burnison family

Our Cruise Vacation

2012-02-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

What an incredible opportunity we were given to be able to participate in the staff retreat at my job. We live so nearby that it was cheaper to take a cruise than book a hotel for the retreat, so that's what happened.

We had an incredible 4 night cruise to Nassau Bahama!

Our favorite stop was at the cruise line's island

We rode from the cruise ship to the island on a small ferry boat.

The water was SO blue

There were shops, bars, and of course lots of food to enjoy.

We considdered doing some snorkeling...

but decided that lounging on the beach

enjoying the sun & surf was a better plan.

We found a quiet area (for a while anyway)

and set up camp below 2 palm trees.

There was a light breeze, and the sun was out just the right amount to be PERFECT!

We walked in the surf for a bit,

and just enjoyed being together.

We made our way back to the center of the island for some BBQ lunch

and even took a dip in the craribean sea.

We were suprisesed by this dog in our room one night.

Formal night was fun!

We got dressed up everynight though

We even had a chance to suprise our stateroom attendant with our own towel pet.

The last day was a bit cloudy - we even ran into some light rain & rough seas.

we explored all the areas on the ship, including the cafes, basketball court, theater, dance clubs, karoke lounge, and we even hurried thrugh the smoke filled casino a time or too :)

All in all it was a GREAT time away

& were so thankful for the chance to get to know the O-team a bit more.

Our house

2012-01-16T22:50:00.001-05:00

We decided it was time to do a bit of re-arranging in our lovely home!

We moved the table to the kitchen,

and then pulled the furniture from the living room, dining room, and some things from the office too

Gathered up some decorative items to add those finishing touches,

and decked out our garage!

Don't you think the bike and tool shelf in the background add the perfect touch?

And the concrete floors really make that trash can pop!

So WHY is this happenig?

We had a leaky pipe! :(

There are fans, de-humidifiers running, and flooring being removed.

It doesn't look too welcoming at the moment, but we're sure in a few days life will be back to normal :)

Caleb & I both have some ideas for new room layouts

not sure we'll leave the girls bathtub like this for too long

but it would be the perfect spot for "theBif man" to stay! ;)

P.S. Sorry some of the photos are fuzzy,

I borrowed KK's camera since the batteries for mine have been relocated recently :D

Christmas in Maryland

2012-01-14T14:57:00.002-05:00

We had a great time in Maryland for Christmas. The girls have a new blog. You can read about the trip from their eyes. The title of their blog is called brown and blue. The address is abbykaylee.blogspot.com

You will need permission to view the blog and we have sent out invites.

Check it out.

Best Friends

2011-12-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

This summer Abby had to say goodbye to her very best church friend Kaitlyn.

Her family moved so her Dad could become the new President of Wycliffe Canada.

On their last Sunday at church a friend of ours was walking past their classroom and snapped this photo.

Apparently they had been there for quite a while, sharing lst minute secrets and enjoying being together.

We've been thrilled that they have become pen pals, but we miss the Eyre family!

Baby it's COLD outside!

2011-12-02T23:36:00.000-05:00

"Winter" has come to Florida.

Thses photos were taken on our first cold day

She's all bundled up staying warm

and yet Abby...

isn't fazed by the 65 degree day ;)

Gotta love the frigid temps we've had recently!

Although we are wondering how the girls will do when we actually encounter real cold.

Pow-Wow

2011-12-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

At Thanksgiving the Kindergarden held a pow-wow.

There was singing, and noise makers,

and the cutest kids dressed as Indians :)

Mrs Chandler's Tribe was the best.

Trip to Tampa

2011-12-02T23:15:00.000-05:00

We had an incredible weekend in Tampa a month ago!

Somehow we didn't get any photos of us with our incredible hosts!

Aunt Gail & Cousin Will were incredible.

Will took us all over the area - behind us is a great resturant at the end of the pier.

Our guide, or "our guy" (as the girls called him) had a great weekend planned.

It included sight-seeing, swimming, feeding gators, shopping, and even some ice cream.

We ended up discovering a great street festival (complete with pirate ship!)

It was a wonderful weekend - and a much needed break.

We are SO blessed to have such great family close enough for a weekend get-away.

Next time I promise we'll have pictures of us all together.

Nursery Rhyme Parade

2011-12-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

In mid-October the Kindergarden held a nursery rhyme parade.

There was my favrite Cinderella & the mouse that ran up the clock.

Abby's friend from preschool Cady, as the lady who made the gingerbread man.

Our dear friend Sue - another Cinderella

And another shot of the whole class

Mrs Chandler was 1 of 3 kittens who lost their mittens

and the young man next to abby is jack - he fell down, broke his crown

(and Abby says he's SO cute!)

I also got to stay for lunch (at 10:30)

all we have to show for it is a fuzzy picture

but it was a lot of fun :)

Abby's Preschool Graduation

2011-12-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

Preschool was such fun!

Miss Cathy's class was the best :)

Reece, Cady, Anya, Abby, Shelby, Ava, Katie, Logan, Joshua (and a friend from another class)

Katie Pollack was Abby's very best preschool friend.

Kaylee even got to skip school that morning to go to graduation.

We LOVE Miss Cathy. So happy we were in her class

Miss Jennifer the wonderful director handing out diplomas.

First Day of School

2011-11-30T00:25:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, but here's the first day of school.

We were lucky to have the Grandparents here to document the day :)

Abby was excited and nervous to begin Kindergarden.

She was all set with her new backpack & waterbottle

Kaylee was excited too!

Abby's face on this one melts my heart!

She told us she wasn't sure her new teacher would be a good as her preschool teacher

but Kaylee's confidence helped raise her spirits.

We were off!

Abby had a special necklace to wear the first week of school

telling folks where she was supposed to go

(incase she got lost at school).

She made it safe & sound,

and we're happy to report that her teacher is GREAT!

DisneyWorld & The Gaylord

2011-11-30T00:08:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful day we had!

It sure was HOT!!!

But we planned our route while we waited for a show outside Cinderella's Castle :)

We were mesmerized by the small world

and REALLY enjoyed the AC it offered :)

We swung by Pooh Corner

But no one was home :(

There were long lines to wait in,

but lots of fun to be had.

The day was full of ups & downs

But all in all it was loads of fun!

At this point, Kaylee asks what a plunge is

and she soon found out.

We saw Jasmine & Aladdin, Woody & Jessie, but only from a distance.

We wandered through a tree house

Then we were shrunk with Pixie dust

and got to visit with Tinker-bell

& her fairy friend Rosetta.

All in all it was an INCREDIBLE day!

So many thanks to our dear friend Brenda & GrandMom & GrandDad for making this happen.

We appreciate it so much!

If that wasn't enough fun for one week,

We got to visit with Aunt Gail & cousin Will.

We had a wonderful afternoon at the Gaylord Palms, We ate lunch on a boat

The girls got their first taste of a shirley temple - and they loved it :)

It was so nice to be with family

and lots of fun was had by all!

Clean-up time, clean-up time. Time to put the toys away....

2011-08-20T19:53:00.000-05:00

Today I was talking with my sister Laura about cleaning out & organizing things.

She was actually doing some & I was inspired to follow in her footsteps.

We decided if we took pictures and shared them it would be like we were working on these projects together... well not quite the same- but it was encouraging to know she was doing the same thing I was - and the accountability helped keep me on track.

I decided to tackle the corner by our door.

This cabinet has become storage for the girls coloring books & some school stuff.

Their stuff has taken over the table in the corner of the kitchen.

It's supposed to function as the space for them to do crafts and homework,

but it had become the catch all for, well, everything!

These drawers are supposed to help them be more organized with their stuff.

but as you can see, not so much.

After a bit of work

(and a few minutes spent snuggling & watching "Tangled" with the girls)

here's the finished product!

I sorted through all their crayons, colored pencils, markers, scissors, glue sticks, pencils & pens.

(by the way, they have a TON of them - so please, under no circumstances buy them any more!)

The drawers were sifted through & re-labeled as needed.

(We're also stocked up on play dough, paints, and stickers.

I actually think they are multiplying in the drawers!)

I came away with 1/2 the bin of recyclable paper (it was half full when I started)

and an entire bag of trash (some of which probably could have been recycled, but I didn't feel like picking the preschool decorations off of it)

I also organized the coloring books into categories & am hoping to convince Abby that she can still do some of the preschool workbooks even though she's in Kindergarden now.

Hopefully this will help when KK has homework that takes longer than 5 minutes.

But, in true children's fashion,

2 minutes after I finished they had already put several items on the table!

Needless to say I made sure they found a different home :)

Hopefully we'll be able to keep this area looking like this for a while,

as it really is helpful to have an separate area for them to work at (besides the dining room table)

Finding Princess Treasure by Abby

2011-07-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

Today I got a Cinderella Jewelry Box.

I also got these Cinderella Shoes!

When you press the button it made music. I like it!

Atlantis Last Shuttle Launch

2011-07-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

What an incredible day we had - set our alarm to wake up at 2:30am to see if NASA was going to fuel the shuttle (we were told on good authority that if they did, that the missions would most likely be a go.) They had gassed it up - so another alarm was set for 5am. Caleb & I got up & dressed, packed some breakfast water bottles & snacks for the girls, then went to get them out of bed & put them in the car for the early morning ride to the coast. We had a great ride - watching the sun come up as we drove the back roads to Titusville. we arrived with no traffic & stopped by walmart to pick up doughnuts for our dear friends who invited us to their place.

Our friend Ray used to work for NASA & knew the best places to see the launch - as well as the spots to get free parking at. We were able to borrow a stroller from friends of theirs & set out to watch the launch. We drove as far as we could & then walked almost 2 miles to the riverfront. We decided to avoid the bridge - as it was pretty packed by the time we got there & we figured leaving would feel impossible.

We found a great spot among the million people who had come out to watch the final launch.

Gemini Park is a pretty cool spot, I'd love to visit again - when it's not so crowded.

There were several cuties like this guy who came dressed for the occasion

We were hot & tired - so were glad we had time to rest before the launch

The girls wanted the umbrella set up for extra shade :)

We waited excitedly

and appreciated a couple from Georgia who took our picture as a family.

Even Santa came out for the big day (hahahahaaaa!)

It was educational - but too crowded to really check everything out that day.

The girls hands in Buzz Aldrin's handprints

KK's hand

Abby's hand

Very cool!

Having been awake since 5:30ish they were both pretty tired

- but didn't actually sleep, they just rested

and waited for the launch to take place.

We talked to my uncle a bit too; he counted it down for us

- and updated us as to what was happening on NASA TV

- being across the river - we were too far to hear the actual countdown :)

but I like out rocket scientist the best anyway!

It was absolutely incredible to see & is something we'll never forget!

It was over & out of sight in about 45 seconds,

leaving only a trail of smoke.

So we booked it out of there too,

hoping to beat the million folks that were there back to their cars

you can see the pillar of smoke in the background.

We had such a great day & were blessed by our dear friends the Nav's who opened their home to us so we didn't have to fight traffic on the way back as well.

Our Anniversary

2011-05-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's been 10 years of marriage for us... a decade of life together!

We have been through so much and yet we are still together - still in love - and strongly committed to each other - and to making our marriage work no matter what!

As we looked back on our married life we thought of the good times

graduating college & starting our first "grown-up" jobs - being in ministry together,

finding out we were pregnant with Kaylee

and then the miracle that was our little one,

finally being able to buy our first house,

finding out we were pregnant and blessed with Abby,

becoming an aunt & uncle to darling Billy five weeks after Abby was born,

watching them grow up together,

sending KK off to school.

We had the best youth group ever!

Caleb played some church softball

and had a few knee surgeries as a result!

Aunt Gi-Gi married Uncle Jo-Jo :)

Many games of golf have been played- and Caleb's scores keep getting lower :)

We enjoyed a family vacation w/ Laura & De

and eagerly awaited our next nephew...

Em was so excited to meet CharlieD the night he was born.

Our girls turned into little ladies

But things weren't always roses, and we made the difficult decision

to leave MD, our family and church and for Caleb to pursue seminary full time.

so we moved to Florida

and Caleb enrolled at RTS.

More golf has made it's way into our lives

Both girls went to school this year

Abby turned 5 and blossomed in preschool!

Kaylee turned 7 & made it through 2nd grade with straight A's!

It's been quite a journey, but through it all we've been together

and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Games with Abby

2011-05-24T10:17:00.002-05:00

I just had to write a quick note about my Abby-Dan. She's enjoying her first day of summer vacation and has been playing happily by herself while I've worked this morning.

She just said to me;
"I'm going to play a game the begins with M and ends in T, can you guess what it is?"

I have NO idea what she is talking about and try to peek at the shelf where her games are stores to get a hint..."No peeking!" she says to me.

I can't guess so she offers a hint - "There's a Q in the middle"
at this point I'm totally stumped!
Even looking at the games shelf I have NO CLUE what game she's going to use.

"This one from Nana & Aunt Judy" she says pulling out the Magnetic Quilt

She was right!

It starts with a M, ends in a T and has a Q in the middle. :)

Thought you'd enjoy a little funny from my little one.

Home Made Gyros

2011-05-07T18:41:00.001-05:00

I had a craving for gyros a while ago, but haven't found a greek place that's quite like ambrosia in MD, so after looking at a bunch of recipes online I came across this one; and tweaked it a bit... Caleb said it was better than any greek we've ever had. While I'm not so sure it was that good, it did knock out my craving & was pretty easy to do too!

2 pounds ground lamb (or cut lamb roast into chunks & grind in food processor)
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 tablespoon finely minced garlic (or garlic paste)
1 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Mix meat in several batches in your food processor and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute.

Mix in seasonings, stirring well to incorporate into mixture.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, cucumber slices, tomato slices, spinach, hummus, and feta cheese. If reheating, add a bit of olive oil to a pan & fry up meat to warm thru.

You can also turn this into a salad with meat on top & use tzatziki as dressing or a greek vinaigrette is good too!

7 going on 17

2011-03-13T18:47:00.000-05:00

Our sweet Kaylee girl is growing up!

She has more & more opinions about clothing & style.

She's a great helper at school & is the best behaved kid at school or church.

She told us recently she wanted a haircut, so we got one this weekend

(as a reward for great behavior & good grades) and this is the result.

She has also discovered how much she likes make-up & wants to wear it often (but that doesn't happen!)

She got to wear some this afternoon - and we decided what better time to take some pictures & show off her new hairstyle :)

She has also discovered jokes & love to get joke books form her school library & will read them to us.

It's pretty funny to hear her laugh at the jokes she reads. "I get it!" she'll yell out sometimes!

She got straight A's again this semester & her teacher told me that she's always prepared, does her work neatly & is helpful to the other students.

We are so proud of this sweetheart & are praying that she matures spiritually this year as well. We've seen some changes in the way she loves Abby -wanting to include her in things more, reading to Abby daily, helping her when she needs it, but also encouraging Abby to try things on her own. We are excited by her love of reading & how much she's enjoying reading Bible Stories nightly.

As proud of all of those things as we are, we're hopeful that the Lord will continue drawing our KK to himself & awakening in her a deeper love for Him & grow her understanding of what being a Christian is all about.

Swagbucks

2011-02-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

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Lucky Daddy!

2011-02-24T15:34:00.002-05:00

Caleb got a flat tire this morning on the way to Men's Bible Study.

He waited 2 hrs to be towed to Costco (because there was a cop with a gun drawn on a person in a car a mile up the road from him) where I met him with our card. The tow truck driver leaves & we wait for the shop to open, only to discover that they wouldn't repair it b/c his battery was dead (after we had already pushed it across the parking lot to the bay, so then we had to push it back into a space - & Caleb pulls his back, which hurts him the rest of the day) ... So we drove around in the van - found a battery place, bought a new battery, go back to the car only to discover that we need tools to put it in with, We go buy tools, out with the old, in with the new.... nothing! That won't fix the problem. We call for another tow - we wait an hour, got it towed to another place to figure out the battery situation & hopefully will get the tire fixed too - upon explaining his day to Abby she says "You're so lucky! You got to ride a a tow truck!"

All we could do was laugh!

We DEFINITELY did NOT feel like we had a lucky day :)

Soup cook-off @ church

2011-02-06T15:04:00.002-05:00

This week our church held a community lunch - a time to get together and enjoy some food & fellowship. They had a chili & soup cook-off planned, but I knew our girls didn't like chili all that much, so I decided to bring a soup I knew they'd enjoy. It took a while to figure out what I wanted to bring, but i finally decided on something that was easy & that I knew they would both like. I had most of the ingredients at home, but was missing 1 thing, so I ran to the store Sunday AM to pick it up.

Came home, threw the soup together in about 15 mins. Tossed it in the crock pot & out the door we went (only to find that the battery in the van was dead b/c I'd knocked the inside light on when I was grabbing something out of it on the way to the store 1/2 hr earlier). We all piled in Caleb's car and drove down to Orlando. Dropped off my soup. Enjoyed a GREAT sermon and then it was on to community lunch.

The girls enjoyed my super easy broccoli & mac n' cheesy soup and there were LOTS of other yummy options. We got to sit with 2 pastors from Brazil who had come up for the conference our church had hosted the week before. We were enjoying the fellowship with friends and as things were winding down one of our Pastors got up to announce the results of the chili cook-off.

Imagine my surprise when they announced that MY SOUP WON!!! It is so simple to make that I hardly consider it cooking :) I got a round of applause & was even more surprised to receive a $50 gift card to Outback! Needless to say, we're looking forward to a nice night out for Valentines - made even better b/c it'll be free :)

Here's the recipe in case you're interested in my award winning soup ;)

Super Easy Broccoli Mac n’ Cheesy Soup

Ingredients:

2 Boxes mac & cheese (any brand)

2 10oz. cans condensed broccoli cheese soup

1 10oz can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 bag frozen veggies
(broccoli or California blend- can also add 1 c frozen corn to the cali. blend)

4 1/2 C. milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Shredded Cheese for garnish

Directions:

Boil macaroni noodles for 3 - 4 minutes (should still be firm as they will cook longer)

Drain the noodles & set aside

Cook veggies for 3 - 4 minutes until tender crisp

In a large pot whisk cheese packets (from Mac & cheese) with 1/2 c milk

Add in broccoli cheese & cream of mushroom soup

Add in the remaining 4 cups - whisk till smooth

Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Combine noodles, veggies & soup together

Simmer on low for 5 mins or until ready to serve.

Sprinkle each bowl with shredded cheese if desired.

Links at 434

2011-01-29T15:39:00.002-05:00

I took Kaylee out today to the Links at 434 in Altamonte. It is a great par 3 course. It reminds me of the places my grandfather used to take me when I was a new golfer.

It was a beautiful 70 degree day in Florida. The man at the pro shop said, don't let her beat you. I know I had my work cut out for me. Kaylee played from the red tees about 919 yards. She was remembering what her teachers taught her at the LPGA clinic. One, two, three, nice and easy swings. She made a point to tell me that she wanted to pick the right club depending on the situation.

On the 3rd hole, she was about 60 yards away. There is a massive bunker in front of the green. She pulls out her six iron. She swings and the ball flies in the air. It lands to the right of the flag on the green. It was a wonderful shot. She ended up with a 5 on the hole.

Number 4 is a 150 yd hole. She took her driver and smacked one right down the fairway. She ended up about 50 yds short of the green. She hits a nice pitch shot over a bunker and ends up with a six.

Kaylee had some struggles on holes 5 and 6 with an 8 or 9. However, she kept her head.

Number 7 is a 73 yd hole with trees in between. We tried to let her hit over the trees, she was close but we decided to move her to a tee box with a better position. Well, it was great because she ended up with a 4.

Number 8 is a 117 yd hole. She ended up short of the green pitched to the fringe. She two putted and ended up with another 4. She closed out hole 9 with a six.

I shot 33, three pars and six bogies. Kaylee finished with a 50 on a par 27 course. She beat her previous score by 5 strokes. I told her that she has been playing better than I did at her age. She kept the ball straight all day. She had a wonderful attitude, good or bad shot. She kept persevering.

After our round, we had a chipping competition to see who could get it closer. On each of her tries she put it on the green. She used her technique that her coaches taught her of giving the grass a haircut. I had to work hard to get my shots closer than her but I did. I can't let her beat me, because I know she's coming for me. It was another wonderful day at the golf course with my daughter.

Kids say the darndest things

2011-01-06T20:30:00.000-05:00

Today Kaylee and I were talking about diapers,
and how everyone on our family wore them when we were babies...

she & Abby wore disposable ones... but the kind that Caleb & I wore were bit different

I was explaining what cloth diapers are like; that they are washed & re-used, and she was quite interested

She then says, "So was that back in the 1900's?" I was so shocked that she thinks I'm that old! I was so taken aback that I didn't clarify that the 1970's & 1980's is no way near the 1900s... oh well ;)

love that girlie

Christmas Eve

2011-01-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

The girls got to sing at church on Christmas Eve with the rest of the children in their Sunday School classes (in both services). The photos are from first service

They did a great job, in spite of being a bit nervous about it beforehand. Then during second service they got to perform again (b/c we were helping with children's ministry). Abby was thrilled to sing with her friend Kaitlyn - even though they didn't get to stand next to each other they made the best of it.

LPGA Event Update

2010-12-15T12:40:00.003-05:00

You can read about Kaylee and my experience at the LPGA event on their fan page

The LPGA posted the story on their twitter as well.

For the Love of the Fans: Natalie Gulbis: Natalie Gulbis gave one young fan a wonderful day at the LPGA Tour Cha... http://bit.ly/f0vugV

Kaylee and I at the LPGA Tour Championship

2010-12-04T18:59:00.016-05:00

It was a very memorable experience. We arrived and made a trip to the putting green. We were able to see Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Suzann Pettersen, and Cristie Kerr putting away. Kaylee enjoyed seeing up them up close. Then, we went to the grandstand to see a few groups tee off on #1. It is a clinic to watch them hit the ball. Kaylee told me I needed to be quiet while they were hitting. It was about lunch time, we headed toward concessions.

Yesterday, I explained to Kaylee that her favorite golfer, Natalie Gulbis had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Kaylee was disappointed but she was still excited to see Paula Creamer. We sat down to eat our lunch. I turn and I see coming down the middle of the walkway, Natalie Gulbis. I quickly told Kaylee look, she knew it was her. I asked Kaylee, let's go talk to her. She said, ok. We walk over. We said, hello Natalie, she asks what's your name? My daughter responds softly. I told her that she gave Kaylee a golf ball at a tournament in Maryland over a year ago. I asked her if she was feeling all right. She said, she was sore and looked at Kaylee, injuries are part of being an athlete. Kaylee gave her a quick hug and started to walk away. Natalie told her she was signing pictures to come on over. We followed her to the table. Natalie asked Kaylee to spell her name. After she signed the photo,

Natalie says, can I take a picture with you? I want to post it on my twitter, http://twitpic.com/3cv45x. Kaylee responds, sure. I was the camera man with her iphone. I was so nervous that it took 3 photos to get to this one,

She signed her hat. We told her thank you very much and walked back to our lunch that we left on our table. Kaylee and I were talking and then, she got some boldness to go back and talk to her some more. She wanted to ask her some questions and talk about her golf game.

We went back to the table after the line went down a little. Natalie said, you are back? What's up? Kaylee said, I can hit a ball 100 yards. She said really, what kind of driver do you use? Kaylee said, Wilson. What color is it? She said purple. Then she asked, do you have any tips? Natalie said, play in a lot of tournaments, play against your friends, and practice. We told her thank you for taking the time to chat with her and that we hoped she felt better soon.

It was a great experience. We decided to go to the LPGA shop and look around. They gave Kaylee a poster and an LPGA sticker for free. Then, she wanted to see Paula play. So, we went over to 16 and walked with her all the way to 18. She loved watching and walking with her down the fairways.

This morning, I heard about a junior golf clinic. I called the ticket office and asked if they were taking walk ups. They said, yes. So, we were walking towards the driving range. I see a woman that looks very familiar. I say, hello Annika. I receive no response. Slightly surprised, we continue to our destination. I see the same woman teaching the golf clinic. It is not Annika but Charlotta Sorenstam, her sister. They have a Q&A session with the children. Kaylee goes to a few stations with pitching, balance, aiming, and chipping lessons with several LPGA golf instructors. One was in a recent Golf Digest article, top 20 instructors under 40. Kate Tempesta spent about 15 mins with her at one station. Then, Kaylee moved over to the driving range. She took some full swings with a 7-iron and her last couple balls she hit very solid. Then, she received an autograph from Charlotta Sorenstam on her poster. They gave out a nice goody bag of golf items.

Walking back to the car, we were talking about how much fun we had. Cristie Kerr is coming down the cart path. She sees Kaylee and gives her a golf ball. We tell her thank you. She was excited and it made for a great ending. We proceeded to the exit.

What a wonderful day at the golf course. The LPGA knows how to put on an event. We had an amazing time.

Abby is my hero!

2010-10-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight Abby saved me!

Kaylee & Caleb had gone for a bike ride while Abby & I stayed home so she could have dinner (long story short she's not feeling well & napped thru dinner time). We were getting some warmer clothes for her as her little skin was all covered in goosebumps while in her sundress. She walks out of her room & then yells to me
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"MOM A SNAKE!!!"
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Needless to say I hurry to where she is to see this little guy wiggling his way around the floor.

I run to the kitchen, grab the first choppy thing I see - a spatula and I get to the job of doing away with this creature...one quick whack (like i'd seen my dad do many times before during summers on the lake in Maine) and he was done - altho there was still quite a bit of wiggle left in him. (It's post-chop that I decided to photograph him, just FYI)

Caleb & Kaylee come back home & I tell them how Abby was so brave & saved me - wish I had the camera then to take a picture of Caleb's face as aBby tells him that there was a snake in our house! He & Kaylee go to check him out - he's laying, chopped, under a disposable plastic cup - and Kaylee is totally grossed out but the tiny bit of blood that he's been drained of.

Caleb escorts him outside & the house returns to normal... until I step on a something in the living room & am sure it's one of his brothers... only to discover it's only a stray ponytail holder! Needless to say, my heart rate has officially been raised for today!

The other day Abby was doing some "school work" while kk was doing her homework - and this was what Abby did.

I esp love her "other half" drawings...
They remind me of evolution illustrations ;)

Tea Set from Tampa

2010-09-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

When my Mom & Dad came to the sunshine state they took a day to visit mom's older sister Gail who lives in Tampa. Being the wonderful Aunt that she is, she sent them back with a gift for the girls

- this beautiful tea set!

The girls got all dressed up

and we enjoyed strawberry tea, animal crackers, applesauce w/ sprinkles, cheese sticks & sprite.

We even lit some candles to help with our fancy atmosphere ;)

Kaylee enjoyed her tea with milk & sugar

Abby was straight tea & sugar.

Here's a video from the girls for Aunt Gail.

Thanks again for wonderful afternoon -

we'll be having another tea party soon, you'll have to join us some time :)

Sweet Little Abby

2010-09-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to give you an update on our amazing preschooler ;)

Baby girl went for her check-up today, did great, she charmed the office staff & dr. The nurse said she wanted to take her home with her & that if all their patients were this well behaved life would be perfect. She weighs a whopping 39 & 3/4 pounds and is 3 ft 5 & 1/2 inches tall. She had to have her vision tested twice, the first time using the shape chart - and she didn't do so well, (I think because she was unsure of what she was looking at[star, boat, flag, cross, cup, heart, hand, crescent, circle] she knows all of those items, but from far away, not having had a chance to see them up close she was unsure on quite a few) but when they tested it again with the letters (at my suggestion) she was cleared as 20/20! She was a total sweetheart & I was so proud of her!

She got 3 shots in her leg without even shedding a tear, and then (thank you GrandDad) she promptly passed out! She was so brave while getting the shots, even watched as she got them, but afterwards she lowered her head & I thought she was gonna cry, but as I hugged her & was talking to her I realized she wasn't with us anymore. I laid her down on the exam table she was siting on & the nurse ran to get the Dr....she was back with us by the time the dr got there (maybe 10 seconds later). She got several cold compresses & her color returned before too long.

Never knew my heart could beat so fast! Our Dr said that some kids have a reaction like this to shots, or other types of sharp pain, their little hearts freak out, blood pressure drops & then they follow. She told us she was just sleeping...but she heard me calling her name.

She got to pick toys from the drs office & got to ride in a blue wheelchair out of the office to the car. She is doing fine now - enjoying her happy meal & new strawberry shortcake doll (as a reward for GREAT behavior). what an exciting morning!

In other exciting news Caleb made his first sale this week with Aflac :) and KK has begun riding her bike from her school to RTS by herself (there are crossing guards the entire way - less than .7 miles) & she is so proud of how grown up she is becoming. She is reading like crazy & has decided to take on the task of helping with dinner & setting the table every night.... before long I'll be out of a job :)

Emily's Mom & Dad Visit us

2010-08-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful blessing to have my parents come for a visit as our summer came to an end.
We enjoyed days full of fun, with a bit of work sprinkled throughout.

The brought a power washer (thanks Biff's!) so I could clean our fence, driveway & sidewalk - i didn't realize how bad it looked till it was cleaned! wow, what a difference it made - there were areas that were green with mold (and our neighbor's fence was black with it - till I washed that part clean too!). It now looks like a new fence - incredible what a little water will do.

Dad replaced the sink in the girls bathroom & helped with some yard work as well ~ THANKS so much!
Mom had the task of playing monopoly & uno with the girls while dad & I worked (but I think she enjoyed it).

Caleb spent much of the week studying greek for class (which he passed!) and the insurance info (for the other test he took) and HE PASSED THAT ONE TOO! (will post more about that later), but we were able to have a date night to a lovely little italian place we discovered, went to a movie & then grabbed some cold stone on our way home.

I think the highlight of the visit for the girls was spending the day at CoCo Key WaterPark - where our little Kaylee girl WON A HULA HOOP CONTEST! Everyone enjoyed the pool & water slides, but we were all EXHAUSTED by the time we got home that day! The girls loved riding in GrandMom & GrandDad's van

They watched movies as we rode every chance they got - even when we rode up the road 3 miles to a playground they wanted to watch. I just gotta say - don't get used to it girls! ;)

We had a GREAT time with you guys & can't wait till you visit us again!
Thanks for coming & we L <3 VE YOU lots & lots!!!

First Day of School

2010-08-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has happened, but both of my girls had their first day of school!

With new clothes (thanks G-Mom & G-Dad!),

backpacks & lots of excitement they headed off to school!

We managed to take a few pictures before they left

and also took some pics with the grandparents before they left too.

I dropped Caleb off at school & then had a quiet day to myself. I gotta say, I could get used to this pretty quick! ;)

They both had a great day & enjoyed school bunches!

Kaylee's Sneak Peek

2010-08-13T19:19:00.002-05:00

KK also got to have a sneak peek/meet the teacher at her school.

She & I biked over (and I'm glad we did as parking was CRAZY! People were parked on every avail. area, including the grass & bike ramp leading up to the school) it was hot, but we're pretty used to it.

We got to meet her teacher, Ms Laura Marks

We found her desk :)

and got to unload the school supplies we brought along.

We got to see a few of the kids in her class & made sure that KK knew how to get from the drop off ramp to her classroom (hoping that she'd remember when it was time for school, unlike last year when she got lost :( poor baby! )

Here's my sweet second grader at her desk!

All ready for another GREAT year of learning.

Preschool Sneak Peek

2010-08-10T18:12:00.003-05:00

Today we got to go to Abby's Preschool for a sneak peek before class begins next week.

We got to meet Ms Cathy & even a few of the other kids who will be in her class :)

Here are some shots of her classroom

Caleb's 30th Birthday

2010-07-10T22:41:00.006-05:00

A review of my 30th birthday. For the past few months. I've been studying and reading up on all the iron fittings a lot of people have had on some golf websites. I'm a researcher by nature. My wonderful wife has supported my game improvement. Last year, she got me lessons. This year I wanted new irons to fit my new game. I mentioned it but with some opposition from Emily saying they were too expensive. I wasn't sure if it was going to happen or not. Then, my birthday arrives and she says it's time to go pick out your new irons. Needless to say, I was very excited.

I headed over to Golf Galaxy. I carry a 10 handicap. My short list of irons were Mizuno MX 200, MX 300, Callaway X-24, Machspeed, R9, and Titleist AP1. After getting warmed up, I started with the MX 300 and hit some shots. I really liked the feel. They were very smooth and easy to hit. Then, I tried the MX 200. The 300's were way better.

I tried the Callaway X-24's, I was not impressed. The club head was heavier. My swings were not on point with them. They went to the no column.

Then I've heard nothing but good things about the Machspeeds and decided to give them a whirl. The grips were not comfortable. Well, I can change the grips if I like them. Yet again, another clunky club, Nike to the no pile. This was getting easier and easier to figure out.

Now full disclosure, I had my heart set on some new R9's. Everyone I have talked with has raved about them. I am a big Taylor Made fan, I thought these were mine. My shots were wow, boom, boom, like butter, smooth as silk. I was smiling big. The player's assistant was like you really want these don't you. I told him that they are great. Are there any other ones you wanted to try? Well, yes the AP1's. My rankings were R9's, MX 300's at this point.

I tested the Titleist, boom, striped, and striped. The sales guy says, I think we found your irons. I wanted to know what the launch monitor said, R9 straight, fade, fade, Titleist straight, straight, straight. I hit more shots and sure enough it was clear. There was tighter dispersion with the Titleist. All my shots were going dead straight. It makes the game easy when you can hit your irons straight every time.

Next was the Mizuno shaft fit test. I was right on the line for stiff and regular. I tried both and he said the standard would be a better fit ball flight wise. What a cool piece of equipment it recommended three shafts. I tried the project x and the nippons that come stock. I felt like the nippons were a better fit. I had nothing against the project x.

The lie board was the final part of the fitting. I hit some balls flush center of the club face every shot. I'm a standard length and lie all the way. They let me keep the tape and the results of the shaft test. One of the funny things that happened was when I used the lie board. I absolutely smashed the club head into the back of the board it made this super loud noise. The sales guy assured me that happens all the time. He admitted he has seen clubs fly out of people's hands all the time. Apparently, the golf store can be a dangerous place.

All in all it was a lot of fun. I was there for two hours. I asked a ton of questions tried some wonderful equipment and got my new AP1's. I felt like a PGA pro being able to try all the new equipment. I was not able to get them out on the course due to the rain this afternoon evening.

Here are some photos of the new sticks and the new putting green the girls got me.

Club update, I have used them on the course at least two times and one driving range session. Here are my scores from my last two rounds, a 75 and 77.

http://oobgolf.com/golfers/score.php?id=1136579

http://oobgolf.com/golfers/score.php?id=1164897

My handicap has dropped to an 8. My next goal is to shoot even par. I have made a contract with Emily and the sales man even signed off that I will not buy any clubs for the next ten years. I don't think that was a smart move on my part but here's to ten years of great golf. Thank you Emily and all the family members that donated to the club fund.

Broken AC Unit

2010-07-10T21:55:00.003-05:00

2 weeks ago our AC unit broke... right in the dead of summer!

We were pretty bummed - and weren't looking forward to the time it would take to get it fixed.

Fortunately we have AMAZING landlords who put us up in a hotel for a night.

We looked at options online and came across this amazing place called CoCoKey Water Park (click on the word to go to their site for pics of the Water Park).

We all shared a room, but had a good time, made some great memories, and managed to stay cool! The beds had a decorative pillow that looked like a beach ball - and the girls LOVED them.

Both girls liked the water slides and pools. they wore the life jackets that were provided & didn't want to leave the pool at all. Kaylee & I went on all the slides - including the huge ones that you take inner tubes down. We both screamed a lot, but had a blast!

The next night we stayed with out friends Stacy & Timothy up the street & the next day our AC was replaced - we now have an energy efficient unit that works GREAT & is super quiet!

I think my Aunt Judy said it best - this rain cloud had a golden lining (instead of a sliver one)... such a great blessing - it was a mini vacation for us!

volleyball camp

2010-07-10T14:55:00.006-05:00

This little girl got to go to volleyball camp a few weeks ago at the town rec center.she's showing her serving abilities (but my camera wasn't fast enough to catch it)

how do I bump it?
setting it

This is KK's friend Stephanie - they were in the same first grade class & we've all become good friends. They had us over for Easter dinner & we watched the fireworks together too. Even though the girls were on different teams they still had lots of fun throughout the week.
KK had a blast - she was the main cheerleader for her team - always encouraging others
Rejoicing as they won a point to pull them into the lead.
making her way around the circle - she did great serving
but her other skills still need some work.

The most important part was she had fun & learned some stuff too!They handed out awards at the end of the week, kaylee got one for participation, one because their team won the championship for their age bracket...

and she also got camper of the week!!! We're not sure if that means most improved, most team spirit, or what exactly, but we were so proud of our girl.

her coach was a high schooler - Emily - who did a great job making sure that our girl was included & encouraged all week. Go JawBreakers!!!!

My little garden

2010-07-10T14:38:00.005-05:00

I decided to try my hand at growing some things this summer to help with finances and to have the enjoyment of growing my own food - I must admit I started small - basil, cilantro & cherry tomatoes.

My cilantro refuses to grow - I'm thinking it may have something to do with being planted in the same container as the basil, so in this week I'm gonna try again, but in a different pot to see if that makes any change.

My basil are growing like crazy - I planted too much - oh well... more to share with friends I suppose :)

Here's the tomato plant - I've harvested 2 batches so far, and we've enjoyed them a bunch! I've still got more waiting to turn red, and more flowers blooming that will turn into yummy fruit soon.

Here's pictures of a meal I made from my produce - veal with extra cheesy spaghetti, topped with basil & tomatoes. YUM!

Baby Photos

2010-05-28T21:41:00.002-05:00

Mom sent me a photo of when I was a baby & I was struck by how much it looked like Abby

(altho I guess it's how much Abby looks like me... but in any event)

can you tell who is who?

9 years ago

2010-05-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

9 years ago I married my best friend

I am more in love with him today

and am amazed at how God has blessed our family

Our life has had unexpected ups and downs

but our commitment to each other has grown stronger.

I'm reminded of the words to the song that played as I walked down the isle.

I pledge my life to Christ, my Savior,
and He is Lord of your life too.
Because He lives in the hearts of those who love Him,
what I declare to Him, I say to you.

In you alone is where I find my comfort.
In you alone. You’re my only hope.
In you alone my heart has found a resting place
In you alone.

So we won’t fear what comes tomorrow,
and we won’t let our courage sway.
As we live in the presence of our Savior
Our union will be strong come what may

In you alone is promise I can cling to
In you alone. You’re my security.
In you alone my soul has found a dwelling place,
Only in you alone.

What can separate me from your love?
Neither life, nor death, nor anything at all.

In you alone is where I find my comfort.
In you alone. You’re my only hope.
In you alone my heart has found a resting place.
Only in you alone.

Happy Anniversary Darling!

I love you

Kaylee turns 7

2010-04-30T20:58:00.008-05:00

What a wonderful day we had today!

We started the day with call from S. Korea from Aunt Gigi

We opened lots of presents and got more phone calls from family, then it was off to school for the "boat float". Kaylee's boat was the shooting star (a beautifully decorated egg carton).
Our sweet 7 year old - she's growing up SO much! We are excited to see changes in her - she often prefers Abby over her own wants (little things like color of dishes, using toys, etc...). We have also been working on the children's Catechism (Caleb got a copy from school and we've been reading a few questions each night - she already knows 21 questions & answers after only a week). We are excited to see what this next year brings!

Kaylee wanted to go golfing - so we did!
She shot a 45 on 9 holes (Caleb shot a 40)

She had a BLAST - even though she didn't get to drive the cart.
My 7 year old ~ on hole number seven.
sweet loving sisters
posing @ a lovely fountain in Winter Park

Kaylee asked for a golf cake - and after looking online for inspiration I came up with this.

The roof is molded candy melts (I used a tupperware lid) supported by lollipop sticks

The golf cart is carved from mini-loaf cakes.

The floor is strawberry wafer cookies.

The wheels & seat are softened starbursts.

The golf bag is softened starbursts that were flattened by a rolling pin and then wrapped around marshmallows to hold the shape of a bag & the golf clubs are 1/2 of a conversation heart dipped in candy melts and attached to colored toothpicks.

We had a BLAST with all the friends who came to celebrate with us.

Susan, Kaylee & Stephanie (kk's best friend from school) & Abby laughed & played all night. Jean, (Stephanie's mom)Kay, Carl(our neighbors), Stacy (our dearest friend from RTS), Caleb & I were able to have some nice conversations as well - all around it was a GREAT day.

First trip to the beach this year

2010-04-11T20:21:00.006-05:00

We are overjoyed that it's "beach weather" here (altho we did think it was still a bit too cold to swim) we enjoyed beautiful day in Melbourne. Stopped at a pizza place @ the recommendation of one of Caleb's co-workers, must way we weren't disappointed! NY style pizza was GREAT! After that we walked along the beach collecting sea shells and enjoying splashing in the surf a bit too. What a beautiful day together & blessing that Caleb had some time off work while Kaylee was still on spring break.

After the beach we headed over to Viera & checked out beautiful Duran Golf Club's pristine par 3 course.

Kaylee & Caleb played 9 holes, and Abby played 5, shooting a 27 (par for the course) & was declared the winner.

Caleb shot 3 over par at a 30 for 9 holes (and was the ACTUAL winner, but graciously allowed Abby to claim the win).

Kaylee shot a 53 and had a blast doing it.

Kaylee's ball is the pink one, and Caleb's is the white one ;)

Abby had enugh of the sun & decided that the umbrella we brought

(for possible rain showers) would work well as a parasol for shade protection.
Kaylee was a little scared of this hole - she could have easily cleared the water, but nerves got the best of her & she just knocked it toward the hazard... and decided she's just take a drop on the other side of the pond.

Kaylee was cracking us up - she was "posing" all day

she just might have a future as a golf pro/model someday

We walked the course this time, Abby & I got to caddie a bit for our players

What a great day with our family!

Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T14:56:00.004-05:00

After Easter last year I found a box of princess easter egg dye in the clearance area @ some store in MD. I figured I'd tuck it away & hopefully would remember it this year. I planned on an afternoon with Laura & Billy- coloring eggs with the kids, talking about easter - maybe even having KK read the easter story from her Jesus StoryBook Bible...

How much in life has changed since then! Living in Florida has helped us appreciate family & traditions so much more. Everything is an adventure for the girls; even things they've done before seem extra special. Today we dyed eggs after lunch- while Gi-Gi watched (all the way from S.Korea). Abby didn't remember dying eggs previously, but enjoyed it lots today. The spots on hers happened by accident at first, but once she saw the result of combining colors, she wanted all her eggs to have dots. Kaylee was quite creative with her ideas on decorating as well- stripes & layers were a hit with her.

I ended up experimenting a bit too - and was able to paint on the flower/star shape & a heart.

While we missed having family in the house as we prepare for celebrating Christ's Resurrection - we were blessed to have the chance to share our time with Gi-Gi.

GrandDad visits!

2010-03-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful (but short) visit with my Dad last week. He was enjoying spring break with a little bit of traveling. He was able to come down for a few days - and we tried to pack them full of fun.
We rode bikes, went to the park, played in the backyard/pool, went to church & out to eat at "the 3 piggies" (as abby calls it) and did some shopping, and if i remember correctly there was even some dollhouse & tea party action ;)

What a great time with GrandDad we had, I was even served breakfast in bed one day! Infact we had so much fun I only took 4 pictures - and those were at the airport as we were saying goodbye at the drop-off area. but luckily Dad took quite a few - so I snagged some of my favs he took & am posting them here!..

Thanks for coming to see us - hope to see you again soon! Love you!

The Mustaki travel to "Floo-wii-dah"

2010-02-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

We had SO much fun when Laura, De, Billy & Charlie came to visit - so much in fact that I forgot to take many pictures - or even post them! Better late than never is my motto - so here they are.

THANK YOU!!!

2010-02-22T14:02:00.002-05:00

a little video for grandmom & granddad gale.

Abby's 4th Birthday

2010-02-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

Can't believe that my BABY is four!

It seems like only yesterday she was born...but here we are & how time flies!

Abby is an independent girl for sure.

She adores her sister and loves her whole family very much.

She is a snuggly one, and has amazed us all by her love of and ability with puzzles.

We started off the day with a phone call from GiGi - all the was from S.Korea, so cool!

It made her day to be able to talk to Gig, esp since they didn't have a webcam then.

Abby decided she wanted bagel for lunch - and to make it special we added sprinkles. She also enjoyed opening cards throughout the day - here's one of her favs from Great GrandMomGale.

That afternoon we opened gifts from the Md.fam outside - and did a webchat with the biffs so they could see reactions - the girls both have immensely enjoyed the croquet set the Biffs sent - "it's great for practicing golf" I've been told by them on several occasions.

Her tea set from Gina & Joe also a fav - and we've used it often since then.

The girls also each got a birthday gift from the OhioGrandparents

The girls love these dolls and have hauled them all over the house, changed their clothed hundreds of times, fed them, changed diapers & put them to bed for hours on end.

Kaylee & Abby still haven't named them - but they call them "baby" or "sweet girl" more often than anything else.

We took a trip to BounceU that weekend with friends from RTS

MissStacy & MrTimOthy were such fun to have along!

We were all quite tired after an hour of bouncing.

We stopped off at Wendy's (the b-day girl's request) for dinner and then headed home for cake.

Abby made it with a little help from mom - but it was her design.

She had told us she wanted Cinderella on it - but was surprised that she got it - cause we had hidden it from her till it was time to blow out the candle...

We had a wonderful day celebrating our youngest blessing - our family wouldn't be complete without our AbbyDan.

Gi~Gi comes to visit

2010-01-18T22:06:00.006-05:00

We had such a great time with Gina when she came to see us last week

we had fun having tea parties, going to playgrounds & just being together!

We also had christmas with her, I was so excited about the super cool gifts I found on a budget this year...

this little gem

is a DVF that retails for $276....let's just say i didn't pay anywhere near that

- it was brand new- w/ tags still on @ goodwill - SCORE!

We then found this pretty little one on our sister's afternoon - another goodwill find
the pic doesn't do it justice, but each of the dots are sequins - so cute! and it was SO soft too! needless to say i wanted it for me.... but alas it wouldn't fit me, oh well - it looks sure cute on her, and while she's 1/2 way across the world she'll have some little things to remind her of us.

Thanks for a great time Gigi, we loved having you here!

christmas pj's

2009-12-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

The girls got some super cute pj's for christmas from Emily's aunt & uncle (Thanks Biffs!)

and I had to post their pics because they're too funny not to share!

It is finally getting cold down here - in the mid-40s at night!
We turned out heat on for the first time last week & the girls are enjoying a few extra blankets at night!
We noticed on our way to church this morning that the leaves are changing - lots of reds, yellows and oranges along the side of the road. Can't say we miss the snow - seeing pics of what the MD family has is just fine with us.

Christmas Tree Garland

2009-12-23T21:36:00.006-05:00

I decided to make a garland for our tree this year, but didn't realize just how much work it would be.

I started out with modeling clay

& made beads (with the help of the girls)

After that I painted them

& poked holes in them so they could be strung

Then came the tedious process of stringing

But it's finally done - and I'm quite happy with the end result

(caleb says i'm a little crazy & channeling my inner "martha stewart", but i'll take that as a compliment)

new twist on an old favorite

2009-12-17T18:56:00.004-05:00

Abby has wanted to try this for months, but I couldn't figure out how to do it.

I finally realized it was simple. I decided to skip it; but it was a hit with the girls.

So what am I talking about?

BLUE PASTA!!!!

We have had red pasta (with red sauce), white pasta (alfredo sauce), yellow pasta (in cheesy sauce), green pasta (made with pesto sauce), and pink pasta (alfredo and red sauce mixed together)...but I couldn't figure out how to make it blue until it hit me today - just add some colored blue sugar sprinkles! It made it a little sweet, but it was blue & that was what mattered to the girls.

Since Daddy has been working more hours (PTL!) it's just us girls @ home many nights so we try to do fun things - like have blue pasta. Not sure I'll ever do this again, but it was fun!

It's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2009-12-13T20:51:00.006-05:00

At least in our house it is.

We've been trying to gradually add the christmas decor since thanksgiving (wasn't so easy since we were sick for a week) but we're getting there!

We made our own trees one day while Daddy was at work.

by ~ Kaylee

by ~ Abby

by ~ Mommy

We have pulled out some family favorites that have traveled from AZ (thanks great-grandmom!)

And some new items that Kaylee has made at school - this little count down hangs at the front door - she pulls a link off the chain each night!

We've got our "bucket head" - probably the only snowman we'll see this year

and of course some mistletoe

and some garland & a wreath

and the most fragrant smelling wreath from maine (THANKS Geiger family!)

we even have a nativity or two (yes, that is the dishwasher)

We also added a few little things to the guest room (for mom who has a thing for penguins)

We are working on creating a garland for our tree - found this stuff we'd purchased years ago and thought we'd give it a try -

so far, so good. will post more pics as i get things done (so far i've made 36 sets
of beads and have hand painted them too... but we'll see how that goes.

Lastly, we've got a super cool book mom found for the girls to enjoy - it's a pop-up, with all the text straight from the gospels

Adjustments

2009-12-13T20:41:00.003-05:00

We made some adjustments to the sleeping arrangements for the girls - Abby wasn't doing well with being on the top bunk & Kaylee was tired of it was well -several months up there would do it for me too...

Caleb & I decided that now was as good a time as any to change things up a bit - so we pulled things apart & now we have to single beds in their room- not as much space to play but they are happy

Took these pictures after bed one night - but it shows their room

Advent

2009-12-13T20:33:00.004-05:00

We got the coolest package at the beginning of this month from the MD Family

a daily advent reading & a little chocolate.

we've enjoyed knowing that our family is doing the same things we are this holiday season - even if they are far away.

Thanks to the TWFers for the hard work that went into this!

We miss you!

Mama Mia, we were so glad to see ya!

2009-12-13T20:14:00.005-05:00

Emily's mom came for a visit this past week - what a blessing to have family around again - even just for a little while!

The girls worked to help set up the office into a guest room for her - Abby even made a sign to welcome her when she arrived.

We picked her up at the airport Monday morning and Abby didn't stop talking 'till Mom left Friday afternoon.

We got to do some christmas cookie baking, some shopping, and of course lots of just being together!

Kaylee and Abby enjoyed the extra attention and managed to get lots of 2-on-1 time with her every morning before school started. Mom even made her lunch every day (a blessing for me more than kk I think)

Our camera battery died - and we didn't get a new one till her last day here - so not many pics to show - altho i know she got some... will upload them as i get them (hint hint mom!)

The other high point (for caleb & I) was a chance to go out on a date one night, and we got to try a new BBQ place - Babalou's Bodacious Barbeque... WOW! super yum )i wish they had a carolina sauce, but great besides that - huge portions & laid back atmosphere - cut could deff see how it would be a great college hang out as well... glad we were there around 5 - b4 it got too busy.)

WE HAD FUN WITH YOU GRANDMOM!!! we're still playing "let's look for" and can't wait till we have our next visitor!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-28T18:15:00.005-05:00

Well, we didn't get many pictures taken as we were busy video chatting with the peeps in MD & cooking...but here are the few shots from our day.

Pretty proud of my turkey breast - it was SO yummy & moist - thanks to the brine i think...but then again, the stick of butter i basted it with might have had something to do with that too... anyway - it was GOOD!

The pretty votive holders used to be be my grandmothers & i just recently got them from an aunt who was cleaning out her curio cabinets - so excited to have been able to have a bit of family reminders in my decor.

It was a peaceful day and was lovely to be able to sit outside & eat our apple crisp in the afternoon... 70 degrees - not bad for the middle of november

here's the link for the apple crisp (http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/apple-crisp-2). it had the prefect amount of crisp topping - something we've always thought was lacking in other recipes I've tried in the past. super yummy with vanilla ice cream on top. as you can see Abby was gobbling it up.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

2009-11-24T20:02:00.008-05:00

We found some turkeys...

They were in our backyard

We invited them in.

They looked friendly,

...VERY friendly

We think they will be allowed to join us for dinner on Thursday.

Kaylee golfing for the first time.

2009-11-23T18:55:00.036-05:00

Kaylee’s take- Today I went to a real golf course - I got to play for the first time. It was fantastic! And the course was great. Abby, Mommy, Daddy and I went to Winter Springs Country Club this afternoon. Me and Daddy got a few double bogeys, we got a few triple bogeys - definitely just me. We even got a few pars. We even got a few just bogeys.

The first thing we did was practice on the putting green. We had to wait for a few other people to play and then it was our turn. I got to hit the ball far with my driver, I got to use my putter, my 6 iron and my wedge too.

My favorite part was that I almost got the ball in the hole. I laughed when the golf cart was going so fast - Abby was driving and it was funny. I got to drive the golf cart too!

I had fun and I’m thankful for the flowers that we saw and the golf course - and for DADDY who took us on this fun trip.

Dad’s take-A few times, I have taken Kaylee to the driving range. She can make great contact on the ball. A couple weeks ago, I decided to check out a local 9 hole course at Winter Park, Florida. It is a historic golf site in the middle of town. It has a lovely neighborhood layout.

I like this course because of the family friendly atmosphere. I did some  research on uskidsgolf.com about kid’s tee boxes. These tee boxes give kids a real chance at getting close to the hole within 3-5 shots. Since Kaylee has started learning the game, I thought she was getting good enough to play on a real course. We had her go to the level 1 tees. You can read more about the tee boxes here.

We decided to bring the whole family for the adventure. Watching her line up her putts on the practice green was adorable. I didn't tell her to do that. She learned it from watching golf. Enjoy the photos and commentary.

The first tee was a par 4, Kaylee hit the ball about 30 yds on her first shot putting herself in great position on the fairway. She ended up on the green after 4 shots and 4 putted for an 8 on her first hole.

The second hole was a par 3. She was about 45 yds away. Her first shot ended up short of the green. She chipped on and two putted for a 4. When she put her shot on the green, she had her first cheer from someone on the road driving. They yelled, “great shot little girl.” Emily and I couldn’t believe what we were watching.

The third hole was a par 5 about 135 yds for her. She ended up getting a 7 on in 4 and 3 putted.

Daddy's swing.

Abby driving the cart, putting the pedal to the metal. Notice mommy and Kaylee's legs flying,

The fifth hole was a par 4 about 90 yds. She was on in 4 and 4 putted for an eight. She would have had a lower score but her chip landed on the green and rolled off the side.

Kaylee's tee shot, see if you can find the pink ball in the fairway on the right side of the photo.

Abby caddying with Kaylee.

The sixth hole was a memorable hole. It was a par 4 about 100 yds. She landed her tee shot just off the fairway on the right, she hit another shot that landed short of the bunker located on the right side of the green. She had a very difficult shot to get it on the green. A tough shot for any golfer. She had to get the ball over the bunker and land it on the green to get on about 20 yds away. Well, this darling little first timer, took her wedge struck a perfect shot up in the air over the bunker. It landed short of the pin and rolled to the left of the green about 6 feet from the hole. Emily and I were absolutely shocked. This girl has some serious game. It was an unbelievable shot. She really impressed us with her natural ability. She was on in 3 and two putted for a 5 on a par 4. Her second bogey of the day.

She tried to fall into the hole.

On to number seven, it was a par 3, she was on in 3 and 3 putted. She had another good wedge shot to get her ball on the green.

Abby enjoying the flowers on the course.

On number eight, another par 3. Here, she hit a great tee shot again in the fairway. She got another six.

Kaylee's ball closer than mine.

9th Hole - She was in the fairway for 3 shots while daddy put his tee shot way right in the rough on this par 4. Then, she was on in 3 and 3 putted on her final hole of the day.

Her final score for 9 holes was 55 on an 1100 yd course. It was a great day for her. She didn’t hit a bad shot all day. Emily was funny, she said, “Kaylee is a great player. I’m amazed with how far she can hit the ball, but she has to work on her putting.” I started laughing. She still faired pretty well for her first time on real greens.

Kaylee's drives and mid game landed in the fairway on almost every hole. Her average drives were between 30 and 50 yds. Overall, she was down the middle most of the day. As my golf coach says, I would love to miss them straight all day.

Daddy played well today too. I shot an 8 over par 43. The funny thing was Kaylee tied me on a couple holes and was within one shot on three others. Man, I have some stiff competition from my 6 year old.

It was a blast letting the girls drive the cart. Abby was Kaylee’s caddy running and giving her the right clubs for her shots. A lovely family time enjoying the outdoors and the game of golf.

Shuttle Launch Atlantis 11-16-09

2009-11-16T15:58:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple photos from the launch about 50 miles away.

The cloud of smoke it left behind.

Girls Having Fun in the Florida Fall

2009-10-25T20:49:00.007-05:00

Visit to New England

2009-09-20T11:28:00.006-05:00

Caleb & I got to travel to New England this summer to visit with some friends from Bible College.

We toured Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and were able to sit in on a class (too bad we'd forgotten much of our hebrew... otherwise we'd have been tracking with them ;) hahaa) It was a beautiful campus, even though it rained the whole time.

It was a nice mini vacay with no kids of our own - altho we were surrounded by all our friends kids - but we had not responsibilities - what a pleasant change of pace ;) Forgot to bring our camera when we had dinner w/ the whole NH crew- so the only pic we have is of Desha & I - next time we visit we'll remember our camera

We drove around Boston & had a nice lunch next to fenway park.

but alas, it was STILL raining - so not much out of the car exploring happened.

We finally did get to the see the sun shining - it was just too bad it was on our flight back home ;)

JUNE

2009-09-19T13:34:00.005-05:00

Kaylee had been taking violin lessons since christmas & she had her first recital at the beginning of June - she played three songs & was the youngest performer.

After months of arguing about brushing her hair - kaylee got a haircut!

what a difference it made. She was able to donate hre hair to locks of love - & she was so proud to be able to help someone in need.

Last Days of School @ Lake Seneca with our favorite teacher Mrs Witmer!!!

We even enjoyed a Gale Family Tradition- strawberry breakfast on KK's last day of school!

We rode bikes to school

Caleb celebrated his 29th birthday with a trip to Air & Space in DC - got to see a Mars Rover - the girls were thrilled that Biffy worked on this! - a nice day - we even got to give the girls a ride on the carousel on the mall.

MAY

2009-09-19T13:28:00.002-05:00

Again, not manny photos were taken this month either...

Caleb & I went away to Philly for the day for our anniversary - 8 years!
We toured Westminster Seminary, wandered around King of Prussia Mall & then drove around the city of Philly

It was a nice (altho rainy) time.

we had dinner at Pat's & Geno's - checking out who's cheesesteak was better - and it was a tie - both were GREAT! & the fact that they are right across the street from each other helps in the taste testing too

APRIL

2009-09-19T12:55:00.010-05:00

Somehow we didn't take any pictures in March... but here's what happened in April:

Easter Sunday was COLD - had to improvise on the dresses - too cold for sleeveless for sure!

Emily & the grown-up Women in our family took a trip to Va Beach to visit Gina - lots of fun (even if we didn't get much sleep - thanks joe!)

Kaylee turns 6 - got a golf set & a scooter- the highlight of her year I think!

February

2009-09-19T12:21:00.009-05:00

We've been vacant from posting for a LONG time. lots has happened in life - but thought I should recap the past 6 months and then go from there...so here goes!

We had a great time at Abby's 3rd Birthday with lots of family.

We also enjoyed a day in DC for Valentine's - just being a family of 4 was nice ;)

We had a "car picnic" on our way down and enjoyed the DC sights

and ended up at the botanical gardens -here are a few of our favorite flowers

some fun pics of the family too

A really cool part of the exhibit hall was that there was a whole wing where they had dried flowers and herbs that all smelled - the girls enjoyed this part - as it was one of the few places that had an interactive factor to it.