Merry Christmas!

...from the Virginia Roehls.

This was a year of family firsts and fabulous memories!

Randi got her own 'twin'....

Ginger got her first winter jacket...

...and Boomer got a replacement....not looking too shabby for a 16 year old cow dog, eh?

I got my first pair of adult footy-jammies....and the punks LOVED my monkey feet!

The punks endured their very first Christmas....

....tasting every single gift they opened.

CJ was particularly fond of his Daddy's toys.....

All in all they had a blast and are thoroughly exhausted after a whole day of fun and play.....even though they have their 'naughty' pants on, they were angels all day! I think they like this thing called Christmas.

Randi wrapped her first gift ALL BY HERSELF! It was a tie she bought for her Daddy.

She did a pretty good job for not being allowed to watch us wrap anything....

She owned that fussy tape dispenser!

...believe it or not, she does a better job of wrapping than her Daddy! :)

I took some video of the kids opening Santa's presents.....hoping it helps you feel a little closer to us over the distance....enjoy!

Happy Holidays,

The Roehls

PS...no, I have not taken up chain smoking...I sound like a man because I am sick...as usual....it is that time of year again!

Mall + Santa = NEVER AGAIN!

Normally, I take Randi to downtown Spotsylvania on the morning of our annual Christmas Parade to meet and spend some one-on-one time with Ole Saint Nick...He rides at the end of the parade in a big red fire engine. Since we know where the fire engine is staged, we take the opportunity to get there early, chit-chat about her year, propose her ideal Christmas presents, and take advantage of the photo op....however, this year I was running a bit late and promised Randi I would take her and punks to the Mall so she could hand off her Christmas list get her picture taken......stoopid me....I've never experienced this before, and never hope to again....we arrived at noon, when Santa 'opened for business'...about an our later, Santa went to lunch.....for an hour......and we waited.....and waited.....and waited.....all three of us.....thank goodness I'd packed a few bottles and diapers! Anyways, it was not until about 3pm that we finally stepped passed the gatekeeper and entered Santa's humble abode.....

All that aside, I'm glad the little brat got to pass off her Christmas list and get some much needed Santa-love....she would have waited days for the experience and been none the worse for it!

...and that CJ got his first visit with the big man. Unfortunately, CJ had fought through his nap time and was less than chipper come his special moment in front of the camera, but he wasn't intimidated by Santa at all.....that's my boy!

Sophie, on the other hand, was terrified.....which was to be expected....she is our tender, sweet, and easily intimidated child....the photographer did a great job of distracting her long enough to capture a not so terrified mug shot....

...but once she got a good look at that scary old man....

All bets were off! This is an honest photo though....one that I think captures the true personalities of my punks....silly kids.

Needless to say I'll be waiting for Santa in downtown Spotsy bright and early in 2011! I'm a big fan of the personal and prompt Santa experience!

Happy Holidays!

The Roehl Punks

Party Time!

Tis' the season for Holiday Parties!!! My dear husband's Christmas party was last weekend and we always have a really great time....good people, good food, and good music guarantee that! It was a bitter-sweet occasion though, as his company recently announced their sale and this will be the last company-wide function we will attend as MTCSC.

My company held it's annual Christmas Dinner this weekend. VNE is a small company owned and led by former Marines....Employees are a close-knit group of like minded souls...in other words, a hell-raising bunch of folks! Dinner was fabulous and the President even had a few kind words to say to the raucous crowd. It gets better every year!

Happy Holiday Parties!

Leah

Not MY kids!

I love ice cream.....I MORE than love ice cream....let me explain.

When I was pregnant with Randi more than 5 years ago my doctor told me to increase my Calcium....but I am not a milk drinker, so he suggested ice cream! A man after my own heart! So I took him up on that suggestion....all in the name of health, of course! Except that after Randi was born I did not stop....I mean, if it was GOOD for me, why stop, right? You would be hard pressed to come to MY house and look in MY freezer and NOT find a carton of the calcium fortified frozen yummy goodness!

That said, imagine my surprise when after dinner one night I offered the punks a little taste of my ice cream and was met with denial...my own flesh and blood! How could it be? Well, see for yourself....

