It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Our neighborhood is chock full of kids. They all play so well together and get along with each other. Maddie is the oldest and the mother hen. Jacob just loves any chance to get outside and hang out with them all. Yesterday was a great day. It was sunny at times and unseasonably cool. The kids played outside with our favorite neighbors, the Stegemollers, for a couple of hours. I took the opportunity to snap a few pics of part of our happy, little neighborhood gang.

Ashley and Maddie: They are the best of buds!

Ashley begging Maddie to get her camera-happy mother away from them!

Ashley is happy as a clam to have Maddie tote her around and Maddie LOVES to help take care of Miss Ash. Maddie is so good with the little ones.

She's not too sure about me yet! I hope to win her over one of these days! She's cute as a bug!

Miss Hailey: She's a social butterfly! She slowed down long enough for a quick pic! I love this picture of her: captures her glow!

Maddie and Miss Shelby figuring out the rider situation.

They decided on a double-decker ride!

Shelby and Ashley: sweet, sweet!

"Maddie, gimme back that Gatorade!" (Maddie trying to get Ashley to look at the camera!)

Neighborhood parade!

Jacob slowed down for just a second for me.

Mr. Dylan saying: "Cheese, Jill, cheeeeeeeeessee!"

I love our neighborhood!

Stay Tuned!

Well, I had the best of intentions to post all about Maddie's week at Hilltop and Jacob's "Favorite-Week-Of-The-Year-Because-My-Sister-Is-Gone-And-I-Can-Get-A-Word-In-Edgewise" Week. However, my ornery scanner has decided not to cooperate and talk to my computer so that I can upload any photos. Maddie's camera will not connect either! Technical issues frustrate me to no end, especially since I am not technical in any way, shape or form.

Suffice it to say that both had a GREAT week and things are back to pretty much the way they've been from the beginning!!

She's been talking his ear off for YEARS!! ;-)

"Fun Was Had By All"

When I was growing up, we waited every week for the local newspaper, The Press-Dispatch to come out. We read all the latest news about Pike County: ambulance & police runs, school activities and local neighbor news. Bootsie Bellamy used to write stories about families in the Ayrshire area. She'd tell of church activities, hospital visits and family reunions. I fondly remember that she used to end her "column" by saying that "fun was had by all."

A more perfect phrase could not be found to sum up our vacation to Door County, Wisconsin last week! We met up with my sister, Jennifer and her husband, Kurt and their two beautiful (um, sorry, "ruggedly handsome" -- Jacob hates me calling any boy "beautiful"!) young sons, Blake and Luke, and their wonderful dog, Molly. We had a week of relaxation, laughter and making of great memories! My favorite moments were watching the kids play and giggle and entertain. I can still hear Blake's little voice shouting, "Jacob! Jacob! Jacob!" as he needed to know where Jacob was at all times. They made great buddies! Little Luke was a newborn the last time we saw him, so to see him so active and so eager to run with the big kids was a total thrill. Next time, big guy!

We had a wonderful time touring all of the quaint villages on the peninsula. We had been there 12 years earlier and were delighted to see that not much had changed. We love it as a vacation spot and won't wait so long to return. We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with Jennifer, Kurt and the boys. We miss them already!! We had such a great time just hanging out, playing putt-putt & croquet, shopping, boating and eating some wonderful meals together! We love them all very much and look forward to more family vacations in the future.

I took over 800 pictures, so trying to narrow down the pictures I wanted to post has been hard. So, today I uploaded a ton of them into a Photobucket album:

http://s671.photobucket.com/albums/vv77/hootiemama/?albumview=slideshow

Enjoy the photos! I think I was able to capture some memorable moments from our trip. It was a Bootsie-worthy one: FUN was definitely had by all!! ;-)

Would You Take Marriage Advice From This Kid?

Mad & Jake were watching an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" yesterday. The couple getting the new home were also treated to a wedding in Paris. The couple had written their own wedding vows for the ceremony. Jacob, becoming very concerned and alarmed by the exchange, turned to ask me as I walked by, "I'm not gonna have to say those compromises when I get married, am I?! I can't say those compromises!!"

Trying not to choke on my drink, I laughed and asked, "Do you mean their vows? They are saying their wedding vows."

He replied, "Yeah, I don't want to write my own vows. I won't know what to say! And, I am not kissing either!!"

VOWS = COMPROMISE!!

Little does he know that he is wise beyond his years for an 8-year-old!!!
(I'll remind him of this little equation in about 20 years!!)

I Tell You: She's Mad!

A couple of days ago, I overheard the kids playing downstairs. In the midst of the action, Jacob stopped to announce: "I know why they named you 'Maddie' -- because you are MAD!!" This, of course, was followed by maniacal laughter from his sister.

This is my firstborn. She lives up to all the common birth order stereotypes. She's a leader. She's a watchdog. She's zeroed in on all things fair. She's a mother hen - she loves little kids. She must have her 2 cents added to all discussions. She reminds me of me when I was her age!

She offered this observation over the weekend: "I don't know how I'd ever survive solitary confinement. I'd have no one to talk to but the walls!" I am glad to know that she would try to make the most of the situation!! ;-)

Compassionate. Loving. Goofy. Creative. Intelligent. Voracious reader! Kind. Funny. Memory like an elephant! Dramatic. Giggles constantly. Dances like Elaine! Inquisitive. Imaginative. Talkative. Loves Jesus! Loyal. Opinionated. Quirky. Heart full of joy!

I love my Madeline! Maddie Moo! MadHatter!

Hilltop "Icebreaker" Bound!

Camp time! This time was Jacob's turn. He set off on Sunday to Hilltop Christian Camp for his very first "away from home" trip! He had been looking forward to it for a long time. Here he is all packed and ready to go:

Daddy and Jacob took off for the "Dorm on the Hill" to find his room and unpack and make his bed while I got him checked in. (This picture melts my heart! My big boy!) Plus, that's a LOT of stuff for a 3-day, 2 night stay. He packs like his momma!

All set in his top bunk! We let him pick out new sheets for camp: Cowboys!

When we got to camp, we discovered two of Jacob's good friends & neighbors, Hope and Hailey were there too! He was so glad to see them!

Ross made a new friend too! He got to hold little Miss Ashley! She went right to him and let him hold her for longer than 5 seconds (my current record!) She LOVES Maddie too and lets Mad tote her around all the time. I just haven't won her over yet. Ross must have what it takes!

She's just about the cutest baby EVER! -- besides my own! Here's Maddie giving Jacob some last minute camp advice! She's quite the veteran camper and can't wait to become a camp counselor in a couple of years!
The kids get "mail" at camp too! One of the funniest things from the week was one of the cards that Maddie wrote to Jacob with her wise advice:

"Dear Jacob,

This is a letter of advice that you should follow:

1. Be nice
2. Respect your elders
3. Eat your veggies
4. Have fun
5. Make new friends
6. Don't eat the crawdads!
7. Take showers
8. Don't push anyone off the bridge to their death in the creek.
9. Pay attention so that you learn more about Jesus
10. Don't eat too much from the Canteen"

She's full of camping wisdom! (thankfully, he did heed #8!)

So, we picked him up on Tuesday evening. He was none the worse for wear. He had a great week making new friends and learning more about turning to Jesus 24/7!

He's looking forward to spending a whole week at Hilltop next year!

Movie Time

Well, we've lived in Bloomington for 10 years now and, for the first time, ventured over to the Starlite Drive-In to catch a flick with the kiddos! What fun! We can't wait to go again!!

(Note: Jacob had just finished a steak dinner before we left and claimed, "I am SO stuffed!" What's the first thing he said when we got to the drive-in? "Can I get some popcorn?" I don't know where he puts it!)