I just need to comment on the fact that I have fantastic friends! This past Sunday I attended church for all the wrong reasons; to see my friends. I took Reece to his classroom and Raine to the nursery. At both of the classroom doors I was greeted by my friends. They were so sweet asking about our adventure across the country. It was when I was walking into the sanctuary that I ran into two of my closest friends chatting away! Both gave me big hugs and told me how much they missed me. Then I walked into church for worship and saw my dearest friend whom hugged me so tight. We were both beaming ear to ear. It felt so good to be home. After my summer adventures on the east coast; I always question why I live here in Las Vegas and not near my family. It is because of moments like these that I stay here. I am so blessed to have these strong Christian women in my life. THANKS FRIENDS for all you do!
This week is VBS at our church. Reece goes to his 3 yr old class and Raine hangs out in the nursery. Both kids are loving it and having a ball. I spoke with Mo today and told him about Reece and his 6 o'clock debut on stage tomorrow. He said he is driving home and wouldn't miss it! He really misses his little guy. Pray for this last leg of his journey, he will be driving almost 18 hours today. He was going to stop at my brother's house in Park City to rest but he's decided to keep truckin'. Crazy...
That's what's been up around here since we've been home. LIFE IS GOOD! :)
Full of more blessings than we can keep track of.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
We are finally HOME
Well the end of our journey has arrived. We flew home to Vegas yesterday. I did it! I drove across the country with two children 2 and under. I then schlepped them all over the place from home to home like experienced nomads. Lastly, I flew 5 and 1/2 hours with the two of them on a plane. No they did not sleep. Yes, they were angels. I think I deserve an award! :)
After a month of travelling and staying in so many beautiful homes, I am so ready to be in my own house. Sadly, it is quite dusty and dirty. Hence the cleaning that will take place the next couple of days. I am also very ready to redecorate. I wish my house could look as great as all the homes we visited. I need some decorating help; oh and some cash to do it. Time would be good too. Anyone know where I can find all three of those things.
Off to clean!
After a month of travelling and staying in so many beautiful homes, I am so ready to be in my own house. Sadly, it is quite dusty and dirty. Hence the cleaning that will take place the next couple of days. I am also very ready to redecorate. I wish my house could look as great as all the homes we visited. I need some decorating help; oh and some cash to do it. Time would be good too. Anyone know where I can find all three of those things.
Off to clean!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Raine @ 10 months old
She is such a happy girl and has to be the best baby around. What 10 month old do you know who can take a trip across the USA without a peep from her car seat? She has started eating real foods like waffles, pancakes, pasta noodles & diced fruit. She much rather big people food than her baby food. She loved playing on the beach. She wasn't fond of the water unless it was warm. Her Pa Pere loved to take her swimming. We went for daily walks on the beach; where she would take her afternoon nap. Raine absolutely adores her big brother. He makes her giggle and laugh right out loud. She is also very fond of her daddy and gets a great big grin when he walks in the room. During our travels Raine has learned how to say Uh-oh, wave bye-bye and sign milk. She is also moving around the furniture with out any hesitation. She had a push toy to play with while at the shore; which was helping her learn to walk. I know she'll be walking independently in no time. I can't not believe how time has flown by. My precious baby girl will be 1 year old in just a month. Tears are welling up in my eyes as I type.
I love you baby Raine! xoxo, Mommy
A whirl wind of traveling update
WOW, since leaving the shore we have visited four more families. We love all of you who have put us up and delt with our crazy family. I've really loved our adventure this summer but boy am I ready for my own home and bed; plus I miss our Dublin doggie. Not to mention all I feel like I have done this summer is EAT! Lots of yummy treats everywhere we go. I am currently residing at my sister Jaime's house for the next two & a half days. Mo is leaving to work at a camp in Montana tomorrow and the kids and I fly home Friday, July 20th. We arrive in Vegas at 12:30, just in time for the kids to nap. No, let's pray they sleep on the plane. Well, let's hope one of them sleeps, preferably Raine. I had to use a free ticket from southwest for myself; so I bought both kiddos their own seat. I have a 5 and half hour non-stop flight. I don't really feel like having my 24 lb 11 month old sitting on my lap for that long. Plus if she's in her car seat, it is very likely she will sleep. Entertaining Reece will be the hardest part. I have the portable DVD player and a few more dollar store toys he hasn't seen yet; so we should make it through the flight okay. Please pray for this last leg of our journey. See you in VEGAS!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Crabbin with Daddy
Daddy loves to go crabbin at the shore. He takes his three cages and a few lines with him to a dock on the bay. Yes my daddy loves "Sittin by the dock of the bay". We walked down under the bridge to see him.
