Opening gifts.....



Her favorite was the critter box and 25 crickets to go in it, given to her by Uncle Ben, Tonya, and Derek!!!
Like I said.....there's nothing typical about her :)

Thanks for celebrating with us!

Our gummi bear baby!

I had my 1st appt. w/ the dr. today and was surprised to learn that we'd get to see the baby again! Here's our little one at 9 weeks 2 days! He/ She is looking right at you!

Son Harvest!

This year's week of bible school was just as fun as the last! Pastor Ellen, the church members, and all of the helpers did such a great job teaching the kids how, with God, they could grow love....plant peace....sprout joy....and produce patience (this one's gonna take a little work!)!!!! The girls just couldn't have been happier to go to bible school again :)

Bible school songs!

Here's a sampling of some of the songs they learned throughout the week and sang in church.....priceless!

Farm Fun!

A friend of Lara's from work invited us to her farm to see these adorable baby pigs, while they were still tiny!!! The kids were thrilled to hold them! I did't realize how cute a pig could be....look at those little curly tails!!!! Thanks for the fun tour Wasson family, we appreciate it!

Our idea of miniature golf...

...the course doubles as a pool!!!!!



For $1 each the kids enjoyed the play area, mini golfing, AND (little did we know) an afternoon of water fun at Farmer's Inn...talk about cheap entertainment! Bon, our kids are gonna be SO disappointed the next time they want to golf :)

Ready or not:

HERE COMES BABY!!!!!

We are quite surprised and absolutely overjoyed to let everyone know that I'm pregnant!!! I'm fairly certain that our anniversary celebration yielded Baby #5, proving the month of June to be fruitful, yet again :) When we found the due date to be March 10th, this baby instantly became more of a miracle to us....as that is the same day, in 2005 , when everything happened w/ our ectopic pregnancy......He sure does work in mysterious ways and we feel truly blessed :) Because of the ectopic, we always have an early ultrasound to check things out.....it was so amazing and such a huge relief to see this picture! Here, at 6 weeks and 2 days our baby is 1/5 of an inch long with a tiny beating heart, already :) The ultrasound also gave a different due date of March 8th...my sister and I are practically due at the same time...crazy!!! With my history of going early, I'm hoping it could end up being a February baby...maybe even on my b-day!!?? Emma had the most priceless and honest reaction to the news, asking: "Are you kidding??"!!! Jed and I just cracked up!!!!! Emma and Anna are the only 2 who really get that Mommy is having a baby and they are both very excited, wanting to feel my belly to see if it's kicking yet and graciously telling me that the baby must be growing cause my belly is getting bigger....oh so thankful for that insight :) :) We know of so many pregnancies now, that it appears to almost be in the air....DeMotte's beware!!!!!





Our latest family photo........already outdated!

Last minute camp trip!

The forecast was too good to stay home and work! We headed to our favorite camping spot, Forget-me-not! Uncle Jeffey was a big hit with the girls this weekend...playing with them in the river and teaching them to fish!!!!! They loved it, even though their big catch was just some "seaweed" :) Ty is full-blown walking now, so that made his camping trip a little less restrictive...between that and the river, he really pooped himself out!

Ladies night out!

My sisters and I went out on a limb and decided to take the 4 girl cousins to see "Annie"!!! It was so exciting (see bottom photo!)! We were a little skeptical of how the youngest 2 would do...but, thankfully, they were all on their best behavior! It turned out to be the cutest little production ever :) Even little Elle, whom I was doubting to have taken anything from it, has been belting out "tomorrow, tomorrow" every morning since :) What a special memory...thanks girls!

Idlewild!

So much to do here, so little time!!! We spent lots of the day in the amazing soak zone...as you can imagine, no photos of that...but the kids thoroughly enjoyed it! Then, it was off to immerse ourselves in the "magic" that is Storybook Forest :) I honestly think Jed and I enjoyed it as much as the kids....thanks for amusing us, Bon and Ryan :) We hope to get to all the hot spots next time! Thanks to the DeMotte's for such a full (& free!) day of family fun!!!

Happy "4 of July"!

What a day!!!! We all enjoyed celebrating at 4th fest this year and having such a great view of the action....thanks for the vip tickets, Lara! The kids really got into the spirit and LOVED the fireworks....even little Nate was hooked from the beginning, so cute!! Ty boy had a bit of a love-hate relationship with them, but finally came around :) He was into the flags more than anything (not surprising with his love of sticks) and we got a kick out of watching him carrying them around! Are these kiddos festive, or what???

A gift to treasure...

We were all outside enjoying the summer day and finishing up a picnic when Ty started to walk/crawl over to me with this huge grin on his face, giggling all the way! I knew he had something to give me....he usually picks me little flowers and I just think it's adorable how excited he is to give them to me. He slapped this little rock in my hand and I hugged and kissed him before he toddled off....a moment later I looked down and realized it was a perfectly shaped heart...does it get any sweeter??? Ty boy, you'll always have Mommy's heart....I love you!

He's just their size!

Emma and Anna love Grandma's mini horse, Clyde!

We FINALLY meet Adi!

It was a long time coming, but today we were able to see two of our dearest friends, David and Tiffany, and meet their little beauty, Adisen, who is already 1! She's a tiny little thing, but don't be fooled.....she's as "big girl" as any one year old comes :) She's running everywhere and as friendly as can be, an absolute doll....just hope you're wearing a turtleneck when she gets tired and starts reaching for her "security" (Tif, that's hilarious!)!!! We miss you guys so much and can't wait for you to come back to PA!

Cousin Clint is 1!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, "Kint"!!!! It was good times, great fun :) The funniest picture is the bottom left, where you'll find the infamous pooped object just inches from his cake-eating fest!!! We love you, Brother!!!

One special day......7 years later!

We try to visit the Laurel Fields every year on our anniversary to reminisce & enjoy the day! The Mountain Laurel didn't disappoint this year....it was absolutely beautiful!

My oh my how our love has grown :)

Grandma and Papa joined us too and we walked the new little trail that DCNR just put in! We're so happy they're keeping this place up so well, because it'll always be special to us :)

Happy Father's Day!

What a fun celebration for the deserving Dad's :) The slip'n'slide was a huge hit, as was fishing and badminton...which made a big comeback today!! Thanks for a great afternoon Jeff and Lisa!

Let the summer fun begin!

For the moment, frogs seem to be the most popular "pet" with the girls. This little guy was held captive by them for several hours and he was both entertaining and educating :) They took turns holding him and taking care of him and they were especially excited to watch him swim in their pool, announcing to me as I came to watch, "Mommy, I welcome you to our swimming frog"!!!! Later, Emma came over to me VERY concerned...she had noticed his two "hands" were different. Sure enough, his one hand didn't have any "fingers". I asked her what she thought happened, to which she quickly replied, " I think it's Mommy had to get the fans out, to cool the house down, and he put his hand in the fan and chopped his fingers off". That's one explanation!!! To make a long story short, I went on to tell her it's probably how God made him, how he makes us all different...inside and out, and went on to say..."like Isabella's...".....and she finished my sentence with....."Oh yes Mommy, I get it, like Isabella's hemangioma and Josh's tummy (close) and Daddy's back"....that last one cracked me up!!!!!!!! Anyhow, thought I'd share cause it was such a cute conversation :)

Sunny-Day Clay

Here's something fun & easy (thanks to Emma's Highlights) for all the little ones...our crew loved it so much we had to pass it on!

Mix 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup corn starch, and 1 1/4 cup water in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it looks like mashed potatoes. Cool. Divide into 4 pieces and....prepare yourself for the mess....Add food coloring and knead until smooth :)

Now they can make whatever their little heart desires, then leave them in a sunny place to dry!
Enjoy~