Love is Life

What the heck?

2011-01-04T14:21:00.003-05:00

I totally suck at keeping up with this blog. It seems like now that Facebook has come into the picture, all my photos go on there...but then I am not writing, which is what I love to do! I am completely embarrassed at how long it has been since I blogged. So much has happened. The girls are getting big and I am finding out more now than ever, why everyone warned about teenage years. God help me! Ahhhh...but Katelyn is a beautiful young woman. And I am completely blessed. Meagan never ceases to give me a lack of laughs. Between Katelyn making the same air headed comments that her mom makes and Meagan just being goofy, they definitely put a smile on my face.

Vacation!
We have officially put a deposit down on our vacation...you know, the one I have been talking about planning for at least 5 years. Yay! We are going...no matter what. Our trip to Disney is planned for April of this year.! I did say the deposit is down. Don't know how to pay the rest of it yet, but I believe it will happen and it will! Hell or high water, we ARE going. Katelyn will be 14 and she isn't going to want to spend time with mom and dad here shortly. LOL

We were able to spend some much needed time with family through out the holidays but love it when we spend time outside of that together. I have a brand new niece! Jessica had her first baby on December 1st! Josey is absolutely beautiful and we are so thankful for a healthy baby and that Jessica did well and is doing well. I think we have enough nieces and nephews for a boys and girls softball team now.

Shawn and I are doing well. He is always busy at work and is thankfully done with the football season for right now. Unsure as to where football stands for him. Will he have time this next year? He worked really hard this last summer putting up a fence out back for horses this next summer. No horses until Vacation. Maybe that's why it finally got planned. LOL

I have a ton of pictures that I have taken over the last year. Just need to find time to upload some of them. We'll see. Maybe that will be incentive to post again! :)

Offically a teenager

2010-04-14T10:10:00.006-04:00

I can't believe my first baby girl is officially a teenager. She turned 13 in Feb. and because that is such a special age, we allowed her to have something special. We took a bunch of girls up to the Double JJ Ranch and took them snow tubing. We then came home and had pizza, karaoke, and a sleepover. They had so much fun and I can't even tell you how much I smiled just watching them all have fun, but specially her. Below is a slide show of her party. I love you Katelyn.

2010-04-14T10:10:00.001-04:00

I am so behind

2010-01-21T06:58:00.004-05:00

Why is it, that I just can't keep up. And even then...I barely have been taking out my camera lately... Geesh. I need to kick my butt in gear.

The holidays have come and gone. Terribly busy but we have definitely had busier. I guess it just seems that with every family party, it kind of drags on. But that's one of the biggest points of Christmas (besides of course celebrating the most important birth!) is spending it with family. And the New Year was calm and relaxing. Spent it over at our friends, where we have for the last 5 years.

December was kind of emotional. Going into the New Year, I sat down and thought about this last year and what I hope for the New Year. Last year, we lost another important family member. Missed...never forgotten. My brother was in a REALLY bad car accident and I thank God that he was able to walk away. It also helped my sister, Angie, and I put things into perspective and sit down for a good talk. Something we desperately needed. Family ties are being rebound. Bridges are being mended. On my side.

Things for next year...

I want to spend some quality time with family members. Not just holiday dinners.

I want to of course pay off some debt. (This is always on my list)

I want to save more for our vacation next year.

I want to get more organized.

I haven't scrapbooked in FOREVER....gonna do this!

Spend more time with Shawn's family (pray extra hard for certain family members going through hard times)

Sit down and decide what Shawn and I foresee in our future this year. (Remodeling/ adding on, horses, property??) What do we really want to do and what can we do?

Celebrate my 10 year anniversary!!!

Spend more quality time together as a family. Playing games, going camping, just lots of quality time.

That's a lot....I better get started. Shawn and I did have 3 of our nephews on New Years Eve. We don't ever usually get them one on one and had a blast taking them sledding. So here are some pictures before my batteries went dead! LOL

Justice in his Spider Man gear. He had us cracking up the whole morning.

I love this picture of Meagan!

Meagan all bundled up!

I like this one of the two of them going down the snow hill together.

Katelyn and Joseph going down on a board together.

Katelyn will be turning 13 in 3 weeks! And I have some awesome pics of something new she tried this year. Will post soon!

Another year has almost gone.

2009-12-19T18:33:00.002-05:00

It seems like I remember always hearing "old people" say that time just keeps going by faster. I had no clue what they were talking about and thought they were WEIRD. I am officially one of those people now. Time seems to be going by faster. And faster. Sometimes so much is going on, I wonder if I will remember it all. Will I remember the little things the girls do that make me giggle? Will I remember how it felt to hold their hand when they were so small? Will I remember how much grief the teenage years are bringing me so I make sure to warn my daughters "paybacks are a pain"? Will I remember that I wasn't always a perfect parent and tried to learn from my mistakes? I sure hope so. But along with being ADD (i have diagnosed myself because I know I am scatterbrained), I feel like we had a lot going on for a few years.

And know that Katelyn has officially linked us in the "old" category (we didn't even get to be middle-aged), I just keep thinking that time IS really going by faster. And when it goes by too fast, do we really enjoy it all? I would like to hope so but I wish I did more. Maybe that is something I will look forward to this next year. I have already slowed down, but now I need to enjoy it a little more. Take a deep breath.... and take lots of pictures for when the Memory Loss really kicks in more. Ha Ha

As a family, we have already had a Christmas party that went really well and starting over the next week, we will have many more. Hope to be posting some pics soon. Both the girls got their hair cut!

Where did time go?

2009-11-03T11:22:00.015-05:00

Jessica and Geoff saying their vows!

And it's official! Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies The last time I blogged, my beautiful sister was getting ready to get married. My laptop is not working right now, which is a poor excuse to not keep this updated. So I will do my best over the next week to post some new blogs.

Jessica and Geoff's wedding was absolutely beautiful! She was the most beautiful bride, the weather was great and they were surrounded by a countless amount of family and friends that were so happy to share in their joy. What an amazing day! Unfortunately I didn't take too many photos. The photographer has much better ones, including ones with me and my very best friend...the one I get to call my sister, Jessica! Hopefully I can get a hold of some of the family pics to put on here someday. Until then, enjoy!

Katelyn with Grandpa Richard (Dick). He was grandma Hamel's best friend for 40 years! Always been a part of our family and always will be.

Three of us bridesmaids...and yes, I am crying! (tears of joy) =]

Katelyn adores her Aunt Jessica and thought she was a beautiful bride. They both look awesome standing next to each other.

Jessica and Geoff dancing to their first dance as husband and wife. She looks so happy! =]

Katelyn, Meagan, and Me (and my five chins!!) I hate how I was leaning back but love this pic. These two girls are my world! So precious.

Unfortunately, our Grandpa Tyler lost his battle to cancer three days after my sister's wedding. This was my mom's dad. He did make it to Jessica's wedding. We didn't know or expect that it would be our last photo opportunity or that it would be the last time my mom saw her dad. I went over to his house the day after the wedding. My girls always seemed to be a "pick me up" for him. He got a good laugh out of Meagan who was his "western" buddy. And he thought the world of Katelyn. If you scroll back to last summer's blogs, you can see a completely different man. Cancer took a toll on his body but he stayed strong until the end. This loss has been hard on his wife Sandy, hard on my mom because they were getting so close to making peace. And hard on me, because I have to be strong for other people, yet miss him too. Here are some pics at my sister's wedding.

My dad, Grandpa, and Uncle JT

Grandpa, Sandy, Jessica, Geoff, Mom

Sandy is his wife. They weren't married for very long. Less than a year actually. But they were together almost 5. He was pretty healthy when they met but little did she now the battle she would have to help him fight. And we only wish they had met a long time ago. She was a breath of fresh air for him. They went on trips, cruises, brought him to grandkids' games, family dinners. She encouraged him to be more involved with family and to do family things. And she was also trying to mend the bridge between grandpa and my mom. She put a smile on his face. God Bless her.

I will update more this week...I promise. But for now, I will leave you with this last photo taken of my mom and Grandpa at Jessica's wedding. I hope as he looks down, he realizes how much he was loved by a lot of people. May he rest in peace.

I'm so Proud

2009-07-24T07:28:00.003-04:00

OK....my little sister is getting married in less than 2 months! And I am so stinken excited. Can you tell? And I am also so proud of her.

I know that technically I am only the sister, but if any of you knew about our childhood, you would know that she is also "my baby" sister. We didn't have the typical childhood and my role was always to take care of her. And I have always completely spoiled her!

Anyway, she has been dating Geoff for quite awhile now. Right around 6 years. At first I thought he was really young. He is two years younger than her. But as time has gone by, he has really matured, became a responsible young man, and has learned to love my girls which was a big thing for me. He reminds me of my dad sometimes, which is maybe why Jess loves him so much.

He loves sports and the outdoors and when we go over to their house, he has no problem initiating a game of ball with the family outside. He'll be pitching while my girls are hitting and all the rest of us are basemen, with the exception of mom who also hits.

