What Are The Letner's Up To?

Grandparent's Day Beach Time!

2010-09-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

It was so awesome to be able to get all together and spend some time at the beach for Grandparent's Day! - the water was perfect - clear, not too warm, smooth - it was just an overall fun day! I wanted to share a few pictures:

Out in the water - Krista is shark tooth huntin!

Found a good shark tooth! yep - we find them all the time down here! cool, huh?!

Nothing like 2 little sisters playing together on the beach!! don'tcha just love it!!!

CHEEEESE!

Cheeeeeese again! lol she loves the camera!

AHHHH yes - this is why we live in FLORIDA!!!! Love It!!

Otherwise, all is well here! Love to all our friends and family back home!

Love, Cheryl

Summer Goes Fast!

2010-08-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

Geez - where has the time gone? So hard to believe it is the middle of August already! And August in FL means School Starts! And this year, Charlee starts kindergarten!!! WOW - can you believe it?!!! Justin & Krista were able to get her into a private Christian school under scholarships - what a blessing - and she started on Monday. The night before we celebrated and she wanted to make strawberry cupcakes and decorate them - so here are her creations! She told us all that she did not want Mommy and Daddy walking her into school because she's a big girl now! lol

Here is her picture from her Second day of school - they were with us - which I will explain later - so we got to see her off and she was excited! Yesterday (Friday) her teacher sent a progress report and said she puts letters together to form words in her journal, which is advanced for kindergarten she says! We have a budding scholar here!

FIRE - Before I go any further - I do want to let you all know that Justin & Krista had a fire in their apt. on Tuesday. Luckily, Charlee was at school, Justin at work, and Krista and Bailey were at the library. Apparently it was something wrong with the hot water heater. They have smoke damage, water damage, not sure exactly right now what else - the complex cleaned the carpet, they also replaced the hot water heater - but giving them a very hard time in other ways. They have stayed with us all this week and went home today as they said it was ready - I think they were tired of being here! haha I don't blame them! We only have a 2 bedroom townhouse, so we were all spread out on the bed, air mattress, couch, wherever!

These kids just cannot catch a break and are really struggling, but their faith is keeping them strong. They know God's faithfulness and know that He will provide. Their faith grows stronger, so of course other forces are trying to pull them in another direction. I am so proud of them - they are very involved with the Youth ministry at our church and very well loved and blessing many kids with their love for God and their life experiences.

Of course I could not post without putting pictures of our Little LadyBug - Bailey! Boy - what a redhead she is! Quite a little joy and so funny - but STUBBORN - Lordy - and definitely has the redhead temper! lol She definitely keeps everyone on their toes!

She loves when Pap gives her horsey rides: (she calls him "Hap")

And Charlee makes a good horsey too!

Justin and Krista read to her all the time and she takes a book to bed with her every night! They are good Mommy and Daddy!

And what a blessing these little ones are! We always look forward to spending time with them! We took them to Sarasota Jungle Gardens not long ago and took a picture with them!

So that's the latest update from here!! Hope all is well with everyone reading this! I will try to be more diligent with the updates!

With Love!
Cheryl

What are we up to these days?

2010-05-29T15:02:00.000-04:00

So - I feel like I haven't posted in forever and I do apologize - it has just been very crazy busy and I guess I have let FaceBook take over my logging of events!

Not too much new going on - The girls are getting BIG!!!! Hard to believe this fall Charlee will be in Kindergarten!!

She is definitely a Girly Girl and such a great big sister to Bailey!!!

We definitely love the time we get to spend with them! They are growing up so darn fast! Bailey is already a little chatterbox and definitely lives up to the reputation of a redhead with a little temper for sure - but it rarely comes out, which is good - well sorta! But oh my, that head of red curls!! She so reminds me of Dawn when she was a baby!! So glad she carries on the Phillips legacy! But of course, she couldn't go wrong with such a beautiful Mom and Dad!!

She is also a phone diva! She loves to "chat" on the phone and once she gets a hold of the phone - it's hers!! lol

Last week Dave, myself, Heather and Alan embarked on a cruise! We were so excited to spend a week on the Carnival Dream to Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya! The Dream is a new ship and it is HUGE and beautiful!

On the way to the port we pulled over the side of the road and we got to watch the final launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis! It was so awesome! You could hear it too - we can usually see the launches from a very far distance where we live, but this is only like about 6 miles from the launch pad - so it was awesome to experience the sound!

While we were in Roatan, we got to go Ziplining through the jungle! OMG - it was so cool and I can't wait to do it again!

Heather and Alan showing off ziplining together! Heather was always zipping upside down!! Dave was too!

We did enjoy a few drinks at Paradise Beach in Cozumel, FL!!

I have a ton of pictures from this cruise - check out the link to the right - or just click here: Our Cruise - 2010

I hope all is well with everyone! We continue to stay busy - working, babysitting, doing things with the kids, Heather and I scrapbooking when we can, I still love to do stamping and cardmaking, and love being involved with our church! We will be heading to Daytona in July for the NASCAR race, as we do every year - always look forward to that! Sure would like to make a trip "home" soon! Definitely miss everyone back home!

Until next time - Hugs to you all!

David & Cheryl

I Lose Track of Time!

2010-02-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

Geez - I can't believe it is the middle of February already and I haven't updated in a while! Where does the time go?!!

Nothing really new going on! All is well with everyone! One exciting thing is Krista has graduated from beauty school and is embarking on her career as a very talented hair dresser! How cool to have a beautician in the family!! She does a great job and I trust her with my hair!!

Charlee & Bailey are growing like little wild flowers!! Charlee is loving going to school and is now doing karate at school! She loves going to church and LOVES JESUS!! I'm so glad Justin & Krista are raising them to love Jesus!! We took them to Chuckee Cheese last week (oy, what a nightmare that place is) and Charlee had such a good time!! She LOVES Chuckee Cheese and is already planning her next birthday there!

Bailey didn't care at all about all the Chuckee Cheese stuff - she enjoyed sitting with Mimi and eating pizza and drinking Hawaiian punch!!

Well, as I said, nothing else is going on!! Just wanted to say Hello and give a little update!!

Love,
Cheryl

It was a Fantabulous Christmas!

2009-12-28T20:35:00.007-05:00

So, how was your Christmas?? Ours was super! It was such a blessing to be all together and enjoying each other's company and sharing the holiday spirit!

The Christmas season started with Charlee in the church kid's program - she was a beautiful Angel!!
It was a very special evening!!

I FINALLY MADE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE!!! My very first one ever! I made from scratch - cut out my own house pieces and everything! I'm pretty proud of it! can't wait to make another one next year! Don't laugh!! It's my first time!
Christmas Eve, myself, Heather, Justin & Krista and the girls attended Christmas Eve service at our church - Church of Hope in Sarasota! It was a beautiful service! This picture is in front of one of the HUGE lit trees in the sanctuary!
And this picture - it is the first time in many, many years that Heather & Justin attended a christmas eve service together - what a special night!Now, of course when we got home from church, Mrs. Santa had come to visit - she left 1 present for everyone - which of course was new PJs!And the girls relaxed in their new PJs and colored together on the floor - is this too cute or what - Bailey only 14 months old and she like to sit and color with her big Sister!! Charlee is such a good Big Sister!Bailey was cuddlin with the "Abominable" from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer! Isn't she just too cute for words?!!Christmas morning and the Tree is ready!Here are a few fun Christmas morning pictures!

And after all is said and done - Krista takes a nap - which she can never resist on my couch! lol
We went to Heather & Alan's for dinner and just relaxed - there was no stress - it was a totally Blessed Day!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is On It's Way!

2009-12-12T20:59:00.003-05:00

Wow, can you believe it is December/Christmas time already? How fast the year has flown! I love this time of year! We started the month of December off with 2 Birthdays - Dave's (12/5) and Charlee (12/7)! We went out to dinner at Mi Pueblo's to kinda celebrate their birthdays - it was fun!! Charlee turned 5 years old! Wow - how time flies! She was so excited to get a new bike - she had totally outgrown her old one! Her Hannah Montana birthday party is tomorrow - and Momma and Daddy got her a bounce house for her and all her friends to have fun in!! It should be a good time!

This is a very crafty season for me - lots of projects to work on and I'm finishing up my Christmas cards to get sent out! I'm even in the process of making a Gingerbread House - from scratch! I've always wanted to do that! I should have it done by Wednesday - I'll post a picture here after I finish it!

Of course, the best part of Christmas is the little ones! We were so thrilled last night to attend a Dinner/Show at church with the show being the Children's Christmas show - which Charlee was part of!She said that she was "the most beautifulist Angel!" And Yes she was! She was part of the nativity scene and they were singing Happy Birthday Jesus!
That's all I have for right now. Here's one last picture of Bailey at the church dinner totally enjoying her dinner roll! This little one loves to eat!

