jerry's kids

40 years

2011-05-03T12:24:00.000-04:00

Forty years. Nearly a lifetime. Forty years ago today, May 3, 1971, my wonderful husband reported for his first day at Caterpillar Tractor Company. He was young.... just 19 years, 1 and 1/2 months old....just a year out of high school. He had heard that CAT offered good pay and good benefits and steady work. He didn't think college was for him....and he was beginning to think about getting married, and he knew he'd need a good job to support his future wife. So he went with a friend, signed up, and was thrilled to get the call that he was "hired"!! Little did he know that 40 years later, he would still be working for "Big Yellow"! During his time there, he has passed all these milestones:
He got married in 1972; his children were born in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1988, and 1990; lost his father in 1979; began building our home in 1979 (without the help of his father, whom he had greatly counted on); was nearly killed in a car accident in 1981; built (with his brother) a new house for his mother after hers burned to the ground; finally moved into our mostly-finished new home, built with his own hands, in 1982; served on the local school board for 16 years; suffered 2 heart attacks; has seen 5 of 6 children graduate from college; has seen 4 children marry and have a combined 13 grandchildren (with 1 more on the way!); has faithfully honored his wife for 39 years; and has wonderfully provided for his family for 40 meritorious years!

I cannot thank him enough for his service. He has not only "served" CAT, he has served our family and provided well for us; he has served God with his integrity and faithfulness; and he has served ME, by enabling me to fulfill my desire to be a stay-at-home mother. He has been a constant support and encourager. He has been my best friend and closest confidant. I cannot thank him enough for sharing his life with me. I salute the best gift God has ever given me! Congratulations, Dearest, for reaching this wonderful milestone in your life! And though it seems too inadequate: THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

the last night

2009-09-03T00:28:00.003-04:00

This is the last night. We take the youngest of our six beautiful, wonderful blessings from God, to college in the morning. How is it possible that he is 18 already...... How can he be going off to college already..... How has he changed into a man in front of my eyes.....without me really seeing it? And yet....the memories come .....I did see him getting taller.....I did hear his voice getting deeper.....I did see his impish grin turn into a charming smile....I did see him running faster, jumping higher, swinging harder....I did buy him bigger shoes.... But it happened so fast. I could not take it in. And I could not hold on..... After tomorrow, it will never be the same. He enters a new world....a new world of challenges, of making decisions, of new friends, of new responsibilities.....and I cannot go with him. Oh, my heart will go with him........ but my eyes won't see him every morning. I won't be able to kiss him goodbye every morning. I won't be able to ask him every afternoon: "How was your day?" I won't be able to wish him good night every night, as I go to bed and he stays up later. No, the time to let go is suddenly....and finally....here. It is time to give him his wings. The nest is empty. It has been a long, wonderful, marvelous journey. It is time to turn the page. I knew it was coming. But I could never be ready....it came in a blink. Once there were two. Now we will be two again.

rascals.

2008-12-16T16:09:00.002-04:00

finn and miette have become great partners in crime. they can often be heard giggling together. its cute.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY KATIE-DID!!!

2008-12-10T00:34:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO! Can't believe you're 5!!! We thank God for the blessing of you...and the joy (and laughter) you bring to our family on a daily basis. This picture reminds me of how quickly you're growing up...both because of the picture of you at 14mths in the background of this and because of you pretending to be grown up!!! We love you very much, blondie!!!

(this is an old photo....heard the girls giggling downstairs and came down to find this....Katie with a wad of nursing pads shoved under her shirt!)

IT'S JUSTIN'S TURN FOR A BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-12-05T23:32:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday tomorrow, Justin!!! I'm giving this tribute tonight....not knowing what tomorrow's schedule is going to be. (May not make it to the computer!) Just looking at some old pictures this morning.....remembering bringing you home from the hospital to Taylor Rd., but then seeing you learn to walk on Murphy Rd.!!! My, how the years have flown!!! Hope you have a GREAT day!
Love you forever,
Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JASON!!!!

2008-12-04T10:30:00.003-04:00

It's the eldest "geraldskids" birthday!! Happy Birthday, Jason! Hope you have a great day!

Shes' Twenty!!!

2008-11-21T15:49:00.002-04:00

OK....looks like no one is reading this....however, I must pay tribute to my now-twenty-year-old! Where have the years gone?!!! Seems like just yesterday that she was running around jabbering with her pacifier in her mouth....or up on the coffee table entertaining us....or running track....or playing basketball....or playing shortstop.... or playing clarinet in marching band..... And now she's no longer even a teenager! :( I love you Caitlyn....miss you a ton.....and hope you have a fabulously happy birthday!!! love you forever!!

