Let the count down begin...

...to when our family is back together.

I think it is ironic that Donnie deployed on Armed Forces Day, a day meant to pay tribute to the men and women who serve in the United States' armed forces.

We tried to make to make this week and especially today as "normal" as we could for the kids. That is easier said than done considering what an emotional week it has been knowing that Donnie was deploying. We spent as much quality time together as we could; holding on to each moment and remembering the little things that are important.

The boys had a soccer game this morning. It was a beautiful sunny day, a perfect day to spend outside or playing soccer! For as beautiful a day as it was it was hard not to feel like a black cloud was looming overhead.

The rest of the day seemed to slip away, after an ice cream lunch, a few last minute chores, and some playtime outside.  Before we knew it, it was time to say good bye...

I don't know what is harder...saying my own good bye or watching Katie, John, and Luke hug their daddy one last time before he had to go...my heart aches for my them.

My heart feels so heavy with Donnie gone. I pray God will keep him safe and that I can give the kids everything they need throughout this deployment. I am counting down the days until we are together again.

Spring Concert!

It is that time of year! The school year is starting to wind down and spring is definitely here, which means it is time for the spring concert at school. 

Luke and Abbey were able to stay entertained playing
on the iPad when they had seen all the singing,twirling,
and recorder playing they could handle for one evening!

Katie doing her twirling routine!

The Stars of the performance...


I am so glad that Donnie was able to attend this special school program!  We are going to miss having you at events like this over the next year!  Love you!


Mother's Day

Today was a wonderful day! I was able to sleep late (one of my favorite things to do). Then after a yummy breakfast and some lazy time, we spent the day getting my flower beds ready for the Spring! The kids love to "garden" and were happy to help clean up the flower beds, trim the bushes and help plant the new flowers!

I love how neat and pretty the front of the house looks now. Check out my little helpers after a hard days work!

We finished up the day with Donnie grilling burgers and some fresh asparagus! I loved not having to cook!

And I finally figured out how to blog on my new Mother's Day present! This is my first post from my new iPad!! Woo hoo!!

The kids also made me lots of sweet cards and pictures!  Katie and John even used their own money to buy me carnations from school on Friday!  I am extremely blessed to have such loving and thoughtful children.

Luke's Mother's Day Picture

The front of the card John made me.

He wrote: 
Dear Mom,
Happy Mother's Day. 
I love you becus you tak
gud car of me. 
Love,
John LaGrange

Katie's Mother's Day Picture

Katie wrote me a sweet letter that said...

Dear Mom,
Happy Mother's Day! You are the best because you watch me and keep me sage and I like that.  You are sweet, nice, spectacular, and splendid with love.  I love you so much.  I love you because you're my best and only mom.  You help me to be strong and free.  I like how you help me if I get stuck on a word or a question.
Love,
Katie

Katie, John, & Luke
I am so proud to be your mom!

Dad's Day!

The kids and I thought it would be fun to celebrate Father's Day a little early this year since Donnie will be gone on Father's Day.  We took him to see the Syracuse Chiefs baseball game! It was a beautiful day for baseball.  It was also military appreciation day at the baseball stadium, which made it extra special.  The kids got lots of Army junk, I mean cool stuff like water bottles, pens, pencils, and tattoos. The even got to climb inside several Army trucks before the game! 

We had great seats and the kids really enjoyed watching the game!  It was fun to be up so close!  We had tons of junk food and tested every cold treat the snack bar had to offer.  After being in the 40's and 50's for a week, 80 degrees was a little too hot for the kids. 

It was an awesome day at the ballpark! The Chiefs beat the Rochester Red Wings 11-0!!!  I am going to miss family days like this so much!

Mazie

Today we made the heartbreaking decision to put our beloved dog, Mazie to sleep. Mazie was a sweet and loving dog.  We couldn't have had a better dog for our family and children to love. I am thankful for the fourteen years we had with you, Mazie. I hope you are running and jumping in heaven.  I love you!

My favorite picture of Mazie as a little pup!

Soccer!

Soccer season has started for John and Luke! The boys play on the same team since the kids are grouped by age.  I feel lucky to have my 4-6 year olds playing together!  This is mainly because I would likely freeze to death if I had to be outside for 2 hours of soccer practice!  Believe it or not it is still VERY chilly at our evening soccer practices!  Two out of the three practices we have had it has been a steady mist of rain!  Oh the fun! (do you hear my sarcasm?) Thankfully for the boys first game it was just cold. 

Luke & Abbey warming up the bench!

John loves being one of the older boys on the team! This of course means he is the best player on the team! These are his words not mine, but he is VERY good!  He loves being able to dominate on the field! He was so proud of himself after this game! He did an awesome job keeping up with the ball and the fastest player on the other team!  He even scored a few goals! Plus with all of his running around he never did get cold!

Luke is just happy to be on the field playing soccer! He spends a lot of time waving at us!  It is super cute!  When we got in the car to go home, he said, "That was so much!" It is great to see his excitement for playing!

I love that I can get a picture of
both my boys playing together!

John isn't afraid to get right in there and kick the ball!

Luke waving to us!  Precious!

Luke trying to get the ball from his teammates.

John after the game!

Here's to an awesome soccer season!

Eat, Drink, & Be Merry!

We enjoyed a wonderful visit with Donnie's family over this past week. Not many pictures to show from our weekend, but we had so much fun just being together! It isn't often enough that we get to spend time with his parents and both of his brothers, I am so grateful we could all get together before Donnie deploys to Afghanistan. I can't wait until we are all together again!

Kids and Grandpa & Grandma

Us with Uncle Robert & Uncle Dan