Merry Christmas

We had a very special Christmas Eve dinner with 20 of our closest friends and family members to join us! It was such a wonderful evening!! We enjoyed a great meal followed by lots of laughter, games, and gift giving. We also had a pretty rowdy ping pong tournament. We are so thankful for this time of year and have treasured every minute....Merry Christmas to all of you! Enjoy the slide show of some Christmas pictures.

Christmas Slideshow

A Dream Come True

Jacob had the chance of a lifetime last night! He and his AYBL basketball team got to play at the Fleet Center, just before the Celtics played the Portland Trailblazers!!!! They had the court for about 8 minutes and then got to watch the Celtics game. Jake and Ben went together for an unforgettable Father/Son trip. They spent the night and took the train into Boston. The whole team ate dinner at the famous "The Fours" restaurant before heading to the Fleet Center. An unforgettable time that's for sure!! They were also shown on ESPN in the pregame show!! Check out the slide show below, you can see Jake on the Fleet Center court, and watch for a sleepy Jake when he got home!! A HUGE THANK YOU TO JACOB'S COACH, Marty Bouchard, for making this happen and giving Jake such an awesome memory!

Jacob Plays at the Fleet Center

It's Thanksgiving Day

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good food and fun visiting with family and friends. Both of my brothers and their families were able to come from New Hampshire, my mother and her friend Bill, and we were also blessed with 4 missionaries to share our meal with us!! We ate tons of delicious food and played lots of fun games!

Thanksgiving Day Slideshow

All In A Day's Work

Here are some photos of a couple of really long days (and nights)with 4 poached deer, 2 moose, and what was left of a turkey!! Good job Game Wardens!

Jill's 40th Party

Well, Ben really went all out on this one! Those of you who know him well will not be surprised, he has a knack for surprising me and loves to celebrate birthdays! I spent the most part of my day on campus as Mondays are one of my busiest days, I did not get home until 5:30. We started the fun with chinese for dinner from my favorite restaurant....then Ben presented me with a black rose complete with "OLDER THAN DIRT" balloon. He also had a white cake made with black roses and a wad of 40 candles that looked like a stick of dynamite! Check out the photos below, it was a foot high flame on that cake!! As we were eating our cake, Ben really surprised me with the most beatiful RED ROSES and another balloon..."I LOVE YOU". This of course melted my heart and the black roses were forgotten :)...It was such a fun evening, complete with laughing, crying and lots of hugs. Ben may have really set himself up though...he is only 37 and he has now opened the door for me in a couple of years when it's his turn!!!!!!!

Jill Turns the Big 4-0

Well, I've decided to stop fighting it and just go ahead and embrace this milestone in my life!! Yes, I am turning 40, hard to believe, but here it is!! There is a lot of discussion about this in our house because I am the OLDEST person in the place! Ben is still a mere pup at 37....he really likes to rub that in! Thanks for the BEAUTIFUL flowers Anya!!!! :)

First Day of High School

Wednesday, August 13th was Ashley's first day as a high school freshmen! She and best buddy and neighbor, Abigail, were in a very happy mood to start the day! They graciously let me snap a few pictures of them before heading off to school. Ashley reported the day went very well and she only got lost a couple of times..:) Today, the second day of high school, she will be having her BRACES put on at 1:30!! So, this has been a very big week for her! I'll have to post some new pictures of her updated smile later!!

Baxter State Park Camping Trip

We just got back from a family camping trip to Baxter State Park. What a wonderful time we all had....it really was awesome. We swam, hiked, canoed, went fishing and enjoyed the campfire. Grampie and Nana Drew came in to visit and make S'mores with us over the fire! Our favorite part was going down the natural water slides at Howe Brook Falls....it was UNBELIEVABLE!! Jacob said on the way home that it was better than Disneyland in California!! Enjoy the pictures!

Ben's New Toy!

Well....Ben really surprised me with this one! He has never really had an interest in "muscle cars" that I knew of, so I was totally dumbfonded when he came home and told me about this car he found and desperately wanted!! Can you say, "Mid-Life Crisis??" It took me a few days to warm up to the idea....BUT, I have to admit I have had a great time riding around in this beast with the windows rolled down and classic rock blaring from the speakers!!! :) It will be a fun treat in the summer months to take a step back in time to those "glory days" and a good winter time garage project. Come to think of it when Ben built our new garage 3 summers ago he insisted it be a 3 bay garage....maybe this was the plan all along...hmmmm???! :)

California Drew's Come to Maine!

