A glimpse

A really quick glimpse.
Via the iphone,
so don't expect too much okay?


The babies are rockin the big kid tub.
Collin loves it


Keegan is not so sure
and had a death grip on Kenna
almost the entire time


Keegan was not happy that I messed with his hair
(so curly these days)
and then
wanted a picture of his valentines day outfit
instead of snuggling him


Collin was cool with it


and so was Cohen.

Lots of love was in the air this day
we all went to see Gnomeo and Juliet

and true to form
Keegan was a pain in the rear,
(a dang cute pain, but still a pain)
would not be quiet
sit still or stop climbing all over everything.

Collin sat in the stroller enthralled with the movie
and thrilled that Kenna was feeding him popcorn

Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
came out for presidents day weekend.
the kids were in heaven
So were we!

Dad and Ryan installed a new kitchen faucet
(the other was bad bad bad- think leaky water hose)


and my neighbor was
tossing this baby out for free


so we snatched it right up
and dad and Ryan hung it up.


Then of course we had the standard presidents day fare
Pizza, Cherry Pie, and Ice Cream
and we watched the American President
since our Dave DVD was missing in action

The following weekend
Ryan had some vacation days he had to use or lose
So of course we decided to use them
and we headed up to Oregon
to visit the Holly Doll, Bryner Bug and Cory
and the rest of our fun family that lives up there.

I had great intentions to take pictures of everything.
didn't happen.
But here's a hodge podge

Our first full day there


I discovered
Craft Warehouse
Love, true love


but our trip through heaven was cut short
when Bryn's school called
and said she had bonked her mouth,
and could Holly come


Understatement of the century.
This is after a major clean up
Girlfriend had fallen against a metal step
Knocked out her two front teeth
(that weren't even a smidge loose)
Loosened the others
sliced and diced her lip up
and ripped her whatever its called
that connects your lip to your gums

Ouch

She was a trooper though
even when I was gagging
watching her try to eat a banana
that ended up slimy and smeared with blood
and watching her suck on the chunk of lip
that was hanging down
(the doctor said they don't stitch mouths, but it was bad, real bad)
I had to turn away every time she would do this

We shopped, we went to goodwill,
we ate donuts

And then we took my sick kids to the doctor
and had to pay lots of cash
up front
for anyone to even look at them
Even thought we have insurance
Grrr...


Collin got his first ear infection
and we hope his last.
He was not a happy camper.


Check out Keegan's
massive green snot
MMMmmm...
and fever red cheeks and ear.
Poor Baby


Kenna too.

Sicky vacations are not as fun
as non sicky vacations
Still fun but...


Keegan was enthralled with Mary's cat
Costello was almost as big as Keegan was
and he sat and stared at him forever


We also stopped to leave flowers at
Mom and Grandma's grave
while we were in Dallas
Caden got out of the car and helped out
even though it was raining


Vacation wiped us out


When we got back
Keegan learned how to climb up here
and MAN was he Proud of Himself
as you can see from the grin

They are almost walking
almost.
Any day now its going to get really crazy.

As if it wasn't before.


This big guy had his 4th Birthday
and he reminds us daily sometimes hourly
of all things he can do now.
Now that he is 4, Now that he is big.
Man, I love him.

even though he has randomly thrown up around midnight
two out of the last three nights
and it has been horrible to clean up
(I will spare you the pictures)
ten million times worse than Keegan's Puke Party.
and then insists in the day that he is not sick and feels fine
and has no other symptoms.


Doing my late night clean up routine last week
I found this guy
posed exactly this way.
I was laughing so hard
I had to hold my breath until I made it out of the room
so I wouldn't wake up the boys
He looks like
he is doing some kind of inappropriate dance move
or something
my favorite
is the bum sticking out and the hand posed just so.
I still laugh looking at it.
Its the little things in mommy hood
You know what I mean?

Last but not least


This is what I looked like
this week
last year.
C-R-A-Z-Y
I remember fervently praying
that I would go into labor on my birthday
Yeah, no dice.
But looking back,
What a cool thing that I got to be a part of
Its not every person that gets to grow two babies
and carry them full term
and be able to deliver them without a c-section.
Miracles happen every day.

30 was a very good year.
A growing year
A blessed year
Very Hard
Very Fun
Very emotionally charged with the good and bad

I am a lucky lucky lucky girl
I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy Birthday to me.
Here's to hoping 31 is just as great.

Love, Grandpa Jones

The first couple of postcards that we got
I thought,
"Oh, how nice, my dad sent a
post card."


And then
they just kept coming
every trip he takes
busisness or vacation

(Kenna making her best raccoon face)

my kids carry them around
like badges of honor
Kenna and Cohen are so jealous
that Caden has more than they do
(Well, He's been around longer, they forget that sometimes)
So sometimes
He lets them borrow some of his
and pretend like they are theirs

I have read some of those postcards to them
ten plus times
and they know which ones are theirs
Boy Howdy do they know


How do you explain to a 3 year old
(and my 6 year old for that matter)
that those are fake aliens on the Roswell card
and that Grandpa will not get eaten by wolves
when he goes to Minnesota?


