Three Men & a Little Lady

Camping at Hocking Hills

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

We LOVE camping. Camping in the summer in Ohio is too too hot. We decided to go over Labor Day weekend. We figured that by then, the weather might not be so hot and humid.

We were wrong! There was a heat wave that weekend. I'm talking serious heat and humidity. Mid 90's and air so thick you wouldn't believe!

We went with our great friends, the Udink's. Monica and I were both at the end of our first trimester in pregnancy. She had a flattened Capri Sun box that she was using as a fan. She threatened serious consequences if it was to accidentally end up in the fire. I wish I would have gotten a picture of her with it.

For some reason, my boys get super sweaty. They look like they've been playing in the water but it's just sweat!

Minus the humidity, we had a great time.

We caught frogs.

(Bug nets are a must when camping. That thing was a hit!)

Loved the frog!

Probably to it's death.

Went hiking.

Enjoyed time with great folks.

Got more dirty than thought possible.

Hiked some more.

Kids NEED the outdoors.

We caught a RIVER TURTLE! That was awesome.

Remember that comment about the bug net? Well, Jeff and Ryan played with it about as much as the kids.

They caught frogs, fish, turtles and crawdads.

Okay, the dad's took the kids to the river. Mac comes back with this itty bitty fish.

Oh, gross. I don't want to touch it.

He carried that dead thing around for over an hour. It's guts were coming out of the gills on it's neck. Yuck!

Mac loved it and was in heaven. He was so happy.

I couldn't watch.

Boys!

Mac and Hunter watching the turtle.

Such a great time. I thought this time was busy, we'll see how next summer goes, camping with twins!

Did I mention I'm lucky?

2011-10-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I am pretty lucky.

I think about all the different lives people out there have.

Mine is pretty great.

We are blessed.

These are some reasons why:

Cause my boys have a great dad, that they insist on hanging on him ALL the time.

Cause most of the time, Kam & Mac are good little buddies and they share "the cave" on the bottom bunk.

And look adorable while they sleep.

Cause even though my 4 year old is the king of mess-making, he has such a creative little imagination.

When I find a mess like this, it makes me wonder what he's been up to.

Soup making. What else?

Grapes, carrots & strawberries. Yum.

Cause even the rain is great.

Love my 3 boys.

World of Bounce

2011-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Places like World of Bounce were made for little boys!

...and their moms.

We went with a few friends to World of Bounce in Grove City.

Good times.

Let me introduce

Vanessa & Stephanie

I thought they were pretty awesome for going down kid-less.

I didn't think it was a good idea for me to go down cause I was still in my first trimester and still a little nauseous. Nobody likes barf on stuff like this.

But after they went and made it look all fun, the yellow in me came bursting out and I had to go down.

Kamden couldn't wait to beat me to the bottom!

I didn't barf. I went down again. Then I really wanted to barf. :)

We were having a grand ole time.

Until...some kid bit Mac on the cheek.

SO SAD! He was trying to hug the little boy. Mac was going through a "phase" where if you asked him to stop, he wouldn't he would persist and do whatever he was doing more.

So, he probably just was giving the other little boy super awesome hugs.

Not to go into detail or anything, I'm just gonna say to all the moms out there:

Sometimes your kid does things you might think they would NEVER do.

Like bite my kid.

Just help them learn that we all make mistakes, become better and move on.

It's called accountability.

The battle wound.

Poor Boy.

He was a good sport and learned a good lesson.

Don't hug someone until they bit you.

Backyard Fun

2011-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

It seemed like everyday this summer, the boys wanted to play in the pool.

They could actually play together this year as opposed to last summer when I was constantly playing defense for McKay from his brother and neighbor kids. :)

Now, they're little buddies.

A different kind of dip in the pool.

Ya wanna know the next best thing to a fenced backyard? A long alley way behind your house.

It's perfect for the boys to play in. The only people that drive down it are the few that live on the street.

So, I'd pull up a chair and either read or chat on the phone with family while they just played to their hearts content.

Yes, McKay does look studly.

Kamden, showing off his bike riding skills.

Oh, and notice the non-matching striped shirt and shorts? He insists on choosing his clothing; daily battle.

He said he wanted to be "Strip-ed Man"

Don't remember what he was saying but I do love this picture.

It was bound to happen sometime.

2011-10-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen sometime.

My child cutting his own hair.

I mentioned in the morning that we needed to give the boys haircuts.

He was just being...helpful.

I walked out of my bedroom and noticed a child-size chair in front of the open hall closet door.

*NOT GOOD*

I went downstairs and saw that Kam had gotten the hair scissors, held to the scalp and snip snip.

Now, it could have been worse.

Like, a cut in the front.

Or it could have been a girl with long locks of golden fleece.

It was funny but not funny enough that he should EVER do that again to ANYONE'S hair!

Ohio State Fair...eh

2011-10-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

So...everyone and I mean EVERYONE was talking about The Ohio State Fair.

How great it was. All the fun stuff to do and see. It was supposed to be just smashing!

Well, the traffic was HORRIBLE! We were sitting, waiting to get in for over and hour...in the ghetto.

Once we got there, it was after 7pm and parking was a nightmare. I spotted a space across the way and so I jumped out of the car to hold it.

15 minutes later, still no hubs.

Well, his cell phone was dead, (story of our lives) but he did have mine. After defending the spot from angry parking-spot-searchers, a nice lady that had been chilling in her lawn chair, watching the whole time, offered her cell phone. I called Jeff, he couldn't find me and that is why he never showed. We easily spotted each other (how horrible was life before cell phones? maybe not horrible but miserable...haha.)and headed toward the fair.

Right into the entrance where the Budweiser Horses.

I was impressed. My dad always has a Budweiser Horse calender up somewhere in our house. Not for the beer sillies, for the horses.

Maybe the fair was going to be pretty awesome after all.

That was about the extent of the awesomeness.

Neither of us enjoyed the food. (Which hello, that's the best part of a fair)

ALL of the animal expect for about 3 horses had been taken home or sold. :(

We are el cheapo when it comes to the carny rides. We said the boys could choose one.

The first couple of laps were fun but on about lap 20, they were done.

But I do love this picture. I think they are just so adorable.

Now let me just say, I'm not complaining here, we just didn't have quite the experience we had hoped for.

I think the sitting in traffic for over an hour at dinner time may have had something to do with it.

Our experience was almost comical at the end of the night when we were leaving and didn't accomplish any of the things we had hoped to.

Give me the Caribou County Fair any day. :)

Palmyra

2011-10-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Palmyra Temple

The Sacred Grove

Kamden was looking at these pictures as I was posting them. He said, "I remember that place." I said, "What did we do there?" He said, "We went there to see Heavenly Father." I thought that was so sweet.

The Sacred Grove with John & Shirley

In front of the Smith Frame Home is a big, beautiful ash tree. The tree was planted by the Smith Family when their son Alvin died in 1823. I thought that was so special. McKay is sitting in front of that tree.

Looking toward the Sacred Grove.

At the Pageant an hour or so before it began.

Kamden loved watching the cast walk around before.

We even saw some people from our ward in NC! That was fun.

This boy was from Abu Dhabi.

The Pageant

What a GREAT experience this whole trip was.

Niagra Falls

2011-10-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Niagra Falls was our next stop.

I was the only one who had never been there so we decided to go on the Maid of the Mist.

We went right up, almost into, Horseshoe Falls.

I think the boys had a pretty good time too.

Kamden likes to pose for EVERY picture. He's such a ham.

American Falls

Cutest 2 year old on the ferry!

I just had to laugh at these pics. I was sitting on a bench and could tell that Jeff was sharing some of his "knowledge" with his mom.

We like to call him "Tour Guide Johnson".

View from the US/Canada bridge.

Crossin the border.

Horseshoe Falls

We ate at this restaurant that had these porcelain faced mannequins.

It was weird. But, the boys thought they were awesome.

They kept touching them, I think to make sure they weren't going to move.

View from the top of Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.

Mac was beat from the long walk.

He finally fell asleep once we reached the top of the path.

He wasn't sweaty. His hair is wet from the mist of the falls.

Kamden and his Grandma. :)

John Johnson Farm

2011-10-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

In July, Jeff's parents came to visit. We went to the John Johnson Farm just outside of Kirtland, Ohio. It was such a great experience.

In about...NO pictures were Kamden and McKay looking at the camera.

All of these doors were hand painted. Jeff was impressed.

And, he's too tall for the doors. Watch your head.

Family Pic in the John Johnson Home

The man on the left is not THE actual John Johnson, he is John Johnson however and just so happens to have dressed the part. :)

Jeff kept teasing his dad that he looked Amish.

He kinda did. :)

Gatorade=Happiness

We went through the largest Amish community in Ohio.

We tried our darnest to get some good pics.

These guys were going so FAST!

I had to put this picture on here. My mother-in-law and I were laughing so hard. As we passed the buggy, we both tried to get a good picture. I got the front of the buggy and she got the back.

It was hilarious.

Maybe you had to be there. :)

#3 & #4

2011-08-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yep...that's right. We're having TWINS!

