The Ending to a Great Day!

Our day began a little crazy...a trip to the chiropractor for mommy, next Whittney's gymnastics class, then a doctor's appointment for Gavin (ear ache) and Mommy (poison ivy on eyes, lips, arms, and neck). We also got a call that grandpa great was admitted into the hospital. When we got home after our running, it was lunch and nap time for the girls. Mommy picked 15 kohlabrbi (16 last Tuesday and 13 on Friday). We met grandpa Pat's new puppy and headed over to ride Cody. Then the kids enjoyed playing at grandpa and grandma's (P). Gavin and Whittney were having a play...while being controlled by people from a computer. What imaginations they have!!

Aleigha enjoyed climbing up, getting herself situated, and sliding down...all by herself!

Riding Cody

After digging for worms in the manure for the past two afternoons (Saturday with Uncle Jasen and yesterday with daddy), Whittney was begging to ride a horse. We went over today and saddled up Cody...aunt Janalle's horse. Of course Whittney was in heaven. She rode by herself, with Gavin, and with Aleigha! She really wanted to ride by herself...not this time! Notice the boots Whittney is wearing...bright sparkly pink...so girly!

Aleigha was very excited. We were not sure if she was more excited to ride on grandpa P's go diddy, or see the horse. She did, of course, get to ride on both of them!

Grandpa and Grandma's New Puppy

Here is a close up of the puppy grandpa brought over to show us today. Grandma didn't know she was getting a new puppy. We think she will be so excited! The puppy didn't have a name yet, but we added our suggestions: Flower or Playful. Grandpa likes Shadow.

We liked the new puppy. Whittney was thinking we could keep her since grandpa is going to make her sleep outside...mommy explained that Bear stays outside too. She finally agreed that it was okay for grandpa to take the puppy home!

Captain Aleigha

If we had sound affects, you would be able to hear Aleigha making the motor noise on the boat while she is "driving." Since she doesn't have a fish pole of her own, she keeps busy playing with things inside the boat.

This is Whittney's first fish that she has caught all by herself...cast, catch, and reeling in. She was so proud of this little guy. She kept telling daddy and mommy that she caught it all by herself...almost like she couldn't believe it! Later on the fishing adventure she caught more by herself.

Gavin is proud of his first catch of the day! He got very excited when he had a bite. Besides fish, Gavin caught a log and a tree! It was a fun time!

Between the kids, about fifteen fish were caught. It was decided that we should stop fishing when two out of the three fishing poles were stuck (on a log and in a tree). We kept ten fish and daddy cleaned them before we headed for home.



We looked at Uncle Dave's garden today. To our surprise, it had some weeds! I only say that because he gives mommy a hard time about the weeds in her garden.

Aleigha also had two firsts happen today! She is now sitting in a forward facing car seat. She is now kissing with her mouth closed!!

Daddy's Company Picnic

While dad was at work this morning, the kids and mommy played upstairs. The intentions were to pick up, but as you can see, playing won the vote! When dad got home, we got ready and headed to his company picnic.

The kids enjoyed the party! They had time to ride on rides before and after lunch. They were each given a prize for attending, and some fun money to spend in the arcade. It was an enjoyable day.

Aleigha really enjoyed the carousel. It was the only ride she rode on today. She LOVED it!

Bible School

Gavin and Whittney have been attending Bible School this week. It had a water theme and encouraged the children to "Take a Plunge with Jesus." Mommy taught Whittney's preschool class with her cousin, Amber. Each day, the kids sang together with fun motions. Whittney is in the yellow shirt and white pants in the front. She loved dancing, but told mommy she really didn't like singing. At the program tonight, she was singing!

Gavin's class was pretty full. There were nineteen children in grades kindergarten, first, and second...with three teachers. He really had fun and enjoyed the bible lesson, snack, playground, and craft...but didn't really like the singing part. Why is that? Both of the kids enjoy singing in the car to Laurie Berkner, Tim McGraw, Veggie Tales, and Bible School music. Gavin is wearing the blue shirt with white stripes towards the middle.

After the program, Aleigha, daddy, and mommy headed to the garden to check things out (Whittney was with grandpa and grandma...and Gavin was inside). If you look closely, you will see just to the left of her that Aleigha fell into the potato plants just moments before the picture was taken.

Aleigha was standing in front of the sunflowers. The last time we measured them (June 22), the sunflowers measured anywhere from 22 inches to 34 inches. We have had several rainfalls since then, and can't wait to see how much they have grown.

This year, our garden consists of magic beans (green beans that are purple when they grow, but turn green once they are cooked), carrots, peas, radishes, kohlrabi, potatoes, cabbage, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and sunflowers.

A Visit to the Mansion

We went to visit Uncle Tom and Aunt Megan's new house in progress. Wow...it is beautiful. Since last time we visited, many things are different: walls are painted, tile floors done, closets look great, cabinets installed, towel racks and some light fixtures hung. We joke about it being the "mansion." It really is quite an extraordinary place!

