Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my sweet blog siestas! May you all have a wonderful day! May you all enjoy your time with family, friends and the precious moments when you are reminded of all that Our Lord and Saviour has done and given to us....the most amazing gift of all....JESUS! Merry Christmas!

First night of Christmas break

Well the kids are all home for Christmas break!! What fun!! It feels like the old days with the boys and all their friends over all the time. I have missed all the boys, I've missed the endless raiding of our refrigerator, the endless gym clothes after basketball games and working out, the wet clothes from football in the snow, and of course the wet towels from the hot tub after. The messy rooms, the extra laundry, the loud t.v., the spontaneous break outs of wrestling, the late nights....I really have missed it all. The things I have missed the most are the hellos...the Hi Mom, I'm home...the Hi Mama K...the hugs...the thanks for the dinner....the goodbyes and good nights...the hugs and the laughter! It's so nice to have them home!

This picture was the first night of break, the boys were heading to The Milwaukee Bucks game! They had Executive seats, fourth row...so they decided to wear their suits and ties. Aren't they handsome young men! Mine are the two short ones.

Well if you have kids or grand kids returning from college, the military, from out of state or just visiting...enjoy them and love them! And if your kids are little...enjoy them and love them too. Because believe me...they grow up way to fast. Before you know it, you are dreaming of days gone by. So enjoy your Christmas and thank God for wherever He has you right now!

Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes)

I was covered head to toe in chocolate....but it is done! 1o dozen Peanut Butter Balls! Rolling and dipping, rolling and dipping. Now let's hope I can stay away from them. Enjoy your Christmas cookies!!!

The recipe: 1lb Butter, 2lbs Peanut Butter, 3lbs Powdered Sugar

Christmas Hoopla

My friend Melanie from Melaniejoy has tagged me for this Christmas "hoopla", here are the rules.....

1. List 12 random things about yourself that has to do with Christmas

2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word

3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this"if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.

4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.

1. On Christmas Eve we always open one gift....our new pajamas.

2. I always make Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes) for Christmas.

3. I'm usually in a Cookie Exchange with my sisters and friends.

4. Our family goes out to eat on Christmas Eve night after church, we usually end up at the Olive Garden.

5. I love white lights. We put them on our trees and in the garland on the banister, on the mantel, anywhere!

6. I love Nativity scenes, my favorite is my Willow Tree one. Of course now they have a new one...its on my list.

7. We always take a photo for our Christmas card. Some years have turned out better than others.

8. I remember the year I got my Mrs. Beasley doll for Christmas...I still have her.

9. Our first Christmas, when we were expecting my doctor gave us a envelope with the sex of our baby on it. We put it on the tree....but we opened it right away. What a great gift.

10. As a kid I remember being told that at midnight on Christmas all the animals talk. I use to try to stay awake just to hear what my dog would say.

11. We always play the white elephant pirate game with some friends, we search for months for just the right gift.

12. I love Christmas...the fact that Christ came as a baby, born in a manger, born to seek and save the lost! His hands went from an infant to the hands that were nailed on the cross. Praise God for all He was and all He is.

I am tagging my sister-in-law Angie at By Faith....Ang Baylis, but if you'd like to play along please do. Merry Christmas!

It's her drivers permit

Can you believe it?? My youngest just got her driving permit this week! She is very excited and ready to start driving. And of course now that she is taking driving training she is sure to point out all I do wrong. Your following to close, your in the wrong lane, etc. I wasn't to concerned until last night when she informed me that I am to cautious of a driver! That can't be a good sign.So please keep us in your prayers as we travel down this road one last time.

Footprints on our hearts

I thought a good place to start with our foster care story was at the very beginning. So this is how we got called into our ministry. I remember it like it was yesterday. Our boys were four and five and our daughter had just turned one, we had started talking about possibly having more kids or were we done. When one morning I awoke with a dream that I could not forget. I had dreamt that we were foster parents and had a house full of kids...when I told Chris he wondered if it was in fact a nightmare. I remember not really being too affected....until a week later. We were sitting reading the paper, when what did I see? It was a ad placed in our local paper for...yes, you guessed it...for foster parents. At this point I knew, so I told Chris, I really think we should look into this foster care thing. He wasn't quite on the same page yet....but by the next week he was. It was about one week later when our boys came into the house with a little boy who lived on our block and asked if they could go play at Mikey's house. Since we were new to the neighborhood I said o.k. but I'll have to walk over and meet Mikey's mom and make sure it's o.k. We walked down the street to Mikey's and as I spoke with his mom she invited me in. It was then that she introduced me to her foster kids...I think I started crying right then and there. I remember staying for over an hour and just talking with her about foster care. When I got back home I did cry, I told Chris, we are suppose to be foster parents we can't ignore all these signs I think this is meant for us! He agreed!

So we talked and decided that instead of having anymore kids we would become foster parents to kids who were in need of parents. We made phone calls and had workers come out and do our all our paper work. And within a few weeks we had received our first phone call. That was fifteen years ago...God has blessed us so much during those years. I still thank God for all his "signs" and prompting and for using our family. And as kids have come and gone the one thing we have always hoped and prayed for was that those kids would feel God's love and know that at some point in their life they had felt and known Jesus and His love! We prayed and continue to pray that God's will, will always be done in "our kids" lives, we prayed for their forever families and that they would know Christ at a young age. And of course God was faithful and we have so may stories that glorify God and all He has done!

Foster care is not always an easy job, its usually like riding a roller coaster and never knowing when it's going to drop or turn. Foster parents in most states have a bad reputation, unfortunately most of the stories you hear are the bad ones. But there are a lot of good foster parents too. One of the hardest things about foster care is that the better you do your job the harder it is in the end.

Our motto was "Some people that come into our lives, make footprints in our hearts, and we are never the same." We'll we know that we have hundreds of tiny little footprints all over our hearts and we are so thankful!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

When things are quiet around the house...this is where I can find Christian! I love turning the corner and seeing his little legs sticking out from under the tree. His daddy set up his old train under the tree, and he just loves it! What a beautiful sight...it makes my heart warm to see. Experiencing Christmas from a child's eyes!
And oh what fun he had today!!!! His first time sledding this year...he loved it! We have a small hill in our side yard, it was just perfect for him. His dad would take him up to the top and Papa was waiting at the bottom, he would lay down on his sled and giggle all the way down. It made me want to give it a whirl! Enjoying the sights of this Christmas season!

As Christmas approaches I always get filled with so many feelings, some are the obvious feelings...the excitement as we prepare to celebrate Our Saviours birth, the joy of being with family and friends, watching our children and grandson as we celebrate and the thank fullness for all the season brings. But another area is going to the mailbox and getting our Christmas cards, I love hearing from family and friends, catching up on what is happening in their lives. But even more special are the cards we receive from our foster kids and their new families. We maintain contact with alot of our kids throughout the year, but with some we wait on that Christmas letter to come, usually with lots of pictures!!!

So as they have started to arrive, I thought I would post a few very special stories throughout this Christmas season. My mind has been stirring with lots of ideas! Foster parenting has been an area in our lives for 15 years where God had shown us so much of His love and His faith fullness..and so much of His Sovereignty!

Without going into to too much of one story, which I will share, would you please pray with us that we would recieve a Christmas card from one of our kids, K. As I've been thinking about Christmas and of the true meaning, this would be one of the best gifts I could recieve! And it would truly be another gift that was sent from above! Gifts of books, clothes, iphones, and such do not compare to what this one letter would mean to me!

Our Christmas Picture

I love getting a good picture of my kids.....not sure this is one of them, but its the best we have! Every year its the same thing, I warn them ahead of time, we complain, we balk, we complain some more and then the day is here. So this year I tried making it easier, usually I tell that what color to wear, etc this time I only prefaced it with..please comb your hair. Our main problem this year was a crabby almost two year old, who had fallen asleep in the car and wanted nothing to do with sitting for a photo...especially without his pacifier that he gets only when he sleeps! So we had to try a few "different" things! This was the big hit, because I was standing on a chair and Papa was standing beside me acting goofy! That of course would have been the picture to have. Of course when I told my all and almost grown kids to lay on the floor...they wanted to cry and you would have thought they would need a pacifier....but because they are such good sports and because Christian was going with it, they went along. So Merry Christmas once again...another "photo shoot" is done!!!! Yeah!

