3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Christmas, Part One (of who knows how many!)

Like usual, too many pictures were taken on Christmas!

This was the girls' main gift, and the reason why we chose to jump the gun this year!

I knew they were going to love them, but I was surprised at HOW much they love them!

The girls made gifts for each other this year...they are so sweet and were SOOO excited about this part of the day!

I love this picture! Madalyn made Marissa a hat :)

Madalyn's turn...

Marissa made her a black panther from rubber bands...

...and gave her a coupon for her own copy of the book Marissa is writing.

I got SPOILED this year...

Of course Doug had to wrap every piece of my present, but I got a Kitchen Aid mixer! My cheap mixer has been in rough shape for a while, but I never expected him to get me one!

Still shocked that he got it AND he got me the big one!

I spoiled him a little bit too, and totally lacked in taking pictures of him. I got him a big tool bench so he finally has some storage in the garage.

Thank goodness for black Friday sales!!!

Stay tuned for more pictures from our day!

Monday, December 19, 2016

A change in plans...

So I have gotten the "Can we do Christmas today?" question for two weeks probably.

Saturday morning, we woke up and Doug and I were talking about plans for the following week. We both came to the conclusion that it would be best, knowing what we got the girls, to do Christmas early. Bunk beds were one of the main gifts under the tree and with Christmas with Doug's family, and Christmas with my family, neither of us really saw where we were going to be able to have the time to put them together.

We saved the girls stockings for Saturday morning, then we will head up to Doug's family for Christmas with them. Sunday after church we will head north for a couple days.

Back to Saturday, we really had an amazing day!

We were able to put the bunks together as a family...and I loved every second of it!

Pictures will follow tomorrow ;)

Friday, December 16, 2016

A fun day in the snow at home

With the wind and temps at our place, we only have certain days where it's worth heading outside to play. It isn't worth it to spend all the time it take to get ready for 20 minutes of play. When we add a little guy to the mix, it makes it even tougher. We had a day last week that was beautiful and the wind was at a minimal, so I got everyone bundled and we headed out.

Everyone had a blast, and with how nice it was, we were able to stay out for about an hour.

Today the girls want to go out, but with the low temperatures we have, I think we will be staying put INSIDE today ;)

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Quiet Week

Usually, this house is pretty busy between school and babysitting. Since it's our norm, we are all pretty used to it. It feels so weird to have it just be us this week for the majority of the week. I was so thankful to get shopping finished yesterday...seems nice to have a full pantry again!

Today I was suppose to have the girls, but we have a snow day today so I'm finished for the week! We are working hard at school so we can take a couple days at Christmas. Next week we will be back to the normal schedule again and I'm sure we will be ready!

Until then, we will enjoy some extra time together...maybe even in the snow!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Feeling loved....

It's the little things...as an aunt, and someone who loves being close to family, being far away from my siblings can be tough. The little moments make it so much more bearable. The skype sessions are amazing....seriously, I love technology!

Then there are mornings like this morning. This morning I had just talked to my sister Chelsea on the phone, and about 5 minutes later my phone rings. I thought she forgot something, so I answered and I hear a giggle on the other end. I still wasn't sure what was going on. I really thought that Seth was doing something silly, Chelsea was laughing at him, and she was going to tell me what was going on in a second. Within seconds, the conversations start. I really wish I knew what they were all about! Seth had stole Mommy's phone while she was in the bathroom, called Aunt Sarah and was going on and on about something very important. I asked him if he was going to come see me and he said yes! I can't wait for this week to finish and next week so I can get my hands on our neices and nephews that will be able to be up for the holidays, spend some time with our parents and brothers/sisters, and really just have a great time of fellowship!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Impatient...

There are a lot of surprises this year for Christmas, and a lot of impatience!

Doug is worse than the kids I think!

We have everything wrapped and set. It feels good to be done, although it wasn't a big deal reaching that point. We try to keep things pretty simple. This year was probably our hardest year because the girls didn't ask for anything. So we had to come up with things on our own and just go for it. Hopefully everything will go over well!

This year we are doing Christmas a little different.

We are going to celebrate our Christmas on Saturday, Christmas Eve, and have lunch with the family. Saturday night, we have a Christmas Eve service and games following with snacks, and then Sunday is regular services minus Sunday night. Sunday afternoon we will head to my parents and plan to celebrate Christmas with my family on Monday morning. It's going to be a great 4 days!

Honestly I'm anxious as well...we have some good surprises this year and I'm pretty happy with how things turned out.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This year has been a little bit different of a year for us. Doug is usually 100% all out for Christmas decorating. This year, we didn't put any light up outside...not one! The work it takes to put them out, take them down, and keep them lit is ridiculous and Doug decided that it just wasn't worth it anymore. So we made inside the house all cozy and festive and called it good!

Before I get started, here is a note to us when it comes to decorating for next year...

"Blue lights on the inside, White on the outside"

Ok, enough of all that...Here goes!

The countdown chain is back up!

Everything is wrapped and under the tree already except

Doug's present and the girls' main gift.

This is new this year...a friend gave this to us full of goodies, and I loved it so much.

So I went and got some bulbs and stuck them in it...PERFECT!

My marine bear from my little brother when he was in...

I love this little guy...just hanging around!

This picture is for Grandma Geiger...Madalyn told me I need to take it! :)

The "B" on the left used to be on the front door, but I moved it for the season since the red snowflake is out there now. I'm not sure it will be going back though!

I love it there!

I love our tree!

We replaced our stocking and hangers that were both falling apart. When we were on our date weekend, we walked into Micheals and they had these 75% off! I LOVE them!