PICTURES, PLEASE

2008-11-17T10:16:00.002-04:00

Okay....we'll see who's actually checking this blog any more....besides me!! I'm anxious to see some more pictures put up here! I LOVE to see pictures......so when you update your own blogs, try and dump some over here!! And Caitlyn....have you learned how to use your new camera yet?! Let's see some pictures from this school year!! I'll be waiting..........!!

SHE DID IT!!!

2008-11-01T11:01:00.002-04:00

Here's to Caron....on fulfilling her goal of running a marathon by age 30!!! Congratulations!!!

IT'S BIRTHDAY TIME!!

2008-06-19T23:05:00.002-04:00

I'm not good at posting.....but want to wish Corrie a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! It's been a wild day, but hope it's been sorta good for you! I just remembered that we didn't even sing "happy birthday to you"....seems like we were always trying to be quiet....or whatever! So I'm singing it to myself...to you!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU............."

Can anyone say NEW POST?!

2008-03-26T18:41:00.005-04:00

Well now that it's been a good month and a bit since anyone has posted, I thought that today would be a great day to finally post.

It was great to see everyone on break, even though I didn't get to see Justin and Corrie and lil' Finnster much and forgot to say goodbye to Chari =/ [Sorry about that again...]. But really, it was fun and relaxing. It was great to go to a family dinner again and see everyone and have lots of chaos and lil' feet running everywhere. =] And here are a few pics...

And I came back on Monday to find out that this week is initiation week for new Shatford staff =] Last night we had to be at our phones at midnight with a pink ribbon on our body and they called each room individually and we all ran to one spot. From there, we ran EVERYWHERE. We ran all over campus - I don't think they could've picked spots farther away from each other. And we had to answer questions about Shatford and such. And then we met up with them and they talked to us for a while and prayed and then the told us that they had paired us up with each other and we had to be the other person for a day - dress like them and act like them [at least Jen and I did] and get together with them for an hour and get to know each other better. And I had one of my wonderful friends, Jen. So I got to bed at 2 last night and woke up at 7 for Jen to do my makeup and hair and I was off. I've gotten used to it and earlier my hair was down, but I like it better up I think.

Jen squints her eyes when she smiles and she waves a lot so that's why I look like that. As much as I didn't like it in the beginning, I kind of got used to the look, except for maybe the eyeliner =]

2008-02-19T19:20:00.000-04:00

After a long absence, I present to you.....

2008-02-16T22:38:00.005-04:00

Madame Legume!!

Madame and her groupies...

Madame and me!!

2008-02-07T14:51:00.000-04:00

Here's what I've been up to lately:

Here's most of the girls that went on the Bowford Retreat...

I've been making more friends =] The bottom girl is also Caitlyn and the girl on the right is Katelyn [This was for Ducky Derby Dayz in Shatford that UNO SHAT WON!!!]

Pranking a wee bit... hehehe

And a little bit more pranking. Here's a taste of what we did...

So I figured we needed a real new post up here. And if anyone wants to be CRAZY, he or she can send me some PB - it has become a real necessity. And maybe some animal crackers...

Love you all! See you in about a week!

Home

2008-01-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

So it looks like I'm probably not coming home this weekend. I don't want to risk all the bad weather and the roads. I think I'll have another free weekend soon though!!

Happy Birthday Chariiiiii!

2008-01-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

Love you sis! Hope your day is swell!

waiting.

2008-01-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

i can't wait to hear what cam & erin are having. i've been standing at attention since i woke up, checking the mobile phone for a text, checking email every ten minutes, making sure the regular phone is plugged in.

Christmas is officially over.......

2008-01-09T16:43:00.000-04:00

Sigh. Caitlyn has gone back to school. I have to put the decorations back in the closet. Another Christmas has flown by. And I still don't know how to post a picture. Sorry! I did learn how to re-set my password though, so I can post again! Much love to you all. Hope we can be together again SOON!!!

caron's moomoo.

2007-12-28T16:22:00.000-04:00

Merry Christmas ya'll!

2007-12-25T17:23:00.001-04:00

Next year's Christmas cards! Order them while you can!

Christmas Eve

2007-12-25T17:14:00.000-04:00

Just wait 'til my golden birthday! Hehehe

Woooo!

