Happy Birthday Paul!!!

Wow, I must be getting old. David turned 18 in Aug., Tim turned 26 in the beginning of Oct. and now Paul is 24 today!! Its a good thing I have a 3 year old to keep me young. Seriously Paul, I wish for you a wonderful day. It seems like just yesterday you were playing out in the yard or burying dead woodchucks with your brother. ( I just KNOW it was your idea!!!) I have loved every (almost) minute of being your Mom. You are the one most like me. You love people and you like to give back to your community. You always want to help and are there if people need you. You keep your cool. Remember the time I was driving a standard and I couldn't get it up the hill. You jumped out of the car and ran down the hill to stop traffic so I could back down. You were only about 10 or 11 at the time!! I am proud that you take being a volunteer fireman so seriously and I love when I look on the back of your coat and see the words Asst. Chief!!! I love that Jenn already feels like a member of the family. And nothing beats the way that you took a little girl, who had no one to love her for 3 years, and loved her from the very start. She just lights up when her big brothers walk into the room. She now knows more love then some kids ever have. Thank you for that!!

I am grateful that you live so close and I get to see you, have lunch with you and share in your life. Have a great birthday!!!!!!

YUCK!!!!!

What a beautiful way to start the morning. My husband comes running in saying "Kathie, get up!!! We have a situation with Emma ( the dog)!!!" Seems that Emma thought it would be fun to chase a skunk first thing this morning. Unfortunately the skunk did not think it was so fun and sprayed her!!! At 5:30 am!!!!! Talk about a rude awakening!!! It has not been a fun morning. I am now babysitting a very busy ( but very cute ) 16 month old boy. And now my house stinks like skunk and needless to say, so does the dog!!! Its going to be a long day!!!!

A Day of Beauty!

Sunday was a beautiful day around here. The colors were beautiful and luckily I had my camera at work! Here are a few pictures that I took throughout the day. They were taken at all different times of the day so they are all different. I am so lucky to work at a place as beautiful as this!!

I stopped in the middle of the road to get this one!!!


Golden delicious apples and pumpkins, a sure sign of fall!!

Pumpkins and mums!
Daddy stopped by the farm with Sierra and they went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch!!!


We live in an area called the Rondout Valley. It is so called because it is located in between two mountain ranges The Catskills........(when I look at this picture I think of the phrase"purple mountains majesty." The light was just right and the mountains looked purple!!!!)

and the Shawangunks!!!

This last one I took as I was getting ready to leave. The wispy clouds that you barely noticed all day were turning a delightful shade of pink!!!

Is it not Glorious!!!

On Sunday we went to my brother's house. His girlfriend is an awesome riding instructor who holds horse shows at her farm. I know many of her students from working at the school and doing my summer camp program!!! The first person Sierra saw there was my niece Jamie. Sierra LOVES her cousin and the feeling is mutual. Jamie was the only girl cousin on both sides of her family for 26 years. She says she loves sharing the spot and waited a long time for a female cousin!!!

My daughter, lover of all things creepy and crawly. just loved this woolly bear caterpillar!

Beautiful fall day!

My brother, Dave, and Jamie!! I am so happy Dave lives 10 minutes away!!!


She is not afraid at all. She's loving on Ginger!!!

HOME!!!

Last night Sierra and I were reading a book about Pandas. It had a large map of China in it. I was showing her where in China she had come from. She said "Sierra not still in China?" And I said "No honey you are not still in China." She said "Sierra lives in uh......( she has trouble remembering the word America)... I am HOME!!! Yes my sweet, precious, brave child. You are HOME!! And there isn't a day that goes by that I do not thank God for orchestrating the events that led to your coming HOME!!!!

The lady bugs have hatched!!!

I have decided that the best way to get Sierra to smile is just have her jump in a pile of leaves!!!!


PS The new porch decorations were purchased and set up by my husband and Sierra while I was at work last Sunday. Aren't they cute!!!

Apple Picking!!

Just a few apple picking pictures.. Some more fall fun!!!!

Sierra and little Peanut

My older boys have been involved in 4H for over 14 years. They got their first cows when Tim was 12 (now 26) and Paul was 10( will be 24 next week). One of those cows, Milky Way is still alive although she is quite old and not feeling too well! Anyway, my kids love these cows as pets, especially Tim and David. When you breed a cow for a dairy farm, you always hope to have females so they can be bred and then milked. David has a friend who owns a dairy farm. One of his cows gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The only problem is that girl twins are usually infertile, therefore not much use to a dairy farmer. But David's friend is as kind hearted as David is. They hatched a plan and decided that David should take this calf and raise it as a pet. So now, behind David's grandmothers house lives little Peanut. She is a sweetie. David gets up every morning before school and drives over to his grandma's to give Peanut milk. He does it again in the evening. The other day he brought Sierra over to meet her. The pictures tell the story.

Sierra running out to meet Peanut

Feeding her some hay.

Up close and personal!!!

Comet, David's cow, playing mother to Peanut. So sweet to watch!!!