Opa's Birthday and more...

Our dear Dad and Opa...portrait by Maggie. We hope and pray for many more years of health and happiness Opa, we love you!

Opa with 1/2 of his granddaughters

Oma (as usual) provided a delicious dinner along with cheesecake for dessert...always a wonderful hostess!

Surprise shot...not his sunglasses...but sometimes you make do with what's in the vehicle! I still think he lookin' mighty fine!

Connor and Kelsey - enjoying one another's company...Kels took Con along with her to tubing with youth group...what a sister!

Our recycling box pyramid...now we just need some more snow to make an entire fort.

Our four beautiful babes enjoying a cold winter night!

Mags skating like a pro...at age 4!! She has unbelievable determination! Since taking these pictures, Trent has heard all the praise Mags has received and has learned to skate as well!!

The new Trent!

12 (or more) Pics of Christmas....

My work Christmas Dinner
Kelsey's famous Chocolate Candy Cane Cake...mmmmm good!

Bowling on New Year's Day...spent New Year's Eve with the above friends and enjoyed a night of fun and games along with Christmas tree burning...an annual event perhaps??

Relaxing after 4 parties...except we had to miss Bri's family Christmas...the flu struck and struck hard...all 4 kids in one day!!!

Aunt Ev having a good laugh

One sweet gift

Visscher family Christmas...39 in attendance this year - great organization Aunt Mare and Uncle Nick!

Saint Nic (wink wink)

Guitar Hero...a real hit

Maggie and baby Megan

The Detroit Red Wings Fan Club...their daddy's influence maybe??

Christmas Eve Spread...compliments to Carole, Nicole, Colleen, Dad and myself

Cousins
Annual Mini-sticks tourney...lots of sweatin' going on!

The girls playing games

One sunny, wintery day...

...we headed out to find the perfect tree...

Thankfully it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and what a joy it was trudging through the snow covered lot searching, deliberating, agreeing....disagreeing and finally agreeing on the best Christmas tree...

Kelsey and Connor takin' her down (with just a little help from Daddy)

Our hand-picked/hand-cut tree

The twins amazed by the strength of their Daddy

What better way to end the adventure than with a cup of hot chocolate??

Amazingly, Bri managed to jam the tree INSIDE the van!! Take that Chevy Chase...don't worry, Connor arrived home unharmed!!

Trent mesmerized by the beauty...so cute!

What a great family outing. I can't count how many times the kids said, "This is sooo fun!", while we were looking and all the way home "That was sooo much fun! Can we do this every year?" If all goes well my dear children....you bet!

Have a blessed Christmas everyone!!

Where does the time go?

Leaves, leaves and more leaves - and cute Connor. Bri and I tackled the leaves one morning and raked up 18 bags worth! Once it stops raining we can possibly finish the job before the snow flies - we have one tree that finally dropped all it's leaves overnight last week. I can't ever remember raking leaves into December!?

The class trip to the pumpkin patch

Trent's creative creation above and Maggie's below

It's been awhile and I do admit I miss posting! My problem lately is that the only time the computer seems to be free (& I have some alone time) is after 11:00...sound familiar? So...a few pics from the extended fall that we enjoyed and a bit of this and that. Mags and Trent have settled into JK nicely, let me explain. Every evening at supper we go around the table and do "Best & Worst". This gives everyone a chance to have a few minutes - without interruption - to explain what the best thing was in their day as well as the worst. Mags and Trent started out in Sept. saying the worst thing of their entire day was going to school :(, however as October turned into November guess what...the best part of their day was....GOING TO SCHOOL!

Halloween 2007

Yup, we still have some candy kickin' around here...people were mighty generous this year! I just wish the chocolate bars would quit calling out my name....i know it's called willpower...

What have we here? A pound puppy, a cowgirl, a lady bug and a Detroit Red Wings fan

The newly engaged couple...August 16, 2008 wedding d.v. An outdoor wedding at that!

3 beauties - bride-to-be, flowergirl and junior bridesmaid

FABULOUS FALL...

Hey all, what a glorious fall we have had this year...I can hardly believe that the kids head off to school in shorts still! WOW! October has been packed with lots of activity...the routine of school, homework, music lessons along with Thanksgiving celebrations, a zoo trip, hiking, birthdays, engagements (!), orchard visits, apple pie baking, pumpkin patch visits, cross country meets, church activities...you know the typical "busyness" of a young family in the autumn month......SO, here's October in review! Thanks to everybody who joined us...you are all a blessing to us and thank God for you all!

The beauty of the orchard....

Cross Country

Birthday Party - Kelsey turns 12...yikes our pre-teen!!!

THANKSGIVING DAY!

THE COOK!

Aunt Mare and Uncle Doug welcomed us (ALL!) for Thanksgiving dinner...MMM mmm good! What a treat it was...much appreciated and enjoyed - especially by me ;).

THE ZOO!!

And finally the Sunday afternoon hikers...

What an awesome hike, the smell of dried fallen leaves, kids shrieking through the trails, laughing, warm breezes blowing and the list goes on. Thank you Lord for your abundance of blessings!!!!