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From Left to Right: Wesley, Joey, Betsy, Christian, Jerry.
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Hello:
My name is Paula and I am the Mother of this family! Pictured above are our five children: BETSY who turned fourteen in August; JERRY who turned twelve in June; WESLEY will be ten in May; JOEY will turn nine in January; and CHRISTIAN who turned eight in August. Here you will find pictures, news, and etcetera concerning our kids mostly, but a little about Tim and I as well. Please enjoy the pictures and stories and feel free to leave a comment if you like! Paula
Joey's 9th Birthday!
Joey turned nine on January 14th and we celebrated with a little party on Saturday January 17th. Joey chose BBQ'd Ribs made by Grandpa Jim for his birthday meal. We were a little worried it would be too cold for Grandpa to grill, but of course he came through for us! Grandma Pat made the birthday cake. It was a Mandarin Orange cake which just happens to be Joey's favorite! And Grandma Joan made her famous Potato Salad once again and also brought some fresh rolls. So good! I didn't have to do anything except have the house clean! We ate at one in the afternoon and then had cake and ice cream and then Joey opened all his gifts. You can see in the pictures above that Joey received lots of nice things! Also you can see that Al and Norma and Brett and Brendan also joined us and our little cousin Kylia was there too! Grandma Pat must have been shy this day as I see she didn't make it into any of the pictures! A good time was had by all and we wish Joey the very best for this next year!
Merry Christmas!
We had two wonderful Christmas celebrations. First we had my Mom and Dad over for supper Christmas Eve and after that we opened gifts. My niece Tasha and her daughter Kylia joined us as well. My Mom and Dad had bought a Standing Rib Roast so we made that and had Sauteed Shrimp, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Corn Casserole, Pistaschio Salad, and Cherry Cheesecake for dessert! Tim made the roast; he made slits in it and covered it with chopped garlic and then sprinkled it with salt and pepper and roasted it in a low oven and it was so tender and juicy. It tasted just like a prime rib steak you get in a fancy restaurant! The shrimp he sauteed in butter and more chopped garlic and then we served those with melted butter as well. We always have to have Mashed Potatoes and Gravy as that is Betsy's favorite. She had her friend Emily over for awhile and the two of them did the peeling! The Corn Casserole had celery, onion, cracker crumbs and a few other ingredients. It was easy to make a head of time and just throw in the oven before supper. Betsy and Emily also helped me made the Pistaschio Salad and the Cherry Cheesecake. Betsy was upset with me because I insisted they put the cherries right on top of the cheesecake instead of along side. She still managed to eat several pieces though so it must not have hurt it too much! Everybody seemed to enjoy the supper very much and of course the kids had a hard time waiting until we were done eating to open gifts!
Our second Christmas celebration was at Tim's Mom's house on Christmas day. That morning the kids opened the stuff from Santa and he had brought one of them a 'Uno' game so we played that for quite awhile. We had a little lunch and went on to his Mom's after that. She had snacks for us and then we opened our gifts! We visited and played a trivia game about Christmas Carols, which was great fun! For supper she made Ham, BBQ'd Ribs, and Chop Suey, what a smorgasboard! Of course she also served Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and she had a grape salad and rolls. She served Apple Pie with ice cream for dessert and had a plate of bars and cookies she had made.
Today the kids are playing with their toys and outside riding snowmobile with their friends. Unfortunately there never seems to be enough new things to go around and we've had a little arguing but nothing too serious! All in all it's been a wonderful holiday for us all!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I know, I know, I should be talking Christmas but I'm a little behind and I didn't want to just skip right over it. We had two wonderful Thanksgiving's; one at my mother-in-laws on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and the one we made ourselves on the actual day. Tim and I love to cook together; we listened to Christmas music while we worked and Christian was a huge help to us! He just loves to work in the kitchen.
We planned for about a four o'clock supper and we were just a little late, serving at four thirty. I really like to try new recipes and I usually try to make something super-special on this day. We don't have a lot of company but I still like to make it special for the kids! Tim's mom came and my niece Tasha and her friend Nick and her daughter Kylia were there too!
The last few years we soaked the turkey in a Maple flavored brine over night and then Tim roasts it on slow heat in the Nesco Roaster. It turns out so juicy and tender! We didn't stuff it but I did make a dressing and for that I tried a new recipe. It was called 'Bread Stuffing With Bacon and Caramelized Onions'. It turned out so good; Tim was sure he wouldn't like it but he loved it! There really isn't that much bacon in it and you use Pearl Onions for the caramelizing.
I made a Sweet Potato Casserole and a Seven Layer Salad and we made Cloverleaf Rolls too! Betsy helped out with this job by rolling the balls for the rolls. She made them a little too small so we teased her a little and called them 'Betsy's Bite Sized Buns'. Thank goodness she laughed right along with us as she has a very good sense of humor.