Here he has a lil guy that he has to throw back because it isn't big enough!
Bye Bye Crabby!
This is a close up of those ugly pincers
that can get you!
Here we are watching daddy cook his crabs. They are quick and mean. The crabs are blue in ocean and then turn red when you cook them!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Date Night at The Shore
On Thursday, July 12th; we were able to get away to our favorite restaurant in New Jersey. It is called the Crab Trap and we went last Thursday as well. Mo's Mom watches the kids for us and we get to wait an hour to eat delicious seafood. I have expanded my taste buds at the restaurant trying Grilled Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Crab Imperial and Stuffed Flounder with Crab Imperial. All of their meals are so tasty and you never leave their feeling hungry. I suppose I could write a restaurant review for this place huh! Here are a few pics of us waiting down by the water at their little outdoor bar. We all had a blast.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Road Trip 2007 Day 3 6-21-07
Day 3 June 21, 2007 Denver, Colorado to Des Moines, Iowa 11 hours 610 miles
We woke up to Terry getting ready for work. Mo checked on the kiddos in their room, Raine was sound asleep and Reece was starting to wake. Mo put him back to sleep for another 30 minutes. At 7:30 Reece was trying to open his bedroom door, but couldn’t get out. I guess it was time to get up. We got showered and at breakfast. Raine must have been hungry; she ate four mini pancakes. Reece was too interested in all of Lucy’s toys to eat very much. We said our goodbyes and got on the road at 10:00 am. We needed our morning buzz so we stopped at a Starbucks in Brighton, CO. It was a quaint little town off of the I 76. We were on our way. Today is expected to be one of the longest days of our journey. We’ll see if 11 hours is too much for our wonderful lil travelers. Eastern Colorado and Nebraska are very flat and boring. There are a lot of farms and cornfields. Another day spent looking at cows; lots and lots of cows. We followed the Platte River so there were a number of large ponds along the highway. We did enjoy seeing all of the green scenery as opposed to all of the brown desert we are used to looking at. We stopped and filled our belly’s and gas tank. Reece was eager to get out of the truck and run around. We went for a little walk and found some beautiful flowering cactus. The next leg of the journey was very peaceful. I finished reading two magazines and Reece watched his Mickey Mouse movie again. I brought 10 movies with us and he has watched 3 of them. Peter Pan of course, a classic Mickey Mouse and Veggie Tales. I even bought The Country Bears Jamboree, but he didn’t want any part of it. I need to buy the movie Open Season. He keeps asking for “Boog”; he’s the bear in the movie. Raine happily sits in her car seat and talks to us. She is a very vocal little lady. She loves it when we play the kid music. It seems to relax Reece and excite Raine. We turn it to the back and I turn on my IPOD. Mo flys solo listening to his talk radio for a little bit. At about 10 pm we arrived at the Marriot in Des Moines. Mo immediately took Reece swimming. He was so excited. I put Raine to bed and relaxed in a super hot shower. What a great way to unwind after a very long day in the truck. Reece was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. He slept with me while Mo had a whole bed to himself. I would much rather share a bed with my little 30 lbs man than my 200 lbs man. Especially since they were double beds. We all slept like rocks and didn’t wake until 9:30am! Praise the Lord we made it 11 hours today! He has certainly made this trip an amazing one!
We woke up to Terry getting ready for work. Mo checked on the kiddos in their room, Raine was sound asleep and Reece was starting to wake. Mo put him back to sleep for another 30 minutes. At 7:30 Reece was trying to open his bedroom door, but couldn’t get out. I guess it was time to get up. We got showered and at breakfast. Raine must have been hungry; she ate four mini pancakes. Reece was too interested in all of Lucy’s toys to eat very much. We said our goodbyes and got on the road at 10:00 am. We needed our morning buzz so we stopped at a Starbucks in Brighton, CO. It was a quaint little town off of the I 76. We were on our way. Today is expected to be one of the longest days of our journey. We’ll see if 11 hours is too much for our wonderful lil travelers. Eastern Colorado and Nebraska are very flat and boring. There are a lot of farms and cornfields. Another day spent looking at cows; lots and lots of cows. We followed the Platte River so there were a number of large ponds along the highway. We did enjoy seeing all of the green scenery as opposed to all of the brown desert we are used to looking at. We stopped and filled our belly’s and gas tank. Reece was eager to get out of the truck and run around. We went for a little walk and found some beautiful flowering cactus. The next leg of the journey was very peaceful. I finished reading two magazines and Reece watched his Mickey Mouse movie again. I brought 10 movies with us and he has watched 3 of them. Peter Pan of course, a classic Mickey Mouse and Veggie Tales. I even bought The Country Bears Jamboree, but he didn’t want any part of it. I need to buy the movie Open Season. He keeps asking for “Boog”; he’s the bear in the movie. Raine happily sits in her car seat and talks to us. She is a very vocal little lady. She loves it when we play the kid music. It seems to relax Reece and excite Raine. We turn it to the back and I turn on my IPOD. Mo flys solo listening to his talk radio for a little bit. At about 10 pm we arrived at the Marriot in Des Moines. Mo immediately took Reece swimming. He was so excited. I put Raine to bed and relaxed in a super hot shower. What a great way to unwind after a very long day in the truck. Reece was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. He slept with me while Mo had a whole bed to himself. I would much rather share a bed with my little 30 lbs man than my 200 lbs man. Especially since they were double beds. We all slept like rocks and didn’t wake until 9:30am! Praise the Lord we made it 11 hours today! He has certainly made this trip an amazing one!
Road Trip 2007 Day 2 6-20-07
Day 2 June 20, 2007 Park City, Utah to Denver, Colorado 8 hours 349 miles
We woke up to Raine talking and blowing bubbles in her pack-n-play; Reece shouts, “Raine’s awake guys!” He was sleeping on an air mattress at the end of the bed. We grab both kids and snuggled for a whole 5 minutes. Reece wanted to go wake up Brian. When we looked at the time it was 7:30am; that would be 6:30 Vegas time. Reece was right on schedule for rise & shine time. Why is it little people don’t sleep in? We showered and ate breakfast on the back deck. The coffee and company was so relaxing. Reece and Mo took a walk in a creek and Reece came back covered in mud. We stripped him down and hosed him off. Brian and Kara had to head to work so we started to gather our gear and get ready for the next leg of our journey. I had to run into the post office to mail some very over due packages. Mo took the kids into this really great furniture store. Mo filled the tank half way because gas was a whopping $3.22! We were on the road by 11:00am; our goal was to get to Denver in time for a late dinner with our friends Cindie & Terry. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery as we drove out of Utah. Mo likes to point it all out to us. Reece saw a lot of horses. He would even point them out to us. He was such a good boy. He likes to snack on our yummy treats. We learned our lesson about changing diapers earlier than later. When we arrived in Park City he had such a wet diaper we had to pull his whole car seat apart and wash it all in the washing machine. Thank goodness we were at someone’s home so we could do so. Now we change diapers every time we get gas. On our way through Wyoming we stopped in Rock Springs at a Harley Davidson Motorcycle shop for my dad. We got gas and had a bite to eat. Reece loved sitting on all the big motorcycles. He was able to run around a bit and stretch his legs. Once back in the truck he wanted to watch a movie. We are big fans of our portable DVD player! While driving through Wyoming we saw tons of prong horn creatures, sort of look like deer. Mo annoyingly pointed them out while I was reading. “Ya babe, I see it!” We also saw lot so Texas long horn bulls. Reece would make the MOOOO sound and ask the cows if they could hear him. It was so cute. We made one more stop in Cheyenne to fill up the gas tank and get on route 25 heading south to Denver. We made it to the Standlee household at 8:00 pm. It was still light out so we hung out on the front porch for a while. Terry was watering his lawn so Lucy and Reece ran through the sprinkler. It was so fun watching them enjoy each other. After some great catching up with our friends; we got a good night’s sleep.