Working hard of course ;)

Even Peterette has some festivities going on in her room!

If you were to ask me where I would see myself in 10 years, I never would have guessed that I would be here. However, I couldn't be happier! I'm very happily married to the love of my life and have two girls. We have begun our journey towards adoption and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us over the next couple of years. I'm a stay at home mom who home-schools. I enjoy researching and finding things out for myself. This blog allows me to share with others my passions and keep in touch with family that I wouldn't normally be able to keep in such close touch with.

Daddy is such a blessing to me. We met in college and became best friends. About one and a half years after we met we were dating. The rest is history. Together we have grown in the Lord and learned many lessons even in our few years together. Things haven't always been smooth, but together and with the Lord's help we can accomplish anything. He is the love of my life and my true soul mate. He is 100% committed to his family and the Lord. He is currently working for Dairy One in Ithaca. He loves to ski, ride dirt bikes, tinker on things, mow the lawn :) and spend time with his girls.

Marissa is our oldest. She was born in May 2005. She is 100% Daddy's girl. She is a home body and usually isn't away from home for long and she is asking to go back to our house. She always claims a job and sticks with it till its done. She is very quick and catches on fast. You have to be careful what you show her, because before you know it she is going to be attempting it herself. Madalyn is her best friend. She loves church and loves learning and singing about Jesus. Marissa is now is school and she is doing great. She loves to read and do projects. She LOVES animals and has decided that she wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up!

Madalyn is our youngest. She is 100% Mommy's girl (nice of them that they split us up so that one isn't quite so overwhelmed isn't it?). Madalyn knows what she wants and goes for it. She has no fear and is usually the leader of my two even though she is younger. She does love to shadow her older sister though. She is my girly girl, but also my one that is always getting messy. She loves her hair done, to get dressed up, and shoes! We are in trouble with this one! She loves school and is super smart. She has decided she wants to be a "snow plow driver" when she grows up. She is also going to build a house RIGHT next to us and live there so she can still see us every day ;)

Case was actually our "oldest child". Sadly we said goodbye to him on October 29th, 2013. He was a black lab/ red-tick coonhound. He loved to roam the fields, swim, play ball, catch frisbees, go hiking and spend time at the barn. He also very much enjoyed those black and white cats that roam in the dark and have stripes down their backs...or he must have because he kept getting sprayed! He hated to be abandoned by his family and preferred us to all be in the house by 9pm or he started pacing. His biggest dislike was winter. He hated the cold and would rather hold his potty all day long than to go out and pee. Even when he did go out he barely makes it out the door and he was starting to go! Haha He was our "little boy in a doggie suit" as my aunt says. We love him and miss him like crazy.

Cali is our first cat together as a married couple. Sadly we said goodbye to her on October 8th, 2014. We got her from the barn shortly after we moved. She had to be one of the softest cats you had ever felt and of course one of the best looking calicos. LOL She was a great mouser and spent alot of her time in the basement hunting. She had a funny quirk. When she got ready to settle down and sleep, she parted the hair on her tail so only a few hairs were sticking up and then she proceeded to suck on those hairs.

Beaker is a litter mate to Cali. She is a great mouser. She loves to sneak outside when she gets the chance but if you say her name she quickly darts back in. She is VERY attached to Doug and is always coming up to him purring just as loud as can be begging to be picked up. Beaker of course never does this to me. She doesn't like change and isn't fond of strange dogs, although she has gotten much better with the dogs. She will still swat at Molly but it's not angry, it's almost like she is playing.

Sid was our Marshall Ferret. We said goodbye to him in 2012. He was amazing! Great with kids and other animals, but a total goofball. He definitely lived up to the typical ferret personality and a total thief! Sid's favorite thing to steal was pacifiers. He would take them right out of a baby's mouth if given the opportunity and then take off running! He always hid everything in the same place, so at least we knew where to find them, but of course they were always ruined. Anything rubber was in danger of ending up in the said spot. We definitely miss having him around.

Chloe is Cairn Terrier. She is a blast to have around and I'm definitely sold on the terrier family! She is great with the kids and loves spending time outside. She is a great woodchuck hunter and will sit at an occupied hole all day till she catches one. Even in the winter time she will spend forever out there and come back looking like a snowman. She loves to swim and will swim in any temperature water. She loves to mother other animals. Whether it be kittens from the barn, Case, or her own litter of puppies, she is a great mother! We have since fixed her. Although I'm sad there won't be another litter, it's for the best with the probability of us moving and having to find a new vet.

Meet Molly, our newest dog addition :) After taking some time to heal after losing Case, we decided that our household wasn't the same without a big dog around and we were missing something. So we took the plunge and went full out this time. Molly is a purebred, mis-marked mantle, Great Dane :) She has grown into one good looking pup! I'm still in love with this old picture though, so I'm not changing it! She stands about 31 inches at the shoulder and weighs over 100lbs (although honestly I'm not sure how much over because I can't lift her anymore!) She is great with the kids and loves to cuddle. She shares our bed and is the biggest baby ever. She is very protective and does not like when anyone is pinned down. She is right there to break up the "fight" LOL We love her to pieces!

When Doug's sister and her husband started breeding rabbits, I had a feeling deep down that it was only a matter of time....Here she is! Peterette started out as "Peter". When Madalyn realized "he" was actually a "she", she settled with Peterette. :) Peterette is a flemish giant, which according to what I have read is the Great Dane breed in the bunny world! Figures right? She is super sweet, very laid back and loves to be cuddled and pet. She'll stick her nose out of her cage when you enter the room just so you will scratch it!