Have you played in the leaves yet? :)

The scent of a coffee or apple pie spice candle, the sweet deliciousness of a cup of steaming hot chocolate~~topped with baby marshmallows, the warmth of your favorite sweatshirt or sweater on a crisp day, the excitement of football season OR maybe just the joy of playing in the colorful leaves.... the essence of fall. FALL portrays God's love of beauty and color. We are lovin' it around our house! Yesterday, we enjoyed a fieldtrip to a nearby pumpkin patch(we also went to a fun IMAX matinee)....We have three fine "punkins" awaiting faces~~~affectionately named~~~Peyton, Princess Penelope and Pumpkin Patch! :) Happy Fall, ya'll!

09 fall field trip

New family pictures...

I smile when I look at these pictures...I remember the few frantic moments before we rushed in to get a few poses. It was time for new annual pics of the kids, so I thought Danny and I could get a pose or two with them. :) My first white blouse ripped down the front...the one I am wearing suddenly developed a spot on the collar after I had starched it...I had to rewash, dry and restarch. Oh, and then the whole "hair" thing. Oh well! LOL! We made memories of our lives in 2009! I DO love capturing my kids images/expressions/personalities as they grow~~~oh so fast! :( Thought that I would share a few...:)

2009 Family Pictures

Labor Day weekend(and Corey's 12th Birthday party)

Can't believe that our Corey is now 12 years old...just one more year before he is a TEENAGER! He is a great son and has brought us so much happiness! He's as thoughtful as can be.(It's so him to say...."Need a neck massage, Mom?" or "Can I get you a drink, Dad?") He keeps his room very clean (He routinely organizes his closet and drawers...I'm thinking a future wife will love this! LOL!) He is diligent about having devotions and loves God very much. He is full of fun facts on a variety of subjects...he makes conversations interesting around our house! Oh, and he still loves creepy~crawlies! What would we do without him??? :) We had fun celebrating at Rascal's Fun Zone on Friday...
The rest of Labor Day weekend was spent at Becky(Danny's sister) and Dan's house in beautiful WV...We had a superb time and made great memories! They are fantastic hosts. Their property is a backyard paradise...Our kids enjoyed the 4-wheeling, etc. Becky fixed a ton of delicious food, too...I do believe we ate the entire time we were there! (I need to get some of those recipes, Becky! :)) I am also sharing pics of our time there...

labor day weekend 09

.Fun memories and the !st day of school...

Thought that someone might need a laugh...I recently found this first picture(the caricature of Danny and I) in my drawer and thought that I should share it! There is one of my bro. and sis.-in-law, Dan and Becky Ellis, floating out there somewhere, too...We had them done together, before kids! Fun memories!
School is now underway and we are back to a nice routine....
I am also posting some fun "end~of~summer" memories...the Indiana State Fair(We were so glad the Papaw and Mamaw Kennedy were able to go with us!) and a weekend of camping with our good friends...David and Martha Going, and their sweet kids(I think that we have started a tradition!).
Hope that you are all having a great year...blessings to you all!

1st day of school 09/ Fair

Trip to Kalamazoo...

Danny had a CME trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan this past week...The kids and I always tag along on these trips and make it into a bit of vacation time. We "chill" until Danny gets done with his daily meetings and then go "out and about" for some fun family time. We visited South Haven a few times and fell in love with beautiful Lake Michigan! The kids enjoyed the sand in their toes and also some pool time at the hotel. Good times and great memories! Thought that I would share a few pics...
Can't believe that summer is winding down. We start school on the 24th and are trying to stretch............. this last week of summer out! It's not over till it's over...RIGHT? :)

Michigan 09

Some fun in NC...

We spent a few days in the mountains of NC...There is something about "getting away" from city life and breathing in the fresh mountain air, listening to the birds sing, hiking to see the beautiful mountain views and sitting around a campfire with guitar accompaniment~~~that relaxes and renews one's soul. Our sweet(and FUN) nephew, Nate, went with us(he was our awesome guitarist).~~~My parents were also able to come for part of the time. We made WONDERFUL family memories, though the days went by way too fast. Thought that I would share some of our pictures...

NC vacation 2009

Our Princess turns "8"...

Cassie is a sweet, thoughtful daughter and brings so much happiness to our family! She had lots of fun celebrating her "8th" birthday! She requested an "all girl" party this year~~~We celebrated "Princess" style with a girlfriend's luncheon at our house, then celebrated a little more after the "boys" came home from their guy's day out!. It's just so much fun to be feminine...young or old! High~heels, purses, dolls, bows, flowers~~~ Here are a few pics...Thanks to everyone who made this day special for Cassie! You are all special to us!

Cassie's 8th birthday party

A peek at our summer...

Can't believe this is JULY already! Our precious summer is flying by like a breath of fresh air... :) We have been enjoying QT with family and friends...thought that I would share a few pictures of some of the special events...Father's Day, Cade's 5th birthday, church camp, Mamaw Smith's birthday, etc.(I'm just a little behind....sometimes it's fun to enjoy the moment and blog when you get the chance, ya know what I mean?? LOL!!) Hope that you all are having a blessed summer...enjoyed seeing some of you at camp! :)

June 2009

Campin' fun...

OK, girlfriends....I've always been a "hotel/restaurant" type of girl, but ya know what??? I have learned to really enjoy CAMPING! :)We had the opportunity to camp in Brown County, IN last weekend...it was probably one of the most relaxing times we have shared recently.(Let me add...this particular park has nice, clean BR and shower facilities...that helps! :)) The kids just love "setting up" camp...getting the tent up, etc. We took some great hikes, ate yummy camp food(Danny even fixed pancakes with fresh peaches one morning~~~delish),talked around the campfire, played football, had Sunday morning church in a cute little open cabin, and just enjoyed family time out in God's beautiful Creation! (I'm ready to go again!)Oh, but don't get me wrong...I still LOVE a nice restaurant and pretty hotel! :)

Camping

SCHOOL'S OUT....SUMMER'S HERE!!!