Wishing everyone a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving! Hoping you are all enjoying your family and friends...and remembering ALL the awesome blessings we recieve everyday from our Heavenly Father!

Our 1st Special Needs Respite Day

Well after a year of planning and organizing, we finally kicked off our 1st Buddies Plus Respite Program. Our Special Needs Ministry has just gotten up and running, full force. Praise God, what amazing things He is doing in our ministry. At this time we have 7 kids who are able to attend Sunday School every week, with their Buddy, a one-on-one friend and assistant who is there not only for the child but for their family also. So on Saturday we saw another area of ministry starting to take form. We provide a respite program for our special needs kids and their siblings, parents were able to drop their children off from 1:00 - 4:00 and then enjoy whatever they chose off campus. Some parents did shopping while we heard a few others who chose a long uninterrupted nap. We are planning on making this a quarterly program, for the time being. And since our 1st one went off without a hitch, we are planning on inviting other area churches to join us....and then opening it to our community. We believe that God has big plans for this program....and that we commit this program to glorify His Name! Here are a few pictures from the day!

I was truly blessed by this day and all the children who attended!

Prayer Request

*UPDATE* My mom is still in need of your prayers. She struggled through her surgery, getting sick on the anesthetic and the pain relievers they were giving her. It has been a slow road, full of pain with not much comfort. She said that she never dreamt that it would be SO painful, and that each day she tries to get through 10 minutes at a time. So please continue to keep her in your prayers. Thank you so much sisters!











Please pray for my mom, Mary who is having a total knee replacement on Tuesday. She has had a lot of back and knee pain for months, probably years, and finally they are doing a knee replacement. As time has gone on she has a hard time walking or getting up and down. So I'm praying that this surgery will help her to be pain free and able to enjoy her life more.

My mom and I have always had a special relationship. One of my biggest "God moments" was when God provided for both of us. I was living out of town, when circumstances lead to my husband and I moving our family back to my home town. We were very excited about being back near my family. We had only been back for two weeks when I received a phone call telling me, my mom had had a seizure and they had found a brain tumor. The day before my mom's seizure my in-laws had called and said they were driving over to visit...they were actually in Chicago, only a hour away..they thought they would surprise us! Well, they ended up staying for quite awhile and they helped take care of our kids, made meals, cleaned and helped us finish unpacking...so that I could be with my mom and my family. I still often remember this time and it always touches my heart that my God would provide for me in such an obvious way. He is in control of our everything. I love that He can orchestrate such amazing plans.

So, as my mom heads back to surgery I am reminded of all He does for us. Please lift her, her surgery, and her recovery up to the Lord. I love that we can come to our sisters in Christ....our sisters in blog land...and know that they will lift up our prayers and concerns. Thank you so much!

Wonderful Wisconsin Weekend

We had such a great time in Door County this weekend. It was the perfect fall weekend, the colors were beautiful, the air was crisp, the trails were gorgeous, the food was terrific and the company was great! It's hard to be in this beautiful countryside and not sing and praise God for His creation. What an artist Our God is. Here we are driving into Peninsula State Park! Chris and I, with our friends Patrick and Terry. Having all worked with our Senior High Youth Group, Patrick insisted that we play the name game...where your fellow friends can give you a new name for the day. So, in this picture we actually have: Norm, Cherokee, Milo and Marianne!

Chris and I, at the top of Eagles Look-out, we climbed up after biking the first 10 miles. I wasn't sure I would make it. So here's proof!
Our lunch spot on day two, it was chilly on the trails (40-mid50s) but this was the perfect spot. We packed sandwiches, bananas, chips and salsa and some cookies! We were tempted to take a nap before heading out again.
Terri (Marianne) and I, gearing up after lunch. This was us sporting the "layered look" at this point I was wearing: bike shorts, long underwear, bike pants, two tanks, one short sleeved shirts, one long sleeved shirt, and two sweatshirts....headband and gloves were a must also!
This was one of three deer that we saw! I have a feeling that we sped by a lot of others that we just didn't see. Chris assured me that I could get a better picture if he went up the road and headed her in my direction. I felt this was a nice picture and didn't need to have a deer running at me. She was close enough!

