NEW CARPET, PAINT - it's like a new house!!!

Well, after a painstaking 2 months of putting our dog down, researching carpet pricing and getting an interior decorator to help us pull all our colors together - we finally headed into the homestretch 10 days ago by painting EVERY room on our main floor including the 2-story entryway and upstairs hallway (except the kitchen - that was already done professionally and is probably my favorite room in the house), and the carpet was installed today! I'm so happy to be almost done. We still have some trim painting to do (the doors mainly, I already painted the entryway wainscotting, staircase & spindles, and baseboards), and we'll have some accessorizing to do as a lot of our old picture frames and such don't go with the new colors we've painted. We also sold our living room furniture that you see in the pictures - so we'll be looking for furniture sometime in the future that will fit better and be more usable, but overall - I'm really happy to be practically finished!

I hope you enjoy the pictures - I'm not trying to be boastful at all, but I'm really proud at how it's all turning out . . . and have I mentioned that I LOVE THE SMELL OF NEW CARPET!!! Ahhhhhh, miss my doggie - God rest his soul, but I don't miss the smell. If you want to come visit in person - feel free, but leave your shoes at the entrance! haha!!!

Also, if you live in the Indy area and need carpet, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CUSTOM FLOORS OF CARMEL. Phenomenal pricing, first class installation and installers - NOT ONE NICK OR SCRATCH on any of my new painted walls! Call and ask for Jerry Urick - I think they'll beat anyone's price (and we got several quotes)!!!

If you need someone to paint - DON'T CALL ME!!! I WON'T DO IT EVER AGAIN!!! ;o)

Our installers were AMAZING!!! Here they are putting down our new 8 lb. pad - it's a lovely green don't ya think?

Still working hard in the dining room and living room.

I think I would've hated this part - the stairs did NOT look fun to carpet!

The finished family room - I think the kids liked it!!!

Finished with furniture! Did I mention that these guys from Custom Floors moved all the furniture for us too, AND put it all back EXACTLY the way it was - I was totally impressed!

Finished Dining Room and Living Room.

Office carpet and color! Shawn LOVES his new office color (same as the family room color) - not the greatest picture as we have to re-wire all the computer stuff, but we'll get it done soon.

The entryway - definitely needs some accessories, but we're working on that too.

4th of July Fun

Our 4th of July was a little more low-key than in years past! We weren't able to financially support our big annual 4th of July party (because my husband is a closet pyro and loves to blow stuff up). But we still had a great weekend and good times anyway - despite the horrible rain on the actual 4th! Luckily the rain held off literally until the celebration in our community park was over!

Friday night we hung out with our good friends (the Combs') for a cookout then headed to another friends house for her 40th birthday party, then came back for more happy hour fun at our neighbor's house. On the 4th, we got up early to start the day off with the annual Party in the Park. Our neighborhood homeowners association puts on a 4th of July party for all the residents. We had a parade, a llama course (Yes, I said LLAMA), food, games, prizes and good music/entertainment by Grasshopper Entertainment (that's a plug for you babe)! It was actually sweet of him to do it as he had to DJ a wedding downtown later in the afternoon. While he was gone at the wedding, I decided to paint some more (I'll post pictures of that later this week when it's all done) since it was raining non-stop! We went down to our neighbor's on the cul-de-sac later that evening as the men were insistent on putting up some "firepower" despite the rainy conditions! Sunday was a veg day, and another neighbor of ours wanted Shawn to set off his fireworks for him, so they came over and we had a very miniature show-version of our usual event which you can see by clicking here

All in all, a very good weekend!!!

Blake wasn't too sure about checking out the llama...

Shawn with his hatchback outdoor mini-equipment Grasshopper Entertainment set-up! Works well when rain is expected - makes for a quick & easy pack-up!

The parade gets started - I got to ride in my cop friend's car so I got some good shots of the kids riding their decorated bikes around the neighborhood.

Grant and Blake - right up front and behind the firetruck!

Games and prizes - yep, that's what it's all about!!!

Grant did all the games at least 2 or 3 times! His goodie bag was loaded!

Sunday night sparkler action.

Fun on the pond...

It was a beautiful evening last night. We had just gotten home from the Fishers Freedom Festival and were hanging out on the back deck when Shawn got a wild hair and decided to put his kayak in our pond. Now granted, he's done this before - but technically you're not "allowed" to do stuff like this. Sometimes, you just have to defy the rules I guess... ;o)

"Ummmm, is it okay to paddle here?"
Paddling up to our neighbors house - also the former president of our homeowners association!!!
Blake was dying to go, so we dug out his lifevest and hoisted him in!
As you can see, he absolutely loved it!
Grant was next to follow suit - at first he was like "okay, but dad - don't go past Mrs. Pam's house" (our next door neighbor), but once he got going, they ended going all the way around the pond, and he didn't want to stop.
Here's to the FKA - Future Kayakers of America!

