the grusys

Still Catching up... Mom Grusy's visit

2011-08-17T21:05:00.008-04:00

After Lydia was born, Mom Grusy came out for a visit to meet our sweet little addition. We had a wonderful time with her. Ethan and Emma loved seeing their Grammy!

Here are some pictures from her visit:

Time at the park with Grammy

Burp Time! :-)

Our Trip to Huber's Farm to pick strawberries:

Mom got Lydia to fall fast asleep...

Ethan with a strawberry find!!

Emma sporting her cute "strawberry picking" hat

Emma showing Ethan her find

LOVE his next one of the kids picking in their hats!:

Grammy found one!

On the Tractor riding to the field:

Playing in our backyard:

Grammy singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" with Emma:

Planting some seeds in the garden with Daddy:

Ethan "jotting down a few gardening notes" :-)

(Grammy brought him a little notepad that he loved playing with)

Lydia hanging out with Grammy:

While Grammy was here, we got to celebrate Emma's 2nd birthday:

The Big Girl blowing out candles

Fun trip to Build-a-Bear:

Emma with her purchase, thanks to Grammy :-)

Ethan and Emma giving their doggies a bath:

Emma picking out a doggie with Grammy:

Daddy and his birthday girl:

Starting the birthday out right... Krispie Kream Donuts!

On the actual day of Emma's bday, I took the kids to McDonalds to get happy meals:

(true American kids, Dad Harry... how would we function without McDonalds?!)

Sweet pic of the 3 kiddos:

(Lydia is so blessed to have an older brother and sister who adore her...)

Mom, sorry that I'm just getting this post up! We had a wonderful time with you! Thank you for coming and spending time with us and serving us in many ways while you were here! We love you and look forward to seeing you soon in ABQ!

Post-Lydia pics #4: Retreat

2011-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Dad Harry was so kind to send Adam and I on a retreat to Brown County and watched Ethan and Emma for us. We had such a great time! Thanks so much dad:

The Cabin:

Our sweet ride! :-)

(we were quite a spectacle this trip for two reasons: our rental car, and sweet little Lydia)...

Eating out:

Definitely one of my most favorite things to do is go on retreats with this handsome man! :-)

Lydia hanging out in our cabin:

Going on a neat cabin tour:

Lydia loves Adam to hold her like this...

Thanks again Dad! It was such a nice, restful break for us!

Post-Lydia pics #3

2011-07-14T21:32:00.006-04:00

Love this pair! :-)

Hanging out with Paps

One of Ethan's newly discovered favorite things: the Arcade

Emma loves her daddy!

(reading together)

Such a sweet picture:

Lydia enjoying the backyard

Paps and the youngest grandchild (right now...)

Emma loves to "help" with baking...

loving taste-testing the brownie batter:

Checking out lil' sis:

One morning while trying out Lydia's swing, Emma feel asleep like this:

Ethan helping out with the fence:

Such a great one of "the boys":

Trip to Tennessee to see the Kennedys"

Always a challenge to get a good group photo ;-) ...

This is a good one with Aunt Shell!

Aunt Shell with Lydia

Paps and the kiddos

Cousin snuggle:

Love it!

Celebrating Addy's b-day:

Safari Park:

Ostrich Egg!

Taking it all in:

Road Trip to TN:

Another Easter day pic :

Post-Lydia pics #2

2011-07-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Such a sweet snuggle bug!

Family of 5!

(definitely feels busier!)

Stroll at Bernheim:

Me and my Ems:

Looking for fish:

At carnival that Paps took the kids to:

(Ethan absolutely loved it and was so brave!)

(Emma was happy to just be a spectator)

Making cookies with Grams

Such a caring, sensitive big brother:

Aunt Missy loves

We went to a fun indoor play place and Ethan found a doll to play with that he called "Paps"

(I would take it as a compliment dad!):

Good snuggles with Grams:

Post-Lydia Pictures #1

2011-07-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

Since it seems like a lot has happened since Lydia was born, there are a lot of pictures to catch up on. So, I won't be putting many captions with the pictures... just a few.

Easter Sunday:

Ethan and Emma are wonderful older siblings to Lydia!

Ethan's tower!

Man-to-man defense! :-)

The Birth Story... for those who are interested

2011-06-30T09:35:00.008-04:00

LYDIA'S BIRTH STORY:

I wanted to write down Lydia's birth story before I forget the details...

Before Lydia was born, both Adam and I had thought Lydia was going to come early, even though both Ethan and Emma hadn't been early arrivals. And sure enough, she was. Her actual due date was April 30th. But, early in the morning at 3:00 AM on April 20th, after hosting Bible study at our house the night before, I woke up with contractions. I was pretty sure that they were the real thing, but, at the same time, I was nervous that it might just be false labor. My contractions continued to come about every 20 minutes and were just mildly uncomfortable. Because Lydia was our 3rd, I had thought that my labor would go very quickly, but it actually progressed slowly in the beginning.

I know that you are encouraged to try to go back to sleep if your contractions start in the middle of the night. But, to me, that is a joke! :-) I would like to meet someone who is actually able to go back to sleep!! So, as I thought to myself, 'I should probably try to go back to sleep,' I got up and took a shower, straightened up downstairs, and started working on a printout of Ethan and Emma's schedule. Since it looked like Lydia was coming before my dad's scheduled flight the next week, that meant that we were going to have to have someone come and watch Ethan and Emma for us while we went to the hospital.

