See you in San Francisco

In April, Brian attended a conference in San Francisco so Kennon and I tagged along for some mom/dad/ third-child-that-deserves-some-extra-attention time.  Kennon was a great traveler and savored his time with us all to himself.  His vibrant and happy personality really began to blossom when he didn't have to vie for our attention over his much louder and more demanding older brothers. 

We enjoyed a ferry ride to Alcatraz, toured the former penitentiary, enjoyed walking by the bay, shopping and watching the seals play by the wharf.  No trip to San Francisco is complete without a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin so we enjoyed two.  

As much as we love being with all three of our boys together it is fun to split them up and enjoy them one by one too.  We will definitely do this again. 

Kennon and I trekking up the hill to Alcatraz.

Brian and I outside Alcatraz with the city in the background.

Kennon having a ball in the bathtub at the hotel.

Brian and Kennon while watching the seals by the wharf.

Kennon having fun watching the seals. 

Bartending School Fun

In a rare turn of events Brian and I escaped diaper changes and dinner duty for an evening and joined some good friends for bar tending school.  We met at Troy and Margo's house and appetizers before the party bus - and by party bus I mean a fully size city bus - picked us up at their house to go downtown.  We had a great time and actually learned allot about hosting parties at home, properly mixing drinks, stocking a home bar and got to make and enjoy several libations. 

We even had a contest for accuracy in pouring a 1 oz. pour of liquor.  I took home a nice prize.  Brian was proud.  Just when I thought I didn't have any talent I discovered one.

We had lots of fun, but I was busy listening to the instructor so I failed at taking pictures, but wanted to document our night on the town.

The Little Lady Turns 1

Little Miss Matney turned one in April and we celebrated with a lady bug fanfare.  Ashley calls Matney "my little bug" or "little lady" so a lady bug theme suited her well.  She even dressed the part.

Matney is as sweet and lovable as she is outgoing and determined.  She is a little smarty pants with a cute little grin and funny laugh.  She loves her mommy and adores her daddy.  She refuses to wear bows in her hair even when we trick her into it.  She loves shoes, though, so there is hope for her girly-girlness yet.  She can hold her own against her three boy cousins and has pretty much everyone wrapped around her finger. 

We adore Matney Paige. 

Oh, and she really, really likes cake too!

3.27.11 Kennon's Baptism

When we returned from vacation we celebrated Kennon's baptism on Sunday morning, 3.27.11. Papa G, Nannie B, Brandon, Ashley and Matney joined us at church to celebrate this special Christian milestone in Kennon's life. Papa K joined all of us for dinner at our house afterward.

Getting a picture when all eyes are open and the boys aren't trying to escape is challenging at best. Regardless of the photo quality,I love that these pictures capture this very important day when we made a commitment in front of God, our family and our congregation to raise Kennon in a Christian home and to foster his faith for all the days of our lives. I hope and pray he grows to love God and find hope and peace in his faith and Christian path.

Disney 2011

After our beach trip we extended our vacation a couple of days and drove to Orlando with Brayden and Grayson for a two day Disney trip.  Kennon flew home with Nannie B and Papa G for one-on-one time.   He will join us next time. 

The drive from Clearwater to Orlando was very easy and we were in the park by 10:30 am.  We didn't leave until 10:45 that night after a long and super fun day.  Few things compare to the joy in our boys eyes as they take in the magic of Disney World.  And I was a skeptic before.

Disney has a way of inciting the best behavior and fosters love on brothers who don't always demonstrate a fondness for each other.  In their moments of affection and secret adoration for each other I feel we are making strides in our social development.  I digress.  Back to Disn*y. 

The second morning we had breakfast with Mick*y and his pals.  The boys were in complete awe.  Brayden loves the characters and greets them with an enthusiastic hug, while Grayson prefers to study them from afar and is satisfied with a simple wave. 

The weather was beautiful while we were there and we even came home sporting a tan.  

