Our vacation has begun!

Were here!! We left our place about 9:30am on Sunday June 28th, and arrived at Eagle Crest early afternoon. It was about a 6 1/2 hour drive. LeAnne did very well. She took two good naps and was entertained by her toys.

We are staying in a very nice room on the 3rd floor with a wonderful view of the golf course, trees and mountains. I love that our room has it's own kitchen and it's very cozy. LeAnne enjoyed playing at the playground while daddy checked in. She was trying to reach a branch so I told her to jump, she did and it is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

After getting settled we headed over to see Uncle Matt & Aunt Pam who only live about 5 miles away. Uncle Matt cooked us a yummy dinner and we had a good time visiting with them. There house & back yard are really nice. We met our nephew, Cash, for the first time. He's a 1 year old cutie! Of course adorable Emma was putting on quite the show for us. She's 3 years old, beautiful and full of personality. LeAnne entertained herself in their back yard! They have lots of fun toys and her favorite was the Little Tike's Playhouse. (like this) There's was a little different in color and it was complete with a kitchen. They scored it at a thrift store so family & friends please be on the look out for one of these for our girl. They're way too expensive to buy new and if we all keep our eyes open we might just find one.

Okay lil girl didn't sleep so well last night so she's a bit crabby. We were up many times and then up early. We are off to check out the resort, back to room to have her nap (we hope) and we'll meet up with family in the afternoon to check out the spray park up the road.

Beautiful view from our room.


Relaxing on the couch with a late night snack


She loved playing on luggage cart

Thankful Thursday

Howdy & welcome to another installment of Thankful Thursday. Come along with me as I ramble on about what I am thankful for at this moment.

Thankful for my Summer vacation! I love being home with our daughter. I love our morning snuggle time. I love our daily walk to the park. I love watching her play in her pool on warm summer days. I love talking to her about everything we see and hear, hoping she'll start talking more & more.

Thankful my husband is now on vacation for 10 days! I know he has a list of projects he wants to do around the house but I hope he takes a break too. He works very hard!

Thankful can lean on Jesus and trust Him in all situations. It is so comforting to know He is with us ALWAYS & he has already written our stories.

Thankful we are able to take a vacation to Eagle Crest, Oregon for a week. Grateful for the time Grammy & Grampy gave us in their time share! Excited to meet our nephew for the first time and see our niece again. Thrilled to see all John's family. We don't see them near enough.

Thankful LeAnne is saying a new word, "whoa" and making animal sounds for a bear, a cat, a birdie, a cow, a sheep, and a dog.

Thankful for God's word. Especially thankful for my quiet time reflection about marriage. Thankful for God's wisdom.

Thankful for an amazing wedding last Saturday. My niece made a beautiful bride! LeAnne was entertaining. She made it down the aisle. :-) The weather was perfect, decorations awesome, food was sensational, and the ceremony was very special.

Thankful for God's provisions. I am thankful we have enough and are making ends meet. Pray we follow God's guidance, pray we are responsible & resource full with God's provisions.

Thankful for the time we've had to visit with family from out of town. It's great to see them. Thankful they could stay so long.

Thankful for the safe travels for everyone who was here for the wedding.

Thankful family time.

Thankful for facebook, and the blogs I follow.

Thankful for photography & scrapbooking. I love preserving the memories for my children.

Thankful for the warm summer weather.

Thankful oh so thankful!

Thanks for joining me for Thankful Thursday! What are you thankful for?

Our tap dancing girl/pics w/Auntie & Nana

It was a beautiful summer day here in our neck of the woods. LeAnne spent a few hours playing outside. I filled up her swimming pool a little this morning so the water could get warmed up but do you think she played in it at first. No, she played in her bucket & her wagon that both had water in them.

In the afternoon Grandma, Nana & Auntie Katie came over for a visit. I am thrilled LeAnne is warming up to her family. She has been giving kisses, sitting next to them and let Auntie Katie pick her up today. Here are some priceless pictures!

Thank-you Auntie Laura for the adorable tap shoes! She LOVES them!

We are so HAPPY daddy is off work for 10 days! :-)

Cadid pictures from Wedding

Here are just a few candid shots that Auntie Katie took of LeAnne at her Cousin's wedding on Saturday June 20th.

She was dressed & ready for pictures and I was trying to keep her clean.



Boy it was hard to keep her still to get a decent picture! :-)



Picking up petals was one way to keep her still.



Can I eat them?

Beautiful busy babbling lil girl in pink

I wanted to be sure to catch LeAnne in this adorable outfit but she wasn't being very cooperative so I took a video & it turned out pretty cute so enjoy! Thank-you Auntie Laura for this outfit.