We're Methodists!

Just kidding: we're Presbyterians.

Check out the size of that glass! Er...decoration bowl =]

MY BOARD! and the first real snow of the season

2007-12-06T22:42:00.001-04:00

Muh board's in!!! I can't ride it yet besides in the hallway, but hopefully I can when I get home. I'm just happy that I got it before I left!

Caitlyn and Caitlyn!

Ashley and me: OH and IO [okay it's NOT for Ohio State! She says it is, but it's not. We're accountability partners and I'm Other Half [OH] and she's...Intelligent Other? IO We're not really sure, but it works =]

Bowford Winter Formal

2007-12-06T22:13:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday night was Bowford's Winter Formal. It was a little expensive, but once we saw everything, we understood and it was totally worth it! We had dinner at a church and Fazoli's catered. The theme was "A Night in Paris" and there was crooner music in the background. It was really nice. Here's my redhot date, Katie!

The next Charlie's Angels:

Emily/Anne Hathaway and me

Uno Shat

Colleen and me - she was my half date and she did my hair. Before here, I just sat there looking at it all upset. lol Thank God for her skills and amazing straightener!

Shatty OC and OC Reps - we're hooked on focus =]

Afterwards, we went and drive through the Walkway of Lights and then we went bowling behind a liquor store =] It was so much fun! These two girls weren't any good, so they decided to have a little fun and I joined in:

Uno Shat again

Watch out: we're smokin'!

Finn's Chair

2007-12-03T22:33:00.000-04:00

happy day carona

2007-11-27T17:59:00.000-04:00

yep, that's right, it's your birthday today. hope you get to do all of the things you enjoy, especially drink lots of coffee. wish we could be there.
happy birthday!

marathon thanks-christmas.

2007-11-27T11:30:00.001-04:00

What we did this weekend

2007-11-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

Shoot, I don't really know how to upload pictures, so I will have to wait until Caron gets back. But here is what we did without her this weekend:

1. Did not watch a single DVD.

2. Played with cornstarch and water, which Annabelle called "Sowel". Made a gigantic mess on our nice new table, but man those two kids loved the liquid/solid white globs.

3. Went to Dunkin' Donuts with Uncle Jordan, where Jordan and I ate two nasty cake frosting filled donuts.

4. Rassled on the living room floor lots.

5. Cheered on Violet as she went #1 several times in the training john. Scolded her for dropping hair clippies in while she was perched atop her throne.

6. Annabelle got to sleep with Daddy Friday night, while Violet joined Daddy Saturday night.

7. Adored Henry and his little teeth.

8. Changed eleventy-hundred diapers. Cursed the diaper changing elves for not stopping by our house.

9. Visited with Jeff and his new bride, Sarah. Good to see you guys.

10. Annabelle beat dad at Twilight Struggle and Age of Steam, with Dad trouncing all comers soundly at Kids' Sequence.

11. Missed Mommy all weekend.

12. Drew lots with markers, crayons, and messed (which could not be a more apt description) with Playdoh.

13. Kept thinking about Thanksgiving!

Long time, no blog Part 2

2007-11-15T12:40:00.000-04:00

We also had a few soccer games [very cold]

And here's the main and newest event: hall decorating contest! Each unit decorated their part of the hallway for a Christmas theme and winner got $50 or so for a pizza party or whatever. We did a gingerbread theme...

This is the entry way with snowflakes and gingerbread doorway: 100 Gingerbread Lane

Here's the gingerbread couple

Here's the amazing hallway. Seriously. It took us from 4:30pm Friday night until 3:30 am Saturday morning. And some of us had a volunteer activity at 9 Saturday morning plus it was family weekend. We hung brown paper all down the hallway, paper lollipops and gumdrops all down the hallway, paper chain all the way down the hall, stuffing all the way down the hall, alternating groups of life-savers and ornaments hanging from the ceiling, and the most time consuming:

Paper plates decorated to mints ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TOP. We did over 100 plates and then Colleen and I put them all up. It was crazy. We also did those fuzzy covered wire candy canes all over the place and at the end of the hallway, we had brown curtains. We even decorated the water fountain and put a towel over it and put a mug with a hot chocolate packet in it and mittens around it and hat on it and a jacket hanging from the pencil sharpener next to it.

All this to say that we did amazing and only one other floor was our competition and everyone thought we would win. And we did, but we tied and got the most creative hallway and the other unit [which did a White Christmas theme and wasn't as cool] got best atmosphere. We weren't too happy with our RD and the judges for not making a final decision. Not really sure how they're going to give prizes, but we'll see.

