sundaisies & doodlebugs

Heather's Christmas survey....FUN!

2006-12-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? hot cocoa w/marshmallows and peppermint stick from Cracker Barrel.(I'm all out, Mom!)
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? wrapped...and thanks to Joleen, with ribbons and bows!
3. Colored lights or white on tree/house ? lots of lights....doesn't matter the color. especially chasing lights!
4. Do you hang mistletoe? LOL...I bought it after Thanksgiving and it's still sitting here in the pkg, next to my computer!
5. When do you put your decorations up? the weekend after Thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? On Christmas day...Lasagna
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? When I was a kid, my grandparents used to run a tape recorder while we unwrapped the gifts. Going back and listening to the comments out of context is hysterical! Where are those tapes anyway?
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? If I stop believing in Sanata Claus, he might stop coming to my house!
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Our family gift exchange is Christmas eve. Then Santa comes to our house. Doesn't he come to yours?
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Love my pre-lit tree!!!!! Annual, dated ornaments along with all the handmade ones from the kids over the years.
11. Snow… love it or dread it? Love it...from indoors
12. Do you know how to ice skate? yes, but never gonna happen again!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? So many over the years, but like Jo, I once followed a scavenger hunt through my grandma's house and found my present in the dryer. THE DRYER WAS RUNNING!!!!!!! LOL I still remember getting my first bike. I was 6. It was hidden in the garage. a beautiful red schwin. I wish I still had it!
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? the family all getting together. The chaos of the kids.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? FUDGE! You go, Jo. Now we just have to teach you how to make it! So I can stop :)
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? My kids coming home Christmas eve and spending the night to wake up EARLY, together the next morning. It was hard last year without it. 2 years ago, Brad & I woke the kids up at 3:30 am! That was the best ever.
17. What tops your tree? A poor ancient angel who requires surgery each year before she can go up!
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I love to receive, of course, but it's too much fun giving and watching the joys in my loved one's faces. This is my favorite.
19. Favorite Christmas Song? Oh Holy Night, sung by John Berry
20. Favorite Flavor of Candy Canes? Hershey's chocolate mint.

Poor Buster!!!

2006-12-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today Buster had to have an unplanned surgery. The night before Thanksgiving we found a bump on his left side. We took him to see the dr. that Friday, but they didn't think it was anything to worry about. Not only has it doubled in size since then, but it nows seems to bother Buster. We took him in today and the vet has no idea what it is. He removed it and will send it for a biopsy. We should know more by Friday. he said it wasn't a cist like he though, but some kind of tissue growth. We pray it's nothing serious. Buster looks so sad!

Christ in Action

2006-12-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, Sarah had an open house with the ministry she has been particpating in. I wanted to video tape it to share with everyone, but I don't have a working battery for my video camera. I took lots of still pictures. Sarah hasn't been in it very long and doesn't participate in all the songs, however, she does very well in the songs she does participate in and we are very proud of her. I really hope you all have an opportunity to see this presentation some time. It truely is something else to see! See if you can pick her out of these shots.....it's not as easy as you'd think!

Molly

2006-12-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Every year since i've known him, Brad has given me a Christmas present before Christmas. I used to think it was because he just couldn't wait, but I realized now, it's just a fun tradition with him. This year, he really surprised me. He gave me a puppy!
She was rescued from a shelter in Ontario. She is a terrier mix and is 4 months old. She has the sweetest personality and Buster loves her! She will be a ltitle bit bigger than Buster, which is perfect! Maybe he won't bully her so much. We already know she can hold her own with him. She is a little bit intimidated with her surroundings, but is adapting very well. She already will potty everytime on her pad as long as she's in her pen (an area we gated off in my bedroom). When she has the rest of the house, she pottys wherever! This is my least favorite part of raising a puppy, for sure! She sleeps through the night and is a super cuddle bug! Here are some pictures of Molly, Buster and Jake getting to know each other. Since these pictures were taken, Buster and Molly play all the time - keep away, chase, and wrestle! Molly can even steal the toy from Buster! Of course, she has to trick him into dropping it first!

Here I am!!!!!!!

2006-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well, life has been so busy lately. I've been really great at taking the pictures, but have had no time to put them out there to share with you all. We'll use this blog as a catch up.