Tour de Cure for Diabetes

Today we went down to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch Shawn ride in the Tour de Cure. Shawn rode the longest amount of miles possible for this ride - 100 MILES, which all took place going round and round the famous racetrack.

Several months ago, Shawn decided to go after this disease I live with by helping raise money in hopes that someday, we find a cure for Diabetes. I've had Type 1 Diabetes (insulin-dependent, I wear an insulin pump 24/7) for over 16 years. Soooo, in my honor, he did one bang up job at reaching out to friends and family and helping the American Diabetes Association raise funds to find a cure. It's something I really hope I see in my lifetime - a cure would be a dream come true!!!

Thanks to all of you who supported both Shawn and myself - I'll have to check the totals, but between personal sponsors and the Chick-fil-A Spirit Night we had at the restaurant in Noblesville, I think the total was around $1,500! AWESOME!!!

Below are some pics from today's Tour de Cure.

The boys in the "Winner's Circle" at the track.

Here comes Shawn (front right) - I think he had gone about 60 miles or so when we took this picture.

Daddy stopped off to refill his water bottles, so we got a cute shot of him with his boys.

We also got a friendly observer to take a picture of all of us.

The boys all gave daddy a big hug before heading back out to finish up his 100 miles.

While daddy rode, we went out to the Fun Zone where the boys got their faces painted: Blake got the Spiderman face, Grant got the Indy Colts mask, and Evan opted for the cool snake!

Here are the boys making a present for daddy for Father's Day (gotta love Blake's safety glasses huh?) I can't tell you what it is yet, but they were pretty excited about making them.

Hanging out on the wall by the finish line (and famous bricks).

This is daddy signaling to us that he has 2 laps to go (5 miles), and the boys were waving their checkered flags and ringing the cowbells as he (and other riders) went by.

Daddy crossing the famous brick finish line!!!

The long held tradition of kissing the bricks rings true even for cyclists! Evan joined in too!

The victory celebration of holding his bike over his head!

They had a huge banner they encouraged all the riders to sign...

What Shawn wrote on the banner for me.

Random Shots

I haven't been taking pictures too much lately - mainly b/c my camera sucks! But here are a few random pics from the past month. They're mostly of Blake, but I'm sure that will change now that all the boys are home for the summer break! The first 2 are from Blake's preschool promotion program - one more year of preschool and then he'll be a kindergartner! The last few are funny b/c the red couches we have in our family room have become the "sleep" couches. Blake naps on them several times a week (and occassionally his brothers join him.

Hope you all have a wonderful summer - I'm sure I'll have pool/splash park/outdoor pics up the weather heats up!

Blake getting ready to sing with his class.

Blake getting his congrats from his teacher Mrs. Debbie.

Isn't my wig cool?

This is a pic I'll probably never get again! We were going to drop the boys off to my parents for Memorial Day Weekend so Shawn and I could work the Indy 500 race, and all 3 of them were sacked out in the car on the ride to Cincinnati.

Now for a few of the "red couch sleep series". This is Evan and Blake.

Blake with the comfy brown blanket we all love.

Blake with his loved blue blankie.Even superheroes need a little "red couch" rest.

Tanner: January 20, 1996 - May 11, 2009

Today we had to say goodbye to our dog of 13 1/2 years. It was an easy yet extremely hard decision. He has been suffering for quite some time now, but I still hate that "we" had to decide when his time was up - it's not fair. He was our first "baby", and watching him die was difficult. I don't regret that we stayed with him as he went, and although it was quick and painless for him, it was still one of the hardest things we've ever had to do.

I, in particular, had not become fond of cleaning up his messes the past year or two. I think part of me felt it would be easier to just be done with it all - but I miss him, and feel bad to have been the one pushing this decision. I guess I'll live with the guilt for awhile, but I truly believe we made the best decision for HIM. He won't be in pain from his arthritus, he won't have to throw up or constantly urinate in our house, maybe he can hear now that his soul is in Heaven, and jump around with little effort. He was the best dog anyone could ever ask for, and he can never be replaced.

Tanner, thanks for giving us the best years of your life. We'll treasure the memories you gave us and you'll forever be in our hearts!

Anniversary and Muffins with Mom

Today I went to Blake's preschool for their annual "Muffins With Mom". Last week they had Donuts With Dad (and honestly, I would've much preferred donuts over muffins, but hey - beggars can't be choosers)! Anyway, it was really cute - especially all the things Blake made for me.

Last week - April 29th to be exact, Shawn and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. We went to this place downtown called Fogo De Chao. Not very impressed with the restaurant, and it kinda stunk that Shawn was sick, but we still had a nice time. It's always good to reflect upon your marriage - and a night out without kids is always a bonus no matter what the occasion! ;o)

My baby and me.

Luckily they had donuts too (smart teachers they are!) Blake was loving the powdered donuts!
The cute table setup - a placemat Blake made along with a key chaing that says mom, a flowered pen, a notepad and a book of cute sayings from all the kids.

