Turner Mountain East Coast

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-27T18:28:00.000-05:00

Addison's 4th Birthday

2011-12-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

Addison turned 4 on December 7th!

She started her morning off with a traditional birthday candle breakfast.

And then it was time for presents!!!

Which, I'm not sure if you can tell, or not, but I think she loved just about everything!

She made a quick wardrobe change so that she could sport at many of her new birthday gifts as possible to school that day...

It was her week to bring treats to school so we made Rice Krispie/Fruity Pebbles Treats with Rolled Buttercream & Gumdrops!

Meanwhile, Mommy was working round the clock to make a super duper My Little Pony Topsy Turvy cake for her big birthday party on Friday... here is the final product!

Her party was at the Wacky Bear Factory, which is similar to the Build-A-Bear Factories you may be more familiar with.

As her friends arrived, they got to choose an animal 'friend' to stuff!

They stuffed, their animals until they were just the right thickness for hugging..

Then they went on to the bathing and combing station...

Kristina Attwood & Grace being entertained by Nick.. he had her giggling to hard!

Tyler was keeping himself entertained...

Daddy was part of the 'Cake Protection Agency' during the party as there were lots of fingers and hands around the cake...

The candles were lit....

They all sang Happy Birthday...

The candles blown out...

And if lots of cake and frosting wasn't enough sugar to send the kids home with.. they all got to fill a staw full of Pucker Powder!

Which apparently makes your tongue look like this!

It was a fun filled, blue tongue kinda day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDISON!!!

So Many Leaves.... So Little Time

2011-12-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Nick rounded up the kiddos and had them do some hard labor out in the back yard to attempt to clean up all the leaves.

Addison thought she had the best job in the world with her headset and leaf sucker strapped to her shoulder!

You can really see McKenzie's enthusiasm amongst all the beautiful leaves!

Trevor had a turn as well....

It got dark before all the leaves were disposed of, so I'm thinking there may be more work to do today!

Squadron Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-03T00:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight was our annual squadron Christmas party! We started off with a plate of food for everyone.. including my little moose/reindeer on the end there (he hardly ever takes that hat off, and I love it)

McKenzie helped me at our ornament/Christmas card table for a while! :)

We were sharing a table with the Mrs. Claus clown, so the kids were first in line for the flying frog balloon...

... fat little gingerbread ballon, and a flying blind mouse balloon!

And what's a Christmas Party without a little "Lady Gaga" face paint?!

...and a pirate

...and a snowman!

The kids could NOT get enough of the mini ferris wheel. Nick said Tyler had a death grip on the sides, but refused to get out, so they just kept riding and riding until more kids showed up for their turn!

Santa arrives in style to OUR Christmas Parties.... on a CH-46!

It kicked up so much dirt and got so windy, the kids had to hide their eyes and poor Tyler literally shook with fear, the closer the helicopter got to the 'watching' area! Then Santa and his elves came out the back with all kinds of goodies to share with the kids!

Of course, McKenzie was 'too old' to sit on Santa's lap... but I'm glad the others were okay with it!

Trevor asked to climb the rock wall... and so he did! He was so proud of himself!
(He's the one on the far right outside)

He said going back down was fun... but a little scary!

The popping you hear in the background would be the bubble wrap hopping station!

As always, it was a great time! The kids loaded up on sugar, ran it off in the bounce house and bounce slide...then crashed when we got home!

Addison & Lilly.... quite a pair!

2011-11-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

This past week has been quite exciting, and scary...

Lilly started not feeling well last week and wasn't able to keep any food and water down. After more than 24 hours of that, I took her to the animal hospital in Fredericksburg to get her checked out. I was afraid her puppy habits had gotten the best of her and was worried she had gotten into something and ate something she shouldn't have....

An x-ray and a big vet bill later, there was nothing they could see, so they loaded her up with fluids, and sent us home.

The next morning, I tried giving her some water, but again, nothing stayed down, so we were off to the animal hospital again...

A barium swallow test with x-ray still showed nothing in her system, so they loaded her with some fluids since she was dehydrated, gave her some anti-nausea medication, and sent us home again, but not without another big bill. OUCH!

We felt so bad, she just looked miserable, and was definitely NOT acting like herself.

She loves napping with Nick on his chair, even though we had agreed that she wasn't allowed on any furniture!

I had just gotten back from Lilly's 2nd visit to the vet, fed the kids supper. They headed downstairs to play before bedtime... and then I heard a loud THUD and screaming...

Addison.

She had fallen off our pool table and bit her lip from the inside AND the outside... I thought she had bitten completely through her lip.

These were taken at the ER.

The doc was great and just used glue to seal it shut. She was a real trooper!
The next day it already looked so much better... just a little swollen!

Addison is very good at stealing the camera and running around the house taking pictures of anyone and anything... I thought I'd share a few (out of the HUNDREDS) that I though you would get a kick out of!

It's always interesting to go through the pictures after Addison has had the camera... she takes some pretty funny self portraits! LOL

UPDATE ON LILLY: The morning after our double ER visit for Lilly and Addi, Lilly 'passed' a large remnant of Nick's sock when I took her out in the morning! And ever since then, she has been back to her normal crazy self... we just have to keep an extra close eye on what is left on the floor here at our house!

CLEMYJONTRI PARK

2011-11-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

After the ball, we took the kids to Clemyjontri Park on our way home....

Trevor and Addi running through the maze...

Addison also had her pre-school class pet "Gary" all weekend, so he got to come to the park with us too!

Addison and Gary on the dolphin...

It got a little chilly, so Daddy kept Gary warm in his sweatshirt (also so Addi wouldn't lose him at the park)

We also took a ride on the carousel...

And Trevor climbed all the way across the rainbow by himself...

It was a great day for the park! The kids had a blast!

236th Marine Corps Birthday Ball - 2011

2011-11-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

This year we celebrated the Marine Corps' 236th' Birthday up in DC at the Sheraton at Tyson's Corner. We brought the kids along and went swimming in the hotel pool earlier in the day so they would be worn out and watch movies.

Then it was time for mom and dad to get all dressed up and celebrate! McKenzie brought a friend and all the kids hung out and had fun in our hotel room just down the hall from where the ball was! It was nice to be able to slip away and check on them from time to time.

I borrowed my Great Aunt's fur coat for the occasion!

We enjoyed a lovely program and dinner.

And then it was time to par-tay!!!!!

Here is Nick with our friend Rebecca Croes...

Kelly Attwood made Kristine and I some delicous Vanilla-beani-tinis... yum!

April Payne - Brooke Heiken - Felicia Beaulieu - Me at the cocktail party before the ball started.

Kristina Attwood and I on the dance floor..

I even got Nick out for a dance or two...

Kristina and I tearing it up....

A lovely group of ladies... we had so much fun!

Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza

2011-11-03T16:16:00.000-04:00

If you remember from last year's carving experience, Tyler was not thrilled with sticking his hand in a slimy pumpkin... this year we had some improvement.... well, a little...

