3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!

Monday, January 4, 2016

1st Christmas post

There are a lot of pictures here and I'll be honest....I'm not going to go through and label all them! LOL Doug realized that he didn't have any time left to take off around the holidays. So I made plans with my family to head up to their place on Monday, December 221st and spend the night, heading back the next evening. Doug was pretty bummed and decided last minute to make a trip up their Sunday after church and spend the afternoon/evening with the family. We had a blast and I'm thankful we got to spend some time together. The girls ended up spending the night since I was going to be turning around the next day and come back up once my extra kiddos left. So there is the back story... :) Here are the pictures from our visit!

The girls bought their grandparents presents with their own money this year. They are so sweet. Madalyn bought Grandma her own EOS. She was so proud!

Marissa bought Grandpa reese's pieces!

These shirts are the coolest! They look like a blank picture, but in the sun, they fill in with color!

Jeremy, Chelsea, and Seth were going to be at Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas day so they just hung out and watched :) Seth didn't look too upset with that thought!

Grandma found Christian books for both the girls...I don't think anyone expected this reaction!

At about this picture we got, "I don't even know why I'm crying!" LOL So sweet...she has such a soft heart!

Stay tuned for more pictures from our visit!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

I haven't forgotten...

I haven't forgotten the blog! We are trying to get back into the swing of things around here. We are back to school and babysitting. It's been smoother than I anticipated, but not a lot of spare time to get caught up on here. I have a ton of pictures to go through and edit from the weekend...196 to be exact. I'm hoping I will be able to tackle that tonight. Until then, keep warm and enjoy the fact that winter is finally here! It sure is pretty with everything snow covered!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Merry Christmas!!!!

I think this is my last blog for a bit! Doug should be home tonight and he will be on call tomorrow, but home! 4 days! I'm super excited! So I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with your loved ones and I'll be back in a few days!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

We left with green grass Friday night...

...and came home to this :)

I love snow :) We ended up going out as a family and shoveling the driveway. We had a blast, even though it was hard packed. I love our family :)

Monday, December 21, 2015

Our night away...

....was AMAZING!!! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get away. Doug and I hate leaving the girls, but with Dairy One being located in Ithaca, it makes it really late making the trip right back. Combined with the fact that we usually have some little things left to get for Christmas, it makes for a great excuse for a little get away. Dairy One changed their location this year and it was beautiful! We had an amazing time just spending time together. :) I'm more than ready for Wednesday night or Thursday to come so he is home again! I love him!!!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Today is the day...

I look forward to the Dairy One Christmas party every year. Since it is held in Ithaca at 6pm and its over 2.5 hours away, it means a night alone with my husband which is usually followed by a day of shopping to finish up for Christmas. I hate being a part from my kids, but with Doug working out of town most of the time, it's nice to not have 3 of us fighting over him. This year is even nicer because they changed the party from Saturday night to Friday night. I can't wait!!! The girls are excited about going to Grandma and Grandpa's so that helps too.

Now we just have to pray that the snow is kind to us! ;)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas ornaments...

My friend Hillary came up with some awesome ideas for an art project and asked if we wanted to participate. We of course were in! We planned the day and started right in...

Basically, they took peppermints and unwrapped 6. They placed them in a circle with all sides touching and then we baked them.

Some of ours got a little thin, but this gives you an idea...juggling 3 babies and 5 kids proved interesting ;)

Then we made the cinnamon ornaments! They loved all the animal cookie cutters ;)

We had a great time and I can't wait to try the candy ones again next year.

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!