Ha Ha, Fooled You

Madison was visiting me this morning and started singing, "Ha, ha, fooled you! I'm so mean."
She said she learned it from Mommy and Daddy.
I couldn't wait to hear about this from KB, who laughed and said, "It's not quite right, Madison."
Here's the song (Reiley brought it home from Kindergarten):
"Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Ha, ha, fooled you!
I'm a submarine."

Little Church, Big Heart

Another October has come (and almost gone!) again, and you know what that means: Put a basket on you front porch and see what happens. Our church may be small, but they sure know how to appreciate their pastor and his family. It is always a joy, and a bit humbling, to receive the surprises in that basket. And, as usual, there was a delicious carry-in meal this Sunday in PR's honor. Thank you, Faith Family Fellowship! Family really is our middle name.

I'm Just a Kid Again...

...Doin' what I Did Again...

Having grandchildren gives you an excuse to renew your inner child.

In the Eye of the Beholder

Recently I was ironing some of my uniforms when Karina stopped by with the girls. Kate (age 2) saw what I was doing and asked, "What's that?". I told her it was one of the scrub tops I had made to wear to work. "It's ugly", was her reply. I guess in her mind there are three colors: pink, purple, and ugly.

A New Start?

I really need to dust off this blog. I agree with my buddy over at That's Life!
FaceBook gives you a snippet from many people's lives, and is a quick way to catch up "on the run". But I do miss the good old blogging days, when I actually had time to collect my thoughts and arrange them with some semblance of order. I'm not saying I've magically discovered large slots of free time; my life has drastically changed in the past three years. I'm just saying I'd like to occasionally get back to some real writing. No promises, but let's see where this leads...

It's Summer!

Reiley took off the training wheels!

Luke loves to ride

Madison on her Strider

Kate on her Strider

Luke, Reiley, and Karina... it was cold up north!

Jason with the girls

Jason with the boys

It's ALMOST Summer

Madison

Luke & Karina

...& Kate

Reiley

Best seats in the house, watching the alfalfa come down...

My White Picket Fence Dream

What could be better than having a resident-painter?I love Mark's painting skills.......he makes it look easy, doesn't he?It's really nice having him around!

Now, if he would take up Chiropractic as a hobby.....

Sandwich of the day...

Reiley's latest creation: bread, butter, peanut butter, apple slices, shredded colby-jack cheese, and chocolate pudding..... SANDWICH. And he ate the whole thing!

Next Step: Kindergarten!

Congratulations to Reiley on completion of his 2-year course of study.
He received his PSD (pre-school degree).

Kate was all smiles for the occasion.

Madison was, too, but wasn't in the mood at this particular moment.

Reiley was in a clowning mood.

I told him I would show him these pictures at his high school graduation...
(he said I wouldn't remember by then... we'll see)

Piano Duet

Does this even need a caption?!

Kate & Madison giving us a piano concert.... what fun!

AWANA awards night

Austin Family; almost everyone smiling...

Luke got his Puggles award...

...and Reiley got his Cubbies award.

Reiley got to stay overnight with us as part of the celebration.