Belvedere Plantaion - Part 2

2011-11-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

To kick off part 2, I have to share with you the video of Addison on the zipline.

We took the big tractor ride out to the pumpkin fields to choose the perfect pumpkins to take back to our home to carve...

McKenzie and Hannah...

My boys.

The 3 littles.

watching the tractor in the front.

"This one's mine! okay, this one's mine!"

"Mom, what about this one...it's perfect!"

Family photo...

Trevor loves his perfect pumpkin!

Silly Addi

We finished our trip off with facepainting!

Tyler smeared his spider eyes just seconds before the photo...

With our wheel barrow full of pumpkins, and our tummies full of sugar, we waited in the 'pick up' zone for daddy to bring up the van.

Belvedere Plantation - Pumpkin Patch - Part 1

2011-11-03T07:54:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to Belvedere Plantation near Fredericksburg on Sunday afternoon. We heard it was a great place to go for the day because of ALL there was to do!

So after church, we loaded the family up +1 (McKenzie's friend, Hannah) and headed down!

The first activity of the day was the giant bouncy hill! Trevor ran right up it and had a blast... Tyler and Addison struggled to even make it up to the top...

Once Tyler finally made it up, he couldn't even stand up, so he just laid there and bounced around like a ragdoll.. it was so funny!

Next stop.... barrel tractor ride...

It started out with Trevor, Addison and Tyler....

...and then McKenzie and her friend Hannah sweet talked the driver into letting them ride along, even though they were WAY taller then the cut off line! :)

At the top of this steeeeeeep hill, were 4 slides, 2 went off the left side, and THESE two had tunnels... so we totally went down the tunnels!

Can you see me and all the kiddos waiting in line clear up there???

Trevor went first...

Then Addison went, and insisted on going all by herself!

Mommy and Tyler......

...and McKenzie....

Round two....

And I let Daddy take a turn with Tyler.

Time for a swing on the rope in the hay barn!

Trevor...

Then Addison...

And then, the most hysterical invention ever... bouncing horses...

We didn't make it to the pig races, but we watched from afar...

Near the end of our trip, Tyler was all pictured out... and didn't want to turn around to smile with the cute little scarecrow!

But my girls were all over this photo op!

The kids crawled on the man made spider web...

Someone didn't want to take a picture with mommy..

There was a guy making balloon creations there too...

Stay tuned for the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch......

Tyler Does NOT Like Halloween Masks

2011-10-28T17:27:00.000-04:00

We are preparing for a super Hallween Bash for this weekend. And you can't have a Halloween Party without a scary mask or two....

McKenzie wanted to have a big Halloween party with a bunch of her friends from school, so Nick has this grand plan to dress up like a 'stuffed' scary man out front and scare the kids as they come over... so McKenzie had a little fun (on Tyler's behalf) with the mask.

Boy Scout Camping Weekend

2011-10-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

Trevor and Nick went on their first campout this weekend with Trevor's Boy Scout Pack.

Saturday, they loaded up their gear and met the pack down in Fredericksburg at a campground.

After their opening ceremony, they learned about flag etiquette. Then they cleared an area and learned how to set up their tent. They found a spot that was flat, cleared it out, and made sure it was out of the wind.

They got to fish off the shore.

Played some sports...

Took an afternoon nap in the sun...

A campfire dinner made up of hot dogs and burgers, beans and chips. Followed by s'mores! Then the kids did skits and played "Assassins and Zombies"

They also got their belt loops for the month! Trevor got SOCCER & COMMUNICATIONS!

They bedded down in their tents for the night at about 9:30.... temperatures dipped down to the high 30s and I worried they would freeze!!!! I called to check in with them before they went to bed and Trevor told me all about his day! He was having so much fun! I was afraid he was going to be cold, because when I took Lilly outside before bed, I could see my breathe! But they had nice warm sleeping bags and extra socks, stocking hats and blankets!

The next morning they were up bright and early at 6am! Breakfast was donuts and hot chocolate! Then they packed up and headed home!

Trevor was all smiles when he walked in the door back at home! FUN WEEKEND!!!!

Trevor playing chimes in church

2011-10-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

Trevor played in his first chimes performance today at church! They have been practicing after church for several weeks and he was so excited (and nervous) to play this morning!

He is the short one in the middle to the right of the director (who is also Addison's preschool teacher... Mrs. B!)

"Heavenly Chimes" playing "How Great Thou Art"

Popcorn for the Pack!

2011-10-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Trevor is having a blast being a Tiger Cub this year! He is learning about being a boy scout, and is very excited about their camping trip coming up next weekend! It might be a bit chilly, but he is really excited about it! I'm really excited that Nick will actually be home to go to a Boy Scout function with him... especially the overnight camping trip! I've been a good Tiger Cub Mama the past few weeks and have taken Trevor to his meetings. I'm not the only mom there, but we are definitely outnumbered by the dads!

At tonight's meeting he learned how his pack can earn money for fun stuff like camp, and one of their goals this year is to earn enough money for a Pinewood Derby timer. The track was donated to them last year, so they are hoping to purchase a timer for the big event in January!

Nick says that Trail's End popcorn is the best there is, so he was probably the most excited about the popcorn sales!

If you'd like to support Trevor and his pack, you can CLICK HERE to order from Trevor online. Your order will be shipped to you directly! He will get credit for your purchase!

He is able to track his sales online so I will keep you posted on his earnings!

Thank you in advance for your support!!!

Lilly is 4 months...

2011-10-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Lilly is now 4 months old and growing fast! When we got her she was just under 15 pounds... at her checkup a couple weeks ago, she weighed in at 26 pounds!!! Just 3 pounds less than Tyler!

The kids are having a blast with her and love teaching her all kinds of tricks!

She can:

SIT

SHAKE

LAY DOWN

STAND ON HER HIND END & BEG

ROLL OVER

FETCH

I've been trying to teach her to STAY... but its' difficult to get very far out before she pounces....

A big rule in the house was to keep the dog OFF the furniture... I came into the room to see this:

So I guess we'll allow her on Daddy's chair... and we'll see how long he'll allow that to go on! I don't think it will be long before Lilly will claim it as her own... she is very stubborn and thinks she rules the house, so Daddy will just have to deal with that one on his own!

Clark Farm Pre-School Field Trip

2011-10-06T09:57:00.000-04:00

Addison's preschool took a trip to Clark Farms in Stafford to play in their pumpkin patch playground for lack of better words to explain the fun land the farm has created for families!

We took the kids there last fall to get our pumpkins... and it was just as fun this time around!

There were chickens roaming freely around the farm... Tyler chased them with the other boys in Addison's class.

One brave little girl snatched one up and squealed with delight at her catch.. until it squacked and flapped its way free! Wow!

Short conversation with the donkey...

And the majority of our time was spent in the 'corn box'....

Tyler would stand in this totem of pumpkins and GROWL at all the kids going by. I couldn't catch him in a growl moment, but you can imagine his face, I'm sure!

The two climbed the hay bail tunnel.... then stopped to fix Tyler's hat... awwww.

