Busy Weekend

It was a very sad day for Owen on Friday. He lost a close companion... After 15 years of faithfulness and trust his blue laundry basket finally kicked the bucket. He received that basket from his parents when he first moved out to go to Bible College 15 yrs ago... I have been trying for years to toss the basket when he wasn't looking but he always found a way to bring it back:) Though now seeing the scraps of blue worn plastic I think Owen has come to the realization that it is time for him to move on.. Rest in Peace my faithful friend:)











Well our plans to take the kids camping fell through when I saw big lightning bolts forecasted for the weekend. A tent out in the woods would be the last place I would want to be with three little kids when a storm blows through:) So instead of roughing it out in the woods with owen's sister and brother in law and their 3 kids, we decided to rough it out in the dry comfort of our living room. With six active kids and us four adults , I don't think i need to say how active our little house was this weekend. But a very fun weekend. Us adults were able to get in a lot of "Canasta time"(great card game) while the kids had a great time playing together. Here are a few pictures from the weekend .


Before bed time we let the kids all watch a video to hopefully calm them down before they go to sleep..It was a very exciting weekend with cousins for them:)











Saturday afternoon we all went out to the Lone Star Steak house to eat lunch... We loved taking advantage of the kids eat free Saturday afternoon.










Ooops I think I took Kaden by surprise when i snapped the picture.. He had ice cream all over his face....














Sage is just like her mommy when it come to sweets.. I think she ate her ice cream then went around and finished off her brothers. She LOVES her sugar:)








Saturday we had a nice rain storm . When the thunder and lightening left we let the kids enjoy a little water time. Torin loved to watch the rain fall.Sometimes he was so excited he didn't know what else to do except clap his hands and squeal..hahah




We have a big tree that the kids tried climbing. Sage thought for sure she could climb to the top. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was just to small but she definitely gave it her best shot.



So we didn't have a long sunny weekend to go camping but we still made the best of it . The cousins loved spending time together and Owen and I enjoying beating his sister and brother in law in Canasta...hahah

Rainy, cloudy, and dreary... I would love to just curl up on the couch with a good book. I guess when you have three kids life changes . You don't always get to do what you want but you find other ways to have fun. Today the kids and I spent the day making forts out of couch cushions. I think they enjoyed fighting knights out of a castle fort to feeding each other pretend dog food in there dog houses out of the cushion.













After hours of building forts we decided to dance to some great Backyardigan tunes.

So maybe it did start turning into a wrestling match:)




While the other two duke it out in the living room Torin was in his own world swimming in the tub. He loves to sit in there with all his toys and play. He probably enjoys a break from being tormented by his siblings.




During our afternoon naps I received a pleasant surprise. My new wedding ring arrived today!! Yeah!!! I am so excited. I love it. About 6 months ago the prongs on my other ring broke . Luckily I was able to save the diamond before I lost it but then I had decided after 10 years of marriage i would upgrade my ring a little:-)

So I found this ring from Oxford Diamonds out of L.A, CA ...and I am happy to say that I have finally found the right ring. (Since some of you know how long I have been looking)

Well despite the rain and clouds I think we had a pretty eventful day. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow. Have a great week!

Well, I think we have finally re cooperated from our trip to Missouri. It was so great to be able to visit with all my relatives. We left on Wed.night and stayed in a hotel in Dayton Oh. Thursday we were back on the road again with my sister and her family and my mom and dad following close behind.

The five of us were able to crash over at my Aunt and Uncle's house for the weekend. A big thanks to my cousin Micheal for letting us take over his room:)


We spent most of the time out in the sun and swimming in their pool.This is Torin getting ready to get in the pool . He insisted on putting all the swim gear on. I guess he wanted to make sure he was not going to go under!

I was so proud of Kaden for finally getting up enough nerve to learn how to snorkel in the big pool. He has put in many hours in our bath tub to accomplish that!

Sage spent most of her time deciding what float to use. After finally deciding which one would float better she did enjoying swimming around with the kids.







Here is Torin and I with out all his gear on. I think he preferred it all off .. a little less constricting:)







On Sat. we had a big pool party with all the family. Grandpa decided to take a ride on the wild side. He gave my cousin's bike a try. He was doing well until he had to stop. yikes! But all was fine! No broken bones.

On Sunday we went to my cousin Brittney's Graduation party. I was so glad to see my grandma Smith there. She has not been feeling well. It was nice to get a picture with grandma posing with me ,my sister and brother. All that we are missing is my other sister Amanda:-( I miss you, wish you were with us!


It was so hot that day.I think sage drank the whole pitcher of koolaid.

This is my brother David and his daughter Grace. We were all very excited that they were able to make it to Missouri this time with us. All the cousin's had so much fun playing with each other. They love to play with Grace!

Here is my sister's little girl Lauren. Her and Torin were best buds at the park. They loved to chase each other around on the small slide.

So after a fun filled trip we hit the road again. Since we were anxious to get the kids back to a normal schedule we decided to drive the long 11 hours straight through. The kids did great! They were knocked out sleeping alot of the time.

Mommy was also wiped out from all the excitement!





And of course I can not forget about the wonderful driver:) Thanks honey for driving the WHOLE trip.. i 'll help out next time..heehee..

Well that about sums up our Missouri vacation. I'll have more on the Gaines family next time!
Enjoy!