Spring Break (playing catch up!)

On Wednesday of Spring Break, we checked out of the cabin and were going to head on over to the hotel that has a water park in it so that we could get 2 days of swimming fun in with the children. The place where we checked out of our cabin was the last stop light before you got into the National Park, so we decided to take our hot dogs and S'mores and have a fun lunch cookout since it had been raining the day before and hadn't worked out for us. Check out time was 11, so we were fairly early to the park and secured a great picnic area right by the river. It was a perfect spot. This was looking up the river from our picnic spot.
And this was looking down the river! It was gorgeous!! And it was a perfect day. It was in the upper 60's and so lovely! These first few pictures were taken with my phone and so a little out of order with the rest. Barth got to work right away getting the coals ready for lunch.

Like I said, a little out of order! At lunch time, Weston got to help Barth roast the hot dogs for our family! He thought that was cool treat! Nothing like one on one time with Daddy!

Brian eating his lunch at our table. Barth and Weston cooked up some YUMMY hot dogs for us!

Afterwards, Barth helped everyone roast marshmallows for s'mores! Mmmm.....yummy!

This was just at the edge of the picnic area. As you can see, it was right on the water! So fun for the kiddos!

But not so fun for the worried Momma! I swore that I would never buy a child leash. But that was before I had Evan who gets into absolutely everything. I broke down and bought one right before the trip. It was nice because it allowed him a little bit more freedom, but I could keep track of him easier. He wasn't too fond of it, but he liked it better than the alternative of having to be held all the time because I had visions of him running fast over to the rocks and falling in the water!

While Barth was getting the coals ready, I took the children on a little walk to explore the water and river!

Aaron loved climbing the big rocks!

Where we were picnicking, we had people on one side but a big, wide, open space to explore on the other side! It was sooooo nice for us! Thank goodness we got there early so we could get that prime spot!

The bigger kids all ran ahead back to Daddy but Evan didn't want to leave. I had to carry him back. :)

Aaron and Amber liked roasting their marshmallows. The coals felt good and warm after being in the shade.

Here we are eating our lunch and s'mores. This was when Barth was helping the littler ones roast the s'mores. Evan ate his lunch in his stroller. I don't really think he ate much though. It was more like a "throwing things on the ground" party time for him.

Mmmmmm.........so good! A perfect way to end the picnic lunch!

Delicious!!!

Roasting a few more....

Barth took the children back exploring and walking while I cleaned up our lunch things. Here is Evan trying to get at that water and rocks while Barth had him! Can't quite reach that rock, can he?!?

Finding some cool rocks and things in a side stream.

I was so glad that we were able to get to the National Park and enjoy it for a few hours on such a perfect afternoon! We love the Smoky Mountain National Park. It is just such a pretty place to visit!

Last year while we were here, we were lucky enough to see a black bear up close just off the side of the road! This year, just outside of the picnic area, Barth spotted a bear up the side of the hill. He backed up so I could get out and get a picture. My camera is zoomed up as far as it will go and you still can't see it all that well! He was kind of far away (thank goodness - or I would NOT have gotten out of my car to get a picture!) The bear is that black blob on the tree laying down there in middle!

It was sure neat to see a bear again this year- but I was glad to see it from far away!! :D

Evan- 19.5 months

Today Evan had his 18 month check-up. A little late, I know! It was scheduled for a few weeks ago, but I forgot that we would be out of town for Spring Break!! :) Evan is growing like a little weed! Here are his stats from today:

Height: 35.75 inches - 97+%

Weight: 28.5 lbs (but they weighed him with all his clothes on this time)- 75%

Head: 19.8 inches - 94%

I have to say that this is my first one whose height has been in a greater percentile than their weight! He got 3 shots today. As long as he has his Tylenol, he seems to be doing just fine. Evan has all his teeth except his 2 year old molars. He has had a language explosion lately! He can say all sorts of things. He likes to point out and say tree and flower. He says please when he wants something. He can say eat and drink. He says Bubby, Aaron and Bri Bri. He can say Mommy, Daddy, all done, amen, Jesus, I do, no, ball, night night, bye, hi, eyes, shoe, book, cheese, the list goes on and on lately! You can ask him to say almost anything and he can. He loves balls, cars and trains. He loves to climb and play. He is all boy!! He is sweet but can pitch a pretty good tantrum when he wants to. :) Such is the age! I am so thankful to have him as part of our family!! Such a sweet little guy. I love you my little Evvy Miester!!!

Happy Easter!

From our home to yours.......Here's hoping that your Easter was as nice and Christ centered as ours was!!!!

Flip Flop

A few days ago, my good friend, Kim, came and showed me some cute little flip flops that her little girl got for her birthday last year and loved. Kim's MIL had paid $25 but Kim wanted to know if she thought that we could make them for less. I told her I knew we could for sure. So, Wednesday, I went and got the $1.39 girls flip flops at Hobby Lobby and today I cut up fabric that I already had to make these cute ones for Amber. Cutting and tying the strips took about 40 minutes. The bow took another 5. (or 10 minutes if you stretch it!!) I had the ribbon on hand too. So all in all, these cute little things hardly cost me a thing. It took less than a quarter of a yard of fabric for this size flip flop. I like them so much, I might even have to make her another pair!! :) Just thought I would share them!!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

This past Sunday I was released from my calling in the RS presidency. It has kept me very, very busy the last lots of months. And since I haven't been given another calling yet (though I know it won't be long) I decided that I would take this week and just do a whole lot of nothing. I have spent lots of time with my little ones. Read lots of stories. Watched lots of rain falling. Done some fun things together. Taken naps. And not blogged or done much of anything that I am supposed to do other than cook and do dishes!! :) I have tons more pictures to post, but I decided that I just needed a little break to just relax and enjoy my little family. I will get some more pictures up soon, I promise, but today, I am just going to say: "Quiet down cobwebs, and dust go to sleep... I'm rocking my babies, and babies don't keep!" :)

Spring Break- the Aquarium

We headed down to Gatlinburg again this year for Spring Break. The kids had such a good time at the Cabin with Grandma and Grandpa Whitley that we decided that it might be fun to get a cabin ourselves this year. The original plan was to be camping, but the weather was just not going to be warm enough (I am too wimpy to camp when it is going to be in the 40's at night!). We left first thing on Monday morning. We stopped to have lunch and by the time we got to Gatlinburg, we were able to check in to our cabin. I am so silly and forgot to take pictures of that though. It was a fairly nice cabin. Not terribly expensive either. The bummer was that the air hockey table was broken and even though they promised to send over a technician to fix it, they never did. The rest of the day Monday was spent having fun at the cabin. The place had a game room with a pool table and also a playstation. The boys were in heaven. We were happy to spend the afternoon and evening at the cabin, relaxing and then letting the kids watch one of the movies that were provided there at the place. We had planned on spending the entire day on Tuesday at the National Park. The forecast called for rain, but it was supposed to be over by 10. The children didn't sleep in (they never do) but were happy being in the cabin and playing. 10 am came and went and the storm was still going strong. By 2 when it was still raining with no end in sight, we decided to change up our plans and take the kids to the aquarium. We had been before and knew that they loved it! So off we went. (it was still raining) We had a fun time!! Brian was obviously excited to be there!!! :) Seeing as how I can't remember my name half the time, let alone any thing else, I brought the camera and then left it in the car, so these pictures were taken with my phone. Some came out better than others. Evan had fun climbing up on each and every ledge in the whole place. Here he is getting ready to jump off of this one in front of one of the fish tanks.

They have such great, big tanks that hold the fish. The kids could stand and watch the fish swim for hours I think.

This was one of my favorites from the whole trip. Evan and his face smashed against the window looking at the fish. :)

We love the tunnels at this aquarium. They have a cool moving walkway so you can go slow and really enjoy it all.