There was a wooden castle/bridge to run through to avoid the muddy ravine going through the farm... which Tyler decided he'd try running through it once to see if he could make it through the mud.... the mud won.

A 10 second break on the little swing....

Then it was time to try our hand at the maze.....

A short ride on the straw donkeys to nowhere....

The kids got to pick out a little pumpkin to take home with them...

And how can you go to a pumpkin patch without taking a photo with Cinderella in her pumpkin carriage?!?!?

And I can't rotate the photo... but as you can see, she stands about 3 1/2 feet tall!

We spent the morning running around and having a blast.

Addison's Pledge of Allegience

2011-09-22T21:30:00.000-04:00

Addison has been learning the Pledge of Allegiance at pre-school these past two weeks and she's doing a great job! She actually recites it on her own throughout the day, but for the video, she wanted me to help her out a little!

And of course, she was watching herself in the video so she had to put a little Addi spin on it!

Enjoy!

Willowmere Park Birthday Playdate

2011-09-13T19:58:00.000-04:00

Today was Wyatt's 4th birthday!!!!

He invited us to a birthday playdate at Willowmere Park!

Wyatt's sister Grace joined us as well! Isn't she just the cutest thing?

Wyatt & Addison flying on the swings

My BIG GUY!

The kids had a fun afternoon!

Pre-School Time

2011-09-12T19:22:00.000-04:00

Addison started 3 year old pre-school on Monday!

She will be going 3 mornings a week!

She was so excited to wear her Disney Princess backpack!

So when it came time to take our 1st day of school picture,

she was so full of energy and poses!

But I finally got her to calm down enough to take a nice picture!

She was a little shy when we first got there (I know what you are thinking.. Addison? Shy?!) But they start their mornings in the playroom, so as soon as she saw a bunch of undressed babies next to containers full of clothing, she was good to go.... and so was I! "Bye Mom!"

All I Want for Christmas...

2011-09-09T14:28:00.001-04:00

Trevor went up to brush his teeth this morning before heading to school... and he came back downstairs and walked up to me very calmly and said, "Mom, look what just happened!"

I think he was more excited to show his teacher he lost his tooth then he was me! He was one happy little boy heading to school this morning!

First Day of School 2011!

2011-09-06T13:56:00.034-04:00

The kids started school this week on Tuesday, right after Labor Day! I think everyone was more then ready to head back to school (espeically me) to see their friends!

I had to chase McKenzie to the door with the camera, and beg her to smile for one little first day of school photo! Can you believe she is starting 8th grade!!!!! She was out the door by 7:30am (and had been up getting GLAM-ified since 6:00am) Don't stare at her neon pink shoes too long.. you'll go blind!

Trevor, on the other hand, was more than cooperative for his first day of school picture! He was all smiles (minus his one little tooth). My little Superman ready for 1st grade!

Look how much they've changed just in one year!

This was LAST YEAR'S first day of school. You can check that blog post out HERE.

Now.. you MUST scroll back up and compare Trevor's height compared to the grooves in the door! It's incredible how much taller he has gotten!

Okay, back to the present.... now, you know Addison does not like to be left out of the spotlight (shirt or no shirt)... hopefully that changes in the future! She will start 3 year old preschool next week! Awww.

Then there was my little rockstar who refused to join in on the photo above, but then ran over to pose for his solo picture right after! What a little rockstar, huh? Check out that smile!

Next week it will just be Tyler and me! Wow, whatever will we do? I'm sure we'll figure something out!

Birthday Bash

2011-09-02T23:52:00.000-04:00

Since we were on vacation during Tyler's 2nd birthday and had just gotten back from vacation the week of Trevor's 7th birthday, we decided to throw one big party for both of them!

Trevor wanted to go to Funland in Frederickburg. And he wanted a Scooby Doo cake:

And as crazy as it was when we all headed out the door, I forgot the camera, so thank goodness for Nick's iPhone! I also forgot the special number candles that I had conveniently sitting next to the cake so that I wouldn't forget them... so thank you Wal-Mart for being right next door! And thank you Nick for going to pick another set up!

Tyler was terrified of the candle, "HOT", so he stayed clear back from it and attempted to ~~spit~~ blow it out from a distance.

Me Kenzie & Grace

After pizza & cake, the kids were let loose to play all over Funland!

Daddy & Trevor on the bumper cars.

Our new Addition to the family...

2011-09-02T23:35:00.000-04:00

We picked up our new puppy on our way home from Iowa in the "RB".... the kids were so excited to see her again! Not sure what Tyler is doing... but his face cracks me up!

Nick and I went to get her while the kids waited patiently in the RV.....

Meet Lilly! She's an English Bulldog! She was born on June 3, 2011.

Tyler's impression of Lilly....

We still had 90 minutes left to get home, so after about an hour of loving on their new puppy, we all nestled in for a nap.

Her favorite spot to nap is right on the register where it's nice and cool!

Happy 7th Birthday Trevor

2011-08-25T23:37:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my little man is 7!

I made full size donut muffins for his birthday breakfast!

And then he could hardly wait to open his gifts!

He looks pretty thrilled I think!

Happy 7th Birthday to my sweet precious Trevor! Love you buddy!

A week at Grandma & Grandpa "Bob's"

2011-08-14T22:23:00.001-04:00

The majority of our week at my parents was spent in the pool!

Trevor discovered his thrill of being thrown in the air to do flips...

While Tyler watched and thought "No way am I doing THAT!"

Addison thought she might give it a try..... but jumping from the edge....

More of Trevor....

Someone felt pretty special in his water wings...

Tyler isn't always the best morning person...

I uh.. think you got a little somethin' on your face there buddy...

Grandpa with his grandsons... wearing their fishing hats he got for them!

"Grandpa's Little Fishing Buddy"

And 2 of his 3 granddaughters with their Cabela's fishing hats on...

Trevor LOVED shucking corn with Grandma so we could freeze some delicious sweet corn to enjoy all year round!

And if you know Nick, he doesn't sit still, so he helped with some To-Do's around the farm.

He had excellent helpers...

And then more swimming...

Iowa State Fair

2011-08-13T23:00:00.019-04:00

We lucked out and happened to be home during the greatest state fair of them all.... The Iowa State Fair!

Nick and the kids and I loaded up on opening day and headed down to Des Moines for a day of fun!

Trevor

Oh.. Addison

Our first stop was the petting zoo..

Then we headed to the exhibit hall to check out all the 'free' stuff! Ha Ha

Addison giving Clifford a HIGH FIVE!

As you can see, Tyler wanted NOTHING to do with Clifford!

We took the kids on "Ye Ol' Mill" ride... no one was a big fan of the super dark boat ride... oh well.

We took a quick pass by the Famous BUTTER COW!

There were several little cows all over the fair grounds painted up in different themes.... this one caught my eye so I had to take a picture of it!

Addison, Daddy & Trevor rode over top of my and Tyler on the sky lift.... i had to keep hollering up to them "Sit back!" "Don't lean forward!" "Hang on!" whoo that was nerve wracking!

