We're Back!

We are officially back from our last trip of the 2008 summer. We headed north to New Albany, Ohio to Kit's sister, Sydnee's house. The drive was absolutely beautiful! We made our way up through Tennessee then Kentucky into Ohio. Whew, what beautiful rolling hills. I haven't been through that horse country since we moved away when I was 11 years old. I loved it! The drive wasn't as bad as it could have been-we made it in 15 hours. I kept busy, however, with repeating the few lines of "Black Water Hattie" I remembered from my dad's telling, playing the "Animal Game", the "Letter Game" and sticking my rear up in the air as I retrieved fallen paraphernalia.

We celebrated Ellee's baptism with the Edman family then headed to Lafayette, Indiana to spend time with Kit's sister, Ashlee, her husband-Greg, their darling little boy-Michael and Kit's parents. We were able to take it easy there and the boys loved playing with their new little boy cousin. It was the first time we have seen him since he was born last October. He is so adorable! I just couldn't kiss his little round cheeks enough! We went to an enormous dairy farm, Fair Oaks Farms. We had an absolute blast!!! It brought me back to beautiful Logan, Utah and the times I went with my dad on his dairy rounds. We were able to taste delectable cheeses and ice cream, tour the facilities and watch the birth of a calf! My boys were mesmerized...yes, baby Gunner was born kind of like that, but without the pulls...by far that was the high-light of the outing for my boys!

Gavin navigating a tractor obstacle course at Fair Oaks Farm

Gunner enjoying a taste (gulp more like) of my ice cream cone

My sweet brother-in-law is the assistant golf coach at Purdue University so we were able to go practice putting and distance hitting (sorry, I still can't remember the correct term). We all cringed with each swing of the club if it was it was in the hands of 2 particular little boys. I think we were just waiting for the conking sound of it bouncing off of the other's head. We got lucky with no injuries in that endeavor. I truly appreciated the hospitality the Robertsons gave us. Having your beautiful, quiet house invaded by a troop can't be easy, but they made it look painless and made us feel so welcome!

My little pro-hahaAshlee and Baby Michael (isn't he squeezable!)Isn't he cute!

We headed back to New Albany to spend more time with Sydnee, Dale, Parker and Ellee. My boys loved the extra playmates (as did I) and spent many hours battling in pillow fights, acting out adventures, reading books and watching movies together. We went to Wall-E, the Columbus Zoo, the New Albany Pool, the botanical conservatory and simply enjoyed spending time together. The zoo was amazing! We got to see everything from a komodo dragon to a koala bear. It was so fun! Another highlight was the pool. I have never been to a more fabulous city pool! The kiddie pool was a park in water with slides, enormous water guns and more! My boys had a blast playing with their cousins and their daddy in the water. We went to the botanical conservatory later that evening and were able to admire butterflies as they flittered around us and the breathtaking work of Dale Chihuly. The Fourth of July was spent together relaxing and gorging ourselves on delicious food. Hmmm, it truly was a well-spent vacation. My sister-in-laws were wonderful hostesses and really put me at ease (which is saying something these days). Thank you for a wonderful summer break!!

Wonder which is the monkey?

Parker, Ellee and Jos enjoying the viewChihuly-absolutely breathtaking

Off Again!

Good-bye for a couple of weeks. We're off on our final trip of the summer. We're headed to Indiana and Ohio to visit Kit's side of the family. Our cute little niece-y is getting baptized! Hooray for Ellee! My boys can't wait to play with their big-boy cousin, Parker and I can't wait to squeeze my little nephew, Michael! I haven't seen him yet, but I'm dying to!! Love you all and see you soon!!

Love & Marriage

Happy Anniversary!

Kit and I have now been married 7 years. It is funny how long it seems and yet just a moment ago. We celebrated on Monday by going out to dinner, ice cream and window shopping. Our sweet friends watched Jos and Gav so Kit, Gunner and I could go out. We had SO much fun. It is crazy how easy it is to go out with one child after you've been battling 3! My sweet hubby got me the best gift!
I know, it doesn't seem romantic to most of you, but it was so fabulously sweet for me! You see, much to the disappointment of my romantic husband, I LOVE practical gifts...things I can use that make my life easier make me swoon! Seriously-if it helps my life, it makes me happy. I guess the most romantic thing about this gift to me is that after 7 years, Kit knows how to give me the BEST gifts! I don't have to even ask for them, his romantic mind figures out what I would love and would help me out. For example, for Christmas he bought me a gift certificate to go get my hair done, for my birthday he bought me a little carpet-upholstery cleaner and now he bought me the Tom Tom. He is so sweet! I truly love him. Despite the ups and downs, I am glad we got married and I'm glad he feels the same!

A Day for Kit

HAPPY FATHER's DAY!