Well, don't know why this is underlining and can't figure out how to turn it off. I'm going to sign off for now! I will do updates as we do our Christmas thing in the upcoming 12 days!!

Thinking of you all this Holiday Season!

With Love!
Cheryl

Thanksgiving 09!

2009-11-28T17:51:00.008-05:00

Hello Everyone! So sorry I have been neglecting my blog! I am so much into FaceBook these days that I forget about the blog! It's just the same old, same old here!! Everyone is doing the same! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We were all here together and the food was all good! We are so blessed!

Charlee spent the night with us the night before and she helped me make Apple Pie!! She's a great pie crust pincher! Special Times! Here's a video of her helpin me!!

It is so fun being Mimi (grandma!)! I am totally enjoying passing traditions on like this to Charlee! Loves when she comes to our place and her and I bake and do stuff like that! How precious she is! She is in our church Christmas show - she's an Angel and she is singing with the little choir - Happy Birthday Jesus! And she sings it to practice while at our house! We are so blessed!

I can't tell you how blessed I feel having everyone here and around the table giving Thanks on Thanksgiving! Bailey was totally into it! This little one loves to eat!! She loved anything we gave here! So glad she is not a picky eater!Hello From Heather & Alan!!! They didn't each as much as usual - they cooked their turkey and stuff in the morning and actually ate a few hours before they came to our place - brats! lol They had a good time!
It was a great day!! Heather & Alan and Justin & Krista made their own turkeys and stuffing, so we got to keep all the left overs this year! We'll be eatin turkey for a week for sure! lol

The weekend before Thanksgiving we all met up at Venice Beach and did some family pictures with a photography friend of mine! We had such a good time - here are a few pictures:

Of course we had to incorporate a little Christmas into our shoot:

The guys got into it too - with no moanin and groanin! It was so super duper fun - as Charlee would say - everything is Super Duper now! lol

What an absolutely fun day we had!!! There are a ton more pictures! If you'd like to see more, you can go to my Web Album - just click here:

LETNER FAMILY BEACH PORTRAITS!

Well, I'm wishin I was home right now. Miss seeing family. Tonight is also my 30th Class Reunion - yes, I said 30th!! Hard to believe. Sure would have like to have attended, but the cost to travel on a holiday weekend was just too much!

I'll try to do better with my updates! Dave's 50th birthday is next weekend - I'll make sure I post pictures from our little gathering at Heather and Alan's!

Love you all!!

Little Angel Updates - Bailey's First Birthday!

2009-10-19T16:18:00.006-04:00

wow - time sure does fly! I didn't realize it has been almost a month since I posted. Things have been a little crazy - I was laid off - again - but quickly moved into a new position where I finally feel very secure - Praise God! Plus, I have been working with my Stampin' Up business, making cards, working on scrapbooks, etc.

In the midst of craziness, we have two little blessings whom we adore! Charlee and Bailey!! Charlee is growing and beautiful and so smart! She is in VPK where they also do performing arts such as dance, singing, theater - and she loves it! This picture was taken at the Myakka State Park where we took her for just some nature time!

And if you can see a pattern here, she loves helping Mimi in the kitchen!!

And she loves to do crafts! We are always doing something when she comes to visit! Here she is making a birthday card for Bailey! It's just amazing how quick they grow! She has such an expanded vocabulary and remembers EVERYTHING and even more special - she has Jesus in her heart! Loves to sing songs she learns at church and talks about Jesus quite often and says she loves him! How precious!

And Bailey - geez - where does the time go?!! Hard to believe she is a year old already! And she is a hoot - we learned at dinner at our place last week that she loves chicken drumsticks! She had this drumstick and carried it around and gnawed on it now and then! she was funny!

And so, our Lil' Lady Bug is 1 Year Old!

Like her sister, she is so beautiful!! And what a personality! She is such a redhead ! lol

It was a fun day for her party - although Bailey was a little under the weather, but she had fun opening presents with Momma!

And her most favorite present was a "drum" from Daddy - oh yea, Daddy is proud!

And what would a 1-year-old birthday be with getting her very own Blackberry! hahaha - she's texting already (with Grandpa Matt's Blackberry!).
She wasn't too much into the cake thing - but we all sang Happy Birthday and Big Sister Charlee helped her blow out the candle!
And she definitely was not into the smash cake - Aunt Riley smashed her hand in it and she was not happy! Momma gave her a lollipop and she licked it with icing.

Hope you enjoyed the update! We are so blessed!

Love you all!

Cheryl Ann

They're getting Bigger!

2009-09-19T21:09:00.003-04:00

I love all the time we get to spend with Charlee and Bailey! What a treat it is on Saturdays to babysit and watch them grow! Last weekend they spent the day at our house and me and Charlee made some Rice Krispie treats:She loves to help in the kitchen and I always try to make something with her when she comes over!

Bailey is growin like a weed! Hard to believe she will be a year old in about 3 weeks! And she will be full blown walkin by then! She is already taking steps! I shot this video today - hope you enjoy!

Nothing much else is going on. The weather is typical for this time of year, although we are very glad we did not get any bad hurricane-type weather.

That's it for now!! Hope all is well with everyone!

Love!
Cheryl

September is Here!!!

2009-09-06T21:34:00.006-04:00

See you, in September; See you, when the summer's through..... How many of you remember that song?? It was always my favorite!! Especially since my birthday is in September!! In fact - it was TODAY!!!

It was a fun day! Heather made some of the cutest decorations and her & Alan, Justin & Krista and the girls were here, as well as my friend Elizabeth and her kids, and Libby & Marcia and Bella! it was a great day! We got to enjoy some pool time and we Dave grilled some awesome ribs!! I am so truly blessed!Yes, that's Heather picking her nose!! (being silly of course! lol)

So - Dave has become a Farmer!!! He got one of those Topsy Turvy things and planted some tomatoes!And Charlee got to pick the first 2!!!!

and by the end of the day, poor little Bailey was POOPED!! She fell asleep with Aunt Heather holding and rocking her!! Poor little thing is teething.
I didn't get to post last week, so here's a picture from last week, Dave and I babysitting the girls on Saturday - well, Charlee was playing with a hot wheel at the playground so we got her a few Hot Wheel cars to play with - she is such the girlie girl, but loves playing with these cars!We got to spend some time at the pool with them last week also - so I'll end this post with our 2 little mermaids!!! We are so blessed and we just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being grandparents!!!

Long Overdue Update!

2009-08-21T08:11:00.005-04:00

Time goes by so fast and I just have not had the time to blog lately! Nothing out of the ordinary going on. I did realize I haven't taken many pictures, so will make it a point to get a few pictures of everyone and more pictures of Charlee and Bailey to share!

Bailey is growing fast!! She has 1 tooth and looks like another one coming in, she is clapping "YAY" and standing on her own - not quite taking a step yet, though!

We did get a little video of her last week:

Charlee is quite the little lady! She is definitely a girlie girl!! When we are at their house she loves dress up and she still loves playing with her doll house at our house.

She starts school next week - Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, which is a free preschool provided by the state of Florida to give kids a head start to school! She is very excited as Justin & Krista got her into a "magnate" VPK where she will also learn performing arts - dancing, music, etc. She is very excited as she wants to do ballet - in fact at the orientation session she got to do a dance class and was DEVASTATED that they did not do ballet! She had her first sleepover last weekend with her friend, Hayley - they had so much fun and she was so excited!! She is growing too fast and she is such a sweet soul and we just love her to pieces!

Some very exciting news - Justin & Krista were water baptized this past Wednesday!!! We all attend together church at the Church of Hope in Sarasota - right across the road from Justin & Krista's complex - and the Lord truly has come into their hearts and they shared it with the world on Wednesday. I was so filled with Joy!!! The picture below is the pastor's wife blessing them and telling them what awesome parents they are bringing their little ones to church to get to know God!

You can see their videos of their baptism on my YouTube site - http://www.youtube.com/CherylAnnStamps

Krista is very close to graduating school - YAY!!! I believe she'll be done the end of September/beginning of October. She does very well and I know she will do very well when she starts her career!

Nothing new with Heather & Alan - Alan is laid off right now, but we have faith that a good job will cross his path soon. They spend a lot of time together at the beach and at the state park - I need to get pictures - shame on me, bad Mom!!

One thing I got to do - I got to go to Salt Lake City, Utah for a stamping convention - it was SO - MUCH - FUN! I have to tell you - this is definitely God's country! I got to see the Grand Canyon as I flew into SLC:

And every street I walked down in SLC, I could see the mountains - it was absolutely breathtaking!

And a very exciting memory for me was to meet the inspiration and co-owner of Stampin' Up - Shelli Gardner - what a very sweet woman and quite an inspiration as she shared many creative ideas for stamping/cardmaking and Scrapboking!

Well, that's it for now - I will try to do better bloggin and sharin pictures!

Love you all!!

ADOPTION DAY!!

