Pensacola in a nutshell

Now that I've given your eyes some time to rest, I blast you with all of the updates from the past few weeks. 

We survived our second road trip and are back at home. I must commend my dad, any person who would willingly subject himself to 15 hours in a van with two toddlers - one potty training and one teething, a pregnant lady and two dogs - big dogs, is very brave. While at my parent's house, Albert and I determined that it would benefit Piper greatly to have a friend. With that, Cheyenne came home with us. She is a 75 lb golden retriever/lab mix. She is very sweet and very goofy. She has the same temperament as Piper, but quite a silly personality. The boys and I are really enjoying having her. (Piper is too!) As soon as we got on the road I started to question our decision. She likes to bark randomly and very loud! Barking is her way of communicating EVERYTHING, and we are having some submission issues. Also, she forgot to pack the one thing I told her to remember- her winter coat. This is where most of the barking comes into play. She does not enjoy laying outside in the cool breeze and therefore barks until I let her in. She will adjust though and we are happy to have her.

Our trip to Pensacola went well. I am thankful the boys were able to spend so much time with my parents and equally thankful that so much extended family traveled over to meet and visit with the boys. Cousin Kylar, my sister's baby, fits right in with the rest of the boys. He is quite a cutie and snuggler! I don't think you can ever snuggle too much with a newborn. 

I think that about wraps up our trip to Pensacola. We were able to visit with several friends but did not get to see everyone. Hopefully we will have more time with everyone in the coming year!

Crazy Days

Life has been pretty crazy in the South these last few weeks. The country song "What Was I Thinkin'" keeps coming to mind. We started out with a 15 hour car ride with an almost one year old, a 2 1/2 year old, a pregnant woman, her dad and a dog. If that wasn't crazy enough, we came into a week of over 70 degree weather with only long sleeves, pants and one pair of flip-flops. What was I thinking? Furthermore, I have managed to maintain a grain or two of sanity while being in a house with three dogs 60 lbs or bigger, one 25 lb. dog and four dogs 10 lbs or smaller. Let's just say that chaos is reigning. 

My mom and dad went away for a weekend and I ran the show.......... or kept everyone alive. Mom left again for my aunt's heart cath and I managed the home again. I have to admit that it is a bit much for me to handle. 

My sister has also been here with her new baby, but I have not had to do much for her.

I am looking forward to heading home next week and trying to establish our "normal" routine again.

We've arrived!

Nearly a week late, I am finally updating again. We arrived in Pensacola last Monday. My Dad flew in on Sunday, we packed and loaded up the van and headed out at 2:45 Monday morning. The boys were amazing travelers. I could not have asked for better behavior. They both stayed awake for an hour or so after being put in the car. Canon needed a potty break before he could go back to sleep, so our first stop was around 3:15 or so. After that they both drifted off and slept for a while. Dad woke up with a headache and was having trouble staying awake, so I took over just before 4:00 a.m. All of the boys slept until about 7:00 and I drove us through Dallas. I still can't believe I survived that! We stopped around 8:00 for breakfast and to stretch our legs and fill up the van. We rode on for a couple of hours and took another potty break or two. Traveling with a potty training toddler is quite an adventure! One of the highlights of our trip was stopping in Louisiana for lunch and meeting my Grandma, aunt and cousin. Canon and Boaz really enjoyed that stop! After lunch the boys drifted off for another nap (they both napped in the morning as well) and we continued to Pensacola. I knew we would start falling apart near the end of the trip and this was the case. When the boys woke up from their naps they were nearly done with their car seats. When it started getting dark again, we were all ready for change. We arrived in Pensacola at about 5:30 p.m. 15 hours worth of traveling with two toddlers, a dog, a pregnant woman and no DVD player was quite an experience. This is not a task that just anyone would volunteer to undertake and I am so thankful my Dad was willing to tackle the drive for us. 

So, we are here and adjusting to the weather and thankful to not have to turn around and head home any time too soon.

A Short Trip

This is the only picture with all three faces!




(Yes, this Gorilla is going to the bathroom in the background!)

The boys and I have had a very special last couple of days. On Thursday, after dance class, we headed up to Wichita, KS. We went there to visit some friends Albert and I met in Enid, OK about 3 1/2 years ago. We lived near them for about a year, then we moved and still saw them a couple of times, then they moved out east, and now they are back in Central U.S. We are so thankful to have them near by again!

The drive took about 2 1/2 hours and they boys did wonderfully. I planned to leave right at nap time and I have to say that the trip was a dream! The boys fell asleep right away and woke up about 45 minutes from their house. I only had to stop one time and that was just a quick pull off of the interstate to give Bo his pacie. Once we got there, the big boys took to each other right away. Canon loved their swing set and sandbox! The next day we visited the local zoo and saw several very fun things. We were able to see penguins swimming and a variety of animals going to the bathroom. (This is always funny to me for some reason.) We even got to walk through a petting zoo. All of the kids did a great job and passed out in the car on the way home. That evening and this morning we just hung out and visited with them. The boys and Hannah enjoyed chasing each other around and I enjoyed visiting and having adult conversation with Kim. I am very thankful we were able to take this short trip and have such a special time.

The pics on here may look cute, and they are, but you would just have to see how many were actually taken to get this result!