Letting lose after the wedding

It was an amazing wedding! The homestead where the wedding was held was breath taking. The decorations were simple & eloquent. My niece was a gorgeous bride! After some concern about the weather it couldn't have turned out more beautiful. All of the brides maids looked amazing. The girls clean up nice. The flower girls looked like little princesses. A lot of people worked very hard to make this wedding awesome. Overall LeAnne's behavior was exceptional. She is definitely a free spirited 20 month old. When it came time to go down the aisle she was quite entertaining. She refused to hold hands with the other 2 flower girls, walked behind them and headed right for the ropes so daddy coaxed her down the aisle then her and the next youngest flower girl played on a white blanket behind the brides maids during the ceramony. It was a great ceramomy. Once the ceremony was done we swooped up LeAnne, changed her into another dress so she could play and oh boy did she play. We changed her a little too soon (oops missed the whole wedding party pictures) but she was done, and I was done. She ran all over the farm and daddy & I took turns chasing her. She was one exhausted girl that night. I'll share formal wedding pictures as soon as I get access to them.

She loves being on daddy's shoulders!



Playing on the straw bales


Running through the trees



Our pretty princess next to wedding flowers

Thankful for the men in my life

Good morning! This post needs help so I am doing some editing...

I am very thankful for three important men in my life: My dad, My husband & My little brother.

Thank-you Dad for all of your love, support and encouragement over the years. In my adult years I have really appreciated being able to come talk with you because I knew you would just listen and then quietly offer your thoughts. You also make it clear that you believe in me and have confidence in whatever decision I would make. I am very happy you will be here to spend father's day with us this year.

My dear husband I love you more than words can express. One of the very first things that made me think you might be husband material was when I watched you interact with Amanda. You are an amazing father! I know it's been difficult for you being separated from Amanda but I admire the effort you put into staying connected with your girl! I love watching your bond with LeAnne. She definitely adores her daddy! I pray this relationship will continue to grow and last a life time. You are the type of man I've always wanted for a husband & father for our children. I pray that our daughters too will find a man like you someday.... a long time from now of course. Thank-you John!

I can't wait to get a great big bear hug from my little brother today! I can't wait to see his smile & watch him be uncle to our nieces! I am so thankful for how close we were during our childhood. He helped me through a lot of rough days and boy did we have some fun times together. We never fought, well except for the summer of spatula and knives (no one was hurt..badly). I admire what a great husband he is to his wife. I know he will be an amazing daddy because of his fun, loving nature. It will be interesting to see his parenting style and see him turn to mush while holding his child. I am very proud of you little brother! Thank-you for being a great lil brother!

Here is a poem I like & a short video;

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off, and lets you try again.
A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.
A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail.
Dad, you're everything a dad should be and more...

Susan Ceylise

We were brave,we endured, we survived & thrived!

Our adorable daughter has now survived 3 days being bottle free! She is doing much better than I expected. She's almost over getting upset when she sees a cup come out of the microwave instead of a bottle. She only cried for few seconds this morning before she crawled up into my lap to watch cartoons and drink her cup of milk. Way to little girl! Your mama is so proud of you!

I was brave today & went to our neighbors 50th wedding anniversary BBQ all by myself! John is working tonight so he had to sleep. Mind you I was a nervous wreck...arg I can't stand I am such a wuss in social situations. I want friends, I need friends, and I do okay socially once I get into a situation and establish some common ground. It's just venturing outside of my box, I need a push! John says my box needs a make over. I agree...

I am no longer a garden virgin! hee hee :-) I harvested my first head of lettuce tonight! Wahooooo! I even took a picture. As I took this picture I was trying to figure out how to pose the lettuce, sad eh? I have lots more lettuce to harvest and share tomorrow. It's so sweet how LeAnne walks over to the garden and says "num, num, num" and then says "peas". She loves the to eat the peas and lettuce. I think I have found just the right size garden for me! Thank-you to my wonderful husband for building me the most gorgeous raised bed garden. :-)

Isn't that the most beautiful head of lettuce you've ever seen?



After you oooh & ahhh over the cutie patootie in her bathing suit check out how well everything in the garden is growing! :-)


I completed 8 scrap book pages in 3 days! Do I rock or what? LOL!! They were pretty simple layouts but those memories are forever preserved. Here are a few of the Layouts I completed. I have 2 more pages to do in my pregnancy book & it will be completed. I think I have 4 more pages to do in LeAnne's 1st year book then I'll be moving onto her 2nd year. I take way too many pictures of our lil girl & have to choose the best to scrap. I hope to get Amanda's book up to date & work on her baby book. WOW so must to scrap! I love it!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb". Psalm 139:12



Leonard Family portraits 2008 - Goes in Amanda's book



Leonard Family portraits 2008 - Goes in LeAnne's book



Then what blog update would be complete without some adorkable pictures of our precious girl. We were playing with her Easter hat this morning while cleaning her drawers. It was time to pack away her winter/clothes that are too small and organize her drawers. Have I told ya'll how incredibly blessed I feel to have such amazing family & friends! My lil girl doesn't want for a thing! You are a blessing to us.

