The Abbott Builder Family

Childrens Consignment Sale

2009-09-22T19:29:00.003-04:00

As many of you know Natalie and I did a childrens consignment sale that went off SO WELL!!! we are going to do a Adult Consignment sale. I am really looking forward to this on. We have had some amazing response. The date is not set yet but will be soon...:)

Here are some pictures from our childrens one!! Unfortunetly I was TOO busy to take any pictures of all our helpers! We had some amazing volunteers!!

Swimming in Charleston

2009-09-12T14:51:00.003-04:00

The beach!!

2009-09-12T14:37:00.010-04:00

We were able to go to Charleston a few weeks ago. The girls had so much fun!! We met up with our friends also who were down there visiting Charleston also!! The girls had a lot of fun!!

Three birthdays combined into one...

2009-09-12T14:30:00.004-04:00

It is never easy taking a family picture!! The girls turned 4,2,1 so we did a combo party!!!

Been a while....

2009-09-12T14:29:00.001-04:00

yes I know it has been a while..sorry..we have been going through a lot of changes and I honestly have not had ANY time to update this blog...but here comes the pictures..:)

Crazy cat

2009-06-03T10:27:00.002-04:00

And the crazy cat is at it again....:) well, a little about what as been going on...my two little babies had their birthdays...turned 1 and 2...Aleeza is turning 4 this Sunday...we are having a combined party on Friday night. Aleeza was accepted to BJ...yeah!! She passed with flying colors. The lady who tested her said she has not tested a three year old in a long time with her skills. She seems to be very advanced..so thumbs up to mommy and daddy and nana and papa because they help her a lot when she is over there also!! I go accepted to Upstate USC and I am getting my teaching certificate. There are some other changes that I will not go into right now..but we are very excited!!!

Well, I am having another childrens consignment sale!! yeah!! I am very excited.

Here is the site http://www.herewegrowagainchildrensconsignment.blogspot.com

Well, other than the normal not much else going on today..notice I say today..not the rest of the month but just today.

Camping Trip!!!

2009-05-26T20:16:00.021-04:00

Well our camping trip went something like this....bugs, rain, frogs, tubing, food, bugs, rain, sun, rain, sun, bugs, hiking, crying, showers, bugs, rain, sun, sleeping, a random fever of 104.7, food, ice cream, cookies, cookouts, smores, hiking, rain, bugs, more food, laughing at 3:30 in the morning, waterfalls, rivers, tubing, scrapes, more food, boo-boos, more bugs, tubing, 12 people sleeping in one camper, bugs, laughing of little voices, 12 people trying to sleep a second night in a camper, bugs, more tubing, swimming, food, bugs, hiking, more hiking, swimming...did I mention bugs??? WOW did we have fun!!! Well, the trip started off a little rocky due to a major oversight on my part...but it all worked out lovely in the end. We stayed at a beautiful camp that had a lovely river that we could tube down, fish in, swim in and try to swim in the waterfalls!!! We had so much fun. We are so thankful for Scott and Nat and their four girls who travelled along with us. We are SO thankful for mom and dad's camper. It came in very handy during the few times in rained a little.

Olivia turns 2 and Maddie turns 1

2009-05-26T20:09:00.006-04:00

It is hard to believe that last year this time Maddie was just born and Livvy was turning 1!!...NOW a year later I have a one year old and a two year old!! Time flies!! It was so nice to spend Livvy's birthday with my parents. We could not ask for a better Nana and Papa!! They were able to come over for supper and dessert. We are having a birthday party for all three of the girls in June since their birthdays are so close. Livvy was so excited to get Happy Birthday sang to them so many times on the phone by her friend Anna Kate and then Nana and Papa. Maddie was quite thrilled also when nana and Papa called and sang to her. What a joy to celebrate their birthdays. We have so much to be thankful for!! Such healthly, fun, energetic children!!!

Marissa and Cassie's graduation

2009-05-26T19:54:00.014-04:00

We have had a busy time of graduations over the past few weeks. Marissa and Cassie both graduated!! Congrats to them!! We had their drop in party here at our house last week. We had a great turn out. Here are just a few pictures of the time we all had together!!

Cinderella!!!

2009-05-08T14:49:00.012-04:00

Aleeza did get her dream come true when Nana bought us Cinderella tickets....I have never seen a child's eyes light up as much as hers did that night. She was thrilled beyond words. We went out on a girl's night just Nana, Aleeza and I. Out to eat first, then to see Cinderella then we ended it with a tradition that my parents did when I was little- after a performance we would go to the donut store and treat ourselves. So Aleeza and I did just that!! The play was amazing and the cast did a fabulous job!! Cinderella even went to Aleeza's future school- Bob Jones. Thanks Nana for a very memorable evening!! And thanks to Papa for picking Aleeza some gorgeous flowers to have on her first night out with the girls!!

Trip away....

2009-05-08T14:43:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago Brandon and I enjoyed celebrating our 6th anniversary in Pigeon Forge. We had a great time. It was very relaxing and much needed. His parents came down from NY and were able to spend some time with the girls while we were gone.

We visited Cades Cove and saw bears up close.. :), went to Dollywood and Dixie Stampede and did a lot of relaxing. Here are just a few pics of the trip.

Easter Sunday...

2009-04-12T17:04:00.006-04:00

Let's just say there were about 10 shots done of Daddy and his girls and well...this was as good as we got!! The girls were not feeling well today so really any shot was a good shot!! We had a great time at lunch with my parents and Aunt Colleen and Uncle Lenny and the 7 cousins that could come.. we always have fun when we get together!! We are so thankful to be able to celebrate the Lord's rising from the grave today and to be able to BELIEVE!! what a blessing we have!!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-12T16:59:00.004-04:00

We had an Easter Egg Hunt with the G's before the adults went to dinner and the Living Art Gallery!! We had a lot of fun.. the girls had a blast searching for eggs then opening them and discovering all the candy hidden inside...Please do take notice of all the girls... there was a whole lot of making over going on here last night by K.K and Marissa who were so kind to give them baths and get them ready for Easter sunday...including roller and painting nails.. the girls had a blast!! SO DID THE ADULTS AS WE WENT OUT!!

My girls...

2009-04-12T16:58:00.002-04:00

These two are growing up way too fast.. hard to believe they both have a birthday next month!!

St. Patty's lunch

2009-04-12T16:53:00.004-04:00

We recently took the girls to the St. Patty's day lunch at the pavilion. They had great fun getting their faced painted, riding the train and playing the inside games!!

Consignment sale

2009-04-12T16:45:00.008-04:00

I recently hosted a consignment sale here at our home...it was great fun!! I love putting stuff like this together. Everything went great and we had about 40 consignors and proabably about 100 shoppers!! It made for a very busy weekend but lots of fun!!

Brandon turns 30!!!!

2009-03-15T11:25:00.007-04:00

Well he finally turned 30!!! He has been dreading this day for a while...He actually turned 30 while he was hiking last week...So I decided to surprise him this weekend...well I let most of the secret out on Saturday morning through some different circumstances he found out... oh well we still had a great time with friends and family. We celbrated with the his aunt and uncle and all the cousins ( the Bundys), my parents, our good friends the Evans, and our good friends the G's(again not going to attempt to spell the last name..) Anyway, a big thanks to our faithful yet ever enduring, loving cousin Kendrea for babysitting all the kids while the adults went out to eat and for decorating the house with the black stuff while we were gone!! We had a great time of lots of food and fellowship!! and lots of laughs!!

The ever adorable Anna Kate...

Maddie and Nana( maddie making one of her many faces)

Our BFF's (that is for Nat..:) ) I think Scott is sleeping!!

Big guy blowing out the big 3-0!!

The beautiful K.K. and adorable Aleeza!!

Slumber party

2009-03-15T11:04:00.010-04:00

Last weekend our husbands went hiking on the foot hills trail and we had a slumber part...13 kids under the age of 8...sounds like a great time huh....we did have fun!!! Please take notice of the new hair cut that Aleeza has..including bangs and all...let's just say...that mommy didn't do it, nor Livvy nor Maddie nor Daddy....Aleeza decided she needed bangs to look like one of her friends ....it is cute...it is starting to grow on me. :) Anyway, the guys had a great time. We are so thankful for our Christian friends that we have. All the kids have become great friends.

Here is Maddie and her good friend Mary Beth!!

Mary Beth- such a cutie!!

Maddie has become a cheese when it is picture time...so cute!!

All the kids bunkering down for the night with a movie!!

You just have to wonder what Dhillion C. is thinking in this picture!!

SNOW!!!

2009-03-15T11:01:00.006-04:00

Yes we finally had snow...for about 24 hours.. it was nice to let the girls go out in it for a little while.. do we not have the cutest kids??

Basketball

2009-03-15T10:59:00.001-04:00

Yeah yeah yeah....I know this is all I took.. Aleeza played basketball for 6 weeks. Next is t-ball then soccer...it was so cute to watch her play!! Of course daddy can't wait for soccer season!!

Circus

2009-03-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

We had the best time at the circus!! The girls LOVED it... As did Brandon and I!!

Super Bowl night!

2009-03-15T10:55:00.002-04:00

This is how our girls spent Super Bowl night... we are so thankful for our new friends the G's..( like I am even going to attempt to spell their last name...) anyway they have four girls and Aleeza has become great friends with them. Brandon and Scott have already been on a hiking trip with some other guys. Fun times!!!

Weekend in Charleston

2009-01-26T15:00:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we were able to enjoy some time away from Greenville. It was much needed. We left early Friday morning and got home last Sunday night. Brandon's company was doing a home show and he was sent down there along with his partner to do the show. They put us up so that was nice!! The girls and I enjoyed some down time and we had fun too. We visited the children's museum one morning which was great fun. We also ate out some, relaxed at the beach house, stayed up one night, because the girls would not sleep...saw the beach, and enjoyed a lovely carriage ride. We had a very nice time and would do it again next weekend but I don't think they will pay for it again.. :)

Happy SURPRISE Anniversary

2009-01-26T14:46:00.009-05:00

A couple of months ago my dad asked me to plan a surprise anniversary party for my mom and him. They have been married for 40 years...well little did he know that I had already planned something for them the weekend before their anniversary. I had to do it on my birthday which miraculously for me came on my 30th because I most certaintly didn't want to focus on that day. Well, it went off with a hit!! Yeah!!! I had invited about 125 people and we had about 90 or so come. It was great. The story begins with a very bad week for us though. We were very sick and the girls had gotten the flu. I woke up about 2 on saturday morning with it. I have not been sick in ages... and it has to come on my birthday and the big day... well, I made it through the day with a happy face, I don' t think any one even knew I was sick except the people I told!! The biggest surprise of the evening was the "special guest" Yvonne and her husband flew in from Washington state...It was great!! We went out to supper before hand and my aunt and uncle had come down also. After we ate we told mom and dad we were going back to our place for cake and ice cream and people were coming over. Well, instead Brandon told them that we needed to make a stop at the CVA apartments to pick up a package for some missionaries in PNG... :) Well, dad went to help him and I told mom and my aunt to come too. There were already some people there, so that was a nice surprise!! Thanks to Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Stine and Jen the evening was a blast!! I am so thankful for my parents and for the Lord allowing them to spend 40 wonderful years together!! I also had a little surprise of my own from the Evans and Stines!!

This is my parents being throughly surprised!!!

Three of my favorite girls... :)

2009-01-15T07:11:00.001-05:00

the girls...

2009-01-15T06:59:00.003-05:00

Pictures from Christmas

2009-01-15T06:47:00.015-05:00

finally....

2009-01-15T06:40:00.002-05:00

I know I am way late again... thanks to some of my friends that I have been reminding me..."update your blog.. update your blog..."....well, if I just sat around all day and had all the time in the world then maybe I could keep it more up to date... I am sorry. We had a wonderful Christmas. We were able to spend it here this year, and Brandon worked extra hard. He was able to get in a lot of hours at his job so that was a blessing. The Lord continues to supply our every needs, every day, every hour. We are finally getting back to a somewhat normal routine!!
Maddie is officially sleeping through the night, although now that I type this, I am sure she will start waking up again but let me tell you that makes for a blessed nights sleep. :) I am still keeping a little boy full time and have another little boy coming part time. The 1500 Korkers are almost done thanks to a very good friends help. We split them, so that took a load off of me. We are excited to see what the next order looks like. Brandon is working extra hard these days. He is still at UPS and LOVES it... The Lord truly worked a miracle so far, in letting him keep that job. I can't go into all the details but we praise the Lord for him still have the job as of date. He is still a project manager at Accu Brick and is finally breaking ground on their office building. YEAH!!! He has some additions and some other "bigger" jobs that are going on the side. We are very thankful for everything we can get these days. Aleeza started playing basketball this week... it is so cute, and Lord willing she will be starting BJ this fall in K-4....wow my baby is growing up.. everyone said the time would go by fast and it sure does. Livvy is well Livvy... :) She is talking up a storm and into everything. She is hopefully over being sick for the past few days. She is our clown. Maddie, is great. She is starting to try to crawl, and loves to sit and just play with whatever...so that is nice for me. Well, that is our life in a nut shell for now. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Life continues....

2008-11-19T19:57:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful that the Lord allows us to just continue moving on despite our mistakes and messups. And there are plenty of those. Another shot out to my husband... given the current market and how things are right now... it would be a great time to throw it all in and just give up completely... but no...that is not Brandon, he is working so hard these days. He got a GREAT job at Accu Brick as a project manager. The Lord could not have timed this job any better. The housing market crashes and we are not sure what to do and boom this is thrown in our lap along with building their office building. Amazing. He is working a normal day from about 4:30 ( ups) till around 7 or so at night. Pretty tired in the evenings but we are thankful for it. He is an amazing husband and father to me and to the girls. We started a tradition that I heard a lady share about recently. If daddy is home for supper we light a candle, and eat by candlelight. He normally will be but has been working late the past few weeks so tonight we got to light the candle. Aleeza was so excited. I am so thankful for him.
I am still keeping a little boy full time and a little girl here an there. I am thankful for this "job" also. The Lord just continues to show His face to us. It is amazing to see what He is doing in our lives. I have been told recently but a few close people that they don't know how I do it, how do you live day to day not knowing what the day holds? Do any of us know what it holds though. I contribute all the glory and praise to God. We have been memorizing and meditating on a verse out of Habukkuk 3:17-19lately. The short of it "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." What else do we need to do?
The girls are good and getting big. Would still appreciate a special prayer for Maddie that she would start sleeping completly through the nigth. I was spoiled I think formula feeding my other two, but nursing is a tad different. I think she is just spoiled and in a rut I can't seem to break. Every morning around 3.....Hopefully soon. :)
Pictures to come soon... when I have a chance again to sit down and type some!!

who is who?

2008-10-31T16:55:00.002-04:00

It was hard for me to tell at first..... they are the same age just 12 months and 2 days apart. I thought this was so cute of them!!! Livvy is first then Maddie!

Update....

2008-10-29T14:41:00.002-04:00

Well, we are doing well, sorry it has been a while since we posted...time just seems to slip right by us. The girls are good and getting so big. We are so blessed to have such sweet girls. Brandon is doing well and is looking forward to starting a "new" job. He is going to be a project manager for a company here in town. He will still be building on the side and we still have a house and a large office building coming up, so we are thankful for that. The Lord is good. He closes the doors He does not want us to have. We have dealt with so many things lately and it has been so neat to see the Lord's hand clearly directing our every step and our every turn. He is truly good. I am still watching three kids. One is full time and the other two are part time. Aleeza enjoys having them here. So needless to say I am busy. Thanks for all of your prayers. I know so many of you are praying for us and we appreciate it so much!

George's Club

2008-10-29T14:37:00.003-04:00

We throughly enjoy our time at George's Club. Here is Aleeza and her buddy Benjamin. They are enjoying snack time. Here is my adorable Bumble Bee....she was such a good girl....

And of course...my ladybug....eating till her heart is content... so cute!

Enchanted Tracks...

2008-10-29T14:32:00.006-04:00

We always enjoy going to the Pavilion this time of year.. brings back lots of memories of when I worked there. We went Saturday night to enchanted tracks. Aleeza had been looking forward to meeting the princesses...and she got to meet Snow White and Belle ( thanks to the Bob Jones volunteers) Here is Livvy, Adry (their cousin) and Aleeza. They had a great time.

Apple picking...

2008-10-29T14:27:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday we enjoyed the morning apple picking.. .the girls had lots of fun... it was very windy but we had a good time!!

Pumpkin painting...

2008-10-29T14:24:00.003-04:00

The girls, and the kids I babysit painted pumpkins last week.. we had so much fun... they were great and the pumpkins turned out so cute!! Livvy was very into this.. we had to throw this shirt out though.. oh well.. fun times!!

Matching girls....

2008-10-29T14:22:00.001-04:00

The girls get a thril out of seeing K. K their cousin come to the door with clothes..... and so do I... That means Aunt Colleen has been on the hunt again for them... here they are in their matching Christmas PJ from Aunt Colleen.. I know it is early but it has been chilly at night and they are so cozy looking in them!!

Visit with Aunt Bonnie....

2008-10-29T14:18:00.003-04:00

Aunt Bonnie came to visit and we had so much fun together... it is so nice to see her. I am so blessed to have such a good friend!!! I am glad her cousin is getting married, because now I will get to see her a few times in the next few months!! She spoils the girls all the time... this time they got "bling bling" purses with sunglasses.... they are way too cute!! Thanks for coming to visit...we LOVE you and miss ya!!

Camping out....

2008-10-29T14:16:00.001-04:00

Brandon was able to enjoy some time with Aleeza when he camped out with her... it was special for them both. It was a nice evening and before they fell asleelp we made smores... they camped in the backyard...good times and memories!!

Saturday...

2008-09-27T16:32:00.002-04:00

We are doing well... no new pictures sorry.. just words.. We spent the morning at the zoo which was a lot of fun. Aleeza loves going there. Livvy just points and grunted every now and then and Maddie just looked around. We are glad it is the weekend. We live for the weekends. We love our Saturdays together and look forward to spending Sunday in the Lord's house. It is so nice to go there and turn our attention towards Him and all He has done for us. We are so thankful to have the Lord looking down on us and protecting us and watching over us. We serve a almighty God with whom we have much to be thankful. No new news for us on the business end, Brandon is working at UPS which we are really thankful for, I have three kids now that I am watching. Thank you for your continued prayers!!

wedding time...

2008-09-24T13:01:00.005-04:00

My wedding dress hangs in Aleeza's closet and she is always looking at it... it is cute. I have been wanting to take her picture in it... not great pictures.. but you get the point.. She had fun dressing up. Maddie also got in on the action...

Livvy well.. she was not thrilled.. hopefully she is not like this on the day of her wedding!!

No I didn't wear the princess crown when I got married... just wanted to clarify that!!

Our picnics out side...

2008-09-24T12:54:00.006-04:00

The weather has been so nice lately we have been eating outside... plus we sold our breakfast table at a yard sale and I don't want this mess on my dining room set...:) Funny thing with Livvy in the picture was she had ice cream all over her face and everywhere else but she had fallen and gotten dirt on her hands and was very concerned about that... Aleeza and Livvy love to go outside.. Maddie just goes along for the ride!!

Way over due... yet again...

2008-09-24T12:47:00.003-04:00

Seems like time just gets by us so fast this days.. can't imagine why??? We are all good. The Lord is good, and we are thankful for that. We are excited about what He has for us in the future. Right now, Brandon is busy working on closing on a house and getting ready to start a commercial project. We have been very busy the past few weeks, Brandon's parents came down for a visit, I have been babysitting daily, which the girls love having other around, we have not run our air for a full week now!!!! The weather is gorgeous, there is lots going on that we are thrilled about. We have a wonderful family, great house, so much to be thankful for!!!

Well, to the pictures which I know you all want....

Ok it is official.....I am selling Avon! :)

2008-08-22T09:38:00.002-04:00

First I have to say that Auntie Bonnie will probably get the biggest kick out of this... I don't know why but I just think she will!
Ok besides, taking care of my own three girls and one new boy that I am watching, and applying for my teaching certificate and possibly starting classes next semester, applying for the PACE program through the state of South Carolina oh yeah and running my husbands' accounting stuff on the side..... I am selling AVON! yeah yeah...laugh laugh laugh..never thought you'd see me doing this huh? Well I didn't either, until I checked out their website and was like I can do this... I can't sell stuff to people face to face but I can sure sell on line and come up with a website... so check it out. Don't buy from me if you already buy from some one else,but do check out all the kids' stuff. They have some really cute kids' things that I am going to get. They have tons of stuff... not just make-up! But if you do want to order something.. go for it!

Always movin....always something...

2008-08-18T14:06:00.009-04:00

How we enjoy Papa and Nana's watermelon.. oh wait I can't yet.... How Livvy enjoys Papa's watermelon... quite messy...

How Aleeza enjoys them...she helped pick them with Papa..

Who does Maddie look like?? we don't know yet.... she is one of a kind right now..

Loves her spaghetti.... Playing...nicely...yeah!! Sisterly love... Aleeza adores Maddie...it is really cute!! Again thanks to Aunt Bonnie for our matching outfits...:)

Visit from Julie...

2008-08-18T14:00:00.002-04:00

I was so happy to have my friend Julie and her daughter Emma stop in for a while to visit a few weeks ago.... Jules and I have spent many a good times together.. including 6 weeks in China one summer. We go way back..from being in each other's wedding, to being in the same prayer group, same soceity...tons of things. I love ya Julie!!! Thanks for visting.. we are hoping these two will be good friends one day. They are only 2 months apart.. so provided we both send our kids to BJ they should be good friend!!

Night out...

2008-08-18T13:56:00.005-04:00

We were headed to Kid's Planet on saturday night when it started raining so we made a quick turn and went to Gattitown.....the girls had a blast!!! So did daddy... I might add!!
Girls enjoying the fire engine ride...

Livvy's first ride on the carousel...
Maddie's first ride....

Bloggin....again...

2008-08-18T13:24:00.004-04:00

Yeah yeah yeah... I know you all are sick and tired of looking at the chicken post so here are some new ones... yes life is crazy with three... yes I don't recommend 12 months apart, yes I love them and would not trade it though for anything... We are doing well. Brandon has some work that is coming through. We are very thankful for some recent contacts for building houses. We have actually had two in the past week. Brandon is getting his commercial license next week which we are excited about. That will open up a whole new avenue for him. He is excited about doing his first commercial job in the next month or so. A new office building for a local landscaping company. We are open to all new things right now. Brandon and I are both looking into new things for our lives.. as if three kids weren't enough.....I have started watching a little boy and he is super sweet!! He is three so Aleeza and him are really clicking. Livvy is still just trying to figure out where she fits in and of course Maddie doesn't care.. as long as she eats and sleeps she is fine! Also, you all can be praying. Brandon is thinking about taking a few classes here and there and getting his degree in Construction Science! He is pretty pumped about that... there is a local college( shall be left unnamed...but would be quite the working of the Lord if Brandon went back there and taught...) but they are looking for some teachers for their construction department! He is ready to start tomorrow... Also pray for me.. I have applied for the PACE program through the state of South Carolina to teach Emotionally Disabled children in the public school system. I thought it was a three year process but come to find out you just apply and they have accepted all my test scores from 6 years ago when I was an education major. There are a few classes to take and obviously I am not interested in teaching right now but in the future. So that is what is new with Brandon and I. The girls... well they are growing growing growing.. Aleezas' latest... is " my back is really killing me.." , she is learning all the days of the week and can count to 20 now... she is starting to be able to sound out words...other famous quotes..Brandon said that something was bothering him...so Aleeza said, " throw it in the trash can then..." well... she is quite the little missy. Livvy.. well she is still eating... eating... eating... I have to cut her off.. but she is still only in the 50th percentale for her weight.. go figure. She moves a lot though. Maddie is so cute!! She is laughing so much and grins from ear to ear. What a blessing they are!

Free Chicken....:)

2008-07-12T19:27:00.008-04:00

Ok so we dressed up like cows to get our free food... and I couldn't not have done it without my dear friend and cousin Kendrea helping me..:) She has been my life saver the past few weeks. We had a blast. Kyla, Aleeza and Livvy ( who is too enthralled with the cows in the picture below) dressed up yesterday for our free food. yes even Mommy and Kendrea put ears on for a free sandwich! Aleeza was scared to death but warmed up. I think it was Kyla wanting to get her picture with the cows that did it for her!!

My girls...

2008-07-12T13:09:00.004-04:00

Just hangin out..

2008-07-12T13:06:00.004-04:00

We discovered Heritage Park a few weeks ago... great place to hang out.. very nice large park.. We went there a few weeks ago with the family and Jesse and Jen!! Fun !!

Maddie's first bath...

2008-07-12T13:02:00.004-04:00

Aleeza was very excited about helping daddy do this.. don't worry ... her first bath was about 6 weeks ago.. I am just a little late in posting..

Day by Day...

2008-06-25T15:46:00.003-04:00

"Day by day and with each passing moment strength I find to meet my trails here". This is the only song that I have been meditating on lately. Hard times are here but we know that with the Lords' help we can make it. We have to make it. Thanks for your continued prayers!

A recent one...

2008-06-22T17:02:00.003-04:00

Family and friends I know always like an update... so here is the most reason one Brandon wrapped up... Closed out a few weeks ago. Way to go honey!!! We have one more that we are closing out this month so I will post pictures of it soon... Amazing job as usual!! We should start our own tour of homes..:)

My mom...

2008-06-22T17:01:00.001-04:00

Please keep praying for my mom. She is in OK this week with her sister. She is still having pain with her back. Just keep praying for her. Thanks!

Lake Day

2008-06-22T16:50:00.007-04:00

What do you get with 4 adults, two toddler, one newborn, and unbelievable amount of stuff and a gorgeous lake? A fun filled day at the lake! Yesterday we decided to head to the lake with our friends Jen and Jesse. It was a gorgeous day. Not too hot. Aleeza had an absolute blast. She was little miss bravery. The geese, fish and the little boat that she got to ride in were a huge hit. There was a big storm that was coming so we headed out in the afternoon. It was very nice just to get away for a litttle bit! Thanks to Jen for all her help with the girls. I need about 8 arms right now and well, I don't have them. We had to make a quick trip my Aunt Sues on the way home. Love Aunt Sues!

Jesse, Brandon and Aleeza enjoying the lake!

Mommy and my little Livvy!! What a cutie!

Aleeza and Jen enjoying the nice cool water!

Must have the paci!

Isn't this pretty?

Girls out...

2008-06-22T16:48:00.002-04:00

My friend Jen and I were able to go out for supper on Friday night. It was nice. I have not been out with out the girls in well a long time. So in the meantime you might be wondering what the girls did do? Well Daddy took them swimming with Jesse. They had fun. Jen and I had a nice time to. We went to one of my favorites... Brick Street Cafe... it was nice to just sit and relax for a while. Of course then we ended the night with some Cold Stone. You have to end the night with ice cream!

Another girl.... not me...

2008-06-22T16:47:00.004-04:00

My sister in law called.... we have grandaughter number 6 on the way... so the boy is still up for grabs... HA dont' worry not from us any time soon. :)

Praise

2008-06-22T16:47:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for praying. We have been greatly encouraged the past few days with some very promising leads. We know that the Lord will supply. Thank you for your prayers!

Faith and Brandon

2008-06-12T14:45:00.003-04:00

Pastor Minnick preached an amazing message last Sunday morning on faith. It is almost like he knows exactly what Brandon and I are going through. Actually, we know it is just the Lord laying these messages on his heart to preach to us. We have experienced some very difficult times latley and right now the future holds many more. We do not understand what the Lord has in store for us. This is just another shout out to my dear husband. He never really gets to read this so I can brag all I want on him and he will not be embarrased. He is an amazing husband, father, friend, worker, encourager... and the list could go on and on. I would like to focus on the father part first being that father's day is Sunday. He is a great father to the girls. They could not ask for a better dad. He works so hard to provide for their needs and mine. Times are tough right now because unfortunetly in this line of work he works so hard just get give people want and well the Lord has different plans for how things will wind up. Back to the father part. He is so loving to them, but yet firm, he cares for them like no other father. As far as the husband part, well, he is yet again amazing. The Lord has really been testing us lately. Our line of work has seemed to have slowed down but yet he has faith that things will pick back up soon. He comes home everyday from working so incredidbly hard just to make our ends meet and comes homes to four hormonal girls.. fun times for him. :) He never complains about the house or supper or anything for that matter. He just loves to be home with his wife and family. I am so rebuked at times by him because he can keep such a good face in bad times. As far as the worker part, well those of you out there who have ever had him do any work for you at all know what kind of work he does. He takes amazing pride in his work, quality is number one to him and getting the job done and right is his main goal. He will literally not have money to spend if it means getting someone in their house. For example, this past April we celebrated our five year anniversary. He had planned his trip to PNG about a year and half ago so we knew that would interfer with our plans, but at the same time we would have liked to have gone away for our anniversary but instead he stayed here to work on some clients house to get them moved in on time. Most builders in this line of work would have shoved everything else to the back burner. Now, I on the other hand am thankful that he did do this for our clients because it meant that he is a man of his word, plus I was practically 9 months pregnant and really didn't feel like going anywhere. :) so back to the faith part, Pastor Minnick ended his sermon with "stare impossibilites right in the eye and face them with faith". Wow very hard at times but exactly what we needed right now in our life. Brandon has strong desire and we feel like the Lord would have us to continue this buisness but we can't do that without His help. So if you know of any one out there that is looking for a great builder let us know, or need any side jobs done we can help. We are very thankful once again to have the Lord on our side during hard times. I am not sure how people can live with out knowing that the Lord is the only one who will provided for you and he will not let a righteous man go hungry. That is very comforting during this time. Thanks for your contiuned prayers!

Introducing Madison Kae....

2008-05-25T19:09:00.012-04:00

Well the story goes something like this.....:) My scheduled c-section was for May 24. On May 20, Tuesday evening something very odd happened that has never happened before. My body decided to go into labor a week early. My acutal due date was May 31. Well, naturally as I have been called the past few days, I was stubborn. I didn't want to think that I was actually going into labor. I had not even packed the girls things. They weren't suppossed to be leaving until Friday night. Well, the Lord had other plans. My contractions didn't even give me a fair warning. They just started right in at 7 pm and around 10 pm I told Brandon I had had enough and he called the doctor. The doctor pretty much scolled him for not bringing me in as soon as it started. He was wondering if I thought they were going to go away. Well, we called my parents and they quickly made it over here. In the mean time I couldn't wait and the contractions were about 1-2 minutes apart and I was "dying". We called Marrissa and K.K my life saver girls to come over and wait here till my parents arrived. In the meantime it was off. How unprepared I was. I was throwing necessity things into a bag and making sure Brandon had packed what little things the girls could get by with for a few days. Well, we were off and I mean off. This was the most intense labor of all. When I did arrive Dr. Ellison was all ready to preform the c-section but in the midst of all the excitment the lab lost my blood work and I had to sit there for almost 2 hours while they scurred around looking for it. In the mean time I have no pain medicine and I just keep trying to fall asleep to get through. We can hear them talking in the hallway about how they can't find it and they don't know what to do. They can't preform surgery without testing my blood first. Well, around 12:30 it finally shows up and I am off to the surgery room. As soon as the spinal started working I was thrilled. 50 minutes later we have baby Madison Kae. We are thrilled at the Lord's timing. I came home late Friday afternoon and so far so good. She looks nothing like her sisters who look nothing a like. :) We are so thankful to the Lord for another safe delievery of a wonderful daughter and looking forward to having a few more children if the Lord wills. We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for!

I am so thankful also at this time for my parents. Please pray for my mom though. She took a nice fall on Friday while swinging with Olivia. She is in a lot of pain. Thanfully my dad is there to help with the girls. We both seem to be out of commission at the currrent moment and the men are taking care of their girls. Brandon has two on this end that he is doing a great job of taking care of, and my dad is doing a wonderful job with his two granddaughters!! Thank you to both of them. We couldn't make it through this time without you both!!!!

Another birthday bash...

2008-05-25T19:05:00.004-04:00

We had another birthday party with our good friends Jesse and Jen. Jesse's birthday is close to the girls so Jen made a cake with all three of their names on it. It was a very special time for us. Dont' worry their dogs couldn't hurt a fly and Livvy absolutely loved them. Aleeza was warmed up by the end of the night. Thanks again Jen!!!!

ok here goes....