At about 5:00 am, Adam woke up and saw that I was awake and asked, "is everything okay?," to which I said, "yeah, I think I'm in labor, but my contractions are still far apart." Adam went back to sleep for a little while and then woke up around 6am. We got everything ready for going to the hospital, because we were still thinking that we might have to go to the hospital soon. The kids got up and we all hung out in the morning, just waiting to see what my contractions were going to do. Even though my contractions were still about every 20 minutes apart, they had continued to stay consistent. So Adam decided to call in to work and I decided to call my parents. My dad was able to get a flight and was going to be getting in to Louisville at 11 pm. So, we also called friends from church to let them know that I was in labor, and that we would probably be calling soon for them to come over and watch Ethan and Emma.

At about lunch time, my contractions were getting a little bit closer together, about every 10-15 minutes apart, but they still weren't very strong. So we decided to keep staying at home until the contractions got stronger. We put the kids down for a nap, and then I tried to lay down and was able to take about a 30 minute nap. But then about 2:30, I woke up with a pretty strong contraction. And then after that, I was continuing to have contractions that were stronger. Even though they were still about 5-10 minutes apart, I could definitely tell that they were stronger. So, I said to Adam, "I think we better have the Marlettes come over and go to the hospital soon."

Our kind friends from church, the Marlettes, came over at about 3:15 to watch Ethan and Emma, and then Adam and I left for the hospital at 3:30. We got to the hospital a little before 4 and by the time that we were checked into the triage room it was 4:30. At this point, I was pretty anxious to hear how dilated I was so that we would know how close we were to delivery! The nurse checked me and I was glad to hear that I was at 6-7 cm! She asked me, "so are you going to do this naturally?" To which I said, "well, I'm going to try, but I'm also very open to an epidural" (I know it's pretty silly, but I did want to try to do it without an epidural just to see what it was like, and also because my 2 hardcore sisters had been able to do it, so I really wanted to try...)

We were then checked into a room probably around 5:15 and I became known as the "all natural chick" by the nurses (that is actually what one of the other nurses called me when she was called in to the room by our nurse to help with the monitor. She thought I was ready to deliver and came running in, and then when she realized I wasn't, she said, "oh, I thought the 'all natural chick' was ready to go!'"). The contractions for me were really not that bad. I was thankful that I was able to stand up, which really helped. I found that standing up, swaying back and forth, and rubbing my lower back with my hands really helped me to get through the contractions. Slow, controlled breathing also helped.

I was in the room for about 1 hour and then the nurse checked me again and I was at 8-9 cm. Which, of course, was welcome news! Then I went and sat on the toilet, because the nurse said that that really helped to make things go faster. Which, it definitely did! In about 10-15 minutes, my contractions went from not too bad to terrible. This is when I felt out of control and wondered if I was going to be able to do it. I had one really bad contraction and then I felt the need to push, so I said to Adam, "I think I need to push, you better get the nurse" (when I felt the need to push, I really couldn't keep myself from pushing and it felt like the only way that I could deal with the contraction...)

The nurse came in to the room and said, "okay, let's get you on the bed and check you! Dr. Buck is coming!" Thankfully, I had one small break in contractions that enabled me to walk from the bathroom to the bed. Then, Dr. Buck arrived, the delivery team came in, and just as another contraction was coming, Dr. Buck checked me and said, "Yes, you're ready, go ahead and push!!" I pushed and screamed with the contraction and Lydia's head came out. Then another contraction came and I screamed again, pushed, and the rest of Lydia came out! And it was over! Wow! It went so fast!! :-) And it was so amazing to see and meet our little girl for the first time.

I am thankful that God was good and so kind to us. Labor and delivery went very well and I am thankful that I was able to do it without an epidural. If we had another child, I can't say for sure that I would do it without an epidural again. :-) After doing labor naturally, I still think epidurals are great! I was thankful that my labor with Lydia really wasn't that bad and was very manageable, except at the very end. And, most importantly, Lydia was born healthy and is doing great! Praise God!

Life with 3 kids... finally getting around to a post :-)

2011-06-30T09:13:00.005-04:00

We are so thankful that our newest joy, Lydia Joyce, arrived 10 weeks ago on April 20th at 6:40 pm.

She weighed 6lbs14oz and measured 20 inches long.

As evidenced by me not posting until now, life with 3 kids has been good, but very busy! :-)

Lydia is such a sweet, laid back baby! She has been such a blessing to us and we are really enjoying her:

Here are some pictures from our days in the hospital after she was born:

Hanging out at home:

2011-04-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

Taking a break to catch up on the adds:

Emma and Ethan enjoying their balloons from the Cheathams at church:

Sesame Street Surprise!

2011-04-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, we surprised Ethan and Emma with a fun excursion of going to see the show "Sesame St. Live".

Here's Adam getting ready to go in and surprise the kids after their nap with their Elmo shirts, to reveal what we were about to do:

Outside getting ready to get in the car:

Emma giving her Elmo a snuggle:

Waiting for the show to start:

More Elmo snuggles...

Ethan so excited for the show!

Watching the show:

Dancing to one of the songs:

We had a great time! It was a fun thing to do as a family and the kids really seemed to enjoy it.

Ethan has said to Adam and I a number of times since, "thanks for taking us to the show!"

Reading...

2011-04-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

Adventures at the Park

2011-04-13T08:49:00.005-04:00

Flying a kite:

Good looking crew :-)

Love both of these of Adam and Ems

The kids getting the exploring plan from daddy:

(love how Emma decided to squat down just like her daddy...)

Playing on the playground:

"want a bite?"

Video of some explorers that were spotted at the park:

Reading with Daddy.

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's too sweet to see Emma with her daddy. She loves to "snuggle in". :-)

I'm so thankful that Emma is already seeing such a great picture of what a godly man and father looks like from her daddy!

Brother and Sister Working Hard

2011-03-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Trip to the zoo with daddy:

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's always fun to go to the zoo with Adam, b/c he doesn't get to go with us very often.

