Our first camping trip!

Last week we tossed around the idea of going camping over the weekend.  We almost didn't do it, but we knew we deserved a weekend getaway and the kids would have a lot of fun!  So we packed the car and made sure we were ready by the time Paul got off work on Friday and left for the most relaxing weekend ever!

 

Well...

 

We got lost.  We were almost to the lake when we took a wrong turn and drove a long time down the wrong road.  Whaddya gonna do.  We did get back on track and found where we were supposed to be.  Paul headed straight for the lake to go spear fishing and the kids and I went down to the beach! 

 



 

 

Max absolutely loved the water.  He didn't act afraid at all!  He enjoyed playing in the sand and water.  It was the perfect temperature too!  I enjoyed watching my kids play and have so much fun.  I enjoyed just sitting and knowing I didn't have to do anything!

 

Doesn't this look funny?  We're here in the mountains and there are seagulls!

 

Paul and Kirby didn't get any fish that night, but they had so much fun!  Can you tell?  They would try again the next day and still come back empty-handed, but they had a great time being out in the water and almost catching "the big one."

 

The scenery was just beautiful and I knew I had a very relaxing weekend ahead of me.  Laying around on the beach, reading my book, playing with my kids...it was going to be fantastic!  The kids did not act bored once -- sleepy, yes, but they were running around everywhere enjoying their first camping trip!

 

Zoe looks so funny in this picture, but it's the best I could take of her eating a s'more!

 

The kids were having a blast eating s'mores and being around the campfire!

 

Even baby Titus -- who didn't leave my side.

 

The next day we enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast and waited for the sun to warm us up a little bit.  As soon as it got warm we got dressed and headed to the beach!  We spent many hours down there and it was wonderful!

 

Sometime in the afternoon we had to say goodbye to Paul's family.  The kids HATED to see them go, since we just got there.  We had fun with them the one day we got to see them!  Gram helped sweeten the sad moment with cookies, though.  That helped. :-)

 

Even Titus got a yummy cookie!

 

Here is a picture of my beautiful family on our first camping trip!

 

After we took our family picture we decided to take a walk by the lake.  While walking I noticed lightning on the other side of the hills and kept bugging Paul with my worries of a storm coming.  He assured me over and over that the wind was blowing the storm away from us.  No worries.

 

We got back to our tent and the wind had picked up some.  We decided to just go to bed and we were sure the wind would calm down soon.  The wind only got worse and worse, and guess what happened?  The lightning was right over top of us!

 

The wind ripped the rain cover part of the tent off -- I like to call it the roof -- and that kind of freaked the kids out, but I put them all to bed anyways while Paul got out of the tent to try to fix the problem.  This is what happened next...

 

Me: Ok kids, let's hold hands and say our prayers.  'Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful day-"

 

A gust of hurricane wind came and completely leveled the tent with the kids and I in it!  You should of heard the screams of terror from the kids!  They were beside themselves!  It's actually pretty funny now!

 

Paul tried putting the tent together when I noticed a huge gaping hole in the wall of the tent.  Oh, did I forget to mention the borrowed tent?  ::sigh::  How disappointing.

 

We finally gave up once the lightning got worse and it started to sprinkle.  I packed up the kids real quick and then Paul and I packed up our camping area in the dark.  It seemed like it took forever, but we threw everything in the car and then left just as the rain started to pour.

 

We made it to Great Falls and we both were exhausted.  We found a hotel room on priceline and decided to head home the next morning.  We got to the room, put the kids to bed, and I headed to the bathroom to take a much needed shower.  Titus started to cry but I didn't even care, I wanted a shower so bad!  I went to start running hot water when I went looking for shampoo and conditioner.  There was none in sight!  There was soap, but no shampoo.  Then I noticed the sign that said any extras, like shampoo and conditioner, could be purchased at the front desk.  ::sigh::  So I gave up and rescued my crying baby who didn't calm down and go to sleep till 4:30 in the morning.

 



 

Paul got up in the morning and went to the continental breakfast to bring something back for the babies.  When he came back, he tossed a couple packages of muffins on the bed for the kids.  When I asked what they had for breakfast he said packaged muffins and fake fruit.  Haha!  Perfect!  The kids loved the muffins, so that is great!  They got something in their tummy and Mommy and Daddy headed for Starbucks.  Liquid breakfast. :-)  Yummy!

 



 

We spent the rest of the day in Great Falls and then headed home around dinner time.  Once we parked Zoe said, "Can we go camping again?"  I'm thankful they're not scarred!  As soon as we got home I threw all three babies in the tub!  I enjoyed my hot shower -- and my shampoo and conditioner.

 

So our weekend didn't work out the way we planned.  It kind of was a bummer.  But we had fun and we have some laughs about the kids' first camping experience!  Hopefully it will work out a little bit better next time.  Ha!



