Tony, Tony, Tony!

Shortly after our family bonding session in the snow I received a phone call from my mom who was at the ER with my Dad. We had plans for all of the women to make a craft project after Thanksgiving dinner, while the boys were watching football. We were going to take glass blocks (like the kind you build basement windows out of) stuff them with xmas lights and wrap them with xmas bows. Pretty. Well, Dad was drilling the holes in the blocks for us when one of them EXPLODED and just about cut off his middle finger on his left hand!
Mom took him to the ER. They called in a surgeon, but decided to wait because they thought he might go into shock. So they stiched him up and sent him home until monday. Monday he went in and they scheduled the surgery for Wednesday.
Wednesday they did the surgery, he was under for just about 2 1/2 hours. They had to cut open his finger to get the nerve that he sliced from the tip of the finger. And then they did a packman cut across his hand to retrieve the two tendons that he severed and had retracted down into his palm.
They were able to find all the pieces and connect the dots, but now we have to wait for him to heal a bit and see if it will "take."
I wish I had a new picture of the cast they gave him after surgery...it's HUGE. It goes from his elbow to three inches past his finger tips. And they have his wrist at an almost 90 degree angle! But I thought I wouldn't bug him anymore with new pictures.
He's doing well and in great spirits. He's supposed to be out of work until APRIL. Ouch!
Love you DAD!!!!!

Thanksgiving Morning 2007

So we woke up Thanksgiving morning to a nice blanket of snow. It was the good kind, the packing kind. The kids insisted on getting bundled up and heading out- before breakfast- to play. It was beautiful....not only the snow, but the kick-off of the holiday season and our family being together:)

The play structure in the backyard.
Jeff's baby trees
Ever seen a frozen trampoline? Yes that is little Deagan on the lower left trying to climb up! (no he didn't succeed.)

Maverick!

You want to know who the real baby of the family is? Little Mav!!!!!!

Stella Bella

I know it's been awhile since you've all seen her, but here is our baby...Stella. She's 6mo now and getting bigger by the day!
She's 6mo old!
Sprinting across the yard!
puppy face!
Jeff teaching her to stay...then bolt!
My other daughter!

Olivia making snowballs!

She learned how to roll snowballs all by herself! We are waiting for that next big snow so we can roll a snowman:)

What a nut!

I wish you all could see what a nut Deagan is right now! He is so much fun and such a cool kid!

Deagan in the first snow of the year!

Thanksgiving @ The Newsted's

Love you Adam and Brynn!
Isn't he adorable?
I love this picture! Sums them up great!

Halloween Parade at School

Halloween at Preschool

Finally!!! Halloween pictures BEFORE the next holiday...

This was Jeff's first Halloween with the kids! We had such a great time:)

Hell Week(s)

Congrats to my wonderful hubby, whose couple of weeks- hell week- is done! He's been interviewing for a new job for over four weeks now. He had his fourth and last interview on Wednesday and Thursday he got the call that he got the job!!!! He starts the monday after Thanksgiving. It's a much better job with standard M-F 8-5 hours. Much different than what he's been going through at Quicken! It's a great step for us:)

Congrats to me (and THANK YOU BRYNN and mom) for completing my first solo-photographer hell week. This week was my contracted shoot at the kids' preschool. In two days I shot holiday and school photos for 78 kids and did two "family nights" where we shot 11 families. And a few days prior I did seven families at an event for my grandma's senior center. I survived the shoots, now have to photoshop all of the files and get orders processed....it's starting! And it's fabulous.

Thanks to everyone for all of the love, support and encouragement on my photography business:)

As for the kids, they are just getting done with a round of some virus that mimics strep...poor kiddos!