Another month again!

Ok, so maybe I'm not so good at this blogging thing. LOL. I am going to give this another try, though, because the idea of keeping this updated really appeals to me.

Here are some recent pics of the kiddos.

Milena is telling everyone now that she is a tree hugger. Although she has absolutely no idea what that means, she thinks it is funny to see the reactions she gets. She is also telling everyone that she will be three in August. She is excited to be as old as her best friend, Elizabeth, who turned three in May.

She is LOVING every minute of summer, especially those minutes spent outside. She loves the swing set, the park, and going for walks. She is also involved in the local Library's reading program this summer.

Elijah is of course 1 now. He is crawling EVERYWHERE and getting into everything. He loves bing outside too, and has eaten his share of dirt and grass already, despite my best efforts to keep him from doing so.

Don and I are keeping busy. The duct work is almost finished, and our garden is growing well (and quickly). We are busy just trying to keep up with household projects and yard work, not to mention the extra projects.

Nichole is enjoying her summer. She is planning to show horses and do cake decorating at the Clinton County Fair in July. She is also going to spend a few weeks with family in Illinois before going back to school.

Thanks to all of you that sent my birthday checks and goodies. I am awash in scrapbook goodness, and I am having sich a good time shopping and playing. Here are a few of the new pages.

So Squeezy- This page about Elijah was inspired by the photo. I posted it on a forum, and one of the comments was "he looks so squeezy." Interpretation : squeezable. That of course is where this title came from.




Letters are by Colorbok, Cardstock by DCWV, Journaling spot by Anna Griffin, buttons by Paper Studio. Photo Corners by Heidi Swapp.

Siblings: Don and his siblings in August 2007. One fo the rare occasions that we got them all to sit for a picture together.

PP by the Paper Studio, Ribbon by Lil Davis Designs, Letter Stickers by Provo Craft, brad by CK.

The Colors: A page featuring a picture of all 3 kids wearing their Illinois sweatshirts (Go, Illini!). Can't make it through a year in this family without getting some orange and blue from someone!

PP and CS by DCWV and Provo Craft, Letters by Colorbok and Pebbles, Inc. Photo Corners by Heidi Swapp.

Thanks for reading! I promise to try updating MUCH more frequently!

Has it really been a month???

Yikes! A month since I have updated this! How did that happen?? Well, lots has happened, that's for sure.

Nichole moved to her moms house in April. We weren't happy about it, but we did feel it was the best decision for the good of our family as a whole. She is now enrolled in Clinton Central School and is nearly finished with the school year there.

Elijah turns 1 next week. I'll try to remember to post some recent pics. He is getting big, and is now mobile, so he's keeping me busier then ever. Most recently, he's developed a fondness for pulling the video tapes off the shelf.

Milena is growing as always. She is super excited about Aunt Cindy's wedding on Sunday. She can't wait to get into her new dress and hold a bouquet. She talks nonstop and is getting much closer to being potty trained. She would live outside on the swing set and playing int he yard if we let her. Even rain doesn't deter her.

I had a nice Mothers Day. Don and the kids made me a card and took me out to lunch. Don adn I are also continuing the spring cleaning and preparing to overhaul the storage room next week.

We bought a new car this week also. We bought a 2000 Saturn that gets 42-44 mpg! It is going to be a big help with the commuting expenses. So now we have a Buick for sale. We are asking $300, because it has some damage to the front where I hit a deer last week. Give us a call if you know someone who might be interested!

Well, here is my first attempt at keeping this blog up to date.

First, the family update. Don's niece Eliza Mast and her husband welcomed Brecken William to the family a few weeks ago. Brecken is completely adoreable and we can't wait to meet him. Don's dad is also out of the hospital and improving. He is going back soon for tests to try to discover and fix the source of the health problems he has been having recently. We are also anticipating the wedding of my (Alyssa) sister, Cynthia. She and her fiancee, George Olsen, are marrying on May 18th.

Nichole is in a period of decision making. God is offering grace and she is in the position of choosing whether or not to accept it. Things have been very difficult lately for her and our whole family. She has run away several times and may be facing legal charges soon. The court case is on hold pending a report from the court-ordered counseling, which should be received soon. We expect to be in court in a few weeks, probably before the end of the school year. We are hoping to receive rulings about the opposing petitions for custody at the next hearing.

Milena is 2-1/2 now. She is learning her numbers and letters, colors and shapes very quickly. She is nearly potty trained (finally!) and even does a good job going potty when we are out of the house. Next comes weaning her of the pacifier... but one thing at a time! She talks and sings all of the time. She loves dresses and can't wait for spring to fully come so that Mommy will let her wear them every day.

Elijah is trying to get the motivation to start crawling. Currently, he enjoys the easy life while Milena waits on him hand and foot. He has only to make a noise and she comes running to see what he wants! I think he is capable of crawling, he just needs something to give him a little push to try! He has a tooth now, and is working on several more. He is growing fast, adn has cleared the 20 lb mark recently. As I write this, he is spitting and chewing on his foot while grunting and making loud boy noises. He is all boy in every way!

In my next post I will share a few recent scrapbook pages about the kids and our family. Thanks for reading!