So there are your updates! Can't wait to see you guys in less than a week!!

Long time, no blog Part 1

2007-11-15T11:38:00.001-04:00

Here's part one of what's been going on:

I got Shatford Woman of the Week [2 weeks] and I got a light up crown and wand and a sash; [best part] I also got my own parking spot right next to Shatford; and I also got to decorate my own board in the front stairwell:

We had the Barn Party, which was a BLAST!

The barn was really cool [yes, it was a real barn with a cool loft] and there were scary hay rack rides [which you didn't know were scary until you were already on the ride and I was on the last one which all the Uno Shat girls and they said we screamed the most =]. I also learned how to juggle hot coals! It's not really juggling, but you pick it up and shake it in your hands and toss it to other people. It was so much fun!

And we also had the Harvest Party - an alternative to kids going out in Marion on Halloween. I had no costume, so they just threw stuff together and put it on me. Looked like Jennifer Garner from Alias or something...

And here's Uno Shat. Any college group could make a booth for the Harvest Party, and there were tables all over the gym. It was pretty cool to see all the cute kids and give them candy. Uno Shat did two booths and I was with the one that did tic-tac-toe on the floor.

And this is Kristin doing a go-fish type of game. You can't really see it in this picture, but they had a blue blanket for water and the kids would throw their line over the blanket and the girl behind the blanket would attach candy to the clothes pin. Our booths were a hit [possibly because they were one of the first ones kids saw when they walked in, but we'll take it]

Racing Turtles

2007-11-11T21:29:00.001-04:00

Finn's favorite one is the yellow one. that's a good thing - that way i can have either blue or red!

c'mon caitlyn!

2007-11-02T20:14:00.000-04:00

We're really ready to see some more pictures of college life...including the Shatford Woman of the Week photos! Do we have to wait til you get your own laptop back?!!! (whine)

Supermarket Sweeps

2007-10-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

happy birthday jordan!!! / i have finally failed.

2007-10-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

happy birthday jordan!!! we are glad it's your birthday and wish we could eat some of your cake, or whatever delicious dessert mom is cooking up for you. hope 17 treats you well.

and also, you will have to forgive me, i have failed in my birthday card sending for you. we are usually really good about it, but last week/weekend was INSANELY insane. and it's true, i forgot.

josiah parker

2007-10-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

a marvel: josiah parker

2007-10-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

CHARI DOES NOT LOOK LIKE SHE JUST HAD A BABY...how did she do that?! make-up on, black fleece pants & a nice white shirt. a fresh manicure & pedicure!! sheesh!!

Baby Kennelly

2007-10-14T20:28:00.001-04:00

here's the newest little guy! TBN later!!

cmon baby baby

2007-10-13T21:13:00.001-04:00

charissa.....you're in labor right now. i can't wait to hear the news! HANG IN THERE SISTER! YOU CAN DO IT! can't stop wondering what you're doing right this instant.

brrr.

2007-10-12T15:41:00.000-04:00

it was cold yesterday, so we had to bundle up when we left in the morning... here is finn not liking it, but also looking oh so cute.

Remember these?

2007-10-09T19:49:00.001-04:00

Caroline found this in the closet and insisted on wearing it for the rest of the day. She was only a few days old when Jerry brought these back from China.

Frissa!!!

2007-10-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

I need pictures! You're having a baby in a week and a half and I haven't seen you since September.

when i go don't cry for me (wah, caitlyn)

2007-10-03T05:52:00.001-04:00

the girls ate a lot of powdered donuts on saturday.

yesterday annabelle & i went to take a nap together. we read a few homeschool stories & talked about this lion that almost ate a monkey.

then she said, "mom, when are you going to die?"

"i don't know. hopefully not for a long time."

"when am i going to die?"

"i don't know. only god knows when we're going to die."

"when we die, will we be flattened out, like that skunk that aunt chari ran over?" and she smiled when i looked at her because she knew that was a pretty funny connection to make.

and i am not smiling now because my car STILL smells horrible from that skunk.

2007-10-02T23:34:00.000-04:00

OK...now I'll post! I'm still pretty green at this.....!
Anyhow....it's been a crazy schedule lately....with all the flu going around, etc. Katie and Maddie are currently sleeping peacefully....hopefully thru the night. Hope Chari does too. Tomorrow, Wed., she'll see the Dr. again....I'll watch the girls....either here, if they're still sick, or in Bloomington. Man, I really hope this stops here! We've had enough!

