Ben and Joni

Christmas Time is Here

2012-02-04T12:09:00.001-08:00

The first Christmas experience Linea had during her first Christmas season was the picking out of a tree. The Fuller family tradition is to go to a nearby lot the day after Thanksgiving, go into the back section, find the perfect tree, cut it down and bring it home on the top of the car. Here Linea is all dressed and ready to go look for that tree. Thankfully, we had a nice, and fairly warm day.

The whole family ready to search..

Ryan and Heather came with us. Ryan did the honors of cut the tree.

The return trip

We usually catch the wagon back so the tree doesn't need to be carried the whole way.

Tying it down for the LONG trip home.... (approx. 10 min.)

Linea's first time decorating a tree

She was fascinated by the tree skirt.

A few days later, we celebrated Ben's 29th birthday! Last year in the 20's!!

The saddest part of December was the realization that we needed to give away our precious puppy. As Linea got more mobile, he got very possessive of his toys, which turned into some aggressiveness. We tried so hard to train and train, but when Simon bit her, we knew what the best thing was. It broke our hearts but we handed him over to a very nice rescue mission, where the kind people who worked there promised to find just the right home for our pup.

We did find out in mid-January that Simon was adopted by a retired gentleman with family nearby who come to visit often. The people at the rescue told us that this family just loves Simon. He has a fenced in yard to play in and lots of love and attention.

So Simon, even though we don't know exactly where you are or who your new family is, we are so happy that you have people to love you and we hope you are enjoying your new life. We love you so very much and miss you!

If you think of it, say a prayer for me. I still think about my puppy daily and wonder if I could have done more to prepare him for Linea. Unfortunately, we read after we gave him up that pappillons are not good with babies and toddlers. Just pray for me to find peace with our decision and to get to a point where I don't think about it everyday!

The good thing is that our beautiful baby is safe and healthy and very happy! Lots of sewing went on in December! Here she is in her Christmas dresses.

Linea discovered a love of the piano. She plunks away with gusto, especially if we put her on the bench! Check out those legs!

My friend Kari hosted a little Christmas gathering with a few high school friends. Linea received an early b-day present from the Steiners.

Of course she tried to eat the tag.

We got a few pictures of the children. Quinn and Linea never looked at the camera at the same time!

Alethea and William were easier to photograph since they can't move! And we did get a few of all four of them!

That same day, we went to my parents' house for the Swartzentruber get together.

Linea got a radio flyer walker wagon, which she now loves. At the time, however, she was more fascinated with the bow.

We made our traditional gingerbread house from scratch.

Then we went home for Christmas Eve. Here is Linea in her Christmas skirt. Doesn't she look excited?

Christmas morning...

Christmas with the Fullers. Linea in her new outfit from grandma and grandpa Fuller.

New Years Eve the Fullers hosted their annual party with their Fish group at church. Here are all the Grandmas with their babies!

Happy New Years from the Fullers!

November

2012-02-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

So Thankful....

This past November, as we prepared for Thanksgiving, I found many things, and people, for which to give thanks. Our little girl, of course, was our number one earthly blessing this year.

Here she is as an OSU cheerleader. :) Too bad they had a lousy season...

I am also thankful every autumn for the beautiful colors we get to enjoy. Linea loved the fake leaves I used in decorating the house for the season.

We are also thankful for our families. Ben's family didn't get a chance to come out to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Swartzentrubers as originally planned, but his parents did come in mid-November, so we had a little early Thanksgiving celebration with them.

Here is Linea's official 8 month picture.

Thanksgiving Day!!! We are thankful for the great-grandparents who are able to be a part of Linea's life. My Conrad grandparents and Grandpa Swartz were with us on Thanksgiving to celebrate.

This photo was taken as proof. This kind of thing seems to be happening more and more recently, which is wonderful, in my opinion!

Chat time with Grandma Conrad is always a blessing!

I am very thankful, of course, for a wonderful husband, who also happens to be an excellent father.

And I'm thankful for my sisters and the close relationships we enjoy. I just wish Nicole could have been in this one!

Thank you, Nicole for gifting us with this cute little shirt for Thanksgiving. Linea wore it proudly.

We ended the day with a little 3 on 3 front yard football game. Next time Nicole and Patrick are in town, we'll make it 4 on 4 with more even teams. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

October

2012-02-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

October Fun...

In the autumn, we hosted a costume party for some church and neighborhood friends and I had some fun taking Linea visiting in her costume. I decided it would be so cute if our baby chick dressed up as, well, a baby chick! Holly and Mom found the most adorable costume and boy did Linea look adorable in it, too!

Here she is visiting with her great-grandpa and great-grandma Conrad and great Aunt Peggy.

While we were in Orrville, we stopped by to see Aunt Heather and Uncle Ryan.

And we used the gorgeous scenery at Linea's grandpa and grandma Swartzentruber's house for some pictures of mama and baby and just baby...

We had quite a few people at our house for the autumn costume party and I certainly don't have pictures of everyone (for which some of the adults are thankful, I'm sure). We did ask the adults to dress up, too. It was a lot of fun and just may have to become an annual tradition.

Baby chick and her friend, the bumblebee...
Ben and I were the rooster and hen. Ben was so thrilled to be dressing up as the daddy rooster of the baby chick. :)

We had LOTs of children at our house that evening...I don't think I even captured all of them on camera!

This is just a random picture I found. Since I keep telling myself I don't have enough pictures of just Linea and me, I decided to put this one on, even though it doesn't go with the others. :)

2011-11-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

Everyday Happenings...

Bathtime with her daddy is so much fun!

She's still fascinated by the pup.
Isn't she precious? Thank you for some cute hand-me-downs cousin Hannah!
Ben and his family said good-bye to their old house in Plainfield. His parents moved and it will be weird to visit a new place next time we go to Indiana!

2011-11-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

In October, we went to Indiana to visit Ben's family and we took a little trip to an orchard so Linea could see some pumpkins! She even wore her little pumpkin hat my cousin Jennifer knit for her. She was so cute!

She was able to stand up using a big pumpkin to hold onto.

She also had a great time with her grandma and grandpa Fuller.

Here are a few pictures of Linea in some of her Colts gear. Too bad they didn't do so well this year.

In September, Linea took her first bite of solid food. She had some sweet potatoes. She made some faces but seemed to enjoy it after a few bites. She has had quite a few different veggies and fruits since then.

This was the first time Linea stood up with just a little assistance from the laundry hamper. She's getting so big and doing so many new things!

Linea

2011-11-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

6 months old...

Linea is just such a blessing and she gets more fun the older she gets. At 6 months she was sitting up, reaching for everything, and smiling and giggling like crazy. I had a ton of fun putting together this rainbow dress for her to wear for her pictures. I took over 400 pictures! Here are a few to enjoy.

