The Adventures of the Luidhardts

Indy 500 festival Parade.....

2011-05-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

Our annual 500 festival parade was on a beautiful sunny day!

Jillian Michaels

We got to see some cool floats, bands and lots of fun celebs!!

One of our favorite drivers, Tony Kanan!

Anderson Cooper

Florence Henderson, who always sings during the 500.

We even got a very cool flyover during the parade!

Finally, Gene got a t-shirt last year that Will Power was passing out. Check it out here. He decided to wear it this year for the parade and it was so funny to see the reaction of Will Power and his wife. They had them made just for event last year, and were so excited to see someone wearing it!! We plan to wear it every year to see if they remember us!! :)

Dax's Birthday.....

2011-05-27T23:31:00.000-04:00

On May 27, Dax turned 6 years old!! He still loves everything to do with cars as you can tell!!

Before Gene left for work, we let him open few presents!!

He had been wanting a pillow pet for a while now, so he was pretty excited to finally get one!!

Here's a kitten update!! So cute!

Also on Dax's birthday, we had a CC Creek Day. Classical Conversations (CC) is a new homeschool co-op that we are going to be involved in next year.

My kids love playing in the creek!!

...and playing with friends!

Later that night, we had a little celebration for Dax!

Complete with a cookie cake and candle for him to blow out!

Plus, he got to open up a few more presents!!

Family Bump Day Qaulifications....

2011-05-22T23:31:00.000-04:00

Our Family day at the track landed on Bump Day Qualifications!! For those who don't know, it's the last day for teams to get a spot in the race. We call it Bump day because there is only 33 spots and so the person in the last spot gets bumped if someone beats his time. It's always exciting and fun!

It rained a little bit but we still got to see lots of action!!

It was a pretty big crew! 7 adults and 12 kids!

My mom and Grace

The boys got to see real Hot Wheels cars!

A few of us headed to the museum while they were drying the track to see some of the old cars!!

Hayden with the very first car that won the Indy 500 called The Marmon Wasp.

Grace really liked this pink car!!

The boys and I in front of the car that won in 1992, the year of my first race.

A really cool quilt that had all the cars that have won the race and their signatures!

The girls talking to some of the 500 princesses, there are 33 of them too!

Dylan running around!

A new version of the Marmon Wasp

Okay, so my you all know by now that my Dad is the king of autographs.

Well, here's a series of pics of my dad getting Danica's autograph.

He's patiently waiting and never gives up....

That smile on my Dad's face is a sign that he knows he going to get it!! Haha!! He finally got it but I didn't get a picture of it because the crowd got so thick. :)

Now, here's another neat story about Danica. All the little girls wanted her autograph but she was signing autographs on the other side and was about done. As she was leaving, I told the girls to yell her name to see if she would come back. Well, she heard them and she came right over to our girls and signed one for each of them. She said she heard their voices and had to come back!! It was sweet!

All the kiddos!!

My sister and her crew!

Dill pickle and her momma!!

My lovely family!!

Another shot a little closer!

My Mom and Dad!!

I love this one!!

As always, it was a wonderful day at the track!!

BACH end of the year party at the park....

2011-05-20T23:29:00.000-04:00

At the end of the school year, our local homeschool group had a party at a park. We all met at McCormick's Creek and had lunch. After lunch we had a savenger hunt and hiked through the woods.

After our hike, we headed to the Nature Center for some educational fun!

It was a nice way to end the BACH year with friends!!

Practice Day with my Dad.....

2011-05-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

So as the month of May rolled on, we had many more visits to the track!! The next visit was with my Dad and the kids on a practice day.

My Dad has really conquered the "Art" of autographs over the years and has a ton at home to prove it! We spotted Marco Andretti, pictured up above, and my Dad quickly grabbed Grace and took her to the fence!! My Dad loves passing down his skills to the younger generation! Haha!!

Marco seemed so busy so I really didn't think it was going to happen but she got her first autograph!! She barely knows who he is but she was still excited!! The picture right next to Grace is of his very famous grandfather, Mario Andretti.

Hayden with the new 2012 Indycar!

Very cool!

My Dad and Grace with the Indianapolis 500 Gordon Pipers!

Love that sound!!

Grace getting Ed Carpenter's autograph!

He's one of our favorite drivers!!

After Grace got the hang of it, it was time for Dax to try it out!

He was a little shy at first but quickly gained his confidence!!

He got Charlie Kimball, a rookie this year and Alex Tagliani, who ended up on the pole this year at the 500. Also notice that Dax is wearing his running medal from the rookie run! I told you he loves to wear it!

By the end of the day, Grace and Dax were pros and got Scott Dixon's autograph all by themselves!!

We were so proud!! Ha!! It's just fun!!

Watching the track from above.....

My Dad giving me the bunny ears!!

My best memories of all time are here at this track!!

It's so awesome to see it being passed down to my kiddos!!

So glad we got to go!!

It was good day!!

Kittens: Just a few days old....

2011-05-17T23:28:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to show you our sweet baby kittens!!

They are 4 days old!

The kids absolutely adore them!

Grace taught Asher to hold them like this so they feel more secure!

He's doing a pretty good job with them!

Teeny Tiny Frogs....

2011-05-17T12:39:00.000-04:00

Every spring near my parent's house we find these teeny tiny frogs!! The kids always collect a ton and we bring them home.

So tiny and cute!!

About the size of a pencil eraser!

They don't keep super well because they are so sensitive, so after awhile we decided to let them go!

Good bye little frogs!!

Rookie Runs....

2011-05-15T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's time for the Rookie Runs!!

Here's our 3 kiddos with their medals!!

Hayden got to go first and it was his 2nd year.

It was cold and sprinkling a bit so I was proud of them for still doing it!

Hayden in his rain poncho and almost done!

He wasn't too sure of the race but he was pretty excited about his medal!

