Fun in Erie

Here are some pictures from our past two weeks in Erie with my dad. Dave was in Erie the first week, so he could see Julie as a flower girl, then the kids and I stayed an extra week. We spent time with lots of family.

We celebrated Dad's birthday at Doug & Andrea's one evening. My kids love playing at Uncle Doug & Aunt Andrea's house, because they have all the fun yard toys.




Dad & I decided to be brave and take the three kids out in his boat for an evening on Lake Erie's bay. The bay is very calm, and we thought that would be a perfect spot for the kids, except Julie nearly panicked every time another boat would go by and create waves. All in all, it was an enjoyable adventure...you might want to check with my dad and see if he feels the same. He let Julie & Alayna fish a little bit. Julie had a bite as soon as dad dropped her pole in the water, but the fish got off the line, so that was a bummer....maybe a blessing, since Julie would have had a heart attack actually seeing a fish come into the boat. :)

Joel was great as long as the boat was moving, but as soon as we anchored for the girls to fish, he wanted to climb all over everything, and tried to escape over the side. Thank goodness for life jackets...

This is a view of Downtown Erie & Dobbin's Landing, from the bay. It was a gorgeous night for boating.
















Wednesday afternoon my good friend, Misty, came over with her little girl, to visit. Misty and I have been friends since 5th grade, and it's so fun sharing stories now about raising our own kids.

Emelyn, Julie, Joel & Alayna

The Flower Girl

Julie made her debut as a flower girl on the 18th, for my cousin Lindsey's, wedding. Here are some of the many pictures I took from the event. She did a great job, and took her role very serious.

The Rehearsal


When the pianist began the bridal march, it startled Julie...on the wedding day she didn't plug her ears, but she did jump.


Julie & me getting ready for the wedding.


Julie & my cousin Lindsey


The beautiful flower girl!


Julie with my Grandma and Grandpa Bierer, and the bridesmaids.


My cousins Megan & Danielle, who were two of the bridesmaids.


My cousin Leah, helping her sister, Lindsey, get ready.


The bridesmaids, flower girl and bride.


Julie and the ring-bearer, TJ, also known as the "ring master." :)




I LOVE this picture!


I also LOVE this one....Julie, my niece, Danika, and Alayna, sitting on the steps in the church after the wedding.


Alayna really wanted to be a flower girl, but she & Joel stayed in the nursery during the wedding. We told her that if she played for a while, then we'd let her be a flower girl, too. After we picked her up from nursery we handed her Julie's basket and said "look, you're a flower girl," and took her picture. She was very pleased.

Horsing Around

We've had a busy week this past week. Wednesday afternoon we took the kids up to the barn where Dave's mom boards her horses. Julie & Joel both enjoyed pony rides, but Alayna refused to get on the pony. After our visit at the barn we went to Dave's grandma's for supper, and celebrated a belated birthday for Joel, and Dave's moms birthday. Dave's brother, Nathan, and his family, joined us, as well.

Here are some pictures from our day:



Dave was holding onto Joel, while Dave's mom, Julie & Lily (Nathan & Kristy's daughter), helped lead.




Julie was so pleased with herself when she learned to turn around in the saddle and sit backwards.














Joel & Dave, at home...hanging out.

Flower Girl Preparations

Julie is getting ready to be a flower girl on the 18th, for my cousin Lindsey's wedding. She's very excited, and we've been talking about it quite a bit. This past weekend we tried out the hot rollers in her hair to see how it would turn out. They worked great, and she felt very grown up getting her hair fixed pretty. Now if we can just get her hair to cooperated the day of the wedding we'll be in good shape.

Here's some pictures of Julie getting her hair done.





The after picture...I think it turned out really cute.




Alayna wanted curlers, too. Her hair is naturally curly, though, and the curls hanging down are her natural ones.

Getting Caught Up

I'm not exactly sure what day of the week this is...I'm pretty sure it's Friday, and I'm pretty sure we celebrate Independence Day tomorrow...okay, I know I'm right on this, but trust me, this is a remarkable accomplishment, considering that I haven't known what day or date it is for some time now, or whether I'm coming or going. I returned home from Erie, PA last Thursday, after spending four weeks there. We will be going back to Erie on the 15th so Julie can be a flower girl in my cousin Lindsey's, wedding. I'm trying to get caught up on things at home in the mean time, but I'm not having much "luck," if you will.

Dave came back to NY, with Julie, a week before Joel, Alayna & I did. Julie had a few days of school left, and a Kindergarten graduation to attend. When he got home he discovered a serious sedement problem in our well water. This problem did not clear up on it's own, and seemed to only worsen with time...after a while I wasn't convinced we were actually getting clean by showering in the water. Monday a guy came to work on our well. He shut our water off Monday morning, and because of severe thunderstorms wasn't able to get the problem completely fixed until Wednesday. So, we were without water for a while...thank goodness for friends with good drinking water and a willingness to fill empty gallon containers for us. Also, we're grateful to our dear friends for allowing us to use their shower on Tuesday evening. After Dave mowed the lawn, I cleaned out flower beds, and the kids played outside all day, we needed to clean up.

The water is now back on, but we're still experiencing the after-math of the sand-in-the-water problem. The kitchen faucet needed to be replaced, the washing machine filters needed serious cleaning, our toilet handle broke (not sure if this had anything to do with the sand), we have had to continually run our water to get the sand all the way out. On top of all this, the kids & I came down with bad colds (fevers, etc.), and then my back went out of place yesterday. Life just doesn't get any better this week. Oh...and I just found out that we have several cases of swine flu in our area. I'm not kidding. (Dave asked me why we haven't heard much on the news lately about swine flu, and I said it's because Michael Jackson died. Dave said, "maybe if he had died of swine flu we would hear more about it." I couldn't disagree with him.) :)

My back is better today, thanks to my wonderful chiropractor, and the colds seem to be clearing up quickly....I think we're finally able to drink our water, the laundry is almost completely caught up, and the toilet now flushes properly. So, we seem to be in good shape now. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'll probably get hit by a stray firework, or something.

Here are some pictures of the kids over the past 6 weeks.

Grandma Andrews & Joel at the Erie Zoo. Dave, Grandma & the kids spent a few hours at the Erie Zoo one day. The kids love it there.


Joel, cruising around my parents driveway in his pink jeep. The jeep was borrowed from cousin Danika, who no longer needs it. Dave wanted the jeep spray painted, but Joel didn't seem to care that it was pink. :)


Alayna & Joel
Dave entertained the kids outside a lot, while I cared for my mom. He used sidewalk chalk and drew a road on the driveway, and the kids had a blast riding their bikes, scooters, walkers, around it.


Julie


Julie & Reggie hangin' out at home.


More at the zoo...Julie


Alayna at the zoo.


Joel's 1st Birthday was June 2nd. I can't believe my baby boy turned one. We pulled together a small celebration at my parents, and I bought mini cupcakes for the kids. Mom was able to sit in the dining room while Joel ate his cupcake, and that was such a special time for all of us. Doug, Andrea, Danika, Mom, Dad & the five of us.


Aunt Andrea never ceases to disappoint when it comes to great birthday gifts. She lived up to her reputation as the "costume" aunt for Joel's 1st birthday. She bought him superman pajamas, that have a cape. They are hillarious, and "Super Joel" looks great wearing them. Doug & Danika's names were on the gift, too, but we know who is really responsible for this gift. Thanks again Aunt Andrea...now Dave wants a pair.