Let's play a little game called, Where's Mommy & Tyler?

**If you look down at the medical building.. and see a little concrete block in the grass in front of that just to the right.... there we are! Waiting for them to pass over us!

Trevor took a few passes on the big slide...

The kids convinced Daddy to let them go on the pony ride...

Mommy had to chase after Tyler's pony to keep up!

Trevor even ASKED if he could do this ride...

In fact, there was hardly anyone wanting to go on this ride, so they let Trevor bounce a really long time... he had to ask if he could stop after a while. Poor guy was exhausted!

Oh Baby!

2011-08-07T22:48:00.000-04:00

Since we were back in town, we thought it would be the perfect time to throw my little sis a baby shower! She is due Sept. 22 with a little boy!

Cupcakes I made for the shower...

My sister Angela, my Mom, My sister Meridith, McKenzie & yours truly!

All the lovely ladies who helped make the shower a beautiful day for my sister!

My sister opening gifts... oh! and my cute new shoe(s)! :)

Love this photo of my mom and McKenzie!

My sister got a lot of really great gifts for her new little guy who I can't wait to meet at the end of September!!!

A Week on Turner Mountain

2011-08-06T21:54:00.002-04:00

Grandma Turner was prepared for the kids in this heat! She had a pool, a slip n' slide, trikes, and more! There was no reason for the kids to be bored while at Grandma and Grandpa's!

It was so hot, the kids were going through the Gatorade as fast as the guys working on the helicopter!

It didn't take long for Tyler to figure out the big boy trike!

He was cruising through the grass AND gravel with ease! His poor feet couldn't reach the pedals but he figured out how to move "Flintstone" style!

Nick and his brothers and a few other wonderful gentlemen gathered this week to work on Nick's Dad's helicopter! It hadn't flown in a couple years and they wanted to get it back to flying mode so they can sell it.

Larry made an excellent supervisor!

You can't beat the view from Turner Mountain!

And a trip to Turner Mountain isn't complete without a ride on "Penelope" with Daddy!

After a few days of fixing up the helicopter, she was ready for a test flight!

We watched the guys put the blades on...

One by one...

Nick and Larry climbed up in the cockpit for one last ride....

Up she goes!

Successful week!

Lovin' Life

2011-08-01T17:02:00.001-04:00

Here are some random photos from our week!

My dad and Tyler

Me and my baby on a boat ride.

The kids watching a movie on our iPad.

Most nights you could find us playing a very competitive game of Phase 10 in my cabin!

Fun for all ages!

And you could usually find the kids looking for treasures or creatures along the water!

They found a toad and made a very impressive habitat for him!

"Hey MOM! Look at what we found!"

We have an annual Iowa Pork Chop night, a Fish Fry night (both with delicious sweet corn) and usually a big breakfast sometime during the week!

My brother grilled some amazing bacon wrapped asparagus!

Waiting for the food to be done!

My sister Meridith and my Grandpa!

We tried to sneak up on the ducks on the shore... but they saw us coming and took off!

Nick was able to join us in the middle of the week! Here he is showing off our big catch from Windigo Lake!

We also have an annual scavenger hunt for all the kids..... getting the rules....

Tyler and Daddy watching the kids run around on their scavenger hunts!

The grand prize for all who finished... ice cream cones from the lodge!

The end of the week came too soon... loading up the boats.

Waiting for Grandpa Bob to drive his boat up to the loading dock...

Good bye Cass Lake... until next year.

Tyler Turns 2!

2011-07-28T17:37:00.000-04:00

I made cupcakes in our cabin's tiny little oven... they turned out much better than last year's attempt! I think they upgraded me stove! Yippeeee!

Trying to hold up 2 fingers....

"I waaaaaaaant..... THAT ONE!"

Where does the time go! Can't believe my baby is 2!

Wilson Family Pictures 2011

2011-07-25T16:42:00.000-04:00

Here is our entire family all together for the week!
You can count if you like, but I believe there were 38 of us!

Here are my parents, and siblings with their families and my Grandpa!

Here are the grandchildren with Grandpa!

Here are the GREAT grandchildren!

My Dad, Aunt Ginny, Grandpa, Uncle Merle & Uncle Keith

Quite the pair these two.... Avery & Addison

We pretty much take over the resort when we are there!

From this point on.... Addison took over the camera and went around to everyone telling them how to pose.... surprisingly most of them were quite photogenic and cooperative! LOL

Here is what the back of our t-shirts read:
*DISCLAIMER: They were supposed to read "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time" from George Strait's song. Oh well.

Me and my Grandpa! LOVE HIM!

My sisters and Grandpa (and Tyler who refused to let me put him down)

My brother in law Jeromy and my niece Hannah.

My favorite photo... Aunt Ginny... again Addison was in control here.

Hannah & Trevor

My parents.

Greg!

Trevor with his super awesome mom (that's me)!

We had way too much fun with this!

Cass Lake, MN

2011-07-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

Who wouldn't want to spend a week (or longer) waking up to this gorgeous view!

When everyone had arrived, the kids raced off to take a ride in the paddle boat! Searching for treasures at the bottom of the lake.

I think by the end of the week we had a dozen or so golf balls that they had found!

Here I am with my sister, Angie's beach hat... how stylish... this is my magazine photo impression!

One of our favorite activities at the lake is tubing! The kids are getting a little older and a little more brave...

Here is my niece and nephew on the tube....

Trevor went first, with me by his side!
He said, go slow and I don't want to hit any waves!

And he was done after just a few minutes... but happy!

Next up was the more brave and more outgoing Addison! Her comments before we started:
"Go really fast and hit lots of bumps!"

And so we did, and she loved it... and didn't want to stop! She was belting out "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Oh I'm a Gummy Bear" the whole ride! Hilarious!

I may have just turned 30, but I still got it! Popped right out of the water the first try! Woo Hoo!

My nephew Dylan and my cousin Brandon.

Brandon said to Dylan "Want me to throw you in the water?"

Dylan said.. "OKAY!"

So he did!!!!

VBS Program

2011-07-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

The kids had a great time at their VBS this summer! Addison and Trevor came home each day with great crafts and singing super fun songs!

They were so excited to be able to have Grandpa Bob in the audience to sing to!

These videos are so entertaining! All I can say is that before the program, Trevor told me he was going to be sure to sing nice and loud so that Grandpa Bob could hear him! So that voice you here loud and clear..... yep! That's my Trevor!

God' Big Love

I am Not Forgotten

I am Not Forgotten (Part 2)

Addison stole the show with her sequined purple skirt and dance moves during her class song:

God Is Wild About Us

We were all in tears we were laughing so hard! It was so much fun, and the kids had just as much fun! I'm so glad my Dad was there to be a part of that!

Road Trip in the "RB"

2011-07-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

My parents recently bought an RV. Our annual Wilson Family Vacation was coming up, and the kids and I were planning on driving up to Northern Minnesota to Cass Lake.... Nick was unable to take the time off due to his "boss's" busy schedule. I guess no one thought I could drive that distance with the kids (hello, I'm 30, pretty sure I can handle that). So...

