More of Our Snowy Visit Home in ND

climbing up the mountain of snow at the farm

Grandma kisses from Joel

Aunties Erica, Jess & Miss with the kids. April "09

Joel & Eli with cuz Andrew

Kings of the Snow Hill

They had so much fun playing together!

Andrew loved holding Eli.

Our time home with the Neuharths went by way too fast. We had such a relaxing time hanging out with family. Joel got to go outside with Grandpa Doug and see April, the first calf born in the herd. He also had a blast climbing the snow hills and got sled rides from G Doug too. I think G Doug got tired once and made Joel pull him around too lol. Between playing with G Susan's toy stash (and baby grand piano), playing the shooting Wii game, and wrestling with Andrew; Joel was on cloud 9. Eli also enjoyed the spoiling and being held by her cousin, Andrew. We also watched "The Sound of Music" with Joel for the first time and ate out with Great G & G Neuharth at the local Pizza Ranch. Too soon our time was up and we heard Daddy calling us home, since his deployment finished up earlier than expected. We hopped in our (new to us) red with leather seats! 2000 Pontiac Montana minivan with SUUUUUUPER Grandma Susan in tow as backup. The trip went great and we took our time and did it in 2.5 days...staying in Billings and Spokeanne. It was SO wonderful to get back to spring weather and be reunited with Daddy!

A Snowy Visit Home

The Kids With G & G Telenga. March "09

Snowblowin 18" with Grandpa Keith

Uncle Eric & Auntie Theresa





I felt as though I wasn't walking in God's will with such a rough start to our trip home, but His grace was there through the tough moments. I am convinced traveling with any baby is torture for both them & their caretaker(s)! Eli cried on the train/car ride for a grand total of about 6 hours. With my sister Missy at hand to help, we made it. Potty-training accidents, bad roads, and a case of what seems to be eczema for me was the rest of the stress with the trip home. That said, the kids & I had a great time reconnecting with family. Grandma Kathy took Joel to a Easter party at a nearby Christian school. Joel was really happy to get a butterfly painted on his cheek and fish for a prize (pirate hat and blow-up sword)...along with some yummy treats. Joel enjoyed making a snowman with Grandpa Keith. We had so much fun hanging out with Theresa & Eric...coloring, blowing bubbles, watching "Fox & the Hound", drinking yummy whole chocolate milk, and eating out at Ruby Tuesdays. We had alot of together time considering the 18" of snow that gave everybody time off from work! Thankfully the flooding in the Bismarck area didn't affect G & G's house. We also visited G & G's church and Mommy got to join up with Theresa for some shoppingat the mall without the kids!! Very nice and relaxing!

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep: Vote By April 1st!!!

Joel has been entered into the charity model search our photographer, Renee, is participating in. All you do is go to the site and vote for your favorite child's picture. $1/vote, which is donated to "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS), a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization committed to assisting parents and families going through the difficult time when they experience an early infant loss. NILMDTS connects families with photographers and provides them with a DVD and a reproducible CD of the images of their baby."

We are making a donation in honor of Christian Dean Johnson and Philip Montgomery. Two sweet babies that went home to Jesus before their loving parents could enjoy them. My heart still hurts for my girlfriends: Amber & Anyah, their loving mothers. What a wonderful cause to bless parents in their time of deep sorrow and need.

To vote, go to: http://www.sandypucvotes.com/pickpic/gallery/image.php?id=1764

Sneak Peek at the Photos

Ok, guys...so time to look at just a couple pics from the big photo shoot we did last Thurs and leave a comment so I can get a freebie!! I just need 9 more comments to get a free 5 x 7!!!

http://reneegphotography.com/blog/?p=1011

Yeehaaa....Rid'em Eli

Eli just recently learned how to ride "Zeebie" that she got for her birthday from G & G Neuharth. Just yesterday she'd only walk around him and dance. Amazing how fast they learn new things! I decided to try on Eli's dedication dress/room deco to see if it still fit her...and then thought she'd sure look like a princess on this princess horse from her Uncle Ryan and fiancee Erica! So sweet!!! She's loving to rock, bounce and spin these days! Hopefully these will keep her happy and she'll wait just a little longer to start walking. Maybe she'll wait for daddy to get home to take those first unassisted steps! That would be a-ok with me (o: