A sad farewell

Our favorite aspect of living where we do is the wonderful friends we have had to share our lives with. After finally putting down some roots, and living here for 7 years, these friends are dear. This picture is of me and my great friend Jamie and her twins almost 7 years ago.

Fast forward seven years and these kiddos are all grown up and best buds. But after all this time, our dear friends are moving to another state. This has been hard!

Our kids exchanged gifts and cards.

And Jamie's kids made special cards that included candy in the message! Ellie and Aubrie were super excited about these!

Everyone posed for a final picture.

Abby was Aubrie's first close friend here in MN. When we moved here, they were both just two and so cute. Soon, they did Joy School together, then started Kindergarten at the same school. We share many memories with this great family!

And, eventually these two were added to the mix.

Teyah, of course, can't let her buddy leave without a big smooch.

And did I mention that Jamie now has a second set of twins, who are just about the same age as her first set of twins when we moved here?

She is my hero! Jamie has been one of the greatest friends I could ever have. There were times when I couldn't stand, and she held me up. I remember when Kyler was so sick, and I was extremely exhausted, she watched my kids and filled my cupboards with groceries. The hours of service and love she has given me and my family will never be able to be repaid. Her positive, 'can-do' attitude and her heart of pure gold is infectious.

This picture is missing Kate's twin Sam and Kyler, but together we now have 10 kids! I sure love these kiddos! We miss our dear friends but are so happy for them with their big move. We miss you guys!

Daddy's B-Day

Happy, Happy Birthday, Daddy dear!

Happy days of firepits for us all year! (His present from Grandma T.).

If I had a wish for my birthday this year...It would be to drive to Minneapolis for Benihana cheer!

Teyah also got this cat mug thing for it being her birthday month.

The kids loved the cooking show and Daddy loved the food!

We got another special treat on Daddy's b-day...Grandma had an extended layover in MN!

The kids LOVED the opportunity to care of Winston in MN for a few hours.

These kids think they are so deprived without a dog, but Winston sure fills their pet cravings and especially with the chance to take care of him here instead of only at Grandma's.

Even Kyler wanted in on some of that!

Did we mention how beautiful MN is this time of year? Dave is lucky he gets to enjoy his b-day in the summer!

A Special Treat

There is nothing better than sharing an enormous ice cream with your little sis on a beautiful summer day in Stillwater. At the end of May, we got a call from Lauren that she was craving a getaway to Minnesota. A few days later she was in town to hang out! And just for the record, my icecream fed my whole family and cost only $5! We love Nelson's Ice Cream!

When Kyler first saw Lauren walk into our house, we thought he was going to pee his pants he was so excited. He squeezed and squeezed her. Then he would walk away and decided he needed a few more hugs and would come back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. He just couldn't get enough and kept saying: "Lauren, you're here!"

Lauren's visit was just the right medicine for all of us!

We wish she could have stayed longer! These kids LOVE their Auntie!

I love MN

Have I mentioned I LOVE Minnesota this time of year. The parks and trails that meander through the trees and lakes around our new home are breathtaking! We love savoring this time of year.

Our neighborhood even has a gorgeous rose garden!

I also love those beautiful faces!

Nothing like spontaneous cartwheels in the "formal lawn"....

My little muscle man is adament that he pull ME in the wagon! Only every once in a while does he get his way.

I do cheat and give him a helping hand though!

This time of year in MN has a special magic that makes us smile! We love, love, love our new house and it's location.

Schools out scream and shout

Teyah has loved attending Joy school with her church buddies for the past two years. This year was particularly fun because the group this time was ALL GIRL as you can see.

Of course we had to dress these cute girls in the obligatory graduation garb -- made out of shiny black trash bags. They were super cute as they cheered, "Joy School is the BEST school!"

As you can see all the mommy cameras were sure to capture the moment.This year was the first time we have had a Joy School graduation at our house. It was quite the celebration with over 20 siblings in attendance to support their sisters.

Afterwards, we celebrated with treats.

Of course we had to snap a picture of all the great ladies who made this fun year possible: Special thanks to Kim, Carmen, Kimberly, Natalie, and Jamie. These moms are what make Joy School so special.


I may say this every year, but I think this group of girls might have been my favorite JS group so far (I've been doing this for six years straight!). These girls are sure to be good buddies as they venture on to kindergarten. (From left: Emily, Lindsay, Teyah, Ainsley, Hannah, and Jinnie).

Coach Dave & Teyah

Little Miss Teyah played her second soccer season this year!

Teyah was the first of our kids to have Daddy be coach!

The over-sized uniform makes it just that much cuter.

Daddy was the best coach! The 'Silver Sharks' were lucky to play his clever, on the spot games, that he created such as "Princesses and the Pirates" and "Princess and the Frog." Nothing better for four and five year old girls!

Teyah began to create her own rules for the game. She held her arms out to create a barrier between her and the ball, so nobody could take it.

Unfortunately, she never quite got the concept that you shouldn't push, but you should especially not push your own teammate or take the ball from them.

Teyah had fun, but she was ready for the season to be over. She took a huge amount of spills, and decided that tennis shoes are just not comfortable. I'm not sure if soccer will be her sport, but it was fun seeing her experience it for a couple years. She definitely understands how to be aggressive! My favorite move, was when she would bend her knees over the ball, push everyone out of the way, and then kick the ball into the net. I admit, it was pretty funny to watch!