Holy Cucumbers!

Last summer, Tim decided to plant a garden. I absolutely opposed this idea...because I thought that everything in it would end up dead! He completely proved me wrong, as I very much looked forward to it again this year.


He has planted potatoes, tomatoes, banana peppers, green peppers, jalepeno peppers, onions, scallions, cucumber, strawberries, basil and cilantro. Although the deer or rabbits tend to sneak in there once and a while...we still get great amounts of food from it.


This is the first year he planted cucumbers at my request. :) Wow! These things are crazy HUGE! Thanks honey for working the land to provide for our family...well, not really! But it sounds good!

A Fourth of July Celebration!

This year we celebrated the 4th of July with our girls and lots of good friends at Elcona's Carnival. They put on a great event with all kinds of games for the kids. Tay won 5 goldfish! They had pony rides, bounce houses, a dunk tank and much more. The girls ran around from one place to the next...we hardly saw Tay she was so excited! We ended the night laying on the golf course to watch the fireworks. A night the kids will remember for years to come!

Fun at the Cubs Game

"Want to go to the Cubs game?" This is what Tim asked me about 24 hours before the game. So we headed off with the girls to Chicago. It's nice to do something on a whim like that. This was the girls first game. They got to experience not only the game, but ballpark food like pretzels, hot dogs and cotton candy. It was a beautiful, sunny day!
We sat all the way up top, which actually made it quite chilly...so we moved down into seats that were a bit warmer.


The girls made it all the way to the eighth inning. At that point no one had scored yet, so we decided to head out and walk around to enjoy the surroundings. We got the girls Cubs shirts, which they sported on the way home.
It was a great day...the girls were definitely tuckered out after this!

Vacation in Petoskey

We recently vacationed with our family friends, the Judays, at a gorgeous home on Walloon Lake in Michigan. This home was an amazing 13,000 square feet! It was unbelievable. Every bedroom had a huge bath and the living areas were plenty spacious for our 20 guests.

During our stay Mom and Dad renewed their vows - which was a complete surprise for them!
It was a blast! Tim was the minister and was actually ordained (on-line the night before)! :)
The home had much to offer...including a huge hot tub that the kids thoroughly enjoyed! The lake was gorgeous but VERY cold. We played games including cornhole, swam, built bonfires, fished, enjoyed cocktails and especially each others' company.
We were very lucky to experience such a vacation. Thanks Mom, Dad, Rod and Shar! We love you bunches!

Baby Chipmunks...Soooo Tiny!

After a decent rain, Tim found baby chipmunks in the yard! You can see how very tiny they were. We didn't know if they would survive as one of them was hardly moving. They were strewn about in the lawn and landscape. Tim found the hole that he believed to be their home and transferred them there on a tiny shovel. Jaycie thought this was pretty neat. We think all ended well as they were no where to be found hours later...at least we hope.

Celebrating 85 Years!

My great Aunt Phyl just turned 85! She is the best aunt ever. When I was growing up she always had "her day" with me and my siblings. I remember going to her house and looking for the 3 Musketeers candy bars in her pantry. I love her to pieces! She is a woman I look up to who has always displayed a love for life and was more active in her later years than some people are in their 30's!!! I love you Aunt Phyl. She is surrounded by her great-great nieces here! :)

One Proud Momma!

As my children grow older I have come to know 100% that my heart walks outside my body. As a parent, you want so badly for your child to not only be successful, but more importantly FEEL successful. You want for your child to have friends and be liked and live a happy life. And you know that these things are sometimes...often times, not in your control.

Taylin had her first competitive swim meet this summer. I was very nervous for her. There is something about competition that brings out extreme emotions in me...even when I have nothing to do with the competition. But when my own child is involved, a knot is formed in my stomach and a lump in my throat.

She did AWESOME in her first meet! I couldn't have been more proud. Here's to many more knots in my stomach and lumps in my throat. Not to mention tears in my eyes!