...the Holy Ghost did it...

Ethan's train set has a bunch of bridges and he plays so rough with it that he's always breaking them apart and I have to fix them every day. I threatened him if he breaks it again we're going to put it away and he won't be able to play with it anymore. The next morning he's in his room playing and yells "the Holy Gost did it!" Then he runs down stairs and says "the Holy Ghost broke my train set!" Oh what will we think of next?

Triathlon & Chicago/Great Lakes Vacation

Anthony's sister runs marathons and Anthony got the bug- so he signed up for the Disney marathon in January. He started training for it and realized running wasn't challenging enough he'd rather do triathlons. So my crazy husband hasn't even run his first marathon yet and he's already signed up for two or three triathlons AND the ironman in St. George next May. He tortures himself around 4:30 each morning and on Saturdays (as if he's not busy enough being an attorney, bishop and father of 2).

Anyway his first Triathlon was last Saturday, the Railsplitter in Illinois at the Lincoln's New Salem State Park. We were already planning a trip to Chicago so we decided to make it one long trip. The park is really beautiful with lots of trees and flowers. The village is a bunch of re-created cabins with working blacksmiths and artisans. The day of the race the boys and I waited in the village and watched the runners coming through and Ethan would clap for each one and say "yay! good job!" One runner was wearing a speedo and as he ran past Ethan pointed and said "Look! It's a Lamanite!" It was so funny. Anthony finished 2nd place for his age group, we were really proud of him. Most of the people there did he mini-tri, but he did the full one (1 mile swim, 36-mile bike ride and 7 mile run and he finished in 3 hours 46 minutes- not to mention it was probably 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity). Not bad for his first Triathlon!

Next we headed up to Illinois high point. The directions in the high point book were completely wrong. We weren't sure if we were at the right place and there was a gate, so Anthony got on his bike and took off. He made it but went several miles out of the way because the directions were wrong. He could have driven up to the top ;) Oh well.

Then we headed for Chicago.We stayed up in the navy lodge in North Chicago and took the boys to the beach. Ethan had been asking to go to the ocean for weeks now, so I told him we'd go to the beach in Chicago, that would have to be good enough. The water was like ice. It was colder than the ocean in NH. But they had fun burying themselves in the sand and he even splashed in the frigid waters. We went to the Shedd aquarium and the boys had fun splashing in the little pools, took the trolley tour and walked around town. We tried deep dish pizza at Gino's East- it was definiately different, I wasn't expecting the cornmeal crust.

The next time we came into the city we took the train, Ethan kept saying "I hear Thomas!" We spent the day at Navy Pier and let the boys play in the water fountains. Then up to Sears or I should say Willis Tower. They just built this crazy glass addition onto the sky deck so you walk out on a glass ledge and see 103 stories below. It freaked me out. Ethan ran right onto it and put his face on the ground to look down then went out on the edge and pressed his face up against the glass. I was about to have a heart attack. I'd be more brave if it were there for 20 years but since they just built it this summer I'm waiting for someone to fall through. It was pretty neat.

After our adventures in Chicago we moved on to Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Anthony is doing the high-pointers and we figured this may be the only time we'd have a reason to be that far North, so we spent the next few days driving to hit the high points. Wisconsin's wasn't too bad but Michigan's was a chore. It was out 26 miles on a mud road- it had been raining for 2 days and there were massive puddles covering the road. We got to a point where it looked like the road was flooded out so I told Anthony to get on his bike and ride the rest the way. We had been burning up the whole week and had no cold weather gear, it was freezing outside and raining. But he was a good sport. He rode for about 15 minutes and came back and hadn't found the high point. So we braved the puddle and found the sign about a block further than he'd ridden, but it was still 2 miles from there. We came to another bad part in the road so he again got on his bike and trekked the rest the way.

We got to Minnesota's high point around 9:30pm and he decided he would run it, since we had to be home in time for church on Sunday and were a good 15 hours away with only one day to drive home. The trail was 6 miles round trip and really rocky so it took an hour longer than he expected. The boys and I were sleeping in the car and I kept waking to check the time and around midnight I started to get worried, realizing there were probably bears and wolves out where we were. But I guess he didn't smell like good food because he made it back in one piece. And after a long night and day of driving we finally made it home again.

The high points make a regular vacation a bit more exciting. Plus we probably wouldn't have ever gone through those parts of the country. It sure was beautiful and the cool weather, blue sky and green trees made us miss New England.

I won!

