Snow days!

Well, we've had a few snows already and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a few photos!

Enjoying a nice 4-Wheeler ride in the snow!

Emily is loving the taste of snow!

So is Garrett... he was eating right off the deck!

They were lovin' the time outside in the snow!

Hot coco after to warm up a bit!

And a little bit of coloring to wrap up our wonderful morning!

In the spirit of the up-coming Holiday season...ENJOY!

Please scroll to the bottom of the page and push the pause button to temporarily turn off the music!! Target had these commercials last  year, but unfortunately we haven't seen any ones this year yet. They were my FAVORITE! Most entertaining commercials in a long time, that's for sure!

Happy 4th Birthday, Garrett!!

We celebrated Garrett's 4th birthday on Saturday, November 5 with lots of family and friends! We had a TON of fun and I am pretty sure it is safe to say our children are very loved! We had a pirate theme for his party and he LOVED that. He is really enjoying Disney Channels new t.v. show called Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Captain Hook is his favorite! So we decided to make that his theme this year. I made a treasure chest cake and we had lots of decorating! He got lots of fun toys, including his very first BIKE! Yup, he loves that too! Garrett is such a joy to have and we love him more than anything! We couldn't have asked for a better little boy! 4 years old...I can't believe he is that old already! He will be starting preschool next year. (He wasn't 4 before Sept. 15 so  he had to wait another year). But I'm fine with that...an extra year with him at home, I'll take that any day!! He is learning and growing so fast so I am just going to cherish every moment I have at home with him, because I have a feeling that once school starts time will go by much too fast!! Please enjoy the pictures of his special day!!






The cake!

And again!



Our little Pirate!

Happy 4th Birthday, Garrett!!



Blowing out his candle!



His new ride!

He loves this bike!



Taking it for a spin outside!



Just another update...kind of! :)

Well, it has been quite a while since I've posted last. I have been super busy lately and just haven't spent a lot of time on the computer. I'm not even keeping up with Facebook the way I used to. Oh well...I lived just fine without it for many years, I'm sure cutting back won't kill me...I hope!!

Anywhoo, Our fall has started off quite nicely at our home! I just knew it was going to be fabulous and when September first came it was all that and more! Andy and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting another little bundle of joy in May 2012! I'm sure most of you, if not all of you have already heard the news, but I thought I better get this posted! Hopefully I can keep up well with all the baby news and updates. We are currently looking at May 13th for a due date, unless that changes after the ultrasound or something. And for those of you who didn't know that Emily had to arrive via c-section, this one will also be coming that way. The Gillette hospital doesn't give you the option if you've already had one c-section. So that means that they will plan for this baby to come around 39 weeks unless it decides to come before then!! So we will just have to wait and see what happens!! But it is still too early to really know anything...other than the fact that we are SUPER excited!! Garrett says he wants a brother and a sister...and Emily just keeps saying 'baby' and pointing to my tummy! Glad to see the kids are on board with this as well! :)))

Number 3 on the way!! Positive on September 1, 2011

Well, after that news, it's hard to jump into other topics. I suppose I could start a whole new entry, but I'm not ambitious enough for that today! I have been really tired and this baby is giving me a little taste of what morning sickness feels like! I didn't get it much at all with Garrett or Emily, but I am having it a little with this one. Along with some cravings that started right a way!! Something else I didn't have too much of with the other two. It would seem odd to me that the 'odd ball' pregnancy would be this one, since we've already got a boy and a girl. So this is no indication of what we've having. Garrett and Emily's pregnancies were more similar with each other and they were opposites! So we just have to sit back and see what we get! Needless to say, we'll be thrilled with whatever we have!

So after all that excitement on September 1, Andy headed out for hunting about a week later. He came back empty this time, but will try again in October/November. And the day after he came back we packed up and headed to South Dakota. Andy's friend got married on September 17 and Andy was the best man. We went over on Thursday, did some shopping and had the rehearsal. Friday we spent the day in Rapid City with Andy's mom (Andy's dad had to work, Andy was able to get his 4 nights off for vacation!!!). We did some shopping, went to Reptile Gardens and took his mom to dinner at T.G.I. Fridays! It was a great day and then we headed back to their house to celebrate Corey's (Andy's brother) birthday. His birthday was actually on the same day as the wedding, so we celebrated the day before! We were so excited to tell the rest of Andy's family about our exciting news!! So Saturday came, and it was wedding time! Cloudy and windy, but the rain held off long enough for the wedding to finish. It was so nice to be able to be apart of Josh and Alisha's wedding day and we wish them a lifetime of happiness!!