Fun in the sun

I think this is the busiest summer I have ever had in my life.  It's not going to slow down any time soon either!  As you can see from the picture below...it's tiring!

 

 

Last Friday was Paul's day off so we spent the day walking, swimming, taking afternoon naps, eating pizza, and enjoying a bonfire with s'mores!  Yum!  It was a perfect, summer day!  We had a lot of fun with friends and family and I know we will be having more bonfires (and s'mores!) in the near future! :-)

 

Max has discovered that he can climb into Titus' crib using his toddler bed as a boost.  This is so great, right?  Not really.  But it is.  Haha!  Confused yet?

 

Max is such a great big brother to Titus!  He climbs in there to try to make Titus happy.  It doesn't always work...but at least he's trying!  It's kind of fun to listen to over the baby monitor.  They both gasp when they get really excited so they tend to have a gasping conversation when Max crawls over.  It's pretty funny!  Oh, and sidenote, Max has shared cereal with Titus.  So now Titus is crazy about Honey Bunches of Oats.  Thanks, Bub!

 

Saturday we celebrated Emilie's 7th Birthday!  It's crazy to think she's already 7..  She had a beach themed birthday party and it was a lot of fun!  All the kids had a blast!  Here's most of the kids together.  Emilie is in the middle with her Minnie Mouse ears. :-)  The girl LOVES ears.  She wears her Minnie Mouse or cat ears almost everyday.  So Auntie Grace made sure to add to her collection.

 :-)  I got her elephant, zebra, and puppy dog ears plus a few other little things.  She was very happy!

 

Yesterday we went to church and my kids were the only kids to attend, so they got to stay up and listen to Papa preach.  During church, Zoe was designing clothes and taking pictures of them.  Ha!  She is so funny.

 

Tuesday night, after Paul gets off work, we will drive through the night to Everett, WA.  We will be in the state of Washington till Sunday having fun with family.  It will be a fun time!  But because we are leaving tomorrow night, I have A LOT to do today!  Packing, cleaning, getting the car ready, appointments, blah blah blah.  I guess I better get started!  Happy Monday!

Back into the swing of things. Take two.

I tell you what.. getting back into the swing of things is hard work! Since being home it has been so hard to keep up with the housework, grocery shopping, blah blah blah... I guess you could say I got spoiled when I was down in Arkansas! Now it's time to get back to work! 

I took a lot of pictures while down there, but I will only post these three for now. One day we rode horses all day. We all had a great time! Zoe was a pro when it came to riding horses! She rode the pony first, but soon said she wanted to ride "the big one." And she did! ALL BY HERSELF. I'm so proud of my baby! 

I sure do miss being down there! It's such a happy place! 

Now back to work, work, work! 

Home Sweet Home

Being in Bozeman for two weeks was so. much. fun!  It felt great to go on a "vacation" and just relax for awhile.

While in Bozeman Zoe had to sleep in a big bed for the first time in her life.  She has always slept in her crib or in the pack-n-play with Max.  Well, we soon figured out they were getting too big to share a bed together, so Zoe slept all by herself.  As you can see from the picture above, she was pretty nervous in the beginning!  After Mommy laid with her and talked about how exciting it was to sleep in a big bed, and after a little sip of apple juice, oh, and after turning the bathroom light on, she was good to go!  I remember her saying in a shaky voice, "Mommy, you sleep over there?" I said, "Yes baby, Mommy is sleeping right here."  She said ok, rolled over, and I could tell she was asleep in a matter of minutes.  I'm so proud of her!

We had to spend some time in the hotel room because I needed to work, but when I was not working I tried to take the kids out on the town and explore.  We FINALLY found a park and the kids LOVED it!  Max got to swing for the first time and he chuckled the whole time.  Zoe got a kick out of seeing him swing with her too.  Zoe also claimed that the whole playground was "me house" which means.. her house. =D  Everything has turned into her house lately.  It's adorable!

When we did have to spend time in the room I made sure to play with them with their toys, or we even did some finger paints!  One of Bubba's birthday presents. =)  Don't worry, I'll post about his birthday too!  But that will have to be a completely seperate post.

When Paul was off work for the weekend we made sure to go to some museums AND a corn maze!  It was so much fun to spend time together as a family!  I loved every minute of it!

Now we're home and back to the daily grind.  Kind of. =D  We came home to find a horrible bee situation!  My kitchen alone is covered in hundreds of dead bees.  There are dead bees everywhere in the house.. it's disgusting!  Yesterday in the morning/early afternoon I didn't notice any live bees in my house so I figured it was cool enough that they were gone for good.  Unfortunately that was wishful thinking. =(  By the afternoon we had 80 degree weather and there were multiple live bees in my house!  The kids and I spent the afternoon at Gram & Papa's house.

So this morning, while it is cool, I plan on getting things done around the house and trying to get organized since being gone for so long.  By this afternoon, though, I'm packing the kids up and leaving.  Max has been stung once already this year and that is one time too many for me!  I will be buying junk from Walmart to try and stop this madness.