Linea loves her puppy dog - he makes her giggle and if he will cooperate, he makes a great tool to make Linea smile for pictures.

In Loving Memory

2011-09-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

7 months ago, my grandma, Geneva Swartzentruber went home to be with Jesus. About a month later, Linea was born. I often find myself wishing that Grandma had gotten to see her and hold her, even if it was just once... But I have to remind myself that God knows best and His timing is perfect. I continue to grieve over her loss, but my fond memories of Grandma and the knowledge that she is safe in the arms of our loving heavenly Father bring me comfort during those times.

Not too long after Linea was born, Mom gave me a cute little dress that Grandma Swartzentruber had gotten for me when I was a baby. It finally fits Linea, so I put it on her and sat her on the little stool I've had since I was a little girl - a stool that Grandma painted for me. I got some really cute pictures of Linea on that stool wearing that little dress that says "Grandma loves me." I am publishing this post in loving memory of Grandma Swartzentruber, a woman who proved to me in so many ways that those words were true. Thank you, Grandma, for your love, and for your godly example to me.

Jeremiah's Wedding

2011-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My cousin Jeremiah got married on Sept. 10. Even though it rained most of the day, it cleared up just in time for the ceremony! The white lights in the tent were beautiful in the dark and it turned out to be a lovely evening for a wedding. Congratulations Jeremiah and Katie! I realized as I looked back at pictures that I never got one of the bride and groom! I will have to ask them for one! Here are some of us at the wedding, though!

Wonderful in White

2011-09-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

I was disappointed when I looked back at the pictures I had of Linea on the day of her dedication at church. There were some nice ones of the 2 of us and even of her, but she was sleeping in them and the sun was shining in some not so good places. I worked so hard on making that dress that I felt the need to take some more in order to get a few fabulous pictures! The dress needed to be mended in a few places, which I finally did, and I was relieved to find out that it still fit her well enough to get some pictures! So here is a glimpse at the photo shoot we had one afternoon.
She might have extremely fair skin, but she pulls off wearing this white and cream ruffley dress so well! I wish she didn't grow out of clothes so quickly!

Family, Friends, Fun

2011-09-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you get busy, you forget to photograph the "every day" happenings that often make really nice memories. As I was preparing to do a final post from the month of August, I found a few of just that type of picture. If there are typos here, I blame my daughter (currently sitting on my lap) who is doing so much reaching and grabbing these days that she keeps hitting buttons on the computer! And, the latest knews - as of August 31, is that she officially has a tooth popping through on the bottom! Therefore, everything goes in her mouth for a good chewing. :)

Bathtime, despite the fact that the first few experiences involved a lot of screaming, has now become a favorite, with lots of kicking and splashing and the occasional giggle.

I finally was able to get a picture of Ben reading to Linea. She loves to touch the books and look at the pictures, but sometimes I think she really just wants to get that book in her mouth. I love to see Ben play with her and read to her so this is one of my favorites!

A few weeks ago, we did a last minute tomato day. We went down to Apple Creek and canned tomato juice with mom. Here she is with her grandbaby.

And here is Linea, experiencing the satisfaction of canning your own goods!

Most of the time when I take Linea and Simon for a walk use the stroller, but occasionally, the backpack, or in this case, front pack, is more convenient. She absolutely LOVES to be in the pack where she can see everything and kick her little legs.

Tim and Marcia (aka Grandpa and Grandma Fuller) came for a very brief visit a few Saturdays ago. They were in Ohio for a party for Ben's Grandpa Miller, so they stopped by for a few hours. Linea took a little nap on her grandpa.

And she even got to try out our hammock:

One Saturday evening in August, Linea and I got to enjoy the company of a few of my friends from Wayne County. Here we are with Tara and her son, Quinn.

Sara also came and Quinn really seemed to enjoy her lap and her help getting into Linea's swing!

And let's not forget Kari. She and Tara are both adding little ones to their families at the end of September! Yay for babies!

And while they were here, we were successful in getting a cute picture of Linea and Quinn together.

We also got to enjoy the company of friends from college, Christine and Justin one evening.

Wow! I guess I didn't realize how much we did in August until I looked back at pictures! That was one busy month - no wonder it went so quickly!

Ben and I are excited - September and October are our favorite months of the year here in Ohio. So Happy September everyone!

Five Years of Happiness

2011-09-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, August 12, 2006, Ben and I got married. I still have pretty vivid memories of a gorgeous August afternoon, the excitement of starting a new chapter in my life, and my throat turning completely dry on my way down the aisle! The anticipation of making a huge, life changing commitment and my nerves going crazy at the thought of singing the song I had written was almost more than I could handle. But then, I remember the moment when I was standing at the front of the church, my dad handing me over to Ben and I don't think I can even describe the feeling of complete calm, contentment, and peace that came over me... sigh...

Five years later, I can look back on a lot of fun and exciting times, along with some bumps in the road, and some really tough times that I couldn't have gotten through without Ben, and I am so very thankful that I walked down that aisle five years ago and decided to spend the rest of my life with him. Anyway, I am rambling and you are ready for pictures. While we were in Indiana, we were able to sneak away for a few days to go to Nashville, IN. It is a cute little town with a ton of neat shops to browse in and some very nice hiking trails. We were able to enjoy both and just have some time to reconnect as a couple. We didn't realize how busy Linea was keeping us until we were away from her! She stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Fuller while we were away.

Here we are at our second hotel - the first one was not exactly, well, anniversary trip material.

Here we are in a little spot between a few shops. Not many towns have a rustic looking trellace between places of business - this is my kind of town!

On our actual anniversary - August 12 - we were back home and my parents came up to watch Linea for the evening so we could go out to dinner. Fortunately, I insisted on getting pictures before we left, or we would not have these.
Here's to many more years of marital bliss!

Fuller Family Vacation

2011-09-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I've learned about the Fuller men, it is that they are not "plan ahead" type of people. This 'vacation' was planned and re-planned, re-planned again, and in the end, it was really a haphazard, unplanned week of family togetherness. Nonetheless, it was so nice to all be together and we enjoyed it. However, I am not sure if we women are up for attempting to plan anymore week long vacations or anything else with these boys! You just can't get them to stick with a plan! But again, we enjoyed our time together despite the lack of having any idea what we might do from day to day. We spent the week at Tim and Marcia's house with an evening field trip to Justin and Ashley's apartment. And we had fun. Here is the whole family - don't we look happy?

And Marcia thought we should take some in our sunglasses since we found Linea some baby glasses on a shopping trip. Doesn't she look like she's posing? Ha ha!