We went in this morning for my first trimester ultrasound. As soon as it was on there, I saw 2 little circles and knew it was twins. Jeff thought, "Huh, that's interesting. There's a mirror image." That's no mirror image Jeff.

The Dr. said, "I've got a surprise for you two. It's twins." I was so excited, I got a little teary. Jeff about fell off the chair. He said, "What?!" He kept asking, "Are you SURE?" The Dr. kept saying, "100%."

I'm 11 weeks and they are due around March 18th. So, for about 2 weeks we'll have 4 kids, 4 and under. (Kam turns 5 the end of March)

Who's ready to come visit?

Buck Creek

2011-08-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

What creek? Yeah, I don't think it's a very good name for it either. It sounds like butt or some other thing that nobody should be saying.

But, it's very fun and we got to spend the day of the 4th with great friends.

McKay loved the beach, the water, all of it. He loved the water so much that he would just walk out in it, right up to his shoulders.

Jeff was playing football and had to run for the water to stop Mac. Mac didn't stop so yes, Jeff had to run in with his shoes on to catch him.

All the kids loved our friends little doggy.

Most of the guys were content to not swim but rather play football and catch.

I loved this pic cause Jeff is getting ready for the long distance throw.

The Johnson's, Talbot's, Hayslip's, Crowley's, Rasmussen's & Fisher's.

I don't know where Eric was for the pic.

The Thompson's and Beeston's had left by the time we got a pic.

At the fireworks in Hilliard.

They played music and it's pretty obvious that the kids had a great time!

Red, White & Boom

2011-08-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

McKay gearing up for a long night.

Kamden & Elise loving the sparklers.

McKay loved balancing on this little camp chair.

Enjoying the dessert.

I especially love this picture because Kam is "pretend" sleeping.

**Happy 4th of July!**

McKay is 2!

2011-08-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

My baby boy is 2!

He is sweet and happy and we love him so much.

He woke up to find that the birthday fairy had helped decorate and even brought him balloons!

We went bowling!

Mac loved it despite Kamden continually asking when we were going to go eat.

Birthday Boy

It's pretty much impossible to get a good pic of a 2 year old.

He LOVED his tricycle.

Hence the past tense in LOVED. Turns out, the front wheel doesn't hold up too well when a 230 lbs grown man rides it around the block like a scooter.

I even have to laugh now. Notice Jeff's foot in the picture below? It's like he was just waiting to take it for a spin.

What is it?!

Ah! Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head!

What a nice boy to share.

McKay, we love you!

We are so happy you are part of our family and our lives.

Part 6-The Grand Finale!

2011-08-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

After Sister's Weekend, my family dropped me off in Spanish Fork for the last few days.

The boys had so much fun, I don't know if they even noticed I was gone. :)

This post has so many more pics of McKay but he just kept doing all these cute little things.

Like wearing Baylie's hair bow.

And thinking he was pretty cool.

Then showing that it's okay to wear a hair bows AND play baseball.

But to really LOVE the airplane mommy got in St. George.

But a tutu is always a good change. Especially with the diaper hanging out the back.

For as long as I can remember, Kamden has lined things up.

Food, toys, rocks, sticks, anything!

He loves the tramp and his army guys so...life is good.

We also celebrated McKay's 2nd birthday!

What 2 year old wouldn't love that cake?

Delish

Always sad to say goodbye but it won't be forever.

Thanks everyone for such a great trip!

See ya next time.

Part 5 -St. George

2011-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

SISTER'S WEEKEND

Every year, all the 'sisters' on my dad's side have a weekend getaway.

Sisters, moms, aunts, cousins, grandmas, nieces...if your a girl and a Barthlome, you're in.

I haven't been able to go for the past few years and I'm always sad that I have to miss it.

This time, our trip worked out so that I could go. Yeah!

Jeff's mom watched the boys so I really did have an all girl weekend.

This year it was in St. George and my parents/grandmas house.

I LOVE ST. GEORGE!

I want to live there.

It was my dad's youngest sister's 50th!

Did I mention it's his YOUNGEST sister who was turning 50?

She beautiful and fabulous and doesn't look a day over 29. (seriously)

So, we all dressed appropriately...in black of course.

Everyone gave her 50 of something.

We played a game all about Aunt Penny.

And had such a good time.

A GREAT time actually.

There are 6 sisters and 2 sisters-in-law so needless to say, all of their families together make for a lot of 'sisters'.

We had 6 air mattresses, 2 hid-a-beds, 3 regular beds and the floor.

Let's just say we were cozy.

The first day, I noticed an earring in the screen door. Weird. I later learned the reason for the earring.

I am much much taller than most of the other 'sisters'. The only other 'sister' that is near my height is my 'sister' Robyn and she's right up there with me. All of the other 'sisters' are so small. So, my aunt was walking from the living room out onto the patio and I think the earring was a little too high for her eye level. She walked right into the screen! Knocked it off the runner and bent it a little. It was hilarious. But I think the best part was watching 6 'sisters' trying to get the door back on.

We finished the night off playing games and enjoying the company.

The 'Sisters'

I am so glad I got to go this year and I missed my aunt and cousins that couldn't make it.

Maybe next year!

The Barthlome Sisters

Part 4- More Idaho

2011-08-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

I love Kam's glasses in this picture. What a nut.

Playing with Hinkley, Paisley & Averee.

Unfortunately, in Grace & Spanish Fork, it was very cold and windy while we were there.

We thought outside the box and took the kids bowling. It was a HIT!

The pictures of it where blurry but McKay would not let me help him with his 6 lb bowling ball! (refer to previous post~ Mr. Independent)

He HAD to be the one to take it off the stand AND carry it to up to roll is down the aisle.

Mac, Raife and Hinkley

Just chillin at GG's

Haircuts from Toni.

I usually cut my boys hair but it's always nice to leave it to the experts every now and then.

Mac did pretty good for his first 'professional' haircut. He even sat still with a little bribery of gum.

This picture cracks me up. They all climbed up for the picture and Kamden put his arm around Mac.

"Oh, so cute. What a nice brother."

Paisley saw/heard this and grabbed Cole around the neck for the same effect.

It was pretty funny.

To say my mom loves lady bugs is an understatement.

Like, she seriously loves these bugs.

I saw this pattern at JoAnn's and thought I'd make an attempt at following it.

I ALWAYS ask my mom lots of questions on whatever sewing project I'm doing so needless to say, there are a few mistakes. But...it's finished. That's always a good sign.

Now cause I think I'm so funny...this is how I gave it to her.

Me, walking into the kitchen where my mom is.

me: Mom! There is a huge bug on your bed. I can't kill it. I can't do it. Go look at it. It's HUGE!

Mom, stomping from the kitchen to her bedroom.

mom: Oh. Somebody probably left the door open. I just can't keep them out.

SIKE!

It was so hilarious. I'm sure I didn't do the story justice but we had a good laugh.

Part 3-Idaho

2011-08-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

How the 2nd part of the trip usually starts.

On our way up to Idaho.

Baby owls in my parent's tree.

How things go at Grandma's house.

Goody in mouth, carrot jammed in a toy.

We helped Rachel put together a garage sale.

We had so much fun...once 10 pm hit.

We found some real treasures.

All in all it was a hit and a fun way to spend some time together.

Back up to Idaho.

We were all looking forward to 6 wheeler rides. What we weren't expecting were the BUGS!

We had to drive with one hand up to block our faces and squint our eyes. When we got back, we were covered in BUGS. They were EVERYWHERE!

Then on to celebrate some June birthdays.

My mom, Hinkley, McKay, and Nate.

Happy Birthday all you June Bugs!

Part 2-Still Utah

2011-08-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

We went up Spanish Fork Canyon to see just how high the water was.

Yep, it was very high.

Everyone had fun throwing rocks into the river.

Especially this little man.

Kamo with the Gramps.

Jeff was always a shot-put kinda guy at heart.

Cuzzins playin.

Yeah! Eggs.

No, chalk.

Mac was so much happier this trip. Last time he was such a momma's boy.

Lisa won him over pretty quick with Mickey Mouse.

Tyler with Sophie, Baylie with McKay, Katelyn with Sarah.

Amy, Elissa, Lyndzi, Lisa

(missing Sharon & Kris)

What's that? Oh really. You think we're fabulous? Okay.

Part 1-Utah

2011-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Jeff & I know how lucky we are to be able to fly home to see our families.

We both have such wonderful families and our boys LOVE spending time with their grandparents and cousins.

We flew from Columbus to Vegas then back to SLC.

(Doesn't make sense to me either)

From Vegas to SLC, the boys slept.

That is how all plane rides should be. Child or adult.

BBQ our first night in Spanish Fork.

Watching a movie with some of the cousins...and Aunt Lisa.:)

Chuck-O-Rama

Kam thought he was pretty awesome that he got to sit with the big kids.

The Bean Museum

Boys + Animals =Heaven

They loved it.

Um, can you be anywhere near Provo and not go to Brick Oven?