While over at my inlaw's house we made a homemade pumpkin spice latte!  Literally everything was homemade -- even the whipped cream on top!  It was so amazingly delicious that I want another one this morning!  I had to tide myself over with a pumpkin pie poptart.  Haha!  Not the same.  I will definitely have to keep the ingredients on hand at my house, though.  I have a feeling I'm going to gain weight this fall/winter with this drink...

It is nearly 10:30 and my kids FINALLY woke up!  It's time to greet them with kisses and a poptart! =)  Happy Tuesday!

Bozeman Adventures

Source: Uploaded by user via Karlee on Pinterest

 

The whole family has been living in a hotel room in sunny Bozeman, MT while Paul continues his training for his job.  We got here Sunday evening -- and surprisingly enough -- we have been keeping pretty busy!

 

The kids normally wake up around 7:30.  Paul leaves around 7:45.  The kids and I watch cartoons till about 8:30 then we walk down to breakfast.  The continental breakfast consists of mini muffins and bagels -- with no cream cheese.  Oh, and Frosted Flakes or Raisin Bran.  The coffee is horrible.  Seriously.  I'm pretty much drinking water.

 

I work on my laptop till Paul picks us up around noon.  We go out to eat together and then I drop him off so I have the car in the afternoon.  I drive around exploring new places, sometimes I'll stop and shop.  Yesterday I found a Joann's store so I had to stop!  I bought some items and plan on doing a craft this weekend when I don't have any work to get in the way.  It's something that even Zoe can "help" me with!

 

I'm only out for an hour or two before returning to the room.  I put the kids down for quiet time -- since afternoon naps flew out the window as soon as we got here -- and I do more work on my laptop till around 5:00 when we go pick Daddy up from work.

 

After Paul gets off work we drive around and shop together till we're hungry for dinner, we find a place to eat, and then it's back to the room for relazation.

 

I am so thankful that everything is working out the way it is.  The kids are doing surprisingly well with being cooped up in a room.  We play with toys, watch cartoons, we brought Zoe's school.. we keep busy!  It seems like the days fly by.



The crash after the high

Being in San Diego for two weeks was SO relaxing!  We met my family down there and we took the kids to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo.  We even spent a couple days at the beach -- it was SO relaxing.  The sound of the waves, seagulls, and kids playing is like music to my ears!  We had such a blast together as a family!  I love being with my family again.  I don't get enough of it.

Before we all knew it, the time had come for us to go home.  No one was ready to leave!  But fun doesn't pay the bills, and the bills were due and waiting!  ::sigh::

It took Paul and I three days to get home.  What a nightmare!  Day one consisted of Zoe throwing up and having explosions in her pants.  We spent a lot of time on the side of the road cleaning Zoe and changing her into clothes.  We eventually just let her go in just a diaper and not even worry about clothes since she kept ruining them.  On top of that my feet and legs swelled pretty bad.  I think it was the combination of them being badly sunburned and sitting in the car without my feet being elevated.  We only made it to St. George, UT before calling it quits for the night.

Day two was the same as day one -- pulling over multiple times because Zoe was acting like she was going to throw up.  The extra day was stressing us financially and we then had to figure out what would happen when we got home.  So much stuff happened.  At the end of the day I remember just crying and feeling completely helpless!  I was tired, stressed, I was ready to just be home.. ugh.  Like I said, nightmare!

Day three we FINALLY made it home around 5:30 that evening.  Paul's mom had a nice dinner waiting for us and we got to sleep in our own bed.  Thank you Jesus!

 We've been home for a week now, and it's been good and bad. =)  It's such a nice break to get away from everything when on vacation!  I miss it!

I guess I better do something productive with my day.  I think I will clean my bedroom!  Have a great weekend!

No one says...

No one says on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at work."

Investing time and energy in your marriage and family pays the richest dividends of all.



Maximus Kirby




They sleep in the funniest positions!




Zoe and cousin Jax




My toe jam pickers!




I desperately need a coffee!



It's been kind of a hectic week.  I woke up to the above sorry face and couldn't help but take a picture!  Ha ha!

All I know is that I'm REALLY looking forward to the vacation we will be taking in May!  I was extremely bummed when I thought it wouldn't happen because I had allowed myself to get my hopes up and I hate being let down.  But thank the Lord we will be going after all!  I can't wait for a 10-day road trip with my husband and kids.  We will meet up with my family in California and have the best of time together!

Blogging on the road

It is 6:00 in the morning and Paul, Zoe, and I are on our way to Vancouver, WA to celebrate a wedding this Saturday! Right now Zoe is asleep and Paul is annoyed with the GPS, and I'm sipping a coke zero. =)

Even though we're on "vacation" right now I still plan on posting -- and with pictures! Keep coming back!