Photo shot at the Bay! We had such a great time. We ended up biking 35-40 miles over the weekend. Peninsula Park has awesome trails, we stayed on the bike trail must of the time, but on one trip we decided to take a hiking path....what a amazing trail it was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. It was a very rugged course over a lot of tree roots, hills and of course billions of leaves. My body was sore that night but it was worth it!

The next day we actually started off on a course that was marked "off trail riding." The sign should have been enough of a warning....it had a mountain outline, but hey we thought it looked like fun. I don't think we made it a half mile before we turned around. The steep hill that started the course with logs the size of my thighs....was definitely not for us! Here's Milo and Marianne!


The beautiful bay! I can't wait to go back! We did have the best time! God is so Good! What gifts He gives us every day!

21 Years

Today is my Anniversary....21 Years. Who would have thought!

I still remember the day I met him. I was in Up With People, traveling through the Midwest at the time, with Chris's youngest sister Mary. We pulled up to where we were performing one day and there Mary stood with her brother and her boyfriend at the time, not knowing who was visiting her I remember asking her "Hey, who is that cute guy your with?" She replied, Oh him, that's my brother. Well, she introduced us and that night when the three of them were heading out for dinner....Chris came over and invited me to join them. We had a great time, we both agree now that we were just ourselves not trying to impress, since it technically wasn't "a date", and we both never really thought we would see the other again.

Well, obviously we did see each other again. And here we are 21 years later.

The Lord has blessed us and our marriage along the way. He blessed us with a loving family, wonderful friends, an awesome church, and he gave us both big hearts for our kids, our foster kids, our Senior High youth group and world missions.

I believe that if we are all honest, some Anniversaries are better than other. In any marriage there are good days, weeks, months and years and also a few bad. Well after 21 years of marriage to Chris I should have known not to clean out our basement yesterday. I should have know what would happen...I mean it has happened every time I try to organize. I start weeding through things and making piles you know.... garbage, give away, save. Do we really need to keep every book that my kids have ever read, I mean there's no way I would ever get rid of Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom, Curious George, Little House on the Prairie, you get the idea. I don't need to keep all those craft items, when I haven't touched crafts in the last 5 years. Do we need the McDonald Land toys from 10 years ago, when my grandson's collection from now a days is already out of control. And let's talk about the golf trophies.....you know the ones, the ones that don't make it into his office, the ones from 10-20 years ago....for second and third place, the ones that have been in a box in storage for 10-20 years.

Like I said...I don't know what I was thinking???? It was the day before our Anniversary!!!! As Chris was searching through the garbage, he saw me throw "something" away, he turned and said, "Hey, is that the remote control to the little t.v. that we've been looking for?" Yes, dear I finally found it....and just thought I would throw it away!!

We are heading up north to beautiful Door County, Wisconsin this weekend for a great weekend to celebrate! Praise God, there will be no closets or basements to organize!

In Memory

Today is my sister-in-laws birthday,

Vic would have been 53 today.

As we are remembering her on her birthday

she is walking with Jesus!

I just had to post this picture for you all to see!

Look closely...

Do you see the shadow in the background?

Do you see the profile on the wall?

JESUS

He is not just with her today,

He was always with her!

I look forward to the marvelous day we are together again!

The days where we will sing and praise our Lord together!

Friends and Homecoming

Kevin .....#88.....Captain for Concordia University....Homecoming.
My son, Christopher with brothers Kevin and Brian...who are just like my boys.
They call me "mom2". These boys have been friends since 5th grade, they have played football together for 8 years. Hard to believe they are "grown men"!
Another one of my "boys". This is Ryan,(and Caroline) he and my youmger son Loren have been friends since 3rd grade. All these boys played high school ball together and now Ryan and Kevin both play for Concordia. What a fun Homecoming game. We won...35..28 with one minute left!!!!
Chris and I, with our BFF's Mark and Mary (kevin and brians mom and dad) and Greg and Carol, who actually went to high school with Mark and Mary. What a fun day....Football and Friends...who could ask for anything more!

Tagged

I've been tagged by my sister-in-law Annie over at By Faith. These are always a fun way to learn new and different things about each other, so if your reading this consider yourself tagged and then make sure to let me know so I can stop by and read all about your man.