We also made Pumpkin Pies for dessert; they were very good as well. A few years back Tim received a 'pie pumpkin' from a customer at the garage and we used it to make the pies that year. We haven't made one from a can since as of course their is no comparison. Just to make sure it is really fat filled too, I use lard in the crust and real, 'heavy whipping cream' to boot!
I can't remember the last time I ate so much! Jerry can really set a nice table; I think it's because he's so artistically talented. He made it so special by using the nice dishes and glassware after he had spread out a really pretty Thanksgiving tablecloth and then he used the cloth napkins as well. He also put on a glass bowl as a centerpiece with a green candle in the center and then surrounded it with acorns that we had cleaned and shined. It was so beautiful!
After having so many health issues the last few years it feels so nice to be back doing the things that I enjoy the most! I forgot to tell you that we always buy sparkling grape juice to serve in champagne glasses. I think the kids really get a kick out of that.!
Back to School!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!
On September 2nd, which has become my new favorite day of the year the kids went back to school! Betsy is in Eighth Grade now so this will be her last year before high school; I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital! Jerry is in the Sixth Grade and I hope he has a good year; he's a lot more interested in hunting than school work! Speaking of which he is on his first bow hunting trip this weekend with his uncle's. They went way up north; I hope they bring us home some fresh venison! Wesley is now in the Fourth Grade and he still gets pulled out for his special education and his therapy and is doing just wonderfully. He enjoys school very much! Joey is in the Third Grade this year, he really seems to like school, I know he likes his teacher! Christian our youngest is now in the Second Grade, he also gets pulled out for special education and Speech therapy. He loves school too!
At our Church "Christian Bible Fellowship" we attend on Sundays and Wednesday nights except during the summer. So Wednesday the third of September we started back at night. Us adults are upstairs and have bible study with Pastor and the kids are downstairs for games. Afterwards the adults go downstairs and teach the kids and we call that "Kings Kids". The kids learn about God and they learn bible verses as well. As a reward for doing what is expected they get crowns which they in turn can use their crowns to buy things at our "store" once a month! The kids really enjoy and look forward to Wednesday nights!
Posted by paula baker at
7:41 AM
Betsy's 14th birthday!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Betsy's 14th birthday!Well I'm sorry to say we only have one picture from Betsy's 14th birthday. But I guess that's the way it goes sometimes. She is usually our picture taker and I guess I just didn't think to asign someone else that job on "her day". Please forgive me honey! Anyway Betsy had two parties, one for her girlfriends and one for our family! For her girlfriend party Tim took Betsy plus five of her friends Bowling and out for pizza; BRAVE MAN! They came back here for ice cream cake. There was of course Betsy, her cousin Breanna, and her friends LaTisha, Rosa, Emily and our wonderful nieghbor girl Dana! Tim said they were just crazy at the bowling alley being teenage girls! By the time they got back here they were pretty wound up. First they ate the Ice Cream Cake and then opened gifts. One of her presents was silly string which of course they had to go out in the back yard and spray on each other right away! They all had a good time I think! For party #two Betsy chose Grandpa's Famous BBQ'd Ribs, which she asks him almost a year in advance to make! Grandma Joan made Potato Salad and a Crab Salad and Grandma Pat made her a WONDERFUL ICE CREAM CAKE (shown in picture)! It was really a nifty idea, made out of ice cream bars and covered in M&M's! Right up Betsy's alley! She got lots of nice gifts including a new bike and I think we all had a great time.
Posted by paula baker at
7:16 AM
Christian's 8th birthday!
We had a nice little party for Christian's eighth birthday. For his meal he chose Roast Chicken with Stuffing, Mashed Potato's with Gravy, and he wanted Corn on the Cob but I couldn't find any so we had Frozen Corn. Grandma Joan brought a Seven Layer Salad and we had a Thomas the Train Cake with Ice Cream! Christian recieved lots of nice presents, a lot of which were "Transformers". He got four of those and he was glad about that as he said he wanted a collection! His sister Betsy and brothers Jerry, Wesley, and Joey were there of course. Along with my parents, Grandpa Jim and Grandma Pat. Tim's mom Grandma Joan. Our friends Al and Norma came too! Also Christian had invited his special friend Emily and she came with her Dad! The weather was very nice so the kids could play outside and a good time was had by all!
Jerry Turns Twelve!
