Stepping Heavenward....

Stepping Heavenward is the new study that our "Maiden's" group is doing. Looks like it will be a really great study...lots of scripture application, and a great work of classic literature for the girls to study as well. We had the chance to introduce Gabrielle to a lot of our special friends.

Gabrielle and Meghan Our great group of young ladies last night! We had a few additions such as Gabrielle and the William's cousin, Hannah, who were visiting....as well as the Calvetti girls, Sarah and Rachel, who are joining our study...I tried to get all the girls in the picture, but you can barely see Courtney on the end! Sorry, Courtney!


But...here is Meghan and Courtney! (we were talking about Meghan being one of Courtney's bridesmaids, and I had to snap a quick photo of these smiles! They lit up the room!

I also had forgotten to take a picture of the memory quilt that I had made Courtney for her graduation, so thought I would post this as well.

(I'm sorry Sarah....but I had to! This was such a funny picture of you and Emily fooling around and having fun...perfectly describes both of you!)

Hannah Williams and Sara....they really hit it off, discovered a lot in common and are already emailing each other! Hope we see a lot more of Hannah when she comes to Pittsburgh to visit!
And our Michaela and Bella!

~What a great time we had last night! (after driving thru a monsoon to get there!) Our studies might only be once a month, but they are pretty thought provoking, challanging at times, and bring both the girls and their mothers closer to God and to each other. We've been talking a lot about accountability...and how important it is for each of us to have accountability in our lives and our Christian walks....for us, a big part of this is our Maiden's group. Looking forward, already, to next months! ~Sue

Sisters

My friend, confidante, sympathetic listener
You have been by my side,
through it all,
when I seem small
thru far and wide.

My sister, you keep to me
The love you show is completely true
And I show it back to you.

I LOVE YOU MEGHAN!

Sunday Mall Crawl

Birthday Girl At the Galleria!Gabrielle in a magenta dress... gorgeaus!
Gabrielle and I in Anthropoligy (We had on matching dresses)MY NEW SNEAKERS! Such a steal, only $4.00!


Sweet Little Peonie :)

Today, after church, we went to the Galleria Mall and had a great lunch at Panera Bread. I got 1/2 tuna salad sandwhich and chicken noodle soup and it was yummy :)

Then we browsed around (as everything was wayyyyy out of our price ranges) and then we just chatted :) It was an amazingly fun day and was quite the memorie maker. Remember, footloose pasket??? LOL

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!