Shawn and I last week before dinner on our anniversary. Poor guy, you can tell he doesn't feel well, but he was insistent on taking me out.

Our anniversary dessert from Fogo's

Blake rides his bike with NO training wheels!

So while I was at a birthday party with Grant today, Blake decided he wanted to ride his bike without his training wheels. He's been asking for awhile now, but I didn't really think he WANTED to do it. So after bugging daddy a few times today, he finally decided to do it - check out the short video clips below! WAY TO GO BLAKE!!!

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge 2009

It's been a beautiful and awesome vacation the past 8 days. As I sit here looking out at the view from our cabin's living room - I'm eternally grateful and in awe of God's goodness. I really don't want to leave here tomorrow, but I guess back to reality we must go...

We look forward to many more vacations with our best friends (the Cassidy's) and their girls - another life long friendship totally orchestrated and built by God! We love you guys!!!

The majestic mountain view from our cabin - yep, this is the one I'm looking at right now!

We have 2 hot tubs here at the cabin, this one was deemed the "kiddie pool" - they loved it!

Just like last year, the kids were dying to go to the Nascar Speedpark. Not sure who had more fun - the kids, or Shawn and Kevin!!!

Me and my BFF Linda in our matching Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirts!

A few days after arriving (and after having 70+ degree weather, it snowed for 2 days. I'm actually glad it did, because it was beautiful!!! The hot tub was awesome during this time too! Here are a few view shots from the cabin after the snow had fallen.

Another cool snow shot.

The kids in downtown Gatlinburg.

Our cabin is situated on a cul-de-sac, which is GREAT for the kids to play. They ran around endlessly, played with bubbles and loved playing with the landscaping rocks right in front of our cabin.

The front of our cabin provided a great photo spot - this one is of Grant and Blake.

Here's one of all the kids (minus Megan, who was taking a nap).

We went on a hike to Laural Falls in the Great Smokey Mountain Nat'l Park, and on the 1.3 mile trek, we ran across this sign - pretty funny if you saw our Christmas card from a few years ago!

Also along the hike, there were cool picture opportunities like this one.

At the end of the trail, there was this beautiful waterfall, so we had to get a family shot of it.

We have a cool firepit area by our cabin too - so one night after the kids went to bed, it was cigars for the boys and some yummy drinks for us girls!

The 4 BFF's! Thank goodness we figured out how to use the timer on our camera!

Shawn and I by the fire.

Exterior House Painting

So we bit the bullet and paid the big bucks to finally get the trim, gutters, moldings and garage doors painted. We decided to go darker to try and set the house apart from the others on the street and I'm pretty pleased with the color we chose. See if you agree...

The before shot (actually taken when we moved into the house back in 2000)
The after shot, taken today.

Just some random pics from the past few weeks - I haven't had the chance to download everything off my camera until recently, so I finally did that and organized them into their respective folders! Enjoy & have a fabulous weekend!

We love hanging out with the Combs' - and the kids have now formed their very own "Rock Band". They really are precious to watch! Look out Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers, this group is the next big thing!!!

After a very rough day of playing, Evan and Blake take a snooze - so cute!

Blake is armed and ready for attack. Playing gun wars is a favorite around here.
A few weeks ago, Blake and I went on a field trip with his school to bowl. Not quite as easy as the Wii, but Blake actually got very good at it.

Just a family Sunday...

Today was just a day to spend with the family. Shawn had heard of this indoor amusement type place in Lafayette Square's mall - so we decided to head over and see what it was like.

Now let me tell you - if you want a fairly inexpensive place (and I mean cheaper than a day at Kings Island or Carribbean Cove or Dave & Buster's) to have a ton of fun for hours and hours - this is the place. It's called XScape and for $4.99/child and only $8.49/adult - it was worth it.

Now granted, you can spend a lot more b/c the attractions (mini-bowling, putt putt golf, rides, 4-D theatre, go-karts, bumper cars, etc... are all extra (yet still not bad - go-karts were $5 and bumper cars, mini bowling and putt putt $3), as are the arcade games. But included in the price is an all-you-can-eat buffet, drink and dessert station - and it was good - pizza, pastas, salad bar, cookies, cakes and ice cream sundae station, soda, etc... They also have 3 places to eat. You can choose from a Sports Bar, Cartoonland and Movie Theatre (yes, both playing either cartoons or movies with HUGE screens like in the cinemas - we watched part of Journey to the Center of the Earth). You can also play in one of those jumpy things and a climbing thing which is included. We got a card and loaded it up with some cash and it lasted us hours. Oh - and check their specials - if you go on Sunday when they open at 11am, they have 1/2 price attractions until 2pm - so we really made out by riding the rides and stuff before going on to the arcade.

So, as you can see below - it made for a great, rainy Sunday afternoon!