Dax about ready to start his 4th Rookie race!

Dax with his "Game Face"!!

Finishing with a smile on his face!

Dax and his medal, which he wore for weeks on end!!

(both boy still do occasionally)

Gene and Asher watching from the stands!

Grace about to start her 5th rookie run!!

Look at that stride!! :)

Grace had to run longer now that she is getting older but she still enjoys which is good!

Trying to warm up inside before heading home!!

The whole family with the new official pace car of the Indy 500!!

Past Rookie Races

2007 Grace's first race

2008 Dax's first race

2009

2010 Hayden's 1st race

Our kittens are born.....

2011-05-13T23:26:00.000-04:00

Our cat had kittens in May!!

The kids were so excited for them to be born!

It happened on Friday the 13th as we were putting the kids to bed. We knew something was up because she got extremely affectionate and loving right before she gave birth to the first one.

Here's one of the sweet baby kittens still in it's amniotic sac!

The mama cat quickly got to work cleaning up those sweet babies!

So tiny and cute!

The kids got to be front and center on the action!

It was a great homeschooling lesson! Haha!!

She had 4 babies and they all look exactly like their mama!!

Grace was tired in this picture but she was pretty excited that the mama cat decided to have the babies on her bed. She slept with them on her bed for a few nights before I moved them to the ground.

Here's the sweet kittens all cleaned up!!

Roller Skating....

2011-05-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

Grace's friend, Sara, had a roller skating party at a place called Western Skateland. It was so much fun on a couple of different levels. The first was because this is the same exact place where I had my roller skating parties when I was a kid! In fact, they still do the same games and play the same songs as they did when I was young! Ha! The second reason was because my kids had never been roller skating before so I was excited to take them.

Grace showing Sara the card she made for her!

Everyone did a pretty good job, especially considering it was our first time. At first, they were falling like crazy but they got the hang of it by the end of the night!

The boys mostly stayed closer to the front and near the walls or railings. Grace actually ventured out with her friends so I didn't many pictures of them.

Grace and two of her friends!!

Indy 500 Balloon Festival....

2011-05-07T23:24:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite sights in the world!!

My family at the track with that awesome pagoda in the background!!

We started out the month of May at the track for the Balloon festival.

The very first actual race at the track was a Hot air Balloon race, so they have this event to honor that. It also co-incides with alternative energy day too. They had fancy names for these events but I can't remember them right now! Ha!

The boys thought the solar powered race cars were pretty cool!

Hayden and I

A pretty cool see-through race car!

We met up with our friends Ryan and Alison, who are getting married this next October. Gene and I will be both in the wedding which is exciting! They have two sweet girls named Arie (after a famous race car driver) and Alana.

Look at all those cute painted faces!! Asher got a little scared so she just did one on his arm instead! :)

They were offering free snow cones but you had to work for them!! The bikes shown up above and the teeter toter shown below were powering the snow cone maker. Gene and Grace worked hard to provide us all a snow cone!

The actual balloon part got canceled because it started raining but we still had a good time!!

Spring Blosom Parade.....

2011-05-07T23:23:00.000-04:00

We began our May at the annual Spring Blossom Parade in my hometown!

Dax loves parades because he can see all kinds of cool cars!!

My sister works at a local restaurant, called Muddy Boots, in town and walked in the parade with their float!

After the parade was over, we headed to all the kid events downtown!!

Dax was partnered with his buddy Maddox for the water balloon toss!

They all did a great job!!

Grace and the new friend, that she had just met, won 3rd place!!

For the egg toss, Dax and Grace were both with friends from church!

The egg toss was over after only two rounds but Grace and Callie came out ahead in 1st place!!

Easter Sunday....

2011-04-24T00:14:00.000-04:00

On Easter Sunday, we got up pretty early and let the kids check out their baskets before we headed to Church!!

They love getting their own special treats!

Asher started eating it right away!! Haha!!

Grace and her doll in matching dresses!

After a wonderful service at church, we headed to my parent's house for a family gathering!

Family Portrait Time!!

Sibling shot!

It's pretty hard to get a photo where everyone is smiling at the camera so we always end up with lots of silly ones too!!

Asher was trying to be funny in these pictures and I thought they were cute!

After we took some family photos, we did our annual Easter Egg hunt!!

It started to rain but they had fun anyway!

I just didn't get too many pictures because I didn't want to get my camera wet!

We also celebrated my sister's 29th birthday and my niece Makayla's 9th birthday that same day too!!

Coloring Easter Eggs....

2011-04-23T00:13:00.000-04:00

Our beautiful colored eggs!!

The big kids were getting pretty creative this year with eggs which was fun!

Gene helping Asher paint his egg!

Hayden loved the color blue!!

The sparkly swirl eggs!!

I love this because they all are so busy concentrating on their eggs!

Asher even got creative with his painting!!

He didn't get so creative with his regular coloring!! The only color he wanted to do was orange!! Haha!

Another year done coloring eggs and another year with blue hands!!

A fundraiser Carnival....

2011-04-19T00:02:00.000-04:00

All these pictures are from an adoption fundraiser! Our friends from church had a carnival for kids to help bring their daughter home from China. The kids had a blast and I love being able support this family!! I can't wait to see them bring her home!

Hayden and Asher were in the mood for pictures on the ponies!

As you can see....

Grace smiled for me!!

Grandma Luidhardt.....

2011-04-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

In the middle of April, Gene's sweet Grandma Luidhardt passed away after living a very long life. We traveled to Ohio for the funeral, which took place at this beautiful old church. It's where she attended church during her life. It was a nice service and it was good to hear the stories about her from others. She was always so kind to me!

I still remember one of the last times we saw her was Christmas time when we all got to stand around her and sing songs. (Gene's brothers and sisters were with us too) Dax also asked to pray for her since she was sick and in the hospital which was so sweet.

She was buried right next to her beautiful church.

After lunch was over, Gene got the honor of helping his Dad bury the casket. Gene's dad is one of the caretakers for this cemetery. It took awhile so that kids got a chance to run around.

As I watched from afar, I couldn't help but notice the bitter sweetness of it all. My husband, with his Dad, whom was burying his mother signified honor and finality to me. At the same time, I watched my kids, who exemplify life, running around darting in between tombstones and being joyful.

It's all so bittersweet!

My kids are so resilient to life's troubles and I can only pray that they continue to live life to the fullest as they did that day!

May they live life joyfully and abundantly all the days of their lives!

Wizard of Oz after party....

2011-04-17T23:57:00.000-04:00

After the play was over, I wanted to get some family shots with Grace.

Her brothers don't always cooperate but little Asher did this time!!

Instead of flowers this year, we gave Grace a Lolli-pop since she was the munchkin who gave the same gift to Dorthy. For weeks, she kept saying that she wished she had a real one just like it!!

Grace and her friends!

Grace with my parents who came to watch the second show on Saturday!

We were so proud of her!!

She did an amazing job!!

If you would like to see a SmileBox slide show with lots more pictures and set to music then you can go here!!

Wizard of Oz....

2011-04-17T23:36:00.000-04:00

We actually had two performances this year which was nice because we could invite a few more people. We use the auditorium at our local library but it isn't very big so that is why we have to limit how many each of us can invite. All the kids did an amazing job of acting! It was so much fun to watch! Our director, Eva, did an amazing job again this year!! She's not even paid!! She's a mom just like many of us!

Grace was nervous but she didn't let that bother her too much. She was the munchkin that gave Dorothy the big lollipop! I was so proud of her!!

Some of the main characters with their professional costumes!

The cute giggling munchkins with Glenda!!

The witch and her flying monkeys and then Dorothy with Toto!!

Another cute munchkin shot!!

The whole cast!!

I want to give credit to, Ms Malissa, for many of these great photos!!

Preparing for the play.....

2011-04-14T23:22:00.000-04:00

Sometime in February, Grace began practicing for the Spring home school play. The play they chose this year was the "Wizard of Oz." Grace got to be a munchkin, which at first she didn't know if she liked because she had never seen the Wizard of Oz, but in the she ended up really liking the part!

Grace getting ready at home with curlers!

Here are some behind the scenes photos of some parents applying makeup on the actors and actresses!!

Grace as a munchkin!!

My date with Grace...

2011-04-12T23:07:00.000-04:00

My next date was with Grace!

I always enjoy spending time with my girl!!

She's so fun and so full of life.

She was really into pink that day! :)

(Btw, she dresses herself everyday and on most days she even does her own hair!)

We ate some yummy pretzels!!

She picked out a small fry bear since she already has a regular Build-a-Bear.

My sweet girl and I!

We had so much fun!!

Playground Fun....

2011-04-09T11:28:00.009-04:00

Homeschool Co-op review and party.....

2011-04-06T11:26:00.024-04:00

We loved our home school co-op this year! We met at a local Church and we met so many new and awesome families!! We now have lots of great friends!!

The first semester Grace and Dax took an Astronomy class and an Indiana History Class. The second semester they took a Physics class, which I co-taught, and a literature class. When I wasn't teaching, I was in the preschool area with the little boys!!

At the end of the year, we had a pizza party to celebrate all the kid's hard work!!

I wish I would have taken more pics throughout the year but believe me... we had a blast!!!

It was such a great thing for us to have something to look forward to every week and we look forward to many more years with all our new friends!!

My super Hero Kids and 2 sweet boys....

2011-04-06T11:24:00.017-04:00

My Super Hero Kids!!!

They are super fast!! Haha!!

These two love each other so much.....most of the time!! :)

It's not always this way, but it's so cute when it happens!!

Such sweet boys!!

Soup Bowl....

2011-04-03T11:24:00.047-04:00

On Sunday, of my birthday weekend, Grace and I attended the annual Soup Bowl. It's a fundraising event for Mother's Cupboard, a place that provides free meals in my hometown.

All the yummy soups by the local restaurants!!

Our bowl that was made by a local potter!

Just this past year, my Dad took the lead role as board president, which is very exciting for him!

We are super proud of him!!

It was just Grace and I, while Gene hung out with the boys!

It was a good time for a good cause!!

My Birthday Weekend....

2011-04-01T11:26:00.028-04:00

On the Thursday, the day before my birthday, we headed to Ohio for the Midwest Homeschool Convention. We met Gene's parents, so they could take the kids for the weekend in Dayton and then headed to Cincy!

I always love this weekend away with Gene!!

I never think to take pictures while I am there but it is mostly because I am focused on finding our curriculum and listening to the awesome speakers!!

I did take these with my cell phone at a Sushi place we ate at on the way home.

We listened to lots of great speakers and found everything we needed which was good! Gene and I got lots of time by ourselves but we also got to eat out with friends a few times too!

It was a fabulous weekend and we had so much fun!!

My date with Dax....

2011-03-29T21:09:00.000-04:00

My next date was with Dax and it was also his first time at BAB!!

He was so excited to go, especially since he knew what the surprise was going to be!

He picked a cat and named it Shawn!

Our yummy pretzel!

The pic we took ourselves!!

Dax wanted to play with the same puppy, so we did!!

It was a really cute cocker spaniel!

He picked a Colt's outfit for his cat!

It was so much fun spending time my handsome Dax!!

(The other two dates are coming in April!!)

My date with Hayden....

2011-03-28T23:51:00.001-04:00

I love spending one on one time with my kiddos and I had these extra Build-A-Bear gift certificates, so it was a good excuse to them all on a date!

Hayden was my first date and it was so exciting because it was his first time going to BAB!