2008-05-25T18:58:00.005-04:00

Wow talk about a busy past month.. I am not sure where to start.. except to first give God all the glory and praise on how He has miraculously brought us through another tough month and we have seen Him truly glorified. Brandon's buisness is slower than it has ever been but seems to be that way for many builders right now. The Lord has contiuned to bring in work for him and has supplied our every needs. It is amazing. I can't list the many many times we have seen him work over and over and over again.

Well, first off we had a combined birthday for the girls before Madison was born. We had a house full of people but had a blast. Aleeza was totally into her party this year and Livvy well like usual just into the cake. Aleeza turned 3 and Livvy turned 1. I can't believe how quickly they have grown up.

Aleeza in her new apron from Aunt Judy and Uncle Claude... we are teaching her early!

Prayer..

2008-04-30T10:26:00.003-04:00

I have pictures to post but don't have much time right now. I am just asking that everyone be praying for Brandon and I during the next few weeks and months. The Lord is doing some amazing things in our lives and teaching us to trust in Him every day, every minute, every second. The Lord is good, He is faithful and He will not fail His children. We are seeking His face daily. We are all doing well, and the girls are getting so big and ready for Madison's appearance into this world. (as well as Mommy). She is quite the active one and likes to get really active at night. What a blessing to have children. They truly have been a comfort and joy to us. I thank each of you who faithfully read this blog and pray for us!

Funny monkeys

2008-04-15T14:04:00.003-04:00

Brandon and I seriouly do have two funny monkeys... They are constantly changing. Olivia is still just scooting around on her rear end, no desire for crawling, or pulling up on anything. Aleeza....well...her vocab is developing at a drastic rate. The things that she says just will make your head spin at times. She is fully potty trained now.. well, for the moment. That was a huge deal, but I never felt like pressuring her. I knew when she was ready she would do it and she has! We could not be happier right now with these two! They are adorable.

Then back to reality.....

2008-04-15T13:58:00.002-04:00

Brandon did return to us safely and we are so happy for that. After returning we were able to talk again but how much we have to be thankful for, but then again how much we would have to be thankful for even if we had nothing. We would still have our Lord and our family and what more do we need? We both have been to PNG once and he has been twice since then and everytime it just amazes us at how these people literally have nothing except what they carrry in a little pouch around their neck and the thatch roof they live underneath and how thankful they are. Amazing. The Lord was truly good while Brandon was gone. We were able to get lots done and the girls and I had a nice safe time. He is back to reality now. There are some new possibilities opening up for him and the buisness everywhere right now we are just seeking the Lord's face as to what He will have for our lives. In the mean time we are still busy with the buisness, making bows, (well I am) raising the girls and getting ready for girl number 3 in about 6 weeks. Wow!!! We both can't believe it. We are still doing the Dave Ramsey stuff as many of you know. I was so proud the other day when I was in Target and had my three seperate transactions because the money was coming out of three seperate envelopes and the man checking me out said you must doing the Dave Ramsey book. I gave him a big smile and said YES. Usually the cashiers just sort of roll their eyes when I am checking out one thing at a time. I just keep telling myself, who is saving the money here. :) Everything else is good and we trust that all of you are doing well also!

Soccer

2008-04-15T13:53:00.001-04:00

Brandon could never go to PNG without a little game of soccer....

2008-04-15T13:34:00.014-04:00

Here are some pictures of the local people. As you can see from the pictures the land there is very beautiful but extremely hard on the people. They age very quickly there.
Here is Matt Crain teaching his Sunday School lesson in the school house.

Brandon is ready to go to war.

The kids love to have their pictures made. They are so adorable.

Brandon made this treasure box for this little boy there. He has cerebral palsy. Brandon has realy heart for these people and their need of the Savior.

Here is his "best friend" Samuel. He met him last time when he was there three years ago. Samuel has really changed a lot. He is all grown up now.

Brandon playing jacks with the kids.

And of course the babies.... so cute.

Here are some of the huts/ houses the people live in. Check out their view!!!! Amazing.

The only way out.....

2008-04-15T13:32:00.001-04:00

They were left with no choice but this way out. The reason they don't use this all the time is expense. It is very expensive to fly. It is not owned by the missionaries. But instead of driving for 8 hours it took 25 minutes... very nice.

Landslides and waterfalls....

2008-04-15T13:28:00.003-04:00

In PNG you go from one extreme to the other. This is a bad landslide....to a beautiful waterfall. This is why they need airstrips. This is a landslide they did go over and made it in the truck but it was close one. You can see why.

Airstrips in PNG

2008-04-15T13:22:00.002-04:00

As some of you know Brandon has been in contact with GFA the local missionary board here trying to get something going for the Berbins and Smiths in PNG. They both really need airstrips completed and quickly. The roads are much to dangerous to travel in and out. For example, Brandon and his crew traveled for almost 8 hours when it was time for them to leave and were not able to make it out. They had to be helicoptered out the next morning. The landslides are very bad there and very dangerous. Praise the Lord that just recently they found out the airstrips can be approved at 400 meters and they really don't need that much work done on them. Please uphold this before the Lord in prayer and our family also. We are praying and seeking the Lords' will for our lives for the in future. We are interested in helping the missionaries out there in any way we can. We will leave that open ended for now.

Matt and Rebekah Crain's new home in PNG.

2008-04-15T13:17:00.004-04:00

Here is the house that they went to work on. They started with nothing there and ended with cabinets and pretty much everything else done on the inside. All I know is this couple has one amazing view out the front of their house. Probably the best view every. I am jealous. :) The Lord really gave the men some extra strength in being able to get this much work done. Praise the Lord for what they were able to get done in 2 weeks.

Market Time.

2008-04-15T13:12:00.003-04:00

Market in Goroka. This is public transportation....lots of fun.:)

Cars in Singapore...

2008-04-15T13:10:00.001-04:00

New cars in Singapore....

Home finally.....

2008-04-15T13:00:00.005-04:00

Brandon returned to us late last Friday night. It has been a busy week since is return. They were able to get lots done though. They almost finished the house completely so that is nice. Things move much quicker there with no inspectors involved.:) We are thankful to the Lord that everything went well while he was gone and we have enjoyed having him back. Here are some pictures from the trip. The first pictures here are of their layover in Singapore. They were able to stay with Melanie and Ping and were showed around the city that first day. Thanks again to Melanie and Ping for this!

update 3...

