Sugarcreek Metropark

We switched it up today and Rob was the main photographer and we took our smaller, older camera.

We headed out with a packed lunch to one of the local metroparks for a hike today.

Rob and the girls were all off, so today's weather was just icing on the cake for a fun day outside!

The leaves were changing and lots had already fallen and it was perfect weather for a hike around the park.

It was easy trails and Sarah was able to walk most of the way. She is a born hiker! I carried her as much as she would let me, but she needed to collect some sticks and rocks and just wanted to be like the big girls and walk with a stick!

I think Sarah has almost outgrown the Moby Wrap, she didn't want to get in it completely, but the way I used it really helped me carry her. I'm so happy I have been working out because it wasn't too tough on me carrying an extra 25ish lbs!

The girls love the outdoors and are great hikers!

Sarah decided to ride her stick like a witches broom!

The girls were using walking sticks we picked up on a hike in England.

We walked a little under 3 miles and will try and go back for the longer trail.

We had a great day out and look forward to finding more places to explore!

Sarah jumping Oct 2011

Build and grow

Dad and me time!

Today Rob took the big girls to a workshop at Lowes!

It is free and the girls LOVED it!

They not only built something....they got to keep the safety goggles and aprons.

They earned a patch for completing the build and I will sew them on the aprons before their next building adventure.

They built a cute little monster machine!

Show us your life~Pets

I decided to get in on Show Us Your Life over at www.kellyskornerblog.com. This post is all about my older girl, Sissy!

Sissy is a 12 year old beagle-lab mix. She was a rescue from eastern North Carolina. We were on a wait list with the local ASPCA for a small dog. One Sunday in August 1999 we received a call that a litter was separated from their Mom and there was no room at the local center for them, so they were trying to find them homes quick.

We went to one of the workers homes and I feel in love with my tiny little fur-ball as soon as I saw her. She was not in good health and needed lot's of TLC and Vet attention because of her living conditions and being weened too soon.

We picked Sissy up and gave her a home just days before hurricane Floyd hit eastern NC.

Sissy has always been the sweetest dog (unless you get out the nail trimmers)!

We had a min-pin when we rescued Sissy, but he freaked out when we brought our oldest home from the hospital and we had to find him a new home with no children.......but Sissy loved Meghan from day one and became her protector and best friend.

Sissy has welcomed each one of the girls with open paws!ha

Sissy didn't get to meet Sarah until she was 7 months old. We moved to England in 2007 and Sissy went and stayed with her grandparents for three years while we lived abroad. It worked out great for all of us and we missed Sissy, but in 2010 she moved back in with us and it feels like she was never gone.

Sissy has lived in 4 states and flown across the country twice. Sissy has seen the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (but didn't go in because she does not like to swim..)

She is starting to show her age more and more and I don't want to even think of the day when she is gone.

She loves to beg for food, bark at nothing and steal food from the girls!

Wordless Wednesday

Shutter time!

Before (with the old gutters).....with my model!

Before (with the old gutters)

After....we added a set to the living room windows.

New shutters....musket brown is the new color.

Rob and I installed them ourselves!

We need to work on the bushes out front, but that is going to wait. I have an idea on how I want it to look, but will research plants/bushes for this area and then maybe in the spring we will tackle that project. I thought about keeping the existing bushes but most are dying and there is so much under them that is going to need to be dug out and removed, I think it will be easier to remove everything.

Tent, smores and more

I'm going to start off this post with the most important thing that happened today! Skip the next few sentences if you don't want to read something that could be put under TMI (too much information).

Sarah used the potty for the first time EVER today!! She likes to sit on it but that is as far as we have gotten with it. Well, at dinner tonight she said..."Mom, stinky"....I asked if she wanted to sit on the potty and she put down her food and I got her out. Her bathroom routine was funny. She was "reading" a few books and was talking to me then would say...."MOM" (which means don't look), so I would look away. Yes, I stayed in the bathroom with her because she wanted me too, but she only wanted me to look at her when she wasn't trying to go! Well it happened....no pee pee....but poo poo!haha I'm so proud of her! The whole house was cheering and clapping for her! Not sure if she will do this regularly, but she did it first today!

I wanted to take a picture of her on her "big" day, but not in the bathroom. I washed her up after her "potty break" and she finished her smores. This first picture is cute to me because she was trying to say cheese for me...but I caught her with her eyes closed.

Sweet girl offered me some of her already been licked graham cracker.

Chilly day outside so Rob put the tent up for the big girls in the Florida room. They are having a blast in it!

Thanks Jenna for the cheesy face!Haha

They were playing Candy Land in this picture.

They even have their dolls camping out with them.