First, Sarah has been very busy in her new ministry called C.I.A. (Christ in Action). It is a mime and sign troop that goes around spreading the gospel with music. She's been working very hard and is doing very well. We are very proud of her as well as the group. We quickly felt like we belongs to this "family". Most of the kids in this troup have been doing this for several years; some up to 8 years. As the kids grow up, they take over leadership roles in the group. It's great! I'm glad for Sarah to be involved in such a great project.

Next, Thanksgiving was so fabulous! I really had a great time. I'm already feeling sad about next year. This was the first year that we had all of our children and their families with us. In addition, all of my family, with the exception of Laura and James were there too! Thanks to a quick weather change, we moved it all indoors. Although it was crowded, it was terrific. The food was to die for, as usual, and for the first time ever, we made enough deviled eggs! There were actually 4 left over! :) With turkey, ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, veggies, salads, homemade bread (Thanks, Kim!), pies (Alex even baked from scratch!) , birthday cake and all the trimmings, I'm sure no one went home hungry! Thank you to everyone who made this day so special. I find myself counting down the days until Christmas, so we can be together again! Can't wait for that lasagna...

Speaking of Christmas.....on Friday after Thanksgiving, we decorated for Christmas. It was lots of fun, and we even had Deana home to help. Sarah and Deana are now tall enough, that they don't need any help trimming the tree. This is both exciting and sad for me. Some days it's very hard to see them all grown up! Our neighbor, Brielle, has been asking Mom and Dad for a baby sisiter. Since they have not obliged her, she came over to be "sisters" with the girls and helped with the tree. Here are the rest of the pictures of Sarah and Thanksgiving, along with our Christmas decorations! 21 more days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Card Catalog

2006-10-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have been working very hard on creating this catalog of Christmas Card designs to offer to individuals as well as small businesses. I have been blessed with several orders thus far! I already have placed supply orders for an order of 150 Pine Berry cards, 140 Cardinal cards, 12 Thanksgiving Blessing cards, and the 60 Santa with his Toys cards for my family. I have completed the two small orders already! Today I took an order for 50 Cardinal Cards, 25 Snowflake cards, and should have another for 125 either Pine Berry or Peaceful Wishes. Last night I took a special order for 100 Happiest Holiday cards in special colors. Actually I really like their chosen colors better than my original ones! I designed a couple of other cards last night and hope to get orders in for those, so I can place another supply order. I am very excited, but also a little nervous. I hope I priced them right! I also hope I can fill all the orders with satisfaction and in a timely manner. With the retreat coming up as well, I am very busy! Anyway, maybe these pictures will help you come up with an idea for your own cards. Let me know so I can make sure to have all your supplies ready for you! Here is my catalog....

If I had a camera with me...

2006-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

If I had a camera with me I could have shown you what a wonderful week of experiences I had.

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you Brad's face when he opened Andre Agassi for his anniversary gift. (Okay, not Andre, but a great picture of him!)

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you Grandma enjoying the Kenny Rogers concert, and making sure that we all knew that she wants "Through The Years" played at her funeral!

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you Aimee's face as she tried to explain to us the difference between one pound of coffee beans and one pound of ground coffee!

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you the fabulous moon last night! It was gold and orange. It was shaped in such a way that it was missing from 11 o'clock to 3 o'clock and it was chopped from 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock. It was amazing. At one point it was hiding behind the mountain, and only a tiny piece was showing. It gave Sarah and I the opportunity to discuss the colors of the moon (in reality) and about the lunar eclipse. Apparantly, it's not white.

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you Joleen in her beautiful purple dress. The shoes?????? WOW!

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you Sarah sleeping in her bed (at 11:00 in the morning!) with 3 pillows, 2 fleece blankets and a quilt, Jake, Buster, AND Spencer!

If I had a camera with me, I could've shown you me.....tired, stressed, busy, and BLESSED!

The Colors of Me

2006-09-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

I feel white
When I'm in control and no one can stop me
I feel white

I feel red
When I'm angry and losing control
I feel red

I feel orange
When I catch my second wind
I feel orange

I feel yellow
When I'm happy about things in my life
I feel yellow

I feel purple
When I know I'll be with him
I feel purple

I feel green
When I'm sick or confused about things
I feel green

I feel brown
When things are not going as they should
I feel brown

I feel blue
When I'm lonely or depressed
I feel blue

I feel black
When I'm lost within myself
I feel black

I feel clear
When I don't understand what I'm feeling
I feel clear

My New Car

2006-09-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, after spending a couple of days on the internet researching, and another couple of days driving everything I thought I might be interested in, on Saturday, Brad and I bought a new car. It is BEAUTIFUL!! It is a 2006 Acura TSX. It is pearl white, with parchment leather interior and all the bells and whistles I could ask for. It has a voice activated everything from the navigation system, to the phone, to the radio or cd player, to even the air conditioner! It has a sun and moon roof, wood trim, memory seats that even heat up. The outside mirrors even have heaters for cold days! I feel spoiled! It sure feel luxurious, too! Can't wait to take you for a ride! Here is my new car....

