Happy New Year!

The holidays found us at home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We found it to be different as normally we are surrounded by family. Many times prior to the holidays we discussed packing up and going home but financially it just didn't make sense to make the trip. We made the best of it cooking at home and making our own family traditions.

The last three years have been tough for us physically, emotionally and financially so we welcomed 2012 with open arms. We look forward to having our family all in one place again, recovering from the move and getting situated in our new surroundings.

We are thankful for so many things this year. The main thing being that none of us or our family members suffered any life threatening illness this year. We're all here, healthy and enjoying life!

Time to Catch Up

I'm gonna cheat this posting since I'm behind and post on August, September and October in order to catch up on my blog. The past three months have been very busy and now we're heading right into the holidays!

Zac went to stay with grammy & grampy for a week in August. He had a nice time going fishing with grampy, going to the zoo and hanging out with Auntie Ruth, Uncle Greg & cousin Deidre. They returned him to us and were able to stay for a few days to visit with the rest of the posse. We were hoping to spend more time with them to do some fun things in the area but they had to get back home. Papa and Nana came to visit in September. We went to the outlet mall in Kittery, drove around seeing the sights and to the Maine Headlight. We were glad they were able to fit us in during their Midwest adventures to Indiana and Michigan.
October all of the kiddies celebrate their birthdays. We were so happy to see Grandma Donna, Papa Jim, Mary Jane, Marvin and Judy. They all came to celebrate with us! We were able to get out and show the tourists the town. We had a birthday party, went to the Kittery outlets, to the Maine Headlight, Ogunquit, and Kennebunk. A good time was had by all although our time together went by much too quickly.

Family and friends are so important to us. We're just sad they are all far away. We cherish the time we can spend with everyone!

Children Learn What They Live

I had this artwork hanging on my wall as a child. I loved to read it each day. Enjoy!!

How To Really Love A Child

July Beach Vacation

We braved a 17 hour road trip with our posse to Muskegon, Michigan in July. While in Michigan we attended John's best friend's 50th birthday party. We were also able to spend a couple of nights with Auntie Ruth and Cousin Deidre. We finished up our trip with a visit from Grammy & Grampy, Gma Donna & Papa Jim and a visit to Dutch World. All in all it was a nice vacation although way too short!!

June Photo Shoot

We finally got the kids in for a photo shoot. The photo shoot was a bit more difficult than in the past as we have four of them running four different directions now. Also trying to get everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time is near to impossible. We did manage a few good shots...here is just a sample. Enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

We closed on our home in Maine on April 15, 2011. We are so happy to be together as a family again and the kids are thrilled with their new digs.

The home sits on 3.7 acres with a 100 yard driveway, has a pool, gazebo and detached garage especially for hubby! We really like it so far and are glad we held out for this home. We wanted a ranch with acreage, a basement and a bonus room.

Our time has been spent unpacking and painting. We are painting the entire house; ceilings, trim and walls. I'm not sure what we were thinking with four kids under foot as it has been a long, exhausting and slow process. I am sure once we are done we will be happy to kick back and enjoy the summer.

I hope to post some before and after photos soon. We grow to love our new home a little more each day and know that it is the love inside the walls that matters the most!