Happy 5th Birthday Meri Jane!

happy birthday to  you

happy birthday to you

happy birthday dear meri jane

happy birthday to you!!

Love,

Uncle Benjamin, Aunt Heather,

Benji, Carolyn, Katie and John

in a nutshell.

Any hopes of keeping my blog updated and current have offically been thrown out of the window.  In the near future I am going to give facebook the boot, so maybe I'll have a few extra minutes. :)

(thank you to my mil for emailing me her pictures)

 Our baby turned four.

I still can't believe he's four.  When asked how old he is, he'll typically smirk and say 'fourteen'.

  The tradition of blowing out the candles with (almost all the) cousins.

Roasting marshmallows with Daddy. 

Fun in the sun and sand with cousins, aunties and grandma.

We're plugging away with school.  Keeping busy with everyday life.  Looking forward to some very special days coming up.  That's about it.  In a nutshell.

Happy 1st day of fall!

happy 4th birthday Wyatt

happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear wyatt
happy birthday to you!!!

Love,
Uncle Benjamin, Aunt Heather
Benji, Carolyn, Katie and John

Happy 4th Birthday John!

happy birthday to you

happy birthday to you

happy birthday dear john

happy birthday to you!

I can't wrap my mind around that fact the my baby is four.  When he was born, Benji (our oldest) wasn't quite four himself.  Having 4 kids in under 4 years.. Looking back, I'm not sure what we were thinking or how we survived, but here we are. 

Just as with the other 3 kids, we couldn't imagine life without John Henry.  He completes our family, in more ways than one.  He is 'it' for us.  Forever our baby.  He's solid.  He's tough.  He's tender and sweet.    He pushes the limit.  He's goofy and silly.  He loves trains, always has.  He absolutely adores his big brother.  (And vice versa).  He's his Father's son in so many ways.  He has his Mommy wrapped around his pudgy finger.

Happy birthday to our not-so-little-anymore John!  We wish you a day as special as you are to us!

Love,

Daddy, Mommy, Benji, Carolyn and Katie

Happy Birthday Gpa Ray!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GPA RAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!

We hope your day is as special as you are.  Love and miss you!

LOVE,
BENJI, CAROLYN, KATIE AND JOHN

***Dad's recovering very well from his accident.  His hand/arm is healing right on schedule.  Therapy is going well!***

not so exciting update

Summer is flying by.  I've slacked in updating my blog.  Not to mention I've slacked in taking pictures.  So a short boring update is all you get to reassure you we are alive and well.

• Benji lost his 2nd (bottom) tooth sometime this summer.  (He's still not impressed his sister is beating him.  Each day he checks the progress of his not-so-loose top teeth.)
• Carolyn lost her 4th tooth not too long ago.  It was the other front tooth, so she's without her front teeth. :-)
• We started our (home) school for the year.  Benji: 2nd, Carolyn: 1st, Katie: Kindergarten, John: PreK (because of the age cut off, he wouldn't be able to go to 4K until next year.  I have a hard time holding him back.  He's eager, so I let him).  All 4 kids were ready to jump in head first this year.  Here's hoping the excitment continues.
• My baby will turn F-O-U-R in just a few weeks.  That blows me away.  FOUR.  My baby. F-O-U-R!
• Although the weather is warm (80*) and sunny right now, fall is right around the corner.  I love it for a variety of reasons: cooler weather, church convention, changing leaves, sweatshirts, the smell of the woodstove smoke, cups of hot cocoa, stews simmering in the crockpot. 
• My husband could sum up fall in one word: HUNTING.  While it means that he'll be spending his free time in the woods or preparing for the woods, it does put meat in our freezer.  So I won't complain, too much.

So there you have it.  In a nutshell.  Our not so exciting update.