Cherry Hill Orchards

Yesterday we went to a local orchard called Cherry Hill Orchards. It's the largest "pick your own" orchard in our county. Our Pastor and his wife had the idea of getting the church children together for a fun little outing. It was a beautiful day, not too hot! We picked cherries and ate most of them!, had lunch in the middle of the orchard under the cherry trees and then they treated all the kids to an ice cream cone at Pine View Dairy, a local ice cream shop where they make their own ice cream. We saw the cows and took a group picture! I think the group shot is so funny, just a bunch of kids livin' life! I love it!

Although it wasn't the easiest trying to keep the kids somewhat near, it was a delightful day just getting out of the house, doing something different and enjoying my children. Summertime is memory-time! We ended up with a very small amount of cherries, (so few, the guy just gave them to us for free~thanks Cherry guy)! The boys had a fun time and I did too.....and then we all took naps!! Here's Paisley in her cherry pants and shirt, (thanks Jess for letting her borrow them for our cherry pickin' day)! She's getting so big, so fast! She's only 2 months old.....Come on!! Please, slow down!!!!!!!

"A life without love
is like a year without summer."
~Swedish Proverb

P.s. the new song on my playlist is from the Lay's potato chip commercial, i love it!

Train lover

Tyler has loved trains for many years now, being only 4, it's amazing how many of his years on this earth have been spent on the floor, face to face with his trains, lost in a pretend world. Lately I've been trying to take more pictures because I know it won't always be like this. Someday we'll pack all the tracks and "enjunes" away, place the box in the attic and move onto more "exciting" things. But for today it's Thomas and his friends....each morning he begins anew with his tracks....a clean canvas on which to build his railroad.

Thomas was in town a last week so each day we would drive past the railroad near our home, just to catch a glimpse. One day we ventured out with my sister and her children, into the maddening crowds of overly stimulated toddlers, but it was worth it! Memories take work, but they are always...always worth the effort. Tyler, I love to watch you play with your special trains....you are precious!

Luke doesn't like the loud whistle, but he still loves to watch Thomas in real life!

"A child reminds us that playtime
is an essential part of our daily routine."
~Anonymous~

Paisley in a basket

The other week a friend of mine gave me a few crib sheets, one of them being this adorable paisley design...I immediately had to take a few pics of Paisley on the paisley. Didn't go quite as I had envisioned, but we got a few cute shots...she's growing so fast! Here's Paisley in a basket at 6 weeks old.

"Mom, are we done yet?"

"I'm getting tired of being in this basket!"

"Okay, now I'm MAD, get me outta here!!"

I'm working on the finishing touches in her nursery....it's so fun....and PINK! It's so joyful just walking in there....I'll share them when I'm finished....AND my new counter tops! So lovely! My husband is amazing!!!!!

Good night friends....

Daddy's work

Jake's business, EWBN, (Eagle Wings Business Network) does the maintenance/landscaping at a local miniature golf place. It's only a few minutes from here, so one afternoon I loaded the kids and we joined him for lunch and a few puts around the green. The boys had a great time eating lunch with Daddy in the beautiful gazebo, feeding little fishy crackers to the ducks, learning how to play a little golf and eating ice cream. Tyler was quite good at the game,
Luke on the other hand just wanted to throw the golf ball around!! We were having a lovely time until Luke tripped and banged his head on a rock! And what a bruise that made...not so fun! Although I will say a little bit of ice cream helped tremendously! I love when Jake works nearby...it's fun for the kids to see him at work and see the things he is building and creating. We just found out that their business will be putting in a new park RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET this summer....how wonderful is that? It really is beautiful timing with the contractors being here to work on the carriage house. Jake will be able to come home most days to oversee the work and see that all is well. We're anticipating an amazing park, I saw the plans and they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g! For those that live locally, it will be behind the library. I believe they hope to have it completed by this Fall, if the funding comes through! GOOD TIMES!