Here are some pics from a recent trip of ours:

My Handsome Boys :-)

Trying out new red wagon that we got:

Ethan stopping for a little snack:

Looking at the lions, which Emma was very interested in:

Petting Zoo:

Pajama Run!

2011-03-24T13:08:00.004-04:00

Thanks to our friends, the Crusts, for giving us the great idea, we recently surprised Ethan and Emma with our first Pajama Run.

How it works: We do the normal bedtime routine, put the kids "down for bed" and then a few minutes later go up to their room clapping our hands and singing a "Pajama Run" song. Then we get the kids out of their beds in their PJs and take them out for ice cream:

Ethan and Emma loved it, especially Ethan! He had a huge smile on his face. Emma seemed a little scared at first (she must have been thinking to herself, "wow! what are my parents doing? they have gone absolutely mad"), but quickly warmed up to the idea .

Emma enjoying her ice cream like a Big Girl:

Ethan and his cone with dad and his sundae:

The girls and our ice cream:

Emma required a little assistance and maintenance with hers :-)

Video of our outing:

The start of a new, fun family tradition! :-) Thanks Rob and Larissa for such a great idea!

Love it when it's cheaper to make something then buy it!!

2011-03-23T13:33:00.002-04:00

As Spring seems to be arriving here in Louisville, I have been wanting to change up a few things around the house. One of the things I have been wanting is a pretty spring wreath for our front door. I am pleased to say that I was able to make a wreath for much cheaper than I would have been able to buy one! So nice when that happens, plus I got to pick out the flowers that I wanted on my wreath!...

So Here it is:

I could have bought this wreath full price at Joann's for $49.99:

But.... drummer roll...

I made this wreath here:

for $22!

and I'm loving it!

Also loving the newly painted front door. :-)

(Thanks to Patty for giving me some leftover paint that she had!)

The Gingerbread Man:

2011-03-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

We recently checked out from the library the book, The Gingerbread Man.

It became one of Ethan's favorite books to read, so we thought it would be fun to make our own gingerbread men:

Ethan and Emma gearing up for the excitement

Sampling the dough:

Getting ready to decorate:

What a focused baker!

We had a great, fun evening together making gingerbread cookies, thanks to

The Gingerbread Man!

"Beep, Beep" Here comes Ethan...

2011-03-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Fun, New Playhouse:

2011-03-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we saw this playhouse at Once-Upon-a-Child, and Adam and I couldn't resist getting it for the kids to play with this summer:

Here's some pictures of us showing it to the kids for the first time:

Emma all bundled up.

(It was a pretty cold day, but we had to get outside and enjoy the playhouse for a little while)

As you can see in this picture, I'm warming up with a heater on my lap :-)

(Great idea of Adam's!)

Fun time outside, even if it was a little chilly!

Cute video of the kids' first introduction to the house:

Birthday Post:

2011-03-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

A little late, I know, to be doing a birthday post, but my excuse, of course, is the pregnancy.. :-)

Adam and I had a wonderful celebration of our birthdays this year.

We went out to a very tasty restaurant called "Jack Fry's" and had some amazing food! They kindly gave us a complimentary appetizer and dessert, which was really nice, except that the appetizer was mussells! (which if you know me, I really don't like that type of thing). But I did try 2 and Adam ate some and put the shells on my plate to make it seem like I had put in more effort than I actually did! What a kind, loving husband! :-)

After our delicious dinner we then went to a movie:

Celebrating with the kids:

Singing "happy birthday" to Adam

And then grubbing down on the cupcakes!

Oh yeah! Love birthday parties! :-)

So thankful to the Lord for sustaining us both for another year!

Catching up with some "oldies, but goodies":

2011-03-16T14:33:00.008-04:00

Day at a park where we found a bulldozer to play on:

(Ethan used his imagination well...)

Watch out! Here comes Ethan! :-)

Ethan and Emma busy at their crafts:

We have been loving some of the nice days that we have had lately here in Louisville:

I'm so glad to be able to get out with the kids! They love it and so do I. :-)

Love this one of Emma!

Ethan's typical playing position in the sandbox... too funny.

This summer I know Ethan and Emma are going to have tons of fun playing outside together! Last summer Emma was a little too small to do much, but this summer she's at the perfect age.

Sweet Snuggle time on the couch with mommy:

Snack time at Target:

Something that has become a bit of a tradition for us is that on one of Adam's days off, we usually end up making a Target run, which includes us taking a break for pretzels and nachos.

As this picture demonstrates, the kids are all about it! :-)

Ethan and Emma snuggled on the couch together watching a movie:

Another rest time on the couch together:

Making french toast with daddy:

Sibling giggles:

Ethan wanted to snuggle with Emma in her crib:

Cute picture of Addy and Ethan when Addy was out here the last time:

Recent Change-up:

We now have both Ethan and Emma in the same room in bunk beds!

It has been a surprisingly smooth transition, and we are thankful to have them used to it by the time baby #3 comes!

Ethan enjoying his top bunk:

Emma trying out her bottom bunk with daddy:

A fun tradition that Adam has started with the kids is taking them to Krispie Kream donuts for breakfast every once in awhile. They absolutely love their morning date with daddy, and I love that Adam is so kind to let me have some extra sleep! ;-)

One cute little fireman:

Our Emma Girl...

2011-03-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

window into the Grusy home:

2011-03-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ethan and Addy reading...

2011-03-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

Videos of Addy and Ethan...

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ethan and Addy have moves!

Ethan singing with Paps and Grams:

Christmas Family Photo Shoot...

2011-02-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

While we were back in CO for Christmas, we had some family photos taken.

It was quite interesting trying to take pictures of 5 families all at once, that included 6 kids, but we are pleased with the results. Thanks mom and dad for lining this up! It's really fun to have these!

