A Series of February Shots

Just a series of random February shots...

This is the photo that the big girls have as Joe's avatar on their cell phone.
Joe calls them, and this is the image that pops up.
Dad is watching...   ;) 

A girl and her puppy.

Adele loves the cold, snowy weather! 

Just a random school day shot... At least Andrew (and maybe William?) appears to be working on academics...  ;)

The strange things the big girls do to the little ones... This "dress" is a sweater of Anna's. The head wrap is a scarf of Anna's. The ammo-strap-looking things across her chest are belts...
Really, they are strange kids. 

Big girls getting ready for the Father-Daughter Dance.

Surprise!

And when Anna Marie arrived home from March for Life, we had this massive surprise awaiting her—a brand new St. Bernard puppy!

Joe is "blindfolding" Anna Marie, as we walk her down to Adele's pen. Everyone is so excited to see Anna's reaction. She has always wanted a dog.

The reaction: priceless.

Love.

We were in the background telling Anna Marie to wait a few minutes until some of the kids went back inside before opening the pen. Adele had only been with us a few days and was very boisterous around all the new faces. We wanted Anna to have some one-on-one time with her, as Adele got to know Anna.

And here she is, with another proud owner, Mr. William.
Adele is 15 months old.

New Year's 2013

Our mellow at-home New Year's Eve this year...

We played with blocks...

 We constructed castles...

 We danced to 80's tunes...

And danced some more...

We played drums with blocks...

We played a mean air guitar when we thought no one was looking...

We enjoyed quiet family time together...

Meanwhile, three states away, my mom was busy rocking out at a late-night New Year's party with my brother (gold tie) and pals.

Christmas Photo Snappin'

A whole series of Christmas photos, in that annual attempt to get the perfect Christmas card snapshots.

Marguerite's 3rd Birthday

It is stunning to realize that it was just three years ago that we made the frantic trip to Georgia, through the aftermath of a blizzard, to pick up our sweet Marguerite Jane. While time does fly, it is hard to remember a time before MJ.

Miss Marguerite fills our lives with such joy. We pray for her birthmother each night and are forever grateful that she chose for Marguerite and Lucia the gift of life.

We love you, Marguerite! Happy birthday!

Halloween 2012

The Leones bundle up for a spooky night of tricks and treats.

Rice krispie ghosts... and some very cool costumes.  Katness from Hunger Games, a bandit, Tin Tin, a princess, a kangaroo, and a tiger.

The Fans

At every cross country meet there are fans. But the cross country fans pictured below are some of the loudest, craziest fans out there. You guessed it: They're the Leones.

Kathleen (right) and her friend wait for the runners to pass. And when they do, you can count on these two to be jumping up and down and screaming their lungs out.

Some of the youngest fans were also some of the cutest.

Lucia was never run from point to point so fast as she was at those meets when we wanted to get to the best vantage points quickly.

Okay, this fan just looks exhausted.  

And then there are the Leone fans who decided to enter the "open race" after the official meet had wrapped up. Check out Andrew booking it down the finish line.

And Joe makes his move on this woman in the closing stretch. 

And did you ever see such a face on a runner? That's my man, Joe, competing in the open race—in hiking boots, no less—and making it interesting for everyone.

Evan Wynn

I took on the job of Dane County Campaign Coordinator for Evan Wynn this election cycle and met some great people in the process. 

Every politician should be like Evan Wynn—a statesman, a patriot, and a gentleman. It is unfortunate that redistricting made things so tough for Evan this year. We are hoping to see his name on a ballot again soon.

Working for the campaign was a true honor and, as you can see, the whole family joined in the effort.

Dressing Up

During William's stay at Boy Scout camp, we unpacked from our long trip east and tried to play catch-up on a zillion fronts, not the least of which was to try to bring life to our scorched grass after weeks of 90-100 degree heat. Frassati Runners, our July running clinic, started for the season, and we prepared for the start of cross country practices. Meanwhile, the little girls did what they do best—played to their little hearts' content, with dress-up being a favorite.

A trip to the basement "dress-up bucket" produces this cute duo with big sis, Kathleen.

Lucia hits the dress-up bucket.

Lucia Rose 

Lucia as Robin Hood