Unexpected

This year has been a difficult one for my family. Chris and I both lost a Grandma within a few months of each other. In both cases it was very unexpected and came about suddenly. They also both died of pneumonia at about the same age. It is just crazy to see how that infection can affect an older person. At least they are both in a better place now, free of loneliness and physical pain. They lived long lives and were greatly loved by many.

When I learned about my Grandma, my mom, sister, and I left for Ireland to be with her. We didn't make it in time, but we were able to help out with funeral arrangements and be supportive for our mom and her siblings. It was especially neat to spend time with relatives that I had never even met before. I also really enjoyed spending time with my aunts and uncles that I don't see very often.

I was in Ireland for almost 2 weeks, which is forever because I left my family behind. I have the most amazing husband for holding down the fort for so long. I even came home to a spotless house and my kitchen table re stained! Thank you so much Honey!

On the way home, my sister and I had a really long layover that we took full advantage of. We took a couple trains to Manhattan and walked around the Empire State Building and then Times Square. It was really great to see the city. It really did live up to all my expectations. There were tons of people, taxis, and building everywhere. It seemed like it's own country. We had a slice of pizza, shopped around Times Square, and just enjoyed people watching before heading back to the airport for another long flight.

It was really great to be able to go be with my family, but I am so happy to be home with my kids and hubby. We love you Grandma Anne Straley and Grandma May Smith!

Some pics from my travels....

First Beach Trip

This last weekend we spent an afternoon at the beach. I was a little bit worried as we drove there through a few rain showers, but as soon as we arrived the sky was clear blue. It was our first beach trip of the year, and I later realized, Neil's first beach trip ever! The kids had a blast as usual...playing in the water, digging in the sand, making castles, etc. We went to one of our favorite spots in Gearhardt where you can drive onto the beach. It's great because you don't have to haul things from your car. We BBQ'd some burgers for dinner and even played a pretty physical game of soccer in the sand. My sister and brother-law were in town, so it was fun to spend the day with the family and enjoy a gorgeous day on the coast!

Nice shades Neil! You can also see Bree's new baby pug Maggs...she's pretty cute!

This is what I get when I say, "say cheese"

Easter EGGstravaganza

I know it's May now, but I'm a little behind. We had a really nice Easter weekend. Saturday the sun was shining and we decided to drive out to the Alpenrose Dairy Farm for their annual egg hunt. We arrived early and had time to get pictures with the creepy looking bunny...although Grace was too scared to get very close. The egg hunting was mayhem. There were kids and parents everywhere. We cleared the fields of candy eggs within minutes of starting. Even though it was pure craziness we had a great time especially since the sun was out. I even participated in the "Mom's hunt". It was the same idea, except that the prizes included much better things...like beach trips, gift cards, and diamonds. I have to say, the adrenaline rush at the start of the hunt was pretty intense. I totally ran over some older ladies who were running out there too slow. :) If I thought the other hunts were over fast...this one was inane. It was over within seconds. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the "prize" eggs. Maybe next year

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We dyed our eggs,the kids enjoyed their baskets of goodies on Sunday morning, and we spent the afternoon at Church celebrating the real meaning of Easter. Afterwards we enjoyed a yummy dinner with family.

I survived!

Today was the MUCH anticipated kinder field trip. After a hasty lunch at 10am, which most kids were too excited to eat anyway, we all boarded the school buses for a nice long trip to the Children's Museum. Claire was most excited about getting to go on the bus for the first time ever. She was grinning ear to ear as we boarded. It was fun to see her notice things like the bumpiness and the fact that all the other cars on the highway were going much faster than us.

I had a group of 4 students to chaperone for the day. We had a lot of fun trying to see and do everything together. It was slight mayhem at the museum, but we all had a good time. The kids all painted their faces and spent a good amount of time playing in the water.

After a couple hours of play, we all loaded up for the trip home. Overall, it was quite successful. No lost kids or accidents. The only snafu was losing a sweatshirt. I hope the kids all had a great time, I know Claire did!

Camping Adventure

Friday night we went camping with some friends. I was a little worried about how fun it would be since it had been pouring rain all day before we left. Luckily we were staying in cabins complete with heat, electricity, and lights. We opted for some McDonalds for our picnic dinner. The cabins were super nice inside! They each had a table and chairs, a twin/full bunkbed, and a futon that folded out. It was very clean and fun to be in.





After our dinner we went outside to set up the rest of our camp. Thankfully it wasn't really even raining much up there. It was more of a mist. We could spend time outside without getting soaked. Chris was even able to get a fire going, despite the wet wood, with a little help from our friends...and the neighboring scout troop. :)





We made some yummy smores before bed, went for hikes in the woods, and then put all our kids to bed in their respective cabins. We had an extra cabin because someone decided not to come with us due to the rain. Once the kids were all fast asleep we stayed up playing silly games and giggling for many hours inside.

In the morning we made a hot breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage, and hot chocolate. Neil spent most of his time in the playpen snuggled up with blankets. The girls had lots of time to ride their bikes and hike with daddy. We took our time and didn't leave until just before 1pm. It was a much nicer day. The sun even came out.






Overall we all had a blast! It was great to spend time together and with good friends! We will have to do it again sometime for sure.

9 Months and more

Neil is now 9 months and continues to grow. He is now 26 pounds, 29 1/2 inches long, and has an 18 3/4 inch head. He's in the 90's percentiles in all categories. I am definitely getting my workout in each day! He still has the most gorgeous blue eyes and squeezable chubby cheeks. Two bottom teeth have recently popped out and he has been using them on baby crackers and chunky baby food. He is the sweetest baby and has the best smile. We had a little bit of sun over the weekend so we spent some time outside. The kids loved playing at the park and going for a nice family walk. Even Neil got to swing, which he thought was hilarious. It was fun to see his excitement.

Thirty-one Years

On Friday Chris turned 31. His uncle had come to town for a visit, so we had planned to go out to eat with him and the family. We went to PF Changs, which was pretty yummy and even splurged for the great wall of chocolate. We stopped by Rainy Day games on the way home to buy Chris's new favorite game: Agricola. When we got home there was a large gift waiting for him on our kitchen table. He opened up his brand new hunting rifle. I was excited to have finally pulled off a surprise! I had been planning and scheming with my dad for the last month and it was killing me to not say anything about it to him. It paid off! He was really happy with it. I also got him a case to carry it in. We stayed up late playing our new game.

The next day was spent hanging out with the family and playing more games. We went over to my parent's house and my dad gave him a really nice Leupold scope for the rifle! WOOHoo! Now he can actually use it! That was really nice of him. Thanks Dad! We are excited to take it to the range. The rest of the weekend was plenty relaxing just hanging out and watching conference together. It was a good weekend, and a good birthday (if I may say). Happy Birthday honey! Hope you enjoyed it.