Baby Drake is Here! YAY!

Drake Linton
December 12th, 2009
5:40 pm
7 pounds 4 ounces
19 1/2 inches long

We finally were greeted by baby Drake. We have been so excited to have him with us and he's the cutest little dude ever. He has long black hair with a tint of brown in it. He has long ski-like feet (reminds me of Landon when he was born) and LOVES bathtimes already. He is so stinkin cute too! Leah was really stressed out by the labor experience after the horrible time of having Linzey. But after Drake was out and things were settling down she said, "Man, if I knew it was that easy I could have a baby everyday!" That was until she started nursing! lol But Leah was a rockstar and definitely is a good momma to both Linzey and Drake now. Thomas couldn't be more proud. And Linzey is such a great big sister. She loves to hold baby Drake and help her mom with things around the house while he's nursing. She loves to hold his hands and talk to him too. Soon I'm sure she's gonna be reading him stories and drawing him pictures.


This nurse was MY FAVORITE! If I ever have children I am going to request her. She was so funny and made me laugh till I was tearing up. As she was giving Drake his first washcloth bath, Linzey was asking if she was rubbing him too hard. Thomas told Linzey that she does this all the time and that she knows what she's doing. She later replied, "Yeah I only beat my own kids." I think you might have had to be there to get the humor in that, but it was priceless. She was always there when we needed her and she had an amazingly humorous way about her that I fell in love with from the first time she came in.


Thomas was talking about how big his feet were and I had to agree. This photo does do it justice, but Drake's feet were long! I loved this picture. Daddy's hand next to his little boys newborn foot. I don't think he's going to be able to keep his hand bigger than his son's foot for long. Before you know it you're buying shoes that are bigger than your own. Man they grow up to fast huh!



This was the following morning. Landon and I were the last of the family to come and visit that morning. We made a late start and April was already working. Mom was there with Linzey and I was able to hold my new nephew! He is a doll and was so good. Landon kept trying to get too close to him... like an inch away from his face... as you can tell he's not used to having such little people around. :) He'll learn quick though how close is appropriate.


The proud NaNa!
This is grandbaby number 9!


Mom and I took the kids to the duck pond and it would seem that the ducks, geese, seagulls, and any other fowl in the 10 mile radius knew we were coming. We helped the kids on the hood of the car after they were being ganged up on by the feathered animals. Landon didn't like it at all... it was too cold out. My hands were frozen by the time I got back into the car.

Landon finally got his turn to hold baby Drake. He as so happy, but baby Drake didn't like it too much... maybe next time my dear! I think Landon's going to be a great big-brother some day... who knows how far into the future that might be! o_O Landon is so gentle though and curious that it makes me laugh to see the delight of even being able to watch Drake.

It was hysterical. We didn't see this picture of Drake's eyes popping out till after we took it. We all missed it in person, but found it on camera. It was so funny. And Thomas is a great dad and holds Drake just right. Like I said, he couldn't have been a prouder papa!


Here Thomas is with Baby Drake sleeping. Drake is supposed to be burping any time now, but he seems to have fallen asleep on the job. :) Thomas is SOOOO cute with Drake too. Talking to him, changing his diapers, and taking him around the house with him wherever he goes. It's so cute to see how the two of them bond already.


Drake, we are so glad you came to us safely and that we are able to be there to see you grow up. Try to stop falling asleep while eating and I hope that daddy learns to protect himself when changing your diaper... he's had too many surprise leaks lately. Oh... and know that we all love you to peices and will always be there for you. Listen to mom and dad and stay close to that place you just came from called heaven.

Love you Baby Drake!

A Sawyer-Style Thanksgiving

When the Sawyer family gets together, it's nothing like other families. We don't have our typical quiet conversations where people keep from awkward or inappropriate subjects... our holiday gatherings involve food fights (which didn't happen this Thanksgiving thankfully), talking about body anatomies and sicknesses which would have some people covering their ears, a free-for-all buffet of food which is a crazefest, and slapping of arms when someone inevitably slips a bad word. But I have to tell you that I love our family gatherings. This was the first time in a LONG time that we have all been together. That is that five girls have gotten together with their families for Thanksgiving dinner. This year it was at NaNa's house in Quincy and Christmas will be at Leah's house in Pasco.