He chose a brown horse and named it Jack! :)

All these pictures were taken with my cell phone, so sorry for the blurriness!

Getting an extra heart!!

Giving his horse a bath!!

We found this cute jacket that fit the horse perfectly!!

We walked around the mall together and enjoyed an Auntie Anne's pretzel as a snack!!

YUM!

Plus, we also got to play with this sweet puppy!!

Hayden had a blast and so did I!!

CC Egg Drop Day....

2011-03-27T23:59:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day for an Egg Drop!!

It was a bit chilly but the skies were so beautifully blue!

See how high 180 feet.... it's a lot taller then our house!! :)

It was fun to watch all the different families ideas!!

Alot of them used a parachute, which was a great idea!

It's our turn!!!

Dax, Gene and Hayden's Egg went first....

Here's a up close shot of it!!

Falling to the ground....

Mine, Grace, Asher's went second!!

It fell really fast!

Grace and Dax with our Egg containers!

Our's broke....:(

....but the boy's survived!!!

Good job Boys!!!

Egg Drop Experimenting....

2011-03-27T11:21:00.043-04:00

In the Spring, we had a chance to be apart of an "Egg Drop" with a local home school group. I did one in school when I was younger so I thought it would be fun to have the kids do it too!

If you have never done one before, you basically are trying to protect the egg from breaking as you drop it from a certain height.

In our case, the egg carrier could not be bigger then 12X12 and it was being dropped at 180 feet. We had two entries: Gene, Dax and Hayden worked on one and Grace, Asher and I worked on the other.

The first thing we did was have the kids list their ideas and design their prototypes. Both of them wanted things that were very soft to surround the eggs. We looked for things around the house that would work as our materials.

Our first attempt failed as you can see in the picture above!

Grace modifying our egg carrier!

We practiced from our roof, which is definitely not 180 feet up but the highest we had!

Grace watching our 2nd attempt!

Not so good.....

Even with all the cotton balls that Grace could fit in there... it still didn't work!

On our third attempt, we succeeded on both of our carriers!!

The boys had their egg right in the middle of that big box, suspended with bungee cords!! Grace, Asher and I used Tupperware containers and packing materials to keeps ours safe!!

Our egg all safe and sound!!

Grace was happy that it finally worked!!

We will see how they do on the Egg Drop Day!!

It's a Ghost....

2011-03-19T11:21:00.016-04:00

It's a Ghost......it's a boy with white hair.....no it's Dax with baby powder all over him!!

Another little boy with baby powder all over him....hmmmm!

As I walked into a haze of white dust in the boy's room, I saw the culprit and the evidence!

Someone had been playing with baby powder!

This sweet innocent child wasn't so innocent that night!!

He decided it would be fun to pour baby powder everywhere and on his brothers!!

I couldn't help but laugh a little bit!!

Sleepover with the girls.....

2011-03-17T11:20:00.039-04:00

As the weather was beginning to get nice in March, we had my sister's girls over for a sleepover!!

It was such a beautiful day for pictures so I took alot! :)

They love to climb the trees in our backyard!!

Emma, showing off her first lost tooth!

It happened to be St. Patricks day so we made our rainbow cupcakes!

They all had fun helping me ice them!!

Yummy and pretty at the same time!!

They could be barely wait to eat them up!

We love having the girls over!!

Post Office Field Trip....

2011-03-16T11:19:00.014-04:00

Also in March, a local homeschooling group, put together a field trip to the Post Office which I thought the kids would enjoy.

It was very interesting to see how they do things at the Post Office and the kids did enjoy it!

Grace and her friend Sara

Looking inside of a Mail truck!

Afterwards, we went to a local park and played for a bit with some of our friends!!

Asher being a big boy!

Sara, is one of Grace's best friends right now and she also attends our co-op!

Birthdays and Fun....

2011-03-09T11:18:00.031-05:00

Gene celebrated his 30th birthday on March 9th!!!

He got two birthday parties!!

A family party at my parent's house and another party to celebrate with friends!

I got a few sets of couples together and we decided on dinner and games! We ate at a place in town called De'Angelos, and it was yummy! After we ate dinner, we headed back to a friend's house for a super fun night of games!!

We laughed and had so much fun!!

After nights like that, I always wonder why we don't do that more often.

We had such a great time!

I really wish I would have taken more photos but I was busy having fun!! :)

Happy 30th Birthday Gene!!

Things I love about Hayden......

2011-02-27T23:14:00.030-05:00

I love this boy so much!!

He's so sweet but he can be a little feisty at times too! He's not boy who likes to be held much, but he also still enjoys his cuddles from time to time, luckily, for my sake! :)

He is ALL boy and loves to be rough!! He also loves superheroes, play fighting, swords, and all things boy!! He loves it when I tell him he is such a strong boy or that he is fast! He thinks he is super fast and loves to win things!

He still very much likes to pick out his own clothes and is very particular about what he wears. His latest thing has been his winter boots and jeans. (even now as I write this in June!) Haha! Before that, it was his running shoes but he wore them everyday for so long that they now have holes in them. We had to throw them away!! (Yay!!) I was so tired of those things! :)

I also love all the faces he makes!!

These are just a few of the things that I love about Hayden!!

We just love him to pieces!!

A Look back at Hayden's first 4 years.....

2011-02-27T11:15:00.014-05:00

Hayden's Combined Birthday Party

2011-02-26T11:14:00.022-05:00

Hayden's Birthday cake

We celebrated with friends and family at a local church called Hoosier Harvest. They have this really cool indoor playground. My brother and his wife asked if we wanted to go in on the party with their two kids since they also have Jan/Feb birthdays. So it was actually a birthday party for Hayden, Abram and Aleigha! I'm so sad because I can not find all the pictures from this party. :( I know I took at least 50 more but I have tried for days to find them but with no avail, so these are the only ones that are on my computer. I am hoping my sister-in-law has some that I can use and then put on here at a later date!

