A summer vacation day

On Monday, Derek and I took the day off because our sitter had let us know that this past weekend was going to be their mini summer vacation. Derek and I had been talking about taking E to the zoo for a while and this was the perfect opportunity. (Had we know that we were going to have near record high temps we may have reconsidered, but it was all worth it.) E had a blast. I even snapped a few pictures...

I snapped this at the end out the day which is why Derek and E look a bit wilted. It was H.O.T!!! But it was all worth it.

The giraffes were beautiful! This little baby was adorable and E kept saying "baby". Love it!

E LOVED the elephants! Too bad we couldn't get any closer. He kept making elephant sounds too...super cute!

This gorilla was hilarious! He stopped and posed for everyone watching then rolled over on the floor with one arm up draping over the rope in front of him. I couldn't get a good picture of that since there were so many other kids and parents interested. He definitely captured E's attention though:)

Then we were on to bigger and better things. We walked to the tiger exhibit where he was roaring like crazy. Then we went on to the polar bear exhibit. There was only one bear out and I couldn't get a decent picture. Right next to the polar bears were the sea lions. They were fun to watch. E wasn't sure what to think when he could see them through the glass under water, but he definitely liked watching them above water. Once we left the sea lions, E caught a glimpse of heaven! The Splash park! He was super excited and we spent a good bit of time just letting him play and cool off. (Remember it was near record high temps and we were all melting at this point but E was a trooper.)

E's favorite part of the day was the splash park! He LOVES water and he just couldn't get enough:)

E checking out the alligator/crocodile exhibit (and yes, no shoes, we had just left the splash park).

This was a wonderful trip and we all had a great time. However, next time we go, we'll be sure that it's not going to be quite as hot! Despite the heat many fun memories were made:)

Independece Day

We spent Sunday and Monday morning with my brother and sister in law and their kiddos in Cincinnati. We went to Coney Island to watch the fireworks. They were BEAUTIFUL! The finale was incredible. The only drawback to going there, is the time required to leave. We sat in the parking lot for about an hour and a half before moving. It was worth it though. Eli was a trooper. He was up 4+ hours past his bed time and enjoyed the fireworks until the end. He got a little restless and decided to watch a little more of "Cars" while we finished watching. Monday morning we hung out for a little while before departing Cincinnati and headed home. We then rushed to get everything ready for friends to come hang out for the afternoon. We had great time and the kids and babies really enjoyed themselves too. There was some fun in the pool on the lovely hot afternoon. Here are just a few pictures from our weekend.

What better way to enjoy a hot summer afternoon than with a slice of watermelon! Baby E is no longer a baby. Tear! He is a boy! And I can't believe that he is getting so big right before my eyes. He is sweet and FULL of energy and I love him more everyday. Sweet baby A is getting so big too! Can't believe that E was this size just a year ago! *GASP* ....just reminds me how quickly the time passes and they grow up.
Here is K "RARRRRING" at Uncle Jonathan. It's a hilarious picture;) She and E had great time playing together in the pool, riding in E's truck and running around the yard chasing bubbles.

Last but not least, the newest addition is 4 month old baby A in the pool for the first time. She was just chillin' enjoying herself.

We all had a great time hanging out and let the kids run around. What fun times with friends! Happy 4th!

Maybe my next post won't be 2 years from now. Ha! Don't hold your breath though... ;)

Shhhhh........It's a secret!

So I know it's been quite some time since I've posted, but it's been kind of crazy. First we were dealing with Derek's grandfather's cancer, then my brother-in-law (age 36) passed away, then Derek's grandma was in the hospital, and then Derek had surgery to remove the bone tumor in his pinky. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this time!

Derek's grandfather is up and down with his health still. He's better for a few days and then he's down for a few days. My sister-in-law and her son are doing a little better and have been dealing with the loss of Jason. Andrea is involved in some young widow groups and has been attending a church regularly with one of her friends. Derek's grandma is doing better, but she is still having trouble with her balance and thus she has fallen several times. I certainly hope that she doesn't seriously injure herself. It's been bumps and bruising so far and I hope that it doesn't get worse than that. Lastly, Derek's surgery on his pinky went very well! It was quite amusing actually:)

Derek is very (I mean VERY) sensitive to drugs....in that I mean Tylenol makes him a little loopy and tired! So prior to surgery when they were prepping him they were only supposed to make him be semi-sedated. Well......he was out cold! He woke up and didn't know anything had happened. Then his arm was numb for about 8-10 hours. It was like having a giant club that he couldn't control! Ha! When he started to regain feeling in his arm he started popping the pain pills. This is where it got interesting. He was so silly! As most of you know, Derek doesn't drink, but when he was taking his pain pills it was as if he was drunk. No inhibitions whatsoever! He said some of the funniest things. Ha! All in all, the surgery went well and he'll go back in 2 weeks for his final follow up appointment and he won't have to wear his brace anymore. Yay! Meanwhile he is still doing all sorts of things that he's really not supposed to. Typical guy I guess! (Oh....and the results of the tumor came back as benign! Praise the Lord!)

On to the big secret......

Okay......well not any more! (And I know there has been much speculation from those around me.....Abby......Lindsy......) After 3 long months of trying to contain our news we have successfully made it through our first trimester! Praise the Lord! We have been so excited and have been trying not to spill the info until making through 13 weeks. Thankfully I haven't really had any symptoms other than being really tired! No nausea or vomitting or any other typical symptoms! So far we have been blessed and it has all gone very well! Yesterday was my latest appointment and I heard the heart beat! It was 130-140 beats per minute and my doctor said that if I believed old wives tales that it means it is a boy! I won't hold to it, but I can't wait until 20 weeks when we will be able to find out what the sex is. I would be perfectly happy waiting until delivery to know but Derek really wants to know before hand. I guess it will make it easier for preparing and shopping, but I really like surprises! We're still trying to decide how we're going to share the news with D's family but we have a few ideas up our sleeves. My parents will find out on Tuesday when my mom gets her mother's day card! She'll be soooooo excited! I sent her a grandmother card with a picture of the sonogram from week nine (which is the same as the one you see here.....I know it's not much, but it's our little kidney bean:) Ha!). She won't know what to do!

I really will try to give updates, but as you all know by now.....I'm horrible at this!