So of course because of this occasion we all had to be in the pictures which I insisted on. Who knows when we'll be getting together again? lol

From left to right it's Jennifer, Leah, Mom, and April in back with Me and Misty on the floor.

Now the reason for the boob squeezing shot. My mom went to Utah this year for a McCullen reunion with her sisters from Missouri. When they were together they had this picture where my mom reach across her sister and squeezed her other sister's boob... since that picture made it's debute I got together with Angie (my cousin) and we did the same shot. So it goes without saying that we would have to do it again with a familiy gathering... so this is what we got. :)


Leah was due on December 16th, even though she was going to be induced on the 12th if she hadn't had Baby Drake by then. Well flash forward, she has had him and that's my next blog, but here is Sam, Jenny's husband, letting us see his beer belly in comparison to Leah's prego belly. It was hysterical.

I was in Jiffy Car Wash visiting with my good friend Cheryl (who is amazing and an angel) and found this cup that had a big set of honkers on the front of it. I immediately thought of my sister, Misty. Misty had a size D chest since 5th grade and it's just grown since then, so this was HER gift. :)


Landon LOVES NaNa's ambulance. Anytime we hear sirens it's always followed by Landon saying, "That's my Nana mama!" lol He loves to explore the ambulance too... He's been around these since he was a few days old. He has loved them and I think it all began with knowing his Grandma works on it. He knows the difference between a fire truck and an ambulance. This smile was a forced one because he didn't know who to look at. :)

This Thanksgiving was a great one. Jonathan came down from Job Corps in Curlew and April, Leah, and I and our families were able to make it safely from Tri-Cities. So it was a great family gathering and hopefully we'll have another addition to our numbers this coming Christmas celebration.

I have to say that this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my son who is the core of my life and the reason I wake up smiling, for my family who has continued to support me and love me, for my friends who buoy me up on my bad slumps and make me laugh when I want to cry, for my faith which keeps me going and looking forward to the future, for chocolate which gives me enough of a boost to keep me going any given day, and I am so grateful for the armed forces and those individuals who put their lives on the line so that I can enjoy mine and relax without worry of bombings on our streets and dictators over our land. I am thankful for our freedoms and for those that forged this way of life for us back when the war with England was waged. Thank goodness they stood up then, and thank goodness we have men and women brave enough to stand up now. God bless them.

Utah Trip Babe!

I went on a road trip down to Utah for Mary Kay Summit. I traveled with amazing ladies and love them more and more the more I am around them. They inspire me, pump me up, make me feel like a million bucks, have me laughing till my side is killing me and tears are welling up, and surprise me by their giving and totally outgoing personalities. I needed this trip. And I am so glad I was able to go on it. I had made arrangements to stay with my cousin, Angie while down there whom I haven't seen FOREVER! So this was a doubly meaningful trip.

Below would be the most amazing woman, Laura Francis, who blows my mind with how uninhibited she is by pressures in her life. She is also a single mom and has been doing Mary Kay a little longer than I have. She is the BOMB! Laura is a lot like me as we both burst out into song at random moments, love to laugh, and LOVE to have fun no matter where we are. On this trip Laura and I were NOT allowed to be in the same car together because the other car would most definitely fall asleep. So we were split the entire way there. :( But we got to get out and mingle at pit-stops and gas stations which was always enjoyable. Oh! And the one doing the peace out sign in the background is Cherrie! She is phenomenal! She is 20 years old and down at Summit she was THE #1 Queen of Sales which means she sold the most in our national area. She rocks too and definitely has it going on. Fun loving and quirky, she is a natural fit into our craziness. :)
These are all the ladies that carpooled down with us in our two vehicles. Mind you there were other car pools going on down, but this was ours. :) From Left to Right: Jessica, Laura, Cherri, and AnnMarie with me being a dork. :) I totally have to tell you that it wasn't until my 2nd 16 oz. Slurpee that I was told that those were NOT smoothies with fruit in them like I thought they were, they are pretty much sugar, ice shavings, and artificial flavoring. Yeah... I was flying on a sugar high the entire way down there. And then was completely turned off to Slurpee because I didn't know that it was pretty much sugar. And could see it sticking to my stomach and thighs. :)

When we got down to Utah and I stayed the first night at Jessica's Aunt's house. We didn't get in till like 3am or so. It was so late! But we crashed and slept in. I met up with Angie, my cousin, the following day and was SOOOO happy to see her. She has always been one that I have looked up to and enjoyed being around. My mom had just been down earlier that summer to stay with her and her sister's flew in from Missouri so it was a girls weekend there.

I loved hearing the stories from their stay. It's so easy to talk to Angie and she and her husband, Chris, give the best sound advice I've needed. :) They have 2 children: Ethan and Tinley. Their kids are absolutely amazing. Ethan is doing awesome in school and is taller than Angie or I! He has such a tender, caring heart and that was brought out at the end of our visit... which I'll tell you about below. Tinley is the sweetest girl with all the energy in the world. She is a dancer and loves to show you moves all the time that she learned in gymnastics.


I didn't know that Utah had another temple till Angie suggested we go see it. It's what my mom and her sisters did too! So we went and took TONS of pictures while enjoying and soaking in the beauty of the temple area. The day was brisk, a little breezy, but perfect otherwise. The Draper Temple is amazing and I loved the feeling that you get when you're on the temple grounds.


Then we went to view the spot where you can see all 5 temples in the same spot. Of course it was on the side of one of the mountains above the Draper Temple, but it was so much fun. This is me taking in the awesome view. We had so much fun this day. It was beautiful and sunny! But on the way home Angie told me that she wasn't feeling so hot. You see 2 of the neighbors in her neighborhood had gotten swine flu that week.... the one she is closest to because their kids are inseparable had just gotten her 1 year old son confirmed with swine flu the first night I stayed there. So when Angie told me this I realized that we had both been hiding the fact and ignoring not feeling well and had pushed ourselves because the other was there and acting too. So we went back to the house to drop kids off and head to the doctor's office to get tested for swine flu.

Both of us were running low grade fevers. And the doctor saw us and told us that they are not testing for swine flu and unless we were a high risk case, they would not treat us for it with the shot. So he sent us home and told us to lock ourselves away from others because we sounded like we had it with our symptoms, but would just have to wait it out. So home we went and we put our masks on which were EXTREMELY fashionable to clean and bleach the entire house up and down. She has a family there and didn't want the rest of her family to get Swine Flu if that was in fact what we had. So after that we clad ourselves in pjs and busted out the movies in her room on her bed. So my trip for Mary Kay became 3 days of sick bed enclosed cousin time. I couldn't have been happier being sick with anyone else. :)

Angie got me hooked on the new Pride and Prejudice which I have always had a slight dislike for because of growing up with the original 5+ hour one. All in all it was a wonderful weekend where I was able to bond with my cousin which I loved. I missed my son, but brought him back some surprises that he loved from my trip. :)

Transformers, Fairies, and Clowns

Yes I know it's in December and almost Christmas, but I decided to post Halloween, even though I'm a few months behind.

I have to say that I was NOT in the mind or condition to go trick-or-treating with the kids. I had moved the entire night before Halloween and spent the entire morning and afternoon moving and getting things unpacked and organized. I don't know WHY we had to choose to move that weekend, but it was the only weekend we could and the last weekend in October, so we did. Thank goodness. I am NEVER moving twice in one month. My mind and body won't allow it anymore. lol

Landon and I went trick-or-treating with my family: Leah and Thomas with little Linzey; April and Leon with Dakota and Claire; and Ruth with Harry (the dog). It was so much fun. COLD, but fun! Landon was Bumblebee off of Transformers, Linzey was a fairy, Claire was a clown and Dakota was a multi-hair-colored rock star.


Landon was scared to go up to people's doors after being freaked out by a house that you had to go into this pitch black curtain covered area to get your treat. Uncle Leon showed Landon it wasn't that scary, but the rest of the night he was racing along with the other kids saying, "Trick or Treat!" followed by a "thank you!" :)

It was so much fun to watch him really enjoy Halloween and participate in it. Last Halloween I remember he didn't quite grasp the concept. But this Halloween he knew it was ALL about the candy and mom didn't let him keep his candy unless he said Thank You to each homeowner.

We were out about 3 hours going from door to door it seemed and were FREEZING by the end of it. We went back to Leah's and met up with Dad there after his meetings. It was fun and I'm looking forward to the next Halloween when I don't find myself mentally and physically exhausted and can enjoy the festivities of the nighttime.

