It's been how long?

Today is Mommy & Daddy's wedding anniversary. Yesterday, Daddy brought home this bouquet of flowers for Mommy and a movie, too. S

From one Celtic Woman to another

As a birthday present to the girls in our family, we went to see the Celtic Woman concert yesterday. It was a real treat. A bit loud for such an intimate theatre, but still very enjoyable. Thank you, Grandma & Papa!

Accomplished Cyclists

Both girls learned how to ride two-wheel bikes today, thanks to some good friends. Various circumstances have made it difficult for the girls to practice, but they are now riding with confidence. Stopping can be a bit rough, but they are taking it in stride. They can even ride on gravel without falling. We are so proud of them!

It's SNOW deep!

 We got almost 9 inches of snow from this last snow. What a way to end winter! The girls are loving it, since it is perfect for snowballs and snowpeople.

A Golden Achievement!

The girls' basketball team won the gold medal at the State Finals Tournament today. Great job girls and way to go team! YOU ROCK!!!

Exciting News

Last week, the girls attended an open call for the National American Miss Pageant our state. We got a call this evening that both girls have been selected to participate in the state pageant in early July. They won't be competing against each other, as there are 5 age divisions.

We'll have more info soon. Check out the NAM website to get an idea of how it is run.

Starting again

We're going to start updating this blog again. We had some technical difficulties, which helped prevent us from accessing this site. Everything's better now.

Our beloved Buddy

We had to put Buddy down today. He died at about 3:15 PM.

Tragedy at the State Fair (We are all fine!)

While we were at the Fair yesterday for the girls to perform, we had left by about 3 PM. The collapse of the Grandstand stage occurred at about 9 PM. It was caused by a 70 mph localized wind gust.

Unfortunately, 5 people died and 45 were injured. Please keep those people and their families in your prayers. The Fair is close today and will reopen tomorrow with most activities occurring.

We won't be returning to the Fair until Sunday, August 21.

State Fair Talent Contest, part 2

The contest was to begin at noon, today. Since the girls were in the last group, they didn't perform until after 5 PM!

They didn't place among the 12 vocal groups, but they did their best and had fun. We couldn't ask more of them.

Two of the judges had some really positive comments and suggested that they both continue with their singing. One judge even stated that she could see real potential in the girls. Both Jules and Kitty have decided they want to compete again next year. So, after a bit of a break, we will begin looking at duets for them to consider.

Brava, girls, brava!

State Fair Talent Contest, part 1

The girls are entered in the State Fair Talent Contest in the Senior Vocal Group division. They are performing "What Is This Feeling?" from the musical WICKED. At 11AM, we will find out their performance time today. Unfortunately, we will not have access to the Internet at that time, so we cannot post an update about the schedule until after the contest is over.

The girls are able to participate in the talent contest, due to them winning in their division in the county contest.

While we are not expecting the girls to win, we do want them to do their best and to have fun. Regardless of the outcome, we are very proud of both girls for attempting this.

Please, wish them luck.

A Spectacular 4th

We spent a lovely holiday weekend at Grandma's and Papa's. We had our own mini-fireworks show, including sparklers last night. We also watched some movies and generally relaxed.

Since Grandma and Papa live a few hours away, we were traveling home tonight. For about the last 50 miles of the trip, we were treated to a "moving" fireworks display. Local radio stations were playing music that went along with a suggested list of fireworks, so many neighborhoods had personal displays. It was really cool to have fireworks accompany us home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
May God continue to bless us

Swirls of Color

This afternoon, the girls have a 4-H meeting and they will be making tie-dyed clothing. We know we will be making shirts and possibly socks as well. Once the colors are set, we can post pictures. We're also going to be discussing some of the science behind the dying process and what has been used in the past to make dyes. The clothing they make can be entered into the county fair.

The Easter Bunny is going to bed, finally.

May this Easter remind your heart of the gift given to us by our Savior's sacrifice and His triumphant return. Oh, would that we all could see his Glorious Appearing on the morrow.

We pray that G-d abundantly blesses you, those whom we dearly love.

A break from the white stuff

It finally stopped snowing. We have over 5". So much for the Farmer's Almanac prediction for this winter so far - dry and very cold. Not that we want it to be right. We really don't want it cold enough for the pipes to freeze.

One of the best things about snow is how it changes the look of everything. The landscape is so much more interesting and prettier than without.

Simple winter pleasures

It's snowing - big, soft, fluffy flakes. Falling snow can be so pretty, especially if you can watch it from a nice warm place. Now, outside won't look so dreary and the girls will be happy as well. If we get enough, they will ask to go outside to play. Then it will be back inside to sip hot cocoa by the heat vent. The only thing missing would be the cosy fireplace. Such simple pleasures of winter.

For Services Rendered:

We would like to say "Thank You" to all of the veterans who have served our country in any capacity, especially Papa.

YOU are appreciated.

So, where is he?

Today was a day of both sorrow and joy.

Buddy is our male dog. He is 14 years old and mostly blind and deaf. Somehow, he got out of the backyard. Hence the source of our sorrow.

Fortunately, Buddy is chipped. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chip number. (We do now!) Mommy tried to reach the vet where he had been chipped and they were having a staff meeting. She contacted the local animal shelter, which, oddly enough, was not listed in the phone book. We asked our next door neighbor and she remembered seeing a black and white dog across the street and heading north. So, off we trekked around the neighborhood to see if we could find our lost boy.

After a half hour of searching, we had no luck. So, at home, we made posters with Buddy's picture and our contact number to put up around the area. When we exited our home, our next door neighbor's son asked if we had found him yet. Caleb is a really good kid and was genuinely interested. He said he would check with his friends around the neighborhood to see if they found him.

We jumped in the van and started placing signs. Just after placing the first poster, we met another neighbor who said she also saw him heading in the same direction. That was our heading for placing signs. We traveled another 1/2 mile through the houses when we spotted Caleb. He had found Buddy. He rode his bike along every side street in order to try to find him. What a blessing it is to have Caleb as our neighbor. Even in the midst of dispair, God's mercy is present.

The ending of the story is that Buddy is home with us again and is none the worse for wear. He was missing for about 2 1/2 hours. We have secured the gate to the yard with some bungie cords so it cannot be pushed open by him, again. His return is the source of our joy.

K's 1st Sleepover

Yesterday evening we picked up Kitty from her first ever sleepover without her sister. Both she and Jules have stayed with these friends before, and Jules has spent the night without Kitty, but never just Kitty. All reports are she did just fine and had a really great time She was very excited to be able to do this alone, but was glad to be home after two nights.

Our baby is growing up.

A Teddybear Picnic

This morning we are having a picnic that included teddybears, a koala, two elephants, a panda bear and a rabbit. There were 10 friends in all. We had stuffed pretend food - sandwiches, watermelon slices and cookies from Mommy's fabric picnic basket. After our meal, we will be treated to a dance recital and stories from our racecar driver, scuba diver, young Bear Scout and World Cup Soccer champion.

What a fun morning!