You go girl!!!!

Baikal made her own bed this morning! All by herself! I didn't ask her to do it! She just wanted to! You go girl!!! I am so proud!!!

Good morning Rex!

We are happy to announce our latest sponsored insect in project B.D.B.I.P.W.T (as in Bring Dead Bugs Inside to Play With Them). Baikal found this mantis a few days ago and has begun the transitioning process of acclimating him to his new home (I found out about this mantis just a day ago and drew the line at making him new clothes). She has taken to getting him up in the mornings and helping him start his morning routine. It looks like Rex has weathered the transition relatively easily, but I give him only a few more days until his exoskeleton crumbles into dust. Yesterday, when we were heading out, she called back, "By Rex! See you after work!"

Swinging: A series

Push Me!

It's Hot!

Let's go get some ice cream.

Happy Anniversary!

Matt and I celebrated our seven year anniversary on Sept. 6 by taking the kids to Mason Mill park. This is where Matt asked me out for our first date (and smooched me for the first time). When we arrived at that auspicious place, I had packed Hershey's kisses for all of us, so everyone got a kiss. Afterwards, we found a great place to have our picnic. The park has several great trails for hiking. Rybolt enjoyed holding on to Merle's leash during the hike. Baikal enjoyed the tree swing that we stumbled upon. It was a great way to spend an anniversary.

Back to School

Today was the first day back to preschool for both Baikal and Rybolt. Baikal is now in the pre-K class, called the Owls. I asked her if there was anything new or different about school now that she was an Owl. She told me that: 1. She does not have to wear slippers anymore in the classroom. 2. Her name is her symbol. She views these as major indicators that she is indeed among the oldest kids in the school and has all of the bravado that accompanies such status.





As for Rybolt, he is a Cardinal and his symbol is the cherry. Since, this is his second year at preschool he walked right into the classroom with little fanfare.

I'm Back!!!!!

Did you miss me?
Did you miss my family?
It has been a great summer and we have done so much! I really missed blogging and am happy to say that the blog is back up and running. It feels good to be back. Now, a little taste of what you missed....

Last Post....ever?

Hi all! We have been busy around here! So busy that blogging has taken a back seat. Good thing the lazy days of summer are just around the corner. Matt and I will be disconnecting our cable/internet services and so...this is the last blog entry. It has been a fun past couple of years. Thanks for being there with me.

Disney Day Five

Today was our last day. We had a relaxing breakfast before loading up the car to head home. It was a long drive, but we were able to break it up by visiting Matt's grandmother in Hawkinsville.

Disney Day Four

Day four at Disney was our day to take the bus over to Animal Kingdom. We saw a great bird show and went on a safari. We were also able to meet up with one of Matt's future University of Chicago classmates who happened to be vacationing in Disney the same week that we were! We met up for lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. After lunch, I took Rybolt back to the hotel for a nap and Matt took Baikal over to the Magic Kingdom. We met back up for a luau dinner at the Polynesian hotel. We were all a little hot and tired, but after a great meal, we all felt rested and relaxed. Matt took Baikal back over to the Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks. He said it was the highlight of his trip.

Disney Day Three

Our third day at Disney, we headed over to Epcot. My mom had arranged for us to have a special story time with Mary Poppins and then to have lunch with some princesses! Unfortunately, she fell earlier in the day and had to go back to her room to recover. We stayed in Epcot through the afternoon and checked out the World Showcase. It was a great day!

Disney Day Two

Today was our first full day at Disney! Tinker bell had visited the children during the night and left them two disposable cameras. She also arranged for us to have breakfast with some of her friends, Lilo and Stitch. After breakfast we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to ride some rides. We soon found out that Rybolt did not care for waiting in lines or for the dark and often loud ambiance that accompanies these rides. I thought that we would have better luck with the Winnie the Pooh ride, since that is one of his favorite characters, but he left that one crying also. No worries! We headed over to Tom Sawyer's island to play for a bit. The kids loved the barrel bridge. My mom had arranged for us to watch the afternoon parade from a reserved area which gave us a chance to sit in the shade. After the parade, Rybolt returned to the hotel for a nap and Baikal stayed with us to party! We had a blast on the Jungle Cruise and the Magic Carpet ride in Adventureland. Matt and Courtney took Baikal on the Pirates of the Caribbean and she loved it! The gang pooped out around dinner time. We all fell asleep easily that night and couldn't wait to see what Tinkerbell would bring while we were sleeping!

Disney Day One

My parents gave us the gift of going to Disney for Christmas.
The first day, Matt and I got up at 4am and started the drive down to Orlando. We drove for almost three hours before the kids awoke. We stopped for breakfast and got back on the road. In no time at all, we were driving to the Polynesian hotel to check in. We immediately hit the pool and settled in to our new digs. Baikal and Rybolt love the pool, especially the huge volcano in the middle of it! We took the kids on the monorail over to the Contemporary hotel for dinner. Then it was back to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, Tinkerbell had visited our room! She had left the kids a note and a small gift. They got new pajamas for their Disney vacation. The note said that we would be having breakfast with some of her friends, Lilo and Stitch! It also said that we would be going to Magic Kingdom to ride on some rides and then to see a parade! Eventually, the kids settled down and fell asleep. What a great first day!

Happy Mother's Day

It is that time of year again: hand-written cards, flowers, breakfast made by little helper hands, all mark for me a wonderful day... Mother's Day. But the best gift of all is happening for me right now. As I write this, the kids are playing together in their rooms without fighting or yelling or screeching or biting or hitting or whining. They are instead, sharing and giggling and imagining and playing. Thank your for my wonderful gift. I love you.

Welcome Abigail Lynne Kroner!

Emilie and Kevin Kroner are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl! Abigail Lynne Kroner was born at 7:17 this morning. All are well. Check out the Kroner family link for pictures and updates. Yeah!!!!

Little Kroner is coming! Little Kroner is coming!

Matt's youngest sister, Emilie Kroner, has been admitted to the hospital because she is in labor! Our thoughts and prayers are with her today. Let's go baby Kroner!

School picture day

I took these pictures on our morning walk to preschool. Today is picture day for the kids.

Erin Miller...she's crafty....and busy....and a bit lazy

So, I have been crafting, but just not posting. I finally got around to making Baikal pose for the dress that I made back in October and posted it on my craft blog (under August, since it is a summer dress). I really love how this turned out. Baikal did too, she just didn't want her cute face to detract from the beauty of the garment.

Easter

Carrot trail

The night before Easter Baikal wanted to lay out a carrot trail to lead the Easter bunny to our house. She also left a note inviting him/her to our house. The next day the kids found a trail of nibbled-on carrots. Hooray!