Prayers and Ketchup

Lately as I am trying to get Landon down for bed we go through the normal routine of saying prayers after brushing teeth and getting pajamas on but before we read books and lay together. So last night I realized we are going into a routine of sorts.

Landon is so hyper right before bed. I'm not sure if this happens to ALL boys or if it's just a Landon thing, but he seems to go onto a sugar high right when "bedtime" is mentioned. Jumping off things, walking funny up the stairs, on all fours being a dog, and tons of running, squealing, and laughing ensues right before bedtime. I have always had to strap on my "patient" belt and endure it as best I can, as I am WAY overdue for sleep most nights.

But I realized that there's another thing that happens as well....

Landon will be so busy-body when I kneel down to his bed and ask him to kneel too. He jumps, lays or sits on his bed and tells me he's too tired to, while at the same time squirming around everywhere. So instead of arguing (which I found doesn't work well) I started saying the prayer without him kneeling. Most of the time he would fall into place at my side and echo my every 1/2 sentence through the prayer. But there are times when he's still pretty head-strong and doesn't.

I realized that as soon as I ask for his father to be protected and brought home safe, I always feel him fall into place right next to me with arms folded, head bowed, eyes closed and kneeling reverently and thoughtfully. You see, he misses his dad to pieces and if he's not repeating me before this point of the bedtime prayer, he does immediately following that plea.

It's amazing what you can tell about children with their actions.

This last weekend my sister, Leah, had Baby Drake finally! And my mom has been down for the event. Drake was born on Saturday and we were all there in the waiting room. The kids did very well sitting in the little room with TV and toys and treats, but MAN did they need to get out and run around. So April and Leon treated us to Burger King after Drake's arrival and we had documented every moment in pictures or video when we were let into the room after the delivery. The kids ran off to play on the toys right when we stepped into the room and I enjoyed sitting back and supervising while we waited for the food. When the food came we all dug in SUPER hungry after hours of waiting and refereeing kids to not be mean to one another.

While we were digging in my mom ended up spilling ketchup on the front of her white sweater. This made Linzey (my niece) laugh hysterically as she pointed at NaNa's sweater! So before I know it my mom is laughing too... I look over wondering what was going on. She told me that when Landon saw that Linzey was laughing at NaNa for having ketchup on her shirt he took ketchup and was about to put it on his shirt so she didn't feel alone. My heart grew in that instance for the loving act of ketchup smearing.

I had to stop myself later that night and think of what happened that day. I am proud of Landon for caring about others and doing something to help them. I'm also glad I didn't have to get ketchup stains out of his shirt although it would have been worth it!

I am truly blessed with a wonderful, big-hearted little boy who continues to make me realize that giving of yourself gives you more joy than receiving. I hope as he continues to grow up that he will remember these little acts and know that Christmas time is about appreciating what we have been blessed with, that his heart will continue to grow with his body, and that he might know much very much I love and cherish him. I am amazed at some points and wonder if his heart isn't bigger than my own at these points. Landon definitely makes me view the world more closely through his childlike eyes.

I am the one who is blessed. I truly am.

Oregon Coast and Reunion

The Oregon Coast... ahhh... nothing is like it.
It captivates you by doing nothing extraordinary than what it does day in and day out... but it's the other things that gets to you. The smell of the saltwater, the ocean lapping at your feet, the call of gulls around you, the crashing of the waves, the sand beneath your feet, and most important this trip was the sun beating down on you... warming you. It's amazing and I love the ocean. I love being able to relax and getting away from all the hussle and bussle of the normal day. I love being able to not have any plans making your day full of things to get checked off... instead you are able to do what you want, when you want, and if something doesn't go as planned, it doesn't matter. :)

Landon LOVED being on the beach. We didn't play in the water the first time we went out on the beach, but we did have fun building a castle, with a moat, and drawbridge! He was so good this trip and really loved playing on the ever-sandy coast. I love how he continually flicked sand everywhere so before I knew what hit me there was a shovel full down my shirt or in my hair. :) But that's the great thing about being there... it doesn't matter!



Yep! You guessed it! NAP TIME! :) I told him he couldn't have the camera anymore and then he plopped himself down just like this and stayed there for over 5 minutes till I went and picked him up. If this wasn't a sign that a nap was in order, I don't know what would have been... but before we could leave we were rolling with laughter at what happened below in the photos.