Cooking with Lisa

2006-08-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, a few months ago we decided to start eaten more healthy: not necessarily always on Weight Watchers, but healthier. I purchased two cookbooks, which I love. 1: Better Homes and Gardens "New Dieter's Cookbook" and Betty Crocker's "Healthy New Choices". The first one has pictures of every recipe as well as the nutritional information, and the 2nd has many pictures as well. I like to see what it's supposed to look like anyway! Last night we tried "Chicken with Apples and Sage" on page 300 of the New Dieter's Cookbook. It was a wonderful array of flavors mixed together. We had it with Uncle Ben's rice with vegetables, corn, catelope slices, reduced fat crescent rolls, and black olives. If you are counting points on WW, a serving of the chicken is 5 points, the roll with the "I can't believe it's not butter light is 2 points, the olives and canteloupe each are 1 point and the corn was also 1 point. With the Crystal Light to drink, the whole meal was 10 points! That's not too bad for dinner. We had gingerbread sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar for dessert. This was another 4 points. Anyway, here is the recipe:

4 skinless, boneless chx breast halves
1/8 tsp salt
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup apple juice or cider
1 red or green sweer pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 close garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp snipped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP cold water
2 med green and/or red cooking apples, sliced

1. Sprinkle chx w/salt. Coast an unheated large skillet with spray. Preheat over med-high heat. Add chx: cook for 8-10 minutes or until chx is tender and not pink, turning once. Remove from skillet:keep warm.

2. Add apple juice, sweet pepper, onion, garlic, dried sage (if using), and pepper to skillet. Bring to boiling: reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 minutes

3. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water: stir into mixgture in skillet.

Stir apple. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. If using, stir in the fressh sage. Return the chx to the skillet: heat through.

ENJOY!

Spontinaety

2006-08-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wake up on Friday and decide you didn't want to be home over the weekend? Where to go is all you can think about. Brad and I did that. We started our quest by hurrying to get the work done at S&S, then clean the house, do the dishes and the laundry, and pay the bills due that week. Then onto the computer to destination shop. We started with the thought of going up the coast towards Santa Barbara and couldn't figure out how far we wanted to go or where to stay. So we headed down the coast toward Balboa Bay, or Coronado Island...no...no...no.... Then we investigated Catalina Island, but you cannot stay a single night there in the summer, so our ventures turned towards Long Beach. We discovered a great summer weekend package offered by the Queen Mary. We went down there Saturday around lunch time, visited the ship, took the Ghosts and Legends tour, ate dinner at the Promenade Cafe, and rested in a beautfiul stateroom. We watched The Break Up on the movie channel before turning in for not a very good night sleep. Sarah woke me up 4 or 5 times saying she was scared of the dark, but wouldn't get up to turn on the light. She finally did, and we slept with the lights on. We woke up to a giant Carnival Crusie ship out our port hole, which was kind of funny. You know how sometimes you wake up a little bit disoriented? Well imagine going to sleep in a docked ship and waking to the sound of the ships horn, followed my messages of how to get your luggage and get of the ship. For a brief moment, my dreamy head transported me back to the day we departed from our Bahamas cruise 3 years ago. Then I woke up! BUMMER! Anyway, we had a nice, relaxing breakfast, then was off the the Aquarium of the Pacific. It sure is beautfiul there, with so much to see and learn. We stopped in Downey for a small "flashback" at Frantones Pizza and Spaghetti Villa. I havn't been there since I was a little girl! Still takes as good as I remember, too! Anyway, we picked up Buster and headed for Apple Valley. What a fun weekend we had. Can't wait until we can make another last minute vacation. Just wanted to share these photos.....