"One night a father overheard his son pray:
Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is.
Later that night, the Father prayed,
Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be."
~Anonymous~

Preschool days

We're thinking of sending Tyler to preschool this year. I was never a preschool fan and passed stupid judgement on those that sent their kids. I see now that it may just be beneficial for some kids and I think Tyler is one of those. We found a great program near our home at a Mennonite church. I have him registered, but haven't made the final decision, (it's a lot of running around, in the middle of the day). ("Graduation" at preschool days....check out the cap; a plastic bowl turned upside-down w/ a sheet of consturction paper on top! Loves it!)

Anyway, earlier this year Tyler got to be a part of a little preschool program at a local high school. He LOVED it. I would drop him off and he would RUN to the door waving and saying goodbye to all of us. I wasn't sure how he would be at first, but as each Wed. and Friday rolled around, he became more and more comfortable. Each day I had the run-down of all he did that day and boy, was it exciting! The program was really neat, basically high school junior and seniors that were a part of the child development course got to have a preschool for 20 kids. My friend Adrienne sent her son there as well and he and Tyler are great buds! I basically cried when I saw this "graduation day" picture because I was fast-forwarding 14 years! They'll be taller then me and I'll be a pile of snot.....

"Life is a succession of moments.
To live each one is to succeed."
~Coreta Kent~

Father's Day Gift

A few weeks ago my friend Tina came and took some amazing pictures of the boys, Paisley and I. She is so talented it's not even funny!! I had seen a picture awhile ago of little feet all piled together and just loved it. I thought that would be a neat idea for this Father's day, to get a cute pic of the kids feet all mushed together. She ended up getting so many great pictures so I think I'll do a photo book as well. There are so many personalized gifts you can do...I like using shutterfly the best. By the way, they are offering a FREE 8 X 8 PHOTO BOOK UNTIL JUNE 24TH, how great is that?? I'm so excited to show these pictures to Jake....he will love them. Thank you Tina for taking the time to come to our home, for editing these pictures soooo beautifully and for getting them back to me in good time. Please let me know how I can return the favor....

Enjoy a few of my personal favorites......

"Mender of toys, leader of boys

Changer of fuses, kisser of bruises,

Bless him, dear Lord.

Mover of couches, soother of ouches,

Pounder of nails, teller of tales,

Reward him, O Lord.

Hanger of screens, counselor of teens,

Fixer of bikes, chastiser of tykes,

Help him, O Lord.

Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves,

Dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes ...

Bless him, O Lord."

~Jo Ann Heidbreder~

Raisin Bran

This past January Tyler and I took a road trip to New Haven, CT to visit my dear friend Chrisy and her son Gabriel. We met in 2000 during our DTS, (Discipleship Training School) through Youth With A Mission and have stayed great friends since that time.....

Fast forward 5 months and we're at the grocery store a few weeks ago. I told Tyler he could pick any cereal he wanted, just for a special treat. Up and down the cereal aisle he went, looking for the perfect one......low and behold he chose Raisin Bran, yes, Raisin. Bran. I was surprised and said, "are you sure you want this one?" (Lucky Charms would have been my choice for sure). "Yes, Mama, like my friend Gab has!" I had to ask him to repeat what he said because I didn't understand what Gab had to do with it.....then I remember that we had had Raisin Bran for breakfast the one morning! OH. MY. WORD. Needless to say, I was totally amazed and thought it was just so cute that he wanted to be like his friend!

We hope to see you guys before too much time passes. We want to meet Noah and we want to introduce you to Paisley! Until then, we'll sit around the breakfast table and remember you!!

"The more we get together, together, together,
the more we get together the happier we'll be.
Cause my friends are your friends
and your friends are my friends."
~unknown author~
just a little ditty that popped in my head!

Two things You told me

HERE IS MY NEW FAVORITE SONG THAT GOES DEEP DOWN IN MY HEART!
Enjoy it today.....

"Heavenly Father You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune Or out of place
I look at the meadow And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl On her wedding day
So why do I worry?Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens Is now advancing
Invade my heart Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself To buy the one you've found?
Two things you told me
That you are strong
And You love me
Yes, You love me

Our God in heaven Hallowed be Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons"
~Jon Foreman~