Linea enjoyed her time with her Fuller grandparents.
And we took some pictures for great-grandpa Fuller who bought this little onesie just for Linea:
Our baby chick got to make use of her sunglasses and swimming suit while we were there.
We set up a "pool" for her in a blow up baby bathtub on the back patio. Her favorite part was trying to chew on the sides of the tub. (I am not sure why this is blue and underlined. I am not literate in troubleshooting the blog, so it's just going to have to stay this way.)
She also got to go swimming in the pool at Ashley's parents' house - the Mayos were very generous in letting us come over and crash their pool for the afternoon. Linea seemed to like it in her little floatie.
It was also at the Mayos house where Linea rolled over from her back to her belly for the first time. Later on in the week she went from belly to back. However, she's only done it a few times since, despite my efforts to put her on her back and belly daily. Maybe she is motivated by a large audience. :)

Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we're looking forward to getting the whole family together again soon!

Heather's wedding and Family Fun

2011-08-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

On July 2nd, Heather and Ryan committed their lives to one another in marriage! I can hardly believe that one of my little sisters is now a married woman! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Ryan and I'm excited that he is now officially a part of the Swartzentruber family. Brace yourself because there are a lot of pictures to enjoy in this post - it pretty much covers the month of July!

Here are some shots at the rehearsal dinner, where, to Heather's joy, we feasted on big, juicy hamburgers!

Checking teeth...

Yes, we're good to go! Here is the happy couple.
Grandma and Grandpa Conrad

Nicole and Linea.... Linea decided to pick rehearsal day to have her first illness. She was running a fever of 102 + and was super sleepy. The peak of her feeling yucky time was, of course, during the rehearsal. Ben, who was an usher at the wedding, had to stay inside with her because she just wanted to cuddle and it was too warm outside to take her out to the tent. I took notes for Ben so he would know what to do for the wedding, and thankfully, Linea was back to normal by the next day.
Here's another super happy couple....
Mom and Dad...

Ryan's sister, Emily, and his dad and step-mom
Ryan's cousin and mom
It's wedding day time! Ben and Linea were getting psyched for the big event.Uncle Gerald and Aunt LuAnn kept the Tebbanos and Fullers overnight on Friday so Mom and Dad's house wouldn't be so crazy. (Thanks Gerald and LuAnn!) We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast and prayed for the rain that was coming down to stop before picture time. Here are the girls waiting to go to the wedding!
Even though we had quite a scare with the rain on the morning of an outdoor wedding, everything turned out beautifully! The weather was perfect - warm with a nice breeze and just the right amount of sunshine. Heather looked gorgeous, the cake was lovely, and Patrick's meditation was just excellent. God really blessed the day and many people were touched and challenged by the ceremony. What more could we ask for?

Now for some pictures of cake cutting, dancing, and all that fun wedding stuff!
The sisters...

The beautiful little girls. Hannah was a flower girl for the wedding, so she matched our green bridesmaids dresses. Mom bought some extra fabric for me so that I could make sure Linea matched Hannah! And for some reason, I don't have a picture of Jonah, the fearless ring bearer. Hannah didn't actually make it down the aisle, but Jonah walked halfway down, then decided to run the rest of the way. So cute!

For some reason I don't have a picture of Dad, but here's one of Mom.
Ben and I with the newlyweds

Off to a blissful honeymoon!

After wedding sisters/bridesmaids pictures. After Nicole's wedding in 2003, Heather, Holly and I decided to take some nice, some fun, some goofy pictures of ourselves in our bridesmaids gear. To my delight, I found pictures of my sisters in their dresses after my wedding - same 3 poses. What was just a fun little photo shoot turned into a tradition. So here they are....

The strong...

The lovely....

And the extremely sleepy!!Congratulations Heather and Ryan!!! We wish you a lifetime of joy and serving the Lord together!

Now after the wedding, the fun did not end. Besides eating chicken, red skin potatoes and 2 types of salads for the next 2 weeks, we also had a lot of family fun while Patrick, Nicole, and the children were still in town. Patrick was only here for a week, but Nicole stayed with the toddler troop for 2 weeks!

On July 3rd, Ross and Jude had the Conrad clan over for a little get together while everyone was in town. So we had our first photo shoot with 2nd cousin Molly, my cousin Ryan's baby who was born exactly a week before Linea.

Studying each other. Hmmm... I guess we could be friends...

Aren't they cute? I am not sure if it's the angle and which this picture was taken or if it's just reality, but Linea is looking quite a bit taller and chunkier than her 1-week older cousin. :) Maybe we need to lay off the milk. :)

July 4... Unfortunately, I really didn't get very many 4th pictures. This cute little outfit didn't end up fitting her too well, and we were exhausted from the wedding. I did manage to get a family picture before Ben had to go to work.

And after that, I don't know dates, but there was a lot of activity in the Swartzentruber house and surrounding area.

Jonah wasn't extremely excited about his cousin Linea but we did get him to hold her for a little bit.

I had forgotten about these and was excited to see some pictures of Linea with her mama. I keep saying I need to get more, but keep forgetting to do it!

We had some sprinkler time outside one day, but Linea wasn't quite ready for that, so she lounged in the baby tub instead
But Jonah and Hannah had a blast with the sprinkler. Drinking the water...

And pouring it on Papa.

We had a little photo shoot in the backyard... Aren't they precious?

The cousins...

The Millers, some of our childhood friends, came over one evening for a cookout.And of course we went out on the boat - twice. The first day was sketchy because it rained, but turned out to be nice in the afternoon. The second day we went was beautiful.

Here is the Tebbano family on the boat.
Linea with her mama again!
Show us those pearly whites, Hannah!
Patrick took Jonah out for a tube ride. He loved it!
Uncle Ben with the munchkins.
Patrick wanted to make sure we got a picture of what he called the "hillbilly lunch" in the parking lot at the lake.
Hannah and Jonah entertained Linea for us.

Hannah loved her little cousin, whom she affectionately calls "Baby Nea" She loved to hold her, tickle her, and just talk and play with her. Such a little mommy!

We went to visit Grandpa Swartzentruber a couple of times.

If they all looked at the camera and smiled at the same time, it just wouldn't be a realistic picture. They're babies and toddlers... what can I say?

One evening, my cousin Jodi invited all of us to their house for a campfire. Hannah was fascinated with another baby, Baby Veena!

And she enjoyed being pushed on the swing by GrandmaJonah loved the motorized vehicles. Here he is with Sommer on the tractor.
Baby Linea got a swing ride, too.
And Jonah and Hannah had their first smores. They weren't sure what to do with the stickiness.

When Ryan and Heather got back from their honeymoon, we were ready for them with bride and groom water bottles, and a pile of gifts to open!It was a whirlwind of activity, but a great 2 weeks! And just a week and a half later, Ben and I left to go to Indiana to visit his family for a little vacation! More on that to come!