This kinda reminded me a little bit of duckpin bowling - the boys (and even myself) had a good time playing this. We probably played 5-6 games. The boys did really well.

Evan and Daddy wanted to go onto bigger and better things (go-karts), so Grant, Blake and I stayed to play a few more rounds.

Playing on the Pirates of the Carribbean Adventure. Kind-of like a McDonald's Playland type thing.

Blake loved the bouncy house - he spent quite a bit of time jumping around in here!

Daddy, Grant and Evan were lovin' the bumper cars. Here you can see Daddy and Evan pretty good, but I only got Grant's leg in between the two of them as he was turning his around as I took this shot.

The older boys in their element - the go-karts!

Grant's 7th Birthday - Valentine's Day

I'm a little behind on posting these pics - but this past Saturday (Valentine's Day) was Grant's 7th Birthday. I was a little worried about having his party on his actual birthday - fearing that many of his friends might not be able to come due to the "holiday", but he had 15 friends show up to his laser tag party, so he couldn't have been more excited! Here are a few shots from the day...

Getting his VIP armband at the laser tag counter.

Grant with some of his party guests in the party area.

What little boy doesn't like opening presents?!?!

After the laser tag party we headed to church, then went to the RAM for dinner (if you're interested, kids eat for $1 the entire month of February!!!). We've known the manager there for years, so she gave Grant this huge dessert called the Mile High Pie for his birthday - all 5 of us ate it and we still couldn't finish it!!!

Friday the 13th Cycle-A-Thon at the YMCA

Every year the YMCA hosts a fundraising campaign to raise money for kids who can't afford their programs. It's called the Strong Kids Campaign - because the YMCA will NEVER turn away someone because of their inability to pay.

Part of this campaign is the Cycle-A-Thon. Shawn has been a Spinning instructor practically since the day I met him. He's been working as an instructor at the Y for about 7 or 8 years now, and since it's tough economically for everyone this year - he wanted to step up the sponsorship goals of those who take his classes. He said that IF the people who took his classes raised $2000 by the time his session took place on Friday the 13th at 5:30 pm, he would shave his head immediately following the class. Well, we did it (thanks Bruce and John - they definitely upped the stakes and pushed us all to make it happen)! The Strong Kids have everyone who contributed to thank!!! And honey - you look really cute bald!!!

Bruce, Shawn and John - the "before" look!

Denise thanking everyone before Shawn's session started.

Yep, we love you and taking your class Shawn - and we can't wait to see you get your head shaved!!!

The crowd begins to gather - and our kids get a front row seat to see daddy lose his hair!

Our friend Travis gets to do the honors - he's a baldy by choice too, so he had all the proper tools! Evan doesn't look too sure in the background - but he thought dad did a good thing! Blake was just enjoying the free pizza!

First line going, going, gone...

We figure this is what Shawn will look like in 20 years when just the top part of his head is without hair! hahaha!

The finished product!!!

Sandra made this awesome cookie cake - we both came up with the concept of making the cookie the shape of his head (with his blond highlights) and having it say "No More Hair 'Cuz You Care!" It was all for the Y kids!!!

You look great babe!!! Everyone at the Y appreciates what you did for them!!!

Valentine's Day Party at Preschool

Today I went in to help out at Blake's preschool - he was pretty excited about their Valentine's Day party - so here are a few shots of him and his classmates having a good time!

Blake - ready to party!
"Fishing" for hearts.
Look at those cute little hands folded in prayer before he ate his cupcake!!!
Blake's table of friends.
Gotta love the games!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!!!

In addition to my "old lady" aches and sprains - I have one more reason to feel quite old today! My very first baby is 11!!!

It's been a busy day so far - we've been to laser tag, had a pizza party when we came back, a little tag and guns, then Evan's requested chocolate chip cookie cake! I think I'm holding up pretty well for 4 hours of chaos (and some of them are still going strong as I type). But overall, it's been a pretty good day for Evan.

As for me, I'm taking it all in pretty slow. I wasn't even in labor with him yet this time 11 years ago (well, I kinda was, I just didn't know it at the time). So, until 10:46pm, he's still 10 to me (and even that is too old for my liking)!!!

So how did he go from this cute little baby . . .

To this giant human being???

Evan and his friends in the briefing room at Xsite Laser Tag.

Evan's friends raise a toast to him - it was pretty cute actually. Some said "to the best friend ever" and another said "to the best party ever".

Opening gifts. Bakugan and gift cards, he couldn't have been any happier!!!

The group from L to R: Justin, Evan, Ryan, Max, Joe & Ben

As if they weren't jacked up enough from sugar soda and pizza - it was time to actually eat the frosted giant cookie!

Need A Vacation NOW!!!

Okay, this cold snowy weather is for the birds - literally!

Lately we've had nothing but freezing cold temperatures, little to no sunshine, and most recently - a flock of black birds hanging in and around the yards in our neighborhood. Seriously, it looks like I'm in that old Alfred Hitchcock movie "The Birds" - a little freaky!

