Mexican Rivera 2011

W-O-W. it was amazing. A whole 10 days with friends and my hubby. My mom and dad were amazing to come and stay with our kids at our house through the week and Cody's parents kept them on the weekends. It was crazy to be without any responsibilities. It was so foreign. No packing diapers, wipes, snacks, binkies. :) We ported at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. I attempted Scuba diving. Ha, i made it into the water and started to panic so i spent the day on the boat while everyone else experienced the sea life. Cody said it was amazing. I'm proud of him. And then we rented scooters in Cabo and toured the town. That was so great. It was an eye opener to see how these people live. It was a humbling experience for me. I complain alot about our house and the size. Woof. These families are living in shacks, literally. Pics to come.

In Puerto Vallarta we went zip lining. That is a must if you visit there!!! That was the funnest adventure for me. We got to repel down a mountain and free fall. Ahhh, it was so not like me. I'm not too adventurous but the group we went with are super go getters. So it was good to get out of my comfort zone. Mexico was crazy but in a good way. I loved bartering for our goodies. That was pretty entertaining. And the cruise ship was so neat-o. All the food and the entertainment was superb. We loved it. Laying out, eating like a piggy, watching Kim the karoke D.J. was the highlight of out trip. He is classic. If you get on youtube and search the carnival karoake man you should find him. Or just click here. What a hoot. By the end of the trip I was ready to see my babies. I couldn't wait to hold them and have them tell me everything I missed. Its funny how much you grow accustom to the chaos of children. Its always good to get away, it helps you appreciate all that you have back home!

There is a crazy amount of photos, so brace yourself.....

the gang

thats our boat in the background

all the cute girlies

and the studs

scuba diving. yikes

yep, he's real

bartering for our goodies

Austy's B-day, Easter and the Dunes

We'll start from the beginning. My mouse turned 7. Her friend party was a blast. We invited 5 girls over for dinner, movie, Easter egg hunt, and a sleepover. Yah, it was crazy but so much fun. I forgot what its like to have a house full of little girls. i LOVED it. No, really i did. the girls were so sweet and everyone got along. Here's proof.....

She chose an iCarly cake. That girl and her love for Lubert. j/k. (You'll only get that if you watch the show :)




She is growing so fast. She is so open with me. She always tells me when she has done something wrong or if shes having trouble. She also has the biggest heart. There was a little boy she knew from school that people would tease. He never wore new stylish clothes and his hair was never combed. So no one would sit by him at lunch or play with him at recess. When she told me this my heart broke and I started to tear up. She went on to say it hurt her feelings. That she tried to stick up for him and include him. I have never been so proud. I told her to set the example. Make sure you let him play and tell your friends just because some one is different doesn't mean they should be excluded or teased. And to put herself in his shoes. How awful would it be to not have any one sit by you or want to be your friend because of your outward appearance. We had one of those moments. One that a mom will never forget. She is such a blessing to me. We've come a long way together, me and my mouse. From the days we lived together making it through the single mom stage to this crazy, chaotic full house of love.

Now on to Easter and the Dunes!!!

Easter didn't come with too many photos. And if I was able to snap one it was blurry.

Did I mention Austy's birthday and Easter were on the same day this year. Just a little FYI.

We also snuck in a trip to the dunes. There is nothing better then camping with a big group of friends/family.

Brody the stud

best investment / money pit:)

Skylee, Austy, Kelsey, and Berklee
The 4 sand beauties



camping hair

our circle of trust


all the little monkeys

What a great trip. It was our first time taking it out since Cody winterized it and i ended up flooding it, yee gads. Cody handled it pretty well. We've got a lot to learn about trailer maintenance but we are sure making some memories!!!

thanks

All of your comments were so sweet. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I really didn't think anyone ever checked this dusty old blog. But it meant alot to me to see that some still do.

The other day after some terrible wind I'd had enough. Poor Austy's hair just couldn't take me and the snarwls. So we a-lined it. And I LOVE IT!!! I am not a hair person. I don't know how to round brush for the life of me. But we are surviving and she looks so cute. Here's proof.....

just had to add this, a whistle and a miners light. He's off to do some serious workin'

I am in love with animals. We went to my cousins lab. She's an AG teacher:) and we got to see the cutest little chicks and lambs. Oh Springtime is beautiful. Sweet babes. But my favorite was the geckos. I didn't even take pictures because I was so in love with them I couldn't stop smothering them.

pardon the eyes but she was so in love with this chickadee brody contemplating the farm life......

Thanks Janette. What a fun night!

It's about time Benny my clothes are going out of style

Nobody probably reads this anymore but for the sake of my parents and my own memories here we go-
* Christmas 2010 was a ball. Our family was complete and Cody didn't have to work. The kids enjoyed every last minute with Brody's four wheeler and Austy her American Girl Doll. But the best is obviously being with family. Nothing beats cuddling up and enjoying a little Christmas Vacation.

* January brought with it the obsession of THe Wizard of Oz. Brody and Austyn were just infatuated with it. Seriously when Netflix removed it from the instant list Brody shed a tear. He was in love with the green witch. He'd sit there glued to the tube with his fingers in his mouth!!

* February brought a Birthday for my Brody. #3. I just can't fathom where the time has gone. Potty trained-no. speaking fluent English-no. well behaved little boy-no. But best looking brown -eyed boy I know of-yes. He melts me like no other. "neese no spank me mom". I hear that phrase about 5 times a day. Priceless!!
But February also brought with it alot of pain and sadness. Grieving for a loved one does not get easier. It doesn't pass in the first few years. For me it has only gotten harder. Every year there is that awful reminder of 'the day'. The day we all lost a piece of us. I know i am not the same person I was when Raech was here. Oh, how I miss her. And every year that passes it hurts more. The realisation that I will not see her or hug her until its my time to go devastates me. I literally feel it hurt inside my chest when I think about what could have been. This year I spent a good week in my pajamas, lost. She had friends come out and meet with the 'rents' and go to lunch to reminisce. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't will myself to go see their smiley faces and talk about Raech in the former tense. I told my dad there are days were you push back the memories of Raech just to get through the day, to function for the ones left here. But in all of this I've made progress. I've let myself open up a little bit=It's OK to remember those smiles, those hugs, those amazing sister talks. It's OK to be mad and absolutely devastated. It's OK to have a breakdown and even alright for others to see those emotions. It was a tough month.

*March brought Easton's 1st birthday. Oh that little easy going toad. He is going to be able to handle anything with a brother like Brody. He has an amazing 5 tooth grin and gray eyes. Wonder if that will be a permanent color? walking-no. weaned-no. sleeping through the night- yes!!!!

What you've waited for mom.......

Christmas Eve 2010

Practicing for Halloween '11

Watching the Wizard of Oz for the 1st time

Cody is a tad worried.

I love the way he is envying her

tada

The whole fam damly

the dress up king

Jungle Jim's, Brody b-day, his face says it all. Look at Austy's :)

Mine??

Put 'em up bucko

um, I don't know about this

seriously best sister ever!!!

My last baby??? Who knows.

I'm ready for Spring!! I'm ready to see little ones in my backyard while I make dinner. Swinging in the sunshine. Running around with Sadie, playing catch. Eating ice cream and riding their bikes up and down our street. Oh those days are so close I can smell them. Woo Hoo!!