The Fleck Flick

2011 Graduate

2011-06-11T21:03:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, May 28th Brittany graduated from Northfield High School. We celebrated with an open house before the graduation that evening. Here are some shots of the day!!

10th Wedding Anniversary

2011-06-11T21:00:00.002-04:00

On June 2nd, Brad and I celebrated 10 years of marriage! We left all 5 kids for an entire week and returned to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee where we honeymooned 10 years ago! It was such a great, relaxing vacation!!!!! Happy Anniversary, Babe! I cannot imagine my life without you in it!! I love you:)

Alea's 5th Birthday

2011-06-11T20:58:00.001-04:00

Alea turned 5 on May 29th! She had a family party on the 3oth. Here are some snapshots of the day. I still cannot believe my baby is 5!!!!!

Birthday with Friends

2011-06-11T20:57:00.001-04:00

On Alea's Birthday, she celebrated at Mi Pueblo with some of her closest friends!!! Happy Fifth Birthday, Alea!!!!

Alea and her Giraffe

2011-06-11T20:10:00.001-04:00

Alea loves giraffes! She got a BIG one for her birthday. It sleeps on the couch every night!!! Thanks Mamaw and Papaw for her BIG giraffe!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:24:00.002-04:00

Braylen dressed as a Tap Dancer and Alea as a Queen. Alea was a little nervous about others seeing her in her dress, but she was so proud to be Queen. Braylen had fun tapping away!!! This day will always hold a memory for me. On this day in 2006, we got a call that about changed our lives forever. Ted from Home of God's Love called saying that Alea's birthmother wanted to keep her and we may not get to adopt her. It was such an emotional time for us. We loved this little girl and desperately wanted her in our forever family. Thank God, a few weeks later her mother gave us the most special gift ever! We are forever grateful to you, birthmother for loving her enough to let us raise her as our own!!! It's a bittersweet day for us indeed!

Braylen Turns 8

2010-10-09T21:27:00.004-04:00

On October 7th we celebrated Braylen's 8th birthday. She took fall leave and acorn sugar cookies to school and then when she got home, she opened her presents from Alea, Brittany, Uncle Curt, and Aunt Amber and us. Then we headed to Outback Steakhouse for dinner! She loves their mac and cheese and they even gave her a free sundae to celebrate! I cannot believe my baby is 8 years old!!! I am so lucky to have her as a daughter and we love her so very much!!!

Braylen's 8th Birthday Party

2010-10-09T21:23:00.003-04:00

Today we celebrated Braylen's 8th Birthday with family. We had a zoo theme and a campfire! It was a fun laid back evening!! Braylen had so much fun playing with her cousins and roasting marshmallows on the fire :) Thank you to everyone who took time to come and spend some time with Braylen and us!! We love you all :)

Alea's First Day of Preschool

2010-09-09T14:25:00.001-04:00

Today was Alea's first day of Preschool! I cannot believe my baby is old enough to be in preschool! She had a great first day. The teachers said she talked, laughed and had a great time! They video taped her because they thought we would never believe them when they told us she talked to them! Way to go, Alea!!! God has been so good to us!!!

B's First Gotcha Day!!

2010-09-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

Saturday, Sept. 11th we will celebrate one year of B in our family! We celebrated on Monday by going to her favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. Here are some snapshots of the night!

We love our B...what a blessing she has been to our family. We pray she always seeks Christ and follows in His ways!!

First Night of Awana

2010-09-09T14:21:00.001-04:00

Last Wednesday was the first night of Awana this year. Braylen begins her third year as a Spark and her 5th year of Awana! Seriously, where has the time gone???? Alea was very excited that this year she gets to join big sis! She began her first year of Cubbies! They both had a great time! We love our Calvary Baptist extended family! Thank you so much for offering this ministry for our little ones!!

Waiting on Daddy

2010-08-12T11:24:00.002-04:00

Last night Daddy was on the phone and Alea wanted him to rock her. I told her to quit crying and lay in bed and I'd have daddy come in as soon as he could. When we went in to check on her, this is how we found her! In the rocking chair with bear, pillow and blanket fast asleep....I guess Daddy took too long! He still picked her up and rocked her and put her in bed! What a sweet baby girl we have!!

Back to School Open House

2010-08-12T11:22:00.000-04:00

Last night we were able to go to the school, meet the teacher, drop off supplies and eat ice cream with friends. It was fun to be able to see Bray's classroom before the big day! Here are snapshots of the night!!

First Day of School

2010-08-12T11:20:00.002-04:00

Today I sent my two oldest kiddos off to school...way too early in the year! It's HOT out, they should be home still, but had to send them. They both left with smiles on their faces as B starts

her SENIOR year and Braylen her 2nd grade year!!! Alea wants "somebody to play with!" She already has cried for her sissy!!! Guess it's time for some mommy and le le time!!!

