Mom's 60th (Sept 2011)

We celebrated my mom's 60th Birthday!!! We had a small get together of her brother, Mitch and family and us!  It was great as we played football in the yard, had a parade, rode bikes!

playdate with Logan- riding bikes/snacks with her dogs (sept 2011)

Addie enjoys playing with one of her big "brothers" Logan.  When we go outside there are a few kids she looks for and Logan is one of them.  She loves it when they come over and play.  We are lucky that the older kids do want to come over and play so nicely.

 Russeau, Addie and Riley... where there is food... they will be right next to her!

 They get that close but don't eat any of it... unless she feeds them!

Grandpa Totten's cookout Sept 2011

I write this post with a heavy heart.... Since I am catching up on the blog (aug 2012) and going back through pictures.  My Grandpa wanted to have a Labor Day party at his house.  Our family is all over the place so family gatherings are not what they used to be when I was growing up with all the cousins there, but the ones that are still in town went to Grandpa's.  Grandpa Totten passed away March 2012 so looking back at these memories makes me smile because my daughter spent time with her Great Grandpa.  Times to cherish!  She was the youngest Great Grandchild on my dads side and I think that is amazing.  We would always visit Grandpa and spend time hearing his stories and him educating us more than anything.  I will miss having the opporunity for Addie to have some of my favorite memories there....

Playing out in grandpa's backyard- the famous outhouse!

Adventuring off to the neighbors chicken coop (for some reason we thought that was cool and sneaky as kids).

The Easter Egg hunt

Grandpa's Pumpkin patch for my kindergarten class to have a field trip there... too bad Addie's preschool class can't go.  There is one growing that my mom points out to Addie in the pics. 

His famous sweet corn... the BEST in the world.  He taught me how to shuck corn and freeze it for the winter.  of course he would yell at me when I left a kernel on the cob.  Can you tell the generations that we grew up on.  He really knew the value of food and what it meant.

His beautiful flowers in the driveway.  You can see some in the pictures. 

I'll miss his huge thumb that used to jab me when I was a kid going by his chair in the living room.

Walking out to the garden. 

 we found  a pumpkin

 the famous outhouse

 playing with Cousin Jennifer

 Grandpa and Addie

 kisses from Great Grandpa Totten

 The last pic I have with Grandpa

at least she gave him a kiss good-bye.  Rest in peace Grandpa. 

Lucy (niece) 1st birthday Sept 2011

We celebrated my niece's 1st birthday today and Addie thought it would be great to dress herself!  She loved wearing these boots and wore them whenever she could!  Gotta love the country girl in her!  She does have a little bit of mama in her!