They think that the cards are magical.
He has made them a magical thing.


His messages are always creative
and funny
and age appropriate too
Cohen has explained to me several times
"The eagle is nice Mom, Grandpa said it was nice"

Did you know Dad?
Did you know the magic you are sending in the mail?
Do you know they think that you are "SO COOL?"
Cause you are
You are magical and awesome and "so cool"

Thanks for taking the time
and putting in the effort.
We love you
and your postcards.

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, Meet Me at the Fair

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis


Scratch that
Meet me in Elkhart Indiana
meet me at the fair.


I don't think the lights are shining
any place but there.


We will dance the hoochy coochy


You will be my tootsie wootsie,
if you will
meet me here in Indiana,



meet me aaaaaaaatttttt the fair.

Just pretend
you hear the song playing in the background
or something
and if you don't know the song,

well

that is just sad
and you should go watch
Meet Me in St. Louis
immediately.
I mean it
Go.

For the rest of you
On with the post.



The twins were four months old
and already so big,
that it was not pleasant for them
to be doubled up in the single stroller



They were pretty vocal with their dislike

Note to mom:
we don't like
being smooshed together in tight places
been there
done that
for nine months
Don't want to go back there

notice the outfit change as well
no we weren't going for high fashion,
we had a double blow out not 20 minutes after arrival



while watching this


We ended up carrying them around like this
and they were much happier
even though I was much sweatier


My dad did twin patrol
while the rest of us went on the ferris wheel

He said twins are girl magnets.
Every woman that passed had a comment
or a coo
and told him how cute they were.

I would have to agree,
they are dang cute
and they do attract a lot of attention.



me and the handsome hubby


at the Lady Antibellum Concert
sans kids
(Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!)

A fun day was had by all,
and dang we slept well that night.

We love the Elkhart County 4-H Fair
And going to see Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky.

See you next year at The Fair?

We didn't go AWOL, We went AMISH

I love going home.


Not to my home,
but, you know,
home.


(No, this was not my house, but I think it is so cute, and familiar
and right around the corner from a good friends childhood home)


Driving familiar roads

Where you grew up,
where your memories of high school are
and most importantly,
where your parents are.

I wish you could add sound clips
because if I could
I would educate you
as I did my oldest son
on the glory of the Jackson 5
singing


I'm going back to Indiana
Indiana here I come, yeah yeah
I'm going back to Indiana
Cause that is where my baby's from.
I'm going back to Indiana
Indiana here I come!
Okay Tito, you got it...


I give full credit to knowing this song
to my best gal and fellow Hoosier
Kristy K
She introduced me to the greatness of it in college
and we now CANNOT
cross the Indiana state line without it blaring.

Well, I can't,
Ryan could probably do without,
but he's with me, so...
He must love it by association.

It works that way when you are married
and/or confined in a car with someone.



We headed out on a Friday morning
disappointed
because we were supposed to head out Thursday
but due to a series of unfortunate events
including a Uhaul and a hitch and a dvd screen
it was Friday.


We drove straight on through
24 hrs
which I thought was pretty dang impressive
with 5 small children.
(Check out the time on the Nav screen)

I say we
I mean Ryan,
he drove 22 of the 24 hrs,
But I was there,
and helping him to stay awake,


and dealing with wiggly babies


So it counts right?

and it was worth it to suprise the parents
by getting there in the morning instead of at night
and catching my dad
in the middle of the lawn mowing.

Mmmm...
Home.

This was just the first day,
We got more comin folks.
Stay tuned.

Showin the Love

The only Valentines we got in the mail

were from Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky


And man, were they a hit.

First,
because they came in the mail.
Second,
because there was a gold dollar attached to each one of them
Third,
Because they were good for one free donut
Fourth,
Because anything from Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
is priceless.


We called Holly up
and had her Bring Bryn to meet us
(she got a valentine too!)


And lucky us
The Hot Now Sign was on
when we pulled up



The kids were so enthralled with watching the process
we had to drag them away
to actually get the donuts.


They didn't get it that they got to pick one,
and that they got a hot one for free.

Kenna lost it
because we promised her one with chocolate
and the lady handed her a glazed one as well.

She did NOT WANT the one without chocolate.
I assured her that I would eat the "other one"
and then she was fine
and so was I
oh so was I

Cohen was thrilled with his "geen one"


And Caden was just excited in general

that we went out on a school night

that we got to use our valentines from Grandma and Grandpa

that the valentines included donuts

that we got some extra donuts for breakfast the next day

and that the girls sat at a completely different table
so that he could call his table the man table.

Thank You Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
We love to feel loved by you!