"Sick Air" attempt #1

back yard dirt pile......BMX bikes......boys and their toys.......SICK !!!!!!!

A Beautiful Spring Evening

The rain for 2 straight days finally let up, so we took our bikes to the local park and let the puppy play in the river. The river was nice and high from all the rain. Tootsie hasn't actually 'swam' yet, she mostly plays in the water. It will be exciting when she doggie paddles for the first time !! I think one of us will have to swim with her to encourage her.

Memorial Day Services

Memorial Day services at our local cemetery. It's just not the same if we miss them. Todd took this picture of all of us standing with our neighbors. A windy day but a memorable one. I wish I could share the picture in my mind that I caught of a uniformed soldier paying a salute to a deceased soldier. It was very powerful but alas I did not have camera at the ready. It was probably a most sacred moment anyway. So just imagine it and cry with me. "All gave some, and some gave all."

Smile pretty !

You simply HAVE to stop and take your picture in front of the big Mackinac (pronounced mack-in-aw) Bridge when you're driving past. It makes such a pretty background, don't you think? You can't see all the million little construction cones on the bridge, but they were there !! Making it slower to cross and that much more scary !!! I drove white-knuckled across it on the way home. I have this fear, OK? But it sure makes a pretty picture !

Freckles

I have 5 children. And I love freckles. None of my children have had many freckles, until now !!! I just love this close up shot of Francesca's sweet 7 year old face. My sweet baby, God designed her face just for my enjoyment :-) Also notice her trademark space between the front teeth, just like her mommy! Too Cute !! I love you Francesca.

Fencing Anyone?

The money from the sale of the puppies has to go to puppy things, or so says my better half anyway. So, we opted for a sturdy fence around the backyard where the dogs hang out. It has been fun so far, and with Todd's fencing experience, it is turning out to be quite impressive. It will be a couple days before it is all finished, but we will keep you up to date on our progress.

Where's a fingernail clipper?

Gabriella finally broke down and joined us on the guitar. She had hesitated and hesitated, but tonight she asked for a clippers and, without any persuading by anyone, she CLIPPED HER FINGERNAILS and joined us on the guitar for family worship. She really did good, considering she had long lovely nails. What a tough decision, but it is one I feel she won't be sorry for. I couldn't tell from the way she played that she hadn't played much before, she sounded fabulous ! Thanks Gabby for giving it your ALL. Love you !!

Showtime

Another successful concert today in Stephenson, Michigan. Every home we go to is so different, yet all are full of sweet elderly saints. They are so precious and have seen so much change in their lives. One lady I met today was 100 years old. Wow, I can't even begin to imagine. She looked great ! The lady we are in the photo with above was our biggest fan of the day. She was in tears with thankfulness for our coming to sing for them. So sweet !!

Beach Party Concert

Every year the nursing home where we entertain has a 'Spirit Week' of sorts. Our happy hour this week happened to fall on their 'Beach Day'. We did the same thing as last year, minus one child, Vince. We sang almost the same songs, but added a few new ones for variety. We enjoyed hula-hooping after wards when the crowd had cleared, and really liked seeing all the residents that got into the theme for the day. Check out "Daisy's" sunglasses, shaped like Martini's !! My favorite part of any Happy Hour is the greeting we get to do afterwards, holding all those sweet wrinkled up old hands and hearing them say how much they appreciate us. The feeling is mutual !! We love Happy Hour !

One Last Baby

Almost gone are the baby days. Almost gone are the times when I find something chewed to pieces. Almost gone are the snuggly warm tiny puppies. We sold two siblings from this last litter, and are waiting for the last baby girl to be picked up. She is so fun and beautiful, its hard to let her go. But it will be nice to have a somewhat cleaner home soon. At least until the next batch of puppies comes along !! We love you baby Duchess !!

A Swinging Success !!

Todd has been working on raising the swingset for this year. The kids have grown, and there's nothing in the yard that is more pathetic looking than a swingset that is unused. So...he set about raising it by 4 feet a couple of weeks ago. Last night the kids tested out the new swings. Todd even got on and made it come off the ground a little, much to the fear of us watching him. He will anchor the legs, he said, so it is safer, but so far, its great fun !!! Can you say 'Big Air'????

A Welcome Sight

Such a sight for sore eyes......a tulip fully open. I love all the seasons, and I appreciate the Lord's faithfulness in changing them for us, but there's something about Spring that makes me SO HAPPY !!!!! I just noticed the corner of my slipper in the picture (it's the purple fuzzy thing in the bottom right hand corner), this can only mean that its OK to walk outside in your slippers, especially when its a beautiful spring day !!