3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!: August 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Monarch butterflies...

We have found milkweed on our property! I'm not sure if that is why we have had a bunch this year or not. Regardless, we aren't complaining! We raised this one in the house and even got to watch him eat before he took off.

Since this guy left, we have watched two more that made their homes attached to the garage.

Pretty neat!

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

A day in Saranac Lake...

I'm really playing catch up now! A while back, we planned a kayaking trip with my parents up in Saranac Lake. We were blessed with a beautiful day! I didn't take anything that could get wet on the boats so I don't have any paddling pictures. We did get to take the girls through a small lock! They thought that was pretty neat. Now I would love to take them through a big one! We hung around and had dinner and ice cream after and enjoyed the company.

We found this...so neat!!!

We played on the playground...

And we found a painted rock!

More memories made :)

So thankful! <3

Monday, August 21, 2017

Zucchini-Squash Casserole

Alright, here is the promised recipe finally!!!

3 cups thinly sliced/unpeeled zucchini or yellow squash

(I don't like mine mushy, so I don't slice mine thin)

1 cup Bisquick mix

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp parsley (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

Pepper to taste

1 clove pressed garlic or garlic powder

1/2 cup oil

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 pound hot Italian sausage - cooked

( I use mild or medium in ours)

Mix all ingredients. Spread in greased 0x13 inch pan. Bake 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Put under broiler until lightly browed. Cut into pieces and serve warm.

This is one of our favorites!

Enjoy!!!!

Monday, August 14, 2017

I haven't forgotten...

Life around here has gotten a little crazy! I'm hoping to get this caught up tomorrow. I know I have bunch of pictures to upload, a family recipe that has been requested, and a few other things. Thanks for your patience!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

We are open!

We got our phone call/ letter that our home is finally open and we are officially Foster Parents!

We are super excited and can't wait to see where this journey leads us. We have had all the training, but we are anxious to dive into this and get real life experience.

Thank you for all your prayers, and keep them coming!

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Fun with balloons

As I emptied my camera, I found these videos on there LOL

Madalyn didn't have enough helium left to have hers really work, but she tried!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

On the way back...

Admittedly, it's been a while since I have seen my Grandparents. We decided to plan to stop and visit them for two days on the way home. It was so nice to be back in the area and see them! The girls had a blast!

The camper fit beautifully!

I couldn't pick one ;)

My turn!

I love this house...so many memories!

This plate is so pretty!

Grandma changed her curtain color in the living room! It makes it look so different, but I love it!

The girls favorite part of the house!

We very much enjoyed our visit and are hoping to fit one more in before snow flies if plans go well!

Monday, August 7, 2017

A trip to KY

Thursday night, we headed out to start our trip to KY for a special wedding! Another group of family, this time from Doug's side, that we don't get to see very often. We arrived around 6pm on Friday night. Saturday morning we got to see this beautiful girl get married! The wedding was so nice!

A picture of the cousins :)

Doug's dad and his sisters LOL

Great picture!

The whole crew...missing a few, but this was the whole crew that was in KY!

We got to spend a lot of family time together! Restaurants probably got sick of us taking up space visiting, but we did anyhow! The weather was amazing! Wish I could have bottled it up and brought it home!

Friday, August 4, 2017

More Family Time...

Jonathan and the kids stayed the night and spent Thursday with the girls and I. It was so nice to spend some quality time with them!

So sweet!

"Oh, you wanted me to smile?"

Armed and ready to go!

Following in Uncle Jonathan's shoes...

The Nerf War begins!

Lily might have not been running around with a gun, but she was great at collecting darts!

Pretty proud!

Onto Frisbee

I don't necessarily get to spend much time with my family, so this was a real treat!

I love you all!

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!