Brittany Had a Little Lamb.....or 2!!

2010-07-13T12:50:00.002-04:00

This was Brittany's first year in 4-H. She made Brad proud and took sheep to the fair! Yesterday was the Sheep show. She did a great job showing!

Rides at the Fair

2010-07-13T12:47:00.003-04:00

This is Fair Week! After watching Brittany show her sheep and checking out Braylen's mini 4-H project, no bake cookies and Brittany's photography and vet science projects, Mamaw and Papaw took the girls through the animal barns and then bought them so me tickets to ride rides!! They were sooooooo excited about the riding part :) Thanks Mamaw and Papaw!!!!

Go Dodgers!!!

2010-06-26T22:50:00.002-04:00

Braylen played Coaches Pitch this year. She was on the Dodgers team. They are a very young team, but made sooooo many improvements this year! Her team made it past the first round of the tournement, but lost their next 2 games. They had a great year and we are so proud of Braylen. She won the award for the Most Improved Player!!!

Little Miss Homemaker

2010-06-26T22:40:00.003-04:00

Braylen wanted to make cupcakes for her swim party with friends.

Braylen is in Mini 4-H this year. She is taking No Bake cookies to the fair. This day she was making Rice Krispy treats.

The Past Week

2010-06-19T20:57:00.002-04:00

This past week was spent either in the pool or at a ball diamond! Braylen had either practice or a game every night this past week. It was a hot week, so our pool was used a lot too! Today we spend most of the day in the pool! It was nice to relax at home today :)

A Special Gift

2010-06-04T16:52:00.003-04:00

Alea's Birthmother sent her a gift for her 4th birthday. Alea got a cat, a few outfits, 2 dolls and a beautiful card. She was quite happy to open this gift. We will always treasure these special gifts from her birthmother. Thank you very much if you are reading this!

9th Wedding Anniversary

2010-06-04T16:45:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, June 2nd Brad and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. We didn't go away on an exotic trip, but we did take a few days without kids and went up north to Amish area--Shipshewana, Goshen and Middlesbury. We ate at the Essenhaus restaurant--sooooo Yummy! and we saw a lot of old cars in the parking lot. We had to check them all out :) We also went to the flea market, some downtown Shipshewana shops, The Blue Gate, yoder's popcorn, bulk food store and just driving through the countryside looking at the farms and animals. It was relaxing and fun. Here are some pictures we captured.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2010-06-04T16:44:00.001-04:00

Braylen is playing baseball again this year. She is in coaches pitch. She is doing very well. Tuesday she had a game. Grandma, Ellen and Madi came to watch! All the excitement was too much for little Alea who zonked out in Mommy's arms!

Sheep Sheering

2010-06-04T16:42:00.001-04:00

B is showing sheep at the fair this year. Friends came over and sheered her sheep for her this week. Here are pictures of the event!!

Alea's 4th Birthday

2010-05-31T11:07:00.003-04:00

We love our cousins!!!

Swimming with Uncle Scott

Alea didn't want to blow her candles out, so Braylen helped :)

Alea's Cake. She loves the song "You spin me round round.." that plays on Chipmunks Squeakquel, so we made a cake that spun round and round. She loved it!!

Can anyone guess who gives HUGE bags of candy??? Bam-Bam!!

Sand Toys from Uncle Curt and Aunt Bam Bam!!

Alea got school supplies just like Big Sis!!!

Birthday and Mother's Day

2010-05-10T20:35:00.002-04:00

This year my birthday fell on Mother's Day. Brad and the girls worked extra hard to make it a very special weekend for me! On Friday, flowers were delivered to my doorstep from Brad. they are a lovely bouquet of lillies. On Saturday, Brad took the girls out to breakfast and shopping and let me sleep in! Then they took me to Mi Pueblo for lunch, and yes, I got whipped cream all over my face! No one had a camera and I was thankful :) Then on Sunday, Brittany made me a cake and gave me flowers. Braylen and Alea planted their own hanging basket of flowers for me. Brad gave me a red stonewear dish Ihave been wanting along with a bracelet with the girl's pictures, courtesy of Jennifer Mahan's picturethisjewelry.etsy.com. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! Sunday evening we went to Olive Garden with my parents and sister to celebrate my mom! I feel truly blessed to be the wife and mother of these God has so graciously given me. Thank you for a wonderful weekend, I love you all!!

2010 Dance Recital

2010-05-10T20:33:00.001-04:00

Thursday and Friday was Braylen's dance recital. She did an amazing job and cannot wait for more dance classes next year! We are so proud of you, Braylen!!

