My monkey's at the Zoo

The Navigator

Pink Flamingo's

The goats kept trying to eat Tres chair.


Below are video's of us feeding the giraffes and sting rays.

Chief and I

Come beloved, let's tramp through the countryside. Let's sleep at some wayside inn, then rise early and listen to bird-song. Let's look for wildflowers in bloom, blackberry bushes blossoming white, fruit trees festooned with cascading flowers. Songs of Solomon 7:11-12 MSG.



Maurice and I celebrated our 16Th wedding anniversary at a bed and breakfast. It was located about 45 min. away and was the perfect getaway. The GPS told us our location was on dirt roads so we knew we would be well away from the city. We passed fields of cows and horses before getting to our destination. It was so blissfully quiet outside. The setting was perfect with rocking chairs, old fashioned games like horseshoes, water fountain and gazebo. Thanks Tab and Tori for watching the babies for us!

Long Boat Key

We went to Long Boat Key last Saturday to visit our good friends Leslie and Garrett who were visiting from Kansas. They rented a house on the water for Christmas and invited us down. It was a beautiful area. There were beachy shops and relaxed restaurants. Natalie and Lani were immediate BFF's and were broken hearted to discover they lived states apart. Garretts dad had us come out to see his boat...more like house on the water. I think i'm going to rethink my RV dream. Wish I had pics of the boat but I forgot my camera back at the house!

We brought in the new year with our church family. Lots of laughter throughout the night. Natalie took part in the talent contest and won first place. She sang Our God is an awesome God. After the service we had a pancake breakfast. I am really looking forward to this new year. I have started a program from biblestudytools.com that personalizes a plan that helps you read the bible in 1 year. I am working on consistency. I would also like to spend more time volunteering in the community. We will see how the year unfolds. Happy 2010!

Sweet 16

Can you believe our Tres is 16! I can't wrap my head around it. I remember when he was 18 months and he started this school/therapy program for 1/2 a day each day. I dropped him of certain that no one would be able to respond to his needs the way I could. That day I learned I had a very brave, resilient and independent little boy. He has continued to display those admirable traits as a teenager. I am in awe of how well Tres sees and understands people. If someone is upset or hurt Tres will know it first. Every year we see Tres rise to new challenges and mature in character. I can't wait to see what all God helps him accomplish in this new year. Happy Birthday T-man!

Amazing Book

Our nights leading up to Christmas were spent reading the most beautiful story. Gideon's gift was a perfect family read. We laughed, hurt and cried with the characters portrayed so well by Karen Kingsbury. Often the kids would say, "just one more chapter," when it was time to put the book away. Experiencing real Christmas miracles was the underlying focus of this novel. Karen Kingsbury makes topics like poverty, homelessness and sickness come to life for young readers who normally have a hard time grasping those concepts. A moving read that we will never forget.

Our New Tradition

I love traditions. They are what I remember most about each holiday as the years pass. I know the kids probably don't remember what Christmas gifts they got last year but they do remember baking cookies, going to look at Christmas lights and the other activities we do that make Christmas time so special. This year I thought it would be fun to start a new tradition of having chocolate fondue. We tend to snack throughout the day and it was something the kids could easily do on their own. Plus it's fun. The kid's loved it. It's a keeper! Other traditions that deal with food that we love are our milkshakes. Pumpkin Pie milkshakes are by far the favorite. We also blend up Eggnog and mint milkshakes. Why is it that food helps create the best memories?