August Birthday Party

2006-08-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

You know...everytime we get together, it gets to be more and more fun watching these kids have fun. In their faces you see the joy of being with one another, each loving the other more each time they see them. It is such a joy watching the little ones grow up...and how fast they do that! Don't you wish you could put these days ina bottle and savor them whenever you want? I imagine being able to create a real snow globe of these events, lining them all up on a special shelf to enjoy each and every day. Here are the rest of the photos.....ENJOY!

Harriet the Spy

2006-08-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I asked Sarah is she remembers Harriett the Spy. She said NO!!!!! For those of you even remotely are close to our family, you'll understand why this through me into oblivon! KIDS!!!!!!!!

8th Grade

2006-08-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today is Sarah's first day of school. She looked like a million dollars, but was very nervous. She's growing up way too fast for me......

Let's Go Camping

2006-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we went camping. It was a great week, with the best weather we'd seen around here in a month. As a matter of fact, the first night it was so cold and rainy that Brad had to bring extra jackets and sweatshirts back to camp with him after work. We camped with Teresa, Wayne, Cameron and Cris for the second year in a row. This year Kim, Matthew and Trevor joined us for the first time. To round things out, James and Deana were there as well. Honestly, it was a great week. We'd had our moments of 7 separate sets of hormones, attitudes, and moods, but for the most part, it was a fabulous week Buster and Spencer were there, and to add some spice to the week, Spencer went for a run not once, not twice, but three times during the week. It was all okay though, we used those dogs to get our exercise, walking them some days 4 times!

A couple of weeks ago, Cameron and Cris were scheduled to go to YMCA camp, but their camp was cancelled due to those horrible fires that started out in the desert and made their way up to Big Bear. They were very dissapointed. We decided it would be fun to creat some extra fun during our camp by including their themed night at our camp, complete with some coordinating activites. On Tuesday, we had Hawaiian day. The kids all got dressed up. We had a limbo contest after dinner. You should have been there. I've never seen anyone bend like Cameron did! He could bend in half backwards and hold it, all the while, his ankles were supporting him completely bent in half! I was busy holding the limbo pole, and forgot to take any pictures. Kim got pictures of this night though, so hopefully she'll share them with us.

On Thursday, Brad and I went to work, but brought Sarah and Deana home with us. Sarah had to take some math tests for placement at her new school, which starts tomorrow, and Deana required new glasses, thanks to some rough housing with Trevor. The girls spent the afternoon at the country club. When we got back to camp, we had Retro Night. It was so much fun. The pictures of that night are found here. The boys were John Lennon, Ozzie Osborne, and hippies. Deana was the perfect flower child, and Sarah looked just like Jan Brady. I even got into the act with my retro find from Goodwill. I was told I looked like Alice, from the Brady Bunch. Honestly, sometimes I feel like Alice. The kids had a disco dance off for their activity. It was too much fun. Teresa, Kim and I finished the eve off with our own rendition of Last Dance with Donna Summer!

Friday was fishing day. It was the most amazing day. Papa took the day off work to join the kids at the lake. With just a short casting lesson, each and every one of the kids was casting their own line into the lake! They didn't all bait their own hooks though, or untangle their lines....seems I still remember how to do all that! Every one of those kids caught fish. We were fishing for catfish, but they were all sleeping, so blue-gill it was. Between them, they must have brought in 36-40 fish! James caught the most with 10. They were all thrown back, but only one of them didn't make it. Deana caught the last fish and the smallest, but ended up with two before we were finished. Here are the fishing pix...

About 6 hours after we started, we had to pry the kids away from fishing to have our pirate night. Boy, was that fun. We all dressed as pirates and had a cannon ball fight....adults against the kids. I'm not sure who won, but the adults looked a little bit wet to me! Here are those pictures. Well, Saturday was here before we were ready. We are already planning next year's camping trip. We have have requests for more to join us. I plan to learn the rules of entertaining a group up there. Maybe Joleen, Alex, Aimee and Vince can join us next year! The more the merrier....

The Face of 14

2006-07-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well, today my last born child turned 14 years old. That makes me how old?????? Yesterday she chose chicken breasts, wild rice, and brussel sprouts for dinner. Yes, your read it right. I actually have a child who chooses brussel sprouts for her birthday dinner. Of course, she also chose spice cake with purple frosting. Now I think that each of my girls chooses spice cake for their birthday. Do they really like it or do they choose it 'cause it's my favorite? Makes me wonder.....