I had been watching this older couple walking along the beach together (because I've always wanted to grow old with someone and love seeing proof of two people being able to tolerate one another their whole lives to walk hand in hand, wrinkled and old *sigh*) and as they were walking the man stops and because the woman was looking down, she didn't notice he'd stopped till about 15 feet ahead... where she turned around and went back... by that time she'd noticed what had stopped her husband in the middle of their coasting on the beach... a scantily clad couple (woman specifically) had decided to strip down and enjoy the ocean as it should be enjoyed during the summer... o_O but the water was FREEZING and so I found myself staring too and watching the couple of course.


Instead of walking up to him and whacking him while telling him to stop eying the girl, she totally surprised me by standing by his side and staring too! hahaha... it had Sean and I laughing heartily!

Landon took the camera right before we left and took this photo... this is Sean and I. Sean is a dear dear friend... my best friend from the 8th grade. We met at Pattonville Heights while I lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in our Spanish class with Mr. Bimbo. He and I hit it off from there, but I moved away and we fell out of touch... over the next few years we kept tabs on one another and really enjoyed talking and laughing together over the phone. I stopped contact when I was going to be married, due to a misunderstanding (which was stupid in hindsight) and so we didn't contact each other for over 4 years. Then when I was divorced I found him on Facebook. We've been talking nonstop for almost a year now... seeing as November 3rd would be my 1 year anniversary for my D day.


He is my best friend. He knows everything about me... and the only thing that isn't in favor of us being in a relationship is he is not LDS. So we remain friends. And after a decade of not seeing one another, we decided to meet. I was planning a trip to the Oregon Coast, and when I told him and he said he wanted to come, we made the plans! He flew into Spokane and I picked him up, drove him to Quincy to see my family there, then onto Tri-Cities to have dinner with the other half of my family. It was a good (and long) day. We both crashed that night and then headed for the coast the following morning. We stayed 2 nights in Seaside and LOVED the weather we had! Last time I had gone to the Oregon Coast, Tiff and I were met with a blanket of thick fog and drizzly weather... not the makings for a gorgeous time at the beach! But we were in luck because the weather was perfect!



Landon was crazy when I took him to wade in the water. He kept stomping and getting my rolled-up jeans wet! Ugh... but the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye soon smoothed over any irritation I felt. He's doll and I love him so much. I am so happy that he was able to have so much fun on the beach and enjoy the time together.


Landon serving me his special dinner of toasted football served on cheese and season mixture presented on a rare, vintage shovel! Om nom nom...

This is the sunsets we found ourselves enjoying. hmm... I miss it already!

Whenever I go anywhere I always take all the pictures and because I take those pictures, I am never in them and I don't get to have some of Landon and I interacting.... luckily Sean took the initiative to grab the camera an start taking shots. So I have him to thank for these awesome pictures.

But then I took over again and found that this was my favorite picture of the trip. I love it.

And you can't go without the self-portraits... those are a staple! :)

The trip was so much fun! Landon was very well behaved, which I was worried about coming back from his dad's just 2 nights before, but except for the tantrum in the sand... he did amazing. Sean and I were able to catch up and realize that we really do enjoy one anothers company and both have a love for the ocean... even though Sean thought I was crazy for wading in it... he followed my lead finally and got the full experience of the ocean by standing in it with his bare feet. :)

I miss my friend already and wanted to thank him for flying over to see me even after all this time.

Blankies

I know this is a small thing, but it hit me pretty good... so I decided to share:

Landon has always had a blue blanket and a green blanket that is silky on one side and furry on the other... he has had these in his possession since before he was born. He loves the silky side of the blanket and LOVES to go to sleep with his blanket even though he can sleep without it, he does enjoy having it with him.

The other night after returning from his dad's not too long ago I was reading him a story when he stopped me mid-sentence and said, "Where's my blanket mom?!?!?" To which I told him I had just washed them and they were in the dryer. I got up and got one of them and went back to the bedroom.

The first thing that happened is he hugs his blanket against his little body and says so sincerely that it made me laugh and hug him, "I love you blankie!"

I guess we have a second generation in my family (me being the first) that loves the silky feeling of blankets... But I still smile and giggle when I think about how he said it. I've missed him and glad he's with me again.

