MaKenna's last gymnastics class

MaKenna's last class was this past Friday. We may put her in another class...but we'll wait a little bit. Maybe in August or July we'll start her in another class! She seemed to really enjoy it. Major enjoys the little toys they have there too!

Woopsie Daisy!

This weekend was a very nice weekend. We let the kids play with the sprinklers a bit, and have water balloon fights. Well... poor Major slipped in some mud...in this picture Jake is helping him up....


In this picture Major is chasing me in tears and very muddy hands and tushie....

Here is his tushie....nope, it is not poopie...all mud. It was very funny...you really had to be there. I am SURE no one is laughing as they read this post like we laughed when he fell on his little tushie.

Then of course he had to rub his face. Classic. No worries...I took him upstairs and gave him a bath right after this picture....

Thank you for....

MaKenna is just such a sweet little girl. I may complain about her from time to time...her constant whining, or this or that or the other thing...but she really is quite a sweet little girl. She LOVES to pray before eating any and every meal and before bed. We always pray first and then she gets to pray. Her prayers are typically close to the same thing each time. She prays that God will bless....she names off all of us, plus Mickey, Duke, Nacho, Nana, Papa, Grandma and Grandpa and usually a friend or two gets in there who she has seen that day and is fresh in her mind. Then she prays for our health, "Please keep us healthfy, don't let us be sick". Then she says, "Thank you for this day, thank you for this food," Last night she thanked God for carrots and green beans...which she doesn't it without a fight....but the funny thing was when she said, "Thank you God for sin........(large pause...during this pause I am trying to figure out if I heard her correctly...when she said).....forgiving." Oh...I get it...thank you for forgiving us our sins! I thought that was so sweet! What a sweetie!!!

Planting an apple tree for Mama....

When mom died, some of my aunts and uncles got Rhonda and I both gift cards to Earl May so that we could plant something in remembrance of mom. I thought a Lilac bush would be great, because she LOVED lilacs, but we already have a Lilac tree in the back yard...then I thought a rose bush...but we actually have quite a few different rose bushes in front and in back. So we went with Apple Trees. We bought two apple trees. We put one in the back and one in the front.




While the three kids and Jeff were digging, I was documenting and Major was...under the awning with Duke. This is one of Duke's "dog houses", and Major just climbed right in...Duke wasn't sure what to think...but like a good little puppy...he shared....


Obviously asking for a family picture is just too much...I don't know what happened in this picture...MaKenna is showing off a stuffed dog...Jake is doing...I don't know what Jake is doing...Cam looks pathetic and Major is crying for the scooter. All in a days work....

Out of the Blue Clear Sky

Jeff and my song is by George Strait called "Out of the Blue Clear Sky." It is our song because it was played ALL the time when we were together when we were dating, and we love George Strait and the lyrics are just so perfect for our relationship. He was still hurting from a relationship when we met, and I was still in a bad relationship when we met. Anyway, the night he proposed, he was talking to God...and though he knows he shouldn't have done this...he said, "Lord...if You feel that it isn't too soon and this is the right thing to do (propose), then let our song play next on the radio." Wouldn't you know it...that was the next song! So...that was the night he proposed....4 weeks after we met for the first time! So, for our anniversary, I made him some romantic book marks, downloaded a TON of Alistair Begg sermons (his favorite pastor), and put them on discs...with Tini's help....and got him the shirt below...I did mess up the song title on the shirt though...I put, Out of the Clear Blue Sky...instead of the Blue Clear Sky...woops!

I had this shirt made by VistaPrint. Great place! Great prices!! Below the picture are the lyrics to "our song".

Out of the Blue Clear Sky

By: George Strait

You said you've had enough

You're ready to give up

On that little lie they call love

Then out of the Blue Clear Sky

Walking right into your hands

Like rain on a desert sand

It's the last thing you had planned

Out of the Blue Clear Sky

Here she comes, walkin' talkin' true love

Saying I've been lookin' for you love

Surprise your new love has arrived

Out of the Blue Clear Sky

Ain't love a funny thing

One day you're giving up the dream

And the next your pickin' out a ring
Out of the Blue Clear Sky

12 years of marital bliss!

On May 17, 1997 my life changed forever when I went from being Ms. Tonya Suzzette Stutzman, to Mrs. Tonya Suzzette Filleman. 12 years ago. Wow. Has it been that long? It seems like just yesterday my mother in law to be was introducing her oldest son to me, one of her lab assistants. We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon and we vowed to go back every 5 years. Once we hit 5 years we decided to extend that to every 10 years....once we hit 10 years we decided to extend that to every 15 years....call me in 3 years, I'll let you know if it happened!! So...last year for our anniversary, he bought me a Yukon Denali. How was he going to top it this year? Just by being with me...that is all he had to do...."Aunt" Tini came over with Matt and they watched the kids while we went to Village Point and had dinner at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, then we caught a movie (Angels and Demons) at the Village Point theater. After we discussed that movie over ice cream from Cold Stone. Then we just walked around a little bit. It was great. The togetherness is all we needed. Here's to 12 more happy years!

Jeff and Tonya THEN

Jeff and Tonya NOW Then there were 6....

Free State Parks and Fishing Day!

This past Saturday was Free State Park Entrance and Fishing Day!! We go to state parks anyway because we have a pass, and we usually go fishing anyway because that is just what our family does...but since Jeff has not yet gotten his fishing license, this was a perfect day to go!! It also was an almost perfect weather day to go. It was a tad bit chilly in the shade, the wind didn't help, but in the sun, it was really nice. We wore light jackets to stay warm by the water. The mantra that day was girls rule, boys drool, because MaKenna and I were the only ones catching...then Major started catching...but that was it. Cam caught one at the very end...only because we said we wouldn't go until he caught one...he finally did. Jake brought a friend, so they were off in the woods when they weren't fishing, so I didn't get any pictures of the two of them. The score was, Mom-1, MaKenna -4, Major -3, Cam -1. Let the records show I only caught one because I stopped after that to help others. I am SURE I would have caught more!!

MaKenna got the first fish of the day. But she was afraid of it...in fact, she wouldn't even reel it all the way in...she made daddy do it.Then Major started getting nibbles....

Daddy and Major reeled it in together....

Then...like any boy, he had to touch it...squeeze it...etc....
Then daddy let him have it a bit. It was funny...when he swings he says, "Weeeeeeee" almost the whole time he is swinging. So he swung the fish back and forth on the line and was saying, "Weeeeeeee". Any animal rights activists out there, we didn't let him do it long...the fish was released without incident. No worries!!!

Finally....Cam......