2009-07-10T20:49:00.004-04:00

From now until Forever, Justin is now officially Charlee's Daddy!!! Today we all sat in the courtroom as the judge pronounced Justin as Charlee's Daddy in every way!

It was a very nice judge and he told Justin what a good thing it is that he is doing. I can't tell you the pride David and I felt watching the man he has become - he is a good young man overall, works hard and loves his wife and baby girls - you couldnt' ask for more!

After the ceremony, Charlee wanted to go to Friendly's so, that is where we went! It has been so long since I've been to Friendly's - last time was in Sewickley on Ohio River Blvd!!

The judge told Charlee that he could order her Daddy to do anything and he ordered that her Daddy take her to Friendly's today and then once a week after! lol - Charlee would love that!
And of course, we could not forget Bailey!! Can you believe this? She is crawlin and pulling her self up and she tries to walk on her tippy toes!! She also already has a little tooth!

So, what a Blessed Day! We have been waiting a long time for it to be official - Charlee Marie Letner! We have been truly blessed in many ways.

Our Little Entrepreneur!!!

2009-06-28T08:37:00.004-04:00

The complex where Justin & Krista lives had a "yard sale" around the lake! Krista and I put a few things out - sold one or two things - but Charlee was the success of the day!!! Like all of us have done at one time or another as a child - she had her own little Lemonade Stand!
She was quite the Salesgirl!!! As soon as she saw someone coming our way she was pouring a cup and would take it to them and say "twenty-five cents, please!" And how could they resist?

And NO ONE got a free cup of lemonade - Not Daddy.....
Not even Pap!!
She'd get the quarter from her customers and right into her Pink Money Pouch it went.

At the end of the day - she made $12.50 - at 25 cents a cup she sold the equivolant of 50 cups! lol she was just too precious for words. Talk about the innocence of a child! No fear in asking for something and because they are so darn cute, they get it!

Although Krista and I ended up taking most of our stuff back home, Charlee was a big success and had plans to use her quarters at Chuck E. Cheese - well deserved!!!!

Do you remember YOUR lemonade stand? I remember many!

Our Little Fairies!

2009-06-17T05:16:00.004-04:00

Oh my gosh are we loving being Grandparents! We absolutely love every minute we get to spend with Charlee and Bailey!! Now, I'm not biased, (wink wink!) but aren't they the most beautiful Granddaughters you have ever seen? hehe They recently had Fairy pictures taken at the mall - and they are totally priceless - sure makes you believe in Fairies, doesn't it!!

Look at those eyes - she is so beautiful!!

Bailey is growing fast - she's 8 months old already!!

Not much else to post at this time. Summer is here and we are enjoying beach time whenever we can. I enjoy going to the pool after a long day working and getting some scrapbooking and stamping done when I can!

Hope all is well with friends and family - love you all!

CherylAnn

Mom's Birthday

2009-05-25T22:22:00.005-04:00

Well, tomorrow is my Mom's birthday - she would be 66 years old. Ya know, I actually thought it was today - her and my brother's birthdays are a day apart - one the 25th, one the 26 - God knows, I don't think I ever got it right. Regardless, she has been on my mind all day and of course the tears were flowing missing her, wishing I could have been calling her at 8 a.m. to wish her Happy Birthday. It will be 5 years in October she's been gone and not a day goes by that I don't think about her and talk to her.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you and I miss you...

Not much else going on here. So glad we are in the summer months and can spend time at the beach or the pool. On the other hand, we are also getting into rainy season, so it's hit or miss if we have rain or sunshine - then of course, Hurricane Season starts on June 1! Fun, fun, fun.

Bailey is getting big! She is starting to scoot around and is just as pleasant as can be. And she continues to look more and more like Justin! lol - Krista said the other day - "I was just the incubator!" Speaking of Krista - she's doing very well in cosmetology school - just a few more months and she'll graduate! It sure is nice having a talented hairdresser for a daughter-in-law! I just love her!

Charlee just gets more smarter and more beautiful! I'm so excited that Justin and Krista got her signed up for VPK, which is a pre-kindergarten school! Hard to believe she will be 5 in December and kindergarten next year. These two little ones are the joy in our lives for sure!

(Mimi went to Rainforest Cafe while I was in Boston and got Charlee this little frog!)

Heather and Alan are doing good. They are enjoying their first Spring/Summer in Florida! I know they try to go to the beach as much as they can or come by our place and go to the pool. I can't tell you how happy I am they are here.

So, that's it for now. I'll try to post a little more - I'm sure I'll have some great pictures next week as Charlee and Bailey are both going to spend the weekend with us and give Justin and Krista a break! I can't wait!

Love,

CherylAnn

A Fabulous Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T20:55:00.005-04:00

This is going to be short and sweet! I have had a long week in Boston and then babysitting yesterday and Charlee spent the night - then today Mother's Day!

I was treated to a wonderful day, starting with Dave making me an absolutely delicious omelette breakfast!! Charlee and I hung out in our PJs and watched the Disney movie Bolt - which is a great movie if you haven't seen it - it is soooo cute! Then the "kids" all came over and we spent a few hours at the pool and came home to a fabulous Turkey dinner which Dave cooked! I really can't say anymore about it - it was FABULOUS!!

Here is a picture Dave took of me and all my "Kids!!"

Oh - almost forgot - I just had to add this picture - This to me is what it's about - especially as a Mimi"!!

A Very Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T20:11:00.006-04:00

What a Glorious Day!! I have to tell you, I was so excited about Easter! We have so much fun being the Easter Bunny, as you will see in the pictures! Again, first time having Easter with Heather and Alan in 7 years, which was awesome!

Yesterday, Heather, Me and Charlee died Easter Eggs! It was a lot of fun!

Bailey was a little bummed because she wanted to dye eggs too!!

Easter Day! Heather and Alan arrive dressed like the Easter Bunny! Welcome to a Florida Easter!

The Easter Bunny even came to Aunt Heather's and Uncle Alan's too - and they brought it to Mimi and Pap's!

Pap - what is that on your head?

Look what the Easter Bunny left for Mimi!!

Then, Charlee had a blast hunting the eggs outside - she is like a pro Easter Egg Hunter!

Heather and Alan digging into their Easter Basket - Heather had to hit the Peeps first!

Krista checking out her's and Justin's Easter Basket - yes, the "kids" still get Easter Baskets - have to carry on my Mom's tradition - they're never too old!

Everyone was Happy!
From Heather and Alan and all of us - HAPPY EASTER FROM FLORIDA!!!

A Great Saturday!

2009-03-08T22:13:00.005-04:00

I love Saturdays! Our day starts with babysitting Bailey and Charlee and we totally look forward to it every week!

Today was a Great Saturday! Bailey is growing fast and today was an extra fun day with her - Here's a short video I got of her this morning:

I got video of Charlee also, but having trouble converting it to files usable and it takes so long - I need to find a better converter program - I will add them later! It was so precious - She was flitting/dancing around like a little Dancing Princess!!

As you can imagine - after babysitting, Pap is WORN OUT!! lol - Charlee sure keeps him going!

Today, Sunday, Dave and I, Heather and Alan headed to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL. It a great festival and I always look forward to the Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake and that was our first stop - as you can see:MMMMMMMMMMMM So, Good!!!

The weather is getting warmer and soon we will be heading to the beach or the pool! So glad the cold weather has past! Looking forward to a fun summer!

Bubble Wrap!

2009-03-01T21:31:00.006-05:00

We always look forward to Charlee coming over for a sleepover - and we got to have one this weekend!! After we brought her here, she found a sheet of bubble wrap I had - and you'd have thought we had given her the moon!!
She'd sit and pop them, then lay it out and run back and forth just popping them and laugh! Well - I already know what to get her for Christmas - hahaha!

It was so fun to watch - and even more fun to do it with her! It's fun to act like a kid now and then - that's why we love having her come over - we get to be kids again!

When we have a sleep over, Dave (Pap) blows up the big air mattress and Charlee just thinks it is so cool - we have pizza, watch TV and just play - last night she had Dave playing with her Cinderella doll - and he totally gets into it! lol

Before she came over for our sleep over, we watched Charlee and Bailey at their house, as we do every Saturday. Charlee is always such a big helper and was helping me by brushing Bailey's hair - she is such a good Big Sister - Bailey couldn't be any luckier!!
Bailey is starting to really reach for things and hold things now. She was holding onto her butterfly teether type toy for the longest time and would of course put it right in her mouth! lol
I still cannot get over how much she looks like Justin! I'm going to have to scan some pictures and put them up here - it's so neat to compare the similarities! She's such a pleasant baby too and is starting to "talk" back and smile! and a BIG milestone - she is starting to roll over! Justin and Krista noticed that she rolled from her back to her belly the other day, but didn't "see" her do it. I did see her do it yesterday - she got over and has not yet figured out to pull her arm out from under her! I did get a picture, though, as she started to roll over!
Gosh, I am just loving being a Grandma - can you tell?

We had a great day today. Heather and Alan, and Justin and Krista, all came over for dinner today! I always love when we can all get together and enjoy an afternoon together and have dinner and just hang out! Heather and Alan got here first and her and I got to make a few cards before we had to clean up the table for dinner. Usually when they are all together Justin and Alan end up on the lanai playing guitar and singing - nothing different today! I love listening to them.

So now the house is nice and quiet - it was a good, busy weekend.

We are so, so blessed.

Love,
CherylAnn

Grandbaby Update!

2009-02-21T19:22:00.003-05:00

I just love Saturdays!! We get to babysit Charlee and Bailey while Justin is working and Krista is at school!! When Dave isn't on call he comes with me - we love spending the day with them! Bailey is growing perfectly and Charlee is becoming such the little Princess!Bailey is starting to make noises and reach for and grabbing things and just smiles from ear to ear!! She had a doctor's appointment this week and she is doing very well, right where she's supposed to be! and Charlee is just too darn smart for her age, I swear! It was so funny, for Valentines Day she told Justin she wanted watermelon, an apple, ice cream and chocolate milk! And he got it all, even the watermelon! We always get Dunkin Donuts when we go babysit - Charlee loves to eat the top part and leave the rest of the donut! She's so funny!

We are just loving being Grandparents and so glad we get to spend so much time with them as we do - we love every minute!! Can hardly wait for next weekend when Charlee spends the weekend with us - she loves having a sleepover!

Nothing much else is going on these days. Heather and Alan are doing well, Alan is back to work, and things are getting on track for them!

It's been kinda chilly here in the Sunshine state lately, especially in the mornings, even have had frost on the ground, go figure! But by the afternoon it warms up. I am looking forward to the warm weather and spending more time at the pool or the beach this year since I don't have to work weekends anymore - YAY!

Not much more to write about tonight! Just wanted to update with a few Grandbaby pictures!!

Love,

Cheryl

Remembering Uncle Eddie

2009-02-21T18:37:00.003-05:00

It's been a couple weeks since I blogged. The year has not started out very well. On February 2nd I lost my hero, my Uncle Eddie. He had been not well for a while and lost the battle. I can't tell you how deep of a hole this has made in my heart. He was more of a Dad to me than an Uncle and was always, since I was a little girl, my hero. Whenever someone would tell me I looked like my Mom or Grandma, I'd say, "No way, I look like my Uncle Eddie!!" When I joined the Army, I wanted to go Airborne just like him and get an Airborne tattoo - just like him.

He touched so many people in his life and had so many friends, who I am sure can tell lots of stories of good times with Uncle Eddie. You see, with him there was NEVER dull moment. Whether it be at home aggravating Grandpap, at the bar (his bar - Fat Eddies), at his camp huntin, or at the Legion - he always made someone laugh, and was very well respected wherever he went!

We will all miss you, Uncle Eddie. STS

GO STEELERS!

2009-01-13T23:01:00.005-05:00

Even though we live in Florida - we still LOVE THE STEELERS!! We all got together on Sunday to watch the Steelers trample the Chargers!

Krista had a great time too - she got to practice - Heather and Alan both wanted their hair cut and both were very happy!! Krista is very good at what she has chosen to do and I'm sure she is going to do very well once she is out of school!

But the best part of the day - besides the STEELERS WINNING - was spending the afternoon with the Grandbabies!!! Charlee is getting so big and she is so darn smart and such a joy to just play with! She has such an imagination and can make up something with anything she picks up! And she LOVES to hang out with Uncle Alan!!

Bailey is growing so much already - hard to believe she's 3 months old now!! She is smiling and "talkin" to us and ALMOST rolled over! Geez - before we know it she'll be just chatterin away and starting to walk, then school, then college - oh geez - it all happens too fast!

And how can you resist this little angel? Don'tcha just want to squeeze those little cheeks??

So happy to have everyone together - for whatever reason!! Can't wait for this Sunday - we'll probably all get together again, maybe at Heather and Alan's house - for the next playoff game - and then plan a SuperBowl Party -'cause we all know the STEELERS ARE GOIN TO THE SUPERBOWL!!

I've been busy getting back in a work groove - thank God I'm working. I'm taking more time also to work on my scrapbooking and stamping - you can always check out what I'm doing at my stampin blog - http://stampingfunn.blogspot.com .

It's getting a little cold down here - expected to go down into the low 60s during the day and in the 30s at night by this weekend - can you imagine? Geesh - break out the electric blankets! hahaha

Stay warm - wherever you are!!

Love,
CherylAnn

Online Albums

2008-12-29T20:00:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to remind you that over to the right are links to online albums - I just added Christmas 08!

Love,
Cheryl

A Wonderful Christmas!

2008-12-29T19:32:00.007-05:00

Well, despite the crazy economy, it turned out to be a very nice Christmas! This is the first Christmas in about 7 years that we had both Justin and Heather together!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve - it was all about the kids! Charlee is just at the age where she totally was excited about Santa Clause!! It was so cute - we had her looking up in the sky for Santa and Rudolph!! She was so excited to come in the house and find that Santa had snuck into Mimi and Pap's house!

She just kept saying "This is the Best Christmas Ever!" lol Nothing like being with little ones on Christmas to make you believe the magic again!

And of course, this was Bailey's first Christmas!! Doesn't she look like a little CandyCane Elf?

It was such a nice Christmas Eve! By the end of the night - Bailey was pooped and comfortable in Pap's arms!!

Like Father - Like Son!

Christmas morning we woke up and had Heather and Alan over for Breakfast and then headed over their house for a wonderful Christmas Dinner and enjoyed a few movies and played Guitar Hero. At the end of the day - even Heather was pooped - lol!

That's what it is all about - being with the ones you love. So, it was the most Wonderful Christmas as we were together with the ones we love!!!

Definitely the Holiday Season!

2008-12-15T13:40:00.006-05:00

Geez Louise - where does the time go?!! Hard to believe Christmas is just 10 days away - and I haven't even STARTED shopping!! At least Christmas cards are done and I have started to bake cookies, but soooo much to do!! What an awesome Christmas it is going to be with Heather and Alan here and the our new little addition, Bailey!!

We got to spend last weekend with Justin, Krista, Charlee and Bailey as we headed up to Disney for Charlee's Birthday! It was Dave's birthday too that weekend - DisneyWorld gave them special Birthday Pins!

All didn't go as planned, but it ended up being a day just full of wonderful memories!! We took Charlee to the night parade at Disney and for Cinderella's Castle fireworks!!

(Dave's back was KILLING him by the end of the night! lol - the joy of being "Pap")

The fireworks were so BEAUTIFUL!! Of course all set to Jiminy Cricket talking and Tinkerbell flying through the air (which Charlee later told me "it's a girl dressed up like Tingerbell, Mimi, and she was zipping on a rope!" She is so smart -nothing fools her!).

If you have never experienced this, take a few minutes (about 10 minutes) to watch the video I took with my camera! It was amazing - and to see Charlee's face and watch her lips move saying "WOW" was worth the world!! Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0z3R5TZqrA

Of course, Bailey was excited too!! She is smiling a lot lately and starting to make those adoreable cooing sounds as she tries to talk!!

So, now the Holiday preparation begins! I'll be doing some baking tonight - I have so much baking to do - but it's what I love to do for the holidays!! We have a Christmas party tomorrow and I want to take a tray of cookies - hmmm - maybe some baklava, some snowflake cookies, butterballs and chocolate crinkles!! I'd do some lady locks, but a little too time consuming right now - Heather will have to help me with those!

Heather and Alan are adapting so well to Florida life!! Heather started her job at the bank and it is so her!! She is definitely well suited as a banker! Alan has some extremely promising job leads and I'll bet he'll be working by Wednesday. He has been pounding the pavement and it is starting to pay off. They have made some great friends and I'm so glad! They decorated their house real nice for the holidays. We went to the beach yesterday and they took a few pictures:

And Heather and I took one too:

Be sure to check out the Online Photo Albums link to your right on this page - I have updated/added November and December albums!

So - have I bored you enough??!! Gotta get moving and get some stuff done! I'll update more later this week!

Love,

CherylAnn

Giving Thanks!

2008-12-03T17:17:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm a bit behind, I know. I have been very busy working, trying to get my rhythm back just transcribing instead of working in management in my industry, PLUS my laptop died on me, so I don't spend as much time blogging as I used to.

We had such a great Thanksgiving. Heather and Alan came to our house and Justin and Krista hosted her family at their house - it was their first time cooking Thanksgiving and they said it all went so well! We are so proud of them! Our dinner was sooo good! This was the first Thanksgiving we have had with Heather and Alan in about 7 years! It was great! We were all so full, we could hardly eat dessert! We were going to play Wii and we were so stuffed we ended up just watchin a movie afterwards! lol Gettin old!