Jerry is the big twelve, the last year before becoming a teenager! Now Jerry is old enought to mow lawn, which is something he's been wanting to do. And come fall he'll be able to go deer hunting with his Uncles! His Birthday was on June 24th and we had a party to celebrate on June 28th. The Thursday before the party Jerry had his friends Brett and Brendan over and my husband Tim took Jerry, his friends, and Joey to the driving range to practice golf. They came back here and had pizza and cake! For his family party Jerry chose BBQ's and Grandma Joan's Potato Salad. In the photo's you will see some of our family and friends that were able to come to the party. This includes Grandpa Jim and Grandma Pat, Grandma Joan, Norma and Al, Lisa and Amy, and then a few pictures from the night Brett and Brendan came over. Also pictured are Jerry with some of the gifts he received and his cake!
Dorchester Days!
We have a big event each year in our community called Dorchester Days. It lasts from Friday thru Sunday on Father's Day Weekend. We hold it to earn money for our beautiful park! There are carnival rides and games for the kids. It includes a variety of foods and beverages. There are also truck and tractor pulls to watch. They have live music all three days and a BBQ Chicken Dinner on Sunday. There is a kiddie parade every year as well and this year because it was the fiftieth anniversary we had a regular parade too! Seen in the photos are my husband Tim, the kids and some of their friends enjoying the festivities!
Memorial Day Weekend!
Tim took the kids to Meade Lake in Clark County for Memorial Day Weekend! Also camping were my folks, Jim and Pat. Betsy brought her friend Rosa and Jerry brought his friend Logan. A good time was had by all. During their stay an Amish horse and buggy pulled up next to my families campsite. They came to sell bakery and flowering plants. My Mom bought some Amish bread which you can see in the picture of my Dad and the kids toasting it over the fire. Also she bought a beautiful flower basket that you can see her pictured with sitting at the table. Everything was a bargain as Mom paid only $2.25 for a huge loaf of bread. And she paid only $15.00 for the plant.
Wesley's 9th Birthday!
May 15th was Wesley's 9th Birthday, we had a party for him on the 17th. I always let the kid's pick out what they would like to eat for their birthday supper. Wesley chose Taco's and Grandma Joan's Potato Salad. Grandma Joan is a very good Potato Salad maker and we usually ask her to make it for all the birthday parties! In the photo's you can see Wesley with his cake and with many of his gifts. There are also pictures of a pinata that Wesley's Uncle Todd and Aunt Mary and their family gave to Wesley. It was loaded with candy and the kids had a good time trying to break it open!
This is our youngest son and third adopted child. His name is Christian Robert Baker, but around here he is affectionately known as Critter or Critter bug! One of the cutest stories I can tell you about him is when in preschool the teachers asked him his "real" name and he said "Critter Bug Baker". I never laughed so hard. The teacher sent home a note and said Christian didn't know his name. So I sat down with him and explained that Critter is a nickname and I told him his real name. For days after that he would get upset when we called him Critter and would say "MY NAME IS CHRISTIAN ROBERT BAKER". Christian will be eight in August. He is Wesley's birth sibling. He and Wesley share a bedroom and are best friends. It's really special to us that all the kids are aware of the adoptions, and think nothing of it. They just naturally assume that's how a family is built. As far as we are concerned one is just like another and we have always treated them that way! And that seems to be how they all feel! Christian attends regular first grade classes as well as being pulled out for special education and therapy. He has speech therapy, its a little hard to understand him, but its really coming along. He loves to play on the computer and we have TV plug and play games he likes as well. He likes Sponge-Bob and Fairly Odd Parents and Tom & Jerry cartoons! He and Wesley have a hard time settling down at night because they like to play and wrestle. Also Christian is just starting to learn to read. He is very happy about that. It was decided that Christian's birth parents wouldn't be able to take care of him so since we already had Wesley we were glad to have Christian. He was born thirteen weeks premature with many health issues, but he went to live with a wonderful foster mom who had recently become a widow. She was able to devote all of her time to him and soon he was well enough to come and live with us when he was eleven months old. What a fortunate family we are that God has put us all together!
Is this kid cute or what? Meet our son Joey! This little boy is eight as of January. And what a kid. So thoughtful and sensitive. He's very caring and kind, but shows a little temper once in awhile too! Joey is our fourth child and second adopted child. He also comes from the Special Needs Program of Wisconsin. We were in the process of seeing what would happen with our then foster son Wesley when they called us and said Joey was available for adoption. He was five months old and we travelled to Milwaukee to pick him up. We stayed with relatives for the weekend and when we went home on Sunday we were a family of six! Who would have ever thought it. Joey's birth mother was unable to care for him and we needed another child so God put us together and we are so happy He did! Joey was born thirteen weeks early and had some addictions to deal with as well. But when he was released from the hospital he went into a wonderful foster home where they took excellent care of him. When he was healthy enough at five months old we picked him up and brought him to live with us. Joey shares a bedroom with our oldest son Jerry! They are good buddies and do a lot of things together as they have so much in common. Hunting and fishing especially! Joey is in the second grade in regular classes and doing pretty good. Joey likes to watch Sponge-Bob and I would say his favorite movie is JAWS!! He is a joy to raise and has added so much to our family. He writes me little notes almost everyday. Sometimes he tells me on them if he is sad or happy or not feeling well, or that he is sorry! There are no words to describe.....
