Time flies when you're having fun.

We have had some fun since my last post of more than 8 months ago! We've also had some difficult times. Here's what we've been up to:

January/February: Another year has passed since my cousin Melissa went missing. We continue to pray for closure. We celebrated 3 birthdays between the 2 months. There were field trips & tee-ball registration.

March/April: Addison's 3rd birthday was celebrated, along with my mom's birthday & my parent's anniversary. My brother & his family came to visit for a few days (yay!) and tee-ball practices started. Ian was in his first parade for Little League opening day. He did great!

May/June: Celebrated Ian's 6th birthday! and my mother-in-law's birthday as well. Enjoyed watching Ian play tee-ball & had my nephew off & on for a week. Ian graduated kindergarten & won the "best handwriting" award! We also had to put my Grandma in the hospital for a strep infection. She was there for a month & then placed in a nursing home up north. We have been looking for a place for her closer to us, but keep waiting for something to open up.

July/August: We have been making trips to see Gram. She is fairing well. Her dementia has kicked in full force. It's hard to see her not remember things. So far, she still recognizes people, but does have a hard time recalling names. We took her to a family reunion & she was able to see her sisters & 2 of her out of state daughters. Aunt Bobbi came home for the reunion & married her longtime boyfriend in a quiet ceremony on a small lake. It was beautiful! She continues to fight her cancer & has remained postive throughout. The kids were sick for 2 weeks straight with a virus. No symptoms other than a high fever that lasted 5 days each. I've been canning, as is par for the course this time of year. Keith had a staycation again & we were able to make it to the Erie Co Fair this year. Ian had a blast on the rides! Addison, not so much. They had to stop a ride & let her off because she was crying! We also had our annual ABF picnic at the lake. It was fun despite the rain. We're also getting ready for Ian to go back to school & for the MOPS year to start.

I'm sure I have forgot some things, but that's what's been happening around here!

So, what have we been up to?

It's been almost 6 months since I last posted! Needless to say, we have been quite busy. Ian started Kindergarten in September and he's had a wonderful experience. I am so glad we chose a private Christian school. Driving back & forth to school has taken up most of our time, but has been well worth it. There have been field trips, parties, a Christmas program & a book fair so far. I love being able to help at school!

Addison & I have had some great Mother/Daughter time while Ian's at school. We really haven't had much time for that before. She is quite the little princess & loves to pretend!

I have also been busy with Northgate MOPS as I continue to help as the finance person on the steering team. The fellowship with other moms is awesome! It's a great time to just recharge & grow. We have also participated in some wonderful service projects this year, including making food baskets for our Teen MOPS moms.

Keith still works at the farm. Not much has changed in that respect. His boss seems to be gone quite a bit on business, so that keeps Keith on call and has been difficult on family time. I am thankful he continues to be a valued employee in this crazy economy. He did recieve a nice Christmas bonus this year, but alas, it is already gone as we try to push ourselves toward financial freedom.

We had a nice Thanksgiving & Christmas. My brother & his family came to visit in between. The kids had a riot playing together. I love how they interact now! I wish they didn't live so far away.

We've contiued to stay pretty healthy in our immediate family. Our extended family has had a rough health year, though. From cancer, to broken bones, to life threatening falls, and other ailments along the way, we continue to pray for improved health & safety for both sides of the family.

We have set some goals that we'd like to work on throughout 2011. The biggest one being for our finances. We really want to go credit card free. It's a major step & is awfully scary! But, I know it will free us considerably.

Another goal that I have, is to try a new recipe every week. My cooking passion has grown considerably & I'd like to step outside my comfort zone a little more to try things I normally wouldn't.

So, that's a little snapshot of what we've been up to. Hopefully, I can get back on the blogging train!

A blueberry story....

This is where I spent 2 hours this morning

picking 8 quarts of these
while my children played in the van because they didn't want to help.

Addison's 2 Yr Checkup

Everything looks great for Addison. She's 26 lbs & 35 1/4 in. The dr. said she's tall for her age, ranging in the 90th percentile. I think she's going to be built like her daddy. Tall & thin, which is just fine.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Today is our baby girl's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Addison! Love you so much!

March 2010

March 2009

March 2, 2008Thank you God for this beautiful blessing!

Addison Jael & Mommy

People have always said that Addison looks like me, and she does. I just didn't know how much until my mom found a picture of me @ the same age Addy is. (Sorry the pics are a little blurry.)

Michele:

Addison: