Where did time go?

When I realized the last time I blogged before Mason's blog I was amazed that it had been October. I thought I would do a recap of the past several months!

October

• Logan had a bad crash on his dirt bike. Mr. Evel Knievel...aka Logan, landed a jump wrong, or very badly I might add. He was going pretty darn fast and flipped his bike. Logan had a mild concussion and broken collarbone. God definitely protected him from further harm!

• We had a beautiful fall, the leaves were spectacular!
  

November

• Mason hunted with his bow and got his first buck. The only deer we have in the freezer this year! Hopefully next year will be better. We had such a warm fall that the deer just didn't move much even during shotgun season.

December

• Cut down a beautiful Christmas tree
• made lots of cookies...some here and some with my sister Karen in Iowa
• Celebrated the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

January 2012

• We ushered in a new year
• had a family reunion at our home..my sister Caroline and my dad couldn't make it
• finished a quilt
• added Barley Bear to our family (Standard Male Poodle)
  
• took a weekend trip to Chicago
  

February

• helped my big sister Karen celebrate her 50th
• waited and waited for the arrival of Sydney's Golden Retriever puppies...all 11 of them!
• received a beautiful snow, it didn't last long though

March

• watched the puppies grown and found homes for all 11 of them
• anxiously awaited spring to arrive, was so excited for the first robins to appear
• celebrated Mason's 16th birthday
  

16 for Mason

I haven't blogged for months but I couldn't let one of the kids birthdays go by without writing one! Mason turned 16 years old today. It is hard to believe such a milestone has arrived. He will be able to get his drivers license in a few months. At least I have a few more months without worrying! He does do a very good job of driving and I don't feel as nervous as I once was! It is hard to believe that my little boy that once pushed himself around on a Little Tykes car will be driving a real car!! Mason is turning into a wonderful young man, we are so proud of him! Happy 16th Birthday Mason!

New and improved

This summer we did a lot of work...and other people did a lot of work at our house. It began in the spring with the chicken coop rebuild. What started out as a fairly simple project ended up being more difficult and more involved than we hoped. But the end project turned out awesome. The chickens are very happy with their remodel.

The second project was the back patio. It needed a ton of work. When we built we put in a railroad tie wall because it was cheap and served the purpose. Unfortunately it stopped serving it's purpose a few years ago but we waited until this summer to have it redone. We had Phil Perkins, a local builder, do this project for us. I have to say our back yard is a beautiful place now! The blocks look beautiful and the steps are no longer a death trap. The landscaping was grueling, involving removing lots of sod, but fortunately we have some strong boys. By mid summer they were wishing school was in session so they could have a break from work.

Before

After

Then the final project was the addition of a front porch. For this work we hired our builder, Dan Heinz to do this job. The porch was something Ted envisioned, and I have to admit I didn't care one way or another. I liked our house without it and was worried I wouldn't like it with. Boy was I wrong. Our house looks so much for inviting with it, plus the porch adds some great outdoor space. We all use it, it is not uncommon to find even one of the kids out there reading or just relaxing. And of course the outdoor cat loves sitting on the rocking chair. With the new porch came a new sidewalk and landscaping. The old sidewalk was a terrible shape. The men who poured it showed up one day when Emily was just a few weeks old. I told them how we wanted it but they didn't listen and did it the fastest way they could. Yes it worked but it was really ugly! With the new sidewalk came new landscaping. This was probably my favorite part of the summer! I loved planting all the stuff. Found a great nursery in Chillicothe called the Picket Fence which had a great sale when I was ready to buy. Of course the landscaping involved the front of the house but then migrated around to the side and the back as well! I have never loved our house more. The flowers beds are beautiful, the porch is relaxing the back patio so peaceful. I am anxious for spring already to see everything back in bloom!

Emily's 11th birthday

Eleven years ago today Emily entered our lives and filled our hearts with love and joy! I am beginning to feel old as each of the kids are growing so fast. The boys have both passed me in height and Emily isn't far behind me. Emily is such a fun girl to have amidst the boys! She is definitely a girlie girl (nails, accessories, hair, outfits, etc) ... but doesn't mind riding dirt bikes and playing the PS3 with the boys. She is an avid reader and is really enjoying piano lessons. We didn't celebrate a lot for her birthday today as Ted is in Canada on business but is back on Friday. Fortunately this is the only birthday out of 39 that he has missed. Once he almost missed one of Mason's as he didn't get home from a business trip until about 9pm on Mason's birthday . Pretty good record I think. Happy Birthday Emily! We are so thankful that God blessed us when he brought you into our home! We love you!