He makes Jessica happy. And the most important thing...he loves her. I know this by watching the way he looks at her. He adores her. And she loves him so much too. The way she talks about him, it's like they just started dating. It's just....admirable.

And they made sure to get their feet on the ground. Good jobs. Bought their first new home. Now get married. Maybe in a year or two...have some kids. She is doing everything in the right order, which is so not what I did LOL.

This weekend is her bridal shower. And I am so excited! Even though she has ruined a couple of my surprises Ha Ha. But I know that this will be the only time I will be doing this for her and I once again, can't help but spoil her.

I am so grateful to have such an awesome relationship with someone so wonderful. We are completely different but she is my Rock! And I am hers! We know that no matter what, we have each other's back and we support each other probably more than anyone else does. I am so happy and so proud of her. I can't wait for her wedding...God I hope I don't cry!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-06-29T15:05:00.007-04:00

Before the sun went down.

We have had a few nice days and thought we would take advantage of the sun. Growing up, I lived in California and Florida and then up here and no matter what, I have never been very far from water. When I lived in Florida, I swore I wanted to grow up and be an oceanographer. Even on a bad day, it seems to be what can help calm me down. Just sitting by the water and listening to the waves come up, close your eyes and just relax. My girls love it too. Some of these were from last night when I took the girls for some fresh air. The others are from earlier in the week when we took the dogs to Duck Lake.

Katelyn

Meagan

Meagan and Katelyn (notice the mitt and ball in Meagan's hand=] )

Meagan and Katelyn

Just being goofy

Listening to the water like her mom.

I love it!

the beautiful sunset

I like the birds in this shot.

Here are the pics from us taking the dogs to Duck lake.

Shawn and the girls.

Without the bunny ears
Meagan throwing the "dummy" for the dogs. It was about 90 out this day, so quite refreshing for the dogs and the girls.

Awww!

Now I need to get my butt in gear and catch up on some scrapbooking!

Kids say the Darndest things!

2009-06-01T14:33:00.003-04:00

For a quick giggle. Most of you know that between the rain and all our water in our yard, the mosquitoes are horrible. We have been bringing in fill sand and I just got some spray for our grass. Plus I bought some "dunks." I have two daycare kids that I take to school everyday and on the way, we roll the windows up and down trying to get them out. The other day Andrew and Derek are swatting away and it gets quiet. Derek all of a sudden says. "Ya know what...I only like vegetarian mosquitoes." I laughed so hard. Me too, Derek, me too!

Take me out to the ball game.

2009-05-08T16:46:00.007-04:00

Meagan had her first T-Ball game of the season this last Sat. but I have been so busy, I haven't had time to upload pictures. She loves the game so much. And her cousin, Justice, is on the same team as her.

Meagan
Justice

Swing batter, batter, batter SWING!

Run!

Keep going...

Good job and yup, her pants are crooked

The day was just beautiful so we ended up at the driving range. I have never swung a "real" golf club before and after 3 swings, decided I would leave this up to Tiger Woods and my Meagan. She swings so much better than me. I would rather take pictures.

Swing!

Here goes Shawn with a swing.

This does not surprise me. I knew there would be a horse somewhere in this post.

I love my kids. They make me laugh.

Our Meagan

2009-04-14T14:17:00.007-04:00

I didn't forget to blog her birthday...I was just so busy. Our Meagan is a hoot. She had her 8th birthday this last Friday, April 10th. It's one of those awesome, happy, sad days. If that makes any sense. I love birthdays. The memory of that day going into labor. The fact that I was high risk because of my delivery with Katelyn but willing to try again. Shawn and I went into the hospital to get a check on the monitor and see if they were going to admit us. We were supposed to be at Charity's house for Pop's (Shawn's dad's) birthday dinner. Obviously we were late. I told Charity to not tell them in case they didn't admit us. I didn't want them to get excited if we didn't stay. No sooner had they decided to admit us, and I was going around another corner (doing laps), Shawn's parents come busting through the doors. First phrase...."I knew you would be here." The next thing I knew, I had Shawn on one side of me and his dad on the other walking the halls and doing laps with me. It was funny. Sue was there too but was visiting a niece that had delivered a few hours before me. Then my mom and sister were called. We didn't call anyone else this time because last time I had over 20 people there. In case this went bad, like the last delivery, I didn't want to scare too many people. I had to have an epidural because of the procedure we were going to have to go through...and no...I will not give details here. Just that I didn't feel too much after that and decided I LOVE those things.

I was watching the clock and thinking there was no way that I was going to have this baby on Shawn's dad's birthday. Then at one point after 11:30, they told me that I was dialated to a 10. How the hell did that happen? Again...gotta love epidurals. The said at any point I would feel "the need" but to let them know so they could get the doctor. I told them to get him, she was coming out. It was a completely funny moment because I am so focused on the clock. I had my mom and sister telling me to "slow down, deep breaths, (fearing for a delivery repeat). And then I had Pops on the other side telling me to "Hurry up". I seriously started laughing. As I was waiting for the doctor to come in, the nurse is telling me to stop and I am still looking at the clock. There was no way I was stopping. And she arrived....11:59 p.m. Determination. I looked over at Pops and said, "Sorry I didn't have time to get you anything for your birthday. This is it." Sue laughed.

So Meagan's birthday is a great day. But it is also sad, because we miss her PaPaw. But she knows she shares this day with him. She had an eventful birthday this year. I took both the girls to the Frederik Meijer Butterfly garden. I had never been there before. It was some nice Mommy time.

"Butterfly Meagan"

The girls together
Meagan

One of the beautiful many butterflies

My mom and Jessica came over along with Sue and JT for a dinner at our house the day before. We colored Easter Eggs all together.

Meagan coloring her eggs.

Meagan with Aunt Jessica

Granny with Meagan

Grandma Robin, Uncle Geoff, and Katelyn

Shawn didn't have to work on Good Friday, so he started Meagan's B-Day with Katelyn at the gym. Then took the girls to the driving range to get their swing on. Thanks to PaPa Jon, Meagan has had her own set of clubs for about a year. You think it's nuts that an 8 year old loves to golf, but she loves it!
Then while Katelyn and I had an agenda, Shawn took Meagan to go ride horses. Yup...of course. We finished off the night with a local Hockey Game, where the Lumberjacks kicked butt. And then she got up the next morning to do some birthday shopping with Granny. She had a busy birthday.

Now it is that time of year for T-Ball to start up. And she is so excited.

Things about Meagan that you may not know:

She loves all animals, especially horses. I swear if she doesn't work with animals when she gets older, I don't know what she will do.

She has the funniest fake laugh ever.

She LOVES her big sister. Yes, they can nit-pick and fight, but when it comes down to it, she adores Katelyn

She doesn't like school and will often say her tummy hurts. If she only knew it gets worse.

She loves sports. Some of her favorites are golf, baseball, basketball, bowling, and of course riding. And we go to the football games. Will be going more now that Shawn is coaching again.

She rides the couch like she is riding a horse. Yup, with her harness and everything.

She is a total Daddy's girl.

She has recently gotten a DS and loves that thing! And loves to watch movies. Just hide the Patriot if she comes over. She loves it, we just think it's a little too much for her.

She loves to make "camps" to sleep in out in the living room.

She loves spending time one on one with family.

Meagan has the best hugs....literally will squeeze you to death.

Ahhhh, I love this girl.

And then they're gone.

2009-03-09T08:13:00.002-04:00

OK, first I will start off with the fact that I am totally bummed right now. It took me forever to get used to using a digital. I love my 35 mm. But I love having a digital now. You can get rid of photos that you don't want plus, I don't have pics laying all around. I can put them on a disc and print them when I need to. But when Shawn did the polar plunge a few weeks ago, my camera decided to quit working. I need to take it in and see if it is fixable at all because I hate not having photos to upload on blogger, facebook, or myspace.

I have had somewhat of an emotional week this last week. Lots of memories and emotions going on. I posted pics last summer of my grandpa. He had been fighting his battle of small cell cancer. Throughout this last year, he has been very strong and good. He married his girlfriend of three years, Sandy. She is absolutely wonderful and takes really good care of him. They went on a cruise for their honeymoon, knowing that when he got back, the start of chemo would be happening again. His cancer is back. He is also deciding to put his house up for sale. And I think that is where the emotions hit.

I completely understand selling the house and moving into Sandy's. It makes sense. Why pay two utilities, two taxes, have mail coming to two houses? I get it. But helping pack up things in a house that I briefly lived in but have known my whole life was hard. This is the house my mom and uncles grew up in. The house my grandpa and grandma shared a life in.

To be honest, my mom and her dad have a very strained relationship. I am so lucky that I have a relationship with him. My mom loves him but for some reason that none of us know...he isn't as willing with her. Even my sister isn't that lucky and I feel GUILTY that I do have a good bond with him. And I have prayed. Over and over again. That things (even though not perfect) can make some sort of ammends. Life is short. While packing up the china and cabinet to come to my house, I got really emotional. This is the china that my grandma bought when my mom was little. I went through pictures and found some that I had never seen. Then while upstairs with Sandy, I found my uncle Tony's baby book with his baby bracelet. And the tears came on. Handwriting from my grandma's fingertips (she died when I was three). My uncle's first moments (he died when I was eight). My mom has lost a lot.

I had invited Grandpa and Sandy to our church this weekend because they were having their 20th anniversary deal. I had mentioned to mom that our old pastor was going to be there so she wanted to come. I told Sandy that mom was coming and to let grandpa know. No surprises. Mom sat next to Sandy during this Sunday's church service and then Grandpa invited ALL of us to brunch afterwards. Even mom. No, they did not talk. There was no lovey dovey. But mom and Sandy talked and laughed. Grandpa had a good time with us. And mom thanked Sandy for taking good care of her dad. And she hugged him goodbye. Even though nothing will come of it, it was a good day. One my mom had been wanting for so long and I thank Grandpa for giving that to her. And I pray. God is good. Love is life.

Men???

2009-03-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

Why is it that men lose weight quicker than women? We do all the hard work of giving birth and unfortunately that is where all our weight gain comes from and they lose it quicker, like they work as hard to get it off! LOL...

No seriously, we had our first weigh in challenge and I am down a total of 5.5 lbs. Yay, I am excited. Especially because we are all incouraging each other and I love that. My husband lost a total of 10 lbs. I am happy for him. They way I look at it, we lost a 6 month old baby somewhere. I just don't know where cuz, my clothes still fit the same. Wish me luck this week. I think I will add in the whole excercising thing, even if it is just walking. =]

Challenge

2009-02-26T22:09:00.002-05:00

I cannot ever pass up a challenge. Have you ever watched the show "The Biggest Loser"? I am one of those saps who sits my chunky monkey butt there and watches when they get weighed and cries with/for them. I don't catch this show every week but I have caught bits and pieces. I always get emotional. It makes me emotional knowing that my self esteem sucks and I HATE to go shopping for clothes. That I (unlike my petite sister =]) can't eat whatever I want without thinking about it. And why is it that the stuff that tastes good is never good for you. How fair is that????

So we have a family challenge going on... and it involves a little money. We are weighing in once a week and the person who loses the most percentage is safe. Everyone else pays a $1; not much, cuz we can't afford it and besides, that's not the only reason we are doing it. We are doing this for a start of 12 weeks and the person who has lost the most % at the end, will win the money. So you lose weight, feel better, look better, and get a little cash to buy that outfit.
I think there are about 8-10 of us in on this. Even my daycare assistant. I guess what I am loving about this is the support we are giving each other. I have a wedding that I am going to be in 7 months, so that is motivation enough. I know I can do it, I have before. But I still need the well wishes.... I need to kick my butt in gear. Which mean....off this computer for the night! Love ya all!

My Pre-Teen

2009-02-10T20:02:00.006-05:00

2-11-97

And my baby is another year older. 12 years ago tomorrow was one of the best and scariest days of my life. Best because I found out what my true calling was in life and that was to be a mother. If only we could get paid to be a mom! It was also the day that I almost lost my life.

I remember this day so vividly because I was two weeks overdue and knew they were going to give me Pitocin but asked to schedule it in the afternoon so I could go to college and take my accounting exam. When I left the doctor's office, I walked all the way out to the car and as soon as I reached for the car handle the first contraction hit. Wow, that was fast. Katelyn's dad drove me back to our apartment because who knew how far apart these were going to be. He decided to take a nap. But I was ready.... so I did circle laps in our little one bedroom apartment. And I have heard all the horror stories of "days of labor", so of course I ate my craving of chicken noodle soup because who knew how long it would be before my next meal.

I went back to the hospital and was admitted. I had a lot of family mostly in the waiting room. They were all excited. I think in all, there were about 23 people up there. My family is enough for a football team. I was against anything that could hurt my baby so I wanted to try and go without the epidural. I had the most awesome doctor but he was tall. So when the tables were raised up, the only one that could reach or see my head was my Aunt Linda. I pushed like crazy excited to find out if I would have a healthy boy or girl (I wanted to be surprised). Both my mom and Dori were at the end of the bed with my Aunt Cheryl, who for some reason I really focused on because she was counting with/for me. My sister Jessica was there and of course Tony. Everyone else was in the waiting room. Then she came out... and she was beautiful. They put her up to my head so I could see her and I cried because she was so beautiful. 12:29 a.m.

And then Dr. Reichert told me to push the afterbirth out. I didn't feel the need to push but didn't know if that was normal or not and knew that it had to come out. So I pushed. And Dr. Reichert said, "Oh shit." I didn't think that was a good sign. My uterus ended up coming out and I lost soooo much blood. He tried to push it back in and it was the worst pain of my LIFE. I will spare the rest of the gross details but a surgeon was called. My mom gave Katelyn to Jessica to try and stop her from crying but I remember looking at the fear in her eyes.

I told my mom to please take care of Katelyn and I was off to the surgery room. I didn't even get to hold her and that bothered me soooo bad. I remember waking up and the next thing I knew, my soup was being thrown up in the garbage can. I got to my room about 5:30 am and was surprised that not ONE person had left. They were all still there. Everyone drifted in and out to tell me they were glad that I was OK. But I begged to have my baby brought in.

They brought her in and put her in my arms. I cried. My intention was to take care of her that night/morning in my room, but I was so sore and my stomach hurt so bad. I felt like the worst mother in the world when I asked the nurse to take her back to the nursery because I couldn't even get out of bed when she cried to take care of her. I had to hold pillows over my stomach when I laughed throughout the next few weeks just to help ease the pain.

But I was alive.... and I would get to raise my baby girl. Over the next 12 years, she has grown into a beautiful young lady. She is just as strong as the day she was born. And I am so happy that God gave me this job. Katelyn is smart, stubborn, beautiful, and my girly girl all the way. She is strong and talented, loving and warm hearted. She cries at happy moments just like I do and is willing to help anyone. She loves little children and hugs. She has the biggest brown eyes and the widest smile upon her face. And I am proud! I would do it all over again to have her in my life. My family makes me more complete. Thank you Katelyn for being my 1st baby girl. I love you more than you know.

Resolutions??

2009-01-12T09:59:00.004-05:00

We had a really good New Year. We hung out with our friends at the same place we have for the last 3 years. We play cards and more importantly,...the kids are allowed. I hate the idea of getting a sitter to go to a bar. So here are a few photos of our New Year's.

Me with Katelyn

Me, Shawn and Meagan

Shawn and Meagan

Katelyn and Shawn

It's that time of year when everyone make resolutions. The problem is sticking with them...

So I have decided that I don't like the phrase "resolutions". So here are my hopes, goals, dreams for me and my family this year.

1) For Meagan- I hope and pray that she continues to grow with school. This is very hard for her and she has surprised me by her willingness to keep trying even when something is hard. I am looking forward to her trying T-Ball again this year and whatever else that puts a smile on her face, (which isn't hard to do).

2) For Katelyn- This is an easy one. Katelyn has enjoyed gymnastics for most of her life. Unfortunately since I started this blog, she has been injured and unable to compete. So my blogland friends and family have not seen any updated photos of a young lady who is talented and enjoys this sport with all of her heart. We are used to NOT being home and traveling as a family on the weekends. Seeing us Nov-May was not common. I would love for Katelyn to be healthy and strong enough to begin Level 7 again and see a smile on her face when she knows she has done well.

3) For Shawn- well, he officially put his two week notice in today. He has never quit a job before. So this feeling is leaving him a little uneasy, although he is totally excited and pumped up about starting a new job at Honeywell. This is a company that keeps it employees around for a long time and I don't think we will have to worry about layoffs. I hope that Shawn is happy with this new turn for him and he knows that I support him.

4) for me- I think for myself I actually set a goal. I worry too much about what people think, and have always tried to be a people pleaser. While I still want to do my best to be a good person, I also have to learn not to try to fix everything. I need to breath and just realize that some things happen and that's all there is to it. You can't change what people say, do, judge, and I have to let it go. This is a huge one for me. I am an emotional person.... but I will be so much happier if I try not to carry so much weight. Literally speaking...I wouldn't mind losing some weight this year either. Jessica's wedding is in 8 months...so I've got a lot of work to do :)

I love when smiles are on my face and my families. I am looking forward to a better start than how last year ended. I envision a bright and wonderful year where our family is happy, healthy, and open to adventure.

(Just to throw it in)
A picture of Jessica and Geoff in front of their new house. It's almost finished.

Chrismtas 2008

2009-01-08T22:58:00.001-05:00

Family Pics

2008-12-26T14:57:00.010-05:00

I cannot believe it has been almost a month since I posted. I am soooo super sorry. I don't know where the time went. Oh wait... i do. Not only trying to get ready for the holidays with my kids, but also running like crazy every day. I seriously didn't start shopping until about 3 weeks before Christmas. Usually Shawn is the one Ba hum bugging, but I can honestly say this year it was me. I usually have the tree up the weekend after Thansgiving. It just got put up two weeks ago and I want to take it down before Monday when the daycare kids come back.

