Kids say the funniest things!

We have been very blessed to have so much family visit us over the past couple months, it has been wonderful! However, I'm not so sure Rayden really understands who they are and where they come from. He keeps asking me where Grandma and Grandpa are and his cousins. When we told him they went back to Utah he asked, "my-tah?" After laughing hysterically, we had to explain to him that Grandma & Grandpa and the cousins live in Utah and he lives Missouri. He still just keeps asking "my-tah?" It is just so cute but it is also sad that we have to live so far away.

Well, it has been a couple weeks now since I have been a stay at home mom, and let me just say that it is harder to stay home and be a mom than it is to go to work. When you're not forced on a schedule things just do not get done. I think I need to start making chore lists for myself. I think Rayden has liked staying home. He loves playing computer games and going to the park. He would spend all day at the park if I let him. I feel bad because I can't take him over there very often. I'm getting to an extremely uncomfortable stage and I have to go to the bathroom very frequently. It is much easier to just stay home than to venture out in the heat. Hopefully very soon here that will not be the case! I have been having contractions the past three nights so I'm hoping that something happens soon! I'll keep you all posted!

Well, we finally made it home from our vacation! I started the vacation out with my parents in Lynchburg, VA where I graduated from college. It was fun going through the whole process of the ceremony and walking. The famous Chuck Norris gave a great graduation speech and there were lots of musical numbers! All in all, it was a great experience! Then, we headed down to North Carolina where we got to visit with my cousin Shannon and her family and my cousin Kelly. North Carolina (and Virginia) is so beautiful! I thought Missouri was green but it is super green out there! We had a wonderful time relaxing with family and of course we got to play "May I". I think it only fair that I won since I was the graduate!

On Monday, we headed back up to Washington D.C. to pick up Randy. Since he had to attend his own graduation in Missouri he couldn't fly out until later. We spent Monday evening visiting Manasses, the battle grounds of the first battle of the Civil War. It was pretty cool to be at the site and see some of the monuments there. We then spent the next two days touring Washington D.C. It was a lot of walking and I'm surprised I made it! I think between the two days we easily walked at least 20 miles if not more! We got to see the White House, Lincoln monument, World War II monument, Washington Monument, The Smithsonian (some of it anyway), and the Holocaust Museum. There was so much to see that you could spend a whole week or more there just to see it all!

We then headed back down through Virginia to see Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. This was also really fun! Each place was just a little different and featured sites during different time periods. Colonial Williamsburg was set during the times leading up to the Revolution. Many key things happened there that were instrumental in the Revolution. There were a lot of homes to visit and the workers dressed as the people did back during that time period and they spoke in character about the homes and the stories of the people during that time. In the evening they did reenactments at the town square and there was even a little band that played and marched down the street! I was a great experience and I learned so much!

In Jamestown, there was replications of the forts that the first settlers made who came to America and also replications of the boats that they came over on. That was pretty cool to see the things they had to do to survive in the beginning. Randy especially liked it because he got some great gardening tips!

Yorktown was the final authentic town that we visited. That was where the final battle of the Revolution took place. It was awesome to see the trenches that the soldiers had to dig were still there. I can't believe that through all these years they are still formed, even down to the spots where the cannons were placed in the trenches.

We finally finished out our vacation with a relaxing day at Virginia Beach! The weather was so perfect and it was so nice to just relax on the beach after a long day of walking! Of course we did have to do some more walking at the beach, but it wasn't too bad. I loved feeling the wind in my hair and the sand in my feet! It's too bad the water was freezing cold or would have swam a little bit! It was almost too much to even put your feet in!

Although we had so much fun, it is good to be home! I sure missed Rayden but I think he had so much fun with grandma Riddle that he didn't miss us much!

Busy Week!

Well, I don't have any new pictures to post but it has been a very busy week for us! I have been training people at work like crazy because, sadly but true, I only have three more days of work. I have been working for the past four years and I just don't know what I will do with myself not working.

Last night we had a little excitement going on here. We had tornado warnings and severe weather warnings. Randy was really on top of things and found some neighbors we could go to for shelter but I was kind of tired and not in the mood to go anywhere. After packing up our car with sleeping bags and running around in the rain and hail, we found out that the storm changed directions and was going around us. That was a big relief! A pregnant woman has a hard enough time sleeping in a bed, let alone a sleeping bag in someone else's basement!

On another note, Randy is really getting close to being done with school. I hate how they drag it out so long. Anyway, he has one final left to do on Monday and a small paper and a luncheon with his "healthy buddy" (a fourth grader that he spent once a week reading books to playing games with) on Tuesday. Graduation for both of us will be next Saturday!!! Too bad they are in two different places halfway across the country from each other. I will be flying to Virginia next Friday for my graduation and Randy will meet me out there the following Monday so we can have a little vacation before the baby comes!

