Busy Weekend

We went to Buena Vista this weekend to visit Grandma & Grandpa. We have been trying to get down there all summer but between their schedules and ours it has been difficult. We had tons of fun there. They have a pool at their new house which was a big hit with the kids. The pool even has a slide. Jacob was brave and went down it 3 times. Mommy even went down it a couple of times. The kids love to play the "scary" game with their uncles Hyrum and Wesley and aunt Rebekah. I think Aunt Heidi even played a game or two. We are grateful that we have grandparents that live close enough to drive to.

Pumpkins

Our very own pumpkins.
I had a friend from church tell me last year that every year they throw their pumpkin guts off their deck and they grow pumpkins for the next year. We decided to try it out. When we carved our pumpkins last October we took the guts out back and threw them in some dirt on the side of our house. As you can see, we have pumpkins. These are the first two and there are about 3 or 4 more growing. The kids want me to make pumpkin pie out of them. So I am going to try, we will see how it turns out.

Camping Trip

Our ward had a camp out on Friday night. We went to Greenbriar State Park in MD, it is about 40 minutes from our house. We were all excited to go. Once we put our tent up we went swimming for a little while. Then we came back and roasted hot dogs for dinner. It was fun to be with members of our ward. There was a cub scout pack meeting after dinner. Then of course, as with any good camp out, there were smores. The pack meeting started late so Emma, Seth and I went back to the tent about 9:30pm, before everything was finished. While I was in the tent Jacob won a contest where they had the kids put there hands in ice and see who could keep it in the longest. Jacob was beaming that he beat the older boys. He won glow in the dark glasses. Well, that was about the end of the fun. It started to rain about 3:00am, which is not anything bad but then about half an hour later the lighting and thunder started. I do not enjoy thunderstorms when I am in my house, much less in a tent in the woods. Unfortunately, Jacob had inherited that from me. There was talk of driving home but we stayed and were able to make until morning. Seth slept through the entire thing. Emma woke up but was able to go right back to sleep, with her hands over her ears. Jacob, Sean and I did not get much sleep. We all survived and had a good time must of the evening.

It's a .......

We had our sonogram today, everything looks good with the baby. We had asked Jacob and Emma the other day if they wanted us to find out what we were having, of course they wanted to know. Emma has been telling everyone for months that we are having a girl and that we are going to name her "sparkles". I am not sure where she came up with this name but we thought it was funny. We have never found out what we were having before but we decided to go against tradition in our family and find out. Emma was right, it is a GIRL, but we are not naming her "sparkles". Emma is VERY excited to have a sister join our family. She has been concerned for months that she is the only one that does not share a room. She thinks it is quite unfair that she has her own room, I will be sure to remind her of that when she is 13 and wants her own room.

Tony Stewart

We are Nascar fans at our house. I know REDNECK. Jacob enjoys watching the races, okay, so do I. Tuesday afternoon our local Home Depot had one of Tony Stewart's cars in the parking lot. Even though we are not fans of him we could not pass up a chance to see a race car.

Kings Dominion

I am not sure who was more excited to see the Backyardigans, Seth or Mommy.
Is he old enough to drive already?
Emma had a hard time getting the hang of driving but she still had fun.
We love Scooby Doo at our house.

Monday we went to Kings Dominion. It was fun as always. The kids did great. We stayed until almost 9pm. Jacob even rode a few rides that he did not like before and enjoyed them this time. Emma cried the entire time she was on the Scrambler and informed us when she got off that she is "NOT" ever riding that again. Seth enjoyed the Scooby Doo mansion because he got to "shoot the bad guys". Sean rode the new roller coaster the Dominator. The kids love watching him ride all the big coasters. Mommy just got to watch this year since you can not ride anything when you are pregnant. I had fun watching though.

Last Week - doctor, zoo, beach, creamery, 4th

Seth at the beach

Jacob at the beach

Emma enjoying the cows, or are the cows enjoying her?!?

Who will win the stare off, Seth or the cow?

Last week was a fun filled week. Monday I had a doctor's appointment and all is going well with the baby. Jacob and Emma came in with me and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. That was very exciting for them. Emma is convinced that we are having a girl, we do not know what we are having, and the best part is she wants to name her Sparkles.



After the doctor appointment we all headed up the the National Zoo. This has become a regular spot for our family this year. The kids really enjoy going. Monday we went with grandparents, aunts and cousins. It was a fun, exhausting day.



Wednesday night Aunt Laura and the kids, minus Justin who was at Scout Camp, came to our house for the night. We got up Thursday morning and went to Greenbriar State Park. They have a lake with beaches. All of the kids had a lot of fun. Laura and I were ready to go long before the kids.



After the beach we went to South Mountain Creamery. We were able to see them milk cows, pet the calves and eat ice cream. Emma ecspecially loved the baby cows and they enjoyed sucking her hair too.



Friday we went to Aunt Gretchen's for the 4th. We went swimming. The kids were very tired and were all asleep by the time we got home so I was the only one who saw any fireworks, maybe next year.



It was a busy week but also a lot of fun.