Petting the snake at Reptile Gardens

Garrett's Turn

Prairie Dog Town -- Reptile Gardens!

Safari Boy!

Safari Girl!

Petting the gator at Reptile Gardens!

Garrett's Turn!

The I-Do's!

Mr. and Mrs Kusser!

Enjoying some dance time!

Daddy's Girl!

Our Family of FIVE!! (You just can't tell by looking yet!!)!!!!

So we finally make it home for a few days!! We've been trying to get re-settled after all our running around and I feel like we're finally getting there. I have been taking the kids to story time on Wednesdays and they seem to enjoy it. Well, Emily does for sure. She definitely isn't too shy. Garrett, on the other hand, is more bashful. He is warming up to the idea of being there though. I had taken him before, a few years ago, and he hated it. Then last fall I was going to take them, but it was always during Emily's nap time...and I wasn't about to wake her up just to go. So this year things seemed to pan out for us and we're going. We have been staying for the craft afterwards too and the kids love that part! I hang up their little creations on the fridge from one week to the next. When we get a new craft, the old ones go down and the new go up. It's fun for them to get out and 'socialize'!!

Well, I do believe that is all I have for now! I'm sure there will be plenty more in another month or so!! I will do my best to stay caught up better! In another month or so I expect to be getting my energy back and feeling more 'normal' again!! Stay tuned!!!

Summer Wrap Up!

Hello!!
Well I figured it is just about that time of year to FINALLY update this blog! We have been pretty busy between my best friends wedding, camping, a trip to South Dakota and just regular summer activities! It has been so much fun, but I'm never sad to see summer come to an end. Of all the season, summer is the one I like the least. Between the heat and the bugs, I could easily live some place where the temps never climb higher than 75 degrees...but then again, if I didn't have summer I probably wouldn't appreciate the other seasons the way I do! Either way...here is our summer!!
 At the end of June we had a family fun day in Gillette. We did a little shopping, went to the Gillette City Pool (very awesome!!!), took the kids out for some ice-cream and then went to the movies to see Cars 2 in the theater!! It was a BLAST!! I do believe that was one of the best days we've ever had!!
July is when things really started getting busy! My best friend got married so we headed to Sheridan to be apart of that! It was a beautiful wedding and we wish Andy and Christina  many years of wedded bliss! We came home on Sunday, just in time for Andy to work his 4 days and then left right away on Friday for a family camping trip!! We went up in the Big Horns with my parents (we had campsites right next to each other!!) and we had SO MUCH FUN!! Garrett went fishing with Andy and my Dad and caught his first fish! I don't have pictures of that, but my dad did get some on his camera, so when I get some copies, I will share them!! We had nice campfires, huge smores, delicious camp food and spent plenty of time relaxing! I was sad to see the trip come to an end, but Tuesday we had to pack up and head home anyways.
A few weeks later, on Andy's following 7-off, we headed on over and spent a few days in South Dakota with Andy's parents. We took the kids to Storybook Island, Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, and the Dinosaur Park. We had a wonderful time and the kids were very spoiled!! I don't think they minded though!! Then Andy's parents watched the kids for us so we could enjoy an evening out with some friends!! They are getting married in September, so we'll be heading back over there in about another month! Very excited for this as well!!
Overall we had a great summer!! Unfortunately when we got back from all our fun everyone came down sick....but we are hoping to be back up and running soon and are glad we got to enjoy the summer festivities to the fullest!! Please enjoy the pictures (there are a TON!!)!! Some of the pictures are kind of small, since there are so many, so I think if you click on them they will enlarge for you!! I will be 'seeing' you all again soon!! Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying the last days of summer!!

The Bride and I

Andy and I

Nothin' says SUMMER like BBQ's. baseball, and....a frog!

Happy Summer Everyone!!!
Just thought I'd post a blog about our summer so far! We're off to a great start, and I have a feeling it is only going to get better...and busier! Well, to get into the swing of things, we celebrated summer by having a cook-out, a delicious vanilla mousse cheesecake and lots of playing outdoors!! Garrett and Emily each have their own bat and balls for baseball....the light duty ones, of course....and so far Garrett is pretty darn good at that game! He gets all sorts of hits in, and he thinks it's so much fun!!! Him and Andy usually play baseball a little bit every day! We also got the kids' swimming pool all set up and ready to use and so far they LOVE it! They spend as much time it there as mommy will let them!!! We also celebrated Father's Day on the 19th of June...but thanks to the weather, our picnic didn't happen. But we still enjoyed a nice day as a family and had lunch with my parents. Other than that, not much else is new....except....we had a frog the other day!! Yep, that's right...a frog! Andy found it swimming around it a water puddle in our backyard! We put the little fella in our pool and the kids (and dogs!!) spend a good portion of the morning frog watching! He was pretty cool, but when we came back after lunch he was gone. Still, it was fun for the kids to watch him. He will forever be known as "Froggy" in our household!! Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer! Will have plenty more to post later. Until then, Happy Summer!!