This is a post of celebrating my dear husband. What can I say about Kit? He has made me laugh from the day I met him. He was a wonderful friend, then a wonderful sweetheart and now he is a wonderful husband and father. Kit was frightened of being a daddy...I think he believed he could never measure up to his own father. Josiah came at us full force. A little bundle of red-headed energy and he launched my sweetie into full diaper-duty, spit-up battle. Kit rallied his forces together and survived multiple incidents of getting pooped,pee-ed and spit-up on.

(Ask him about the 1st time he changed a diaper, he LOVES to tell that story!)

He truly loves our boys and is here to help them along their way in the Lord's service. When I asked Josiah to tell me some things he loves about Daddy, he replied with a lovely list. He loves how his daddy teaches him about Jesus Christ, how to obey and about animals. He loves how his daddy makes sure they're okay and gives them blessings when they are sick or hurt. Gavin had to add he loves how his daddy plays dinosaurs with them. Reviewing this list makes me happy. I am so pleased Kit IS living up to the high standard of his father and mine in respect to teaching our boys about honoring the priesthood. With his guidance, they will come out on top.

WE LOVE YOU!

Who Needs A Playroom?

One of the first things I noticed since coming back home is how SMALL my home is. For anyone who has visited, picture it with 3 active little boys and you will concur. It has been raining off and on every day we've been back, so even my large, fenced backyard isn't really an asset now-especially without Mimi's enticing play set. Not quite sure what to do with the beasties underfoot, Josiah came up with a brilliant plan--sans Mom. Unbeknown to me, he and Gavin gathered as many toys as they could and moved them into their morning bath. Viola! A new playroom! I had to snap a few when I brought Gunner in for his morning wash.

Note: I'm not sure why, but whenever I take pics, Gun always seems to be frightened!

You Say Good-bye...I Say Hello...Hello, Hello!

Josiah summed it up when he woke up very early Tuesday morning with a smile, then started to cry. "Mom, my heart feels like this (he smiled) when I think of going home to see Daddy, but I feel like this (he frowned with tears) when I think about leaving everyone else! My heart was oh-so-excited to see my sweetie; a month is a long time to be away. I missed him a lot-and it didn't help when he made 2nd class and I missed seeing him being pinned. I know he enjoyed bachin' it a couple of weeks, but then missed me and the boys dearly. But leaving my family, well-my heart hurts. Being in Oklahoma was so fun! I LOVE spending time with family and I got to spend time with both the Applegates and my own fam. Both Steph and Whit are living in Stillwater while their hubbies are attending OSU. Can you say get-together! We were together more than we were apart, which is saying a lot when you consider Steph has 3 kids, I have 3 kids and Whit has 2 and 1 on the way. Thankfully we had my wonderful mother (#1 friend and child-keeper) keeping us company and aiding with herding our children. My father-in-law once said he figured keeping track of my boys was like trying to herd cats...I have to say I COMPLETELY agree...and we had 8 to herd!



I'll just give you the high-lights:



Mack graduated high-school and I got to spend time with my peppy Grandma Blanchard (Grandma B to the kiddies). She was so fun. She is spiritual and has a lot of wisdom, but she still gets down on the floor and plays with my boys and taught them a couple of nursery rhymes. I definitely want to be like her when I grow up!! We got to help celebrate Mother's Day and we were able to party with my father-in-law, Georgia and Greyson's birthdays. We went to the zoo, Leonardo's children's museum and Burger King play-land (more times than I'd like to remember due to it's allergy safety factor for Whit's kiddies). My mom-in-law took Jos and Gav for a couple of afternoons-I know she did it to spend one-on-one time with them, but it was a fun break for me. I was able to go get my hair done and shop for myself (which was an absolute blast without kids) and I simply had fun. The boys fought, teased and had a fabulous time with their cousins. They clambered all over the new play-set my dad and men in the family put together for them. Gavin overcame his fear of horses and was never far from Dad or Mack when they went out to feed. We all had a wonderful time camping out in the great outdoors--out back at my mom's. We ate, laughed and shouted at our beasties together...it was wonderful. I'm thankful our Heavenly Father put me in the family he did. There isn't a better family, other than yours, I'm sure!



It is nice to be home, though. I enjoy kissing my husband, sleeping in my own bed and having my boys in their own rooms. We're excited for our next trip too. We'll be heading north to Ohio and Indiana to spend time with the Applegates for a couple of weeks. Ellee is getting baptized and I haven't even seen my beautiful nephew, Michael, yet! We'll let our bums rest, then we're off next week!!!

So Long, Farewell...!

Goodbye...for a bit. I'll be heading off to Oklahoma for a visit. Wish me happy driving; I'm doing it on my own again with just my munchkins along for a ride. For anyone who sees my husband, make sure you remind him I love him. A month is a long time and I don't want him getting too comfortable as he's bachin' it! Maybe you could also remind him to clean up every now and then...so the mess won't be too horrific ;o). Thanks! I'll be sending ya'll hugs and kisses!