The Kennedy Family

The Grusy Fam

Everybody

Sweet Travis James

The Jr. Harry Family

Sweet, beautiful mother/daughter shot

Cute father/daughter shot

Grandparents and the boy grandchildren:

Paps and Ems

Love this one! :-)

Big, Cheesy Grin!

Paps and Ellie Girl

Another Grusy Shot

The Wuest Family

The Sr. Harrys

Sweet Sister Picture

Ahhh...

Love the way Emma is looking at Ethan in this one:

Love this one of Emma:

Great one of Addy and her personality:

All the grandkids:

Love this one b/c it shows how it is trying to take a picture of 6 little kids :-)

And these too...

Good Buddies...

And that is a snap shot of our family photo shot :-)

Emma loves music...

2011-02-24T11:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a cute video of Emma dancing.

Enjoy.

Recent Crafts

2011-02-22T17:37:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd post my recent sewing projects. I've been having fun making baby gifts, such as burp cloths. And with many woman having babies at our church, it's been a fun, easy (thanks to mom Grusy telling me of the "stitch witchery" trick) gift to give:

A few more baby gifts to catch up on and then I'm on to some more decorative pillow covers...

Kennedy/Harry Visit

2011-02-22T16:18:00.006-05:00

We were blessed to have Shelley and the girls plus Paps and Grams come visit for a few days, while Stephen was away to Ethiopia for a couple weeks:

We certainly cherish these times, since we don't know how much we'll be able to see the Kennedy family in the future!

Here are some pictures of our fun time together:

The cousins sporting some cool outfits! :-)

Cheese!

Paps and Grams telling a captivating story :-)

Addy and Ethan having some "popcorn" together:

Bath time:

Playing a fun game with Grams:

It's really cute... Emma loves her Aunt Shell, and even follows her around some :-)

Love this one of the "Effers Boy":

(He insisted that it was more comfortable to wear the goggle straps on his ears, despite how uncomfortable it looked!)

Fun at "All About Kids":

Norah even enjoyed herself:

What a better way to top off the fun than a McDonalds trip,

in which Paps and Grams treated to some happy meals:

Yes, a true American kid:

The kids showing off some new outfits from Grams:

Ethan affectionately calls his hat his "special hat"...

Emma trying out Ethan's new high-top shoes, which he calls his "tops":

And trying out one of Ethan's hats:

Shell and Dad and Mom, thanks for coming to visit! We had such a wonderful time with you!

Final Round: Christmas, part 3

2011-02-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Addy and Ethan relaxing and reading on the couch:

Sleeping Beauty

The Big kids having fun with Adam

Our Yummy Ethiopian Feast:

One night Stephen and Shelley fixed us an amazing Ethiopian meal. It was absolutely delicious!

We are so proud of the Kennedy family and their faithful obedience to the Lord in planning to move over to Ethiopia this next September. We sure are going to miss not seeing them as much as we would like, but we are encouraged to know of the good, gospel-centered work that they are going to be doing! They have greatly spurred us on in the faith by their joyful obedience to follow where they believe the Lord to be leading them, and by choosing to leave the comforts of this world for the sake of Christ and spreading His Gospel!

They are ready to live in Ethiopia and cook like they already do. :-)

Reading together:

Craft Time Again:

Hot Cocoa... "Cheers!"

I love this picture!

Ethan wanted me to take a picture of him with his little sister :-)

Adam and Ethan getting ready to see "Tangled" at the movie theater together:

This was Ethan's first movie theater experience. He did great and absolutely ate up every moment of it!

Picture of our fun Girls day out.

Here Kelli and I are modeling some very "cute" maternity shirts:

Ethan playing a game with Paps and Grams:

Fun night out with Joel and Kendra and Jack and Kelli:

(mom and dad were so nice to watch kids so we could go!)

Decorating gingerbread men with Aunt Kelli:

Our visit with one of very favorite families, the Crust family:

Goodbye Hug:

We are sure going to miss play dates with the Crust kids!!

Pregnancy shot of Kelli and I.

Kelli is due 1 month before me! How fun!!

And that wraps up the Christmas pictures. I hope to have some videos up soon...

Round 2: Christmas in the Mountains

2011-02-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

The day after Christmas we all headed up to the beautiful mountains to enjoy the snow, mountains, and spending time together.

Dad and mom found us a wonderful place that fit 5 families splendidly! I might have been a bit skeptical at first, but it worked out great. Awesome job dad and mom!

Addy and Ethan enjoying Uncle Jack playing his guitar:

Such good times!

The Beautiful barista

Uncle Jack with sweet, sweet Norah

Ethan and Addy were hard at work

(the place we stayed at came with it's very own kid's play room!)

Crazy hair Norah :-)

Paps and Ethan in play room:

Adam hasn't wasted any time introducing Ethan to a pipe!

Can't say I'm thrilled, but I'm not freaking out about it either. ;-)

My little mountain beauty enjoying the scenery:

Oh yeah! Nothing like enjoying a smoke in the mountains! :-)

Don't they look cool?

Kids with Paps enjoying the sand hill out front:

More work:

Ellie all bundled up with her mommy:

Determined Emma on a short hike:

Grusy Fam:

Cousins bathing together!

Ellie's sentiment: "this is way too scary, get me out of here!" :-)

Happy little Trav and Adam:

Ethan giving a teaching lesson to anyone who will listen:

Art time:

Emma wanted to be a part of all the action.

She is very much wanting to be involved in everything these days,

especially whatever she sees the "big kids" doing:

Ethan checking out Adam's get-up for snowboarding:

Snowboarder in the making ;-)

Loving the Goggles:

The guys went up for a ski/snow boarding day:

Oh yeah! It just doesn't get much better than those Colorado mountains!

Oh how I miss em'!

