Thursday, April 23

Marla April 23, 2009

This is the only picture that I took today...I decided yesterday to give the tanning bed (at the gym) a try. I don't think that I'll get tan...I am just hoping that it helps eliminate the terrible "farmer tan" that I get every year.

Wednesday, April 22

Jen April 22, 2009


Happy Earth day. Today we tried another eco friendly diaper. It worked really well. Also Found Juneau in his favorite spot sleeping.

Maureen April 22, 2009

At musical rehearsals. The kids are having so much fun doing this show together! I can't wait to see it!

Marla April 22, 2009

I was so nice out tonight...I made dinner on the grill...turkey kabobs.

Margie April 22, 2009

Today I had my first ever migraine headache. It started with seeing these zigzag flashes of light, and about 1/2 hr. later the headache came - right when I was in the middle of teaching and reading to the kids. Luckily Gabby was home and took over for an hour so I could lay down. I still feel weak from it. Does anyone else get these?

Miranda April 22, 2009

We got this shirt yesterday at the doctor! Isn't it cute? It says "Delivered by Dr. Homan!"

Molly April 22, 2009

Joshwa Howard Smith. Born at 9:24. 7lb 2oz, 19 inches. Mom and baby doing great. It was a wonderful delivery. I was so honored to be invited to be there.

Donna April 22, 2009

Yes! It's the Village People" right here in St. Charles this Saturday night! Tix like $49-$69. Somebody tell Mike Amadei, and Brooks! Haha! Where is that video? Seriously!

Monday, April 20

Jen April 20, 2009

Not feeling well and Riley is comforting me and Juneau is also by my side.

Molly April 20, 2009

Chill'n

Maureen April 20, 2009

Family Game Night at the library again tonight. This time there was one other family there (instead of just us). When Annie 'got married' in our game, she made a point of moving her pink peg from the drivers seat & letting her blue 'husband' peg drive. Where did that come from??? Shelby, then, did the same, except he moved his blue 'husband' peg into the passenger seat, letting the 'wife' drive, saying that he wanted to 'ride shotgun' :-) Annie later decided that her 'husband' and 'wife' would take turns driving, like dad & I do.

Marla April 20, 2009

Eric held baseball practice indoors today (because of all the rain lately). They went to a new place in St. Charles called Kane County Dugout.

Margie April 20, 2009

Dear Miranda,

After 16 years and 3 messy kids, this is what your Tupperware cabinet is going to look like.

Love,
Margie

Donna April 20, 2009

Ok..on Good Morning America they gave a guy the challenge to make a meal with random groceries they brought him. I just got home from Aldi's with this stuff. Wonder what I will make....Shrimp with bananas and honey buns? Oh the possibilities...

Miranda April 20, 2009

My next project....cleaning out my closets and drawers!

Sunday, April 19

Jen April 19, 2009

Here's a better look at James first two teeth.

Molly April 19, 2009

I am cheating, by only a few hours. This was at too early o"clock on Monday. Farrel leaving for class trip to space camp.

Maureen April 19, 2009

Chamber choir sang at a church fundraiser today.

Marla April 19, 2009

Well, I started the day cleaning out and reorganizing the freezer. I realized that we have a ton of frozen meals...so, I came up with a plan...We are going to be eating them for just about every meal this week (We'll save money and I will end up with some room in my freezer). Then the reorganizing just kept on happening-I cleaned through Vaughn and Cole's rooms (I am going to "freecycle" a few boxes of books and I have a few boxes of stuff for the Purple Hearts when them come on Thursday)...It's been a long day, now I am really tired.

Margie April 19, 2009

Here is the church that we go to now. Someday I'll try to get a picture of the inside. It is beautiful. Last night I had a dream that Mom lived here - kind of like it was her house, but I was living here with my kids. In the dream I was leaving to take Jesse to church, and Mom was so happy that I was doing that. I was glad that she was happy but kept wondering where she had been all this time. Weird. So, I had so much to do today and was thinking of skippng church, but then I remembered the dream and figured that I had better go.

Miranda April 19, 2009

Ahh..new tupperwear is so refreshing to me!

