Here we go! I hope you brought Popcorn!!!

So, I am finally home. Yesterday I drove back from Tennessee. I had stayed there for a week so I could go to a wedding then I came home. If I would have stayed just 2 more days it would have been 7 weeks since I'd been home. Seriously...when I go on vacation, I go on vacation!

I'm going to try and blog all of this today and get it over with, but with Case wanting my attention we'll just have to wait and see how far I get today.

I left home on June 10th and drove to my dad's in TN. I prefer to fly Southwest cause they have straight thru flights to WA and from AZ so I left my car at my dad's. I was there for like 2 days so me and my friends got together and had a pool party at my dad's. There was like 30 people there and 2/3 of them were kids under the age of 4. It was crazy but a ton of fun and somehow nobody drowned under our watch:-) I had so much fun with everyone and I wish I still lived close by. I totally take for granted what great friends I made in TN and I love you guys and miss you a tons. Thanks for always wanting to get together when I come to town!

Justin and Case having fun in the water

Bethany holding Riley and her daughter Shelby

Izzy and Emma

Megan and Seth up top and her daughter Cloe down below

Liz and Kalaya...sorry if I misspelled her name

I just love Greta! She got this cupcake everywhere and I mean everywhere!

(Sorry if I missed some pictures but Abby has all the copies and she said she'd email them to everyone!)
OK...onto my next adventure. We flew to WA on June 13th (lucky huh?) It was a almost 5 hour flight which wouldn't have been bad if I was a better mom...You see at the pool party the day before my friend Abby put sun block on Case (thanks Abby for being a better mom then me!) but I didn't put anything on myself of Justin. Now...Justin is a total champ when it comes to tanning and never burning, thanks to his daddy...but I guess our hours of playing in the pool wasn't good...luckily the "bad bubbles" didn't pop-up till after we got to WA. However the plane ride was rough cause we both were pretty sun burned on the shoulders. (Sorry Buddy!)

We stayed in WA for 2 weeks and had so much fun. I'm gonna try to remember everything but you can always go read about it on my sister's blog. Her name is Amy on my sidebar. She had hers posted a month ago. When I got home last night I had to shuffle through over 1200 photo's of that trip! I didn't take any of them cause my camera sucks (total breakage happened in AZ!!) so everyone downloaded the pictures and we just burned a CD of the trip. Amy took me and her Daughter Brianna along with some of friends to the Cheese Cake Factory for her birthday. She went and turned 17 on me and that is way too crazy!!! The food was so yummy and of course the cheese cake was heavenly. Thanks Amy for the yummy night out. We have a great video of me and Amy singing in the car to Debbie Gibson, "I get lost in his eyes"... I'm not sure if that is what it's called but I'm gonna try to find it and put it on my music thing. It was pretty funny and some day Amy is gonna have it on her blog. The second weekend we took the younger kids to a park to play on and I got to learn that I'm no longer 10 years old! Justin was playing tag with his cousin Aaron and his friend who are 8 and of course Justin wasn't doing very good so I decided to play and make it even. The rule was you couldn't touch the sand and I was running around in flip flops...not a good combo! I was going across the monkey bars (which to my defense didn't use to be that short!) I had to fold my legs under myself while I was swinging. When I got to the end my hands slipped and I fell and landed on the wooden landing. My shin took the fall and I had a HUGE goose egg and I STILL have a bump on my leg. It's been over a month! Morale of the story??? I'M ALMOST 30 AND I SHOULD ACT LIKE IT!!!

Justin and favorite Cousin Aaron

We then went to Forks, WA! I like to take a moment here and ask for a moment of silence for the dumb books that have got me and few other people obsessed. (you know who you are!) We did do other things on this trip. Otherwise we would have not been able to trick err talk Paul (Amy's hubby) into going on a fun trip to the Olympic Peninsula to see the the HOH Rain Forest and the beautiful Ocean...hee hee hee!

On the way over to the Peninsula we took a ferry across the Sound and and then drove like 3 hours to Forks. The drive over was very curvy and Justin kept complaining of a "sore throat". Sorry bud nothing I can do about a sore...apparently that is code word for throw up! This was a mess. Luckily I had a change of clothes!

Ok people...if you don't know what these books are all about go educate yourself. I have a link to the Authors website on my side bar. There is a movie coming out in December and the 4th book if coming out Saturday. Then you can truly appreciate my next few comments. But if you don't care then just skip all this blah blah blah:-) First I just want to comment on how this town is totally cashing in on the Twilight Books. The main street was like less then 2 miles long and the town fit in nicely all around it. We went to a local burger joint and they had a "Bella Burger" which of course I got. I'm not if Bella would really want a burger with Swiss cheese and pineapple but it was yummy and if you ordered it then you got a pair of glow in the dark vampire teeth. Not very accurate to the book but funny and Justin liked to play with them.

Brianna, Me, Amy, and Morgan infront of the Forks High School sign

This is La Push at sunset. It was just like I pictured it in the book.

Me and Case snugglin' at La Push

Baby Case was freezing and he really loved his Uncle Paul!

Everybody (including Paul!) at Cape Flattery. The most Northwestern Point of the US

Everybody at the Hoh Rain Forest. This place had so HUGE trees!

Have you ever seen a more stupid looking car?

Also at this place they were kind enough to give us a copy of the "Twilight Points of Interest". It was a map of the town and what corresponded to the book. So of course we took our picture at Forks High School. La Push (the ocean) was so beautiful! We went there our first night. It was so cold and windy that day but so pretty. I almost asked a kid who could have been Jacob Black if he'd let us take a picture with him but I thought that would have been rude. I'm a chicken! Justin insisted on walking in the FREEZING ocean and of course a wave knocked him down. And now he's just gonna have to go back to the hotel in his birthday suit. You'd think after the first time being knocked into the water he'd want out but no...He wasn't cold! The second time I put my foot down and I had to drag up to the car kicking and screaming.

