The Bride!

Jill & Cousin Sarah Maggie & Katherine on the horse outside. I know that it looks like they are about to fall off and Katherine's face is a little terrified, but don't worry, John was holding on to them. Cousin Libby & Katherine

More pictures from the Wedding!

My favorite picture of the most beautiful flower girl Katherine. Maggie was a little envious of Katherine's buttons on the back of her dress. Cousin Joe & his family. Amberly finished her first half marathon in the morning and then switched into party gear for the wedding! What an accomplishment!

Dada & Maggie on the altar

And playing during the ceremony

Jill & Eric's Wedding!

Cousin Jill got married on Saturday at the Bell Event Center downtown. The weather was perfect, the location was beautiful and Jill looked stunning. I have tons of pictures to share with you!

I know it is not polite to brag...

BUT, Mama sure can build a mean blanket house!! And here is a cute picture of maggie in the bath...

Bad parenting... or good practice?

Hummm... if I get the stair gate open, grab mommy's makeup bag, and quickly apply lipstick and mascara... will mommy be mad or grab the camera? Or maybe mommy will make a note that next time she should start looking for me when everything is silent.

Happy 87th Birthday Gram Trudie!

Happy Birthday Trudie! We love you and were so excited to spend the day celebrating YOU!

Maggie enjoying her cake.

Kite Flying

Do you like the color pictures of John & Maggie flying the kite or the black & white? I could not decide which one was my favorite (I loved them all if you must know). So, I posted all of them so you could decide for yourself!

Learning how to blow bubbles

Easter at the Farm

Easter Bunny & Daddy

Easter Egg Hunt!

Maggie & the Easter Bunny

She was really good at finding all of the eggs!

Push it up!

The boys trying to get their kids to push it up

Maggie Playing Hide & Seek

Can you see where she is hiding?

Happy Easter!

The small world of Secret Sisters

In squadron life the guys go away 'alot'. While they are away, if your spouse is home you 'adopt' another spouse whose husband is away... a secret sister. Picture a grown up version of a sorority. (Side note: This is all very funny, because even though my best friends in college were in a sorority, I refused to join. They are all laughing at me now!!)

Well, when we were in the UK a woman I did not know, Jane, was my secret sister. Her husband was away, she had one boy and was pregnant with her sweet little girl. I sent her a bunch of goodies throughout the deployment and had fun getting to 'know' her. Fast forward to the end of the deployment: her husband got home, she had baby Elizabeth, I got pregnant, had Maggie, Jane PCS-ed (moved for none military types), we PCS-ed, and ... we NEVER met! Since her husband was not in the same circle as mine (he was a flight doc), I figured I would never see her again. I always thought that I failed at the end of my 'secret sisterhood' and that I should haved called and I always wondered if everything was ok with her. Since I never met her, knew her, or even had a conversation with her, a certain spouse of mine would call me the 'secret stalker'! Ha!

We moved to our new squadron, John goes to work, comes home with the name of a flight doc that flew with his new squadron... I almost fell off my chair (I actually got some goosebumps)... it was my secret sister!!

They were here,
in Ohio,

and they lived a few blocks away!

Needless to say I am very grateful to have her so close by and happy to get to know sweet Elizabeth. I am pleasantly surprised by the way that life works.

Here are Maggie & Elizabeth enjoying Easter treats today.

Our yard is blooming!

Monday: Opening Day!

Today was opening day for many teams around the country. That means Spring is here! We were extra excited because we were heading downtown to see the fly-by for the Reds (and to see John as number 2!). First disappointment of the day: It was cold. Really cold, snowing/sleeting type of cold. Second disappointment of the day: They cancelled the fly-by! Apparently snow and sleet is not the ideal weather for them to work their magic.

But, we were not disappointed to be able to spend the entire afternoon at home with daddy.

Bowling = Fun!

A girl and her daddy

First Haircut!

I think it is a good thing that we don't watch TV at home. Especially at moments like this. Maggie got her haircut for the first time today. I waited for the weekend, expecting a huge fuss and wanted John's extra hands. Well, once they put on Blue's Clues and stuck her in an airplane, she was a perfect quiet angel. Look at that stare!

Here she is! Haircut and a smile on her face.

Dundee Dog

Dundee is the farm dog. He has a natural instinct to herd. Can you guess what he is doing here? Yes, he is herding us. While we are driving. In the gator. By spinning in circles. Strange? Yes.