4th of July in Nebraska

We had a great time in Nebraska over the 4th of July. We hadn't made the trip home since November, so it was time! :) The trip was a bit trying to start with...

We got a much later start than we wanted to -- it was about 6:00 PM when we left town, which of course means... TRAFFIC. We didn't get far when Kevin said "I have to potty", so we pulled over on the side of the road to allow him to "pee on a rock". It would have worked out just fine, but unfortunately he didn't want to pee on just one rock and managed to cover his shoes and my leg as well! :) Once we got that taken care of and got back on the road, Samuel puked all over himself & his car seat. We pulled into a gas station in Joplin to attempt to clean up Sam and just as I got him undressed and clean, he puked again. But this time ALL over ME! :) Needless to say, I had to go inside and change clothes! Eventually we got back on the road and headed North with very few issues once the boys fell asleep. It was a long trip (I think it was nearly 4AM by the time we arrived!).

The good times were more than enough to make up for the car ride -- which is always the case! We got to go to one of Lexi's softball games which was especially fun since we are never around to attend anything she does (such a bummer to miss out on all the dance recitals, basketball games, school programs, etc.). Not to mention that it was a perfect place for Kevin to run around, play & get dirty -- although he did want to go out on the field with Lexi! :)

Lexi playing 3rd base

Lexi getting a base hit

Kevin & Ethyn cheering Lexi on

We also got to spend time with Troy's kids, Hannah & Austin too! They are both growing up so much! Hard to believe that Austin is a teenager! :) Kevin absolutely loved playing with them! Between Lexi, Austin & Hannah, there was always someone to entertain Kevin!

Austin feeding Sam ( I think Sam managed to puke on everyone but Hannah!)

Hannah & Kevin at the ball park

We did get to see my dad's family for a little bit while I was there. It was great to get together as many of them aren't home when we are back and many hadn't met Brian or my kids. Somehow it gets hard to stay in touch, but it was so good to see & hug people. Even if it was for a short time!

Aunt Nancy (my dad's oldest sister) with Sam

My grandma (Sam's great grandma)

Probably one of the best parts of the trip was when Brian & I helped the kids (Austin, Hannah & Lexi) shoot off fireworks on the 4th. They had such a blast, about caught several things on fire, and occasionally threw them in the wrong direction; but all in all everyone survived with all their parts! :) It reminded me of times when I was younger and getting to shoot off fireworks was such a thrill! Brian was happy we did it with the kids. Definitely a memory-making experience!!

Dedication Bloopers

We had Samuel dedicated at church on Sunday. Needless to say, it was quite the experience...

My biggest fear is that Sam would puke on our pastor. I spent all week telling Sam that he didn't want to be known as the kid that puked on Brother Wes and that the title would follow him the rest of his life! I wasn't convinced that he would actually decide not to puke on his own, so...

I wouldn't let Sam have his full 9:00 bottle which meant he was slightly grouchy and required a pacifier. Brother Mark, our music minister, started the service and forgot about the baby dedication... so before we even got up there the whole thing was out of order! :) Once we got up on stage, Kevin immediately freaked out and wanted me to hold him, which I did and he buried his face in my shoulder. Brian handed Samuel to our pastor, Brother Wes, and Samuel immediately spit his pacifier out onto the stage. Brian picked it up and without even hesitating shoved it back into Sam's mouth. I was totally horrified!!! However, Brother Wes thought it was funny and made some joke about "you know he's a second baby when it goes right back in the mouth". Of course, that made the congregation laugh! :)

Among all the other craziness, Brother Wes left the certificate and bible in the pew and had to leave the stage to go get it. He tried to get Kevin to carry the bible, which of course got a "NO!" from Kevin. I tried to set Kevin down to walk down the steps of the stage and he tripped on the first step, so I basically ended up dragging him down the stairs! It was quite the time!

All in all, it was a bit crazy, but I consider it a true success that Sam didn't puke on Brother Wes.

Samuel dressed and ready for the dedication

Kevin and Samuel in the church foyer after the dedication

Melts a momma's heart...

This morning, out of the blue, Kevin said... "Mommy, you're my best friend!"
Now tell me that won't melt a momma's heart!

Our First Arkansas Naturals Game

We went to our first Arkansas Naturals baseball game last night. For those of you that don't know, a brand new ballpark was recently built in Springdale and is now home to the Arkansas Naturals, our first Minor League team.

We only made it through the 6th inning before calling it quits... it was getting late and we knew that we would not be able to roll Kevin out of bed in the morning for church. But it turned out to be a beautiful night and we had tons of fun...


This is Strike the Sasquatch. He is the mascot of the Arkansas Naturals. Kevin is fascinated and terrified of Strike all at the same time. He totally freaked out if Strike was within 20 yards, but then spent the other 1/2 the night saying "where's Strike mommy?"


Kevin is definitely cut from the same cloth as his daddy... here he is cheering/yelling at the teams...

He really wanted to catch a ball and was very disappointed that they "never throw it to me". He always had his glove ready though, just in case.

Stuff

Okay, so I know that I have been horrible at this blog thing. I can't seem to find any time to actually type and by the time I sit down to do it, I am so tired that I can't even remembered what I was going to write about anyway! Here is what I can remember today...

A few weeks ago, Brian took Kevin fishing. I was honestly a little nervous that Kevin may try to jump in the lake, but he came home dry! :) Kevin walked in the door before Brian and was all smiles... "Mommy, Mommy, I went fishing!" Then he got very serious, almost sad and said "I no catch a fish. Jacob catch a fish, uncle Brad catch a fish, I no catch a fish." It was so cute (and sad) that I wish I had it on video! He did get over it and talked about all the fun he had, but he was pretty bummed that he didn't catch anything!

The first weekend in June, we all headed to Waldron for the Relay for Life. It was a crazy day and we were all exhausted by the end of it but we raised quite a bit of money to help in the fight against cancer! I am just happy to report that I was one of the few without a sunburn. Although apparently at one point I had a mental breakdown... after successfully taking four boys (all under age 5) into Wal-Mart I actually thought... Hey, this isn't bad, I could have 4 kids... Like I said, mental breakdown... definitely NOT happening!! :)

That same weekend, Samuel had his first swinging experience on the swingset in our backyard. All the swinging just about put him to sleep...

Last weekend was father's day and we didn't do a whole lot other than take Brian out to eat. I did take an updated picture of the two boys on Sunday, so here it is...

Hope everyone is well! I will try to do better at updating this thing in the future!

Donut Hole Shop

Kevin has developed a fondness for donuts. I am not sure where it comes from, but he would rather have a donut than any other food on the planet. As a matter of fact, he tells people that we see out or that he has just met... "My mommy & daddy take me to the donut hole shop".

I honestly can't recall when the last time was that we actually went and sat in the donut shop, but apparently Kevin still remembers it and wants to share the experience with others!

Kevin eating a donut (from Wal-Mart, not the donut hole shop)

Nickname for Samuel

Kevin had a nickname from the moment he came home from the hospital. He was always my little sweet pea, or little pea as daddy called him.

I have struggled with what to call Samuel. Kevin gets irritated with "Sam" or "Sammy". He always says "no mommy, that is SAMUEL". I started calling him Sam I Am for awhile and it has somewhat stuck. However, yesterday while Kevin and I were watching Curious George (or Monkey George as Kevin calls him), we stumbled on a new nickname for Samuel...

CHUNKY MONKEY

Now tell me there is not some resemblance...

I love my little monkey! :)