Mother Of Many Children

Tim Mcgraw

2011-04-30T18:19:00.005-05:00

Some friends of ours called us up about a week ago and said they had free tickets to see Tim Mcgraw and wanted to know if we would like to go along. Only consolation they were in Tampa 3 hrs North of us. But we decided it would be fun to do something different so we said yes. We had really good box seats thanks to the people they got them from who have a business that has porta pots there. Nice ones too I might add. We had VIP entrance and was able to use the nice potties as part of our VIP status. The seats were in a great spot. We thoroughly enjoyed our night out on the town.

The Band Perry opened for Tim Mcgraw

Another shot of The Band Perry

Luke Bryan Also opened for Tim Mcgraw

Luke Bryan again

Tim Mcgraw started out in the audience. About 5-6 rows behind us

Tim Mcgraw in the audience

Tim Mcgraw in the audience

Tim Mcgraw onstage. We had pretty good box seats

Tim Mcgraw onstage

Tim Mcgraw performing with The Band Perry

Happy 15th Birthday Jessica!!

2010-10-23T15:41:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe Jessica is 15 yrs old today. WE are so proud of you Jessica. You are really becoming a a lady. So proud of you for winning 1st place today at your 5k race. You are a good athlete and doing such an awesome job improving your time every week. We love you!! Congratulations!!

CCA 5k run

2010-10-23T15:18:00.004-05:00

Every year the school the kids go to, sponsors a 5k run. They like all the athletes to participate if possible and then any outsiders in the community can run. So this year I have 3 athletes. Jessica has been running cross country this year. Her times improve every meet. She's doing quite well. She started out running JV girls and is now running in the Varsity girls races. Zachary is going to play basketball this year and Andrea is going to be a cheerleader. So we ventured to the race early this morning. It started at 7:30 am. Much cooler this way. And it was a nice day!! Below are some pictures . I have many more, but won't bore you with all the details. My kids are doing a great job in school this year. Jessica even won 1st place for her age division. Go Jess!!

My cross country runner Jessica

My cheerleader Andrea

My basketball player Zach

My 3 athletes Andrea, Zach & Jess

My star cross country runner Jess

Jessicas's finishing time 27:11, her best time this season

Spike the Lizzard goes to school

2010-10-23T14:40:00.003-05:00

We recently acquired a lizzard. His name is Spike. Meagan really loves this lizzard. She wanted Spike to go to school so bad. So Rod told her if Spike can get a note from the teacher to go , then he can go. We never dreamed in a million years that she would actually ask. She came home and said Spike had a note, but it was at school. We asked her teacher a few days later about the whole deal and she said that actually they were going to be learning about reptiles in the next week, so Spike could come to school one day the following week. Of course every morning we were asked "is this the day Spike can go to school.?" So we finally came to the day and Spike went for his debut.. Meagan was so happy to take him in.

May Happenings

2010-05-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

May has been a busy month. The end of a school year brings many things to do. There have been competitions, programs, awards programs and Graduation.
Andrea and Zachary both love to draw. And andrea was asked by her art teacher to make a drawing for competition to represent there school. Andrea is my perfectionist so she draws, erases, draws, erases, crumbles up the paper, starts over, you know where this is going. So she got a little frustrated in the process. So she drew her rendition of the Jupiter lighthouse. She colored it with crayons and was pleased with her picture. Until... she took it in to show her art teacher and the teacher informed her she couldn't color it.. it had to just be in pencil with shading. She hadn't really done much shading.. so she came home all frustrated. Luckily Brittany had been taking art classes this year in high school and they had gotten into shading. So Britt helped her out and showed her what to do. She was well on her way.. almost finished with the picture. Well she left it lay on the table and walked away and Meagan decided to help her out and draw on it. So now she was really frustrated. She had to start over with only a couple days before competition left to finish. She worked hard, and we had a finished product. She new she could do better.. but we sent the picture to competition anyhow.WE were shocked when she came home with a first place ribbon!!
Zachary had to get in on drawing..although he did not take a picture to competition he drew one to display in the art room after on of their recent programs where he played his trumpet. He is my musician in the house.

Finally.. after many long nights in about a 3 week period, finishing up senior scrapbooks, term papers and all that homework we made it to Graduation.
So on May 14th Brittany graduated from High School. Another chapter closed in the book and a new chapter waiting to begin.

Brittany turns 18! Hard to Believe

2010-03-03T09:12:00.010-05:00

On March 2nd 18 years ago Brittany entered this world into our lives. Time has flown by so fast. It's hard to believe she is a senior and going to graduate in a few short months. She's grown into such a beautiful young lady. Brittany I hope you have many more happy birthdays and a bright future ahead.

Brittany got 18 roses from Rod & I for her 18th BD

She finally accomplished her online Science course, so she received her Senior Key neclace

She always liked Barney when she was little .. so Rod wanted to tease her with a Barney movie

Her dog Izzie gave her a card with her paw print on it

Her younger sister Jess got her a necklace and earings

She was very windy at blowing out her candles. Thought we may have to call 911 for all the smoke

Britt made her own favorite chocolate cake. That's what she wanted

Britt's birthday choice... pork chops marsala, fettucine alfredo with Broccoli and Tomatoes and garlic Bread. Along with her surprise visitor Lex who flew in that afternoon.

Brown family Christmas

2009-12-15T12:18:00.003-05:00

Sunday we had our family Christmas at home with our kids. I know it's a little early, and trust me I really was not ready... But we are preparing to leave for Ohio this Thursday. So this was about the only time we could do it without rushing to have it the night before we leave and then they don't get to enjoy anything. Needless to say.. My house is a shambles, my RV still needs packed and my house needs to be in working order before I can walk out that door come Thursday afternoon. I need some major energy to get it all done. Below are some highlights of our rushed Christmas . Enjoy!

Santa came to visit

2009-12-15T11:55:00.006-05:00

Saturday was the community bag lighting in our neighborhood. As usual it had rained so there was not alot of participation this year. We had goodies and coffee and Santa paid a visit. Below are some pics from Santa's visit to our house.

Meg was scared of Santa, but we finally got a picture with Brittany

Santa and Izzie

Santa, Izzie, TJ and kevin's dog Buster

Buster & Tj

Buster & Santa

Meg, me and Santa

Our newest agent

2009-12-15T11:41:00.006-05:00

After getting Britts senior pictures done we stopped by the office with the dog. Rod had to have pics of her. So she is now our newest agent in the office.

Welcome Isabelle Cleopatra Brown- IZZIE

Sporting some reading glasses

Checking out the computer

Trying to look important

What do I do next?

2009 Christmas parade

2009-12-15T11:32:00.002-05:00

Lets just say the Christmas parade this year will be one to be remembered. It started off raining in the morning and continued off and on. I t cleared up just before the parade was to begin.. so they went ahead with it. They started about a half hour late. Probably if they would have started on time they could have made it through before the torrential downpour. Unfortunately it started pouring big time right before our group got to our office. I felt so bad for everyone in the parade. Below are a few highlights. You can see the cloudy skies and then see the downpour of rain. Everyone was a good sport about it. The poor cows had quite a bit of extra weight with all that water in the suits.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-08T22:40:00.005-05:00

Better late than never... I created this photo slide show late one night and saved it and forgot about it. Life has been so busy. We had a Homeowners insurance company go out of business...So we had to rewrite over 200 policies if we wanted to keep the business. All of this in a short period of time. My head was spinning.. but we made it through and even had a liitle time in the schedule to attend a halloween party of some friends. Didn't have time to shop for costumes.. so we searched our closet and came up with something. Not too creative, but it did the trick. Anyhow it is almost time for thanksgiving and I'm still back at halloween. Enjoy our goofy pictures.

We also attended The Judgement house at the kids school over Halloween weekend. They caught our family as we were coming out of it and wanted to interview us for TV. Wouldn't ya know that they only put on something I said . So below is a link to my 5 seconds of fame.

http://video.cbs12.com/m/27205635/halloween-judgement-house.htm

School projects!

2009-11-08T21:59:00.007-05:00

The high school years bring on many projects in English class. You never know what kind of project may come along. You really need to show your creativity when it comes to these projects. Sometimes an option is to write a long paper or color detailed pictures. Britt doesn't care to do either so we usually get stuck building some sort of item. This past project was a castle. This one was made out of ceiling tiles, corners from a cardboard box , a juicie box on top and some sample roofing tiles, toilet paper rolls and some textured spray paint and some little plastic people. Below are some pictures of the product. Glad to say She got an A on the project. YEAH!!

Britt Painting windows in her castle

Painting on doors

gluing on some people

The finished castle

Another angle of the finished product

Jessica's Surprise 14th Birthday party

2009-11-08T21:47:00.002-05:00

On October 23rd Jessica celebrated her 14th birthday. She wanted to have a party with her new friends she has met at her new school this year. We decided we would surprise her this year. So we put together a little party at Chuckee Cheese and had some of her new friends show up and give her a surprise. She was definately surprised. We actually got it pulled off. It turned out really nice to have new friends from her new school. Even one of her Teachers Ms. Foster came and brought her 3 kids that Jess is also friends with. We had fun playing games and visiting and the best was pulling off the surprise.