Just a glimpse...The front door is to the left. This is a view of the kitchen (on the left), the dining room (on the right), and the living room (the hardwood floor).

Gavin and Whittney have been anxious to visit Aunt Megan because they wanted to play in the dirt hill behind her house. Last time we visited, Aunt Megan told the kids to bring their play clothes so they could climb the hill. Today was the day! There were two hills Gavin, Whittney, and Olivia had to climb. Boy did they have fun! Of course they were wet and sandy, but it was fun. Poor Evelyn and Aleigha had to watch from the basement windows...

Need a Wig?

Gavin and Whittney love to watch "How It's Made" on television. Gavin is intrigued by what it takes to make things. Today they learned how wigs are made, among other items. Whittney decided she was going to make a wig for Gavin...and then of course he had to make one for her. It all starts with saran wrap!

Fishing at Grandpa Great's

We went fishing this afternoon in grandpa great's lake. Once we finished fishing, dad took us for a fast ride in the boat. Everyone enjoyed that part of our fishing trip!

Whittney and Gavin trying to catch something...we only caught weeds on this trip. Maybe next time we will have better luck!

Whittney has been wanting to go fishing just her and daddy. He took Gavin and went on Father's Day morning...so it is her turn. Although Whittney really just wanted it to be the two of them, daddy talked her into letting all of us go too! She did get to help dad drive the boat...and drive us through grandpa great's fountain. Aleigha loved that part!

On Their Own

Mommy left Monday morning for a two day conference for school. Gavin and Whittney spent time with cousin Amanda on Monday morning before Bible school and cousin Amber on Tuesday before Bible school. Grandma Till picked both of them up at Bible school and brought them home until dad got home from work on Monday and Tuesday. Aunt Chasta watched Aleigha on Monday and Uncle Jasen watched her on Tuesday (Aunt Chasta went to visit her mom and wasn't home). All three kids were home when dad arrived home from work. Dad and the kids enjoyed each others company. Because dad leaves for work at 4:30AM, the kids stayed at grandpa and grandma's (P). Although the batteries were charged for the camera, there were no photos to share...

A Wedding

We attended a wedding of some friends today. Trenton and Becky had a beautiful wedding. Once the wedding was over, Gavin said, "Wow, mom. That was fast! Now can we go to the reunion?" Can you tell we have been talking about our next trip in July? Too funny! Whittney was very fascinated with Becky. She referred to her as "the pretty girl in the white dress." We had to see her dress up close, front and back, and even touch it! Gavin also commented on how nice "that pretty girl" was. Gavin caught the garter and on the way home Whittney said, "Gavin, you did an awesome job! You caught that headband!"

The kids enjoyed playing before the reception began and then once the music started. Aleigha made herself comfortable on the dance floor. She was walking around. In this picture, mommy was following her and she was trying to get away, while laughing. She walked right up to Neal, Trenton's dad, while he was sitting down. He picked her up and they had a great time "talking."

Here we are! In case the dresses look familiar, you may have seen one before...you are not loosing your mind. Whittney wore the dress that Aleigha has on when Andy and Holly got married three summers ago. Aunt Megan saw one that would fit Whittney on Friday and called mommy! Thank goodness Aunt Megan was shopping...again!! :)

Picnic

Today we had lunch outside. It was a beautiful day...just perfect for sitting in the sun and eating! The kids had just gotten out of the pool for a break. Daddy had to work today, and stopped to have lunch with grandpa on his way home. He invited us, but the kids really wanted to eat on their tables in the yard. Boy, is summer fun!

Nature Lovers

There are no pictures of today:(...sorry! We walked Hayden over to Joyce's (the babysitter) house through the neighbor's yard. Then we walked home on the road. We spotted the doe we have been watching. She was crossing the road ahead of us. She has a fawn living in our woods. We saw both of them Tuesday on our walk up the driveway.

After supper, we went to grandpa and grandma great's to visit and go fishing. Mommy and Aleigha went up to see the addition they are having put on their bedroom. Daddy took Gavin and Whittney down to cast off the side of the lake. They were approached by a snake, which did not stop their fishing adventure. Next, Mommy and Aleigha spotted a turtle in the yard...it was laying eggs! Of course, we all had to watch for a bit. What a neat experience! To end our nature filled day, we found an empty robin's egg on our way back to the truck.

Another Day of Fun!

Today Aleigha had her one year check-up. She now weighs 19 pounds and 6 ounces. She LOVES food...as I mentioned earlier. We have considered moving the bananas off the counter because when she sees them, she wants to eat one...no matter when she ate last!

Before Aleigha's appointment today, we went to McDonald's for breakfast. The kids really like the Sausage McGriddles! After we ate, the kids played for a bit. What do you think of those eyes??????

Grandpa Pat and Grandma Suzie came over for supper tonight. They brought cookies that grandma made today. Aleigha had a cookie after supper and was trying to tell grandma that she wanted milk. Grandma could not believe that Aleigha dunks her cookies in milk...regardless of the size. The cookie she is dunking is just crumbs, but that doesn't stop her!

