Moberlyfam

This Week

2010-10-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

This week I offered a hair-bow making class to some fellow homeschoolers. We only had a couple that day and had to reschedule for another day to accomodate a few others.

We also made bow holders, to hold all the bows!

I made a baby hat for this great organization called Caps For Good http://www.goodgoes.org/caps

I made an Autumn Wreath for our front door.

A winter coat for Sophie.

And best of all Papa Bill and Grandma Sally came for a visit! Papa stayed for a day and a half until he had to go to Ukraine. Grandma got to stay for a whole week!

This Week

2010-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have all these dreams and aspirations to be an inspiring blogger with all kinds of craft tutorials and projects to share, but life just gets in the way. So, I have decided to simply tell about projects we have been working on "this week". If anyone is interested in a tutorial or pattern or recipe or whatever, just leave a comment!

This week...
Well, this week has been a busy one in the Moberly household! We returned home on Sunday after camping with my brother's family. The campground had trick-or-treating for the kids, which was tons of fun. Fortunately, I already knew what 3 of my children were going to be and had the fabric on hand. This is what we came up with..

Noah as Luigi. Julia as Harley Quinn, Kate as Easter (Hadassah) and Sophie as a Spider. They still need a bit more work before the "big night", but over all everyone was happy.

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We also visited Edwards Apple Orchard, which was just a short drive from the campground. It was the perfect occasion for Sophie to wear her apple hat that I made for her.

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I was able to get this dress for FREE!

(I know HORRIBLE picture, but it's all I got!)

I thought it was cute but knew it wouldn't come close to fitting any of my girls, so I decided to turn it in to a bag to carry my current knitting projects and needles. Here are the results.

The Bag

The Needle Cases

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We also have been making batch after batch of oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies. Pure deliciousness!

Fireworks

2010-07-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our family worked together with a few other families to throw a huge 4th of July neighborhood party. I (Julia) was in charge of the craft! I came up with the idea to make these fireworks.

Here's what you need.

Decorate the 6in. by 4in. paper. It can be red, white or blue.

Tape or glue the paper on to a empty toliet paper roll.

Next, you can add pipe cleaners, ribbons and little strips of folded or curled paper.

Be creative!

Here are some pictures from the party.

It was so fun.

I hope you like this craft!

American Girl Doll Clothing

2010-07-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

My niece Emma loves her American Girl Dolls! Most every year for her birthday and Christmas she asks for outfits for them. These are the outfits that I made for her this past Christmas.

Pajamas

Christmas Dress and Purse

Blog Revamp

2010-07-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

My daughter Julia has been talking about making a craft blog for a long time and we finally came up with the idea of turning my blog into one that we can do together! I am excited to work on this with her. I will start off posting a few of the craft projects that I have completed in the past couple of months. I haven't done much since the newest member of our family, Sophie Marie
arrived in April, but I am starting to really get the bug back! I am sure to be starting something new soon. Julia will also post whenever she comes up with something new.

Here is little Sophie.

June/December 2009

2010-01-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to finish up 2009 in one brief post. Here is a quick glimpse at what we have been up to for the past few months.

At the end of May, we went on our annual small group camping trip to Starved Rock. We had a great time hanging out, hiking and swimming.

In June, we started a garden in the backyard. We all enjoyed it even more than I thought we would. We are looking forward to doing it again next year!

We celebrated the fourth of July with the annual Hometown picnic and ended the evening with some good friends hanging out at our place.

The kids participated in T-ball for the third summer and they were each able to graduate to hitting the ball without the T.

We went camping in Wisconsin near Devil's Lake with our good friends the Bards. We did some serious rock climbing and hiking. I was extremely proud of the kids!

We did it!!

The kids wanted to go swimming in the lake even though it was a bit chilly!

The campground had tons of activities and we enjoyed quite a few of them.

Joe's brother Dan and his wife Maggie moved here for a job transfer and they were able to live in our house for a few months while trying decide where they would live. We had a great time spending time with them and we are thrilled that they are living so close!

The kids also attended a drama camp through the city of Aurora and they absolutely loved it!

The program was really impressive, they each did a fantastic job!

We took a spur of the moment family trip to Indiana for the weekend. We swam in Lake Michigan and had a wonderful family bonding time.