The excitement is "palpable" in our house today...SCHOOL'S OUT! :) We have had a really good homeschool year! Corey is officially a sixth grader, Cassie~~a second grader and Cade will be in K4. Corey and Cassie have been very diligent with their school work this year...both making all A's. Cade has alot of fun with preschool. We plan to CELEBRATE this weekend!
THAT means~~SUMMER'S HERE! Summer means sunshine, staying up late, sleeping in, snowcones, homemade ice~cream, picnics at the park, church camp, vacation time, VBS, and just more time to be together with family and friends. (Doesn't that sound like a more relaxed schedule??) :) Hope that EACH one of you will have a fun and BLESSED summer! God is good! (On that note...I want to praise Him with all of my heart for helping my dear Mamaw Smith through her recent hip surgery. I would appreciate your continuing prayers as her surgery was extensive and she faces a challenging recovery period!)

"Moms are just grown up little girls..."

Corey...
Cassie...
Cade...
My dear Mom...
(Mamaw Smith and her girls...)

What a fun, beautiful Mother's Day! I loved the saying on the adorable little Boyds bear that Danny gave me..."Moms are just grown up little girls". That is exactly how I feel sometimes...just like a little girl playing house! And just like I loved being a pretend Mommy to my dolls...I love being a Mommy to my three blessings! From the handmade cards, to my special gifts, to the delicious Mother's Day meal...my day was perfect!

I also am blessed to have a wonderful Mother and Mother-in-law(and one remaining, dear Grandmother)...precious, godly women who have been awesome Mothers to their families! I have such an incredible heritage to pass on. Hope that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day...either celebrating AS a Mother, or WITH your Mother or just because YOU ARE SPECIAL! :)

The Creation Museum...

What an amazing experience...A church group of about 35 of us were able to take a day trip to this awesome museum. If you haven't had the privilege of going...TRY to in the future! This is a "state~of~the~art" museum that gives glory to our Heavenly Father and His beautiful Creation! We had a great time and made wonderful memories!

Creation Museum

A Spring "collage" of GOOD TIMES...

It's AMAZING just how fast the weeks have been zooming by! As another blogger friend said.."I'm just trying to catch my breath"! We have been enjoying it all...this wonderful life in the "fast lane". :) Thought that I would share some pics of just last week...


Easter...What a blessed time of the year! We had a very special Easter day at church followed by a wonderful family dinner at Mamaw Smith's house. The kids also enjoyed the annual church Easter egg hunt on the Saturday before Easter.

I.H.C.~~We enjoyed both the wonderful services and the awesome fellowship with friends and family! (The mass children's choir is always so much fun!)

Corey and Cassie's Spring Piano Recital...(They did a very good job! :))



A day of horseback riding...Danny's cousin, Anita, and her sweet daughter, Ella, own two horses and invited us for a fun day of horse~back riding and then served up a yummy lunch! The kids had a blast!



A tea party...Cassie loved every minute of this special afternoon! (Thanks for inviting us, Shelly! :))



Celebrating my sweet friend's special birthday...Mary Beth is a darling and she makes this age look great!

SPRING BREAK...

A little time off to "refresh" ourselves...We ALL enjoyed "Spring Break" around our house! It was still a bit chilly, so most of our memories were made "inside". The kids enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in, watching favorite movies, etc. We also went to the IN State Museum at the first of the week...then took a fun overnight visit to Cincinnati, OH. We visited with friends and family there, ate at some of our favorite restaurants, stayed downtown(took a long walk along Sawyer Pointe and the Serpentine wall...so pretty!), and visited the Newport Aquarium. Fun, fun!
Now back to our busy Spring routine...Easter, I.H.C., end of school activities, etc.

Spring break 09

From a beautiful, snowy winter to glorious SPRING..

Come...Let's wiggle our toes in the water or go searching for bugs...Whadda ya say? ~smile~ I am thanking God for the beautiful sunshine that He has sent our way lately. Our kids are so looking forward to SPRING BREAK...We have some fun adventures planned for them. May your SPRING be full of love, happiness, warm weather and butterflies! :)





"This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

My three blessings...all at age "4"...

Thought that I would share these pictures with you. Similiar scenes, same age...just all three distinctly different children! ~smile~ These pictures are extra special to me because they include relics from my family's past...My Mamaw's baby picture, my Papaw's glasses, my Mom's doll and teddy bear, My Dad's train, Danny's football, my baby shoes, my brother's toy horse, etc., etc. We had several different poses of each child, but these three are on canvas backgrounds with matching frames. It seems like "yesterday" when we had Corey's done and now he is 11 years old and Cade can wear the same little outfit. Makes me extremely sentimental when I look at them!

A few of my favorite things...

Flowers, a good book, and a cup of tea...sipped out of a china cup. (This cup belonged to Danny's dear Grandma.)

Memories....I adored holding my babies!

My teapot collection...couldn't quite fit them all into the picture, but I recently added the white lights and have really enjoyed the effect!

"Bargains" that complement my decor...bought this new little picture for only five dollars!

A new twist to my devotions...

Good smelling candles, with beautiful music in the background...

Sheets smelling of downy, good food, quality time spent with family and friends, and OF COURSE gazing into my husband's beautiful brown eyes(Sorry, girls...but it's TRUE! Gotta have a little "romance"! ~smile~). Thought that I would share a few of my favorite things!