I went to the Doc. today and everything seems to be going well! However, I lost a pound since my last visit so I have doctors orders to eat extra ice cream this weekend!! I can assure you, I will be following those orders! Randy and I are getting our pictures taken tomorrow with our cap and gowns. It just so happens that there is a big parade going on in town and since we will be there getting pictures we will get to go! This isn't one of those small town tractor parades but they actually have real floats and candy! Hopefully the weather is nice!

I guess that is it for now. My friend is bringing over her little boys to play with Rayden because she is going out with her husband. How nice would that be, a date with your husband. I don't remember the last time I went on a date with Randy. Anyway, It will be interesting with all those boys here!

Boys will be Boys!

Okay, so today I have been having second thoughts of wanting to have all boys! Rayden has definitely been a little pill. It all started this morning when he refused to get out of bed. I knew it was going to be a bad day right then. His whole life he has always been so happy in the mornings, he always wakes up and gives me hugs and tells me that he slept good. Well, this morning he woke up extra early when Randy got up around 5 a.m. I guess he decided he was still tired and came and got in bed with me around 6 a.m. I had to get up and get ready for work so I let him sleep a little longer than usual. When I went to get him up he kept saying, "I don't want to get up" and he hid under the covers. Instantly I thought, is this what it's like to have teenagers? Finally, I had to literally drag him out of bed. He was so upset and started crying and pouting and refused to get dressed. I was about ready to take him to work in his P.J.'s when he decided to get dressed. However, the clothes I picked out for him were not good enough. He had to wear his Spider man shirt that he has worn all weekend long, except for the few hours we were at church. Since I was late and didn't have time to fight this one out, I put the dirty spiderman shirt on him and we were off. Despite the rough morning, he actually cheered up a bit and was pretty good all morning at work. It was after work that he decided he didn't want to do anything I asked him.
Well, later on as I was frantically searching for some hotel reservations for my upcoming trip I had noticed that he was being particularly quiet. I even thought that he had possibly fallen asleep playing with his toys since he missed his nap time. As I peeked into the kitchen to see what he was doing I found him with his three trains playing in the flour bucket! He said look mom, "Thomas, Percy and Henry are in the snow!" As much as I wanted to smile and be happy for how creative he was, I was so stressed out and tired that I just wanted to scream! As I took the trains out of the flour I explained to him that his toys do not belong in the flour. Well, I guess I should've explained to him a little better about why he shouldn't play in the flour because not two seconds later, as I was cleaning off the trains, I looked over and he had stepped into the flour bucket and was playing in it with his feet! So now I have a bucket full of flour that I just don't know what to do with. Maybe I'll make some special cookies for Rayden and daddy to share!!

More pictures of vacation!

Here are the boys playing at Nauvoo. They probably shouldn't have been climbing on the statues but they were just so cute we had to snap a picture before we had them get down.

Here are the kids playing at the family living center in Nauvoo. They liked rolling all the wooden toys across the floor and sitting at the pioneer table.

Rayden loved the sharks in the big fish tank tunnel at the Omaha zoo. It was a really fun zoo, the kids loved seeing all the animals!

Rayden is showing off his prairie diamond that he got at the blacksmith shop in Nauvoo.

This is Dave and Rachel. Rachel has her finger in the bullet hole in the door at Carthage Jail.

This is kind of a small picture, but the family is sitting in front of the Nauvoo Temple.

Rayden is giving Baby Rachel loves! I just know he is getting ready to have a baby brother. He will be such a big helper.

Here are the boys at Liberty Jail. Rayden, Jackson, Preston & Zachery.

This is Sarah and the kids in front of the Statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail.

Day 1 & 2 of family fun!

Here are a few pictures of the first couple days of our vacation. I will have post the rest of the vacation pictures when I get some more time.

I didn't take very many pictures at the water park inside the hotel because there was water everywhere, but here is one of Rayden playing in the fountains. He loved swimming all by himself in the big pool and the lazy river! It was sure a sight to see me try and get me and him into the tube to float around the lazy river with my big belly and all! Let's just say it didn't work very well and I ended up ditching the tube. I'm sure everyone who was watching got a good laugh.
The hotel room at the Great Wolf Lodge had a separate Cabin for the boys with bunk beds and their own T.V.! The boys had fun jumping on the beds, playing at the indoor water park and playing games at the arcade.
We had so much fun seeing all the dinosaurs come to life at the T-Rex Cafe! The kids loved it, except Rayden, he was a little scared.

A fun time was had by all!

Well, I'm sad to say that the family has all gone back home. Mom, Dad, and David's family have been visiting us here in our tiny town for the last week and a half. While it is nice to have a quiet home again, it was fun times having them out here. We saw all the sites, did a little shopping, and spent some great time in the car!! After I catch up on my sleep and get the house put back together I'll have to post all the pictures we took and tell you all about it!