It was nice to have two-on-two time with Brayden and Grayson.  Grayson loves Disn*y, Mick*y and all his friends.  For weeks now he has been talking about all the characters he saw, how much fun he had and asking us if we can go back "someday".

Brayden had fun taking me on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad and kept telling me not to be scared.  I didn't get to ride many of the rides last time because I was five months pregnant with Kennon.  Brayden thought it was so cool to get to tell me about something he had done, but I hadn't.  It's so fun to watch them grow, learn and begin to teach us.   

We had a blast.  

Sun and Sandy Beaches

In March we visited the sunny beaches of Florida for a week long trip with Papa and Nannie and Brandon, Ashley and Matney.  We had so much fun.   The kids did great on the plane and getting from the Clearwater/St. Pete airport to the beach house at Indian Rocks Beach was a cinch.  Our family friends - The Witte's - graciously offered their beach house to us and the accommodations were just right for our family ten. 

Friday morning we loaded up the beach buggy with all necessities and walked to the beach.  The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and warm sandy under our feet. 

This was Matney's first trip to the beach and she seemed to love it.  She had so much fun running around.  Both she and Kennon enjoyed the sand and ate their fare share too. 

Brayden loves the water.  Even though it was cold and the rest of us didn't venture in much, he was out there soaking up every minute. 

Grayson prefers building castles and burying things in the sand.  Getting him to the water still takes a lot of coaxing, but he sure enjoys himself on the beach. 

We managed to keep the boys in line - at least for a few minutes - I burying them in the sand.  

My mom has a real knack for choosing the ugliest hats available and she didn't disappoint us with this number.  Her taste in beach and lake hats is part of her character, though, and we love her for it.  

Brian spent his birthday out on the boat in the gulf with the guys.  He caught lots of red snapper and returned to 3 lbs. of shrimp.  Later, we walked to the Red Li*n for dinner.  It is a whole in the wall smelling like wet ashtrays, but the prime rib dinner was awesome according to him.  

We ate out every night which was a nice change from having to cook.  We even ate at the same restaurant - Guppy's twice because it was that good.  The sangria with cinnamon was refreshing and delish.  

We enjoyed a trip to the marine aquarium and hospital where we saw injured dolphins and sea turtles being rehabilitated, we made a trip to a ginormous flea market, went shopping to the park and just enjoyed being together.

The last night we walked back along the beach on our way home from dinner.  We laughed and chased the boys and had the best time.  

It was a perfect vacation with people we love.  A vacation we hope to repeat time and again.  

Simple Days

This particular spring has been a series of ups and downs as the wind would howl and bite one day and the sun and warmth would beckon the boys outside to play the next.  The boys have spent much-loved time at Nannie and Papa's and they never play better than when they are outside. 

Kennon contemplates the wind against his cheeks and the feel of the not-yet-green grass coming to life. 

The boys check on their cows.  Kennon rides in the old-time stroller my mom bought when Ashley was born.  It offers not one ounce of back support, but there is so much to take in he just doesn't care. 

Nannie B recently dug through her hope chest and pulled out some old clothes of mine.  Since I was a country girl many of my clothes work great for the boys.  The overalls Kennon and Grayson have on were mine when I was little. 

Grayson loves the farm and takes on an entirely different persona when he is a "sframer".

Kennon explores using all five senses.

He supervises while his brothers help Papa feed hay.

Grayson checks "his" cows on his very own tractor. 

And the boys help Papa tag a new calf.  This particular event was a bit traumatizing.  As Papa tagged the calf the calf jerked away and the tag ripped out splitting his ear.  Grayson talked about it for days and was very concerned.  He kept asking me if we needed to take the calf to the doctor or could get a band aid for him.  Grayson has such a compassionate spirit. 

These are the days I love.  Days when life is simple and there is no real agenda.  But, somehow, a lot is accomplished and much is learned just by living.