Spent the day on Donovan Golf Course watching Jordan's last team match of the season....at regionals. It really was a beautiful day to be outside! He missed the cutoff to continue to sectionals by 6, I think. :( Afterwards I picked up some groceries for the girls....hoping to find something they like. The blue Jello did the trick! :)

So the week speeds by yet again....without getting any cleaning done yet! :( (It's time to do some Fall cleaning....) One of these days I'll get caught up..... :)

so caitlyn can't crab about being the only one posting on here (AKA hahahahahahahehehehe)

2007-10-02T18:05:00.000-04:00

we are very busy. having a house on the "market" is a lot of work... keeping things clean, getting ready for garage sale, organizing to make a future move easier, etc.

spent most of today at the delsenno's because we had a realtor "walk thru" for five hours, when all realtors are allowed to come and see our home at their leisure and let any of their clients know about the house. cathy seems to be doing great for having her leg dismantled less than a week ago. but maybe she was just putting on her brave face since i was there... :)

justin is on his way home from work. i have water boiling in the kitchen for our meager dinner of garlic noodles. tomorrow i hope to get some dinner foods so we aren't eating pasta or frozen pizza every night.

the biggest loser is on tonight and i look forward to that.
finn is big.
justin is good.
rudy is a wacko.

there you go cait. bwahahahahaha.

80's Skate Night [aka Am I the only one who posts anymore?]

2007-10-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I know Corrie's seen these from facebook and I'm uploading some of these to myspace, but I know you wanna see them Mom, so here you go. These are from Friday night. Everyone dressed up 80's style and we all went skating to a place just down the road. The night was open to all and any freshman and leadership, hosted by Shatford and Bowman. It was pretty much a blast. Kristin, muh sweetmate, helped me do my hair and makeup. Unfortunately, a lot of the girls went home this past weekend and missed it, so it wasn't as much fun. Afterwards, Steak 'N Shake was PACKED! Here are some of the highlights...

Kristin DeMo [suitemate]

JPO [her real name's Jenni Poppinga, but JPO's better; lives catty-corner to me]

Most of Uno Shat

Lindsay, me, and JPO

I pulled a muscle in flag football

2007-09-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

This is my new name tag =] :

And this is my new door magnet greeter:

I got those from a friend across the hall; Corrie: don't be mad at me, but I traded some of your magnets for these. We swapped two for two, so I still have the Kip one and the Vote for Pedro one.

College Part Dos

2007-09-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

So these second and part-of-third weeks have been pretty full. I had my first exam [A&P] on Monday and that went well. I got a 90, which is an "A"! I was and am so excited about that! I heard over and over that so many people bombed their first test in that class and our floor was freaking out over it, especially when he said we should study around 10 hours. Now...I hardly studied in high school, so this was new to me. I was behind on reading since I ordered my book online, but I finished ALL of the reading and got some studying in. Everything went well, and I passed =] Pretty happy about that.

We've played our first two flag football games on Monday and Tuesday and we played the Lodges and Carmin [both teams have pretty big girls and are known to be pretty tough], and needless to say, we lost. We did score against the Lodges, which was something. Our first game we just weren't organized. We were running all over the place and we hadn't practiced. So that night, our coach [my suitemate, Colleen] made up some plays and we "practiced" them. Tuesday, we looked a ton better! We are all incredibly sore!! Geez! And since those girls play tough, we have bruises. At the end of our Carmin game, a couple of the girls from the other team came up and asked us if we'd want to play tackle football....and I was pretty excited! =] Another girl and I said yes, and I don't know if others will or not, but they said they'd get in contact with us.

And as I told some of you, we Shatty girls pranked Bowman while they were on their house retreat. Each floor was in charge of pranking their brother floor. We did good, but there was some miscommunication/bad communication between the RD, the RAs, and the girls on the other floors. Things got outta hand. Plus other houses pranked them pretty bad; like, we weren't allowed into the room, but one or two other guy dorms got in and did some pretty bad stuff. So we [Shatford] aren't allowed to prank anyone until we gain their trust again, which kinda stinks because our floor enjoys pranks. A lot of the guys don't know what happened because some leaders cleaned it up before they got back, so we're not supposed to talk about it.

