We're off again!

We are off bright and early again tomorrow morning. This time heading to Orlando to the Universal Studios Resort. Darin has a conference, and thanks to Air Tran and their lovely $49.00 each way flights, the kids and I are tagging along. Woo Hoo!! We're excited to play in the amusement parks, pools, beach and also for Gator Land! So look forward to another round of vacation blog entries, although probably not nearly as many!

Credit where credit is due!

So I have been having a hard time the last few days. I am just worn out and tired so any small problem is so blown up in my mind. Ever feel like this? Ugh, not a fun feeling. I think it is a combination of being busy all summer and Darin being gone. I haven't had the best attitude toward my dear sweet children.

Lucky for me, I was reminded of something this evening. I decided to take them to a playground. It was a lot later than I would usually go, but I did this because Landon fell asleep on the couch around 3:00 and slept until 5:30. I figured I needed to get the kids tired so they would go to sleep. We went to a fun playground in Alexandria that we hadn't been to forever. Beach Park.

We ended up having a blast at the playground, and I was reminded how sweet and friendly my children really are. There were 2 other little boys there and they my kiddos were sooo sweet and nice. They played with the kids-Jordan was helping them down the slide, etc. Jordan tried to put the one little boy in a swing and was trying to let him help her push Lanny.

I guess-well I know for sure that I need to stop and think more of the positive things they do. I love all the fun things about them and need to remember that in a moment of frustration. How can I expect them to have a good attitude when mine is not great?

So I can end my day on a positive note, I give credit where credit is due:

1. to myself for teaching them to be friendly and kind to others.
2. to my children for doing it tonight!!!

Fun with a Tonka!

Spencer's little friend Lia gave him this dumptruck for his birthday. What little boy wouldn't love a Tonka Truck? We had Tonka Barbie Blazers when I was little. We would push each other around on them. So fun.

So we had a little photo shoot witht he dumptruck. Landon especially loves it.




Keep reading for pics of Spencer's birthday party.

Spencer is 4 years old!!

Happy 4th Birthday Spencer!! We decided to go the Chuck E. Cheese for Spencer's birthday. We had great friends come and had a blast! Thanks for all the fun guys and for the great gifts. Spencer loves them all:)

Landon did this ride over and over.

My children love this ride. You can't tell, but as they watch a video, the seat shakes and vibrates. They go on it over and over. Lanny loved it as well.
All the kids had so much fun!
Our group at the table watching the animated concert.
Amelia, Spencer and Patrick. Amelia picked this present for Spencer and was excited to see him open it. (Hope you have a boy next Sarah-just let Amelia pick all the gifts for him:)
Spencer and his friend Patrick. I will be babysitting Patrick a few days a week this school year. He is really the nicest little boy-we really love having him with us.

We had some other friends over for ice cream cake in the evening. Why not celebrate all day? Spence opened the presents from the family. Darin had ice cream cake on his birthday and Spence informed me that he wanted it on his birthday. He really loved it!Spencer opening his gift from Nana and Papa. Is it horrible that I didn't want to waste so much wrapping paper and just kept it in the huge bag? He didn't seem to mind and was THRILLED when he saw what it was. Love the expression:)

I love it when Jordan is so excited for Spencer. So cute.
That's a pretty big box, Spence!! It was opened immediately, needless to say. Thanks sooo much Nana and Papa!!

We sure missed you Daddy! Our little boy is growing so fast...

more summer fun

Yesterday we went to a water park, Water Mine at Lake Fairfax.Thanks to the free admission coupon from the library summer reading program. We had a blast. Unfortunately, there are not pics. I took my camera, but then quickly realized that it would stay safely tucked in it's bag. NOT taking chances with water.

Anyhow, we had so much fun. We were with a great group of gals from our ward or other wards, so there were lots of friends to play with. It was a much more pleasant time than last year. Landon was big enough to play freely and Jordan and Spencers skills are so much better. We did have a couple worry some moments with Landon disappearing. That kid is going to give me a heart attack one day!! Seriously-he left the bathroom on me and while I was frantically looking for him, he was happily frolicking in the water. He knew exactly where he wanted to go because he went up and over a big bridge to get there!!!

We were also able to do the lazy river this year and it was awesome! The kids really loved it. I put them all in life jackets and we could just float down. Jordan was ok...again...a little wimpy but I made her do it. The rest of us could have kept on floating but she was having a breakdown so we got out. Jordan is doing so well with her swimming. She had he goggles so swam under water a lot.

Then Spencer...he amazed me! During the last hour we were there, he played with a friends dive sticks. He would throw them, then dive underwater for more than 5 seconds and swim around to find them!! He was so proud of himself. I can't belive the difference in he and his older sister-she would never have done that at barely 4 years old!!

I ended up staying until 5:30. We didn't actually get out of there until 6:00-after you dress 3 kids and have to find one who disappears while you are gathering your stuff. We went to McDonalds on the way home. Landon fell asleep in the car about 6:15. He slept through dinner, then woke up barely for me to get his pjs on and slept soundly until this morning at 6:50. Jordan and Spencer were both asleep by 8:00!! I love swimming!!