Most of my pictures from the tunnel came out with a funky red glow. I think that the lighting was too low for most of the pictures that I took with my phone there. Oh well. Better some than none! We brought the stroller for Evan, but he wanted to be down. When he was ready to be carried, Daddy held him instead of putting him in the stroller. Because he is a good daddy like that and a big softie too!! :D

The kids loved popping up in the tunnels at the kid area. They each wanted their picture taken.

Even Weston thought that it was pretty cool to be in there like that. I think that it is funny how the round edge has distorted his arm!!

Brian had fun too. He took pictures of everyone in the tunnels as well!

Aaron wanted to be like Weston and put up his feet too. When did all of these children get so big?!?

Couldn't forget about Evan, could we?

After that, we saw some more exhibits (that came out dark and blurry on my camera) and then headed over to see the penguins. Brian decided to take a rest in one of the observation windows. The place wasn't very crowded, Tennessee had already had their Spring Breaks, so it wasn't busy or crowded! Just the way I like it!

Weston is a great big brother and always helps out! Here he is lifting Evan up to get a better view of the penguins.

Brian's head with the penguins! :)

They all thought that it was fun to crawl in and out of the penguin tunnels.

" Hi Mommy," says Aaron. "Do you see me?"

Aaron and Amber checking it all out!!

More tunnel fun! When we came out from the aquarium, hours later, it was still raining. So much for doing the bar-b-que for dinner. We decided to go to Ci-Ci's instead!! It was a hit! Not what we had planned, but fun anyway!!!! Stay tuned for more.......

Home sweet home

We have had a wonderful Spring break week out here! We went from Monday to Thursday to Gatlinburg and then headed over to Louisville! We had lots of fun adventures. Hopefully in the next day or two I will get some pictures posted!!!! :) Stay tuned!!!

I LOVE Spring time!!!

"I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!" So, they are not apricot trees, but it is looking like Spring time has finally sprung around here!!!! :) We got some teaser weather a few weeks ago, followed by more snow, but I am hoping that the spring like weather is here to stay!! I love all the popcorn trees that have come out in the last few days. I had lots of things that needed to get done today, but they took back burner to having some time outside with my little ones and enjoying the lovely weather. They have some cool trees here that I am not used to, nor do I know what kind of trees they are, but I loved snapping away at all the popcorn trees today as Amber, Evan and I took our walk! Look how green the grass is getting! Hooray. And it is so nice to get out for a morning walk with 2 of my favorite people!! :) We stopped often to look at the flowers since that is Evan's new word. He loves them and so does Amber.

Yep, just lots of pretty trees in this post. Just indulge me will ya? :D

The daffodils are in full bloom all over the place. I love their cheerful yellow color. The tulips will be out soon! Too bad for me, the squirrels in my back yard were especially hungry this winter and dug up and ate ALL of my tulip and hyacinth bulbs!!!! I was so sad when the flowers started to come up this year and half of my flower walkway was missing!

Oh just look at all that Spring time loveliness!!! It makes me happy! :)

And no walk in the Spring time is complete without a trip to the park!!! Amber loves the swing! She had a grand time.

Evan tried his best to climb this ladder. He could only get up a few rungs (thank goodness!) but I bet it won't be long. He climbs everything else..... why not this! I can't believe how big he is getting these days.

Amber's hair always cracks me up when she goes down the slide. It is fine and more on the thin side so it stands up everywhere. So silly!

Evan didn't even think about waiting for me before heading up the playground steps and going right down the slide, all on his own, without a moment of hesitation. I guess that it is helpful that we have a slide downstairs in the playroom so sliding is not a new concept to him!

Push me Mommy! Oh, it was such a wonderful day today! It is days like these that I am thankful to be alive. To be able to see all that God has given me. To enjoy the beauty of the Earth all around me. To kiss little cheeks and enjoy the wonder of life with my little ones. I am blessed!