We woke up to Raine talking and blowing bubbles in her pack-n-play; Reece shouts, “Raine’s awake guys!” He was sleeping on an air mattress at the end of the bed. We grab both kids and snuggled for a whole 5 minutes. Reece wanted to go wake up Brian. When we looked at the time it was 7:30am; that would be 6:30 Vegas time. Reece was right on schedule for rise & shine time. Why is it little people don’t sleep in? We showered and ate breakfast on the back deck. The coffee and company was so relaxing. Reece and Mo took a walk in a creek and Reece came back covered in mud. We stripped him down and hosed him off. Brian and Kara had to head to work so we started to gather our gear and get ready for the next leg of our journey. I had to run into the post office to mail some very over due packages. Mo took the kids into this really great furniture store. Mo filled the tank half way because gas was a whopping $3.22! We were on the road by 11:00am; our goal was to get to Denver in time for a late dinner with our friends Cindie & Terry. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery as we drove out of Utah. Mo likes to point it all out to us. Reece saw a lot of horses. He would even point them out to us. He was such a good boy. He likes to snack on our yummy treats. We learned our lesson about changing diapers earlier than later. When we arrived in Park City he had such a wet diaper we had to pull his whole car seat apart and wash it all in the washing machine. Thank goodness we were at someone’s home so we could do so. Now we change diapers every time we get gas. On our way through Wyoming we stopped in Rock Springs at a Harley Davidson Motorcycle shop for my dad. We got gas and had a bite to eat. Reece loved sitting on all the big motorcycles. He was able to run around a bit and stretch his legs. Once back in the truck he wanted to watch a movie. We are big fans of our portable DVD player! While driving through Wyoming we saw tons of prong horn creatures, sort of look like deer. Mo annoyingly pointed them out while I was reading. “Ya babe, I see it!” We also saw lot so Texas long horn bulls. Reece would make the MOOOO sound and ask the cows if they could hear him. It was so cute. We made one more stop in Cheyenne to fill up the gas tank and get on route 25 heading south to Denver. We made it to the Standlee household at 8:00 pm. It was still light out so we hung out on the front porch for a while. Terry was watering his lawn so Lucy and Reece ran through the sprinkler. It was so fun watching them enjoy each other. After some great catching up with our friends; we got a good night’s sleep.
Road Trip 2007 Day 1 6-19-07
We are well on our way. We finally left Tuesday at noon. It seemed like an endless morning of packing. I thought I packed a lot throughout the day on Monday, but when you're packing for a month long excursion; you need a whole week just to figure out what a family of four needs. Packing for a mission trip was easier than this. After all was said and done, I don’t think I forgot anything. 
Day 1 June 19, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada to Park City, Utah 8 hours 366 miles
Left the house at noon and made a few stops. It was lunch time so we started our road trip off with some delicious McDonalds; “chickie nuggets” for the boy and a burger for the man. Gas and Starbucks were a necessity for the adventure. We headed north out of town on the 15. I don’t think we were even on the 15 and both kiddos were sleeping! Yes, that’s the way to travel. They slept for about 2 hours. Then ate some snacks and played with toys. We listened to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a while and after about 3 hours on the road we stopped in Cedar City, Utah. We still had to grab a few items for our trip so Walmart Here We Come! Mo wants to try and stop at a Walmart in every state. He loves that store. After our shopping spree we had about 4 more hours until we reached my brother in Park City. Reece & Raine did great. Raine drank her bottle and fell asleep again. Reece got a little restless so we put Peter Pan on the portable DVD player for him to watch.