I love me some Cream O' Broccoli.

Then Jeff was put to work helping Dan fix the disposal.

He usually helps his mom with things that are up high or heavy cause you know, he's so big and strong. Well, it's good to be needed right?

Mr. Independent

2011-08-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone that has ever had a 2 year old...met a 2 year old...been around a 2 year old...or seen a 2 year old from a distance, knows that they like to be what we'll call INDEPENDENT.

Oh McKay. The little dear. I love him so much. The other morning, this was so hilarious that I couldn't help but laugh, take pictures and video. He LOVES my high heels. He wanted to walk down the stairs but found that it was a little challenging. Hello, I still clutch onto the handrail as I'm walking down the stairs in those killers.

Mad that I had the camera.

Refusing any assistance.

(Don't mind the mess on the stairs. Garage Sale day)

This picture is to show that he really can be happy and sweet and cute and that I do love him.

*Dunno why but Blogger wouldn't let me post the video of the little outburst.*

"Dat Tower"

2011-08-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

These boys LOVE pickles!

Mac kept saying, "Dat tower." (That's sour.)

Ringling Brothers VS. Johnson Brothers

2011-08-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

In May, the circus came to town.

I went once about 10 years ago and LOVED it.

I was so excited to be able to take the boys. (Jeff too, he'd never been to one either.)

For Kam, the highlight was the elephants.

For Mac, the highlight was the cotton candy.

Gone so fast, I couldn't even get a picture!

Grand Finale!

Attempt at a family picture.

Even though we had seats in the nose-bleeds. The boys loved it.

I think Jeff did too. ;)

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-07-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

In April we went to Cincinatti for Jeff's job. While he was in meetings, the boys and I hung out at the hotel and swam.

We even had a view of a rainbow from our room!

The conference was at the Great Wolf Lodge. It's an indoor water park.

We had so much fun. So much that I didn't get hardly any pics.

They had the coolest area for kids. Both the boys went down a swirly water slide on their own. Even Mac!

Easter

2011-07-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

I think this is one of my favorite pictures...ever.

Kamo filling up his basket.

End result = 3 muddy, happy boys.

Easter Morning

On the hunt for the basket.

That sly bunny hid Kam's in the tree!

Happy Easter!

Jesus Lives

(It's like Christmas. Have fun with the holiday but

always remember the purpose of the fun.)

Picture that are too good not to blog.

2011-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Camp Site

Breakdown:

crumpled up paper=fire

snakes=roasting sticks (hence the mini mallows)

dog=watch dog

little people=the family

Kamden is SO ready to go camping. We can't go until at least September. It's way too humid right now.

SLIME!

Who doesn't love some slime?

Ice Cream is cold. You've got to get dressed for it. Be prepared.

Both shirtless and loving it.

Mac fell asleep waiting for me to lay him down for his nap.

Kam wearing every trinket he could find.

Love the pose kid.

At the park.

Bath Time

Painting Birdhouses

Zoo Lights/Anniversary

2011-07-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

I know things are a little out of order here but I'm catching up!

We went to the Zoo Lights on our 5 year anniversary.

The boys loved it!

Kam touched a snake. I would never be that brave...EVER!

Happy Anniversary!

4, 4, 4,...4!

2011-07-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Kamden is 4!

He got a bike that McKay loves almost as much or more than Kam.

He's 4, it was time to get ride of his baby blanket. He loves McKay's so I made Kamden one with a big "K".

Pirate Party!

Arg Matey!

Keeping 9 little boys together was, we'll say, interesting.

They all had to hold hands on the way back from the treasure hunt.

I didn't wanna lose one of them.

Dinner of choice~Spaghetti

I love you Kamden!

New York City

2011-07-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

We went to NYC in October for Jeff's work.

It was a short trip but we had a great time and crammed in all we could in Manhattan.

This is a view from our hotel room at night.

In the day light.

I love the TODAY show. I watch it about every morning. I was so excited that we were going to be there on Halloween. We dressed the boys up and went all early thinking we would be able to get up close. Aparently half of NY had the same idea.

This is about as close as we got. They were all dressed up for Halloween too!

After a long drive all night, this is what the boys thought of the TODAY show.

After we all got naps, the boys and I went to Central Park while Jeff went to some meetings.

Kam got to climb the rocks.

An old wooden playground in the park.

"I'm gonna take you down. Down to China town!"

The front of our hotel.

Empire State Building

The boys did so good. The trip involved a lot of waiting.

Classic NYC-Cab, birds, old building, ya know.

Manhattan Temple

Mac & Jeff by the Hudson

Wall Street

Why does every guys think they need a picture with this?

Well, they got their picture and now I'm posting on the blog.

Are they embarressed? Probably not.

We had a great trip. Hopefully we get to go back and spend more time someday!

Oh hey, what's this?

2011-07-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

So, do you ever stumble upon something and realized you had completely forgotten about it? Yeah, that seems to have a happened with my blog.

Well, #1 is watching a show and #2 is napping. Let's see what I can get done on here.

BTW, I used to judge those peeps that said they just didn't have time to blog cause they were too busy doing other stuffs. I was like, "What?! I love to blog. I do it all the time. blah, blah, blah." I guess what I'm trying to say is...don't judge me. :)

Super Saturday

2011-04-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Super Saturday

Our ward hasn't had a Super Saturday in at least 4 years. We decided it was time.

It was so much planning, so much fun, and I'm so glad it's over.

The prep took weeks but the "fun" started on Friday night.

We divided the 96 hour kits into individual bags for each person.

Makenna divided the pictures for the family name boards.

The day finally had arrived.

We were celebrating the birthday of the Relief Society.

I wanted the sisters to leave feeling like they had a good time but were also spiritually lifted.

We had a sister come and speak to us about Women of The Restoration.

Then the crafting began.

Making the quiet books.

Making the Family Name Boards

I asked Kacey to teach us how to make granola and pita bread.

Of course she did AWESOME! Since we couldn't use the oven in the kitchen to cook the pita bread, she made the cutest video.

She put so much time into this and it was so fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix4HYxTkpr4

Kacey and her awesome granola making skills.

Monica, Makenna and I had so much fun planning this activity.

I never realized just how much went into these things.

You never do until you've done it. Then even after, we seem to forget.

The planning committee has dwindled over time as girls seem to move away but there were so many sisters that were willing to help. Even those that helped clean up afterwards were a lifesaver.

The Finished Products

Family Name Board

Letter pictures taken from architecture around the SLC Temple.

(Johnson)

Glass Etching

Magnets

ABC Quiet Book

96 Hour Emergency Kit

The Fun Ship-Day 7 Fun Day At Sea

2011-04-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ah, last day on the boat. Supposed to be relaxing, right? Not really.

We were all hanging out on the deck and Jeff and I decided to go sit in the hot tub.

(It was SO windy up on the deck.)

One of the "Fun Directors" started asking for volunteers. He looked directly at the hot tubs. Like people sitting in there wanted out and to go stand in the wind or something. Well, Jeff and I were trying our darndest to go unnoticed. So much so that the "Fun Director" noticed our aversion to making eye contact with him pointed out the couple that was avoiding him. He got us! We unwillingly volunteer to be part of the show. So, being the kind, nice, let's-include-everyone-that-we-can people that we are, we felt that we needed to involve Andy(my bro-in-law), who was also just chillin in the hot tub.

5 men vs. 5 women

Sycronized Swimming

We've got this. Right ladies.

Well, he sends us ladies down a level to work out a routine. About 10 minutes later he comes down to watch what we have and tell us we are going to blow the guys out of the water. Oh, and to remember, our music is going to be VERY SLOW.

Like I said, we've got this.

Well, we did our routine. I would have given it a 5 out of 10.

Not very good.

The Men...

My thoughts as I'm watching the men.

"What?!"

"K, they are looking really good."

"How did they come up with that?"

"I didn't know Jeff could move like that."

"That's a little close if you ask me."

Getting ready for the finale.

Andy Ala Grand

Yes, they killed us. 10 out of 10!

The crowd went wild!

Little did we know, it was RIGGED!

They taught the guys their routine! What?!

Well, they did do a pretty good job. Any group of men that will rally together, spin in cirlces, prance, and lift another man in the air should win something.

Our last night with our awesome waiters, Wika and Gusti.

Brooks's birthday.

Every night by dad and Brooks ordered the chocolate molten cake. They would scrape their dish clean and then finish off anybody else's.

They weren't leaving that table until they finished!

Everyone outside of their rooms our last morning.

Our room.

It was one of my favorite vacations EVER. I can't wait to go on another cruise.

I loved spending so much time with Jeff and my family. We had such a great time and made such fun memories.

Thanks again family!

Love you all.

The Fun Ship-Day 6-Cozumel

2011-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

COZUMEL

By far, the most beautiful water.

Tulum

Passing through the wall, entering the city.

Iguana

They were all over.

This was one of my highlights.

Visiting Tulum and seeing the ruins of a city that once was, was pretty incredible.

