Artprize 2013

Fall

Well it looks like that beautiful fall weather is leaving us for cold and wet.  The young kids are getting excited for Halloween in a couple weeks.  It really is sad to see time go by so fast. Jesse is in a Lego League through school and Eric and Jess are really enjoying that. Esme is into Dora the Explorer, well for this month anyway.  Ralye just had her wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and the other girls are busy working and hanging out with their friends. I feel like October is just packed full of activities for our family and it seems so hard to fit it all in.

Been Gone Too Long

Wow it has been so long since I have added a post.  It is so hard to believe how fast time goes. To catch up I'll mention some of the highlights and major events. Jacie and Jade graduated from high school in May of 2012. We took a family trip to Disney World in August 2012. This was the first trip that the whole family actually went together. We celebrated our usual family birthdays and holidays. Of course since my last post everyone is 2 years older. In January of 2013, my husband tragically lost his parents to a car accident while they were on a medical mission in Haiti.

Ryanne and Ralye graduated high school in May of 2013. I would say that life is normal, but I don't know that it is so easy to say that anymore. As we celebrate life accomplishments and try to heal and move forward after loss we truly recognize what is important in life, family.

Birthday Month

November is a big birthday month around here. Jesse celebrated his birthday with a couple of friends at Chuck E. Cheese. He had a great time and loved all his presents. Esme celebrated her first birthday. She had no clue what was going on, but loved all the attention. Damien's birthday is tomorrow and he is looking forward to a fun day with his mom.

October

Its hard to believe fall is here already. The summer flew by so fast and I never made a post. So to catch you up it is pretty much the same around here if you can imagine that. The only big changes we see is in Esme who has grown into quite the little girl already. Jade and Ryanne have new jobs. Jacie and Jade are seniors this year, Ryanne and Ralye are then juniors. Jesse just started the second grade and Damien started kindergarten. Well I will try to keep up a little better. Happy fall.

Spring is Here, I Hope.

The snow has melted and the weather is just beautiful. Esme finally saw the outside world other than through a car window. The kids didn't waste any time dragging all the summer toys out of the garage and into the yard. We are planning a trip to Clearwater Beach, Fl this spring break, unfortunately not everyone will get to come. I have to say I am looking forward to some HOT Florida air. This month is Randie's birthday, which starts the birthday every month cycle for the year with missing only a couple months. Hope everyone as always is well and stays safe.

Winter Fun

The kids managed to get two snow days this past week. While the older kids stayed inside and lounged around for the most part, the boys took to the giant snow piles outside. I spent hours shoveling snow out of the driveway and the sidewalks. I spent half the morning clearing the snow away from the mailbox so the mail truck could get close enough. The boys dug tunnels and played "King of the Mountain." Jesse attempted to start a snowball fight with me but when he got a shovel full of snow in his face the game was over. Anyway passing on warm winter wishes to all and hopefully spring will be here soon.

Bring In the New Year.

Well another year has gone by so quickly and we are already moving on with the next year. 2010 was a great year for our family. There were "new" events, like new house and new baby. There were "first" events like drivers licenses and car accidents, holidays at the new house, riding the school bus, and attending preschool, are just to name a few. All and all the family seems to be less stressed and happier after the move. Everyone truly enjoys the space. Jesse and Damien are really becoming closer now that Damien is older. Sometimes that closeness is the best of friends and others it is arch enemies. The girls spend most of their time hanging out with their boyfriends which for the most part keeps them out of trouble so I can't complain too much. As for the adults in this fam, more sleep would be nice. A personal chauffeur and maid wouldn't hurt either. Well that's not going to happen any time soon so we will just keep plugging away. Esme now nearing 2 months old. She has more and more awake time(usually in the middle of the night) and is beginning to play with toys. She is definitely a heart breaker. I wish everyone a happy and fulfilling 2011.

New to the Family

In the month of November we celebrate Jesse's Birthday, the new arrival of Esme to the family and then Damien's Birthday. We have much to be thankful for. We have been very blessed to have such healthy and beautiful children. Welcome Esme and we love all of you very much.

We have a busy week ahead of us. The school Halloween parties are on Friday, Trick or Treat all weekend. Jesse is having a birthday party Monday night at the Bounce Party with about 35 of his friends. Tuesday we have to pick up and distribute fundraiser goodies. Wednesday is Jesse's actual Birthday and we are having a mini birthday before he goes to church and Thursday we anticipate the arrival of Esme. With a week left I of course feel the need to have the house completely clean and all the laundry done. Last weekend Jesse and I went to the schools Mother and Son bowling party and had a great time. I tried to go into labor by bowling but no such luck. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Happy Halloween weekend.

