Where Everything's Bigger... Including the post!

A few weeks ago we went to Texas!!! It has taken me a few weeks to brave going through all these pictures, so this post is a little delayed. It is also very packed with pictures!

This is a picture of Sophie at the Vegas Airport, but our trip really began the day before. About midnight, Sophie woke up puking. She then proceeded to puke every 20 minutes through the whole night and into the next day. We took her to instacare, and they sent us on our merry little way. We were going to leave her, but then she appeared to be getting better.

Until the drive to Vegas... She puked on herself twice. Then, when we took off in the plane, she puked all over me! I know, lovely. Luckily I was armed with extra wipes, a garbage bag, and back up clothes.

Justin and I had to sit separate because we got onto the plane last minute despite being at the airport 2 hours early. They actually gave his seat away and had to find a place to put him. Meanwhile, I refused to get aboard until I was sure my husband was coming. Do you blame me? But alas, it all worked out, and we landed safely deep in the heart of Texas. (I love how cheesy I am sometimes). We got to our hotel, after a slight detour, at about 1:00 am Texas time. The next morning we had to be on base at 7:00 am for Michael's graduation. It made for a very short night, and this was after no sleep the night before. Luckily we caught our third and fourth winds throughout the day.

Afterwards we visited the barracks. Boy, did I want to mess something up or sit on that perfectly made bed, but I felt too bad for my incredibly nervous brother-in-law.

Here is Justin taking a trip down memory lane. It was only 8 years ago that he walked these same halls... Don't tell him I posted how long it's been. He doesn't like people to know how old he really is... He he! Michael with his TIs.

And then the wait in the hall for Michael to be released. He warned us not to move these chairs even one inch lest we have a mob of angry airmen after us.

Justin liked it a lot better knowing it wasn't him this time.

Later we took a boat ride on Riverwalk. It was absolutely wonderful. Sophie couldn't decide if she wanted to be happy or sad. (She still wasn't feeling very well. In fact she threw up again that morning. We found out when we got home that she in fact had a blocked colon. Poor thing!).

Not the best picture, but hey, here we are on the Riverwalk.

We hit up the mall after that, and of course, Justin found this ginormous candy store.

And here we are remembering the Alamo.

And then we found the real front of the Alamo...

The whole fam!

Sophie did not recognize Michael! He figured with a uniform and an adorable baby, he'd get all the chicks in town, but Sophie was unwilling to cooperate.

A vicious, very real looking, moving dinosaur. It actually looked straight at you... Creepy!

The next day, we decided to go to Six Flags. I was way excited to go until the night before I ate at Denny's and got food poisoning. I was puking the entire night. (In case you lost track, this is day 3 on no sleep.) I felt better the next day, but with the temperatures being around 100, and the humidity around 70%, my already dehydrated state became even more dire.

We stopped for Mexican food on the way to the park, and Sophie wanted to eat nothing but the salsa. Here she is dipping her binky! She seriously ate two bowlfuls of the stuff. We were glad to see she was feeling so much better!

The park

We basically wandered around because I didn't feel quite up to the roller coasters just yet.

Until we found this little splash pad. Okay, I know it's supposed to be for the little kids, but it was sooo hot! It felt great, and after this and a bunch of water, I was able to go on a few rides with Justin.

But first we took Sophie on some of the kiddie rides... Anna had surgery just before this trip, so she couldn't ride on the rides either. We all packed into this tiny car. It was quite the experience!

And we went back to the splash pad between every ride. Like I said, it was basically our only chance in that weather.

Sophie loved the kiddie rides!

She did very well for her first theme park visit. We'll have to do it again. On a side note, we rode that train you see in the background hoping for a cool, leisurely ride. Much to our dismay, the girl running the ride was incredibly annoying! If I had to hear, "can everyone give me a woot woot!" one more time, I thought I was going to snap...

And the splash pad again...

We went to a show to cool down, and Sophie got to meet all these characters afterward. She was quite fascinated.

Yeah, I know I look less than lovely in all these pictures. A night of sickness did not do much for me.

Sophie got quite tired. Everybody gave her stuff to hold.