2011-08-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

3 months old

Here are just a few highlights of the hundreds of pictures Jennifer helped me take for Linea's 3 month milestone... The dress, purchased for her by her aunt-to-be, Michelle, brought out the beautiful blue in her eyes and made them sparkle! And of course I had to include some tongue out pictures - one of her few Swartzentruber traits!

2011-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Fun...

Ben enjoyed his first Father's day with Linea. I love watching him play with her. He is so sweet when he talks and sings to her. Here are some Father's day memories.

We got Ben a bicycle trailer for Linea to ride in when we go for bike rides!

2011-08-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

More Linea....

It seems to me that she gets more and more beautiful with each passing week!

Here she is at 10 weeks:

She loves her daddy!

11 weeks

12 weeks:

Hanging around outside in her onsie decorated by Aunt Donna:

I have a ton of fun dressing her! One awesome thing about being a baby.... you get a new wardrobe every 3 months!

2011-08-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Justin's Graduation

Justin added to the Fuller family's long list of big changes for the year by graduating from medical school at the beginning of June. Say hello to Dr. Fuller, the pediatrician!!

Grandpa Fuller, also Dr. Fuller, did the honors of hooding Justin.

And the whole happy family was there to help celebrate!

Congratulations Justin!

2011-08-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ashley and Justin's Wedding:

Ben's brother Justin got married on May 28th to a beautiful, sweet girl who fits in so well with the Fuller family. We are so happy to officially have Ashley as part of the family!

Here's the happy couple at their rehearsal dinner:

the parents, Tim and Marcia

Daniel and Michelle, who will be tying the knot next June!

The wedding was lovely and the reception was a lot of fun!

Nancy took great care of Linea for us so we could do our duties as Best Man and musician.

Ashley's dance with her dad was very entertaining!

Later that weekend, Linea got to spend time with her great grandma and great grandpa Fuller

2011-08-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Going Back in Time....

I just realized that I never put up a post about the baby shower my lovely sisters and mom threw for me back in January. I didn't want to let it go because it was such a nice shower!

The decorations were so cute.

There were a lot of friends and family members there to support me and baby Linea:

Here are the ladies responsible for the shower:

And a few of the homemade gifts I received:

2011-07-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick update on life with Linea. :) I hope to post a few more times this week, but I won't make promises!

Here she is at 8 weeks old:

And 9 weeks - such an interesting expression on her face:

I really don't have enough of these kinds of pictures - Linea with her mommy.

On May 21st, my friend Stephanie (from Central Christian High School) got married. Linea slept through most of the fetivities!

This is a cute little shirt my cousins designed for Linea.

Front:

and back:

More to come later!

2011-06-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Updates on the Fuller Family...

I've been taking weekly pictures of Linea and figured it's time to post them!

Here she is at 3 weeks - I forgot how tiny she was!

Isn't she sweet?

4 weeks - I looked at this picture and couldn't believe how skinny her legs were!

This is how she loves to sleep - arms up! I may have put this on before, but it's cute, so I'll post it again:

5 weeks - She is beautiful in purple!

Here she is with great grandma Miller

and great grandpa Miller

6 weeks - she was just starting to smile for us!

Simon does whatever it takes to see his little sis.

7 weeks - she's wearing her bonnet from great grandma Miller.

On Mother's Day, Linea was dedicated at church:

My mom and dad and sister Heather and her fiance Ryan came for the occasion.

We feel so blessed to have such a precious baby girl and pray that we will raise her to love and serve the Lord!

Here she is with her mommy on Mother's Day:

Of course, Simon didn't want to be left out. He loves his mommy too!

Here's the precious baby again. I made her winter wonderland dress just for the occasion. Yay for the creativity of the girls with the kojo blog! A little girl can't have too many ruffles and frills!

I would say I'm almost caught up! More to come later!

Easter and Shower, but not an Easter Shower

2011-06-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that today, Thursday, June 9, 2011 is my third official day in my new position as domestic engineer at the Fuller residence. My sentiments so far? I LOVE it! My little baby chick is getting to be so much fun, the house is in order, and let's be honest, meals are much more planned out and less haphazard than they were! And that now means more time for blog updates. I'm going to put a few things on today and add to it over the next week so as not to overwhelm anyone!

On Easter weekend we took our first long trip to Indiana to be with Ben's family and to put on a bridal shower for my sister-in-law to be (who is now officially my sister-in-law). So here are some pics from the weekend.

There were so many people at the shower, we had to get 2 group pictures. Here is the family picture:

And Justin's church small group friends:
'

And the bride-to-be (wearing her fancy new apron) with her sisters-in-law to be. Michelle (left) will be marrying Daniel, the youngest Fuller, next June.

And now for some Easter pictures. We colored eggs:

Here is Linea getting ready to go to her first Easter Sunday church service:

Our little family:

Linea and her very first Easter basket:

Wow look at the books in my basket! I love reading! (I'm pretty sure that's what she was thinking when I took this picture.)

Isn't she beautiful in her Easter dress made by her mommy just for the occasion? (Pattern complements of the kojodesigns blog!)

Happy Easter from Linea. Sorry our greeting is so late!
Look for more updates soon!

