Do the Hula! Eden's NINE!!!

Happy 9th Birthday to our first baby. I can't believe she's nine. Is it really possible? Well, it's true...time goes too fast! It has been an amazing 9 years watching our baby grow into a little girl.
She had her first sleepover birthday party this year. It was Hawaiian theme and packed with fun. In fact, I think I had as much fun as the girls! She had 5 of her girlfriends over on Friday night (8-22). The party favors were grass skirts and leis for every girl!
For supper, we had Hawaiian Pizza, Sun Chips and Fruit Kabobs with Strawberry-Cream Cheese fruit dip. The girls had fun skewering their own fruit. I made Strawberry slushies with an umbrella and strawberry garnish! They loved it!
They each got to keep their cup, straw and umbrella.

Emily

Lauren

Camryn

Sophia

Emily
I had made a special playlist just for the party with Hawaiian music and tropical, beachy songs...just as they were finishing eating, the Cha-Cha Slide came on and we all screamed and ran to the family room for some fun dancing, we also did the Electric Slide and the Macarena! too too much fun!
Next was craft time. We made paper doll hula girls with mini-leis, raffia skirts and lots of fun glitter, sequins and stickers for the cute tube top. Every one of them was unique and equally cute. Even Lauren's bald version of the paper doll.
After that, it was time to open presents and blow out the birthday candles! Eden isn't much of a sweets girl...she doesn't like cake at all...and since her favorite--Pumkin Pie, isn't very tropical or Hawaiian, we decided to make her second favorite dessert instead. It was Dirt Dessert with 9 skinny candles! Yum!
I must say, each girl was very thoughtful in the gifts they chose for Eden...gifts that were specific to the relationship...very sweet!
The night ended with jammies and sleeping bags. Two rows of three in the family room. They snuggled in and watched the movie, "Nim's Island" projected on the wall. After the movie, they drifted off to sleep (or so we thought)...Q and I were definitely sleeping!
On Saturday, August 23rd, it was official...she was 9! We made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and I gave all the girls manicures and pedicures...Oh and we had to do the Cha-Cha slide at least one more time before we said, The End!
Special thanks to my BFF Dawnie for keeping Truman and Briar overnight...that was a huge help! And, thanks to all our friends and family all over the world who sent gifts and spending money and gift cards and birthday wishes for our precious little Eden. You all mean so much to her and us!
We love you!

Go Vikes!

It's Pre-Season! Q is already humming that Monday-Night Football music like he always does...Da da da dun--dah-dah dah-dah--Da da da da Da Da ...er something like that.
I'm a Packer fan in a house full of Vikings fans...what can I say, I don't care enough about football to fight for my kids to love "my team". I'm a Packer Backer simply because I was born and raised in Wisconsin.
Now, living on the East Coast gives us easy access to so many big cities. There are so many teams out here, it seems to be a lot less common to just be a fan of the team from the state you are born in. Well, Truman and Quenton remain the die-hardest Vikings fans in these parts, so when he heard that the Vikings were going to be playing the Ravens at Baltimore...He got right to finding some tickets! During pre-season you can get 'em cheap, and get good seats! He found some lower level 8th row seats in the end-zone right away on ebay! Baltimore is only an hour-and-a-half from here, so it wasn't a big deal to drive down for the game! He took Eden and Truman...they loved it! They couldn't stop talking about A.P. [Adrian Peterson]#28 Truman's favorite Viking!
Minnesota won! It was an unforgettable night with Daddy!
On the train into the city
A.P. So close...In person!
Like Father Like Son...Die Hard Vikings Fans
Watchin' the game

She's Normal!

My friend, Krista, is a Professor at Franklin & Marshall College here in Lancaster. She teaches in the Department of Psychology. Her interests are in cognitive development, with particular focus on the nature and development of concepts in young children.

Her current research investigates the development of artifact concepts, specifically children’s tool use and their understanding of purpose and design.
So, occasionally she will ask me to bring in one or more of my kids to do some fun "projects". Basically, her students do developmental research on my kids. This is very interesting and fun, so I'm always eager to get my kids involved. She recently did a study involving 2 year olds and Briar and I were happy to help.

