Fall Fun

We have been having tremendous weather here which has allowed us to enjoy some really fun fall activities. We were finally able to go camping with some friends. We have been wanting to go for a while but it just never quite fit. We were expecting good weather and a great friend put together a camping trip we just couldn't resist. We had to travel about an hour and a half but it was absolutely beautiful. We had great company, great food, and great weather. We couldn't ask for much more.

The guys cookin some good grub

The little girls doing what they do best. It was so funny, no matter how hard we tried we couldn't keep these two out of the treats.

Playing Tarzan

And Jane

We also took a night when Brady wasn't too busy with school stuff and went to Waterman's Farm Market for our annual pumpkin patch trip. There was so much fun to be had, we almost didn't have enough daylight to enjoy it all. The kids loved it as always and we ended up with two spectacular pumpkins.

Still smiling at the bottom

Watching the Dino eat punkins

These are the expressions from the front...Caden was really worried about Kamrie and kept trying to make her back up. What is even sweeter is he had a bad dream a few nights later and wouldn't go back to sleep until he saw that Kamrie was in her bed sleeping soundly...I wonder if it had something to do with this particular night?

The Hayride to the patch where we would find our perfect pumpkins

These last two pics are of the kids when we were visiting with a good friend. They were on top of the world in the little pink car. Thanks Mel for always letting us come hang out for hours on end and taking such good care of us.

Potty Time

So Kamrie has been pretty interested in the potty for quite some time but I think I just wasn't ready for the pain of it all, I know I should get the fabulous mom award right? Finally on Tuesday when she woke up and requested "Panties" I let her put them on and actually helped her through the day. That day she only had one minor accident when she didn't make it to the potty in time. Things were still going pretty well...fast forward to Friday morning. Only a couple hours after waking up she had already wet her pants 3 times, that is more than the past few days put together. Then to top it all off, I was talking with my visiting teachers in the front room when I hear a shout from Caden upstairs. I start up the stairs and smell something funny...when I get there I am informed that Kamrie has pooped on the floor. By this time we are about out of real panties (even tough she didn't dirty any while pooing on the floor) so I resort to pull-ups thinking that she will completely go backwards with those on, however the rest of the night went much better. Just when I was about to throw in the towel she gives me a little glimmer of hope. I know I need to stick with it but I still hope we don't have very many more days like that.

Why Not Do it Together

Brady and I celebrated our sixth anniversary on October 4th. This post is a little late but I didn't want to let it pass without taking a minute to say just how lucky I am. During the six years we have been married, we have jumped from school to work and back again several times, each time knowing that our final goal was eventually a career in dentistry. Now that we are so close to that goal, I really can't believe how far we have come. We have lived in so many places, brought 2 (almost 3) beautiful children into our home, and created many memories. Throughout every part of our lives together Brady has worked himself silly to make sure I could fulfill my dream of being a mom. He always has my best interests at the forefront of his mind and I'm sure he loves me more today than the day I married him. After adding the kids, the school, the callings, and all the day to day stuff, we don't have as much time to spend just focusing on each other. As I listened to a radio show last night and contemplated all that we do I came to a realization again that I always knew to be true. On the radio program there was a couple who had dated for 8 years!!! and the girl still wouldn't get married. The guy had proposed 4 times and each time she had something she needed to accomplish before she would oblige. As I listened to what I thought were silly excuses as to why people don't get married I found myself feeling so lucky. Lucky to know that you can accomplish things together and by doing just that your bond will be strengthened. Instead of going through all the joy and sorrow triumph and defeat that life has to offer alone, why not share it, all of it, with the one you love. All your joy is completely magnified as you have someone else to see just how great it is with you and when there are rough times he is there too, to let you cry on his shoulder and tell you it really isn't that bad and if it is, there is just no way it will last forever. Brady and I have had a little of it all. We have experienced so much joy that at times we thought we would burst because we couldn't hold anymore, times we wondered how we would find the strength to even go on, and still just those in between days where nothing is great or terrible just ordinary...but each experience we've tackledtogether. Thanks, honey, for being my other half and for doing all you do, but especially for doing by my side. I love you!!!