In August we went up to Minnesota to Joe's Aunt and Uncle's house for a little family reunion. We try to go every year and everyone has a great time swimming, tubing and jet skiing.

We also took a trip up to Canada to visit my brother Marty, his wife Patsy and their boys. We brought the trailer and camped at their house as well as at Niagara Falls. It was great time spend time together!

On our way home from Canada, while driving through Michigan, a huge chunk of cement came out of nowhere and hit our van. Thank the Lord, everyone was fine and we were able to get off the highway safely!
The day we got home from Canada, we found out the I am expecting a baby! Shocking and wonderful news for our family!

In September, we took our annual trip to Disney World. This was the first year that every member of Joe's family was able to make it! We also found out the his brother John and his new wife Nichole are expecting a baby as well! She is due 5 days before me! Joe also got to sing in the American Idol Experience! It was so fun, a real highlight of the trip!

We then continued our vacation down to Disney's oceanfront property in Vero Beach.

The kids thought it was exciting to see some jelly fish that washed ashore.

We went to the apple orchard and brought Uncle Paul, Uncle Dan and Aunt Maggie along.

In October we had a visit from Joe's parents, Bill and Sally Moberly and Joe's Brother John and his wife Nichole. We took the oportunity to take Nichole to Chicago for her first visit.

We also went to see Taylor Swift in concert.

I had an opportunity to meet my sister Rachel in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. We had an amazing time shopping, sight seeing, laying on the beach, eating out and snorkleing. It was definetly a trip of a lifetime!

After I got back from Hawaii, we celebrated Halloween.

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving with Paul, Dan, Maggie and The Moss Family. And, of course, we were out by 4:30AM the next day for some good black friday shopping!

On December 10th we had a level two ultra sound,to make sure that the baby is healthy and to find out the gender. We found out that we are having a GIRL! How exciting! We are amazed at all our blessings and this little blessing will be named Sophie Marie (Marie is my middle name and also was my mother's).

This year for Christmas, we decide to drive down to Albuquerque New Mexico to be with Joe's family.

April/May Update

2009-05-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday, we not only celebrated the resurrection of our savior, but also the baptism of our second child, Julia! She asked me to baptize her and it was my pleasure to do so!

In early May, my brother Marty, his wife Patsy and boys, Blake, Tanner , David and Chase came for a short visit. We went to Bounce Town (a place with bounce houses, obstacles courses, air hockey and tons of other fun things to do!), we had a birthday party for David and Chase and they were able to come to our homeschool talent show.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Part Three: Marysville

2009-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

After leaving Disneyland, the kids and I drove up to Northern California to seeing my dad, stepmom and step grandparents. We had a fabulous time hanging out at my step grandparents farm. We had a huge yummy breakfast every morning and then headed out to feed the cows.

We were fortunate enough to be there in the spring, so that meant that there were lots baby cows! Two were born while we were there and we even got to watch one being born! Here are a few pictures of the two babies. "Sparkles" (named by Noah) was born early in the morning before we were awake.

And "Star" (named by Julia) was born later that morning right after we were done feeding the cows.

We also went to Alta Sierra Biblical Gardens and a chinese buffet for lunch (YUM!)

Joe was able to come join us towards the end of the week. We were all so happy to be reunited!

We also had a bon fire, had fun catching up with cousins, jumping on the trampoline, riding down the driveway in the wagon and relaxing.

Part Two: Disneyland

2009-04-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Our next adventure was Disneyland! The kids and I, along with Papa Bill and Grandma Sally drove from Albuquerque to Anaheim. As much as we love being a part of a really big family, the one disadvantage is that my kids have limited time with just the grandparents. That is what made this part of the trip so special, quality time with grandma and grandpa! One of the many advantages of a big family is having so many aunts and uncles (and now even a couple of cousins!) and the other part that made this trip special was that their Aunties, Missy and Christy were able to join us for the last two days. We had a really great time hanging out at Disneyland and at the pool just relaxing and playing. The pictures from this part of the trip are pathetic at best since our family photographer had to go home to work! But they will have to do!

We also happen to be at Disneyland the same day that our really good friends, Jenn and Carter Moss were there with some of their family. Two of their kids were picked for the Jedi training show.