My dad and his friend left Iowa on a Wednesday at 10am. Less then 2 hours into their road trip out to Virginia, they blew a tire... add 3 hours to getting new tires, then they were back on the road. Exactly 24 hours after they departed on their journey, driving non stop, they arrived in Stafford Thursday late morning!

We went to Trevor and Addison's Vacation Bible School Program, loaded up the "RB" as the kids called it, and headed out very early Friday morning. The kids had a blast in the "RB"!

Yes that's McKenzie sitting in Tyler's carseat...drinking a Monster.

The coolest place to be was up above the cab... they thought it was so cool looking out the window!

"Pretending" to sleep with Mommy.

It was another nonstop trip (only stopping for fuel) until we reached our final destination! I don't know how Dad and his buddy did it!!!

We were so excited to be at the lake!

Funnel Cakes

2011-07-10T15:41:00.008-04:00

Yum! We made up some funnel cakes and they were delicious!

Turner Mountain B&B

2011-07-08T13:11:00.000-04:00

We've had some fabulous guests staying with us this past week.... the Attwoods! They came all the way from Hawaii and are just waiting to close on their new home here in VA! We are so excited to have them with us until they do!

You may remember Wyatt from Addison's playgroup in Hawaii.. and they have since added to their family... a baby girl, Grace! They also have a super sweet dog! A Great Dane, Annie! The kids have been playing so hard every single day! They are just having a blast with each other!!!

Nick has been getting his baby fix in...

And Kenzie has even had a little cuddle time as well!

And having Annie around the house has triggered their NEED for a dog of their own! Even Nick has been having some fun with her!

Kenzie helped Tyler 'ride' Annie.

She is the most well behaved dog ever! If you can see above, Kenzie painted her toenails the first night they stayed here. She laid up in her room and sat real still while she painted away! She even put on some flower stickers on her pink nails for a professional pedicure look! They have been BFF's ever since!

Sand & Water Table

2011-07-08T11:13:00.000-04:00

Grandma "Bob" got the kids a sand and water table while she was here. Daddy put it together, and when projects like that happen, he's bound to have a little helper or two!

And as soon as it was all put together, the kids were digging in! But it didn't stay a sand and water table for long!

It soon became a sandy water and a watery sand table!

I love it! The kids do too! Nick, however, curses our names each day because of the mess it makes... but its sand, and its cheap, and the kids play in it for HOURS each day... and if you ask me, it's better then having them stare at a TV this summer!

Thanks Mom!!!!

Flowers

2011-07-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

I enlisted the help of my mother with filling in the bare spots in my garden... so we went and bought some flowers and went to town! Trevor had planted a few flowers from seeds, so we planted those in the back to see how they do!

We got some pretty flowers to fill my stacking pots...

And filled up a large container I had on the deck...

My favorite is this one... I should take a picture of what it looks like NOW... just a few weeks later! It's really filled out!

I even took a big risk and got a Hibiscus tree.... and so far she's held up just fine! Maybe my black thumb is turning a dark shade of green!

Addison really enjoyed having her Grandma around... she had someone to play house with... under her umbrella.

Evening Parade

2011-07-07T13:08:00.001-04:00

We took my mom up to D.C. to the Iwo Jima Memorial for the evening parade. It was a beautiful night and we had great seats! We enjoyed a great show by the Commandant's Own, as well as the silent drill team.

Waiting for the show to start....

If you've never been to an evening parade... here is a little snippet of the best part... if seeing a bunch of Marines in uniform doesn't get you motivated enough... this WILL!

Dance Recital 2011

2011-07-07T12:35:00.000-04:00

Both the girls took dance this year! McKenzie hasn't taken dance since she was Addison's age.. so she chose to try a Hip Hop class. Addison did Ballet and Tap in a preschool class.

Addison loved getting all "pretty" for the pictures as well as the big day! Makeup is something she loves to put on now... she thinks she needs to have it every day now!

Here are their pictures..

I had told them to take a single photo of McKenzie... and for some reason, she didn't get one... and she failed to mention this until AFTER we were home and she had changed.. ugh!

These photos are from the photographers on recital night!

This was McKenzie's big flip.... she did a hand stand, then the girl grabbed her legs and flipped her over her head. It was really cool!

Addison comes out 2nd, but ends up in the middle... she is the one who tells the little girl where she is supposed to be standing! It's hard to see very clearly because of the lighting..

McKenzie comes sliding in from the right..

Trevor's Last Soccer Game

2011-07-07T10:18:00.001-04:00

Trevor's last soccer game was on June 4th... and he was so excited that not only was Daddy home to go to it... but Grandma was in town as well! It was a big win for the final game of the season!

The coaches had trophies and t-shirts for all the players after the game! And we all pitched in with some cupcakes and goodies! The Skeletons had a great season!

Giraffe Pool

2011-07-07T08:32:00.003-04:00

Summer is definitely here... Just days into June the temps skyrocketed into the 90s... so we filled up the pool for the kiddos and let them cool off in the water. Addison fell in love with the giraffe. So did Tyler.

But mostly Addison.

You could hook the hose up to the small giraffe tail and it sprayed water out... Tyler liked that feature best of all! As long as he was on the contols!

Addison kissing the giraffe.

The Addison Thumbs Up!

With my kiddos personalities... you can only imagine how much fun it can be to try to get a GOOD group picture of all of them. There is always AT LEAST one who is unwilling to participate or cooperate and smile nice!

5th and Final Day in NYC

2011-07-07T08:19:00.000-04:00

On our last half day in NYC... we decided to walk around Time Square... and then walk to Hello Deli for real this time! It was our last opportunity to get our souvenirs. But every morning should start off with a good breakfast... from Starbucks!

The Travel Channel is doing a new show with sand sculptures. They dumped a huge pile of sand in the middle of Time Square and we watched these people create an amazing sculpture in just a few hours. It was military themed in honor of fleet week... and it was beautiful!

We finally found Hello Deli.. but it was closed.

Here we are standing outside !

And just around the corner is The Late Show with David Letterman! It'a s really beautiful building!

Walking back to our hotel, we happened to come across another yummy cupcake bakery! Crumbs! Since it was early, I got a sample pack to go!

These actually made it home to Virginia and the kids got to help sample these!!

All packed up and ready to fly home.... just waiting in the lobby of our hotel... building up the nerve to call a taxi for the long ride to the airport!

Day 4 NYC

2011-07-07T00:21:00.000-04:00

Our 4th day in New York started off in Central Park... on bikes! We rented some bikes and rode through the trails in the park.. so much fun... and it was hot!

I don't have any good pictures of us actually riding... but I promise you we didn't push our bikes the entire time!

After our stroll in the park, we walked around and then headed to the Museum of Natural History, on our way, we popped into the Magnolia Bakery.

Here was the before... well, AFTER we devoured the first cupcake. Oops!

And just a short time later...

Meridith pointing to the remains of her favorite cupcake....