An out of order pic from the fair.
If there is an award for "least capable of doing a blog post" I am deep in the running. I put up some pics, then type while I wait for more to upload, then mess up when I am typing and push backspace too many times and accidentally get rid of pictures I want to include....when will I ever learn. What we need is and easier system...one that lets you put in pictures even if you already have some in! Well, I also need more patience.

We went to the Prince William County Fair on Wednesday-dollar day!! We got in for a dollar each, including the parking. All the rides were a dollar as well. Oh, and the pony rides were a dollar off:) The only drawback was that it was soo blazing hot and humid!! I kept trying to give the kids water to drink then we chugged down a huge lemonage. I really think I sweat some weight off-I was a sweat bucket the whole time. Even my eyes burned from the sweat dripping in them.

We had lots of fun going on pony rides, watching a magic show, which was actually pretty funny, looked at lots of animals and rode a few rides. There was a huge rainstorm in the afternoon, but we were in an exhibition hall so we stayed dry; well, for the most part anyway. We went out when it was a little sprinkly.

We went into the "homemade food and crafts" exhibit and it was really nice. There was a huge photography display that I loved. I love getting ideas for good shots. Jordan loved some of the handiwork of little kids. I also chuckled at the food section. I didn't know you could compete in the "egg" category.

Here are some of the ones that struck me funny: Anybody want to decorate potatoes? There were huge scenes with potatoes...very clever. A blue ribbon eggplant...how do you judge and eggplant when you can't taste it,a nd what do with it after the fair...seem horrible to eat it...hee hee!


Landon on the pony ride. He was giggling and really loved it.
Spencer of course loves to ride ponies. Jordan actually got up on the horse, but after it took about 4 steps she started crying and wanted off. They didn't seem to phased by it, so hopefully she wasn't the first.
More of the pony rides and other rides we went on. Jordan went on less rides than her brothers-even Landon isn't as scarred as Jordan. He went on one that she refused because "it was too fast" Just little race cars that went in circles over and over. Is it mean of me to say my child is wimpy? She wouldn't even sit on a horse on the carousel-she sat in the bench. I have a sister who is exactly the same-maybe it's hereditary.

We went into the "commercial" building=where businesses had booths set up. The minute Jordan realized that she could collect lots of free stuff, she was in heaven. She is definitely Darin's daughter!


By the end of the day, Landon was spent. One minute he was awake, the next minute he was sleeping. Poor little fella!
Dollar day is definitly the way to go!!

oops.....

On Saturday I came home from and errand and the usual spots we park Darin's car in were full. I made the mistake of parking it a couple doors down, not thinking about the pesky tree. Since Darin went out of town Sunday, I didn't think about it for a couple days.....OOPS!! Now I know why the lady who lives in this house parks at the end of the parking lot in the spot that belongs to the house that is empty. Smart lady.

Sorry Darin-we'll go through a car wash before you get home:)

Recent happenings

I can't believe how fast the summer has been going-Wow!! School is in just under 3 weeks away-am I ready? Yup!

Just wanted to write about a few happenings lately. May take a couple posts, but here's one for tonight. We were home from Oregon for barely 24 hours when we started swim lessons again. We were really happy to have friends join us again. Jordan had her friend Karly to play with and Spencer had the Martin boys to pal around with. Plus they made friends with a sibling group that was in Spencer's class. I was so happy that they had not regressed, but did extremely well the first day back.

Jordan's strokes continued to improve and she loves swimming underwater. She is still a very hesitant to dive off the side into the 5 feet, despite the wonderful efforts of her teacher. Stubborn gal!! Despite that, I am so very proud of her progress.

Spencer got more and more brave. He started jumping off the sides and going under the water a lot more. He was sooo proud to say "mommy, watch me go under the water." I was just so proud of his progress. He loved playing with his friends.

Landon is CRAZY!! This kid is something else!! He watched Spencer in his lessons and started to sing Ring Around the Rosies, like the class does, then blow bubbles. He was also putting his face in the water. My bravest kid yet...hopefully not indicative of his teenage years-we may be in trouble!

Jordan jumping off the wall backwards.

Spencer jumping in.
I do want to get a membership to a pool in the next couple years. I think we would use it a lot. My kids really love the pool-and so do I. It is so nice to be in the water on a hot and humid day.


One day Jordan was my helper at dinner. She is doing this more and more. We have aprons and she insists we wear them. She was so cute this particular night. Landon had to have his apron on as well.
We have to wash our hands.



Thanks to my good friend Jill, we got an idea for a fun afternoon activity. It involved 2 things-marshmallows and toothpicks. Kept us occupied for a while. Lost track of how many went into 3 little mouths, but it was good fun.


Landon was more into eating them than making anything!
Spencer wanted a snake.
Such concentration
making a masterpiece

A new possiblility

I was really excited about something today. It is quite evident that I have a love of photography and want to pursue it as a side business. Well today I went to the pool with a friend from Spencer's preschool. I will be babysitting her little girl next week, so we met at the pool.....blah blah blah..

