Fun with the family!!!

Jade going down the really fun slide!!!

She loves the swings!!! She goes wheeeeeeeeeee!

Here is Erin enjoying the grandkids slide!!! haha

Jade and Maria going down the slide with a little help from Aunt Erin and Aunt Mary.

Jade and Isabelle and Kacee on Grandpa's hammock!!

Ryan and Mary came home this last weekend and brought all the girls so we had a ball with them. We definitely have an ubundance of girls to play with!!!

The stork is just bringing her now?! Haaa. This is about the only decent picture I got of an outing to Dutch Village that Karen and I went on yesterday! We went to Holland so I could take some clothes to a used store I go to there but alas the day was so nice and we were right next to Dutch Village ! So, we took Jade and we had fun reminiscing about the days of old when we would go there on field trips and had so much fun. Jade loved it too. She got to see baby goats and ride on the carausel. And much more. And momma bought her another purse that she really "needed". haa

These are some adorable if not a little to far away pictures of her in the too cute rain boots my mom got her. They have lady bugs on them and the day my mom got them it started raining and rained forever it seemed. So they were a big hit!

Kids love puddles!!!!

SPLASH!!!!!

Saturday , I had to go somewhere while people were looking at my house and so we went to the store in the pouring rain and it was actually pretty fun!!!!
As you can see by the purse Jade is all ready to shop!

Well, last week I was hurrying off to work and noticed my car thumping and bumping. So I stopped and sure enough I had a totally flat tire. Seemings I am of the female gender and have never tried to make mechanics known to myself, I was in a bad spot. So , that night my dad came and changed it for me and he wasn't having the best time with it either . BUT.... someone was there to help him, so it was ok!

So here it is!! 7 years ago today, our great nation was attacked by ruthless killers that payed no mind to the fact that their victims were moms and dads, and somebodies loved one. I was just a kid in school then.
I knew that it was an awful terrible thing but I never thought that it would affect me in the ways it has. I never thought that 7 years from that day , my husband would be a part of the United States military and that he would soon be helping fight this war on terrorism as it is now called.
And as I write this I am thinking of all the people I know and I can't think of very many people that haven't been affected by September 11th in some way. Our country has changed in many ways since that day. Security is something we think of in the highest regards. Gas prices are sky rocketing. And hearing about soldiers in the news at night has become a routine with us Americans.
And then this year ,here we are as a country about ready to make one of the most important choices in history. Who our president will be. In the days following 9/11 , I was so thankful that President Bush was our President. And through the last few years he had guided our country and kept us safe from harm.
So it is with great alarm that I think of Barrack Obama possibly becoming the president of the United States and My husbands Commander in Chief so to speak. For he has spoken that he will take the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan if he is elected. Mindless of our protection.
So on this memorial day for September 11th, I find myself praying and hoping that McCain is elected in November. Because as Obama's ads run it would be " more of the same" and I personally would be quite happy with 8 more years of no attacks on our country.

Oops! Here are two pics that I wanted on here and I forgot to get them on here the first post.
Here is my dad and Jade. Jade is wearing a flannel night gown my mom made and gave to here. She looked so cute in it and she was definitely ready for bed!!!



And this is Jades little friend that she has at church . Her name is Aubrey. She is two months younger than Jade. And they play in the nursery together.

Well, first of all I want to say Happy 21st Birthday to my husband!!! I love you Nick. Hope you have a good day today!!





This is our kitty that Jade and I got yesterday. I thought the both of us needed some cheering up. So this was my solution. Jade absolutely LOVES him and I think that kitty likes Jade quite a bit too as far as kitty's and 1 year olds go, he seemes to be quite tolerant!!!!

Jade got up from her nap and immediately found out how to get the kitty to play with her! Just toss a string around!

She had so much fun. And she walks around saying "no" because she wants the cat to come to her!

The kitty's momma is supposedly half persian and Himalayan, but I don't think baby inherited the looks!!

My mom's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated it on Saturday with Jeremy and Melissa and Emma. So here she is with the cake that my dad got her. It was really pretty and very yummy!!! Of course its an Arnies cake so of course it was yummy!

This picture is for my friend Lynette. She bought this outfit for Jade. Sorry she wasn't smiling.Believe me, she was not in the mood but I thought she looked so cute I had to take a picture anyways!!! Thanks Lynette!!

Here we are happy to be together again while he was here!!!!!

Nick was so happy to see her again and he had a great time pushing her on the swings and helping her go down the slide. He loved doing that with her.

Picture in my parents back yard as the sun was going down so thats why it looks like this.

And here is the slide!!! Jade is in love with it but sometimes she needs us to give an encouraging wee to make her let go. Haa

I just got these pictures from Nick. One of his buddies snuck a phone up on the plane and used it to take pictures while they were on their way down in their parachutes!!! Pretty cool! Gives you an idea of what it looks like from the air while they are parachuting!!

The parachute all opened up.

Headed down there!!!

Nick just graduated from airborne today and is headed to North Caralina to finish up on all his training. He had 5 jumps all together and now that phase is done!! Yay! One more down!!!

Here is Jada with her adorable cat hat that my mom bought her. Her smile is priceless!

Here is Jades clown ice cream and then the clown that ate the ice cream ! Ha! She looked like one when she got done!!! Jade and I went with my friend Lynette and her son Justin to the ice cream shoppe in Sparta after Justins first day of school!!! It was a lot of fun!

Jade eating the delicious corn out of Grandpas garden and loving it! She was so excited when I gave it to her!

This is Jade and my Uncle Jim's Lab. She loved the dog and was giving it hugs and kisses. She says "woof woof"!

Jade and I at Ryan and Mary's vow renewal in Vermont. It was a lot of fun but both Jade and Maria were ready for a nap hence the look on her face and the bottle being clutched.

Here they are!!!! So beautiful!

Here we are on the way to Vermont for the big occasion! The ferry is really neat and I think that Jade really liked it too.

Holly and I stayed at the Hotel Saranac for a couple of nights when we were in New York and after my trip to Georgia, Ohio , and New York, I was so sick of carrying luggage so here was the solution. Jade seemed to like it alot. She cried when she had to get off!

Here is Jade in the pool in Ohio after I got back from seeing Nick. In case you haven't already guessed. I went to Holly's in Ohio and stayed the night ans she kept Jade and I went on to Georgia to see Nick for a week and a half. Then I came back and stayed a few more days and then her , Jade and I left for New York . Then I came back again got my care and went back home to Michigan.

Here we are in Georgia on the night that he had to go back. Trying to make the last few hours not to sad!!!!

This is Nick's graduation from basic training. We were both glad it was over mainly so that we could talk on the phone again and not just rely on letters. And the chances of seeing each other more frequently. Definitely a happy day! Although it was so hot while I was there, his graduation was at 9:00 in the morning and at about 10 it was already almost unbearably hot!!

I'm so happy! Nick finally got to come home and see Jade and I after having been gone since April 16th! It was over four months that he and Jade didn't get to see each other. That is something that made us both so sad, so we jumped on the chance for him to come home on Labor Day weekend , even if was only for 2 days. After a flight being missed and many tears he did eventually make it into our arms. And for the next two days all was as it should be. Its days like these that are far and few between but they give me hope for when we can be together again. Each time that I get ready to say goodbye , I think that I've done it before so it won't be as hard this time. And each time it seems harder. So, I pray and I pray and I pray . And eventually, I get settled into my routine again. I can talk to him on the phone now, so that makes it so much better. So , here we are with our little family.

The hot Georgia sun has made Nick about 10 times tanner than us!

It's so nice to be a family again!!

Nick isn't the best at posing for the camera as you can tell he is a little out of it! ha

Here's my little family again and I love this picture!