So what is the right age for a Barbie?

This is exactly what it looks like, a TWO year old with a barbie doll.  Her very first and her very own.  What isn't exactly as clear is the smug little smirk on this little girl's face.  I have a feeling she knew from the very beginning what she was doing.  After many, many trips to the toy department, she had it picked out, planned out, and soon to be carried out.  She knew mom and dad always veered her in the opposite direction down Barbie Doll Aisle, she knew that 2 year olds don't get Barbie Dolls and 3 isn't old enough either, maybe not even 4 or 5 at our house, but little did mom and dad know...

There is a beginning to the story, a very long beginning, which will be skipped. Just know, potty training and Aftin and mom not a good subject and will hopefully one day be erased from memory.  We were finally able to settle on a beautiful, pink potty.  We had it down.  It was down so good that loading it up in the Sienna for excursions was all too convenient and NORMAL!  No, that's not normal.  It shouldn't be anyway.  I have to say it, I have a little too much patience for Aftin.  One day, that patience ended.  Basically imagine the worst thing that could happen did happen, and don't settle on a small incident.  It was huge!  So huge that the beautiful, pink potty was retired for an equally beautiful Dora Toilet seat and a new battle ensued.  Battle?  Excuse me, Raging Battle.  I was yelled at, beat up and greatly disliked because pink potty was no longer available.  Aftin HAD to sit on the Big potty.  And she didn't.  Pink potty came out of retiremnt.  She was winning.  All too vivid memories kept me determined.  One day Aftin and I found ourselves once again in the toy department and there it was.  The most beautiful cupcake Barbie we had ever seen.  So beautiful it left Aftin speechless and motionless.  She had to have it.  I had to have her sit on the big toilet.  "Aftin, if you go home and go potty on the big toilet we will come right back and buy this Barbie for you."  This little girl, who I could NOT bribe with ANYTHING marched right out the store, went right home, and sat on the big toilet and did her business.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!  So we got back in the car, drove right back to the store and bought the Barbie.

Nauvoo Excursion -a short novel

Question:  What do you get when you put 30+ people, 6 cars, A garmin, the state of Missouri, and a FedEx truck together in the very hot, very humid month of July?

Answer:  If you guessed 30+ ornery people, 4 cars because 2 bailed, an "OOPS" accident with the garmin, several damp towels and a surprise package along the way, you are wrong.

So the real answer?  Will soon be revealed in the pictures below.  A note about the FedEx truck before we begin.  Quite an innocent bystander actually on the WAY backroads of Missouri.  Just in a slight state of shock seeing so many cars at one time, when I am sure seeing a single tractor a day our for a jaunt is a rarity.

And as for the garmin, well, that little guy is just lucky that he made the right (it was actually left) turn when paved road became gravel.

Let's begin already!  In early July my (kerra) family met up in Nauvoo for a reunion of sorts.  One week of family fun.  And cousins!  We made camp in these little darlings

a stylish victorian

and this cute little bungalow

And then we were off.  What a better way to see the city of Nauvoo then horse and wagon style!  Yippee!

                                         

But with a few drawbacks...

Watch where you step miss Aftin

We saw brick buildings

And log buildings 

And a modern day yellow house (???) 

Follow that with a horses and A LOT of green

And of course the Nauvoo Temple

Leaving us plum tuckered out.

A short drive over a town or two is the town of Carthage, in which we visited the Carthage jail, where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum were martyred.

Fun moment pics from Nauvoo

laci's trademark smile

henry and paige

outside games

if there's a simon, there's a skateboard (or longboard?), endless entertainment

looks like bethani is getting "the talk"

baby Carson

baby Jaelynn

humidity + beautiful red heair= beautiful limp hair

who can pass this picture up!

"so you see the leg behind me?" asks the little guy in blue "it thinks i am gonna stay right next to it and not go see what's over that edge"

hmmmm...who could be under the blanket giggling?

After Nauvoo, we started the caravan down through Missouri.  The members were the Outlook, the Pacifica, the Expedition, the (actual) Caravan, the Sienna, and the Exterra.  The plan included Adam Ondi Ahman, Far West, and an end in Independence with a few extra unscheduled beaks along the way.  Enter the garmin and the Fed Ex truck.  In the lead car, the Outlook, was Grandpa and Grandma and the garmin, which I think was being manned (or girled) by Miriah.  The Toyota Sienna a.k.a. Swagger Wagon was somewhere between car #3 and #5 and where this story's view comes.  The day started out with a few road closures and detours.  Awesome.  Not to worry, we have the Garmin, but bless those little souls that remembered to bring their paper maps!  Detours over, let's get on our way, already.  Ok, really there's not much memory to this part of the story besides, you have got to be kidding me!  We kept turning on to smaller, bumperier, curvier, hillier, dizzing roads.  The Sienna quite frankly is a little irritated by the wear the tires are taking and wondering, should we be trusting this little piece of technology that really might just have a mind of it's own, especially in very rural Missouri! Take a deep breath, to quote a popular phrase "be calm, carry on."  You are NEVER lost with a Garmin.  It will always take you where you want to go.  And what of the FedEx truck anyway (Fed Ex or FedEx?).  This is when the Sienna regained it's hope.  On one of the many, many, rickety old one lane bridges we crossed, we happened on a FedEx truck.  This could only mean one thing, it came from civilization, we were headed in the direction is came from.  There would be an end.