1. Who is your man? Christopher Arthur

2. How long have you been together? We will be celebrating 21 years this month!

3. How long did you date? We dated the first time for about 6 months, long distance and then after breaking up for a few months we were back together for about 8 months before we were married.

4. How old is your man? 50!! I'm a lot younger

5. Who eats more? He does!

6. Who said I love you first? He did!

7. Who is taller? He is..but not by much

8. Who sings better? He does...but we sound pretty nice together

9. Who is smarter? He is

10. Whose temper is worse? Probably mine

11. Who does the laundry? I do... but he is always willingly to help and will usually throw a load in every now and then..even without being asked.

12. Who takes out the trash? He does

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do...I have to. I'm one of those people who just can't sleep on the "other side"

14. Who pays the bills? He does...I would actually be in a lot of trouble if anything every happened to him.

15. Who is better with the computer? He is...I'm getting better, but doubt I will ever catch up with him.

16. Who mows the lawn? He does...he bought a riding lawn mower and loves to ride and smoke a cigar.

17. Who cooks dinner? I do...when we aren't eating out! :) But he will also help out sometimes with cooking.

18. Who drives when you are together? He does....he enjoys driving and would prefer to drive always. On long trips I will help, but usually not for very long.

19. Who is the most stubborn? Oh...we both can be very stubborn!

20. Whose parents do you like the most? We love all our parents...but we see my parents more, only due to location.

21. Who kissed who first? He kissed me.

22. Who asked out who? He asked me...I was traveling with "Up With People" with his sister the first time we met, he asked me to dinner while we were on the road.

23. Who proposed? He did! I had been wanting a pair of Reebok's newest tennis shoe....the saddle shoe. He put my ring inside the shoe and shocked me.

24. Who has more friends? We tie...we both have friends from school, work and church. But we spend most of our time with mutual friends! We have great friends!

25. Who has more siblings? He does....he comes from a family of seven, 5 girls and two boys. Our family is myself and 2 sisters.

Failure

What an awesome thing I read today in my Beth Moore Bible Study. Beth was talking about our failures and repenting. She says that God redeems something by buying it back through the payment of a ransom. He gave the life of His Son as the ransom to buy us back from the clutches of sin. He has also bought back the rights to our past and all its failures. If we cooperate, He'll turn every single one of those failures into something useful for His kingdom. That is the meaning of "full redemption"!

He wants to fully redeem every part of your life until even your failures bring Him glory. How amazing is our God!! He is so faithful to us!

422

So how exciting to watch Brett Favre make history today.
All time leading Tochdowns Thrown...422
Its fun being a Packer Fan
Congratulations Brett!

The bad haircut

So, not so bad from the front...but look what happens when he turns to the side! Oh my goodness!!!!I remember all my kids having at least one bad haircut, you know where you just want to cry. I still remember when I sent my two little boys off with their dad and they came back with buzz cuts...I think I did cry and I was so mad at my husband. Don't get me wrong my boys had buzz cuts numerous times while growing up and they looked cute, this was just the shock of seeing my sweet babies bald and being totally unexpecting.

Christians mom, Samatha decided to try to cut his hair herself, for his first haircut. You know where you can have pictures and a lock of hair for your baby memory book! Well when she tried straightening up the side.....he moved! But hey we certainly have photos for that baby book don't we.

Cookies can fix anything though!

Happy Birthday Loren

Today is Loren's 19th Birthday!

What a gift for me, he has always been. Loren is my middle child, my easiest baby, my peacemaker, my compassionate boy. Loren is loved by everyone, he's the life of the party. He loves his family and friend and he loves Jesus!

Since he's away at school, we will be celebrating his birthday next weekend when he is able to come home for the weekend. But today Christian and I were able to go up and spend the afternoon with him in between classes. We took a few gifts to him, his favorite....the Oatmeal Scotchies and Chocolate Chip cookies I made for him! We went to lunch and we did a little birthday shopping (as much as possible with boys.) We also stopped at Aldi's where we were able to refill the freezer/fridge with all his favorites: Sausage Egg Muffins, Hot Pockets, Corn Dogs, Frozen Pizzas and Soda. I know not the healthiest but he's a college student. Then we took Christian to the park that is only a couple of blocks from his house. Loren and Christian have always been in the same Mutual Adoration Club. Here are a few pictures of all the fun we had.