Sorry Louisville, but you just can't compete! :-)

What a cool looking group...

Shelley and I brought Addy and Ethan for the lunch break so they could check it all out.

They got a fun ride on Adam's snowboard:

I absolutely love this one!!

And this one too:

Sledding Outing:

Ems loved it, until she got to cold.

"Whee, this is so fun!"

And this would be when Ems decided she had had enough :-)

... So I brought her back to the car, which, as you can tell, she was quite happy with! :-)

Cute Ells all bundled up:

Making and eating sugar cookies:

The Burger King Chef showing off his cookie creations:

Dad changed Ellie and put anything on her that was within arm's reach, which ended up being Ethan's jammies. A little big?...

Paps and Grams telling a Bible story with flannel graph.

Ethan and Addy loved it!

Thanks dad and mom for such a wonderful mountain retreat! What a great idea! We had so much fun!

One more set of Christmas pics to come...

Stay tuned...

Finally... a post to get caught up!

2011-02-12T14:42:00.016-05:00

This year we went to Colorado for Christmas and had a wonderful time with family!

Here are some pictures from our visit:

The 2nd day we got there, we went to a fun place that the kids really enjoyed called "Biggs" in Denver:

Aunt Missy with Ellie in the "hospital"

Paps and Ethan in the fire engine:

Addy and Ethan in the car shop:

Ethan, Addy, and Emma serving up food at Wendys:

Sweet Travis

Sweet Norah

Baking cookies:

Cousin Bath time fun:

Hanging out at Paps and Grams house:

Ethan giving Uncle Joel a "check up":

The little musicians:

It was so fun to get to see and know our newest nephew:

"Greeley Girls"

(we had a great, fun outing in Greeley, just the girls, thanks to mom treating us and dad and Stephen watching the kids)

(Here's our sad attempt at trying to take a crazy pic...)

Painting with Uncle Stephen:

Singing songs with Paps and Grams:

Sweet Norah on Christmas Eve:

Playing doctor:

Grocery shopping for Christmas food!

Christmas Eve Dinner:

Cute one of Addy and Adam:

Stephen and Adam enjoyed picking out a fancy cheese spread for us to have:

Singing Christmas carols, while being accompanied by some cute drummers:

Ellie was loving it! :-)

Fun Police outfit!

Daddy's going to jail!

Adam's in jail:

Addy, the nurse's, turn to be locked up:

Joel getting another check up, this time from a very experienced nurse:

Sweet sister pic:

Christmas morning:

Sweet one of Joel and his little man:

Chapstick was definitely a theme for Ethan and Addy during our time together...

Shelley and I showing off some of our Christmas gifts!

I love this one of Travis and Adam:

And I also love this next one of Adam.

What a handsome hubby I have! :-)

All the girls in their Christmas jammies:

I love this one of Addy and Ethan:

Merry Christmas!

All the Kiddos!

(these kind of pics are so humorous...)

(It was definitely busy and crazy having so many kids this Christmas, but oh how fun!!

We are so blessed!!)

Travis was worn out by all the activity even before all the unwrapping began ;-)

Emma snagged Travis's toy dog right away after it was opened... good thing he had no idea what was going on:

Ellie sporting one of the bows I made her for Christmas:

Emma was all about the unwrapping:

Ethan saying hello to his buddy, Travis:

The little Snow Belle Princess:

With Paps:

Adam and Stephen taking a cheese break:

The buddies: Ellie absolutely loves her Aunt Missy! It's so sweet!

Sleeping Travis again ;-)

The older cousins taking some time to get caught up on some Bible reading:

And that is round 1! :-) 2 more rounds to come...

Decorating with Sewing Machine...

2010-12-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

is fun!!

I have a long ways to go in the learning department, but I am already able to change up my pillows by sewing shams! Thanks to mom Grusy showing me how, it's pretty easy to do and so fun to change things up a bit around the house!

I have had fun making some Christmas pillows for the season:

Ethan and his bday scooter:

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our Family Christmas

2010-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Because we are headed to Colorado for Christmas and I take off with the kids to fly out this Thursday, we decided to do our own family Christmas celebrating Friday night.

Ethan and Emma during the day were enjoying sitting on the boxes together:

(yes, I caught Ethan in the middle of a cough in this one, but it was the best one...)

Too cute!

Another cute one:

(Emma is getting the concept of pictures down... she knows when to smile!)

Making sugar cookies together before opening gifts:

Ethan was a pro at the cookie cutters :-)

And opening gifts!:

(Ethan yelling "cheese" to the camera...)

Emma was quite interested: "umm, I wonder what's in here..."

Tearing in to it:

Emma got a baby stroller, which she immediately took off with and was quite out of control!

(It was hilarious to watch her... she is one determined little mama to her baby)

"Yep, here I am with my baby!"

And here's Ethan with what he kept calling his "set up":

He told Adam and I a number of times last night, "I love my set up!"

And then this morning he said to me, "Mom, thanks for getting me those gifts, that was sure nice of you!" (too sweet...)

After opening gifts, lounging with daddy:

(It is so funny how Ethan loves to lounge and sit in a relaxed, reclined position JUST like his daddy!)

Relaxing reading one of his new Christmas books from great grandpa and great grandma:

We had a wonderful little family Christmas celebration together! I am so thankful for the wonderful family that the Lord has blessed me with! What a joy and tremendous gift!

A sad farewell to wonderful friends...

2010-12-11T10:04:00.002-05:00

Philippians 1:1-6

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus."

On Monday night, we were able to have a wonderful evening with our dear friends, Rob and Larissa Crust. Rob has now graduated from Southern and they are moving back to CO. We are so sad to see them go, but we are looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for them.