So, here are the places we'll be going in the next 6 months - and it seriously can't come soon enough! I was hoping to copy and paste pictures, but the websites won't let you do that, so you'll have to click on the red links below!

For Spring Break, we'll be heading down to Gatlinburg once again with our best friends, the Cassidy's. Last year we had an amazing time, so this year we're going for a longer period of time (a whole week instead of just 4 days) and we got a bigger cabin. We almost got one with an indoor pool - which would've totally rocked - but we decided to wait until the kids are just a little older. I'm sure they'll have plenty to do with the pool table, air hockey, games, Wii, firepit, etc... and we plan to do a lot more hiking this year. Linda and I are most looking forward to the outlet shopping again - we got some awesome stuff last year! So if you want to see where we're staying this time around - click here The picture below is where we stayed last year! If you've never used Majestic Mountain Vacations - we HIGHLY recommend them! The cabins are amazing, clean and look JUST LIKE the pictures!

In July, we'll be heading back to Hilton Head for our annual family trip. My parents rent a beachhouse (and I mean - RIGHT on the beach) for the whole family. We're staying at this house again! It's perfect for all 11 of us and is so close to the beach. The picture below (and the title picture at the top of my blog) was one we took on the deck of this house the last time we went - so you can see how close we are. It's so nice to lay in the pool (I'm not much of a "lie on the beach in a bunch of sand" type person) and listen to the waves! Again, I gotta put a plug in for our friends at The Vacation Company in HHI- they are always such a help - anything you need, theyll come running!

So here's to warmer weather and vacationing away from the "blahs" of normal, everyday life! I'M READY!!!

The Road of Frustration

This picture of Blake showing me his "muscles" is perfect for this post! It clearly describes how I've been feeling this past week . . . FRUSTRATED!

Don't get me wrong - I'm blessed by a lot of things, but when things aren't going the way you want them to, it's - well, frustrating!

I had been doing really well with my new diet and workout routines: running, spinning, elyptical, weight training. It was halted quite suddenly this past Sunday afternoon after injuring my ankle after a long run (well, long for me anyway, 4 miles). As the days passed, I still couldn't walk very well. The pain got so bad on Thurday that I finally bit the proverbial bullet and went to a foot/ankle doc at Ortho Indy (very cool doc by the way - how could he not be, he's a Buckeye fan!!!).

They found nothing seriously wrong in the xrays - so they put me in an air cast for "the next 1-2 weeks" and sent me for an MRI this morning. I hope to have results early this week, but I have to admit this has bummed me out huge! I mean who wants to have "possible" chipped cartilege and "possible" surgery if that's what it is? Not me, I've had enough "bone" surgeries to last me a lifetime (if you haven't heard about my arm story after trying to catch Blake when he was 1 from falling down our stairs, you probably DON'T want to hear about it . . . long nasty story).

So anyway. Guess I'm just trying to decide what I'm supposed to be learning from this experience. There are so many other bigger things to worry about - or maybe that's the problem, maybe I shouldn't be "worrying" about them at all and just trying to listen to what God is trying to tell me through this. I've been so busy lately, that maybe I'm being slowed down for a reason.

I'm still bummed - I'd like to look good for my trips to Gatlinburg and Hilton Head, and for my 20th High School Reunion coming up this fall, and I've actually re-grown to love working out - but I'm trying to be open to the other "reasons" this has happened, and hopefully I'll learn something from it. Just another valley to go through - maybe by next week, I'll be climbing that road to the mountain top - with a new and fresh perspective!!!

Have a great week & thanks for listening to me get this off my ankle - I mean chest! Hahaha!!!

Happy New Year & Ice Skating

Happy New Year everyone!!! Here's to hoping for a great 2009!!!

We started off the new year with our best friends in Cincinnati - the Cassidy's, and invited our former neighbors - the Sluder's, to join us. It's awesome to keep in touch with all our old buddies! We had a great time as our kids had fun playing together while the girls kicked some boy bootie in Euchre and Cranium.

Today we were invited to the Smith Annual Skating Party down at the Pan Am Plaza in downtown Indy. Their extended family rent out the entire rink for about 400 friends. They serve up cookies and hot chocolate, and we skate until we can't skate any more! It was a ton of fun as it is every year.

The New Year's gang: Kevin & Linda Cassidy; me & Shawn; Jaime and Barb Sluder

Evan didn't want to skate, but he thoroughly enjoyed the hot chocolate with Blake!

Blake couldn't wait to get on the ice - mommy was a little wobbly though!

He caught on quick though!

Grant practiced with the cones, but was a pro in no time. He went around the entire rink by himself while daddy helped Blake.

Grant wants to take skating lessons to play hockey - might have to look into that!

More Christmas 2008

A rarity that the whole Elmlinger family is actually all together in the same room!!! Usually there is at least another city, state or country inbetween us all! Clockwise from Left: My mom, brother-in-law Mark, sister Melissa, brother Greg, hubby Shawn, me, Grant, cousin Kyle, Blake, Evan, & my dad.
The 4 and only cousins - together again!!!

Santa's little helpers!
2 peas in a pod - Kyle and Blake watching Wall E.

My cousins (so that would be my kids' 2nd cousins I think) from the Phillipines and London: Evan, Kristen, Morgan and JP
We have always said that Blake looks just like JP - if you put a picture of when JP was 4 next to Blake, you can't tell them apart - here is partial proof, that even though there is a 10 year age gap between them, they still look alike - guess those Lafferty genes run strong!
The girls! Morgan just turned 21 and is studying at Middlesex University in London and Kristen just turned 18 and will graduate soon from Brent International in the Phillipines. She's awaiting word on several universities here in the States to attend for college.
My Uncle Jim (top left on the couch with my brother Greg) has worked for P&G forever overseas - just in case you're wondering why my cousins have lived all over the world. The newest addition to the Lafferty clan is Kenji - he is the sweetest, most adorable little boy ever. He fit right in with Blake and Kyle too, playing cars!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

We've had a great few days, and more good ones coming up over the next week.

Shawn's mom, sister and brother-in-law came up on the 23rd and stayed til' the 24th. It was nice to spend some quality time with them.

I think this is the first year ever that we've spent Christmas Eve evening and Christmas day by ourselves - very different, yet very nice too! The kids had a blast as you'll see in the pics below.

We're excited to travel to Cincinnati on Sat. morning to have Christmas with my parents, my brother, and my sister and brother-in-law and little nephew. Should be a really fun weekend with all of us "kids" back together!

Then we'll cap the year off with our best friends, the Cassidy's, in Cincy - as we do every year! They don't call us the Lil'Cass crew for nothin - haha!

Once again, we failed to produce a Christmas Card this year, so hopefully you've been keeping up with the blog for updates. At any rate, we wanted to wish you and yours a very blessed Christmas and wish you much love, joy and peace in 2009!

Love,
Beth, Shawn, Evan, Grant and Blake Liller

Can't even believe I got a picture of this - this would NEVER happen on a normal day!!!

Grant putting out the cookies, milk and a little thank-you note to Santa.

Twas' the night before Christmas...

If you have boys, then I don't even need to tell you why they all got some "coal" in their stockings!

The "most wanted" on Evan and Grant's Christmas lists - Club Penguin games for their DS's.

Evan loves his Bakugan - so he got the official Battle Arena along with about 10 Bakugan figures.

Grant has been wanting an official Peyton Manning jersey for a long time - he's still wearing it now, but at least he finally put on some jeans with it (the pic below shows how he wore it all morning)! He really wanted it autographed, but I certainly don't have those kind of connections. He's convinced he's going to meet Peyton "in a few weeks" and "I'll just get it signed then" - ahhhhh, I love the optimism kids have!!!

Blake still loves Hot Wheels and race cars - so he got this great play rug and finally convinced Grant to play with him.

Yep, more race cars - he sat mesmerized watching them go up the track and spin down the track over and over and over and over and over - well you get the point!

Another hit was the Animal Crossing City Folk game for our Wii - I might even learn how to play this one, looks pretty cute!

FINALLY!!!

Well, after 2+ years of trying to "update" my blog, I finally found this site from this friend's blog and decided to give it a try once again.

AND GUESS WHAT???

IT WORKED!!!

So, I hope you enjoy the look of our new blog - this might become a common occurance now that it's been made easier (meaning, I don't lose a lot of my page elements whenever I try to change colors or whatever!!!)

Happy blogging!!!

Indiana Ice

So the first thing Grant says this morning after getting ready for school is "Come on Blake - let's go outside and we can play 'Don't Break The Ice' before my bus comes". Ahhhh, the imaginations of our kids! Actually, I thought that was pretty brilliant (they have the game and play it often). So they go outside and start chipping away at the ice on our front stoop and walkway. After a few minutes, Grant rings the doorbell and has a big chunk of ice in his hands. I'm thinking what the heck is he doing with that, and he tells me "look at this piece of ice mom" and I'm like "yeah, cool honey" and he says "but don't you know what it is?" and I obviously have no clue - so he goes on to say "look harder mom, it's kinda shaped like the state of Indiana!!!"

Yep, kids - I wish I could still see things through their eyes, with a little more innocence, imagination and belief. Kinda like the Polar Express where the kids can hear the bell ringing but the adults can't.

May you all have a very blessed Christmas and New Year - and may we all be able to believe, not necessarily in the things we can see, but in the things we can't see!