This was a sad holiday without grandma. But we still enjoyed the holidays with family. The only thing that we did get a jump start on was our gift to our mom and to our dad. It started off as a group photo for them. It included my family and then my sister Jessica and her fiance, Geoff. Shawn's cousing is just getting into photography and has a little studio set up in her basement. She did this for real cheap! My dad lives in Alabama so we thought of him missing all of us. And for my mom...geez...pictures always make her cry. It's her favorite thing in the world. And that's my intention on Christmas, don't ya know. To be a complete and total sap!
The whole gang!

But then, we have so gotten hounded lately because no one has gotten updated pics of the girls for their walls. The last one I have on my wall was from 2 1/2 years ago when I took my first black and whites at the beach. So we did a couple of those.

And then it didn't become official until about a week after we took these, but Jessica and Geoff had never gotten their pics taken professionally. Geoff proposed about a week after this photo. I am so excited she is engaged! Jessica is so happy and that's all I want for her.
Jessica and Geoff

Me with my honey. Everyone picks on him because when he smiles, you can't see his eyes. I love him like crazy and feel truly blessed.

Here goes some more shots for fun.

Me with my sister and best friend, Jessica.

Another one of us sisters.

Me and my girls....if only Meagan was looking!

Me with Meagan

Me and Katelyn

The girls love their Aunt Jessica.

Aunt Jessica and Katelyn
Aunt Jessica and Meagan

We got one of Shawn and Katelyn. Meagan was done with the pics though. Didn't want anymore of it. :)

Another family pic. Shawn is smiling better in this one.

So now my walls at home are updated too. I will post some Christmas pics soon on here. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a good New Year.

Over the Hill???

2008-11-28T00:38:00.013-05:00

So I didn't forget about Halloween and mom's birthday pics. I just haven't had time to update this blog. But I love keeping everyong updated with what is going on in my boring life.

Katelyn

Meagan

We had a great Halloween. Mom came over and carved pumpkins with Shawn, myself, and the girls. For the first time ever we used the carving cheat sheets.

Grandma with Katelyn and Meagan
Meagan with Shawn
But I totally suck as a mom. We went trick-or- treating at Shawn's mom's. The girls were all dressed up and I so forgot my stinken camera. What mother does that? Meagan was of course a cowgirl, and Katelyn was some evil princess or something. We had the great company of two families with a total of 6 kids and we all had fun.

And then the following weekend, it was time for Mom's big 5-0. Shawn and I don't get out a whole lot. Maybe a few times a year do we actually go where there is music so I can dance. And yes I did say I. My hubby does NOT dance. And if he does... watch out. LOL. But he does go and have a good time and loves to watch me have a good time.

We started off the night with some mexican food at Flamingo's, which is normally very good, but the service just stunk. Mom still enjoyed herself.

Mom and Lil' Jessica.

When we first got to where we were hanging out at, we gave her all her gag OVER THE HILL gifts. This was by far her favorite but there is a story behing it. Every year, for all of our birthdays, she calls us up early in the morning. And she sings. But not the normal "Happy Birthday". She sings the "Today is your birthday. Na Na Na Na Na Na. Your gonna have a good time." We found this little mouse at Spencer's. He is pushing a walker and when you push his toe, he sings that song. She absolutely LOVED it. It doesn't take much to make her happy.

Mom, Jessica, and Nikki

Lil' Jess, Jessica, Mom, and Me.

Me and my girl, Renee.

Me and my mom. Sometimes she can be a pain. But who can't. I think I am sooooo lucky that I have such a cool mom that I can hang out and have a good time with. And that would be there for me in a second if I needed her to. Thank you mom for raising me the best way that you could. I don't think I turned out tooooo bad! Love ya.

Me and my little sis, Jessica. I couldn't ask for a better friend in the whole world.

And for the best picture of the whole night. My love.

I have more photos from that night, but they don't ALL need to be on here. I have uploaded ost of them on Myspace. (Which I said I would never get involved with... whatever).

Mom came over to my house the following Monday for dinner and we did her cake then. Happy Birthday Mom. Hope we made your 50th go as easy as possible, ya old fart! Love ya.

Thankful

2008-11-27T23:54:00.007-05:00

Ok, So I am a total slacker. I feel so horrible that I can not find the time to update this thing. Maybe that's why I haven't scrapbooked in a year. I give full props to my friend, Jen, who blogs almost every day (sometimes twice). I can usually get in a few a month but not this month. And the only reason I have a moment for this is because I have 9 little ones (including my 2) sleeping in a fort in the middle of my living room and it is going on midnight. You see, I don't like to shop. For those of you that aren't aware... I get huge anxiety over the idea of spending money when we are so far in debt. I would rather make it than spend it. I know, every guy's dream. So I put out an offer with my daycare parents that whoever needed me to watch kids on Friday, I would be available. Some of my parents work in retail and had to be in VERY early. So we just decided to do a sleepover. And they are doing awesome.

Today is Thanksgiving. And honestly today was a real emotional day for me. I am so thankful for my husband and my girls. I have the best family in the world who is so supportive. And I have a bunch of friends that I love to laugh with.

So why am I having such a hard day? It's not only the first Thanksgiving without Grandma.

Christmas is right around the corner and I won't have her sitting at my table giving me my jar of strawberry jelly. It's the fact that even though we invited her best friend of almost 40 years, he didn't show up and I felt like having him here was going to be the one thing that helped me get through the day. He has been by her side for every birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas. We are his only family and I don't (CAN'T) lose him too.

And I think about Pops. How much he is missing out on. Or actually how much my girls are missing out on. Will our constant talk of him help them to sustain a memory of how wonderful their PaPaw was?

In the middle of my self pitty party, I have been reading my bible quite a bit. And even though I am sad, I feel blessed, if that makes any sense.

I am Thankful for those that have touched my life every second. Every person affects who we are and who we have become. And I am happy with my life really. I just miss those that are not with us anymore.

I am Thankful for my loving husband, whose arms I feel warmth and comfort in. Who's laugh I long to hear and smile that makes me feel better. And his creative way of fixing things???

I am Thankful for my humor. Or at least my husband's for listening to my crazy comments and laughing his butt off at me. (He got another good one for the book he is going write on my blondness comments tonight) Save it for another post. :)

I am Thankful for my beautiful daughters, who I live, breath, and hold my head up high for every day.

I am Thankful for my parents, siblings, grandparents. Every minute spent together is a blessing.

I am Thankful in Christ.

My crazy Meagan with her peace sign, Aunt Jessica, Uncle Geoff, and Katelyn. And Jessica, you do have a great smile!

Granny and JT, with Katelyn and Meagan.

Me with all my girls. My mom, Me, and Jess. Katelyn and Meagan.
Katelyn on Aunt Charity with Meagan in front.

I REALLY love this photo of these two. Happy Thanksgiving!

Somehow going through the photos of tonight has helped me feel better. Thank you for letting me feel however I want to feel.

May God Bless everyone with the upcoming holidays.

How time goes by.

2008-11-05T12:55:00.005-05:00

So last week, Shawn and I had been together for 11 years. Married for 8, but together for 11. In this day and age, that's hard and I feel happy with our time together. Like everything in life, you have good times and bad, but we can honestly say the good times far outweigh the bad.

Since Katelyn has been in gymnastics, it has been a long time since Shawn and I have gone away for the weekend, or even a night. We sold our house on Hilton Park (we actually signed the same day Grandma passed away). So we absolutely insisted on saving a little bit of it to go away for the night.

We normally always used to go up to Traverse City for our anniversary in May, but haven't in 3 years. I love it up there when the spring hits. To go up by the vinyards and the lighthouse. We have our favorite restaurant. Everything. Once I find something I like, I don't like to change. Change scares me..... seriously. But this time, I wanted to live on the wild side. I wanted to go somewhere we have never stayed before! I know.... whoooo hooo exciting.

Valerie, my daycare assistant, told me about a hotel in South Haven. Called the Lake Bluff Inn. It's right on Lake Michigan. I used to live in California and Florida. Everywhere I have lived has always been 10 minutes from the water. Even up here in Michigan. I love water scenes and just the calmness of it. So after calling and checking on prices and saying "Whatever". They only had one room left because of a wedding going on that day there. I thought about it and said why not. How often do we just splurge on ourselves.

So I called back and they told me the room had a lake view and a jacuzzi tub. Okey Dokey.

Book it before I change my mind. Shawn, the awesome person he is, just let me do what I wanted.

So we pull up and it is an absolutely beautiful little (not just a regular ritzy hotel) but homey kind of and with a wonderful view of the lake..... from someone else's room. We could see the lake when we walked out to the bluff. We had to giggle. And then the jacuzzi tub.... don't let your minds go crazy.... it's not one like at Holiday Inn where we can both fit in. Nope, it's in a regular size bath. Ya know. The ones that everyone has a hard enough time fitting in anyway. Now I am saying "whatever". But what do you do. You make the best of it. And that is what we did. It was still a beautiful hotel. Don't get me wrong. Just next time, it won't be all booked so I can point to which room I want with the awesome view and the balcony. If only I could live with a scenery like that everyday. Awwww. How relaxing.

