Dave's side

The boys and grandpa, playing cards.


Grandma Erkkila and Sarah.


Grandpa Erkkila.


Grandpa and Sarah.


Sara and Sarah. :)


David and his grandpa Erkkila. March 2010.


David and his sisters Sara and Christie.


The Erkkila side.


Gram Diane and Rachel reading a book.


The Marble Guys.


Bunch of jokers!


David, Pepere, Pepere Scott


Gram Diane and kid pile up! I love this photo. :)


Pepere Scott and Sarah.





Pepere Scott and the kids with Gram Diane's juicebox boat at Saima Park.





David with grandpa and kids.


The windblown look...



Rachel in the sandbox.



Sarah impressed by the cat, and the cat totally unimpressed!



Sarah Therese. March 2010.


Matthew playing with blocks David used to play with at grandma and grandpa's in Fitchburg, MA.


Rachel searching for Easter eggs in the dusk in Lancaster, MA.

Second PA visit

Uncle Dave and Sarah. March 2010.



Stephen in the coveted plastic car!



Grammy and Timothy inspecting some bugs in the garden.


Bee on white crocus.


Rachel, A.K.A. "Curly Shirley", eating a banana at grammy and grampy's in PA.



Grampy and Tim. Timothy is tired, note the fingers in the mouth and the hair rubbing...




The family hanging out in the "front room".

Base Christmas Party

Shortly before we left, the squadron held a Christmas party in a hangar for the children, complete with Santa arriving in an F-15! I will let Stephen be the voice of what my kids were thinking about that: "I am NOT going to sit on that man's lap!!" 'Nough said...

Inside the hangar, there were several stations where the kids could go and make cookies, get their faces painted (another no-go for my boys!), make crafts, etc. There were also inflatable things to jump around on like bouncy tents and a huge train with lots of little compartments (not fun to try to find your kids in, but a barrel of laughs for THEM!).

Needless to say, the cookie making area and the bouncy thingamabobs were the hits of the day for my kids.

Did I mention I brought them there, all five of them, by myself, since Dave was at survival school? I should've gotten a couple cookies for that! :)






Creating their cookies:




The kids and their cookie creations:








Rachel, by far, enjoyed her cookie experience the most! First, she examined all that was to be had:


Then, she "decorated" her cookie with 3/4 of a jar of red sprinkles:


Then, she indulged in her work of art:


Yum! Yum! :)

Kids All in a Row...

I will be the first to admit, I would rather stab myself in the eyes with redhot pokers than be a Sears child photographer. How on earth do they get them all to behave and look at the camera at the same time?! Thank the Lord for digital cameras. I would've had to buy stock in film, otherwise!

This is what I USUALLY get most of the time:




Every once in a while, I get a "keeper", though!





Here are some more group photos that are deemed suitable! :)





For this last one, we hustled everyone outside at a picnic table near the side of our house. We didn't know it was so COLD (don't laugh, you northerners!). Notice the look on Stephen's face...

Long Time, No See!

It has been ages since I have posted anything to this blog. I have excuses, though-GOOD ones! :) I had a baby, Dave graduated his school in Florida and went to survival school for three weeks, Thanksgiving, and... we moved. All in the course of a little over a month. I am still reeling!

Since I never did a formal announcement here, without further ado:

Here is our newest little one, Sarah Therese! She was born Friday, October 23rd, at 1:47 p.m. She weighed 8lbs. 14oz, and was 21 1/4" long. I ended up being induced, as I had a bit too much amniotic fluid and she was a week overdue. Also, Dave was leaving for survival school two weeks after her original due date. :/






Those were all photos of her shortly after she was born. Since I've been such a slacker, here are some more recent photos of her: