A Field Trip for Libby

Last Tuesday, Libby had a field trip with her preschool class. We went to the Columbus Zoo. She was so excited for the trip! The weather was chilly but the animals were very active. Libby had a great day with all of her friends!

Pumpkin Picking

Last Sunday, October 11th, we packed up the family & headed to Lehner's Pumpkin Farm in Waldo, OH. This was our 2nd year in a row for this farm. It's a laid-back place where you can relax & have fun. We picked some great pumpkins, took a hay ride and had lunch. Most of all, we enjoyed family time without the normal distractions of our busy life!

Grant turns 13

Grant turned 13 this September. This fall has been more chaotic than most. Between trying to juggle three school schedules, practice schedules for hockey, football & cheer--I forgot to document this momentuous occasion.

The day Grant was born was undoubtedly one of the happiest of our lives. It was Friday, the 13th. The doctor even asked if we wanted to "wait" for the 14th to arrive before he was delivered via c-section. It was 11:45 PM when he came into this world. We knew from then on that Friday, the 13th was a lucky day for this family.

Grant, We Love You & Hope that your 13th year is wonderful in every way!

School Begins

I was sad to see summer come to an end this week....

We started school on Wednesday. Grant started 7th grade @ Bunsold Middle School and Shelby started 5th grade @ Creekview Intermediate. Libby will start preschool in two more weeks! It was a crazy busy week with new schools, new schedules & new "wake up" times! :-) Everyone survived and I think we've gotten into a routine. Grant is playing middle school football and hockey this year. Its pretty hectic right now but he's really enjoying the chance to play football with his friends from school. He had his first hockey game of the season this weekend as well. As usual, he is making us proud on the field (or ice)!

Everyone leaves the house at different times this year...so I didn't get a chance to take the standard 1st Day of School pictures...but here are some from Friday night when the kids were getting ready to go to the 1st High School football game of the year.

Happy 10th Birthday Shelby

Saturday was Shelby's 10th birthday. Where, or where do the years go? Seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting her birth, Grant was "almost 3" and Libby wasn't even a thought.

Shelby has grown up so much this past year. She is excited about starting Intermediate School this week & she loves cheerleading! I can only imagine the wonderful things that are in her future!

We love you & are so proud of you Shelby...our sweet, caring, kind, beautiful middle child!

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Shelby with Libby at her birthday party

Happy 4th Birthday Libby!

It's hard to believe that she is 4 years old. She is such a sweet girl in every way & truly the light of our lives. It's really sad for our "baby" to grow up....but we've enjoyed every minute of these past four years! We LOVE you Libby!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My Champion

Grant's baseball team is AMAZING! I know I've said it in previous posts....but seriously, this team is unbelievable! This past weekend they won the USSSA AAA 12U State Championships. This is a BACK 2 BACK State Title for 5 of these boys. Amazing! Grant pitched on Friday night, 6 innings, allowing only 1 Hit! Great Job Grant and Coach Mike!

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to All!

I've never been one to write a "Christmas letter"...while I really do enjoy reading other people's when they arrive in the mail! We've had a wonderfully blessed 2008. Our three children are healthy, active & successful in just about everything they do.

Thank you to all our family & friends who have touched our lives this year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

See you in 2009,
The Howard's

Conversations with a 3 1/2 year old

Libby: (yelling) "Mom, I need to show you something"
Me: "What is it Libby?"
Libby: "My baby, her mouth, look"

I look. The baby's mouth. Has pepperoni in it.

Me: "Libby why did you put pepperoni in your baby's mouth?"
Libby: "Mom, she was really hungry"

Halloween 2008

Congrats Caps!

Grant's hockey team, Columbus Capitals, won the Rock-n-Roll Cup in Cleveland OH this weekend! Congrats Grant!

Autumn Days

"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."- Edwin Way Teale

Happy 12th Birthday Grant!

Grant chose to have a birthday lunch @ House of Japan....so, that's what we did yesterday. It is so hard to believe that you are turning 12 today. It really seems like just yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital. Wow....from 6lbs 12 oz to 5'2" & strong.

We love you and are so proud of you Grant!

Happy 9th Birthday Shelby!

We love you!

Vacation in the Smokies 2008

We took a vacation to the Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago. We had a great week together as a family. We did many "touristy" things like Dollywood, Dollywood's Splash Country, Miniature Golfing, Outlet Mall Shopping, Go-Kart driving, etc. We also enjoyed a dinner theater one night.

My favorite day was the one we spent hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We started small with a 1 mile (round trip) hike to Clingman's Dome just to see how Libby would do. She surprisingly walked a lot...but her Dad also carried her on his shoulders alot. The view from the top was magnificent. You are practically standing on the state line between North Carolina & Tennessee and can see for miles & miles.

After that, we decided to do the 2.5 mile hike to Laurel Falls. We soon found that if we kept Libby "talking" or "singing", she really didn't mind the hiking. When we reached the falls, we took off our shoes & cooled off in the water. On the way back down the trail, we met a park ranger who informed us that there was a BEAR with 3 cubs right down the hill from the trail. They were keeping a close eye on them. We didn't get to see those bears (Whew!)...but we did see some more when we were driving to Cades Cove later in the day.

Lady of Lourdes Family Fun Fest 5K

Mike ran his first 5K last night. He ran in the Lady of Lourdes Family FunFest 5K in Marysville.















The kids & I were race volunteers. Grant was a course marshal (leading the runners & bringing up the rear on a bike), Shelby was a course marshal (pointing the way), and Libby & I passed out water.

We are so proud of you Mike! What a milestone!

A Dream Season

Grant's baseball team traveled to Kingsport, TN last week to play in the USSSA 11U AA World Series. The team went 7-1 for the week. The only loss dropped them into the loser's bracket on Saturday in the semi-finals. The loss created a challenging road---where they had to play out of the loser's bracket to win the tournament. The team stepped up the challenge! Grant pitched the final game to get the win. What an incredible season it's been....full of memories that will last forever!

We are so proud of you Grant!!

A local TN newspaper even picked up on the story. Here's the link (not sure how long it will stay active): TN Newspaper Article

Happy 3rd Birthday Libby!

Libby celebrated her 3rd birthday last Sunday. She enjoyed opening her presents with Mom, Dad, Grant & Shelby in the morning. In the afternoon, she shared a BIG cookie with all of Grant's baseball team. I am pretty sure she thought all of those people had really gathered for her birthday (and not the state tournament). SHHH!!! Don't tell her!














We are amazed by what a grown-up girl she has become. She is the joy of all of our lives and she keeps us smiling & laughing everyday. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital....now she's potty-trained, talks like a 16 year old & pretty much tells Grant & Shelby what to do & how to do it!

We love you Libby!!

A Glimpse of Summer

Yesterday delivered 80+ degree temperatures & some real heat. The sunny skies made it easy to dig Libby's little pool out of the basement. Surprisingly, it survived the winter and she still enjoyed playing in it.

A Night at the Drive-In

This past Saturday, we took our kids on a trip back in time. We hit the nearest drive-in movie theater (click here to search for one near you) to see Indiana Jones' latest adventure. They thought it was pretty cool to pack up Dad's truck with blankets, pillows & snacks for a movie. Everyone enjoyed it. Libby & Shelby fell asleep before the 1st show ended & Mom and Dad were too tired to stay for the 2nd feature. Maybe next time...