Prom 2010

2010-04-24T23:39:00.003-04:00

Talent Show

2010-04-21T09:39:00.000-04:00

Monday night Braylen participated in the talent show at school. Here are some snapshots of her perfomance. If I could ever figure out how to get a video on here, I would post it! Maybe someday!!

Busy Day

2010-04-18T21:52:00.002-04:00

Today we went to church and then hurried home to get Braylen ready for her first dance dress rehearsal. We left dress rehearsal and went straight to the Awana Awards. Braylen got Clubber of the Year award! We are so very proud of her! She also got a second book award and LOTS of Sparkie game awards! Way to go, Braylen! You continue to knock our socks off!!

A Tennessee Spring Break

2010-04-12T20:30:00.008-04:00

We left Thursday afternoon for Pigeon Forge, TN with friends. It was a short trip, but so much fun! We all rented a cabin together and had fun horseback riding, shopping, swimming, hot tubing, eating out, skydiving, go karting and playing games together. Fun was had by all!! Enjoy the pictures below!!

Older kids getting ready for Indoor SkyDiving!!

Easter

2010-04-04T22:18:00.001-04:00

Clown Day

2010-04-04T22:16:00.002-04:00

Braylen had Clown Day at school. Here are some pictures of the day!!

First Grade Circus

2010-04-04T22:13:00.002-04:00

Last week we attended the First Grade Circus at Braylen's school. It was AWESOME! We were so very impressed. Braylen was a jumproper and was fantastic!!

Braylen

2010-04-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

Some great shots Brittany captures of Braylen and Alea

Happy 40th Birthday, Brad!!

2010-04-04T22:11:00.001-04:00

In March, Brad celebrated his 40th birthday. We threw him a surprise party and managed to keep it that way!! We had a great time celebrating him! We love you!!

Bear Fun

2010-04-04T22:10:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we took the kids to see a bear at the Big R grand opening. He was sooooo big! So neat, just had to share :)

Awana Games

2010-04-04T22:07:00.003-04:00

Braylen competed in her first Sparks-a-Rama a few weeks ago. We had so much fun cheering her and her team on! The Calvary team took FIRST PLACE!! W00-hoo!! Braylen participated in almost all the games and she was AWESOME in the beanbag game!! We are so proud of you, Braylen!!

Alea

2010-04-04T22:03:00.002-04:00

It is hard to believe that Alea will be 4 years old in May! She is still so small, only wearing a 24 month pant!! She does wear a 3T shirt and dress, though :) She has the tiniest hands and feet. We love it! She is really enjoying life and loves to be outside. We are still struggling with potty training. She does very well and then slides backwards. We'll keep trying!! Nap times are sometimes a disaster, as you can see in the last picture! She went through a spell in March where she we would empty her closet during nap times. Thankfully we nipped that!! She has an open house for preschool. She will start in the fall...did I really just say that? I cannot believe my baby will be going to preschool...where has the time gone?

Semi Formal

2010-03-03T21:55:00.001-05:00

B attended her first Semi Formal Dance last Saturday night. She had a lot of fun and we had fun dress shopping :)

Chinese New Year Party 2010

2010-02-13T23:24:00.006-05:00

Tonight we celebrated the Year of the Tiger with a Chinese New Years Party. We had 8 families represented and it was a great evening of fellowship, food and fun! The little girls all participated well for pictures and enjoyed playing with each other. We had some traditional, festive and some American comfort foods tonight! Dan and Meg were awesome hosts! The kids enjoyed crafts and sharing gifts with each other. One of the highlights of the evening was when Kevin and Sarah brought out lanterns for us to light and let go! It was awesome to watch them in the sky together!! Beautiful!

Brad had to miss tonight due to a business trip, but the girls and I enjoyed it very much! We are so blessed to have friends close by who all share the common bond of adoption!

Just Because

2010-02-13T23:22:00.001-05:00

Don't really have a title for these pictures, just cute pics that I wanted to share!!!

Christmas Morning

2010-02-13T23:10:00.004-05:00

We had a great Christmas with our girls. Here are some snapshots of the day:

Chef Brittany

This picture is worth a thousand words!! Brayle finally got her PINK DS!!!

This year Braylen took money to school and bought and wrapped Daddy's gift all by herself. She was so excited to give it to Daddy. Daddy cherishes is first REAL gift from her--all on her own! It's going to be a pillow that will be kept forever!

Alea was so excited to give Daddy his new Racket for Raquetball

Brittany's Stocking

Brittany gets her favorite gift: A puppy in the spring!!!

She's in shock and I am too! I still cannot believe I gave in!!

Alea gets Kylan!!

Little People, a favorite of Alea's

Our beautiful girls on Christmas Morning!!

Alea got a Barbie castle and it was her first gift and could have been the only gift. She didn't want to open anymore...she played with this all morning!

Snow!!!!

2010-02-13T23:08:00.001-05:00

We've had a lot of snow this year. The girls have missed some days of school due to it. Braylen sure does enjoy playing in it, though and it has been pretty!!

Alea's Gotcha Day!!

2010-02-13T23:05:00.001-05:00

I am so far behind in blogging!!! We celebrated Alea's Gotcha Day on December 22. Here are a few pictures of the day!!

Alea's Gift

2009-12-16T14:03:00.003-05:00

Last night we let Alea open her Christmas gift from her birthmother. These are always very precious moments for our family. We received a letter for our family. Alea received a beautiful box with an angel figurine, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, stickers, and an angel potupourri doll.

We are once again reminded of the great love Alea's birthmother has for her. She chose the greatest love by allowing her to become part of our forever family. We pray for her often and we love her so much! We know she checks this blog many times. We wish you a very Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for once again sending Alea precious gift. We will cherish this forever. Braylen also thanks you for sending her gifts too! She once again asked why her birthmother didn't send any gifts and we had to tell her that we do not know her birthmother. We told her her name again and that we tried to locate her while were in Kazakhstan, but couldn't find her. Then, Braylen remembered that Alea's birthmother always remembers her too and sends gifts along for her as well. THANK YOU for being a "birthmother" figure to Braylen as well. My cup runs over with joy each and every time she is included too! We love you!!

Braylen's New Nightgown

2009-12-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

Saturday Braylen got a new nightgown from Grandma and Grandpa. She also got a matching one for her doll. I just love the first picture!!

Braylen's Christmas Program

2009-12-16T13:59:00.001-05:00

Monday night was Braylen's Christmas Program at school. The first graders were the Toys of Christmas. Braylen was a baby doll. She had a special part during her class' song. She did an amazing job!!! We were so proud of her excitment and joy during the program. All the kids did a fantastic job!!

Alea's Little Mess

2009-12-16T13:55:00.002-05:00

On Monday, Alea came downstairs naked. She had taken all her clothing and diaper off. I let her run around that way for a bit. Braylen went upstairs and when she returned she told me she knew why Alea was naked. She said there was poop on the floor! I went upstairs and looked in her room. I found her diaper and clothing, but no poop. I asked Braylen where it was. She said, "Did you walk in the loft?" I had walked through the loft to Alea's room, went back out there, turned on the light and there were two huge piles of poop! I called Alea up and made her clean it up. She didn't want to at first, but she did it. Of course I had to take pictures too. Today, Alea has gone around the house with only a shirt on. It's time to potty train! I've been hoping she would decide on her own. She wet twice, but went potty once on the toilet! We'll see how this goes--wish us luck!!

Christmas Time

2009-12-15T16:26:00.004-05:00

Sunday after church we took the girls to the Honeywell Center for pictures with all the decorations. Here are some we captured.

First Christmas of the Season

2009-12-15T16:23:00.001-05:00

Saturday we celebrated Christmas at Jon and Shelley's with Grandma and Grandpa Nussbaum! The girls had so much fun playing with cousins and the adults had great conversation. It was so good to see Grandma and Grandpa again. The girls both got a cute new outfit and some new toys! It was a fun day :)

Cheerleading

2009-12-15T16:21:00.001-05:00

Braylen participated in Cheer Camp again this year. She loved it and did a great job cheering during 1/2 time of the girl's varsity game last week. My pictures aren't great because my camera doesn't have a great zoom, but you get the idea :)

Alea

2009-12-15T16:16:00.002-05:00

Alea is really talking and saying a lot of cute things now! She is growing up a lot. She still is not potty trained, much to this momma's dismay, but she is growing up in other areas. Here are pictures from her program at church Sunday and one of her in a new hat!!

Braylen's Creative Writing

2009-11-25T16:04:00.002-05:00

Here is a sample of Braylen's creative writing lately! She does very well in school. She just brought home a progress report and she has all A's!! We are so proud of her!!

My Other Lil' Pilgrim

2009-11-25T13:43:00.001-05:00

Not to be outdone by lil sis, Braylen also dressed as a Pilgrim. At school yesterday, the first graders were pilgrims and the second graders were Indians!! We are so very blessed with all three of our girls!!

