A Decade

Ten years.  Double digits.  One decade.  Not long ago she looked like this and then I blinked.


Now she's 10!

She wanted to go skating for her birthday

with some friends

and she even invited Isaac


Having fun with Darla, and Katelyn



A roller-skate birthday cake.  With jumbo marshmallow wheels.  Dipped in sparkly colored sugar.  Because Abby loves sparkles.

And sparkly colored-sugar pompoms.  If you tear a jumbo marshmallow in half.  Wet your hands slightly.  And roll the halved-marshmallow into a ball.  Then dip it in colored-sugar.  It will turn into a pom-pom.  True story.
And if the birthday girl decides to take some pictures of her cake while you are putting the finishing touches on it.  And then DROPS her camera in the cake.  It will take at least a half hour to fix it.  True story too!

Presents!

I got her paper party tablecloth from Target.  The colors are so happy!


I may wall-paper my entire house with it.  Maybe :)

Happy Zoo Year!

We celebrated New Year's Eve at the zoo. With...
Friends

Felines


Festival of Lights and Fireworks

More Friends

and Family.

Then we had Food.  And it was FUN :)

Christmas Past

And now it's over.  What a wonderful Christmas and lots of great memories.  We are so blessed!
Christmas Eve in Indiana at my sister's home.

All 18 of us + one !

Lisa Stewart?  Lisa Crocker?  Lisa Ray?  Um...no, even better --  Ricky's Lisa with her first apple pie.  Love her!

Ella Bella

Buddys

Grandpa reading the Christmas Story

Peeking!

L and R

surprises!

Abby and Grandma

Little Brayden

Presents!  

Robbie, Tricia, Grandma, Katelyn, and Abby!

Christmas morning at home.  C'mon Mom, let's get this show on the road!

My sweetheart

Caleb

Abby

Ella

Isaac


Poached eggs, toast, fried potatoes, and bacon by Chef Carl

Christmas at Grammy and Pappys 

presents!

hugs!

and Grammy's beautiful table set for a delicious Christmas dinner

and then monopoly

some fun competition

and even some new rules made up along the way :)

So thankful for Christmas!  For Jesus, the reason for the season.  And for time spent with family and the memories we made.  How was your Christmas?

A day downtown

Last week we headed out to spend the day downtown Cincinnati

A stop at the downtown mega library

Just the kids section was bigger than


our entire local library!

We had planned to go skating at the ice rink on fountain square but the rain made us change our minds.
So instead it was Graeter's at fountain square.

Yum!

The life-sized nativity at

Krohn Conservatory in

Eden Park with

the live animals.

And a stop in Mt. Adams to see my favorite view of the city.  It was raining!

but they all wanted to get out to check out the view.  I love Christmas vacation!