And here are pictures of my room for you all, from the door; from the closet; the bathroom; my desk; from the window:

As you can see [or maybe not] it's TINY. =] And even though I clean my desk on the weekends, it just can't stay clean during the week =]

I love you guys a ton! Give all the kids hugs and kisses for me!!

College Life

2007-09-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

So here’s my update for my first week of college! Things have been pretty great and I’m loving it here. My floor is pretty amazing and even though we’re the biggest unit because we’re not divided into east and west ends, it sounds like we’re the coolest and closest. And that’s from my RA, not just my opinion. =] I’ve made friends with almost all the girls in my floor and we all can’t believe that we’ve only known each other for a week. It’s crazy. But really cool. I know quite a few of you have said that I wouldn’t have any trouble adjusting, but I didn’t really believe you. I thought it would take me a while to make friends. But it didn’t! We’ve watched movies, read a bedtime story, rolled around in pudding, had dance parties [but me being an Easley with no dancing skills whatsoever, I helped work on our cardboard boat =], had unit devos, and many more things. Our brother unit, Bowman first floor, has bonded a lot, too, so we’ve heard, but they haven’t come out of their shells to really meet us yet. We’ve had dinner with them at Baldwin, but it was pretty awkward; not a lot of talking going on, even with our talkative girls going at it. But I guess we’re supposed to go over to Bowman Friday night for a while and hang out and we’re supposed to have a scavenger hunt with them this weekend.

Last week was Resident Life Week, so each unit/floor was their own team, meaning there were tons of teams. There were activities like Pudding Tug-O-War, Egg Toss, Monkey Bicycle races, a canceled cardboard boat race [it was POURING], Lodgeball [dodgeball hosted by the Lodges] the Shatford Gong Show [talent show that was amazing! There was a group from Scripture that had a guy dressed like Dwight from the Office with an accordion and a guitarist and bassist and percussionist and they played The Office theme song, and that was SOOO cool! And Bowman staff won with a real enactment of the Mario Brothers theme song], and other activities. So that was a blast!

Emily and I have too much stuff. =] I kept saying it wasn’t going to be, but she hadn’t told me all the things she bought from IKEA. She bought a TON of little stuff it seems like. Hopefully we can bring some stuff home on our first trip back. The two beds, the papasan, her bookcase, the fridge, two desks AND her couch-chair is too much. We’ve made it work, but it’s a tight fit.

Our suitemates are pretty cool. Their names are Kristin and Colleen. They knew each other before, too, and they’re hilarious together.

I’ve already pulled a few pranks =] Saran wrap on Kristin and Colleen’s bathroom door and Candace and Abbi’s bathroom door [neither worked, but now we know how to do it] and peanut butter on numerous doorknobs. One girl got it 6 times because she tried to leave it there so her roommate would get it, but she never did. Most of them don’t know who did it =]

I’m still checking out churches; I went to College Wesleyan Sunday and the pastor there is really good. I’m going to check out one called Exit 59 in Gas City this Sunday. The pastor at the College church is also the preacher for Summit this week. Summit is like…more chapels in one week. Chapels MWF at 10 and 11 are really Summit services and there are evening services. It’s really cool and really good to go to.

So that’s my life for right now. This post is long enough =]

Here are our SWEETmates:

This is Colleen:

This is Kristin:

before caito left

2007-09-04T23:36:00.001-04:00

today is the day

2007-08-30T10:25:00.001-04:00

The day is finally here. We're taking Caitlyn to IWU today. The years have flown by so quickly. I'm excited for her.....yet sad to not have her home. I think all will agree that she has brought many smiles to our faces over the last 18 hears!!! I don't know how to post a picture...maybe you can add your favorite......

Anyway, I love you, Cait. God bless you at IWU and bring you back safely to us again.

2007-08-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

oh happy day!

2007-08-16T14:49:00.000-04:00

happy birthday cam!! couldn't have "picked" a better brother-in-law! hahaahaha
(bet you didn't think these pics would come back to haunt you SO SOON!!! hahaahahaa)

puddin'

2007-08-03T17:21:00.001-04:00

have to post something.

happy birthday (s)

2007-07-29T20:22:00.000-04:00

ERIN!!

happy birthday, kick your feet up and enjoy the day today

DARIN!!

happy birthday, go to work, and enjoy your day tomorrow

we love you both, and missssssssssssssssssssssssss you tons.

Supergirl

2007-07-24T16:34:00.000-04:00

We just got back from vacation down in Georgia. It's gorgeous down there and I think that it would be a great place for our family to vacation some day...except it's not free like MN. But this pic was taken down in Metropolis, IL

update, please!