Loren and Christian walking up the steps the 100th time
One more time....Please (Peas)....Uncle Loren
Going down all by myself
Ya gotta love the tube slide

On our way home Christian was sound asleep...or so I thought. When we were stopped in traffic I turned around to take his picture...he just looked so peaceful. Well as quick as my flash popped up so did his eyes!!!!! Doesn't he just look sleepy? Who needs a nap anyways? Well this Gigi did!

What a great day we had! What a great son I have. I thank God everyday for Loren and look forward to seeing all the awesome things God has planned for him!
Happy Birthday Loren! I Love You!

Fall T.V.

We'll it must officially be fall. It is that time when all my favorite shows start. I actually claim to not watch a lot of television but as excited as I am for all the season premiers, that might not be completely true.

Tonight of course is the kick off for House. I enjoy the show but also go between never wanting someone like House to be my Doctor and only wanting someone like House to be my Doctor.

Wednesday, will be America's Next Top Model and Project Runway. Anyone with a teenage daughter can easily get sucked into these shows. It is considered time for just Ally and I. Both shows are great for discussions on everything from fashion...to body image...to worldly views...to how we would handle situations.

Thursday of course is Grey's Anatomy. Which is another show Ally and I watch together.

Of course all my men claim that our shows on Wednesday and Thursday are "girly" shows, but guess what, most nights they are asking to watching with us or wanting to know "who got kicked off?" Unlike their shows on Mondays, Prison Break, 24 and Monday Night Football. I very rarely ask what Jack Bauer is up too...or what kind of trouble the prison brothers are into. And of course I usually will only inquire about my favorite team on Monday night. Go Packers!!!

God is so good

I have been so bad about posting...and keeping up with my blog land sisters. Please know that just because I'm not finding time to post..I am keeping up and lurking around your sites!

So I thought I would update you all on whats happening with my job situation. GOD IS SO GOOD! Can I get an ALL THE TIME! Shortly after I took my leave of absence, our good friends Mark and Mary, came to me and asked if I would be willing to help them out. How, you ask? Well about a month prior to my leaving the working world, they had moved their mother into their home, Gloria is 81 and is suffering from Alzheimer's. So they were looking for someone to care for her part-time while they are at work. They had been searching and interviewing people during the summer trying to prepare things for when Mary goes back to work (she is a 6th grade teacher at our private christian school....she taught my boys, who are best friends with her son...but that's a whole different post.) They were struggling with finding someone they felt they could trust and someone who would care for Gloria as they do when they are here. When what should happen! I tell them one night over dinner that I'm not going back to work and they both looked at me like I had three heads.

So my new job is working for Mark and Mary, caring for Gloria! Like I said, GOD IS SO GOOD! Let me say, this job is much less stressful and I actually feel bad being paid for spending time with Gloria. But God has provided, for not only me and my job but for Mark and Mary. I often wonder...is this where God wants me? And all I know is that for now...this is exactly where he wants me! I am thankful that He can use me and that He had this planned long before any of us were aware of it!

All Gods Creatures

I took this picture Up North and I just love it. Watching these humminbirds was just amazing. Big and small He made us all!

In Christ Alone

This says everything!

In God's hands

A friend of mine sent this to me, I guess there are numerous reports of this same beautiful sky from a number of people down south! How amazing! My mind went straight to the old Sunday school song..."He's got the whole world in His hand." Such a comforting photo, knowing that God reaches down and comforts, protects and guides us everyday.

Daniel

I am so excited! Tonight we start our new Daniel bible study!I am ready to dive into God's word and spend sometime studying Daniel. I have heard so many good things about this study. And who doesnt love hearing the word from Beth. Please pray for our study and that God would prepare all attending for an amazing message!

Labor Day

Here we are on Labor Day, celebrating a little and enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation!

Chris, Ally, Christopher, Loren and myself.

The birthday boy, my dad, my sister Stephanie,

my sister Ange, myself and my mom.