First Day of School

Brandon started 5th grade this year. Ethan started 3rd grade. Jonah is going to preschool!

Walk to a Cure

Our son Ethan was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes just before his 5th birthday. So in support of him we attended the annual "Walk to a Cure" fundraising event hosted by the JDRF (juvenile diabetes research foundation). This year we teamed up with our good friends and neighbors the Butterfield's. Their son, Kenneth, was diagnosed in October of last year. Together we formed team ButterScott. We were able to raise over $7,000 for diabetes research thanks to the contributions of family and friends. This is a wonderful experience for Ethan. It helps him to see that there are many other kids out there with diabetes and it's a way for him to see how many people love and support him. Not only did people donate but a lot of our friends and family were able to come and walk with us.


The theme this year was "Rock the Walk" and we "Rocked" it.

Luke telling us to "ROCK ON!"


Everyone with a red bandana is part of Team ButterScott


Ethan with his cousin Tyler.

Candy For Sale

In a few weeks our family will be participating in the "Walk to a Cure" fundraising event for our son Ethan who has diabetes. Over the past couple of months we have been collecting contributions from our family and friends. Brandon wanted to help raise money too. So he decided to set up a candy bar stand out on the sidewalk. He and Ethan developed a strategy to help with the selling. Ethan went around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and telling the kids to come buy some candy over at his house while Brandon stayed at the stand and made the sell. They ended up raising $65!




Our neighbors, the Kirby's, came out to buy some candy for their whole family.

Black Family Reunion 2010

Every year my mom's side of the family gets together to have a family reunion campout. There are around 150 people who come. The kids look forward to this every year and so do I. We've been having this reunion ever since I was 1 year old. We had a carnival and crafts, horse shoes and games. Each night we gather around the camp fire to sing songs and tell jokes and stories. Later on we put the kids to bed and the adults stay up and talk by the camp fire. Because of this yearly tradition our extended family has been able to stay close and my kids are starting to see how important family really is.

Holy Birthdays Batman!

Every year we go though a crazy 10 days where we celebrate 3 birthdays.

Brandon turned 11 on July 26th. For his birthday we all went to the movies. He invited his two cousins Brady and Tyler to come as well and we saw "Despicable Me". After the show we went over to Incredible Pizza which was actually pretty cool. They have an all you can eat buffet, which my husbands considers a personal challenge. After eating, each boy got a $10 playing card that they could use on any games or activities. They had go carts, miniature golf, miniature bowling, and laser tag. Then it was back to our house for cupcakes and ice cream.

My birthday was July 28th. Mike treated me to a day of shopping, a pedicure, and a yummy dinner. My all time favorite birthday was 11 years ago when I got to bring baby Brandon home from the hospital.

Jonah turned 5 on August 5th. He had his first friend party this year. He and 25 friends and cousins spent a full filled 2 hours at "Bouncin' of the Walls". My sister, Missy, made him a Sponge Bob cake that was a total hit. He got to sit in the Big Red Birthday Chair and open all his birthday gifts. After the party, we took him to Fuddrukkers for his birthday dinner.

We got celebrate all over again at Grandma Despain's that Sunday. This time we also included my brother, Mikie, my twin brother, Ryan, and my nieces, Charlie and Brett. My sister Mindy and her kids were in town from California to help us celebrate. My mom actually had all 30 of her grandchildren together at the same time, so we took the opportunity to snap a picture.

Brandon blowing out his candles with Tyler, Jonah, and Ethan looking on.


Birthday's at Grandma Despain's


All 30 Grandkids!


Jonah's awesome Sponge Bob Cake! Thanks Missy.