Hayden with his race car cake!!

Hadyen with his surprise look, a classic Hayden face!!

Asher trying air hockey for the first time!! He stayed at this table the entire time!

Dax enjoying the drinks!!

We had a such a great time and I wish I had all the rest of my photos to show you. :(

I will post more as soon as I get the ones from my sister-in-law!!

Hayden's 4th Birthday.....

2011-02-26T11:13:00.010-05:00

Hayden turned 4 in February!!

He picked pancakes for breakfast and homemade pizza for lunch!!

He was so excited about his birthday this year which made it so much fun!

He's really into super heroes these days too!

Next up..... Hayden's Birthday Party

Grace's First time Skiing....

2011-02-14T11:11:00.098-05:00

On Valentine's Day, Grace and I got to do something special!!

We went Skiing at Paoli Peaks!!

I went with a local home school group so we got a great discount!

Getting fitted with our skis!

We got rental skis, lift tickets, lunch, and a ski lesson.... all for $18 each!!

It was a great deal!!

It was Grace's first time skiing, so I am so glad she was able to take a lesson!

Grace all ready to try it out!!

They recommended that children not use poles so they could get used to skiing first!

Going into the day, I really did not expect us to get off the bunny hill at all, but Grace surprised me big time!! After about an hour on the bunny hill, she wanted to try bigger hills!! The scariest part for me was teaching her how to use the ski lift! Luckily, they have a smaller ski lift that you can practice on before you do the huge ones! She did great and by the end of the day she had done most of the hills except for the extreme ones!

She obviously fell some since it was her first time but she kept a great attitude the whole time!

We had a few friends that were there too! Grace eventually caught up to her friend Sydney!

They even asked to ride the ski lift together which was nerve wracking!! Man oh man, did I have to really control my fear on this one!! Not sure if any of you have skied before but there is no bar to hold you in the ski lift and you are really high up!! I was in the ski lift behind them so that helped! I never want my kids to fear things so I didn't let her know that I was scared!! :) It was only hard the first time and then it got easier!

My girl is growing up so fast!

I took these videos with my phone! I was interviewing Grace on the ski lift!!

Here's a video of Grace skiing!! She did great!

I was skiing behind her with my cell phone...that takes talent!! Haha!!

Actually, I was so scared to take my real camera because I was afraid I would fall, so all of these pics on the slopes are from my cell phone!!

We had such a blast and hope to go more than once next year!!

Since I had to go without Gene, my mom watched the boys but next year I hope to take them too!!

Valentine's Party.....

2011-02-11T11:10:00.032-05:00

I got my new camera just in time for the annual Valentine's party at the Webbs!

The kids love events like this because they get to hang out with all their friends!

The moms love it for the same reason!

The kids get to do a craft while the moms get to chat!!

A special Valentine for Dax from Miss Jordyn, a teen who thinks Dax is cute!! Haha!!

They also got to decorate a sugar cookie!

A couple of their friends!

The best part is eating the sugar cookie!

Asher is always up for eating something sweet!

Finally, we handed out all the Valentines one by one!

The kids love going through their bag!!

I still remember that same excitement from my days in school too!

Such a great memories!

Sending off my camera and more sledding....

2011-01-06T11:05:00.032-05:00

We took advantage of the snow that came in January!

How about some Cul-de-Sac sledding!!

Yep, that's Gene, pulling all 4 kids down our Cul-de-Sac!!

He's the Man and such a good Daddy!

Grace with her big chunk of Ice!

We had lots of fun!!

********************************************

I also sent my camera off to fixed in January. After about 2 weeks, they called to tell me that it could not be fixed. Since I had the warranty though, I could get a new one! I actually ended up with an upgrade because they did not have the Nikon D90 anymore. My new camera is the Nikon D3100.

A New Year's Christmas....

2011-01-01T11:05:00.037-05:00

We celebrated Christmas on New Year's Eve with Gene's family!

It was so much fun, we had the kid's art pieces from the Art Show and had it displayed when they got there in our computer room. The kids were so excited to give them their own personal Art show!

Our big Christmas Tree was taken down by this point, but we did put up this small Christmas tree so it still felt like Christmas!! The kids had fun getting the house ready for Grandma and Grandpa to come! They love their Grandparents!!

We also got dressed up in our Christmas outfits just for fun!

Please remember that my camera was broke at his time and it was hard to stop movement!!

These are by far the greatest but the only ones we have!!

The Luidhardt Men

The Luidhardt Women

The Luidhardt kiddos!!

(Ugh, it stinks that it was blurry... but once again, it was the only pics I have!)

Another cute one!!

It was such a wonderful visit!!

We are so thankful for our families and all they have done for us!!

We love you!!

Christmas day with my family.....

2010-12-25T23:14:00.042-05:00

After we had Christmas at home, we headed to my parent's house to celebrate with my family!

The main event at my parent's house on Christmas is the Gingerbread Houses!!

I've been doing Gingerbread houses with my family since we were really little so it's definitely a family tradition!!

This year is the 3rd year we have done the Grand kid Gingerbread House Extravaganza!!

My dad made all these little houses out of graham crackers!

All the houses were unique and so cute!!

Each family brings the candy and the kids go to town with it!!

Even the littlest get involved!

A gingerbread lodge....

Another finished gingerbread house!

Grace and I

My sister with her daughter Payton!!

I hope it's something they remember for a long time!!

Christmas Morning....

2010-12-25T14:14:00.039-05:00

A picture of the tree all ready for the kiddos!!

Gene's new football!

We open the presents one by one to make it last longer!

Plus, I think they are more able to appreciate each and every gift!

Dax and Grace got these paper jam guitars!!

They've been a big hit, even Gene pretends to be a rock star every now and then!

A few of the family gifts!!