Meet Wesley he is our third child and first adopted child. He came to us via the Special Needs Program of Wisconsin, and has been a most joyous addition to our family. Wesley was eight months old and had been in the hospital for a month as a result of some injuries he had received. At first he was to be a foster child, but with God's help he was soon released for adoption! We had been caring for him for awhile and wanted very much to make him a part of our family! Wesley turned nine in May and it is hard to believe how much time has gone by. He had to have emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and he had several strokes. This left him with a slight paralysis to the left side. He has since had two operations on his left leg to correct growth and crookedness. The doctors had to literally cut the bone off and turn it and reattach it with screws. The first time it was the upper thigh and the second was above the ankle. He walks with quite a limp, but it doesn't seem to slow him down much. He also wears a brace on that leg and a lift on his other foot. He receives botox injections in his arm to relax the muscles and thus make the arm somewhat of a helper. The hand is pretty much useless. He also has vision problems although the doctor says he compensates quite well. Wesley attends regular third grade classes as well as being pulled out for special education and therapy. He receives speech, physical and occupational therapies. The school has been just wonderful about helping with his difficulties. I should also tell you that Wesley loves to play outside! He goes on the trampoline and he likes to play football, basketball, kickball, and baseball. As you can see he stays very active. He loves to watch Sponge-Bob and Fairly odd-parents! And he likes to play games on the computer. He loves and is best friends with his birth brother Christian who also lives with us!
Jerry is our oldest son, he will be twelve in June. He loves to hunt and fish and hunt. Did I mention Jerry likes to hunt? It's all he talks and thinks about and if we let him I think it's all he would do too! He is really looking forward to going bow hunting and then gun hunting up at the shack with his Uncles. He has a single shot 20 guage shotgun and shares a 410 bolt-action shotgun with his Dad. He and his brother Joey like to put on their hunting gear and go out and hunt the yard for animals to shoot. No animal is safe around here!! A few weeks ago he shot two rabbits. I think he needs another lesson on how to clean them though! I went into the freezer later in the day and there were rabbit's feet sticking up in the back. I don't know for sure but I think you're supposed to cut them off! Jerry shares a room with his brother Joey. I asked him what he would like me to add about himself and he didn't know what to say. After he thought about it a little he said I should mention that he likes to cook and bake. This really is a big help to me, anytime I need someone to help me throw together a recipe Jerry is the man! His favorite thing to eat though is "Big Mac's" from McDonalds! Also his favorite color is pink. I think that's the newest "Boy" thing!! He couldn't think of the name of his favorite movie, but I know that he really likes comedies. One of his favorite shows on TV is "Jeff Dunham" on the comedy channel. He can immitate all the puppets really well. And he likes "Larry the Cable Guy" too! Jerry is a big help to me with his brothers he likes to help put them to bed and tuck them in at night. He reads to them as well. I keep thinking of more and more that I want to say, a person really can go on and on about their kids. I just want to say too, that Jerry is very very artistic, he makes the best art projects!!
Betsy is thirteen going on thirty! Actually she will be fourteen in August. She is in the seventh grade and does very well in school. She belongs to the National Junior Honor Society and to the middle school choir. She has a beautiful singing voice and really likes to sing!! They just went on a trip a few weeks back to Chicago Ill. They competed against eleven other schools and theirs took second, the only school to beat them was from Iowa. While they were there they got a chance to go to Six Flags Great America. Betsy and her friends had a lot of fun riding on the roller coasters! It was her first school over-nighter so I was a little nervous, but everything went alright. Betsy also keeps busy doing some baby-sitting. I can't get over how times have changed though, I remember the old days when you only made fifty cents an hour!!! She really spends a lot of time on the computer too. She likes to get on MSN Live and chat with her friends. Every evening you can hear the TV and the clicking of keys! She listens to music while she works at the computer, but luckily we have head phones!! Betsy likes Pizza and chocolate. Her favorite movies are "Juno" and "Grease" Her favorite songs are "No Air" (by Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks) and "All American Girl" (by Carrie Underwood). These are her favorite singers as well! I also should tell everyone what a big help Betsy is to her mother, I have some health issues and Betsy helps me out tremendously. She watches her brothers and helps make supper a lot. She doesn't really like to cook from scratch but she makes a mean Macaroni and Cheese!! And her brothers just adore her!!