And this was it.  Adam Ondi Ahman (and lunch!).  It was raining and apparently too slippery for the camera to make it's way to the valley.  The back drop of these pictures should be hints of the greenness below.

Then Far West.

This is the site where the conerstones for the temple were laid.  Two of them can be seen up at the bas of the trees.

Then on to Independence (and dinner).  While in Indepenencde we visited a Church Museum, but oddly the only picture was:

the steeple (of fire) in the sky.  go figure.

Then on to Branson, MO.  Ever heard of Branson?  Ever been to Branson?  The little Las Vegas of the Midwest (key word Midwest).  What an adventure was Branson!  Remember the garmin?  Enter garmin.  Again.  Long story made short?  One hour car ride, traffic backed up for MILES, through the mountains (yes, mountains in Missouri) only to lead us back to...do I dare say it...a block away from our motel and the heaven sent water park.  And here are the only pics that camera came out for.  Just too busy soaking up the sun!

Good times!  Sunday morning, everyone left their separate ways.  Upon arriving home the first words out of Aftin's mouth "can we go on a trip to Nauvoo to see Granma and Kaia?!"  

Total round trip mileage count for the Sienna according to MapQuest: 2200.

Summer Wrapped-up

The summer calendar is over, although the weather says otherwise.  We put together a post-peek of pictures, of our lazy-dazy summer days.  We sifted through hundreds of pics and here are our best!  Fasten your seat belt and grab a coke, you're in for a long one.

Paigee (pronounced pay-jee) wasted no time putting together her summer workout regimen, starting her mornings with pushups

and set up a lofty reading program.

Laci giggled.

And Aftin, was CLASSIC.

Dad set about for some rest and relaxation, but instead worked on some fix-its
he can see it now, his new flat screen and all of summer baseball he can dream of

 (yes it is a strange looking flat screen indeed, he says, but hot water trumps says mom)

And mom, well she took all the pictures.



MEMORIAL WEEKEND:

What better way to kick off the unofficial start of summer than play in the pool!  Abbey and Tyler came for the weekend.  I don't think Aftin could have dreamed of a better treat.



 Laci preferred to hang out by the side of the water with mom.  And Mom graciously let us grab a photo of her foot.



Paige loved the water.

Aftin thought water is better suited outside the pool and on Abbey.

Car seat pictures. 

 

 Little did we know, this was just the first of many, many miles buckled up.

And parks.  "We love parks!"  is an understatement.

you can enter this in the cutest kids contest!

Abbey, Tyler, Paige, Dad, Laci, Aftin

"you want a picture of me" says paige

"can't pass up this picture of me" says lace

"i'm having so much fun, snap away!"

he he he, just you even try and get us to look at once, maybe next time you won't make us ALL wear matching!

movie fixation this day "pig movie" a.k.a. Charlotte's Web.  could this adventure be more cool!

dad splurged for a quarter merry-go-round. 

and mom wanted pictures

aren't we just cute.

and free spririted.

oh yes.  and the stroller. we almost spent as much time strapped in this as the silly carseats.

Play Time

Most of our summer was play time, but according to the toddler experts, play time is actually work.  We worked A LOT!

hello!  blue eyes!

ha ha, i look like my lace, but it's really me, paigee!

why don't you go ahead and see if you can fit in here!

ok, ok here's a smile

i'm teething, you better watch out!

going up?  no problem!

just a cute skirt shot

uh, uh, uh

mom calls this the elephant in the room that houses our baby size tv.  i just wanted to see if i could fit.  yip.

just try and not snap this picture!

if i stare the other way long enough, maybe mom will turn the camera off.

all dressed up and going to the zoo!

reason #1 mom doesn't let us feed ourselves spaghetti

reason #2.  what you can't see is in the hair, on the ground and down our shirts :)

um, yes this is my favorite pink shirt!

mom says 2 year olds need to earn their keep.  whatever!  i do this for fun!

these towels were clean and folded and we do require all books out to read just one.  and yes, this is a small mess!

mom and dad leave their junk out, perfect.  i get to practice my climbing.

there is nothing quite like a pile of rocks.  seriously.

paige really just wanted laci to leave so she could have them all to herself.

laci wanted to look at bugs, but paigee, she wanted to show off her super cute pink hat.  and the shirt?  it says "dad answers to me"

have you ever seen anything as funny as a basket of plastic eggs?

yes i look cute, but mom pulled me away from my toys to get my picture with pig-tails.  so i won't look at her on purpose.

 

we help with groceries because our mom buys cool cereal.

actual quote:

"this bike doesn't work, it's needs batteries"

well, if you don't want to ride it, i'll go!

dad says i'm ready to learn financial responsibility.  monopoly.

this picture marks 16 months of life for us, so we got to wear new jammies.  we sure look cute.  and no, we don't walk.  it's our little joke!

yes i am sideways, and yes i did try and fit in another one of the elephant's holes.  but, really, can you get too much of this face ;)

And that's a wrap!  (can i get that to go please?)