2008-03-28T08:22:00.002-04:00

I received an e-mail from Brandon on Tuesday morning stating that they were getting a lot accomplished.They were going to be putting in the electrical, plumbing and cabinets. In all his "free time" he was building a treasure chest for little boy with cerebral palsey. Last time he was there he struck up a really neat friendship with Samuel. He truly has a heart for those people and their country. They still have not heard anything about the airstrip and are waiting word to see if it will be long enough for them to work with. The government is being pretty picky about the length but they will not be flying jets in and out just bush planes. Pray the government will approve the length.
His father is feeling better. Seems to have been a bout of upset stomach.
Well, we have two weeks down and one more to go. I am glad. We are ready for Daddy to be home. Three weeks is a very long time. We really miss him but are excited about what he is getting to do there. Every night we have been tearing our chains off to see how many more days we have till daddy comes home... finally only 7. Aleeza woke up this morning and I said guess who comes home in one week, she sat up and just yelled, "daddy". The girls have been really good the past two weeks. They both have runny noses but are hanging in there.
Again, I can't say enough how much of a blessing it is to have Marrissa and Kendrea (Brandon's cousins) staying with me. I could not have survived these three weeks without them... highly doubtly that any of us could do anything against a robber is someone broke in...:) but just knowing they are here at night helps me sleep. The Lord is gracious and good. He most importantly has calmed my nerves and helped me to sleep at night. As many of you know I have no problem going to bed early and the girls can contest to that... Come 8 o'clock I am in neverland... So wearing myself out throughout the day really helps me to sleep well. I am thankful to my dear aunt Colleen for letting them stay with me also. It has been such a great help...:) I don't think the girls know how much it means to me to have them here.
Over and over the past few weeks the Lord has just continued to provide our needs. It is amazing!
Well, that is the update for now. I am hoping for one more e-mail before he heads out but we shall see. It is very hard for them to communicate with us from over there. He will be leaving the bush on April 1 which is Monday for us, March 31. They will have about a 3 day trip ahead of them to get home. Please pray for their safety, to connect to all their flights on time and to stay healthy!

update number 2

2008-03-24T13:30:00.004-04:00

Well, we made it through our first week and that was only by the grace of God. This past week was so overwhelming for me. I wasn't overwhelmed at what needed to be done but at how the Lord worked every little detail out of everything. The Lord was so good to us and I am truly excited at how he is going to work things out for the next two weeks.

I heard from Brandon this past Thursday morning and that was the last time. It was a very short e-mail but I have read it and reread it over and over again and I cherish it like it is a piece of gold. It was all I needed to let me know that he was safe where he needed to be and working hard. We are hoping for another one soon, but communicating back and forth from over there is very difficult.

I hope everyone had a good Easter. We were able to spend Easter lunch with our good friends the Stines. They were so kind to invite the girls and I over and along with my paretns and the Evans. We had a wonderful time. The girls enjoyed exploring all over the house. Here is Livvy with her Uncle Claude.. yes this is all the pictures I have of the girls on Easter.. sad yes.. daddy has the camera and Nana was going to take some but we have to do it next Sunday.. :)

An update...

2008-03-18T18:23:00.003-04:00

The men are officially in PNG... right now they are 14 hours ahead of us so if you think about it pray for them. Brandon was able to call me last night and we spoke for about 10 minutes. I have been keeping a journal everyday of things that happen around the house, the girls, the buisness and mostly of my special "jewels" that happen while he is gone. That was jewel 14 for me last night. The Lord has been so good to us so far and has granted me a peace that is very special and unique to me right now. I can't explain the way the Lord has just calmed me and worked in my heart. I am very thankful for that.

Melanie who lives in Singapore with her husband Ping was able to send me some pictures of the men. The men were able to stay in their church over night and go sight seeing the next day around Singapore. Thanks again for this!!! Brandon has the camera as you can see it is laying between his feet, (side note...hopefully he didn't lose the camera like he did his cell phone in Hong Kong somewhere, we can only smile and laugh...) but it is amazing how we can use the technology we have now days to our advantage... so this might be the only picture I get of them while they are gone but here they are.. Matt Walker, Brandon and Gary Abbott ( Brandon's dad).

Please do remember Brandon's dad, seems he is might be sick from the short phone call I had with Brandon.

Brandon is off...

2008-03-15T19:36:00.002-04:00

well, today was the big day. Brandon left of Papua New Guinea for three full weeks. He will be returning on April 5. Yes I am without a camera now, so you will see no pictures for three weeks. I will post some of his trip when he returns. We are very excited about this opportunity the Lord has given him to go. His amazing skill and knowledge of building houses should come in handy over there while they are trying to get the Crain house up and running for them. He left with another man this morning who is the brother in law of the man they are going to build the house for and met his father in Chicago. He was able to call me right before they boarded their flight to Singapore. It was a hard day for me, but the girls and I stayed busy. That is the best thing for me right now. Tonight during our devotions Aleeza asked prayer for her grandpa, daddy and the other kids daddy( as she calls him ) that went to PNG. Her heart is so tender. My main goal is not to cry in front of them while he is gone. I teared up ( ok did more than tear up) tonight while we were praying and she stuck her little hand up on my face and wiped the tear away and said, " mommy it will be ok, don't be sad. " I told her they were tears of joy and that I am happy, just missing daddy. She is already asking for him which will be hard to keep explaining to her for the next three weeks that he will be home soon. This is clearly why the Lord did not allow my desire all my life to marry a military man to come to light. Brandon was one day shy of joing the Marines but I dont' know that I could handle that. I am thankful that he is around most of the time. Please keep us in your prayers!

Trusting in our Lord.

2008-02-28T08:16:00.002-05:00

Brandon and I have found that over the past few years, when trials enter our lives, no matter how great or how small the Lord is always there for us and provides every last need even we don't except it. Things are at a crunch for us right now. We have a busy next couple of weeks coming up and I would really ask each and everyone of you to really pray for us and to please hold us up before the Lord. Anytime Brandon leaves for one day or for three weeks, I get overwhelmed. I have really been searching the scriptures theses past few days to give me peace. Brandon leaves in two weeks for Papua New Guinea. I get very nervous also, just because of the long distance that he is traveling. He is very excited and will be helping to build a house for some missionaries. We praise the Lord for this opportunity that he has been given, BUT in the mean time back here in the states things keep going, houses are being built, phone calls need to be made and bills are due. For the most part things will shut down for three weeks, but I really ask for your prayers that nothing tragic will happen while he is gone and that Aleeza and Olivia will stay healthy and that I will continue to see our Lord's face. The Lord is good! Thank you all for your prayers.

Our long awaited snow...

2008-02-15T14:12:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we had a very nice snow. Nothing that lasted too long but just enough to get Aleeza all excited. She loves the snow. We didn't really get to play in it, but she had fun walking around.

Sick...

2008-02-15T14:10:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a while since I posted anything, anything at all... but we have been busy, sick and no time. The girls both came down with double ear infections this past week along with Mommy coming down with pneumonia. Needless to say it has not been a fun week at all. We are tired and ready to get back to normal. The girls are on their way up along with me, but it will still be a few days I am afraid. They have been troupers though!

