3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Madalyn's Birthday Celebrations

I don't have pictures of our "hot coco" party, but we did have it! We decided to do presents in the morning and do birthday lunch again.

From Mrs. Judy...a crystal frog that is a sun catcher

LOL

Then we invited the nearby family down for the birthday celebrations :)

Red beans and rice and peanut butter frozen cupcakes...I think we have a new tradition there.

Until next year...

Monday, May 23, 2016

A day at the park...

Last week, we got to enjoy a day at the park with some friends. The kids had a blast. It was beautiful and cool, but the sun was shining!

Madalyn and her little buddy...

...and she has the magic touch :)

Marissa sat out there with him for a long time playing with stick with him.

I'm looking forward to many more park days/park weather!

Friday, May 20, 2016

Aunt Marcia asked us to take Uncle Steve's first tandem that he and his best friend bought when they were young. With the girls enjoying biking as much as they do, she had hopes that they would love it! Doug and I tested it out first, but of course we don't have any pictures of that. Then we each took turns with both girls.

Once we got a feel for it, we let the girls try it.

They always wear their helmets, but they were just going a short distance in the yard....I promise :)

Poor Madalyn couldn't reach the pedals unless she stood up. We finally lowered the seat, but she is stuck in the back until she grows a bunch because it won't go down far enough for her for a while yet!

The girls are excited to really test it out in a couple weeks!

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Happy Birthday Madalyn!

Madalyn is 9.... I am at a loss for words. My little teeny tiny baby is growing up fast! She would be quick to correct me though and say she is still little! ;) I'm thankful she enjoys being small because I'm pretty sure she is sharing Great Grandma Long and Grandma Geiger's genes.

Taken when I got home from my last appointment...

didn't know that it was my last, but she had other plans!

No, Madalyn didn't end up on the floor :)

Our first time holding her...and the day she had her vent removed!

Her favorite thing to do at the barn

Fell asleep sitting up....

....and fell over!

Getting dressed to come home ;)

I love this look....she has come a long way in her thoughts on babies :)

Brag time :)

I think this year Madalyn has matured the most. Marissa used to be the mothering kid in the house, but Madalyn is right behind her now. Many time throughout the day, she has a baby on her hip. She is always entertaining and loving on someone. I love seeing her grow and mature. She has been praying faithfully every day for a baby brother. I'm excited to see what the next year holds and if she will get her answer! She is a pretty awesome little girl!

Monday, May 16, 2016

Birthday Celebrations with Grandma and Grandpa Geiger

Total failure as I have 0 pictures for our day together! :(

This year, the girls didn't have much on their list for wants...ok, they had NOTHING on their lists! It made shopping for their birthday's a little on the tricky side. I was able to come up with something for them, but when Mom wrote and asked I had nothing. So I suggested a shopping trip. The girls have hand-me-downs for pretty much everything, which we absolutely love, but who doesn't love a day out with their grandparents and some new things just for them? The girls have been super excited about this trip!

A week or so before the trip, the girls got these in the mail. (Isn't Mom so creative and sweet?

Friday night they came down and spent the night in preparation for Saturday's shopping trip. We got to sneak in a game of Hand and Foot and Mom and I got whomped! It was super fun though! I love playing games. Saturday morning, we got up and showered. When I came out to the living room, Mom was resting in my chair. I asked her why she got up so early...it was 6:30 and she wasn't planning on getting up until 7 and she was even showered. She told me that Marissa had woken up, went out and knocked on the camper door and woke her up so she could get ready and therefore wouldn't be late for or miss their day. LOL After an awesome breakfast we headed to Watertown. JC Penny's was running an awesome sale of buy 1 get the second of a penny, plus Mom had a 20% off coupon. God certainly is good. They were able to get the outfits they were wanting, a pair of shortalls, and sneakers. They are super excited now for the weather to get warm again so they can wear them. Thanks Mom and Dad for loving on my girls and making me feel so spoiled.

You guys are amazing grandparents.

I don't want anyone to think that I left out Grandma and Grandpa Benedict. With Uncle Steve's death, they were out of town for Marissa's birthday, so we are planning another day where they can celebrate both the girls and do their traditional lunch to McDonalds. Hopefully I can do better about remembering to take pictures on that day!

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!