I get to sit in the corner and watch while they ask Briar questions and show her objects. It's so fun to see how Briar will react. They videotape the whole thing. Afterwards, I asked what they expected her to do...they said, she did what every two year old does! Yes! Success! She's normal.

Ocean City, New Jersey!

The ocean is only a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house! How fun is that!?!
So, we planned a day-trip with our friends, J.D. & Dawn and kids...Then, at the last minute, we decided to book a night in a hotel and squeeze in a day of family time too, since we hadn't taken any kind of family vacation yet this summer! We had so much fun! The weather was perfectly sunny...the sand was hot and the water was cool!
We drove to Dawn and Jon's Sunday evening and hung out. Then, got up Monday morning packed our beach-bags and coolers, and hit the road to the Jersey Shore!
The kids always play so nicely together...over the past [almost] 4 years that we've lived here, they've become the best of friends! Since we've been BFF's as of Junior High, it's totally a dream come true for Dawn and I that our kids know each other so well and are such great friends.

In the evening, we enjoyed walking up and down the boardwalk. We rode the rides, and ate the famous "Mack and Manco's" Pizza. The kids loved the rides! They rode the Musik Express with me and the Log Flume with Daddy, as well as some kiddie rides with Sophia and Anthony...and, Briar took a nice evening nap in her stroller.
It was such a fun evening on the boardwalk with our friends...after they left, we went back to ride a few more rides before turning in for the night.

The next morning, we went out to the boardwalk for some morning fun. We rented a Surrey, a cute double bicycle with two bench seats and a basket [for sitting in] on the front. It was too fun! We just rode around for about an hour and then stopped along the way for some breakfast...Monkey Bread, a very popular treat for the boardwalkers...the kids loved riding on the Surrey. Q and I, and sometimes Eden, did the pedalling. Briar and Eden sat in the front basket for part of the ride, and Truman spent a lot of time jumping out to get his flip flop that fell off a grand total of FIVE TIMES! It was a lot of fun!
Then, it was back to the beach for some more fun in the sun...
...Or, maybe a nap under the umbrella...
...and some fun in the sand! What a great day to spend as a family!
Eden and I went together to get pedicures before the mini-vaca!
I love that guy! Thanks, Daddy, for taking us on a great vacation to the Jersey Shore!

HAPPIER BY THE DOZEN

On July 20th, Q and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary!
It's hard to believe 1996 was that long ago. It's been an amazing 12 years though.
We've been so blessed and have shared many wonderful experiences over the years. We love being parents to our three kids...and traveling all over the world together...and being romantic...and just doing life together. Even in the tough times, we just seem to grow closer. Our love is stronger than ever and we are so excited about the future.
We love to watch God working in our family and our marriage and just want to follow Him all the days of our life. God is so good. We are continually looking forward to what He has for us next.
We can't wait to grow old together!
Praise God for 12 beautiful years...

BETROTHED!

Our good friends, Lauren Hess and Jimmy Herr, recently got engaged. We were so excited for them when Lauren called with the news. I screamed and cried!
The ring is GORGEOUSSSSS!!!
It was on a HOPE trip a little over a year ago [that Q was leading] that Lauren and Jimmy met. Lauren works for HOPE also, and we've become great friends over the last few years. She is a beautiful girl inside and out...I dream of Eden and Briar growing up to be just like her. She's babysat for us many times, and we feel very blessed to have a babysitter who is such a good influence on our kids. The Hess family has been so dear to us since we made the move to Pennsylvania. They took us in right away and made us feel welcome and at home, and treated us like family.
What a good reason to go out and celebrate! We took Lauren and Jimmy out to TJ Rockwell's. It's this great restaurant that's famous for their outdoor seating! It was a beautiful night, so it was perfect to sit out on the deck and just eat and talk and enjoy the weather. So fun! While we were there they asked Q if he would officiate at the ceremony...we are so honored. They are such a dear couple and we are so looking forward to the wedding. We had our first session of pre-marital counseling already...there's just so much fun stuff to do...I love weddings!