Beautiful Kids

Prettiest Princess

Havin' fun at the 40

All 5 kids got to ride the crane swing at the Messersmith's....FUN !!!

Marny turning 11

All 5 kids so wonderful !!!

13 Memory Verses & special music

Our family singing special music at Sagola in 2008.

Marny taking her turn at repeating 13 memory verses from memory.....

Gabby's turn. They both said them flawlessly...so proud !!!

"2-D" in 3-D at the Forty

Every family should have a Lab in it. This picture is why ;-)

Every family should have bonfires. These smiles are why :-) Dominic forgot about his MP3 player in his pocket till Gramma asked him if he ever uses it.....so he just had to demonstrate.

Everyone who has a Lab in their family should go for long explores in the forest with them. This pose is struck often on our walks together. She is like a statue for a few seconds, listening, smelling, looking.....we try to help her by holding still ourselves when she is striking a pose !!

Picnic at Van Riper

Van Riper State Park has little cabins you can rent. They are cute, we just borrowed its picnic table for our supper together.

My sister Lynne came with her boy Kyle. She brought, among other things, Basil Lemonade. It was wonderfully unique tasting and delicious !!!!!

We did our fair share of swatting at the bugs, but the view of Lake Michigamme was worth all the suffering :-)

Tootsie was a little sad because the water was not accessible here. She didn't quite know what to do with her self. She spent most of the time at my feet under the picnic table like a good doggie.

First the hike at Craig Lake and then the picnic at Van Riper. A great day for all !!!

Craig Lake State Park

There had been turtles on the log.....they saw us coming a mile away. Still a memorable scene !!

Francesca beginning the hike at Craig Lake.......

This park is Michigan's most remote state park, and we were afraid of bears and other large creatures so you can't hear us in this photo but we were making lots of noise !!!

Dominic standing near a VERY old tree stump, holding his precious Gatorade that he bought with his own money thank you very much !!

Water ??? Stick ??? Kids ??? A perfect recipe for a good time in Tootsie Land :-)

Fumee Lake Fun

Fumee Lake Natural Area never disappoints. Here is a plant that I have never seen before. It is spring so I'm sure that whatever it is, it will grow up into something more identifiable. I think I'll need to go back and check it out at a later time to see if it has changed. The pic of course doesn't do it justice, it was so fuschia. Really neat against the somewhat drab spring landscape.

They installed a new wrought iron gate at the entrance. This place is so pretty and unique and needed a better 'first impression'.

Blessed with sunshine for our hike, the kids are doing some shadow play here. You can see all 5 dogs and all 4 kids' shadows.

I LOVE watching them enjoy each other and nature, too. So very blessed.....

Our little, well kind of big, "pack". The little lake is only 1 mile around but there is still much to see and do. The larger lake is 5 miles around. We hiked that one only once. We do this little lake's hike all the time. And always enjoy it !!

GLAA snaps

I rarely get all 5 children together lately. So here they are. Vincent is 16, Gabriella is 14, Marnina is 12, Dominic is 9, and Francesca is 8. This is in the boys dorm hall.

Francesca and I eating in the Cafeteria at GLAA.

Vincent and I waiting in line at the Caf. Yes, he has passed me up.......vertically I mean :-)

More waiting for food.....Gabby is holding her packet fror Academy Days. She may attend GLAA next year as a Freshman. We'll see what the future holds first.

Vince is here with Julie, his best girl. They are in love *SIGH*.......How can this be ?????

Tree Huggers

Dominic and Francesca enjoyed the trees on our walk today. This forest is about 1 mile away from our house and runs along a river. It was beautiful as usual this time.

Some of the Cedar trees that line the path are probably well over 200 years old. I LOVE them !!! Nothing, for me, is quite as romantic, mysterious, and refreshing as being in a forest filled with these aged wonders !!!

A tree hugger in the making :-)

A tree hugger in training :-)

Francesca's 8th Birthday

Francesca turned 8 on Monday. She had been counting down the days for months :-) She chose this cake from the bakery..."the one with the doggies on it" !!!

Gabriella turned 14 last week....Marny is still 12 (for a few more weeks anyway) and Dominic is 9 in this pic. Vince belongs in here too, but is away at school :-(

Among her presents were Legos, Playmobil, and clothing. Here she is holding up a Lego Horsie trailer set from Gramma. It was assembled promptly the very next morning !!

The children's favorite restaurant...Ferdinand's in downtown Escanaba, They were kind enough to honor both Gabby's and Francesca's birthdays at this meal. Hey, free dinner on your birthday is pretty awesome for this Mommy :-)

Shabbat Shalom Again

Friday evening is always anticipated at our house. It means everything stops, the candles are lit, the family is gathered, and we can enjoy each other and time with the LORD on His holy day. The "wine" is always new wine....Welch's purple grape juice, only the best! And for our treat....well.....it varies greatly from something home-made to something bakery-made to Pop-tarts when I was short on ideas once :-) Overall, it is a great way to start the Sabbath. Shabbat Shalom to all !!!

The 50 Cent Tootsie Roll

"Mom, got any quarters??? The game in the corner lets you play till you win....." About 3 dollars later they all had 2 Tootsie Rolls each........Yippeeeee !!!!!

It's the Kitchen's Turn !!

Last year, we did some remodeling on the living room. This year, we chose to start on the kitchen. It's definitely a long process....Not enough funding to go full speed ahead, but, a little at a time is better than no progress at all !! Francesca is painting the wall white with her mini roller. She loved to help !!

Todd is tearing out the old drywall....and Faithful Tootsie is nearby, lending her "calm submissive energy."

Ski Day Fun

Love getting all bundled up. Takes about 45 minutes to get ALL our stuff on and situated. Then someone usually has to go pee....(sigh) :-)

This is the Mama and the Baby on the lift way up high......I am a little afraid of high places, but Francesca was so brave and actually enjoyed it so I pretended to also..... :-)

My sweet baby Francesca. All big and 7 and stuff. She did so good. This was her first time ever on skis. No lesson. No harness. No poles. No problem !!

Marny is so graceful. She told me that she didn't fall down once all day. What an accomplishment !!

I brought PB & J sandwiches for lunch and some chips and cookies, but Dominic REALLY liked it when his friend handed him a Little Debbie Nutty Bar. I think he's happy....Thank you Brian Berger :-)

Baruch Atah Adonai

The Hebrew blessing over the new wine is repeated by all. "Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-gafen." Translated : Praised are You, God, Ruler of creation, who creates the fruit of the vine. Glasses are "clinked" each with all the others, and Shabbat (Sabbath) is welcomed in !!! Yay !!

Candles always make the ambience more holy, and a special "treat" is served, either store-bought or homemade(even more special!) Happy Sabbath to all...even if you're not Adventist or Jewish, it's STILL the Sabbath :-) Shalom !!!