After a quick walk through the museum, we caught a taxi to Serendipity's. Where we opted to NOT wait out the 2+ hour wait (we really just wanted to try the famous frozen hot chocolates) So we grabbed some Frozen Hot Chocolate mixes and we went on to Dylan's Candy Bar.... can you see a theme for today?

Can you say 2 enormous levels (actually I think it's 3) of never ending rows and rows of every candy you could ever imagine!!!

I'll just say I came out of there with way too much sugar!

We walked down to FAO Swarz to check out the toys!!!

There was a line to see the giant piano.... that will cost you $250,000 to take home! It was the big piano that you see in the movie "Big". The room was packed and the line was too long to take a turn... but you can just imagine the show we could have put on... am I right?

Our last mission that day was to go seek out Hello Deli.. Rupert's Deli featured on David Letterman. We walked back to that area... hungry.... so we stopped to get a little something to eat at a Diner. Worst decision that day. The food was TERRIBLE! We were so disappointed with our food, and still hungry, that we forgot to finish our search for Hello Deli (which we later realized we were only 1 block away from) So we went back to our hotel (taking the scariest and most life changing taxi ride of our lives... nearly killing numerous people, including ourselves) and we ordered a pizza to be delivered to our room! It was amazing!

And yes, we ate it in our hotel room! Sitting on our beds! Yum!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T11:13:00.001-04:00

Here are the kids' pictures they do each year for their dad!

Best Food in NYC

2011-06-16T12:02:00.000-04:00

After our day in Manhatten, we went back to our hotel for a lovely afternoon nap, then got dressed up to go eat at Vivolos!

Meridith and I had a competition to see who could hail a taxi first.... I won.

The food was so amazing LOOKING as well as DELICIOUS... we HAD to take pictures of each of our plates:

Meridith ordered the Shrimp Fettuccine

Mom ordered the Filet of Salmon

I ordered the Mushroom Risotto.... everyone's favorite.

And Angie ordered the Sea Scallops.. YUM!

The service was amazing, and the food was the best we've ever had! We were treated like Queens, and then recommended we try their champaigne... this was after we had been drinking wine... and of course, we ordered dessert!

We were so full from such amazing entrees, but with the entrees as good as they were, we would have been fools NOT to try their desserts.... so we split two!

Tiramisu

Chocolate Cake with chocolate ginache and ice cream.

We left that place smiling... and full! Next time you are in NYC... You must not leave without eating there! Seriously!

NYC - Day 3

2011-06-05T23:59:00.000-04:00

On day 3, we headed to Manhatten... via SUBWAY!!! Yikes... But we started off our morning with a wonderful breakfast at La Pain Quotidian, just down the block from our hotel. They had amazing organic breads and treats!

It was time for the Subway.... We quickly figured out the ticket purchasing, and made our way to the correct train.

Our first stop was the Staten Island Ferry to do a Statue of Liberty drive by...

We arrived at the station just as they were closing the doors for the 10am trip, so we hung out and went first in line on the 1030am ride... here are all the people waiting BEHIND us... and yes, they all fit, with lots of room to spare!

The view as we pulled away from port...

Mom and Angie enjoying the view...

And there she is!

We sat/stood on the upper deck... it was nice and breezy and had amazing views!
(Meridith & Mom)

(Meridith & Angie)

Luckily, we were able to get off the ferry, walk up to the station, go back in, and board the same ferry we came on so we didn't have to wait for the next trip... it was a quick turnaround!!!

A quick photo op with the 3 sisters...

and then a nap...

We got off the ferry and then walked toward Wall Street... along the way, we came upon a large bull in the street, where tons of people were standing and posing with it's backside.. so we thought... WHY NOT?

The history behind the bull via wikipedia...

Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a 3,200 kilograms (7,100 lb) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green Park near Wall Street in Manhattan, New York City. Standing 11 feet (3.4 m) tall^[1] and measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) long,^[2] the oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as "one of the most iconic images of New York"^[3] and a "Wall Street icon"^[4] symbolizing "Wall Street" and the Financial District.

...I would also like to note that rubbing the nose, horns and testicles of this bull are said to give you good luck! However, we only made it to the bull's backside.

Our story... there were so many people waiting to take their picture with the backside of this bull, that we had to plan our attack for our opportunity... Angie came diving in from behind the legs, and Meridith and I dove in near the um... backside. Crazy thing, while Mom was struggling to get up front to take our picture, I kid you not, the number of cameras that came out and started taking our picture was freakishly scary. Did we resemble celebrities? Possibly. Or perhaps they just heard the Wilson girls were in NYC, and they just happened to be so lucky to see us in the Financial District.

Watch for our photos to soon be appearing on buses all over Asia....

Up next, Wall Street...

....and an annoying Sponge Bob who only left us alone after throwing $2 in his bag and posing for a picture... icky. Below is a picture of my forced smile... quickly followed by application of hand sanitizer.

And what walk on Wall Street would be complete without a quick browse through Tiffany & Co.

I sent a little text message to Nick, telling him not to worry if he sees any unusual activity on our credit cards, we were just doing a little shopping at Tiffany's... his response:

The credit cards have been cancelled.. effective immediately.

Ground Zero was our next stop.

The morning of 9/11, I was in surgery watching an appendectomy as a nursing student when the surgeon asked one of his nurses to turn up the radio. We then heard the announcement that a plane had flown into the first tower. After the surgery was complete, our nursing instructor sent us home, where I proceeded to be glued to the TV for the next several days.

Back then we were still dating.... Nick was stationed at Quantico, but was scheduled to be visiting the Pentagon that morning, so of course after hearing about the plane hitting the pentagon, I began to panick. Fortuntately for him, there were not enough buses to take the group of Marines that were scheduled to go on the trip, so they cancelled their Pentagon trip. It was several hours before I heard from him later that day.

Where were you on 9/11?

There was a lot of construction going on at the site, so it was fenced off.... but we spoke with one of the workers, and he was nice enough to fill us in on what was going on.

The tower farthest to the right was built after 9/11. They started building it 7 years ago and it was completed 3 years ago. The building to it's left is going to be the new Tower #1, if I remember correctly.

The white building in the middle will be the Plaza...

...and they are building 2 reflection pools in place of the fallen towers.

It was humbling to stand on that sidewalk and see how magnificent these buildings must have been. I could not even begin to imagine the events that took place on that day.

These are on the walls of the building adjacent from the site. Around the corner is Engine #2, and a memorial where we stopped in and saw an amazing tribute to the people who were involved in and lost on 9/11.

We stopped for lunch, walked through Trinity Church and Cemetery. Then headed home on the Subway. On this eventful ride we witnessed a lady riding on the subway with a pet bearded dragon on her chest... just enjoying the ride. Strange.

End of Day 2 in NYC - Empire State Building

2011-06-05T22:41:00.000-04:00

After our adventure at the wax museum, we walked toward the Empire State Building (which is open until 2am, and we were told that seeing the city from up there is best at night!)....

But before we began our evening tour, we stopped in at another Irish Pub for some late dinner...

