Saturday, June 16, 2007

Our VERY action packed trip...

We just got back from a very eventful trip to Flagstaff Arizona! There were LOTS of great memories, and lots of not so great memories...
These few pictures are the summary to the travel portion of this trip! There were FIVE BLOW OUTS!!!! I am not kidding! they were BLOW OUTS! Final score: Gees-0; Smiths-1; Murdocks-1; and coming in first place with a whopping three - Vandes!
Four of the blowouts were on trailer tires... Luckily (yes, I said luckily - sad I know) our Suburban blew a tire... Our first tire blow out was just up the pass. We weren't even an hour from home when we lost our first trailer tire! We had gone up a day earlier than my parents and the Murdock's... Luckily we were with the Gee's who were just a God send to us!

Our second blow out happened on our way to Needles... you know, a real cool place to be stuck on the side of the rode. Luckily it was the Suburban because we didn't have a spare for our trailer. During this pit stop on the side of the rode, Jimmy nearly lost his head from the Suburban coming off the jack and falling on him!

The Murdock's had their blow out at around the same place we had our Suburban blow out(the next day coming up with my parents)... I think it is the Needles conspiracy... once you pull into Needles, there are a TON of tire sales ... interesting...
The forth flat came on our trip home. Our trailer lost another tire. (It was a good thing we got spares in Needles). This blow out cracked our trailer :(....

My parents were the last to have a blow out... I guess they were feeling left out! Their blow out is the picture above in the rear-view mirror. That one took the most time because the spare they had didn't fit! So Larry and Louise had to drive to Barstow to get one... the temp outside - 110 degrees!!! I am NOT KIDDING!!!!

How many guys does it take to change a tire???

On a lighter note... we did have a good time! Haley had made puppets for us all to put on a show.... really it turned out to be the Mindi and Stef show :). Then later, Haley got everybody, pretty much, involved... Below is the picture of Jim, Larry, Louise, and my mom playing puppets with Haley... Hunter and Kaylee decided playing in the dirt was more fun!

There was NO GRASS at this campground... Hunter would wake up in the morning and ask , "Can I go get dirty now?" This is us outside the Snowbowl. We took a chairlift to the top of a mountain to look down at the Grand Canyon and other really pretty stuff in Arizona... The kids were great! (Keith came too, he took the picture) the rest of our campers stayed back.

Us taking a tram ride threw Sedona. Jimmy and Hunter looking out at the Grand Canyon...
This is a picture that will go down in memory hall of fame for the Vandes... On our way from the Grand Canyon we stopped at a little store in the middle of no where for some beef jerky. The Store was called something like The White Buffalo... The lady in the store was a bit different (that is the nice way of putting it). (I will make this a short story... if you are interested in hearing more ask Larry or I later) Haley and I go into the store to pet this bunny. The lady was not happy with me for that... plus the Lady was ticked off at Larry's rude behavior so Haley and I got kicked out of the store! SERIOUSLY.... The lady kicked a 7month pregnant girl and little kid out of a store because we made her uncomfortable because we were traveling with Larry who was rude... (he wasn't... by the way).

We had some great laughs and some great cries :) over all... we did have fun!!! The kids were real troopers threw the whole tire problems... they really were awesome!

Four cute kiddos!!!

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Hunter turns 3!

Sunday Hunter turned 3!!!
He woke up and had presents from mom and dad :). We got him a water table with a bunch of water toys to enjoy with! (Plus clothes and all, but that wasn't the exciting gift)... Tuesday we had some of Hunter's close friends over for a pool party in our backyard!After going to all the Smarts' b-day parties with all their themes... Hunter was asked what kind of b-day he wanted... Cars.. Nemo... last year it was Baby Einstein. This year he picked the color black. He wanted a BLACK birthday. I asked him what that meant... he said, "I want black balloons"... Hunter LOVES the color black! So that is what we did this year. I am sure my neighbors thought we were having a party for someone going "over the hill"
He had black cupcakes (complements of Nana and food coloring).. The kids got pails (lots of color) Hunter's was all BLACK!
the cupcakes turned the kids faces black! It was awesome!
At the end of this entry are more black faces! Hunter got this ABC puzzle from his friend, Kaylee, and loves it so much he wanted to sleep with it last night! Seriously he cried when we had to put it up :). He gets all these toys, and my son wants the sleep with the ABC's!
He can totally put it together himself... With each new letter, he sings the ABC song...
Last night we had family come over for a party! Nana made a larger cupcake on a cake! Again, with black frosting!
Hunter wearing his croc shirt from the Auzzies! Thanks guys! He loves it!!! He has a whole story about how the one crocodile is stuck in the mud but the other one comes and saves him and takes him to his mom. He is a funny kid!

More Black Faces!!!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Haley graduated preschool... and more...


Haley had her last day of preschool. She is now a kindergartener! I can't believe it! I can't believe she is almost FIVE!

The second picture is Jim and the kids at his works picnic... Jim won a PSP!

Haley and her preschool teachers...

Me... a week ago at 26 weeks pregnant. I am sure I look the same a week later... big :)


The kids having outdoor fun!

Wedding Preview

Coming soon... Len and Jenna's wedding!

The first two pictures are from Jenna's shower. The top picture is her bridesmaids. Right below it is Jenna.

The Next two are us trying on our costumes. The wedding has a 1860's theme!

The last picture is Haley and Hunter having a blast trying on hats in the costume shop.