2007-07-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hey, Corrie....I'm waiting to hear about Harry Potter...and the Bee! Please record the happenings! And did you get any pictures?! Hope you weren't alone!?!

bleat bleat

2007-07-19T14:59:00.000-04:00

mania

2007-07-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

a video from last night. pepsi max DOES have more caffeine. there is a moment in this video that i'd like to dedicate to all the women in the family. the "what? a board game" moment goes out to you ladies!

Off To The Cabin

2007-07-06T16:18:00.000-04:00

OK....I'm going to be gone the next 10 days or so. I sure hope to see new pictures posted soon! I'll try to get on line with Dad's computer....I really love getting to see my grandkids on line when I can't see them in person!

bumbo mania!

2007-07-02T17:06:00.001-04:00

henry & annabelle watching CLIFFORD during breakfast. violet was napping.

love it

2007-06-25T16:23:00.000-04:00

Summer Fun

2007-06-18T23:37:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from our house to yours.

happy father's day

2007-06-17T07:29:00.000-04:00

Look alikes....

2007-06-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows that family looks alike, but I didn't think it was this much alike...Enjoy.

Lookie those cute kids =]

graduation weekend

2007-06-15T09:46:00.000-04:00

these are two of my favorite pictures from the graduation weekend. caitlyn's re-creation of that memorable musical moment...and then ERIN PLAYING GUITAR HERO?!

Going to Wild Life Prairie Park

2007-06-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifgreat videos.

2007-06-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

in case you didn't get these links yet, they are great! and only one of them is a year old. i love kids!

caroline

annabelle

thanks for posting these, caito.

Old pictures

2007-06-05T16:27:00.000-04:00

Now here's an example of emo, for those of you [Mom, Chari, etc. =] that don't know:Whew, Dad, I'm full and you stink!
Cute picture...
Hahaha! Oh, Aunt Cait, you have the best sense of humor!
Cheesin' it up...

Hope you all enjoy these. Most of those Jordan took, I think.

Happy B-Day Maddie!!

2007-06-02T20:41:00.001-04:00

Happy birthday, kiddo!! Wish we were there to help you celebrate numero dos!We love you so much.

at his finest

2007-05-18T10:49:00.000-04:00

here's a glimpse into a sweet moment we were having with henry. i thought, "jason & henry look so cute together right now, i should take a picture." so i took some. they were cute. then ja said, "you should take some video footage, too". should have known better.

happy birthday ANNABELLE!!!

2007-05-15T12:24:00.000-04:00

here's a picture from your birthday, last year!!! i can't believe it's been a whole year already! and that you are four!! we love you so much annabelle, and hope you have a great time at chuckie cheese's tonight! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

happy mother's day!

2007-05-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

happy mother's day, joyce!

Grandma?!

2007-05-10T21:33:00.000-04:00

Maddie's ABC's

2007-05-10T11:06:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpN0Qebe2VE

Maddie's learning her ABC's. Katie refused to sign her song at this time...perhaps we can catch her later!

Daddy's Home!

2007-05-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

The girls are always so excited to see Daddy pull in at the end of a long day! Now that it's getting nice out, we get to watch him pull in while we're outside rather than just watching out the window!

two more videos

2007-04-30T15:37:00.001-04:00

henry moving 1

henry moving 2

HILARIOUS!

ga

2007-04-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

gray day

2007-04-25T14:11:00.000-04:00

Did I just find out how to actually blog...not just respond? We'll see!
It's cold....again. cloudy. windy. raining occasionally. April showers.....
I've spent too much time at the computer today...trying to find things. and figure out things.
A bit of a melancholy day....I suppose because I've been listening to sentimental songs.......!
Missing my kids....and GrandBabies! Perhaps sad because my 'baby" just got his driver's liscense yesterday. The last of six. Another milestone.
A heart FULL of thanks for God's many blessings...too many to count! So I shout out an "I LOVE YOU" to all of you! Hope you're having a wonderful day!

cut

2007-04-16T15:33:00.000-04:00

from crazy to cleancut in just 20 minutes.

i couldn't bear to spend $10 on a haircut for a one year old, so i went at it myself. justin was doing yardwork, and i couldn't stand the uncontrollable mess atop finn's head for one more second. i popped him in the exersaucer, turned on a movie, gave him a sucker, and went at that mop...
there are a few hairs i missed, and are out of place, went a little high above one ear... but i still have that ten bucks in my pocket!!

dying eggs: stinky

2007-04-13T07:44:00.000-04:00

Visit from Vi

2007-04-10T11:42:00.000-04:00

While Caron was visiting with her sister and ma in Iowa, Vi got to come over and hang out for a bit. And Caroline LOVED it, she loves spending any time she can with her cousins.

