A trip into Chicago just before Christmas... it was COLD!!!

but we had fun none the less!

Melanie's Birthday...

These are totally late in coming, but deserved to be posted non the less.. Melanie enjoyed a FULL day of celebration for her 5th birthday.  She started off at Libby Lou's with her best friend Lyndsie, getting all done up beautifully, then we moved on to McDonalds (YUM!!) and finished it off with dinner at Red Robin where some WONDERFUL people met us to celebrate with her!!  These pictures are from there, thank you friends for celebrating with Melly!  We love you!

Steve and Becky!

The Dirkse family!

Scott and Amanda!

Red came out to celebrate and even sat at the table with us and colored with Mel!  SO FUN!

The girlies!  Lyndsie, Melanie and Olivia

Fall and Sunshine

Out in the backyard enjoying our unusually warm fall day!  Thank the Lord for some sunshine before winter sets in!

Not so good at this..

I guess I didn't realize what I was getting into when I signed up for this blog thing.. I didn't realize people would expect me to actually write in it EVERY DAY!  What in the world... so unrealistic!  Well, since I am here I might as well write something of interest... I was in the middle of scolding Melanie for being "sassy and nasty"  Seth apparently heard me say "sassy and nassy" to which he enthusiastically announced, HEY That rhymes!!!  How can you continue scolding after that??

That is about as interesting as it gets around here!

I don't think I ever stop laughing!  Oh the joys of being a mother!!!  :)

God is a good God and I am thankful to have this commission of being home with my kiddos!

Praise Him

Trees...

So..... I am inside making lunch today, and I look out the window into the backyard where Michael and Seth are doing yard work and I see Michael running toward the back door... as he comes bursting inside all he says is, "you have to come see this"... so I go outside and here is what I see...

Yep.  You see that little blue spec... that is my 6 year old son... at the TOP of the tree... 

Finally....

Well, after much pressure from friends, we finally decided to set up a blog... so here we are!  I am excited to see what all the fuss is about.  :)