Chase is 1!!!

My little baby has turned into a Big 1 Year Old Boy! Chase turned 1 last Friday and it started the tour of family guests to our home. 1st up - Grandpa Randy and Grandma Donna! They arrived to find 2 sick kiddos. Chase started the round of sickness last Sunday with a runny nose and turned into a nasty cold. By Friday it had found it's way into an ear infection. Poor boy has been on medicine for almost 2 weeks now between his finger infection (now with a missing finger nail - yuck!) and his cold and then ears. He woke up Monday feeling much better! Our boy is back! Enjoy the photos of our birthday weekend - more photos and stories - and family visits to come!

Opening all my presents!

Here Chase - let me help you with that cake!

Finally he figured out that it wasn't bad stuff! (It took us 3 tries to actually get him to eat his cake - poor buddy just wasn't feelin good enough to have that much fun!)

His new big boy chair! Emma got hers for her 1 year birthday so we thought is was only right he get his own!

Cake try #1 - only a little mess and I don't think he actually ate any!

But isn't is a pretty cake!

Opening presents with all my friends! Collin and Emma were there willing to help if he couldn't get the job done!

Papa Randy and Chase - they had fun even with a runny nose!

Emma got to decorate her own cupcake - and then eat it of course!

We had a Great birthday and a great time with Papa and Grandma! We miss you guys already! Thanks for spending both of Chase's birthday's with us!!!

It's HOT

Look - it's a new super hero - oh - wait - it's Emma!

So it's August - and it's HOT! We're spending every chance we get in water and doing crazy things like playing in shaving cream! Our weekends have been spent at the splash park - which the kids Love! We've also been doing a little swimming and this weekend Emma had a lot of fun with shaving cream. Anything to stay cool right!

Big boy swimming - look at that tush!

Smurf Emma and a lesson for moms on "How to get your patio furniture really clean!"

Splash park fun

Buddy getting in on the water action

Hope you're all having as much fun this summer as we are!!!

The Luckiest Girl...

I am the luckiest girl ever - I have the most wonderful, beautiful family.

How can you not love these kids! Hope you enjoy our family photos!

(Chase - 11 Months - Emma 2 1/2 Years)

With all the craziness that is our life these days - sometimes I forget how lucky we are. Pictures like these remind me of all that I have and all that I cannot life without. My babies and my husband make me smile and I could not ask for a better life.

Thank you Lauren for going with us to pictures and helping out with the kids!!! We owe you!

Trip to Papa Knute and Grandma Nesie's House

At the "Pond" which is so much more like a Lake...We love our Papa and Grandma for making a fun place for us to come home!

Well - what can I say but I've been an Awful Blogger lately! A few weeks ago we took a trip home to Iowa to see Papa Knute, Grandma Nesie and all the rest of the fam. We spent almost a week in Iowa since it will be the last time we will be home until sometime in 2011.

I feel like a TERRIBLE mom for several reasons....

#1 - I took only a few photos - most of which are so random and have only animals in them and not papa's and dranma's (Grandmas).

Playing with the horses
Yes - another horse

#2 - Seatbelt laws were not properly inforced at all times - Rest assured everyone was completely safe and we were usually in a field

Yes - he's helping Papa drive

What? This isn't the way I'm suposed to sit in my car seat mom???

(Notice that the carseat is strapped in - but he is not...hmmm...somethings really wrong with this picture!)

There are more reasons I'm a bad mom - but we'll just leave it at two for today!

Anyway - We had a great time at home. We actually went home for my class reunion. We held it at my house and had a great time getting back in touch with all my friends and all our Kids!!! Thank goodness for our wonderful cousins, Lexi and Taylor, who helped watch my kids and the other 10 that were there too!!!

The weekend was full of street dances (just like Mardi Gras - just ask Zach!), Variety shows, Cemetary walks (which is a whole other story), visits with Grandma's and Papa's and Aunts and Uncles and lots of others! We swam, shopped (nightmare!) played with animals, went to the pond (um Lake), and Lots Lots More!

Zach and I also ran a race while home - Zach ran the 10K and tied his personal best time while finishing 2nd! He was neck and neck with #1 (a very seasoned runner) and just barely missed being #1. I ran the 2 Mile run and did pretty well for my 1st race. I'm getting there.

I'll post more about our trip later - for now - I'm off to bed. I think we need a vacation to rest up from our vacation!!!