2009-04-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows our family, knows that we love to travel! Along with the blessing of Joe's brother John's wedding in Albuquerque, New Mexico came the opportunity to go on a 25 day road trip!

Part one: Albuquerque March 12th-25th.

We left our house on Thursday, March 12th around 11:00 AM. We drove down through Illinois, into Missouri, then Oklahoma, where we stopped for the night. We then drove through Texas and arrived in Albuquerque around 2:30 on Friday the 13th. That night, I went out to dinner with all the girls and got to meet Nichole (John's fiance') and my brand new neice Madeline!

The next couple of days involved lots of shopping, eating and hot tubbing until the rest of the family started to arrive. We got to see Jeremiah and Airielle's new house and enjoy some pizza and a movie.

The next few days, the rest of the family arrived and Tuesday night we all went over to John's house and he made his incredible homemade pizza!

The kids were really excited to pick up with Uncle Danny and Aunt Maggie right where they left off in Maui! (Big Fishy!)

The next night the guys had the bachelor party and the girls had dinner together. The camera went with on the bachelor party, so those are the only pictures we have!

The next day we were able to take a tour of Faith Comes By Hearing, which is the company where Jeremiah works. It was really interesting!

That night was the rehearsal!

And then it was the big day!

The Ceremony

Their first kiss!

Man and Wife.

The Reception

The next day we had a brief present opening with John and Nichole.

And then we took the Sandia Peak Tramway up to the top of the mountain.

We spent some time at Jeremiah and Airielle's house celebrating Abbey's birthday.

We had such a great visit! It was so good to spend time with everyone!

Christmas

2008-12-30T16:57:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for dinner on Christmas Eve.

Fancy Dinner in the Dining room

Cheers!

Opening Christmas Eve present from Mommy

New jammies made by mommy!

Christmas Eve Service

Silent Night

Good Night!

Christmas Morning.

Christmas Break

2008-12-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had tons of fun on Christmas Break! The kids and I put this puzzle together. It was our first big one (550 pieces) and the kids were so proud of it, I had to take a picture or two!

Noah lost his very first tooth!

And, of course, we made cookies!

Tadaah!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T10:56:00.001-08:00

This year our home school group decided to change it up a bit and put on a Thanksgiving Show instead of a Christmas Pageant. I thought it went really well and the kids learned a ton about our country's history. This show incorporated two of the things I love about homeschooling. One, it provided an opportunity for kids ages 2 to 10 to work together and learn together. And two, we gave the older kids an opportunity to write a portion of the script and do what they wanted with it. Kate and her friend Thomas decided to be John and Priscilla Alden (historical pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower). They wrote and acted out a scene in the show together. I was really proud! Julia wanted to be one of the four narrators who read a portion from an "old" book. Although she only just turned 7 (2-3 years younger than the other narrators), I knew she would be up for the task. She did not disappoint! She did a great job and she looked so cute in that huge rocking chair! Noah was awesome and said all his lines at just the right time! Over all I think it
was a huge success!

Brendan

2008-11-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

On Monday, when my phone rang and my brother gave me the news that a family member would be adopting Brendan, my world came to a halt. We knew all along that this could happen, I even told people, "It's never for sure until you have those adoption papers". But I was not able to keep my heart from being invested in this sweet little boy. I scolded myself for allowing this to happen. Why didn't I keep my distance until he was legally available for adoption? And what about this growing passion that Joe and I have for adoption? Should we just give up? It would be a lot less painful. What is the Lord trying to say?

I took the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday to grieve and pray. This is not to say that I am not still grieving or praying, but I can't hide out in my pj's forever. The Lord kept bringing back a blog that I had read a few days before this happened. It was actually from my brother. He was talking about things that he had learned from being a foster parent. The thing that stuck most in my mind was that when you care for a child (foster, adoptive or even biological), it's not about you. It's about that child. Sure, my heart is broken, but what is best for Brendan? And who is this about? Should I withdraw my love for fear of getting hurt? Or could I possibly, with the help of God, give my love away with full abandon and no hesitation, knowing that this is what God has called me to do? So, as hard as this process has been, I would not trade knowing this little boy and even loving him. I will pray for him until I see him in heaven and trust that God has the perfect plan for him and for us. As for adoption, we are still continuing to pursue this as Joe and I both believe that that Lord has laid it on our hearts. And I thank Brendan for giving us the motivation to research adoption more fully and to find out the steps we need to take to get us there.

