Hanging Out & Eating

Benjamin was up nice and early to use the bathroom

and inspect the world with his flashlight.

Benjamin and Dad went on an early morning hike so Dad could take some more pictures and Mom could sleep a little bit more. Thanks, Michael!

Yummy breakfast! The children used the ice chest for a table and it was perfect with their kid-sized camp chairs.

Our Campsite

The mountains at Salamander Flats.

Our Tent

Bekah snuggling with Mom

In this picture, Jeff is starting a fire, I am supervising/helping, and Michael is taking the picture.

The horse trail that went between our two tents.

We did it! We survived our first family camping trip with our children. Granted it was just an overnight campout and they spent the majority of the cold night snuggled next to their mom, but we did it. Benjamin even made it through the night without having to get up and go to the bathroom (thank goodness!) It was fun and we were glad that it was just a short campout this time.

Riding Horses

Our children were fascinated with the wildlife on our campout. A horse and ATV trail ran through our campground and the children wanted to pet the horses of one group of riders. The couple and their son were kind enough to let our children take a ride on their horses. The lady holding Bekah says that she teaches disabled children to ride horses for a living so she didn't mind holding Bekah so she could ride her horse.

Bekah & the Camp Chairs

Bekah had fun playing musical chairs with the camp chairs. The pictures portray a good example of Bekah's climbing talents. Our children were fascinated with the giraffe chair our friends brought for their little girl though they were excited to have their own camp chairs as well. We were glad to have something to entertain her and keep her in camp.

Flying Benjamin!

The children like to come visit me in bed every morning. One morning I had my camera by the bed and took some pictures of our daily alarm clock. This is what Benjamin does every morning. You could say that we are literally bounced out of bed each day. I was quite surprised I got this picture as he usually moves much faster than my half awak mind and body can react to. This is one of those great "point, shoot, and pray the shot turns out the way you want it to" moments.

Wedding Luncheon

The wedding luncheon was held at the Spagetti Factory in this spacious dining room. The food was excellent and Bekah even ate with her spoon and fork instead of her fingers for the majority of the time.

The Excited Couple

Bekah letting Grandpa H. hold her.

The beautiful flower arrangements.

Introducing "his" family.

"His" family

Introducing "her" family.

Members of "her" family

Wedding & Reception

Scott & Alisabeth were married on August 23, 2008. Michael was one of their photographers and here are some of the pictures he took. The wedding was beautiful and the food was scrumptious. Thanks for sharing your special day with us. We love you and wish you the best life has to offer!

Here is where they will exchange their vows.

Kenzie made a beautiful flower girl

Coming down the aisle . . . .

. . . . at the alter

The Kiss!

The happily married couple!

Her gorgeous bouquet
(the flowers were exquisite)

The Bride, Maid of Honor,

& Flower Girl

Can I be in the picture? - Benjamin
(wanting to be with Kenzie)

The Groom's family

The Bride's family

Alisabeth was a gorgeous bride.

The Bride & Maid of Honor

(with the Groom hiding behind)

Watching the camera men take pictures

He loves me. He loves me not.

Oh wait! What was that?!?

What a beautiful cake!

Cutting the Cake

They were nice to each other, though they did dot each other's noses afterwards.

We have a Climber on our Hands

Bekah is a climber. Not only does she climb up and down the stairs, she has discovered that she can climb on other things. This morning she climbed up on two-step stool that is really a minature latter and she climbed up on a kitchen chair and proceeded to dump salt all over the kitchen table.

When she gets got climbing or getting into something Mommy doesn't want her to she laughs and crawls away. She is so good with manipulating things with her hands that she gets into more stuff then Benjamin ever did (he is always running). I have only to wonder what it is she will climb on next . . . . As I am typing she is trying to climb next to the TV in the entertainment center. It is interesting to watch our children explore this new world they live in.

I will post today!

I have been trying to get organized enough to post for two days now. I have even opened the posting window twice, gotten distracted, and had challenges reconnecting to the internet. This post will probably be pretty random, but that is how my mind has been working lately, pretty random.

Yesterday we had an awesome rainstorm. The wind was howling outside and blew some trees over in our old neighborhood. Michael and I sat on our front porch last night and just watched the rain pouring from the sky as seen in the street lights. I love to listen to the rain. I find it very soothing and comforting. I do notlike thunderstorms unless I cannot feel or hear the thunder. I don't mind watching lightening from a great distance.

Today it was finally cold enough during the day that I was able to spend a few hours working in the yard. I am trying to put in flower beds around the house and give the landscaping of our yard a little more definition. It is an enjoyable task though time consuming. The other reason for the flower beds is to reduce bugs, weeds, and grass right next to the house. I am hoping that this task will reduce some of the lawn maintenance we are having to do now.

We have survived for 8 days on less than 2 hours of TV and/or movies for Benjamin and Bekah. We even had zero hours of TV for four of those days. A major feat for us since Benjamin has become addicted to PBS kids from 8 to 11 a.m. every day and two movies after naptime. My fault, I know, but I appreciate having educational programming that my son can watch so that Mom can attempt to get something done. Since we have turned off the TV Benjamin has learned more ways to keep himself entertained without having to ask Mom for something to do constantly. The other good thing is that Benjamin is rediscovering his books and more thoroughly enjoy the library books. He is missing story time and is glad that it is now September so that story will resume shortly.

Bekah has taken her first few independent steps. She can walk for about 6 steps without any support and she is excited about it. Sometimes she even tries to go "walking" on her own instead of just between Mom and Dad. Bekah loves to chatter and is constantly asking "What's that?" whenever she see something new and different to her. She loves to jump on the tramp and just be outside. We often find her looking out the window or scooting out the door. Today she asked for her blinds to be opened at naptime so she could see what was going on outside.

We are watching the 10 o'clock news and we just saw a caption for a "clown's wife" instead of "commissioner's wife." The wife of a county commissioner was talking about how her husband being a rodeo clown for his hobby is a part of their family activities. Why is it that the 10 o'clock news seems so important to to watch even when you have every intention of going to bed before 10:30?

Moms don't really get days off. Today was Labor Day and it did not even register with me today until I went to take out the trash dumpsters and saw that none of the neighbors had their trash cans out because the trashmen will not be coming by today. I went on about my day in the usual fashion and decided to stop by the library on my way to the garden. The parking lot was empty and I again realized that it was Labor Day and the library was closed. I love my job, but one day seems like the next without the 8 to 5 work day and weekends off. I can definitely say that I don't miss working full time in an office, but sometimes I miss the definition of specific work hours and designated tasks. Now, I have become very creative on what my "designated tasks" for the day are.

Well, there was a combination of my random thoughts for the last hour or so. My goal for tomorrow is to post more about the wedding and our first family campout (yes, we were crazy enough to go camping overnight with our two young children.) Good night!