Office Mural Painting

2009-09-30T13:41:00.003-05:00

The area we live in in Hobe Sound is kind of a quaint little area. Recently they have started painting murals on the sides of some of the buildings. The painters who work along with the Chamber of Commerce approached us a few months back and asked us if we would be interested in having one on our building. They gave us some of their ideas. Some of my friends received emails from me asking your opinions on which one we should go with. We narrowed it down to two. The one we did and the other was flower boxes and flowers painted on the building . Many chose the flowerboxes because it was safe. But we all kinda like the Hurricane although it made a BOLD statement. Afterall, the hurricane kinda tells who we are. Insurance for such things, or the Calm in the Eye of the storm. As you can see we chose the hurricane, had them perfect some things and they went to work. They did an excellant job, and were more than happy to let each of us have our own little special thing on the painting. The kids thoroughly enjoyed doing it. They have started on the building next door. They are doing the flowers. It looks nice, but we all think ours looks the best!!

Disney on Ice- Princesses

2009-09-18T13:10:00.004-05:00

Thursday evening we took the kids to Disney on Ice. As usual it was a great show and a nice family time. The funnest part is to watch the kids enjoy themselves. Always fun making family memories.

Meagan intently watching

Waving to the princesses

Orlando & Friends

2009-09-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

Some friends of ours from Colorado were in town for an extended weekend to take their daughter to Disney. Rod & Brad go way back, and Brad was best man in our wedding. They asked us to come up on Saturday and spend the day poolside at their hotel with them. We knew the kids would love that. So we headed up and spent the day with them. The weather didn't look real promising on the way. It rained the whole way there. But by the time we got there, it stopped except for a few sprinkles and it was great weather. It was still overcast, but it made for a bearable day and no sunburns. Their were several pools and hot tubs available, but once the kids found the slide thats all they needed for entertainment. They spent the day running back and forth going down the slide. I wasn't sure how Meagan would do with it, but she was right in there, and wanted on repeatedly. They all must have came down about 50times. We got subs at a nearby Publix and ate by the pool. Zach left part of his and a squirrel helped himself. It was quite the picture. We had a great time catching up with old friends. We last saw them about 3 yrs ago. So there was alot to catch up on.

We have a new addition to the Family

2009-08-25T14:19:00.006-05:00

On August 12,2009 we added another addition to the family. Our oldest Daughter Lex came down to see us and she brought this addition along with her. We have always wanted to add this to our family, but just never had. The time was right so we went for it. This addition was a surprise to the kids, they did not expect it. When Lex walked in the door with her they all went crazy. So without further a-do .........

Intoducing IZZIE

Izzie is a weimaraner. We love her grey color and her grey eyes!!!

She needed a Bath - first thing

Not sure who is giving who the bath

She likes being held like a baby

She sleeps in wierd positions

One night we had brought the car seat in out of one of the cars for some reason- Izzie climbed in it and sat down. We had to strap her in!!

Lazy days of Summer

2009-08-11T09:47:00.006-05:00

A few Sundays ago the day was absolutely beautiful outside. Warm, but just enough of a breeze that made it comfortable to be outside and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. After lunch we headed outside to the dock and sat with the kids. We all kinda did our own thing, I read the paper, Rod fed the fish and we just enjoyed a relaxing day. The kids decided they wanted to fish, so we grabbed the shrimp out of the freezer and they stuck their poles in the water. We spent the whole afternoon outside. It was such a relaxing day. Just what we needed!

Zach with his only catch

Andrea is enjoying her fishing time

Zach looks a little bored! He's very impatient!

Meagan enjoyed eating her pudding!

Zachary's Summer Band Camp

2009-07-10T15:38:00.008-05:00

This past week Zachary was involved in his first band camp. He had such a fun time. The teacher Mr. Doyle Bozone does such a fantastic job with the kids. He has 5 whole days to teach them some songs. For some of these kids it was also learning a whole new instrument. Maybe they had played something else before, but have some experience in music and want to try a new instrument out. He has some fun activities for them also. And at the end of the week they have a recital of what they learned. Below are a few pictures and videos of it.

A group shot in front of their seats

Another group shot closer together

an another group shot

acting silly with their instruments

and another silly picture

Dr. Rockenstein

My Heart Will Go On- Titanic

Star Wars

Jessica's Graduation

2009-06-18T13:02:00.003-05:00

On June 5th Jessica graduated from 5th Grade at Hobe Sound Elementary. We are so proud of her accomplishments this year. She did well academically and she had a great teacher. Next year on to a new adventure and a new school.

Zach's Recital

2009-06-15T13:36:00.002-05:00

About a week before school was out, Zachary had his recital for his trumpet. He was quite nervous going into this. He practiced countless times and had the music memorized. When it came down to it, he took his music up with him for fear of forgetting it. And the nerves were quite bad, as it shows in his playing. But I am very proud of the fact he went through with it and got up in front of everyone and played. I would have been a nervous wreck too. Solo's are not for me! Good Job Zach!

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-06-12T16:04:00.003-05:00

Today I celebrate another Birthday! Woo Hoo! Lex & her boyfriend Shawn sent me these awesome homemade cookies. They were Yummy! Thanks Guys!

Disney's Hollywood Studios- AI Experience

2009-06-07T22:03:00.009-05:00

One of the first things inside of the Hollywood Studios park is the New American Idol Experience . If any of you have ever watched American Idol on tv it is quite an interesting competition. This is very much like the whole American Idol thing just in a shortened version of course. We talked Lex into auditioning for it just for the heck of it. I think she was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but after all was said and done I think she had a really good time. When you first go in to audition, they take you inside a room with one judge. You can pick anything you want to sing Acapella of course. They ask you a few questions and then they decide if they think you should go on to the second audition. Well, judge # 1 said definately move forward. Then they proceed to take you into a waiting room area. They give you a song list of about 50 songs to choose from, a set of earphones and an Ipod to listen to these songs on. You have to pick 2 songs to sing to judge #2. These are karaoke style. The music plays and words are scrolling on the screen behind the judges head. When you pick your 2 songs and feel confident your ready they send you into the judge. He plays a portion of each of the 2 songs you picked and you sing them. They tell you which of the 2 songs they like best and if they let you move forward to a show you sing that song in the show. Lex was told she was moving forward to one of the shows. They have a total of 7 shows a day. Three people compete in each one of those shows. She was scheduled to sing in the noon show. She was told to come back at 10:50 to get hair and makeup done and to practice her song and get instructions about the show. The rest of the family was aloud in at 11:30 to watch her practice her song before the audience was opened to the public. The other 2 she competed with did a good job, but she was definately the top. She won show # 1. This means she had to come back and do the finale show at 7pm and compete with the winners of the other six shows of the day. The winner of the Finale show was to receive a Golden ticket to actually get the chance to go audition at a true American Idol tryout.With this golden ticket you could jump to the front of the line at those auditions and be up front and not have to stand around waiting for hours or days to try out. The bad part about the AI Experience at Hollywood studios there was not an age limit for who could try out and win this ticket. But for American Idol itself they do have an age limit of I think 32. Below you will see a slide of pictures from the first show.

This video is a short one of Lex practicing before her performance in show # 1
This next video is of all 3 getting up to find out who the winner is.
This next video is the winner being announced
Below is a slide of pictures from the Finale show. We didn't know what to expect going into the Finale, but for the most part the ones who made it to the top 3 were definately the top 3 performers. The others must not have had alot of competition in the prior shows they were in. The funny part was, the top 3 were the last 3 to sing and perform. So I think by my personal opinion(not sure it matters) is that the judges going into it knew who should be the top 3 and so it was planned to have them perform last. Just seemed to work out that way anyhow.

Below is Lex's performance. Sorry for the jiggly camera. Not really sure why I was moving so much, other than to get out of the way of the person with the hat in front of us.
And last but not least, the winner is announced
The winner was definately good. He actually does music ministry in a church. The bad part is , he won the golden ticket, which he deserved, but he was turning 32 in a few weeks and wouldn't be able to use it to audition for American Idol anyhow. The girl who was second place was also over 32 , So guess noone will be using that ticket. Guess that's why they call it an American Idol Experience.

Disney's Hollywood studios

2009-06-07T20:00:00.002-05:00

After relaxing a couple days , we had one more day at a park. We had never been to Hollywood studios, so we decided we would try it out. Theres not a ton of stuff there to do, but it was a little slower pace for a park. We have learned to take our own food for sandwiches and some frozen water bottles in with us and put them in a locker. And we packed several different snacks and water in a backpack to carry around with us. Makes for a cheaper day food wise. We headed back up front to get our food just at the right time for the parade, so we had great seats for that. A few highlights below of some of the things there to do. I have one more blog to do on one exciting thing we did that day. But that's a whole other blog. Enjoy!

More vacation photos

2009-06-07T19:10:00.002-05:00

After Spending Saturday at Magic Kingdom , we were all tired so Sunday was the day to relax and spend by the pool. We also baked Andrea a cake for her birthday and had that. And Monday evening we went to downtown Disney and walked around the shops. Here are some highlights of those few days in pictures below.

Disney

2009-06-01T15:11:00.002-05:00

This post is long overdue. About 1 month exactly!
On Saturday May 2nd Andrea Celebrated her 8th birthday. We surprised everyone and took them to Disney. We went to Orlando on Friday evening and after checking into our condo we told the kids they needed a good nights sleep because they were going to disney in the morning. None of them had a clue! They were so excited. We spent a full day there and we had a great time. Below are some pictures. Some of you may get bored but I know friends and family who will enjoy the many pictures.

Happy Retirement- Goodbyes

2009-05-29T14:31:00.003-05:00

This week has been full of Goodbyes. One of our college age girls who worked here in the office moved away so we said our goodbyes earlier this week to her. And today is the day we say Goodbye to one of our other employees Wanda who has been with us for a little over a year and is moving up to Georgia. She has been Rod's assistant who has kept him in line and time after time cleaned and organized his piles on his desk.She has definately been a big help to him and Kevin also. We are going to miss her tremendously. I am afraid that I am going to be in a straight jacket trying to keep both guys in line. So if you see me and I act a little crazy or my hair is a little more grey, it's only from the two men I am trying to keep in line. Here are a couple pictures. We had lunch catered in by Jonathan Kogut at Banberry Cross. Excellant as usual.

Wanda with an excellant silk chocolate pie. We gave her the boot!

The office crew

Vacation part 1

2009-05-17T10:49:00.004-05:00

This is a long overdue post. But I have been crazy busy with work and life in general. On Friday May 1st we left work a few hours early to get ready for a weeks vacation. The kids knew we were going away for a few days, but not really how long and where we were going. They were told to pack a suitcase and swimsuits. Rod had to venture down to Jupiter to see a building we are looking to insure and so he dropped me off at home to finish packing. I was just about finished when he called to tell me he would be home in a few minutes and inquired how it was coming with the packing. He came home shortly after , I was in the bedroom and he came in and wanted me to come to the living room.I was totally shocked when I walked out to see our oldest daughter Lex standing there. They surprised me really good! What a great present. She was staying till after Mother's Day. So we got to enjoy a nice family time together . We packed the car and headed out, not without more complications. The Navigator started having issues again (after being in the shop 4 times since our last adventure and a new radiator being replaced- it still wants to overheat, but only on the highway.)The mechanics can't find the problem. So it started its oveheating and we vowed after 45 min. on the road we were going to take our chances and go.We made it without further issues! We mad it to orlando. The kids were excited. But had no clue what was in store for Saturday! Below are a few pics of our condo we stayed in.

This was Britt and Lex's room

Zach could have been a bachelor in his room, it had a small fridge,toaster,microwave and a sink

This was our bedroom

this was the living room/ Jess and Andrea's bedroom

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T11:30:00.002-05:00

Rod & I both along with the kids want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to both of our mothers.Wish we could be there with you guys today! We love you both!
I have the priviledge of spending Mother's Day with all 6 of my kids today! That doesn't happen very often. Unfortunately Meagan is sick. She was running a fever Saturday evening and hasn't really eaten anything. She vomited this morning before church so we didn't get to go. But we were able to watch via the internet and hear a good message. I love technology!
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Hope you have a relaxing day.

Hobe Sound Christian Academy Jr. /Sr. Banquet

2009-04-28T14:59:00.002-05:00

Saturday night the Juniors put on the banquet for the Seniors at Hobe Sound Christian Academy. It's always a fun time of year because they all get to dress up and have a nice dinner together, Seniors get to will things to the Juniors and they have prophecies of what they think the future holds for the seniors. Some of those were quite funny. After the banquet, several wanted to go out in limos and head down to City Place which I guess has become a tradition. Somehow Brittany was roped in to organizing the limos. The fun began , as we called several companies, many of which had a 6 hr . minimum. Well this being a Saturday night, this would put them home quite late after 6 hrs. Not to mention it was quite pricey! We finally found a company that would do it for 4 hrs. Which helped the price! We compiled list after list. The list changed I think on a daily basis as some were in and then they were out. Needless to say it all came togehter eventually. The Limo company required adult supervision since there were minors and so we gathered 3 couples together to ride in each limo. Rod & I , Denise Whites Parents and Joe & Angie Snyder were the chaperones for the limos. We were out for a fun ride. Actually they all were quite well behaved. I think they had fun. Below are some pictures of the evening.

It's official! We have a License

2009-04-16T09:05:00.002-05:00

We finally bit the bullet and let Brittany get her drivers license. As scary as it is. Rod & I are both amazed at the fact that for the drivers test they do not even take you out on the road to drive. They said it was too dangerous! DUH! That's the whole point in knowing if they are capable of driving in this crazy traffic along with all the elderly people who can't drive either. Instead they take them behind the plaza that the license bureau is in and do a 3pt. turn, pull in and back out of a parking space, and get up to 20mph and come to a stop without jerking the examiners head off. Simple as that, pass or fail. We have one excited daughter and 2 scared parents.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-04-14T13:13:00.002-05:00

Today my Sweetie and best friend and I have been married for 19 wonderful years. Time has flown by so fast. But I can't imagine a day without Rod in my life. We have so much fun together as you can see from our most recent adventure. We have had many trials as most people do, but through it all we have become stronger in our relationship. I love you Rod! I hope to spend the next 50 years with you!

Easter Pictures

2009-04-14T13:03:00.002-05:00

We attempted to take Easter pictures of the kids. Unfortunately Brittany was on the Bus ministry until later in the day so we couldn't get one with her. We did try to get the others to cooperate. But you know how that goes. Here is what we came up with. Better than nothing I guess.

Easter Egg hunts

2009-04-14T12:51:00.002-05:00

Saturday our community had an Easter Egg hunt for whoever wanted yo participate. All you had to do is Buy some plastic eggs and candy and they would hide them for you. Below are some pictures of that event.

Below is from Easter morning at our house. We still have to have an egg hunt at home. Meagan really enjoyed it this year.

Brown Family Adventure!

2009-04-14T11:21:00.003-05:00

Friday we decided we would make a little trip to the Miami Zoo and take the kids. We have never been there so thought it would be something new to check out. Lets just say our adventure began as we headed out. We left home later than usual, nothing new for this crew. We headed south on 95 and stopped in Jupiter at Mcdonalds for breakfast on the go. Rod & I had our own coffee along since we like our own over most any other than Starbucks. Well Rod's decided it wanted to leak all over him, so he headed to the nearest store and bought a Tide-to-go stick. We hit the Turnpike in Jupiter and headed south. We were going along nicely when Rod hit something(we think a piece of tire) in the road. Needless to say, we heard a noise and stuff started spraying everywhere. So we quickly shot from the far left lane to the right side and off the road and stopped to check it out. We lost antifreeze! We quickly called our mechanic back in Hobe Sound, he said if we could get it to him he could take a look. Now at this point we were about 3 miles from Boca Raton. We called our good friend Kevin and asked him if he could bring our van to us. He graciously said he would. So, we patiently waited. About 30 minutes went by and we finally saw a roadside assistance truck. They stopped and helped us and we got a wrecker called and a state trooper came by and filled out a report for us in case we had any damage for insurance. About an hour later the tow truck showed up. Yeah! Or so we thought. Kevin was going to be nice and ride back with the tow truck so we could go on to the zoo with the van. NOT!! The tow truck driver informed us it would be $175 to hook up the car and $7 a mile. We were 65 miles from home. You do the math... that's almost $700 to tow the car. We have towing reimbursement on our insurance, but don't think they would pay that price. Kevin had a AAA card. He got us free hook up but $5 a mile. So we decided along with the tow truck driver to tow it to the nearest auto parts store and fix it ourselves. Lets just say it was an all day adventure. Rod had nice clothes on .. so we had to find somewhere to buy some clothes for him to get all greasy in, feed the kids lunch by this point and then tear the car apart. Luckily we were in a small plaza with shops. So the kids could walk around and look. Kevin graciously stayed with us, to make sure we could get up and running. A nice guy came along who was a mechanic on his lunch break and helped out. We finally got it fixed or so we thought and we got on the road heading back home since it was close to 5pm. Lets just say, we broke down about 4 more times on the way home and so we were all getting very tired and frustrated. We decided after having to stop so many times and the kids had eaten McDonalds for all three meals that day we would park the car in long term parking at the airport and just get home and decide what to do on Saturday. At least we were closer to home.Saturday we headed back down to fix the car again , while Rod worked away and Iassisted some- I basically enjoyed my afternoon sitting and tanning in the airport parking lot and watching the planes take off. Before it was all over I was wishing that I was on one of those planes heading to a far away place for relaxation.

She's growing up!

2009-04-12T19:42:00.002-05:00

Brittany started her spring break a day early on Thursday. Our original plan was to go to the zoo. Needless to say that didn't happen. So instead we took Britt to look at a college in West Palm. We visited Lincoln College and the Florida Culinary Arts School. It's hard to believe next year she will be a senior and needing to make the choice of where she will go to college. Time goes way too fast.

Happy Birthday Lex!

2009-04-06T09:09:00.002-05:00

Twenty - three years ago today Alexa Renee was born. How time has flown by. Lex you have turned into a beautiful young woman. We are so proud of you. I hope you have a wonderful Birthday!

Disney On Ice

2009-04-06T08:56:00.003-05:00

A little over a week ago we took the kids to see Disney On Ice. The theme was from the movie Cars, Princesses and Fairies. Before the show we got to see some of the princess gowns and a couple of girls dressed up . We also tinkered around a little while in the lobby area and checked out the motorcycles and four wheelers they had on display. We were about 14 rows back from the ice, pretty good seats. Below is a little slide of things we saw. We had a great time. Meagan sat and just watched it all. Not a problem out of her.

Selected Artist

2009-03-31T08:24:00.008-05:00

Last Thursday We had the priviledge to go to the school and view the art exhibit in the office. They selected 12 students art and put them in frames and featured them in the office of the school. Those 12 students got to have a little reception with doughnuts and juice for their fantastic abilities. The art teacher is doing a fantastic job at teaching them how to get perspective on their drawings and to align the parts on their faces they make etc. I actually learned a few things myself as she explained how she taught them. As you can see below Andrea was one of those 12 that got her art work featured this time. This is actually the second time this year she's been featured for her work. Her grade was read the story of the "Woman who swallowed the Fly" and then they were asked to draw a picture of her and all the things she swallowed. I think she did a Wonderful job!

This is the picture she drew. (Sorry about that Flash, couldn't get it shut off)

A little closer

The Artist Andrea with her picture

Love the detail on the cow!

Also love the bird

The art teacher with 6 of the lower grade students who were featured

The teacher with 10 of the 12 who were featured

School projects

2009-03-30T15:50:00.005-05:00

One day last week Britt had a school project due for Engish. They had been reading the story of Huck Finn. She had the option to write a paper(which she is horrible at writing, or to make a replica of a house in the story)Obviously she chose to make a log cabin. So she set to work with a little of Dad's expertise and they glued Pretzels Rod's onto a box that was shaped into a house. We used 7 bags of pretzels rods for this project. I think it turned out pretty good. And She even got an A on it. Yeah!!

Rod with the handy dandy hot glue gun ready for action

Britt is helping glue on the pretzels

Another view

The finished product about 2 1/2 hours later

Home Show weekend

2009-03-22T21:26:00.004-05:00

The last several weekends there have been home shows in the area. We rented spots for a few of those shows and set up a booth to get our name out there and let people know about saving money on their insurance. We had random giveaways, Chick-Fil-A coupons with our names on them as well and one big prize for a drawing at the end of the weekend. Met some very nice people and learned alot ourselves. Everyone seems to have something they can sell you. Below are a couple pictures from this weekend in Palm Beach at the show. We shared a portion of our booth with Paul Carroll who does Septic Inspections.

Rod, & Paul & Karen Carroll

Rod & I

Random things

2009-03-22T21:07:00.004-05:00

Brittany usually picks Meagan up from the sitter, but one day she had something going on, so we picked her up. She was asleep so Rod just laid her on the seat. She was so funny. Thought she looked comfy.

Another day Rod ran home to check on the kids and he took them to the store with him. They thought Mommy deserved flowers, so talked Daddy into buying me some. When I came home they had each written notes to me and put it in the flowers. It was very meaningful. It had actually been a stressful day and I definately needed it. It brought a smile and a tear to this mommy!

This was rather comical! It poured and poured that morning and since Kevin also lives on our street , I told Rod as we passed by his house that it looked like he was going to need a boat to get to his car. After we dropped Meagan off at the sitter and headed to work, as we pulled in Kevin was walking up. It was funny to see his pants rolled up with sandals, but the funnier part was he was carrying an AFLAC umbrella. I don't know if there was a coincidence that all that rain is good for ducks.

March birthday's

2009-03-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

I am so far behind in blogging. Life has been too busy. But below is a little slideshow of pictures from a few of the March birthdays we celebrated. Friends Roger & Kimi Chess and son Sam and his girlgfriend Stacey were here visiting and she had a birthday the same time as all the other birthdays we were celebrating. March is a busy birthday month! Anyhow, amongst the busy work schedule and life in general, these birthdays were celebrated on a whim, cake homemade, Britt and one of her friends decorated her own cake. I guess as long as it was acknowledged we can say we celebrated. Enjoy the pictures.

Happy Birthday Rod!

2009-03-17T06:38:00.002-05:00

Today Rod celebrates birthday 41. Along with sharing his birthday with St. Patricks day. This is the final March birthday in our immediate family. March is such a whirlwind in our house with one after another.
Rod you are a wonderful man! I love you so much, I hope you have a great birthday!

Happy 3rd Birthday Meagan

2009-03-05T08:49:00.002-05:00

Three years ago today we were blessed with child # 6. Meagan was one of those surprises, but we are so happy she blessed our family. She has been the highlight of our lives. We decided early on in the pregnancy that we did not want to go to a hospital for delivery. We had went to a birthing center for the two prior children Zach & Andrea. We really liked the home atmosphere feeling and was not thrilled when the birthing center had shut down. So we opted for a home birth with a midwife.I have to say I was a bit nervous about it, but also excited that we would be home and not have to run to someplace once labor started.Everything went as planned and she graced our presence on March 5th, 2006. We have had so much fun with her. And I think as you get older the small ones just seem more fun. She is so cute with her actions and we just ooh and Ahh over everything she does. She is definately the "Baby" in the family.
Happy Birthday Meggy Poo! We love you!

Happy Birthday Brittany!!!

2009-03-02T16:17:00.003-05:00

Seventeen years ago today our home was blessed with a wonderful little blonde haired ,green eyed bundle of joy. Brittany has been a joy and blessing in our lives. It's hard to believe that time has flown by so fast. Brittany has grown into a beautiful young lady and we are so proud of her. Brittany, we wish you a very happy birthday and hope to celebrate many many more. We love you!!

Something Funny

2009-02-19T15:01:00.002-05:00

This seems to be the happening thing going around, so in my spare time thought I would try what I have seen on a few other blogs.Everyone needs to try this one. Go to Google and type in your name and the word "needs" . I typed it in like this..."Betty needs". See what you come up with. Unfortunately there is a show on TV called Ugly Betty so I came up with quite a bit of Ugly Betty needs, so I skipped over that. But I did get a few things out of it; Below is my list:

1. Betty needs a real Sanctuary. (this was pertaining to an elephant needing her own place)

2. Betty needs a baby. ( Don't think so!)

3. Betty needs a car seat(suppose I would if I had a baby.. not happening!)

4. Betty needs a pacemaker ( I surely would if i needed the 2 things prior)

But the funniest part is... when we arrived home from work last night we stopped to get our mail out of the mailbox and you will never believe what was in the mailbox...a box of baby formula! I think I about had a heart attack right there. Guess I will be needing that pacemaker soon!

Valentines Day...Friends, Food & Music

2009-02-19T14:19:00.008-05:00

Saturday for Valentines day we headed off to Orlando to a Gaither Homecoming Concert with 2 other couples.We got there early enough to have a late lunch/ early dinner and then head over to our hotel to change clothes and head to the concert. We had seats in the nosebleed section wich didn't go over well with me. I get very claustrophobic when I am tired. After camp meeting and entertaining many days and some late nights I was more than exhausted. I was looking forward to a relaxing evening , but knew that if I stayed in the seats we were in I would surely have some type of panic attack. So after hearing the first few songs we headed to an empty section and sat at the bottom of the nosebleed section. Much better!! We actually had some air circulating. So the remainder of the concert was much better and enjoyable.
The line-up of people I can remember right off were: The Collingsworths, Ivan Parker, Janet Paschal, The Hoppers, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound(they were great by the way) and of course the New Gaither Vocal Band with Bill Gaither, Wes Hampton, Michael English, David Phelps & Mark Lowry.
It was a great concert and we had a lot of fun. Afterwards we headed off to get a dessert , which ended up in a shared meal between each couple at 11:30 at night. We went to PF Changs. Never been there but it was excellent! We had ran into Thomas & Erin Enyart who moved to the Orlando Area so they met us there and we had alot of fun! Below are a few pictures , my camera does not take the best pictures in the dark, maybe it's also the photographer.

The Collingsworths

Collingsworths

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Gaither Vocal Band

Afterwards at PF Changs (Paul Carroll ,Joe Snyder & Angie Snyder & The back Of Thoms Enyarts head

Joe Syder with his Wall of Chocolate Cake

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

2009-02-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

Today my parents celebrate 45 years of marriage. I want Mom & Dad to know they are the best parents anyone could ask for and I hope you celebrate many more years together. This crazy bunch here in Florida Loves you very much! Happy Anniversary!!

A little sidenote: This picture is a picture of a picture. I tried scanning the picture, but when I went to upload to blogger it kept telling me it was in the wrong format. So As I rushed around for work, I got the bright idea to take a picture of the picture. As you see, with the flash on, it shows a spot, but without the flash, I couldn't get enough light. So... the end product,- bad picture of a picture. Sorry!!

Gaylord Palms ICE

2009-01-04T23:36:00.003-05:00

The Saturday after Christmas we headed to Orlando to the Ice sculpture show they have every year at the Gaylord Palms hotel. We have been one other time a few years ago and thought it would be fun to go again. Let's say our trip was eventful as usual. We got a late start, which is nothing new for this crew. So of course everyone was hungry , but all the drive thru restaurants were done with their breakfast. Someone mentioned Sonic serves breakfast all day, so we thought great! There is one at the Fort Pierce exit off the highway so we opted for that route. Of course as luck would have it, we hit a horrible accident just up the highway just past the Stuart exit. This was right beside the rest area where we got stopped. As we sat in traffic for at least 45 minutes, my wonderful husband decides he just wants to try and kill us all and so we decided to try 4 wheeling. He did a u-turn on the interstate and we drove the wrong way on the berm of the road until we got to a turn around where most of the cops sit I think. Well it wasn't long until we had some followers. We crossed over the highway and went back to the next exit and got off and headed out another way. Let's just say we were having an adventure.
Well we finally make it to Sonic, order our food. And as we get our food one of the drinks was a large grape Limeade. Well, the bottom busted out of the cup as it was put into the cupholder, so we had a wonderful mess to clean up. Let's say adventure # 2 was fun! We cleaned up the mess, ate our nasty food(not impressed with the breakfast at all) and we were on our merry way. We did pass about 3 more minor accidents along the way, but finally made it to the hotel.

This is a picture of the outside of the hotel. Beautiful place!

The Ice show is made up of alot of Ice and they keep it a frigid 9 degrees. So coats are required. We took our own , but most of us opted to also wear one of the blue parkas they give you. So with both coats on it wasn't bad. But it did make us look rather large.These coats help you slide better when you go down the Ice slides at the end. We all did it, and it was rather fun! I did see a few people in shorts and flip flops going through in our group. What crazy people!

Afterwards we stopped at Krispy Kreme for some yummy doughnuts. Ours closed in our area, so we don't get them alot because they just aren't as fresh from the gas stations or the grocery store in the pre-packaged boxes. But they'll do in a pinch.
We grabbed 3 dozen so we could have some for Breakfast Sunday morning. Rod was happy when he came out!

Christmas lights

2009-01-02T12:13:00.002-05:00

The day after Christmas we loaded 2 vehicles to accomodate our family and friends and headed toward Palm Beach Gardens to check out the lights. One of the neighborhoods usually decorates alot with each street usually having a theme they do. But it didn't seem like there was much participation this year. There is also another street with pretty much 100% participation and they go all out. We tried to take a few shots, but night pictures just aren't our thing. So hopefully you can get some idea what it looks like.

Christmas day 2008

2008-12-31T23:08:00.002-05:00

This year we spent Christmas at home here in Florida. Someone needed to stay behind and run the office so we could service anyone who needed any insurance. Our oldest Lex flew in on Tuesday and was here for a week in the warm weather. We also had some friends, Kenny & Janet who came down to get out of the cold northern weather. I have to tell on myself , as I usually am one that has everything together for the most part when it comes to preparing a big meal. Let's just say this year I really messed up. I guess with the busyness of trying to get everything done as we worked a half day on christmas eve and then Rod & I headed to Stuart to grab a few last minute stocking stuffers and a gift. As we headed back home we pulled through Winn Dixie grocery store to see what time they were open till since we had not bought anything for our Christmas dinner. An employee was coming out and Rod rolled his window down and asked the employee how late they were open . She proceeded to say normal hours. Wow!I thought that was great(unusual) but great. We rushed home to get our pizza ordered so we could eat dinner with our company & Kevin & Becky were coming over also. We laughed and cut up for quite awhile and we decided about 8:00pm we should get to the store. Well.... The store was closed. Now what do we do? We really messed up!! We drove on up toward Stuart to see if anything was open, No luck! Now what? We ended up at Walgreens where I think most everyone else decided it was their only last minute gift option. I grabbed a gallon of milk , dozen eggs, and a pack of bacon to get us through breakfast with some other things I had at home. Luckily the store was open from 8-3 on Christmas. Needless to say, we ended up having dinner rather than lunch.

We got up and Santa Clause came to see us. He gave all the kids some gum and a present and even gave Lex her two front teeth she said she wanted when asked about her gifts. After santa left we ate breakfast and then opened our presents. They got several wii games and one that was the hit...Guitar hero. We now have several teens who want to come play. I've even gotten a few songs that I can actually play well. Brittany was quite surprised because we took off the outside cover to it...so she didn't have a clue what it was till she opened the box and saw the guitar. I think everyone was happy with their gifts. I put together a slideshow from the day.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T11:25:00.003-05:00

I hope Everyone has a Merry Christmas. Enjoy time spent with family and friends!

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-24T11:07:00.005-05:00

The house is decorated and most all the packages are wrapped. That's a plus for me considering I have had so much going on with working and getting ready for company. Our oldest Lex flew in Tuesday from Ohio and we also had friends who drove in from Ohio on Tuesday. We have a houseful and the entertainment begins! Below are a few pictures of the few decorations we did this year.

The tree. Bought this one a couple years ago after Christmas at a Menards when we were in Ohio and hauled it back on the back of our motorhome. I love this big tree!

The fireplace with all the kids stockings waiting to be stuffed.

My piano with my snowmen. One sings and Frosty sings and dances and one just lights up

My little table with a few lighted houses

Office Christmas Party

2008-12-23T13:47:00.005-05:00

Today we closed the office from noon till 1pm for our Christmas Lunch with the employees. We decided to just have lunch catered in rather than go to a restaurant. I decorated the tables to try and make it look halfway descent. I didn't think it turned out too bad considering I was having a hard time finding something to decorate with. Lunch was catered by Banbury cross bakery owned by Jonathan Kogut from our church. The food was yummy! We had tossed salad, Lasagna, chicken piccata, green beans and for desert chocolate silk with carmel tart, lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies. Everything was delicious and we are all ready for a power nap about now.

The table decorations

Rod helping himself to the food

Our wonderful employees

And Rod, myself and Kevin & Becky owners

High Maintenance

2008-12-22T16:35:00.004-05:00

In the midst of all the Christmas shopping, and all the cleaning for a party Brittany was having this past Saturday night with about 20 teenagers from school and the cleaning for company coming in to spend Christmas there's always time for a little relaxation at least for one family member who doesn't have a care in the world. Meagan is labeled as our high maintenance child # 6. We are going to let all future potential boyfriends/husband material know up front she has been like this from the beginning.

This picture was random, but Rod & Britt both yelled for me to grab the camera in the midst of our cleaning frenzy. Meagan decided Santa Mickey needed a potty break!

Meagan decided the hot tub sounded good and stripped and jumped in. She looks quite relaxed!

And theres always time for a pedicure even if you have to do it yourself.

Neighborhood Christmas Luminaries lighting

2008-12-17T14:32:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday night the neighborhood had a luminaries lighting. You place bags with sand in them along your property with a tea light candle in them and light them. It looks really pretty. Unfortunately I really didn't take any pictures of them. They encouraged everyone to participate and if you wanted to set up some snacks to share you were welcome to. Everyone loves our coffee(not sure why) but we make it flavorful just like starbucks. So we set up a table along with our neighbor and had quite the spread. We made over 60 cups of coffee and most all our snacks were eaten. I made buckeyes and peanut butter temptations and our neighbor pitched in with fudge, bananna bread and hot cider. It was just cool enough that it made for a pleasant evening of fun. Santa even showed up and served the coffee and kids of all ages sat on his lap. He was a big hit. One little guy was so cute, he said "I love you Santa" And wanted to know if Santa would bring his brother several items. Guess he thought he could get some good brownie points if he asked for his brother and he could just share. We had alot of fun.

Office Christmas Decorations

2008-12-12T11:31:00.005-05:00

We just love this time of year. And seeing the decorations at night in the office when you drive by just seems to add that special touch. I wish I could get some good pictures to show you exactly how it looks in the dark, but I am not very camera savvy when it comes to getting nighttime pictures. I need a crash course in photography! Anyhow here are a few pictures of the decorations in our office.

Of course the Christmas tree. We bought a prelit tree this year. I really like it, but I know when the lights go out we will be in trouble.

This little tree is on our conference room table

And this is at the reception desk where I work. It looks so nice at night.

Christmas Parade

2008-12-08T14:21:00.002-05:00

Saturday was the Annual Christmas parade. As usual we had a car in the parade with people walking along handing out Frisbees and little gift bags with odds and ends in it. We have done some advertising with Chick Fil-A and so the Santa cow came along with us and rode in the car. We passed out coupons to Chick-Fil-A with our names on it as a form of advertisement and a way for people to get something free at Chick- Fil-A also. I think the cow was a hit! Anyhow, while Everyone endured the long walk and the waiting I stayed behind to take pictures. Below is a little bit of the parade in a nutshell.

After the parade was over, they all came back to the office. It's nice because the office is right on the parade route, so we get front row seats, the convenience of a fridge with cold drinks and a bathroom if needed. Everyone wanted a photo-op with the cow. So we took a bunch of pictures with the cow! Below are a select few for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Birthday!

2008-12-02T15:41:00.001-05:00

One of our employess had a birthday today. We got her a cake to celebrate. Happy Birthday Robyn! Hope it was great.

Thanksgiving Day!

2008-12-01T16:37:00.006-05:00

We had a relaxing day of eating till our hearts were content, no extra rush of having to get things done on a schedule, we ate when the food was done. Kinda nice for once. We usually have a house full, but I have been sick for about 4 weeks with this lovely sinus drainage and chesty cough that acts like it's getting better, then decides to hit hard again. I can't smell or taste a thing.Wish that would help me to not want to eat as much. Anyhow, we had good food and some family time. This was Grandma Brown's first adventure out since she got home from the rehab place. She's doing pretty good at getting around most days. Below are a few pictures of our tasty food!

3 of the girls helping inject the Turkey so he can go in the oven

Meagan doing it all by herself

Our yummy deserts- pecan pie, chocolate chip pie and pumpkin roll

Our yummy meal consisted of Turkey, Green bean casserole, Real mashed potatoes and Gravy, Rolls and stuffing

And a picture of a few of the family

DARE Graduation

2008-11-26T09:14:00.009-05:00

Tuesday at Jessica's school they had a Graduation for the 5th graders who participated in the DARE(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program. This program teaches them how to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The local Sherrifs office puts these programs on in the schools and I think they do a very good job. The kids learn to be respectful to the officers and they learn that they are there to help them. The are very compassionate in what they do.
Below are a few pictures from the graduation. My camera seemed to have an issue on a few pictures. Don't know what it's problem is.

Lining up to march in

They had to march in by 2's to their teacher before taking their seats

DARE Officer Stripling

Overview of the five 5th grade classes

Principal Joan Gibbons speaking to the student

Jessica receiving her DARE certificate

Jessica waiting for the other classmates to return to their seats so they all can sit down together

Zach's birthday

2008-11-20T16:46:00.004-05:00

We didn't have much for a party. We went to dinner and came home and had cupcakes and ice cream and he opened our gifts. Nothing too extravagent, but a little celebration. Below are a couple of pictures.

Zach with his chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing(his favorite) Not sure why the picture looks so horrible

He got a new Wii game

He also got new Heeley's since his old ones were being held together by tape

Happy Birthday Zach!

2008-11-18T08:16:00.003-05:00

Ten Years ago today our ONLY little boy came to join our family. We feel truly blessed to have at least one boy in the bunch. Zach loves to draw and is quite the artist(at least I think so) and he loves to fish, and ride 4 wheelers and loves the outdoors. Although Zach has alot to compete with all girls in the family(especially bathroom time)he does quite well mixing in with this family. We look forward to seeing how Zach grows up to be the man in his family and take care of all his girls. We love you Zachary and hope you have a wonderful Birthday!

Space shuttle!

2008-11-16T22:37:00.007-05:00

Friday evening the space shuttle was sent up in space. It's always so neat to watch one take off. We have never actually been to Cape Canaveral to watch one get set off live, but we have watched it many times from right here at home. It's so neat to be able to actually be able to see it when you think of how far away from us it really is. It's about 2 hours north of us, so when it's a clear day or night it's truly awesome to see.

it was a beautiful night, just the right temperature and a full moon!

Right after it took off, the sky just lit up

as it was going up

another shot goin into space

and another shot

Mysterious Illness

2008-11-14T11:07:00.002-05:00

I woke up Wednesday morning to Zach being sick. I was informed he had been up earlier in the morning throwing up. So he stayed home from school. He was finished with the vomiting by noon and was wanting to go outside to play by 3:00. He was not excited that I would not let him go out to play. Anyhow,he returned to school on Thursday and I learned that alot of kids and some teachers had been out sick too . As I went home from work on Thursday there were many local news trucks out in front of the public elementary school either leaving or filming a newscast. Later I saw on the news that Hobe Sound Elementary was having quite a few kids out sick (about 120 or so) and that the Martin County Health Dept. had been working with them to find out what might be the cause. So for now, we are wondering what's going on and hoping that Jessica & Andrea do not get sick.

Showing support!

2008-11-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

While good friends Tim & Sharron Teed were here they helped show their support for McCain & Palin by holding signs on the corner of US 1 and Bridge Road. So Saturday night they got our kids excited and so they all made signs and colored them so they could go show support on Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure how much support they got, but I think the people were a little tired of seeing us drive around circles trying to capture a few pictures. We managed to get a few. So below is a slode show of them making the signs and standing on the various corners for supporting our candidates.

Trick- Or- Treat

2008-11-03T17:07:00.002-05:00

Friday evening was an absolute gorgeous night to be outside. The community we live in allowed trick or treating for anyone who wanted to participate. There were quite a few who handed out candy. The kids sure didn't come home empty handed that's for sure. Hopefully more will participate next year. It was nice having a safe place for the kids to be out and it promoted fellowship with your fellow neighbors. I think everyone had fun! Below are a few pictures from the evening. As usual Meagan was not impressed with some costume even though it was something she had to wear and not some huge animal coming at her in costume. She has this Phobia with costumes I guess. Anyhow, we finally convinced her to wear it. You would have laughed your heads off at us as each one of our kids took a turn going outside knocking on our door saying "trick Or Treat" as Rod dropped candy in their buckets to show her how fun it would be to get candy. She was not impressed! But our neighbors mother who you will see dressed up in the pictures finally got her dressed. She was terrified of her with her mask on and hair, but something just warmed her I guess as Zola took off the hair and mask and got her dressed. Maybe she was scared this crazy woman would take off with her. Once she finally got dressed we headed on out to see what we could get. We got one Trick as neighbors down the road sprayed silly string at you when they opened the door before giving the treat. But we got plenty of yummy treats!!

We have a new Toy!

2008-11-03T08:46:00.002-05:00

We acquired a new toy recently. We never told the kids as they would have drove us nuts. But we weren't quite sure how it was going to work out and how we would even get it home. Luckily good friends Tim & Sharron Teed showed up for a visit when they were in the area for a load. Tim is always eager to lend a helping hand! His truck was perfect for the job, even through a few minor glitches,they got it delivered to our house. The fun part was getting his big rig down our street. Unfortunately when he pulled over in the sand he got stuck. Luckily a 2x4 under the tire gave enough traction it came out really easy. So we didn't have to call a tow truck, thank goodness. The next fun part was to get it back through our narrow walk way to where it needed to be. They decided to lay 2x4's on the grass and wheel it back which worked really well. The kids are excited to use this as they always love it when we stay somewhere with a pool and hot tub. We are still working on some minor glitches with heating and some of the jets aren't working but I think it possibly got jarred loose in the moving process. Hopefully we can get it fixed soon so we can relax and enjoy it!

Youth Challenge

2008-10-31T13:12:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Britt had the privilege of Riding the Bus with other Hobe Sound College and High School students to attend Youth Challenge in West Harrison Indiana. This is the first time she had ever done this. So I don't really think she knew what she was getting into. But I think after many long unsleepless (if thats a word) hours on the bus, she still had a good time. She was able to see her good friend Kaitlyn that had moved to Ohio this school year and also another girl Ashley from her class that moved to Indiana this year. She also saw a few other classmates who had moved away and also met some new friends. She came home exhausted and they only had one minor mishap on the way home. They lost a whole entire wheel. Luckily they noticed when they stopped by to get some snacks that it was gone. So after a several hour detour they arrived home about 5:00 pm Sunday evening after leaving at about 2 pm on Thurs. to go there. So it was a quick trip. I'd say she had fun. Below is a slide show from the trip.

Visiting Grandma!

2008-10-31T12:31:00.002-05:00

Last night we headed out to the hospital to see Grandma along the way as we headed to Stuart for a bite to eat and a trip to Walmart for last minute Halloween candy and things. What a busy week. There has been absolutely no time to do anything.As we pulled into the hospital parking lot Zach reminded me that he had never been to a hospital before. I was thinking to myself yes he had he was born in one. But as I thought a moment, he was right. Zach, Andrea and Meagan (the last three) have never been in one. They were all born either in a birthing center or at home. So his theory was right. So this was a new experience for them. I'm not sure how exciting it was, but it was something new. Below are a couple of pictures with Grandma.

The 5 who are still at home

And Brittany and Meagan

Grandma's surgery went well!

2008-10-30T10:22:00.002-05:00

Our day started off on Wednesday a little earlier than usual. We got the kids off to school at the usual time and Meagan headed to the sitter about 8AM. Rod & I headed to the hospital to wait for his mother's surgery details. We hit McD's for breakfast and next door to Starbucks for our morning coffee and we headed down the road to the hospital. She had already been wheeled in to surgery so we waited and visited with a good friend who was there for moral support. By the way this was not life threatening surgery. She had a knee replacement done. About 9:30 we were taken to the consultation room and the doctor came in and said everything went well and as long as she keeps it moving she should be in good shape. We went back out and waited while she was in recovery and just before noon she was taken to her room. We went up and saw her, she was doing pretty good and so we headed home to catch the kids who had early release at noon. Into the grind of homework and many other things , dinner at about 6:30 and headed back to the hospital about 7:30pm. She was more awake of course this time. She didn't keep her dinner down. I think the anesthesia was still playing games to her system. Hopefully today will be much better. They are suppose to get her out of bed and walking today. We'll see how that goes. If all goes well she'll be off to rehab in a couple days.

Happy Birthday Jessica!

2008-10-23T16:18:00.002-05:00

Thirteen years ago today our home was blessed with child number three. We had been through so much up to that point that it was refreshing to have another little one to love. Jessica was born in 1995 and our home had burnt and been totally destroyed by fire in November of 1994. She came along in the midst of some chaos of still trying to build our new home on a piece of ground we had bought in the country. But we managed anyhow and now 13 years later she has grown up to be a beautiful girl. Time has flown by. We enjoy each child we have and try to be the best parents we can be to them. I look forward to many grandchildren from each one! I'm sure that time will fly by and we will be saying our granchildren are turning 13. Below I put together a little slide of pictures over the years. Had a little trouble finding some. But came up with a few. Enjoy!

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New Candidate!!

2008-10-07T13:15:00.005-05:00

We have a new Presidential Candidate running in the 2008 election. I'm so excited! I'm pondering what it would be like to live in the White House. So many decorating ideas. There is sure to be a big party when this candidate gets in! Looking forward to see how this election will go!!

Below is the link to the newest candidates video. Check it out!

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=370743&altf=Speofz&altl=Cspxo

Zach's first trumpet lesson

2008-10-05T19:05:00.003-05:00

Zach started his first trumpet lesson this past week. He is so excited about learning to play an instrument. We are excited too I think! Below is a video after he got home from his first lesson. I don't know what we got ourselves into! Doyle I sure hope you can teach this boy to play! I know everyone has to start somewhere. So here's the start to our ears hurting. We look forward to beautiful music coming out of this instrument!

We Miss You Daddy!!

2008-09-24T08:39:00.002-05:00

Rod left Sunday evening for Texas for a week of training. It's a very rare occasion that we are ever apart as a family and that Rod I ever spend any time apart. I know for some people they often spend time away from each other but we just don't enjoy it. I for one just can't sleep well without him home. I know I may sound wierd, and it's not that I'm scared or anything but I just miss knowing he's there beside me. We have barely been apart in the almost 19 yrs we have been married . And this week (6 night apart) is the longest we have ever been separated. I definately do not enjoy it. Especially trying to manage a family of 5 children alone. The everyday tasks are all on one person and it is not fun. I am exhausted mentally and physicaly. My hats are off to any single parents who have to do this all by themselves all the time. I don't envy them one bit.
Anyhow, the kids were given a horse to paint by their dad when he left. And below are some pictures of them trying to paint their horses to show him when he gets home. They didn't do too bad and we didn't even have any paint messes to clean up. Yeah!

Zach intently working away

The girls look like they are enjoying their project

We Did It!!!

2008-09-21T22:43:00.005-05:00

This month we celebrate one year in our new office. For our first year we set a goal that we wanted to hit in production. We made that goal in our 12th month!! We are so excited and can't wait to see if we hit our next goal. We have truly been blessed by the business and are excited to see what the future holds. We bought lunch on Friday for everyone and also had a cake to celebrate!

A yummy Chocolate Raspberry cake from Banbury Cross! MMMM Good!!

The office staff that helped make it possible!

Rod & I and Kevin & Becky & Kaelyn owners

She's so cute!!

2008-09-18T14:18:00.002-05:00

My baby is growing up fast!! At 2 1/2 years old already and hard to believe how big she is. In the mornings when we go to work she heads to the baysitter's. A very good babysitter in fact named Cherri Finney. She has her little backpack in tow , blanket, her cow and her lunch box. I had to take a picture the other day of her as she was heading up to the babysitters house. She looks so big and grown up. And 3 more years she'll be heading to kindergarten. Boo Hoo!!

Meagan & The bubble wrap

2008-09-16T12:42:00.004-05:00

Meagan along with all of my kids just loves to pop the bubbles on the bubble wrap. So when we received a package at work one day with a large piece in it Rod said he wanted to take it home to Meagan. She had so much fun. I think the pictures say it all.

Baby Preacher

2008-09-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

I found this video on Godtube. I thought it was really cute. This baby is really gettin into it. I just wonder who he's been watching?

Hurricane updates

2008-09-07T21:35:00.005-05:00

Ikes projected path

As many of you probably already know, Hanna missed us and made her way up the east coast. Thank goodness! It also looks like Ike is going to stay to our South. We will see some wind and some occasional rain out of it. But we don't have any worries. No boarding up to do! Yeah! And no mad rushes for gasoline and groceries, no power outages and no missed school days. We lucked out again. Although the poor people in the Gulf will not be so lucky. We only hope there are no major damages or injuries to the people who have to deal with it. Josephine looks to be no threat but to the fish. So we have escaped it again.

Hanna (not Montanna) might be stopping by for a visit

2008-09-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

We Floridians just love this time of year. Hurricane season is in full force and we are watching 3 storms right now that could be a potential threat to Florida. Hanna is our closest storm looking for a place to make landfall. We are still in that uncertain cone of error that we could see some potential threatening weather. Looks like we will see some wind gusts of 30-40mph sustained on Thursday afternoon. Of course these storms are so unpredictable you never know what can happen. We'll be watching the forecast to find out Hanna's destination. Not far behind Hanna we have Ike & Josephine. I guess we are a landing strip for these storms. They just keep poppinn up one after another.
Stay tuned for more info on tropical storm/Hurricane Hanna!

Baseball Fun

2008-09-01T09:44:00.011-05:00

Friday night we attended a baseball game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. These are minor league teams so they are fun to watch. Gay and Becky got free tickets from their school so the evening was relatively cheap for our clan. We all met their and Kevin & Becky got us seats behind home plate. Zach always wants to try and get a ball. So with much determination and a little help from Kevin he finally got one. We didn't know this game was a double header, so we really got our monies worth from our free tickets. Yeah! Unfortunately I misplaced my larger camer card , so I was on a much smaller one, so I didn't get many pictures.

A picture of the whole crew minus Gay

our family minus Zach- who knows what he was doing. (trying to get that ball)

Daddy with 2 of his girls

The game

The shark mascot

Britt & Meagan

The players going thru the congratulations line

After the second game they had a local school who had a drumline corp play. They did an awesome job. These were 6th,7th & 8th graders. This video doesn't do them justice and it was only half of their band but they were really good and could really do some moves while playing these instruments. My camera card got full so I couldn't get the best parts.

And also after the second game was fireworks. This was taken with my phone because my camera card was full

A visitor

2008-08-22T16:01:00.003-05:00

We are back in the swing of school after tropical storm Fay. The kids are back in full force. I sure can't get use to it! Our regular sitter isn't babysitting on
Fridays for a few weeks yet so Becky kindly offered to watch Meagan today since she was off. I think they had fun. You can check out Becky's blog on my list of friends for all the details. Anyhow they went for a walk to get a hotdog and stopped by the office. We invited Becky to stay and eat subs with us so she kept Meagan and Kaelyn busy coloring and drawing while we waited for the food. Below is a picture of Meagan engrossed in her drawing. She's such a cutie! I miss her when I'm working. She's at that fun stage where she copies everything!

More fun!

2008-08-21T10:52:00.002-05:00

While we were away and doing alot of swimming Meagan fell in love with the water. Every morning she would go out on the balcony and look down and see the pool or the ocean and say "My Water". She loved swimming so much that by about the second day she was tearing off her floaties and just wanting to jump in wether anyone was around or not. So we were a little scared of what she might do and if she would jump in when noone was there to catch her. So we found this nifty little bathing suit with the floating device built in(almost like a life jacket inside). That was all she needed and she was ready to go. She loves the water now, so probably if she could get access to the canal she would just jump right in. Thank goodness we have it fenced off and she hasn't figured out how to unlock the fence yet. Below is a short video of her just jumping right in. I love how she plugs her nose and she would count with the kids 1-2-3 and let go of her nose and jump in. We laugh and laugh at her actions. She keeps us entertained!

Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-19T19:47:00.002-05:00

Tropical storm Fay made landfall across Florida in the middle of the night. We had heavy rains along with alot of tornado watches and warnings throughout the night and first part of this morning. The kids didn't have school because of the potential danger with high winds and flooding. So we spent the day at home listening to the news and wondering what else we could expect. We weathered through the storm but this poor guy in this video was crazy enough to be kite surfing down around Miami in the strong winds. Now I know the whole point of Kite surfing is to have some wind but this is a little ridiculous. He was crazy enough to not let go of the kite and went flying into a building. He ended up with critical injuries. Below is a video from a newscast . Watch as he goes flying by.

On a side note, the kids are back to school tomorrow while Fay travels up the coast to leave more rain and winds for someone else.

Off & Running

2008-08-18T09:26:00.005-05:00

Another school year has arrived and we are off and running. Today they all started back to school and Meagan started back to the babysitters. Talk about fun getting back into the swing of things. So anyhow, we are off to a running start. I think we are going to have a fun year. Ha!Brittany is taking Geometry, Algebra II, Accounting, Home Ec , Bible, English & yearbook. I think we are going to be mathed to death!

Jessica is the first one out the door by 7:20 am because she is a safety patrol.

Run # 2 is Andrea and Zach who has to be there by 7:45 am

Today Run # 3 was Brittany because she didn't have to be there till 8:00 am only for a short time to get her schedule together. Hopefully we could knock it down to 2 runs up and down the street when Brittany has to be there by 7:40. Our neighbors probably think we are crazy driving up and down the street 3 different times in a half hour span.

On another note we are watching a hurricane thats out there around Cuba heading toward Florida. Could be a Category 1 hurricane, but we aren't sure which way this thing is heading yet. It could turn. We will definately see the rain and wind effects from this. Thus Britt's picture with her umbrella! Of course in the Insurance business storms of this nature are not what we want to hear about. We don't need claims. And we are basically shut down from writing any policies until after this storm is over. We can quote all we want but have no binding authority.
The kids are already hoping for no school tomorrow.

More vacation pictures

2008-08-14T17:58:00.007-05:00

Our last full day was Wednesday. So we decided we would drive on the beach and go down a couple miles from our condo where someone had told us there was rocks and the inlet. So we drove on the beach,(a new adventure) and each one of the kids had a turn driving (with dad's help of course) They were all just thrilled and a little vacationed out too. Actually I think too much swimming had been done. Anyhow here is the last day of our vacation in a nutshell.

Now this is the life, sipping coffee and watching the waves come in. I would love to start each day this way.

This house was across the street from the condo and for sale. A 2 bedroom wood frame 1942 house all redone in 2005 for a mere 625k. What a bargain!Can you even get good insurance on this?

Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse. We saw this across the water

We saw these 2 houses on the beach while driving. These caught our eye as our favorites.

And finally a slide of the beach driving adventures.

My Lucky Day

2008-08-14T14:01:00.006-05:00

We are on our way home and stopped to grab a sandwich for lunch. We saw a ice cream shop down the road so went to get ice cream. As luck would have it on Thursday's they have banana splits for half price if you bring your own banana. Guess what? We had 2 banana's we were bringing home with us so we got 2 banana splits. Yeah for us!

Meagan's free ice cream cone

Our banana split. Don't get the pretzel though. Where did that come from?

Meagan and her cone. Isn't she so cute?

I just love technology. I can eat and blog all while we are driving down the road.

Eyes in the back of your head

2008-08-14T13:43:00.003-05:00

I have to laugh at this saying that we parents always tell our kids. The kids seem to take it literally. Especially Andrea. She keeps pulling my hair apart in the back wanting to know where my eyes in the back of my head are. She is hilarious.