We pulled into Brian & Kara’s place at about 8pm. Kara was cutting up steak for shish kabobs. Yum-O! The kids desperately needed diaper changes; so we did baths also. It was still pretty light out so we enjoyed the grassy, Aspen tree filled backyard for a while. At 9:30 we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of shish kabobs, salad and Samuel Adams. Reece ate his favorite meal; mac & cheese! By 10:00 the babes were in bed and we were veggin’ in front of the boob tube. Kara gave me a lesson on how to use my IPOD. Since I was up until 2am on Monday night and woke at 5:30am to finish packing; I was off to bed. They have the best California King sized bed on earth. The sheets are so soft and the pillows are oh so fluffy. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light!
Day 1 June 19, 2007 Las Vegas, Nevada to Park City, Utah 8 hours 366 milesLeft the house at noon and made a few stops. It was lunch time so we started our road trip off with some delicious McDonalds; “chickie nuggets” for the boy and a burger for the man. Gas and Starbucks were a necessity for the adventure. We headed north out of town on the 15. I don’t think we were even on the 15 and both kiddos were sleeping! Yes, that’s the way to travel. They slept for about 2 hours. Then ate some snacks and played with toys. We listened to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a while and after about 3 hours on the road we stopped in Cedar City, Utah. We still had to grab a few items for our trip so Walmart Here We Come! Mo wants to try and stop at a Walmart in every state. He loves that store. After our shopping spree we had about 4 more hours until we reached my brother in Park City. Reece & Raine did great. Raine drank her bottle and fell asleep again. Reece got a little restless so we put Peter Pan on the portable DVD player for him to watch.
We pulled into Brian & Kara’s place at about 8pm. Kara was cutting up steak for shish kabobs. Yum-O! The kids desperately needed diaper changes; so we did baths also. It was still pretty light out so we enjoyed the grassy, Aspen tree filled backyard for a while. At 9:30 we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of shish kabobs, salad and Samuel Adams. Reece ate his favorite meal; mac & cheese! By 10:00 the babes were in bed and we were veggin’ in front of the boob tube. Kara gave me a lesson on how to use my IPOD. Since I was up until 2am on Monday night and woke at 5:30am to finish packing; I was off to bed. They have the best California King sized bed on earth. The sheets are so soft and the pillows are oh so fluffy. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light!
YEAH~ I got a new password
I'M NOW BACK TO BLOGGING AGAIN!
I couldn't remember my password and couldn't get a signal from our house near the beach. We are having a blast on vacation. I have been journaling our adventures along the way. Our 5 day road trip across the United States went exceptionally well. Thanks for all of your prayers. My 2 year old and 9 mos old were the best behaved lil angels parents could ask for. Mo even said that he has taken this trip several times before and each time he thinks it couldn't get any better than this. He never imagined travelling across the USA with two lil tykes, cramped in the back of his four door Toyota, would be so rewarding and fulfilling! Wow, big steps for my hubby! More details to come. Just wanted to share how great God is!
On a side note~ Please pray for my phone interview this Friday, July 13th at 9am (pacific coast time) with the Odyssey Charter School in Vegas. To teach with them would be a huge blessing for our family!
I couldn't remember my password and couldn't get a signal from our house near the beach. We are having a blast on vacation. I have been journaling our adventures along the way. Our 5 day road trip across the United States went exceptionally well. Thanks for all of your prayers. My 2 year old and 9 mos old were the best behaved lil angels parents could ask for. Mo even said that he has taken this trip several times before and each time he thinks it couldn't get any better than this. He never imagined travelling across the USA with two lil tykes, cramped in the back of his four door Toyota, would be so rewarding and fulfilling! Wow, big steps for my hubby! More details to come. Just wanted to share how great God is!
On a side note~ Please pray for my phone interview this Friday, July 13th at 9am (pacific coast time) with the Odyssey Charter School in Vegas. To teach with them would be a huge blessing for our family!
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