And, the Ferris Wheel was a must...

All of us ready to go home.

Sophie loved Uncle Aaron's hat.

Sophie loved Micheal's friend Derrick.

The last day was spent on base, so we got to see all the cool planes.

Me in front of the stealth fighter.

The saluting brothers. It appears Justin has gotten a little rusty...

The fam again.

We have a picture of Justin in front of this plane when he was in the Airforce. I think I'll find it and post it just for fun. Stay tuned!

By the end of the trip, Michael was doing a lot of this...

And then it was time to leave...

On the flight home, Sophie seemed very concerned about safety instructions... And I was relieved not to be on a full flight this time, so Sophie could have her own seat.

It was a wonderful trip despite our difficulties. I guess stuff like that just makes a trip more memerable. We are so proud of Michael!

A Very... Interesting Camping Experience

Friday was the day we decided to head out on a camping adventure. Saturday was the day of severe sleep deprivation and delirium...
Here we are thrilled for the adventure; back when we didn't know how the night would turn out.
Justin started the fire! (It was always burning since the world's been turning...)

That night we had the most delicious shish kabobs ever!

Kristy had an accident... But just with the barbecue sauce.

Yummy!

We had to shine the flashlight on the food to see if it was done because it was so dark. Sophie loved helping with this job... I'm pretty sure at least one of us ate undercooked chicken that night...

Then it was night... This was when the intense winds kicked up and never stopped. It was windy Friday which is why we only set up this one tent. It was an 8 man, and it was dark, and we didn't want to set up another tent; so we made it into a slumber party. Only the slumber part was missing from the equation. The tent walls blew in on us all night to the point that we felt we were going to be consumed by the evil beast.

The next morning we heard people talking around our tent. We were pretty sure they were laughing at us. When we got out, we understood why...

We intended to swim and canoe the next day, but the extreme lack of sleep left us with little energy for that. Not to mention it was still rather cold...

Sophie spent much of her time transferring sand from the beach....

Into the water. It kept her very amused. (Don't worry, we kept a close eye on her at all times.)

The girls

And the final taking down of the tent. Oops it appears we took it down with Simon still in it...

We stopped by my parents house for a quick visit and to play with their kittens. Oh, they are so cute!

Despite a rather long night with no sleep, the camping trip was an absolute blast. It's definitely an experience we will remember for always.

That afternoon we attended Tucker's birthday party. Sophie had so much fun!

They even let her help beat the pinata with the stick!

And while Tucker was opening his presents, she took off with his two biggest ones.

And this is a random picture of Sophie from today. It was a huge laundry day for me, and Sophie spend a good amount of time hanging out in one of the bins. She's so cute!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

At the end of summer last year, I bought several kites for pennies each, and I have been so excited to use them this year. I'm not sure what it is, but flying kites reminds me of childhood. A few Saturdays ago, we headed to the park, and the day was perfect!
Here is Justin putting together our rather fancy kite!

And then it was my turn to fly the kite.

The ice cream man came by, and we got some delicious treats to help cool us off. Sophie loved it! (She was supposed to be sharing with me, but as you can see, she wasn't keen on that idea.)

We ended up at the playground for a little while, and Sophie was terribly upset when it was finally time to go home. It doesn't matter if we spend hours and hours at the park, she is always upset when leaving time comes.

We had Justin's family over for a Mother's Day dinner last Saturday. My in laws got me this fantastic present. I'm not sure what this face was about...

The Gang

I got a scentsy thing. I love it! My house smells fabulous now!

Last Thursday we got to go to a Brian Regan concert! Justin's work took us. We got to sit on the fifth row! Thanks to Simon and Kristy for watching Sophie!

Here is just a random, very cute picture of Sophie in my sunglasses. She put them on her head just like Mommy!

And here is an out-of-order picture of us from Mother's Day!

Mothers,

"Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you ever have been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be. ... Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish the role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones.... The very fact that you have been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you.... If you strive to love God, if you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all God expects you to do.... Remember, remember all the days of your motherhood: 'Ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.' Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And 'press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.' You are doing God's work."

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Because She is a Mother," Ensign, May 1997