We ended up going to their downtown area where they have all kinds of shops. The thing is I hate to shop. I know.... not a typical woman. But we enjoyed walking in and out of the shops, then went out to dinner at a very good restaraunt. We walked down to the pier trying to catch the sunset but it was too quick for us. We did get some nice photos though.

Thank you, Shawn, for 11 years together. I am so blessed.

Blessed

2008-10-23T06:24:00.001-04:00

I really don't think there are any other words I need to say than 'Blessed'.

Lewis Field Trip

2008-10-17T19:14:00.008-04:00

OK, I know I way over did it on pictures here but honestly, I still have a lot that I didn't even post. We just had so much fun. I can't help it. !

This is in no way, all my little friends. I actually had three families that couldn't make it. This is my girls and just a handful. All the rest were running around with their families. We had a total of about 14 kids along with all the parents.

Oct. 11th, was a much better day this year compared to last year. Last year, it was drizzly and rainy and we couldn't go to Lewis' Farm like we wanted. We did end up having fun at Crazy Bounce though. And I do say "we" because my parents and I had just as much fun as all the kids did jumping on all the stuff. We all have photos. It was a blast.

But I was so excited to plan a Lewis trip again this year (with a plan B in case of weather) and glad that we could go. I usually do a daycare trip during the week but opted this year to do in on a weekend day. I thought by doing this, most of my parents would be able to come without taking time off of work, and could watch their kids having fun.

Josiah with his sister, Kaitlyn. Their brother, Nate, is in the background.

This is one of my favorites. Angie with her two boys, Michael and Tator (Nate.)

Meagan feeding the camel, Jeffery.

The weather was perfect. I did a group party, so the kids got wristbands to play on the jumping pillow, the pumpkin jump, the blue train, a cup of food for the animals, and a ticket for the hayride. Even though my husband swears it's not a hayride because there is no hay. They actually call it the Apple Express and the kids get to go for a haunted trail ride through the apple orchards. Our price also included pizza, cupcake, and juice. I swear if anyone has fall birthdays for kids, this is the place to go. I have known about Lewis' for 4 years now, thanks to my wonderful assistant, Val. It's my favorite place to take the kids.

Meagan, by a pony. Go figure. LOL. Katelyn's hair having as much fun as she is.

Meagan's smile says it all.

Sarah having a blast.

Our friend, Ric, brought his three girls. This is his oldest, Emily.

His other two girls, Claire and Isabelle.

Jessica and Chloe on the blue train ride.

Katelyn with Jessica.Meagan picking apples with her daddy.

Meagan is such a daddy's girl.

Meagan (with Katelyn holding her up high enough for the picture)

My beautiful Katelyn

Great turn out. Great time! The day we did this, it was also a big thing on the radio stations. I was glad that we got there when we did. By the time we left, there were cars up and down the road. It got insanely busy. We could have been there all day but 4 hours was enough. Can't wait to go back though. Just to get pumkins to carve. And maybe some of their baked goods.

Have I told you how lucky I am to have all my parents and daycare kids. They make me love my job. Pony party in the spring!

Moving On

2008-10-13T13:17:00.006-04:00

It seems like forever since I have last updated. So much has happened.

For those of you that knew my grandma was sick, thank you for your prayers and constant thoughts. It was a very exhausting few weeks and as much as I miss her, I am so glad she is in a much better place. Praise be to God.

Thank you to everyone who came to the visitation and funeral to offer compassion and comfort. Thank you to everyone who couldn't make it, but still took the time to send a note, card, E-mail. It is very much appreciated. There are some pictures of her on one of my posts a couple of times ago when we had a family dinner.

In the middle of all that chaos, I was also trying to help my partner and friend, kick off our business. 123 Vinyl. It didn't go the way we wanted, but have gotten a lot of positive feedback since then along with orders! Yeah! We did our first race car, some real estate stuff, and even got to do the new hours decal for Family Auto. Plus we have a few Words for Walls that we need to get done this week. So we are getting really excited. It has been such fun and I couldn't do it without the great partnership of Renee. We make a great team.

Old School and New School if ya know what I mean!

This was actually at Lewis' Farm for my daycare picnie. More pictures on that later.

On a personal level, it has been a very hard month for me. I mean I feel like I do OK putting on that smile and I look happy, but I feel so drained. For the first time in a long time, I have built a couple of strong friendships ( I know I have lots of friends). But my best friends have always been my family and I love that! I don't know what I would do without my constant BF- AKA Sister Jessica. And now all of a sudden I am reaching outside of the family circle and finding common interests with people I get along great with.

Straight out- this has cost me my relationship with my other half-sister, "friend" Angie. It sucks, but I have gotten to the point that I realize that I'm not all that bad. I am not perfect. I am scattered brained (can we say ADD), but that I have a big heart and can love many people. And I am OK with moving on.

I am not judgemental because I get along with almost anyone. And I know how to make everyone laugh at me :) a lot. :)

I don't know where I am going with this, but just please pray that as I time goes on, I am not so angry about this. I just need a place to vent.

Here's to my girls, Tammy and Renee. Thanks for being there.

On a good note, I will have a post of our daycare field trip soon. It was awesome. The weather was great and we had so much fun.

Remembering a Father

2008-09-15T10:33:00.006-04:00

Robert D. Cook "Pops"

One of the greatest fathers I have ever known. (I know many)

Sept. 16, 2002 - One of the saddest days of our lives.

When I first started dating Shawn, his family was so welcoming. His dad picked on me A LOT. It's very easy to do if you know me :)

Shawn said that his dad always picked on people he liked so I knew that he Loved me. He was a very good family man. Worked a lot when his kids were younger, but still took the time to go on vacations, field trips, ect... And he was a GREAT Pa Paw. His grandkids were everything to him. He always had a way of pointing his finger that showed how he wanted things done. And he was talented. So talented. He loved gardening, photography, woodworking. He knew how to get in there and fix things himself.

Memories that I miss:

1. Camping. Pops and Sue would load up their camper and go camping. Our family, Charity and her family would all tag along. The grandkids riding their bikes. Making hobo pies. Even family and friends would come up and visit.

2. Going to show my family 3 wedding dresses that I liked sooo much and couldn't figure out which one I wanted. Bob went and picked one off the rack and I remember thinking, "What is he doing? I already have the ones that I liked." I pampered him anyways and tried it on. It was my perfect dress! How did he know?!

3. Going up the hospital daily and visiting him during my lunch. After once occasion my hiccups were gone and I said, "Yeah, my hiccups are gone. Knock on wood." He asked me to come closer and knocked on my head. Gotta love his humor.

4. It took Shawn over a year to convince me that a jackalope was real. (No, I didn't believe him at first). So at a Labor Day dinner, I made a comment about how they were real and when Pops said they weren't, I told him "Yes they are. We have one hanging on our wall." I don't think I have ever seen anyone laugh at me so hard before. I am suprised he didn't pee his pants.

5. Or when their camper had central vaccuuming. I am really blonde. My kids watch Disney. There is this movie called the Smart House where all the garbage sucks into the carpet and it cleans the house really fast. For it being an older model camper, I was surprised that it had this awesome function. Bob went right along with it when I told him how cool it was that their camper had this ability. Stop Laughing!

My time with him was shorter than some people were fortunate to have but it was just as important. I remember sitting next to him on the couch and just giving him big hugs. And then I think about my Meagan being born on his birthday by 1 minute. Hence, her middle name Faith. I think about him playing Patti Cake with her all the time and the last time she was in the hospital with him, he sang and played that with her, while I stood behind Uncle Mike with silent tears coming down my face. Him asking if she could walk yet. Stubborn stinker walked two weeks after he passed.

I think of Katelyn, Joseph, and Jake who had a little more time with him but were still very young. Will they remember what a great Pa Paw he was? Will they remember him building them a playhouse and not quite having it finished before he went to be with God? We will never let them forget.

His last morning, this great man was surrounded by a room FULL of family that loved him. His last breath was when his wife, son, and daughter were leaned over him telling how much they loved him. God's Grace.

Here is a poem I read at his funeral that I wrote:

What is a Father?

What is a Father?

It's more than a word.

The meaning is felt,

more than it is heard.

It's watching your kids grow

and play in the sand.

Wanting to always help them

and give them a hand.

It's walking your daughter down the aisle

on her wedding day.

Watching your son run

another football play.

A good father is someone

who will always be there,

always watching over us

letting us know he cares.

As time passes, you children

have kids of their own.

Then it's your grandchildren you adore

and always want to hold.

And whether their names were

Katelyn, Joseph, Meagan, or Jake,

it was laughter they would bring to you

and smiles they would make.

Please don't be afraid to look down upon us

and let us know you're there.

Whether it be by the sound of silence

or the wind blowing in our hair.

You always showed compassion.

Not only to your family, but friends.

Our love for you will always be strong.

We will never let it end.

