Ariana's Birthday!

Here is our friend Deidre with Ariana on the way back from the airport. She's holding a little puppy that we bought for her at Claire's. It says princess on it! And she was a princess for Halloween! She actually carried it around at her Halloween party yesterday.

Here she is at the play area in the mall.

This a picture of her and daddy right after they sang her Happy Birthday. She was still upset, and her ice cream ended up melting. :(

This was at the restaurant before she got upset. They are having a daddy and daughter moment!

Ariana running around the yard during the snow! You can't see it, but it's there!

This is when the snow first started , around 8:30 am. It was a lot at once! The picture doesn't show it as well!

Here she is when she first went outside. Doesn't she even look cold! You can see the snow sticking to the deck. That's all it did though.

Ariana's birthday was this past Wednesday, October 29th. It was such a special day and little, as well as big things, made it that way. First of all, the day started out with her waking up to snow. There was a light snow shower around the area, and it seemed to start right after she woke up. So after her brother and sister were off at school, Ariana put her coat on and went outside! She was catching flakes in her mouth, and it looked like the wind was about to blow her away!

Later on , Rob and I took her to a family restuarant around here that's very popular. She was specifically asking to go to Eat n Park. It's like a Denny's but better. Any way, we ate some lunch and then the waitress brought Ariana her free cookie they get after a meal. She ate that up. Then, a group of waitresses came around to our table and sang her Happy Birthday and then gave her a cup of ice cream with a huge candle stuck in it. Instead of being thrilled over this, she curled up in her daddy's chest and started to cry! They left her alone, and our waitress felt so bad! So they all left, and about a minute after that, Ariana threw up in Rob's hand. I took her to the restroom and she had a little more to get out, and then she was fine. We think that with a full belly and her getting worked up just upset her stomach. She was fine after that, and our waitress brought her a box of cookies and 2 quarters to help her feel better. They were so nice and so hospitable. I think I'm going to send her a card for all of her help.

So after the restaurant, we took her to the mall to play in the play area they have there. It is a perfect place to take kids when the weather outside is not so great. She had a ball with that.

We also had a surprise visitor come in that day. My friend Deidre from Florida flew in to visit for a couple of days. Ariana loved that, and the attention!

So here are a few pics from "her" day. Enjoy!

Gabriel lost his first tooth!

Gabriel lost his first tooth at school yesterday and brought it home in a little baggie! He was so excited! He feels like such a big kid now! When he went to bed, we put his tooth in his "Welcome Tooth Fairy Pillow" that he got from Maw Maw when he was just a baby! Then, we hung it by his bed, and he woke up to find money under his pillow. He was ecstatic!! I told him that with each tooth he looses, the tooth fairy will leave a little extra money. That got him REALLY excited, and he actually started to check for other loose teeth. I quess he's got something in mind that he wants to buy with that money :) He's so cute!

So, he now knows what it is like to loose a tooth, and no longer has anxiety about it. He thought it would bleed, and it didn't; he thought it would hurt, and it did not hurt. The many experiences of childhood. What a joy!

Gabriel's special happenings!

Here is Gabriel at the bus stop the morning he left to go to Janoski's Farm. Kindergarten and first grade went there on a field trip on October 24th and they were gone the whole day. He loved it, and actually came back with straw in his pocket! It wasn't on purpose though, he just picked it up along the way! :) I even decked him out in a flannel shirt and told him, "you'll look really cool and you'll fit in perfectly." I didn't want to tell him he would look like a farmer 'cause he just wouldn't have gone for that ;)

Here he is with his gigantic trophee he got at the karate tournament last month. I tried to put these pics in order, but it just wasn't working! Sorry!

Here he is giving a high five to one of the karate instructors. Such a cool little dude he is!

Here is Gabriel with an instructor and another little boy that is at his same rank. They are about to take their turn.

Getting distracted by the camera. He is a total camera hog!

One month update! It's been a while

The jack-o-lantern and the bundle of leaves sitting on the stool(on the left) both light up at night. I put orange lights in leaves. I love the glow! Also, I bought a wreath made of twigs and then decorated it myself. It's just enough to add that fall touch!
This is our porch all decorated for fall.
A beautiful fall picture from Brady's Run Park. The leaves were brighter, but it didn't come out that way when I took the picture. The day was also extremely overcast and dreary. Typical fall day around here and I love it!
Here is Gabriel after his karate testing. He is now a yellow belt!!

Ariana is now in karate as well! She also loves it! Here is picture that I took last week of the two of them after karate class. This was taken right outside the class.
Our little Ariana the day of Ella's party. She is such a ham in front of the camera!
So much has happened in this past month. I haven't posted in a while, and I wanted to share some pictures of the kids from September until the present.

Ella had her 5 year birthday party last month! That was a blast! I haven't posted a picture, but Gabriel had his karate tournament one weekend last month, and he received a very big trophy for doing a great job! He did so well! He proudly displays it in his room now. I will post pictures later. :)

Ariana is now doing karate along side her big brother. Ella will be doing it soon also. She just doesn't want to wear the uniform! Silly girl!

We are doing very well, and staying busy with life in general. All of the kids are enjoying school, and Gabriel is actually on a field trip today at a local farm.

I will post more I promise, it's just been crazy and my computer downstairs wasn't working. I will try to post pictures as I take them , and I hope so much my family is reading this!

Trip to Hozak Farms!

On Saturday this past weekend, we had an outing to one of our favorite farms: Hozak farms.
We had taken Gabriel there when he was just 16 months old, and we took him back several times with his baby sister Ella. She was just a couple months old. We were delighted to return there, it brought back so many memories! The kids had a blast! They did everything from jumping in straw, horse back riding, going on a haunted hayride, to sitting down in the charming gift shop they have and sipping hot chocolate! We had as much fun as they did I think! :) To end the trip we all picked out a family pumpkin that we'll carve very soon, and each child picked out a small pumpkin of their own. It was a time we won't forget, and next year we will be planning a trip back.

We got home late, and the kids were exhausted. They had a fun-filled day though and it sure shows in the pictures below. So enjoy and please come back and visit again!

1. October brightens my spirit because I love fall! It's my favorite season!
2. Skeletons and gore that you see in stores scare me!
3. Leaves are falling all around, it's clear that it's fall here in this town!
4. My favorite horror movie is nothing particular because I do not like them!
5. A day at a farm on a beautiful fall day = good memories.
6. It was a dark and stormy night and I was scared out of my wits just like my kids.:)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to eating pizza, watching a movie with the kids and eating popcorn, tomorrow my plans include hopefully a little clothes shopping for the youngins and a trip to Hozak farm to pick some pumpkins and Sunday, I want to relax with the family !

MONDAY MORNING MEME!

1. How do you define happiness?


I define happiness as being satisfied with your life on a daily basis, and I'm not talking about the little things that happen or get in the way of things, I mean the bigger parts of your life. Being content with who you are, who you're with, and what you have accomplished. Getting laundry done and the having my kids to school on time is an example of my daily accomplishments :) Those seem little but they are HUGE to me, and to my family.
I get down sometimes like anyone else, and I definitely have my moments, but I am truly happy and truly blessed. Praise God for that.

2. What did you have for breakfast? (If not this morning, tell us what you had the last time you had breakfast).

I did have breakfast this morning actually. I had two pieces of toast and a banana. And of course, a cup of coffee. Well , two cups, but one was an on-the-go cup! :)

3. On a scale of one to ten, how sick are you of the presidential campaign? Do you talk about politics on your blog? What about in real life? Why or why not?

I am not big into politics what so ever, but this election has really got me digging deeper into the candidates, more than ever before. I think it's going to be exciting to watch, and I'm not really sick of it either. My television isn't on much any way.

I do not talk about politics on my blog, and I would have to say I don't in general. I'm very private about it. Everyone has their own opinion, but I just don't want to open up that can of worms with anyone. I'd just rather talk about something else :)

4. What about your life today would surprise your teen-aged self?

I think my teen-aged self would be proud of myself now! :) I always wanted to be a young mom, and that definitely happened, but I think it would shock my younger self that I have three children already. My teen-aged self would also think I would've only had one or two children by now. Other than that, I really don't think there is anything else that would surprise my younger self. This is kind of what I always wanted to do! Be a mom and raise my kids at home as long as I could! I guess that makes me pretty lucky huh? No, just extremely blessed! Thank you Lord!

Friday Fill-ins

Friday Fill-ins (sorry no logo!)

1. Going to the apple orchard, visiting a farm to pick pumpkins, Ariana's birthday, baking goodies and everything that comes along with Halloween are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I ponder what it would be like to have a lot of money!

I believe that anyone can do anything if you just put your mind to it and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I try to keep my schedule limited so I don't get so stressed out, and I try to do things that keep me busy and that keep the kids laughing. That always helps me out.

5. In my house cleaning, folding laundry or working outside is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for sitting down with a good cup of joe and a good friend and having a great day indoors!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to getting stuff packed for the tournament and then relaxing, tomorrow my plans include sending Gabriel off to his karate tournament with daddy and then taking Ella shopping for clothes and Sunday, I want to read the paper, maybe bake some and relax with my family!

Ella is 5 years old!!

It has been a while since I have blogged, but I am back and have photos to share of Ella's day!! Today is a big day for my oldest daughter...IT'S HER BIRTHDAY!! AND SHE IS FIVE!! Ella is 5 years old!! I Think I keep saying because it is still sooooo hard to believe!!
The picture above was taken outside our house this morning. She chose that specific spot "in the sun" as she put it. She immediately held her hands up to show how old she is now. She's so adorable!

She is very excited about turning 5, and last night it really hit her that today was the big day. So, we took daddy to work and little sister to school, and then we went to the park!! She didn't want to wait for Ariana, she said, "I want to go by myself". I thought that was so cute! Then we went to the store and she bought some M&M's and got to keep the change! (It was a penny, but she loved it).

The rest of the day has been all about what she wants to do, and we even visited daddy at work and munched on some cookies. The rest of the day will be pretty laid back, but she also gets to pick out what we're having for dinner.

She also got to pick out what kind of cake she wants (she picked a princess cake!) and she got to open two cards and a present! How exciting!

Time goes by too fast, and I still can't believe our little Ella is 5. So sad but wonderful at the same time.

Here are some pics, so enjoy, and leave a comment if you'd like, I love to read them!

She wanted a picture of the two of us, so I held out the camera and here is what we got!
Here is Ella opening a package that Aunt Lori, Uncle Matt and the cousins sent. Thank you all!
Here are the presents she received: She got a card, some faith beads, stickers and a sticker album, and a photo album just for her that says, "Ella's photo book". Isn't it cute?! Thanks again Aunt Lori and Family!

1. I enjoy being at home with my family.

2. Working out of the house is something I wonder about often lately.

3. In your heart, you knew that he was always there!

4. Take a day, add a little coffee and you end up with a better day for me and those around me!

5. Life has gifted me with good health and a wonderful family!

6. Candles, a movie and no kids around is an instant vacation.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to making pizza and watching a movie with the kids, tomorrow my plans include laundry, making chili and having friends over and Sunday, I want to relax!

Join in here!

A random moment!

I just wanted to post this picture because it represents little random, crazy moments that are continually happening in my house. If you look to the left of the picture, there I am walking through the kids playroom coming toward the room here in the picture. I figured out was going on after looking at the pic. It made me laugh. I am actually looking for some furniture polish that I had put down but did not have a clue where it was! :) Ever happened to you? Yeah, I thought so! I am also on the telephone, and at the same time I'm saying, "has anyone seen the orange spray?" I then turned around because my son had shouted, "I found it!" It was on top of the refrigerator :) Apparently while all of this is going on, Ariana had found our camera and taken this picture, very beautiful picture :) of our oldest daughter. I love that this captures a moment, and about a minute later, it was over. Ariana was delighted to show me the picture, but I had to fuss at her for getting the camera (it's a big no no). I had the house so clean, I thought I'd light my pumpkin scented candle on top of the armoire. Look, you can see it all lit up in the picture! Of course, my house is once again messy and cluttered, but atleast my furniture is cleaned with the "orange spray" right? :)

1. Do you live for the start of college football? professional football? Does anyone in your house? Do you know anyone who does?
I do not personally live for football, but I do cheer on the Pittsburgh Steelers when they are on T.V. I will actually be watching the game on Sunday, and I'm kind of excited :) The black and gold has rubbed off on me after living here for 8 years! About time I quess :)
Rob , however, loves football! I used to just dread it, knowing he'd be stuck to the T.V. I would even give him a really hard time and give him quilt trips about "not spending time with the family". Well, I try, try I said, not to do that as much anymore, and I've become more accepting of it. I love it when he says," Jen, if you'd just watch football you might grow to like it." It's hilarious and I just laugh when he says it. I'm like,"no honey, not gonna happen." You can't change a person, right?

2. Did you go to college? If so, what was your mascot? Was/Is that your favorite team? If not, what was/is your favorite college team?

I did not go to college, but we usually cheer for the Southern Illinois Salukis and Penn State (my husband went to SIU and Penn State as well). I don't really care who it is "we" cheer for though, because I don't watch!

3. Have you ever embarrassed yourself at a sporting event? Have you seen someone else embarrass themselves at a sporting event?