Halloween

2008-11-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

This halloween was probably my favorite. It was absolutely beautiful outside, we were able to be out the entire night with no jackets! What a huge blessing! We also met us with some of our best friends and all had a really great time! I do think that the nice weather brought out every trick or treater in the neighborhood though. I really don't know how anyone had enough candy for all those kids!

The two most handsome army guys out there!

Noah as a soldier

Kate as a Spring Fairy

Julia as a Wildcat Cheerleader

The moms: Julie, Molly, Kerry, me and Jenn (as Michelle Duggar)

The kids: Way too many to name (although less than Michelle Duggar has!)

Julia's Frankenstein

Kate's Rose

Noah's skeleton

All lit up at night.

After trick or treating we had everyone over for soup and chili. It was a perfect way to end the day!

Run To You

2008-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is a song that Joe and I sang this weekend at church. The song was so awesome, I thought I'd share! This is Mac Powell singing since I do not have a recording of Joe and I :)This is the video that played in the background while we sang.

I especially loved the bridge:

Nowhere to run to and no one to turn to
I'm dying out here on my own
Long before I even thought of returning
Your arms are wide open, waiting for me to come home

The topic this week was about sin. Sin is not about breaking the rules it's about breaking relationships. Our relationship with God and our relationships with others.

San Francisco

2008-10-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Most people who know Joe and I, know that we are really close to his family. We meet them in various locales several times a year and his parents (usually with a sibling or two) come to our house for a visit a few time a year as well. I say this to express the deep sense of loss that Joe has felt not knowing where his older brother Paul was. We have not been able to find him for 9 years. And not for lack of trying either! Well, a couple of months ago we were able to find his phone number (long story). A few weeks ago Joe decided to text him and got no response. Last Tuesday, Joe got a text from Paul's roomate Sean. He told Joe that he thought Paul needed a visit and gave us his address! Well, that afternoon, we booked airline tickets. Thank you airline miles! And thanks to friends who offered to take the kids so that we could go! We had no idea what would happen once we got there, we were just so desperate to see Paul. Thank the Lord, Paul started texting Joe the night before we left, so at least we knew that he knew we were coming and seemed okay with it.

We knew that Paul could not meet us until later so we spent the day shopping and sight seeing.

We met up with a couple from CCC (Tracy and Aaron) who are starting at church in SF. They are super cool and we appreciate the fact that they are there and doing what God has called them to do!

Last year at Joe's work Christmas party we went to a restaraunt called Le Colonial and it was awesome! We had been saying that we really wanted to go back. Well, one of the other two world wide locations was about 4 blocks from our hotel! So we went there for a belated 10 year anniversary dinner. It was just as awesome as we remembered! We were the first to get seated in this beautiful outdoor patio.

We were being really silly trying to get a picture of the two of us. A really nice guy stopped to take our picture but apparently could not figure out Joe's camera. So, we kept trying and came up with this one. :)

We met up with Paul at about 11:30 that night and we went to a diner and talked for a few hours. It was really good to finally see him and talk to him!

Saturday morning we met Paul and Sean for brunch at this very popular restaraunt. We waited for about an hour to get a table. The coffee and food were great!

My dad and Bonnie drove down from Marysville to hang out with us a little on Saturday and Sunday before we flew home. We had a really great time sightseeing. We drove through Golden Gate Park and then we stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked down a path to a pier which had fantastic views of the bridge, Alcatraz and the city. We then decide to drive up the incredibly steep Lombard Street so that we could go down the other side of the hill which is known as the "crookedest" street in the world. We had so much fun! My step mom laughs (A LOT!!!) when she is nervous and it is very contagious, so we were all laughing the entire time we were waiting to get up the hill. That is us in the little silver car on the left.

Later that night, Paul cooked us dinner at his apartment. He made a really yummy speghetti and sausage dish for dinner and delicious chocolate creme' brule for desert.

It was such a great visit, hopefully we can keep in touch!!

My Mom

2008-10-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my mother's death. There is no doubt about it, it's been tough. But, it did hit me earlier when I was thinking it about it, that today also marks her one year anniversary in heaven. That made me smile. The fact that she is not here just sitting in a chair unable to move, talk or eat much, that she is in all of God's glory, makes me happy! So, happy anniversary mom!

