71* Dec. 27, 2008

So, I ran away for a bit this summer!  The kids and I enjoyed a few outings as well as some fun at home...

New Mexico

We all enjoyed beautiful New Mexico with Ryan's sister and family (the Garnett's).  The kids loved every minute.  Well, maybe not every minute, Victoria wasn't too happy about all the hiking!  However, mom sure enjoyed her time alone with Victoria chatting and walking through the beautiful mountains.  Life gets so busy she often is hustled from one thing to another.  It was nice to slow down with my sweet little Toria.  We hiked, fished, played, laughed and created lots of fun memories.

Nauvoo, IL

Our next stop was Nauvoo.  The kids and I met my mom there.  We camped at the state park.  That very state park the Adamson's camped at every summer during the pageant.  The kids have heard many stories of our camping experiences in Nauvoo.  So, when the clouds rolled in and we were deciding whether to put the rain fly on or not, Sam quickly said, "I think we better!"  Well, the rain did come, as it always did!  It was fun sleeping in the tent hearing the pitter patter and at times drumming of the rain.  I assured Rebekah and Isabelle that Grandma would wake up if it rained to shut the windows.  They laughed and teased the following morning about how Grandma didn't wake up until after the windows were shut!  We woke to a missing cooler.  Yep, someone slipped in during the evening or night and stole our cooler.  Sam's morning was ruined!  NO cream cheese for her bagel!  Casey was saddened, he had saved his delicious (and expensive) fudge for the ride home.  Not to mention the chocolate bars and salads.  The thief got away with our best goodies!  I think this was probably my favorite trip.  It was so simple and just us.  The kids really had fun laughing and playing together.

At home...

Speaking of playing together, you never know what these crazy kids will come up with.  On this particular day they decided to put big balls in their pants and create big bums!  A little face paint, crazy ideas and goofy kids make for some big entertainment.

What do you tell a friend that calls up and asks, "Would you like 3 dead raccoons?"  This crazy mom said yes!  Porter has begged and pleaded for us to retrieve coons from the road after being hit.  I always tell him no, we are not picking up roadkill!  What these pictures don't tell is that I almost chickened out.  I called for help but it wasn't going to work out.  So, I told myself in my old KY way, "Suck it up Jonnette!  You've done a lot harder things than skinning a coon.  Just get to it!"  So, I put on my gloves, grabbed the ipad loaded with a youtube video of "how to skin a coon", a few sharp knives, rope and of course the coons.  Casey and I did most the skinning.  The others were there for moral support and the occasional, "ewwww, that smells!"  

Gulf Shores, AL

Last stop... Gulf Shores, Alabama.  We had a week full of fun.  The kids have always loved the water so it makes for a very easy, relaxing vacation.  

Now we are back in the swing of school life.  The kids enjoy an occasional tennis session with Ryan. We always enjoy Casey's Labor Day Weekend birthday.  He decided he wanted pie instead of cake.  The apple pie had a C poked in it and the cherry had the sign for pie put them together and you get Casey's Pie!  Rebekah entertained us with her flexibility tricks one afternoon.  Izy, Porter and Tori enjoyed their week of dress-up for school.  Cross country is in full swing.  We are running, running and running some more!  Oh yes, Ryan did start our yard on fire.  That was quite the sight!