There, we were surrounded by many handsome Marines in uniform, as it was fleet week. One of them came up to our table and told each one of us we were beautiful. Now, whether he was sober or not, should not matter, it was both flattering AND entertaining.

Our delicious food...

okay MY food was delicious, Mom and Meridith's caesar salad didn't really taste caesar-like, but it was a good time!

We made it to the Empire State Building around 11pm, and made our way up up and UP!

We were on the 86th floor... and this is looking up to the 102nd floor... which is an option we opted out of... 86 was HIGH ENOUGH!!!

I never thought I had a fear of heights... too bad anyways... but when I looked out over the edge and looked down, the immediate weakening in my legs and tingling feeling I felt throughout my body helped me to determine I was not very comfortable being up that high!

Here are a couple quick videos to help give you an idea of what the view was like...

Day 3 coming soon!

Weekend of Water & Bubbles

2011-06-05T17:37:00.000-04:00

To start off this post, I have to share with you the ice cream cake we made for Nick's birthday, which was on the 1st... BUT, since he was working late the 1st, and 2nd, we couldn't celebrate until Friday night.. the 3rd!

The kids helped me make an ice cream cake, per special request from Daddy....

Addison wanted to help write on his cake, so picture us both grabbing onto the icing bag, and fighting over where the writing should go...

Take two.... as serious as these two crazies can be for a photo...

Trevor was so upset that we couldn't celebrate Daddy's birthday on his ACTUAL birthday, but when it came time to cut into the cake, all the disappointment was gone. And everyone was happy!

This weekend we had Trevor's last soccer game, and then we headed home to fill up our kiddie pool! But that soon got replaced by a water shooter fight between Mommy, and Trevor & Addison.

Now, before you start judging me in the picture... you need to know that I was soaked to the bone, no thanks to Trevor and Addison's strategic moves of ganging up on me, and drenching me.... there was always one chasing me with a water shooter, and one at the pool with their weapon filled and ready to nail me as I tried to refill my own shooter... So opportunities like the ones above needed to be taken whenever possible.

Don't Judge!

Sunday morning was a cloudy and warm day, so we brought out our bubble machine and filled the neighborhood with bubbles!

I love this picture! I think he was taking a big breath in to blow some bubbles off his bouncy ball!

Superstar!

Don't you love her outfit choice for the day?

At this point, they were standing in front of the bubble machine with their mouths wide open trying to catch a bubble in their mouth.... bluck!!!

Who knew a $10 bubble machine from Target could be so much fun!?

Day 2- Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum

2011-06-01T13:49:00.000-04:00

Our evening started out with a much anticipated visit to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum...

Meridith & Whoopi Goldberg

Me & George Clooney having a 'moment'...

Oprah & Mom

Robert Pattinson & Meridith

Barbara Walters making me cry...

Angie asking Samuel L. Jackson about an exhibit in the MOMA (because we really saw him there earlier that day)

Mom & Meryl Streep

Hanging out with the Osbornes...

Kim & Kim

Mom with Bette Midler & Harrison Ford

How about a Bond Girl....

or two...

Me & John Travolta

John Travolta & Mom

"All the single ladies... all the single ladies..."

Beyonce Knowles

Look what we found on the beach...

This was the most painful picture ever.. for several reasons...

This is the self portrait of the one and only Madame Tussaud.

Billy Graham

The Clintons.

The Kennedy's

George W Bush

We posed with "Uncle Frank"... FDR... in case you didn't know, we are distantly related to him.

And speaking of relatives... we also 'ran into' our "Auntie Diana"... Princess Diana.... who is also a distant family relative!

Maya Angelo

Your three most favorite trumpet players!

A quick picture from the oval office...

Another close call from a NYC skyscraper

And, believe it or not, these are probably your SAFEST taxi drivers in NYC!!!

Live with Sharon & Kelly

Angie telling Donald Trump, "You're Fired!!"

Johnny Cash

Watch our for that left hook, Ali!

Elton John

Kim Turner & Tina Turner

The early Madonna

Paul Newman

The original Spice Girls

NSYNC

Brittney Spears with her backup dancers...

I had to take a picture of Iron Man for Addison... she loves him!

The Hulk...

The wax museum was one of our favorite stops by far during our trip! We had so much fun!!!!

Day 2 - NYC

2011-05-31T22:42:00.000-04:00

Day two started off early with our attempted appearance on the Today Show. No go. We were standing next to the Marines & Sailors that you may have seen frequently between segments... but no Wilson girls!

Matt

Natalie

Anne

Rockafellar Plaza

Then we headed up to the Top of the Rock (70 floors high)...

Okay, okay... enough playin'...

Check out the view!

This photo op was a fun one... and one of our first 'professional' photos of the trip...

We took our serious photo, then we got to take a "falling" photo... and we were ready! We had talked about it, planned it out.. and just went for it....

This interesting looking shopping cart was at the bottom of the Rockefeller Building... we were totally going to take a fun picture with it... but the guys at the information desk across the lobby hollered "Don't Touch That!" So we stood behind it. (boring.)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Next stop... Radio City Music Hall

We took the guided tour... the place is amazingly beautiful!

Our tour guide was "Cassy"... short for Cassin.

She definitely made the tour, well, entertaining... well, we made it fun too...

Here we are posing for a picture in the women's lounge...

At one point during the tour, we went into a hallway with a life size cardboard set up with four rockettes. Our tour guide, Cassy, said to our group, "This is the point of the tour where you can run up and pose with these Rockettes".... and at that instant, my sisters and I were already halfway up there... ready for our moment.... and WOULD YOU BELIEVE that NO ONE ELSE wanted to get up there to take their picture???? I guess they couldn't follow such an act like ours!

The lovely "Cassy" showing us the model of the music hall that was actually used to present their vision for the Radio City Music Hall!

Later on during the tour, we actually got to meet a real live Rockette.

Unfortunately, the height requirement to be a rockette is between 5'6" and 5'10 1/2" tall.... so none of us would have made the cut... however, when I commented about our height, she did say we could still be in the ensemble... so there is hope for us YET!

We said our goodbyes to our dear guide, Cassy, who I am sure will not miss us at all, and headed toward the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) It was here that Angie and I saw Samuel L. Jackson!!! Sorry, no photos or autographs, it was a brief sighting of him walking the other direction in the museum. But it was still exciting!

The only story I have for you here, is when we were in a lower level exhibit, where there just happened to have been 3 sets of headphones for people to listen to some rockin' music... so Mom took our picture... then we immediately remembered NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY... then shortly after that we realized it was a NO PHOTO exhibit.... so we ran out of that area...

even though we were the only ones down there at the time.

From their, we walked over to the Chrysler Building...

And then a quick walk through Grand Central Station

Then it was back to our hotel for quick naps.... yes, I said naps...

And then on to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum...

(which deserves a post all of it's own)

New York City- Day 1

2011-05-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

My mom and my two sisters decided to take a trip to New York City for a girls weekend. I flew up from DC, and they flew in from Des Moines and we met at the airport!