Looking at it from an LDS perspective only strengthens what I believe about Christ and His visit to the Americas that is recorded in the Book Of Mormon. I felt like I was walking through the American Jerusalem.

I am so glad that I got to share this experience with Jeff and my entire family.

Helaman, our tour guide.

At the top standing behind the temple. We are facing the water. There is a reef directly in front of this temple that protected the city from unwanted incoming ships.

Heading back to the ship. It was a long, exhausting day but I would do it again in a heatbeat. Oops, I mean heartbeat.

I love this picture too because you can see all of the cruise ships that were in the port.

The Fun Ship-Day 5-Belize

2011-04-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Belize

Zip lining in Belize was awesome!

Brooks and I opted out of the cave tubing and Mayan ruin tour to go zip lining.

We (and by we, I mean me) were a little freaked out a first but after that first initial jump is was SO worth it.

I didn't get many pictures of it. Sometimes I feel like I'm so worried about getting a good picture that I miss the joy of the moment.

It was fun too to spend some time with Brooks.

Hiking to the top.

Brooks, my brother, the Chilean miner.

They suggested wearing jeans, he wished he wouldn't have. Wranglers and humidity don't really mix.

Feet brushing along the tops of trees in Belize...not too shabby.

This is only okay in a foreign country. Then it gets posted on a blog when you get home.

We got to eat in the top of a restaurant, enjoy the scenery on the drive to and from, and go zip lining. Pretty great day.

The Fun Ship-Day 4-Roatan

2011-03-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mahogany Bay

Roatan was seriously so beautiful. The port was right next to the island.

Roatan is still pretty new to the tourism industry so we just stayed right in this little area in the picture. My parents went on a tour of the island and visited an iguana farm.

(Their excursion was way better than ours.)

All of my siblings and the spouses went on the same excursion. We got to ride a lift to the beach, soak up some sun, play in the water and go clear bottom kayaking. (Kayaking is probably better when it didn't rain the day before causing yucky brown water.)

Robyn was brave a let this little crab we found in the water hang out on her arm for a while.

Riding back to the boat for lunch on the sky lift.

Jeff and Andy went snorkeling. Jeff encountered a bunch of sea weed so he started swimming backwards to get out of it. His foot either hit some coral or a little sea creature bit his foot.

He felt immediate pain, got out and his foot was bleeding.

He could hardly walk and the pain was pretty intense.

We heard that if you see the medic on the ship that they won't let you off for 24 hours. So, we used some super strength antibiotic a bandaid and called it good.

It bothered him the rest of the cruise but he didn't let it stop him from having a good time.

Strawberry Pina Colada...yum

Chillin in the 21 and older part of the boat.

Good bye Roatan. I hope to see your lush green hills again someday.

The Fun Ship-Day 3-Grand Cayman

2011-03-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Grand Cayman

Turtle Farm at Boatswain's Beach

There were pools and pools full of turtles. You could pick them up and hold them, then put them back into the water. It was even more awesome than it looks!

Brooks holding a turtle.

Jeff LOVES turtles and it just so happens that his arm is in everyone elses pictures too, trying to touch a turtle. :)

Video:

of Brooks holding a baby turtle. I love the flapping arms.

(He didn't know I was videoing, that's why he walks away at the end.)

Snorkeling

I finally got brave enough to pic up a big one.

Our ship. We had to tender into Grand Cayman and I thought this was a pretty good shot of the boat.

Watching the comedy shows was definitely one of our favorite things to do.

We had 'our couch' and it was perfect for 10!

The Fun Ship-Day 2-At Sea

2011-03-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was a Fun Day At Sea. There was SO much to do on the boat!

My favorite part was playing with my family. We hadn't seen any family since October when Jeff's parents came to visit and it had been since August since I had seen my family.

Jeff, Andy, and Andrea...showing off their "skills".

I will say, all 3 of those people on the court...in-laws.

After a nice work out with Robyn, she talked me into taking a picture with...the green guy.

Family Feud

The Women vs. The Men

Brooks, Andy, Jeff, Jon, Daddy-o

Ah, it was Valentine's Day. How romantic.

It was really nice to see everyone together with their spouses and actually enjoying conversations without little kidlets running around.

The lovely model Jeff here, presenting his chocolate heart shaped Valentine dessert.

Formal Night

Zee ladies

Zee man

It was so fun to get all dressed up and fancy-shmancy. Jeff for some reason was carrying my mom's purse. He likes to think outside the box. What a fine necklace it turned out to be. Oh and yes, he did walk the length of the ship like this.

The Fun Ship-Day 1

2011-03-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

In December 2009 my parents wanted to Skype with ALL of the family. Everyone crammed into my parents computer room and Jeff & I were in North Carolina.

They told us they were going to take all of us on a cruise! No kids!

So, after a long year of waiting; a cruise ship that caught fire, a canceled cruise and sick family member, we FINALLY got to go.

It was awesome. There were 10 of us and none of us had ever been on a cruise before.

We went to the western Caribbean and stopped in 4 places.

Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize & Cozumel

Our journey is a follows:

Excited to go! Let's be honest here, we really did miss our kids but a week away from a 3 and 1 year old was a pretty sweet deal.

Outside of our hotel in Miami, waiting for our cab.

Yes, more waiting at the Port of Miami.

Finally, we set sail!

There were about 4 other ships that left at the same time.

This is Fisher Island. I could live there.

The folks.

The hubs.

The medal.

Yeah, I won a Carnival Bronze medal. How? I won a trivia game.

It was the first night so I didn't know any better. I thought it was a real honor. cough cough

That was until I realized they hand these things out like candy to anyone that is willing to participate. I ended up winning another one but that story will come in a later post.

Ah, the end of our first day. My favorite part of a vacation. You are finally there and you still have the entire time to enjoy.

Bermuda, Bahama, Come On Pretty Mama

2011-02-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

I'd be a little jealous too...if I were stuck at home...with the snow.

But, I'll let you know how it goes.

Family Pictures

2011-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Columbus has a German Village that Jeff and I love. We had a "good" time

taking our family pictures down there.

Any good tips to get a 1 & 3 year old to smile simultaneously while looking at the camera?

Yeah, me neither.

These boys of mine.

2011-02-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

How are these boys growing so fast? Everyday they do things that make me laugh, bit my tongue, want to scream into a pillow, surprise me, and make me love them SO much more!

They are so smart and I am trying to enjoy everyday with them. Hence the reason I'm a little behind on the blogging.

They are some pretty awesome little guys.

Mac sleeping.

Kam sleeping.

Kamden LOVES letters and spelling.

I can barely keep up with the speed that his mind is going.

Mac LOVES food.

Every morning I say, "Mac, are you hungry? Do you want to go eat breakfast?"

He runs down the hallway saying or better yet, yelling, "EAT! EAT! O-mill." (translated-oatmeal)

Bed Head

Jeff keeping the boys busy while I was sewing.

Halloween!

2011-02-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

I know the every mother thinks their children are the cutest but have you ever see a cuter Dragon and Skunk? I mean really people.

This is at our ward Halloween party.

I just can't get over Mac as a Skunk. It just makes me so happy to see him dressed up like this.

Skunk on the run!

Check out that little paw.

So, I love Halloween, dressing up and all. Everyone was SUPPOSED to dress up. Supposed is the key word here. We were maybe 2 of 6 adults that were decked out.

At least WE had a good time. :)

I just love this picture. Let me tell you why.

Some may look at the picture below and think, "Wow, that guy thinks that that's a good time?"

I see a dad. A dad who loves his boys and will take the time to do a fishing pond if it makes his sons happy.

Jeff is such a good dad to Kamden and McKay and we are so lucky to have him.

Just another adorable Skunk.

Trick-or-Treating

Kamden of course thinks this is the GREATEST American tradition. People handing out candy by the fist-fulls. I have to say, it is pretty great.

It's only the after-effects that I'm not in love with.

Mac carried the sucker he got from the first house for the rest of the night.

Family comes to town!

2011-02-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

In October Jeff's parents came to Ohio. It was so GOOD to see them.

We went to the Zoo.

Kamden & McKay got to ride the carousel with Grandpa.

Mac was so happy to see Grandma each time around too!

We took them to one of our all time favorite places to eat in Columbus.

Schmidt's

It's the BEST German food in America!

We had an exchange student from Germany when I was in high school. We went to visit her in 2001 and ate some really good food, some interesting food as well. :)

If you ever make your way through Columbus, this is a must!

McKay was in heaven with all of the attention he was getting from his G&G.

We went to the Dayton Air Force Museum.

We drove to Chicago.

Kamden is in his car seat, he's just bent so far over sleeping, you can't see him!

Shirley had and aunt that lived near Chicago. We went to the home where she used to live, got to see some of her things and learned more about her and her family.

I didn't take enough pictures but we had a great time in Chicago.

Jeff and I even got to go to the temple!

The ride home was pretty eventful. One transmission, U-Haul truck and trailer, & rental car later, we made it home.

Hopefully that won't keep them from coming back to visit!

We had such a good time with John & Shirley. There is nothing like a visit from loved ones to give us the boost we need to keep on going.