Anyway, the frosting was actually cream cheese frosting with the help of blue and red food coloring and some purple sprinkles. It was a quiet dinner, as it didn't include any other family members, but I think this is what we have to get used to. As our family grows up and each starts their own families, traditions take on new faces. This face is one of a 14 year old who would still rather hang with Mom and Dad then go to a friend's house, one who still gets excited about going to Chuck E Cheese's, and will spend her birthday Target money on a sidewalk chalk games to play with a two year old. I love her tender heart. Part of me hopes she'll never change......

We woke up this morning, and of course, she had spice cake for breakfast. I figure, once a year it won't kill her. I did, however, manage to get most of a banana down her before dropping her off for camp. It'll be a rough week for her.....she's at SPA CAMP. That's right, she has five whole days of pedicures, manicures, facials, makeup, and hair do's. She'll get all the other regular camp stuff too, but she doesn't care about any of that. Can't wait to hear all about it.

On another note....is it just because I'm getting older, or because the reality is setting in that my girls are all growing up and will all be gone in a blink of an eye. I have been dropping kids off to Girl Scout camp since Aimee and Joleen were in the first grade. That's a lot of camps. I've put each one of my 4 girls on a bus to camp many times over, but each and every time I tear up when it's time to say goodbye. I know she'll be back in a few days, so why do I do that? Is it because I'm relinquishing control? Do I even really have control in the first place?

I know....we'll blame it on hormones. Let's blame everything on hormones......

Meet Spencer...

2006-07-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, since it's been so long since I've published anything, I thought I do two today! (You're impressed, aren't you?) Anyway, this is Spencer. Hopefully, he will become a permanent member of the Skeels' home. While I was at the hair salon yesterday, my hair dresser and I were talking. Seems she had just rescued this dog from the street about 3 weeks ago, and we were getting ready to adopt a dog in about 3 weeks. She hung "found" posters, placed an ad and asked around, but no one claimed him. Since she already has four dogs, two horses and two parrots, she could not keep this one. She also works for the Hesperia Zoo and trains productions pets including two baby tigers! She was willing to allow us to bring Spencer (she called him Spot) home to see how he and Buster would get along. Let me just tell you, that these two dogs were buddies from the moment they met, so we don't see a problem at all. Spencer is an English Pointer, about 2 years old. He has already been neutered, housebroken, and trained. He is extrememly docil, and very nice. It's funny, 'cause Buster is a tiny lap dog who thinks he's a big boy, and Spencer is a big boy who thinks he's a lap dog! I don't know what he weighs yet, but trust me....he's NOT a lap dog! The internet said this breed weighs from 44 to 60 pounds. His teeth and gums look wonderful and his coat shines beautifully. I can't believe no one is missing him, because someone took great care with him. Anyway, here are some pictures of him. Can't wait for you to meet him!

Sarah.....14 going on 21

2006-07-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay....I know it's been Mother's Day for quite some time now, but if you don't mind cutting me a little bit of slack, I'd appreciate it very much. Sarah is quickly approaching her 14th birthday. This year she asked us for eyeliner and contact lenses. Well, I finally gave in to the eyeliner.....brown only, but am making her wait on the contacts at least another year. She's been asking to have her hair highlighted for at least a year now. We settled on that. It's beautiful, although I threatened to not pay the hair stylist 'cause she took my little girl from me while we were in her shop! Here she is showing off a bit!

Beautiful "Mother's Day" Sunday

2006-05-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope your family makes you feel as special as mine does. While packing up the garage a couple of weeks ago, I found this treasure that I want to share with you.

Mothers Day, 1998

My Mom is really great, in a special kind of way,
She lets me do a lot,
Which is more than my friends can say.
I love my Mom with all my heart,
Because she loved me from the start.
With my Mom I'm very fond,
Together we share a special bond.
Since I was a baby, my Mom put up with me,
Even through my terrible twos,
My Mom I did not lose.
From four to seven, independent I grew,
I didn't always say how much I really needed you.
Now I'm a teen, with me you have not a doubt,
Until I brought home a boy, you said,
"Define going out!"
No matter how old I get,
I know you'll always be there,
So now I'd like to tell you how much I really care!
I love you, Mom, Happy Mothers Day
Love, Aimee

I wish I could've found the box that had the poem that Sarah wrote for me in kindergarten. Back then, she perceived my as 18 feet tall and weighing a huge 30 pounds!

I remember when Joleen was little, about 4 or 5, she drew a picture of me, complete with a HUGE smile and all my teeth! She even colored my teeth yellow! That Mother's Day card is also tucked away in a special box.