Every year, I take a picture of them with their gifts! I do it so they will be able to remember many years later the things they loved when they were little!!

We felt so blessed this Christmas Season but above all we are thankful for that sweet baby in the manger named Jesus!!

A bonus video of the kids seeing the Christmas Tree for the first time that was taken with my phone!

Christmas Eve....

2010-12-24T14:13:00.037-05:00

I broke tradition this year in what we usually get them for Christmas Eve.

Instead of buying pajamas this year, I got them Super Hero Capes!!

Please excuse the blurriness.... just pretend they really are superheros and that they are moving super fast. Ha! I had dropped my camera so my flash was broken at that time! It was actually broken for over a month till I had time to fix it! Ugh!

It was a big hit and I recommend them for all kids!!

Especially, if you have kids who love to pretend like mine do!

Hayden was my inspiration for this gift because he loves being a superhero!!

Everyday for the past 6 months, he would ask me if I could tie his blanket around his neck to be a superhero! I thought he would love the real thing! I ordered them online at this Etsy shop, so they were hand-made which was so cool because we got them personalized!

The Luidhardt Super Hero Kids!!!!!

After my superheroes went to bed, Gene and I got Christmas all ready for them!!

Gingerbread Houses, Cookies and Crafts.......

2010-12-24T14:12:00.033-05:00

Gingerbread house time!!

Gene, Hayden and Dax worked on one together!

While Grace, Asher and I worked on one!

Asher ate more candy then he actually helped!!

The boy's house

The house I did with Grace and Asher!

I thought this walk way was cute!

******************************************************************

Another fun thing we did in December was make Gingerbread Men!

They love cooking and baking!

We also painted these little ornaments!!

Sledding!!

2010-12-21T14:11:00.027-05:00

At the first sign of snow, the kids are always ready to go sledding!!

Getting all the kids ready for snow takes at least a 1/2 hour!!

It just takes a long time to find the right coats, gloves, hats, scarves and boots!

Hayden got to wear Grace's hand me down waterproof gloves this year!!

He didn't seem to mind!!

Dax getting ready to go down the big hill!

Gene taking Asher down the hill!

As you can see from this perspective, it's a pretty steep hill!!

.....and a long hard slippery walk back up!!

Hayden took a break to do a snow angel!!

My sweet Asher all bundled up!!

Children's Christmas Pageant....

2010-12-19T14:11:00.048-05:00

The children at our Church Praising Jesus!

Watching kids praise brings tears to my eyes without fail!!

Dax had a small talking part as a sherpherd boy!

All the preschoolers got to be animals in the barn, so Hayden was cow as you can see. He had his back turned watching the others on stage the whole time so this was the best picture that I got. He also may or may not have stuck his finger up his nose in front of everyone!! Haha!

(Which, seriously, is totally out of character for him so it made it even more funny!)

Grace wanted to be one of the dancers which didn't surprise me one bit!

The kids loved being up on stage and praising the Lord!!

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul."

Psalm 108:1

Decorating for Christmas....

2010-12-07T14:10:00.037-05:00

After we got our huge tree, it took us a few days to find time to decorate it but we finally did!!

It's so much fun as we unpack the ornaments every year. Each one has a special memory and the kids love to hear the stories of their ornaments as we take turns putting them up.

I am a huge believer in family traditions and this is one of my favorites!!

Our tree definitely isn't matched and all perfect like those you see in the magazines but I wouldn't change it for the world! Ours has memories and to me that is even more beautiful!

Another thing the kids love to do is help me set up the manager....

As we set it up, we remember the real story behind Christmas!

Thank you Lord for the birth of Jesus and this sweet time as a family!

Zoo and Downtown Indy lights.....

2010-12-05T14:09:00.045-05:00

Early December, we headed to the Zoo to see the animals and all the pretty lights!

It was a cold night so we bundled up!

Of course, we had to unbundle a bit to pet the sharks!!

Asher got his gloves a wet before we had a chance to tell him to take them off, so we had to find a dryer to dry his poor mittens!!

After the Sharks, we visited the penguins!!

Asher could have sat their for hours watching them swim around!

More Zoo lights....

Some pretty Trees......

We got cold pretty fast so we only lasted about a hour or so but it was enough to see all the pretty lights!

After we were done at the Zoo, we headed to downtown Indy to see some more lights!! We also got some "South Bend Chocolate Factory" hot chocolate and it was yummy!

It's probably my favorite hot chocolate ever!!

Women's Christmas Dinner...

2010-12-04T23:09:00.023-05:00

As part of the women's ministry team, I get to the privilege of helping with annual Christmas Dinner which is held the first Saturday of December. Every year we have a yummy served dinner and then we also have a silent auction to help raise funds for our ministry.

A few ladies and friends from church....

We asked the teens to do a drama to music and they did a wonderful job!

It was very moving!

Plus.....

My Gracie got to be a part of it!!

It was fun to see my sweet girl up there praising the Lord!!

(All photos except for the last one were taken by Miss Susy)

Dax's Art Show......

2010-12-04T20:00:00.064-05:00

Dax was nervous at first because it was his first time taking art class, but all it took was one class and he was hooked. He couldn't wait till the next class, plus his teachers just loved him to pieces which helped!!

They were such great teachers!!

I loved how they wrote down exactly what the kids said and used that in display of their art! They did a great job of displaying the kid's art in a unique way too!

Sorry for the quality it's a picture of a picture

Dax with his whole class!!

A Paint Collage entitled "Cave Jewels"

Here's his cute little quote

"The caterpillar was underground and saw a bat. They went through another cave and saw water. First they didn't know how to get out, then they found a way out. There was a cliff. Shiny jewels were hanging in the cave."

I think they read some books for inspiration which is where he got some of ideas!! So cute!!