Bongo Boys Community Drum Circle

Last night we went to this awesome, FREE drum exhibition! Every Thursday night from 7:15 to 8:30 pm, the Bongo Boys Music School puts on a free community drum circle. Basically that means you get to go, take your kids if you want, hang out and bang out some frustration on a bunch of drums! We went after spinning last night with some friends (thanks for finding this Sandra!!!) and took the kids - they had a BLAST!!! I'm sure we'll probably go every Thursday now - the kids can't wait to go back! They're located in Castleton off Bash Rd. If you want more information, you can copy and paste this link:
http://www.bongoboymusic.com/news_events.asp



The instructor had a great time with the kids - and the kids really responded to his spunk and love for the drums. This video is truly a drum "circle"!!!

Blake, Max (Evan's friend), Evan and Sierra banging away.

Evan and Max - having a great time!

Daddy, joining in with Trasan, Grant, Evan and Max

The kids' drum circle: L to R: Laura, Grant, Blake, Max, Evan and Trasan

Blake doing a little solo action.

Grant was loving the set of 3 drums.

Daddy was just tryin' to keep up.

I was shocked at how much rhythm the younger kids had! Maybe this will be the instrument of choice for Blake - he was so serious and "into" it!

Max, Evan and Trasan had some game of their own!

Merry Christmas Cookies

Every year, the boys LOVE to make - well, maybe not make, but they love to EAT the homemade Christmas cookies I make (my great-grandma's recipe I believe, I just know them as my mom's cutout cookies).

They always start out doing a great job helping me, but by the time the first batch is done baking, they're MUCH happier eating them!!! Here are a few shots...

My "baby"

Well, I just had to put this one on here b/c it clearly shows how my "baby" really isn't a baby anymore. He fell asleep on the couch when we got home from working out (which is why I look so hideous), so I picked him up and he fell back asleep on me - how could I resist the chance to snuggle with him while he slept! I just wish they wouldn't grow up so fast!!!

First snowfall of 2008!

Nothing like some good packing snow for the kidlins! They had a blast during our first real snowfall of 2008. Creative little munchkins they are!!!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

"Look what we're making"!!!

All 3 boys and one of their friends jump in to make more stuff in the front yard.

The finished products: According to Grant, they are as follows from L to R: A very large bird, a frog, a jack-o-lantern and a snow ghost. Ahhh, straight from the imagination of babes!

The end of November

Today, I have a lot of things on my mind as we come to a close on the month of November. A lot has happened this month - good and bad. Today I finished reading the book The Shack. Honestly, I never had much intention on reading it, even though most of my church had read it a few months back. I guess I don't have a lot of time lately to do much of anything other than doing the "mom" thing - I've also been in a spiritual rut for awhile now. Anyway, I was at my parents house for Thanksgiving and I saw this book on my mom's desk. I started reading it the night before we left and really couldn't put it down. I can only encourage you all to read it if you haven't already - it has totally changed my outlook on my relationship with God/Jesus/Sarayu - you'll understand it and come to your own revelations should you choose to read it.

Anyway, a lot has happened this month. My baby turned 4 on the 4th which was also election day. I pray that Obama turns out to be a great leader - whether he was your choice or not is irrelevant now - but we can all pray that he makes good choices in leading this nation of ours. Prayer can be powerful, even in the face of adversity.

We have faced more obstacles than I ever thought fathomable with Evan this month. I won't go into detail, but parenting a child with any kind of special need is beyond comprehension sometimes - I just ask that if you are a believer, that you pray for us if we ever come to mind as we tread through life with him. I believe there is a purpose in what we are going through - although I don't know when or if we will ever understand it in this lifetime.

I turned 38 just a few days ago. Guess that's not too old by most standards, but I feel like I've aged a lot recently. In the past few days - especially with Thanksgiving the day after my birthday, I've thought a lot about where I want my life to go (and yes, The Shack has opened my mind and heart to this task). I'm also extremely appreciative of the family and friends around me - the people who I know are TRULY in this walk of life with me - the people who are really there for me NO MATTER WHAT (you know who you are!!!) I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart - I can be pretty hard to love sometimes. To my parents and my husband especially, there aren't enough words of gratitude.

This morning, as I left early to sing at church, it was snowing. There was about an inch already on the ground and it was so peaceful to drive in. For me, it was a time of reflection. Maybe the snow was a visual cue, the cue I needed to wipe the slate clean and start again on my outlook on life - to stop seeing so many things as negatives and try to focus on the positives (those who know me well know I'm a "the glass is half-empty" type person).

Maybe this post is too sappy for most of you, but I just want you all to know that I'm thankful for each and every one of you. A new month begins tomorrow!!! Every ounce of pain and joy builds our character, the scars are reminders. December is usually a month of hope, so I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

I promise the normal and "funnier" posts will come soon! ;o)

Girls Cruise Week Nov. 8-13, 2008

This year, my girlfriends and I all met up for a Carnival Cruise to Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico out of Tampa, FL. It was a full 5 day cruise and it was AWESOME!!! We had a great time - I have a gazillion pics from all of our adventures, but kept it to about 15 or so for this post.

Believe me, I have some great blackmail photos - but I'll just stick with the "what happens on the cruise stays on the cruise" motto! hahaha!

I'm looking forward to going back next year and I know that whatever we decide, it will be a great time with great memories! Thanks girls, it was just what I needed!!! Love you all!

From one of our dinner pics, this is the whole group of us! Back row from L to R: Me, Eloisa & Linda. Bottom row from L to R: Jill, Cathy, Cheryl & Gina

The Lido Deck Pool where we hung out during the day. Sometimes we laid out right in front of the pool on the upper deck, but mostly we laid out near the railings on the water side - it was a GORGEOUS view!!!

Guess we could've brought our kids. This was an amazing little splash park with a huge water slide for the kids - I almost went down the slide, maybe next year!

Gina and Jill (who are the organizers of the trip) gave each of us these awesome coozies that said "Mexico Girls Week 2008" and a cute little tote bag for all our sunscreen!

A pic of us from the formal dinner night.

My best friend Linda and I after dinner at the club.

This guy was such a cheesball, but Gina wanted his hat - so he had to get in the picture too.

And now he's everywhere. Here he is with Linda and Cathy.

Due to the Hurricane hitting Grand Cayman a few days before our arrival, we had to dock in a different port. So since the water was more shallow, they had us get on these tender boats that would drive us to the docks. Despite the water being a little rocky, you couldn't really see any damage anywhere. The taxi driver who drove us into town said it wasn't a bad hurricane at all.

And here is the proof - the beach we laid out at was absolutely beautiful - and the water was so clear and blue and amazing!

I had to get in the water - not only because it was so unbelievable hot, but because I love the surf!

This was just a cool pic of the water I took before we got back on the tender boat to take us back out to the cruise ship - I might frame this one.

I took this at the port in Cozumel. Now I haven't been to Cozumel in 9 years, and let me say is is a massively huge difference from the last time we were there! Just beautiful!!! I didn't have fond memories of the last time we cruised here, but I do now!

Two of the guys we met were engineer officers on our cruise ship, we saw them as we were getting off the boat to go into Cozumel and Antonio was wearing a Michigan shirt, so of course we had to get a picture of it - I mean come on, we're OHIO STATE FANS for cryin' out loud. Should've known they were no good from that moment!!!

The Cozumel girls! The mexicans weren't wanting to barter much, but I still got my tanzanite ring at the last moment - guess they wanted to sell us something after all before our ship set sail!

One of the bars we visited was Senor Frogs, we also went to Carlos and Charlie's - 2 of the more notable mexican hot spots.

This was a great sunset picture right by our ship outside Fat Tuesdays bar.

"Say hello to my little friends" - the towel-made animals our cabin steward made for us nightly, along with the coconut monkey bank I got for Blake (don't worry, I drank all of the pina colada first before transporting it back!!!)

Me & Linda at dinner on the last night.

My baby is 4 on the 4th!!!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY BLAKEY - WE LOVE YOU!!!

Happy (early) Birthday Blake!!!

Well, it's been a VERY busy weekend as you can see from the posts below, but we topped it off today in style!

Since Blake's 4th birthday falls on election day (I think it's cool he turns 4 on the 4th), we decided to celebrate it a couple of days early with our families since they all live in Cincinnati. So both Grandma's and Grandpa came up along with Aunt Stacy and Uncle David. We had pizza and my "new favorite" kind of cake . . . cakes that are made with cupcakes! Very low key, but very nice. I think I finally figured out after my firstborn that you don't need to have an elaborate birthday party for every year a child has a birthday . . . plus, I'd go broke if I did!!! ;o)

Blake and his cake made of cupcakes - The Backyardigans of course!

All my boys - and we even included the giant Pablo balloon.
"Can I open 'em now, PLEASSSSEEEE"

He's following in his older brothers' footsteps - he fell in love with this Pikachu pillow at Toys R Us, so Grandma Dear had to get it for him.

Would you like a chocolate or vanilla cupcake???

Don't worry, I have enough hot air to blow this candle out!

Blake also got a keyboard for his birthday, complete with microphone. "Let me sing you a song Grandma Dear..."

Mommy and me!

Comb's Halloween Bash

So tonight we went to an adult-only Halloween party given by our good friends Sandra and Travis Combs. We all had a bloody good time!!! Can't wait til' next year - wonder what we'll be, might have to start planning now! hahaha!

Shawn and I before we left. This was Sandra's wedding dress, she trashed it at her own wedding so she thought it would be great as a "dead corpse" outfit. Shawn was some gruesome creature - I don't even know what you would call it!

Party people (in great costumes) in the house!

Leave it to Shawn to climb in the coffin and scare people as they walk by.

Time to sing "It's a nice day for a WHITE WEDDING" - not really, I let Shawn sing that one!

Dancin' in the fog!