Anyhow we were talking about the renovations at Lee RecCenter and I told her I am taking a photography class there. I told her about getting my camera and wanting to do it for money some day. I told her if she ever wanted family pics I would do it to practice. We got talking more, and she told me she could get me lots of business from her business-she runs Walking Paws which is a petsitting and dog walking service. She said her clients would pay to have pictures with pets because most studios don't do it. She told the basics of how to get a small business off the ground-I am not sure I am ready for that, but she did say that if I wanted to earn money around the holiday season she would give all her clients a flyer if I made one up. I never thought about the pet population, but she seems to think I could do pretty well, and if I had a website, she would link it to hers.

Gives me lots to think about!! I love dogs and cats...why not take their pictures!! Just have to get a little more confident with my camera, then little doggies, here I come:)

What do you do when it's hot outside?

Is there anything better than ice cream on a hot day? Not really!

We have a 6 year old in the house!!

Jordan turned 6 August 15th! Happy Birthday Princess!!
What do you do with a birthday girl and some of her closest friends....

Go out to eat at Silver Diner!!

When we were planning Jordan's birthday party, I realized that last years huge party was not happening again! Jordan leaned toward inviting all girls, so we decided to go to Silver Diner-one of her favorite restaurants. Darin stayed home with the boys and Carla Price came with me the restaurant.
The girls were so funny-we were shown our table, and instead of sitting on chairs, all 10 girls went to the bench on the wall. The roudy little girls proved too much for Kaalie, so she moved next to her mom.

The girls were actually pretty good. It was just what I expected with 9 little girls all 6 or 7 years old: hugging, giggling, laughing, teasing, squeezing, talking, bouncing, laughing, talking, bouncing-and so on. The were excited to get what they wanted to eat and drink. It was quiet twice for a small moment-when drinks and food came.
I had a coupon for Jordan's entree free and it came with a shake. All the girls had to get in on the action!!!
We went back to our house after the restaurant to have cupcakes and open presents. The girls REALLY enjoyed the cupcakes!!!


The above pic is the dress Jordan wore all weekend. One of her friends gave her a princess set-it came with a DVD and lots of little princess items and you watch and learn how to be a princess. She wore the crown and earrings all weekend. We had to draw the line on wearing the crown to church:)

Jordan opens her gift from her nana and papa!! Thanks so much for the great gift:)

Happy Birthday to our sweet little princess!!!

Whew...this is the LAST vacation post!!!

We went to the Oregon Caves National Monument. It was pretty cool, but we wished we had learned more about it before we drove up to it. We didn't know that the boys weren't big enough. Darin was really annoyed. So Jordan and I did the "moderately strenuous" walk through the cave, which included around 525 steps. It made me realize how out of shape I really am...(have been in denial...)

Anyhow, Jordan loved it. She had to be first in line during the whole tour. One time a person got ahead of us and she was mad and said "mommy, I was first, I am supposed to be first." She was cute.

Some of the sights inside the cave.


Darin really wanted to squeeze in a trip to Crater Lake, and even thought it was a long drive, it was SO worth it. The place is amazing. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US and the 7th deepest lake in the world. It is basically a sunken in volcano, and has no outlets to any other bodies of water. It is really blue, but we were there on an overcast day, so the pics really don't show it. There is a hike to the bottow-if you want to hike a mile straight down and back up. There is a twice a day trip to the little island, but apparently swimmers don't last so long because the water is freezing cold.

Oh, I forgot I put this pic in-we saw this tree a lot in Oregon and thought it was pretty cool.


This is one of my favorite pics of our whole time. Jordan sure loves her daddy!! Crater Lake in the background.
Aren't these just the cutest boys ever?
The kids were amazed to see that there was still snow on the ground around the lake. It is actually snow covered a large percentage of the year. I really cannot express how gorgeous this place is. It was a little scary driving around the rim-yikes!! Darin laughed at me because it made me so nervous, but he was driving so didn't have the same perspective that I did. He kept telling me he grew up in the mountains. I don't care where you grew up-hug the inside line, ok? Stay as far away from the edge as possible!!
I just thought this was a cute shot. It was a little nerve racking to let Landon run around. We quickly decided that he needed to be strapped into the stroller so Darin and I wouldn't be nervous wrecks!!
Couple more views. We just walked around and looked at the lade forever. It is really breathtaking. This pic was actually one of the first stops we made when we really couldn't believe how it looks in person.

I thought this was a cool view.
So finally Saturday came to go home. Unfortunately our first flight was delayed, then when we got to Dallas, the same thing happened. Only after they kept changing the gate and posting different things on all the monitors. Thank goodness for a kiddie area.
We had one of the worst flights EVER on the way home, but the second flight was ok. When we arrived at BWI it was around 2:15 ish. The kids had all been sleeping, so the boyss both wanted to ride in the stroller...this was the best we could do. Spencer was not so happy. We walked outside to wait for Darin, and it was like hitting a brick wall. Humidity...yup, welcome home! I took my camera out to take a picture and it fogged up!
What a trip. We racked up 1400 miles in 10 days!! Tons of fun times and memories..thanks for taking us, Darin!!