Gavin and dad worked in the garden this evening. Dad used the rototiller on those terrible weeds. He raked them out and Gavin sprinkled Preen on the ground. We hope this helps reduce the amount of weeds we have in our garden!

Before bed tonight, the kids thought they needed to "shave"...just like dad. Gavin is using the end of a comb and Whittney is using a brush handle. Before they were finished, they had "shaved" three times! They let me know they would be shaving three times a day from here on out. We will see about that.

A Day of Fun

Whittney took this picture of Aleigha today...another photography practice session for Whittney.

Whittney is trying to fix the typewriter. Aleigha was "typing" and decided to do a little more than type...We hope we can fix it. The kids really enjoy typing stories and things on it.

Gavin's friend Hayden came over today. They were taking turns reading books to each other.

When mommy was outside painting a garage door, Gavin and Whittney wanted to paint too. They got their project paint and began painting stones. They wanted to make sure daddy didn't mow over them the next time he mows!

Gavin's check-up

Gavin had an appointment today with his pediatric surgeon for a regular check-up. This is the doctor who did Gavin's surgery at birth and then the procedures he has gone through because of the complications with the Hircshprung's Disease. Gavin continues to struggle with being able to control his bowls at all times. He takes a daily fiber supplement to help out. There was talk at our last appointment in April that maybe we would be referred to some specialists in Cleveland (we were thinking it would be a great time to visit cousins Erin and Michael). The specialists were not mentioned (we will still see Erin and Michael at the reunion in July). The doctor told us to continue what we are doing and we go back in two months...before first grade starts!

The Kids' First Airport Experience

The kids were very excited about going to pick grandpa and grandma up from the airport. They left on Tuesday, June 10 with Aunt Janalle. They drove to Texas, spent some time there and then grandpa and grandma flew back on Monday. We had to explain again on the way to the airport that Aunt Janalle was not coming home with grandpa and grandma. She would be living there with her friend. We think Whittney understood, but now she thinks we need to take an airplane trip to see Aunt Janalle soon. We did not see grandpa and grandma's airplane land...darn it! Gavin was very interested in where the luggage came from on the conveyor. He really wanted to jump on and take a ride...just to see where it went. It was a fun trip at the airport!



Aleigha and Whittney were especially happy to see grandpa. Of course all three of them were happy to see grandma. Gavin was very helpful, as you can see! They were pretty sure that grandpa and grandma had missed them so much they would need to stay the night...of course grandma didn't turn them down!

Playing at the Park

After Whittney's gymnastics, we decided to swing by McDonald's, grab lunch, and have a picnic at the park. We called Grandma Till on our way...and she met us for the park fun!

Gavin was relaxing while Olivia pushed him. What a relaxing looking swing!

Olivia, Gavin, and Whittney hanging out in the barn!

Aleigha loved to play "Peek" with Grandma Till through the tunnel. She was pretty independent crawling around on things. She even went down a slide a couple of times.

Living Room

The day has arrived...after nine years...for new furniture. YIPPEE!! Here is a picture of the living room furniture. We are very pleased with it. The kids have already created tents and playhouses with the footstools, pillows, and blankets. This room will be a reading, relaxing, sitting room (I plan to add a bookshelf for professional and personal books of Nathan and I)...the television will go in the basement (once that is completely finished). We also have new furniture in the basement. I will post that later. To complete the basement we need to: paint three doors, finish putting up the trim, and box in the posts with cedar.

Father's Day at Aunt Jo's

Many family members joined together for supper at Aunt Jo's house Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed food, conversation, and fun...the Slip and Slide! Whittney would get a running start to go farther and faster.

As you can see, Olivia pushed Uncle Grant to get him to go faster. Gavin was not going to miss this! Boy was the water cold.... Aleigha really did enjoy going down, just not this time!

This is cousin Olivia and her little sister Evelyn. They had spent the weekend with grandpa and grandma while Uncle Tom and Aunt Megan went to a race. Olivia came home with us from the party and spent the night! Boy was that fun!!

This picture was just too cute not to share with you! All smiles because of the water!

Gavin would slide to the end...and even off sometimes. He jumped up quickly to avoid grass burns!
Uncle Grant is a kid at heart! He really had fun going down...although the water was CHILLY!

Although there are no pictures of our fathers or grandfathers, we are very thankful for them and all of the wonderful things they have taught us through the years! Thanks Grandpa Great, Grandpa Loren, Grandpa P., Grandpa Pat, and Daddy!

The Volcano

Before we headed to the Father's Day activities on Sunday, Gavin and Whittney asked if we could make the volcano erupt. As many of you know, I am an independent book consultant. This is one of the Kid Kits available. It is used with household items (vinegar, dish soap, baking soda, toilet paper, and a color tablet). We have had a lot of fun making this volcano erupt!