Rennisance Fair 2010

We look forward to the Renn Fair all year long. This is one of those few things Shawn and I look forward to for ourselves, for us it is more of an adult event, knife throwing, mead, lots of shopping and some food that is very bad for you. We took the kids with us becuase we wanted to dress them up with not a lot of thought as too how much they would fun they would have. But when we got there Shawn and I realized we didn't have much interest in our normal things, we went looking for the play ground and anything Johnny wanted to do!

I worked really hard on this chain mail sweater for Johnny, it still isn't perfect, but I think it turned out great, the little belt really made it work.

Our sweet little fairy princess! In her tutus and wings.

Ahh turkey legs, the best part of Renn Fair.

Johnny got a new sword and holster so he really looked like a knight.

The highlight of the day was this elephant ride, Johnny giggled the entire time!

Look how happy and sweet!

And playing some games.

Grams made me this cape, doesn't it look amazing? Shawn has one too!

Preparing to attack....

Welcome to the World Piper Nicole Dennison

Piper Nicole Dennison was born October 22, 2010 at 7:44 am
via scheduled C-Section to
My brother Charlie and his wife Michele

Piper is 8 pounds 4 ounces and 21 inches long, she is healthy and happy and her Mommy is doing well! Thanks guys for a beautiful niece for us to love on!

Look at those little features, she is so pretty! Just 4 months younger then Lily, I hope they will be close friends!

Grams and Pops were in the waiting room with Michele's mom and the newest big brother Wyatt. Our little Branson family will head to Ohio for Halloween for our turn with the new precious bundle.

For those keeping count...that is SIX Dennison grandkids! It is a Great Day!

Growing Again and Being So Smart

What is with the kids and the growing up? Why can't they just stay tiny forever? A distant friend from high school just had her first baby yesterday, and even though we haven't talked in years, through the joy of Facebook and Twitter I was able to follow her labor and delivery and see a picture of the tiny bundle of cuteness with in his first day. I was so happy for my old friend, but at the same time I realized how OLD my baby boy is and it overwhelmed me. Then I kept thinking, Piper will be born in just 3 days! And Lily will no longer be the baby of the family, she is big too! I am very excited to have a new niece, but I don't want to think about the fact that Lily is really no longer a newborn. She is on the fast track to being a big girl in no time! What happened? When did they get old? I feel like I make this revelation every few months, it just doesn't hit me and I don't really want it to.

Johnny LOVED this bouncer when he was a baby, but didn't get a lot of use, Lily is loving it too and spends a little time each day bouncing to her heart's content.

My cupcake has been bearing weight so well and wants to be standing more then anything else, she doesn't have any balance on her own, but I get scared thinking of her walking.

She seems to never stop smiling! Such a happy sweetheart.

Johnny wanted to play too and Lily thought he was crazy, he might be.



Johnny showed Mommy how smart he was this morning when I pulled out his color animal matching puzzle cards for the first time. We mixed them up and put animals on one side and colors on the other, without a second thought he started putting the animals with the matching color block! It was like he had been playing this game for months.

We still need to work on color names, but animals and their sounds and being able to match the color of the animal with a color block and putting the two together was no problem.


Green frog, ribbit ribbbit.

I have a video too, but blogger won't let me upload it, check my facebook page and I will try to upload here again later.

RAWR means I LOVE YOU!

Johnny spends most of his day stalking around the house and Rawring at the top of his longs, so long ago we accepted that Rawr means I love you, so when I found this shirt I couldn't help myself.

Feeding Lily

They are just such great kids! Johnny wanted to help give Lily her first "Num Num" and it went very well! She liked it and Johnny loved giving it to her and being involved with her care.

Lily Rolls Back to Front

It was a surprise. She doesn't spend a lot of time on the floor, she never has liked it much and Johnny drops stuff on her head when she is doing belly time. But today she was in her gym while I was making lunch and I looked over and she was on her belly! The I flipped her over and she did it again and again! What a big girl. I feel like she is just going to start crawling any day, but hopefully she will hold off for a few more months.



She was so proud of her self!

She did it and now she is soooo tired!

First Veggie, Acorn Squash

Last week at Lily's 4 month check up we where given the green light to start veggies. The rule used to be, wait until 6 months for anything but formula or breast milk, but out pediatrician said that new studies are showing waiting so long can lead to food allergies. So I was so exited to make Lily's first food. While we where at our local produce farm, Brads, getting pumpkins yesterday Momma picked up an acorn squash and a butternut squash! Fresh, local and seasonal veggies for Lily's first food! We also picked up some organic carrots from the supermarket, so I can make a bunch and get ahead.

I started by cutting the squash in half and getting ride of the seeds, then place it meat side down in 2 inches of water. It then baked at 400 degrees for 50 minutes until it was really soft!

After it cooled a little I scooped out the soft meat and put it into our magic bullet with a little of the water that it cooked in and then blended it nice and smooth. Then the mush went into ice cube trays and into the freezer for future use in perfect portion sizes!

Lily's lunch.

I think she liked it! She still doesn't get to open her mouth wide enough for the spoon, but she eats it fine once you get it in her mouth.

She ate it all up! What a big big girl!!

Pumpkin Patch

There we are, our sweet little family, loving fall and each other.

Johnny REALLY loves his little sister, though he might be confused between her and a lolly pop.

We headed up to the Pumpkin Patch on what should have been a nice cool October Saturday with Grams, Pops, Uncle Tommy, Ella and Sammi. It turned out to be a hot day, but we still have a great day!

All the kids always love playing together.

This little hay maze was great! The kids started by just running in and around, but by the end Johnny was looking and thinking very deeply about how to get around it.

Johnny got a little stuck and almost freaked out, but I was so proud at how he thought his way through it all. All day I was worried he was sad and I tried to feed him as soon as I could, but he as just thinking! Realizing where pumpkins and food come and so much more.

Lily was loving some special time with Grams as the big kids ran around, is that smile just over whelming? and look at how happy Grams is, this is one of my all time favorite pictures. And just so everyone can uh and aww, Grams made this adorable dress for Lily! Halloween Cupcakes and a dress that looks better then if we got it in a store!

During the VERY bumpy hay ride Lily curled up tight against Daddy and clutched her dress, but didn't cry out at all! Daddy kept talking about the Dennison women (or Penney women) ability to withstand physical pain very well.

Samantha LOVED the hay ride, often laughing and clapping. Johnny wanted to hold my hand and stay stiff.

When we got to the pumpkin patch Johnny was very interested in the pumpkins and learning that this is where they come from. You could just see the wheels in his mind working as he processed what it all meant.

The open pumpkins laying around really got to him, with all the seeds out. He learned a lot today.

LOOK, his perfect pumpkin!

Johnny wanted to carry it himself so badly and actually kept looking for a pumpkin small enough, but he never found one and this came home with us.

I really wanted to get some great pictures of Lily in her special dress around the freshly growing fall pumpkins.

Oh my it is so adorable and just the way I had it in my mind!

Though Johnny didn't want me to take any pictures of him, he sat still and sweet for me.

They all had a great time!
Especially being together!

Samantha LOVING the hay ride back, even as the rest of cling to each other and fear falling off.

Johnny "held onto his pumpkin" nice and tight.

As a Dennison family tradition we headed out for ice cream, Johnny is always so good at sharing.

We got some great pumpkins and some fresh squash for Lily's first food. It was a great fun day!