None of the above! :)

5. Do you have a sports hero? If so, what makes them special?

I admire and respect all of them, but I don't have one particular sports hero.

6. What's the most memorable sports moment you've watched on television? Watched live?

I watched as Jason Lezak beat the Frenchman at the Olympics in the relay that was lead by Micheal Phelps. They were both awesome, and the reaction that Phelps and another teammate had to the news was incredible! I was so glad Rob wanted to watch the Olympics, otherwise I wouldn't have seen it. Phelps was just incredible, and I also watched as he broke record after record this year. I was so proud of the U.S.! How amazing, what talent!

7. If you have kids or grandkids, do they play sports?

My son, Gabriel, does Karate and then plays indoor soccer in winter. Also, My girls are going to be doing gymnastics here soon.

Thursday Thirteen~ 13 things on my "list" for the next few days; just thought I'd share!

1. Get out fall clothes for the girls to put away in drawers and hang up
2. Get clothes together for my mom and send package (sorry mom)!


3. Go grocery shopping

4. Go to class on Sunday~Protecting God's Children
5. Vacuum out my car~ Ugh!
6. Order mums from school


7. Get a part-time job!
8. Take some stuff to goodwill
9. Start putting up some of my fall decorations



10. Clean the house~ This actually comes before the decorating
11. Spend some quality time with the kids



12. Water the bank thoroughly with the hose (it's very dry here)
13. And finally~ have a good time doing it all! :)

Ella's first day of school!

So as I posted just the other day, all of my children are starting school! Wednesday was Ella's first day, and she was very excited to go. This is her 2nd year in the four-year old program, so this year she is to be the "assistant" to Mrs. Fairley, along with 2 other children from her class last year. She did, however, have a little bit of nervousness when it came time to actually go in the classroom. She was pushing herself against the wall, and didn't want to anyone to see her. I think she was nervous to meet a classroom of all new kids! One of the teacher did have to take her finally, but she ended up fine, as always!

I think the fact that I've been home with them for so long and they haven't had many babysitters makes a big difference. There are kids in her class that have both parents working full time, and although they've never been to pre-school, they have a baby-sitter or nanny. I've heard that does make a huge difference.

I love these kids so much and I can speak for Rob and I both when I say that we are sooooo proud of them! They have all come so far, and these little everyday situations (like not wanting to go into pre-school class) are going be far gone and seem so simple as they continue to get older. We're going to wish for these days back.

So with that being said, I'm going to go make the girls some lunch, and enjoy looking at the pictures!

Here is our big girl!
Here are some of the children coming out of school in their single file line. Can you spot Ella? And quess who that little girl is in the right hand corner waving to the kids? Ariana of course! They love to greet each other, it's so cute!

First day of school for my baby!

Well, I did it again. I sent another child to school this morning. It is Ariana's first day today, and have to say, it was harder to let her go than any of them. Now, I know it's just pre-school (three-year class to be exact), but she is my youngest, so it's going to be harder. And I've come to that conclusion. It's going to be harder to send her to kindergarten, harder to see her graduate, and even harder to send her to college. :( These are all happy things and happy times, I realize that. This morning I was more excited than her just about. I love when they start school! It is so bitter sweet though.

She went in the building fine, and even hung her book bag and talked to the teacher. However, as soon as she knew it was time to actually go in the classroom, she wanted to go back to the car. She was trying to run away, but Mrs. Fairley convinced her to come in by saying that mommy could sit behind her during song and praying time. So, I did just that. She didn't listen to any directions she was given, she simply sat there and watched while sucking her two little fingers (it's a habit she's had and probably won't be breaking any time soon). After I marched down the hall with them, I said my good-byes, and she just didn't want me to go. The other teacher had to pry her off of me, and I left the building hearing her cry for me. :( I was hoping it would be a smoother transition, but not on this day. But pre-school is just that. It's a transition, and it just takes some getting used to on all ends.

I truly believe that she will love it, and it will be better the next time I take her. She'll know more of what to expect.

In the meantime, I sit here wondering how she's doing, and can't believe that my "baby" is at pre-school and is not here with mommy. Tomorrow Ella has her first day and second year in the pre-k class. I'm so excited for her because I know how much she really wants to get back. She's going to be an "assistant" this year! How exciting!

So, here are some pictures of Ariana before we left. She was so happy to finally be going. She practically dragged me out of the door!

She was posing in this picture, but it came out with her looking shy!

She was so proud to be going to school! She picked out her My Little Pony book bag!