Enjoying some dessert at the Homemade Pie Kitchen

after having a yummy dinner at a Cuban restaurant:

Rob and Larissa, we are so thankful to the Lord for you! Your family is such an encouragement to us and we are so blessed by your friendship! We are going to really miss living in the same place as you, but are confident and joyful in knowing that the Lord is going to use you in mighty ways for the Kingdom. Thank you for loving, encouraging, and serving us in so many ways while you were here in Louisville. We are greatly spurred on by your faithful walk with the Lord, and we know, even from a distance, we will continue to be. We love you guys so much and rejoice in knowing that we will see you again when we visit CO. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers often.

Video of Emma and Ethan reading...

2010-12-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving:

2010-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

Dad and Mom Grusy came, as well as Grandpa and Grandma Wittler. We were so glad to have them, and it was fun to host our first Thanksgiving with family coming to see us. :-)

Here are pictures from our time together:

Papaw and Emma reading one of the fun books Great Grandma got the kids:

Ethan's fun 3rd b-day gift from Papaw and Grammy:

A scooter and helmet. As we expected, he has been loving the helmet and loves to wear it almost everyday!

This picture is a good representation of our little girl these days... she doesn't want to be left out of anything! She had to have her turn on the scooter with the helmet as well. :-)

Reading with Great Grandma:

Another fun outing at "All About Kids":

Making a foam tower:

"Ready, set, go Ethan!"

Emma found her favorite thing again:

Ethan intently listening to the instructions before we went in the gym:

Good Papaw tickles!

What a child of this generation! :-)

Ethan loving Grammy's I-Pad: It took him no time to figure out how to use it! :-)

Cute Video of Ethan and Emma dancing in the car

2010-12-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

Getting caught up with pictures...

2010-12-09T00:42:00.004-05:00

Ethan helping daddy outside:

The Sleeping Bear:

Oh no, Ethan, watch out! The Bear woke up and is coming after you!!

Love this one of Ems :-)

Having fun at a place in Louisville called "All About Kids":

The kids loving Paps throwing them about on to the mats

Emma and Ethan loving it in the ball pit:

One of Ethan's fav buds:

"Whee!" Emma loved this little car roller coaster:

I see you!

Reading Goldbug book with Paps:

Paps taking part in helping us watch the Crust kids for our date swap:

Play time with Paps:

Emma helping put seed onto the backyard:

Both the kids wanted to be involved!

Ethan's 3rd B-day

2010-11-28T14:46:00.007-05:00

Hard to believe that on November 14th our little boy became our Big 3 year old!

We had a great party and time of celebrating Ethan's birthday!

Here are some pictures form our time together:

Owen trying out on of Ethan's gifts:

Here's Ethan with his Surprise guest!

The construction workers Rob and Larissa

(we are sure going to miss their sweet family!)

All partying together:

The kids decorating their hats:

One cute construction worker:

The Birthday Boy with a hat of course, working on his new tools:

Decorations:

Our talented friend, Faith from church made Ethan an amazing construction hat cake:

It totally looked like the real thing and tasted so good! Thanks so much Faith!!

Pre-party pics:

Paps and Ethan playing with the Happy meal toys

Daddy with his big 3 year old boy:

All dressed and ready for church:

Me and my sweet girl:

Paps and the kids:

Ethan blowing out his birthday morning donut:

Building a log cabin with Paps and Daddy:

Paps doing some repairs for us :-) with his little helpers:

Dad, thanks so much for coming out and surprising Ethan for his birthday! We could tell that Ethan loved having you out here, as did we! Thank you for serving us in so many ways while you were here! We love you!

Recent Pictures:

2010-11-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Reading on the couch

Fun with Friends:

Our New Decorative Piece...

2010-11-13T10:50:00.003-05:00

This summer when we went to Illinois to visit Adam's family, we got this beautiful bench that Adam's grandpa so kindly made for us. For a while I have been wanting to add a shelf above it for hanging coats on:

Here is the before picture of the bare wall in much need of something...

The shelf that I found at Hobby Lobby for only $15:

Adam hard at work staining the shelf to our dark wood preference:

And... the finished product, that we are quite pleased with:

Now if Louisville weather would just cooperate and get cold, we would actually need to use our coats and coat rack! :-)

Next project is to make a bench cushion, as we're just using a folded blanket right now...

About time for another "Look Who's Talking":

2010-11-04T19:58:00.002-04:00

- Ethan slipped and almost fell and said, "wow, that was a close call!"

- Ethan was in the nursery and said a few times to the other kids, "Alright everybody, calm down!"

- Ethan randomly said to me the other day, "I like to play with daddy. I like to play with him and wrestle him, and eat lunch, and eat dessert, and all things."

- Emma was a little fussy and I told Ethan that I thought her teeth might be hurting her. And then he went and got her sippy and said, "Apple juice might help." After Emma took a drink, Ethan said, "Does that feel better?"

- Ethan's friend, Kaurah, was recently sick, but then a few days later she was feeling better and we went to the zoo together. Later that day Ethan randomly said, "I'm glad Kaurah is feeling better."

- Ethan was coloring and Adam said to him, "Good job Ethan." To which Ethan said, "Yeah. I'm do fancy stuff!"

- Ethan randomly said the other day, "I know what we can do tomorrow..." To which I said, "What?," Ethan replied enthusiastically, "Go camping again!"

- Ethan loves Cheetos and was eating some, while looking at the bag (which had a picture of a Cheetah on it). Ethan and Adam were talking about the Cheetah and Adam said, "He's a Cheeto Cheetah," to which Ethan said, "Cheeto Cheetah! Wow, that's a cool name!"

- Ethan, while getting ready to go potty said, "shoes, check. Pants, check. Undies, check." (I think he learned that one from his Paps...)

- In the car ride home, Ethan was consoling Emma by saying, "It's okay sweetie, we're almost home..." Later, we hear him telling her (about what she should do if she wakes up in the middle of the night and needs something), "and if you hear something, you just say, 'Mom, Dad, I hear somthin.' and then they will come and get you and get you down..."

- The other day Ethan said, "I'm trying to give Emma a kiss." He then said to Emma, "Emma, I need a kiss!" And he gave her a big, sweet kiss. :-)

- Ethan was talking to Emma today in the car, "You're a cutie. You're such a little sweet heart."

- Ethan randomly said the other day, "mom, remember when Jesus died on the cross?" I said, "Yes, Jesus did die on the cross. Do you remember why Jesus died on the cross?" He replied, "Yes, because we are sinner."

- Pretty soon, I'll be adding more and more things that Emma has been saying.... one thing that she loves to do right now is say, "ashes, ashes, ashes..." because she loves the "ring-around-the-rosie" song.

Story time Fun:

2010-11-01T11:14:00.002-04:00

Last week we went to a story time at one of the libraries. It was so fun and both kids seemed to really enjoy it.

Ethan intently listening and watching what's happening:

Emma was very interested in what was happening as well :-)

Right in the middle of the action:

Craft Time:

Ethan's very own pumpkin!

Emma getting in there with all the other kids and loving all the activity! :-)

My idea of what a story teller should be like is very similar to what I think a Pediatrician should be like: very animated, hilarious, captivating, and great with kids (kinda like a clown) :-)

I was very impressed with the story teller at this story time! She fit my expectations almost perfectly! I definitley think we will go again. It was great fun.

One of Ethan's Favorite Things...

2010-11-01T11:08:00.003-04:00

... is eating ice cream with his daddy!

Getting ready to grub down

Having a conversation while eating a yummy treat...

doesn't get much better than that :-)

Birthday party fun

2010-10-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

About a week ago, we went to our friend, Kaurah's 3rd birthday party. It was a ton of fun!

Emma taking part in the craft:

(making tambourines for the Disneyland parade)

Lining up for the parade around the house:

The Party Clan all together:

Cupcake time!

Ethan being silly after finishing up his cupcake:

Everyone diving in for the presents.... it was hard to tell who's birthday it was ;-)

Ethan doing his turn of the car obstacle course:

Musical Chairs:

Emma soon decided that she would rather stand in the corner and dance to the music, then race around and find a chair to sit in ;-)

Story time:

Ethan on the microphone

(Ethan randomly grabbed this microphone and stood up on a box to make some sort of an announcement to everyone in the room, but unfortunately I couldn't tell what he was saying... it was still pretty funny though!)

Emma lounging by Mrs. Larissa:

One great party!!

We love Crust parties, that is for sure. :-)

New winter slippers:

2010-10-27T14:43:00.001-04:00

Too cute!

Feeling Crafty!...

2010-10-27T14:12:00.004-04:00

As some of you know, I love decorating!

I have recently come across a neat craft blog where I have found some neat ideas for decorative crafts. I have tried a few out recently and have had fun doing them and then had fun putting them up and enjoying them in our home:

Cork Board Orange Fabric Flowers

that I have in our dining room:

Here Ethan and I are working on another fun craft:

The finished product:

A cute fall burlap wreath for the front door...

Having Fun With Daddy!

2010-10-27T13:46:00.004-04:00

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves and cares for our children so well.

Ethan and Emma love their daddy and are always so excited to see him at the end of a work day. They love spending time with their fun daddy.

Here are some pictures of recent Daddy, Ethan, and Emma outings.

Bernheim Forest:

Stomping in the leaves!

Taking off...

Taking a little rest on the bench

Ethan having a date with daddy watching snowboarding and eating ice cream

Could it really get any better?! :-)

And... this boy must have been tired, because this is how their evening date ended:

(Ethan never does this, so this was really funny!!)

Krispie Kream:

A fun daddy tradition that Adam has started with the kids is taking them out on a morning date to get donuts.

It first started out just being Adam and Ethan, but Ethan has recently been so sweet and wanted his sister to come.

The last time Adam and Ethan were getting ready to go, Emma was still sleeping, and Adam tried to tell Ethan that just he and Ethan would go, but Ethan wasn't going to have it. He really wanted Emma to come, so they woke her up and took her with. :-)

Look at all those yummy donuts!!

Emma seems pretty happy that she was invited! :-)

It's such a joy and blessing to see Ethan and Emma with their daddy. I am very thankful for the good relationship that they have, and am encouraged to be a better mom by watching Adam being such a good dad.

Great, Encouraging Quote about being a mom...

2010-10-25T09:44:00.001-04:00

Nicole was nine, Kristin eight, and Janelle four when we first moved
into our home on a cold February day in 1986. Chad wasn’t even born
yet. Today, a sunny one in June, twenty-two years later, I’m boxing up
(and sometimes throwing out) two decades worth of memories.

Of the more than 8000 days I spent in this home, there were a few
dramatic ones: the day I announced to CJ that “surprise, you’re going
to be a father again!” or the day Kristin fainted and we had to call
the ambulance, or when Mike serenaded Janelle outside her window at
6am, or when Nicole returned from the hospital after life-saving
surgery.

But most of my days looked pretty much the same.

I got out of bed each morning so that I could do everything I did the
day before.
I washed the dishes so they could be dirtied again.
I ironed the clothes so they could be worn and wrinkled again
I wiped noses so they could run again.
I picked up toys so they could be played with again.
I mopped the floor so mud could be tracked on it again.
I cooked meals so that I could go to the grocery store again.
I made beds so they could be slept in again.

Some days I wondered: if I do all I do, only to have it undone, am I
really doing anything?

