If You Build It.......

Construction really got going on our garage this weekend. Brad, my Dad, my Dad's cousin Harry, and our friends Mike, Cov (aka Greg....but no one really calls him that :) ) and Jarrod all came over to help raise the walls on Friday. The weather was beautiful and they got a lot acommplished. A HUGE thanks to the crew for volunteering your time and energy to help us out.

The foundation before construction.

Brad had built the first wall the during the week. Here they are getting ready to lift it.

Success! I guess that one was quite a challenge.

The happy carpenter.

Wall # 2...and a little helper in pink. :)

I decided to feed them lunch after they got the second wall up.

Yeah! All four walls standing, windows cut in, sheeting started and no injuries. This photo was on Saturday.....my dad and Jarrod came back over in the morning to help Brad for a few more hours. Again, thanks to all. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Had to share this one too.....here's Em....riding her bike.......supervising the job. She loved to hang out with the guys.

Fun with Friends

My friend Keri and her daughter Holland are back in the U.P. from Colorado to visit family. The girls and I were able to spend some time with them, along with the Cain family the past few days. The kids played so well together....we had a wonderful time.

Emma dressing up at the Cain's. CHEESE!

Andrew getting to hold Ashlyn for the first time.

Here is Holland with her Grandpa Mike, Keri's dad.

Andrew....aka Prince Charming.

Holland and Emma.....the girls had tons of fun dressing up and chatting on their phones. :)

Sammy......aka The Princess with the Purse

Here they are all settled in watching Cinderella.

The whole gang! What a crew of blondies....except for Miss Ashlyn with her dark hair.

Holland and Emma, enjoying some special cookies at the Henricksen house.

It was so nice to spend time with Keri, Becky and Jason, and let the kids play. It really helped the time without Brad go by fast.....I did feel a bit guilty, having fun without him. :) He, Dan, and Keri and Dan's son Hunter, would have loved to be able to hang out with the gang too. Next time. Growing up together, Keri, Becky and I never thought of the day we'd be moms, watching our kids play.....wow, what a blessing! Now, I'm packing up the girls and heading to the airport to pick up Brad! We made it!! Let's pray his flight is on time and he's not too jet lagged.

The Latest

Things are busy as always around the Jones home. Brad worked really hard to get the lawn planted before he had to leave for France. Now I'm praying there are little green sprouts of grass waiting for him when he gets home. :) I went back to work yesterday.....tough stuff. The girls did great at the sitter's.....I think I had the hardest time, but once I'm back in the swing of things, I know I'll feel better. Here are just a few pictures from the last few weeks.

Ashlyn sleeping away. She is getting so big....she smiles and interacts so much more now. BUT, she's still my baby. :)

First campfire of the year!!!!! It was nice, family time the night before Brad had to leave.

We took out Em's water table, and boy does she love it! Can you tell?

Bubbles anyone?

Brad and Emma spreading the straw over the grass seed. We have quite the large lawn.....let's hope it grows after all of Brad's work.

The hard working helper, with straw in her hair.

AHHHHH, the treat after a long day.

The girls and I went up to my parent's place, along with our friend Jessica and had a great time over Memorial Day. Jess and I, Lindsey and Kyle did some kayaking down the Indian River, and even got out on the pontoon boat with my parents. It was beautiful!!! Unfortunately, Brad was in France working hard. The girls and I are certainly missing him, and are counting the "sleeps" until we get to pick him up at the airport. Back to work.....missing my hubby.....what a week....and it's only Wednesday!

Sneak Peak

I took the girls to get their pictures taken this week. We went to a wonderful photographer who works out of her home. She did a fantastic job with both girls, and I can't wait to see the proofs. Here is the link to her blog (www.photoartbyjenn.blogspot.com) where she has a "sneak peak" posted....I LOVE what she has up there already!! Like I said, I can't wait to see all the proofs. I'll let you all know when they are ready and post a link if I can. I'm sure I'll have trouble deciding what pictures to choose.

Success!!

Brad had a successful turkey hunt this morning. My sister Lindsey "scouted" the bird for him on her travels to and from Clear Lake. Brad's been after him for a few weeks, and this was week that the turkey's luck ran out.

The proud hunter.

Brad, Emma and the unfortunate turkey. :)

Good job Dad!

Boy, We've Been Busy!

This May has been packed with activity, and it's not even half over! Here are a few shots of some of our adventures.

The trilliums are blooming!!!! Today the girls and I went for a walk in the woods, and the first of the trilliums were out. The wildflowers were just covering the forest floor.....very beautiful.

Here Emma is caught in the act.....picking the wildflowers. She loved running around and showing me all the flowers she found.

Oh, I love them!

Proud of her bouquet. Notice, no trilliums. I had to teach her how we weren't allowed to pick certain flowers. So far, so good. :)

Here she is with the bubble blower she got for her birthday.

Yep, our little girl turned 3 years old on Saturday. In addition to the party she had at Grandma and Grandpa Dryers with all of her cousins a few weeks ago, we had a little party at the house for her yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa Erickson and Aunt Lindsey. Aunt Lindsey gave her a REAL ballerina outfit.....I don't think she likes it at all. :)

Here is the site for the garage Brad is building this spring.....anyone want to come lift some trusses? :)

This weekend was also my sister's bridal shower. My Aunt Ginny and I had fun planning and hosting it. We had a great turn out, and Linds got a lot of wonderful gifts. It was also the first time my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Jim got to meet Ashlyn. Here, Aunt Ginny is trying to soak up her time to hold Ashlyn before the shower started and she had to share. :)

The beautiful bride Lindsey, and her flower girl Emma. The shower was on Emma's actual birthday....so after the official festivities, my Erickson side of the family stayed and we had an impromptu birthday party. Em loved all her gifts and had fun playing with her cousins.

Thanks again to everyone for the gifts, and for helping to celebrate Emma's birthday.

Em and Brad in Grandpa's tractor. My dad basically let's Brad have custody of his tractor over the summer.....needless to say, Brad loves it and it has really helped us get a lot done around the house. Emma has discovered that she likes to ride with dad while he pushes dirt, moves stumps, and gets the yard ready to plant more grass.

Ashlyn's Baptism

Ashlyn was baptized this weekend. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday, and Ashlyn didn't make a peep in church until after all the festivities were over. Brad's parents were able to come up for the weekend to celebrate with us, along with my mom, dad and sister. It was a wonderful day.

Here we are, the proud parents and their two daughters.

Ashlyn Beth Jones.....so close to giving us real smiles, but not when the camera is out. :)

She wore the same gown as Emma -specially made by Brad's mom Mary. Mary stitched Ashlyn's name and the date next to Emma's on the slip.....a new family heirloom.

Emma LOVES to hold her sister!

Ashlyn with Aunt Lindsey.

Grandma and Grandpa Erickson

Here's the whole gang.

Grandma and Grandpa Dryer

Oh, yeah....and we put the Dryer's to work too. :) Brad's parents helped clear the brush out of the site for the new garage Brad is building this spring. Mike, Mary, Brad and Emma were all hauling brush......I just carried Ashlyn in the front pack and "supervised".

Check out our little Emma....decked out in her Hello Kitty boots!!! She loves to be outside helping daddy. Usually you'll find her in her pink Kitty boots, with her camo sweatshirt on.....my little princess-tomboy. I LOVE IT!!