2008-10-06T17:07:00.001-07:00

2008-09-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

2008-09-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tag, You're It!
Sara of http://odd-dotty.typepad.com/odd_dotty_dollymaker/, who is a good friend of mine (no, I don't have any bad friends, I just mean I really like her!) tagged me for a meme. This is a "six random things about me" meme, so get ready to be shocked! Who am I kidding, I'm not that interesting!

Okay, here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post. (I could only come up with 5 that didn't already get tagged or aren't a boy cuz boys don't do meme's).
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

That's it. Let the fun begin...

1.Probably my favorite thing to do right now is to sew. I am going to the fabric store tomorrow to pick out patterns and fabric for Halloween costumes and I am so excited! Weird, since I did not even know how to sew a year ago!

2. I love learning new skills. This last year I started playing piano at church, sewing (as mentioned above), put in a new floor complete with trim on the first floor and even put a tile backsplash in my kitchen. Now I am seriously interested in learning how to make doll furniture. Anyone know how?

3.I am reading a Nicholas Sparks book right now (The Guardian). It's pretty good so far, the last one (The Choice) made me bawl! Darn you Nicholas Sparks!

4.I have been going on bike rides every morning around a local lake and I love it! It's my mental break/prayer time. What am I going to do in the winter, lose my mind??

5.I feel incredibly blessed by the female relationships that I have. I have the BEST sister, sister-in-laws, step mom, mother-in-law, friends, etc. ever!!

6.This will not come as a surprise but I love Disney World! There is truly something magical about that place. I will never for the rest of my life understand anyone who does not feel the same!

There! I did it. I hope it was random enough! Now let's see if I can get a few bloggers to play along!

http://missmissmissy.blogspot.com/

http://christymoberly.blogspot.com/

http://thecassadyfam.blogspot.com/

http://mulberryspot.blogspot.com/

http://jeanmmiller.blogspot.com/

Day 3

2008-09-08T16:51:00.001-07:00

We've been having lots and lots of fun in Virginia! This morning, we played outside on the trampoline and climbed a few trees. We then went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch (yum yum!) with Brendan. The kids had the play area to themselves and had a great time playing with Brendan.
My nephew David
My nephew Chase

This afternoon we made homemade grape jelly. It was not nearly as messy as I thought it would be! It was actually really fun! Here is Kate and my nephew Blake My nephew Tanner

Good night little buddies!

Meeting Brendan

2008-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is Brendan. He is the adorable, sweet little boy who we are planning to adopt. He lives with my brother and his family as a foster boy. I was fortunate enough to meet Brendan back in June but Joe and the kids had not met him yet. So this was a very big day! He just adores Joe and they bonded just as quickly as Brendan and I did in June.

Playing at the park Nap Time!

Happy 9th Birthday Kate!

2008-09-06T13:47:00.001-07:00

Jonas Brothers Concert

2008-08-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Maybe you are in the same boat that I am in and you have a Jonas Brothers fan or two in your household. I have to say that I have not seen my girls go so crazy for anything like this before. In fact as we speak, my girls are discussing where the Jonas Brothers are right now. Apparently they are doing a concert in Camden New Jersey tonight. Anyway, my friend Kerry (who has a JB obsessed fan of her own) and I decided to take our girls to the concert.

I made the decision that day almost 9 years ago when I became a mother, that I was going to be a fun mom. What I meant by that was not being a permissive mom, but a mom who loves doing things that her kids love to do. So, I guess that means taking my girls to a concert with 35,000 (other) screaming girls. The day of the concert, I asked Julia if she was going to scream a lot that night and she said, "That's pretty much all I'm going to do!". Great! Fortunately, I actually like the Jonas Brothers. I like what they stand for and I like their family values. And the music is not too bad either. :)

Getting ready to go...

At the concert.

She is screaming so loud, she had to plug her ears!

Just look at those faces!

We all had such a great time! Julia said it was the best night of her life and she would remember it forever! It felt so good knowing that I had helped create this very special memory!

Silly Little Friends

2008-08-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to try my hand at making dolls. My first one, Julia and I made together. She isn't perfect, her head is kind-of crooked! But she found a loving mother in Julia anyway. Her name is Molly.

I enjoyed making Molly so much that I decided to make another doll. I wasn't sure who would be her mother, but she was quickly snatched up by Kate. Her name is Holly.

Then, of course, Noah could not be left out! So along came Joey.

Here are a few more pictures to enjoy. The kids and I had so much fun taking all of these!

I found that I have really enjoyed making these dolls! And taking silly pictures! :) I figured that after making three, I was finally ready to make one for a gift. This lovely little baby was made with love for my niece Abbey. We are going to see her in a few weeks at Disney World and surprise her. So, shhh! Don't tell!

Here she is taking a little nap on the front porch.

A week with the Moberly's

2008-08-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

This past week Joe's dad, mom, brother and two sisters came for a visit. It's always good to have them come, we are a very close family, but only get to see each other a few times a year. Here are my top ten favorite moments:

10. Taking the train downtown.

9. Playing the Wii.

8. Listening to Billy howl.

7. Planning our upcoming Disney vacation.

6. Eating all the good food that everyone made!

5. Going for walks.

4. Going shopping.

3. Watching Psych (which is one part strawberry, two parts awesome!)

2. Eating at Moe's and being really silly with Missy and Christy.

1. Singing about my strawberry rhubarb pie!

Auntie Christy swinging witht the kids.

Riding the train.

Taking the Trolley.

Walking along the Lake from Navy Pier to Millenium Park.
The Bean.

Random City Pics.

Noah's perseptive of the train ride home.

All Boy!

2008-08-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that having a little boy is a wonderful thing? His energy is boundless, what is the deal with always being airborne? But no one gives hugs and says, "mom, you're pretty!" quite like him!

Minnesota

2008-08-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

This year it has hit us pretty hard to be living so far away from all of our family. So, when the opportunity presents itself to get together, we take it. Some of Joe’s family that lives ABQ came up to Minnesota for business and to visit with Joe’s grandparents. So, we decided to make the 6.5 hour drive and meet them up there. We don’t get to see the grandparents very often, so this was a really good excuse to see them too!

We drove straight to Valley Fair Amusement Park, which is a childhood favorite for Joe. We had a good time riding a few rides and chatting with Joe’s family. The next day we went over to Grandma June’s for lunch, where we also met up with Joe’s other grandparents, Grandma Dona and Grandpa Jerry. After lunch, we all went to see Wall-E at the movie theater and hung out for awhile at Grandma June’s. After dinner at Panera Bread Company we found a small lake and walked around it several times while we talked.

On Saturday, we decided to go to Como Zoo. The kids really had a good time, although it was a bit hot and crowded for the adults! But, it was still good just to hang out with everybody.

That night we went to a Minnesota Twins baseball game. It was our kids first time to a major league game. Everybody had a great time! Too bad they lost :(

Annual Small Group Camping Trip

2008-07-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

I suppose hearing about camping is getting a little old, but for us camping is a big part of summer. Last week our small group went on our second annual camping trip. This is a big deal considering I had to twist several arms last year to get some of our small groupies to come camping. And last year wasn't even that great of an experience. We ended up going the weekend after the 4th and it was VERY crowded and it was like 95 degrees! So, I was kind-of surprised at how easily everyone agreed to come this year. Anyway, we all headed up to Happy Hallow Campground just outside of Starved Rock. The campground was really nice (we had gone there on Mother's Day weekend with the Bards) and we had our own little section to ourselves. The afternoon and evening went really well. We went swimming and then grilled some awesome steaks (thanks to the grill master Joe!) and yummy baked potatoes (thanks to Kerry). We relaxed by the fire and did the whole smores thing. About 2:00 in the morning it started to rain and did not stop until around 9:00. Needless to say that those who were not safe and comfy in the tent trailer, got soaked! After awhile everyone got over that and I was impressed by the good attitudes. We had breakfast, went hiking, went swimming and then we went to the local movie theater and saw Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. Not worth the $40 in my opinion, but the kids had a blast. We drove back to the campground and made ourselves some tacos. After the kids were safetly tucked in, we sat around the fire and talked and laughed and were much too loud for our neighbors preference, I'm sure! Around midnight it started to storm, so we said good night and headed for cover. Some time during this pretty impressive storm, Tim and Brandie and kids made a dash for their car and headed home. Apparently, rain was getting in their tent, their son was crying because of the storm, Brandie cut her hand on something trying to find her keys in the dark and then to make matters worse, somehow two frogs had gotten inside their tent! Not the ideal camping experience. Now how am I going to get them to come next year?

