Fallderall and Fiddledeedee

A few weeks ago, Lydia got a very special treat from Grandma Kanost. We chose not to tell her details other than she and Ashleigh, the girl i babysat this summer, were going to have an afternoon of getting pampered and dolled up. They were more than ok with that plan. So, my mom and I got to work. We tag teamed Lydia's hair...i did the curling; my mom did the pinning it up. Grandma gave Lydia a manicure while I did Ashleigh's hair and nails. The girls were beaming with smiles through the whole process.

We did a quick photo session before we had to leave.

Claire wanted in on the prettiness and pictures, so I curled a couple strands of her hair and snapped a shot so that she was included.

And finally, we were on our way to...

La Comedia to see Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.

La Comedia is a dinner theatre. Mom had gotten us super seats near the front. We had a wonderful feast, great conversation with "the girls," which also included Aunt Sarah Beth. Picking up Aunt Sarah Beth was also part of the surprise. And then we got to watch one of Lydia's favorite plays. There were many little Cinderella's scattered throughout the audience. During our dinner, we were stopped by someone who was sitting above us and asked if she could take a picture of Lydia. Lydia was pleased to accept her request.

So silly...

Lydia's fruit smoothie, which she was anticipating for quite a while. She got to keep the glass as a keepsake.

Afterward, we got to meet the main characters of the cast, who also signed her playbook. They did such an excellent job and it was fun for Lid to get to see them up close. They were all so friendly.

Cinderella and her in laws, the king and queen.

Cinderella with her cruel stepmother and mean step sisters. (They were my favorites).

Cinderella with the fairy godmother.

And finally, the two Cinderella's with the handsome prince.

Thanks Grandma, for a magical evening.

We Love Those Billington Boys

Earlier this summer, we have the privledge of having my newphews spend the night. They live in Quebec so we look forward to spending time with them and their parents every summer when they come back to the States for a couple months. This was a first to have them sans Mark and Jill. They were so much fun and I was especially impressed by my nephew, Sam, at how responsible he was in regards to helping his younger brothers. While our time with them was short, we made some memories. One of those was going hiking on a trail in Bellbrook. it was a hot, hot day and we didn't make it very far in distance with 8 kids, one of which was carried many a time by her daddy when she would resort to just stopping and fussing. Here are a few shots from the hike.

Grabbing a bite to eat before we get started.

Claire is in LOVE with her oldest cousin, Sam.

Cool shades, Joel.

This was one of the "Three Sisters," a few trees that were around 500 years old.

The gang in front of the base of one of the Sisters.

We were trying to figure out where all three trees were and saw 2 really big trees. We wondered about the third. We went down a small hill and discovered the third sister.

The fearless Jack with a daddy long leg. He really impressed the girls.

I got some help from two sweet boys for dinner that night. We made a not so healthy meal of chili dogs. Jack cut up some onions for me, while...

Mr. Joel shredded some cheddar. Sorry the pics are sideways. I went to Picasa to fix them and cannot even find them now???

The next day we camped out at home. At one point, someone asked to play with playdough. I thought it was fun then to find it entertained the bigger kids as well. We made space for everyone around my kitchen table and playdough creations were made for well over an hour.

Thanks for the memories, Sam, Jack, and Joel. We wish you could have stayed longer. We would love to make this a yearly tradition. WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES.

Uncle Gwen

When Dan and I were dating, i quickly grew to love his family, of which included my soon-to-be nephew, Sam. Sam didn't have any aunts...just uncles. Once Dan and I were married, I was thrilled to become an instant aunt. Only Sam decided to lovingly refer to me as Uncle Gwen. The name didn't stick and i am called "Aunt Gwen" by my now 5 nephews and 1 niece. Anyhow, all that to say i am super, duper excited to be an uncle again.

Congratulations to my sister, Sarah Beth and her hubby, Matthew. Can't wait to meet my new nephew or niece this spring. Let me just say, he or she will be blessed to have these two as parents. And look at how much fun they are gonna have. Love you guys and praying for you.

Prayer

Lately, it seems like my mind is a rough sea of thoughts that has handicapped my sleep. The other night I was awake until 3 am...just me and my thoughts. When this happens, i ask the Lord to calm my anxieties and give me rest. And He has. There seems to be a lot emtionally "on our plates," but we know God is good and takes care of us. I would ask those of you who read this to join me in prayer for a few specific requests. Thank you to those who already have.

*My mother-in-law, Marcia, has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. While this was shocking news to hear, we know it did not take our God by surprise. She says the Lord has given her a peace about it all, for which we are thankful. Please lift her up in prayer, as i am told she is getting ready to start treatment very soon.

*My uncle Philip, my dad's brother, continues to decline in his health. He has been under the care of hospice for a few months now. Please also keep my dad in your prayers during this time. My dad has been such an example to me as I have watched him take care of my uncle over the last few years.

*Starting August 24th, i have to get off my thyroid medicine again. My bloodwork came back good and my ultrasound was good, but the Dr. wants to have another pet scan done in September. Dan thinks I should try and get out of it, but i feel that if the endocrinologist thinks that it is needed, I should follow through.

*So many have prayed for our family as Dan has been unemployed. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please continue to do so. God has provided and it has been a blessing to be on "this side;" to watch how God takes care of our every need. There are some prospects on the horizon. I would put an excited mark next to that last sentence, but my keyboard won't let me do that and half the time, I can't use my parenthesis or capitalize the letter i.

*And lastly, I ask you to pray for something very, very exciting which I am going to let you read in my next post.

Jake Swimming

Here is one of the two new swimmers in our family. Jake and Lydia both swam in the last meet just to get some experience and they both did great. I wish they had been able to swim at separate times, but they were in the same heat and each was in one of the far lanes of the pool. My mom and I were on the side where Lydia was placed so I was bummed that I wasn't able to see Jake very well. However, I was very happy when Dan showed me this video he nabbed. Can you believe this is the same child, who last summer screamed when encouraged to go under water. This was the best thing for he and Lydia this summer. Now we have two fish in the family who cannot get enough of the pool. And Claire is making great headway with going under water, too. We will all be sad when this month is over and the pool closes.

4th of July Fun

Since July 4th fell on a Sunday, we were able to have two fun filled days in a row. For the last - I don't know how many - years, we have spent this holiday with our good friends, the Cruz family. However, they decided to celebrate on Monday so we were also able to celebrate with some other wonderful friends, the Riddell's on Sunday evening. Following are some pictures to highlight our time with them.

This is Jackson, my "little brother," Brian and Alex's son. Brian has been serving our country in Iraq and I am happy to report he is home now. Praise God.

Claire decided to imitate Jackson, I guess.

Best buds.

This year, we got to experience 2 days of slippin' and slidin'. And a first with shaving cream. I forgot our camera the next day at the Cruz's, but lots of memories were made. What more could you ask for?