My wonderful children

I had so much fun with my babies today. Well, I guess one of them isn't really a baby anymore. He is so independent & I asked him where my baby went. "Momma, I'm all growed up." Precious! We'll work on his grammar later...
I took a ton of pictures tonight. Gracie was a little fussy, but I managed to get a few of her smiling. My job is still going great. I am enjoying the freedom & flexibility of it. Gracie took better naps today, so I was more productive. Ronnie is easy to watch, but she's a tad needy. I'm getting a new hairdo tomorrow! I am too excited. I haven't had a new hair style since I moved back from Minnesota. It's long overdue. Not much else to share & I know that most people come here for the pictures, so I'll stop rambling & get to it...

For some reason, when the camera comes out, Ronnie likes to get silly. He especially likes to shake his booty. I captured it all on film. Maybe I can use this against him later...

Short lived happiness!

Ronnie & I couldn't stop laughing at poor Gracie. She was not a happy camper!

Much better Mommy!

Saying my prayers...

I love my big brother!

A Fun Day At The Zoo

My friends Dolly, Crystal & her son James, & my clan all went to the zoo on Saturday. It was so much fun, but very tiring. Dolly was quite smart to be the photographer. Her face is noticeably absent from any pictures. :) She took some awesome pics of the animals & also a few "people animals". The Walrus was actually playing peek-a-boo with the kids! It was so cute. The animals were fairly active. The sea lions were MIA during this visit. I also think we spent half of the day waiting for Ronnie in the bathroom, but somehow, we still managed to go through most of the zoo. James & Ronnie fed the birds at lunch & James kept trying to hand the bread directly to the birds. It was hilarious. Poor James did not like the carousel in the slightest! That was a highlight to watch Crystal & James going around (she had to ride while he continued to cry...) Well worth the price of the ticket. Thanks for a fun day & for the memories!

At least one of us is enjoying this ride!Hello Mr. Kangaroo!
Ummmmm, who let him out of his cage?
Animal People Sightings! Where can I get some of that dye?
Sexy Mama! The people were as interesting as the animals!

James fed the Giraffe!


Hey, Mommy! I didn't hit him this time!

We LOVED the walrus!
Great shot Dolly!
Get my glasses, will ya???
Shark tank

Ronnie's new jungle gym

Thanks so much to my friend Beth for getting me the wonderful playset for Ronnie. We had fun cleaning it with the hose & then climbing all over it. I took pictures of course! He didn't care for the spiders & apparently, I didn't get them all with the hose. But once Mommy finished off the spiders (and I HATE spiders) he finished playing. We are off to the zoo tomorrow & I'll have more pics to share...

Family time / New Job

Week one at my new job has been going well. It's so nice to be working with my baby in the swing behind me asleep. I get to take Ronnie to school & pick him up. He's really enjoying me being home. I got a new computer & now he gets to play games on my old one. He sat here this morning & played some games while I worked & he's really getting the hang of it without much help. I told him about my friend whose baby died. He was making jokes & being silly & I told him that it wasn't a funny subject. He told me that he was just trying to make me laugh so I wouldn't be sad. Sometimes I think he's wise beyond his years.

This is me when I don't get a nap! Too many tears!

In memory

My friend found out that her baby passed away yesterday. She was 8 months pregnant. She delivered baby "Peanut" Isaac Robert at 11:30am. He's now with God. The following is a poem I found in memory of baby "Peanut". Peanut is in heaven with my 2 babies looking down on Mommy & Daddy. I'm holding Gracie right now & really absorbing all of her smiles, sounds, & smells and am praising God for my miracle baby! Please pray for my friend who is just beginning to grieve for her baby boy. It's been such a sad day today.

In memory of Peanut:

O precious, tiny, sweet little one
You will always be to me.
So perfect, pure, and innocent
Just as you were meant to be.
We dreamed of you and of your life
And all that it would be.
We waited and longed for you to come.
And join our family.
We never had the chance to play,
To laugh, to rock, to wiggle.
We long to hold you, touch you now
And listen to you giggle.
I'll always be your mother,
He'll always be your dad.
You will always be our child,
The child that we had.
But now you're gone...but yet you're here
We'll sense you everywhere.
You are our sorrow and our joy,
There's love in every tear.
Just know our love goes deep and strong
We'll forget you never--The child we had,
but never hadAnd yet will have forever!
~Author Unknown

Yellowstone

It was such an amazing vacation! I went to Yellowstone with my husband, kids, my husband's parents & sister. I experienced so much that I have never done before. We went river rafting, horseback riding in the mountains, and chasing wild animals in Yellowstone. I have a deep affection for buffalo. I will NEVER eat a buffalo burger. :) I really got to see God's beauty and was amazed at the sights everywhere we turned. The mountains are breathtaking. The waterfalls are gorgeous. I realized that I have a fear of being in a vehicle that is driving around a mountain that has no shoulder. I was sure we were going to roll down the mountain & plunge to our death. How is that for positive thinking? There was a wildfire when we were there & we had the opportunity to see them dumping water on the fire in an attempt to contain it. I learned that fires are not as devastating as it would seem. Anytime there is a forest fire, the pine cones burst & the seeds fall to the ground. The seeds then replant & the circle of life is started again. The animals thrive on the new growth. I would have never thought a forest fire could be a positive thing. I'm slowly getting my pictures ready to print & will add some to my blog. Ronnie really enjoyed the horseback riding. I kept thinking my horse was going to fall backward. We were riding up the mountain & not using the horsepath. Quite scary for this old woman! We saw a rodeo, and Gracie swam for the first time ever! She absolutely loved the water (as long as the water was warm.) She did not like getting out of the pool. Wyoming has some pretty strong winds. I saw buffalo, moose, bears, coyotes, elk, deer, & it goes on & on. We would spot an animal & jump out of the van to see it. A local told Ron & I that he was "stupid close" to a buffalo. He was "40 feet away." We coined the new term, "tourist close" to describe Ron who could practically reach out & touch the buffalo. Well, we made it back alive & with good pictures to share. Enjoy the picturesHello Mr. Bear!

Absolutely Gorgeous!

I loved Yellowstone!!! (I hated the long car ride...)

My dear friend, Mr Buffalo

Old Faithful erupts every 80 minutes (approximately)

God's Beauty

Devastation from the forest fire