Saturday, April 18

Molly April 18, 2009

Farrell volunteers referees AYSO soccer games. Today was opening day and he worked all day (9-3). He got a bit sunburned and got to ref Annie's game. I hear he had to enforce some rules on her, sorry Maureen. He loves doing this.

Maureen April 18, 2009

Allison helped them pick flowers at the playground.

Miranda April 18, 2009

Gianni met his great grandma for the first time...It got me thinking how I really wish Gianni could have met my grandparents. I know they can see him, but I wonder what they think of me being a parent, etc. Wonderful thoughts run through my head when I think of my grandparents!Mirans

Marla April 18, 2009

Cole and Stephen walking back from the park

Margie April 18, 2009

Found lots of cool stuff in Nikki's attic - an old trunk, a wicker doll buggy, a mirror on a stand, toys, newspapers, postcards, and a bunch of valentines - all from around 1930. We laughed about this valentine, "Lawsy Goodness, can't you see, You am sho de one fo me? Listen, Honey, is you gwine, Be my little Valentine?" Can you imagine the outrage if one of these was passed out now?

Dylan April 18, 2009


Intense raquetball

Friday, April 17

Maureen April 17, 2009

Baby lilacs. I wonder if they've already got all of that wonderful aroma inside of them at this point, or if it somehow develops in the sunshine as they bloom.

Jen April 17, 2009


Today another beautiful day. So I gave the dogs a treat. They were supposed to take turns but sometimes they just couldn't wait. They love their doggie ice cream. Then later me,Joe and James went for Ice Cream! yummy.

Marla April 17, 2009

They are "Not Dead Yet"

The Handcuffs (Yes, that's Brad Elvis on drums)

Miranda April 17, 2009

Gianni was a hit at the Moose...This is Gianni and Mr. Biddle. Mr. Biddle paraded Gianni all over! It was very cute!

Margie April 17, 2009


Madi is laying on the kitchen floor playing, and she says, "Look, there's a skull on the ceiling!" For Easter, she got this starfish that you put in water and it grows. It was sitting in a bowl of water by the sliding glass door, the sun was shining in on it, and somehow it reflected a skull onto the ceiling!

Thursday, April 16

Jen April 16, 2009



Today was such a beautiful day! Me and James were in the backyard on the deck playing in the sun. Riley and Juneau were there too. But James got his first cut on his finger not sure how, so i put a bandaid on his finger but during his nap it disappeared. Than we went on a walk and took the dogs along with us it got cooler outside though.

Molly April 16, 2009

This picture is actually from Thursday. It was an all school art project. The kids each got two hands cut out. One in aluminum and one in copper. They then tooled them. The aluminum was much easier than the copper. They were able to take the aluminum one home and the copper ones will be put on poles and auctioned off at next years school auction as garden art. I helped all day with this. And have cuts on my hand from the copper to prove it. These are the finished products from Farrell's class. I very much enjoyed this and took some scraps home and have not been able to stop working with it. I think it's my new obsession.

Marla April 16, 2009

When Vaughn got home from school today he was flipping between two court shows. I thought it was cute...since he wants to be a lawyer.

Margie April 16, 2009

Here are a couple of items that were found in the attic of Nikki's new house. There is a lot more stuff up there and I am anxiously awaiting Sat. morning when I am going to go up there to look around. The picture shows 4 guys sitting on the porch of Nikki's house and the back says, "My roommates" and lists their names. This is a fun new puzzle to solve. I am trying to date the photo - maybe the 40's? I plan to go to the county recorder's office and look up the past deeds to the house. I believe there is some very interesting history there. One of the men is identified as Guy Easterly, and if you google his name, he may be a quite noteable writer. Who knows what other treasures are up in that attic!

Miranda April 16, 2009

What a beautiful day! Our first walk...I was DYING to get out of the house!

Maureen April 16, 2009

The kids had a yo-yo assembly today. The show was free, if PTO agreed to sell yo-yo's at lunchtime for a few days. Because of that, though, we only got one show & had to fit all 400+ kids into the gym at once!