And of course - even Prissi enjoyed her Thanksgiving Dinner!

Justin and Krista stopped over the day after and we got to enjoy some time with them. Bailey is growing so quickly!! She's smiling now and I just love any opportunity to hold her and talk to her.

Good Lord - she looks like Justin when he was a baby!

And Charlee is sooo smart and it is just amazing how she has grown. We love having her come over and spend the night!! She was showing us how she makes a heart with her fingers and saying "I Love You, Mimi and Pap!" She is such a good big sister too! She always wants to hold Bailey and give her lovin and she talks to her! They are going to be close!

Charlee spent the night with us on Saturday and we got to go to the Venice Christmas Parade! It was a loooonnnng parade - you can see below that Charlee and Aunt Heather made the best of it being silly! She collected lots of candy and beads that was thrown at the parade!

Here's one of the floats in the parade -I love the movie "The Polar Express!"

It's hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner! So much to do, so little time -isn't that the way it always is? It's going to be a very nice Christmas, though, with Heather and Alan here - the whole family together!! I succeeded in getting my decorations up and my tree up and decorated it today - Heather and Justin both gettin on me cause they both got their's up first - hahaha!!

Love,

CherylAnn

I'll try to update more as we go through this holiday time!

WE HAVE A GATOR!!

2008-11-11T09:44:00.004-05:00

After almost 3 years here in Venice and looking for a gator in one of our 4 ponds in our complex, we now have not 1, but 2 baby gators in the pond right in front of our lanai - I have only seen 1, but Dave says there are 2.

Now - for the big question - WHERE'S THE MOMMA? LOL

Thought you'd all enjoy that!

Love,

Cheryl

Just Another Update!

2008-11-11T09:28:00.006-05:00

Nothing much going on here - a little chill in the air here in FL - but our chill here is better than the chill to the bone back home in PA! hahaha!

Everyone is doing good! Heather and Alan adjusting to their new home - Heather just got a job at a local bank - she'll make a good banker! Her and I went to a craft show this past weekend - it was fun! We went to a place called the Shell Factory and I took this picture of Heather - it was fun! We laughed our butts off over a deformed starfish and ended up buying 2 of them to make ornaments out of! It was a funn day!

Can't go to a craftshow without having a corndog!! Heather had a deep fried Snickers - God, was that good!

Justin, Krista, Charlee and little Bailey are doing good! Bailey had a doctor's appointment yesterday and she is developing normally! She's so beautiful! She is so alert and follows Justin and Krista with her eyes and is starting to smile - no, it's not a poop smile, actually a smile! lol And Charlee is such a good Big Sister - afterall, she's going to be 4 in a couple weeks!

Here's a few pictures from Halloween:

Bailey is all ready for her first Halloween!

ZombieDaddy and SpiderCharlee!

(Yes, even I dressed up!)

Well - Dave has a new favorite position on his chair - check it out:

I am starting a new job today - not where I want to be or what I want to be doing, but it's a job.

Life is a Blessing!

Love,

Cheryl

Look What I Found in the Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-29T08:14:00.004-04:00

Justin & Krista took the girls to a local pumpkin patch - they had a blast and we got this precious picture of Charlee & Bailey!! You gotta love it!

This Saturday we had a cookout at Heather & Alan's! It was a good time, family all together, BBQ, (Libby, Dave, Justin & Alan cookin up some chicken and ribs! - does it really take 5 men to BBQ?!! hahaha)Football (well, Bailey dressed for her Team - Go Steelers!)
and Guitar Hero! Rock It, Heather!

It was a Great Day!

Love,
CherylAnn

A Bad Day Made Better

2008-10-22T22:38:00.003-04:00

This has not been the best week. On Monday I was laid off from my job - 2nd time now in 5 months. I was devastated, to say the least. This economy sucks, but moreso I blame that the companies that send work offshore are making our economy worse. So today, after spending time looking for a job, sending resumes, etc., we get a visit from Justin, Krista, Charlee and Little Bailey! Justin and Krista left Bailey with us while they went to get Charlee her Halloween costume - for me, it was just what the doctor ordered - how can you not feel better after this:

Justin and Krista came home - with Spiderman!

Oh wait - that's not Spiderman.......It's Charlee!!

What a wonderful way to end the day!

Love,

Cheryl

A Good Day Off!

2008-10-19T19:36:00.006-04:00

My work schedule is Tuesday through Saturday - 3-11 - and I'll tell you, by 11 o'clock on Saturday night, I am totally ready for my days off! Got to sleep in this morning - that felt good. Had a little scare with Prissi Friday night - she has a collapsing trachea - something many small breed dogs have, especially Yorkies, and Friday night it collapsed and it wasn't opening back up. Scared us half to death. We stayed up all night with her, soothing her, trying to keep her calm, and then by the Grace of God we made it through the night and got her to the Vet - he gave her a shot of pain medication to settle her down and started her on antibiotic and prednisone. She was fine after that, although we have to keep her calm and out of the heat.

Here's our little Prissi Girl - she is so spoiled!

So after Dave made delicious omelettes for breakfast, we got ready and headed to Justin & Krista's to visit with them and the baby for a bit. Krista's Nanny was there - it is always nice to see her - hoping to go visit her in Daytona sometime soon! Little Bailey was awake! YAY!! She has been asleep everytime I have gone over! She is so alert and her eyes are already focusing - so pretty and blue!

I got to feed her today - she is so precious! Dave held her for a bit and she was making faces and grunting and before ya knew it, it was diaper changin time!

Krista's Nanny came down to visit from Daytona. She was totally lovin on Bailey!

Charlee and Bailey are 2 blessed little angels - they have a wonderful Mommy and Daddy and so many of us who just love them to pieces!!

All in all it was a good Day! Heather and Alan stopped over for a bit and I got to spend a little time making some cards and organizing some things for the baby's scrapbook! I have 3 scrapbooks I'm workin on right now - our Cruise Scrapbook, Charlee's Scrapbook, and of course, Bailey's Scrapbook! I'm stayin busy!

All is well in Florida! We are Blessed!

Love,

Cheryl

Too Priceless!

2008-10-13T19:38:00.004-04:00

Took Charlee over to see Mommy and Daddy and her new Baby Sister! She got to interact with Bailey and hold her - she was so good with her - giving her kisses and talking to her! Bailey had her eyes open at one point and Charlee was talking to her - it was priceless.

It was a nice afternoon getting to hold Bailey and visit with Justin & Krista. Charlee had fun going bug huntin with her Daddy. I took a picture of Justin with Charlee and Bailey - I've got to print it and frame it!!
Krista is doing well - getting stronger. She is such a good mother - she has quite the instinct!

Be sure to check out my online albums - see the link on the left of this page - I have uploaded all the pictures we have so far and will update that album as we get pictures.

Just had to share my day!

Love,
Cheryl

Bailey Comes Home!

2008-10-12T21:43:00.007-04:00

Seems it was just yesterday we were waiting at the hospital for this Little Angel to be born - and today they brought her home! She is so precious! So quiet and so content - so loved! Krista is doing well after her C-section, very uncomfortable, I'm sure, but looking pretty as ever! They are all bonding so well.

I love this picture of Justin with Little Bailey:

We get to spend some time with Charlee here with us - she's having fun playing with Aunt Heather and Uncle Alan, and sitting on Pap's massage Chair!

She loves her little sister and says she misses her! We took her to see Mommy and Daddy and Baby Sister at home today and she came out of the bedroom and told me "She's out of Momma's tummy, Mimi!" and she gave her a little kiss bye bye when we left. She's calling her Edie - she says cause she has to eat! lol There are other times she tells us her name is Honey! Whatever she thinks, she's going to be a good Big Sister!

The ride home, she was snug as a bug and her bunnies kept her safe!

Now she is home and safe with her Mommy and Daddy!

We are so blessed.

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday - enjoy.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

She's Here!

2008-10-10T23:08:00.002-04:00

This little one was not waiting til Tuesday to make her appearance! Krista woke up this morning with contractions - they headed to the hospital and sure enough, she was in labor. They of course were doing a C-section, and they took her in rather fast, and at 2:03 p.m., Bailey Sterling Letner arrived! Justin was so excited and Krista ecstatic! She has a reddish golden brown hair, blue eyes, and weighed 7 lb 12 oz, 20.3 inches long! She is precious beyond belief! She looks so much like Justin, with some of Krista's features - especially noticeable is her little dimples like Krista's! Charlee was excited, but once at the hospital she didn't know what to make of it all!

Here are some pictures we took today. Justin took some really good pictures and I'll probably snatch a few of those once he uploads them!

We are truly, truly, blessed!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

They're Here!

2008-10-06T09:16:00.005-04:00

After 7 long years of trying and 2 long days of driving - Heather and Alan have arrived in their new home here in FL!! They pulled into their new driveway around 11:30 last night - being tired didn't last long! They love their new home!