My Lil Pilgrims

2009-11-24T13:41:00.002-05:00

I am babysitting this school year for 4 little ones. Including Alea, I have 5 kiddos 3 and under most days!! It keeps me busy. We made Pilgrim outfits this week and invited Teal and her babysitting kiddos over for Thanksgiving! The Indians arrived today and we made real butter and spread it on cornbread for our snack. Then we gathered veggies just like the Pilgrims and Indians did and we sang some songs and told Jesus THANK YOU!! We colored a picture and made carmel corn!! It was a fun day :)

Happy Birthday, Brittany

2009-11-23T23:03:00.002-05:00

Today is Brittany's 17th birthday. We have done a lot of celebrating!! Tonight she chose Texas Roadhouse as her birthday meal. We went as a family. Brittany got make up, a mirror, make up bag and hair things from the girls. We got her a sweatshirt and a pink digital camera. It was a fun evening!

Brittany's Mi Pueblo Birthday Celebration

2009-11-23T23:00:00.003-05:00

Last night we met friends and Mamaw and Papaw at Mi Pueblo to celebrate Brittany's 17th birthday. She LOVED wearing the hat, no matter what she tells anyone :)

Brittany's Birthday Party

2009-11-23T22:57:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, Brittany and her friend, Shannon celebrated Britt's birthday. We took them to Biaggi's and Jefferson Pointe. Brittany had fun buying some new shoes!! She wanted a puppy dog cake, so I did my best with that request :)

Chef Brittany

2009-11-23T22:56:00.001-05:00

Brittany likes to cook and it is always sooo very yummy! Here are some pictures of one of her meals: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cheesecake....yummo!!!!

2009 Awana Grand Prix Race

2009-11-23T22:49:00.001-05:00

Braylen participated in the Awana Grand Prix race again this year. She painted a purple car. Though she didn't win in design or speed, she had a great time!!!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T16:38:00.003-05:00

Our little mermaid and ladybug!!

Getting ready to collect some treats!

We went to a church's Trunk or Treat in town

Knocking at Mamaw and Papaw Weaver's door

Greeted by two creatures at Mamaw and Papaw's house

Ladybug turned senorita!

It's a mexican fairy!!

Pumpkin Time!!!

2009-10-30T23:53:00.003-04:00

Braylen and her pumpkin

Alea was so happy to pull the top off her pumpkin

Braylen was very hesitant to put her hand inside!!

Alea refused to put her hand inside and touch the "ickies"

After much prodding, Braylen reached inside and cleaned out her pumpkin

Alea asked for a spoon!! LOL!!

Mommy helped Alea finish cleaning out her pumpkin

The girls with their finished pumpkins. We sorted out the seeds and they are drying tonight. We plan to toast them tomorrow night!!

Hospital Visit

2009-10-30T10:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, Alea was coughing so much, she was turning blue. I called our

pediatrician and he was out for the afternoon. I scheduled an app't for this morning. She continued to get worse, so I took her to the ER. Brad met us in there. After 5 hours, a chest x-ray, influenza swab and a breathing treatment, they diagnosed her with bronchitus. They gave her a double dose of antibiotic and a dose of Robitussin AC and told us she would look and act a lot better in the morning. They said that since she had been on the Amoxicilian all week for ear infection, that probably had kept it from turning into pnemonia! We came home and Alea slept all night long! The first time in over a week! She does look so much better today--it's unbelievable! She has 3 more days of meds and hopefully this will be a thing of the past! We are continuing with breathing treatments every 4 hours and Robitussin as needed.

Right now, Brad is at the dr, probably will come home with the same diagnosis! He has been coughing for a few days now and it's getting worse. I had this 2 weeks ago. Did not go to the dr., got over it on my own. So far, Brittany and Braylen are ok--hoping it stays that way!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-30T10:26:00.005-04:00

she was sticking her tongue out at me!! I think she was tired of all the picture taking :)

You can tell that Alea is not feeling well. She had been fever free, so we decided we could go. Went to the ER later that evening!

The girls and I went to the pumpkin patch. We had fun in the straw maze, on the hay ride, seeing goats and donkeys, jumping in the giant pumpkin and choosing our own pumpkins to carve and make pumpkin pie with.

My Little Pony Birthday Party

2009-10-11T23:45:00.005-04:00

Saturday we celebrated Braylen's 7th birthday with 15 of her best little girlfriends! They had so much fun making crafts, getting their nails done and faces painted. They also got to go on pony rides and play with a goat, pot bellied pig, rabbits and a chicken. It was a fun day!!

The girls got to dress the pony up! They put everything in the tub on her!!

Brittany was asked to help lead the pony around. She loved it!!

Braylen's Cake. This time it didn't collapse!!!

Celebrate gave Braylen birthday kisses!!

Alea was overwhelmed with all the people. She clung to Mamaw or Daddy the whole day!

Celebrate the pony gave Braylen a gift!

Alea didn't actually ride, but she did sit on the pony!

