Welcome:

Hello there!! Welcome to our family blog. We are thankful for the friends and family who have prayed for and supported us through our many life adventures...We hope that this blog helps you to feel connected even when we may be far away!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Happy 30th!!


Happy 30th to my wonderful Hubby!! Today he has entered his 31st year and fourth decade of life! (I'm only sharing this tidbit of info because I heard this for a week before my 30th birthday!)

My love
Adores the LORD
Trustworthy
Tolerates my moods

Hottie
Energetic
Witty


Honey, I hope you have a great Birthday! We love you!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Nothing like a older home!!

After two weeks of being in our new home, we are well overwhelmed with the tasks set before us! We have been blessed to be able to accomplish one so far...the electricity. We were without electricity for two days (only for eight hrs. each day) so we could be "upgraded" and improved. We have also come to assume our home has three ages. First as a small first floor ranch, then as a cape with two dormers added to the front of the roof and one larger roof area added to make two bedrooms and a bath upstairs, and finally, an addition with two smaller bedrooms upstairs and a family room (we're making it a dining room) off of the back of the home. Along with the three stages, also come three different kind of walls (plaster, drywall, and hardboard) and three ages of windows. The oldest windows remind me of the home I grew up in (which was built in 1861 and torn down in 1992).

Don't get me wrong...the charm and character totally outweighs the tasks but knowing that we somehow have to find the time and the means to accomplish them is very overwhelming for my Type A personality. I know it can be done...many of our friends (military/with kids) from VA can testify to that!

We have some photos of the new place and the kids...I will do my best to get them up as soon as I can...but I cannot promise anything! I'll probably do it during one of my "I need to rest" moments!

Hope you have a great weekend! Please let us know how you're doing!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Eleven more days

until we are in our new house! There is some excitement and yet some hesitation with the new home! I am really looking forward to living in our own space, just to have our children in their own rooms!! The kids have shared a room together ever since Daniel was about twelve weeks old. For the past four months, they kept each other up at night. Daniel has been crawling out of his pack and play for the past two weeks. Due to our current hotel quarters, we only have a small space between his pnp and a bed (at this hotel, it's our bed). Therefore, he uses the bed to pull himself up the side of the pnp and just makes it a game for about an hour each night. I am so tired of it...I get so frustrated and mad. When Matt is away, it just worsens. I don't know how single parents maintain consistency, or even sanity!

During this time, I have really thought about whether or not we should have more kids. I get so frustrated w/ the two we have, I don't know how I'd do with more! For those of you who have more than two, please tell me why it's good to continue growing our family??

Well, I'll stop w/ my frustrations. I will leave you all w/ my life verse that I must constantly remind myself of: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil. 4:13

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Fourth of July

Happy fourth of July! Hope you had a great day with your family! We had a good day! We got to enjoy our first of many family cookouts at Matt's Auntie Tina's house! They have cookouts three times each summer! They are great! Matt and the kids got to go swimming with Matt. They all had a great time.

Last night we spent the evening with our niece Sarah so that her parents could go to a wedding. We had a great time with her. Sammie and her are so much alike; our time is usually spent encouraging the two of them to be more loving and giving with each other.After Sarah and Daniel were down for the night we got to watch the great Boston Pops and fireworks (on TV)...the bonus was RASCAL FLATTS! Sammie was so excited to see the fireworks. Sadly, she fell asleep five minutes before they started! As soon as the fireworks ended, Matt joined her in dreamland.

Lord willing, this will be our last holiday in the "midst of transition" for at least a couple of years. We had to move into another hotel on Thursday so that we wouldn't have to move three more times at the other hotel. We had already moved twice there and I was just not willing to let them shuffle us around two/three more times! It has been great to be near family but doing so in a hotel has been an adventure in itself...realizing what a family can and cannot live with! Look out Yard Sale!!

Have a great fourth weekend!


Friday, June 27, 2008

LIfe Changed again...

well, it's been quite some time since our last blog...we no longer live in va. we now live in ma. what a change! we are in the process of looking for a home and Lord willing, will have the answer on monday. we have put in our sixth offer on five homes. this last one was accepted and we're awaiting the home inspection on monday. i will do my best to keep all of you posted on it. since we're in temporary housing, my to do list is much smaller...not as much house cleaning and limited laundry time since we have to use a laundromat...can't do that while Daniel is napping.

matt is adjusting to his new job and working hard. for now he has the same work schedule--every other friday off but after we move, he may change that since his commute is longer and we won't have to travel to visit family as much. we will be living about 15 mins from my sister-in-laws house and about an hour from the parentals. Therefore no more need to figure out trips to new england and pa, just pa and va...much easier to do in one trip!

don't have pics to put on right now, but maybe someday will be able to do it!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Family Fun!!