As you look down from above

and watch over your loved ones,

please know we will always love you as

a great father, papaw, and husband.

Missing you dearly and forever in our hearts. Always with love,

Shawn, Jammie, Katelyn, and Meagan

I love my jobs!

2008-09-13T22:48:00.019-04:00

Shawn and I were taking a drive and drove by open fields with tons of deer grazing. The orange sky was beautiful. I had to lean over Shawn out the window though :)

There were a ton of deer on this field too. Every outdoorsman's dream. My husband didn't care if he was stopping the car behind us. I can't nag....I got out of the car for this pic. Beautiful!
I love my daycare kids and their families! I am so stinken lucky to have the crew that I do. I recently went out with my camera and just got some silly shots of them playing outside.

My buddy, Peyten

Little BFF's Jessica and Chloe

The kids thought they would do me a favor by using sidewalk chalk to decorate our logs.

My beautiful Meagan off in la-la land.

All my boys, all tuckered out. Nate S., Colby, Trenton, and Derek

And then I decided to do a daycare picnic this year. I have never done one before and thought it would be a good idea. Almost every family showed up. Even Kennedy and Reid, who I don't have anymore. At the end of the day my mom came up to me and told me how proud she was of me. I asked why and she said, "Because all of these parents love you and appreciate you and that makes me proud." I almost started to cry. I always think about how much I appreciate all of my parents that I don't think about how much they appreciate me. But I know they do. I get little love notes and they tell me all the time. I am so lucky!

Josiah on the swing with his dad and sister, Kaitlyn nearby.

Jessica all smiles.

Kaitlyn and her daddy, Mike.

My buddy, Reid. I miss him sooooooo much.

My princess, Paige. Her daddy bought mommy a baby and put it in her belly. At least that's what she tells me. LOL. :)

Brooke playing with Meagan and one of the twins in the water.

Katelyn brought her friends, Molly and Masiey (sisters)

I may be a little biased, but I do believe I have the most beautiful girls in the world. Katelyn's smile is worth a million bucks.

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of all the kids. I was busy playing hop sack races, egg spoon races, and a ring toss.

I usually do a at least one field trip a year with my group. I like to go in the fall to the pumpkin patch. Last year, we ended up at Crazy Bounce in Holland, due to weather. My parents better be lucky my blog wasn't going then. I have tons of pictures, mostly of them having just as much fun as the kids on everything! It was a riot.

Because I am low on kids right now, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do a field trip. I asked my daycare families to help do a fundraiser, selling subs to earn money for our field trip. The family with the most sales was going to get a Chuck-E-Cheese certificate. They did an amazing job! Raising $500!!!! Everyone got a little something for helping out.

So we have decided to do the fall field trip to the pumpkin patch with the whole works. We also are buying a storage cabinet for the back room. And we get to put money away for a pony party in the spring!

In case I haven't said it enough, I love my parents and their kids!

I will post photos of our field trip when we go on Oct. 11th.

And now for something else.... I have officially started a new business. 1-2-3 Vinyl. I had ordered some vinyl lettering for my wall. Shawn and I are always thinking of how we can earn some more money to get out of debt. And I thought... I could do this. I started looking up equipment, supplies, and Shawn cornered one of my daycare moms (ya know... the ones I love so much) and asked if she wanted to be my partner. The next thing I knew, we had a DBA, a machine, supplies, donated office equipment, and are working on a website. We will be mostly focusing on the words for walls, decals for vehicles, tiles, ect... but have also gotten an in on some possible real estate signs, decals for high school football teams, and lettering for jerseys. I am excited about this new adventure and am so happy to be sharing it with someone I appreciate so much.

If there is anything you are interested in, please E-mail us at 123vinyl@gmail.com or call me (231)766-3873.

We will be hosting our own vinyl party at Renee's house on Sept. 27th at 2:00 if anyone is interested. And wish us luck!

This is like what we will be doing (this is the one I ordered off the internet)

We are still building our website (so don't mock it :}, it will be done soon. And if you are reading this, thanks for caring about what is going on in our lives. We love ya!

Girls Night Out

2008-09-13T22:21:00.008-04:00

It has been a few weeks since I posted. This summer has been extremely busy for us so I am making some time to add a few photos of my girls night out!

I don't take time for myself that often. It's usually all about the girls. Shawn gets to spend time with his uncle golfing every Thursday and he has guy time once in a while going to a football game or something. And as much as him and I need a date night (really bad), I also needed my girl time.

So I called up my sisters, my sister-in-law Amy, and my mom and said let's go to dinner and bowling. And let me tell ya, even on a Wednesday night, when we all had to get up early the next day, we had a blast! It was much needed talks, laughs, smiles, and time together. Thanks girls. Love ya lots.

Angie (closet bowler-LOL)

Mom and Jessica

Me and Angie!

Me and Jessica (and my third chin!)

Jessica, Mom and Me Amy and Angie--These two actually closed down the bowling alley that night. Rebels!

Amy, Mom and Angie- Mom had to get in on the shot.
We ended up having a lot of fun that night. I am so lucky to have wonderful people in my life and these are just a few. Lots of love to my sistas!

Fun in the Sun!

2008-08-25T07:16:00.008-04:00

Time to catch up!

A few weeks ago, we had some family come stay at our house and camp out with their 5th wheels. We hadn't taken the girls to Michigan's Adventure in 3 years, so they were really excited to go.

Meagan riding a motorcycle with the biggest smile on her face that never leaves.

She can't wait to get her driver's permit :)

Katelyn on one of the many roller coasters she rode that day. I think this one is Zac's Zoomer. She is getting to be quite the dare devil. I got to ride the new "Thunderhawk", which I absolutely loved. You have to try it. Katelyn and Shawn were in the front seat of that one.

My cousin came with her family and brought along her husband's brother and their family. It was perfect because they had 3 girls right in the same age range as Katelyn and Meagan. Absolutely polite and they got along soooo well.

Here is a picture of Meagan with her new friend, Morgan. This was right before the rode the elephants.

This is Dumbo, right? Meagan having a blast.

Our new friend, Morgan.

By the time we got into the water park, Meagan was pooped. She started to doze off on Shawn for a little bit.

Here is a picture of Shawn with Katelyn and Meagan.

For most of the day, Katelyn was with Shawn on all the big rides, so I didn't get many pictures of her. I got more of Meagan. But luckily when we got into the water park, I was able to snap a few of Katelyn.

I don't get many pics with the girls because I am always the one with taking the pictures. It was definitely a sunny day as you can tell with the sun streak behind us.

Meagan trying to make a goofy face. She cracks me up all the time.

Another picture of me with the Katelyn and Meagan.

This picture says it all. I love these two girls more than anything in the world. And for the most part, this is how they are with each other most of the time. They pick on each other occasionally but love each other more than that. Katelyn is such an awesome big sister. Although if Meagan keeps growing, she may be taller than Katelyn really soon. LOL.

All in all, Michigan's Adventure was a very good day, with excellent weather and we had an awesome weekend spending time with family and meeting new friends.

Then the following weekend, we went over to Shawn's mom's house for dinner. It has been a long time since it was just a small family dinner over there and the kids enjoyed spending time with their Granny.

Meagan with her friend (one of my daycare kids), Sarah. They spent the weekend with us and I love this picture.

Meagan with Aunt Charity

Katelyn with daddy.

Katelyn with her two cousins, Jake and Joseph.

And I actually have more photos of this last week, but I am running out of time and will save that for another day. Just a glimpse into our busy summer

Family

2008-08-11T23:10:00.008-04:00

I know that I should be getting some sleep, but my body just seems to let me stay up way to late. I get up extremely early but you wouldn't believe how tired I am in the morning.

I have been spending some time with my Grandpa Tyler lately. It is something I haven't done a lot of since my Grandma Sharon passed away. Grandpa and I have always had this type of relationship that no matter what, him and I are always OK. We always have laughed, talked and had a good time.

Not everyone gets to have that relationship with me. Not everyone gets to have that relationship with him.

Distance.... I don't know why when someone passes, it is hard to reach out. You do for a minute and then you feel sad. I remember walking in his house for the first time and crying. And it had been a while since Grandma passed, but that didn't stop me from thinking about her and crying. Well, anyway, Grandpa was diagnosed in the fall with cancer. Got scared, upset, mad really quick. What the heck? He was always the healthy guy who NEVER got sick. He since has gone through treatments and is still undergoing treatments but is doing much better. His energy is up. I invited him and his girlfriend, Sandy, to my birthday bash and they came.

Ever since then, we have been staying in constant contact. I have been going over there with my girls to visit, swim, hang out. And he is getting to see a different side of their personalities for a change. Him and I have talked more than we have in a long time. Something that you don't realize you miss, until it slaps you in the face.

We took the girls over there and for the first time, and after much influencing, Meagan got fully in the pool. She was throwing the ball, making quacking noises (which is now an inside joke between her and grandpa), and truly had a good time. Katelyn always loves the water. She is getting much better at swimming under the water.

