Memories of our day....

What wonderful memories we are making! Having Gabrielle here is such a special blessing...what are the odds that a young lady would fly half way across the country for a friend's birthday?! Even though Gabrielle is 19, she and Meghan have so very much in common! Lots of old movies are planned, 'Sense and Sensability'...Frank Sinatra, and lots of long talks are planned for while she is with us.

This week has been very out of the ordinary for us. None of us was babysitting this week due to vacations, Gabrielle is here!!!...and Sara had a full week of worship dance camp. Today was the last day and we all got to go and watch and participate! It was so great! I am really, really pleased with this worship dance group. All the movements, costumes and songs are so God-honoring, modest, but fun! Sara is loving it and I know that Anna will love it this year as well.

Sara before her dance started.
They asked the parents and siblings to participate in a messianic group dance....so Anna and I joined in! It was so much fun! Here I am trying to help Anna...she loved dancing, too!

Sara worshipping...
With her flag...this dance was choreographed completely by Sara and her two friends....it was beautiful!

Our friend, Bella (in the center) and her group.

Sara's group that she danced with...Natalie, Grace and Sara

My two beautiful dancers!
Sophia and Anna will be in the same dance class this year.
After we came home and had some kefir smoothies, Ron took my little ones to visit his mother while I took the 3 older girls to a quick lunch and antiquing....but, these babies were resting right up the street from our house! They were so cute with their spots and so calm...I had to get a picture!

Visiting the South Hills of Pittsburgh wouldn't be complete without a slice of Danny's pizza or an italian hoagie. We stopped for a quick bite before heading to the antique mall in Castle Shannon.

We saw so many beautiful antiques, but these three seemed to have the most fun trying on the antigue hats and clothes! They look like models! (Or Minnie Pearl from Hee Haw with the tags hanging down from their hats!)
Audrey Hepburn...I mean, Gabrielle!

Jackie Kennedy....I mean, Sara!

Our models...posing with the dummy! Gorgeous dress on the dressmakers dummy!
As we were leaving the antique mall, Meghan got a call from her friend Courtney, asking her to be one of her bridesmaids at her wedding in December! Meghan is so honored, and is so excited! I am having enough trouble lately, getting teary over Meghan turning 16, driving soon, having her older friend visit for 2 weeks, and now a wedding....where did my little girl go?!

I took this for Gabrielle. Where she lives in Idaho, it is very dry, desert like and not very green. We came home and had some rain and a little thunder storm. It is very nice and cool now from the fresh rain. Tomorrow in Gabrielle's hometown, it is supposed to be 104 degrees! I cannot even imagine!

After a yummy dinner of tacos and burritos, we made some homemade kettle corn and all settled down to watch "By the Light of the Silvery Moon"...even Ronnie and Anna like that old movie!

Now that the little ones are tucked in, the older girls are watching part 2 of the new 'Sense and Senseability' BBC version in peace and quiet. I am off to bed! I'm not used to running around so much! LOL Tomorrow will be a quiet day....a little grocery shopping, a little laundry and just straightening up the house for Sunday, then a worship service as a family. Goodnight and God bless! ~Sue~

Surprise, Meghan!!!!

What a memorable, special day this has been! Meghan's 16th birthday is in 9 more days, and today she got a HUGE surprise! Her dear friend, Gabrielle, flew in from Idaho to stay with us for 2 weeks for Meghan's birthday! Meghan had no idea, and this has been in the works for 7 weeks....lots of phone calls between Gabrielle and I, between her mother, my friend, Patti and I...and still Meghan did't get suspicious! We told her that we were picking up my Aunt Joan at the airport, and we dropped Meghan and Sara off at Barnes and Nobles for a special 'sister time' before hand. Of course, we called Sara and told her when we were getting there to pick them up, and Meghan (being Meghan) had gone to Michaels to look at yarn so we had to wait for her. But...it was so worth it! She was so touched and surprised to see Gabrielle! They had never met in person, after a couple years of friendship thru email, blogs, and hours on the phone...they have so much in common and are truly kindred spirits....having her here for 2 weeks is certainly going to be so very special and memorable for all the girls!I love this picture!!! She walked in and squealed "Gabrielle!" See Sara in the background laughing...she kept a good secret...I couldn't have gotten ready for this without Sara!
Seeing Meghan this happy and excited means so much to me! She is so excited to have Gabrielle here for 2 weeks! Meghan is planning a trip to visit Gabrielle when she graduates.

And, here is Miss Gabrielle and Meghan!

Our 'three' girls for the next 2 weeks...it will be like having another daugher here!
Gabrielle finally relaxing! She had to get up at 3:30AM in order to make her flight here. The time difference from Idaho to here is 2 hours, and she had to make a connecting flight from Boise to Chicago, and then to Pittsburgh...by the time she arrived, she had already been awake for almost 12 hours!
Sara wanted to get a picture of Meghan's smile!
Of course, Anna had to get into the picture!