2011-04-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

More on the new arrival and life at the Fuller residence: Well, once again, I am long overdue for an update! It's amazing how much happens in a mere 2 weeks when you have a newborn! It's also amazing how hard it is to get anything done in a reasonable amount of time when you are spending so much time feeding, burping, changing, and doing LAUNDRY! I really think I've done more laundry in the past 3 1/2 weeks than I had the entire year before that! And, needless to say, I am still adjusting to a very different kind of schedule, if you can call it a schedule. After all, there are days, such as today when it is 2:45 in the afternoon and I find myself still wearing my pajamas. I am sure there are moms out there who understand - at least I hope there are! But I digress... here are some pictures, since I know that is what you really want to see. Simon likes to be right next to Linea and whoever is holding her. So far he's been very gentle with her - lots of sniffing and a little licking, but very gentle. Here she is with her tired daddy... And this picture needs to be flipped around, but it's such a classic Linea face that I had to include it. Doesn't she look adorable in her little cocoon and beanie? On thec 21st - 1 week after her birth, Linea came with us to celebrate her Aunt Heather and Aunt Holly's birthday! Of course, her adopted Auntie Val was there as well. And the following weekend, we had visitors - Uncle Justin and soon to be Aunt Ashley And Grandpa Fuller, who just couldn't get enough of holding and rocking Linea!! Here she is at 2 weeks - you can tell she's getting bigger already! This is a common scene in our house lately. :) We were so excited that Aunt Nicole and cousin Hannah got to come in last weekend. Of course, Nicole insisted on stripping Linea down and doing an "Anne Geddes" picture, which didn't thrill Linea, but they did turn out pretty cute. Nicole was a self-proclaimed "Linea hog" the whole weekend since she won't get to see her again until July! And even Hannah enjoyed holding her cousin and giving her kisses. So cute! Nicole and Hannah were able to be around for a Conrad get together. We celebrated Grandpa Conrad's birthday: And Grandpa and Grandma's 60th wedding anniversary. Their love and devotion to one another over the years, along with their dedication to raising a family of children and grandchildren who love the Lord and desire to serve Him is such a testimony and inspiration to all of us! Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma for setting such a wonderful example of a loving, Christian marriage. We love you both dearly! Here they are with their 3 children. And their 6 grandchildren: And now they have 5 great-grandchildren to enjoy! Here is Linea... And Makena and Hannah: Jonah wasn't there and I didn't end up getting a picture of Molly, but what a blessing it was to have 4 generations of Conrads together to celebrate! Happy Anniversary again, Grandpa and Grandma! We also got a chance to visit Grandpa Swartzentruber over the weekend: Here he is with Linea and Hannah. And when Hannah finally warmed up to Simon, they had a blast "wrestling" and following each other up and down the stairs! When I can figure it out, I will post a video I took of them. :) Here is Linea at 3 weeks old. We are almost through week 4 which seems crazy! I cannot believe how fast time flies! We are just so thankful for our precious little girl and we love her so very much!

2011-03-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

She looks like....?

Trying to figure out whether our little one looks more like mommy or daddy?

Well, when we got a chance to examine her features at the hospital, I thought she had Ben's eyes. Ben knew the little dimple chin was a Fuller trait and he and his mom discovered interesting similarities between her ears and his. Where, I began wondering, are the Swartzentruber traits? I am pretty sure the upside down u shaped indentation at the top of her chin comes from me. That's something right????...

So when we got home, we took out both our baby books to put the mystery to rest. Here is what we discovered on page 1 of Ben's book:

And in case you needed a refresher on our baby girl's looks:

I would say the mystery is solved, wouldn't you? :) What a resemblance! She is her daddy's girl. Perhaps next time we'll have a little boy who looks like me. :)

2011-03-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Linea (Lyn-ay-uh) Pauline Fuller arrived at 11:00 pm on Monday, March 14, 2011. We praise the Lord for her safe, and very quick arrival and for a healthy little baby.

Her first name comes from her mommy's middle name, Linee. Her middle name comes from Ben's Grandma Miller, Cora Pauline, and Joni's Grandma Conrad, Ruth Pauline.

We got to bring her home on Wednesday! She is beautiful (at least we think so!) and is getting accustomed to her new world. Here are some pictures of her first few days!

Meeting Grandpa Swartzentruber just a few hours after birth.

Meeting Grandma Fuller in her "grandma loves me" outfit.

Finally a picture where mommy's eyes aren't half closed!

Linea with Aunt Heather...

And Aunt Holly...

(Aunt Nicole is happy to have seen her on Skype, but anxious to come see her in person!)

Here she is with Grandma Swartzentruber in the outfit Grandma bought her.

Here we are ready to go home. Mommy had fun with her sewing machine making her little homecoming outfit. Everything fit except for the tights and shoes!

Daddy bringing Linea into the house for the first time. She was quiet and slept the whole way home!

We are so excited to finally be parents of this precious little one. She is so very sweet and it took her no time at all to find a special place in our hearts! Thank you all for your love, prayers, gifts, and support over the last 9 months. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Linea!!!

2011-02-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

All right, I must admit that I have been so busy getting ready for this baby to come that I have spent almost every spare moment sewing, crocheting, doing lesson plans for the sub, washing baby clothes and blankets, etc. So, I realized that I haven't been keeping up with my blog! Therefore, this is a rather long post of updates over the last few months. If you make it to the end you can find out some info. about my last appointment which was on February 24th! Enjoy!

First is a crochet project I did. It is called a "cocoon" with a matching beanie. So, even though I had never done anything but a flat blanket, I couldn't resist trying out this cute pattern. And here is the finished product for her to snuggle up inside!

Then, because I am ambitious (or perhaps slightly insane) I couldn't resist trying this sewing project I found on a website Nicole introduced to me. You can ask Ben about the saga of picking out the perfect material for this diaper bag. Yes, he was with me, and yes, he was patient, but I'm not sure he could say he thoroughly enjoyed it. However, the finished product turned out better than anticipated. So, if you have a baby and want to try this, let me know and I'll send you the link to the pattern!

Here it is from an outside view:

And the inside..... It has lots of pockets and if you know me at all, you know how I feel about little pockets to organize things in purses and bags. That's right, I think they're essential to a great bag or purse. :)

I also made a take-along changing pad to match:

It folds up quite nicely and fits in the diaper bag perfectly. :) The girls who started these websites are sewing geniuses!

Of course, you're probably more interested in belly pictures - especially if you haven't seen me in awhile. So here are months 7 and 8. Yes, I look like I am hiding a basketball under my shirt. It's coming straight out the front and getting, in my opinion, HUGE!

Mom has all the pictures from the shower she, Heather and Holly threw me, so I'll have to post those later. Here are some from a shower in Indiana thrown by my mother-in-law and soon to be sister-in-law!

Yes, they made me wear a bib and bonnet and taste baby food, but it wasn't so bad... :)

Here's a picture of the beautiful quilt Ben's grandma Miller made for us:

And the ladies who planned the event:

I was also blessed by a shower thrown for me by some girls from church:

The decorations were very wintery for January and beautiful!

And I was blessed with many, many baby essentials!

Thanks ladies!

And now for the promised information. I am in fact, 17 and a half days away from my due date. The baby has dropped, putting, might I add, some intense pressure on my bladder! I am 50% effaced and 2-3 cm dilated. So this is all good news and means that really she could come anytime. Or she might wait until week 42 to come. This not knowing is a little tough for a planner like me, I must admit. Needless to say, we are working hard to get last minute things ready and done and we cannot wait to see our little girl and hold her in our arms!

2011-01-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been too long since I have posted, so here are a few updates. More to come in a few days!!

Here is month 6...

Some Christmas fun with my family...

Here I am with my cousin-in-law who is due just a few weeks before me!

My niece loved playing piano with me! She must be an up and coming musician!

On Ben's birthday I had to go to a school concert, but we did celebrate - he's wearing his birthday sweatshirt and under the blanket was a file cabinet. :)

For Thanksgiving, we had both of our families at our house. We had a great time! Here are a few pictures...

2010-11-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Month 5 is here!