Happy 7th Birthday, Braylen

2009-10-07T21:19:00.002-04:00

Today is Braylen's 7th birthday! She had a big, full day! It started off with a breakfast date with Daddy before school. Then, Daddy and Alea met Braylen at school for lunch, taking her a Happy Meal!! Tonight was Friend Night at Awana, and Braylen invited Isabel to go along. We went to Bob Evans for dinner before. Here she is opening a gift from Isabel and American Girl clothes from Mommy and Daddy. She even got to take Ladybug cupcakes to school for all her friends. I forgot to take pictures, but they turned out soooo cute!!!

Happy Birthday, Braylen! We love you so much. You have blessed us in so many ways!!!

I'm a Rockstar!!!

2009-10-06T13:32:00.001-04:00

7 going on 17....

2009-10-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

Here is Bray in one of her new outfits! You can't see it in this picture, but she is also wearing her first pair of high heels!!! Oh my, she is growing up way too fast!!

Birthday Party #1

2009-10-06T13:28:00.002-04:00

Saturday, we celebrated Braylen's 7th birthday with family. We combined the party with Ellen, our neice who turned 10. Braylen wanted a My Little Pony cake. The cake when stacked was a bit lopsided on one side, but looked ok. When we arrived in Roanoke at the party, the cake had totally slid apart, hence the look of the cake! I get another chance next Saturday for the friend birthday party!

Time for a Visit from the Tooth Fairy!!

2009-09-30T23:09:00.003-04:00

A very loose tooth!!Open up wide!!

It hurts a bit, but Braylen never cried! I think if mommy or daddy would have been pulling, there would have been plenty of tears, but she was brave for Brittany!!

There it is! A bit freaked by the blood :)

Something's missing!!!

Tonight, Braylen lost her first tooth!!! Brittany had the honor of pulling it. Braylen has been working and wiggling it for weeks now and when I picked her up from Awana, it was hanging there! She is so proud to finally be able to chart it on the tooth chart at school tomorrow!!!

Happenings

2009-09-27T22:19:00.003-04:00

Brittany's Brownies for school!

Brittany's new hair cut--isn't it so cute????

Tonight at Student Impact, they went bowling. If they came dressed up as something related to bowling, they won a gift card to Walmart!!

They were very sleepy!!!

At the Pow Wow last Saturday

Pillow Fight with Daddy

Daddy and his girls

Not too much happening here lately, just having fun being a family of 5 now. Braylen got glasses on Friday, I'll take a picture this week and post. We are gearing up for Braylen's 7th birthday. She will have a party with family on Saturday and then a party with friends the following weekend. Should be lots of fun!!

Gotcha Day

2009-09-13T22:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated Braylen's Gotcha Day. We started the day off at a birthday party for friends at the Y. The girls swam and had a great time. Then we met Mamaw and Papaw at Outback for dinner. Then it was off to Chuck E Cheese for games. We ended the day at Toys R Us. It was a great day of celebrating Braylen!!! Let me tell you about the cake. I asked Braylen what kind of cake she wanted me to make for her and she totally came up with all of this on her own. She said, "I want a volcano with strawberries shooting out of it. Then I want a purple dinosaur made out of blueberries!!!" So, I make a white cake and covered it with whipped cream. I made the volcano out of mandarin oranges, the lava from strawberries, a blueberry dino and a "B" for Braylen out of grapes! It was YUMMY!! You may not be able to tell what it is, but she loved it!!!

6 Years Ago Today

2009-09-12T10:16:00.002-04:00

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." Kristi Larson

Today we celebrate GOTCHA day for Braylen! Six years ago today she became officially part of our forever family. She changed our entire world! She changed us in ways we never dreamed possible, and you know what??? We have never looked back! Thank you Braylen for making us who we are today...thank you God that our "Plan B" was your "Plan A" all along!!!! Thank you for the blessing of adoption. It truly is a miracle how a little baby halfway around the world was placed into our lives forever! We are BLESSED!!!!!

What We've Been Up To!!!

2009-09-09T13:42:00.002-04:00

Brittany's room

The Hallway

The bathroom

Brad and I are officially certified foster parents and our first foster daughter will be moving in with us this weekend! Brittany will be the newest member of our family. She is 16 years old and needed a space of her own, so we finished the basement! We've always had the playroom down there, but we finished the back half into a bedroom, bathroom and utility room. It is not complete, but close! Still needs some trim, hardware, that kind of thing, but basically it is finished. Brittany's room still needs things hung on the walls, but all that will come with time! We have been working late into the night and all weekend longs for several weeks now and it is finally almost done! YAY!!! Brad, my dad and I did all the work except mudding and sanding the drywall. Brad and Dad did the majority :) We will be glad when this project is over because then we get to start the kitchen flooring!!! UGH...........

