J.T.'s birthday dinner

We had a little birthday dinner here last night for J.T.'s birthday, complete with cake and a few gifts...

Here's the birthday crown that he made at school....

We bought him a John Deere bike helmet since Shasta chewed up his old one....

We also got him some clothes... or as J.T. says "boring ole clothes."

Concrete prints

Yesterday, we had a concrete slab poured to make a place for dog pens. Of course the kids wanted to put their handprints and names in it....

Happy 5th Birthday JT!

Today is JT's 5th birthday! Happy Birthday Buddy!

A few days after he was born....

About 18 months old...

And now...

How fast they grow.....

Photography job

The last two mornings I have done pre-school photos for my friend Kim's preschool, Tiny Sprouts. Sometimes it's a little challenging, especially with the younger ones, but I love it!

On Monday we did the three-year-old class... we started with a group shot and then I took individuals.

Here's a couple of my favorite individuals...

Elle....

and Cole....

Today we did the four-year-olds... a year older makes a big difference. They were a little more eager to cooperate.

And here's one individual from today.... Asa.

I just love doing these little photography jobs.... I have been thinking a lot about pursuing a business a little more... might post my thoughts on that subject later....

Baby shower

I gave Mary and Michela a baby shower this weekend. It turned out perfectly! Here are a few photos....

Here's a couple of photos right before Mary and Michela left to go home. Abigail loved to hold Michela as much as possible....

And so did Andy...

Three generations....

It was great to have Mary and Michela around for the weekend, even if it was a little crazy!! We hope that they (and Jeff too) come back often to visit....

J.T.'s birthday party

On Friday night, we had a birthday party for J.T. for his friends and grandparents. We had it at Tom's Sourdough Pizza in Fortuna. The kids had a grand time playing the video games and running around. Would you be surprised if I told you that the theme of the party was "John Deere?"

Andy and I got J.T. some romeo shoes that are made my John Deere. He was so excited!

I think his favorite gift of the evening was the John Deere tractor he received from Ernest. He was ecstatic!

Grandma Pam did an awesome job on the John Deere tractor cake!

It took J.T. a few tries to get the candles blown out, but he made it!

J.T.'s actual birthday is on Wednesday so I am sure we'll continue to celebrate!

10 years ago today...

It's is so hard to believe that 10 years ago today, Andy and I got married. It is such an understatement to say that time flies by. Here's a photo of our wedding party....


And one of us...

Happy Anniversary to us!

Michela is here!!

Michela made her first visit to Humboldt County yesterday. The kids (and Andy) were very excited to meet her! Here's a few pictures I took last night while Mary, Michela, and my parents were at our house for dinner. Jeff couldn't come up because he's on a work trip.

Abigail couldn't get enough holding time....

I wasn't sure how J.T. would be with her, but he liked holding her too.

And this just fueled Andy's desire to have another baby...

I think he's going to have to settle for having a niece....

More pictures coming of our weekend activities....

Thought for the day

I keep this verse taped to my computer screen and read it to myself several times a day...

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace." Philippians 4:6

This helps me when I have a rough day...

Pumpkin Patch- Part 2

We went with Andy to Blue Lake today to pick up our two new bulls. The ranch we picked them up at was right next to the pumpkin patch so we thought the kids might like to go. As you may have seen, J.T. and I went with his school last week, but Abigail didn't get to go.

It is quite a tough decision selecting the right pumpkin....

This one makes a good seat but is probably too big to carry...

That looks like a good one, Abigail....

It is really amazing all the different types of people you see at a place like this....

Evan is 1!

We went to Evan's 1st birthday party last night. The kids had a great time playing outside on the trampoline (only a few minor bumps and injuries) and swingset.

Evan had a great time with his cake....

Andy thinks we need one just like him...

Check out this cool John Deere tractor he got...

Happy Birthday Mary!

I wanted to wish my sister, Mary, a very Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great day! See you in a few days!

Busy, busy

I have not been a good blogger lately. I've been pretty busy planning a birthday party, planning a baby shower, dealing with some issues for an organization that I am part of, being the office manager for two businesses, and all the other things that go along with being a wife, mother, and business owner.

I have a few new posts coming....

I am curious....

who reads my blog. A lot of people tell me they check it out, but I don't really keep track. I put a little "widget" on the right side where you can click and add yourself to the list of people who check in regularly. Just because I am curious....

Pumpkin Patch

Today J.T.'s preschool went to the pumpkin patch in Blue Lake. First the kids had a chance to play in the hay bale maze, which they loved.

Then we had a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. We were pretty squished on there, but the kids thought it was the greatest.

It took J.T. a few minutes to find his pumpkin...

He needed a little help carrying it back to the wagon...


After the pumpkin patch we went to the local fish hatchery to have a picnic lunch and see (and feed) the fish. It was a really nice day up there so that was an added bonus!