Annnd...Last but not Least

Happy 2nd birthday Bryan!! We love you little man! You are Uncle Drew's favorite helper, so don't grow up too quickly, okay? Have an AWESOME birthday today!

Tori is 16!

Yep! Can't believe it...our baby is 16 today! Where does the time go? Tori is growing up into an amazing person.

We love you Tori-Dori and hope that you enjoyed your awesome sweet sixteen birthday!

Another One!

Today is Mark's turn! This is "our favorite nephew named Mark" and he is 18 today. We love you Mark and have missed you raiding our candy jar lately and dancing to my music box!! Have a wonderful birthday!

Number 3 of 6....!!

December birthdays!! Our family is loaded with December birthdays! Today the honor belongs to Bailee, who is my brother Scott's little girl. She is 7 today! This picture of Bailee and our daughter Ashleigh was taken in August at my parent's 50th anniversary party in Texas. Happy, happy birthday Bailee! We love you and miss you very much!

We love you, too, Anna!!

It's Anna's turn! Happy birthday to "our favorite niece named Anna in Green Bay!!" Thanks for keeping us laughing, Anna Banana. We love you--Happy Birthday!

1 Corinthians 13 - Christmas Version

"If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust.
But giving the gift of love will endure."
-unknown

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We Love You Laura!

Today is Laura's birthday! Happy birthday to "our favorite niece named Laura in Green Bay"! Ha!
This is a picture of our Tori and Laura - Laura is on the right - taken at Thanksgiving. Boy, they don't look related at all, do they?!?!
Hope you have an awesome birthday Laura. We love you!

CONGRATS!!

This is the very first picture of our newest nephew or niece!! Congratulations to Scott, Denise and Bailee!

Bailee has been praying for a sibling for some time now, so she is extremely excited! (So are we, Bailee--so are we!!)

So Scott--in honor of this awesome occasion, here is a confusing joke just for you! Enjoy, little brother:

What is the difference between a duck?
One of it's legs are both the same!

A Lockerbie Thanksgiving

What an awesome Thanksgiving. We have SO many things to be thankful for; we are incredibly blessed! Here's just a short list of some things we're thankful for:

...the resources to provide food for 21 people

...family laughter...a really good turkey coma

...football (even if it is Green Bay!)

...sibling and cousin craziness

...and babies!

We love you Buzz!

The Disneyland Christmas Parade is now in full swing! It began last Friday, and we were able to go see it on Saturday night. Our MOST FAVORITE character in the parade is Buzz Lightyear. *wink,wink* We love him--he's very near and dear to our hearts! *wink,wink* He has a brand new float in this year's parade and sits in a great Space Ranger rocket. Love it!

AND...... our most favorite Buzz *wink,wink* will be on TELEVISION in the Disneyland portion of the Walt Disney World Christmas special being aired on Christmas morning! They have already filmed the Disneyland portions, and we think Buzz will definitely have some air time. At least we hope so! So everyone be sure to tune in on Christmas morning on ABC!

Woo hoo Buzz! Way to go!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation
(from the collection of Lincoln's papers in the Library of America series, Vol II, pp. 520-521).

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Yes, I know. Thanksgiving isn't even until next week, and I've already decorated my blog for Christmas. Sorry--I've got the holiday bug! :-)
(Pictures taken last year at Disneyland)

T-Shirt Wisdom

T-shirt reading is a risky undertaking, to say the least, but here are some recently spotted gems of wisdom:

• Am I getting older... or is the Supermarket playing really great music?
• AUNT: Same kids, no stretch marks
• Sometimes I just wish someone who understands me would tell me what I mean
• Bad Spellers of the World - UNTIE!
  
• DRINK COFFEE - Do stupid things faster with more energy
• They Lied. Hard work has killed lots of people
• I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning. Just not as it applies to me
• I childproofed my house but they still get in
  

Just for Scott

I have been berated for not mentioning my "extremely gorgeous, hysterically funny little brother" on my new blog. (Of course, that's a direct quote from the little brother himself!) Well, this is your "mention" little bro; and I'll even do ya one better and post a PICTURE! (This one being of Scott and Michelle as taken by Scott's daughter, Bailee)

He also requested that I add new features to my blog (he's SO helpful!) One being the "Dumb & Dumber Quote of the Week" and the other, "Confusing Joke of the Week". Well, I don't know if I could keep these wonderful topics up-to-date on a weekly basis, but here's my contribution for THIS week!!

Dumb & Dumber Quote of the Week: State Trooper: "Pull over!" Harry: "No, it's a cardigan, but thanks for noticing." Lloyd: "Yeah, killer boots man!"

Confusing Joke of the Week: Two strawberries are sitting in a bathtub. One says, "pass the soap". The other says, "what do I look like, a typewriter?"

Just for you, Scott, just for you. :-)

I love Kindergarteners!

I work in a school office and often hear and see very amusing things! The other day an adorable blue-eyed kindergartener came into the office and wanted to check in Lost & Found for his jacket. After an unsuccessful search, I asked him if he had checked his classroom thoroughly for his jacket--especially since the students wear uniforms and the jackets all look similar. He said, "Yes, I did! I sniffed all of them, and not ONE of them smelled like me!"
Gotta love kindergarteners. :-)

Skylar

Today is Skylar's birthday-- the big #5! As all can see, she is ADORABLE! (As is her Grammy Michelle!!) Happy, happy birthday to my great-niece. Love ya!

Disney Mania

Our family loves Disneyland. We are total Disneyland freaks-- have been for a long time. We've had annual passes for 13 years, so being together at Disneyland is part of our family's fondest memories and traditions. Our son, Andrew, has worked at Disneyland for around 5 years now. He's a multi-character performer out in the park as well as in parades, and absolutely LOVES his job. I'm not supposed to be specific about what he does, (ruins the Disney magic, don't ya know!) but I will post some personal Disney pictures here that will give you some mighty big hints!

We love to just walk around Disneyland and watch people. We also love to go listen to the live Big Band music on Saturday nights and watch people swing dance. Swing dancing fascinates me. I wish I was that coordinated!

Christmas decorations are slowly going up now at D-land! I love it when they transform the park for Christmas. So does Michelle! She comes out to visit me every year in November so we can go do the "Christmas Disney" trip! Each year in December Disney puts on a mega Christmas concert called the "Candlelight Processional", and they hold auditions for local schools and church choirs to sing in it. Our school choir passed auditions in '05 and performed in the concert, and we've also passed again this year. YAY! I always get to go as a "singing chaperone", so I'm excited! It's doubly fun this year because Tori is in choir and we get to go together. It's such a blessing to be able to perform in this concert because we get to sing about Christ's birth, and the narrator (who is always a celebrity) speaks of Christ's birth and also recites the poem "One Solitary Life". It's the only spiritual thing that ever happens at Disneyland!!

Us

This picture was actually taken a year & a half ago, but it's the most recent family portrait that we have. Must take more snapshots of all of us together, but it's so hard to GET all of us together these days...

Once your kids get to a certain age, it's almost expected that the family vacations, nightly family dinners, and other things will end. We fight so hard against that! And so far, we are still doing most of those things. Yay! (Because our kids still live at home....when they move out, I guess that will be a different story!!)

It's a start!

Oh my gosh! I'm a blogger! Never thought I would or could do it. I'm SO not a writer! I'll make many mistakes, I'm sure, but hey- this is really just for my family and closest friends, and they already know my shortcomings!

Thanks for the inspiration Stacy ;-)