~Once we came home, everyone relaxed, the 3 older girls chatted and rested, poor Anna had a little fever and fell asleep on the couch....I actually fell asleep as well!

After a yummy dinner of chicken with mushroom sauce over GF pasta, Gabrielle mentioned that she loved the movie 'Enchanted' so we all enjoyed some Rita's italian ice and watched the movie.

The girls were able to discuss all the things they want to do while Gabrielle is visiting. One of the things that they both love are Frank Sinatra movies, playing piano, books, baking and more old movies. We have some family gatherings planned, some get togethers with friends, antiquing, our Maiden's group (and Hannah's birthday), a Graduation party for Alaina and Meghan's victorian garden tea party for her 16th birthday. Sara has 2 more days of dance camp and will be gone all day tomorrow at camp, then at a friends house swimming and choreographing a dance routine, and I am supposed to meet my friend, Stephanie, so I think Meghan and Gabrielle have some shopping planned. We're trying not to plan too much, so we have plenty of time to spend together.

I'm off to bed...busy days, blessed days we're having around here! Will post more about the visit in the coming days! ~Sue~

Childhood memories...

When I was a very little girl, we lived close to the city and I remember my parents bringing my 2 sisters and I to South Park to the Game Preserve to see the animals. Then, we actually moved to South Park, which was a great place to grow up! We lived just a minutes drive to the Game Preserve, the Wave Pool and Corrigan drive....so we were always down the park.

When my 2 oldest daughters were little, again, we lived in the city...and what a treat it was for Ron and I to take them to South Park for the day or even for the evening to the Game Preserve and Children's playground. What memories we have!!! I count myself so blessed to still have 2 little ones to continue the memories with. The other night, Meghan and Sara wanted to stay home, Ron was working, so I took Ronnie and Anna to the Park. First, we fed the ducks and geese lots of wilted lettuce and spinach...someone remarked that we were feeding them "healthy food"! LOL They loved it, though! Lots of fish and turtles poking their heads up from the pond along with the ducks. Anna is my animal lover and she just giggled in glee to feed them!They loved feeding the ducks and geese...but I was afraid of them falling in everytime they climbed the railing! I love their sweet smiles!

We were able to watch these 2 deer for quite a while...slowly wandering around before they ran into the woods.

Anna wanted to "hold" a duck...she tried sneaking up on them and then laughed so loud when they took off! (Ronnie was NOT amused!)
Hard to tell from this photo, but this buffalo looked like it was posing for us! The kids were tickled to be able to see a baby buffalo as well....so cute, it looked like a fuzzy cow! Anna kept calling this one "Zippy" like the one in "Moe and the Big Exit" veggie tales movie.
Our last stop was Children's playground where they spent quite a bit of time swinging, climbing, sliding and running around. They made some little friends inside the little house and were playing a game with them before it was time to go home. It was such a beautiful night!

I feel so blessed to have all my children and love all the ages that they are right now! With Meghan turning 16 in only 10 more days...I can't believe how grown up she is, and how much I enjoy her, we just enjoy so much spending time together!

Sara will be 14 in a few months, and I love her at this age...she is maturing so beautifully, and I love spending time with her...and watching her still "play"...she is so gifted with the little ones and so imaginative!

Ronnie, at 7 1/2, is so like his Dad! Sometimes, I marvel at how "manly" a little boy can be...and after never having any brothers of my own, I'm sure enjoying all the "guy' stuff he loves to do! I also enjoy having his hugs, too!

My Anna....thank you, God, that you saw fit to bless me with more little ones....especially one more little girl!!! With Anna only being 4 1/2, I can enjoy my older ones and still enjoy all the wonderful blessings of little ones as well...and Anna is so funny! She tells jokes and calls them "Anna-isms"! Her big brown eyes melt my heart, and as I tell people...I never wanted an "empty nest" and now I won't have one! Having my 1 year old nephew here 2 days a weeks helps take care of my baby craving, too!

~I'm so glad that I can share these simple memories from my childhood with each of my children...and hopefully, someday, my grandchildren as well! ~Sue~

Dance Camp Update

Wow, is dance camp fun or what! In the past 2 days I have learned a tambourine/African style dance, a flag dance, and working on The Dance of the Gingerbread Kids... F-U-N!

Tomorrow we will star choreographing dances and then Thursday/Friday is polishing everything up! I have to go to bed now and on Friday I will give the final update.

Ballet Pictures

This Monday I start DANCE CAMP!
I am super duper excited, especially because my friend, Bella will be doing it too! I just bought new dance clothes that fit the guidelines: black leotard, black dance skirt, white leggings, and new ballet shoes. I AM SO READY TO START TODAY, but it doesn't start till monday :( I thought I would post about the basics of ballet: positions, proper atire, and just normal pictures of Anna and I :)

Peeking from the plants :)

Anna striking an 'attitude pose'

A Tripod+camera timer= self shots!

Anna in an adorable pose :)

You need to know the 5 basic positions (By the way, my friend Bella would know alot more about this then me, but ya'll are stuck with me. D-E-A-L)

FIRST POSITION


SECOND POSITION

THIRD POSITION

FOURTH POSITION

FIFTH POSITION

~Right now I am going to walk over to McDonalds and have a cool treat... then do 40 crunches, 60 leg ups, and Walk Away The Pounds to work it all off :) Ciao!

Farmer's Markets! Hooray!

I love Farmer's Markets! I've always loved them...and what a treat it is to take the kids! Today, I took Sara and Anna to the library (while Ron took Ronnie to get the new Pittsburgh Penguin DVD), then us three girls headed to our little local Farmer's Market! They were giving away free copies of this, and if I fill out a short, online survey, I will recieve a free 1 year subscription! It is pretty cool...tells all about the local farms, markets, and healthy, sustainable food scene in and around Pittsburgh.

Look how beautiful these nectarines and plums look! And they taste as sweet and juicy as they look!

I am a sucker for really good, fresh salsa and homemake chips...and these did not disappoint! These are from a little resteraunt in Canonsburg.

Can't you just smell and taste these tomatoes?! We threw a small steak on the grill...sauteed up some red peppers and onions...cut up a couple of these tomatoes and then.....some corn on the cob!

Glad I took a picture of these blackberries as they are gone already! So sweet and juicy!

It was so nice outside on the deck "shucking" corn!
Hot, dripping with real butter and salt! Delicious! This was the perfect meal for a sunny, breezy, beautiful day!

Can't wait until the next Farmer's Market! Might take all the kids to the big, evening market Friday night....stock up for the weekend! I feel so priviledged to be able to have all the farm fresh produce available....I can't wait until my garden starts producing! We have lots of little green tomatoes right now, and lots of flowers on the zucchini and cucumbers....hopefully, within the month...we will be walking outside picking our own! Hope to do a lot of canning and freezing this year as well! Hope you all have a chance to stock up at a Farmer's Market near you! ~Sue~

My Sincerest Apoligies and an UH-OH!

First things first: I am sorry I have been a 'ghost writer' lately... in fact since June 29th! Yikers... anyways, I have been soooooo busy! One of my closest friends, Autumn, was here for a week back in June, then after that I have been working 3+ days a week babysitting, getting together with friends, parties, and plans! *sigh* We have just been so busy! I will be even busier this week and next week:

• Today: Babysitting 9:00 AM-???, Shopping for dance clothes
• 7-10: Babysitting 11:30-2:30 PM, getting together w/ a friend, maybe
• 7-11: FREE
• 7-12: Church, Dinner w/ friends
• DANCE CAMP (7-13 through 7-17)
• 7-15: Airport to pick up my Great Aunt Joan
• 7-16: Babysitting
• 7-17: DANCE CAMP SHOW FINALE

Thats it so far.... we are so busy! But I'll find time to write somehow! On to the UH-OH in the title: Meghan is sick! She has had a fever since yesterday morning and is feeling horrible. So please pray for her :)

The Joys of Fellowship!

~Fellowship!~ We had the opportunity to have a wonderful time of fellowship with our friends, the Calvetti's! This is Joshua, the oldest son. Some members of their family had just left for a mission trip in Zambia, so we thought a change of scenery, and hot meal and some fun would cheer them up!
After a meal of baked chicken, red potatoes with fresh chives and green beans, we had a little time just visiting and enjoying the kids.
Me and Sarah Calvetti....she is so much fun! We always enjoy when she spends time with us....and she knows I love her, even if she doesn't like my kombucha!

This is the DELICIOUS "Hot, gooey butter cake" that Rochelle brought over! I have to get the recipe! It was such a hit, there was none left!

This is Rochelle and her youngest of seven children, Abigail! We were taking pictures and Abigail kept saying " do me, do me!!" ...we finally figured out that she wanted her picture taken, too!

Our "silly Sara"! We have to make sure we say "Sara Catherine" or "Sarah Elaine" when both are together as it gets pretty confusing if we don't!

The "other" Sarah! These girls were taking so many pictures until they finally decided it would be more fun to run around in the dark and swing on the tire swings!

We all had a great time playing 'catch phrase'! History seemed to be the favorite topic of the evening!

Meghan loves the game 'Catch phrase'!

Looks like Joshua is deeply pondering a question! LOL

Abigail and Timothy had fun on the swings.
Rachel in the tree!
How many people can you fit in a tree? Right now, there were three. We had a lot of initials carved into this tree! It started 3 years ago with our friend, Dillon carving his.....last night, Joshua and Sarah both carved theirs as well.

~We had a great time of fun and fellowship last night! I so strongly feel that the Bible teachs us to offer hospitality...to open our homes and our hearts, and that relationships have eternal value. It is so important to foster these relationships...not just for our children but for us as well. Godly friends are precious! Looking forward to a movie and popcorn night some evening soon! ~Sue~