My friend had a link to this awesome baby shower give away at Natalie's Sentiments http://shane-natalie.blogspot.com/ and I won 2nd place! I never win anything. Ever. I'm so excited for all the fun baby stuff. I'll post pics when they arrive. She's doing another giveaway starting August 31, so be sure to check it out.

scrapbooking

I've been trying to stay caught up especially with a new baby on the way. Here are my pages for 2009 so far...

new car

This is the last thing I ever thought I'd be blogging about...We realized after our last vacation to Asheville, that there was no way we're going to be able to go to Orlando in January with three kids. I always dreaded having to get a minivan and thought somehow I would be able to get away with an suv as long as we didn't have 4 kids. But our last trip was so crowded we realized it was time. My sister Sara came home from her mission and was looking for a car so I sold her mine.

We couldn't find anything in Louisville so drove up to Cincinnati and found the perfect one- a Honda Odyssey with leather & dvd that seats 8 and is in brand new condition. I knew it would be more convenient and comfortable for our family but thought it would be a chore to drive. After driving it for two weeks, I absolutely love it. I never thought in a million years I'd not only be driving- but enjoying driving- a minivan. I guess I really am a mom.

The boys love the dvd and I like that I can change the movies up front rather than trying to reach behind me like before, and Ethan can't reach Joshua- he used to poke him when he'd fall asleep and make the poor kid cry. And suprisingly it drives just like a car, I never even know I'm in a bus except when I have to back up.

(I was too lazy to get the car out of the garage for a picture, but this is the color)

And here are some random pics of the boys. I was playing around in my photo room last week and the little stinkers wouldn't cooperate, but I did manage to get one good shot of them both. It's hard to believe Ethan's going to be three in less than 3 months. Joshua's almost 17 months old now but he's still such a baby. I'm hoping he'll get a bit more grown up before this new baby comes...

Articles of Faith

Ethan has been learning the Articles of Faith since he turned two. We have the songs on a primary cd that he listens to in the morning and he started repeating them. He's got the first five memorized now. He also knows all the apostles and prophets. He has Anthony's amazing memory, he just has to be told something a few times and he doesn't forget. So I finally got around to uploading the video of him reciting them.

Asheville, NC

We just got back from a last minute trip to North Carolina. Anthony has a goal to hit all 50 states high points and North Carolina's was closed last time he was there, so we decided the day before to take a trip out there for the 4th of July weekend. I'd been wanting to go to Asheville anyway, so we headed out there Thursday afternoon.

Our boys love camping more than anything, as soon as we set up the tent they're inside wrestling with each other and jumping around on the beds squealing like wild animals. And of course they love dirt, so they spent a fair amount of time digging and chasing fireflies.

We toured the Biltmore Estate- an impressive mansion with 250 rooms and beautiful gardens. It's in such a beautiful setting too, there's 200 acres of rolling hills and forest. We also did the trolley tour of Asheville. It's such a cute town, I love all the old houses, the architecture is just beautiful. Next we went to Chimney Rock Park and the real reason we came- Mt. Mitchell. Mt. Mitchell's the highest point in the U.S. East of the Mississippi and we were fortunate to have such a clear day, we could see for miles. It was so beautiful on top. It reminded me a lot of Germany, so green with lakes and mountains as far as you can see. This part of the state is just so beautiful, it was wonderful to be in the mountains again.

On our way home we stopped at the Ghost Town in the Sky. We rode the chairlift to the top of the mountain where they have a cool old fashioned ghost town. We got there just in time for the gunfight- I didn't realize they were going to use real guns, it was quite impressive although Ethan was scared to death by the gunshots. It's a pretty fun amusement park though, quite creative and can't beat the views.

Of course clumsy Joshua had to hurt himself on our last day. We were eating breakfast at this cute little cafe next to a creek. The boys were running back and forth across the bridge while we waited for our food, and Joshua tripped and landed right on his nose and forhead, his nose is swelled up and got a nice goose egg between his eyes, the exact wound he just healed from a week ago. We really need a helmet for the poor clumsy baby.

Choo Choo

I decided I can't wait until Ethan's birthday to get him the train set. Since we don't have a fenced backyard I can't just send him out to play while I get things done, so I figured this would be my only hope at accomplishing anything during the day. We got it for him yesterday and he was so excited he could hardly stand it. He refused to come down for dinner last night and this morning he was up at 6:30 playing. He is in two-year old heaven.

And here's Joshua's latest injury. This child is seriously the clumsiest kid I have ever seen. Every few seconds he falls down and since he runs with his hands behind his back like he's trying to fly, he always lands face first. Ethan helped out with this injury, I thought he broke his nose, and this photo is actually a few days after- he smacked his face on the table and got a huge bruise and bump between his eyes that swelled up pretty good. Poor clumsy baby.

it's a...

