I love these pics!!

Jen (photographer extraordinaire) took my extended family pictures a few weeks ago. (check out her work http://www.fausetphotography.com/) Wow!!!! She did a fab job, as usual, especially with the amount of people she had to work with. These are some of my favorite faves (too many blog actually).

The oldest guy in my life with the youngest guy in my life.

I see so much of my dad in Croy. The way he puckers his lips, his chin, his eyes and his personality.

My parents :)


Isn't my mom gorgEous, this my favorite pic of her. She is an amazing gal. She is my friend, my mom, my children's grandma, and my dad's beautiful wife. She is always there for each one of us. She rarely complains and it's only when she is completely and utterly exhausted. She is an amazing nurse and her patients love her. She does a beautiful job of caring for my dad. I spent the day with my dad a few weeks ago and he talked about how good she is with her money. She saved for Christmas every year, she is very careful in budgeting and rarely spends on herself. We grew up on casseroles which I didn't particularly love (what kids does?). As a mom who is on a strict budget, I make the same casseroles because they are tasty and cost effective. She is a multi-talented multi-tasker :) She made our little kid clothes, prom dresses, costumes, etc... It just amazes me what she can do!! (See shout to dad post for my dad:)

My extended family :)


"Family is like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts." by Unknown Author

This picture tells it like it really is. We are all so different yet we are all from the same set of parents. We all get along. We have our differences and we are not afraid to share but it still works. I have amazing sister-in-loves and brother-in-loves. My neices and nephews are wonderful kids. I love that the older ones are very good to the younger ones. My kids are some of the youngest but they have great friendships with the older ones.

A Shout Out to My Dad

Can I just say that my dad is awesome. I am so grateful that I've had the chance to be his daughter. He is a man of many talents which he generously shared with me. He spent evenings playing catch, pitching or hitting pop flies for me during my softball days. He is brilliant in many areas like church history, math, journaling, wood working, gardening, laundry and ironing, electrical work, to be a hard worker and so much more.

About 5 years ago, my dad noticed some weakness in his shoulders when he was helping my sister with a project. It progressed throughout his whole body. After years of testing, they've finally decided that he has Lou Gehrig's or ALS. Watching my dad struggle with tasks that used to be so easy is one of the hardest things I've had to do. It tugs at my heart when I watch him struggle to stand and walk. He can't sleep lying down anymore so he sleeps in his office chair. I can't imagine it's comfortable at all.

The amazing thing to me is that he doesn't let it get the best of him. Don't get me wrong, he has good and bad days and he'll cuss when he's frustrated but he is still the wonderful person who I had the opportunity to grow up with.

I was pitching the baseball for Calvin the other day and I was remembering how happy it made me feel when he would spend this time with me. I have a journal that he wrote in when I was little. The stories are hilarious, priceless and I feel so lucky that he took the time to write them down. The best thing about this is that it makes me want to spend good quality time with my kids. I want them to remember and feel loved by me like I have felt with my dad. I want them to know him and to know that he loves them. I talk to them about him and the things that he did for me.