Our little "By cation" (vacation)

Brady had a couple days off so we decided to take a little "by cation" as Caden would say. We went to the Abe Martin Lodge. It has an indoor water park and is surrounded by awesome places to bike, hike, and just enjoy the outdoors. We met up with some friends on Thursday (Oct. 2nd) afternoon, got a bite to eat at a little hometown pizzeria, and then went back to the "lodge" for swimming. We swam most of the evening and then just hung out until people started falling asleep. The next morning we woke up and had a buffet breakfast followed by more swimming. The kids loved the pools and the water slide. Caden was big enough to go down himself which made the trip pretty memorable for him. He thought he was on top of the world, and I have to admit it was pretty fun and also a little sad watching him feel so independent. When it was time to check out of the lodge, we headed to a playground for the kids to play while we got the bikes ready for a little ride. We let Caden test out his bike skills, without training wheels, in a new area and then loaded both kids in the bike trailer for a little more intense ride. It was so beautiful! The weather couldn't have been better and the leaves were just starting to change showing the first signs of fall. After the ride we took the kids to the saddle barn where they got to ride ponies. They loved it and couldn't wait to tell Grandpa that they rode horsies. It was so fun to just get out and spend time together. With the kids it's almost like every experience is a new one and it sort of brings back that childlike excitement as we go out and have new experiences together. Here are a few pictures. I'm sad that I didn't get any of Brady at the pool, he was our photographer most of the time and I didn't get any to show just how beautiful it was there, of course we were more focused on our two favorite subjects...Caden and Kamrie.

Heading to try the slide

Caden, all by himself.

Going back for more

Morning at the "Lodge"

Waiting for his next turn.

More Excitement!!!

Well I guess It's about time to get the exciting news out to all of you who don't live close enough to me or an excited grandparent to have heard already...we are having another baby! I am almost 13 weeks along so that will give us a new little bundle to love around April 14th. We just started telling people a couple of weeks ago so the secret is out and now that I can share it I am more and more excited all the time. With the due date being to close to Brady's Humanitarian trip to Mexico, his boards, and Graduation we are expecting a really eventful spring, but we can't wait to experience it all. We will keep everyone updated on the progress.

In other exciting news...Caden scored his first goal in his last soccer game of the season today. After the first one he liked how if felt so much he did it again and almost a third time but the other team decided they didn't like all the scoring going on so they used their hands (sometimes the temptation is just too great, I can't really blame them). He was on top of the world! It has been really fun this season to see him progress from frustration because he wasn't sure what was going on, to excitment to just be close to the action, to actually engaging and scoring points.

We packed in the fun!!!

Since my last post we had a wonderful, fun-filled few days with Gma and Gpa Robbins. They arrived on Friday evening (Sept. 19th) and after the excitement of losing a piece of luggage during one of their flights, we kicked off the visit with pizza, a walk around the neighborhood, and flying RC airplanes. It's been a while since they have been here so it was really fun to just hang out and do some everyday stuff with them. During their visit we packed in just about as much fun as everyone could handle. We watched soccer games, had a picnic at the apple orchard, walked the canal and listened to Irish Fest, went to the zoo and the children's museum, and lets not forget, the reason for the trip... the COLTS game in the new stadium!!! The kids loved having Gma and Gpa around and Brady and I loved the company and the competition at Wacky 6. Thanks to Gma and Gpa for everything, we enjoyed the visit and hope we can do it again before we have to say goodbye to Indy.

Some adorable soccer shots of our favorite soccer star.

Right before the game sporting all our Colts' Blue and White

Some game shotsThe game didn't turn out quite like we had hoped (hence the big bottom lips in the next photo) the Colts lost 21 to 23 in the last 4 seconds of the game but... we all had a fantastic time.Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Steve and Connie for the great time. We love you and are always looking forward to another visit.