Let's Play Ball!

Benjamin has been putting a great deal of time and effort into training for Disney. He spends three days a week playing baseball for several hours each time and also is weight lifting three days a week for strength training. All told he spends close to 16 hours a week after school and on weekends getting ready for the Disney World Games.

Gobble Gobble!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful celebration with family and friends. We went to Northern Michigan to visit Grandpa Frank and "Grandma" Fran. We spent several days there catching up and as grandpa said " We brought life to this old shack!" I made four pies and Fran made two we also made all the traditional favorites for everyone to enjoy. Gary loved the cranberry sauce and told me that that was his favorite part of dinner. We are so thankful for family, good friends and the bounteous blessings we enjoy!

Winter Wonder Land

We had such a marvelous time with the children playing in the snow. The kids have had little opportunity to go sledding so we made it a family trip. We went to an old ski hill in Upper Michigan. There were three runs for us to go sledding down. Rachel was the first to be brave enough to take the run. The boys soon joined her in the fun. Kim coaxed Sariah into joining him so they went down together. We even took the dogs and they ran along side the sleds as long as they could. The runs were steep and slick for maximum speed! I even got on the sleds and had some Olympic size spills. To which I stood and bowed and waved. The uncordinated can put on quite a show. Kim says he will never forget the sight of me catching air! Enjoy the show!

Fall Colors

This is our backyard on one of the peek color days of fall. My grandfather is a water color painter and was so inspired by this picture that he is painting it! Nature can be so magical and beautiful.

Tinker Bell

Sariah finally let me make her a Tinker Bell costume this year. I designed the outfit and cut out by hand all the leaves and then sewed them onto a skirt and shirt. We purchased tights and wings and then a little bit of pixie - dust and there she was a beautiful Tinker Bell.

Our honorable king Benjamin

Ben chose to be a king this year. Quite fitting since he is beloved by everyone! He is very popular in school and is a star athlete. The best thing about Benjamin is that he is humble about it all.

All good things must come to an end...

Benjamin finished off his fall baseball season with another win! The team went 12-0 being undefeated for the league record. The team really plays well together. Benjamin led the team with a .567 batting average for the season. He has had such a terrific year that Ben has been asked to join a special team that will represent the mid-west region at the Disney Classic in Orlando Florida. This is an exciting opportunity for him.

Rock'n with Metro Station

For Sariah's birthday we purchased tickets to a Metro Station concert. The kids and I went to Covington and saw them perform at the Madison Theatre. We skipped out of school early that day and had a great time playing hooky!

Happy Halloween

This year the kids carved pumpkins with their neighborhood friends. We had them do there own design and cutting this year. They did a wonderful job!

MEDAL TIME!!!

Benjamin is ending the cross country season by giving it ALL he has to offer. Tonight he went to a meet and came across the finish line in eight place overall. This means he received a medal and we couldn't be prouder of his achievements. Benjamin always rises to the occasion no matter what the challenge. He also was the leader of the cross country team by continuing to come in first of all the boys on his team. He has one more meet this weekend on Saturday. We know he will give it his all; this is what makes him a winner no matter what!

Lexi and Bethany

We ended the week with another trip to the doctors. This time for the dogs! The appointment was just a check up for Bethany and we were told she is to chubby. No more dog treats for her she needs to loose 5 pounds!

Lexi was unfortunately a different story. Lexi has been fighting kidney failure over the past six months. She has always had a thyroid condition and now she is diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer. This is an illness that is common in the Retriever breeds as they age. Lexi is nine years old and unfortunately we will probably loose her soon. She has been a huge part of the family and will continue to be always in our hearts. We will help her through the illness as best we can. Lexi is in no pain at the present time and was very happy to see me when I picked her up from the vet.

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love.

Benjamin standing by third and heading for home.

What a HIT!

I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks in batting practice. ~Casey Stengel, 1967

Benjamin hit a triple in the last inning of the game this weekend. The ball went almost 250 feet and was so close to going over the fence on the right hand side.

Pitching for the Blaze

You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain. ~Leo Durocher, in New York Times, 16 May 1965

And then there was grass...

This summer we have taken on a project of expanding the usable space of our yard. This has been an on going project but we are starting to see pleasing results! One of the most remarkable times are the early mornings when the sun has just awaken and the song birds delight us in welcoming a new day. The leaves are just starting to turn colors and the mornings are cool. By mid-day the sun warms us up to mid 80's but by the evening we enjoy the perfect weather watching the children play in the culd-e-sac and sneaking a few minutes away on the deck to relax is my relief after a busy day. There is much more to be done with the yard. I will re-seed the yard one more time before winter sets in then next spring we will tackle the next section. Kim worked really hard and hand dug a drainage creek in our back yard. We had it filled with white stone and it has been complete success during rain storms. We had fill dirt brought in and extended the area for grass and then it was up to me to plant. Within five days we had grass growing and now all I have to do is water everyday just to keep in moist as it continues to come in on its own. It is a miracle to see what hard work and the gifts of God can bring forth!

Hail the Conquering Hero!

There are some sports that require you to fight against yourself . Cross country is just such a sport. Benjamin joined the Amelia Barons Middle school team this fall without having ANY experience in distance running. He has pushed himself and has learned even more self discipline. This morning Benjamin ran two miles in 12:02! This is his best time and the school record time for this event! He placed 14th over all and beet his own personal best time by over two minutes! This is amazing since just prior to the meet he was complaining about his stomach hurting and his back hurting... then he goes out and has this kind of result. Imagine what he could do completely healthy. Way to go Ben there just isn't much you cannot do in sports! We are so proud of your hard work.

A very GOOD witch!

Rachel plays the part of the witch from the Wizard of Oz that had the house fall on her. With one great exception in our story the witch is a good witch and we won't have any catastrophes (we hope!) Her outfit includes the ever important ruby slippers and what witch would ever leave the house without her stripped tights and perfect hat! I am not the best seamstress by far so no looking to closely but I thought it turned out quite well and best of all Rachel really likes it!

Gladiator in the Making!

Gary had fun picking out his Halloween costume today. He originally wanted to be the Joker from Batman so when we were able to change his mind I was so releaved! Gary has an incredible imagination and scored in the genius range for performance and self expression on a recent evaluation. He tends to be theatrical and this new constume helps him play the part. I told him he would have to wait to wear it until Halloween and no sooner did we get home then he changed into it and asked me to take pictures. Presently he is running around the neighborhood eager to show everyone his new Gladiator costume and his favorite piece of course is the sword!

Sariah the Rock Diva!

Sariah turned 14 on September 7th. She wanted a whole new room set for her birthday and several members of the family helped purchase items for her new room. Sariah loves music and can be found on most days listening to her Zune while doing just about everything. When we get into the car she always has control of the radio station. Kim also had a very nice surprise for Sariah which is this great signed guitar by the band Metro Station. Kim was able to meet the band and had them personalize and sign the guitar in honor of her birthday. When Sariah opened it up she cried! This is one of her favorite groups at the present time. The chair is a favorite place to sit while reading or watching movies. As Sariah would say her bedroom ROCKS!

Rachel and her plush friends

Rachel just couldn't be left out of the camera fun. She loves taking pictures and it doesn't matter what they are of or when they happen. Here she is with her plush friends and do not forget the beads. There is always time for dress up fun!