Here is my 5 month picture. The belly makes it pretty obvious that I am pregnant, which is exciting! However, things in my closet that I am able to wear are becoming few and far between, so it's looking like I may have to go shopping. Too bad!! People often ask how I'm feeling and I am happy to report that for the past month I have felt great! No more nausea and the headaches I was experiencing have not bothered me recently. It really is a blessing from God. I don't have the sort of job where I can take breaks if needed or easily go home because of illness, so Praise the Lord for caring for me in this way! The baby should be about 12 ounces and 7 inches long at this point and I have felt her moving like crazy! A week and a half ago, Ben was able to feel her move for the first time as well, which was very exciting. Please keep praying for us as we continue on this amazing journey!

2010-10-20T02:52:00.000-07:00

I am officially 4 months along, with another 5 to go! It's hard to believe how fast it's going. I guess we better get going on our nursery! The baby is approximately 5.5 inches long now. And... if you want to know the gender, keep reading....

Simon had his boy puppy surgery yesterday. I think he was treated as well as Ben was after his shoulder surgery.... What can I say? We're animal lovers!

And, for the news you've all been waiting for.....

It looks like we'll be welcoming "sugar and spice and everything nice" into our house in March. It's a GIRL!!!!

2010-10-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here I am to update you again on the happenings in the life of the Fullers - and it's a lot right now!

Now that I am almost through my 4th month, here is the picture after month 3. I AM starting to show, even though with my normal attire, you can't tell.

Ben and I spent last weekend in Kentucky to see Daniel play soccer. He is a senior at Milligan, so we wanted to be sure to see him in action before he graduates!

The boys are always very serious when they watch:

Here he is in action:

Tomatoes, apples, cucumbers, it doesn't matter what you are canning or freezing; it always comes during the worst week. And so, when, in the busiest week of September, Mom called to tell me my tomatoes were in, I wasn't sure what to do. Since I need my personal days for baby time in the Spring, I had no choice but to make the spaghetti sauce and tomato juice on two nights in the middle of a very busy week.

So here are some of the results of my labor. I believe I was up until midnight the first night and 11:30 the second night.

And here is the battle wound I suffered. The pressure canner was indeed, very hot!!!

Needless to say, we froze the rest of the sauce on the 2nd day. And I could NOT post this without giving credit to my husband, who was up with me both nights, helping chop peppers and onions, watching the canner to make sure it stayed at the right pressure, and running to get me ice when I burned myself. This was all after he took a trip to the grocery store to buy the peppers, onions, and another box of cans I needed. Yes, he pretty much IS the BEST husband a girl could hope for.

That same week (of course) I helped throw a baby shower for my friend Elli at the church. Here is the group:

And the lady of the hour:

And the baby stroller fruit basket I was quite proud of....

More later..... :)

2010-09-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is.... a long overdue post about a lot of things. I'll start with some "belly" pictures just because it's fun. Although, you cannot see much going on in the first 2 months.

Here is month 1. Ben claims I was sticking out my belly. But nonetheless, here it is:

And not much of a change after 2 months passed:

Stay tuned for a 3 month picture coming soon. :) At this point, I was told the baby was the size of a large grape. It's amazing to me how God grows a little baby inside the mother's womb. What an awesome God we serve. Keep praying for a healthy baby Fuller to join us in March!

I've included a smattering of pictures from our trip to Florida with the Swartzentruber family in August. It was so wonderful to all be together and especially exciting for some of us (me included) to meet little Jonah for the first time!

Here are the grandparents with their precious little ones. Aren't these children SO cute?

Here are the guys. Very handsome!

And the ladies...

And Uncle Ben and Aunt Joni with Hannah wearing her dress purchased from Hawaii!

Ben and I celebrated 4 years of marriage while in Florida (yikes! It has been so wonderful that it doesn't seem that long!)

Uncle Ben and Jonah

Hannah also celebrated her FIRST birthday in Florida. Here she is with her very own cake.

Grandpa reading to Jonah. Jonah LOVES to be read to... a boy after my own heart!

Florida is just lovely. There's something about the beach that just can't be compared to anything else. We enjoyed our time and the blessing of being with family.

Here is our little Simon. He's getting bigger and it's taken quite awhile to teach him that biting is not okay, but we have made HUGE gains in the last week, so if you come visit us, you are safe! He is calming down some - today he spent a half hour curled up on my legs while I rested (having to do a lot of that these days!) on the recliner. It was very sweet.

And as all dogs do, he has his own special personality and quirks. He barks at the strangest things. Here he is when he discovered our fireplace. He barked, growled, examined it, and then decided it wasn't such a threat after all. Now he curls up on the tile in front of it when he needs to cool down.

Our latest project is a fence around the backyard. The reasons are two-fold: for privacy from the apartments and for Simon to be able to be out without a leash. It's come a long way, but there is still work to be done. Here's a picture of Ben working on it yesterday.

a little of the work in progress....

and the finished part....

Stay tuned for more on all of these little projects. There is so much to be done before March!

2010-07-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

Again, it has been too long since the last post, so here are some updates on the happenings over the past few weeks...

First, the new counter tops!!! We were so excited to get rid of the old green ones and put on something a little more neutral that looks great with the decor of the rest of the house!

Ben had to cut down this wall, and build up the one his left hand is resting on, which required a lot of work, and help from our friend who is an expert drywaller, but it came out very nicely! Thanks Nick! Of course Simon had to be in the middle of everything.

Just in case you forgot what the old ones looked like...

Dad came to put in the faucet and accompanying fixtures. Again, Simon wanted to help.

And the almost finished product is lovely. As you can see, there is some painting to be done.

Here is Simon at 12 weeks, 5.8 pounds.

On the 5th, the Conrads got together at Mom and Dad's for an awesome 4th of July cook-out. Corn hole ended up consuming the evening. As you can see, even Grandpa C. got really into it!

There was a lot of chatting and catching up...

And a lot of flying beanbags.

Simon enjoyed himself - he got lots of attention from new people!

Here are three generations of Conrad ladies! We had such a good time, and I must include that Ben and I were the cornhole champions. However, as close as Ryan and Heather were, we may not be successful next time. Thanks for hosting us Mom and Dad!

Last weekend we went to the Fuller's house in Plainfield, IN for some family fun. Here's the whole gang

We celebrated Michelle's(Daniel's girlfriend) 20th birthday.

Marcia experienced babysitting her granddog for the first time while we went biking.

And the boys enjoyed the final game of the World Cup. We had a great time!

Simon is now 13 weeks and 7 pounds. And he's as feisty and playful as ever.

This is a rare picture...

Usually when I have the camera, he does this:

Well, this should catch everyone up. I will try to post before 3 major events happen again!