Student of the Day

2009-08-31T09:01:00.002-04:00

Today when I woke Braylen up, she stretched, yawned and while rubbing her eyes said, "When I get to school, I better remember to practice being the Student of the Day because I want to do a good job today, and we don't do the months until after lunch, so I can practice them longer!" LOL!!! Can you tell being Student of the Day is a BIG thing in First Grade???? I taught first grade before becomming a mommy. It was a big deal then, still is now, 6 years later!!! LOVE IT!!!

First Day of First Grade

2009-08-13T14:45:00.002-04:00

Today Braylen started First Grade! She was so excited to go back and see all of her friends and start the school year! When we were getting ready to leave from home, I wanted to get her picture. Alea said, "I go school too!" Not so fast, little one, you still have 3 more years with mama!! But, I let her be in the picture :)

Braylen has Mrs. Wynn and she is so excited about that! (So are Mommy and Daddy!!)

Zoo Trip

2009-08-13T14:29:00.006-04:00

Today we went to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo with Mamaw and Papaw. Brittany also joined us! We had a great day seeing all the animals, especially the new African exhibit area. The girls loved seeing the aligator and lion so close to the glass! It was a fun day!! Check out Braylen's face painting--isn't she an awesome tiger???

Fun at the Lake

2009-08-06T00:46:00.002-04:00

Mamaw and Papaw rented a lake cottage this week and we took the girls up there for swimming, fishing and boating. We had a great time!! Growing up my Grandma had a lake cottage and we spent many summer days there. I have many childhood memories of swimming, tubing, boating and skiing on Lake Webster. It was fun to remember and even relive a bit of childhood at the lakes!! There's nothing like a sunset over the lake!!

Braylen at the Lake

2009-08-06T00:37:00.005-04:00

Alea at the Lake

2009-08-06T00:34:00.002-04:00

Alea's first boat ride.
Lovin' on Mamaw!!

Braylen's Big Catch!!!

2009-08-06T00:29:00.001-04:00

Well, maybe not so big of a fish, but a big accomplishment--her first time fishing and her first fish!!!

Fishing at the Lake

2009-08-06T00:23:00.004-04:00

I just love this lil' nugget!!!

Alea and Mamaw fishing together

Daddy and his girls fishing

This was the girls first time to fish. They had a great time! Braylen even caught a fish!! She was so proud :)

Almost Forgot!!!

2009-08-05T00:39:00.002-04:00

This was Braylen's first time in a go cart all on her own!!! She barely was tall enough for it and was SCARED to death!!! We had a great time watching her fear of being in trouble for wrecking her car! It was so funny!!!

We took the girls to a little carnival type place one evening to ride rides in Pigeon Forge. Almost forgot to post these pictures!!! Be sure to look all the way down through all our vacation posts. They start with the bear post!!

Tennessee Vacation

2009-08-03T23:18:00.003-04:00

Our family was very blessed by some dear friends who GAVE us their timeshare for the week!

They were suppose to join us, but at the last minute were unable to come, but still wanted us to go! This was a HUGE blessing. We had decided we were not going to vacation this year, but REALLY wanted to! Thank you so much Rick and Jennifer! We had a FABULOUS time! As an added bonus, we got to spend all day Wednesday and Thursday with Grandpa and Grandma Nussbaum!! We were really missing them and were so glad they joined us!

Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg

2009-08-03T23:09:00.003-04:00

Yes, that is MY hand (Carmen!!) For those who know me well, will know that I do not like to touch fish and reptiles. I was trying to get Braylen to touch them. She REALLY wanted to, but was scared. She still didn't after I did it!

The girls LOVED the aquarium! We heard so many "oohs and ahhs" and "lookey here!!" It was VERY crowded as we went on a rainy day and so did everyone else, but we still had a good time!

God's Greatness is All Around

2009-08-03T22:41:00.001-04:00

I don't know how you can travel through the Smoky Mountains and not be in awe of God's creation. Everytime I go, I am amazed at the beauty all around, from mountain peaks to the valleys below. From the babbling brooks to the beautiful foliage. It is breathtaking!

The Girls in Tennessee

2009-08-03T22:38:00.001-04:00

Aren't they beautiful??? God has been so good to us!

It's the Dixie Stampede!!!

2009-08-03T22:35:00.001-04:00

If you have never been to the Dixie Stampede, you have to go! It is our all time favorite show/dinner theater!!! Our girls LOVE horses, so it was a given we were breaking the bank to go! Ha! It is expensive, but the best done dinner show I've ever been to. We had a great time watching them bathe horses one morning and then watching the show with Grandpa and Grandma while eating without silverware!!! Lots of fun!!

