Indiana

It seems I've been working on this post forever! (Frustrating Blogger photo uploading issues to blame...)

 

We actually went to California first to Grandma Cox's memorial service, but I'll post these Indiana pictures first since they are finally DONE!

 

We had a great time with everyone in Indiana, plus had the extra fun of meeting up with Anders and his Grandma J and Dick at the Creation Museum while Anders was visiting them for a couple of weeks!

 

We drove straight through this time and everything went smoothly both ways.

Stopping for dinner in Kansas at a Montana Mike's:

 

Total road trip move - feeding the baby chocolate milk since it's the only kind we brought!

 

The boys were great travelers. Wade is learning the ropes.

 

Finally at Gpa & Gma's! Just in time to celebrate Grandpa's birthday that night with the family...

 

It's fascinating watching Grandpa fix the vacuum!

 

Fun with all of the Grandma toys...

 

Probably the highlight of the whole trip for Garrett and Wyatt was getting to drive these cars around the open space behind Gma & Gpa's house. Garrett informed us one day that he was going to drive one of them all the way to Kansas and start a new life, and was never coming back. That plan backfired a little when he realized the batteries to the cars would leave him stranded somewhere nearby... :)

 

 

 

 Grandpa had a fun idea for a stunt picture...

 

Ahhh!

 

When we got home I was so bummed that I accidentally erased half of our pictures from the trip. So this one is all I have of us at the Creation Museum with Anders, Eloise, and Dick. We had such a wonderful time with them. The museum is amazing! They have added a lot since we last visited and had an interesting bug exhibit and dragon exhibit right now. The planetarium show was the favorite for all the boys (and us too, I think!). It showed how vast the universe is and then at the end zoomed in on planet Earth, saying that this God who created the whole universe loved us so much that he humbled Himself to die on a cross for our sins. It was powerful.

 

Family pictures!

 

Mom & Dad's Visit...Part 2

More fun guys camping:

 

 

Garrett and Wyatt were so excited to get to stay in a cabin again. They wondered for weeks what the name of the cabin would be, as last year they had "Red Hawk Cabin #5" and have acted out staying in it many a time with the couch cushions! This time the cabin was "The Works" cabin. Garrett especially loved seeing the old propane heater and how it worked. Wyatt loved getting to sleep in a bunk bed!

 

Hmmm....was this how (and WHAT) they fed my children?! ;-)

 

They came across one of the last steam shovels that dug the panama canal, which reminded them of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel"

 

Good to have them home! In the meantime mom and I had enjoyed time to shop and hang out and enjoy one-on-one time with Wade.

 

We all made it over to the Butterfly Pavilion. Dad enjoyed holding Rosie the taranchula (along with G & W).

 

We love seeing this real working bee hive!

 

Then the butterfly pavilion itself is great - It is in a big canopied room, with lots of humidity and warmth. If you're lucky a butterfly will land on you, something the boys always hope will happen!

 

Last day with mom and dad. They got to come to church with us, have lunch together at home, see Garrett's "invention" below (a flashlight with a plastic bottle taped on top and completely covered in tape to make a special lantern)....then we took them to the airport and saw them off. Such a nice time together!

Mom & Dad's visit - Part One

In the beginning of June we had a nice visit from Mom & Dad. We packed so much into that week - a fishing trip for Jim and Dad, a camping trip for Dad, Jim, Garrett and Wyatt, shopping and relaxing for Mom and me... Lots of fun!

Dad and Jim getting ready to leave on their camping trip...

 

Uc-hum....well, THEY took these pictures, so I guess I'll post them! ;-)

 

Playing "airplane" with Gpa:

 

Nice going to Mimi's with Mom and Dad:

 

 

...Then off for another trip to a cabin with the boys! Putting their thumbs up "happy, happy, happy!" Duck Dynasty style! The boys were SOOOO excited to go camping and to ride in the truck to boot!

 

 

Next blog post will hopefully let me post more pictures of this camping trip!

 

The Merry Month of May

(Written June 14)

 

Oh, my, the time is flying these days! The weather is beautiful, we've had a lovely visit from my parents, and we are heading to CA for Grandma Cox's memorial service, then back for 5 days and on to Indiana!

 

In the meantime, May has come and gone and we've celebrated Wade's FIRST BIRTHDAY, Garrett's end to his Kindergarten class at Cross of Christ Lutheran School, the end of Awana....we've adjusted to the summer schedule and have been enjoying time at home with all 4 of us during the day....

 

So before time gets completely away from me, I'll just post the latest pictures of what we were up to in May before Mom and Dad visited...

 

Wyatt working on a project with cotton balls:

 

 

G & W made kitty collars:

 

WADE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!

 

He wasn't too sure about the big blob of cake on his tray and only took a few dabs of it, seeming a little scared. Normally his food is cut into tiny pieces. When we offered pieces of it the next day he did gobble it up!

 

Drinking out of a sippy cup like a big boy! Ah, the freedom...

 

Garrett and Wyatt doing a project like G did at school - making boats out of tin foil, floating them and adding pennies to see how many pennies each boat could hold before sinking.

 

Another gluing project!

 

Wade very happy in his favorite person's arms!

 

Garrett made me this sweet bag, pot, and poem for Mother's Day!

 

 

We enjoyed Red Robin for Mother's Day.

 

Garrett's play on the last day of school. He was a black cat in "The Tortoise and the Hare."

 

Then Garrett finished up his Awana Cubbies class, having earned all of his patches of Bible memory!