Let the Unpacking Begin!
So much excitement!! Next week we will welcome our new Little Darlin (she was our Little PeaPod - but she ain't a PeaPod anymore - she now our Little Darlin!). Krista will have her C-section next Tuesday afternoon!! I cannot wait! Heather is so excited too as she wanted to be here and now she is!

I borrowed this picture from Krista's MySpace - She looks totally ready! Looking at this picture - can you tell it's a girl? !!!! lol !!! Krista said that Charlee took this picture - what a little photographer!!

How blessed we are.

Love,

Cheryl Ann

UPDATES! Baby & Heather&Alan!

2008-09-28T18:42:00.003-04:00

Well, no baby yet, but it won't be long! Krista is doing very well, but she is totally ready to not be pregnant anymore and for their Little PeaPod to make her appearance! The doctor has decided to definitely do a c-section and have set a delivery date of October 14th - that is, if she doesn't go into labor beforehand - when she does go into labor they will take her right in for the c-section! We are all ready! I can't wait to see her face! What color hair will she have - dark hair like her Daddy or blonde like her Mommy and Big Sister? Will her eyes be green like her Mommy's or brown like Daddy's? I cannot wait to hear her little cry and hold her. Such anticipation!!

And in the midst of all this, Heather and Alan will arrive at their new home here in Florida next weekend! Dave will be helping them drive down - I'm totally jealous - I love the drive and wish I was going to - but, I'll be busy here too getting everything ready for them! Heather and I already have craft shows to go to in a couple weeks and plan on some serious stampin and scrapbooking together!

Been staying busy working on some stamping projects and the 2 scrapbooks I'm working on - well, that is, when I have time! Seems like lately I have been so busy. Charlee spent the night last night and we had fun, as we always do when she comes over to stay with Mimi and Pap! She loves the movie Matilda and we watched it like 3 times between yesterday afternoon and this morning! She calls her the Magic Girl - she's magic "with her eyes!" Nothing like Grandchildren to make you see the world in a whole different way!

Well, I will let younse know when the baby makes her appearance!

Love,

CherylAnn

So Much Excitement!!

2008-09-16T10:13:00.007-04:00

I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it! We have so much exciting stuff going on here and I'm sure I'll be having lots of updates in the future as everything happens!

First, an update on Krista and our Little PeaPod!! She is doing so well - poor thing, though, she is very VERY pregnant and so ready for it to be over! She gave us a few scares last week and the week before with PreTerm labor and she was given a couple shots to stop the contractions. This Sunday will be 36 weeks and so we know it will be anytime after that! I cannot wait to see her face and hold her! More than that, to see Justin hold his little girl - I can hardly wait. He's such a good Daddy already - I'm so proud of him.

Krista fixed up the Nursery so cute! Don't you just love all the Pink with the Espresso crib? The color they painted the room a soft yellow - it all looks so......so.....BABY!! And I love the canopy!! They/We are so ready for our Little PeaPod! Won't be long now!

We spent Sunday at Justin's and went to the pool for a little! Charlee is quite the little tadpole now and loves swimming - she's jumping in the pool now - doing cannonballs!! and pretending she is diving!! No fear there anymore! Then of course she gets all silly taking a picture with Pap!!

Can we be more blessed??!!!!

AND NOW FOR SOME MORE EXCITING NEWS - news we have been waiting for for 7 years!!!

HEATHER & ALAN ARE MOVING TO FLORIDA!!!

I can't explain the elation we are feeling! To FINALLY have both our kids near us is, right now, so surreal!!

After coming down for the shower, Alan saw how beneficial a move here would be, both job-wise and peace of mind, and they made the decision to do it!! We found them a house here and all is approved - they will be moving here the first weekend of October!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!! So hard to believe!! I know life is going to change for them and they will make such a good life down here!

So, Little PeaPod almost here and Heather & Alan moving down here and the blessing of our Little Charlee-girl, watching her grow and having so much fun with her - can it get any more exciting, can we be any more blessed????!!!

I will be keeping you all updated as everything starts happening!!

Love,

Cheryl

Kids!

2008-08-24T15:12:00.005-04:00

It sure was great weekend last weekend - the Baby Shower, Heather & Alan home, having the whole family together!!!

Looking at this picture, it is hard to believe they are become mature, responsible young adults - but definitely still my babies! Heather still twirling and Justin still drumming - both of them fighting - now look at them!! Where did the time go? Too bad these moments only happen a couple times a year - who knows, maybe Heather and Alan will get bit by the Florida bug this visit!!

Charlee always having fun, being silly on Pap's chair! She enjoyed having Aunt Heather and Uncle Alan visit!
Prissi just relaxed on the lanai - wondering where did all these people come from and when does she get peace and quiet again!!

The weather has been great - Fay brought us a lot of rain, little bit of wind - but that's the fun of living in Florida - I guess it is better than snow!!

My birthday is coming soon - I think Dave and I will be heading to Key West for a day or two just to get away a bit! Hard to believe I'm turning just 22! HAHAHAHAHA!!

Well, that's it for now - just wanted to let everyone know what's goin on!!!

Love,
Cheryl

Baby Shower!!

2008-08-18T16:37:00.007-04:00

The baby shower is over and now the anxious wait begins!! We had a beautiful baby shower for Justin and Krista on Saturday - there were about 30 people there. We had it at Mixon Fruit Farms in Bradenton. It was a perfect place for the shower - they even have a gazebo for weddings and a butterfly sanctuary and a beautiful koi pond. They even typed on their Marquis - "Who's having a baby? The Letner's, That's Who! Congratulations and Welcome to the Letner Baby Shower!" That was so cool! You can check out all the pictures on the Baby Shower online album - link is on the left here!

This is the diaper cake Heather and I made for the shower. These are so much fun to make!!

We had some great food and lots of fun, and most important, they got lots of great gifts! Krista looked glowing and Justin was just as proud as could be!

You just gotta love this little one - we do! She even got presents of her own and she is so excited to have a Little sister!

Heather and Alan came down to visit for the shower- Dave even got into the fun - Heather is measuring Dave's belly to compare it to Krista's for the Guess Krista's Belly Size game!! lol - he's such a good sport!!

Best of all - we were all together - this is such an awesome family picture and I am going to frame this one for sure!!!

Now - to wait for the baby! She is due October 19th, but i wouldn't be surprised if she comes early! Poor Krista is huge already! Did you all know she is going to Beauty School?!! She is so creatively talented and I know she is going to do really good!!

So - what else is going on? Heather & Alan are still doing good and living in Raccoon Twp. Heather starts Medical Transcription school in September so she can work from home and eventully start their family - she'll do real well - after all, she has a good mentor - me! I wish more than anything they would move down here - we hate when they have to leave to go home. We did have some fun at the beach on Sunday - the left early this morning.

We are sitting here today awaiting hurricane Fay - should be a fun evening and day tomorrow! I'll try to remember to take pictures and put them on here.

Hope all is well with everyone!!
Love,

Cheryl

The Miracle of Technology

2008-08-08T10:34:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone! I have been so negligent to my blog!! I have been so busy getting ready for the Baby Shower (which is next week), that I haven't taken any time to blog!! We are all doing good here in Florida - experiencing typical summer weather with hot days and rain in the evenings!

Krista is doing very well with her pregnancy - she is about 30 weeks right now and doing good - she's just glowing - although she'll tell you otherwise - poor thing - her belly is so stretched! They went for a 3D/4D ultrasound this past Monday - I got to be there - look at what we saw:

Is this amazing or what? Look at her - she is Precious!! She definitely has Justin's nose and his full/pouty little lips!! She looks so peaceful and content! I cannot wait to hold her!! Krista is due on October 19th.

Not much other news, except I am finally back to work after almost 3 months being laid off! Thank God! Dave keeps busy with work - nothing new there! Heather and Alan are doing good - Heather is getting ready to start medical transcription school - she'll do real good with that!

Little Charlee is such a little Princess!! She did not have "Terrible Twos" but I'll tell ya - she is making up for it now!! You just have to Love her!! I know we do! Check out "Pap" - they were making things with these little foam peanuts - they made headbands, crowns and frisbees! AWWW Pap!

I just had to share this picture - this is one of the birds that comes around our lanai daily to eat from our birdfeeder - I believe they are sand hill cranes, I call them the Redheads!

So, that's the news from us here in Florida!! I'll definitely post again after the shower next week!

Love,

Cheryl

We have some PeaPod News!!

2008-06-04T22:34:00.004-04:00

We have some news!!! Justin & Krista went for an ultrasound this morning of the baby and we found out that we are having a Little PINK PeaPod!! Yep - it's a Girl!!!! Of course, it didn't matter which it was - this little one is truly a Blessing!! But ya know, it is so much fun to plan PINK!!! Charlee told Pap (David) that she was going to have a "Sister Baby!"

