Happy Memorial Day!!

Wishing each of you a Happy Memorial Day. Please take the time to remember those who sacrifice for us or who have sacrificed for us in the past. Have a fantastic day!

They're bloomin...

The kids, that is. They are growing like weeds! Here's a recent photo of them.

I'll post an update soon. For now, we are headed out for some fun in the sun! Have a great day!

Until next time...

Back in the swing of things...

The kids and I are starting to get back into the swing of things! It's now been five months since we started over and each day brings a bit more peace than the last. The kids are doing great! They are thriving and enjoying themselves as the school year begins to wind down. I, on the other hand, am in the second of three semesters of my paramedic program with no break in sight. All in all, life is good and we are very blessed.

Blessings to all,
-Me

The Hunt was Successful!!

Jacob scored his first TWO deer!

On the morning of Nov 16, 2009, he shot a button buck. He was a yearling and weighed approximately 80#.






















In the evening, he shot a four point buck. This deer weighed 140#.



We are so proud of him.

Never enough...

Photos of my little ones to share with you all. Here are a few more as I await those magic words to come spilling out of my thoughts and on to the computer screen.


Jonathon & Katelyn



Jacob



Jonathon



Katelyn



Austin



The Crew



Jacob & Jonathon



Jonathon



Emilee




Katelyn

Halloween 2009 Photo

Yes, I know! It's been over a month since the last update. Shame on me!

Here is a photo from Halloween 2009. The kids sure have grown up!

I have many things on my mind but just can't seem to get them onto the computer screen. I will work on that.

Until then...

A beautiful day in the Park

These are a few photos that were taken this week. Enjoy!

Just some more photos...

Theme Thursday

After last nights theme of...








Today's theme will be...


This photo was of Jonathon sleeping well before midnight on New Years Eve. I think I will go in and snuggle up next to him now.

Why am I such a misfit?

As the last puppy of the litter, Oreo can't help but give me that look and this song pops into my head.









Anyone want this precious little puppy for Christmas? She's such a loving, beautiful little one. She is the last puppy that isn't spoken for yet and is FREE! :)

Wouldn't this be a perfect little present under the tree?

And if you're trying to find the gift that will last...I promise, this is a gift that will keep on giving. You know, lots of poop love for years to come!!

She has been put on puppy food and is doing well when being let outside to go potty.

Any takers?

So much anticipation...BSM!

Only ten more days!

The lists have been made, the tree has been cut and everyone looks forward to Christmas Day with excitement.

Even the dogs are anxious!



I happened to capture this shot while trying to get shots of the animals with their Christmas gear on. I just love how how it captured Beuford's tongue!

Dear Tooth Fairy...

Tonight, when I'm fast asleep, will you please make sure you stop by my house?

I had only been wiggling it all-day-long before it finally fell out. Imagine how shocked I was when it fell out while eating popcorn.

I guess I can now add my tooth to my Christmas list.

Love,
Katelyn

BSM: A Beautiful Bunch!

As promised, here are photos of Miss Jersey's puppies.

She was acting like she was in labor for the week preceding the births. I would stay up most nights until well into the early morning as she snuggled up with me. Between her restlessness, panting and leaking, I thought for sure tonight was the night, each and every single night for a week!

Friday night, I stayed up with her until about 1:30 AM. I put her back outdoors in her dog house (just outside the slider doors) and went to bed. Imagine my surprise when I woke up at 5:00 AM to see not one but two little puppies nursing. Before I left at 7:00 AM, she had four pups. When I called home a few hours later, she was at six. By the time I came home, she had delivered nine! She was inside, resting in her whelping box when I came home from class. We spent Saturday night watching her care for her new babies.

This morning, I was sitting next to her box watching as the puppies nursed and wiggled all over. All of a sudden, she shifted her leg, lifted her tail and delivered her tenth puppy nearly 21 hours after she had delivered her ninth. This precious baby was born still and appeared to be the runt of the litter. We allowed her to clean and care for the pup before removing it from the whelping box. My heart broke! I happened to have a little white box that had a pretty bow attached to it. We let the kids sign the box and this evening, the sweet baby was buried. Some of the kids took it harder than others. My heart broke for them as well. It's such a difficult thing for them to go through and accept. Even though it's part of life, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

The nine remaining pups are just adorable. They have the most unique markings that I've ever seen on a dog. Jersey is Great Dane and Black Lab. She mated with a Golden Retriever! The puppies are nearly 1/2 the size (at birth) as what our six week old beagles are. They are going to be very-big-dogs! If they have their Momma's disposition, they will be wonderful pets! I hate to admit it but I'm already attached to them. *sigh*

What do you think? Have you ever seen such interesting puppies before?
See our Flickr account for some close-up photos of the pups. I'll try to take more photos tomorrow too!

Have a great day!

Brotherly Bond Wordless Wednesday

I wanted to post this for Wordless Wednesday but just couldn't wait to show off our new early Christmas presents. Our little puppies, Bandit and Beuford. Aren't they adorable?

Just thought I'd share a little bit of beauty with you all. It's not the best photo but it's what I was greeted with when I opened the door this evening.

This weekend has been a pretty relaxing weekend. I was able to get some extra rest and lots of time with the kids. We were able to mark some things off of our to do list this weekend. The rear deck is cleared and powerwashed. We built a dog house for a friends dog who is due to deliver any day. We've been patiently waiting for her to deliver this weekend but she's still pregnant.

This weekend also brought us some news that I'm not quite sure whether is good or bad. With the economy in the state it is, GM continues to struggle. In turn, this is going to have a heavy impact on the GM workers. I'm not entirely clear of the logistics or how this will end up playing out but this is what I am told. After the first of the year, Tim will be laid off the first two weeks of January, only to return for two weeks. February will be the start of the layoffs. We've been told these will be long term layoffs and will affect hundreds of workers. We're not sure that he has enough senority to hold a job after February. All we can do is hope and pray that everything works out okay. Please pray with us, if you will.

While I'm asking for prayers, may I ask for prayers for some friends of ours? I can't share specifics but ask that you would pray for their choices and the impact of those choices. It's been a rough time for them and they could use a positive outcome.

I'm off to spend some time with the hubby and JR before bedtime. I hope you're all staying warm. Until tomorrow...

Survival Flight

This weekend, although exhausting, was fantastic. Saturday I attended my Survival Flight Landing Zone class as well as the Extrication class for my EMT class. It was pretty cool and I was able to capture some pretty interesting shots that I'll share a bit later. As always, to see more of the shots, take a look on our Flickr Acct.

At the end of the evening, I was blessed by a friend who kept all five children so that Tim and I could get out for the night for a racing banquet. Afterwards, the hubby and I came home to an empty house! We took the opportunity to enjoy ourselves and then settled down into bed.

Today, the kids have played HARD and were in bed by 8:00 pm. They were tired! I have lounged around all day without even getting out of my PJ's. Yes, a bit lazy but I was due for a lazy day! It's been a long time since I was able to do that.

Tonight, I have finished up the photos for the slide show I'm making for the EMT class. I'll be taking it in tomorrow for the instructor.

Here are a few of the photos: