The Christmas Spirit

Merry Christmas! We hope that each of you has time to reflect on the true meaning for the season. May you and yours have a warm and happy holiday. Please check out the link below.

The Christmas Spirit

A Very Sad Day...

On October 1, 2009, our friend Trixie passed away. She leaves behind a sad and lonely family, and many relieved moles, raccoons, possums, grasshoppers, groundhogs, etc. She will be missed.

While we only had Trixie's companionship for one short year, we quickly grew to love her. She loved her freedom. She spent endless hours patrolling our 10 acres for encroachers; digging for moles and groundhogs; searching the blackberry thickets; bounding in the creek; chasing balls, chew toys, Frisbees, sticks, and little girls and big boys. At a single friendly word, she was your instant friend. Anytime Dan would head down to his office, Trixie would practically mow him down to get to her bed beside the desk. She would quickly assume her favorite sleeping position, and begin dreaming about chasing critters around the yard. Sometimes her 'dream barking' would get so loud that she would disrupt Dan's phone calls and would have to be awakened.

It is difficult to lose such a good friend. Yet, when we think of Trixie, we can't help but smile. We will always remember with fondness the time we had together.

Where Did Summer Go???

Well, this summer was a busy one! We had a lot of fun and a little drama along the way. We had scout camp, girls camp, gymnastics camp, football camp, a campground next door with a pool (can you say 2 hours per day?), our own campground in the woods by a creek, campouts, Camp Rock...did I miss any??

Mike and Jill and Family came to visit over spring break. We had a lot of fun. We took a day trip out to Kirtland, OH, which is about 3 hours away.

We had a lot of fun. We really miss being close to family and are so thankful when you all come to spend time with us. You are welcome anytime!

Tom and Heidi and Family also came for a visit. We were excited to see them, and are pleased to report that our favorite Superhero came along, too.

Again, it was great to have family with us. We have lots of room and fun stuff to do close by. Hope to see you soon!

The summer wasn't all fun and games. Allison, who is a little kamikaze, finally found something she couldn't successfully jump off of, or fall from. After falling off of stools, counters, stairs, toys, chairs, tables, etc., etc., she broke her arm jumping off of an inflatable toy (something you are actually supposed to jump from...go figure!).

She was a real trooper, and hardly complained at all. Her biggest problem with having to wear a cast for a few weeks was not being able to spend her afternoons at the pool. The cast is off, and her arm is fine, and now she is ready for some more daredevilry.

Janna just got back from a trip to Utah. She spent lots of time with family, jumped on trampolines, stayed up late, played games, ate lots of dessert, pierced an ear or two...and had loads of fun. She really had a SPECIAL time with her Mother in one of those epic life events. She felt quite blessed to be there to support her Mom.

Janna always has fun with her family and wishes she could spend more time with them. Of course we don't like to have her gone- Dad has no clue how to style girls hair. But, if we didn't let mom out every once in a while she might lose it. Plus, we wouldn't get pictures like this:

Summer has been lots of fun. Hard to believe it is already over. Now we will have to start raking leaves and carving jack-o-lanterns. Wait 'till we post pictures of our GIGANTIC PUMPKINS...

Spring Has Sprung!

Well the snow finally melted and we made it through our first full Michigan winter. We had quite a welcome. This past winter was in the top 5 all-time snowiest and coldest winters on record. The plow truck came in quite handy with all the snow that kept piling up.

But even more exciting than spring is how well our favorite SUPERHERO is doing in his battle against Leukemia. check him out at prayfortommy.blogspot.com!

We have been having fun with some special visitors over the last few days. Janna's Sisters, Tami from Pittsburgh, and Sarah, along with her daughters Saija and Belle from New Jersey, have been hanging out at the farm.


We have been having loads of fun. The girls all went to an inflatable playplace and had loads of bouncy fun.

We have been very busy with school and church. The big kids are getting great grades with only one 'B' for the whole group at last report. Shelley just started preschool and will be starting full-day kindergarten in the fall. Michigan just changed the rules, so now the cut-off date is December 1st. So much for starting her next year. Ali is starting to talk pretty well, and we have fun trying to translate the rest into English. Jenni is old enough to get her learner's permit, so we have had fun letting her drive on the dirt roads that are all around us. Danny has been growing like a weed...take a look at the picture at the top of this post and tell me who is taller!

We just went through a small flooding episode in our basement. A combination of frozen ground and a lot of rain made the water table raise to the point where we had a half inch of water in portions of the basement. Most of what is down there is either on a pallet, on a shelf, or in a plastic tote. However, there are table legs and wood framing that was getting wet, so we spent about 24 hours babysitting a small 1/2 hp pump- 2 hours to pump the water down, and one hour to fill back up. FUN! Luckily, no real damage and it didn't happen at all over the last year, and we had one rain that dumped more than 5 inches overnight with no flooding. Hopefully, we are not starting a trend...

We are looking forward to warmer weather and spending lots of time outdoors. We are also looking forward to having more family come to visit. We have lots of room and lots to do! We might even take your picture and immortalize you on our blog (now that IS exciting...NOT!)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Well the leaves we piled up have been replaced with even bigger piles of snow-- just in time for a White Christmas. Good thing we have a plow truck, or it would have taken a couple of weeks to shovel the driveway.

Before we go any further, please take a moment to visit Tommy's blog at http://www.prayfortommy.blogspot.com/. Our nephew, Tommy Hasleton, has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He is a very tough little 4 year old, who we love a ton. We know he is on track to make a swift and complete recovery, but we would appreciate your thoughts and prayers on his behalf. WE LOVE YOU, TOMMY!!!

As we move into the holiday season, we reflect with gratitude on our Savior's birth, His life, and the rich blessings He gives us. The Savior devoted His life to helping and blessing the lives of others. Let us each use this season of joy and hope to dedicate ourselves to following our Savior's example, and do our part to spread joy and love to our fellowmen. We, as a family, have been very blessed this year. We have a job, we are all healthy and well, and we have a warm house to live in.

This time of year always makes us think of family gatherings, spending time next to the fireplace, Christmas carols, and seeing the beautiful lights and decorations. The snow is deep and the weather outside is cold, but the love we feel in our home warms our hearts. We wish you were here with us.

May each of you enjoy time with family and friends this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!