Just some updating

My cutie girl and her hat

The boys
A budding hairstylist...
...and her unwilling victim

The first lost tooth (on the bottom, there - see it?)

A family walk...

...all together

'The Bed Bump Up'...

Eleanor bumping up to the crib in the girls' room (though she's not actually in it...weird)

Then, Noah bumping up to the toddler/big boy bed

I think he'll make out okay...(if he manages to actually stay in it, that is)

My two men

16 August is a big day around here - an anniversary and a birthday...

My big man:

So, 11 years ago Toby and I managed to get through our 'I do's without laughing, the pastor got Toby's name wrong (who's Gary Gayner??), and off we went on our adventure that is marriage...

Fast forward nine years...

My little man:

4.45am. I wake up in a puddle, realizing that the little man is coming a little early. When the midwife examines me, she is distracted by the FOOT she has never felt before! So off to the hospital for one of the more relaxed, fun-filled c-sections the hospital has enjoyed. And in the end, here we are, two years later.

Thanks, Tobes, for 11 years of laughter, love, prayer, joy and babies. I love you more now than ever, seeing you not only as husband and friend, but father and teacher, as well. You are God's greatest blessing to me, and I am honored to be your wife. Where ever you go, I will go...

Thanks, Noah, for 2 years of sticky cuddles, slobbery kisses, awful diapers and more bumps and bruises than one could think possible. You are beautiful, and I adore you. Now, please stop climbing everything!!!

By the way, my husband is very clever. He makes switches and button boards for his little boy for his boy's birthday, and can even make it look like a car! Pretty cool, even though he still can't find a steering wheel for it...

A little light reading

Watching one child enjoy a book is a blessing, watching 3 enjoy a book together is joy itself.

Some lovely, dear people

Now, of course I am biased, but I happen to think that everyone should have someone like the Rannebergers in their lives. That is, of course, if they can't get the real thing...

After church we went to their house for a sweet time of food and fellowship. All afternoon, they fed us, played with the children, allowed us to nose about their lives, took us on walking tours of their property, furnished us with produce from their garden and prayed for us. One could not do better...

Snuggle buddies, all afternoon!

There was some excitement/nervousness when George got out the archery stuff, but no need to worry - it was only Kelly who had a turn at target practice. That being said, there's plenty of concern in giving me a bow and arrow. Fortunately, God was good to us and guided my arrows to the target, sparing us all injury.

Going visiting...and staying at home

We drove up to New Jersey last week to do a bit of visiting with my beloved sister and her wonderful family...

Cousin Amy has the BEST STUFF!

My handsome nephew Derek making over my beautiful Eleanor

Cheif mischief-makers...
...and their up-and-coming apprentice

A Camping Trip

So we went to Susquehanna State Park 2 weeks ago for a little communing-with-nature session. It was pretty good, especially if a sleepy girl can smile immediately upon waking. I'm not sure if Mommy and Daddy did. Not until we had some coffee, anyway.A sleepy boy in need of a cuddle...and milk.

The very groovy paddling river we found 5 minutes away from the campground. It's been designed with rocks to create extra current for kids to 'body-surf' and really shallow areas to splash in. Plus, the water was terrifically warm! The perfect relief for sweaty, dirty campers.

I think God must really like camping, because He gives us the best views when whenever we go.

The Gayner-Wilson Family pose - still friends after 2 nights of sleeping in the dirt. Friendship, indeed.

Sewing

For the uninformed, I have been learning to sew. Here is a sample of some creations to date:

Anna's birthday dress, made from the Girls' Regency Dress pattern from Sense & Sensibility

A diaper bag I made for a friend from Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern. I've made a few of these now and have been asked to make some to sell, but unfortunately the pattern is copyrighted, to nix to that idea...

Abigail's Easter dress above and Anna's Easter dress below, both made from the Regency pattern. Hey, if it works, why mess with a good thing?

Okay, the next sample is a bit scary. The dress itself is fine: a nursing dress by Catherine's Choice pattern. It's been a great dress to wear and I've made a second one, green and a bit shorter than the first (mid-calf length). So admire the dress and ignore the large and frightening model...

There are many other projects, either that have not been recorded or are still in the pipeline. I'll do my best to post more as they're made, so watch this space!

Living up to the name

So that you don't think we were just being fanciful with the 'wildlife' portion of the title, below are some examples we've found in and around the house...

A robin's nest under the deck - there were two nests in the end. This nest was eventually abandoned, but the other hatched 2 eggs - so cute!

Meet the wren that made it INSIDE the house, and is trying desperately to get out. I'm not sure who was more eager for him to escape - him or me

An impressive little tree frog, the exact color of our shed.

See?



Apparently, box turtles are pretty common around here. We're not sure how this guy managed to get into our garden or get out again, but he spent a week touring the whole yard. I suspect he was on vacation...Fancy spending it with us

Finally, meet the scary, hairy spider that lurks in our shed. We don't know what sort it is (thought it was a wolf spider at first, but unlikely), but we think it's a male by the polop-y 'fangs' on the front. He's not too bad, really - we all leave each other alone and he keeps the bugs down. Not a bad deal really.

It's about time...

...for some updated photos! Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long - long enough that I needed a refresher course in uploading images!

Such a happy little girl! Even now, what I wouldn't give to pinch those cheeks

A rather poor shot of Anna's 4th (!) birthday picnic - my, how they've grown! When did that kid turn four??

I promise I'll be more faithful in the pictures and updates, but if I don't post this now, I'm likely to lose it all (all? Yes, all - 2 pictures took 30 min!)