Girls Getaway Weekend

Me and Lindsey
Me and my new friend Audra.
Game night - we had 16 people playing Cranium.  It was a blast!
Lindsey and I went kayaking. 
I rode a horse named Schadoosh. What a name, huh?  I loved it - riding is so relaxing!
Rachelle and I getting ready to go down the zip-line. 

Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX sponsored a girls getaway weekend called Flavour Roadtrip.  It took place Halloween weekend, so I hesitated to go because I knew I would be missing Fall Festival with my boys, but I'm so glad I decided to go. I think there were close to 300 women there of all ages gathered together to get away, reconnect with God, and have some fun.  I had an absolute blast, as you can probably tell from the pictures.  I did things I haven't done in years like the outdoor activities shown, read more than 1 chapter of a book at a time, have an entire weekend to myself, and spend so much quality time with my sister.  I can't wait for the next one!

Pumpkin Patch

Playin' in a pile of hay. 
Quinn was being uncooperative, so I got the big boys by themselves. 
No smile, but no tears either!
Creston had a ball playing on the rope swing!
Riding the go-carts was Keller's favorite activity. 

We went to the Mainstay Farms pumpkin patch at the end of October with our Lifegroup.  The boys had so much fun and were very sad when it was time to go home.  We will visit this same farm in December to go cut down our own Christmas tree.  We love it there!

Fall 2008

What a boy - asleep with his favorite ballcap on!
Quinn is already an avid reader. 
Creston's getting the hang of riding his tricycle. 
Quinn playing in a baby bounce house at a birthday party. 
Keller, Creston, and our new friend Landri at a pumpkin party!

These are just random pictures taken throughout the fall. 

Simple pleasures

There's nothing like eating blackberries right off the bush. 
Keller loved taking a ride in Papa's canoe. 
Fun's over........it stopped raining. 
Two happy soaked little boys. 
Gettin' a drink. 
Look how wet I am........my bellybutton is filling up with water!
Stopping a minute to catch his breath. 

The boys love spending time at Papa's cabin.  It's a boys' heaven!  These pictures were taken in June 2008 - very spur of the moment.  We were sitting on the deck when it started raining and the boys ran out to splash in puddles and catch raindrops on their tongues. We also went for a canoe ride and went blackberry picking.  Oh, the simple pleasures of being a child!

Summer 2008

My favorite picture of Quinn from last summer. 
Keller loves the water!
So does Creston!
Love brother moments!

It was really hot this summer, so we spent a lot of time playing in water.  We went the the Saginaw Aquatic Center, neighborhood pools, drug out our backyard pool, and played in the sprinklers.  The boys had a lot of fun!

This is our house!
The living room. 
My sanctuary - this is where I create.........scrapbooks and blogs. 
Our bedroom. 
The guest room.......and where Quinn slept for 7 months. 
Keller's room.   Update: his racecar has been moved out and there are bunkbeds in its place.  I'll post those later. 
Creston's room at the time of this picture, but now it's finally  Quinn's room!

The front entryway.  Notice the barrel ceilings with rope lighting - I just love that design feature!

The dining area. 
Love this kitchen!

I thought you all might like to see pictures of our house, since most of you have not made it out here.  We took these pictures May 2008, when we put our house on the market.  Some changes have been made - I'll post updated pictures later, when I get this blog current!

Mother's Day

My boys brought me breakfast in bed - on a Sunday!  I love Keller's hair and Creston's expression - "I wonder if she'd miss one of those strawberries!"

I post this awful picture of myself so you can get a laugh, as I did, as these elements of this picture. 
Precious baby!
An hour later, we're cleaned up, with combed hair, and are ready for church.

I have the sweetest husband, truly I do.  He and the boys made me a yummy breakfast and woke me up with it.  I got to eat it slowly, savor it, in bed, and then get dressed, by myself.  Then, after church, they surprised me something I've been wanting for years.  Something every chef needs - a Kitchen Aid mixer!  I think I screamed and made Quinn cry.  Anyway, it was a great Mother's Day. 

Quinn's first Rangers game

AND HE'S OUT!!!
Loving the excitement.
Go Rangers!

We took Quinn to his first Rangers game in May 2008.  Before you go thinking we're mean parents for only taking one of our children, Jeremy was give 2 free tickets by a patient.  We looked at it as a night out, got a babysitter for the big boys, and took Quinn with us, since I was still breastfeeding.  Plus, he had the perfect outfit to wear!

Little buckaroos

Lil' Cowboy
Creston's John Wayne impression. 
Ready for ropin'.
The Sheriff and his Deputy.
Three little buckaroos.

My boys have transitioned well to being Texans.  They not only have all the western wear, but they parade around the house in it, riding their invisible horses, Jet and Slinky.  They have truly embraced the culture and have now demanded that their baby brother be a part of this new culture, too. 

Fabulous Las Vegas

Kate and I having coffee on the patio in the morning. 
Keller and Creston loving playing with Uncle Josh.  He is younger and more gullible than their Daddy and will run around like this for hours with them.  Note: he and Kate are having their first baby in the spring, so we'll see if this changes. 
Smile for the family picture!
One more time!

You can probably tell by looking, but this is Red Rock Canyon. 
It feels so nice to be up here all alone.  Do you think they'd notice if we slipped off the back and took a hike around the canyon?

Nana and Pa in Grandparent bliss.
The Strip!
The Bellagio water show.
Inside the Bellagio.  Those birds are done in flowers!
Flower snail - amazing!

We took a trip to Las Vegas in April to visit Jeremy's parents.  They moved out there in the summer of 2006 and love it.  They have a beautiful home and Martha has done a great job decorating it.  Josh and Kate also met us over there (Jeremy's brother and wife) and we all stayed for a long weekend.  We saw a show while we were there - Cirque de Soleil.  It was phenomenal!  The strip was just like in the movies and on CSI - loud, flashy, and sights you wouldn't see anywhere else.  We also went to Red Rock Canyon, which was really beautiful to see - it is a smaller version of the Grand Canyon.  The Bellagio was also really cool to see - we loved the water show and there was so much to see inside as you can see from the pictures.  We did not gamble, but we watched a bunch of other suckers lose a bunch of money!  We can't wait to go back!