The first Mother's Day that we shared with Deana came a very short while after she came to live with us. She was attending the Upland Head Start Preschool. She made me a bouquet of flowers on construction paper with macaroni that had been dyed.

Now, even though I've never been the "mother figure" in their lives, Sherry and Michelle never forget to call me on Mother's Day to acknowledge my presence in their lives. It makes me feel good.

I have 23 years of fabulous Mother's Day memories. From my very first one in 1983 to today, 2006...Thank you girls. I love you.

This is my inspiration for happiness...

BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY

2006-04-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you love spring???

Simply Smitten - Easter Sunday

2006-04-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

smile!!!!
MMMMMM!
Where's that egg?
Deana's new do...
Not a little girl anymore

The Best Years of my LIfe...

2006-04-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

With my 42nd birthday having just passed, I've taken some time over the past few days to ponder over life in my forties. Can I just tell you that, so far, these have been the best years of my life. Since turning 40 (or slightly before that), I accomplished so much (not in any particular order) We've graduated two of our girls from high school and have had the honor of watching my them marry the men of their dreams. I've overcome and learned to manage an illness that made a huge attempt at debilitating me. We've gone into business for ourselves, and against all odds, are keeping the door open! We've gone into a phase of life where things are available financially that never used to be. We've turned the ugly duckling house on the block, into a beautiful home. I've lost 35 pounds (and gain a few back!), been going regularly to a gym now for almost 2 years! Have gone down from a size 16 to a 10-12 and pretty much stayed there. I started my own stamping business (a craft I never had even tried before) and still teach classes, host clubs and workshops, and make all of my own greeting cards. I re-taught myself to crochet, and boy, have I crocheted! I actually completed one of my promised scrapbooks (I hope to get the next one done before I'm in my fifties!) I've very much enjoyed watching Aimee grasp onto her future as a nurse. (although sometimes it's a ittle hard to bear as her Mom with the stress and everything). I've really been proud to think somehow I've had a little something to do with Joleen's artistic ability. (A little?) I've watched Sarah grow from a little girl into a beautiful, compassionate, young lady. We are still experienceing the growth of Deana as she learns to accept life and live it. The visits with her are getting more and more enjoyable and hopeful for her future with us. I really enjoyed serving at church; especially in the aspect of worship. It is one of the highlights of my life. There have been sad times too. Letting go of my girls as they embarked on their new lives as wives. As hard as that was it wasn't as hard as letting Joleen go away to Oregon for school That was hard! Yogi's death and the whole experience was seriously traumatic. Having to decide to send Deana away for help was particularly difficult. Sarah's accidents (her wrist and her face) I could have lived a lifetime without experiencing. Living through the family stressers like with sisters and Dads and things like that were difficult to bear at times. In looking at it all, there is one common denominator....God. He, in all his Glory has been faithful in holding me up through the hard times and rejoicing with me in the happy times. I love my new church and love serving our Lord in it. After more than two years of church stress and stagnant living, it really feels good to be in a place where we can actually do God's work again. Best of all, I have a great marraige. I was so lucky to marry my best friend. Brad and I are experiencing a oneness that I could not have imagined earlier in my life. I know I have God to thank for that as well. I truely have enjoyed watching him grow in his walk with God. Anyway, I am so blessed and so thankful and I just wanted to share that and say thank you for all being a part of my life. I love it and I love you! Happy Birthday To Me!

{got ya}

2006-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

spring has sprung!
xo,
joleen

BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY

2006-03-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Now, that's beautiful!!!!!!

CATCHIN' UP!

2006-03-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I did take these pictures to share, so even though they're late, they're here! The boys have finally decided to share resting space. Here they are on Buster's pirch on the back of the sofa. I think they're part cat.

Here is Aimee's surprise bday party. She almost got us, though, when we thought she was going to leave after she discovered we had surprised her! The game we played was hysterical! Aimee really got into it!

These pictures are from our birthday celebration for Joleen at Downtown Disney. We had a grand time. She had a little bit of difficulty blowing out her candles, though. For some strange reason, they kept re-lighting themselves! (Imagine that!)

Finally, here are some recent pictures of the boys. They sure get into a lot of michief. They're shown sharing a chew toy...NOT! It's a piece of firewood that they stole.

I promise to try to get the next set of pictures out before they're 3 weeks old! (maybe)