Chicago with Sisters!

Julie, Me, Krystal, Camille, Suzanne, Crystal, Tara, and Emilee. (not pictured, Cindy.) What a fun, fun weekend in Chicago with 7 of my 8 sisters! Of course, I forgot my camera, so thanks to all for e-mailing these! Here we are in front of the Chicago Temple.

I have wanted to see Wicked for quite some time, now. We finally saw it and loved it! I bought the soundtrack and am enjoying the memories, including our adrenaline-pumped grand entrance to the theater! That's a great story for another day!


Here I am with Lucy and my youngest sister Julie. We didn't have lots of time to just sit on the couch and visit, but when we did, it was a taste of heaven!

My personal highlights include staying up late into the night chatting with Camille (we shared a room...just like the old days when we were only 6 or 7 years old!), shopping at the outlet mall, our morning "devotionals", the late night movie..brrr!, a surprise gift exchange, spending time with sisters-in-law Tara and Krystal (they are fantastic!), passing babies around to hold, visiting my college friend Candice Stratford and her family, and driving around packed in Camille's suburban. I really hope there's another getaway next year!

And a special thianks to my Michael for taking good care of Sophie and Riley while I was gone. I couldn't have done any of this without you, babe.

Happy Birthday R I L E Y!

Riley and Sophie eating out at Chili's!

His new favorite truck...a rescue truck!

A new game, "What's in Ned's Head"...a tactile and sensory game, just right for little boys!

Riley turned 4 over the weekend and celebrated with Daddy and Sophie while Lucy and I were off vacationing in Chicago! His highlights are going to a friend's pirate birthday party, having Macaroni and Cheese, his all-time favorite, for lunch, playing with daddy, his new truck, and going out to eat at Chili's. (Riley loves ribs and volcano cake!) He loves the gifts and cards that were sent...thank you! And if anyone ever wants to play "What's in Ned's Head" come on over! Sophie and Riley both say, "It's pretty gross, mom! And it's sooo fun!"

Tricks these days

Lucy has some new tricks...here she is up on her knees. She saw a little girl at church doing this and could hardly wait to get home and try it out herself! Oh joy, does competition begins this early?

She also loves to be moving but hasn't figured out forward motion, yet. Here we watched her back her way into a dead end! Sophie and Riley get a kick out of her "back scoot". She's pretty quick even if she can't see where she's going!

New Floor

We recently installed new flooring in our bathroom...getting ready to sell the house is so fun! The installer removed the toilet and placed it in the bathtub to get it out of the way (glad he didn't mess up the carpet in the hallway!) Riley was so intent on watching "the man in our bathroom" that it wasn't until he was almost finished with the project that Riley noticed the toilet in the tub. He laughed hysterically as only Riley can, and kept saying over and over, "Mommy, the toilet's taking a bath!" We had to take a picture so he could show Daddy when he got home from work.