In a few more days, all the trees like these (I am wishing that I knew a few more of the names of trees here!) will be all beautiful and pink. And then, in a few more weeks, the Dogwoods will bloom and they are soooo beautiful. And the Lilacs will too....and oh, they smell soooooooo good!! I can take 5 walks a day when they are in bloom just to drink in the smell. :D

And lastly, as I was headed to pick up Aaron this morning, I passed one of may favorite pink popcorn trees. The pictures are nice, but in real, they are absolutely amazing! Happy Spring to all! I am hoping that days like these are here to stay!!!!

Who knew?!?

So, a few weeks back (okay so it was almost a month ago now, but who's counting!) I took Amber in to the dr's office for a cough that she had been struggling with for over 3 weeks. We saw our favorite doctor in the practice, who also happens to live in our neighborhood and has kids the same ages as Weston and Brian. Somehow in the course of the conversation, he happened to say that I should just take the kids to go ride the penny horses at Meijer (a store here that is similar to Wal-Mart) for some good, cheap fun. I just looked at him with skepticism and asked what in the world he was talking about. He said that they had the little ride on horses that you could ride for just a penny. I thought for sure he was teasing or something, so just to be sure, the next week when I needed some things from the store, I headed to Meijer just to see if they really did have penny horses. And they do!!!!!! (click on the picture of Amber to read the wording under the 1 cent sign. It makes me laugh!) I snapped a few pictures of Amber and Evan riding. They don't play music or anything, but you get a good, decent ride for a penny. Not only that, but the horse machine is so full of pennies that as soon as that horse starts to move, pennies fall out, so you can have a ton of rides for free. Just keep picking up the pennies that fall out and put them back in for another ride. Amber thought that it was so fun that I just kept letting her ride that horse over and over and over again!!!!! We probably stood there for 10 minutes riding the horse. We would have moved if someone else came along that wanted to ride, but we had gone in the morning when the store was still relatively empty. The next time we go in for a check-up I will have to thank our doctor for that great tip about the horse. And I think that I may just have to go to Meijer more often to shop when I have the little ones in tow. It makes the shopping trip more fun if they know that they get to ride the horse at the end!!!! :)

Full and Busy

I have to say that I am sorry that I haven't blogged in so long. Things have been so busy the last few weeks. We got ready to have my Momma and Daddy come in!! It was so fun to have them here! They came in on a day that we had off of school, which was so fun for the children. :) Then the next day was Weston's regional academic match. He took 2 tests. He placed 3rd in the region on the Science test. He didn't place on the Social Studies test, but that was okay. Their quick recall team placed first after a very long day! Overall, our school placed second in the region!! Way to go! It was so fun to have Grandma there to see it all!!! She had never seen an academic match before. :) (Grandpa was busy at home with Barth, fixing all sorts of things for us! Thanks Grandpa!!) They stayed for the weekend and then left early Monday morning to go to Gatlinburg, TN. They had a fun week and I had a week full of meetings and Dr's appointments for my children. They all went to the dentist, Aaron had another eye check up. Amber went to the dr for a cough that she had for weeks. It was a full and busy week. (My weeks usually are!) Thursday right after school, we left to join Grandma and Grandpa at the cabin that they were staying at!!! Lucky for us, they got a cabin big enough for us all to stay in. The kiddos were in heaven!! Not only did they have the undivided attention of Grandma and Grandpa, but there was a pool table, air hockey table, Foosball, an arcade and a hot tub right there at the cabin. Just a short walk away was a pool and a putt putt gold course! So fun! We had a great time over the weekend. They took us to do all sorts of fun things too! We went on a drive up in the Great Smoky Mountains (where this picture was taken- this was the best one-Evan was in a kind of grumpy mood!) We had planned on going for a hike, but it started raining and we didn't want to get halfway up to the falls and have it pour down rain on us! I will let Grandma post all the fun pictures and tell about the adventures!! :) The day they came to see us, it was 70 degrees here. While we were gone to Gatlinburg, it snowed!! It then snowed again a few days later! Crazy weather! :P We had such a fun visit! I am so glad that they came. Now it is back to regular life and reality! Hopefully I will get back to blogging on a regular basis!! Thanks Momma and Daddy for coming and showing us such a fun time!!! We love you!!!!!