BOY. That's right three boys in three years. I am one lucky mama ;) I really thought this one would be a girl, but no such luck.... Well at least I don't have to buy anything and I get to keep my craft room- he can sleep with the other two monkeys. My due date is Oct 26, which means he'll probably come the 2nd week in Nov. Wish me luck, I'll need it!

Day out with Thomas

Last Saturday we took the boys to Day out with Thomas at the KY railway museum. Ethan was so excited to see Thomas. We did all their little activities and then let him play with the train tables, he was there for at over an hour completely engrossed and we finally had to drag him away kicking and screaming. I guess we know what he's getting for his birthday...

The Dress...

Some of you know I'm making a wedding dress for my friend Juliann. I actually finished the dress in April, but just finished some last minute touches. I just took her bridal pictures, she's getting married tomorrow. Isn't she gorgeous?

Camping

We went camping for memorial day, and of course it rained on us. We seem to get rain every time we camp at this spot. But fortunately we have an awesome tent so we didn't get too wet, but the boys got pretty muddy the next day. Ethan is learning about bugs this week, so we went on a bug hunt and he found all sorts of creepy crawlies. I think I got bit by a few at night too. They had fun though, these boys love camping more than anything.

Catch up time...

Last weekend I went to Time out for Women in Cincinnati. It was the first one I've been to and it was so awesome. The presenters were Sherri Dew, Wendy Watson Nelson, Hillary Weeks, Michael Wilcox, Kim Nelson, Kim Belcher & Jenny Oaks Baker. I was amazed at how funny each person was, they were each as funny as they were spiritual. It was such a great time and I can't wait to go again. Not to mention a whole two days without kids! Anthony took the boys to the Fathers & Sons campout, they had so much fun.

Spring has finally arrived, actually I think it's turning into summer now. We've just been spending a lot of time at the park and playing outside. Ethan's talking so grown up now. We've been practicing the 4th article of faith and every time I repeat it, he says "excellent job mama!" Today when he was in the bathroom he said "go out mama, Ethan needs privacy" and in the grocery store the other day he was singing "Follow the Prophet" at the top of his lungs. In Utah no one would think twice, but I got a few strange looks from people trying to figure out what on earth he was saying ;)

I finally got the treadmill I've been wanting forever. No more pushing 80+ pound strollers up steep hills and getting nearly run over on my morning walks! It's so nice to be able to exercise before the boys even wake up. And we're expecting baby #3 at the end of October. Life just doesn't slow down for us!

Disney World '09

We just had a great vacation at Disney World with Anthony's family. We drove down and camped for a few nights before his family arrived. The boys love camping and got as dirty as can be. Joshua kept digging in the fire pit and putting these round ball things that fell off the tree in his mouth. Two of the state parks we camped at had fresh water springs where you could swim with signs warning of alligators. Anthony and Ethan swam in one, it was pretty cold water. Joshua fell on our second day of camping, hit the picnic table and got a nice cut down the side of his face.

We hit the beach before heading to Orlando, just north of Daytona Beach. Ethan actually loved the water this time and drank so much that he threw up several times. This old man who was out fishing kept telling us Ethan was going to be a future Navy Seal. He was completely fearless until Anthony got out the raft and they got flipped over by a wave. They dug in the sand for hours, they loved it.

Friday we spent the day at Sea World, Ethan had been talking for weeks about going to Florida to "see Grandma Osborne, dolphins & penguins" so he was so excited to watch the dolphin show. We walked by just as they were feeding the dolphins and he was just inches from them as they jumped up to grab the fish. He had so much fun running from place to place seeing everything.

Saturday, Laura's family arrived and we spent the day at Magic Kingdom. It was so fun to see them again and Ethan loved playing with Jackson. He was able to ride most of the rides there and was so excited to see Winnie the Pooh & Mickey Mouse.

The next week we spent going to the parks, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Magic again. Ethan loved Animal Kingdom- he loved seeing all the animals on the safari. The Everest ride was awesome. Grandma and Shauna watched the boys for me so I could go on some of the adult rides, I think I got to go on almost all of them. On our last day at Magic the guest relations people came up and asked us if we wanted to meet a "special guest" so we followed them in and got to meet Cinderella. She was the only one Ethan was afraid of, I guess since she was a real person.

We had so much fun spending time with family again and Ethan grew so attached to everyone. He keeps asking for Jackson and Uncle Scott and loves to look at the pictures from our trip and point out each person. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for arranging such a wonderful vacation!

Inkubook 28% sale

FYI: inkubook is offering a fabulous 28% discount off their photo books if you order by Friday, April 17. The coupon code is INKUTAX09