Road Trip 2011!

We have had many adventures this summer...none of which, I'm sorry to say, have been documented on the blog!  But in an effort to start catching up, here's the latest (and family-record LONGEST) road trip!

We packed up the car and headed to Lake Powell to meet up with all the Smiths.  We took our time going there...checking out the hotels along the way.  This room in Decatur, TX gets the highest rating from the boys...it came equipped with 'light sabers' as they called them...and they jumped and wrestled for a good long while!  :)  Every hotel room after that one was a total let down, according to them!  

By the end, we got pretty good at squeezing the kids in a queen-size bed.  I don't know what we'll do when they get bigger! Oh wait, we'll get them their own room and we'll actually get some sleep ourselves.  Imagine that!!!

We stopped at the Albuquerque Temple on Sunday morning and ate a picnic breakfast and took some family pictures.  :) 

We arrived at Lake Powell and instantly fell in LOVE!  That place was AMAZING and I cannot wait to go back and explore more!  Although, if it entails another 27 hour road-trip...I may be able to hold off for a while!!!

  

We camped right on the lake and spent the majority of our time there either applying sunscreen, playing in the water, eating, riding in (or behind) the boat, AND applying more sunscreen!  Throw in a little cliff-jumping and late-night chats and you have the makings for a perfect family reunion!

We piled into the car again and headed up to Utah to visit with some of the Sudweeks-side and fit in a bit more time with some Smith cousins.  Spent some time at the zoo, playing frisbee golf at a favorite park, hiking the grotto, visiting family and more family and more familiy, bbq-ing and staying up WAY TOO LATE!  Again, the perfect way to spend time with loved ones we rarely get to see!  

(Ethan turned out to be a whiz at frisbee golf...especially since he was throwing left handed!!!)

The trip home was just as long...but packed full!  We swung by a little place called the Grand Canyon.  Caught a sunset and went hiking/walking a bit the next day and experienced the chance of a lifetime.  The Grand Canyon was AMAZING!  I never could have imagined the magnitude and beauty of it!

A quick jaunt through New Mexico where we HAVE to take pictures of Route 66 landmarks - thanks to our obsession with the movie Cars! 

And though we always joke about the best thing about New Mexico is LEAVING it...

they do have some beautiful sunsets, which we were excited to see as we passed through!!!

And then home to Texas...and another 12 hours between us and home!  :)  Yep, it's true...everything is bigger in Texas...even the road-trips.  Luckily though, we stopped to spend some time with friends...and one less night in a hotel was fine by us!  We were spoiled rotten and took off to the Fort Worth Stockyards before heading home the next day.  Cattle drives, human mazes, petting zoos, a real-life (make-believe) gun-fight and we were welcomed back Texas-style!  

Then as we headed home, we stopped to visit Steve's brother, Rob at his hotel.  He was traveling through the area overnight and we were lucky enough to be traveling through the same area at the same time.  After a refreshing dip in the hotel pool and we finally headed home.  

Nevermind that some of the kids are not in their swimsuits!!!  Ethan wasn't supposed to get in due to his cast, and Olivia was sleeping through most of our visit...but once she woke up, there was no taking time to change clothes...she wanted right in!

Rob was Ethan's hero...taking him swimming w/o getting the cast wet!  They created the greatest wave-pools and whirlpools imaginable!!!

And then we were home!!!  As we walked into the house, Ethan declared, "Whoa!  I totally forgot what our house looked like!  I like it here!"  Ah, home sweet home!    

A Little Less Green

Here's what you get, when you take this...

Spend a little time doing crazy roller-chair olympics when the doctor walks out of the office!

Take a little time-out for a little bone photography.

Add in this contraption (plus a LOT of noise!!!)

Final Product:

Amazingly healed and straight arm, slightly paler than the other...with no more cast!  :)

What did we do to celebrate???  Head to the pool, of course!  This poor kid has been EXTREMELY swim-deprived for the past 4 weeks!

Green

Green was the cast color choice of a certain 4 year old...when given the rainbow to choose from.  Well, orange was his first choice, but they didn't have all the supplies for orange, so green was the next best thing.  He was so funny, he just kept asking "Do you think Gar will like the green?" or "What is Garrett's favorite color again???" or "Dad, what's your favorite color?" Apparently, he has inherited the the gene in our family that makes us completely unable to make a decision!  :)  Just kidding, it truly shows Ethan as he really is.  He is as thoughtful as they come and is always concerned about others.  As feisty as this little boy is, he is my sweetheart through and through, always looking for ways to help!  I love this little boy, and am so grateful for a healthy little body that is healing itself nicely!  What a miracle that is!

Little Miss Olivia

Two years ago our lives changed.  Well, it was 2 years ago and a week...but with all the broken-arm adventures around here, this is the soonest I have been able to write what has been on my mind and heart.  

Olivia, made her grand entrance into the world...surprising us all.  Her two pounds quickly won her way into our hearts and has stayed there ever since.  It is amazing to think of how far she has come since those first few days.  After seeing her briefly, moments after she was born, she was utterly and completely my girl.  We were connected, even more than we had been when she had been swimming around inside me.  All the months, in the NICU, holding her and talking to her...as crazy as it was during it all, were wonderful.  

One of my favorite things was in the hospital...we would hold her, skin-to-skin.  They call it kangaroo-care...holding babies close.  But even now, my little 2 year old, still loves to snuggle in that exact same posw.  Whenever I'm laying on the floor with the kids, or laying on the couch, she'll come up and snuggle right in, in the same position we used to kangaroo her in.  If she wakes up in the middle of the night and we bring her down to our bed...she'll automatically, every time, make a beeline straight for me and plop herself right down on my chest and shoulder. It is so funny and cute...that somehow she remembers that.  It's instinct to her, it seems!  Except now instead of it being like holding a baseball on my shoulder...she drapes half-way down my body!  :)

Just for record keeping...Olivia weighs in at a whopping 24 pounds!  I for once didn't get the lecture on how my child is too small for their age, which I considered an AMAZING change of pace!  At this last dr.'s appointment, as she has made it up to almost the 20th percentile.  Wahoo!  She is in the 80th percentile for height though...so at least we're excelling in some category!  Also, she is really starting to talk.  I don't know if anyone else understands her...but she is thoughtfully choosing her words and really trying to communicate with us!  Beats the grunting/whining/screaming phase we went through for a few months!  She's putting words together too.  After every nap, we are informed "I sleep!".  After every trip upstairs, she races up as fast as she can and then yells "I WIN!"  I asked her to carry something for me the other day, which she responded with, "Whoa!  Heavy!"

So needless to say, there is never a dull moment at our house!  Olivia is bound and determined to keep up with her brothers...which she does, much to their delight!

Happy birthday, my sweet girl!  We love you!!!

Broken

What is the distance between the seat of a folding church chair to the floor???

Far enough to break a 4 year-old's arm.

Ethan officially introduced our family to the world of broken bones.  After a quick trip to the ER and lots of brave tears, he's set up with lots of pain-killers and a rockin' splint.

(This is him trying to force a smile on the way home.  Poor kiddo!)

Now we just get to decide what color of cast he'll be sporting for the rest of the summer!

11 Years...and Counting!!!

Happy Anniversary Steve-o!  :) 

Thanks for the most perfect, crazy, delightful, tricky, wonderful, amazing 11 years!!!
I love you more than ever!!!

8.5

Garrett celebrated his half birthday this past weekend.  I know, I know - kinda a random thing to celebrate...but when your real birthday is just a week away from Christmas, it's nice to find another reason to celebrate later in the year!  So July 3rd is a big day in our house as well!  :)

Chocolate cake...balloons galore...and cheeseburgers for dinner!  It doesn't get much better than that.  Unless you take into account the bb-gun that Steve bought for him!  :)  Let's just pray that all eyeballs stay accounted for!  

Happy (half) Birthday, Garrett!!!  You are one amazing kiddo and our family would not be complete without you!  :)