2010-06-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

More Simon

I am long overdue to show more pictures of the puppy. Since my last post was the evening we got him, I now must admit, that yes, he is more work even than I anticipated. But... it's worth it.

Simon's first bath, which he hated...

Here he is trying to escape.

And getting pampered afterward...

Apparently it wore them both out.

Here he is visiting the Swartzentrubers. They kind of liked him. :)

My dad, who spoke out so adamantly against us bringing an untrained puppy into his house, shows how he really feels about our cute little guy.

They even took a nap together. And believe it or not, Dad is the one who put a cover on Simon.

And a few fun videos.

Playing ball

And playing with the door stop...

2010-06-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Simon Arrives!!!

We are so excited to show off the newest member of our family. We brought Simon home just hours ago and he's already enjoying his new surroundings. He did not, however, appreciate Baron's (our neighbor's very large German Shepherd) loud bark, but they will get used to each other, so long as Baron understands that Simon is, in fact, a fellow dog, and not a rabbit for lunch. :) Of course, you aren't here to read my ramblings; you want to see the cute little pup. Here he is...

Snuggling with his new Mommy ...

Playing in his new yard...

Anxiously awaiting his first meal at home...

Enjoying the aforementioned meal...

And of course, hanging out with his new daddy. :)

Hopefully he'll be around to visit many of you soon!!! Look for more pictures this week. :)

Hawaii!!!

2010-04-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Aloha! I find it hard to believe that my last post was Christmas tree shopping, but I figure that our trip to Hawaii is a wonderful subject with which to start back up on my blogging again! Ben and I returned yesterday around 8:30 pm (that's 2:30 pm Hawaii time) from an incredible vacation to Maui. We saw some of the most beautiful sights, and were overwhelmed by what God has created for us to enjoy. Prepare yourself for a long post. It was extremely difficult to pick just a few pictures (we have exactly 714 pictures from our trip - after deleting blurry ones, and doubles). :) But I'll highlight some of the best we have and try to take you on a journey through our vacation. So sit back, sip some pineapple juice, pretend to smell salty seawater, listen for the waves in the distance, and enjoy!!!

Here is our rental car - a lovely Charger with a lot more pickup than our cars, which was needed especially on our trip up Haleakala! More on that later...

We stayed at Makena Beach and Golf Resort. Below are a few views from our lanai (the deck outside our room). We were on the 4th floor of the resort with an ocean view room. It was AMAZING to wake up, turn over, and see the ocean and palm trees out the sliding door. Wow! I will certainly miss that!

I had to include this picture of the gift shop in the hotel. We bought a grand total of 0 items from this store, yet we were there everyday to look at the bird and fish books to find the names and information about birds we saw perched in various places, or fish we saw while snorkeling. :)

We did drive the road to Hana, and yes, as you may have heard, it takes ALL DAY. And if you are like us, it takes a LONG day. Of course Ben got very into looking for little crabs, eels, and other creatures in the shallow water and waiting for the perfect wave to photograph. It was also Easter Sunday, so we stopped at a lovely overlook to have our own little service (what a beautiful place to celebrate!) I enjoyed singing hymns like "Because He lives" along the way as well (Ben helped :) ) But, I digress. Below are just a few of the many pictures we took that day. You get to see a lot of different landscapes on the road to Hana.

Here we are at an overlook of Hana Bay

These trees are called "Rainbow Eucalyptus." Take a close look at the trunks and you'll see why. We thought these were one of the coolest trees we've ever seen!

Here I am at the Keanae Arboretum. Ben likes to tease me about calling this a "fairytale land." But if you look at this little grove, it does look like something out of "Alice in Wonderland."

Gorgeous waves and ocean views...

If you click on this picture and look in the middle, you can see a whale breaching! When a whale breaches, 3/4 of its body comes up out of the water. It is incredible to see!

This is a lovely black sand beach at a park where we stopped.

One of many awesome waterfalls.

On Monday morning, we journeyed up Haleakala, a dormant volcano on Maui. This is what the road looked like the whole way up!

This is probably the best view of the crater.

Monday evening, we went to a Luau!! I was extremely excited about this. I was even more excited when anyone who wanted could go up on stage and learn the hula from real Hawaiians!! I went with another girl from our table. Can you find me there behind all the children? In any case, I now, am an official hula dancer. :)

We also saw a beautiful sunset. The luau took place right next to the ocean!

And we saw a fabulous show after a wonderful dinner which included pulled pork that I actually liked and ate. (Just thought I'd throw that in there.)

Wednesday morning Ben golfed. And yes, he even brought his special golf shoes all the way from Ohio for this event. Here is his first drive of the day...

He brought me along as he said, "to drive the cart and look pretty." But I also handed him his clubs and cheered him on along the way.

Wednesday afternoon, we went whale watching. We saw a lot of activity like this, pictured below, including a lot of tail action. We thought we were going to go back without seeing any breaching, but I spotted a double breach just as we were heading back! We got to see about 4 in a row. Unfortunately, we weren't very close, but I did get a few pictures (not included here). Maybe if we blow them up to a bigger size they'll be even better. :)

Here are some of the lovely flowers we saw daily. Everything is so bright and cheerful because of the plants there! My favorite was the hibiscus (the yellow flower below) which we saw in many different colors.

And here I am wearing my official Hawaii attire, including a plumeria flower in my hair. They smell really good!

Well, there is a small snapshot for you. We have many stories and a lot more pictures so come visit us soon and we'll share more. And if you've never been to Maui, start planning a vacation! It is well worth it! We'll gladly share with you from the list of inexpensive restaurants given to us by our pastor and his wife and tell you all about the fun things to do! Mahalo (thank you) for reading this long post and Aloha!

2009-11-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

Allow me to update you on the last few months.... yes, after starting school almost nothing except for lesson planning, teaching, and taking care of the house and my husband has happened...

We'll start with now and work our way backwards. I am enjoying teaching and finding ways to do a great job without allowing it to become my life.

Here we are on Christmas tree day. :)

The girls came to help us and we had a gorgeous Saturday to find a tree!

Of course we didn't get it tied to the car very well, so I held onto it through the sunroof...

Thanksgiving with the Fullers in Indiana was lots of fun.

A few months ago, Ben and I blew insulation into our garage walls using a special machine. It was... well, memorable. Let's just say that it better keep our garage warmer this winter.

In early October, I got to travel to Indiana to celebrate with my friend Elizabeth. I am expecting a call about a new baby girl any minute now!

And of course, I can't leave out my beautiful niece, Hannah. We thoroughly enjoyed her visit in October!

2009-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Three Years Ago...

That's right - it's hard to believe, but true. Three years ago on the 12th of August was our wedding day. It has been a WONDERFUL three years and we hope for many more!

