Claire's 11th Birthday!

Wow! I thought 10 was a big deal, but 11, that's crazy!!

When Claire was born I started praying for strength

to raise her to be brave, and faithful, and kind, and loving.

I prayed that she would withstand the preteen and teenage years

and all the girl drama that comes with it.  

I prayed that she would experience life to the fullest, without

the hard knock lessons so many of us have to face.

I prayed that she'd grow up to challenge evil and make a 

difference in this world.

I still pray all those prayers today.  And, I pray for peace

and patience and the strength to get out of the way, 

because God is on the move with this girl and I am 

so darn proud of her!!

Claire is truly a kind girl.  She cares about others, has

a great sense of humor and some really amazing talents.

She is a great friend, a good sister, and a wonderful daughter.

We love you so much, Claire.  Happy Birthday!

This year to celebrate her birthday, Claire decided to have a

slightly bigger party.  And I decided not to have a sleepover!

I think they both went well! :)

We had a great group of girls join us for a movie, ice cream

and mall scavenger hunt.  I had a great time putting together

the scavenger hunt and was very grateful to have a couple

of moms help me pull it off.  I think everyone had fun

and Claire enjoyed her special day!

We were let into the movie early and the manager served
everyone their popcorn and pop.  We all felt quite special!

To pass the time before the movie we played some charades.

Some of us are more dramatic than others! :)

After the scavenger hunt, we met back at Coldstone for
ice cream and presents ~

This is a great group of girls!

Claire had an extra special birthday treat this year.
Aunt Jackie was in town and brought everyone, except me!,
tshirts from LA.  What a great birthday treat!

Halloween!

Halloween was a spooktacular time at the Rousehouse!

Is there really a better holiday than one that allows you

to dress up and eat a bunch of candy? I think not!

We hosted our 2nd annual Rousehouse Family Halloween party.

I think it was a great success!  

We invited several of the girls friends and their families.

We carved pumpkins, played several games, and enjoyed

our new patio wonderland, complete with couches, 

fire pit and 2 heat lamps!!

Dave and I had a great time decorating together and

I had a blast trying some new Halloween recipes.

I think we've found a new tradition!

Some of the 'big' kids ~

Family pumpkin carving/decorating.  Always a big hit!

Dave and Avery worked together this year  ~

Some of the girls doing some crafts.  Such a sweet group of girls!

Group 1 and their pumpkins ~

Group 2 and their pumpkins ~

My mummy spinach dip.  Totally fun to make!

Yes, I made all of this, mostly!  I had a lot of fun with the
witches fingers and mummies!

Avery the mummy

All the kiddos after the skeleton hunt ~

The Liskeys also hosted their 2nd annual Family Halloween Party.

Yes, there is room for two in our wild bunch!

We had a great time playing games and painting pumpkins outside,

and then warming up with some yummy chili.

Apple bobbing for the next generation ~

The 3-legged race was hilarious to watch!

I had the great privilege of judging the applesauce slurping contest.
Good times!

On top of all the partying, we had lots of fun trick or treating

and dressing up.

What a fun time of year, and what a blessing to have such 

great friends to celebrate with!

Fall traditions!

Fall is definitely one of my favorite times of the year.

I love the changing weather and the fall holidays.

And, I really love the feeling of family.

I don't know why, but fall always makes me think of family.

Maybe because they both start with F, but I like to think I'm deeper

than that (I'm probably not, but I like to think so!)

Fall also makes me think of friends (okay, maybe it is the F)

We have many family traditions in the fall, and most of them

involve fabulous times with friends!

We even started a new tradition this year, with some

new family friends.  The Twedts have been a wonderful

addition to our family friend group.  They are an almost perfect

fit to our family.  They have 2 kiddos that our Ella and Avery's ages.

What I love is that Avery loves, loves, loves Owen!

It is so nice to have friends that have someone Avery's age.

All of our other friends are the big girls friends and there have

been more than a few times that Aves has felt a bit left out.

So, it is so wonderful to have some friends that are more

on Avery's end than Claire's (sorry big sis!)

I'll also say, Becky and Dan aren't too bad either! :)

So, one cold fall day, Becky and I headed out to LHF for

Harvest Days.  Did I mention they love LHF? They fit right in!

The kids had a great time and I enjoyed a brisk afternoon at my 

favorite farm!

Bugs shelling some corn

Claire even got in on the fun!

Anna and Ella are great friends, and really enjoy their alone time,
even if it's in the corn bin!

Great family friends! (maybe even future husband if Aves has her way!)

Of course, our favorite family tradition is the LHF Halloween!

The Liskeys and Rouses have been doing this for many

a year, and we love it.  I think we'll drag the girls out here

well into their teenage years!

This year it was a bit cold and a way bit crowded, 

but we still had fun, and no one fell in the fire pit!

Friends forever!

Our other fall constant is Howell's Pumpkin Patch.

This year they offered a new attraction, much to the joy of

the kids and dismay of the moms!  Mud Pie making stations!

We spent a bit of time getting muddy, then we headed to some

of our favorite spots: the growth chart, corn box, tree and hay climbers

and, of course, the ride to the pumpkin patch.

It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time.

I know I go on and on about traditions, but they are just

so darn important.  I am incredibly grateful for them for several reasons:

1. I'm grateful that are families hold each other accountable to good,

wholesome family time

2. I'm grateful that are girls have positive friends and adults in their

life that encourage and insist upon the same values

3. I'm grateful that I have other parents that will drag their kids

out for photo ops and family fun well into adulthood, whether

they like it or not!

4. I'm so grateful for friends that encourage me and make me laugh

and are just plain good people!

5. I'm grateful that when I'm feeling lazy or tired or uninspired, I 

always have a kiddo in my ear saying, "but we have to, it's a tradition!"

Everyone loved the mud pies!

Avery is such a big girl, in so many ways!

Ella, growing into a wonderful young lady

Where's Claire?? Good question.  Apparently, I forgot to get

her growth picture.  How sad is that!?!  Sorry Clairebear!  I love you!

Everyone's favorite corn pit!  I think they buried Aves!

This old tree stump is so special to me.  We have 

pictures of the girls walking this stump from many years past.

I pray we get to continue to snap pics of them walking it for

many years to come!

All by herself this year!

Two amazing young ladies! So proud of both of them!

Two great kiddos!  Love these two angels!

Aves and her pumpkin ~ Happy Fall everyone!

Buggy is 5. Can we still call her 'the baby'?

Happy birthday Avery!

I can't help but smile when I think about Avery.

She is so full of love, and sass, and character, and

determination, and creativity, and did I mention character?

All of my girls are amazing, and smart, and kind and loving.

They each have unique and special talents.

They each make us so proud in so many ways.

I love to daydream about what they might do one day.

What discovery they'll make, or miracle they'll be a part of.

What kind of mama they'll be.

Whenever I think of Avery I smile, with confidence, knowing that

she will make a difference.  She will take this world by storm,

driven and guided by God's loving hand, and she will

challenge the norm, wake the sleeping, and make this

world a better, funnier, happier place to live.

Happy birthday to my baby, Avery!

Avery and her daddy!

Family.  Avery is lucky to have a big 'family' that loves her!

We had a hard time deciding what to do to celebrate Buggy's birthday.

She had just started preschool, so we didn't know her friends very 

well yet.  All of her 'best friends' are Claire and Ella's age.

So, we decided to get the family (and the Liskeys) together

and go do her favorite thing: Build-a-Bear!

My beautiful baby!

Everyone making a wish on a heart and then putting it
inside her birthday bear ~

She loved scrubbing up her new bear ~

Avery and Rainbow Heart

Of course the sisters had to get in on the fun too!

Time for cake and ice cream ~

The only present she asked for: Unicorn Dream Lite!

I think this really says it all ~

Sister love

3 beautiful blessings ~

I love this video! Not because it is well done.  Actually, just the opposite.

I love it because it really shows us, as we are.  A little unorganized, but happy.

In the past, I would never have shared this.  Today, I love seeing

the real us.  We are so blessed.  We are healthy.  We are happy.  

We love each other.  We are surrounded by loving family

and true friends.  We know we are blessed

and we try to live everyday in gratitude for those blessings.

Today, when I see this video, it just makes me smile.

That's my family!

The best part of being the baby and turning 5? 

Mommy takes you back to the mall the next week to

spend your gift certificate (and a little more) on another bear!!

Even better the second time around ~

Happy Birthday Avery Suzanne!

We will never forget...

I have shared this before, but I feel the same way today:

11 years ago today, I was 31 weeks pregnant with Claire and

had just spent the night in the hospital. We were sent home

very early that morning, and I was put on bed rest.

As I laid in bed, unable to get up or get away, I watched

the plane hit the second tower, live on TV.

I remember the next few days as a blur of crying, fear, disbelief, shock.

Mostly, I remember praying and asking God how I could

bring a baby into this world. What would happen to her?

What kind of world would she grow up in?

I was so scared of what her future might hold.

As the days turned to weeks, and months and years,

I still go back to those same questions:

How can I bring a baby up in this world?

What kind of world will she grow up in?

Except today I have a different answer.

Today I know that she is here to make a difference in this world.

This side of heaven is not always easy. It is not fair. It is not just.

But it is so full of possibility. Full of opportunity.

I believe that we have a chance today to make a difference.

We make a difference in the lives of our children.

We raise them showered in the Grace of our loving God.

We teach them to practice peace and kindness.

We keep them by our side, as we serve those in need.

We make sure they are rooted in faith and truth,

and then we let them go.

I believe today that my baby, the baby I was so scared to

bring into this world, is going to do amazing things.

I don't know exactly how God will use her, but I have faith that

it will be in beautiful and wonderful ways.

Lord, I pray for peace. I pray for your protection

from evil. I pray that you guide our hearts and our

actions as we go out today and everyday to

proclaim your love and serve in your name.

Amen