Mr. Magoo in Action

I have always called Landon, my son, Mr. Magoo from an early age. This was dawned because of his many, many, many close calls with accidents... and that's just the ones that were close... not the ones that he actually had. He is accident prone, just like me. But since he's come home from the few weeks he spend with his dad in Seattle, he's gone to great extremes.

Just to paint a picture I will tell you what happened 2 nights ago....

It was the first night back from the Oregon Coast (which will be blogged about this week), and I was getting Landon ready for bed. He seems to have a hour long burst of energy that is higher than normal since returning home from his dad's. I understand he's excited to be home and see me and be in his bedroom with his things... but it gets a little wearing when you are trying to read him books and he keeps jumping up and down on the bed at random intervals.... yeah.... like I was saying... *clears throat*

I had gone in and told Landon to lay down about 5-7 times and each time he was either on the other side of the room messing around on my bed with toys, or in the bathroom eating toothpaste, or writing on the dresser with a pen... yeah... just the kind of thing you want to catch your little boy doing when he's supposed to be the sweet sleeping little one that looks so peaceful, instead of the full of energy monster that can't sit still, let alone go to sleep!

So after going in there countless times I finally heard... nothing.
Didn't think that quiet could sound so good.... that was until I went into my bedroom.

I went in and got ready for bed, put out my clothes, and as I was pulling back the covers to my bed, I realized that there was something wet... NO! I thought to myself! He went to the bathroom twice before bedtime! Ugh! *scowl* but I found myself smelling the wet spot... and it wasn't pee.

Yeah... if the can of SPF 35 Coppertone Continuous Spray Sunscreen wasn't laying right next to Mr. Magoo I wouldn't have been able to figure out what that smell was. You guessed it!

Mr. Magoo had gone all out and decided my bed could use some Sunscreen protection. :)

As I had just found this out, my roommate and good friend, Tiffany, called me into the bathroom and pointed to something on the counter and asked, "What's this?!?!?" You see it was a black circle like thing drawn onto the counter in what appeared to be permanent marker. Black permanent marker on a white and gold counter top. Tiffany, being the best roommate and friend one could have, immediately put on her mommy cap and grabbed a rag with hairspray and dowsed the area in hairspray and scrubbed afterwards with the rag... repeating time and time again.

After the bathroom was cleaned up and satisfactory... I thought I would show her what other mischievous things Mr. Magoo had undertaken when sleep should have overcome him.

Lets just say we both had a good quiet, muffled giggle and after placing a towel under Mr. Magoo and I, I was finally able to retire for the night.

September Fun

Yes, Yes I know... here are all the happenings in September! :)

Landon and I went to a Single's BBQ that also had a boat at hand for fun times... Landon really came to like this girl named Cassie while we were in the boat... he liked to sit on her lap and look at the girls who were wake boarding and knee boarding. It was so much fun. Landon was in charge of the flag at first, but after getting pulled over by the water patrol and told that we just had to move something he liked being on Cassie's lap the rest of the time. :)





This is Leah at the end of August, beginning of September. She is just 6 months and is looking so cute. Every time I see her belly I just want to go and feel it. I don't every time because she might freak out on me, but I do when I can. It's funny... since I have been pregnant, and heard a lot of women don't like their bellies touched I'm really hesitant to touch other woman's bellies. I don't want to offend them or get into their personal bubble. While I was prego I didn't mind anyone touching my big belly... it was fun actually...



Believe it or not, this is Leah at the end of September... she doesn't look like she's changed at all huh! :) I just caught her right when she got home from work and she had the same shirt on that's all. She is still cute as cute can be. Last night though she said that Drake was sitting on her pelvic bone and she was SOOOO uncomfortable. I felt so bad for her and offered a massage, but she just wanted to lay down to see if he would move into another position that didn't hurt as much. I have to say... there are some things I don't miss about pregnancies. lol


We were invited out to camp with Tiffany and her family. Landon and Nicole are best friends... actually Landon asks most everyday that I pick him up from Daycare if we're going to Nicole's house and when I tell him we're not, he tells me he loves Nicole and wants to play at her house. Awww... my little boy already has a best friend. :) I love it!


This would be me starting the fire and adding more wood. I was going to make a tee pee type thing with the wood and then light the newspaper underneath, but someone brought lighter fluid, so I cheated... hahaha... whatever works right!