Ben surprised me with a trip to Cleveland to see "Mary Poppins" and with a pair of earrings from New Mexico to match the necklace I bought when we were there. He found a very sneaky way to get them home in secret. :)

He received his present at the beginning of the summer because he kept asking if he could buy it. He has a way of messing up presents I want to get him by getting them himself! Apparently a new golf club is a great present, but not in August. So I wrote some clues in the form of some not-so-stellar poetry and we took a little trip one day to get the club.

2009-08-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Visit to Indiana

We finally got a chance to go visit Ben's family at their house in early August. We got to meet Daniel's girlfriend, Michelle, from Tennessee, and had a great time...

At the Zoo...

I especially enjoyed feeding the giraffe!

On a carriage ride through Indianapolis...

And at an Indiapolis Indian's Game.

2009-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Vacation in New Mexico

We anxiously anticipated our trip to visit Nicole and Patrick in New Mexico!

This was one of my favorite types of trees there. You don't see those in Ohio!

Our first full day, we went to Carlsbad Caverns. The picture below doesn't even begin to do justice to this underground wonder! We were amazed at another piece of God's creation. I don't think I had ever seen anything quite like it before.

Here are some of the cool non-Ohio animals we encountered. You'll have to look closely to see the road runner in the tree. I was particularly pleased to be able to run into this fellow. Below him are a really cool looking lizard and a rattlesnake!

We also spent some time in a cute little downtown area of Mesilla, NM.

And went on some beautiful hikes with awesome scenery...

And of course Bailey and I became good friends during the week

We enjoyed some authentic Mexican cuisine.

And though he may not admit it, Ben enjoyed Bailey as well. :)

Here are our hosts in front of their house.

Bailey is so smart, she can even play cards!

And we're not sure what happened to Patrick's head in this one... but we sure did have a great time! Thanks for having us Nicole, Patrick, and Bailey!

2009-06-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Day

I got to spend Father's Day with my dad this year! We went skiing and enjoyed the afternoon together. Here is Dad with his gifts and his two daughters who were able to be with him on his day!

Joni, Dad, Holly

2009-06-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Joni's Week in Virginia

As many of you know, Ben's uncle Kenlyn is an ophthalmologist and agreed to do a lens implant surgery for me so I won't have to wear contacts or glasses anymore. Ben's mom and I went to Virginia, where Kenlyn's practice is located to have the surgery done. I was to have one eye done on Thursday, stay the week, and have the other eye done a week later. Unfortunately, the company didn't get the second lens sent, so as I write this, I can only see out of one eye. But don't worry, I'll be going back soon to have my second eye fixed and despite the mix up, we did have some good times in VA and at their house in the mountains of WV.

Here I am with the 5 Miller children

Hiking in West Virginia

Visiting the telescope

Marcia and I fixing the clogged disposal

Kenlyn and Carolyn went on a date in style!

2009-06-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Grandparents Visit

Joni's Grandparents, the Conrads and Swartzentrubers, came for a visit to see our new home. We had a wonderful evening together, enjoying a meal, tour of the house, and fellowship. Thanks for coming!

Grandpa and Grandma S., Ben, Joni, Grandma and Grandpa C.

2009-06-05T05:47:00.000-07:00

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

As some of you know, my hair was getting very long and I decided to let it continue to get long to cut it and donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. They make wigs for women with breast cancer. Well, I finally got up the courage and here I am with my ponytail and my new cut!

It's very short for me, but it'll grow back if I want it to!

2009-06-05T05:34:00.001-07:00

A GCC Reunion

Some of our Grove City friends made a trip to our new house to visit, reminisce, and catch up on each others' lives! We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend together!

We took them out on the paddle boats in the Wellington Reservoir - here are Jon and Jeff paddling, while Elizabeth basks in the sun!

We played some great yard games, including some "hillbilly golf". :)

And had a little baby shower for Alison and Kevin's new baby girl.

Here are all the ladies! Thanks for coming everyone. We can't wait until our next reunion!

2009-05-11T04:54:00.001-07:00

May 9, 2009: Graduation!!!

It's official! I am a master of education. I ended up having a nice, sunny day to walk across the stage and receive my diploma from Ashland University for a masters degree in literacy! Praise God for providing me with the time, finances, and stamina to make it through!

And of course my husband, Mom, Dad, and sister, Holly came to cheer me on!

2009-04-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Anne's Wedding

We traveled to beautiful Walnut Creek, OH for my cousin Andrew's wedding on Saturday. They had gorgeous weather and it was so good to see family again! Above are many of the Conrad cousins.

2009-04-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Easter 2009

Ben and I enjoyed an afternoon of egg coloring on Saturday...

Despite his initial reluctance, Ben insisted on hard boiling an extra dozen eggs and got very creative with his coloring. Note the polka dot and multi-colored eggs. :)

Unfortunately, Ben had to work Sunday afternoon, but I got to spend the afternoon and evening with Mom, Dad, Holly, and Grandma and Grandpa Swartzentruber.

2009-03-03T18:27:00.001-08:00

It has been awhile, but we're back with some before and after pictures of our basement. We have actually been using this room now! Check out this big change!

2008-11-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

We moved on October 31st with the help of Ben's dad and some wonderful church friends!

The piano survived...

But Keith almost didn't survive!

Then Tim and his friend Bob came out to help paint the basement... what a difference!

And now what you've all been waiting for - some pictures of a few finished rooms. We still need to put some things on the walls, but these rooms are pretty much done! The rest, you'll have to wait to see because they are still full of boxes and tools!

Two views of the living room

the spare bedroom

And the main bath

Work in Progress

2008-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

The work is well underway, with painting, clearing out the basement and much more! We've had lots of great helpers as you'll see from the pictures. We're so thankful for our families and friends and their willingness to help out!

Ben and his dad cleared most of the drywall out of the basement...

While Joni ripped out carpet, got walls ready to paint and cleaned some very dirty window frames!

The time consuming paint job begins......

Our moms helped with the painting one Saturday...

While Justin got to clean up mold! :)

And of course, Joni's dad had more jobs than can adequately be shown in pictures!

There is a little update. We will start putting up some pictures of the rooms as the painting starts coming to a close!

The Inside

2008-09-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

We close on our house on September 24th and are ready to get our hands dirty. Here are some pictures of the inside which will show you all the work that needs to be done. We can't wait to be able to post the "after" pictures!

The Garage

The Living Room
The Kitchen

One of the Bathrooms

The Master Bedroom

The other Bedrooms

The Nasty Basement

2008-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Homeowners!

2008-09-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

That's right! We just bought a house in Wellington. It was repossessed and needs to have a lot of work done, but we are so excited to make it our first home!