This is just a bit of what I'm doing today...

I'm also dealing with this fussy girl and trying to clean, to get a head start on the weekend.

I've been poring through this Creating Keepsakes magazine today...

I am, in no way saying that I will have Jillian's abs in 30 days but this is the new DVD that the kids and I have been doing. She's tough on Biggest Loser and she's tough on this also! I love it!

I'm also enjoying this Uppercase Living art that now adorns my desk area wall (up above the window)...thanks to my friend, Stickers (thank you, Nicky)...isn't it cute? you should check out her blog and click on her link to Uppercase Living stuff...

I'm also reading this book, here and there, which Stickers told me about...I've never read an Agatha Christie book...it's interesting but I'm not much for "whodunit"...plus some of it is in French. probably really important stuff that you are supposed to catch, and so I'm kinda lost.


This is a cool metal lizard wall hanging that I found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond this week...we may keep it, we may not. it is so us. and there are 7 of them. going every which way. perfect.

All in all, it's been a relatively quiet day, just doing around the house stuff. Our pool is in need of some attention as well, I noticed. It's turning green...even though it's been chlorinated...so I'm vacuuming it between blogging, Mollying, exercising....hoping to get a leg up on it, keep it from swamping out on me. Aren't you glad to know all of this? well, you asked (by showing up here)

David got our new couch today, so when the ol' boy shows up tonight, we will switch our current one out for it...Tom is taking our temporary couch...

I'm sorry, really kinda mushy right now...Jillian's trying to kill me.

Time to mow...happy Friday, folks.

More where this came from...

Washing the cake off at E's first birthday party...

When we lived up in the Great North Dakota...E was 2 mos. and Will was 18 mos. ahhhhhhh!

Autumn 1999

had to throw this sweet little reminder of Melanie in here as well...she has the same color hair in this pic that Molly has...

10/97...rascals

like I have said many times before, you can see who is more laid back (and apparently modest) here...E = exhibitionist

This might actually be where E. was introduced to sword play...our good friends, Vince, Janice, Megan and Emma, had this full armor of God set at their house...alas, E's love of all things weapon was born.....

Hangin' out in MI with Pa and Uncle Andy...back in the old days before Andy welcomed his own little set of boys...

Ahoy mateys...Pirate play...Heather, this really is what you have to look forward to...it's in their blood (or so I've been told)...they are lots of fun though. and yes, David knows his glasses were so cooool. (thought I'd get that out there before Stickers jumped on that one too..make yourself vulnerable and she smells it) :) see I'm smiling... that means I'm in therapy to cope with it.

~~Thanks, Stickers, for your encouraging words yesterday..."You WERE frumpy"...feelin' the love over here and feeling really good about myself...In hindsight, I'm really glad that I didn't totally stick my neck out there and put some even better ones on there. I'll save those for another day and obviously another friend. :)



~It was kinda neat to see my mom get all choked up when looking at yesterday's post. Not that I like to make my mom cry, but ya gotta understand, she is not emotionally easy to read...she didn't cry at my wedding (yeah, get outta here punk) and I think the only reason she cried at Becky's was because it cost so much. She isn't one to cry at a birth (she leaves all this tomfoolery to ME)...so when she said to me yesterday that these old pics of my boys were going to make her cry, I jumped on this bandwagon. Plus, it's fun to go back in time and remember these little dudes, how cute they were, fun, blessed, and how much I took it for granted. and I did.

I'm listening to the Steven Curtis Chapman CD (This Moment) right now (I did NOT plan this) but it's on a song about Moms...how we change the world one little heartbeat at a time...and how, even though we are home with our kids (or not), we are investing in the future. such a worthy calling to be a mother. I remember vividly as a youngster being asked by this relative or that relative what I wanted to be when I grew up, and replying "A mommy"...(and occasionally one of them would say "Is that it??")...but I had the best mom to want to be like...she gave us every bit of her and I thank you Mom! and Dad, because I know it was a struggle and your efforts allowed for mom to be home with us...and I appreciate every effort you made and continue to make for me! I love you guys!

Wow...someone is emotional.

Ok, just so you don't wonder and think something's happened to #4 and #5...they are fine...Molly has some Hand, Foot and Mouth illness goin' on and Levi is Levi but I figured I would focus on the 3 big ones for a minute or two. Give them a little spotlight!

Hope that your Friday and 3 day weekend are out of this world...We are going up to Holland MI on Monday so there should be some photo opportunities involved there...Later taters

Little brothers & Frumpy mommas

Will welcomes a lifelong playmate in February of 1996...E. was 2 days old here. He was really a pretty baby.

two men and a little lady

notice the gun in E's paws...he just looks rambunctious, doesn't he? and Will? always so conscientious....don't ask me what the child seat deal is here...they were probably in those funny little booster seats...it was 1998, I was sleepy I guess.

cute, troublemakin' boys! watching Mr. Rogers.

I think this was my 26th or 27th birthday...it was a good thing my kids were cute because I wasn't. I think they sucked it all outta me. What was up with my hair?

some cute boys...attached at the hip

let's try to keep 'em contained in this wagon

I've obviously got nothing recent for a post today...so in digging through old pictures, I found all these from our past...I had a couple more to post but realized just how frumpy/dumpy I was back then. Not that I'm so much better now...but some of the things I wore, the way I did my hair, ack. blahhhhh. shooey. I couldn't even bring myself to post them today...

