Our Home

I thought I should post some current photos of our home before we begin our big construction project. We are very close to breaking ground for our remodel/addition. I had to take these pictures for the blueprints to be drawn up anyway. The project is going to be huge: an attached garage, finishing the basement, adding a bathroom, taking out walls, moving laundry, adding a master bedroom/bath....yikes: Let the chaos begin!

Growing Bigger Every Day!

Clara's "pretties"

Clara loves to have "pretties" in her hair, now...

(after much brain-washing:-)

She especially loves to do her hair herself!

I think she was going for a hippie look.

Crazy Cousins!

Daniel, Noah, Asa, Iris, Wilson, Clara, Ezra, Caleb, Maddox
Well, we didn't quite get all of them in the picture. Shay and Bryanna were both napping, but the rest of the gang is all lined up. Melissa and Amy were both in town visiting, so they came over to see the new baby and have some lunch. Between my seven and their four we had eleven kids under the age of seven...wow! And Amy shared that there is another one on the way: congrats Matt & Amy!

Bryan's Buck

I don't know the full story, but he was pretty proud of his shot: the arrow went right through this buck's heart. I think that makes deer number three for the freezer now!

Bryanna is one month old

Another adoption story

I am posting a picture from a recent visit with John and Tami, a couple we met through Adoption Associates. They are moving down south next month, and we wanted to get together to share our adoption stories before they left. Here is a picture of the new dads...

Bryanna is on the left with Bryan, and Lukas is on the right with John. I believe Lukas is about 4 months older than Bryanna, and he is their first. What an exciting time for all of us!!

Visiting Great Grandma and family

Sierra Joy holding Bryanna Joy!

Great Grandma Deeren

Shawn & Sierra

Bryanna met her cousins Sierra and Shawn this weekend when we visited Lyle and Leanne, and Grandma. As you can see, she received plenty of attention!

Sweet Dreams!

Daddy decided to take a nap with Bryanna in Sierra's room.

Isn't this funny? I took Sierra's baby doll out of the baby-sized playpen, and Bryanna fit just fine.

Shawn & Sierra

Best of Cousins

Wilson, Shawn & Caleb

Best of brothers, too!

Happy 6th Birthday, Caleb!

I can't believe he is six years old...what a blessing he is to our family. Caleb adds a touch of mischief with just the right amount of sweetness to our lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Clara's First Haircut

Of all our kids, Clara is the only one who really wants her hair cut. Soooo...after putting her off for a very long time, I finally decided to be brave and give it a try.

She was SO excited!

Thankfully, it turned out really cute. Her short bob took care of all those uneven ends and has made her really look the part of a big sister now.

Wilson behind the wheel?

Yep, his Daddy trusts him so I try not to freak out. It seems like a very expensive toy for a seven year old, but they love every minute of it.

Bryanna's first bath

My mom has a tradition of giving each of my children their first bath at home. Bryanna did not enjoy any part of it! You can't tell from the pictures just how loud she can scream!!

Cute as a button!

I thought it would be neat to take her picture next to the teddy bear we bought for her. Some day it will be hard to imagine her tiny size.

2 1/2 weeks old...

The Big Brothers & Sister

Of course everyone wanted to hold her the minute we were home...

It's a Giant of a Carseat!

Okay, so maybe it's Bryanna that makes the seat look so big. She had to go for a three hour "test drive" in her seat at the hospital all hooked up to her monitors. They wanted to see how well she would handle the ride home.

I had to get a picture of her without all the blankets holding her in to show how tiny she looks in her seat. Isn't she adorable!?!

Grandma's Visit to the Hospital

My (Suzanne's) back was not cooperating well with the long drives to Detroit. My mom graciously offered to drive me down to Detroit over the weekend and since all the papers have been signed and filed for placement, Bryanna was allowed to have visitors. The drive is long - about 3 hours to the hospital - but worth every minute!