4 Yrs. and Counting!

Happy Anniversary to my sweet brother and sister-in-law, Eric and Megan Nichols!

Happy Birthday Dear Daddy!!!!

Happy 55th Birthday Dad! I thank God for you and your influence in my life. You have always been there for me, helping me to do right. Thank you for teaching me that happiness comes through finding God's will and being His person. Thank you for giving me what every girl needs - love and acceptance from her daddy.
Thank you for laughing with me over the years, helping me to make wise decisions, and setting a careful example for Greg and I and the kids.
We love you!!!

More Suzanna Kate Info...

For more info go to my Favorite Blog list and scroll down to Eric and Megan Nichols...my bro did a nice job sharing their photos.

Welcome Suzanna Kate!

My brother Eric and his beautiful wife Megan have been blessed by the birth of their second daughter, Suzanna Kate. She weighed approx. 7lbs. 9oz., and was around 20in. in length (sorry, I'm not good with exact figures!). She was born Tuesday, July 15, 2008. Early that morning (around 3 a.m.) Meg was feeling some discomfort, and mentioned it to Eric. They decided to head on out to the hospital, arriving sometime around 5 a.m., and I believe little Suzanna was born before 8! I was able to talk to Eric last night, and he is thrilled with how Megan and Suzanna are doing. He said the whole process was perfect. Congrats to Eric, Megan, and big sister Olivia! We love you guys!

Let's Go BANANAS!!!

I'm so far behind in blogging that I figured I'd better not take the time to label each pic. My cousin Andrea has three boys, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Isaiah. Sarah Ann and baby Charlie came along, as well as my mom's sister Sarah and her husband Jerry. It happened to be Aunt Sarah's birthday, so she celebrated by going down the big slide then we went to the Old Spagetti Factory for dinner. Grandma Yount joined us there.



























My dear cuz Andrea and her kids made the trek to Cincy last week, and I really wanted to see her. When I was trying to think of a kid-friendly place we could meet, my mind immediately went to a recommendation I had seen on Tamra's blog for a place in West Chester called "Bananas". After visiting their website, we decided to give it a try...it was incredible! I am totally not a Chuck E Cheese type of momma...call me boring, but I can't stand the place. Grrr...I hear one is coming to town...bad news! Sorry, the noise just about drives me crazy. Since my kids haven't been within the last 6 years, they have no idea what they are missin'. Works for me! Anyway, Bananas is the coolest indoor place with 8 huge inflatables. There is also a Parent Sanctuary complete with couches, a flat panel TV, and WiFi. It is wonderful! Thanks, Tamra! We are going to rent the place this fall when the Yount crew gathers in Cincy!

Fireman's Jamboree '08

The benefits of living in a "village" are numerous. Although there are people around, things are quiet. Most neighbors are friendly and concerned, and your children are relatively safe. Things are quite relaxed, and quite redneck. Anyway, I don't mind a bit. Each year the Fire Dept. has a Jamboree to raise money (they are a volunteer dept.). Since I want to minimize the chances of my house burning to the ground b/4 the volunteers arrive, we patronize the Jamboree. We spend a little money, and the kids have lots of fun. This year lots of friends were there for the parade and subsequent events. Greg and Adam placed in the top 6 teams in the Cornhole Tournament. Unfortunately, they weren't able to clinch the top spot and win $100 - but they are not giving up - by next summer we will probably be travelling to every jamboree within a 150 mile radius to enter the tournaments. :)Hope you enjoyed the pics!
By the way, Ryan and Evan were able to ride in a cop car in the parade. They were hyped.

4th of July

Our July 4th celebration has become a little more precious in the last few years. Even though we don't "go all out", we love just being at home. For many years we had campmeeting over the holiday. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about church and everything, but it was a bummer missing the 4th! This year we hung out, grilled, and went to our local (Lima) 4th spectacular. We met up with the Estes families and had lots of fun. I forgot my camera, but you can mosy on over to Valerie's blog for pics.

Happy Birthday Greg!

On June 28th Greg celebrated his 34th birthday. Although we were in Frankfort, we were still able to have a little fun. After some good food at Applebee's, Greg exited the restaraunt only to be pasted with silly string by the kids, along with Uncle Adam and Aunt Valerie. They had also decorated the van in his honor...
Back at the camper, we had cheesecake, coffee, and gifts.
I don't often brag on my husband via the blog, but I thank God often that He brought Greg into my life. He is a wonderful husband, and an incredible father to our kids.
God knew what I needed...someone who is stable and committed, not a huge risk-taker (security is big to me!), a willing hand around the house, a hands-on dad to our kids (especially boys who need that interaction), and I could go on and on. Thanks, Greg, for being an unselfish, loving companion! Hope your birthday was a great one!