A Day at the Beach

2008-08-13T21:09:00.012-05:00

Yesterday we spent the morning at the beach before coming back to the condo to the pool. I must say it's been so nice having the beach right out our door. And the sand here is wonderful. Wish we had a beach like this back home, then maybe we would go more often. The sand is nice and packed here, so when you walk on it you don't have that shoe full before getting to your spot. And of course since it's that way you can drive on the beach. That's really nice! It would be wonderful to drive up and unpack and set up for the day by your car and not have to drag junk for miles to get to a spot. That is one reason I hate going to the beach. It's no fun when you are wore out before you get to enjoy yourself. Note to self: Buy a condo on a nice beach when we retire!
Anyhow, below are some pictures from our day.

Here is Meagan playing in the sand

Here is Meagan's creations from her sand toys

This was a sand sculpture of a lady someone had done. Excellent job I thought!

None other than the Beach Patrol cruising on the beach

Rod burried himself by the water as the sand was really soft. He looks like a wee little man

Here was someone riding their scooter on the beach

I got my own personal spa treatment on my legs. Meagan was my own personal spa lady of the day

We went for a walk in the evening on the beach. We had givin the kids some glowing bracelets

All the kids in the lifeguard chair at nightime

Zach was trying to pull the sofa bed out to get ready for bed

Meagan joined Andrea & Zach to watch TV and chill

More fun in the water!

2008-08-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

We spent the first part of the day running around checking things out. Rod found all kinds of free things to do, so off we went. Well the first spot was a sugar mill. Lets just say we drove past it 3 times before we found it. Needless to say it was pretty lame. Historical site with not much history to see. I didn't even bother to break out the camera. We all were not thrilled. Next stop downtown area, to a museum. The museum was closed and by appointment only. So strike # 2. Next he wanted to go to a drugstore with a soda fountain. This said drug store was very old looking inside. Had alot of little trinkets that were interesting to look at. They had a little restaurant inside that was very busy. Rod & the kids ventured over and got some ice cream while I just walked around and looked at all the interesting things to buy. After that we headed to Walmart. Rod always says my vehicle could always find its way to a Wally world wherever we may be. Hey, can't help that. Needed a few items so where else but good old faithful Walmart. Next to the grocery to buy items for dinner and back to the condo to put dinner together and eat.Where else would we end up but at the beach and the pool. We have definately got alot of swimtime in. We had bought Meagan this trusty little swimsuit the other day with a built in sorta lifejacket deal. It's wonderful. She was not thrilled with the floaties on her arms,nor staying put inside the blowup ring. So this swimsuit is a lifesaver. She goes all over the pool like a little fish. She has no fear when it comes to jumping in. She's loving swimming everyday. We get up in the morning and the first thing she says is "Water". We decided to swim this evening instead of today to let those with sunburns have a rest. For whatever reason, I just can't seem to get the sun to worship me. Oh well, guess I don't have to suffer the burn. Below is a slide show of our water adventures once again.

A little R & R

2008-08-09T20:46:00.012-05:00

We are taking time for some much needed rest, relaxation and family time over the next few days. We ventured North to get away from everyday life.

We stopped at Sonic on the way out and ate dinner. The kids were impressed that the car waiters and waitresses were on roller skates. And the food was pretty good too.

Today we hit the pool for some enjoyment.

My crazy husband, need I say more.

This is the outside of our condo. Only 9 units in this building. So not alot a people around to fight over the pool. Makes it kinda nice!We are on the 3rd floor. No elevators in this building so we get our workout carrying things up the steps.

Here's the picture of the beach from our balcony. The kids thought it was awesome you could drive on the beach. There were actually people riding bicycles on the beach also along with those stand up scooters that cops use in big cities. For some reason I think their called Segways.

Meagan standing on one of 4 balconies we have after swimming this afternoon.

The view of our kitchen. Kind of an older place, but it works.

The view of the Living room. Meagan was tired from swimming.

This is our small dining room. We'll have to eat in shifts.

Andrea at the bar in the kitchen. Notice the long narrow hallway behind her. This leads to a bedroom with 2 twin beds, a bathroom and the master bedroom.

This is the master bedroom. Older , but we have a select comfort bed, just like home.

This was a local restaurant Rod found on the internet that had good reviews, so thought we'd try it out for a late lunch early dinner. It was a drive -in with car hops or dine inside. It had started pouring on the way there,so we went on inside and ate. The food was excellent, big proportions and cheap.

Last but not least as we came home for the evening we pulled up and saw some strange characters going into the condo across the hall from ours. Meagan screamed and was terrified of the Indian. They were having a bachelorette party across the hall. These were the invited guest. The Village people. What a site!

Want a doughnut?

2008-08-07T14:41:00.002-05:00

This was Meagan this morning before I left for work. She helped herself to the bag of little white powdered doughnuts. Isn't she a cutie? We have enjoyed her so much. Some days I wish they would stay little forever!!

Playmobile Day!

2008-08-04T09:06:00.002-05:00

Rod & I have decided we would take the last few Fridays off of work until the kids go back to school. Which is only a few more Fridays, but we want to spend a little quality time with them before we hit the mad rush of everyday life during the school year and all the homework. So we ventured South to Playmobile where you can get in to play with all their toys that are way too overpriced to buy but enjoy playing with for the cheap price of $1 each. You can stay all day or just a little while and play till your hearts content. The younger kids enjoyed it quite a bit. Afterwards we hit Target to let them spend the money they earned picking up Rocks.They got quite a few bargains from the clearance isle and came home with alot of junk to play with. Wish I would have thought to take a picture of their bargains. Below are a few pictures from our afternoon at Playmobile.

A Chuck E Cheese Birthday!

2008-07-28T21:10:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a good friend and Business partners birthday. Kevin turned 33 and we had discussed several months ago that he had never been to Chuck E Cheese. So we decided he deserved a Chuck E birthday for this milestone. We talked to his wife Becky and she called her sister and brother-in-law John & Rachel to come along and we all met up at Chuckies. Rachel and John came up with the Indiana Jones cake idea. Guess that one is an inside joke. So we went and had some nasty pizza. (Not my choice for good pizza.) But the kids had a good time and I think Kevin enjoyed himself too. Below is a little slideshow of our evening with Chuck E. Oh, another sidenote, just like the Chick Fila cow, Meagan screamed bloody murder when Chuck E came near. So we couldn't get her picture with him.

Company Photo

2008-07-21T10:54:00.002-05:00

Today we had a group photo taken for advertising purposes. The yellow page photographer came to get photos to use in our phone book add. We are deciding which way we want to go for advertising this year. The photographer got some better pictures but this was one taken with my camera. This is our staff.

Front row - seated L-R Robyn and Wanda
Back Row- L-R- Rod, Myself, Becky, Lauren and Kevin

Fishing!

2008-07-21T10:12:00.003-05:00

Saturday Afternoon a friend came over to use our dock to fish from. So of course the kids thought they had to join in. Unfortunately we don't fish enough beings that we live right on the water. The wonderful little bugs known as the No-seeums (basically because you can't see them- we call them wings and teeth- they look like a black speck of pepper) are usually so bad. You can't stand to be outside at certain times with them. But the kids usually don't care , and in the middle of the day it isn't usually too bad. So they had fun anyhow. Below are a couple shots from the day.

Here is Zach trying to fish

Jess caught a puffer fish. Known to puff up when they are scared!

Welcome Home!!

2008-07-08T14:58:00.003-05:00

After a long week minus one child Brittany finally arrived home today. This time I went along to the airport to pick her up. As usual her plane was a little over 30 minutes late to take off, so that put her 30 minutes late coming in. She arrived right about noon at PBI. I finally saw her coming down the concourse and I immediately teared up. We hugged each other so tight I think the world stopped for a brief moment. HA! Anyhow, So happy to have her home!

I think she was releived to be on the ground, tired and exhausted she had tears too!

I thought the other kids would be excited to see her home, but seems like the dog was the most excited to see her.

July 4th Activities

2008-07-06T14:03:00.025-05:00

This past Friday July 4th our church did something different from past years. We had a big community day. I wasn't sure how well it would go because as usual we had our afternoon showers and I thought it would keep people away. As it turned out quite a few showed up. They had plenty of food items to choose from such as Hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, starbucks drinks, pina colada and strawberry slushy drinks and plenty of ice cold water bottles. The kids had a great time between the eating and the fun bounce houses.Below are a few pictures from the evening.

A picture of some of the capable chefs of the evening- with 3 grills going

Jessica enjoyed the cotton candy

Meagan really liked the cotton candy, think she had 3 in all- can you say Sugar High!

However Meagan did not like the bounce house. Why is it they always like to jump on everything they shouldn't and when they can jump they don't like it?

Rod trying another round of trying to get her into another one. Still not thrilled!

They had a tent out by the bounce houses giving away t-shirts to the kids with the name of the upcoming vacation bible school on it.

Here's Andrea holding up her shirt.

Here's Jessica trying her hand going down the slide. It had started to drizzle again so made it a little more interesting.

Andrea had her turn.

Zach's turn.

This shirt fit's Meagan! "Forever Daddy's Girl"

Jeff Teed and his wife Heather and little girl Katie came over for awhile

Katie loved the bounce house!!

They also had a small petting zoo! Here's Jessica holding a rabbit.

Jessica and Meagan Petting a small chicken

Jessica Holding A rooster.

Katie Teed wasn't so sure about the chicken

Kaelyn Mosenthin enjoys a pony ride

Zach taking his pony ride

Andrea was a little reluctant to take a ride, but liked it afterwards

Jessica taking her ride

Meagan enjoying a snow cone

One last bit of cotton Candy