Smarty mouths

2007-04-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

Welp. Here we are in all our glory. Don't make fun: you all remember what it was like. =] Happy Easter!

so long toothies

2007-04-06T11:19:00.000-04:00

so is that 6/6 easley children with wisdom teeth removed? now THAT's an accomplishment!

the boys

2007-03-22T17:06:00.000-04:00

I shall call him Hank, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Hank!

2007-03-16T14:04:00.000-04:00

Henry "Hank" Ezra Easley
7 pounds 13 ounces
20 3/4 inches
4:31 am

Wooooo! Bring on the boys! He's a lil' cutie fo sho!

thursday: thru yet?

2007-03-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

woke up this morning. wondered how to pass the time. annabelle helped me clean underneath our bathroom sink. she discovered this little manicure set that cathy gave her back in september. so, after we finished our work, we had a little manicure party.

UNO

2007-03-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

happy birthday little buddy!

yep, that's right! finn has turned the big ONE today! i woke him up early this morning so he could see justin, and we sang happy birthday... we did a little shopping and ate lunch at panera; finn had a whole bowl of chicken noodle soup and all the insides of a piece of french baguette! little piggie! this afternoon we will play, and when justin gets home - cake and presents! and probably a bath i am suspecting, after cake!

wish you were all here to help celebrate!!

hellooo...

2007-03-11T05:35:00.000-04:00

daylight saving time! how we love you!

where is our baby?!

2007-03-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

waiting...waiting...waiting.

from this week

2007-03-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

grandma let us borrow "loupin' louie" & we played it one night while she was here, rescuing us from illness overload.

and then there's violet's happiest time of the day: bathtime.

The Four of Us

2007-02-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

Here's the four of us in our newly painted stairway...we love the chocolate milk color!! This is Maddie after she has thoroughly enjoyed her ravioli! She liked it so much she even licked the bowl...hence the sauce on her nose and forehead!

ode to joyce

2007-02-22T16:04:00.000-04:00

thanks to joyce for coming to chatham for 24 hours. for doing all of our laundry, playing with the girls, & kindly sending me outta the house for some time alone. i feel better already.

violet

2007-02-16T05:21:00.000-04:00

vi mae has been making this face lately. it makes me laugh.

she's started saying, "i love you" repeatedly & thinks tooties are quite possibly the funniest thing, next to annabelle.

bearsley

2007-02-15T10:07:00.000-04:00

happy valentines day!

2007-02-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

finn is all decked out in red today, which is clearly more fun for me, as he could care less! but we have had great fun playing all morning, and i even made a cake with heart shaped pans that i won from christmas bingo.

hope your valentine's day is just as fun as ours has been!

wah, my ice cream's cold!

2007-02-10T19:56:00.000-04:00

we were trying to catch violet in the act of crying...just to be crying...but she wasn't having any of that. so, here's our little baby...while she's still the baby.

i cannot believe we're going to be a family of 5. unbelievable.

Christmas pics!

2007-01-07T20:23:00.000-04:00

I know I've been slacking on my posting so i figured what better way to get back into it than Christmas photos!

Finn just couldn't wait to rip into that gift, and two hands weren't enough.

Cameron is getting more joy out of the book than Caroline apparently!

Maddie doesn't like my flash.

Anyone remember this scene?

The "look"

2006-12-20T17:03:00.000-04:00

A new look Caroline has started giving as of late. Almost an "excuuuuuse me" look. Can't wait for you all to get into town!!! MERRRRRRY CHRISTMAS...or as Frosty like to say...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

needed something new....

2006-12-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

this blog desperately needed something new to look at, so here are some new pictures from our family photo arsenal.....

me in justin's ridiculous paintball mask

a "surprise, you got me" look

christmas smiley face

finn playing the christmas tin drum

um, yeah, i love usborne books

justin and finn ready for a night out on the town

grandkids 3 and 6

2006-11-20T18:27:00.000-04:00

are about the same size.

ooohooo!

2006-11-15T19:43:00.000-04:00

new look to the blog, eh? lookin' gooood! =] bring on the turkey and pumpkin pie!!