Hometown 4th of July

2008-07-17T19:02:00.001-07:00

2008-07-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

My dad and his new wife Bonnie recently came for a visit. This was really my first opportunity to get to know Bonnie. Although I met her in California a few days before the wedding, we really didn't get too much of a chance to get to know each other. There were so many people around and of course, she was busy with wedding preparations. We mostly spent time getting to know her parents, quickly known as Grandpa Gene and Grandma Phyllis. What wonderful people they are and it was a pleasure to get to know them! Anyway, Dad and Bonnie arrived smack in the middle of our 4th of July party that we were hosting. They quickly made themselves at home and we began what would end up as a really enjoyable visit! We went to Phillips Park and Zoo, Navy Pier, Rainforest Cafe', Bubba Gumps, Beef-A-Roo (twice!) and even to a childhood favorite, Blackhawk Statue in Oregon, IL. Some of my favorite moments were picking mulberries at Lake Wabonsie, getting to see the Blackhawk Statue with my kids, seeing how happy my dad is and watching movies in the evening. But most of all, my favorite was watching my kids bond with their new grandma! I think that Bonnie fits in our family really well and I appreciate the fact that she really loves my kids! And on a more selfish note, I really enjoyed getting to know her as a friend/mom. I know that sounds weird to say so quickly after my own mom’s death, but my mom and I were never really that close. That’s not to say that I didn’t love her and that these past few months have been easy. It is extremely difficult to lose your mom, even if you weren’t great friends. In fact, in some ways it can be very hard because it’s confusing, frustrating and you often feel full of regret. The older I get and the more I think about my childhood, I realize that there was a lot that I wasn’t aware of and I have a bit more sympathy for my mom and some of the mistakes she made. But, it also makes me look a little closer at the things I do with or for my kids and try not to make those same mistakes. Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent! I am really thankful to the Lord for bringing Bonnie into all of our lives! Enjoy some pictures from their visit!

Seward Bluffs

2008-06-29T19:26:00.001-07:00

On our second camping trip we went to Seward Bluff which is located about 20 minutes past Rockford in the Winnebago County Forest Preserve. We actually got to drive right by my childhood home that I lived in from birth to age 14. That brought up a ton of childhood memories, but that's a whole nother blog! Anyway, we've been on this "explore Illinois" kick this summer so I found out about this place on the internet and it looked like a good place to do some hiking. But, since they only had outhouse type facilities, I was really glad that we had our trailer complete with a toilet! The weather was absolutely perfect! It was like 75 during the day and 60 at night. We found several different hiking paths to explore, one that lead to a creek that had a shallow part that we could walk through and the kids had a blast playing there. Even after being there for over an hour, they still didn't want to leave, so we just sat there and soaked up the sunshine and family time. On Sunday before we packed up we decided to go on one more "adventure hike" and it ended up being so fun. We just kept exploring and at one point we had to forge through the creek and through a part where a tree had fallen. The kids felt really adventurous! We then found our way back to the spot at the creek where we had played the day before. All in all it was so great to have a mini vacation and enjoy some nature!

2008-06-29T19:25:00.001-07:00

Camping

2008-06-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

The summer has officially begun and I am enjoying it immensely! One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go camping. Last year we made the big move from tent camping and bought ourselves a tent trailer. This, and the fact that the kids are a bit older now, has made the whole camping experience much more enjoyable! Our first trip this year was to Starved Rock with some friends over Mother's Day weekend. We had an awesome time hiking, getting ice cream at a local restaurant, roasting hotdogs and marshmellows and talking by the fire after the kidos went to sleep. Unfortunately, it started to rain about 11:30 that night and never stopped! We ended up at McDonald's for breakfast and tore everything down in the rain. It's at times like this when you make a decision, how am I going to handle this? Well, we stayed in fairly good spirits and it wasn't so bad. Now it's one of those funny memories that makes life so interesting! A few weeks later, we ended up bringing the whole small group back for a day trip.

