Berniss turns 8

Grandma Berniece Andrews, affectionately called "Gramma Berniss" in this house, turned 80 on Monday. Have I mentioned that she is absolutely amazing? She is.

So, Sunday we celebrated her birthday by going out to lunch and coming back to Dana's house for cake and ice cream. What a fun, wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I hope we get to celebrate at least 20 more!

Labor Day weekend and the Fulton County Fair

Back in September, while I was still on maternity leave, we took the weekend of Labor Day to make a trip home to see my parents and sister and enjoy some family time while we could. John got to take his first trip to Ohio, and we all went to the Fulton County Fair together. :) What fun! I used to go to this fair when I was a kid, and we just had a great time walking around and looking at animals with the kids. Danika was in heaven...John just rode around and slept in the baby snugli the whole time. To top off this exciting night, Papa treated for the kids to get pony rides and then some seriously delicious milkshakes. It was GREAT. :)



It may be hard to tell, but that is John in the snugli - he was momentarily removed from riding around with me so that I could help Danika on her pony ride. Nana never complains when she gets to hold him. :)



Me and my dad. :)
Danika's pony ride - she screamed "Giddy-up" most of the time she was on that poor thing! :)

Good ole fashioned Ohio fun. Gotta love it.

Mother's Day in Erie

Mother's Day - May 10, 2009
What a GREAT Mother's day - let me recap for you....

1. I got to wear a new dress! Love it! A gracious friend helped alter it so it would work for the giant pregnant woman, and it was perfect. Should work for all our weddings this summer. :) Always fun when you feel good!
   
2. We enjoyed an awesome morning at church. LOVED our class.
3. Danika was wearing big girl pants and went in the potty TWICE at church and didn't go in her pants at all! Yay!
   
4. We got to see fun friends and enjoy breakfast at church - it was great.
5. We got home with plenty of time to get lunch ready for our guests without stressing out.
6. I made one of my FAVORITE meals, and it all turned out fine and I didn't burn a single thing! (You may think this is minor, but I honestly can't remember a single dinner party I have ever had that I didn't screw up at least ONE menu item...this was truly a first!)
7. The food was ready when Doug's parents arrived and we were ALL able to enjoy lunch (even me!) - that is also a first.
8. Danika was well behaved, even though she never got a nap....BONUS.
9. Doug's Mom was feeling pretty good and we got to spend a GREAT afternoon laughing and hanging out.
10. Aunt Barbie was here to visit....another wonderful bonus! :)
11. Did I mention I love my in-law family? It was a great day with them.
    
12. It was sunny enough to go outside and play corn-hole for a while. The boards Doug built work great...and the bags my Mom made were perfect. :) Such wonderful "mid-west" fun. :)
13. When everyone went home, we got to enjoy the rest of the evening just chilling as our own little family unit.
    
14. ****DANIKA (my very NOT cuddly child) climbed up with me on the couch completely of her own accord, snuggled into my arms, wrapped her little hands around my hands and let me hold her for a full 45 minutes...and then fell asleep just like that. So completely out of character...and SO wonderful. It was the BEST part of the whole day. Happy Mother's Day to me!***
15. After putting Danika to bed, Doug and I got to sit by a fire in our backyard at our new firepit (Thanks Dana & Susan! Great gift!) and just talk and laugh...just the two of us...until we decided it was time for bed. Perfect ending to a perfect day. Bliss.
    

I love this little girl!





Susan (Doug's mom) and her sister Barbie who is visiting from Florida.

Susan showing Barbie up playing corn-hole.

Grandma showing everybody up. :)
Susan & Grandma chilling (literally) together...it got cold when the sun went behind the clouds! :)Doug and Barbie in some serious competition.
Great day. :)

New Truck, New Toys, and a Visit with Nana & Papa

April, 2008 - For those of you familiar with Doug's previous mode of transportation, you are probably aware it was a little....well.....special. :) The little brown truck we called "The Mudpuppy" was a 1989 Toyota pickup truck that we have had for 3 years or so. Doug has beat it around and it has been a good vehicle for us, but when inspection came up this last year, it was a little rough. So, we decided it was time for us to get Doug a decent vehicle. We knew we needed a truck for his job, and we knew we needed an extended cab so our little family can all fit in at the same time. We found a great used Toyota Tundra that was in our price range and met our needs. Its a great looking truck and Doug is thrilled to be driving it.



My Mom and Dad came up for a visit and to basically spoil our little girl. They accomplished thier mission. :)

They brought this great little toy with them that Danika loves. :)





Danika with Papa and Nana at church on Sunday.







After a few weeks with her new toy, Daddy got the great idea to tie a rope to it so he can pull her around the yard. Danika LOVES this new form of fun! Daddy thinks it's pretty fun, too.

(April - May 2008)