The doctor told Justin & Krista that everything is Perfect and she is measuring at 21 weeks! Her OB said her due date is October 19th!! So now we have the fun of planning a Pink Baby Shower!! WOOHOO!! The shower will be on August 17th - I'll be sending invites out later in July!!

That's all the news for now!!!

Love,

Cheryl

Getting Through It

2008-05-28T14:56:00.003-04:00

I don't think I mentioned in my blog, but I was laid off from my job the Wednesday before the cruise. I made sure it didn't effect the cruise, but after arriving home, I am finding it so hard. I really liked my job and now it I am finding it very hard to find another position. This really sucks. Lord knows I don't mind spending the day doing what I want, doing some stamping, cleaning, cooking dinner, no schedule to keep - but the thought of not working is catchin up to me. Afterall, if I don't work, we don't cruise next year! lol I will keep looking!!!

Everyone else doing good. Krista is doing great - I felt our Little PeaPod last week! It was so cool - brought tears to my eyes!! They had a doctor's appt last week, he did an ultrasound, but the little bugger had his/her legs crossed - doctor said there is nothing hanging, but don't paint the room yet - I thought that was funny! They go on June 4th for a more intense ultrasound and they should know then! I think it is a girl, they think it is a girl!! It's fun to guess, but either way this Little PeaPod is such a blessing! Another exciting thing is they filed for Charlee's adoption yesterday!!! In a couple weeks, Charlee will officially be a Letner!!! We couldn't be more thrilled!!

Heather and Alan doing good in PA - I sure miss them. I wish they would move down here in the worst way!! Heather is thinking of starting medical transcription school - she took a course before, but wants a more intense course. She definitely keeps busy with work and helping with Alan's Dad. She still finds time to scrap and stuff!! She is definitely her mother's daughter.

Monday was Mom's birthday. I wish I was home to go to the cemetary. I bought a helium birthday balloon like I do each year and sent it up to her! I'm sure she got it!! She has been on my mind so much. Not a day goes by that she isn't on my mind.

Well - back to job huntin!! Wish me luck!!!

We are Home from our Cruise!

2008-05-14T09:10:00.012-04:00

WOW - what an amazing week we had cruisin the Caribbean!! It all started with Heather and Alan arriving late Friday night, and after no sleep Saturday night we were up and on our way to Miami bright and early - all 6 of us crammed into the Jeep with luggage packed to the roof!

We arrived in Miami, no problem, and we went through security and check in and then waited to get on the ship! Once on the beautiful Carnival Victory, we knew vacation had begun!!

After sailaway - we were ready to enjoy 2 days at sea on our way to Cozumel. In Cozumel we went to a beautiful beach called Paradise Beach - we enjoyed great food, drinks, the beautiful clear water, water toys, and snorkeling.

After paradise beach we enjoyed some shopping and then ate a local Mexican restaurant where we even had mariachis serenading us!!

After leaving Mexico, we had another Fun Day at Sea - Heather and Alan celebrated their 3rd Anniversary!! Heather and I even went to a Scrapbooking class they had in the Atlantic Dining Room!! We were then on our way to Grand Cayman, where we went to Margaritaville and did some shopping!After scrapping and then Margaritaville, we on our way to Ocho Rios Jamaica, where we climbed the daunting Dunn's River Falls, which was so cool! and then we went through Fern Gulley and to a beautiful private beach called Mahogany beach!

Jamaica was truly our favorite port so far. We had so little time there and hope to go back and explore this beautiful island again.

Time went fast and before we knew it we were heading back to Miami - total bummer!! My favorite thing on this cruise was having a balcony cabin - I was able to experience our Father God and all His Glory in the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets, and was able to spend some quiet time in His presence and Thank Him for all the Blessings we have!!

We had an amazing time and can't wait to sail with Carnival again!! I could have gone on and on about every little detail, but you'd be reading forever - be sure to click on the Cruise '08 link in the online albums to the left so you can view the multitude of pictures of everything we did!!

We are Almost Cruisin!!

2008-04-22T20:34:00.004-04:00

OMG - we are sooooo excited! All the plans are made and we are ready to pack and set sail on the Carnival Victory!! Heather and Alan will be arriving on Friday and we will leave for Miami around 5 a.m. on Sunday! WOOOHOOO!!! It is going to be so much fun and full of so many memories! I am thinking of taking my laptop on the ship and updating my blog right from the ship!!

Everyone is doing great! Krista is doing good - she's eating good and feeling fairly good and already has a baby bump goin on - and you know what - she got a bikini for the cruise and still looks cute as heck in it! Here's the Little PeaPod picture from her last doctor visit:

Isn't that just a miracle? Isn't technology amazing??!!! Krista goes to the doctor again this Thursday - sure would be cool if they did another ultrasound and we found out if it's a Pink PeaPod or a Blue PeaPod!!!! Either way - this little PeaPod is a blessing straight from Heaven!

Heather and Alan are doing good! Heather is so funny - she still has a pink in her hair and I told her she had to walk 10 feet in front or behind me on the cruise! lol! Alan has been working out and lookin good!! I know today they are getting ready to plant a garden!! I am so proud of the 2 of them - they really make it work!! Heather's friend Tina was just here visiting - it is so funny that we found out that Tina's Mom and Dad live here in Venice - and her brother lives right here in our apartment complex - what a small world! It was so good to see Tina!

For me - work has been busy, busy - thank God - Job security! I really like the company I am working for - Focus Infomatics and love the work I am doing. As long as I have been in this industry, I love to provide feedback to transcriptionists to help them and I get to do that with this job! I've been so busy lately that I haven't been stamping - geesh.

Dave keeps busy too - and his favorite thing to do when he isn't working is talking on the phone with Charlee! And she just loves talking to Pap! She has been spending every other Saturday with us and we really enjoy that time! It is so amazing how she is growing up and talking more! Brings back all the great memories of Heather and Justin growing up and the silly things they would do!

Isn't she just toooo cute???!!!!

Gotta get back to watching Idol!! I'm rootin for David Cook - how about you?!!!

Update on the PeaPod!!

2008-04-03T18:44:00.007-04:00

I was so blessed to be able to go to Krista's OB visit today with her and Justin! It was so amazing - the doc did an ultrasound and the little PeaPod MOVED!! Check out the video below:

Is this a miracle or what???? Our little PeaPod is now 12 weeks, 3 days old and with a strong heartbeat of 156!! Now - does the quick heartbeat mean a boy or girl??? Momma and Little PeaPod are doing great! Krista is feeling good, eating good and looking at her face yesterday seeing the baby move - she was glowing!!

Charlee was so excited!!! She like totally understands there is a baby! Did you hear her say she sees the baby - then she says "OOO I love that baby!" is that priceless or what? This Little PeaPod comes into this world with a wonderful Momma, Daddy, and Sister and all the Blessings God has to give!!

Words can't express the joy I am feeling after seeing this little miracle - our Little PeaPod!! I feel we are so blessed in so many ways! What is most amazing is watching Justin and the man he has become - the Daddy he has become. After the doctor's appt we went to McDonalds and watching him play on the little playground with Charlee had me in tears -so full of pride - made me feel we (Dave and I) did something right! I told Heather I don't know what I'm going to do when her & Alan get pregnant - I'll have to move up to PA for a whole year because I won't want to miss any of this with her!! Hopefully gas prices will go down! haha!

Just had to share the update!

He Is Risen! Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:20:00.003-04:00

What an awesome day! Church this morning was so amazing - 46 people gave their hearts to the Lord on this fabulous Easter Day! A totally amazing service!

After church it was a busy day - I made a leg of lamb for the first time - we wanted something a little different. It turned out Really good!! Justin & Krista & Charlee were there and our friend Marcia and her daughter Bella came (her husband Libby had to work). it was a very, very nice dinner.
I love gettin Lovin from Charlee!! She looked so priceless in her Easter Dress!

After dinner, Charlee and Bella looked for Easter baskets and Easter eggs - it was a lot of fun!

Even Justin & Krista had to look for their Easter basket!! Gotta carry on my Mom's tradition!!!

It was a fun day! After dinner Marcia & Bella hung out and then Justin and I played some Wii bowling and tennis - it was so much fun! Figured after everyone left I needed to post to my blog and share this wonderful day! There are more pictures in my online photo album - so check it out.

So back to the regular grind tomorrow. I can't complain - I love my job. Plus - the countdown continues to the cruise - only 43 days!! WOOOHOOOO!!!

First Picture of the Little PeaPod!!

2008-03-04T20:25:00.003-05:00

How exciting! We officially have a picture of our Little PeaPod!!! Our Little PeaPod is 7 weeks 4 days old - due date so far October 19th!! Mama, Daddy, and Charlee got to see the tiny heartbeat today too!! Truly one of God's little miracles and we give Him the glory for this blessing!

What have we been up to?