Eventually, they talked Sandy and I into getting into the water, which meant no more pics because I couldn't get the camera wet, (not that I would want my bathing suit pictures on the web...trust me...it ain't pretty)

And Sandy has taken to the girls as well. We found out that Sandy lives right across the street from where Meagan takes her riding lessons every other week. Katelyn and Meagan are enjoying this newfound family time.

Shawn with Katelyn and Meagan

Meagan. I am so happy that she is getting more comfortable with being in the water.

Meagan and Katelyn with Grandpa

Playing ball.

Grandpa smiling

Not that they lack family time... my sister (Aunt Jessica) just had her big 2-6 last week. We always do a family dinner with Grandma Hamel and Dick invited so we have some photos of that day as well.

Meagan wih Aunt Jessica

The house, the house, the house is on fire!

Jessica with mom

Geoff with mom

Me with Jessica. I am usually the one taking he photos. Happy Birthday.

Jessica with Great Grandma Hamel and "Grandpa" Dick

I didn't get any pics with Grandma and Dick at my birthday, so we made up for it now.

Mom with "Little" Jessica. For those of you that don't know, Lil' Jess has been a part of our family for over 15 years. She is our "sister", spending many birthdays, holidays, and other functions with us. We wouldn't have it any other way.

The Gang! Me with mom, Jessica, and Little Jessica.

Jessica and Geoff
Even though I love family, I don't feel that I ever spend enough time with everyone or I don't get enough photos to capture moments. It seems that busy schedules can get the best of us, especially when you have kids. So my plan is to capture photos of the girls with other aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents soon. These are memories that I don't want forgotten. Plus, my other dad is coming in town and the girls haven't seen him since Christmas last year, so we will definitely get some photos with him

Family- embrace the moment, remember the times, never forget the memories.

I'm Alive!

2008-08-06T22:39:00.008-04:00

Here I was doing awesome at updating this blog... and then summer got the best of me. We have been so completely busy that I haven't had a chance to sit down and work at this. Even though my lack of sleep is getting the best of me, I do have some cute pics.

The Muskegon 4-H fair was a couple of weeks ago. And of course we had to take the girls. Meagan and Katelyn had a hay day seeing the animals.

And we couldn't go without jumping on the moon walk.

My all time favorite photo of that day:

We also let the girls have some friends spend the night that following weekend. Usually when one has a friend, the other one does too. It's sooooo much easier that way!

Katelyn with her friend, Skylor, in the water. Skylor does gymnastics with Katelyn.

Meagan and her friend, Marissa.

I absolutely love this picture of Marissa. It would be awesome as a black and white.

Katelyn and Skylor

And then, whether they are in the gym or at the park, they still act like monkeys.

When I do daycare, it's not just watching kids and making money. I really get attached to my little friends. Throughout the last 5 years, some have had to leave. Last week, we had two different days that we had visitors. Thomas and Kali are up from Georgia for a visit and I was able to have them spend the night and play with all their old friends. But my two were the most excited because they miss these friends very much.

Katelyn with her friend, Kali.

Meagan and her "dad" Thomas. When they were here, my gosh, these two were inseparable. After I uploaded this photo, I noticed her shirt that says "Nacho Girlfriend". Funny.

Then I can't forget a picture without the 4 of them together.

The next day, Kennedy and Reid came for a visit but I didn't get any pictures. But I will. We are having a daycare picnic in two weeks and some of our old, along with our new friends, will be going to the lake/park for a picnic and games. That will be a lot of fun and I can't wait.

I do have other photos that are dear to me over this last week, but that will be for my next blog... soon. I promise.

I also am thinking of starting another side business venture. I haven't decided yet and have begun to pray about it. So please keep me in your prayers that this may be something fun, profitable, and exciting for me to do on the side. I will keep you posted on this.

God, thank you for my family, friends, health, and happiness. I am thankful for what I have.

Just Imagine

2008-07-21T22:30:00.004-04:00

I don't even have any pics for this part of the post.

I had this moment tonight that I sat back and just truly thanked God.

Shawn came home from work to fix the car and I still had daycare kids. Meagan's horse lesson got postponed because of a fair, so we decided to go to the lake when everyone left.

Mind you, I don't dare put a suit on anymore. But we have this quiet spot on Duck Lake that you have to go down a bunch of stairs to go to. There really isn't a large beach or anything but we can take the dogs down there and throw "dummies" for them. Very rarely is anyone else down there.

We do this several times a year but haven't made it down there yet this year. Katelyn started to lose her fear over water last year, but Meagan is still a little hesitant. She hangs out on the shore.

I am watching as my husband is letting the dogs get some much needed excerise and the girls are laughing. He is playing with all 4 of them and I am wishing like heck that I had a camera to capture this precious moment. It's one of those moments that everyone is truly happy. They are laying on dad's belly and back as he is swimming around, yelling, "Get me, Get me." And nothing but giggles. It's them hugging on him and swimming to him for guidance or safety. And I watch as he gets Meagan out to him to put her little arms around his neck. I watch as he picks Katelyn up who is giggling to throw her into the water.

And I thank God. I thank God that I can appreciate this moment when so many times I let little things get to me. I thank God for our health and happiness. I thank God that as a family there are times when I don't know if we spend enough quality time together and this moment comes.

I pray that as the girls get older, they remember these little moments. That they never forget these little things that may not be Disney vacations but just love on the beach.

I did manage to get some photos a few days before of God's wonderful creations. Here are a few.

This is one of the sky after it got done raining right before the LoneStar concert.

Here are two pictures of one of our does that has gotten really comfortable out back. She walked right up to the deck almost and Shawn grabbed a couple of pics. She always comes around during the day when he is at work.

Thank God.

Girl Time!

2008-07-21T22:00:00.005-04:00

One of my awesome daycare parents, who is also a really great friend, Renee decided to take me out for some girl time last Friday and we went to see LoneStar at the Gerber Festival. It was truly a very good concert outside with beautiful weather.

The next day, we went to Renee's house for a pig roast. One of my former daycare parents who now lives in Georgia was there. I was so excited to see her. It was a lot of fun and we all had a good time. I then got to take 4 little girls home and make a camp in my living room. But here are some pics of our fun.

Me, Renee, and Kari

For those of you that don't know Valerie, she is my daycare assistant, my right hand, and a true friend. I don't know how I would do it without her.

Meagan with Kari

30th Bash

2008-07-14T15:23:00.001-04:00

Turning 30- To be or not to be- that is the question!

2008-07-14T14:49:00.003-04:00

OK,
I hit the big 3-0. And I didn't go gracefully. My birthday is actually July 2nd. We had a few people over on that day and mom only had 29 candles. I figured that was God's way of approving the fact that I would be under 30 FOREVER!

So anyways, Shawn told me about a month ago that he would have to work a bunch of overtime and that I would have to hang out with family on my birthday. I could see right through that lie. Then he wanted to add onto the deck and when I told him we didn't have the money, he said, "Look, I am throwing you a surprise party for your birthday, so I want to do this." Way to cover dear. Blew that one.

So, I did what any wife would do....changed the date, got my invite list together, and totally planned it. With some family and friend help.

I was absolutely surprised by the amount of people that showed up. I missed some that I was looking forward to seeing though. Maybe soon. Shawn had some friends from work smoke fresh hams, chickens and made me a steak! Gotta love him. We had tons of food, with the help from friends and family. Shawn's sister, Charity made two awesome cakes.

Ms. Pat had a horse party up this way, so she ended up bringing Nick and gave all the kids rides. My mom also snuck a ride in as well. The kids rode the cars down the driveway and even though there aren't many pictures on the slideshow of the car event, those of us that were there late ended up racing and riding down the drive as well. Totally against my normal sober, "You are too big for that car, Get off!" Whatever!

Jammie doesn't let loose all that often. It goes against my whole good mom role (dont' even laugh, I can wish if I want to)..... so see for yourself and beware of the pictures that pop up at the end of the night. Isn't it funny how the camera comes out more after you've had a few. Lots of friend, family and fun. I had such a good time and loved hanging out with everyone....until 3:45 am!

Thanks to Shawn for working so hard on the house, even though he wasn't feeling well at all this week prior. I hope everyone that came, had fun and if you missed it, You MISSED it.

Just wish that I would have gotten more pictures of those that came.

Thanks for the fun!
Lots of love,
Jammie

4th of July

2008-07-08T14:10:00.013-04:00

Happy 4th.
OK, well it's actually the 8th, but I am always a few days late when it comes to blogging. I have to squeeze in the time.

For the 4th of July, we went to Whitehall. Perfect. I took the girls last year when Shawn was working but we went to a different spot. The kids played at the park for the longest time and we were right on the water for the fireworks. Shawn (who is always ba- humbug when it comes to crowds), actually was thinking of making it a half day next year. Cooking out and stuff.

We have been working our butts off on the house trying to get some odds and ends done before my "surprise" birthday party next week. (SHHHHH). When I finally washed the paint off myself, I told Katelyn to get dressed. She always wants to get dolled up and I told her that she would be smart to wear pants or kapris, because we were going down by the lake. But of course, we have to look our best and she wore a skirt. I did manage to get her to grab a jacket.

