we are still alive!

yes we are all ok, however our computer is not.It is currently in to be fixed.I promise to fully update. we have done some FUN stuff that is blog worthy, Tammy

we are doing something right.

on Thursday we went to pontiac to clean out the garage. The boys soon found a buddy who was thier age and they played for hours together.Next thing I hear as they are riding by Brixton say "hey Nick do you go to church?" he proceeded to go on to tell him about God and invite him to everything we have going on at Bethel. we even wrote down the church phone number and the dates for VBS. So I guess we are doing something right. and by we I mean David and I, our family and the Bethel body of Christ. Kudos to our youth workers, what we are doing is working.

The Friars are going back down state!

unfortunatly none of these photos are very good however what happened today was! Coach Rill led his boys to state next weekend in 4 events! so for those of us keeping track, no pun intended, that's 4 seasons and 4 trips to state for the good coach! and with only 1 senior the future for the friars is looks good.
running and nachos ah life is good.
there he is with his students and his daughter do you feel my pride just oozing out? how can one man be so awsome at so many things I say? well I'll just sit back grinning from ear to ear, and try to take better photos next time.

May 16th

having been home for 2 days without my truck we were more than ready to GET OUT! so we utalized a great chicago residential perk, free museum passes. This time it was the planetarium, David and I had not been there since grade school field trips so it was really new to us all.

we packed a lunch and ate in this great cafe they have, it would be worth it to come down just to eat here.

my boys
then on our round about way out we ran in to this. the bridge at michigan and the river, well obviously, raised right in front of us! what a great city, got a tall sail boat you want to take down the river? no problem we'll raise the street for you. I tell you, you just never know what wonderful things you'll see in the windy city, and oh how I love it!

happy mothers day to me.

David planned a wonderful mothers day for me today. after church we went to adobo in old town for a mexican buffet yum.who is the extra "daughter"? Laura our new moody student from st. louis she will be calling herself a rill while in chicago the next three years of school. and she fits in beautifully, we were she could be with us since she couldn't be with her own mom today.
after lunch we went to Garfield park, the weather was great.This summer is "Niki in the garden " at the conservatory it was a little stange but mostly cool and certainly very fun.
now I loved so many of the photos from today that I included a lot of them.

laura and gray. she has been in chicago for her freshman year and it sounds like she's seen nothing of our great city, so this was a great start.love it!
I mean is she 4 or 14?

so cool
I love Sky he is so much fun. click to enlarge this picture to see what he is doing.
oh he just looks so innocent.

Chris is all grown up.

for those of you who don't know Chris is a moody student from Fl. and we took him in as ours 4 years ago. we are his chicago family. 4 years have flown by and saturday he graduated with honors.
while we were at his graduation Wendy had the kids at the zoo. It worked out so great. What do people do without family?Then off to lunch with his family, 20 of them came to see him, we were lucky enough to be included in the celebration, we really are so proud of him and hate to see him go.he is our family.

5 years shes's been gone

today it's been 5 years since my mom died, I know it's true by looking at Olivia she was born just 47 days to late to see her. and thankfully, very thankfully, my heart still aches, my tears still fall, thankful? yes if they didn't I've forgotten and that I never want to be. so we started at the DR. for Gray (just a virus) B said that was fitting since she did spent a lot of time at DR's. then on to her grave, some may say it's silly to visit, for me going there is like a reset button. I go there and everything gets back in to perspective, whats really important whats just a waste of my energy. those two graves changed my life forever and sometimes you just need a "reset". well from there we did some shopping, oh she could shop, then on for hot dogs at portillos, except she ate them with tomato only no thanks, then we listened to the cubs on the radio, more shopping and ended with carsons ribs. we shared stories told liv and Gray who she really was and really thanked God for how many years he left her here with us. The day really was junky, but we did all things she loved and that was fun.I only wish she could have held all my babies and had a chance to spoil the all. she was the best grandma I think.I'm glad she was mine.

a three day combo

I think we need to get our pool up!
we went to caleb's for the last time befor the move. perfect weather so much fun.
Chris Rapp is leaving paradise. this was our last wednesday farewell party. we will really miss him!

new glasses for Sky.

Sky's been without glasses for a week and today we finally picked the new ones up, lookin good!

13 years for us.

I tried to include a wedding photo. I failed. on May 6 we have been married 13 years, hopefully lucky 13 for us! we celebrated by going down town eating at wild fire yum and walking all along michigan ave. the weather was great the company even better!

Big day on Saturday. Stiches come out.

our resident PA does her magic.
I bet in here office she doesn't have an audience like this one.
all done and no tears.

My girl gets stitches. so sad.

she tipped back on a chair in a restaurant. so crazy she has fallen a 100x and worse than this, but this was the one that landed us in the ER.
4 stitches = $4 a deal she made with David.
Olivia takes the cake for bravest kid! she was a champ no tears during the stitches she didn't even have anyone holding her down! they told her " no talking while we stitch" they obviously don't know my girl, that was a big no can do for her. hopefully they will come out on saturday.

31 cent ice cream!

Dave treated us all to ice cream tonnight after church
Brooke, Mike and Olivia went back for a second cone.
delicious!