Enough of that.

I am so thankful that Will and Ethan have each other to grow up with. Yeah, sometimes they are aggravating, bickering, fighting, doing the things that brothers do...but the good outweighs all the weird, bad stuff. Will was 16 months old when his bro showed up...and they've been best pals since!

He ain't heavy, he's my brother! (I love that old song).

Hey, how's your Thursday going?

Check out David's blog...I posted some more pics over there last night...

http://awesomefloors.blogspot.com/

Have a Wonderful Day, now ya hear?

Happy First Birthday, Nora Bean!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday, dear Nora, happy birthday to YOU!!

Becky's last pregnant moments...glad and thankful I got to share in that! Whatta blessing!

Welcome, Nora Jean...we are so glad you are here!

Nora, you were kind of a runt...but what a cute runt!

whatta moment

Piper was either quite unsure of this new person or just tired at 7 am!

Most of my parents grandkids

Molly was a beast in comparison. Sorry, Nora, that we laid you two out like this so often in your first year. It was fun to compare sizes and such...you two have evened out quite nicely

like I said...

Bumbo baby

Playing football with Phil H. you being the football

bright eyed bugaboo

hopefully that reddish hair will stay!

hangin' with Uncle Tom

Ya gotta love the nickname bestowed upon Becky's babychild. Darn that Nora Jean. too easy!

I cannot believe that this child is ONE! I know I say this a lot. Time is going by toooo quickly.

One year ago today, Becky & Scott welcomed their 2nd daughter. She was born at 3:55 am, weighing in at 5 pounds, 11.6 ounces...she was the skinniest, reddest baby I had ever laid peepers on...blonde hair, all Cunniff...So teeny tiny!

Can't wait to celebrate your birthday this coming Friday evening. I know we are meeting for some pizza tonight also, in honor of your actual BIRTHday!

We love you, Miss Nora! So glad Mollsy has a little built-in playmate. Much to your chagrin.

Whew!! I thought I had deleted my pictures!!

This girl loves this boy, usually.

Scott & David got to eat at the Princesses table!

Miss Molly is walking more and more every day...and becoming a little more fearless (watch out, she climbs on EVERYTHING! reminds me dead-on of Will at this age...but I'm so much older now...whew!)

Scott and Beck have this great big chair...so Uncle Frank & Uncle John, being close friends for the past 40+ years, decided it was ok to snuggle!! (hee hee - love ya, uncles!!) I'll call this picture "Snuggle Bunnies" just to irk them!

A rip-roaring game of Apples to Apples...always a guaranteed good time!!

Dad said the salsa was good...yes, folks, he was making this expression on purpose. The best pic that I took of him is not on here because he threatened me and told me not to put it on here...and since he's one of my blog's biggest supporters, I acquiesced!

Grams & Melly

Uncle John & his better half, Aunt Darlene, though he doesn't refer to her as Aunt.

Poser!

Aunt Nan & her main squeeze, Francisco...aka Uncle Frank...but Francisco is so much more fun to say (see "Elf"..."Francisco, Francisco...oooo that's fuuuun!")

a good portion of the males in my family...

Molly & Nora...what more can we say...they are at such "challenging" ages...and ooo, that reminds me...today, Miss Nora is ONE so I must blog her!!! check back later! Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Aunt Darlene with one of her favorite nephews...Thomas

David and his LAST child.

Mom, did you ever know that you are my hero? This toddler pushed, pushed and pushed ALL day...climbed onto things, under things, and finally tuckered out. a resounding sigh was heard all over Lake Tree Ln.

Aunt Nan is always such a good, fun sport...We asked Uncle Frank to pose on his sweet ride..The Chrysler 300...ya know, like the calendar girls on hot rods? He was embarrassed but his wife IS not! We love you, Aunt Nan! You Rock!

He came around and wanted a piece of the fun!! Way to go, Uncle Francisco! You kids are lots of fun! Thanks for making the trip down! We had such a fun time with all 4 of you.

I was deleting a rather obnoxious picture that my sister had taken (u know which pic I speak of, dontcha Beck??) and instead of just deleting that one picture, it deleted all of my pix from Sunday. So, Tory, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post tonight....I had every intention of blogging when I should have!

Our visit with our family yesterday was again, so nice, and memorable. We met at Beck and Scott's house in the afternoon for grilled to perfection steaks (moo), B's homemade mac n' cheese (yum), corny on the cob, veggies, fruit, dessert repeat from the night before...A memorable time was had by all. Thanks, Mom & Dad, for supplying all the groceries we ate and thanks, Aunts and Uncles, for taking the time to come visit all of us! good times, good times.

So far this week, although busy and trying to work off some of the delicious food we ate all weekend, we've been pretty productive for us. Kids are doing their instruments, schoolwork(though we have to kick our own butts this week to get where we need to be, according to our principal), exercise and so on...and today, I am planning a trip to Saugatuck/Holland, MI for our family this coming holiday weekend. A nice, quiet day! Hope you are having a nice, quiet day also! I'll be back with Nora later!