We love you and hope to see you soon!

Ya know that feeling?

2011-02-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

We all know that feeling of procrastination. Well, that's what I've been doing. I haven't blogged in MONTHS! We are alive. We are happy. And I am behind. So, I am going to update, once a day for the rest of the week and that should catch us up. Then I'll be better, I promise.

"BOO! I scared ya...I think ya"... well, you know the rest.

2010-11-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

I love me some Halloween...and yes the candy does have something to do with it. But so does the dressing up, party having, good times that are to be had.
We put on a little party with some of our friends. We love those little kiddies of our but this one was just adults and we had a great time. Everyone came up with some great ideas.

We went with the good ole classic:

Frankenstein & Witch

(I love being a witch for Halloween. I have all the necessities on hand, right in my very own closet. har har

This year I put a spin on it...I was a PURPLE witch.)

The Christmas Story-Halloween Style

The Leg Lamp & the Fra-geelay Box

Honey Bee & Her Flower

BOO!

Jack and Sally

The Hunter & His Deer

Wendy, Peter, & Tink

He was Her, She was Him

They were Them

Mmmm...anybody hungry for

a Big Mac and Fries?

Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah. Ting, tang, walla-walla, bing, bang.

Witch Doctor & His Spooky Witch Wife

You said who was coming to my rescue?

Oh, those one Superheros.

The Big Muscled Superheros

Robin: "Holy Halloween Batman!"

"The Ward Majority"

These 2 got my vote. HE was the dental student and SHE was pregnant.

Really Laura is the dental student and Shawn has his own business but pretty much the rest of the ward, the husband is in dental school and the wife is pregnant.

We played Twister Hoopla...so fun.

Jeff & I didn't last long but we still had a good time.

Jeff is definitely my favorite in this picture. We all did something silly. He said he couldn't think of anything so he just turned around. So funny.
Thanks everyone for a fun night!

Not quite the result we had hoped for...but better!

2010-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

So, living in Ohio, there is a bit of a "shortage" on BYU games. Don't worry, Jeff finds his ways via the Internet. There is 1 BYU game on TV here a year. We decided to have a party, a celebration have you.

We invited some friends over and planned on some good grub and game.

Well...BYU lost to UTAH STATE! I know. I was like WHAT?!

Moving on to happier times...

We made Dutch Oven Pizza!

So luxurious, I know.Jeff went all out. He watched all the You Tube videos on the subject.

Made the dough the night before.

Educated Kamden on the proper technique of briquette use.

Made the most delicious, unhealthy pizza around.

We made one pepperoni (man choice) and one BBQ chicken (woman choice).

I know I look ridiculous in this picture...don't judge me.

Jeff put me in charge of making the cobbler.

I could handle that. I'm all about a-can-of-pie-filling-and-dumping-a-cake-mix-on-top kind of cobbler dessert.

Even though BYU got their buns handed to them, the night was so fun and we are most definitely going to be making Dutch Oven Pizza in the near future.

Swim & Soccer Supreme

2010-11-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

We love the Y. Kamden just finished up his first round of swimming lessons and is ready for more! I tried teaching him a little bit last summer but it was pretty much a bust. It was so hard to help him and try to keep McKay happy at the same time. He did so good, one on one with his teacher.
Before I know it, he'll be jumping off the diving board!

We also put Kam in fall soccer.

Let's just say that he excelled at swimming.

During the first game, he ran around with a purple clover in his hand the entire time. I finally had to tell him I'd hold it and he could have it back after he kicked the ball.

I think he'll be a little more into it next year when he's 4 and actually cares.

Do 4 year olds care?

Either way, it was so fun watching him out there sporting it.

Preschool!

2010-11-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Kamden is 3!

We started a preschool co-op with some other mom's from church and he LOVES every single minute of it.

From the end of one Tuesday to the begining of the next...that is literally all he talks about and the letter that they will be doing the next week.

He's made such an improvement too. I'm going to brag for a minute...so you've had warning.

He has know his letters for a long time but now he can write his name! A few days ago he wrote the entire alphabet! I'm so proud of him.

He's also started writting numbers.

First Day

A few weeks ago, I taught the letter C.

The kids are caterpillars wrapped up in cacoons.

Now they are butterflies flapping their beautiful wings.

We made Spider Cookies.
(These are super-delicious too because the pretzels makes it salty with the sweet of the cookie.
Ooh yummy.)

Eating their Cookies with their caterpillars.

We LOVE preschool!

Water Fire

2010-11-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

In Columbus, during the summer, there is a show on the water every weekend.

There is music and then little bonfires on the water.

It sounds cool but it was actually kinda boring.

The company was better than the show.

Thanks Nate for making this picture even BETTER!

Music = Kamden dancing like Elaine on Seinfield.
Columbus at night.

Cowan Lake

2010-10-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

We had to get one last camping trip in before it got cold. We went with our friends, the Udink's, to Cowan Lake. It was so fun...minus the skunk!

The first night, we were all sitting around the campfire before bed. Monica and I decided to take the kidlets to the bathroom before bed. On the way, I noticed something moving in the campsite next to us. As we got closer, we saw 2 skunks! Ahh! So we hurried back and when we got there, Jeff and Ryan asked us if we were doing something over by the food. No, we were not! They had heard something moving over there. I had pulled the pack of hot dog buns out so they wouldn't get smushed. (A 12 pack mind you.) The DIRTY, STINKY skunk had made off with them. We were on high alert. No more action to report for that night. The next night, it was just Jeff, me, and the boys. The boys were asleep and Jeff and I were sitting by the fire. I had my eyes closed and was almost asleep when Jeff whispered as loudly as he could, "Lyndzi...Lyndzi...LYNDZI!" There was a skunk not even 5 yards away, under our picnic table. Freaked out, we moved away slowly and out onto the road. Now what? If that skunk decides to get all crazy and spray or whatever else he might do, he's going to stink up all of our camping stuff AND our sleeping children. Well, after about 15 minutes of standing there, watching the skunk circle our campsite, looking for any remnants of food, we'd had enough. I saw a garbage bag within reach and we realized that the skunk only came when we were really quiet. I started to rattle the bag. He perked his little head up. I rattled some more. He ran away. Well, that was easy. He was gone...for the time being. We decided to go right to bed after that. I woke up several times in the middle of the night (a little paranoid maybe) to the sound of critters circling the outside of our tent. That's the end of the skunk adventure. I'm glad we weren't sprayed and we aren't going back to Cowan Lake anytime soon.

We have a Camp Chef to actually put our griddle on but forgot propane. We had the griddle over the fire but it got too HOT so we moved it onto the grass. The food always tastes better when you're camping. McKay, Kylie, Kamden, & Hunter

Fishing on the Lake

This look describes Mac's opinion of the camping trip. He really wanted out of the stroller, which for some of the time he was but he was still getting the walking thing down.

We love camping and can't wait to find a fun new place to go next year!

The Zoo followed us home!

2010-10-27T03:23:00.001-07:00

Columbus has the BEST Zoo! We love to go. Jeff went with us a few weeks ago on Labor Day.

We went on a little boat ride that goes through some of the animal exhibits.

We only saw 1 bird on the ride! However, Mac loved every minute of it and did the ole "point and grunt". He's adorable.
Oh wait, we saw this wild creature.
We thought this Mandrill Baboon was friendly...until it hit the glass. It shocked Kam a little then he thought it was cool. I think Jeff had more fun than the rest of us...and the rest of us had a great time.

It just kept getting better. I believe the conversation went like this.

Me: "K, I got it."

Jeff: "Wait, I have a better idea. Take this one."

Me: "K, I got it."

Jeff: "Last one."

What a weirdo.

But, he's my weirdo.

WICKED

2010-09-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Niether Jeff or I had ever been to a broadway play. I have wanted to see WICKED for so long and it came to Columbus! How lucky are we?
It was way more than we expected it to be.
Jeff loved it. I loved it. We loved it.

It was clever, funny, and the music was AMAZING!
I haven't listened to anything else for the past 2 weeks but the sound track.
Kamden's favorite song is Popular and he sings along with me.

Did I mention that I loved it and that I want to see it again?
Well, until then...You Tube clips will have to do.

How did I miss this?

2010-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry Kamden. I took these pictures of the cutest 3 year old around and forgot to post them!

These are his 3 year pictures.

Kamden is such a funny kid. He LOVES attention and loves seeing his picture on the camera, it's the taking part that he stuggles with. We did happen to catch a few smiles though.

I love this boy!

I Guess This Is The Sequel

2010-09-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

There are times when the pictures are better at telling the story than all that nonsensical dialog, blah, blah, blah.

I have such a wonderful family and it was so great to see them all. We had a wonderful trip and the proof is in the pictures!

GG with the boys in Park City Oh Raife, there was once a time, not in your lifetime of course, but there was once a time when grandchildren got to open gifts on their own, play with their new toys first, and taste their own birthday cake before any other children.