This is me trying to talk Justin into going to the car but he kept telling me he's not freezing!

My trip with Amy was 2 weeks but it went by too quickly! I think the only time we had together with no kids was a trip to Cost Co. My wonderful Nieces...Brianna, Kenzie, and Carly babysat the boys like champs. To thank them I made them all curtains for their rooms. They turned out great and they are supposed to emailing me pictures of them...I'm still waiting! We then drove down to Portland, OR to visit my mother in law and to see Loren. He got to fly in and spend the next 9 days with us! We had a busy and fun time in OR. Jo (mom-in-law), had a lot of fun things planned. We went on a Stern Wheeler. It's a boat with a big paddle on the back. It was a very beautiful area! Jo treated me and her to a very nice pedicure at a real spa. I loved it and and my toes still look good. Thanks Jo! Me and Loren even got to go on a nice date for our anniversary that I missed:-( by ourselves while the boys played with Nanna Jo. We also spent the day out with Thomas up by Mt. Hood. Justin still loves trains and it was great. Thank you Jo for a great visit and we can't wait to see you again.

This is us on the Thomas Train. It was so nice to have Loren with us!

Nanna and Case

Nanna and Justin

This picture is to prove that Case is fully capable to hold his own cup. He would disagree though!

Loren, Justin, and Jo riding on a little train and Case down below exhausted from our trip!

Next me, Loren, and the boys flew to Sacramento, CA to visit his dad. We had a ton of fun with Grandpa. He was a good sport and drove us down to the Jelly Belly Factory and waited in line for over an hour to see the factory tour. If was well worth it. Who would have thought it takes up to a week to make 1 jelly belly! They are yummy!

George Clooney made out of Jelly Belly's

Loren and his dad

Justin really wanted this Jelly Belly Car!

Loren and his dad found some so styro foam airplanes that his mom bought a long time ago and they never put them together. We spent a few day flying and mostly crashing and retrieving these planes. It was lots of fun.

Grandpa watched Case so me and Loren could take Justin to see Wall-E. It's a really cute movie and it was great to spend time with Justin.

Went went to see Loren's grandparents and his Aunt and Uncle. His grandparents hadn't seen Justin since he was 13 months old and it was the first time they saw Case. The boys are their only Great-Grandchildren and it was important to me that they see them. I'm glad they did cause we just found out the Loren's Grandpa has Pancreatic Cancer. It was great to see them with the boys.

This is Loren's family on his dad's side. From left: Great Grandpa Pinard, Loren, Justin, Me, Aunt Janice, Uncle Bruce, Great Grandma Pinard, Case, and Grandpa Kern

I got a 4 Generation shot of Great Grandpa Pinard, Grandpa Kern, Loren, Justin and Case

Loren and his Grandma Joy

Case with his Great Grandpa Pinard...he never got to meet the other ones

We left to go to AZ and Loren left to NC on July 5th. It was sad to have him leave but we were so glad that he was able to make it out to join us!

If you are still reading this good for you. Please feel free to take a 15 minute break and make yourself a sandwich. Seriously...my fingers are starting to cramp up!

Arizona was surprisingly a very nice visit! I got to meet 2 of nieces for the first time. Claire who is 4 months old and Amena who is 14-ish months old. I spent a week at my friend Sarah Sarah's house. She worked alot of night shifts while I was there so I didn't get to spend enough time with her. But I did get to make her hubby watch to season finale to the Bachelorette and a few episodes of So You Think You Can Dance. Her daughter Tiffany is a little over a year old and loved Case. They were great friends!

syncranized stair crawling!

This is my friend Becca Wilcox's daughter Kaylyn with Case

Me and Baby Claire

I then spent a week at Lucinda's house. She is a total rock star for watching my kiddos a lot for me while I helped out my sister and mom some. Me and my mom got a rare day out to the Cheese Cake Factory (i love it ok!) It was nice to spend some time with her. Justin also got to spend the night with his Nanna Wheat a few times. He had so much fun! My sister Katie, Lucinda and myself spent 4 hours one day scrap booking Katie's baby album that me and Amy got for her a few months ago. We got alot done even with 7 kids running around. Jake and Harmoni (my brother and sis-in-law) came out to Katie's one night and we had dinner. It meant a lot for my mom to have some of her grand kids together. It was a challenge getting them all to sit still for a picture. Lastly...I just wanted to say a big thank you to Amy, my Mom, Katie, Lucinda, and Harmoni for doing Scentsy Candle parties and orders! You guys paid off my rental car that I had to get in AZ and it was a huge help!!! I know what a pain it is to do but I really Appreciated it!!!

Justin and Cole

Nathan, Justin, and Rilee (cousins)

Lucinda's Hubby wrestling with Cole and Justin

Trying to get pictures with screaming kids is really funny. Back row is Lincoln, Rilee, Nathan and Justin...front row not having any fun is Claire, Amena, and Case

I flew back to TN on July 19th and stayed for a week. I went to Girls Camp a little and hung out. I really miss that calling and all my friends! We spent a day with the Moore's who are moving to Italy for a few years. We'll miss you guys! I stayed in Tn for a week so I could attend my friends wedding. I met Abby Epps way back in the 8th grade when I lived in TN and it was fun going to the wedding and reception and seeing other people for way back then . When I get the picture emailed to me I'll post it. We drove back yesterday the 27th.


I can't believe we were gone so long. I just wanted to tell Loren that I love him a ton and thank you for never making me feel guilty for being gone so long! We missed you tons and I promise to stay home for a long time!!!



Ok people. There you go. I'm a little scared to publish this post...I hope it doesn't crash Blogger:-)