Who implanted these little imposters into my home? They could NOT be mine! Sigh.....well, at least I can rest assured their will always be plenty for me!

Happy Health,

Leah

Troy-Bilt Big Red Tiller FOR SALE!

UPDATE: Congrats & Merry Christmas to Jerry!

Troy-Bilt Big Red 20-Inch 305cc 4-Cycle Briggs & Stratton 1450 Series Rear Tine Garden Tiller with Electric Start

LIKE NEW: Used less than 5 times over the past year and stored inside
PURCHASED FOR $3000 in 2009 from Dickenson Equipment

"Big Red" Horse is the flagship of the Troy-Bilt fleet of rototillers. The "Big Red" is fully equipped for the heaviest-duty jobs in gardens over 2,500 square feet. Perfect for soil preparation and groundbreaking, the "Big Red" tiller has the power and durability to tackle all of your garden challenges.

• Forward-rotating tines for premium garden soil preparation
• Cast-iron transmission with bronze gear drive
• Standard electric start for easiest starting
• 4 forward, 1 neutral, and 2 reverse speeds
• 20" tilling width
• 12" tine diameter
• Adjustable tilling depth up to 8"
• Standard power take-off (PTO)
• Just One Hand operation for easy maneuverability
• Factory-installed full wrap-around front bumper included
• Full-sided tine shields for operator protection
• 16" ag tires
• Accepts a wide variety of optional attachments
• 2 year limited manufacturer's warranty - refer to online owner's manual for exclusions
• Limited lifetime warranty on transmission
• 305cc/14.5 ft-lbs gross torque* Briggs & Stratton Powerbuilt engine with 2 year manufacturer's warranty
• *ft-lbs gross torque per SAE J1940 as rated by engine manufacturer @ 3060 rpm

SOLD

Happy Holidays!

Leah

Roehl Family Photos: 2010 Edition

Jamie Lynn Photography

It's hard to believe the last time we pulled the lot of us together for family pictures was 6 years ago! After seeing the amazing job that Jamie did for a friend of mine, I just couldn't wait another day! We've added 3 whole punks to the family since then! Couldn't wait to get a few new shots framed, and Jamie has not failed to deliver....one of her proofs is shown here with her permission....you can see more at her website using the link provided above. The mother load of proofs is in the mail and headed our way...just in time for Xmas! Will share some more as soon as we settle on our favorites....

Happy Holidays!

The Roehl Family

A rite of passage...

It's like she knew what was coming....


...when we started to mark her ears.


7 months is how old her big sister was when she got her first set of earings too.....she can relate.

...and she got over it just as quickly.

Happy Bling, Baby!
Ma

My man is on the roof...

My man is on the roof
Oh I hope he does not fall

My man is on the roof
Lordsy Mercy ain't it tall?

My man is on the roof
...and I've never seen him madder

Then when he realized his dear wife
had gone and moved his ladder!

Thanksgiving Greetings!

For the first time in several years we celebrated Thanksgiving at our own home. Traditionally, we travel to California where we get to catch up with my side of the family over some entertaining discussions and great food....although we had to cancel the trip this year, we were still lucky enough to have Gma Kathy and Gpa Craig around to enjoy the feast with us!

I haven't stopped eating since 9am....the banana pudding is calling to me as I type!

Lots of love and well wishes from our family to yours this Holiday season!

Here's a little clip that most of the world can relate to as mother nature litters our yards....Leaves happen!

Happy Holidays!

Leah

What the????

I thought I might take a few minutes this week to do a little analysis on my website statistics. I like to see how bored people have to be to find themselves poking around my complete failure of a blog...the endeavor never fails to confuse, annoy, and completely entertain me!

The results of my keyword analysis tell me that the highest percentage of unique visitors to my website (those that arrive by chance using search engines) come here looking for: WARNING ADULT CONTENT

What the? Seriously? I can only imagine the total disappointment when they arrive at my blog and are forced to look through all my family pictures and farm rehabilitation stories...not quite the content they are most likely expecting! I can only speculate that THIS post is the culprit...naughty me!

