a happy day

Happy Birthday to our wonderful husband/daddy!

We made him a special meal tonight including baby back ribs (oh my, these are delish!!) and for dessert...toffee tiramisu. It was my first time to make it and I believe Russell was pleased with the results.



Birthdays are fun in our house!

Advice to Myself...

Enjoy your children while they're young because they grow up too fast.
Always treat your family as well as you would a guest.
Play more.
Keep a record of the unimportant moments as well as the important ones (I really wish I would have done that more!)
Chidren can be taught to do their own laundry - Benjamin is a huge help here!
Be in the moment.
Don't rush through the infant and toddler stages.
Be patient when it comes to potty training---especially when it takes longer than you think.
Breath.
Every moment does not need to be planned.
Elaborate vacations and fancy birthday parties are not requirements for a happy childhood.
A big empty box(& laundry basket) is more fun than most toys you can buy.
Take time to step back and see your child as the person he/she is becoming.

More Reunion pictures

I found great delight in watching our kids interact with their cousins. Benjamin informed us that he didn't like his house in TX because he wanted to live in MT...nearly the same comment he made when we left St Louis. It was hard to leave...for the the little & big alike. But we have great memories. I can't wait to see how our 12x12 Shutterfly Custom Memory book turned out. I had a 50% coupon code, so it was a good deal.


meeting Melita for the first time

a hug for little cousin Lana (Ryan & Annette's youngest)

We were excited to get to try Famous Dave's...good BBQ

Grandpa Larry always had room on his lap...

Unforgettable Days...

My camera had an extended vacation in MT while the rest of us headed back to CO on Saturday. So it is wonderful to have my camera/pictures now! We are reliving these precious memories...

Benjamin overlooking Billings from the cliff....everything was so lush & green in CO,WY, & MT.
Our first stop in Lewistown was to see Grandpa/Great Grandpa Clarence. We had a special visit with him before his afternoon rest...
Trevin at his usual hangout spot(JD riding lawnmower)...with a few cousins
Rob & Russell holding the babies!
More to come...

4th of July

A quiet, relaxing time for us....swimming, cream slushes from Sonic, early morning walk/ride on the trail, getting ready for our next trip. We are usually gone over the 4th, so it was a nice change to be home this year.

Our swimmers....enjoying Papa & Nana's pool...

St. Louis: Day 3

More family time...

Just seeing this dear great auntie & littie visits with her made the trip worth it!

Thanks to all my family for the wonderful memories we made together.

Now we are packing our bags again to head to MT! More fun times coming up.

St Louis: Day 2

Highlights included:
-Sunday morning meeting together
-eating lunch & donuts with all the relatives {the donuts were from The Donut Stop...featured in Bon Appetite not long ago...we definitely did not count calories this weekend}
-meeting long lost cousin Frank {sorry, no photos available}
-Jon & Tom's gospel mtg that evening {seeing several friends....Darcie & Rhonda}

Benjamin became fast friends with Zane (Rhonda's boy)after gospel mtg.

St. Louis: Day 1

Saturday, 6/25:

Grant's Farm {I had my heart set on going to the zoo, but this was a bit more manageble for our family this time & we all loved it....the St. Louis zoo is on our 'must do' list for future St. Louis visits.}

Des Peres Park {to soak up the sunshine & let the kids run}

Frozen Custard at Ted Drewes with the Klepzig cousins {seriously...it was worth every bite}.