any stopping, organizing or doing much more than just sit back and watch in wonder...

Sammy hanging up his decorations.

Jason and Cadie...

...this is just after we pulled Cadie out of the tree! I had used a step-stool to reach the top of the tree when stringing lights and Cadie found it quite handy when hanging ornaments, however, she misjudged a step and fell over INTO the tree! Amazingly, it didn't knock it over! Daddy just had to console her a little and she was right back at hanging ornaments!

Courtney...

...was slow and determined at her attempts to hang ornaments. Cadie would hang 2 or 3 to 1 of Courtney's!

Cadie...

... back on the footstool. She would occasionally look back and double check that she was indeed hanging the ornament in the correct position!

Courtney...

... a little backwards on her ornament hanging, though is getting the hang of it!

JM...

...even as the oldest, he had fun helping the babies, and made sure to hang his ornaments the highest on the tree!

Anna...

...got the important job of stringing the garland!

BEHOLD....

OUR CHRISTMAS TREE!


For those who wonder how I keep the tree in one piece and standing...

YEP... those are 2 gates!
I also took all the glass ornaments and set them aside. I think maybe 3 ended up on the tree, but the majority never made it out of their box for this year!

Actually, my bright idea was to move the one gate (the stretchy evenflo gate) out of the doorway by the front entry. This left this doorway open, but as long as the 2 other gates were closed, there wasn't anyway the girls could get to the Christmas tree or go up the stairs. However, last noc, I quickly learned that the girls have figured out how to break down the stretchy gate!

*sigh*

Since I had a "spare" gate in the garage (bought it for the stairwell, but it was too small), I had my FIL drag it out of the garage, I cleaned it up and that will be my husband's project tonoc. Put up the metal gate, they won't be able to climb it or knock it over! The stretchy gate will go back to its home over the entry way doorway (as seen below)!


I am hopeful that maybe next Christmas... we will be able to have our house opened back up! I think I have a gate in almost every doorway now!