Our 5th Anniversary!

Two souls with but a single thought,Two hearts that beat as one.
- Fredrich Halm



On June 3rd Andy and I celebrated our 5th anniversary!! I can't believe that we have already been married for 5 years!! They sure did fly by fast! Together we have come a long way since the beginning. So far, we have enjoyed our journey through life together.So here we are, 5 years later, with two beautiful children, a cozy home, and 2 rambunctious dogs! We love the way our life is unfolding and we have been so richly blessed in 5 short years. So, because the majority of my posts are about our kids, I thought that I'd re-cap a little about Andy and I! Andy is still working at the mine and he likes it there!! He is still a hunting addict, which I don't think will ever change! But, I'm fine with that! Andy works hard at work, hard at home and still manages to find the energy to help me with the kids, so he deserves some 'guy' time! I am still a stay at home mommy and wife, which I love and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world!! I love spending the days with my kids, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, baking, and so on. For me, it's my dream come true and I have never been happier! So, for us, there isn't much new, but we are just still happy, healthy and content!! Well anywhoo, we didn't celebrate 'big' or anything for our anniversary.  Andy had to work, but he grilled out steaks when he got home and I made a delicious fruit pizza for dessert! For us, it was the perfect way to celebrate! So here's to the 5 years we've already enjoyed and to many more beautifully blissful years of marriage!!

Summer So Far!

For me it seems like it's been a while since I've updated this. But we've been keeping busy and I'm afraid now that summer is finally here, I will only fall further behind in my postings. I apologize for this, but will definitely try and keep up as best I can. If not...I'll see you in the fall!
Ok. So far this summer....

Well, to start with, Andy and my Dad have been working on finishing up the fence. It is up, and keeping the kids and dogs in, but there is a little 'fine tuning' that needed to be done. Andy is hopefully going to finish that up this afternoon! We've been busy with the everyday stuff so far. Mowing the 'yard', spraying for bugs, and LOTS of playing outside with the kids!! I never get much work done during the summer...and if it isn't a 'regular chore' for me, forget it! I enjoy being out with the kids though. They enjoy the outdoors so much and it's great for me too. I enjoy the sunshine, reading and drinking my coffee on the deck! Other than that though, I don't much care for summer. I always look forward to it coming to an end. I know, I know...that's backwards for me than it is for most people...!

So moving on...there isn't a whole lot of 'news' to post. Mostly just pictures...which I will have below. The busy part of our summer is yet to come. Sometime while the weather is nice, we'd like to finish painting our living room, dining room and hallway. I have my color picked out, all we have to do is do it! Also, my best friend is getting married. I've been working on her bridal shower, making sure I fit into my dress and just helping as much as I can, which isn't really much at all. She lives too far away for me to do much, but sometimes it's nice to just pick up the phone and chat!! At times like these especially, I wish she was living closer. Maybe someday....So anywhoo, the weekend after her wedding we are planning a camping trip up to the mountains with my parents. We are super excited for our camping trip and can't WAIT!

Well, that is about all I have to post. We've spent the majority of out days...and nights...outside!! We are enjoying this beautiful weather!! We haven't had too many SUPER hot days yet...which makes me think they're coming and they'll probably stay later this year, but for now, we're just enjoying the super nice weather! Please enjoy the pics of our summer so far!!

A little of this, a little of that!

Just some updated pics of the past month or so!! Our spring has started out busy and we keep going full speed ahead...and don't see any signs of slowing down for a while!! But we're enjoying every minute!!
 (And yes, Emily is wearing a pair of Garrett's undies....she puts them on all by herself!! What a big girl!! LOL!!)!

Rainy day fun!

The kids helping put up our fence!

Happy Birthday, Andy!!

~ A husband is someone a wife cherishes more all the time...he's the joy she holds deep in her heart." ~

On May 19 Andy turned 27!! We had a party for him on the 20, but Andy's parents weren't able to make that day, so Andy's mom came over on the 19th and we celebrated with his parents on his actual birthday, after the guys were off work. Andy's mom brought a pizza for dinner and a birthday pie for afterwards! It was super nice, and the kids and I enjoyed spending time with Grandma P. while Grandpa and Daddy were at work. I hope that Andy enjoyed his birthday celebrations to the fullest! He is the greatest husband anyone could ask for and he deserves to have the best birthday ever!