Birthday suprise...

2008-01-16T16:06:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Brandon suprised me and took me downtown for two nights at the Westin Poinsett hotel, a symphony concert, a massage, and a fancy dinner and Resturant O's. We had a very relaxing time... Our hotel was very nice!
View from our hotel window!

The big one for Adry.....

2008-01-16T16:02:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Adry's birthday here last week. She turned the big one.

Another girl....

2008-01-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

Yes we are having another girl... number three.. we are excited.:) she will be arriving somewhere around May 24 or 25. This will be a scheduled c-section this time... no waiting around to see what will happen.:)

Christmas with Nana and Papa Ellison

2008-01-16T15:34:00.000-05:00

This Christmas we drove up to New York to spend with Brandon's family. We had a good time as usual. We spent Mom's birthday here and celebrated Christmas with my family then.

Christmas..... at Grandma and Grandpa Abbotts.

2008-01-16T15:02:00.001-05:00

Trying to get all four granddaughters in one picture.. quite the task.... the cutest girls in the world though!

Great Grandpa Abbott doing what he suppossed to be doing...feeding her icecream!!!

Natural cow girl..

Trying again....:)

Aleeza and cousin Adry...playing the piano. Livvy, not decorating one cookie, but enjoying the icing. Precious moments.

Three ducks in a tub...Sweet cousins.

Ho, Ho Ho

Our photo shots and spa day.

2007-12-07T15:37:00.001-05:00

Here are just some of the 96 shots that were taken. The girls held up well, considering. After a long day of picture taking mom and I enjoyed a wonderful day at the spa yesterday. Let me tell you that was much needed. A one hour massage, with a one hour facial, followed with lunch and a pedicure and manicure... we felt like queens. I am glad my mom retired so I could buy her the gift certificate and could go along with her..:)

Thinking of food I am sure!!

2007-12-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

All dressed up....:)

Decorating..

2007-12-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

Decorating for Christmas... it is an annual tradition that my dad used to hold me up and put the angel on the tree, so of course we started it with Aleeza. This was her third time doing this. She had so much fun dragging out all the decorations. Of course Livvy didn't know what was going on but just stared at the lights.. it was cute!

George's Club with friends

2007-12-03T13:29:00.000-05:00

My good friend Alysia came down for Thanksgiving to visit her parents. It was so good to see her and the kids. No we are not in competition but we are both pregnant with number three and very excited. TRUST ME.... it is no competition... I wish 15 upon her and not me..:) love ya!!! Anyway... Ryker and Aleeza clearly get along great and Leila loved Olivia. We had a great time at George's club and visiting with each other... hopefully the kids will be good friends in college also...:) Hey we could be related one day...:)

Much to be Thankful for....

2007-12-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

Eating up....:)

Papa and his girls

Yum Yum

Our table before we "dug" in.

Aleeza helping me prepare the Thanksgiving meal!

This holiday season we have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband who provides so well for this family. He works so hard to make ends meet. He is amazing! I have two wonderful daughters who bring joy to my life every day. Most importantly to me is my salvation. How I have been reminded of this time and time again over the past few months. The messages at church have been so convicting and directed directly at me. The Lord is SO GOOD to us. We can't complain about anything, although at times we feel like it, we have nothing to complain about! Thanksgiving day was spent with my parents and our good friends the Evans. We had a wonderful time together. The food was great!!! Many leftovers!

Park downtown with Grandma and Grandpa

2007-11-07T13:08:00.000-05:00

This came knocking at 10:00 one night...scary..

2007-11-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

Girls, being girls....Marissa, Lianna and Kendrea decided to make each other over... Then come to our house and knock on the door at 10:00 at night.. they had fun!! Making memories!!!

More family...

2007-11-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Greatgrandma, Grandma, Nana, Me, Aleeza and Olivia.

Cousins

Cousin Landon and Olivia... how sweet is this??? He is such a good cousin!

Great Grandma and all the kids....

2007-11-07T10:12:00.001-05:00

Ok since honestly there is not any easy way to explain all the people in the picture here is a chart..:)
Here is Bethany on the left, she is one of the great grand kids. She is a freshmen at Bj.
Then there are Colleen's kids mostly from left to right..:)
Then Brandon, his little sister Lianna and Jared. Brandon is holding Aleeza and Jared is holding Adry and Great grandma is holding Olivia. Since relatives read this blog I do not want to mis inform any one on how many grand kids and great grandkids there are.. so if any body out there knows for sure.. let me know.:) There are many more..:)

Here is great grandma with the Bundy kids! These are some of Colleen's kids.:)

Here is great grandma with three of the girls. Our two and Adry (our neice).

Grandma and Grandpa Abbott came to visit...

2007-11-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

We spent one day visiting the Biltmore house in N.C. It was a dreary day but the house looked as nice as ever. If you have never visited here you have to go. During Christmas it is so beautiful. We had fun!

The princess, bumble bee and ladybug...

2007-11-02T15:52:00.000-04:00

We ventured out to boo in the zoo thinking it would be fully loaded with animals and be a fun filled family night.. well fun filled family night yes, but yet no animals.. hello zoo= animals.. oh well we had fun anyway with uncle Jared and Aunt Selena and counsin Adry... we atleast got to eat at Sticky Fingers.. yum yum.. :)

my girls.... so happy

2007-11-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

George's Club

2007-11-02T15:42:00.000-04:00

Aleeza loves to got to George's Club and ride the train. This is what we do on the third Tuesday of every month. They have story time and craft time. Even Livvy loves the ride on the train..she fell asleep last time. :)

Life in general..... busy.....

2007-10-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

Everything is going good. Brandon is staying really busy! The Lord has been so good in brining in two more houses. We have 4 on the books right now and starting two more in the next month or so! We are so glad to be free of Abbott Framing and I actually have half the stuff to do on Fridays now!!! It is so nice only doing payroll for two people!!:) Brandon's brother is doing good at running things and they seem to be enjoying it! The girls are getting so big. Aleeza got to run errands with Daddy this morning which is her favorite thing to do. She loves to see the houses he is building! She is quite the nut! Livvy is getting so big.. she has her first tooth now and is still rolling over. She is such a good baby!!! She is always so happy and it is cute to see her start interacting with Aleeza now!

Well, the news is mostly out but for those of you who have not heard...we are having number three... yes number three... seems they ( saying that because brandon is seriously praying for twin boys..) :) hahaha!! will be due sometime in May!!! We are sooooo excited. We have always wanted a large family, being 4-5 and having c-sections you never know what you will be able to do next. We are taking it one at a time. The the Lord for doctors and their wisdom. So anyway we are excited and will keep you posted!!! :)

Well, hope everyone is doing well!!!