Picking out books

A few years ago I started keeping all the ad's that came in the mail after Halloween, the kids enjoyed going through it and "dreaming" out loud. If I need a distraction for them from boredom, or fighting, I can put the ad's in front of them and tell them to find the things they want on their Santa list. It works great, and is a lot of fun for them, I will stop at Toys r us and grab a couple of their "big book" at Christmas, since they only send 1 in the mail. If I give them an envelope and scissors; even better!

Ethan is now getting book order forms at school, and this has been an opportunity to let him circle some things he wants, then I go through and narrow down one or two (he's usually circled the ENTIRE book!) but it's sure fun to DREAM.

Let the birthday's begin......

Spencer and Uncle J


My Hopper. 16 yrs old! He is SUPER handsome in this picture.


I let Ethan put the candles on the cake, you can sort of tell, but he put them on, took them out, put them on, took them out...it was a bit mangled by the time we ate it!


The birthday boy's with a boy who wants a birthday!


The newest addition to our family, Skye. It's great to have a baby around!


Callie just LOVES to play "Mommy" when Skye is around, it's cute to watch.


Two birthday boy's, two cakes. The chocolate was more of a hit!


..Of course Mcdreamy here get's to blow out the candle..He is on the countdown for HIS birthday!


November is a busy month for our family, the calendar no sooner turns November, and it starts......Annika, Spencer, Doug, Josh, Kyle, Cody, Mike and Miranda, and some years Mike's fall's on Thanksgiving! Whew....

December seems like a slow down with it's ONE HOLIDAY!!

Personally, I am not really excited for Christmas, I am already feeling the pressure that comes with this "spiritual" holiday, which has been ruined and mangled with the secular/commercial version. I could really do without the stress and expense of it this year, but I am determined to make it a meaningful holiday somehow, and hopefully my children will be ok with the "new and improved" version...somehow I doubt it!

Smooth criminal!

Christmas cactus

The Mama plant from which this plant came from belonged to Papa's grandmother. I am SO excited to have it blooming this year!





Ethan was so interested and intrigued with the plant beginning to bloom. He sat in the chair and talked and talked about this plant. He counted the blooms and was very interested in the story about it being a "baby" plant and the "Mama" plant lives at Grammie-gram's house. I told him that the Mama at Grammies belonged to Papa's Grandmother and so it was "special" and that when we look at it, we can "think" about Papa..... He ATE IT UP.

Tidmouth Sheds

Ethan started "suggesting" to his Daddy that he should make him his own Tidmouth Shed. If you are not familiar with Thomas the Tank Engine, Tidmouth Shed's is where all the trains come in for the night, or when they are not being used. My boy is a bit of a Thomas enthusiast, he wakes up thinking Thomas, and he goes to bed thinking of Thomas, it's amazing that one little boy can be obsessed about one thing for so long, but his Daddy did endulge him and I think the goal was accomplished; Good job Dad!

John Keyser.

Being lovingly carried to his final resting place


Majestic and proud


A name synonomous with service


The amazing John Keser, God be with you 'til we meet again.








The most poignent moments at the cemetary; for me, came from John's sight dog, Norman. This beautiful animal, who was his loyal friend and companion to the end, was quite obviously grieving.






Truly man's best friend.


He laid on the grass by the coffin for most of the graveside service


He watched

And he paced back and forth along side the coffin


He KNEW exactly where his master was.




John Keser is the kind of person you want to know, the kind of person you want TO BE. John always saw the good in people, never gave up, and pressed forward with tremendous faith. Always one to volunteer for ANY service needed, he was on a ladder, PAINTING my Mother's trim on her home just two months ago, she needed help, and he came to do just that. The speaker at his funeral said "John had lost his sight, but NEVER lost his vision"

John practiced what he preached. Lived what he taught, and loved those around him. It was said at his service that on occasion, when he would volunteer for something that was just not possible for him to do, he would meet that concern with "they'll find SOMETHING I can do to help".

My Mother loved him, and his wife Suzanne, and our family had been blessed, many times over by their love.

We will miss him, so very much.








Of course we took a few minutes to say hello to Papa, who also loved John, and I'm betting had been one of the first in line to welcome John home, I can only imagine the reunion THAT must have been.

3.9

...That's where Spencer's GPA sits right now.

Spencer is in an advanced program, one that will give him a free scholarship if he sticks with it for his three years of high school. Currently he wants to be an anestesiologist, I suggested pediatrics, but he doesn't think he could handle the heartbreak that would accompany such a job, but I told him that he would be the last person little children see, and that he would be in a perfect position to offer comfort and love; he'd be PERFECT.....

Where it all started

Last year while raking the leaves in the yard, Ethan would jump into the pile and I tried SO HARD to get a picture of those leaves falling down, but my camera was just too slow; by the time it actually took the picture, the leaves were on the ground again, that was the first time I said "I want a new camera"








As you can see, it was a good investement!