Jacob is Ordained a Deacon

Jacob turned 12 on July 1st and has been ordained a deacon! He was very excited and has worked hard to reach this goal. Our Branch President (President Carter, the really tall guy in the picture! :)), has given him a few assignments over the last couple of months to study and report back to him. He also challenged him to bear his testimony on the things he has learned about the priesthood. We are excited for him and it was great to have a lot of family on hand for the special occasion. His Uncle Joe from San Diego, California...his Great Uncle Gregg from Berwick, Maine and of course, his Grampy Drew! Good job Jake!

The California Drew's Come to Maine!

Joe, Heidi, Caleb, Hannah, Joshua and Luke all came to Maine this past week for a visit! They flew into Boston and then drove up to Houlton where we were anxiously awaiting them. We had a great time all week....first enjoying the fun and festivities of the 4th of July. We watched the parade, went to a great BBQ at the Carter's in Hodgdon and then we all went into the fair and ended the day with the fireworks show there. Some other highlights of the week: going to King's Landing in Canada, swimming in the backyard pool, going to Grampie's to fish, swim and shoot guns, eating LOTS of Humpty Dumpty BBQ chips and Houlton Farms Dairy grapenut ice cream and enjoying each other's company!! We also watched some All-Star Little League baseball games that Jacob had. The cousins savored every moment together, and really had a chance to strengthen their friendships. We took TONS of pictures, some of which I have included in the slideshow! Our hope is we can all be back together again soon.

Houlton Farms Dairy Team Wins Little League Championship

Jacob's Little League team won the championship today in a very exciting game! It was close all the way and kept us all on our seats, but they were able to come through with a big win. They aired the game on the local radio station so that added some excitement for the boys. They were also interviewed after the game and were treated to ice cream at their sponsor, Houlton Farms Dairy. Samuel was able to hold the flag while the National Anthem was played before the start of the game. After the game and ice cream to celebrate, all of the boys came to our house for a pool party which was a nice ending to a really fun day! :)

Jacob's Little League Team Wins the Championship!!

Ashley Goes to the 8th Grade Dance!

Well, it's the end of an era for us!! Ashley is officially ending her junior high school life and will become a freshmen in high school!! Yikes! Tonight she is off to the last big event of 8th grade....the 8th grade dance. She reluctantly dressed up in her finest, (Ashley would much rather go in jeans and a t-shirt!), headed to Pizza Hut with a bunch of her girlfriends, and then off to the big dance. Mom will pick her up at 10:00 and bring her and 3 friends back to our house for an "after-dance sleepover"!! After all, they need time to laugh and talk about all the happenings at the dance. Mom and Dad can now breath a sigh of relief as the weeks of dress shopping, shoe shopping, and jewerly shopping has now come to an end!! :)

Our Guy Wins American Idol!!!

I voted for this guy ALL season long and was SO excited that he won!! Can't wait to hear his first album!!

Emma Turns 10!

It's Little League Season!!

It's that time of year!! Our house is very busy as we transitioned smoothly from basketball to baseball/softball. Three of our four children have crazy busy ball schedules and we are enjoying all of the games!! Ben is president of the Little League here in Houlton and he also coaches Junior High boys baseball. So, with all that we have been eating in shifts at our house! Ben and I both agree though, we wouldn't trade the craziness for anything as we can see how very quickly they are all growing up!!! Emma also celebrated her 10th birthday earlier this month and is quite happy to be up in double digits!! WOW, where does the time go????

Check out my Slide Show!

Check out my Slide Show!

Game Wardens Rule!

Last Saturday we went with Ben to Lee Academy where they played in a fund raising basketball tournament. Ben and friends put together a tough Game Warden team! We had a lot of fun and a whole lot of laughs! Ben proved he can still "shake n' bake", and Bill "Vinny" Livezey was basically unstoppable.....as long as those pesky sneakers would stay on. In between games the Wardens passed the Aleve, plugged in the heating pads and tried to stay loose. They didn't bring home the coveted trophy, but they helped raise money for the Special Olympics.......great job Game Wardens!!!!!!

Younger Years!

Found some older pictures of the kiddos today that I thought were so cute!! The song says it ALL, I know I'm gonna miss this, I'm gonna want it back and I'm learning that yes, it does go by too fast.