Lots of Snow!

This December we have had a good amount of snow for early in the season. We kicked off the month with 2 feet of snow, and now we are receiving another good dumping of snow with high winds. It is good to be in a part of the country where snow is plentiful. The boys had lots of fun making snow forts and chasing the dog through the drifts. We hope your December has been enjoyable, and perhaps you've had the chance to make a few snow angels yourself! Merry Christmas!

Blaze Orange

Beginning on the first Saturday of November in Minnesota, and amazing cultural phenomenon occurs - the wearing of blaze orange. For those of you from other parts of the world, blaze orange is what I am wearing in this picture, and barring complete and utter darkness, you can see blaze orange clothing from a great distance and in almost any level of light. The purpose is to allow you a good chance of not being shot by another hunter who mistakenly thinks you are a deer that has climbed a tree!

On November 3rd, I joined the ranks of the deer slayers - or if you prefer bambie killers. This 2 year old doe will provide my family will some tasty and healthy meat for the coming year. There is something satisfying in a primal sort of way about knowing that you have provided food for your family with nothing but a rifle and some blaze orange. Life and death, death and life. Thanks God for the provision the earth brings!

Late Summer Camping

While mom was away at a Women's Retreat, the guys went camping up north at Divide Lake.

Our friends Quentin and Mr. Todd went with us on this grand overnight adventure. We endured freezing tempatures at night, 3 hornet stings, and a shaky canoe ride. But over all, a good time was had by all.

Dad even got to bring home a rainbow trout for supper!

How Can You Say 'No'?

Okay, we are certifiably crazy! We added one more kitten to our family. Her name is Nancy, and she came from the humane society.

She is as cute as a bug and gets a lot of love!

Who Screams for Ice Cream?

What a great way to cool off on a warm summer afternoon!

Adios muchachos!

The Power of Wind

This summer we had a strong front that came through our area that produced high winds. With one powerful gust, two of our sliding windows blew in and crashed in our dining room. Thankfully our friends who were in the house at the time were not hurt. They just left the dining room moment before the windows came crashing in. One more project that moves up the 'to-do' list!

Summer Vacation - 2007 - 5

The next morning we boarded a ferry boat to take us to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty.

We decided to bypass Elis Island. The buildings were much more ornate than we had imagined. What a beautiful site it must have been for those arriving immigrants who were longing for a better life in America!

This was our first glimpse of Lady Liberty from the ferry.
As we toured the musem in her pedestal, we were amazed at the ingenuity and imagination that created such a giant statue. The point, however, wasn't to simply impress with her size, but to capture the grand idea of Liberty!

150+ steps later we arrived on the observation deck with a great view of Manhattan and the location where the Twin Towers once stood. No one is allowed any higher than this point because of security reasons.

From the observation deck she really was impressive as she loomed large over the island. In the musem we learned that the chief architect wanted her torch to shine as a beacon of liberty for all to came to the doors of this country. What a wonderful gift from the French to the United States.

A final shot of Lady Liberty...

And 0ne goofy self-portrait....

Summer Vacation - 2007 - 4

We went to the north side of the Island to Sunken Meadow State Park over looking the Sound. The water was beatiful and the beach was mostly empty. The kids found some nice Sea Glass on the beach.

It's hard to go wrong with a picture on the beach. Here we have Uncle Todd and cousin Maya looking for Sea Glass.

Caleb had a good evening rescuing snails who had been stranded by the receding tide. Perhaps we have a marine biologist in the making!

Summer Vacation - 2007 - 3

After a couple of good days in the van, we finally arrived on Long Island in New York where cousins Makayla and Maya live!! Here the gang is at the beach on Fire Island. It should be warm by now, but it was cooooold and windy.

We also had a lot of fun on the playground regardless of the temps!

"Uncle Bud" had a little problem with the slide!

Auntie Chris was our expert kite flyer, with a little back up from Maya.

It was a good morning at the beach!

Summer Vacation - 2007 - 2

Next we ventured East to Elyria, OH which is just outside of Cleveland. Jeff's aunt Liz and uncle Art were our hosts and made us this great "Welcome" sign!

We got to see Jeff's cousin Kathy and her two grown up kids - Lindsey and Corey. They live just down the road in Elyria as well. We also got to meet Kathy's friend Jeff who has a really cool Harley Davidson!! Go Kathy!

Jeff got a chance to go to the Penfield Cemetery where his grampa "Bimpie" and gramma Ruby Bell are buried.

Rigth next to their graves, Jeff's uncle Bob is also buried. His headstone has a grand piano on it.

One more stop to pay respects was at Jeff's step grandfather, Percy Nead. He married Ruby when Jeff was a young guy, and was the only grandpa that Jeff knew. Percy was a WWI veteran, and was a relative of General Pershing.

Summer Vacation - 2007 - 1

Noah, Caleb and BethAnn got to spend 3 days with Aunt Jen, Uncle Earl, Craig and Erica. The gang got to go to a children's musem with lots of fun, hands-on exhibits.

Here Dad got a little time with Craig's PSP. It is quickly addicting!! Noah got a GameBoy for his birthday and Craig hooked him up with some great gear. He especially loves the head phones.

Aunt Jen took the guys and BethAnn to a waterski club demonstration. BethAnn thought she could ski like them, well kind of.

Spiderman Birthday Party

Since Noah is such a huge Spiderman fan, he got to have an awesome Spiderman Birthday party. He, mom and Caleb made this Spiderman head pinata which had be laid on the floor and smashed with a stick to get the candy out!

BethAnn made two Spiderman birthday cakes, and ended up red up to her elbows from the food coloring. The price you pay as a mom!

The string came off the pinata, but it was still fun to give it a good whack!

Mom made up a fun game of 'Spider' Relay. Who knew it was so hard to blow a cotton ball with a paper towel tube? Lots of fun!

Happy Birthday Noah!

Noah turned 6 years old today. When he woke up he said that he needed to find some new clothes because he is now 6 years old. I guess 6 year old wear different clothes than 5 year olds!

Noah was totally excited about his new GameBoy that came with a Spiderman game. If you didn't notice, he is wearing his Spiderman shirt and swim shorts!

Caleb was also excited with Noah's new game. He too is Spiderman!

Tobers

There are plenty of down sides to having a dog - the early morning pleas to go outside, the unique smell of 'wet dog,' and of course the yard clean up!

But the pros far out weigh the cons! How much is a couch companion worth? Can you put a price tag on a loyal friend who is always ready for a game of fetch or a long walk in the woods? Of all the creatures on this earth, I find our canine companions to be some of the most empathetic and compassionate.

I know, I know 'he's just a dog.' But he's our dog, and what a dog he is!

Birthdays and Mother's Day

Within the course of one week, Noah and Caleb got a visit from both sets grandparents.

We celebrated Papa Hyatt's birthday while they were here. He's 64 years old!

We also celebrated Mother's Day. Mom was thrilled with her new knives and tote bag!

More Family Photos

The next big Boy Band!! Man are they loud!








Caleb did a great job making a snowman, with a little help of course!






Noah is always ready for a snowball fight! Watch out!







Caleb, Papa and Dad had a fun time throwing a birthday party for Grandpa Glenn.