We're ALIVE!!

PICTURES COMING SOON! I Hope!



I know it has been too long, but we have been too busy to update our blog because we have been having a lot of summer fun! Some highlights....

• Uncle Jeff married the Fabulous Aunt Brooke. KB's Polly pockets still get married on a daily basis and the bride is always named Brooke.

Visiting Family for a whole month, which included. . .

• A Wonderful, Beautiful Wedding


• A lot of fun time with Cousins, Grandma's, Grandpa's, aunts and Uncles. We were happy to see our home but a month still was not enough time with you all.


• The Children's Museum


• A lot of great times hiking, and grilling in the Mountains. We sure wish we had some of those around here. Buster realized his favorite thing is BIG rocks combined with water.


• Time with old friends


• Swimming, water fights, sprinklers, and car washing (there is nothing better than water)


• Trampoline jumping


• Lots of Junk food


• Fireworks


• Ruining yet another camera *warning do not leave camera's in hot cars the battery may leak and cause permanent damage!


• A Great Girls night, KB keeps asking when we get to have another one just like it!

It was a great trip and we are grateful for all of those that put up with us for so long. We can't wait to see you again! The rest of the summer has been spent

• Playing outside


• paddle boating at Shawnee State Park


• BBQ with Friends


• More Swimming in little pools and finding fun big pools to hang out in


• Celebrating KB's 4th birthday


• Celebrating 8 years of Marriage


• Deciding on a what Swifty wants to be when he grows up?


• Bike Riding (KB got a wonderful big girl bike for her birthday and boy am I getting a workout trying to keep up on foot


• Hitting the Beach, or at least a man made dam that we pretend is the beach


• Park Hoping


• Having Dad around way more than he has time for but we LOVE it!
• Watching the OLympics

Last but not least finding out that baby number three is predicted to be a BOY!!!

Stone Mountain

For Swifty's spring break we decided to take the kids to Georgia. For a couple of reasons, we had the bonus of my cousin getting sealed in the Atlanta Temple the same weekend we would be going. I am now the cousin that just shows up (with a few days notice) and crashes weddings. Okay, it wasn't quite like that but ... pretty close! Also, there is a certain member of our family who prefers to travel where we can see Aquariums and Georgia just happens to have the biggest in the world. So we decided a 10 hour scenic drive seemed like just the right thing to do. We had a blast visiting with family we don't get to see very often, meeting new family members and getting to see a HUGE city. Our kids did amazingly well on the drive. They never cease to amaze me! Here are a few pictures from our last day in Georgia. We took the kids on a hike up stone mountain hoping to tire them out before our long drive home. I was surprised by how much they both actually walked and nervous about how my muscles would feel sitting for 10 hours after carrying Buster all the way down the mountain.

On our drive out we stopped at a gas station for some drinks and a potty break. It was around dinner so we decided to sit at the picnic table and eat our hogi's. The table was situated between the door of the gas station and the gas pumps. There were a few big trucks. It seemed as though there were a lot more trucks once we sat down to eat. Anyway KB looks at me and says "Mommy were having a picnic, it is such a beautiful day for a picnic. . . the sun is shining the trucks are going..." at that moment I busted up laughing which unfortunately ended the description of a beautiful day for a picnic. She is so fun I love watching how such little things are so exciting to this sweet girl.

A very insightful conversation

Today KB and I were driving in the car and this is the conversation we had..

KB: Mom when I grow up Ithink I will be a mommy

ME: I think that is a great idea. Because being a mommy is a really fun job!

Then she looked out her window and noticed a semi-truck next to us.

KB: Mommy, when I grow up I am going to drive one of those!

ME: I think that would be a fun job and a great way to get out and explore the country, but it would be a hard job because she wouldn't see your kids very much.

KB: But mommy I figured something out, KB's new favorite phrase. When I grow up I could drive one of those trucks with a carseat in it. I'll drive one with one carseat in it because I will be mommy KB and have 1 child. Using her finger and all to really emphasize the number of children she was going to have. I guess if I was the first child I may not see any reason for more than one either.
I love when I can sit back and enjoy, there's nothing better than these sweet conversations with these sweet kids.

Where do they get it from?

I know, I am constantly talking about KB's tree climbing. It is just amazing to me! It is as if the tree is calling to her, and she can't leave it alone. We have had a couple nice days where we can go outside and play comfortably. Without fail she spends most of that time in the tree. The scary thing is she is already helping Buster to climb those trees and he loves it! So I ask where do they get it from? Let me show you...

In case you can't tell what this is a picture of ... Swifty climbing and KB trying her best to catch up to him. Luckily she decided against going to the top. But someday!

Easter

In honor of the holiday the Easter bunny brought eggs with some candy inside, which took Buster all of 2 seconds to figure out how to open and chowed the candy from quite a number of eggs. The Easter bunny also brought a watering can, shovel, and rake for each kid. Although, you would think the candy and presents would be the highlight of the holiday for our two, it definitely wasn't. Buster loved dropping (yes, dropping not placing) the eggs into the dye. It made quite a splash. KB also loved dying the eggs, painting eggs, hiding the eggs, and then finding the eggs she hid. Funny girl! Still, for KB the fact that everyone talked about her favorite subject, Jesus dying on the cross was her favorite part. KB has been obsessed for months with the death of Jesus. We luckily have finally helped her to understand that Jesus was resurrected and lives. She still loves to sing about his death. How Wonderful to have a whole day where everyone talks about her favorite topic. Funny kids!

KB Really wanted Buster to hold her hand. For some reason he is always opposed to this idea. So here is his response to her kind offer. He'll be a heartbreaker!

Blessed Day!

I have to admit that although in elementary school Valentine's day was my favorite holiday. I have not been able to understand the purpose of it in my older years. This year the light has clicked and I completely understand. It is a survival holiday, and boy has it made our week better! Let me just tell explain my theory (sorry I tend to get long winded, a story especially one explaining a theory) will never be a Reader's Digest version. Feel free to skip this post or just skim through it. Theory:
Fall is such a fun time of year, the season changes, which is always exciting and a much needed change, at least for me, it doesn't really matter the season I just love the way life changes with each new season. Then you have Halloween which leads you into Thanksgiving and the wonderful holiday of Christmas. Whether or not you travel or see family there are so many exciting wonderful things going on throughout fall. Then comes the let down after Christmas, but it is okay because, you are making New Year's resolutions, enjoying some calm and peace after such an eventful fall. It is a month that is full of grand intentions. Then February hits and instanly your brain says winter is almost over and soon spring will be here. Yet the cold fronts keep coming, the grand intentions get a little old, and frankly, life is boring, mundane and blah. Then Bam, you get hit with Valentine's day, a holiday made for showing love to whomever, eating yummy chocolate and strawberries (which I noticed there were none of in the grocery store this morning, can you imagine a grocery store all out of strawberries), having cinnamon rolls for breakfast, wearing red and hearts (which is a shape I am not usually a fan of, yet I love them on Valentine's day). With the rise of the sun, cupid takes out the monotany of winter, helps us realize we are loved and appreciated, and gives us new hope to wait for spring. I feel like the sun is shining and I am ready to go. There you have it my theory on Valentine's day.