Family Sunday.

This Sunday was my family's once a month get together. Where all the kids, my parents, friends of the family or whoever goes to my parents house for dinner.
We had almost all us kids there. We were only missing my big sister, Ashley.
But since my parents started this day it has become one of my more favorite days of the month. Hanging out with my family and having a home cooked meal, life just couldn't get any better on that day.
So we were almost all there and we ate and caught up on everyone's lives.
Beefy burgers (a better type of sloppy joe), jello fluff, strawberry dessert (which for some odd reason we don't eat as dessert), and for dessert butter finger cake (yum).
Cant wait for the next one!

27 years and 4 kids later

On Friday it was my parents 27th wedding anniversary!

They've been through alot. But have stayed together through the chaos.

Congrats mom and dad.

Late news is still good news.

Good News!!!!

My sister Ashy is finally engaged! It happened sometime this weekend and I am so excited!

I cant wait for planning to begin.

I don't know what her ring looks like so I had to improvise.

Congrats Ashy and Andrew!

Sunday Funday

So this past Sunday I was at my parents for our monthly family day. See since most of my siblings and I have moved out of my parents house, my parents started doing a family get together the first Sunday of every month. Unless some big event is going on then we post pone it til the next Sunday. Without doing this we would hardly see each other. Its really nice to be able to see my family other times besides holidays, graduations, funerals, ect.

So each person is suppose to bring something being the lazy person I was I didn't really think about it til a couple days before so I had nothing to bring this month. But my mom had some lemon bars that I could make as my contribution to the get together. Not homemade of course. Kind of sad because Ive really gotten into making things not from boxes, in other from scratch. But they turned out decent anyway.

For this family get together my "half" brother came up with his new baby and woman. I say "half" because I'm not related to him. He just lived with my family for a couple years and I consider him family. And I say his woman because their not married, although I do think their dating.

Anyway so most of the day I was being distracted by baby Deakin (not sure if that's the right spelling but its pretty close to it). And my sister called me a baby hog. Well if she would have one of her own with Andrew we I wouldn't be such a baby hog when a baby comes to visit.

Sorry moving on. So we ate and talked about whats been going on in our lives. I guess I have now told my family about Daniel, not that it was a big secret anyway. Ashley was looking over my shoulder as I was texting him.

Then the fun really began with dessert. We were out on the deck, passing baby Deakin around, and starting a fire in the fire pit. For dessert we had my lemon bars, left over brownies and we made Smores. Yum Yum Yummy!

My mom had apparently been going through some of her old stuff and came upon some fire works she took from my brother as a punishment some years ago. She brought those out and all the boys were having a blast lighting those off. They were pretty old and I didn't even know if they would work. But the boys were determined. And they did.

So quick recap......

Baby, Smores, Fireworks.

*None of the pictures below were taken at the party. All were found on Yahoo.

Family Reunion!

As you can tell from the title this past weekend I was at a family reunion.

I knew most the relatives but there were a few I didn't know. My aunt Jill, uncle Jim, and cousins Daniel, Jake, and Carsen (I'm not sure if that's how you spell his name).

Anyway the first day was a short one. We drove all across Nebraska, which took all day. When we arrived and checked into our motel we drove out to Jill's. There we had lots and lots of food.

The next day was such a busy/ relaxing day. It was spent partly on the lake and partly at my cousin, Renee's, camp site.

*Top left: My sister, Ashley, hanging out on the boat. Top right: My dad, Mike, resting his eyes. Bottom left: Uncle Merv driving the slow boat. Bottom right: Lisa relaxing at the camp site.

My uncle, Merv, had rented a boat for the day. We rode around on that for most of the time. Then my cousin Daniel showed up with his family's speed boat and away we went. He brought along his tub thing. And I hung on for dear life with Renee next to me.

*Nay Nay playing yard games at Jill's. Jill, Diane, and mom, Linda. My sister, Mikey, and her boyfriend, Shane.

After the boating, the lake, and the sun we were back at our motel for a quick shower. Then it was back out to Jill's house for another cook out.

The last day of the trip was spent looking at my family's history. We looked at my great great grandparents house and also my great grandparents house. The it was onto the cemetery to see some family grave sites.

*Inside my great great grandparents house. A water pump outside my great great grandparents house.

*A group picture with all the family. The outside of my great great grandprents house. And a tractor sitting near the house with a tree growing out of it.

I was so exhausted and sore that I was a little happy to be on my way home. But it was nice to get away from my small town and to visit some relatives.

Big Sis

Because I love my biggest sister, Ashley (the one on the right), and I want to support her in whatever she does. I wanted to share her blog with you.

She just started it and I wanted you guys to have to opportunity to check it out.

The link to her blog is: http://meanderingmemoir.blogspot.com

Love you Ashy!

A Hero to Me!

I wanna take the time right now to express how much of a hero my father is to me.

My dad works several jobs, more or less to take care of the family and provide things we need and want. He currently holds a job as an architect, a part time college professor, and a clock repair man.

Not to mention he volunteers as an EMT and fire fighter. He is also on the church council and repairs things around the house, such as he just put in the new wood floor to the kitchen and family room.

He works non stop and I love him so much.

He's willing to do anything for me and the rest of my family. No matter how big or small. Even when he doesn't have to work he's still trying to find something to do.

So tonight I am dedicating this blog to my father who without him I probably wouldn't be here today!

I love you daddy.