Like I said, not in your lifetime.
Maybe you can ask your older sisters what it was like.
Kamden, Paisley, & Hinkley
They were threatened with words similar to these, "HOLD STILL SO I CAN GET A STINKIN PICTURE!"

I ran my first 5k. Simple and slow but ya gotta start somewhere.

My 10 year class reunion.

Now before yall go makin fun of it...it was really fun.

All 13 of us, and then some spouses, had a really great time.

Mac

Grace Fish Hatchery

The Barthlome Cousins

These 3 had so much fun together. I think the highlights were having their 1st sleepover with the 3 of them and the trampoline!

We went to Bear Lake.

Between McKay and Raife, I think they ate enough sand to fill a diaper!

So beautiful and we love it there but it was SO cold and windy. :(

You can tell from the sky that a storm was moving in.

Storm has arrived.

Snap a picture and let's get outta here!

Yep, that's Kamden playing barbies with Paisley. I'm not too worried because he pulled off one of their heads. He's all boy.

Barthlome Family Reunion

We had a little carnival and our family made the cotton.

Kamden had a blast. I think the doughtnut eating and face painting were by far his favorite. Right after this picture he just grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth. No wasting time trying to eat it off the string with no hands.

Favorite

Taylor chopped her hair! It was so fun cause all of our family was there to watch the event go down and to see 17 inches come off!

Until next time...

We love you all!

You can have a prequel. You can have a sequel. But what's in the middle?

2010-08-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Either way...this is the first part of our summer trip west.

Jeff's parents got a tramp! He was lucky enough to set it up his first full day there. :)

Even though it gave him and his mom a lot of stress, they are now professionals and hope to never do it again! We got to see everybody! In a nutshell, it was much fun!

Amy is getting pretty good at having twins.

Look! No hands.

We stopped in at my old work and Kam hit up the treasure chest.
Ya think he likes snakes?

I love this pic cause the girls are ready to have their picture taken and the boys, well, they're being boys. Kamden is hilarious.

Cutest Baby Award

After many attempts to go up the canyon, we finally decided we just had to do it, rain or shine.

It was a little cold and a little wet but we had smores so that seemed to make it all worth it.

Jeff flew out after me and went home before me. We really did miss him but overall, the boys did really well. They missed Jeff and so did I. Especially all of his help with the boys.
But...we managed. :)

No matter who we were with it was like, "Where's Kamden?" "Where's Abby?"

"Has anybody seen Chase or Cortney?"
Those kids are...active.

Mapleton Canyon

Mac was such a momma's boy but for about 30 seconds he sat with Katelyn let me take pictures.

G & G Johnson

We had so much fun in Utah and miss EVERYONE already.

Kam has been wandering around the past week asking when his cousins are coming over.

We LOVE living in Columbus and then we go home for a visit and remember just how much we love the west and our FAMILY.

Did I mention that I love blogs, FB, cell phones, etc. and the connectivication that it provides?

The documentation of the rest of our trip will follow shortly.

To be continued...

The Windy City

2010-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

For a month Jeff kept telling me that my birthday was going to be awesome and that it was going to "knock my socks off". He told me we were going to Cleveland and so I figured a baseball game and...what else do you do in Cleveland that falls into the knock-your-socks-off category? Dunno cause we didn't go to Cleveland.

We went to CHICAGO! The first day was a long one for the boys. Kamden fell asleep before we even ordered our food at The Cheesecake Factory.

Mac was fun and full of entertainment, even after an hour wait.

We didn't know this at the time but we would end up walking about 10 miles over the next few days. To some that might not seem like a lot but with children, a stroller, stairs, heat and humidity...just take my word for it...it is really, really long.

Our hotel was about 2 miles from Cheesecake Factory but we got to walk along Michigan Ave and the Magnificent Mile so there was lots to see and enjoy.

He gave up before we got back to the hotel.
How cute are my children?
We have a double stroller but Jeff thought we should take the smaller one and as you can see, the boys handled it just fine.
What would a trip to Chicago be without a ride on the "L" train and a Cubs game a Wrigley Field?

We specifically got tickets in the shade and it made the game so much more enjoyable.

I love sporting events for the atmosphere and that alone. I don't usually end up watching too much of the actual game but this was an awesome experience that I won't ever forget.

Roof Top Seating

This is across the street from the stadium.

Chicago was packed! There were the regular tourists but to add to that. They were also filming Transformers 3. If you enlarge the pic below you can see the bridge lifted with "crashed cars" and in the bottom right corner it also shows a pile of cars. No, we didn't see Shia Labeouf but we did see his trailer.

Chicago Theater

Chicago LDS Temple

My 2 favorite pics of the trip are next. :)

Those make you smile.

Lake Michigan

It was freezing but so clear and so beautiful.

Too bad we left our suits in the car.

Chicago Skyline

My Mowgli

What baby needs clothes really?

Not Mowgli

What everyone else was wishing they could do.

I really wanted to go on a boat ride. We got to go out on the lake and see the skyline.

The boys enjoyed it too.

Even if it was really bright.

I love this one cause the corner of the flag made a special appearance in the pic.

Illinois has 2 light houses.

The train ride on Thomas was a nice finale to the trip.

This is the first time for Mac that he has done something all by himself, like a big boy.

He just is getting so big and I love watching Kamden and McKay play together.

I really did have such a fabulous birthday. I know this sounds ooie-gooie but the best part was just being with my boys. Jeff went above and beyond what he should have and made me feel so special. He was so helpful with the boys and I was able to really have a great time.

This is a side note about the trip that I don't want to forget. We know that there is opposition in all things. This trip was proof of that. We are put in situations that test our character and our patience. It really seems that everything we did on this trip had something good and something bad. So, here's the list:

We had to walk 2 miles each way the first night to get dinner...but we had an awesome hotel on Michigan Ave.

(Yes, we could have taken a cab but we're el cheap-o)

We only had a single stroller...but the boys slept on top of each other.

We had to walk lots...but we got to see the movie set for Transformers 3.

It took us forever to fine handicap access for the stroller to get on the "L" train... but we got to ride the "L" train.

We got cheesecake for my birthday from the Cheesecake Factory...but the wind blew it off the table onto the ground. :(

Kamden had to go to the bathroom so we went into a pizza restaurant and it smelled really, really good so we just decided to eat dinner there and a lady in a blue shirt stole Jeff's wallet...

still trying to find the good in that.

I had a great birthday! I can't believe how fast the time is flying but I am officially in my late 20's. Yikes. I have heard so many people say that their 30's were the best by far but I'm loving this time of life and I am so thankful for what I do have.

Peace out!

Family=Fun

2010-06-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

How lucky am I? Well, pretty darned lucky cause my mom an Robyn came to visit for a week!

We had loads of fun and when I say loads, I mean a lot.

We went up to Kirtland, played games, went shopping, searched high and low for Ohio State regalia, and just chatted to our hearts content.

We all had so much anticipation built up for their arrival that it almost seemed like they were never going to get here. Now they've come and gone and I'm blogging about it. How does that happen?

We went up to Kirtland. My mom and Jeff had both been there before but Robyn and I hadn't. It was so beautiful. I have been to pretty much all of the Utah church history sites but I had never been anywhere that Joseph Smith had been. I was amazed at this place. It brought things back into perspective a little. We have so much. SO MUCH! The early members of the LDS church sacrificed more than I can even comprehend. They lived in such small homes with such large families. The women had to cook every meal over a fire and all the while, tend to the children. Yet, they found time to become truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church today has done such an incredible job with the Visitor's Center to help invite the spirit. The sister missionaries were our tour guides throughout the N. K. Whitney store, school of the prophets and the ashery. They did such a great job. I love the spirit that a missionary carries. It made me miss my mission so much and it still shocks me that I've been home for 5 years! FIVE! Wow. Moving on...

Mac and GG

"Nobody messes with my GG"

Sisters, Sisters (sung to a jolly ole tune)
Mom & Mac
N.K. Whitney Store in Kirtland
The Ashery

Yes, Robyn insisted that we have the full experience by donning the entire outfit! Gloves, apron and holding the huge ladles into the cauldron. (She doesn't get out much)

It was, oh, about 90 degrees with humidity added onto that but at least we've got the memory. Thanks Rob.

Oh and we can't forget the drinks!

Kamden was so curious...about everything. Especially the things that your not supposed to touch. Those things seemed to be calling his name but he had so much fun and the sister missionaries were really fun with him.

Kirtland Temple

My mom is going to kill me for posting this picture but it was SO funny. Kamden wanted "crazy hair" like GG. He thought it was hilarious.

Robyn missed her kids and Andy so much but I was so lucky to have her around. She was so helpful with the boys, especially Kamden. He couldn't get enough of her. When he woke up, he'd go looking for her and if she was downstairs and he was upstairs, he would yell her name and tell her that he was awake and ready to play.

We had the best time and we all miss my Mom and Robyn already.

Thanks for coming ladies and thanks for the fun!

One Year Ago...