I think the combination of her overalls & hat are too cute!



Precious girl!



Pretty Pretty girl!



This past week was full of wonderful news, memories were created, and this next week will be very busy but also full of wonderful memories. Thank-you Lord for blessing our family! I pray that you will be with everyone who is traveling to our neck of the country, I pray you'd help us to get our tasks accomplished, to keep our cool, to help us to savor the moments, to remind us to be thankful and I pray that you will bless the new marriage of the young couple. :-)

Kicking of Summer 2009 !

Schools out and I am so thrilled to be a stay at home mom for 3 months! I said I was going to sleep in and be a bum all day today but I am not much good at relaxing so I'll just keep it in low gear today. I did sleep in until 5:30, spent some time cuddling with LeAnne this morning and as soon as I finish this I am going to go see if I can get a scrap book page started while she naps.

Today is day 1 for LeAnne not having any bottles. She's doing better than I expected. She has only gotten really upset twice. This morning she took one look at the cup and was screamed then got down off my lap and went to the fridge like "I want my bottle". I stayed the course, she threw a cried a bit then came back to sit on my lap and within few minutes she was reaching for the cup. She didn't drink her normal morning amount of milk but she drank a fair amount. Yahoooo! It was a little bitter sweet watching her drink her last bottle last night. She's not a baby anymore.

Daddy set up LeAnne's swimming pool early this morning, I put on her cute lil swim diaper & swim suit for the first time this summer! It was a little chilly to be playing in the water yet so we didn't play long but she was excited to see her new pool.

Thankful Thursday

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Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
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I can hardly believe the day I've been counting down to is here, the last day of school at Dixie Elementary and my last day of work for 3 months. Thank-you Lord leading me through a successful school year. Thank-you for helping me through the rough spots and helping me see the bigger picture! Thank-you for giving me a special gift to work with children with special needs. Thank-you for bringing my student into my life. He has enriched my life, I love him as my own and see bright things for his future. I received my first teacher's gift yesterday from my student, a beautiful gold glass apple with sparkles inside. My young man was so excited to give it to me and the hug came with it was priceless. Oh I am going to miss that lil guy this summer!

Happy 20 months old lil girl! Can you believe in 4 months LeAnne will be 2 years old? I know I can't. Last night as I gave her a bath we shared a some very sweet moments. She was sitting down, I started to wash her feet and sing "You are my Sunshine". She stared into my eyes with the most peaceful look on her face. She would get excited when my voice changed, say "peas" when I came to the line "please don't take my sunshine away" and let out a sweet lil squeal at the end of the song. It was precious for sure! Thank-you Lord for those moments, I felt so connected to my sweet girl. Thank-you for blessing our lives with LeAnne. She is our miracle! Thank you for helping me through the storms of infertility and blessing me with this beautiful child.

Somewhere today a new life is being woven in their mothers womb. Thank-you Lord for the precious gift you have give us women. It's an amazing to feel a life being created inside of your body. I remember when I was pregnant with LeAnne how in awe I was of the fact that you had already written the whole book about LeAnne. You already knew she'd be born early, you knew she'd have a ton of hair, you knew she'd be a screamer from day one, you knew how much joy she would bring us and you know all the steps of your life in the future. I pray that if it is your will that you will bless our family with another child in your perfect timing! I pray that if it is not your will then Lord please change the yearning of my heart and let me be thankful in all circumstances.

Speaking of knowing... you knew... you've know... that one day I would marry my husband. Thank-you Lord for this awesome man in my life. He's all I have ever prayed for in a husband and father for our children. I never knew marriage could be this amazing! Lord Please help me to love him as you love him, help me to honor him as his wife, and Lord help us to be a great team. I pray that you will protect our marriage from attacks of this world, I pray that you will help us to always stay connected, to be aware of anything that might harm our marriage and I pray that you would help us to keep working to become a better team. Lord help us to leave a legacy of love to our children.

Thank-you Lord for the hunger for your word! Thank-you for continually opening my eyes and heart! Thank-you for providing for my family. Thank-you for the lessons you teach me daily. Thank-you for filling my life with abundant blessings. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 hit home today... am I thankful in ALL situations? I think back to some of the struggles of my life and try to remember if I was thankful while the storm was raging around me. In most cases I'd say no I wasn't. I regretfully remember being a spoiled brat child of yours just wanting you to lift me from the storm and answer my prayer. I do remember a few circumstances where I tried to be thankful, but Lord I want to be truly thankful in ALL situations not just when life is going my way. Lord I've spent time looking back and my life and I am now thankful for where I've been. Thank-you for shaping me, thank-you for the pain, and thank-you for the joy!