Mom thought the difference between my sister Angie's suitcase (aka carry on) and my huge luggage was hysterical.... Sorry, I've got to have options!

We started our trip with our maiden voyage in a Taxi!

We checked into our hotel, the Marriott Courtyard on 40th Street.

We were on the 30th floor, and this was our view... office buildings!

We headed out to Time Square to check out the area...

...and we stopped to get a bite to eat at a great little diner called USA Brooklyn American Grill

We had a great waiter who told us the ins and outs of NYC... and recommended some great food:

Then we walked around some more and stopped in M&M World...

Later on we got dressed up and headed to a show on Broadway.

"The Million Dollar Quartet"...
or as Angie referred to it... "The Magic Million Dollar 5"

It was very entertaining!!!

Afterward, we headed to an Irish Pub for a night cap...

We had delicious Cappuccino Martinis...

when we returned to our hotel, and got to our floor, mom said to us.. "Why don't you each stand in front of an elevator door and I'll take your picture"... but we got a little more creative with that... that's all I'll say about that.

It was a good day!

Memorial Day 2011 - Arlington National Cemetery

2011-05-30T15:39:00.000-04:00

We loaded up the kids and headed up to Arlington National Cemetery to the Memorial Service this morning... along with thousands of others.

It was a gorgeous sunny, and very HOT day! (102 degrees)
We took a shuttle to the ceremony...

The amphitheater was full by the time we got there, but soon after, they let 500 more people in for standing room only... we made it!

And if you ask me, I think our seats (or standing area) was better anyways because we were out of the sun! HOT!

Trevor and Addison found some 'seats'...

We were right across from where the First Lady sat...

and thanks to my zoom on my camera, had a great view of the President.

After the service, we stopped by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers...

Trevor & Addison

On our way back, we laid roses on the headstones of the service members who gave their lives for our freedom...

Nick took a minute to help the little ones understand what all these white headstones meant, and why there were so many....

It's very humbling standing amongst all the headstones.

I hope you all have a beautiful Memorial Day. Please take a minute if you haven't already, to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us!

Soccer Game Today!

2011-05-21T12:57:00.000-04:00

Trevor had a soccer game first thing this morning! They played 4 - 8 minute quarters.

Today they split the team in two and played two games on two fields.

At halftime they switch fields and played the other half of the other team.

Here is a quick video I got of Trevor kicking the ball in.

Sleepy Addison

2011-05-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

Addison fell asleep in the car while we waited for Trevor at the bus stop.

Tyler was tired too and fussing in the background.

(sorry, I don't know how to rotate video)

Funny thing was, she was nodding off a while BEFORE I started recording her... poor thing was exhausted!

Bird Watching

2011-05-14T09:30:00.000-04:00

The kids discovered that we had 2 robin nests under our backyard deck. They wanted to know if there were any eggs in them, and since they are up too high to peek in, I grabbed the camera to assist me.

As I walked up to the nests, I could hear the mom and dad bird chirping away in the nearby trees... I lifted my camera up to the nest. Snapped a picture... the first nest... Empty.

When I looked over at the second nest, I noticed 3 little beaks hanging over the edge... and snapped this picture from about 15-20 feet away.

I said to the kids, "Hey! I see 3 baby birds in this one!" So they came a little closer, the mommy and daddy birds started chirping a little louder... so I snuck up to take a quick closeup picture with the camera...

As I pressed down on the button, the flash flipped up, scared the baby birds, causing them to JUMP out of their nest, causing the mommy and daddy bird to immediately DIVE BOMB me and the kids.... which caused Trevor and Addison to scream bloody murder all the way up the deck stairs into the house, leaving poor terrified shaking, screaming Tyler frozen in fear at the bottom. Screaming myself at the deadly airshow going on, (man I hope the neighbors aren't watching this) I scooped up my poor baby, ran up the steps dodging BIRD DIVES at my head... and ran in the house, shut the door, and stood there, heart pounding with 3 screaming children scared to death at what just happened.

Trevor declared between cries, "I'm NEVER going outside AGAIN! WaaaaaaaaAAAAAA!"

Once my heart rate came back down, we looked out the window to see if the babies were still on the ground, but didn't see them anywhere, so we decided they were mature enough to fly on their own.

The kids wanted me to go back out (SERIOUSLY!?!?!) and see if they were back safely in their nest.

So, wishing I had a helmet, and a racket of some sort to protect myself... I slowly opened the door, peeked my head outside looking for diving birds... and slowly made my way back down to the yard... scanning the skies for enemy.

The nests were still empty and the empty yard nearby concluded that indeed those silly baby birds could fly, and I'm sure they would be back in their nest tonight.

A quick check this morning.... nest still empty. Oops.

Bowling Party

2011-05-14T09:12:00.000-04:00

Friday afternoon Addison and Tyler and I headed down to Fredericksburg to a bowling birthday party for our sweet little friend Paige who turned 5!

Luckily, they had the bumbers up AND the special ramps you see below so the kids just rolled their bowling balls down the lane and watched their ball actually make it to the pins!

Addison was a natural!

Booty shakin' victory dance and all...

She was rockin' those bowling shoes...

Down the ramp!

Since this isn't a video, let me help you out here... "Oh yeah... Oh yeah... Uh huh..."
Would you believe she actually got a SPARE!

Following very closely in his sister's (Addison) footsteps, the very sly and sneaky photo stealing Tyler... I was trying to take a picture of Addison bowling, but he stepped in at the last second and stole the show with a "CHHEEEEEEEEESE!"

Tyler even got in on the action.. he would count "Un, Two... Eeeeee" and shove the ball down the ramp, raise his arm up high in the air and scream "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

More victory dancing!

More "Uh huh.. Oh yeahs!"

And look, she's so confident, she doesn't even need to watch to know that she will knock over at least one! Ha ha!

"We're pretty awesome huh?"

"Yeah... we are."

"I know."

Thanks Paige for inviting us to your super fun bowling party! We had a blast! Happy Birthday!

Dance Recital Sneak Peak

2011-05-10T11:25:00.000-04:00

Nick didn't have to go to work until late morning, so he wanted to take Addison to dance class. We are getting closer to recital, so the dance instructor has let the moms/dads come into the studio so the girls can practice dancing in front of an audience.... as you can see, Addison is very distracted, but it just makes me laugh!

Colorful Bubbles

2011-05-02T17:06:00.000-04:00

I let the kids dig into their Easter baskets from Grandma & Grandpa "Bob" when we got back from our trip last night... one of the contents of their baskets were COLORED BUBBLES...

You may be thinking... oh, colored bubbles, what a cute idea....

well.... let's take a closer look shall we?

In case any of you ever pondered how much of the bubbles kids actually get on their clothes and hands... now you know!!! IT GETS EVERYWHERE!!!!

We went straight to the bath tub... which also turned GREEN! I'm just glad the bubbles weren't red, because our house and deck, and bathroom would have looked like a bloody massacre crime scene!!!

So... THANK YOU mom and dad, for the LOVELY EASTER BASKETS!!! The kids loved them!!!