2010-06-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

One year ago, my life got a little sweeter. Why? Because you were born.
McKay David

You are one year old. How did that happen? I look at you everyday and figure that you must be growing at warp speed. It is the only explanation for the little boy that is toddling through the house.
You're not walking...yet. You are so close. You are cruising all over the furniture and along the walls.
You can even stand on your own, for a second.
You are happy. You are content and sweet. You are going to be able to hold your own with a brother like Kamden.
You love that little thumb of yours.
You weigh18 lbs. 9 oz-3%
You are 29.5 inches-42%
You make this funny little noise that I can't really even imitate. You sound like your clearing your sinuses and it's hilarious. You blabber and talk to us all day.
Your favorite foods are grapes, cheese, graham crackers & yogurt.

So Big- 1 Year Old!

Dino Cake

You knew something good was coming.
You started out nice and slow with a chocolate kiss.
Decided that was pretty good and went in for more.
and more...
It was obviously a happy outcome.
You loved opening your presents (with a little help from brother) and blowing bubbles outside.
Mac, you are growing so fast and I love watching the little man that you are becoming. I look at you and know that I will always have my little ray of sunshine to make me happy.
We love you!

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
-Elizabeth Stone

Camping in Hocking Hills

2010-06-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was awesome this year. We went camping with some friends and had a most camp-a-licious time!

Kamden & McKay both had plenty of sticks and bugs to occupy their time.

They actually did pretty good. Kamden asked to go to bed the 2nd night. Yes, he asked to go to bed. He was so tired.

As we went on different hikes each day I was seriously amazing at how beautiful everything was.

I kept thinking not only were the natural structures absolutely breathtaking but the people that FOUND these places and built the trails deserve a high-five for sure.

Ash Cave

(Yes, that is a very small water fall behind us.)

Mac~Bright and Cheery in the mornin'

Kam walking up a cool rock stairway
When we got home, I asked Kamden what his favorite part of camping was and he said,
"I burn my finger."

While Jeff was getting the fire going, after many warnings issued by a concerned mother, Kamden touched the metal part of the pit. Yes, it burned his finger and an itty bitty blister formed. I had him sit in his camp chair with his finger stuck in a bottle water, which he did for the rest of the night.

He would take sips of his water throughout the night and by the next morning while eating breakfast, the water level in the bottle was well out of reach. However, insisted on keeping his finger in the bottle.

His finger has heeled but the memory of the burn lives on. :)

"How long have you been here?"
"Many moons..." My angel babyCedar Falls Every hiker needs a good walking stick. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're watching a movie while camping.
Don't judge me.

Upon returning home from camping we had some campfire smell that we couldn't get off for days but it was most definately worth it!

When can we go again?!

Missing...One Ringlet

2010-06-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

The time has come...I had to cut my baby boys hair.

Why? Well, I'm asking myself the same question.

It's kinda funny cause I was pretty determined not to cut it till he turned one but it came on all of the sudden. Before I knew it I had the scissors in hand and we were cutting curls and snappin' pics.

Now, I don't want to hear any comments that I shouldn't have done it cause I'm still a little sad about it all. hehe

It was getting in his eyes and if I didn't have lotion or gel in it, it was looking pretty shabby.

Just look at those curls!

It was a transformation, a bouncing baby to a big boy!

I wanted to make sure I got a good ringlet for his baby book but after that first initial cut I was like, "OH NO! It's too short." By then, the damage was done.

Mac would look adorable with no hair. But the curl...

I guess I better just buck up cause that's part of growin' up.

Big Mac Attack!

2010-05-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

so happy after the bathJeff was reading to Kam before bedtime and Mac was SUPPOSED to be going to sleep,
but was just enjoying the show.

Just checking himself out in the mirror.

Always happy when food is involved.

I love this little man.

Any Suggestions???

2010-04-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

I need some good ideas for Relief Society Meetings. Mid-week activities, quarterly meetings, Super-Saturdays, service, etc.

What have you done that you really liked?

This is some serious business...

2010-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Thumb sucking that is.

How can this be? My baby is 3!

2010-04-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

Kamden loves snakes, monkeys, lizards, caterpillars...wait, I can make a caterpillar, let's go with that.

Kamden's birthday was a few weeks ago but I've been a little slow on the blogging.

We celebrated in Idaho with my family and then again when we got back home with Jeff.

This kid...he's one of a kind. He brings so much happiness to our family and I'm so glad he's mine. He is so happy and brings out joy in others. He loves unconditionally and doesn't hold back anything. Whether good, bad, loud, sweet, or naughty. When he wanders into my room every morning between 6:30 or 7:00, I pretend that I am still asleep but it doesn't last long. How can I not smile when I hear his sweet little voice say, "Morning Mommy, where daddy went?" Jeff is usually in the shower and Kam then ventures over to him and shares the same morning greeting.

Throughout the day, I ask Kam questions and he asks me questions. Here are some of the conversations.

(All of his responses are !!! shouted.)

Me: What's your favorite color?

Kam: Yellow! No, green! No, purple! Colors!

Me: What's your favorite animal?

Kam: Snake, monkey, tiger! All aminals!

Me: How old are you?

Kam: Me three!

Kam: Hey, where Mac went?

Me: He's napping.

Kam: Oh, k Mom.

He is always some kind of animal and assigns everyone else around some sort of animal. "Me monkey, you tiger, daddy lion, Mac lizard!"

Whenever I ask him to do something and he's willing, his response is always, "Alright, k mom."

His favorite foods are:

Cheeseburgers-BURGER!

Chocolate ANYTHING

Chocolate Milk

BBQ Chicken

San-jich a.k.a. meat and cheese sandwich

anything else is a gamble

A big ole elephant is a fun thing unless you have to take it home on a plane in your carry on diaper bag. I'll rethink that move next time but Kam loves it.

He LOVES his scooter. Helmet too I might add. I thought that part was going to be a challenge but he likes to wear it too.

He's getting so fast on this thing.

He would NOT hold still for the picture and this was the best one I could get.

Know fact: It's pretty much impossible to get a good picture of a 3 year old.

How sweet is this?

Now that his birthday has come and gone, everything is a cake with a candle. He shouts, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Blow candle."

I love you Kamo.

Part Two...Idaho

2010-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sure some of you gave up on the idea that part 2 was coming.

BUT...here it is.

Leaving was:

Happy-we got to see Jeff

Sad-we had to leave family

Stressful-flying/traveling with kids isn't pretty

So, we've been home for a week and it's been nice to get back into the swing of things.

Barthlome Cousins

This is at the Grace park.

Can I just say BURRRRRRRRRR!

We lasted for about 5 minutes...maybe.Well, in the previous post, you can see that McKay mastered the 'all-fours' crawling stance.

He literally dived into mastering the stairs.

He went down the stairs about 3 times this way and each time was equally hilarious.

Mac & Papa

My mom got cute little matchy-matchy outfits for the 'little boys'.
McKay-9 1/2 months

Raife-8 months

Cole-4 months

They are all pretty much the same size too!

Poor Raife
For his sake, I hope this isn't a preview into the future.

Mac was pleased as punch to have a crawling buddy.

I love love love this picture.

When my dad walked in the door, Kamden and Paisley ran over to him yelling, "Papa! Papa!"

It warms my heart now just thinking about it.

They miss each other already.

K, this picture was taken when we had been at Robyn and Andy's for about 15 minutes.

I don't want to say that Paisley is a bad influence but...

her fetish with dress-ups is borderline addiction.

Kamden was just happy to be in on the action.

We all had such a good time. We are so blessed to have 2 such amazing families to go and visit. Thank you for taking care of us and for all the fun.

We love you all, miss you already, and can't wait to see you again!

Trip to Utah...Part One

2010-03-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun the with Johnson's.

The time always goes by too fast.

Jeff was busy working the first 3 days but we did get some good days of play in there.Kamden had plenty of time to wrestle with his cousins.
And got plenty of rest to recharge his little batteries. McKay was such a momma's boy and wouldn't go to ANYONE for the first little while.
I knew it was going to be a challenge before we ever got here because he sometimes didn't even want Jeff.
Sharon somehow worked her magic and got him to warm up to her.
I think brownies were involved.

Mac would let me hold the babies as long as he was in on the action.

Sarah & Sophie

Mac has been pulling himself along for over 2 months now and just last week, he decided that he would get up on all fours and really crawl.

Kourtney, Chase, Abby, & Kam

The 2007 babies

to be continued...

Yikes

2010-03-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are leaving for Utah TODAY!!!

I have too many cute pictures on my camera and I've been slacking on blogging.

This post is going to be an overload of adorable and silly pics of my ridiculously cute boys.

He likes his "aminals" just a bit.

If you can't tell.

Obsessive? Maybe.

I don't know much about this picture.

All I do know it that that's pink play dough in my sons ears and my husband took the picture.

Me: Kam, what are you doing?

Kam: Making a caterpillar song.

I'm thinking it's from a book.

He's been on a kick of tearing up little pieces of toilet paper and lining them up all over the place.

I can't remember what he was eating but it looks like he liked it.

He likes food but he LOVES his thumb. This last week was the RS (Relief Society-church group) birthday party. It was SO fun but a little stressful with all of the planning. We had a birthday theme with cupcakes.

I even took my camera that night to take more pictures but totally forgot. :(

We had all of the cupcakes on stands and everything was decorated hot pink, yellow and green.

We made birthday boards (sorry no pic, again, I forgot) and 3 different sisters talked about how RS has blessed their lives over the years.

Kamden has been asking for cupcakes everyday since.

Enjoying a banana

I got this changing table on Craigslist and painted it "Fabulous Red".

It adds so much cheery-ness (not a word??) to the boys room and is a "Fabulous" place for some toys.

headache...and a super invention

2010-03-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

So on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was SO SICK!

I don't remember the last time I felt that crappy.

My head hurt so bad, I was considering labeling it as a migraine. It hurt on my temples and my neck.

The right side of my back hurt like none other. I had to lay on my side, propped up.

To top it off, I had this really sharp pain in the right side of my chest so deep breathes really hurt.

To sum it all up, I was falling apart.

Mac is still teething and wants to be held constantly so he was happy to just lay by me but Kamden...he was beside himself with boredom. I tried to explain to him that I was sick and that I had a really bad headache so I needed to lay down. However, he just wasn't getting it cause he kept saying, "Mom, get up!" I told him to go downstairs and get his bag of library books. When he couldn't get them up the stairs, he just stood at the bottom repeating over and over "heaby, heaby books". Slowly, I got up and helped him. He did pretty good to sit by me and read his books. But, with any boy who's almost 3, the boredom returns quickly.

I was getting desperate so I got my cell phone and we started looking through my pictures. I didn't realize just how many pics I have of my boys sleeping until we started looking through them. Every time one that had them asleep, Kam would say, "Oh, headache." Funny kid.

Mom's shouldn't EVER be allowed to be sick but Kam and Mac were pretty good company.

Not that great though cause I had to call Jeff to see if he could come home a little early.

Now, the super invention...rice packs. If you don't have one, make one. It's a square or rectangle bag made of simple fabric filled with rice. You can put them in a ziplock in the freezer for a cold pack or in the microwave for a heat pack. That was all that would help my back. Oh and Midol and IBUprofen.

Today, I feel like a NEW woman. My headache is gone, my back feels fine, I can take all the deep breathes I want. The cause of all this ridiculous pain? I think I pulled a muscle in my back. I guess that's my lesson learned, no working out.

Seriously though, I am so thankful for my health. I don't know how people who suffer from chronic pain handle it day to day. I have a friend with fibromyalgia and I just kept thinking about her and the pain she deals with daily.

Happier posts to come.

Bath Time Baby

2010-03-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

This boy LOVES the bath.By leaning forward to grab letters, he's taken a few unexpected gulps of bathwater but he is quickly learning his lesson.
I think this picture is so funny. I looks like he's sucking in.

And of course...it always makes for a better nights rest.

Record Breaking February

2010-02-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

If you've been watching the news at all, you know that the east is being pounded with snow. DC has had record breaking snow and Columbus is following right along. Today, the paper said that if Columbus receives 4.5 more inches of snow in the month of February, (which pretty much happened today) then we will break the record that was previously set in 1910!

Schools, churches, business, roads, and pretty much everything that doesn't fall into those categories have been closed down.

We've made good use of our time.

Kamden and Jeff were having so much fun. When I was in the house I could hear Kam screaming and laughing. It was so funny.

FYI-Milk jug caps work great for snowman eyes...

Grapes for the mouth...not so much.

I'm standing inside the house taking this picture through the kitchen window.

It's almost like having a guest/stalker for dinner.Nothing like a cup of cocoa filled to the brim with marshmallows.So it's been a couple of days. I took this just this morning. Our "Mr. Noman" is a little down and out but he's not going to give up. He's a real trooper and even though the scarf is his only visible accessory, he wears it proudly.

I think it's hilarious. I've never seen a snowman hold on quite like this one.This is what I did while the boys were outside playing.
Crayon Roll-Up

Kamden loves Super-Why and I thought it would be fun for him to have a cape. I'm making on for Mac but I figure I've got some time for that one.

This picture says it all.

Just some pictures...

2010-02-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

...of my boys

I just have not really been in a blogging mood lately and so you know what that means?

So many cute pictures of my boys that you aren't getting to see!

So, here are pictures since...I'm thinking Christmas.

McKay

He's my happy boy

Jeff was feeding him and he sneezed!

Was it mean to get he camera instead of cleaning him up?

Well, either way, we captured the moment, right?

Bed head of a very grumpy boy that didn't want to wake up yet.

FINGER PUPPETS!

McKay and that thumb of his.

I was doing The Biggest Loser workout (see t.v.) and Kam was doing it with me.
He was using his animals for weights.

Line em up! Move em out!

This was the last night that McKay would let me wrap him up like this.

He is all over the place now when he sleep.

Jeff's FAVORITE place to eat in Columbus.

We went with some friends for his birthday.

We got some smoked salmon from IKEA for his birthday.

Jeff said that he loved it when they ate it in Iceland.

I took about 3 bites, that was all I could do.

Jeff loved it but I just couldn't do it.

Once again, our paper-eating-billy-goat-baby.

Happy Birthday Jeff

I spelled out "OLD" in with the candles.

Happy Birthday Jeff, I love you.

The Honking Of The Geese

2010-02-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

The other day I heard the geese honking so loud. I went to the window to see if one was trying to get inside, out of the cold or something, looked up in the sky and this is what I saw.

That is only a section of the sky. I wish I could have captured the entire thing.

I don't know what it is about this little area but we are surrounded by these things!

At least once a day we can tell the geese are moving because the honking is so loud.

Kam will run to the window while shouting, "GEESE! GEESE!"

He loves them. Especially the 6 white ones that don't fly.

and Brooks didn't believe me...

Do these pants make my legs look long?

2010-01-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yes Kamden, as a matter of fact, they do.

We came home from church and Kamen insisted on wearing McKay's pants.
They are size 6 months.

We Have Movement

2010-01-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

Yep, Mac started army crawling this morning. How did that happen? He just started sitting up without pillows or support about 2 weeks ago. He really wanted a phone charger so we just went for it.

He turned 7 months on Saturday but these are his 6 months pictures.

Oh Mac, I love you so much. You are growing right before my eyes.
You love to watch Kamden dancing and run around like a crazy monster.
You love pumpkin & pears.
You love love love your thumb.
You love to grab mommy & daddy's faces.
You twirl your feet in circles when you are happy, tired, eating, or falling asleep.
You love to play with anything that is NOT a baby toy.
You were a puppy in a previous life. Anything that looks like, sounds like, or smells like paper is in your mouth ASAP.
You scream when I take paper or anything that is NOT a baby toy away.
You hate to sit in your bumbo when your done eating.
You have the most babylicious hair.
You have such a silly giggle especially when you gasp at the end.
You can just be sitting quietly, playing with your toys and then someone smiles at you and you give them the happiest smile and giggle in return.
We all love you so much McKay and are so happy that you are ours.

Three Men & a Little Lady

Camping at Hocking Hills

Did I mention I'm lucky?

World of Bounce

Backyard Fun

It was bound to happen sometime.

Ohio State Fair...eh

Palmyra

Niagra Falls

John Johnson Farm

#3 & #4

Buck Creek

Red, White & Boom

McKay is 2!

Part 6-The Grand Finale!

Part 5 -St. George

Part 4- More Idaho

Part 3-Idaho

Part 2-Still Utah

Part 1-Utah

Mr. Independent

"Dat Tower"

Ringling Brothers VS. Johnson Brothers

Great Wolf Lodge

Easter

Picture that are too good not to blog.

Zoo Lights/Anniversary

4, 4, 4,...4!

New York City

Oh hey, what's this?

*Super Saturday*

The Fun Ship-Day 7 Fun Day At Sea

The Fun Ship-Day 6-Cozumel

The Fun Ship-Day 5-Belize

The Fun Ship-Day 4-Roatan

The Fun Ship-Day 3-Grand Cayman

The Fun Ship-Day 2-At Sea

The Fun Ship-Day 1

Bermuda, Bahama, Come On Pretty Mama

Family Pictures

These boys of mine.

Halloween!

Family comes to town!

Ya know that feeling?

"BOO! I scared ya...I think ya"... well, you know the rest.

Not quite the result we had hoped for...but better!

Swim & Soccer Supreme

Preschool!

Water Fire

Cowan Lake

The Zoo followed us home!

WICKED

How did I miss this?

I Guess This Is The Sequel

You can have a prequel. You can have a sequel. But what's in the middle?

The Windy City

Family=Fun

One Year Ago...

Camping in Hocking Hills

Missing...One Ringlet

Big Mac Attack!

Any Suggestions???

This is some serious business...

How can this be? My baby is 3!

Part Two...Idaho

Trip to Utah...Part One

Yikes

headache...and a super invention

Bath Time Baby

Record Breaking February

Just some pictures...

The Honking Of The Geese

Do these pants make my legs look long?

We Have Movement

Super Saturday