Braylen in Tennessee

2009-08-03T22:31:00.002-04:00

This was Braylen's second time in Tennessee, but her first to really remember! She loved finding lizards in the streams, seeing bears in the mountains, discovering sharks at the aquarium and

watching horses at the Dixie Stampede!! Best of all she loved spending part of the week with her Grandpa and Grandma Nussbaum!!

Alea in Tennessee

2009-08-03T22:25:00.003-04:00

Alea being silly at Parke Place Restaurant (very yummy steak and seafood here!!)

I love this picture of Alea! She was tired of me taking pictures :)

This was Alea's first trip to Tennessee. She had a great time seeing bears in the mountains, fish at the aquarium and horses at Dixie Stampede!!

Cirque de Chine

2009-08-03T01:23:00.003-04:00

We went to the Cirque de Chine show in Pigeon Forge. It was AWESOME!!!! We highly recommend this show. It reminded us of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in China. The acrobats were so talented and we loved the Asian theme!!! The girls had a blast. Alea's favorite part was the motorcycles! There were 5 riding inside a ball at one time! We couldn't take pictures during the show, but we took some in the lobby before and after. Braylen got a lesson in a form of martial art, I do not know the name of it!! Alea enjoyed the Panda walking around!

Lions and Tigers and BEARS Oh My!!!

2009-08-03T01:16:00.003-04:00

We saw a total of 11 black bears in Gatlinburg, TN this past week!!! We saw 3 mama bears and 8 babies on 3 different occasions!!!!! Our first day, we went on a motor trail and saw a mama and 3 babies!!! She was right on the side of the road, but the babies were so small, they didn't show up in the pictures. The next time, we saw a BIG mama bear and 2 larger cubs right outside our chalet!!! I heard a tree moving, watched and then Brad spotted the bears! They were about 30 feet from us! It was sooooo cool. On our last evening in Tenn. we were coming home from dinner and saw a mother and 3 cubs cross the street right in front of us! It was dusk, so our pictures are dark! We couldn't believe it! We have been to Gatlinburg 4 times and this is the first we have seen bears and lots of them! It was amazing. I LOVE the picture of the girls looking out the back window at the bears! They were close to the car, so I freaked out and made them stay inside!! Of course Brad was out and about trying to get closer to them!!

Fair Fun

2009-07-15T14:45:00.004-04:00

Last night we all went to the fair. We had watched a Horse Show, Pet Parade, walked through all the animal barns, looked at the 4-H projects, walked through the commercial building, got our faces painted and rode rides! The girls had a blast. We came home, jumped in the pool to cool off and then we all fell fast asleep! We had a lot of fun!!

Swimming with Cousins

2009-07-14T15:24:00.001-04:00

It was a perfect afternoon for swimming!! The girls had fun jumping in tubes!!

McDonalds with Cousins

2009-07-14T15:21:00.002-04:00

We are having a fun girls day only with cousins today! First on the agenda: McDonalds for lunch and play!! These pictures are especially for Grandma and Grandpa Nussbaum! We miss you!!!

It's Fair Time Again!!

2009-07-13T16:18:00.001-04:00

The Wabash County fair officially started last night with the Queen contest. Some of the livestock had arrived and the girls had fun visiting some of the animals with Papaw and Mamaw. Sunday and Monday nights are the only nights I will visit the livestock barns--before they get too smelly!! Stay tuned for more fair fun throughout the week!!

Fun in a Box

2009-07-13T16:17:00.001-04:00

Lately we have had several boxes for the girls to play in! They provide hours of fun :) I thought it was so cute when I saw them both in this relatively small fan box! Ha!!

Swim Party!!

2009-07-11T20:37:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we had friends over for a swim party! It was a HOT day and the water felt great :) We had a great time!! Alea was at Mamaw and Papaw's so she missed the party, but she didn't know it, she was having so much fun there!

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T23:53:00.003-04:00

We had fun with friends on the Fourth, but the city fireworks were postponed until tonight. We had a great time with the girls watching them tonight. They had fun with their glow necklaces, water bottles and popcorn. We are so blessed to live in America, the land of the free and the brave.

Alea's Big Girl Bed

2009-07-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

Tonight Alea is sleeping in her big girl bed for the first time! She loved the bed when she got out of the bath and saw it all set up. We left the crib up in her room "just in case," but that wasn't needed! It took her a while to go to sleep, maybe 1/2 hour or so, but she never got out of bed and is now fast asleep! Hopefully that lasts the rest of the night! Isn't she soooo cute? I love this little girl so much! Thank you, Jesus for the blessing of Alea!!