3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Playing outside

We finally had a fairly warm day with little wind so the girls headed out to play. We have struggled with the girls playing outside this year due to the frigid temps and high winds. They have tried a couple times and their cheeks don't fair well even with scarves on. This day was perfect!

See how high the drift is? They thought it would make a perfect snow house!

But first they need to figure out how to get back up on the ridge! LOL

Friday, March 28, 2014

The "M" buddies

You thought I was kidding didn't you? It's a good thing Madalyn loves her and loves her cuddling :) Getting her picture taken was another story ;)

"Ok, NOW you can take one Mommy!"

Marissa hard at work...being so diligent

"I'm not going to fall asleep Mommy! But if I do, don't take a picture of me ok?"

About 10 minutes after I took this one, she was out :)

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Snow, Snow and more Snow

Last week we got a bunch of snow, although I have no clue how much. It blew so hard we ended up with a lot of drifting. It's hard to tell in the pictures but the drift at the end of the driveway is between my waist and shoulders in height...

Someone asked me the other day if anyone has been to look at the house...You wouldn't know it was for sale! The only way you can see the sign is if you are in the house or the driveway. Can't see it from the road at all!

I personally have never seen so much snow in the driveway before.

Of course under all this snow, was a layer of sheer ice. So I kept getting stuck with the snow blower. One of the times I was waiting for Doug's Dad to come give me a hand, I decided to make another trip out to the camper. Granted I know it blew REALLY hard the night before but I was still shocked to find SNOW IN the camper :(

There was quite the pile of snow under this window, but I cleaned it up before I thought to take pictures of it :(

So back to the dealer it went. They can keep it till spring so we don't have to work around it with the snow. The fridge never worked either so they have a couple things to look at on it. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and they are able to get everything fixed.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

More puppy pictures

More sleeping puppy pictures! I'm trying to capture as many memories as I can through her growth period. I don't want to miss anything :)

Look at her little tip on her tail! One of my favorite parts. I hope she keeps it :)

She loves this chair! (So do I!)

This pictures is from another day....her trusty spot with Madalyn :)

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Junior Church Special Music

Monday, March 24, 2014

Reading time

Getting back in the swing of things has been tougher than I thought! But we are getting there. The other day, the girls decided they were going to read. It was so cute watching Marissa read to her sister! I hope they always stay this close!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Sleepy Baby :)

I know, I know! Way too many puppy pictures!

She sleeps so funny though!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Virginia!

Our original plan was to leave Louisiana on Tuesday morning for Virginia. Everything in Louisiana was shut down Tuesday though due to ice. So we decided to stay put for the day. We headed out Tuesday night, drove till midnight or so and stopped at a truck stop to sleep. We got up the next morning and got back on the road at a decent hour.

We saw this on our way and the girls wanted me to take a picture of it. It was huge!

We saw a bunch of crosses on our trip too, but I never got a good picture of them. There were always 3 of them, like the 3 on Calvary.

We ended up at the RV resort in Virginia Thursday morning at 2 am. After a slow morning, we headed to Caleb and Cristale's to see everyone that was home (Caleb had to work). We saw them at Christmas, so it hasn't been forever, but I was still amazed how they fit right in together again. Especially Madalyn and Casen.

I only got a few pictures of Arya...she was my buddy while we were there. I didn't think she would remember be from Christmas just because of her age...she did :)

Of course I didn't capture them, but she has the most amazing eyes ever!

The trip was way too short and we are looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Sleepy time

I didn't worry about how the kids would sleep while we were gone, but I did wonder....more about Marissa than Madalyn. Madalyn can sleep anywhere! LOL However, they did AMAZING! They loved their bunk beds!!!

You can't even tell Madalyn is in there!

Molly was the only girl not sleeping...

Marissa, sleeping soundly, along with Chloe :)

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Kiddos

It's been a while since the kids have seen each other....Joyanna was 3 months old actually and she turned 2 in December! However, they picked up right where they left off and played like this was totally normal :)

She kept standing in front of sticks, but the shots were too cute not to take!

This one makes me laugh every time!

She grew up so much!

Doug and Molly taking a nap...

The kids all came over to the camper so what was I to do?....feed them oreos of course! ;)

This is the "campsite" where we parked at Amanda's place. This was actually on her grandma's property and I'm so thankful she let us park there! It was a beautiful spot!

Joyanna kept dancing and spinning and wanted me to take pictures of it

Too cute!

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!