Well, when we got down to the park, she saw a set of bars calling her name. She hasn't been in the gym for over a week due to holiday shut down. She begged us to walk back to the van to see if there was by chance a pair of shorts in there.

So while Shawn was walking with her, I stayed with Meagan. And got some pictures of her playing. Then one of her best buds from school came running up to give her a hug.

Her and her buddy Madison.

Meagan playing with the bars.

And...of course she finds a horse. LOL

So Shawn is gone for a while and comes back with Katelyn, totally changed into a whole different outfit. Yeah, he went all the way home so she could play. I bet ya next year, she might listen to mom's advise on wardrobe... She is glad that dad loves her so much.

So she starts spinning around and around the bar like 10 to 15 times each time she hops up there. No I am not exagerating. Shawn is standing there with the biggest grin on his face. I consider it showboating. He says, "We pay for it, might was well get our use." Parents and kids alike are just sitting there staring at her. She was in her glory.

Twirly whirly, here we go.

And then as much as she doesn't want to smile at mom with the camera, I get her to give me one. Isn't she beautiful?

Then I get a shot with Shawn, Katelyn, and Meagan.

By the time we got home the girs were tuckered out...at least one was. The other, my night owl, was still wide awake.

All in all, a great 4th of July. I am so lucky and grateful. Now wish me luck with the weather for our pig roast this weekend. I hope it doesn't rain. The mosquitoes seem to be thriving at our house, no matter how many bug zappers, yard spray, or fogging we do. Bug spray is my perfume of choice.

Just for laughs, speaking of mosquitoes, last year I was looking for more octenol for our mosquito eater and a bug zapper. While at Menards, a worker told me that they decided they were "inhumane" and quit carrying the zappers. Are you kidding me?! Is it humane for them to get a blood donation without my consent! By the way, Lowes and Home Depot carried them last year. We now have 2.

Thanks for keeping posted.

Jammie

T-Ball 2008

2008-07-05T13:35:00.002-04:00

OK, it won't let me add words to the slide show, so we will do two seperate entries.
Meagan's T-Ball season has officially come to a close. I am so glad she found "her thing" this year. She actually likes all the tom-boyish sports like baseball, basketball, golf, ect... I know she will be a sport junkie, like her dad.

Meagan had a blast with T-Ball this year. She totally amazed Shawn and myself. She went from being in a wheelchair a year ago after having surgery to running around, hitting the ball and surprising everyone around her by how well she did.

Many family and friends came to her last game. Meagan was so excited because she got to play against Andrew and Derek. For those of you that don't know Andrew and Derek, they have been going to my daycare for 4 years and are truly her good buddies. She rooted for them just as much as her own team.

We couldn't have asked for a better coach than Coach Wall. He has made comments that he won't be coaching next year, which is a bummer. He worked well with the kids and had lots of patience. He also said that Meagan smiled the whole time and he thought she did great!

Below are pictures of her getting her trophy, family, and her just plain having fun.

Meagan's last T-Ball game 2008

2008-07-05T13:28:00.001-04:00

Giddy Up!

2008-06-19T22:50:00.011-04:00

For those of you that don't know, Meagan loves, lives, breathes horses. I can't even remember how it all got started but it has been Meagan's "thing" forever. She has always been a huge animal lover. I don't care what it is (I have pictures of her with baby racoons), she absolutely thinks animals are the coolest thing in the world. For the most part, Meagan is always my big smiler, but you put her with a horse and that's it. At about 3, she got some cowgirl boots and a few toy horses. Then it turned into getting a toy barn and about 30 more horses. When Aunt Jessica comes over, they have to get the whole set up out and it takes up my whole living room.

For Christmas, Santa got her a red lead rope and a harness. He's already getting her equipment because he knows some day we will probably end up with the hay burners. We've already cleared about an acre's worth of trees out back. Just can't afford the darn things right now.

So we have been going to Ms. Pat's for about a year. Ms. Pat says that lots of kids like horses but that Meagan has the "itch". It's not ever going to go away. LOL. Ms. Pat and Meagan are buddies. She gives Meagan lessons about every two weeks for a very reasonable price. $15/hr. They usually end up going riding together. Ms. Pat sits behind Meagan and then lets her control whichever horse they take out. When we get back, she usually lets Meagan have some arena time.

We now have begun going to Ravenna (I know... don't even say it) for their monthly auctions.

First, you never buy a horse from an auction. We just go to have a look. Some of them are truly beautiful. I was tempted enough to actually get a number last time. Do you think they will let me post date a check for 2 years?

Second, Meagan thinks it is work because if she brings her helmet, at some point Ms. Pat might put her on a pony out in the middle of the ring to try and help sell the horse. She literally says that it is her job.

What's sad is that Shawn has now become obsessed. One Sat. we had no kids and figured we would have a date night. It's been forever. Where did we end up? Ravenna. Somehow I feel I got the raw end on that deal!

Meagan's whole room is horses and if you look at our couch, there is one poor spot that she puts her Pooh blanket on (it's supposed to be a saddle blanket. She then puts her lead rope and harness up there. And notice the helmet sitting on the couch. She rides the stinken couch like she is running a race. And if you are actually watching the Kentucky Derby...forget it! Poor couch. This is actually how she left it tonight when she went to bed.

Here are some pictures of this week's riding lesson.

Meagan in the arena. She loves to have control of the horse on her own...if only she would stop laughing to actually do so. I swear she gives Ms. Pat a heart attack.

She gets to laughing so hard, I swear she is going to fall off.

Katelyn gets to go about once a month so she can learn how to take care of them as well. She didn't have her lesson this week, but wanted in on the photo op.

Ms. Pat showing Camanche some love.

PS. We had someone walk through our other house that's for sale and she really liked it. She is calling on Monday to check on financing. Pray for us Wish us luck!

Dance Recital

2008-06-15T02:04:00.001-04:00

Let's Dance, Dance, Dance

2008-06-15T00:21:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year again, where all the hard work and dedication pay off in a mind boggling two weeks between rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and three shows.

I have been so busy that my new hobby of blogging seems back row at the minute. So it's is after midnight and I am excited because I have newer photos to put on here. Katelyn was supposed to do Girls on the Run a few weeks ago but hurt herself...again, so she wasn't able to participate. She is all well and better now.

So, back to dance. For those of you that don't know, Katelyn has been in dance for 7 years. Yup, 7 years. She started off having one costume a year, then it went to two. One year, I think she had 4 costumes and sometimes the changes were so quick she was behind the curtain with clothes flying everywhere. This year, she slowed it down a bit and only participated in a ballet class so there was only one costume. She also took her ballet exam and moved up to level 2, which is a lot of hard work. But when it was all said and done, she was telling me on the way home that she really wants to get back into jazz and tap, along with ballet. Here we go again....

Play Ball

2008-05-15T16:55:00.014-04:00

OK. My first real entry, with pictures. I am just writing to myself right now, cause Lord knows I am not giving out my address till I know how to use this site. I see all these pretty backgrounds and everything on everyone else's pages. How the heck do you do that? I figure the more I mess around with it, the more familiar it will become. The thing I like about the blogs is that it is different than the online photo album. People don't check that much to look at new photos, but I will still keep that updated because you can order photos off that site if you want. With the blogs, it's like a diary of what is going on in your life. Plus current photos.

So everyone knows that Katelyn has been in gymnastics...forever. At least it feels like we have paid for it since birth. I mean, it's just her college education that we're spending. No big deal.
Meagan has always supported her sissy in the best way. She does an hour gymnastics class once a week. It's good for her feet and strengthening, but honestly, Meagan is not a good gymnast. I am proud to say, we have found something Meagan totally loves AND is good at. We signed her up for T-Ball this year. We still have to work on fielding a little. She is getting better at throwing. But the girl has hand eye coordination and can let it rip without the T. I think she is just so excited to have people there rooting for her. When she gets to base, she always looks and gives her thumbs up, as if to say, "I know....I did good." It is so stinken cute.

She is #7 in the bottom on the right.

Her bat says "Girls Rule"!

It's in these little moments, that I realize how precious they really are. I want to remember the silly reasons why I giggled at them and the cute moments I just watch in amazement.

Technology

2008-05-14T14:24:00.000-04:00

OK. Everyone around me has started blogging. From Katelyn's teacher, to family, to daycare parents. So why am I always the last one to get started with these things? I don't like the whole myspace thing and have decided that this will be a nice way for everyone to keep in touch and know what is going on with my family. We also have our online photo album but I can't promise to be like a weekly blogger or anything. My husband, Shawn, would give me such grief if I was on my laptop all the time. What he doesn't know....LOL
I am a happily married mom with two beautiful daughters, Katelyn and Meagan. I run around like a chicken running them everywhere, which can be exhausting, but I wonder what on earth I will do when they are old enough to be on their own. How will I stay busy? Daycare kids!
They keep me on my toes from sometimes as early as 4 or 5 am. But I love it.