This is Ashley Rae and Nicole... sisters... and awesome posers too. My camera disappeared while I was there at the campsite when I took Landon to the bathroom and these ended up on my camera by chance... who do you think could have borrowed it? lol


The happy little family. Tiffany with her girls. Something funny was going on and this was my favorite picture of the night.


Landon admiring his smore that I made... I really don't know what's wrong with me, but I've never liked smores. I think it's the marshmallows in it. I have never really like marshmallows... plain and simple they're disgusting to me. If I HAVE to eat one I will, but I can't stand their texture and how they taste... but I love to watch Landon get all gooed up with marshmallow while trying to devour his smore. Those times are precious and should be a part of childhood for everyone.

Roasting Smores...


This should tell you that Landon had HAD it with my camera shots by this point in the night. He was tired of looking my way and being blinded by the flash... but he is just so darn cute that I can't help myself... so this is when he was coming towards me telling me no more. :) Then right after this was taken I felt really bad because the flash really did hurt his eyes and partially blind him for a few seconds... so I put the camera up...


But you know it couldn't stay up all night... hehehe


We were invited to Brad and Nelda Asay's house. Brad works as a Funeral Director where I work and they just moved into their new home. So they had us over for dinner, swimming and fun. I went planning on getting in the pool, but I totally forgot to take off my mascara...


So I ended up with Raccoon eyes at the end of the night. Non-waterproof mascara + water = a MESS! hahaha Lesson is now learned and I won't be doing that again anytime soon.


On the upside, Landon had a BLAST with the other kids. He LOVED being in the pool and jumping off the steps to me, watching the rocket launch onto the neighbors roof, and eating the delicious ice cream dessert Nelda prepared. He loved getting to know Rob and Sonda's children and play with Nicole and Linzey too. At the end of the night the kids were exhausted from all the running around, exploring, playing, eating, swimming, and cheering.








Just this last weekend Corey and Sammy came over to hunt with Uncle Thomas during the Youth Hunt. Corey shot his first duck of the season... and Sammy showed Corey the ropes of how to cut the meat out, bag, and freeze it.



I had to come see Cheryl this early Monday Morning because I was going through withdraws of her happy attitude, her stories, and her chiding me for not updating my blog. She's awesome and I love this photo of her. She's beautiful and so caring and giving to others. Thanks Cheryl for the many things you have given me while I have known you. You are truly an amazing God-fearing woman and I am blessed to call you my friend. Keep your chin up with helping Jeremy through this rough time for his father who is in the hospital. You are a beam of happiness in a busy, fast paced business there. Remember that I love you! :)


Then I got a shock when Larry Bateman came in and asked me if I thought he had forgotten about me... a little confused I asked him what he meant... that's when it clicked. The Batemans and the Mueller's families have always helped each other out. So naturally when Larry's mom and dad passed away last year, I was able to help him with their services. During that time I came to love the long conversations we had where he told me about many different experiences he's had in his life and the stories about growing up in the Tri-Cities area when there wasn't anything here. I grew to really love our visits, but when the services were done we knew we wouldn't be able to see each other on a regular basis again... but he did mention that he was getting a Camaro that was custom built with everything he wanted in detail. He said he had just ordered it and paid for it and that it would be in sometime in August... little did I know that day that he came in that it was parked in the driveway! So this is Larry Bateman, one of the best men I know through my job. He even let me get in it and took a picture for me. Thank you Larry for the eye candy I was able to feast on for a few minutes and it was good to able to see you. Thanks for that laughs you caused by telling me about your wife taking the car to work and taking some of her coworkers out and wondering why everyone was staring at them... good times... good times...



I bought the kids some silly string things at the Dollar Store and they were having a blast with it. Landon couldn't hold the button down by himself, but Linzey knew just what to do. I seemed to have taken the brunt of the end of one of the cans and got all those fuzzies on me from Linzey's can. It was like Christmas morning for the kids though. Definitely something we'll have to do again! :)

Landon is now with his Dad and enjoying one-on-one time with him before James leaves to go to Iraq. During this time without him I have come to realize how much empathy I'm gaining for James having to go during times without seeing his son. I found myself bawling last night after getting off the phone with Landon who was eating pizza with Tyler (his dad's girlfriend's son) and have resorted to sleeping with his blanket at night. It's not the same, but it helps just a tiny bit. I can't wait to get him back on the 7th of October... 3 weeks without your little one is torture... especially when you're used to him being there, hanging with you everyday.