Camping

2008-06-27T15:08:00.001-07:00

Hiking at Starved Rock

2008-06-27T15:06:00.001-07:00

Sewing

2008-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

One of my new found enjoyable pastimes is sewing. I started sewing in December when my nieces were visiting and we went (for the 4th time!) to the American Girl Place in Chicago. My nieces are huge AG fans and like to go there whenever they are in town. My girls are fans too but not like my nieces! So, we went there and bought some stuff and I thought to myself, "this stuff can't be that hard to make!". So, I started making doll clothes. I have since branched out to outfits for my girls and costumes (Charolette's Web). Here are a few projects.

I made these outfits for the girls for our annual homeschool Daddy/Daughter Dance. And I had to make matching outfits for the dolls too, of course.

Easter Dresses

Papa Harry's wedding

My Solo Adventure to the East Coast

2008-06-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from a trip to see my sister and her family one last time before they move to Korea for two years. I had decided to go by myself so that I could spend some quality time with each of the Cassady clan. It has been so long since I have gone anywhere by myself, and I have never flown by myself so it was kind of lonely at first! But...I quickly recovered as I sat on the plane with my Starbucks and People magazine. Rachel and her two girls, Emma and Bailey met me at the airport and right away I was so happy to be there! We had a really great time just hanging out and talking. We drove up to Virginia for one night and day to see my brother, Marty and his family. It was so good to see everyone!

Home Improvement

2008-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my good friend Molly, I have been bitten by the home improvement bug! She had told me about this amazing vinyl flooring that is virtually indestructible and looks like wood. Not only that, but it only cost 98 cents a square foot and all you need is a utility knife to install it! Too good to be true right? Wrong! I had opportunity to be at her house twice this last weekend to see it for myself and it looked so good! The thing about Molly is that she never has only one project going at a time so her house is always inspiring to visit! I noticed her backsplash in her kitchen and she told me how easy it was (just messy!)to install, so off I went to Lowe's. That is the story of my spur of the moment kitchen transformation. If you want to check out Molly's blog it is http://bloggingmollyr.blogspot.com/

This is the best "before" picture that I could find that you can see the floor, cabinets and wall.

It feels like a whole new kitchen!

We are still working on the floor. We plan to do the entire downstairs that is currently linoleum.I absolutely love the new backsplash. I am actually kind of proud of myself for doing it! The hardware on the cabinets make a huge difference too.

Charlotte's Web:The Performance

2008-05-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

The night of the performance finally arrived. I have never seen the kids that excited or nervous! This was their big night!

My good friends Kerry and Claire and I made all the costumes ourselves. I have picked up sewing in the last few months and have really enjoyed it! Who knew?

Did I mention that the kids were excited???

I was so amazed at the level of effort that the kids gave this performance. I could not have been more proud of each and every one of them! I was also thoroughly impressed by the way they encouraged each other throughout the night. They kept passing each other offstage and saying, "great job!" and "you can do it!" If ever there was a proud moment as a mom and as an assistant director, this was it!

Until next time...

Charlotte's Web

2008-05-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

One of my goals/dreams for quite awhile has been to start a drama club. Some friends from our homeschool group and I finally got it together this spring. Our first production, Charlotte's Web, is going to be performed on May 15th at the ICON Theater in Naperville. These are a few pictures from the dress rehearsal. I will post more after the performance.

Julia as Avery Arable

Sammy as Mr. Arable

Katie as Golly the Goose

Mackenzie as Mrs. Arable and Kate as Wilbur

Avery as Mrs. Zuckerman

Goodness Gracious Sakes Alive Grandma June is 85

2008-05-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Joe's Grandma June turned 85, so we took a trip up to Minnesota for her birthday party. It was so great to spend some time with the family!

Grandpa Jean and Grandma Phylis' Farm

2008-05-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Dad and Bonnie

2008-05-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you, my mom passed away in October of last year. As heart breaking as it was to lose my mom, it is also a relief to know that she is no longer in pain and that she is in a much better place. After she died, my dad decide to try out e-harmony to see if he could find someone to ease his lonliness. Well, just a few months later he met Bonnie. He left for the long drive to California to meet her at the end of February and he never came back! They had a whirlwind romance and were married on March 28th. We were able to fly to California and spend some time with Bonnie and her family before and after the wedding. I could not have been happier with these people who are now my family!