Today, as I pack up my home in June of 2008, I can see the answer more
clearly than I did in February 1986. Each of my daughters is married
to a wonderful, godly man, Chad will be a sophomore in high school
this fall, and we’ll welcome our seventh grandchild at the end of
August.

I realize that all of the mundane, repetitive days were actually full
of significant, enduring work. A home was being built. A family was
being knit together. Four souls were being shaped for eternity.

This home has spawned three more homes where the same tedious yet
momentous work goes on day in and day out. And God willing, many more
homes will one day be built, day by day, so “that in everything they
may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:9).

- Carolyn Mahaney

Halloween at the Zoo

2010-10-22T18:57:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we went to the Halloween Zoo party with our friends the Crusts. We had a great time. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves.

Here are some pictures:

Emma's favorite part:

Ethan with Woody and Buzz Light Year:

The cute giraffe and princess sleeping beauty:

Another one of Emma's favorite things:

Emma taking it all in:

Adam and Ethan looking at Shrek:

One cute couple:

Emma, the cute butterfly:

Quite the cute pair:

Fun times! :-)

One of Our New, Favorite Discoveries:

2010-10-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

Just the other night we went on a family outing to Bernheim Arboretum and Forest.

A couple of Adam's coworkers had told him about it.

We loved it and had lots of fun exploring it with the kids.

Here are some pictures from our time:

Ethan and Adam hiding, getting ready to jump out at me and Emma:

Emma taking the wheel:

Climbing up some rocks:

Our Cute Big Boy:

Getting our little explorer, Emma to come back to the path:

Taking it all in:

Pointing at the birds:

Catching up...

Eyes of wonder:

Look!

We are excited about our new find and

if you live in Louisville, you should definitely check it out.

cousin freestyle dance party

2010-10-09T09:28:00.001-04:00

A few random pictures:

2010-10-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

Just the other night, Ethan and Emma randomly started walking around the house together holding hands.

It was so sweet! It was one of those moments as a parent that you are filled with awe and love for your kids! :-)

What an incredible gift these 2 cute kids are from the Lord!

Hanging out watching a movie with the Embry kids from church:

Sweet sibling love:

Ethan loves to do "kissy wars" to Emma when we put her down at night:

Getting All Decorated for Fall...

2010-10-07T16:20:00.003-04:00

We are excited that fall is here!

To bring in the fall, we went to Huber's Farm with a group from church and picked apples and got some pumpkins and apple cider.

Just yesterday, the kids and I went out to decorate the pumpkins. I did Emma's for her and Ethan came up with his own beautiful creation:

Working hard in his undies

(most days if we are at home, it just seems easier to leave Ethan's pants off, if you're wondering if this child ever wears pants... don't worry, he does when we go places!)

And the finished products:

I love this picture!

And here is our front porch all ready for fall!

Great Kennedy Visit!

2010-10-07T15:30:00.006-04:00

A couple weeks ago we had the privilege of having Shelley, Addy, and Norah stay with us for a long weekend. We had so much fun together. And, as always, it was so fun to see the cousins interacting.

Right after the Kennedy crew arrived:

The first night Adam took the "big kids" to a movie event at the zoo while Shelley and I stayed home with the "little girls." They had so much fun, as you can tell from Ethan and Addy's great dancing moves:

Bedtime stories:

Sweet Kisses:

Too cute.

Having fun just hanging out

Ems giving sweet kisses

Going for a ride...

Ethan and Norah.

Ethan was so sweet to her and really thought his little cousin was pretty neat!

It was so fun to see Norah, b/c Adam hadn't seen her at all, and I hadn't seen her since she was a newborn. She is so beautiful and the sweetest girl!

Hi Emma!

Sweet, beautiful Norah

Hanging out with the Crust family in the backyard:

Trying on Halloween costumes that Paps and Grams sent for the kids:

Addy telling me all about her time at the movie:

Emma and Norah giving each other some love

Uncle Adam meeting his sweet niece Norah for the first time:

Shelley, thanks for making the trip to come see us. We so enjoyed seeing you and the girls! We feel so blessed to have you as part of our family! We can't wait until the next time we're together. Love you!

A window into the Grusy household...

2010-09-20T13:31:00.000-04:00

Southern's Fall Festival

2010-09-20T12:52:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we attended Southern Seminary's Fall Festival. They put on such a fun festival with rides, attractions, and free food. It's great! We had a lot of fun going together as a family and getting to hang out with friends.

Emma driving the Military Jeep:

Ethan driving:

Ethan was very brave to want to ride the bull...

He was a little unsure about his decision once he was up there (the look on his face quickly changed from slightly unsure to completely frightened once the bull started moving),

but he still very brave to want to try! :-)

Adam tried to ride the bull too...

Here is his ride :-)

Good Colorado Fellowship

2010-09-20T12:32:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of having a couple good CO friends over to our house, because the Baker family was in town for a visit. It was so fun to hang out and to get to see Kyle and Jackie and their cute little boys. And, it was nice to have an excuse to get to have the Crust family over too! :-)

Here's cute Kaurah Crust sporting Ethan's cowboy hat:

Hanging out in the backyard after dinner:

The Boys

Adam and cute little Isaac

Kids in the pool (no water though)

Kyle and Jackie,

It was so fun to see you guys! We miss you and wish that we could hang out with your wonderful family more often! We look forward to seeing you this Christmas. Thanks

for wanting to come over! We love you guys!

A couple weeks after having the Crusts and Bakers over, we had another CO get together at the zoo. This time it was 2 Crust families and the Grusy family (men not included).

Here's a couple pics:

Ethan and Kaurah were dancing to the music,

while watching their reflections in the door:

We are so thankful for our Colorado connections! We praise God that we still have dear friends that we love to hang out with when they're here in Louisville going to seminary, or when they're back in CO.