What a great weekend! We visited Becky's family in Perry Co, PA. We arrived on Friday after a five hr. trip. The kids did pretty good. We were very excited to see our family. The kids are not able to see them very often...maybe twice a year or less.

As we were unpacking and settling in for the night, Matt and I realized that we left the kids suitcase home. Thus, we had no clothes, shoes, pull ups, or diapers (and Daniel was in the last one from his backpack, aka diaper bag). So at8:30pm, we head off to Wal-mart in Lewistown...40 miles away. It was a nice "mini-date" however, it was snowing & raining so the conversation in the car was at a minimal! I must say it was fun to pick out some clothes for the kids and not feeling bad about getting them!!

On Saturday, we had a great day! It is always fun to be at the Lodge and just hang out. Thanks Ron and Evie! Matt and I were able to ride ATVs, and thanks to my cousin Matty, I was able to ride along for a jump! How fun! Sammie and Daniel of course loved all the attention as well as the dogs!!

Matt was able to feel like a kid and spend time playing on Josh's Wii. I think he spent a good half of his time playing with my cousin's boyfriend. I was even asked how it felt to be single again...but he had fun and that's what matters!!

I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to my cousin Chris for organizing all the meals! She is a chef by trade and she shows it every time! She not only planned but also brought over half of the food with them. It was great! Back to my weight watchers I must go!!!

Well, it was a fun weekend and I want to thank all of my family for taking time out of their schedules to hang out with us! It was great!

Love you all!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Catch Up Time!!

Once again, it's been over a month since our last update! I hope people are still reading this thing!!!

Last month, Daniel turned One year old!! We had a great time! He got his first haircut that day. He did really well, until Mommy started to trim the back. He is quite the little man now! We celebrated his day by having a small group of family and friends over for a cook-out! We were blessed to have all three grandparents as well as Aunt Vicki here for the celebration. (One of these days we hope to have all Aunts and Uncles, and cousins, help in celebrating their birthdays!)

When we opened gifts, I think Sissy and friends had more fun than he did. He didn't really want anything to do with opening them! He just sat back and watched! The gifts were great--clothes, books, toys (what else can a one year old ask for!). He has four walking toys yet still prefers to crawl! Don't rush, Daniel!! Take your time!!!

October has been a good month. Matt and Becky celebrated their sixth anniversary on the sixth. We waited until Sunday to truly celebrate! All four of us adventured to Colonial Williamsburg for a three-day trip! We almost never get going on time for trips, and this one was no different...we left two hours later than planned. I was so thankful that this drive was only a couple of hours! When we get to the hotel, they had a difficult time finding our reservation. After we had settled into the room, we ventured out for dinner...looking for something authentic. Well, it was definitely a college town b/c the most authentic we could find was a pizza/sub shop. Nope, can't do that. Sammie can't eat there and I just could not stomach that in hot weather! So off to Friendly's we go!!

On Monday, we got up and headed out an hour late...so much for punctuality! It's really heard to give kids meds when you're on vacation! We ended up not getting into Colonial Williamsburg until lunch time and we were so thankful to find a nice place to eat! Chownings...outside eating...it's great! Pulled pork sandwiches and grilled chicken salads (It was so big, I could not even finish it!) Now we are filled and ready to go...we just wondered around a little bit and saw a few things on Monday.

On Tuesday, we got there two hours earlier and had a game plan of what and when to see things! It was really nice! My favorite parts were the New Hope Plantation...the smell of tobacco in the shed as it's drying...what a wonderful, memorable smell (my dad was a tobacco farmer) and the weaver. The weaver did a great job involving Sammie in the presentation. I hope she remembers that for a long time!

Over all we had a great time and really enjoyed getting away just the four of us. We rarely get to do something like this so when we do, it's great! The kids did really well. I am really looking forward to going back again...maybe without kids this time!! (Hint! Hint!)

We have also battled with sick kids! They both had strep and pink eye just before we left on our mini-vacation. When they were finished with their medications last week, I had them seen for a recheck and I'm sure glad I did! Sam still had strep (fourth time in four months!) and Daniel with an ear infection! They are both doing better now. We had a recheck visit today and no more strep! We are officially strep free!!!

I would like to thank all of you for praying for Sammie! Lord, please watch over them and give them good health over the next few months!

The first picture is of Daniel with his first birthday gift and a week before his birthday. Note the hair cut! He looks so grown up!!



Here's a picture of our sweet boy when he was just one month old! How time flies!