Fall is Here

Summer has to be officially over when we start October. I love all the fall colors and fall themes. I started decorating for Halloween. We have the babies room pretty much done. She is due one month from today. The kids are well back into the routine of school. Damien started pre-school this year and seems to love it. Jesse's favorite part of the day is lunch of course. He gets hot lunch and to him it is like eating out everyday. How cool is that? The girls just went to homecoming, which is always an event due to preparation and stuff they "have to have" for the occasion. They all looked beautiful. Well till next time. Have a good fall.

I have had a few people ask "are you not doing your blog anymore?" The answer now of course is yes. I can't say exactly what I've been doing that keeps me so busy, but I have been busy. With the nice weather we spend a lot of time outside. My new hangout is the garage. The girls keep them selves busy hanging out with their boyfriends. The boys keep them self busy fighting with each other and enjoying the outdoors. Jesse has found several kids to play with in the new neighborhood. He still prefers to play with his old neighbor Logan and misses him very much. He started riding his bike with no training wheels and is very proud of himself. Damien has taken up bike riding and is getting very good at it. He still is tractor crazy. We got the news a week ago that we will be having another girl. That's all we need right? Jesse was very disappointed but a lil sis is beginning to settle with him. Still we will welcome her into the family with lots of love. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and I wish everyone a safe and fun 4th of July.

Happy Mothers Day Weekend

Father and Son Night

Eric and Jesse went to a father and son function thrown by the school. The theme was Star Wars. They both had a super time. There were a lot of characters dressed in authentic customs. The little guy on the right is Jess. He happened to have an old Halloween costume of his own. Plenty of games and food, all the stuff the guys like. This left time for me to do a little shopping. We are now pretty much all settled in at our new house. We have a couple of rooms that remain empty. The best part is we had 17 people in our house, mostly consisting of the girls friends, and you wouldn't have known unless you counted all the shoes piled by the door. Life remains busy as ever running here and there.

First Visit from the Toothfairy.

Jesse lost his first tooth today. I can't say he didn't have a little help from his sister who scared him on Christmas Eve causing him to take off running where he tripped and fell flat on his face, knocking his front tooth loose. He is so excited that he lost a tooth for the reason as he put it. "I lost a tooth and now I will be rich". We love you Jess and your new look.

Merry Christmas

It has been a great year. Many changes are ahead for our family and we look forward to them. The kids are all excited to open their presents and are already making plans for the New Year! Hope everyone, all our friends and family have a safe and Merry Christmas. Hope everyone has new and exciting adventures awaiting for them in the new year. Merry Christmas and God bless.

Fall is Here!

It's that time of year where everyone is gravitating inside. The weather is crapy cold and rainy. Our new house can't get built fast enough. Some how our current house seems even smaller now that we are anticipating the move. The girls just went to their homecoming dance. Jesse is enjoying school, Randie on the other hand is not. Damien I think is enjoying a little one on one time with everyone at school. Looking forward to Halloween. Jesse already got his costume and all those Halloween decorations are hard to resist. Hope everyone is staying healthy and warm.

School Begins

We are narrowing in on the last week before school starts. Jesse went to his kindergarten orientation. He was so grown up. He strutted into the school with his back pack full of supplies to leave in the classroom. He is looking forward to starting school for the first time. Out of all the questions he could have asked his was "where's the playground?" That is very important! The girls on the other hand are trying to cram in a whole summers worth of fun during their last week of freedom. Randie started her classes this week and is already feeling the pain of being busy and working and loaded with with homework. Only 3 more years to go Randie hang in there. Our new house is coming along now and hopefully all the bumps are ironed out. Keep your figures crossed that we can move in by Christmas.

August is Here

Summer is slowly coming to an end. School will start in less than month and I can't say that I'm almost looking forward to it. This also means I have to go school clothes shopping. Dreadful on so many levels. Ralye just got her braces off. Just in time to start high school. Her smile looks great! The girls hang around bored, constantly trying to find new things to do. The good news is we will be moving hopefully in December. Seems how there are not any homes for sale with 7 bedrooms or anything comparable to 7 bedrooms in Grandville so we are having one built. The goal then is to be in by December. Eric and I have been busy with all that goes into that. Randie, Ralye and Damien are heading to Tennessee to visit with my cousin for a week. That will be a nice get away. Hope everyone is enjoying their summers and I will talk back to you soon.

Dawg days of Summer

Summer is just cruising on by. Jacie and Jade are now driving with their permits. Ryanne is busy with cheerleading and just got back from cheerleading camp. Ralye, I think is having a boring summer. She is soon to get her braces off and seems to be excited about that. Jesse and Damien are just enjoying the fact they can play outside. Randie is hard at work. School will start up again for her. We have been looking at houses, however it is difficult finding a home big enough and in the area we want to move, so we are considering having one built. Either way it will be nice to move. Hope everyone is having a fun and safe summer.