Luke gets his Green Belt!

We are all so proud of Luke for working very hard to get his "Green Belt" in karate. He has been doing it for over a year now and is really enjoying it. We want to Thank our family from the bottom of our hearts for taking time out of your busy lives and coming to support Luke. He had the largest cheering section there and it meant a lot to him and to us. We also gave Luke a "Green Party" that day after his belt exam. We enjoyed pizza, salad, green cupcakes and cake, and green punch. It was a nice idea. Thanks Aunt Jenn! Luke, mommy and daddy are so proud of you. We're proud that you are enjoying karate and that you never want to give up. We love you Lukey keep up the great work!!!

The 4th of July!!!!!

We had the pleasure of going over to my Aunt Teresa house for some awesome food and a swim. It was wonderful getting together with my Aunt and cousins. I have become very close with the oldest daughter Terra who is 24. She is such a wonderful person and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with her. Although she just came into my life it's like she never left. She is getting married to Nick in November. He's a great guy and treats her very well. We like em! Then there is Brooke who is 20, Brianna who I believe is 17 and Trina who is 13. My other cousin Tatum was at a softball tournament with my Uncle Bart in Colorado. We missed them. They have some good genes because all of them are so beautiful. I hope my uncle is able to keep those nasty boys away. Anyways I was very nervous taking 5 small kids over there thinking that we would never be allowed back but they did pretty good. Thank you so much girls for helping with the little kids. We couldn't have done it without you. Also, thank you Teresa for opening your home up to us and letting us spend the holiday with you. I really miss being around my dads side of the family. I feel closer to him when I'm around his family. I hope we can get together more often. Again thanks for such a special day!

Ahhhhh!!!! Vacation

We got the privilege to go on vacation at the end of June to California. HP was able to get a little bit of time off work so we all took advantage of it. His mom Eileen, Grammy, Luke, Brayden, Sophie, and I decided to take on San Diego and that we did. We left very late (against my father-in-laws wishes) on Tues. June 24 and arrived in San Diego about 5:00 AM Wednesday morning. My mother-in-law drove the whole way. What a sweetie! We checked into our hotel room and unloaded the car. We had this pipe dream that the kids would think it's a good idea to go back to sleep and rest up but that was not the case. So HP and I took them out to breakfast while Grammy and Eileen got some rest. So this is how our vacation went.

Wednesday June 25th- Bounceland and Seaport Village

When we went to Target to get a few things we needed we stumbled upon this Bounceland. The kids went crazy seeing it so we thought what the heck lets give it a try. I'm not sure who had more fun. Mom and dad or Luke, Brayden, and Sophie. I think if we didn't work up such an appetite we might have stayed all night. So we all piled into the car and drove over to Seaport Village for dinner. We ate dinner at The Fish Market on the water. Saw the beginning of the sunset and watch several sailboats pass by.

Thursday June 26th- Birch Aquarium and "The Beach"

On this day we went to Birch Aquarium. We weren't quite sure what to expect but we were all pleasantly surprised. There was tons of neat fish we've never seen before and the kids really loved it. The 1st picture above is Luke and Brayden sitting in front of the kelp tank. Divers go in there once a day, feed the fish and give a big demonstration. The 2nd picture is Sophie and Memaw looking at the fishes. The 3rd picture is Luke deciding if he wanted to touch a real starfish or not.

We had fun at the beach. We thought that we wouldn't be able to get Luke in the water or keep Brayden out of it but it was the other way around. Luke loved being in there. He wouldn't come out and just kept body surfing. Brayden on the other hand doesn't like to be cold. He's like his mommy. We stayed out of the water together and just played in the sand. Sophie enjoyed it all.

Friday June 27th- Legoland

We all had a lot of fun here. Luke has decided he wants to make a career out of building Lego's. Brayden didn't know what to do first and Sophie liked the little rides and playing with the Lego's.

1st picture is all of us at the beginning of Legoland. 2nd picture is Luke and Sophie with "Buddy" Brayden wasn't very fond of "Buddy". Pictures 3 and 4 are were Luke and Brayden go their "drivers license". Picture 5 is me being tired and finding a seat in the stroller. I sat down in it and Brayden's made a nice observation. He immediately said "mom too big". Yes Brayden I am and Thank you for that my sweet child. The 6th picture is Sophie just plain pooped out. Legoland got the best of her.

Saturday June 28th-The beach again

We went back to the beach again for the day but none of us took our camera on that day. I figured you all would enjoy the ones above. 1st picture is dad sleeping with Sophie deciding if she wants to wake him up. 2nd picture is a man that was para sailing over our heads at Birch Aquarium. 3rd picture is the view from outside Birch Aquarium. How nice is that?

Sunday June 29th, All good things must come to an end

I (Jen) drove home and it all turned out great. We were all very sad to be going home. It was such a nice time and we are especially thankful that Grammy and Eileen came along. Those are the memories we want our children to cherish when they get older. Thank you Grammy and Eileen.