Taking the Plunge

Last summer was the summer for jumping off bridges.  We spend alot of time at our lake house-with friends and family.   I guess that everyone decided to just go ahead and take a leap off one of the bridges passing over the water.  We had been talking about it for years and I suppose all the kids were finally old enough for it to seem moderately safe to experiment. 

Emma Jane

Pops and Elle already down waiting for EJ

My personal favorite--when I get the courage, I too will be holding my nose. 

Christmas Ornaments

More ornaments that we love.  The first picture is of Santa on a tractor for Pops.  He loves his tractor so this ornaments is his. The next two ornaments are really odd I know.  The first is an eye patch that Elle wore for a long time to correct the vision in her eye.  It was a source of great stress at the time.  Elle didn't want to wear the patch and we had a hard time getting her to wear it because she was self-conscious although she was terribly cute.  The second item is the glasses she had to wear with the patch.  Again, she didn't like these either.  Either Eliza Kate or Emma Jane decided to add these items to our Christmas tree last year.  At first I though it odd, however, that was such a tender memory at that specific time in her childhood, I am glad they thought to hang these treasures. 

If you give a moose a muffin...

I feel like the moose in the popular children's book If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. 
Pops gave me two great gifts this Christmas, but now I am seeing that since I have these, I need this and I need that to go with the gift.  Pops was at one time in the fence industry and had a wrought iron shop at the fence business.  That was many years ago, but his love of wrought iron remains.  He has designed a bed for our oldest daughter, and two lamps for our living room.  This year, he designed a chandelier for both our foyer and dining room.  We had seen a similar chandelier while visiting New Mexico last March with Emma Jane on her class trip.  Pops took pictures and decided to have one built according to his specifications.  See pictures below:

Emma Jane inside the chandelier.






The Lift in the foyer to hoist up the chandelier



Pops putting on the finishing touches!



Pops at the top of the foyer preparing the way for the new chandelier!





Finished!  It's Beautiful!



So how am I like the moose in the book.  Well, now that I have two new chandeliers, I need a new dining room table because the legs are just too fancy and the mantle needs to be a wee bit more rustic.  That's all at least for now!