The Grays

It is definitely weird when a younger sister gets married-it never seems like they are old enough to do certain things-like get married, have kids or even drive a car. Addison and Vanessa met while we both worked at Owenhouse Ace Hardware and he worked next door at the drugstore. He would come in quite regularly and I always thought he was nice young guy since he was only 18 at the time. He was pretty good friends with one of our co-workers so Vanessa would sometimes hang out with him. Now fast forward a year or so, I am not working there anymore but Nessa is, she lets me know she has been "hanging out" more with Addison. Fast forward again (I am not sure how long they dated before engaged) they get engaged, have a beautiful wedding, and move to Canada. They have been married almost four years now and although they are on their way to becoming Canadians, I love them both so dearly and am so happy God brought this wonderful man- so superbly matched for Nessa-to her.

I think this was soon after they were engaged.Unfortunately, I don't have a pic on the computer of the happy and handsome couple together on their wedding day. :o( Sorry Addison! He looked very dashing though!

Week of Love

Since it is Valentine's Day tomorrow I thought I might showcase some pictures of love this week. And since Sharon just sent me these great pics of them I thought I might as well start with them -they will be married 40 years this summer!! WOW!!Look how long Sharon's hair is!

NewlywedsI am pretty sure Sharon made that tie and he still has it!!

This pictures may be coming down after they see this-I didn't mention I would be putting these up!! Don't worry John and Sharon, I will be putting some up some great ones of others too! :o) But thanks for being such great in-laws and wonderful examples of a faithful and Christ-like couple!!

Some of My Favorite Things

I thought I would post some of my favorite things these days...


1. Cetaphil Lotion-it is so light but so effective. I can even use it on my face and it doesn't seem greasy. The heavier kind is great for the kids especially when they are sensitive to scents. I prefer this over Aquaphor lotion because it is not as greasy.
2.Maybelinne Color Sensational Lip stain- I like this because it does stay around for a couple hours and it tastes good and doesn't make my lips dry out.

3. Sea Salt Caramel Lattes w/ Soy-these are delicious. If you have ever had the caramels that have sea salt in them and love them, you will like this drink. I get them at Broadway Brew in Manhattan but I am sure other places have this flavor I just have never seen it before.

4. Flushable Wet wipes- I found these to be handy when potty-training- much easier to wipe little buns. I also found they are handy when Fin is wearing cloth diapers and has a dirty one- I can just flush it all down the toilet.

5. Madelynn's 120 Crayola Crayon box-it is so much fun to color when you have so many choices and the crayons are sharp and not broken in half! Thanks Jonathan and Laura!!

6. My Day Planner/Organizer-found it on etsy.com. I love it because it fits in my purse but has spots to write everything in it-even a section for prayer requests! I found it through another friends fave's on her store which carries really cute baby/toddler stuff tho' I think she is taking a break right now.
7. My Body Pillow- so nice to sleep with although it does make turning over in the nite awkward.

8. Burt's Bees Mama Belly-nice for my growing belly. Only thing I don't like is that it takes awhile to get enough out to cover my entire belly since it is more like a wax than a lotion or cream but it does feel nice and smooth once it is on!


I suppose that is enough of my favorites right now!

Day 6-Justin hurts himself

Justin is playing City League bball (the 30 & over group-are we really there already?) and they usually play Sunday nites but their game was early today b/c of Super Bowl. The kids and I decided to tag along but when we got there we decided Madelynn probably wouldn't like the noise so the kids and I headed to the mall. Sorry that was a really long sentence. Anyway, we go back to pick up Justin and I see that he is holding his water bottle to his eye and think "oh great, he hurt himself". I am thinking something fairly minor but when he comes out he looks pretty bad. He went up for a rebound and some big gulloot who gets the rebound decides to throw his elbow at Justin's eye. This causes Justin to see stars, blood to gush from his nose and his eye to have trouble focusing. Thankfully, he didn't get knocked out and no stitches were required. I will post a pic later of him b/c I am pretty sure his eye is going to be swollen shut here soon and right now I don't think he is in the mood to have his pic taken! I am glad I wasn't there to see it b/c I probably would have said some words I would have regretted soon afterward. Anyway, his eye is still not focusing that well and he is in pain but I think he will survive. :o)

Day 3,4, & 5

Day 3
Madelynn wants to type
67uyk7op6ojybvmbyyiibuiubioithgvtitini4

Ok, she got her chance. A little more about her-she is so looking forward to school-any school. Last summer she went to Bible school for the first time and LOVED it. She still talks about it which I am happy she enjoyed it soo much and that the transition to school will be enjoyed by her. We haven't really decided about pre-school yet-maybe 1/2 a year at least.

Day 4
I worked Friday and was too tired that night to post anything so I have an excuse. Justin did treat us to Mackenzie River and a Red Box movie so that was a good way to end the week! We rented Grown Ups which I don't recommend. It has a good idea but didn't ever do anything with it.

Day 5

I worked from 8-12 but those hours flew by since I knew I was going to town with Deidre. We braved Costco and tried their Super Bowl tasting booths-pretty yummy. The garlic hummus and pine nut hummus were both tasty. Then we stopped a couple other places quickly and then decided to brave Walmart too. We survived both places but were tired so stopped to at City Brew and headed home.

Disclaimer: I am pretty sure I am going to fail again with the whole posting everyday thing especially on the days I work-so don't hassle me Vanessa! :o)

Day 2

Ok, so this is going to be a little harder than I thought since I don't really have a plan but it will make me use my creative skills, right? Well, since food is on my mind a lot these days I thought I would let you all know what our fave foods are currently.

Justin:
Buffalo Wild Wings-they have great specials Tue-Thurs so basically he and his friend Ryan can be found there at least once a week for lunch although they have cut back recently!
Prime Rib- this really isn't a recently found like-he has just really gotten to love it in the last few years. He would probably always get this when we eat out if we could afford it.
Anything Mexican- His fave places are Rio Sabinos and Sante Fe Reds
Anything Chocolate

Racquel:
Green Olives: my favorite food this pregnancy- I think mainly because they are nice and salty and really easy to eat!
Salads: I have always liked salads but they are especially good to me this month!
Home Popped Popcorn: Actually, we all love this right now!
Fajitas: Steak ones are the best
Avocados: So good but so hard to find ones that are exactly ripe to eat
I am disliking sweets these days b/c of the gunky coat of something they leave in my mouth but unfortunately I still have to partake!

Madelynn:
Apples & Pears
Waffles & Pancakes- have these at least twice a week
Cheese Tortillas
Cereal
Carrots
Bacon
Lettuce
Applesauce
Sweet Treats
* Do you notice the lack of actual meals-she is more of a snacker which can be frustrating

Finley:

Yogurt
Cheese-loves this
Hot Dogs
Mac & Cheese
Meat Dishes
Apples
Toast with PB and Bananas -especially when I am eating it!
Sweet Treats

Well, sort of a boring post-promise I will become more creative! :o)

February

So I got the idea from another gal's blog (I found her blog through another person's blog) to challenge myself to post something everyday for a month straight and since February is a short month, I thought I would give it a try. It would also make me a little more consistent posting on here for grandparents, aunts/uncles, and friends! Anyway, today I will post a picture of Madelynn's fourth bday party. She wanted a "girl" bday party so we invited two girl friends and her one close boy friend. The girls did their nails while he played cars w/ Fin. Then they all decorated cupcakes which each had about a 1/2 inch of sparkles on top of them! Then presents were opened and we ended the party by watching some Despicable Me short movies. I survived tho' I was quite wiped out that night!

Both Justin and I are amazed that we have been blessed by her fun and sweet presence for 4 years already.
We didn't really get any good pictures of the bday party-I think that needs to be a goal this year for this family-better picture taking!