Halloween '08

Thank you to Pam and Lecia DeBrine for getting my kids' costumes made! Halloween would've been not so fun without their help! Lecia made my boys Mario and Luigi. They looked so great and got several compliments! Pam hand painted Cassie's little Pocahontas dress. She's got more creativity in her little pinky than I do AT ALL! :)

Here we are: Lecia, me(referee in life and on Halloween) Tommy (Luigi), Josh (Mario), Cassie (Pocahontas), Payton (a princess), & Micah (Power Ranger)

We were trying to catch the boys jumping in mid air like Mario and Luigi might in the game! :)

Cassie's 6th Birthday and Elk Camp Weekend!

This is the birthday girl!
Cassie turned 6 on October 22, 2008. We were in Pomeroy the weekend after her birthday since everyone was home for Elk Camp Weekend. Elk Camp has become a yearly event that my brother and a bunch of his buddies from high school attend. He explains that they spend about 180 minutes over a 4-5 day period hunting. The remainder of their time is spent playing poker and enjoying some "drinks." I digress! Back to my daughter. :) So, we celebrated Cassie's birthday and got to hang out with the cousins. Even Aunt Kelly came home. We had a social gathering for all the "Elk Camp widows" on Saturday afternoon at mom and dad's house. It was a great time!

Cassie in her new coat from Grammie & Papa. And her horse she loves dearly, that her daddy gave her (since this picture, our weiner dog, Otto, has torn the horsey to shreds!!
Cassie was/is devastated) :(

Cassie's birthday cake. It's the most requested cake in our family: chocolate wafers with homemade whipping cream. Cassie's is in the shape of a 6 of course. In this photo: Josh, Yale, Ella, Tommy & Cassie. (notice horsey never leaves Cassie's hands)

The tree in the backyard that my siblings and I used to climb. Aunt Kelly threw all the kids up there for a photo shoot :)

Josh, Yale and Cassie in the tree. Yale is not thrilled to be up there!
That Aunt Kelly is scaring the poor lad!

Here are all the "Elk Camp Widows and friends."
We had a great time pigging out on lots of food and just laughing until our sides ached!

Day at Boulevard Park

Dad's 60th Birthday weekend Part 2: Saturday in Boulevard Park

It was a gorgeous day. Jenn packed a lunch and we spent most of the day in Boulevard Park on Bellingham Bay. We ate, walked along the trail, threw the football, climbed on rocks & just had fun!!!

Tommy and Cassie were excited when they found a trail off the main path that did a little loop.
Tommy, Josh, Collin, me, & Kelly

My 3 FABULOUS kids!

Collin & Jenn :)

Dad & Collin solving all of the problems of the world

Jenn, Michelle & Kelly visiting with mom

Tommy & Cassie

Uncle Jack, Cassie and Josh on the rocks

Random picture of a sailboat on the bay

We all want to come back next summer to go sea kayaking!

Dad's 60th Birthday: SURPRISE!

Here are some random pictures from our weekend in Bellingham the 2nd weekend of September. It was Tommy's 10th Birthday and Dad's 60th we were celebrating. What dad didn't know is that our brother Jack and his girlfriend, Michelle, were flying in from back east. No one had ever met Michelle before besides our sister, Kelly. We were all excited. The best part is that dad was really surprised and had no idea that Jack was coming. Even though we all were sure that mom had blown it! :)
Love you mom!

Had to take this picture! They were dressed alike :)

Uncle Collin and Josh

Cassie reading to Ella, my niece (Collin & Jenn's daughter)
Josh, Tommy, my nephew Yale(Collin & Jenn's), Jenn & Ella on the couch. Tommy's Guitar Hero was attached to his hand the entire weekend!

Ella is at that age where she loves to wear everyone's shoes.
Here, she has Uncle Jack's size 13's on! Poor girl, she can't move at all :)

My dad, aka Papa J.D., reading to Ella

I don't know why we had Cassie's snow hat and scarf there in September, but we did. Don't the girls look cute? Notice that Ella has raided Auntie Steph's purse and found a granola bar and prescription drugs! I am "aunt of the year." That's great, goes with my "mother of the year" award! hee hee hee

Jack and Michelle! She fits right in our family :)

Collin and Jenn! The bartender and cook for the weekend and the host/hostess with the mostest! Their house is so nice and relaxing. Thanks guys for letting us crash there!

Sooooooooo, why we waited until midnight the night before Jack and Michelle had to get up and leave at like 4am, to take this picture, I will never know. But, here is the sibling picture for September '08! I am looking forward to December '08 when we are all back together and get another picture to replace this one :)

SISSY! (Kelly) & BROTHER! Jack

The three J's!

Dad(J.D.), Jack and Josh watching the lighting of the dad's birthday cake.

Jenn took these photographs of sailboats in Bellingham Bay and then had them printed on canvas at Costco! They are gorgeous! These were dad's birthday present from Jenn and Collin. We all were thoroughly impressed!

So, Jenn made this awesome cake for dad! Sooooo yummy. This is a picture of the growth that was on the side of it. Great inside joke with our family. A "had to be there" moment!

Tommy's 10th Birthday: September 11, 2008

Tommy's Birthday was celebrated in Bellingham, WA at my brother's house this year. We actually were there to celebrate my dad's 60th as well. Those pictures will be a separate post.

Tommy's Nintendo DS decked out with all the Guitar Hero paraphenelia (sp?)

Guitar Hero for his Nintendo DS! #1 gift on his birthday list this year!

Thanks Grammie and Papa!

Uncle Collin and Aunt Jenn thought a Mega building set would be fun for Tommy cause he loves to design and build things. It has 45,000 pieces or more, maybe a million pieces. I suggested it stay at their house in Bellingham for when we come to visit, but my wonderful brother insisted that we take it home :) It actually ended up at Grammie and Papa's. All the grandkids can enjoy it there and my new vacuum won't get ruined sucking up all the pieces :)

Back to School!

Here's the neighborhood gang on the first day of school. My kids with the famous Kylee and Lilly! These kids are inseparable. :) It's fun to have good friends 2 doors down! Cassie started Kindergarten this year and had a different first day of school! That's why she is a bit of a mess :) But, still cute!

This was Cassie's official first day of school. They do kindergarten so weird here! It was about a week after the boys started

They are really the best of friends!

Here are the boys on their first day of school in their new duds! They were so excited to go back. (Mommy was too sssshhhh)

Thanks Nana Joy and Papa Bill for the new clothes!

The boys thought they looked pretty cool! :)