Enjoying life...

Spending time with family can be so much fun! The kids really needed to have some down time with their cousins and I wanted to see my awesome friend who recently had her baby....during the blizzard! What a great reason for a road trip!

So, off we went to Kansas City to play. The weather was warm ... warm enough for the kids to be sporting their shorts and t-shirts.

Flip flops on my feet!

The warm weather makes me happy...and so does the lack of sneakers surrounding, confining, suffocating my feet. The less I have to wear shoes...the better.

The kids laughed, wrestled, ran, screamed, played, stayed up late...way too late...slept, and did it all over again!

We celebrated birthdays missed, ate yummy, gooey, chocolatey, warm goodness topped with real whipped cream. Yum! Delish!

We enjoyed movies, video games, board games and more. Ate scrumptious homemade pizza and pizza rolls, and tasty salsa chicken with rice, and juicy roast.

The kids ran, screamed, laughed and played some more.

We visited with friends: Michelle and her sweet family...including her adorable baby with the thick dark hair and kissable face, Georgia and her adorable children and kind husband...she's the best one-on-one that Max ever had at school! She and Max share quite a sweet bond. It was so nice to visit with her.

The kids begged, pleaded, whined, nagged, and asked if we could stay just one more night. Uncle Mike added his two cents too saying, "if you don't have to be back for school or anything you SHOULD stay another night"! Well, that did it. How do you say no to that? So, we stayed one more night.

By 10am I was ready to head for home. The bags were packed the van was loaded and we started the process. The whining began...and continued...and continued. It would be so much more fun to just stay longer. But I needed to get on the road...and Lyssa was fussy...

We headed for home at about 11:11...

When we got to I-70 today I went the wrong way....DUH! I got totally confused by all the detour signs and got all messed up. Grrr! I did a lot of hitting the steering wheel and yelling..."Darn it!!!" I set such a fantastic example of being cool, calm and collected in the face of frustration. NOT! Hahaha! Better to laugh at my mistakes... So, I finally found an exit to get myself turned around...we could see downtown KC by then. Hahaha!

Once we got back on the correct road...it was a nice, quiet drive. We sang to Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift. TJ gestured to passing semi trucks to get them to honk their horns. (It's amazing the joy that can be created from a horn honking...it puts a smile on the child's face and one on the face of the trucker as well...)Lyssa and Colin slept soundly. Alex sang along to Rascal Flatts... they're one of our favorites...

Then ... we're driving down I-63 from Columbia and Max starts bawling. What in the world? So, Alex tells me that Max is upset because Colin is bothering him. Okay. Colin stops and Max is STILL bawling. Tears running down his cheeks. After a while I said, "Max, why are you crying?" He said, "I forgot!" Haha! Okay. Keep driving. But he KEEPS crying, and his face is all red...so brilliantly I ask another question..."Max do you need to go potty?" "I forgot!" He says again. "Do you need to poop or pee?" He says, "I need to pee!" So, here we are with bluffs on both sides of the road...Max crying his eyes out in pain from trying to hold it in...and no sign of a gas station. I kept driving...hoping I would find something. Then the cries turned into wails and I decided I didn't care who drove past and saw him peeing on the side of the road! I pulled over quickly and came to a stop and told both TJ and Max to hop out of the car. After much redirecting and repositioning so that the other drivers couldn't see anything...he was much relieved and much happier! :) His face turned back to the normal color and he was smiling again....On the road again....

We finally made it home, unpacked and relaxed! It's so nice to be back in our own home, enjoying the familiar sights and smells. Good trips help us to appreciate our homes! *sigh*

14 Years!

It's truly amazing to look back on your life and see how far you've come. Fourteen years ago today Todd and I were married in the Washington, DC temple. When we first met I was amazed at how well we knew each other in such a short amount of time. He has always had a way with making others laugh and smile. That hasn't changed. He brings a smile to my face every day.

He has spent many years working to get his degree and that time and effort has finally paid off. He received his official transcript and diploma in the mail this week. What an exciting moment. He reached his goal. It's finally complete.

Now he can focus on his job, creating a great Partnership Program with Panama, and work to improve his translating.

He is AMAZING!

I'm so thankful to be blessed with a man who loves me, takes care of me, laughs with me, holds me when I need him to, and is an incredible individual.