The "good" mom's vacation guide - part 1

Some simple guidelines for your next family vacation...

1- Never put the baby who is afraid of fish, directly at face level and inches away from said fish...

2) Never hook your own daughter whilst on a fishing float trip

3) No guideline here, I just really like this picture, so I couldn't leave it out...

4) Eating should be done at a table

5) With your mouth closed

6) Always wear a helmet when riding a horse (or fishing pole, as the case may be)

7) Sugar is not a food group

8) Smart to yawn behind their backs...

9) A river is most enjoyable in sunny weather

10) Dirt is NOT a toy!

11) See number 10

12) And check number 10 again

13) Don't push your children/nephews off the dock

14) Make sure your child isn't the one facing away from the camera

15) Got nothin' here either... Just really love these two...

All joking aside, we had a great trip. Our family (the girls in particular) caught a ton of fish and Erin even decided she'd eat them this year. It's fun to do the same things summer after summer and see how the pictures change year to year. We hiked. We ate. We did some serious work on the cabins. We played on the quad and jet skis. We played a lot of cards. We played in a lot of dirt. It was great. And leech free for the second year in a row...

Happy Birthday Sam!

She's 2. TWO! Where did the time go? I suppose I might have to stop calling Sam my baby one of these years... Sam's birthday was Sunday and as she was turning two and didn't really care about birthdays, we had a simple fun little party with just her sisters. ( I know the cake is ugly, but she really loved it anyway... it's just not worth the time and stress for an awesome cake for a two-year old. In my world anyway...)

What can I say about this girl? Only that we are so thankful she was chosen to come and be a part of our family. She is the sweetest, happiest, strongest, bravest girl I know. She's had to work hard to just catch up, but she keeps on trying and working. It's kind of awe-inspiring to have so much respect for such a tiny little person. She's doing great and her magic vitamins are still working wonders. Since she started them, she's grown 3.75 inches. In four months! I guess she's finally got the energy to sprout on up. She's talking like crazy and making her sisters crazy. Exactly as she should. We love you Sam!

She really loved this ambulance from her Uncle Joe. She took it to bed with her that night... (nice quiet sleeping toy)

Super excited about her new glittery, light up ball from her sisters.

Quote of the Day / Terrible Tragedy

Let's start out with the quote of the day...

While traveling to the cabins we stopped in Missoula for the night. Whilst discussing the merits of various places to stay, this is what Brooke had to say -

"I don't care about the pool or hot tubs, I just care about my beauty sleep!"

At least she's got her priorities straight...

And for the terrible tragedy... Our family has suffered a great loss. Our camera. It decided to go for a swim. Apparently it's not designed for such activities... I don't really care about the camera so much as the pictures from our entire vacation on the memory stick. I'll know tomorrow if I have any pictures to post. If I do, you're all in big trouble. I took a lot...

Warning - Picture Overload!

If you care, there are about six or seven new posts down below this one... And for some reason the post of my DC trip is in the middle and not at the top where I thought it should reasonably go... Some aren't even funny, they are just there because I want them in my blog book at the end of the year... There are a lot of pictures... My mom will be in heaven, the rest of you, possibly in tears of boredom... Thanks for taking a look and sharing our lives. Love you all!

Gardening - sort of

Due to cold and rainy weather, we've gotten a late start on our pseudo-garden. Our yard is still under construction to make it more garden friendly, but we really try and do as directed and always have a garden. So for Family Home Evening the other week (I told you I was behind...) we planted a few things in the spots that are ready. Everyone is excited to see what grows. We have pumpkins, zucchini, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries and two Poly Pockets. The girls are hoping for more dolls by fall... :)

Tears of Joy

That's what we're calling them anyway. It sounds better than "tears of old age"... The guys had a tournament the other week and took second place. Best finish at a tournament yet for the team...

Sam played in the sand

Brooke brought a friend

And the twins monkeyed around at lunch...

Way to go guys!

Washington DC

I had a really great trip to Washington DC. I came to realize while there how absolutely proud I am to be an American. And that I wish I'd payed better attention in US History...

So to start, some flag pictures that I think turned out pretty well...

This one is at Arlington National Cemetary

Tom didn't want to come, so I brought my friend Shelby. We hit the Eastern Market...

Watched the changing of the guard at Arlington

Hung out with an astronaut at the National Air & Space Museum... (The company I was with, rented the whole place out for the night and we had free reign of the place as well as a buffet spread through the whole museum. It was great. I loved the flight simulator and learned I am not a good fighter pilot. We were upside down A LOT...)

Saw the Washington Monument

I am around $1,584,400 tall in $100 bills. We toured the US Mint. It was pretty interesting.

Saw the White House...

Went to the Lincoln Monument at night. It was gorgeous!

Decided to re-see the rest of the monuments and the capitol building in the dark as well.

I was a delegate from WA for the National Convention for Modern Woodmen of America (an insurance company I run a couple of clubs for) and that is the reason for the trip. We stayed at a great place in National Harbor, Maryland and got the trip. In return, I had to go to a few meetings. It was totally worth it! Shelby and I almost killed ourselves in the heat on Sunday, but managed to revive ourselves. The only other real trouble was getting home. It took us 33 hours. One late flight can throw your whole trip out of whack. We got to visit lovely Phoenix and San Francisco on our journey home. But we made it! Now to check out some books on US History...

Erin's fun lunch

Erin wanted to cook her own lunch using her fun little pots and pans. What did she want?
Strawberries and hot dogs. Unusual combination in my opinion!

Brooke's haircut

Misery is really cute, long hair that your mom has to comb every morning... (I'd straightened Brooke's hair for church the day before, so it's still straight in the picture...)

Happiness is much shorter, thinned out hair that your mom has to comb every morning...
Isn't she cute?

Pictures That Make Me Happy

In the name of cutting down on posts, here are some of the things that have made me happy in the last couple of weeks...

Blowing bubbles in the tub. Erin (l) Alix (r)

Helping mom with the laundry...
The girls were being babysat and Sam was having trouble sleeping, so Brooke climbed in her crib to help her not be sad. It worked. They both were sound asleep in Sam's crib when I got home several hours later. My favorite thing is when the girls are sweet sisters. (I think they were crowded. Look how sweaty Sam is...)
Playing in the grass
Posing in the grass
Sisters. More bathtime fun. Can you tell who's who?
We had been playing softball and running around like crazy and when we got home Erin laid down on the floor by the door and fell fast asleep. This is Sam stealing her headband while she's defenseless...