pictures by sam

here are the long-awaited pictures we had taken a few weeks ago.  enjoy! (be sure to view all of them-you may have to view "older posts" to see the family shots)

2 sweet little families

gwyneth grace

maggie-that smile that just lights up a room...

the girls

me and my baby

just us

family fotos

craft of the week

last week we finally got around to making a book mark for our Bible time book. we also made a card for mrs. o to thank her for babysitting the girls. i didn't get any pictures but steve and i had a nice lunch date at saffron's. eating outside is my preference these days. we won't have much sun in wales, i'm afraid.

etsy and free shipping

this is a fun little shop that is offering free shipping this month. she will even custom make items for you at no extra charge.

priceless

downtown for lunch with mrs. o

i highly reccomend 2 chefs for lunch. the salads are delicious and you can get a sampler with your choice of 3 salads. i do wish that it had some windows, though. of course the poinsett is a special place for our family so we like to take pictures around there whenever we can=)

taco salad and fun with peter

we had peter and his parents over for dinner last week. coloring on the table helped keep them occupied for a while. peter's daddy seemed to have the best artwork but i didn't get a picture!
here's the yummy and easy taco salad recipe:
layer of shredded lettuce
layer of cooked ground beef w/ taco seasoning, can of corn and can of kidney beans (cooked in crockpot)
layer of olives and chopped onions
layer of fritos
topped with french dressing
enjoy!

have i mentioned we have a thumb-sucker?

photo shoot

just a taste of what we went through to try and get some good pictures of the girls yesterday. i'll be sure to post the finished product when we get them. we're so thankful for our friends!

fun with grandma

my mom was here for a quick visit last week. i'm not sure what i did to get maggie to pose and smile so nicely-must have been grandma!

three little monkeys

this picture is from maggie's 1 year birthday party

and this one is a little more than one year later

we still can't get them to look at the camera!

Christians never say goodbye...

but the merkles are now in decatur, il! we miss them already.