A Florida We Did Go...

This year we got to take a family vacation for 10 days in Florida! We stayed at our friends condo and enjoyed time together as a family just the three of us. It was a fun and relaxing get away!! Jay and the P LOVED being in the ocean together. She was a little under the weather the first day we got there, but after a diagnosis of an ear infection and an antibiotic she was enjoying it to the fullest.
And oh did she love the plane ride!!Jay had to go home after 5 days to get back to work, so Grammy and Papa came down to help. Although, I should say that I helped them. The P didn't want to have much to do with me once they got there!!!

Along with them came my Aunt and Uncle and Cousins...boy did we have fun with everyone!!!

It was so fun to have a playmate along to play in the pool. The P swam like a fish for hours in her little swimmies!!

Helping Aunt Buff, as the P calls her (my Aunt Becky) fix Uncle Cecil's fav dessert for his B-day. Cheers!!!

Oh and last but not least, we took the P to the very place we got married!! It was just as beautiful as our wedding day!!

Halloween Fun...

We had so much fun this year on Halloween. The P was a butterfly and we spent the am with lots of fun Mom's and kids at The McCord barn and then the evening with neighbors "parading" through the neighborhood to the fire truck. Then off to The McCord Barn again for evening fun with the fam!! The P's bestest neighbor friends on the fire truck...all animals this year, a turtle, monkey and butterfly.
And Cousin Jac the Pirate too!!!!!!!!!!

Cousin Jme is Miss Piggy, Izy the Lion were in the parade with us too!! It is so fun living in the same neighborhood with cousins!!!!!!

Our neighbor Abby passed out candy to the kids. Her little boy was a monkey and notice her dog was a monkey too!! Grammy came over to trick or treat too!!
Then the following night we had our annual hayride/bonfire/chili cook off with our neighbors. It was so fun. We even had shirts made for it. These are our next door neighbors.
My neighbor friend Emilie. The P coughing...Look at those cute kids...we are so blessed to have such sweet neighbors and playmates.

And yet another wonderful hayride....

This time we were at the Hilger Farm for a fun family time of "scary" hayride, 4 wheelin' and potato sack races!!! It was really fun and we loved being with such a special family. Holly (maiden name Hilger) is a friend of mine from Northview back in the day...when we were junior highers in the youth group. We even have the Kings Island picture to prove it, where our bangs are like 3 feet high and we were the "cool" girls in the youth group!!!! Way back...Love you Holly! Thanks for a great time with the family!!!

Halloween Bunko Babes...The Best!!!!

And we have just as much fun as we look!!!!!!! Love these Bunko Babes!!!

Hayride #2

Hayride #2 was with P's Class at school. They are so cute and getting so big. These kids have been in the same class for 2 years together so they are really getting to know each other. Can you tell who P likes? His Mommy and I are very encouraging of this kind of behavior. SO CUTE!!! These are her girlfriends who Mommy likes to visit with their Mommies in the picture too!!
Uncle Scotty drove the tractor so that was an even bigger treat for the P!!!! She thought that made her pretty cool ;)!!

Another perfect pick!!!

Ms. Amanda was P's choice for riding the hayride with...Mommy just wasn't cool enough ;)!

Fun Fun!! We love our hayrides and have another one this weekend!!

Go Colts!!!!!

Jay advertises his business in the Highflyer who offered us tickets to the game Sunday. It was real real fun and I was so proud of JP and his company!! And the Colts won!!

"Punkin" Patch 08

Got some of our Family, Friends, Neighbors, and Granparents together for a little hay ride, pumkin patch and play today!! I love the fall and love spending time outdoors doing "fall" stuff. Here's our group all in one hayride together!! Perfect pick...although I think she picked up and "put down" about 20 of them.... The kids enjoyed the play set and had to share with lots of other kids, but took their turns going down the slide with Papa's help...
Grandma and Grammy came along on their days off, along with a lot of the other Grandparents!! It was a fun memory building day!!

I LOVE my family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how SPECIAL my family is to me. If there is anything I take such great pride in, it would be my family!! We are strong and we all love the Lord and grew up together in the same town, same church. When we get together we have such busy schedules and sometimes it's hard to spend quality time together. So we did just that this weekend. We went away together for a family reunion to get away together and just love on each other!! It was AMAZING(and I don't use this word often, but I really really mean it)!!! I just can't even put into words how awesome it was and we know God was smiling down on us the whole time!! Love you guys from the deepest part of my heart!!!

Here we are. It all starts with my Grandparents "The Fertigs", who have 3 daughters and their families in this picture. Debbie Keller, Becky McCord and Connie Quinn, as well as a 1st cousin Rhonda Humphress and spouses are all on the top row. Then on the bottom row you'll see their kids and kids spouses (and significant others) and grandkids. 4 Generations.

The Pongratz Fam
The P lovin' on her newest baby girl cousin C
C lovin' it!!The girls are playing this really cool game where they throw a ball down off the ledge to Uncle Cecil and he throws it back up!!!
My brother Andy and Jay...ya know...goofin' off!!
Hangin' out by the fire, playin' cornhole... Watchin' the barges go by...

My brother Andy, his girls and P and me havin' a snack.
Playin' football together

The girls were watchin' and waving at Papa coming!!

We had so much fun!! We laughed and cried and ate alot and just hung out together. We had a talent show, played cards, talked by the campfire and did a little karaoke too. The best memories that I'll cherish and look forward to many many more!!!!

Another Fun "3" Birthday Party

I am really blessed to have so many friends and family who have had kids the same time we have. And this is another special friend. Courtney and I (on right) grew up together at Northview and had our girls within 4 months of each other. They are in the same class at school together, so that makes it even more special. So we celebrated her 3rd birthday at her dress up/princess party!! It was so fun!!!

We made Halloween bags...what a great idea!! Here's all the cute troopers dressed up and ready for a Birthday party!!!

(I love how Izy, P's cousin, one of the youngest there is the only one smiling at the camera!)
They played a dancing/freeze game and LOVED it!! Awee...cousins... Aren't they so cute!! I can see many more years of sweet conversations just like this!! Happy Birthday Princess E!!!