2008-02-24T15:02:00.007-05:00

The answer to that is not much!! Well, we are now in Race Season and we were so excited with the Daytona 500 and Junior with his new 88 car! Can't wait for July when we go to Daytona for the Pepsi 400!

We are so excited about Krista being pregnant!! She's doing good, normal stuff - hungry, but does not feel like eating and stuff like that.

David & I took Charlee to the Italian Feast Carnival here in Venice last night - we had lots of fun - be sure to check out the Online Photo albums on the left for the pictures.

Charlee Loved the Carnival - loves riding rides and saying FASTER, FASTER!!! Of course we had Corn Dogs, Cotton Candy, and who can forget Funnel Cake?

And of course, we are all getting excited about the cruise! It's always good to get away and not have to worry about work or anything else for 7 days!! David is working long hours and I am still working from home doing medical transcription quality assurance - we definitely look forward to getting away! We especially can't wait for Heather and Alan to come down a day or two before!

Well, I need to get off this computer and go do some Scrapbooking today! Looks like the Race today will probably be cancelled due to rain in California and my craft table is calling my name!

Love you all!!

The Letner Family is GROWING!!

2008-02-14T21:48:00.004-05:00

Today, Valentine's Day, prayers have been answered - Justin & Krista are pregnant!!! They just found out today!! This is such good news and everyone is so elated!! The credit all goes to God, our Father, for this blessing. Many prayers have been sent up to him for this. All Praise and Glory to Him!

Not too much else going on right now - I'm so busy with my new job as a Medical Transcription Recruiter, that I have had no time to blog or anything else - but today, just had to share the news! I'll try to take some time this weekend and post some pictures - whoops, may not have time - Daytona Weekend!! GO JUNIOR - 88!!

It's a New Year!!

2008-01-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Time is flying in this New Year and we do feel very blessed - great kids, family, and friends - who could ask for more!

I have started the New Year off with a new job - I'm so excited! I am now a Recruiter for a Medical Transcription company! It is totally what I am meant to do as I LOVE talking to people!! Heather is going to start transcribing also so she can work from home!

Dave is still busy with his job - never a dull moment!! You can see the picture below - he is doing his favorite thing - sharing his ice cream with Prissi! She is so spoiled!!

We are all counting down the days to our 2nd Letner Family Cruise. We all got bags personalized for the cruise as you see below - as well as beach towels and luggage tags - we are ready to go Cruisin! We are totally Cruise Junkies!

In May, Dave, myself, Heather & Alan, Justin & Krista, will be boardin the Carnival Victory in Miami (which is about 3 hours from us) and heading to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica!! I don't know about the kids - but I am already getting excited!! The dieting has started so I can look at least halfway ok in a bathing suit!!

I have finally had a chance to work on our scrapbook from last year's cruise - here is the first page - I have 5 pages done so far and they are in my Web Album - you can click on the web album on the left to view all our pictures!!

Nothing much else going on - the weather is great here - we had a little rain today, but still walking around in barefeet and shorts - GOTTA LOVE IT!! To all of you reading this in PA - there is lots of room for you to come down here and enjoy this weather too!! When I feel homesick for PA, I think of this weather and it reminds me of why we LOVE Florida!

It's All About Family!!

2007-12-30T15:14:00.000-05:00

I have decided to make this blog just for Family!! This is a great opportunity to update everyone what the Letner family is up to!! You can still check out my Crafty Blog (WingAndAPrayer Creations) - the link is on the left. Also, I only post a couple pictures in my post, but you can view the photo albums in the link to the left also!!!

To start off - we had a WONDERFUL Christmas!!! We started the holidays taking a trip to PA to visit with family!

We got to visit with my in-laws. We got to see all but 2 of Dave's sisters, visit with his Mom, and see cousins & nieces! It was a great visit! It has prompted the planning of a Family Reunion, which will be planned by Samantha and me, in August! It will be GREAT!

We stayed at Heather and Alan's new house! They did a GREAT job renovating it!!

The weather was snowy and roads were not good, so Heather and I got a lot of baking done! We made Snowflake cut outs (which Heather just had to sample), butter balls, Heather learned to make Lady Locks, and we made Buckeyes for Alan!!

Yikes - looks like a bad hair day for me there!!

Heather and I also took advantage of the bad weather and made wreaths to put on Mom's (Grandma Karen) and Grandma & Grandpap Phillips' graves. They turned out really nice.

We got the supplies at Pat Catan's - spent less than $14!!! Mom would be proud!!

We took them up to the cemetary and it started to snow!!!
So glad we got to experience some of the white stuff while we were there, but it was definitely good to get on the plane on Monday and watch the snow fall as we took off to head back to the warmth of Florida!!

We had stopped at Uncle Eddie's before going to the cemetary and that's when it started to snow - Hey Fat Man!!! The weather got too bad eventually, so we didn't get to go hang at the Baden Legion and wish all our friends there a Merry Christmas!!

Dave got to relax a bit and hang with T-Bone (Toby) - one of Heather and Alan's "babies" - their Basset Hounds! They are so comical!!

Heather and I got to go to Hozak's tree farm and visit their Christmas "barn" where they have lots of trees decorated. We did this last year and got ornaments for our trees - so, it looks like it is going to become a tradition!!

We had a great time and we really hated to leave - except to get out of the cold weather! Next time we see Heather and Alan it will be when we are leaving for our Cruise in May!! WOOOHOOOO!!

Then, we had Christmas back home in Florida!! Christmas Eve we went to church and then had Justin, Krista, & Charlee, and Krista's Mom, Shannon, and also Libby, Marcia, and Bella come over. We had such a great time!! Here are a few pictures!!

So, after the kids opened up their presents from Mrs. Santa (which she brings pajamas every Christmas Eve) - it was off to bed to wait for Santa!!!

Charlee on Christmas Morning!! What a Cutie Pie!!

This is what is all about!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! When's Santa coming again?!!!!

Finding Time!

2007-10-18T23:48:00.000-04:00

Working from home - everyone thinks it's the cat's meow - well, sorta!! I feel guilty when I do other things besides sit at my computer and do something related to Medical Transcription. I stepped down from a Regional Manager position so that I would have more time to be creative - time to start!!

I am working on the scrapbook for our family cruise this past May - finished the first page about a month (well, maybe longer than that - haha) ago and need to get goin with it. I have ideas for Halloween cards, and so many new stamps to play with!!

So - I have so many ideas swimming around in my head and I need to just sit down in my creation station and do it - so I started today!! I was feeling the inspiration to work on the scrapbook. It is amazing how long it can take to come to a final product with a scrapbook - but I'm happy with the outcome!

Not the best picture - I definitely need a new camera, on my wish list! I love how the page turned out. I really enjoy journaling, so journaling will be a big part of my album - probably all my albums as a matter of fact.

Here is the first page of the album:

Can you tell I am having a great time with my Cricut? hehe

What an awesome time we had on the Cruise! David and I took the kids - Heather & Alan, Justin & Krista on a 5 day Carnival Cruise to Grand Cayman and Calica, Mexico. I am going to enjoy finishing the book - so many great pictures and memories.

So it took just one page to get me inspired to do more! I can't wait til tomorrow!!

I have done a few things over the last couple weeks - here are a couple cards I made also:

Isn't this the cutest darn card? My good friend, Marcia, who has become my scrappin/stampin buddy, and I put our heads together and created this card - which is the invitation for her niece, Carolena's, first birthday party! The stamps used here are from TAC - Hello There collection - which is like my favorite stamp set!

This is a card I made for the Made for Memories Card Swap class. It is kinda like the card I made last year to use as my Christmas Card. The stamps are from Inky Antics. I love tearing paper, using fibers, and also embossing. Got some really creative cards at the September Swap - I actually signed up the day before the class and made 12 cards overnight!! I'll share the other cards another time.

Last, but not least - I have been wanting to do a shaker card and this was my first attempt - not too terribly creative, but just wanted to try the shaker thing!! I know I'll do more of these!

So, I am so inspired at this point - I cannot wait to finish working tomorrow and create again.

I found TIME - we all lose it, never have enough of it - but it can be the EASIEST thing to find - and oh, how rewarding!!

Hugs!

Class Pictures from Today!

2007-10-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

A few pictures from today's class, including my finished album! This was very fun and easy to make - I know I'll make a few more before Christmas!

My First Blog!

2007-10-14T20:56:00.000-04:00

Here I go - my first Blog!! I am excited to share my love for stamping, scrapping, just having fun creating and sharing. Today was really exciting! I took a class at Made for Memories scrapbooking store in Sarasota which was taught by Debby Schuh from Anna Griffin designs - it's an awesome 6 x 6 book - my first mini-album type project! I am so thrilled with the finished product - I am going to make one for Heather and Justin and put some pictures in from their childhood Christmases!

This is my first post and I don't know what to say right now! It's been a great day!