Yearly Power Outage

Yup, you read that right! Just about once a year (sometimes more) we lose our power for multiple days in a row...not just a couple of minutes/hours. We are not sure why this is, but you could go to the bank with it -- sometime during the year we will find ourselves throwing out everything in the fridge/freezer, finding a hotel, or staying with a friend.

It is the most frustrating thing in the world to have this happen, especially when you have kids! It just messes everything up! But, try doing all this with a new puppy! Well, that adds a WHOLE NEW dimension to it all! Although, Daisy did VERY well with all the adjustments, considering! The kids on the other hand, I think we will be trying to make-up for the lost sleep for a couple of days to come!!

As frustrating it all is, the kids actually said they like the power outage because we got to have a 'family sleep-over' in the living room. (Mom did NOT like this, not that I didn't like being with my kids, but there was not much 'sleeping' being had, that and it was REALLY cold!!!)

So, here are some photos from this year's outage. We are praying this will not be a year of MULTIPLE outages as in past years! Enjoy!

Daisy

Well, there is a new member of our little family, her name is Daisy. She is a four month old Shih-tzu puppy! She is so sweet and so cute! The kids absolutely adore her and she adores them. Last night when they went to bed, she sat at the bottom of the stairs just staring, waiting for them to come back! It was so cute!! Enjoy some pictures!

January Fun

We have been having fun this January...especially since Upward basketball started again! Thought you'd all enjoy some pictures of our future WNBA stars! :)

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!

WOW! Where does the time go?? With the craziness of the holidays, I put off this post until I had more time to process what just happened....my daughter turned 10! That's double digits, one 'e' away from TEEN! Six months from YOUTH GROUP!! AH! It is just not possible!! Jeff and I kept telling her that no one in our house was allowed to turn double-digits...to which she replied 'you're double-digits!' :)

All of the sad, sappy mommy stuff aside...there is NO OTHER ten year old anywhere I would rather have as a daughter than my Kaitlyn!

She is so full of kindness, compassion, love, generosity, the list could go on! Last year she had to grow up more than any other 9-year-old should have when she had to help take care of me after my severe back issues. I will always be thankful to her for that, but will always feel a sense of guilt that she lost some of her childhood there. I am trying to help her regain that this year, helping her to relax and just be a kid!

With the holidays and basketball and other things that are keeping us busy, she can't have her normal sleep-over birthday party. So, we have decided to take her and her 3 best friends to Chunky's for dinner and a movie! Thought that might be something special for a special 10-year-old.

Even now, it is so hard for me to write...10! I know, stop being so sappy! :)

I truly am excited for what is to come with Kaitlyn! She is such an amazing young lady and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY 'BABY' GIRL!!!!!

Happy New Year!!

Wow, can it be true, is it really 2010???

This year seemed to fly by, but then again, they all do, don't they?

We had another great year, filled with good times and bad, happy and sad.

Here are some things I will remember about 2009:

I will remember it as the year my 'baby' turned 10! (ack!)

I will remember it as the year I finally reached my weight goal...NEVER in a million years thought it would happen!

I will remember it as the year Caleb's speech blossomed! We had been praying for that!

I will remember it as the year Hannah finally learned how to ride her bike without training wheels.

I will remember it as the year Jeff and I celebrated 11 years of marriage! SO thankful for him!

I will remember it as the year the Scott Family reunion happened -- first time we had all been together in a LONG time (want to say over 15 years??)...what a wonderful opportunity!

I will remember Disney World with my family, Sea World with my kids, getting dizzy at Six Flags, and all the other fun adventures we had.

I will remember the Kleppinger Family Christmas -- it had been 3 years since we did that!

I will also remember it as the year we said good-bye to one of the most wonderful, Godly women I know--my grandmother, Lois Scott.

There were tears of laughter, tears of joy, and tears of sorrow and sadness. There were times we wondered what God was doing, and times we saw those answers.

I do not know what 2010 has in store for our little family. I can only hope and pray it is again filled with joy and laughter! I also hope and pray that God would continue to shape our little family into the family He wants us to be. May we be more loving, compassionate, steadfast, trustworthy, faithful, self-controlled, patient, peaceful, kind, hopeful, and gentle to each other and to those we come in contact with everyday.

Our prayer for you is that the God of peace, joy, hope, and love would bless you and your families during 2010! May you come to know Him better this year!

Agnus Dei

This year for the first time all FIVE of us were in the church Christmas musical! What a fun time it was. Jeff and I sang in the choir, we both had solos, and all three kids were angels!

The kids did a great job...although, I think Caleb and his cuteness stole the show at times. He really was the cutest little angel!

Caleb and Hannah played the bells each night before the performance, I had the privilege of directing them again. It was fun! The first two nights Caleb was ringing his bells with such gusto, they went flying out of his hands. The last night he managed to hold on!

We are already looking forward to next year! Enjoy some pictures!

MERRY THANKSMAS!

We were SO blessed to be able to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving/Christmas with my family in New York!

Since we were celebrating both holidays the kids decided you couldn't call it Thanksgiving....so, they came up with Thanksmas! I loved it! They were so funny about it too, making everyone a Thanksmas card and wishing everyone a Merry Thanksmas!

The weekend was filled with joy, laughter, presents, food, and even some tears. We were SO glad Pap Pap was able to be there, but saddened that Grandma wasn't able to join us...although, I am sure she was watching all that went on with a smile on her face! It was so wonderful to be able to make some special memories with Pap Pap -- the kids just adore him!!

We also had the opportunity to get some family photos done...trying to get 11 people to smile and all look the same way proved to be almost impossible, but we got some GREAT pictures! And, we got some great smiles -- thanks to Dave's pants! (Want to know what that's about, you'll have to ask him!)

It will be different not being together for Christmas, but I wouldn't trade this special event for anything!!

We trust you and your families had a blessed day as well! Enjoy this season, remember to stop and make some new memories!!!