Are you thankful in ALL circumstances?

Thankful Thursday

It's Friday but I did try to post Thankful Thursday last night but I couldn't keep my eyes open or make sense of my thoughts. So welcome to the Friday edition of Thankful Thursday! I am incredibly blessed and thankful for a lot so this list is definitely not all inclusive, rather just those that are on my heart this week. Without further ramblings, I am thankful for;

Our ray of sunshine! LeAnne is trying to say new words everyday. Just as soon as I start to get concerned she's not jabbering up a storm yet she'll say a few words. :-) She absolutely, positively adores her daddy!! She is saying "Hi daddy" a lot now. She points out daddy in pictures now too!







Very thankful for that beautiful young lady we don't get to see often enough. Amanda we love you TONS and TONS! Good luck on your driver's test today sweetie!



I am always thankful for my husband. Thank-you honey for your love, your friendship, your support, your encouragement, and your tender touch! Thank-you for keeping me honest and accountable! It stings but you'd be doing me wrong if you didn't do it! Thank-you for all your hard work around our place! YOU ROCK! You are the man on TV! Thank-you for being such a great daddy to our girls! They are blessed to have you as their daddy!



Our garden is growing! I was able to give LeAnne some fresh lettuce & a few fresh Sweet Peas! They're yummy! She even asked for more Peas. :-) Picking the peas reminded me of when mom would ask my lil bro and I to go pick peas in our garden. I am pretty sure we ate more then we brought her in the bowl. Hmmm that's one way to get us to eat our veggies mama!

I am oh so thankful the safety of those I love! Praise God for watching over my family & friends.

Thank you Lord for the beautiful songs I hear each day from the birds around us. I especially love listening to the Quail, they make such a unique sound.

Thankful for my car time with the Lord on my way to work in the mornings! It's a great time to chat with Him & also listen to Him....something I need to do more of!

Very thankful for the time I'll have with my family this summer, only 3 1/2 days of school left next week! Wahooooooooooo! I know I'll miss my student a bunch though!

Thankful for the way my student enriches my life! He certainly keeps me on my toes, and you just never know what is going to come out of his mouth. He comes up with the cutest sayings and then some things that will shock ya for a moment.

Thankful, oh so very thankful for the morning me time I get most mornings! I am very much a morning person once I stop hitting snooze! I love mornings! Mornings ROCK! On the flip side though wish I could stay up later cause my hubby is a night person.

Lord, thank-you very much for providing for our family! We have what we need and that I am so thankful for!!

VERY very VERY Thankful for my mama! Mama you did an amazing job of raising your children. Were all doing well. Thank-you for being involved, thank-you for going out of your way to make sure we have what we needed & more, thank-you for loving us unconditionally, thank-you for always being there for your children. Thank-you for taking amazing care of our daughter. I am blessed your my mama & she's blessed you are your grandma. She'll say our names one day! LOL! Now I am ordering you to be more selfish! Get out their and live it up for YOU!

Blessed to have met some great people at my work! I am learning a lot and building friendships!

Thankful Summer is HERE!

Thankful our trip to Tri-Cities was successful.

Thankful for mama/daughter snuggle time.

Thankful for text messaging sorda. It's nice to be able to talk/text with my hubby and Amanda but then I do miss their voices sometimes. I heard a saying this week that hit home, We are the most disconnected connected society. That makes perfect sense! It's kinda sad. I know I for one NEED to push myself to get out and meet REAL people in the FLESH. I have some great friends I don't see, and some I've never met. \

There ya have it, my short list for the week! Have a blessed weekend!

What are you thankful for?

Beatutiful Landscaping

WOW the landscaping in our front yard is so beautiful all thankful to my hard working man! John has done a ton of research and done a lot of hard work to make our yard look gorgeous! I am so thankful! We get tons of compliments from people who pass by, especially since before our house was fixed up it was quite trashy. People are always amazed at the transformation. Home ownership suits John! He loves having his own place to fix up. He takes great pride in making sure our place looks amazing! Thank-you honey!!

Daddy also put LeAnne's hair up in pig tails for the first time yesterday & then sent me a picture in a text message while I was at work. He did a GREAT job! LeAnne looked adorable! I am very blessed to have such an amazing husband!!




Isn't it gorgeous! John built the bridge, carefully researched the right plants, the brick is slanted to give a raised bed effect and the plow we purchased from a nearby town. (side note: how much is that doggie in the window)





Here's a front view of the house showing the 2 planting beds he created on either side of the walk way & you can see placement of the big planting bed. He also created a new planted bed by the fence and is nearly complete with another planting bed by the road.