Next, and as equally dumbfounding, are my MULTIPLE visitors who arrived here looking for: FAT CHICKS ON TRACTORS

Is that really something people desire to see? Is there an audience out there for this sort of visual? Because I can totally make this happen! I'm not getting any slimmer these days....I might just buy myself a new domain and capitalize on this one...I'm serious!...I blame THIS post. Whodathunkit?

I'd like to apologize to my visitor from Targu-mures, Mures, Romania, who did not find what he/she was looking for (0 returning visits)....I'd love to know how you found me!

Thank you, StatCounter, for your endless documentation of all things statistically intriguing.

Happy Trails,
Leah

Teething X 2!

Lordsy Mercy! Why didn't anyone WARN me about this! We have BOTH punks now in full out teething mode.....Little Man had his toofers come through this weekend, but the Princess is yet to present her pearly whites....a little prayer for my sanity, please.....as well as those that share my dwelling....times iz tough!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Leah

Which came first?

I get that question all the time! In this case, it's the egg....

Happy Halloween!

The Little Brat wanted to be a black cat this year.....Eeasy Peasy!

Before...

After...

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Happy Haunts,

Leah

Secretariat.....

We had a showing at the farm this past weekend, so we stepped away for a couple hours to give the potential buyers some time to settle in and get to know the place (keep your fingers crossed!)....we decided to go for a movie and found that Secretariat was playing down the road...I can't tell you exactly why, but I really don't care much for horse movies....it seems that a person , like myself, afflicted with the equine virus would enjoy these films...but I do not....ever since I went to see Black Beauty in my youth, and was disappointed to find the movie was more about the people than the horse...regardless, we wanted a family friendly film to kill a couple hours and Secretariat was majority choice...I have to admit I liked it...although times have not changed much...I still think it was more about the people in the film than the horse...nevertheless, it was sweet...funny thing though...as we were walking out of the theatre I asked the Little Brat what she thought of Big Red....her response was, "I wanted to watch nanny McPhee." Like mother, like daughter!

For my fellow Quarter Horse enthusiasts out there....the Freestyle Reining Champion was recently crowned at the 2010 Quarter Horse Congress....it just so happens to be a Secretariat look-alike...I have to give MAJOR props to the rider who maintains a jockey position for the ENTIRE ride! See for yourself!




Happy Trails,
Leah

Ginny's Grooming Service...

Ginny Johnson is at the barn 7 days a week and is offering her services in the areas of grooming and lunging for those that would like some assistance! Please contact Ginny directly to for more information...Happy Trails!

From Blastocysts to Babies: 6 month update!

CJ (left) & Sophie (right)

Sophie Rose

6 months old

Height: 27.5" (95%)

Weight: 17lb (75%)

Codie James

6 months old

Height: 28" (90%)

Weight: 18.2lb (70%)

The boy loves to kick!

(You should the see the mess he makes in the bathtub)

It's hard to believe we've come this far already....here is the VERY FIRST PICTURE I have of Sophie and CJ @ just 5 days post-conception. Gotta love technology these days!

The Little Brat has proven to be THE best big sister in the world...although still a tad partial to Ms. Sophie, she has enthusiastically taken over many helpful duties and responsibilities since the punks have arrived...diaper rolling and tossing expert, binky replacement technician, giggle inducer, you name it- she does it! ...and I do believe they are quite infatuated with her.

Happy Babies!

Leah

Cereal Torture!

It's that time of their life....when baby cereal becomes more than just "Daddy's favorite breakfast"...yes, it's true. Sophie appeared enthusiastic about the event...she was all smiles from the start!

...and met the spoon with open anticipation of the yummy wonder that awaited her...

..so maybe it wasn't as delicious as she had hoped....

...she still handled it like the little champ she is.

CJ, on the other hand....he expressed his indifference from the get go.

Lordsy Mercy, someone come rescue him from the dread of being fed baby cereal! You'd think we were forcing frogs down the little guys throat...

ohhh, the misery!

This would be the first gag....the first of many.

..I don't know...maybe it does taste like frogs?

...day 3 and his cereal satisfaction level hasn't improved very much yet, though they are both getting it down....their pediatrician says to mix some apple juice in....maybe that will help. Poor, poor tortured children! Growing up stinks...

Happy Meals,

Leah