Dax with his Cat Collage

Natural Materials art piece named "Cat Collage"

His quote:

"I think it was a cat, the cat's trying to find food"

Dax's Paper Mache Hot Air Balloon

I love that he said he was going to visit his friend Faith in Georgia!

Ahhh, so sweet!

A Painted art piece called "Sky Painting"

His quote:

"The people that only show their bones, they thought the big dipper was falling on them, but it really wasn't."

(I think they had read another book for inspiration again...haha)

A mixed media piece which he named "Derek"

His quote:

"I found a treasure! I talked to the other fish about how we could find gold."

We had an awesome time doing art and can't wait till next year!!

Hayden can't wait till it's his turn too!!

Just a couple more years sweet boy!!

Grace's Art show......

2010-12-04T14:08:00.067-05:00

Grace with one of her teachers

Starting in the Fall, both Grace and Dax took IU Fall art classes. It's Grace's second year doing it and she loves art. They participate in one class for 8 weeks and then at the end they have an art show for parents, family and friends. The instructors are IU students who are studying to be art teachers, so this gives them practice!

A Mermaid picture done with chalk and paint!

Grace had to design the picture first and then later added clay to make the picture come alive.

She also made this basket out of clay.... the one with the pink handle!

The project this time was a Indiana driver's license for an animal....

It's a picture of a unicorn and here are the words she wrote all by herself:

Name: Uniey

Age: 1 Year

Favorite Food: Apples

Favorite Color: Blue

Hobbies: Flie

Each student gets one art project that is left in the special galleries till after the holidays. They picked Grace's fairy house.

They got to make these super cute fairy houses out of recycled materials!!

******************************************************************

During the big kid's classes, I got to hang out with the two smallest boys for about an hour which was nice to have some one on one time with them! Dax's class lasted an hour so once I picked up him I would have all 3 boys for 1/2 hour till Grace's class ended. During one of those times, I took these pictures of the boys!

Up next....

Dax's Art show

Our Christmas Tree....

2010-12-01T14:07:00.033-05:00

Searching for our Christmas Tree all bundled up!!

It was really cold that night but we needed to get our tree because we wouldn't have time any other day!

We found it super quick though, but Hayden was still in tears because he was so cold!

Right after these family pics, we jumped back in the van to head back to the main shop to pay for our tree and wait for it to get cut and shook. They offer you free popcorn and hot chocolate while you wait which is so nice!! The kids loved that part!

Thanksgiving with my family.....

2010-11-30T14:06:00.032-05:00

The kiddie table

After we got back from Ohio, we had Thanksgiving with my side of the family, so I thought I would show you a few of the photos from that as well!!

All the rest of the kiddos... we don't quite have a table big enough for all of them!

We also celebrated two birthdays at the same time!!

Emma turned 6......

...and

Dylan turned 2!!

Turkey Handprints and Operation Christmas Child.....

2010-11-29T14:06:00.031-05:00

The kids love doing crafts so this Thanksgiving we did Turkey hand prints!!

They thought it was so much fun to get their hands painted!

Hayden getting his hands ready!!

Dax thought it tickled!!

After we did the print, we added legs and a beak to make it look like a turkey!!

******************************************************

Another special thing we do every Fall is Operation Christmas child. I take all the kids to the store and we pick out fun stuff to put inside shoe boxes. These boxes are sent to children in the world who might not get much Christmas! I've done it since Grace was little! They look forward to it every year!

Our boxes went to Honduras and Chad this year!!

Ohio Thanksgiving Part Two.....

2010-11-28T14:05:00.046-05:00

(A picture of the Ohio State groupies)

While we were in Ohio, we had the annual Pfahler Thanksgiving too. Gene's mom's maiden name was Pfahler so this is her side of the family. Ohio State was playing the "BIG" game against Michigan that day, so as you can see, much of the family wore Ohio State clothes!!

Our family picture that day!

Gene's whole family!!

The Luidhardt ladies!!

Starting left, Cassie (Keith's), Julie and Teresa (Gene's sisters), Kristin (Kurt's wife), Grace and Danielle (Keith's wife). In the back, Gene's mom and I!!

The annual football game!!

My boys were a little too young this year but maybe next year!!

Hayden being silly and watching the guys play!!

It was so cold watching them but they had so much fun!!

We had such a wonderful time in Ohio as always!!

Lots of great memories were made and will be cherished forever!

Ohio Thanksgiving Part One.....

2010-11-27T14:04:00.030-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Gene's whole family this year!!

Gene's older brother Keith is in the Air Force and we only see them every few years, so it was so nice to have their family join us this year for Thanksgiving!

Lots of football was played between all the boys!

Out of 10 grand kids.....8 are boys!!

Grace and Cassie are the only girls!

Hayden, the running back!!

Cousin Ryan trying to tackle Hayden!!

(Ben and Grace)

We also did a few Christmas presents since Keith's family was there and wouldn't be at Christmas!!

The kids were pumped about opening presents early!!

They got lots of art supplies that will hopefully get us through the year!!

We played games, puzzles and caught up on life! Keith's kids introduced the game Dutch Blitz to us and it was so much fun!! Even our two oldest are old enough to play card games now!!

I love family time!!

Gracie with her Grandpa!!

Part 2 coming up....

Crazy Bathtub Hair....

2010-11-23T14:04:00.038-05:00

I was giving the boys a bath the other day and decided to do some crazy hair styling!!

They thought it was funny!!

All the boys sleep in the bottom section of this bunk every night!!

I think it's cute!!

My working Man!!

2010-11-22T14:03:00.022-05:00

Gene's been working Pre-load at UPS for two years coming this December. Basically, that means he loads the trucks really early in the mornings!! His average start time is 3am and during the holiday season it is 2am. During this holiday season, on top of his regular UPS shift, he got to do something special and get some overtime hours. He was a driver helper at our local Mall to help with all the extra packages. He really enjoyed the change and it was nice to have some extra money! He got to wear the "Brown" uniform too! :)

Our Thanksgiving.....

2010-11-21T14:02:00.010-05:00

Our Turkey!!

Getting ready to eat!!

YUM

Giving Thanks and toasting to a great year!!

"I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing Praise."

Psalm 101:1

Leaves....

2010-11-12T14:01:00.020-05:00

Time to play in the Leaves again!!

One of the kid's favorite activities!

My sweet kiddos!!

Candy time!!

2010-10-30T14:00:00.035-04:00

A group pic of all my little characters for Halloween!!

Grace, my "Super girl"

Dax, my "Knight in shining armor"

Hayden, my superhero aka "Spider man"

Asher, my sweet "honeybee"

The kids were really lucky this year because my hometown and the town we live in chose different nights for trick or treating.

They got to do it twice!! :)

A huge pumpkin that was carved on two different sides!!

See the regular size pumpkin that is in it's mouth!!

Pretty cool huh!!

5945 lbs!!

Carving Pumpkins....

2010-10-28T13:58:00.017-04:00

Pumpkin Carving Time!!

Hayden getting all the seeds out!!

Grace and Dax actually got to do some carving on their own this year which was fun for them!!

Asher really liked all the guts!!!

Gene helping Grace with the details!

Grace with her pumpkin!

Hayden all smiles with his pumpkin!

Payton's 5th Birthday....

2010-10-24T13:57:00.014-04:00

My niece celebrated her 5th birthday in October!!!

We all got together for a big bonfire party!!

She is so beautiful!!

Gracie enjoyed all their little kittens!!

My poor hubby was tired by the end of the party as you can tell!

Sugar boy!!

2010-10-22T13:57:00.010-04:00

Somebody made a big mess.....

I wonder who did it????

"Meeeeeee"

This is what happens when I turn my back for a second!!!

Asher gets into the sugar container!!

A Fall Hike.......

2010-10-19T13:55:00.024-04:00

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go on a hike and be outdoors!

The kids love being on an "Adventure" as they call it! :)

Isn't my man awesome!!

They especially love when we encounter waterfalls!!

All the kiddos on a log!!

My handsome Dax!

He's getting so big and grownup!!

Final Soccer games.....

2010-10-17T13:52:00.059-04:00

Hayden scoring a goal

The soccer season ended in October and here are some of our final pictures!!

Hayden had lots of fun and can't wait to do it again next year!

He was so funny because he would waver between aggressively going after the ball and then totally not paying attention! Haha!

Hayden loved his medal and wore it for a week straight!

Grace had a great time playing as well! She scored some goals as well and really got the concept of the game this year! She is very kind and gracious to everyone, even while trying to get the ball!

I am very proud of my sweet girl!!

My parents with the kiddos!!

Painting Pumpkins....

2010-10-16T13:55:00.023-04:00

The kids love to paint and we decided to paint these small pumpkins for fun!

Asher chewing the tube of paint!

Hayden painting his pumpkin!

Hayden kind of piled it up on top!! :)

Concentrating hard.....

It was a fun project!!

Appleworks in Black and White.....

2010-10-05T20:20:00.007-04:00

Appleworks.....

2010-10-05T13:53:00.077-04:00

In the beginning of October, we went to Appleworks for some Fall fun!

My first attempt at getting Hayden to smile!!

There's that cute smile!!

Feeding the goats!!

Playing on the Haystacks!!

My dad and the boys getting into a hay throwing fight!!

(My dad started it!!)

Fields of Sunflowers

Dylan in front of the apple trees!

My mom searching for the perfect pumpkin!

Pumpkin patch time!

Hayden trying to find his pumpkin!

Grace with her lovely pumpkin!

Dax found one perfect for his size!

Asher wanted to carry his pumpkin all by himself.... of course!!

Our perfectly picked pumpkins!!

Cheetahs at the Zoo.....

2010-09-28T18:59:00.001-04:00

We told Dax back in the spring that we would take him to see the new Cheetah exhibit that was coming to the zoo around his birthday!!

We finally made to the Zoo, not in the spring, but not too late!

All these pictures were taken with my cell phone because I left my precious camera at home! I was so mad at myself but the pictures didn't turn out that bad!!

We let all the kids feed the giraffes a carrot snack!

I love Hayden's expression!

Asher and his daddy checking out the elephants!!

The new Cheetahs!!

We sat in the Splash zone for the dolphin show!

It was fun and luckily we didn't get too wet!

It was late coming but a wonderful trip anyways!!

Soccer game with Gene's parents.....

2010-09-26T13:51:00.061-04:00

Hayden's team was called "Lil' Fire" and Grace's team was called "The Tigers"

On our next weekend of soccer games, Gene's parents came all the way from Ohio to watch them play! The kids love it when they come to visit and this time was no different!

Asher eating apples from Gene's family apple trees!!

Grace trying to stay warm with Grandpa!

Gene's mom watching Hayden play!!

After Hayden's games were over they would usually gather up one last time for a "Hooray thingie" and then it was time for snack!!

(His coach always had a snack for them)

As you can tell in this picture, it would send the kids running!

They would run faster towards the snack then they would the ball!

Haha!! It was cute!!

Hayden with part of his snack!!

Grace's game was next and she did a great job!!

As you can tell, she is quite a bit taller then the rest of the kids she played against!!

Yeah Team!!!

Usually, after the games were over we would go and play on the playground!!

While there, Dax accomplished something big!!

He can finally do the monkey bars all by himself!!

True Women Conference.....

2010-09-24T13:50:00.027-04:00

I got to attend the True Woman Conference in September with about 15 other ladies. It's a conference to inspire all women to True Biblical womanhood! It was a wonderful refreshing time where I learned so much!! The conference is apart of Revive our Hearts, which is a great ministry! If you ever have a chance to go, it is so worth it! :)